(no subject)
Title: Forbidden Fruit
Author: littlefuji
Rating: PG-13
Chapter: One-shot
Genre: Real-life, drama
Pairing: ToraxHiroto
Length (words): 2414
Summary: Usually, they sparkled with indignance and passion - eyes that raised Tora's spirits considerably when they looked into his. But tonight, they were dark with pain - so much of it that it made Tora feel nauseous.
Comments: Written for the Week 14 challenge on aliceinfiction, "Dark Blossoms". Worked really hard on this one - think I outdid myself for once :D I would like to thank chirorichan, w_addams13 and kage_no_kodoku for your opinions!
Tora made an impatient sound as he continued his assault on the TV remote. In the past 15 minutes he had been flipping through the television channels, all he saw were crap like news or boring documentaries. Really, there was no longer anything interesting to watch on TV nowadays, he mused irritatedly.
He was about to give up and take a nap instead, but as an afterthought, he settled on watching a sombre-looking talkshow. Tora had no idea what it was about, but he thought the guest speaker had some nice cleavage peeping through her blouse. Better than nothing, he thought. Tora didn't bother to turn up the volume - the murmur of the TV was soon drowned out by the insistent pattering of rain on the windowpanes.
There was a soft creak as Tora reached for a can of cold beer from the black leather sofa he was lying on. The slight movement caused Tora's spine to flare up in dull pain. He cursed loudly. The guitarist hated how the pain from his ex-hernia revisited him after each touring season. "No moving around until the pain fades," the doctor had reminded him with an infuriating smile. Tora took a huge gulp of beer, hoping to drown his frustration.
He was bored staying at home, Tora admitted. After all, today was a rare unofficial off-day for all the members. There was only one event lined up for the evening, a radio show featuring Shou and Saga as guests. The two had already left for the radio station around three hours back. Meanwhile, Hiroto had been out since early morning, maybe about 7am. Being a light sleeper, Tora had heard him shuffling about in his room while everyone else was asleep.
Nao too, had gone out. But before leaving, much to Tora's annoyance, the drummer wasted no time in cheerfully detailing his plans for the day to his jealous friend. Nao had wanted to scour for the latest computer parts at Akihabara to upgrade his laptop, and even had the balls to tease him that he'll be home soon "so you won't be alone". (Tora merely rolled his eyes at Nao's jab towards his misfortune.)
The guitarist crumpled the now-empty beer can with his fingers and let it fall to the wooden floor. Chikin, alerted from sleep by the sound, leapt onto the sofa and snuggled up to its owner. Tora stroked the cat, humming gently to it. Chikin purred softly in pleasure. Smiling and closing his eyes, Tora buried his head into his cat's soft warm fur and inhaled its pleasant smell.
He remained on the sofa with Chikin for a while, for how long he wasn't very sure. He might have fallen asleep without realizing. The sound of the key turning in the lock made Tora opened his eyes instinctively, but he did not move. The guitarist simply tuned his ears to the familiar footsteps that drew closer - light, somewhat irregular. Hiroto emerged from the doorway, much as Tora expected. Tora opened his mouth to voice a greeting, but promptly closed it again when he caught sight of his bandmate.
Hiroto was soaked through. His clothes stuck to his skin and his hair hung limply to his shoulders, making him look even smaller than usual. In one hand, he held a half-empty bottle of vodka; his other hand was against the wall, supporting himself. But what worried Tora most were Hiroto's large round eyes. Usually, they sparkled with indignance and passion - eyes that raised Tora's spirits considerably when they looked into his. But tonight, they were dark with pain, so much of it that it made Tora feel nauseous just looking into them.
Tora sat up and winced at the pain that shot through his spine. "Hiroto, you're all wet."
The sound of Tora's voice seemed to snap Hiroto out of his reverie. "Hey, your back feeling better?" came his response.
So Hiroto hadn't been out binge-drinking; his voice was level and clear, Tora mused. Maybe he had picked up a bottle of liqueur on the way home. The taller man stood up, took the vodka from Hiroto and took a swig. His friend blinked in surprise, but did nothing to stop him.
Smirking, Tora set the bottle down on the dining table and grabbed his hand. "C'mon, go get changed. There's more alcohol in the fridge but that'll have to wait."
