Aoba listened to Kuro’s every word, quietly and attentively. Every now and again his gaze would fall to the ground instead of at Kuro, but he listened all the same. He wasn’t very sure what to think about the answer. He knew he wasn’t upset anymore, not like he was when he had left. He did feel a bit betrayed, but that feeling was minor and more of a memory than anything. Aoba fiddled with his fingers, much like he would when he was nervous- which was almost all the time. He wanted to say something to let Kuro know things were okay but he wasn’t exactly sure how. Aoba wasn’t good with words, which in turn gave him an idea. 

He glanced over at his wings after Kuro moved his hand and then took a step forward, capturing his hands before he could move them to his side. He couldn’t be mad at those sad eyes! Aoba was definitely very soft at heart and there was probably no changing it. [i]’This is probably not the brightest idea. . .’[/i] He took another step forward, resting one hand on Kuro’s shoulder while the other was still holding Kuro’s free hand, and then kissed him. He was still amazed at how he managed to initiate their very first kiss, or this one for that matter. Shy at first, he did grow a little more confident in the kiss and stayed in the moment as long as he could before his head started swimming and he felt a little sick again. [i]’Definitely worth it though.’[/i] 

When he pulled away, Aoba opted to rest his forehead against Kuro and slowly let go of his shoulder, waiting for the feeling of sickness to die down a tad more. He was really going to have to get used to that again. At least the distraction managed to get his mind off of crippling shyness and blushing various shades of red. 

“You’re right, they were justified. But, I shouldn’t have left. I realized that it was a mistake.” He sighed and finally gained enough composure to stand on his own and look at Kuro. “I really do want to be here with you. I’ve never been so happy before, which was confusing because this,” He paused and looked at the old house and barn. “This was supposed to be a punishment. I figured if they realized that I never learned a lesson, they’d try making it worse.” Although he wasn’t sure how worse it could get besides being sent straight to Kuro’s home- which caused a shudder to go down his spine. Aoba shook his head, dispelling the thought. “Just know, it was my decision, no matter the consequences, to come back and stay with you.” He added with a small laugh. “And I suppose Dani too.” He nodded and smiled once more. “And I forgive you. . . I’m probably going to still be terrified of your family no matter how nice they are however.” The last part was spoken a bit softer as he examined his stained clothing. 

With a sheepish smile he continued. “Sorry about ruining the mood… If you’re still up for it, we should definitely get cleaned up now.”