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"If I look at my credit card history and see that you've bought the most expensive swimsuit you could, I am going to make you wish you'd never been born. "
Josuke snickered, looking down at the blue and black trunks he had just gotten. "It's your fault for bringing me to a store when a pair of water shorts is gonna cost like, 9000 yen. I think ya gotta look into shopping at some cheaper stores for once in your life if you're gonna complain about me spending so much. "
Rohan rolled his eyes and shook his head a little bit. "I can't believe I deal with you each and every day. " he glanced down at Josuke's new swimming trunks and scoffed. "You hardly even got the right size. "
Josuke raised an eyebrow and grinned, folding his arms together, looking a little too triumphant for his own good. "Yup. I made sure to do that just for you. "
Rohan grimaced and turned his head away with a huff. "You're insufferable. You better at least use them often enough to get your money's worth. I'll be just as pissed off if you spend money on something you're hardly gonna use. "
"We're here, aren't we? " Josuke protested and gestured to the lake in front of him, looking indignant. "It's a good thing you bought these for me! If you think these are small, you should've seen my old ones! "
"I have. " Rohan muttered, though he wasn't really responding to Josuke. "Would've been a much better idea to skinny-dip. More risk, new experience, and I wouldn't have to deal with this whining. "
Rohan hadn't intended for his words to prompt a response from the younger man, but he should've known it would happen anyway. He sighed softly, keeping up his annoyed facade, but his lips were beginning to curl into a smile. Hearing Josuke take up stupid arguments every time he offered them always pleased him.
"Your ideas are always the worst! Anytime you wanna 'try something new, '" Josuke used air quotations to emphasize his point, looking just as indignant as before, ".. we end up doing something amazingly stupid and risky , and we should probably be in jail because of it! "
"Never took you to be one who was so worried about the law. " Rohan chuckled and began to walk forward, closer to the water. "Now shut up, and let's go. I don't want to be out here all night, since you never know who or what could be out and about at this time. "
"Who, besides us? " Josuke muttered under his breath, begrudgingly following his boyfriends lead rather than trying to drag on pointless banter. "Why did we think it was a good idea to come out here at like, 1 in the morning, anyway? "
Rohan shot him a backwards glance, looking like he wanted to make Josuke shut it right then and there, for the rest of the night, before deciding on a better response that would surely prove his great thinking and great ideas.
"Because it's much prettier out here than it is during the day. " Rohan shot back, pointing towards the sky as his evidence. "You can see the stars much, much better out here. "
Josuke frowned, but decided to take his word for it, and moved his gaze toward where Rohan was pointing.
It was fairly dark where they were at, but the sky seemed to provide plenty of light. And Rohan was, once again, correct; the sky was beautiful.
One could always just look up at the stars, but once you get away from the city, away from all the lights, you get to see even more. Josuke found himself staring up at them, awestruck by how beautiful it really was. The stars were brighter than ever. There were more of them! Hell, Josuke could even see the reason why scientists called this galaxy 'The Milky Way', with the way a white, fog-like essence surrounded the stars.
Not to mention, it was a full moon. The light reflected off of the lake so well, that the area was pretty well lit despite it being otherwise pitch black outside. Josuke tore his glance away from the sky to stare at Rohan, who was the most beautiful thing he'd seen yet.
His skin had always been pale, since he wasn't much of a person to get out and tan himself. This, combined with the moonlight in the sky and the lake, provided the illusion that he was glowing.
Rohan didn’t immediately notice that Josuke was staring at him; he himself was staring at the moon, after all. But after a few moments, he began to feel his eyes on him, and he turned his head once again to shoot Josuke a look. “What are you looking at?”
Josuke grinned and shrugged. “Ah. Nothin. I just noticed that you’re glowin.”
Rohan blinked a couple of times before he looked down to look at himself. Sure, it was easy to see why Josuke would use that adjective, but he wasn’t so impressed. Rohan scoffed and turned so that his back was facing Josuke. “No, it’s really not. Let’s go, we’re still wasting time.”
