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Parties are not, will never, in any universe in the history of universes, be Corpse or Sykkuno’s idea of a nice hangout.
But there they are. At a goddamn pool party, on a humid, sticky, hundred and twelve degree (44.4444 degree for the rest of the world) day.
They’ve been sitting at the edge of the pool for almost half an hour now, their feet stuck in the cold water to cool off a little, getting grossly pruny as the minutes passed.
Sykkuno is in dark blue swim trunks. They’re a bit big on him since he had to borrow them from Toast last minute. His shirtless torso is even paler with sunscreen, and he has a stripe of SPF 30 down his nose because he thought he “looked like a lifeguard”.
Corpse is in a breathable long sleeve shirt. He purposely chose white so the sun wouldn’t cook him alive. He keeps his mask on, understanding that his tan line is going to be awkward by the next morning. He’s in black trunks, a little longer than Sykkuno’s, and they’re tight on him because… thighs.
“Holy shit, you’re beefy .” were the first words Toast had spoken to him that day.
It was fun at first. Processed sausages and beef patties were turned into hot dogs and hamburgers over a hot charcoal grill. Their hands turned sticky with melted popsicles that tasted of sunblock when they tried to lick them clean. The guys drank way too much soda, getting drunk off of it. (Corpse was 300% sure it was spiked) And music was blasting from a speaker.
They escaped the hot sun as best they could under the canopy while they ate. They chatted, laughed, and spent quality time with each other away from their computer desks.
But the pool was calling them, begging to be cannonballed into, to serve its purpose as fun, summer relief.
So when Lily shoved her boyfriend into the water, all hell broke loose.
Corpse and Sykkuno watched in amusement as their friends flung themselves, one after the other, into the cold water. Shrill screams filled the air as they began splashing each other and sword fighting with pool noodles.
It was a mutual understanding that they weren’t going to swim in the pool. Sykkuno’s face was flushed from the liquor soda he drank earlier, and he told Corpse that he would rather not risk puking in the pool today.
“Yeah? Well I can’t swim.”
Corpse can’t swim.
“Where’s Toast?” Sykkuno had asked as they sat down at the edge, dipping their hairy legs into the water.
“Probably drowned himself already.”
Toast did not drown, in fact. Much to their disappointment he was alive and well, running back to the pool, armed with… something.
“Are those water guns?!” Rae shouted.
“Give me one! Give me one right fucking now, Toast!” Michael was rushing out of the water already, prepared to draw blood.
And that’s how the two men found themselves frozen in their positions. Blinking only when necessary, breathing just enough so that their faces don’t turn purple.
It’s boys vs girls, the default for Offline TV’s antics. There really are no winners or losers in water gun battles with no rules in place, but it was entertaining anyways.
“Water got in my eye!” Yvonne lets go of her gun and it floats away with the man-made waves of water. It gets snatched up by Toast, now armed with two lethal weapons. He laughs maniacally.
Okay, maybe there are winners and losers.
“If we stay really, really still.” Corpse whispers into Sykkuno’s ear, sending a shiver down his spine, “Maybe they won’t notice us.”
“I don’t know Corpse…” Sykkuno watches Toast squirt water into Micheal’s ear. Friendly fire. He screams. “I’m kinda scared.”
“What if we run back into the house? Super fast so that they can’t catch us?” Sykkuno proposes.
“I kinda wanna see how this ends though…” he says.
“But you can already tell-”
A pair of hands hook under Sykkuno’s armpits. He gasps.
Fuck. When did Rae get out of the water.
Corpse watches Rae use all her strength to launch Sykkuno forward into the pool. He yelps, hitting the water with a small slap, fully submerged for a few seconds before popping up with a gasp.
“Rae!” he shouts. His hair is plastered to his face, eyes still shut, gasping for air.
Corpse feels a pair of arms try to hook under his armpits too. They tickle.
“I drown and you go to prison.” he tries not to laugh, squirming away from Toast’s grip. He considers throwing his entire weight on the man behind him, but he doesn’t want to crush the poor guy.
“Fine by me.” Toast tries to lift him with a grunt.
“I live, and you drown.” he threatens, voice dropping even deeper.
