He wants to say that he's not smart enough for that, yet holding his breath from the moment their fingers interlace to feeling Jade's lips on his own renders that impossible. Despite his initial reaction -- a small grumble -- he closes his eyes and responds, albeit slowly, by opening his mouth against Jade's.

This isn't the time to let his guard down, not again, not so soon. On the other hand, he can't figure out what strategy would work here and it's hard to come up with anything when goosebumps settle on him, head to toe. Some of the bruises on his back react without any pressure applied, as if expecting the burn of pain were enough to beckon it into being. Holding perfectly still throughout the journey down, Shinjirou ends up relaxing with an audible sigh giving him away.

None of this is exactly good; at least he isn't used to this sort of treatment enough to know what the right approach would be. Pushing Jade away? Always an option. However, he doesn't want to betray his own words. And all that's left, then, is to follow his instincts and urges. They suck; he ends up with his free hand clutching Jade's shoulder to pull him closer.