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Drake had never been an easily trusting person, never being too open to anyone he couldn't trust.
Ever since he first joined the Marines, he always had his guard up, never allowing anyone to learn too much about him or his past. He preferred to hide his true self and present as a stoic, cold man, not wanting to risk letting anyone hurt him ever again.
That's how he always was, shielding his true self from anyone he didn't deem trustworthy and denying himself any potential connections he could have with people.
That was, at least, until he met Koby.
The first time the two had met was a little unconventional, to say the least.
It was the first meeting of Sword, a special Marine force that takes advantage of the faded line between pirating and working with the World Government. As far as he knew, it was a project that some kid had started in hopes of bringing true justice, which he had initially scoffed at.
Unfortunately, he had to admit that it would immensely benefit him to join them. The goals of the project aligned perfectly with his, and he couldn't deny being curious at what made this rookie Garp picked out special.
When he walked into the meeting place for the first time, he imagined that everyone there had the same expectations as him; work alone, be professional, and focus on their shared goal and nothing else.
However, he found himself dumbfounded when he walked into the meeting to see a room full of people chatting and laughing.
The chatter slowly died down as he grabbed himself a seat, putting on a firm expression as he scanned the room to find the founder of the project.
"Which of you is Koby?" Was his way of opening the discussion, already taking the lead.
One of the younger-looking Marines sat up straighter, before saying "That's me! Nice to meet you...?"
Koby was a young man with messy pink hair, held up by a bandana to keep it neat. A pair of large glasses rested on his forehead, drawing attention to the small X-shaped scar below them. He was wearing a Marine suit that looked just a little too big on him, which Drake couldn't deny looked good on him.
It was far from the powerful brute he had expected, but... he couldn't help but be intrigued by the younger boy.
He'll suffice.
"Drake," He answered, leaning forward to catch more of Koby's view. "Diez Drake."
This "Koby" guy intrigued him, to say the least. There was something about the way he acted that confused Drake, not being used to seeing Marines acting so friendly.
His vision of a perfect soldier was calm, reserved, and professional. Koby was the exact opposite of that, and yet, vice-admiral Garp still saw something in him.
In the end, he decided to stay in the project, even if he planned to be distant from the rest of the members. Sword had a purpose, and that's all he was there for. He shouldn't let his guard down so easily, even Marines can play dirty. He knew that all too well.
Despite that, he couldn't help but open up to Koby, even if it was just a little.
It was nothing new to be asked his mood by a fellow Marine. It was something short and simple, a formal greeting to avoid small talk. And that's how he would treat it, giving a short answer or returning the statement.
However, whenever Koby said something like it, he couldn't help but want to share more. He wanted to tell him about his day, about his past, about his hopes and his dreams, about everything that was going on in his world. The feeling was so odd, but something in him was almost attracted to the pink-haired boy.
One of those times, he remembers, Drake slipped up.
He was just entering a meeting, a hand stuffed in his pocket as his eyes scanned the room. He was early, as always, yet Koby was always there before him.
Slowly, he made his way next to the man, pulling up a chair in front of him. There was a moment of awkward silence before Koby broke it.
"Hello, Drake," He greeted with a polite smile, "How are you?"
"Fine," Drake muttered, crossing his arms above his chest. He paused for a moment, enjoying the sound of Koby's voice while it lasted. Seeking more, he ended up mumbling "I've... recently managed to infiltrate into Kaido's crew, so better than fine I suppose."
Koby blinked, before looking up from the papers he was fiddling with. Drake got annoyed, looking away with an embarrassed huff. Why did he think this was a good idea?
"...Forget it." He grumbled, feeling a pang of disappointment in his chest from the look he was getting. However, his attention returned to the pink-haired boy when he heard a chuckle.
"Oh, no, I was just a bit surprised." Koby quickly clarified with a sheepish smile. Smiling at him. Not just a politely, either. He looked happy. Like Drake brought him joy.
He wanted to make Koby smile like that more.
"It's great! That you're making more progress, I mean. It can help us gather more information about them, as well as give you a cover! It's fantastic, even!"
The boy's voice grew more excited, his eyes sparkling as he imagined the endless possibilities this new revelation could bring up.
Meanwhile, Drake leaned his head on his hand, staring at the man's face as he started to blabber on about how much this will help their plans.
He couldn't help but smile back at him.
