Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Geez, stay still, Joji!"

"Then cream me faster, Kakeru," Joji whined. "I wanna go into the water as soon as possible. I’m melting."

"We’re in the shadows!"

Joji turned around to glare at Kakeru, who was standing behind him and trying to evenly spread the sun cream over his skin. "This meagre parasol isn’t enough. I need water, Kakeru, wa~ter!"

"The water is in the sun, Joji," Ouji mumbled from where he was lying on a sunlounger, arms holding up a manga. "It’s pretty much as warm."

Kakeru hummed and threw a glance to the square in the ground, presenting an open water surface that shimmered in the searing sun of August.

"You don’t understand, Ouji-san," Joji said unfazed. "This is the pool! Holy land of the molten students, who seek salvation from their daily struggles they have to endure."

A frown dug between Ouji’s relaxed brows. "I thought you were on semester break?"

"Joji," Kakeru intervened, using his stern voice. "Did you finish all of your homework?"

The twin grunted something and evaded his eyes, staring at the green bushes that grew behind the small accumulation of sunloungers the group had put together.

"Jo–ji."

The blond man sighed. "I’m a mere man seeking release in the water; nothing more and nothing less."

Kakeru raised an eyebrow, his hands – still smeared with sun cream – hovered over Joji’s unprotected shoulder.

"That’s a ‘no’," Ouji mumbled and stuck his nose once more behind his manga.

Kakeru heaved a sigh. "Make sure to do that tomorrow," he said directed at Joji and continued to cream the last part of tanned skin.

The twin threw him a cautious look. "Not today?" he asked warily.

"Well, do you want to do it today?"

"What kind of question is that?" Joji replied, snickering.

"See? So tomorrow it is." Kakeru gave his friend an encouraging smile.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Why do you thank me? It’s not like I’ll help you or anything."

Joji gasped in mock offence and turned his head once more to stare at Kakeru with big pleading eyes.

"We have totally different majors, Joji."

"Yeah, but still. You can try."

"No, you should try. You just have half a year left to be a student, when will you study?"

"Yeah, I get it, I get it." Joji sighed deeply and fiddled with his fingers as he directed his gaze back at the glistening pool just a few metres away.

Kakeru smiled, satisfied that his friend was somewhat reasonable, when there wouldn’t be the quiet snicker Ouji let out. Kakeru whirled around to stare at his reading friend. "What?" he asked, maybe a tad too harsh, but Ouji didn’t flinch and the mirth didn’t leave his expression.

"You sound like… No, it’s fine." In the middle of his explanation, Ouji decided against enlightening Kakeru and waved his hand. "Really, it’s fine."

"What?" Kakeru asked again, pressing, and a sigh from Joji drew his attention back to him.

"I can’t decide who is worse, Haiji-san or Kakeru."

"Worse?" Kakeru repeated, feeling dumb.

"Anyway, you done now? Can I go?"

Having to accept that he wouldn't get any answer out of the two, Kakeru sighed and nodded. "Okay, done." Was it bad that he was already exhausted from the torture it seemed to apply sun cream on the twins?

Joji let out a gleeful shout and jumped into a standing position. "YAY, WATER!"

"Don’t forget that I need to reapply the cream after four hours!"

But the twin was already gone, leaving a giant splash that fortunately did not reach the sunloungers to join his laughing brother.

Heaving another sigh, Kakeru took the bottle of sun cream and spun around.

"Now it’s your turn."

Ouji blinked up from behind his manga, expression somewhat stunned. "Heeee."

"It’s not heeee, it’s for your own good."

Ouji sighed and lowered his manga, admitting defeat much faster than the twins had. "I won’t go in the sun anyway," he muttered while he put away his manga and slid forward on the lounger to come closer to Kakeru.

Kakeru glanced at the manga Ouji had started to read as soon as they had reached the sunloungers and flopped on one of them. His friend was wearing a light sweater he had been too lazy to close, red trunks, and sandals which were standing by the side.

