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"Shark, you have...fish."
Oh, right. This was the first time Yuma had really looked around his mansion before the whole 'aliens destroying the world' thing.
Yuma was crouching down, peering into the large aquarium where a few colorful fish swam round the artificial landscape.
"Is that wrong...?" Nasch stood next to Yuma, watching the look of awe on the younger's face.
"Nah - just thought you'd have something...uh. You know. Shark - y. Not pretty fish." Yuma laughed, moving to the side of the tank to see the fish hiding behind the rocks and plants. Nasch snorted.
"Pet stores don't sell sharks."
He couldn't see Yuma's face behind the rocks, but he was sure it was a smile.
There was a comfortable silence as the two of them observed the fish - well, Nasch observed Yuma's innocent curiosity.
"Did you name them?" Yuma asked, breaking the silence and looking up at Nasch. Nasch quickly focused his attention on the fish to avoid his face getting red. He may be a former powerful Barian Emperor, but stupid crushes got the better of him. He was always a victim of Vector's consistent teasing.
"Uh...can't really tell them apart. There's a red one in there that I named..." Nasch trailed off. He'd named it Yuma, but he'd never say that. It was his favorite though it was just a common male betta.
"Aw. Then, can I name that one Shark? It kinda looks like you." Yuma pointed at a neon tetra that had streaks of blue and purple on its sides. Nasch inhaled sharply and rubbed the side of his face. Stupid, stupid crushes...
"Y-Yeah. Sure."
He glanced at Yuma to see a bright smile that seemed like it had seen no grief. Nasch wished he never had, but for right now, everything was perfect.
"Hey, Yuma..." Nasch fiddled with his hands, leaning on the top of the aquarium. God. He'd already gotten Yuma's attention, he was waiting -
"Yeah?" Yuma stood up and stretched his arms. He wore a gentle, neutral look and oh God, Nasch was going to fuck this up, big time. Well, too late now.
"I - uh - don't know how to say...this..." Nasch wanted to be a fish right about now. Swimming along peacefully, not about to ruin a friendship for the rest of his life. Yuma waited patiently, prompting wordlessly for Nasch to continue.
Dueling Don Thousand made him less nervous.
"Shit. Uh - Yuma, I ... like you ..."
He didn't want to see Yuma's expression, so he concentrated firmly on the shifting waters in the aquarium. He almost didn't hear Yuma respond.
"Oh. I like you, too."
Nasch's head swiveled so fast. No way, Yuma must have thought it was just as a friend.
"No, I mean, not as a friend, I like like you -"
"Yeah, I know. I thought you were going to tell me you were dying, or something. But, I like you, too. Like like." Yuma shuffled his feet. Nasch could barely see the blush on his face, but it was there.
Maybe Nasch was more of a fish than he thought, as he opened and closed his mouth soundlessly.
Instead of the comfortable silence like before, it was now incredibly awkward. Nasch watched the fish swim in between the crevices. Yuma watched his feet.
"When?" This time Nasch interrupted the thick quiet. "When did you start to like me?"
Yuma ran a hand through his wild hair in thought.
"Right after the Barians started appearing, I guess? When you stole my key to motivate me...?" Yuma shrugged. "It took a while for me to understand."
Nasch huffed and switched the foot he placed his weight on.
"When you convinced me not to hang around thugs."
Yuma laughed, running a hand back and forth along the grating that covered the aquarium. Nasch was in deep. If the ocean were love for Yuma, he'd be at the lowest point possible, digging his way deeper into the Earth.