The two of them started to talk more often, even if it was very minimal at first.
Drake would greet the other man more often, inquiring about his day or how a mission, just wanting to hear more of his voice. Koby brought out something in him that even he didn't know, a vulnerable side of him he showed no one else.
Of course, he had people he was close with. One of the Beast Pirates, Hawkins, was someone Drake deemed trustworthy enough to call a friend, even considering offering him a place in Sword.
However, it was different.
With every other person he met, no matter how much respect or trust he held in them, it was different than. He might enjoy spending time or talking to them, but he was a formal person who wouldn't ever initiate much himself.
Yet, that wasn't the same with Koby.
He would constantly seek out the company of the man, making up excuses just to get to spend his time with him. He was utterly devoted; supporting Koby's every decision and defending him whenever someone questioned his authority just as he used to.
It had reached a point where he found himself even referring to Koby as his friend, which the pink-haired boy seemed ecstatic about.
In Drake's eyes, his life was perfect; he had the perks of being a pirate while fighting for a cause he believed in, getting to save the lives of poor kids all across the Grand Line and sparing them for experiencing a childhood like his. And most of all, he had someone to share all his joys with. Koby.
Yet, things change, and no matter how lackluster they seem, they continue to affect us.
Joining the pirate crew of the strongest creature in the world, Kaido, was no easy task, but Drake was determined.
Perhaps that was the reason he let himself get caught up in all the trouble the crew was facing when proving his false loyalty to them.
In order to become a Tobi-Roppo, a title only given to 6 of the best soldiers there, he had to prove himself worthy by executing a mission that Kaido doesn't want to risk his soldiers doing. Not that he cared for them, of course, but it would be a shame to lose your top soldiers to a mission you can throw a rookie at.
And that's what Drake was for, apparently; to clean up the dirty work.
However, he wasn't too surprised. With a crew like this, he knew that he would have to do unbearable things to gain respect. It was all for the sake of the Sword project, he had to remember.
If he isn't happy, at least Koby would be.
He found himself thinking of the man more often, missing him while he was away.
However, he didn't quite have the time to get sidetracked daydreaming about that beautiful man, as the day of his grand 'adventure' to prove himself was coming up. It was a trial of sorts, Hawkins told him, but a risky one. The magician himself had attempted it yet backed down before it was too late.
Despite that, the mission sounded pretty simple; travel to some island in called 'Hana' something and steal a flower seed.
It didn't sound dangerous at all, even a bit too easy.
Hawkins did warn him that it's not what it sounds like, but Drake wasn't scared. When he informed Koby, whom he started chatting with almost daily, he sounded enthusiastic enough for him not to worry.
Naturally, he promised to get the boy something while he's there, which Koby hugged him in response to.
He still remembers the shade of red his face turned, feeling the smaller man's body pressing against his. He longed for that feeling whenever he was away from the Sword base.
Yet, all good things come to an end, as he had an island to go visit to finally get the most power he could in his pirate crew.
The journey there was fast, Wano thankfully only being a few days away from the destination by ship. What surprised him, however, was how many flowers he saw.
It was like the island was full of them; from the distance of his ship flowers were the only thing in sight. Most of them were normal sized, although trees, bushes, and any other plant life was replaced by flowers. And there was a huge one in the middle of the island, the one he needed to retrieve a seed from.
Despite the beautiful sight, he was less than eager to waste time as he arrived on the island, wanting to meet Koby again as fast as he could. Yet, not knowing how he was supposed to achieve his goal, he went out in search of information about the strange land he found himself on.
"Flowers are the core of this place," One bartender told Drake as he sipped a warm drink to try and relax, "The roots of every flower you see connect to all the buildings. Even the walls of this ol' thing are made out of flower petals, believe it or not."
He nodded, checking the walls as he listened. They were thick and steady, looking like they could sustain a lot of pressure. "This looks like plain wood," He noted, only for the bartender to shrug.
"What can I tell ya? I serve drinks, not build walls. There's probably a reason... Kids make up all kinds of stories to explain it, some Halloween legend about consequences. But that's just a story. Why are you so interested in it?"
Drake quietly sipped his tea, a small plan forming in his head. Consequences, huh? "No reason," He murmured, "Just curious."
The following day, Drake awoke early, before starting to make his journey to the middle of the island.