"You will need to go to the toilet at some point and that’s on the other side of the pool," Kakeru stated and nodded towards the small cubicles across the water. "So?" he added, raising an eyebrow and the bottle of sun cream.

"Okay, yes, I give in."

After Ouji had arranged himself in a position from where Kakeru could reach his neck, torso, legs and arms, Kakeru began to spread the cream on pale skin. At last he handed his friend the bottle to do his face.

"Thanks."

"You’re welcome."

As Ouji smeared white blotches over his cheeks, Kakeru sat on the other lounger and used the moment of peace. He glanced down at his own body, covered by a protective sheen of cream except where he wore dark-blue trunks, and felt relieved that neither of them would get a sun burn today. A loud splash made him look at the pool where the twins were swashing gleefully with each other. He couldn’t help but giggle at their image.

"I thought they were fourth years now," he wondered aloud, earning a chuckle from Ouji.

"They’ll never grow up."

"It seems like it, huh?" A different voice said now and Kakeru and Ouji looked up.

“Ah, Niko-chan-senpai, Yuki. Good afternoon."

Both wore bags slung around their shoulders and carried large beach towels as they approached them. Where Yuki wore a visor and his pale skin was covered with a grey t-shirt and violet trunks, Niko-chan had opted out for sunglasses, black trunks and no shirt so that the soft hair on his chest and taut pecs were gently revealed.

"You know," Niko-chan said and scratched the back of his neck, "you can just call me by my real name."

"Oh, really?" Kakeru was surprised.

"Are you okay with that?" Ouji asked.

"Why are you looking at me, Ouji?" Yuki scowled.

Ouji shrugged. "Because so far you’re the only one calling him Aki."

"Right," Niko-chan agreed immediately. "Are you okay with that, Yuki?"

Yuki stared at the two sitting men before looking at his boyfriend, flabbergasted. The red hue colouring his cheeks was especially noticeable on his pale skin. He opened his mouth, but then he evaded his eyes and looked to the side, trying hard to shrug casually.

"Maybe… the full name instead?" he mumbled.

Niko-chan gave his boyfriend a gentle smile. "’Akihiro’ should be fine then," he said toward the others.

Kakeru nodded, signalling that he had understood and Ouji said, "Akihiro-senpai," as if to test the words on his tongue.

"Can we sit down now? It’s hot," Yuki complained and ignored the rough chuckle Akihiro made.

"Sure," Kakeru made a gesture towards the free places. "Oh, and here."

Yuki gave the offered sun cream a deep scowl, but before he could respond, Akihiro said, "We got some ourselves, Kakeru, no need." The older man reached for his bag and fetched a bottle.

"I see."

"You packed some?" Yuki asked curiously.

"Of course!" Akihiro grinned. "I don’t want your bright skin to burn so that you’ll scream when we get home tonight."

Yuki blinked, and smirked. "Oh," he said, playfully disappointed. "You don’t?"

"No, I–" Akihiro, obviously not having reckoned with this reply, stared at his boyfriend. "Oh, come on, Yuki!"

Kakeru exchanged a glance with Ouji, who shrugged, and so Kakeru tried to forget what he had just heard. Relieved that no follow-up explanation came, he watched how the two newcomers put their towels on the loungers, settled down and began to distribute sun cream on each other.

"Who else will be coming?" Akihiro turned towards Kakeru while he stood behind Yuki, hands glistening with cream – just like Joji and Kakeru before. "You did the invitations, right?"

Kakeru nodded. "So far Ouji-san and the twins are here, we came together with Ouji-san’s car."

Yuki whistled. "What’s this, a car, Ouji?"

"I need it for work next week to visit a mangaka who isn’t living in Tokyo. My company said, as long as the tank is full when I return it, I can do what I want."

"Nice," Akihiro commented with a wide grin.