Hiroto nodded dumbly and allowed himself to be ushered into his room. Tora shut the door for him, waiting for a few seconds, clenching and unclenching his fists in carefully-surpressed worry. Then he made his way back to the black sofa, but not before absent-mindedly picking up some beers from the kitchen and Hiroto's bottle of vodka from the table. And he waited once more, flipping through the TV channels like he did earlier, his mind wandering to Hiroto and whether the small guitarist was alright.
Tora cocked his head when Hiroto re-entered the living room in fresh clothes, signalling for the guitarist to sit next to him. Hiroto quietly did as Tora asked. He had a blank, somewhat resigned expression - Tora had a feeling he was not going to get anything out of him for a while.
Tora placed the TV remote onto the coffee table, not looking at Hiroto. "Bad day?"
Hiroto picked up his vodka and took a sip. "Kind of. Don't really want to talk about it though." He shrugged. "Done anything productive while cooped up at home today?"
"Tried to perfect some riffs I wrote a few days back, but no luck. Stupid spine's ruining my life." Tora grumbled.
The shorter guitarist's face twisted into a smirk, stroking Chikin who had leapt on the sofa and was now nuzzling Hiroto's arm. "Tough luck," he teased.
Tora dismissed the remark with a wave of his hand. "I did get an idea for a new song though - FUCK!"
Suddenly, Tora let out a yell and brought his legs up onto the sofa. His eyes nearly popped out at the floor, scanning every visible inch of it. "Fucking shit! Did you just see that?!"
Hiroto let out a chuckle of amusement. "See what? You mean that over there?" He pointed to a spot right next to the coffee table, where a gigantic cockroach sat unmoving. Tora gave Hiroto his signature killer glare.
"What, don't look at me like that." Hiroto grinned mischievously. "This cockroach's fucking huge though," he added in half-fascination. "Just look at that body. Bet it can fly."
Hiroto's taunts were obviously working. Tora winced and curled up into a small ball on the sofa to put as much distance between him and the disgusting insect. But if Hiroto thought Tora was going to allow his friend to take a mickey out of him, he was obviously mistaken.
In one jerky movement, Tora's leg pushed Hiroto off the sofa. Sliding off the smooth leather, Hiroto nearly landed on the enormous cockroach.
"Fuck!" Hiroto cursed loudly, grabbing a magazine under the coffee table and flattening the scuttling cockroach with a ferocious thwack. "Score!" He yelled happily, waving his magazine fist at Tora, displaying cockroach innards for him to see.
Tora gagged. "Hiroto!" He said exasperatedly, pointing furiously towards the direction of the kitchen bin. "You're taking out the bloody trash tonight." The man shivered inexorably, much to his friend's laughter.
When all traces of the cockroach had left Tora's line of sight, Hiroto was allowed back onto the sofa. The younger man popped open a fresh can of beer with a grin. The incident seemed to have lightened Hiroto's mood considerably. Although at his expense, Tora was grateful for this change.
The two guitarists chatted for a little while, indulging in some alcohol from time to time. Tora decided that he would not spoil his friend's mood by bringing up the matter that disturbed Hiroto earlier.
----------------------------------
The doorbell rang suddenly, interrupting Tora and Hiroto's conversation about the quality of the latest range of Marshall amps. "That's got to be Nao," Tora mumbled to no one in particular as Hiroto got up to get the door. Sure enough, it was the drummer that stood at the doorway, weighed down by several cardboard boxes.
"Pon! You're back! No, no Tora, sit back down." Nao said happily, waving at the taller guitarist to sit as Tora moved to help Nao with his boxes. Hiroto just stood awkwardly beside Nao, uncertain whether to wrestle a box from him or let him be. As if reading his mind, Nao smiled at his younger friend. "I'll manage, the boxes aren't very heavy. Hold on a sec, I'll just put these in my room first, alright?"
Hiroto nodded. "Be careful," Tora called towards Nao's back as the drummer slowly made his way into his room with his spoils for the day. Tora looked at Hiroto and their eyes met. Hiroto gave him a half-smile before looking away. Tora thought his heart seemed to speed up a little.
Nao walked back into the living room, cracking his tired knuckles. "So... you guys having a drinking session out here?" He settled onto a comfy couch next to them and caught a beer tossed to him by Tora. He popped it open and took a long drink. "Aaahh... nothing like a drink after a long day," Nao sighed, then added mischievously, "Though coffee would have been better."