It wasn't too large, fortunately for him, although there were a lot of large flowers tangled up in a forest-like formation. If everything in the island was connected, he wondered if the ground he was walking on was made out of hundreds of connected roots and vines.
Despite the difficulties, he managed well enough, traversing through the fields until he saw the glimpse of a giant daisy far larger than anything he'd seen before.
The closer he got, the more difficult it was to comprehend the size. He felt like an ant next to it, a small shiver going down his spine at the thought of what could happen if it fell. No wonder Kaido would want something that grows to this size, it's huge.
Drake wasn't easily scared of big things, but the thoughts were starting to get a little too loud in his head. He tried to relax himself, he can't back down now.
It's all for Koby, after a-
For justice. He meant for justice.
Right.
Climbing up the flower wasn't too much of a struggle, turning into his dinosaur form and climbing up the stem before finally reaching the top. The petals were oddly firm, despite it feeling like he was stepping on clouds as he made his way to the head of the flower.
He crouched down in front of the yellow disk, before hesitantly reaching a hand down to try and touch it.
It felt tingly, almost like static electricity running through his fingers as they ran over the exposed head. After running his hand over it a few times and getting it dirtied up with pollen, he fingers brushed against something hard.
Without hesitation he leaned forward and snatched the seed out of the pocket it was stuck in, thinking to himself how quick he had managed it. Not that he was complaining, of course.
After breathing out a sigh, he looked down at the seed in his hand. Even if it didn't look like a normal plant, it wasn't too strange. It was a little bigger than his head, light brown with pollen covering it.
It was quite shiny, too, he noted as he gently cleaned it with his shirt. He could almost see a reflection on it.
Pink hair, blue glasses, a small scar... huh.
It almost looked like Koby.
Even after Drake achieved his goal in the Beast Pirates, he still felt a little different ever since he held that flower.
Despite having given it to Kaido, he had it with him in the ship for multiple days, and every time he spoke on the Den-Den Mushi he swore he saw it glow.
However, it wasn't so bad. He had Koby there with him.
Whenever he got worried or anxious, about the flower or anything else, he just thought of Koby.
That beautiful hair, those warm arms, and that sweet face he missed so much. He couldn't help leaving Wano every few days to visit him, or call him daily to chat. He even told Hawkins about him, although not mentioning the man was a Marine.
All that was important was that he had Koby, and he relied on him for everything.
Since he returned from the mission, their bond only grew stronger, until the point that he was practically glued to him. Drake managed to open up like he never had before, even showing the affection he always held back.
Even if he wanted to keep his real self hidden, he couldn't help it. Koby was perfect, he was everything. How could he not want him to be as happy as possible.
And that's how it stayed, with them getting closer and closer every time.
Until one day, he coughed up a flower.
The first time that happened, he was at the Sword base, and utterly confused.
It was just at the end of a meeting, during which he sat next to Koby, and he could feel their legs touch any time they moved. It sent a warm flutter through his chest, and he struggled not to blush whenever he would place a hand on his shoulder or arm.
After the meeting, like all the ones before it, he stayed late to chat with Koby. He felt butterflies in his stomach as he watched him talk, sinking into his usual daydreams while staring at the man.
This time, however, was different.
Drake could tell Koby looked a little worried when he approached him after everyone left, but he didn't expect the man to embrace him tightly and bury his face in his shoulder.
Immediately getting worried, Drake returned the hug as he felt his face starting to heat up again. "Koby? Are... you alright?"
Koby went quiet for a few seconds before looking up at Drake, and in a soft voice mumbled "Do you know who... um, Luffy-san is...?"
The boy went on to explain just who Luffy was, as if the man causing a stir in the world wouldn't be known by Drake. However, what surprised him was to learn was that Luffy was a good friend of Koby's and he'd known him even before he became a Marine.
This came as a shock, to learn that Koby used to be a pirate, and that Luffy had rescued him to allow him to follow his dreams. He spoke about him in such admiration, despite Drake having seen him as just another one of those scummy pirates who only cared about treasure, booze, and women.
Not like he'd ever want the last thing.
And, despite doing his best to comfort the man worried about lying to everyone about his origins, he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy as he thought of how much Koby seemed to like that friend of his.
He couldn't help but tighten his grip on him slightly. Luffy didn't deserve him.
That night, just a few hours before he planned to set sail, he coughed up his first flower.