"So, there are only King-san and Shindou-san and Musa-san missing," Kakeru continued. "And… Haiji-san wanted to come too." He had intended to say it as casually as possible, but he noticed how his cheeks flushed and wondered whether his friends would accept the hot weather as an excuse.

To be honest, he was excited that Haiji had agreed to come to the pool. When Kakeru had called him, he had sounded so enthusiastic about joining them all and had said something along the line of this summer being Kakeru’s last as a student. Although, Kakeru didn’t quite understood how that was connected to coming to the pool, Haiji agreeing to join them had left a smile on his lips that hadn’t vanished for hours after cutting the call.

Akihiro’s deep voice humming brought him back to where he was. "I see," he said quietly and the sound of approval was followed by Yuki nodding and Ouji smiling fondly. Those reactions confused Kakeru only more.

Trying not to think about it too much and to distract himself from the growing excitement to know that Haiji would be here soon, Kakeru let his gaze trail over the pool.

The summer heat had peaked today again and with the sky being emptied of all clouds, leaving only a bright glowing dot right in the middle, he was glad that they had made the plan to come together and enjoy the afternoon at the pool. It was better than scraping the twins off the wooden slats right in front of Aotake’s kitchen at least.

The clear water of the pool was indeed alluring and although there was no direct shadow above the area, Kakeru hoped that the sheer mass of water would be enough to cool him down a little. As they had unanimously decided for this small cosy pool in the suburbs of Tokyo, there weren’t many visitors around who would be disturbed by the twins’ shouts and jumps into the water. Aside from the outside area, there was an inside pool as well, although it was mainly for children as the depth was shallow and the building solely for them to not be exposed to the sun. On the other side of the pool were the cubicles for the toilets, a few outdoor showers, and a grass field under a row of trees. A small shop in the corner next to the entrance to the inside pool offered fries, ice cream, and snacks, and the vending machine next to it cold drinks.

Turning back to the others, he noticed that Yuki and Akihiro were chatting with each other and Ouji had gone back to reading his manga. He wasn’t sure whether Ouji intended to get into the water at all today – he wore trunks at least – but being who he was, Kakeru doubted that anything besides ice cream would get his friend away from his place. As he watched his friend closely, he noticed something.

"Ouji-san, you need to put on sun cream properly. I can see that your ears are not covered yet."

Ouji lowered his manga, just to show Kakeru the pout above the edge.

"Here, I’ll do it for you." Kakeru fetched the discarded bottle and sat up, gesturing his friend to come closer.

Ouji, once more, sighed but complied and let the runner spread the cream over the thin shell of his ears. Just as Kakeru was explaining that especially the ears were a part that burnt quickly when exposed to the direct sun, he heard footsteps behind him and Ouji said, "Look, your boyfriend is coming."

Startled, Kakeru spun around and as he saw Haiji approaching them, he stared at Ouji, spluttering, "He… He’s not my boyfriend." His voice ended up hushed as he didn’t want anyone to know about their conversation.

Unfazed, Ouji raised an eyebrow. "But you want him to be," he said, gently smiling.

Kakeru didn’t answer but wondered whether this was so obvious. Busying himself with spreading the white cream over Ouji’s ears and filling in the spots on his neck his friend seemed to have forgotten, his ears pricked up to follow Haiji’s footsteps coming closer.

"Hey guys! You’re already here."

Haiji’s voice was balm to his shattered soul and Kakeru immediately smiled and turned to look up at his friend, standing now in the shadow of the parasol and deeming each of them with a smile, the widest for Kakeru.

"You’re just late, Haiji," Yuki muttered.

"What," Haiji raised his arm to shoot his watch a look, "I’m perfectly on time."

"HAIJI-SAN!"

Exceptionally everyone turned to look at the pool where Jota was swimming like an utterly excited dog towards them.

"It’s Haiji-san! It’s Ha– AH!"

Sneaking up from below the water surface, Joji attacked his brother with a strong grip around his stomach.

Watching their playful fight, Haiji smiled. "They’ll never get older, huh?"