Josuke chuckled and gently shook his head, not making any further protest. He was a little slower with following Rohan out to the water, whereas Rohan wasted no time in trying to get in.
If there had been a way for the artist to dive head-first into the lake, he probably would have done it. Unfortunately, with no diving boards in the area, he simply had to wade in as fast as he possibly could. So off he went, quickly heading into the water while his boyfriend watched from the shore.
Josuke blew out a puff of air, giving the water an unwelcome glare. Not wanting to be left out, though, he sucked it up and began to take a few more steps forward, carefully walking into the water. Of course, he didn’t go any further.
The water was cold. It was extremely, absolutely, terrible, cold. Josuke had half a mind to retreat from the water, but he wasn’t quite ready to be made fun of for running away from the water. So he began to move forward once more. He only made it a few more inches in before he stopped and shivered, glaring down at the water.
By the time the water had reached barely past his ankles, his boyfriend had dived underneath the water and resurfaced, moving his hair out of his face with one hand. Rohan glanced over at Josuke, looking less than impressed. “Well, what’s the holdup? You were just bragging about your expensive purchase and how you would make it worth the money spent, and now you’re just standing there. Are you scared that there are sharks in the water? “ after that comment, Rohan mockingly puckered his lips, raising his eyebrows. “Don’t worry, Josuke-kun, I promise you there are no sharks in the water. I’ll stay with you if you need reassurance! “
Josuke glared at Rohan, looking like he wanted to give him a good pinch. “Shut up, asshole! I’m not scared! I’m just…. Taking care of my hair! “
“I see.” Rohan rolled his eyes while crossing his arms. “Take as much time as you need. But do it very quickly. “
Josuke squinted at Rohan before mirroring his boyfriend, crossing his arms and returning the same expression. “Now, I don’t really feel like moving at all. “
“I’m going to write your capacity for spite out of you if you don’t hurry up. “ Rohan growled before using an arm to send a splash of water in Josuke’s direction. "Come on! We don't want to be out here all night, do we? "
"Hey! " Josuke… Squeaked out his response. He flinched and brought his arm and leg up to cringe in an effort to cover the rest of himself from the water. Almost immediately after, he backed out of the water, standing at a farther distance from the mangaka. "Stop that! "
Rohan paused, staring at Josuke for a little longer with wide eyes, while his boyfriend retreated from the water. There was a lot he had to process, and Josuke's squeak was definitely on the top of his list. After a couple of slow blinks, a small smirk grew on his face, and he put a hand on his hip. "What was that all about? Is the water cold, or something? "
Josuke huffed and looked away. "It's the middle of the night, and it's the lake. It's freezing! "
"Is that why you're stalling? " Rohan snickered, covering his mouth to hide the toothy grin that was beginning to appear. "Are you too cold? "
"Listen, shut up! " Josuke mumbled and attempted to make himself smaller. He tried to cover his face in his arms in order to hide the blush that was beginning to grow on his face. "You're just not one to feel the cold since you're like…. All for new experience or whatever! "
Rohan honest to god tried to hide his laugh. He kept his hand over his mouth and repeatedly tried to force it down, but it was simply too much. Josuke, one of the biggest men he knew, a man who always radiated heat, wasn't going into the water because it was cold. "No, no, I…. " he ended up interrupting himself with another giggle, looking down at the ground in order to compose himself. "...Josuke, you just have to jump in. You're not gonna get used to it fast enough if you just inch in, you know? "
"I know that! " Josuke protested, glaring back at him. "But it's cold as hell! I could just, I don't know, not go into the freezing water! "
"Come on, you big baby. " Rohan chuckled, shaking his head a little bit. "It really isn't that bad once you get used to it. "
"Everyone knows that! " Josuke's voice was beginning to grow in pitch out of embarrassment and frustration. He was starting to sound more and more like a child. "But I don't want to deal with the torture that is submerging my body into the arctic waters! "
"And I thought I was dramatic. " Rohan rolled his eyes again, although he looked more exasperated than annoyed. Despite his exasperation, it was charming to see Josuke act in such a manner, especially over something Rohan considered trivial. "Come on, you big baby. If you're so worried about being cold, you can hold onto me until you get used to the water. "
Josuke's eyes brightened at that, and he perked up a bit. He glanced at the water with an apprehensive look, before eventually nodding a bit, pretending to look determined and unafraid. "Yeah! Yeah, I'll… Probably do that. " he took a deep breath before taking a few steps back into the water.
