Kusuriyuri scowled. "You were too concerned with your own desires," he said. "Too concerned with seeking out that which you wished to convince me of. Tell me, with your priorities such as they are, why should I consider what you ask of me? Why do you ask it?" he demanded, his voice cold, hard.

Yukimura's hands moved to Kuronue's cheeks. There was so much he could say along their bond that he just couldn't communicate verbally. He couldn't say aloud he'd been terrified Kuronue had left, had become popcorn without warning. He couldn't say how painful it was not to be able to feel his lover, how much he'd come to rely on that sensation. "I couldn't find you," he whispered, his voice broken.