"Did you guys enjoy yourself today?" Nao continued, ignoring the long-suffering glances the other two exchanged. "Tora probably didn't. I saw you hanging out at a cafe at Akiba with Erika this afternoon though." The last sentence was directed towards the younger guitarist. "You've got all the girls clamouring for you, but you always go back to her. What an unlucky girl," Nao teased.
"You sure talk a lot of crap for a 30-year old." Hiroto grinned, but there was a flicker in his expression that betrayed his true feelings. It was subtle and lasted for only a split second, but Tora caught it instantly. So it's her again, Tora thought.
Nao seemed to not have noticed, and started talking about the specs of his new computer equipment even though he knew full well no one was listening. Tora sighed inwardly at how clueless Nao could be. He looked at Hiroto, who now seemed to be lost in thought.
"Anyways, guys." Tora had tuned his friend out for a while but snapped back into reality at Nao's sentence. "I see you two are having some fun out here that I interrupted-" Nao waved at the table, littered with crumpled beer cans, "Sorry but I'm not joining you guys out here tonight. I'll be in my room, dissecting my computer if you need me. Good night Pon, good night Tora!" Nao grinned and waved childishly before taking his leave.
Hiroto had a sheepish expression on his face. "Man, that guy is hopeless."
"Thought you knew that already."
"Yeah, of course I did, but I needed to put some emphasis." Hiroto answered somewhat irritably. He obviously had his mind straying again.
Tora cleared his throat as Hiroto ruffled his hair a bit. "So... it's about Erika, isn't it?"
A vulnerable expression flickered past his face, but Hiroto said nothing.
"You guys broke up again?"
Still silence.
"That'd make it, what, the fourth time now? Don't worry, you'll get back together in the end." Tora patted Hiroto's back as soothingly as he could.
"This time, I think it's for real." Hiroto admitted softly, looking down at his feet. "Erika's migrating to America next month. Said she never wanted to see me again." Hiroto's features contorted into an expression much like physical pain as he spoke his last sentence. Tora's heart ached.
"Then... maybe she can't appreciate you for who you are and you're better off without her." Tora paused, contemplating what he was about to say next. "People can be blind sometimes." If only you knew.
"Everything just seems so... unbelievable." Hiroto held his head in frustration. "I really don't know what to do anymore." He paused for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh. "Maybe this whole relationship thing isn't for me after all."
"Or maybe you're just looking in the wrong place." Tora could actually hear his longing seeping into his voice. It must have been the alcohol, he thought. The taller man began to examine his hands seemingly absently, hoping Hiroto didn't notice.
"Ah, whatever-" Hiroto stretched out lithely on the sofa, shivering a little. "Let's not talk about it anymore. It's getting cold - we should clean up and turn in for the night. I'm wasted."
It all happened without any warning. Watching his friend get to his feet somewhat shakily, Tora went completely rigid for a moment. Tora soon found himself pulling the smaller guitarist back onto the sofa into his arms, kissing him hard on the lips. Hiroto, obviously surprised, could only wave his arms around helplessly, unable to escape Tora's vice-like grip. Seeing that Tora apparently had no intention to let him go, Hiroto let his arms fall to his sides - and to the surprise of them both, he kissed back just as passionately.
Tora was the one that broke the kiss, pulling back and gasping for air. He felt a tingling in his whole body, as if it was spurring him to do things he only dared to dream about. He left his hands circled loosely around Hiroto's small waist. Tora hoped it would give Hiroto a little more warmth and at the same time, avoid his accusing stare. The question was bound to come. What the fuck do you think you're doing, Tora? To be honest, Tora would very much like to know himself.
The question never came. Hiroto made no sound - he simply leaned on Tora's shoulder, tears beginning to stream down his face. The taller man pulled him closer and shut his eyes, savoring the bittersweet, undeniably temporary warmth of their combined bodies.
"Do you know what rain does, Hiroto?" Tora whispered calmingly into the younger man's ear, whose chest was heaving with sobs. "People seem to find it so inconvenient, so wet and cold. But they forget that rain helps the grass grow, the flowers to blossom, don't you think?"
Stroking Hiroto's back in soothing movements, Tora continued. "The same goes for tears."
Mine is a flower that's dark and forbidden, Tora thought, his embrace tightening a little. I'm sorry for pulling you in, Hiroto.
