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Shouji never took off his mask in front of others. If he was alone in his room, he would but that would be the only time he did. Thanks to his quirk, he never needed to take it off around others. Was he hungry in a school cafeteria? Not a problem. He could grow a mouth on his limbs, which he did often.
It was probably the most frequent body part he ever used due to his mask. He wasn’t sick or anything, & he didn’t care if he looked cool with it on. He wore it for more personal reasons. They were reasons he never opened up about to anyone. Not even his boyfriends.
No, they never saw him without a mask either. Shouji really didn’t see a need to. He knew he couldn’t leave it on forever, especially if he was expecting a long term relationship for himself, but he couldn’t help to just want things to stay like this for a little longer. No worrying about what they’d think if he took off his mask.
He liked things calm & relaxing. Well, as relaxing as things could get for a student at a hero’s school. When he got to his dorm, he didn’t want to deal with any dramas or worries.
Except, he can’t always get what he wants.
Today was a weekend for the three mutant boyfriends & him, Kouda, & Tokoyami were sitting in the dark room that belonged to Tokoyami. Only a few candles lit the dim room along with the artificial light coming from Tokoyami’s laptop.
They were sitting on the bird boy’s bed, half focused on the movie & half focused on other things around them. Shouji’s eyes wandered around the room before fixating on Kouda who was staring at him curiously. Upon making eye contact, Kouda quickly averted his eyes, shifting focus back to the movie.
Huh. That was a bit weird.
Out of habit, Shouji fiddled with the top of his mask, now paying more attention to the movie.
Kouda glanced over at his silver haired boyfriend again before catching himself & looking away. Still, his curiosity got the best of him. He didn’t want to disturb anyone by speaking so he decided on an alternative.
He tapped Shouji on the shoulder, who turned his head to face him.
‘I always see you wear a mask & I just wanted to know why,’ Kouda signed. His hands were a bit shaky from embarrassment & it was clear with how he signed that he was regretting asking the question. Even though nothing was really wrong with the question, he still felt bad for asking.
“My mask?” Shouji asked in a slight whisper.
Tokoyami, looked away from his laptop & turned his head to look at his boyfriends talking.
Kouda waved his hand around,shaking his head.
‘Nevermind, forget I said anything. Sorry.’
“It’s fine,” Shouji reassured. “It’s not a big deal, don’t worry about it.”
Kouda nodded, going back to watching the movie.
After a few moments of silence, Shouji spoke up again, Shifting one of his limbs into the shape of his mouth, he began talking. “Y’know, if you’re that curious, I can always tell you. I don’t mind.” He really didn’t. Maybe it would be a good thing to tell them. After all, they couldn’t hate him for something so trivial, right?”
‘I don’t want to pressure you or anything,’ Kouda signed.
“It’s no pressure, really,” he replied.
‘Only if you want to.’
Shouji nodded. “It’s not so bad of a thing to talk about,” he said.
“Oh goodie! Storytime!”
An unexpected voice came out as a familiar shadow figure emerged out of Tokoyami’s body. The bird boy shot a glare at his quirk, mumbling a few words under his breath. “Dark Shadow, now is not the time,” Tokoyami said.
“Aw c’mon! He’s gonna tell a story, lighten up a little!” The shadow shot back.
“I swear to All Might himself if you don’t return here this instant I will-”
“It’s fine Fumi. Don’t worry about it.” Shouji said.
Tokoyami nodded, crossing his arms. “Very well, but behave yourself Dark Shadow,” the boy ordered.
Dark shadow nodded & rested himself on Tokoyami’s shoulder as Shouji talked.
“I think I told you guys about the town I lived in,” he began.
“I don’t remember,” the shadow interrupted, resulting in a shush from Tokoyami.
Tokoyami forced Dark Shadow back inside, apologizing to Shouji & allowing him to carry on with his story. Shouji paid no mind to it & simply waved it off, continuing with his story.
“Oh. Well, I lived in a place where mutant quirks were a rare sight to see so most of my old classmates from elementary school & middle school hadn’t seen someone like me before. It freaked a lot of people out. Especially one kid who...well...cried when she saw me without a mask.” Shouji paused for a moment, thinking of what else to say. After a few seconds, he continued speaking. “I didn’t want to be the cause of someone else’s sadness so I wore this mask.”
Those last few words stung to hear from Shouji. It wasn’t an answer either of them were expecting. Well, neither of them really knew what exactly they would expect to hear as an answer. Maybe he had scars on his face that he didn’t like others seeing or something like that, but because he’s scary? How could anyone ever think he’s scary?
He was usually so calm & well gathered with his thoughts. Aside from a few cases, he’d always known what to do. It was very rare for him to be so vulnerable in front of others. Even if he was dating them. It was hard to believe a caring guy like him could be the cause of anyone's sadness. Let alone a kid’s. He’d always brought such joy into Kouda & Tokoyami’s lives, so the thought of him feeling like it’s his fault was painful to see.