“Hot,” Toast lets go, patting him on the back with a smile, “But no thanks.”
Sykkuno is retrieved from the pool by Corpse like a fish. He flops himself onto the pool deck dramatically.
“Aw, come on!” Lily wraps a dolphin print beach towel on Sykkuno’s back. He takes it gratefully, pulling it tighter around his shivering body, “It wasn’t that bad!”
“It’s so cold!” Sykkuno fake cries. Lily laughs, pulling him in for an apologetic hug. She leaves them, jumping back to the water with a splash.
He stands up and makes his way back to the canopy, away from the pool. Corpse stands up and follows.
“I’m lucky I didn’t bring my phone.” Sykkuno picks it up from the table where a handful of other phones are in the shade. “It would suck if I fell into the pool with it.” He pulls his chair out into the sun.
Corpse notices Sykkuno’s hair, still dripping wet, droplets forming at the tips, trailing delicately down his cheeks and the back of his neck. He shimmies his chair a bit closer too.
He picks up the towel beside Sykkuno and brings it up to his head. He begins to ruffle it in every direction before he can stop himself.
Sykkuno doesn’t seem to mind, scrolling through his twitter feed calmly.
Sykkuno’s hair was always a mystery to Corpse. It always looks different on stream, layers of fluff that never seem to end. Corpse wonders what shampoo he uses, or at least what brand of conditioner he uses that makes is hair so...
“Soft…”
“Oh! Thanks, Corpse.”
He hums, lost in thought. He continues messing with it, making it stand up, flattening it down. He grabs two strands, twisting them in the towel until they’re stuck pointed upwards.
Cat ears. Corpse smiles, satisfied.
“Uhm…”
Corpse snaps out of it. Toast and Lily have both stopped whatever they were doing in the water, not-so-secretly trying to keep an eye out for their friend. They stare at Corpse.
Not judgemental. Observing. They see something that neither Sykkuno or Corpse can see.
“Shit, I’m sorry.” he sets the blanket down on his lap, hoping Sykkuno doesn’t turn around and see the blush creeping up his ears.
“No, it’s okay.” Sykkuno looks back at Corpse with a smile. His face is red too all down to his neck. Well, shit. No wonder Toast and Lily were staring.
“I think you’re burning up.” Corpse says stupidly.
“Really? Help me put on some sunscreen, then. I guess the water washed it away.”
“Right.”
Sykkuno was going to be the death of him.
He grabs the tube of sunscreen from the table and squeezes whatever’s left of it onto his hands as Sykkuno sits on the floor in front of him.
He applies it unceremoniously onto Sykkuno’s upper back. The scars of teenage acne decorate the pale skin. Rounded shoulders curve gently due to the hours spent at a desk. Vertebrae poke gently through the skin, knobly, running down his back. He’s painted white for just a second before Corpse spreads the lotion evenly, leaving the skin just a bit paler.
He focuses on the back of the neck, where almost pink skin feels warmer than the rest of his body. Maybe he was actually getting a bit burned.
He can feel Lily’s stare in his soul from a distance, both in an acknowledgment and as a warning. Out of the corner of his vision he sees her whisper something to Michael.
“Done.” he wipes whatever was left of the sunscreen on his legs.
“Thanks, Corpse,” Sykkuno gets up and goes back to his chair, all in one awkward motion that does not require him to make eye contact with Corpse.
Corpse caves, pouring himself a cup of spiked soda.
The sun has Corpse feeling drowsy after a while. He slumps down in his beach chair with a sigh, and lets the sounds of the pool lull him to sleep.
He hears something rustling. Hushed voices and giggles. Corpse twitches in his sleep.
“Get dunked on, bitch!” is the last thing Corpse hears before ice cold water is poured over his head. He feels it seep through his shirt, puddle around his rear. A good sized piece of ice knocks him on the head.
Michael runs away to refill the bucket a second time and to put as much distance between him and Corpse. Michael throws a fist in the air, his victory screech comes next.
Corpse pushes his hair away from his face, sighing in defeat. He’s happy he packed an extra mask.
And then there’s Sykkuno. Staring up at Corpse, towel in hand, red in the face eyes pleading.
“Can I dry your hair too?”