Author: littlefuji
Rating: PG-13
Chapter: One-shot
Genre: Real-life, drama
Pairing: ToraxHiroto
Length (words): 2414
Summary: Usually, they sparkled with indignance and passion - eyes that raised Tora's spirits considerably when they looked into his. But tonight, they were dark with pain - so much of it that it made Tora feel nauseous.
Comments: Written for the Week 14 challenge on aliceinfiction, "Dark Blossoms". Worked really hard on this one - think I outdid myself for once :D I would like to thank chirorichan, w_addams13 and kage_no_kodoku for your opinions!
Tora made an impatient sound as he continued his assault on the TV remote. In the past 15 minutes he had been flipping through the television channels, all he saw were crap like news or boring documentaries. Really, there was no longer anything interesting to watch on TV nowadays, he mused irritatedly.
He was about to give up and take a nap instead, but as an afterthought, he settled on watching a sombre-looking talkshow. Tora had no idea what it was about, but he thought the guest speaker had some nice cleavage peeping through her blouse. Better than nothing, he thought. Tora didn't bother to turn up the volume - the murmur of the TV was soon drowned out by the insistent pattering of rain on the windowpanes.
There was a soft creak as Tora reached for a can of cold beer from the black leather sofa he was lying on. The slight movement caused Tora's spine to flare up in dull pain. He cursed loudly. The guitarist hated how the pain from his ex-hernia revisited him after each touring season. "No moving around until the pain fades," the doctor had reminded him with an infuriating smile. Tora took a huge gulp of beer, hoping to drown his frustration.
He was bored staying at home, Tora admitted. After all, today was a rare unofficial off-day for all the members. There was only one event lined up for the evening, a radio show featuring Shou and Saga as guests. The two had already left for the radio station around three hours back. Meanwhile, Hiroto had been out since early morning, maybe about 7am. Being a light sleeper, Tora had heard him shuffling about in his room while everyone else was asleep.
Nao too, had gone out. But before leaving, much to Tora's annoyance, the drummer wasted no time in cheerfully detailing his plans for the day to his jealous friend. Nao had wanted to scour for the latest computer parts at Akihabara to upgrade his laptop, and even had the balls to tease him that he'll be home soon "so you won't be alone". (Tora merely rolled his eyes at Nao's jab towards his misfortune.)
The guitarist crumpled the now-empty beer can with his fingers and let it fall to the wooden floor. Chikin, alerted from sleep by the sound, leapt onto the sofa and snuggled up to its owner. Tora stroked the cat, humming gently to it. Chikin purred softly in pleasure. Smiling and closing his eyes, Tora buried his head into his cat's soft warm fur and inhaled its pleasant smell.
He remained on the sofa with Chikin for a while, for how long he wasn't very sure. He might have fallen asleep without realizing. The sound of the key turning in the lock made Tora opened his eyes instinctively, but he did not move. The guitarist simply tuned his ears to the familiar footsteps that drew closer - light, somewhat irregular. Hiroto emerged from the doorway, much as Tora expected. Tora opened his mouth to voice a greeting, but promptly closed it again when he caught sight of his bandmate.
Hiroto was soaked through. His clothes stuck to his skin and his hair hung limply to his shoulders, making him look even smaller than usual. In one hand, he held a half-empty bottle of vodka; his other hand was against the wall, supporting himself. But what worried Tora most were Hiroto's large round eyes. Usually, they sparkled with indignance and passion - eyes that raised Tora's spirits considerably when they looked into his. But tonight, they were dark with pain, so much of it that it made Tora feel nauseous just looking into them.
Tora sat up and winced at the pain that shot through his spine. "Hiroto, you're all wet."
The sound of Tora's voice seemed to snap Hiroto out of his reverie. "Hey, your back feeling better?" came his response.
So Hiroto hadn't been out binge-drinking; his voice was level and clear, Tora mused. Maybe he had picked up a bottle of liqueur on the way home. The taller man stood up, took the vodka from Hiroto and took a swig. His friend blinked in surprise, but did nothing to stop him.
Smirking, Tora set the bottle down on the dining table and grabbed his hand. "C'mon, go get changed. There's more alcohol in the fridge but that'll have to wait."