Almost immediately, Josuke seized up, and his arms shot up to hug himself in order to provide some sort of warmth from his own body heat. He rubbed his arms quickly, visibly cringing at the cold once again.
"You're doing it again! " Rohan sighed and began to wade forward in the water. "Come on, just jump in. You'll stand there forever if you don't do it now. Unless, of course, you want me to push you in? "
"Good luck with that. " Josuke managed a smirk through his face of uncomfort, but it quickly disappeared when he saw Rohan raise an eyebrow. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding, just give me a bit. "
"You've had 'a bit' for the past what, ten minutes now? " Rohan moved forward again, this time in a slightly more threatening manner. "Let's go. "
"I'm coming! " Josuke raised his hands up in surrender before taking a deep breath and holding it in. He puffed his cheeks out to do it, and Rohan could only think of how much Josuke looked like a chipmunk in that moment.
Josuke took a few more quick steps forward in order to be far enough in so that he didn't land in the sand, before he jumped forward to fall into the water, submerging himself completely. Rohan had to move a little farther away to avoid the biggest of the splash, but otherwise didn't mind the droplets of water sprinkling onto him.
"Fuck! " Josuke exclaimed as he resurfaced from the water. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! " a string of curses came from the boy as his teeth began to chatter, and his arms returned to hug himself to try and warm himself back up immediately after drenching himself. "This was a terrible idea! "
"Come here, you big lump. " Rohan extended his arms out, as if he were going for a hug, and slowly approached Josuke, not bothering to hide his grin anymore. Josuke looked silly like this, sputtering out curses while shivering in the cold water in the middle of the night. Add that with the fact that Josuke's pompadour had not completely undone itself, and you had yourself a whole mess.
As if reading his mind, Josuke ran his fingers through his hair in order to completely unmake it, trying to quickly get rid of any obvious knots so it might be a little easier to brush out later, before he flipped it out of his face and looked over to where Rohan was standing. After only a moment of thinking through his options, he lept towards Rohan as fast as he could, only giving the mangaka a couple of seconds to prepare for his attack of affection.
"Hey, hey-! " Rohan realized his mistake of opening himself up to him, but it was too late to back out now. He had to move so that he'd be in a position to wrestle Josuke far enough back so that they wouldn't both crash into the water, but he didn't have quite enough time to do that. So Rohan tried his hardest to hold his ground and keep his boyfriend steady, but to no avail.
When Josuke crashed into him, Rohan stumbled back before losing his balance and taking the younger man down with him. They plunged into the water together, one man holding the other, making sure the other didn't get too far away.
Surprisingly enough, there was no panic. Neither of them flailed around, trying to find their footing or the air above them. Instead, they slowly sank in the water, a peaceful silence surrounding the both of them.
Rohan opened his eyes. He didn't really know what he expected, since it was almost completely dark outside, meaning it would have been next to impossible to see in the murky water, but he knew that Josuke was there. He had certainly taken Rohan up on his offer, and was holding on tightly to the smaller man, allowing them to share heat with each other while the icy cold water surrounded them at every other turn.
What a shame it was, Rohan thought, that they could not see each other in the water. Realistically speaking, it was probably a good thing. Josuke would be pulling silly faces while Rohan would return them all with a scowl. But now when Josuke looked as natural as he could be, it was impossible to see him. Rohan could only imagine what it would look like if he could see, even just the outline, of his lover. That long hair of his flowing out from behind him, those blue eyes glowing in the water, gazing at him with absent-minded affection, and his calm expression that would make Josuke look beautiful with the moonlight above him. There were always times when Josuke looked serene, when he was lost in thought, or when he was sleeping, but oh to know what he looked like in such an intimate moment.