Shouji fidgeted with his mask again, starting to have some doubts. Should he have really told them? Maybe it was too early to say. He shouldn’t have told either of them about this. He knew this conversation would’ve come eventually; he knew that. But he was always so nervous to have it. Seems for good reasons too.
Two slim hands rested on his face, cupping his cheeks. Shouji was pulled away from his thoughts & looked at the black feathered bird in front of him. “Such beauty within you could never be the cause of one’s sadness,” Tokoyami said in a low voice. His voice was always soothing for Shouji to hear. He knew exactly what to say to make Shouji forget the hatred of the world & just feel warm inside. The warm & delicate touch of the smaller boy caressing his face made Shouji want to wrap all of his arms around the boy in a tight hug. He put his arms around the bird hero, just enjoying the moment.
“You’re too nice to me,” Shouji mumbled. Kouda gently tapped the taller boy’s shoulder, getting his attention. Shouji looked over, noticing Kouda looking at him. The rock headed teen took a big breath before saying in a quiet voice, “I’m sorry for making you upset.”
Shouji shook his head, pulling Kouda over into the hug. He held the two like that for a few minutes, eventually loosening his grip. After a good while of silence, Shouji spoke up again. “If I…” He paused, tugging the top of his mask a little. “If I showed you what’s under my mask, would you two get repulsed by me?” he asked, looking at the two.
Kouda shook his head, a little shocked that Shouji would even think such a thing.
“Nothing will ever make us be repulsed by you,” Tokoyami reassured.
Shouji nodded. He doubted they’d say the same thing afterwards, but even if they did hate him, it’d save him the anxious feeling of wondering what they really thought of him. It’d also be a quick & easy break & he’d be able to cut his losses & be done. But he didn’t want to leave them either. But it’s not like he could wear a mask forever. He had to show his significant others someday.
He grabbed the top of the mask & slowly brought it down to his neck, revealing his face. The front of his hair covered it so he moved his hair away too, a bit more hesitant this time. Now, the two were able to see his face more clearly. His face was long, almost like a muzzle, & his mouth itself was wide. Each end of his mouth reached almost to where his ear was. His teeth were sharp & a little jagged in some parts. His lips were also curled a little at random parts.
Shouji couldn’t tell if his boyfriends were admiring him or disgusted by him. They were both staring at him with wide eyes. Almost like they were inspecting him. He could tell what they were probably thinking about him now that they saw what he really looked like. He should’ve prepared himself for this outcome beforehand. He wasn’t gonna go cry about it nor was he sad. He felt numb about the whole thing.
Shouji readjusted his hair, covering the front of his face again. He reached back for his mask, slowly lifting it back up. Before it could even go past his chin, a large hand stopped him. Shouji’s eyes met with Kouda. “P-please keep it o-on?” he asked, giving a small smile. Gently, he moved some of Shouji’s silver hair away from his face to get a good look at him.
Wait, what? Keep it on? Shouji raised an eyebrow. “You really want to see my face like this?” he asked.
Tokoyami nodded. “You’re just too beautiful to hide yourself from the world,” he said, moving to gently rub his face once more.
The multi-armed teen slowly removed his hand from his mask, moving all of his hands to wrap around the two. He didn’t know what he did to deserve either of them in his life. They were just that perfect. He sniffled a bit, trying to compose himself.
Tokoyami felt a few drops of water fall onto his shirt. Curiously, he looked up to find the source of them coming from Shouji. He readjusted himself to look into his eyes. “Hey, why are you crying?” he asked, softly wiping some of the tears away.
Shouji looked over at him. “I’m fine, I’m just really happy right now,” he answered, pulling them both closer. “I love you both so much.”
Kouda snuggled in, burying his face into Shouji's shoulder, wrapping his arms around his neck. “I-its okay, & we l-love you too…” he said. The two gave him time to let all of his emotions out while they comforted him & whispered nothing but compliments & sweet words in his ear.
After a few minutes, Shouji calmed himself down enough to be able to speak coherently & not cry. He looked over at the two still in his arms & gently let go. He took both of their hands, pressing them against his lips for a kiss, letting them go.
An audible nose blow was heard in the background. The three looked over to see Dark Shadow wiping its nonexistent snot on Tokoyami’s sheets, letting out a cry. “That story was just so sad!!!” it cried. Tokoyami grumbled something under his breath, looking just about ready to beat up his quirk.
Before Tokoyami could release all hell upon the creature, he paused, taking a deep breath. They were all having a moment & now was not the time to ruin it by yelling at the quirk. Despite how much he really wanted to. He turned back to Shouji, checking on him. “Feel better now?” he asked sweetly, gently rubbing one of his arms. Shouji nodded, laughing a little as he relaxed against the wall.
The other two boys moved themselves over to him. Kouda sat beside him while Tokoyami spread himself out across both of their laps, nuzzling his beak in between their chests. Tokoyami called Dark Shadow, bringing over his laptop for them to resume their movie.
In that moment, Shouji felt lucky to have his boyfriends care so much for him. They had always been amazing, but right now, he felt like he could face anything. Just as long as they were beside him.