The room was quiet—save for the soft hum of the city far below and the distant rattle of wind brushing past the half-open window. The air was still warm, clinging to their bare skin.
Sho lay beside Makoto, propped up on one elbow, eyes tracing the contours of her flushed face. Her hair was messy, her skin glowing, her lips slightly parted. He couldn't stop looking at her.
"You okay?" he asked again, voice low and laced with tenderness.
Makoto turned her head to him, smiling weakly. "You really like asking that, don't you?"
He grinned. "Just checking. That was…" His voice trailed off as he brushed his fingers gently along her collarbone. "...a lot."
Her cheeks darkened. "Yeah... it was."
They lay in silence for a beat, tangled in the sheets, the afterglow of what they'd just shared pulsing in every inch of her body.
Sho leaned in closer, his lips brushing her temple. "You know," he murmured, "I was just thinking…"
"Mmh?"
"When did you start falling for me?"
Makoto raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a smirk. "Seriously? You're asking me that now?"
He gave her a lopsided grin. "What better time than when you literally can't escape?"
She rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the soft laugh that slipped out. "Fine. You want the truth?"
Sho nodded, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Makoto turned to face him fully, her head resting on her arm. "Remember when we first got pulled into the X-Zone? We were what—twelve, thirteen?"
Sho chuckled. "Yeah. You were always yelling at me not to jump off cliffs on my bike."
"Because you did! And you'd laugh like an idiot every time, even if you scraped your knee bloody."
"Reckless charm," he said with a wink.
She smacked his arm lightly. "Anyway... that's when it started."
Sho blinked. "Wait. That early?"
Makoto gave a small shrug, her voice softer now. "I used to watch you ride and think... how could anyone be so dumb and brave at the same time? I liked you. I told you, in my own way."
He furrowed his brows, faking a look of deep thought. "Did you? All I remember is you yelling at me 24/7."
Makoto laughed. "Exactly. That was me telling you, Sho. You were too obsessed with MTB to notice."
He winced, mock hurt. "Ouch. Called out."
She trailed a finger down his chest. "I had to compete with your bike, your battles, your whole 'defeat-the-dark-emblem' destiny. Honestly, it was exhausting."
He sobered slightly, reaching for her hand. "Back then… I didn't even know how to look beyond the track. Everything was about racing. Winning. Saving X-Zone. Even when it meant facing…"
Makoto gently squeezed his hand. "Your father."
Sho nodded slowly. "That race. The final one... when I realized my own dad was the one threatening the X-Zone… I wasn't just racing for victory anymore. I was racing to stop everything from falling apart."
"You didn't just stop it," she said softly. "You won. You brought him back. You saved him."
Sho was quiet for a moment, lost in memory. "I was terrified. I thought I might lose him. Or lose myself."
Makoto leaned in, resting her head against his shoulder. "You were a kid forced to save a world. And you still did it."
Sho exhaled, his voice a whisper. "I didn't do it alone. You were always there. Kakeru. Hosuke. Even Kyoichi, eventually." He gave her a small smile. "But you? You were the one who pulled me back every time I almost lost my way."
She pressed a kiss to his shoulder. "You just never noticed the way I looked at you."
He turned toward her, his eyes searching. "I notice now."
Makoto felt her heart stutter.
Sho reached up, brushing her hair from her face. "The way you always stood by me. How you cried when I won. How you screamed at me whenever I rode too fast… I didn't realize it then. I do now."
"About damn time," she muttered, cheeks burning.
Sho chuckled. "You know, if you'd just said, 'Sho, I love you,' it would've saved us years of me being clueless."
Makoto narrowed her eyes. "If you weren't so MTB-obsessed, maybe you would've figured it out."
He smirked, eyes dropping to her lips. "Well… better late than never, right?"
Their lips met again, slow and tender, not rushed like before—just two people finally seeing each other in the way they'd always wanted.
When they broke apart, Sho rested his forehead against hers.
"Do you think things would've been different if I'd realized back then?"
Makoto thought for a moment. "Maybe. But I think… we needed all those years. Everything we went through—X-Zone, the emblems, our friends, our fights... it all brought us here."
Sho nodded. "Yeah. Here's good."
She smiled. "Here's really good."
They lay back in silence again, limbs tangled under the blanket, bodies warm and pressed close.
Outside, the night was deep and quiet, stars scattered across the sky like dust. The window curtain fluttered gently in the breeze.
Sho yawned, tucking his arm under his head. "Hey… remember when we got stuck in the sandstorm zone and had to sleep in that broken down watchtower?"