Hiroto nodded dumbly and allowed himself to be ushered into his room. Tora shut the door for him, waiting for a few seconds, clenching and unclenching his fists in carefully-surpressed worry. Then he made his way back to the black sofa, but not before absent-mindedly picking up some beers from the kitchen and Hiroto's bottle of vodka from the table. And he waited once more, flipping through the TV channels like he did earlier, his mind wandering to Hiroto and whether the small guitarist was alright.
Tora cocked his head when Hiroto re-entered the living room in fresh clothes, signalling for the guitarist to sit next to him. Hiroto quietly did as Tora asked. He had a blank, somewhat resigned expression - Tora had a feeling he was not going to get anything out of him for a while.
Tora placed the TV remote onto the coffee table, not looking at Hiroto. "Bad day?"
Hiroto picked up his vodka and took a sip. "Kind of. Don't really want to talk about it though." He shrugged. "Done anything productive while cooped up at home today?"
"Tried to perfect some riffs I wrote a few days back, but no luck. Stupid spine's ruining my life." Tora grumbled.
The shorter guitarist's face twisted into a smirk, stroking Chikin who had leapt on the sofa and was now nuzzling Hiroto's arm. "Tough luck," he teased.
Tora dismissed the remark with a wave of his hand. "I did get an idea for a new song though - FUCK!"
Suddenly, Tora let out a yell and brought his legs up onto the sofa. His eyes nearly popped out at the floor, scanning every visible inch of it. "Fucking shit! Did you just see that?!"
Hiroto let out a chuckle of amusement. "See what? You mean that over there?" He pointed to a spot right next to the coffee table, where a gigantic cockroach sat unmoving. Tora gave Hiroto his signature killer glare.
"What, don't look at me like that." Hiroto grinned mischievously. "This cockroach's fucking huge though," he added in half-fascination. "Just look at that body. Bet it can fly."
Hiroto's taunts were obviously working. Tora winced and curled up into a small ball on the sofa to put as much distance between him and the disgusting insect. But if Hiroto thought Tora was going to allow his friend to take a mickey out of him, he was obviously mistaken.
In one jerky movement, Tora's leg pushed Hiroto off the sofa. Sliding off the smooth leather, Hiroto nearly landed on the enormous cockroach.
"Fuck!" Hiroto cursed loudly, grabbing a magazine under the coffee table and flattening the scuttling cockroach with a ferocious thwack. "Score!" He yelled happily, waving his magazine fist at Tora, displaying cockroach innards for him to see.
Tora gagged. "Hiroto!" He said exasperatedly, pointing furiously towards the direction of the kitchen bin. "You're taking out the bloody trash tonight." The man shivered inexorably, much to his friend's laughter.
When all traces of the cockroach had left Tora's line of sight, Hiroto was allowed back onto the sofa. The younger man popped open a fresh can of beer with a grin. The incident seemed to have lightened Hiroto's mood considerably. Although at his expense, Tora was grateful for this change.
The two guitarists chatted for a little while, indulging in some alcohol from time to time. Tora decided that he would not spoil his friend's mood by bringing up the matter that disturbed Hiroto earlier.
----------------------------------
The doorbell rang suddenly, interrupting Tora and Hiroto's conversation about the quality of the latest range of Marshall amps. "That's got to be Nao," Tora mumbled to no one in particular as Hiroto got up to get the door. Sure enough, it was the drummer that stood at the doorway, weighed down by several cardboard boxes.
"Pon! You're back! No, no Tora, sit back down." Nao said happily, waving at the taller guitarist to sit as Tora moved to help Nao with his boxes. Hiroto just stood awkwardly beside Nao, uncertain whether to wrestle a box from him or let him be. As if reading his mind, Nao smiled at his younger friend. "I'll manage, the boxes aren't very heavy. Hold on a sec, I'll just put these in my room first, alright?"
Hiroto nodded. "Be careful," Tora called towards Nao's back as the drummer slowly made his way into his room with his spoils for the day. Tora looked at Hiroto and their eyes met. Hiroto gave him a half-smile before looking away. Tora thought his heart seemed to speed up a little.
Nao walked back into the living room, cracking his tired knuckles. "So... you guys having a drinking session out here?" He settled onto a comfy couch next to them and caught a beer tossed to him by Tora. He popped it open and took a long drink. "Aaahh... nothing like a drink after a long day," Nao sighed, then added mischievously, "Though coffee would have been better."