"Ouji-san said something similar before," Kakeru added, chuckling.

"Oh, you did?" Haiji glanced at Ouji, who nodded. "Well, you’re absolutely right, it seems."

Now where he stood less than two metres away, Kakeru dared to take in Haiji’s casual appearance. He wore flip-flops with a broad strap, soft-looking shorts in a light green colour that ended above the scar around his knee, and a sweater that seemed to be made of the same material. Heaving a tiny sigh, Haiji dropped his bag and raised a slender hand to pull down the zipper of the sweater, revealing taut skin and toned muscles.

Kakeru swallowed, realised that he had literally stared at his senpai, and averted his gaze quickly.

Haiji hummed a little and walked around the sunloungers Akihiro and Yuki had claimed, to sit at the edge of Kakeru’s.

"Sun cream, huh?" he mumbled and picked up the bottle Kakeru had placed next to him.

"Did you put some on?" Kakeru asked, genuinely worried, while slowly finishing up Ouji’s right ear. A pause followed that grew longer and as his question stayed unanswered, Kakeru frowned and looked back. "Haiji-san?"

Haiji’s focus was on Ouji, who craned his neck in an unhealthy angle to try and read from his position where he sat in front of Kakeru, but he didn’t really see Ouji. Noticing Kakeru’s look, Haiji blinked and faced him again.

"Huh? Oh, no, I didn’t."

"What was that pause for?" asked Kakeru, snickering quietly.

Brown eyes shimmered with something like awe, but then it was gone and Haiji shrugged. "Can you do that for me as well?" he asked and gestured at Ouji.

"Put cream on you? Sure."

"I want to be next," Haiji added, rather insisting.

Kakeru laughed for real now. "Are you jealous because Ouji-san forgot to cover his ears properly?" It earned him a glare from said man.

Haiji didn’t respond to that, but fixated Kakeru’s eyes. "Make sure I’m next, Kakeru."

"Yes, yes." Kakeru giggled. "What are you, five?"

Haiji just shrugged, but the prospect of getting cream spread over his skin as well made him look excited. Well, at least one of them.

One minute later Ouji was properly protected. He hummed in appreciation and turned to read his manga, while Kakeru squeezed a dollop of cream on his hand and wondered whether there would be any more left once the day was over.

"Okay, Haiji-san, can you– Oh, you’re already doing it."

Kakeru watched in a daze how Haiji got out of his sweater. Defined shoulders and the gentle stream of a collarbone were revealed. Haiji’s skin was a little pale, probably because he was working indoors most of the time recently, but nonetheless Kakeru spotted a few freckles around Haiji’s neck and on his arms.

"These too?" Haiji asked and tugged at the hem of his shorts.

Kakeru swallowed and opened his mouth, but whatever his unspoken words might’ve been, Haiji already shimmied out of the fabric, revealing short swimming pants in a bright orange colour that had little dog heads scattered all over it. Kakeru wasn’t able to look anywhere else but there.

"Make sure to cream everything, Kakeru." A pause. "Where are you looking at?"

Haiji’s snickering voice made Kakeru flinch and he hastily directed his eyes back at gentle looking orbs.

"Uhhh," he said unintelligible and tried his hardest not to look down again where the dog heads pleaded for his attention. Only Haiji was able to pull this off. "Yes, sure," Kakeru said, his mind only able to reproduce the latest question he was asked that didn’t include staring at a toned body covered with cute summer wear.

Flustered, he motioned Haiji to sit and turn his back around so that he could start to spread the cream on his shoulders.

"Is that close enough?" Haiji asked innocently.

"Y–yes, it is. Thank you."

"No need to thank me, Kakeru. I can sit closer if you like."

"I–it’s fine, really."

Kakeru noticed the glance Ouji threw him over the edge of his manga and Akihiro even set down his sunglasses, looking at them with raised eyebrows.