Makoto laughed. "And you insisted we could use my jacket as a blanket even though it barely covered one of us."
"You cuddled up to me."
"I was freezing."
"You liked it."
She rolled her eyes, hiding a smile. "Maybe."
He turned to her, eyes playful. "So... what else have I missed? Any other hidden confessions?"
Makoto blinked, then smirked. "I also used to fantasize about pushing you off your bike."
Sho burst out laughing, grabbing a pillow and whacking her with it. "That's fair."
They laughed until the night felt less heavy, more gentle.
Then silence returned. Not awkward, but content.
Sho's voice broke it, softer now. "I don't want to lose this. Not again."
Makoto touched his face, holding his gaze. "You won't."
Makoto's head rested against Sho's shoulder, her fingers idly tracing circles on his bare chest. The rise and fall of his breathing, steady and warm, made her feel calm in a way she hadn't felt in a long time.
But the quiet didn't last long.
Sho shifted beside her, his hand moving under the thin blanket they shared. It slipped around her waist, pulling her closer, pressing her against him until their legs tangled again. Makoto felt his body—still warm, still pulsing with something that hadn't entirely settled yet.
She blinked up at him.
His eyes were wide open. And glinting with mischief.
"Sho… what are you doing?" she asked, trying to sound stern. But her voice was breathy, her cheeks already heating up.
He smiled, innocent and not innocent at all. "Just holding you. Is that a crime?"
His hand slid lower, fingers gently cupping her hip. He leaned down, brushing his lips against her jaw, then lower—to her neck, where he kissed slowly, lingering just a little too long. She shivered.
"I can't help it," he whispered. "You're right here. You're warm. You're beautiful."
She squirmed slightly. "That's not fair…"
"What's not fair?" he murmured against her skin, his lips now moving along her collarbone. "That I'm telling you the truth?"
His fingers moved again, this time tracing along the curve of her waist, drifting higher—light enough to tickle, firm enough to make her heart pound. When he brushed the underside of her breast, she gasped quietly.
"S-Sho…"
He looked up at her, that crooked, teasing smile playing on his lips. "You're not stopping me."
She blushed furiously. "I… I know."
He cupped her breast under the blanket, thumb brushing the already sensitive peak in lazy circles. Makoto bit her lip, trying to stay quiet, but the soft whimper that escaped gave her away.
"You're so sensitive…" he whispered, kissing her again, this time just under her ear. "I barely touch you and you're already reacting like this…"
Makoto turned her face away, but he caught her chin, guiding her lips back to his.
The kiss was deep and slow, his tongue parting her lips, claiming her again. She melted into it, her body pressing into his as if drawn by instinct alone.
His other hand slid down again, past her belly, pausing just above her thighs.
She trembled.
"Sho—" she tried, weakly.
"Shhh…" he whispered, kissing her again. "Just a little more. I want to feel you again. Just a little…"
His fingers slid between her legs under the blanket, and Makoto tensed—but didn't stop him.
He found her already slick, already warm and open to him. She gasped against his mouth as he touched her—slow, careful strokes that made her toes curl and her hips press into his hand.
"You're so wet," he breathed. "Is it because of me?"
"D-don't say it like that…" she whimpered, but her thighs parted just a little more.
He chuckled, wicked and tender all at once. "Then don't moan like that."
She blushed impossibly darker, burying her face in his chest. But she didn't pull away—not when his fingers slid inside her again, not when his thumb brushed her clit with aching gentleness.
Her body responded to every touch. Her hands gripped the blanket, her hips moving in slow, shaky rhythm with his strokes. His kisses never stopped—trailing along her temple, her cheek, her jaw, whispering her name like a prayer.
"You're so beautiful like this, Makoto," he said softly. "So honest… so real…"
Makoto trembled, her voice breaking. "Sho… I-I'm gonna…"
"Let go," he murmured, stroking her faster. "I've got you."
She did.
Her breath caught in her throat, and the wave broke—smaller than before, but just as intense, curling her toes and arching her spine into him. She let out a trembling sigh as her climax rippled through her, her whole body quivering with pleasure.
Sho held her close, fingers slowing, mouth kissing her softly as she came down.
"You're amazing," he said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "And mine."
Makoto buried her face against his chest again, shy and glowing. "You're so… embarrassing…"
"And you love it," he teased.
"…Maybe," she whispered.
He grinned and pulled the blanket tighter around them, wrapping both of them in warmth and silence. The night outside stretched on, but neither of them wanted to sleep just yet.
Not when the world had narrowed down to just this room, this bed, this feeling.
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END OF CHAPTER : 7 : AFTERMATH & REMINISCENCE!
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