He had no idea what it was at the time, but he did try not to think about the stiff petals escaping his throat. He had too much on his plate to worry about that, one of those things being this Luffy guy.
What made him so special? Why did Koby look so happy when talking about him?
He couldn't help but wish that all the attention Koby seemed to give to Luffy would be directed at him.
Slowly, the coughing fit started becoming more and more frequent, along with the flowers Drake was throwing up.
It started out small; one or two petals at a time, maybe a few more if he talked with Koby before. But after about a week, it started getting painful.
From soft headaches to a burning sensation in his throat, every time his mind drifted to Koby and his longing for his touch, he found himself starting to cough and wheeze uncontrollably.
When he was in Wano, it was a little better, as pirates and treasures occupied most of his time. And whatever spare time he did have he spent with Hawkins, who seemed to take a particular interest with his sudden illness.
When he returned to Wano one night after a particularly long discussion with Koby, the pink-haired boy crying into his arms, Drake couldn't take it anymore.
He was on the floor of his ship, wheezing uncontrollably as dry petals and dead flowers pushed their way up his throat while he helplessly tried to keep breathing. It took a while before someone noticed, which ended up being Hawkins who came to check what was taking him so long. When he found Drake sitting on the floor throwing up, his face turned pale.
The blond crouched down next to him, trying to check if Drake was conscious. Drake stared up at him with hazy eyes.
Knowing what was happening, Hawkins sighed. "Who?" He simply asked, watching as the man in front of him coughed again as he answered with a mumble.
"Koby..."
Hawkins helped him off the floor and to a bathroom, where Drake proceeded to throw up what felt like the entire contents of his body in the form of dry, thick flower petals. They were all a sickly dark yellow, which looked disgusting to the man as he dizzily stared down at them.
Looking up at the man next to him, Drake could only ask if he knew what was happening. Why he was being tortured by his own body. Why there were literal flowers in his stomach that seemed to get more and more painful the more he longed for Koby.
Despite the brunette clearly being in pain, Hawkins hesitated to answer, choosing his words carefully before he decided on what to say.
"The way a plant grows is by settling its roots inside the soil, so it could live off the food and water in it." Hawkins explained, as he watched Drake wash his face while nodding along. "These flowers, however, aren't normal ones. They're parasites. That is, instead of using soil, they attach themselves to a body and suck the blood and water out of your cells."
Drake stiffened when he heard that, before he slowly turned to look at Hawkins. He could only manage to mumble out "They... what?"
Continuing on in a manner too bored for something as serious as this, Hawkins added nonchalantly "The island you went to retrieve a seed from is the place where they grow. They feed off emotion, negative ones at least. They'll attach to your heart and dissolve it."
Needless to say, Drake was horrified, although it only left him with more questions than answers.
"Why- why haven't you told me about this?" He scoffed, immediately getting defensive. He couldn't stop himself from panicking. "How do you even know this?"
Hawkins crossed his arms over his chest, shrugging lightly. "I thought the people on the island would tell you. It's a very common talk among the children there, the scary Halloween curse. Flowers feed off sadness, you need to destroy them with... true love's kiss... ugh." He rolled his eyes at the last part.
Drake narrowed his eyes, feeling his blood start pumping faster. None of this made sense, he kept trying to convince himself that this wasn't real. But something in him knew that Hawkins had no reason to lie about this. "Since when do you talk to kids on islands you go to? You're lying, it... this can't be real."
This time, a small silence sunk upon the room, the blond waiting until the man in front of him calmed down before shrugging. "Did you really think I was like this before I went to that island?"
Drake was devastated, to say the least.
He ended up going back to the island one more time, trying to find a way to cure whatever it was that made him like this.
With every flower petal that left his body as he stepped foot on the island, he felt sick and alone. Now that he knew the truth, he couldn't help but be constantly aware of the sensations in his body, and that didn't help him one bit.
This time, he ended up doing as the pirate suggested, trying to talk to more people on the island and find out about the disease.
They called it Hanahaki, which the island was named after, the process where a parasite drains your feeling and makes you cough them up in the form of dead flowers.
Children would go around telling each other ghost stories about people who experienced this, the flowers feeding off despair and only leaving if the body gets blasted with the opposite. It was mostly word of mouth going here and there, with no one having dared to actually go and investigate this terrible thing.
