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Shiro gaped at the secluded lagoon, the water glittering with the light of the three moons overhead. “How did you even find this?”
Keith grinned and shucked his jacket. “The Terithians gave us a tour of the coasts near the capital city. Apparently this is one of the popular bathing spots during the tourist season.”
Shiro raised an eyebrow. As far as he could tell, they were the only two out here. “Really?”
Keith tossed his shirt next to his jacket. “It’s nearly midnight, and it’s not tourist season.”
Shiro’s cheeks heated, and he looked away. He was fairly sure it was dark enough that Keith couldn’t see his blush, but still.
He focused on shedding his own clothes, folding his shirt and pants and setting them aside on a nearby rock. He put his boots up beside them, and dug his bare feet into the cool white sand. Shiro honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d been to a beach. He’d missed it.
Something splashed in the water, and Shiro looked up to see Keith plunging straight into the lagoon, stark naked.
If he’d thought his face was hot before, it was flaming now. “What are you doing?”
“Swimming!” Keith called back with a laugh. “The water feels great. Aren’t you coming?”
Shiro looked down at his boxers, debating whether to take them off. “Uh. Yeah. I’ll be right there.”
“Hurry up!” Keith called, and started swimming toward the center of the lagoon.
On, Shiro decided. Wet fabric wouldn’t be much of a barrier, but it would be something.
He waded into the water, which was much warmer than he’d expected, and followed Keith toward the center of the lagoon.
It was beautiful, quiet, with the only sound their movements in the water and the muffled crashing of the ocean waves on the far side of the lagoon. Shiro turned and floated on his back, staring up at the three moons overhead. He’d have thought it would be too bright to see stars, but no, he could still pick them out in the night sky, faint speckles against the black.
He’d never in a thousand years imagined himself somewhere like this, not even in the wildest daydreams he’d had at the Garrison, when he’d imagined exploring the stars.
“It’s pretty great, huh?” Keith said.
Shiro turned to see him treading water nearby, dark hair plastered to his face and neck.
“It’s amazing,” Shiro said.
“There’s another reason this lagoon is so popular,” Keith said.
“Oh?”
“The Terithians believe this is where the three moon spirits met and fell in love, before they rose into the sky so they would never have to be parted. So now, people come here from all over the planet to confess their love. They believe it’s blessed by the moons if they do.”
Something in Keith’s voice made Shiro drop his legs so that he was treading water as well, and could actually face him. “Keith–”
“I didn’t know,” Keith said quickly. “For a long time, I had no idea that what I felt for you was different. But now I have other people that I care about, and you…you’re still different. It’s still…more, with you.”
Shiro’s heart stuttered. Was Keith really saying…? “More?”
Keith nodded. “More. A lot more.”
The words turned a key inside him, unlocking feelings that Shiro had been fighting to suppress for years because he hadn’t thought they were reciprocated. But if they were…
He took Keith’s hands and pulled him as close as he could with both of them having to tread water. “Me, too.”
Not his most articulate response, but Keith’s eyes went wide, and then his face softened into that rare, small smile that always had Shiro’s heart beating a little faster. “Really?”
Shiro dipped his head closer. “Really.”
He tentatively brushed his lips over Keith’s, and Keith surged up into the kiss, sliding his arms around Shiro’s neck. It tasted of salt from the water of the lagoon, and Shiro marveled, distantly, at how well Keith fit into his arms.
He forgot to tread water and took them both down, and came up spluttering. To his surprise, Keith was laughing, his eyes bright, the water on his face glinting with the light of the moons.
He was so beautiful, it made it hard for Shiro to breathe.
“Maybe we should swim back to shore before we do that again,” Keith said, grinning.
Shiro rubbed the back of his neck and laughed. “Sorry. I got distracted.”
Keith started swimming backward to the shore. “Good distraction.”
Shiro followed him, because he would always follow Keith. “Was this why you brought me out here? To tell me?”
Keith stopped swimming and tipped his head back up toward the moons. He sighed. “Yeah. After they told us the story, I thought it would be romantic. And I figured I could use all the help I could get.”
Shiro still couldn’t believe Keith, who saw so much, couldn’t have seen the extent of Shiro’s feelings. He swam closer, and found they were near enough to the shore that he could touch the bottom. “Keith. You’re amazing. How could I do anything but fall in love with you?”
Keith’s smile was even brighter than the moons overhead. “I don’t know. Maybe the moons did help out.”
Shiro cupped his cheek and pulled him closer. “How many times do you think we have to kiss to find out?”
Keith slid his arms up around Shiro’s neck, and whispered against his lips, “As many times as it takes.”