Deciding that ignoring their looks was for the best, Kakeru moved his hands in slow circles over Haiji’s back to distribute the sun cream evenly. Haiji’s skin was warm and smooth and Kakeru wished that there wouldn’t be sticky cream separating them as he trailed down strong muscles that relaxed under his fingers. The gentle massage elicited a sigh out of Haiji and Kakeru smiled, relieved that his friend was at ease and could take a break from his busy working week.

"You’re doing a great job," Haiji murmured and changed positions so that Kakeru could do the front parts. "I don’t want to get burned."

"I don’t want you to get burned either," Kakeru replied seriously.

"It was pretty hot recently. Today is supposed to be the hottest."

"Mhm, good idea to come to the pool I guess."

Haiji’s lip twitched but his expression didn’t change. He had closed his eyes as Kakeru was putting cream on his cheeks and forehead and now where Kakeru was sitting right in front of Haiji, he barely noticed where his hands were going but stared right at the curve of pink lips, the round cheeks, the nose, and the long eyelashes.

"Kakeru, your hands stopped moving," Haiji mumbled.

"Oh, sorry!"

Sitting on the other sunlounger, Yuki snickered and Kakeru quickly scowl at him before focusing back on Haiji. Heat crept across his cheeks and as he tried his best to ignore it, he couldn’t help but smile at Haiji trusting him while keeping his eyes closed.

"Okay, I’m done!"

Haiji frowned. "What about my legs?"

Kakeru swallowed and glanced down, taking in the angled skin, light hair, and smooth brown.

"Y–you can reach it yourself, Haiji-san."

"But you’re already at it."

Kakeru scowled. "I’m just doing what’s difficult to do for oneself."

Grumbling, Haiji more or less agreed, snatched the bottle and did his legs himself. "Now it’s my turn?" he asked rather hopefully once he was done.

"I just put the cream on you," Kakeru returned in confusion.

"I meant if you already have some cream on you? I could do it for you."

"Oh." Kakeru slowly nodded. "Yes, I did." He suddenly felt sad about it. Imagining Haiji’s hands all over him, spreading protective sun cream across his back and shoulders and neck, massaging his skin slowly and–

"I see," Haiji mumbled, sounding as disappointed as Kakeru felt.

"B–but," Kakeru hastily added. "Wh–when we swim in the water a lot, we’ll need to reapply it anyway." Kakeru felt like an idiot when he mentioned this, but he meant it. In an innocent way. Completely innocent.

"Alright! That’ll be my job!" Haiji literally beamed at him, flashing him a wide smile.

Relieved to see the energy retuning to his friend, Kakeru snickered at the eagerness and his heat melted under the beams that radiated the other’s smile.

Humming, Haiji closed the bottle and put it aside, before he turned to the others. "Where is the rest?"

"King just texted me," Yuki murmured, his phone in hand. "He wrote that– Oi!"

Dripping wet, Joji suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was now standing next to Yuki, who wiped his phone furiously. Muttering something incoherently under his breath, he threw the unconscious looking twin a glare.

"Anyway," he continued, still scowling at Joji, who took a step back from the lounger – probably out of safety reasons, "They just left the car and are about to get in."

"They’re already here!?" Jota shouted from the edge of the pool where he rested with his folded arms.

"Yes, they are," Yuki said. "Like I just said."

Akihiro chuckled roughly. "Haiji, what have you been doing this week?" he directed the topic away. "I tried texting you but you didn’t reply."

Surprise gathered in brown eyes and Haiji started to fumble for his phone in his bag. As he bent down to open it, he skin of his stomach folded and his shoulder stretched a little, making it unbelievable hard for Kakeru to stay on topic.

"I’m sorry, I’ve been busy with work," Haiji finally said once he gave up searching for the device. "Once I came home, I just took a shower and ate something before going to bed."

This picked Kakeru’s interest. "You texted me, though?"

Akihiro raised an eyebrow but didn’t look annoyed; amused rather. He exchanged a knowing glance with Yuki and they both nodded in unison.

