[Instead of immediately reaching for Juzo's hand, Kyosuke lingers long enough touch the roses that had sprouted in the middle of everything. There's a minimal amount of rainwater on the plant, further cementing that it had just appeared.
He accepts Juzo's help shortly after, suppressing a heavy sigh and focusing instead on the flowers as they start walking.]
The roses from the other day. They were from you?
[The thought should probably bewilder him more, but it's so innocuous after everything else that he can't help being faintly amused.]
[Juzo's hand can't decide whether to drop Kyosuke's or not as they walk. He waffles between the two, his grip loosening as if to let their fingers slip apart and their arms swing loose again, then tightening to maintain the contact. They're still touching as the two of them head away from the tree and the tower and back towards their apartments, and once in a while, another rose begins to blossom when Juzo's foot comes down on the crack between cobbles in the road. The air has gone pleasantly warm and dry—a complete contrast to the heavy, freezing rain of before.
And if all that weren't embarrassing enough, then Kyosuke asks about the roses!
Juzo huffs out a short, nervous laugh, refusing eye contact, though he doesn't pull his hand away.]
Yeah. . . . You sent me something on Valentine's Day. If you knew how much I obsessed over those flowers and that letter, you'd really understand how pathetic I am. I couldn't stop myself from sending something back. Even though I knew—Yukizome told me all about how you two—
[He stops and shakes his head.
At the time, he'd felt like he was sharing a happy moment with his best friend. The culmination of her feelings at last. Of course she'd tell Juzo, and of course Juzo would be happy for her, but now . . . now he can't know. He doesn't want to think about it.]
—So I felt like shit about it, but I couldn't stop myself from sending you something for White Day.
It's not like I'd ever done anything like that before in my life. There's no Valentine's Day or White Day for homos. I wouldn't've dared.
no subject
He accepts Juzo's help shortly after, suppressing a heavy sigh and focusing instead on the flowers as they start walking.]
The roses from the other day. They were from you?
[The thought should probably bewilder him more, but it's so innocuous after everything else that he can't help being faintly amused.]
no subject
And if all that weren't embarrassing enough, then Kyosuke asks about the roses!
Juzo huffs out a short, nervous laugh, refusing eye contact, though he doesn't pull his hand away.]
Yeah. . . . You sent me something on Valentine's Day. If you knew how much I obsessed over those flowers and that letter, you'd really understand how pathetic I am. I couldn't stop myself from sending something back. Even though I knew—Yukizome told me all about how you two—
[He stops and shakes his head.
At the time, he'd felt like he was sharing a happy moment with his best friend. The culmination of her feelings at last. Of course she'd tell Juzo, and of course Juzo would be happy for her, but now . . . now he can't know. He doesn't want to think about it.]
—So I felt like shit about it, but I couldn't stop myself from sending you something for White Day.
It's not like I'd ever done anything like that before in my life. There's no Valentine's Day or White Day for homos. I wouldn't've dared.