Although, there were two solutions, from what he could find.
One seemed realistic, although terrifying; letting the flower take over your body, draining your heart from all humanity until you become a mindless pit of who you once were.
But, the second option didn't seem any less difficult.
The classic, "True love's kiss".
Drake, being the man that he is, never believed in anything like soulmates or destiny. It was stupid children's stories that had no place in reality.
But, then again, wasn't he living proof that curses existed?
It was tough, and he didn't want to do it. As he sailed away from the island, tucked up under the sheets of his bed in his ship, he felt that ache in his throat as a part of him knew what he was going to choose.
It's selfish to risk the future of your entire job and everyone in it for something as stupid as this, but he knew just trying would be better than giving up himself.
As a believer of justice, that was the only possibility.
...He just hoped that the right person was Koby.
Throughout the following weeks, Drake's sickness had only been getting worse.
He found himself having fantasies about Koby curing him with a kiss, telling him that he loved him and didn't want things to end like that. That he wanted him to stay how he was, and that he was perfect.
The more his mind flooded with thoughts and imaginary scenarios, the more he felt the throbbing pain in his chest as he threw up flowers until he lost nearly a third of his weight.
It was so bad that he could barely get out of his bed, missing missions with the Beast Pirates and avoiding responsibilities when it came to the Marines. When he would talk with the Sword members he could hear their concerns, although he only wished to get pity from one person.
Needless to say, he felt absolutely worthless, unable to help enforce the justice he talked so highly of.
He was a mess; he didn't know how he could stop it.
Through every day he could feel himself slowly breaking, losing himself as he became more and more apathetic to everything he once cared for. The only thing he could feel at that point was, well, despair; the knowledge that there was no solution, and that he was going to become nothing but a mindless zombie by the time the month was over.
And if it wasn't for Koby, that's where he would have ended up.
When Drake received a call on his Den-Den Mushi, he was ready to just sit through it and wallow in the guilt of avoiding a mission.
However, when he realized it was Koby, he quickly grabbed it right after coughing up a few petals he tried to ignore.
He was hesitant when answering the call, but once he saw Koby's smile, even if it was through a snail, Drake could feel himself die a little bit.
"Hello?" The brunette simply asked, his voice slightly rugged from how much he'd been neglecting his health.
"Drake?" The man on the other line asked, waiting to get a small "Mhm" of confirmation before continuing, "You haven't come to the last few meetings, Helmeppo said he tried to reach out to you but you didn't answer. Are you okay?"
Drake bit his tongue, just barely stopping himself from spilling the truth. He couldn't even begin to explain what had happened to him, or how terribly he had messed up. In the end, it was all his fault, and he could only try to keep Koby happy by denying the truth.
"No, I..." He hesitated, "I'm alright. Been kept busy with missions over here."
There was a small pause, Koby waiting for Drake to elaborate, before he sighed when he realized that wasn't happening.
"I understand." He stated, which was a complete lie. "But," A visible smile went over the Den-Den Mushi's face as it copied the man's expression, "Halloween is happening soon, and I know it's about the same time as your birthday... I was thinking we could go meet up on one of the islands with festivals during the time?"
Drake could only sigh silently, too tired to even roll his eyes. Great, that's just what he needed. A meet-up with all the other Sword members on some cheery island where everyone is happy and celebrating.
Yet, it could be one of the last times he would ever get to meet Koby before he's completely gone. It was hard to accept it, but he knew there was no hope for him.
Even if he secretly wished that Koby would lift the curse, in one way or another.
Drake could only mutter "...Where?" As he tried to think of a way to explain the curse in his body that was slowly killing him.
Koby grinned. "Hanahaki island."
Drake shuddered softly as he wrapped his coat tighter around himself, trying to stop the nauseous feeling in his stomach from making him start to cough.
It didn't help that they were conveniently the only two who came to the meetup, he thought, as he watched the man next to him happily blabber about having missed him and wanting to spend a fun Halloween with him.
He couldn't help but feel bad when he heard how he spoke. It was clear he was important to Koby, and he hated taking that away from him.
Most of all, he hated himself for getting this attached.
They slowly made their way through the chilling snow to a small village,, trying to stay covered so they wouldn't get recognized. For all the people knew, he was a pirate, and Koby was a Marine. He didn't need to cause him any more trouble by being here.
