Smoking cats - shinsero

The Weight of Tenderness

It was late by the time the rain had slowed to a gentle mist, casting the city in a soft, ethereal glow. The apartment was dimly lit, the only sound the faint hum of the heater and the occasional rustle of Tipi, who had curled up in her favorite spot near the window.

The two boys sat together on the couch, wrapped in a quiet that was both comfortable and fragile. Their conversation from earlier still hung in the air, the rawness of it settling between them like a heavy, unspoken weight.

Shinsou hadn't meant to open up as much as he had, but something about Sero - his gentle persistence, the way he never pushed too hard - had made it impossible to keep his walls up. And now sitting here with him so close, the warmth of his body a steady presence beside him, Shinsou felt the familiar know of anxiety twist in his chest.

He had never been good at vulnerability. But with Sero, it didn't feel like weakness. It felt like safety.

Sero's hand found the other's again, his fingers lacing through his with a quiet ease that made Shinsou's heart skip a beat. His touch was steady, grounding in a way that made the weight of everything else feel lighter.

"You okay?" The black haired boy's voice was soft, barely a whisper, as though he was afraid of breaking the fragile peace between them.

Shinsou nodded, though his throat felt tight.
"Yeah," he murmured, his gaze flickering down to their joined hands.
"I'm... I'm okay."

Sero shifted slightly, turning to face the boy more fully. His dark eyes were filled with something soft and tender, something that made Shinsou's breath catch in his throat. There was no judgement in his gaze, no pity - just understanding. And that made it all the harder to hold back the emotions swirling inside him.

For a long moment, they simply looked at each other, the silence between them heavy but not uncomfortable. Shinsou could feel the steady thrum of his heartbeat, the warmth of Sero's hand in his, and the gentle pull of something unspoken that lingered just beneath the surface.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, Sero raised his free hand, his fingers brushing lightly against the other's cheek. The touch was soft, almost tentative, as if Sero was afraid of breaking the moment. But Shinosu leaned into the touch, his eyes fluttering closed as a shiver ran down his spine.

"You don't have to hide from me," he whispered again, his voice so quiet it was almost lost in the soft hum of the room.
"You don't have to carry it all by yourself."

Shinsou's chest tightened, his breath hitching as the other's words settled deep into his bones. He hadn't realized how much he had needed someone to tell him that it was okay to let go, even just a little.

Before he could stop himself, he opened his eyes, his gaze locking with the other boy's darker ones. There was a vulnerability in Sero's expression, a tenderness that made his heart ache. And in that moment, something inside him cracked open, something he had been holding onto for far too long.

Without really thinking, Shinsou leaned forward, his breath catching as his lips met Sero's in another soft, tentative kiss.

The world seemed to fall away in that instant, the only thing that mattered was the warmth of Sero's lips against his, the gentle pressure of the kiss that spoke of something deeper than words could ever convey. It wasn't rushed, wasn't desperate. It was slow, filled with the weight of everything they had left unsaid, every unspoken feeling that had built between them over the past few weeks.

Sero's hand slid to the back of Shinsou's neck, his fingers tangling gently in his hair as he deepened the kiss, his lips soft but insistent. Shinsou felt a tremor run through him, his chest tightening as the emotion of the moment threatened to overwhelm him.

There was something achingly tender in the way the boy kissed him - like he was trying to tell him that it was okay, that he didn't have to keep his guard up, that he was safe here, with him. And for the first time in a long time, Shinsou allowed himself to believe it.

The kiss lingered, slow and deliberate, their breaths mingling in the space between them. Sero's hand moved from Shinsou's neck to his cheek, his thumb brushing softly against his skin, wiping away the tears he hadn't even realized had fallen.

When they pulled apart, their foreheads resting together once again, Shinsou's breath came in shallow, shaky bursts, his heart pounding in his chest. His emotions were a tangled mess - relief, fear, gratitude, and something deeper, something he wasn't quite ready to name.

"I'm sorry," the purple haired boy whispered, his voice barely audible.

The other's brow furrowed in confusion, his hand still resting gently on Shinsou's cheek.
"For what?"

Shinsou shook his head, his chest tightening as he struggled to fins the words.
"For being... like this. For being so..."

"So what?" Sero asked softly, his thumb brushing against his cheek again, wiping away another tear.

He let out a shaky breath, his throat tight with emotion.
"For being broken."

Sero's expression softened, and he shook his head, his hand cupping the crying boy's face with a tenderness that made Shinsou's heart ache.
"You're not broken," he whispered, his voice filled with quiet conviction.
"You're just... human."

Shinsou's breath hitched, and he closed his eyes, his chest tightening as the weight of Sero's words settled over him. He had spent so long convincing himself that he was damaged, that no one could ever love him with all the scars he carried - both the ones on his body and the ones he kept hidden inside. But here, with Sero holding him so gently, so carefully, it felt like maybe - just maybe - he wasn't as broken as he thought.

"I care about you. All of you," Sero whispered, his lips brushing softly against Shinsou's forehead.

His breath caught in his throat, and before he knew it, he was kissing the boy again, this time with more urgency, more need. It wasn't just a kiss - it was a release, a way of saying all the things he didn't know how to put into words. Sero responded in kind, his hand sliding to the back of Shinsou's neck again, pulling him closer as their lips moved together in a slow, deliberate rhythm.

There was nothing rushed about the way they kissed - nothing hurried or frantic. It was soft, intimate, filled with a kind of emotion that neither of them had fully acknowledged until now.

When they finally pulled apart again, their breaths mingling in the space between them, Sero pressed his forehead against Shinsou's, his had still resting on the back of his neck.

"I'm not going anywhere," he whispered, his voice filled with quiet determination.
"I'm here, Hitoshi. I'm here for you."

The purple haired boy closed his eyes, letting out a shaky breath as he leaned into the other boy's touch. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he wasn't alone.

And in that quiet, intimate moment, wrapped in each other's warmth, Shinsou allowed himself to believe that it was okay to be vulnerable - to let someone in.

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