Intimacy, Rohan had learned, did not simply involve hugging, kissing, or even 'making love', as Josuke liked to call it. Intimacy sometimes meant a lot more, sometimes a lot more than Rohan could handle at once. Moments where they were truly there for each other, moments where they were there to listen and comfort each other, moments where they left logic behind in favor of the idea of 'trust' in each other. Even now, where they float idly in the water, they trusted each other to stay safe, and instead of doing the logical thing and resurfacing in order to breathe, they opted to stay with each other, and just calm down.
Words didn't need to be spoken, even if they could underwater. There was message enough.
There was no real reason to stay underwater as long as they did, but there was a certain feeling that came with it that Rohan knew he'd never be able to speak into existence. He held on tightly to Josuke, hoping that he'd get the idea.
They'd always be around to hold each other in their arms, to share their affection with each other, to share their love .
In a world where danger surrounded them, a world with Rohan's closed off tendencies, a world with Josuke's bursts of emotions, a world full of difficulties that could drive anyone apart if they were not careful, and there was some way that Rohan knew both of them were stubborn and determined enough to make it work. Throughout all of that, there would be some sort of connection that remained between the two of them. And for whatever reason, Rohan would never be able to say this aloud, but to him, this moment was able to convey it all more than he ever could.
And thank god, that Josuke wasn't as prone to daydreaming as Rohan was. The mangaka hardly even registered the fact that he was being effortlessly brought up above the water, and it took him a moment to remember that he needed to breathe. Eventually, he moved his hair out of his eyes while gasping for breath. It seemed they had been under the water for longer than he'd realized.
Rohan carefully looked over at the younger man, only to be met with a cheerful grin. Rohan let out a puff of laughter. Josuke had yet to move his hair out of his face, and it looked like he had dragged his hair through seaweed and algae with the way it was hanging in his face. Rohan didn't laugh for very long, and fell into silence with a serene expression on his face.
When Josuke moved the hair out of his face, he met Rohan's gaze with a content smile. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Josuke chuckled and tilted his head, similar to the way a puppy would. "What's up, Roh?
Rohan blinked. He was still somewhat lost in his own thoughts, and was a little confused as to how Josuke had caught up with reality so quickly.
But the huge grin he had on his face caused Rohan to wonder if the thoughts that had run through his head while underwater had even crossed Josuke's mind. Rohan had always been the slower one to properly process a shared moment of intimacy, but he was beginning to doubt that this was as 'shared' as he thought.
Then again, Josuke was usually more vocal about everything. Rohan's mind jumbles may have caused an intimate moment between them that flew right over Josuke's head. He was more sure now, that Josuke had no idea how hard Rohan's heart was beating, and how many butterflies were in his stomach out of the idea that they were together , and likely would be through anything.
That was okay.
There were plenty of times when Josuke found intimacy in things Rohan considered trivial. That was just how they were.
There were plenty of shared intimate moments between them, moments that they could both cherish and enjoy. Neither of them minded much about the small differences between them that made one moment so special to one, and not the other. They were special to each other, and that was enough.
"Nothing. Nothing's up. " Rohan smiled, just a little bit, and shook his head. "I'm already having fun. " while he spoke, he leaned up to press a quick kiss against Josuke's lips, before returning back to where he'd been before. "How about, we see who can get the farthest to the center of the lake before one of us chickens out? "
"You're insane. " Josuke laughed, looking a tad bit flabbergasted. After a few moments of thinking, he nodded. "Alright, fine. But I want you to know something. "
"What is it? " Rohan inquired, raising an eyebrow with his hands on his hips.
Josuke smirked, and winked. "I'm still freezing, asshole. I'll see you at the center of the Lake, eh? “