The two of them entered a small cabin Koby got for them, before Drake excused himself to go to the bathroom. He emptied the entire content of his stomach into the toilet, before flushing the petals down and trying to ignore the dizziness in his head as he walked back out to Koby.
The pink-haired boy gave him a concerned look.
An uncomfortable silence sunk in the room as Drake looked around, before sitting down on one of the beds in the cabin. He watched in amusement as Koby sat down next to him.
Neither of them said anything at first, not knowing how to start the conversation.
Eventually, it was Koby who broke the silence. Funny how despite everything he was still the braver one.
"Drake?" He started.
The brunette nodded slowly.
"Are... are you sure you're okay?"
"...Yes, I'm-" "Drake, I'm serious," Koby insisted. He leaned closer, making the man next to him stiffen. He could feel his heart starting to beat faster again. Of course, the only emotion that stayed prominent was desire... lucky him.
"You've been ignoring everyone from Sword, and barely responding to any messages. You act so cold to everyone, something is clearly wrong!"
Drake gave him a blank stare.
"I- I just don't get it! You barely talk anymore, and just when we got close... was it something I did? Did I hurt you? Why won't you tell me?" He cried out, "I- I thought you cared."
Ouch. Drake almost winced from that. Just looking at the expression on Koby's face made him regret ever talking to him in the first place. He was so useless, all he did was hurt everyone he loved. And of course, he has to fall for the one person who needed him the most.
He just wishes he could show that he cared. Show that he loved him. Do something, anything to make Koby feel better.
All of this was giving him a headache. As he watched Koby tear up, he opened his mouth, but when he tried to speak all that came out was a cough.
He immediately covered his mouth, although something escaped his throat which was large enough for Koby to see.
A flower.
Koby blinked, before his gaze followed the petals as they floated down the air away from Drake's pale face.
He was silent.
Drake wondered for a moment if Koby knew. If he understood what this meant. If he would be happy. If he would go and confess his love to him, explaining how he felt all along and that he wanted him.
But instead, they just stared at each other.
Until Koby sniffled.
Drake's eyes softened, feeling the emotion drain out of his face as he watched the boy next to him start tearing up.
Something in him couldn't tell if he was crying because he felt bad for Drake or because that meant there was no cure other than some kiss.
Thankfully for him, it would only take Koby wrapping his arms around him in a hug to realize it was the latter.
The moment Koby's body made contact with Drake's, he already felt something starting to well up in his chest, although it was different than the sickness. It was like a flutter, which he could only imagine was his heart getting a stupid arrhythmia from how weak his body was getting.
Not knowing what to do, Drake just sat there, his hand resting on the pink-haired boy's back as he watched him quietly cry into the crook of his shoulder. Was he really this clueless about it that Koby could tell his illness just by that?
It took a while before he heard a soft mutter.
"I... didn't know... I'm sorry,"
That surprised Drake. Why was he apologizing? This was his fault. He was the one who agreed to the stupid mission. He was the one who messed everything up.
He gently placed his free hand on the top of Koby's head.
"It wasn't your fault."
Koby shook his head, tears slowly streaming down his cheeks. "I.. I-I know, but..." He looked down to hide his face.
"But what?" Drake encouraged, wanting to sound hopeful although his tone only came out as lazy.
Koby gulped silently, he looked like he was having a hard time speaking. It saddened Drake, but before he got the chance to start loathing himself he heard him speak again.
"I... t-the only cure is.. a kiss. I-I know it's childish, but... but that means you've found your true love," He breathed out, "I-I hoped that it... that it would have been me."
Drake felt a pang of surprise in his chest when he heard that, and something shifted in his stomach. It almost felt like... butterflies.
He opened his mouth to speak but found himself at a loss for words. He knew he had to say something, he couldn't just leave Koby like that. So he said the first thing that came to his mind.
"It could be you."
Koby looked up at him, a hopeful glint in his eye as he muttered "Really?"
Drake bit his lip. "I, it might,"
For a moment, as Koby stared into his eyes, with that hopeful little smile on his face, Drake couldn't help but put a hand on his cheek.
As he felt the pink-haired boy put his hands on his shoulders and pull him closer, he could feel his cold and lackadaisical expression melt into soft ecstasy when their lips finally made contact.
Maybe joining that project wasn't such a bad idea.