"Did you guys enjoy yourself today?" Nao continued, ignoring the long-suffering glances the other two exchanged. "Tora probably didn't. I saw you hanging out at a cafe at Akiba with Erika this afternoon though." The last sentence was directed towards the younger guitarist. "You've got all the girls clamouring for you, but you always go back to her. What an unlucky girl," Nao teased.
"You sure talk a lot of crap for a 30-year old." Hiroto grinned, but there was a flicker in his expression that betrayed his true feelings. It was subtle and lasted for only a split second, but Tora caught it instantly. So it's her again, Tora thought.
Nao seemed to not have noticed, and started talking about the specs of his new computer equipment even though he knew full well no one was listening. Tora sighed inwardly at how clueless Nao could be. He looked at Hiroto, who now seemed to be lost in thought.
"Anyways, guys." Tora had tuned his friend out for a while but snapped back into reality at Nao's sentence. "I see you two are having some fun out here that I interrupted-" Nao waved at the table, littered with crumpled beer cans, "Sorry but I'm not joining you guys out here tonight. I'll be in my room, dissecting my computer if you need me. Good night Pon, good night Tora!" Nao grinned and waved childishly before taking his leave.
Hiroto had a sheepish expression on his face. "Man, that guy is hopeless."
"Thought you knew that already."
"Yeah, of course I did, but I needed to put some emphasis." Hiroto answered somewhat irritably. He obviously had his mind straying again.
Tora cleared his throat as Hiroto ruffled his hair a bit. "So... it's about Erika, isn't it?"
A vulnerable expression flickered past his face, but Hiroto said nothing.
"You guys broke up again?"
Still silence.
"That'd make it, what, the fourth time now? Don't worry, you'll get back together in the end." Tora patted Hiroto's back as soothingly as he could.
"This time, I think it's for real." Hiroto admitted softly, looking down at his feet. "Erika's migrating to America next month. Said she never wanted to see me again." Hiroto's features contorted into an expression much like physical pain as he spoke his last sentence. Tora's heart ached.
"Then... maybe she can't appreciate you for who you are and you're better off without her." Tora paused, contemplating what he was about to say next. "People can be blind sometimes." If only you knew.
"Everything just seems so... unbelievable." Hiroto held his head in frustration. "I really don't know what to do anymore." He paused for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh. "Maybe this whole relationship thing isn't for me after all."
"Or maybe you're just looking in the wrong place." Tora could actually hear his longing seeping into his voice. It must have been the alcohol, he thought. The taller man began to examine his hands seemingly absently, hoping Hiroto didn't notice.
"Ah, whatever-" Hiroto stretched out lithely on the sofa, shivering a little. "Let's not talk about it anymore. It's getting cold - we should clean up and turn in for the night. I'm wasted."
It all happened without any warning. Watching his friend get to his feet somewhat shakily, Tora went completely rigid for a moment. Tora soon found himself pulling the smaller guitarist back onto the sofa into his arms, kissing him hard on the lips. Hiroto, obviously surprised, could only wave his arms around helplessly, unable to escape Tora's vice-like grip. Seeing that Tora apparently had no intention to let him go, Hiroto let his arms fall to his sides - and to the surprise of them both, he kissed back just as passionately.
Tora was the one that broke the kiss, pulling back and gasping for air. He felt a tingling in his whole body, as if it was spurring him to do things he only dared to dream about. He left his hands circled loosely around Hiroto's small waist. Tora hoped it would give Hiroto a little more warmth and at the same time, avoid his accusing stare. The question was bound to come. What the fuck do you think you're doing, Tora? To be honest, Tora would very much like to know himself.
The question never came. Hiroto made no sound - he simply leaned on Tora's shoulder, tears beginning to stream down his face. The taller man pulled him closer and shut his eyes, savoring the bittersweet, undeniably temporary warmth of their combined bodies.
"Do you know what rain does, Hiroto?" Tora whispered calmingly into the younger man's ear, whose chest was heaving with sobs. "People seem to find it so inconvenient, so wet and cold. But they forget that rain helps the grass grow, the flowers to blossom, don't you think?"
Stroking Hiroto's back in soothing movements, Tora continued. "The same goes for tears."
Mine is a flower that's dark and forbidden, Tora thought, his embrace tightening a little. I'm sorry for pulling you in, Hiroto.