"That’s a privilege you have there, Kakeru," Yuki said, grinning, and his boyfriend added, "I can accept that."

Confused, Kakeru gazed at Haiji, who smiled fondly.

"I’m sorry, Senpai, I should’ve texted back. At least to say that I was busy."

"It’s fine. Conversations after a day at work can be quite exhausting," Akihiro replied.

"It sounds like texting with Kakeru didn’t cost any energy though," Ouji said quietly from behind his manga.

Brown eyes turned and rested for a moment on his friend, then they returned back at Kakeru. "Ouji might be right," Haiji said, "I rather draw energy from you."

"Oh." Unsure what to do with this information, Kakeru slowly nodded. "You’re… welcome?"

A wide grin. "Thanks!"

They looked at each other, smiling wide and wider – shy and curious, direct and beaming – when a voice let all of them turn their heads to the entrance.

"You’re already here!"

Shindou was the first to arrive, his lean stature clad in shorts and an open button down shirt.

"Good afternoon." Musa followed behind, bowing lightly as he smiled into the round.

King grunted under the weight of the bag he was carrying and huffed a ‘fnoon before straightening his back again to consider each of them.

Where Shindou’s clothes were simple and neat, Musa had decided to wear a bright pink shirt and similarly bright blue trunks. King’s pants were definitely the longest of all, but Kakeru wasn’t sure if his senpai had planned to use the same method as Haiji and take off the wildly patterned Hawaiian shirt and matching pants at some point.

"Oh thank god," Yuki groaned and waved at the newcomers. "We can change the sappy topic now."

Flustered, Kakeru opened his mouth – to stutter an apology maybe, he didn’t know – but when he noticed the red hue gathering to each side of Haiji’s nose, his gaze got stuck at the endearing tinge.

"We’re a bit late," Musa said now and stepped closer to get in the shade of a parasol. "I’m a very slow driver, otherwise we would’ve been here earlier."

"It’s okay, Musa." Shindou smiled and patted his boyfriend’s arm. "Your driving is pretty stable. We always feel safe with you."

"Thank you, Shindou-san. I have to think a lot, driving takes so much concentration."

"King," Akihiro threw in, "you look kind of pale."

King groaned, more guttural now, and weakly waved a hand. "I’m fine… I think." He shuffled to a free sunlounger and sat down, pressing a hand to his stomach.

"Here," Haiji-san said now, handing over a bottle of water, "drink this."

"He had to sit on the right side. The sun side," Musa explained. "We had so many things to bring and the car is small."

"I’m fine. Just… a few minutes maybe." King’s expression distorted and he tried to open the cap with trembling fingers as Yuki took it and opened it for him.

"I’m so sorry."

King waved a hand towards the driver and smiled weakly, then muttered his thanks to Yuki, who watched him drink with a soft frown.

"I hope you don’t get a heatstroke," Haiji said now, his voice thoughtful. "Drink a lot and don’t move for now. There’s also ice cream to cool you down some more."

"Ice cream!" Jota exclaimed.

"Let’s get some," his brother agreed.

Kakeru observed how Joji helped Jota out of the water, then they grabbed their purse and trailed off to the ice cream parlour in the corner.

"I said I’m–"

"They’re gone, King," Yuki informed his friend.

"Huh? Oh." King stared at the two blonds – who were wildly discussing about the offered variety – then he shrugged and drank his water.

"I actually don’t mind some ice cream," Shindou mused and gazed dreamily at the twins. He looked up at Musa, who nodded and smiled.

"Given they will bring some for everyone," Yuki murmured.

"I’m sure they won’t forget us," Musa replied and his hopeful expression let the rest believe. He and Shindou settled down and accepted the depleted bottle of sun cream Kakeru offered them.

For a few minutes, they chatted with each other about this and that, and even Ouji dropped his manga to talk with Shindou about his new job he had taken a few months ago. Kakeru couldn’t peel his eyes away from the glowing figure that was his former track captain and noticed that Haiji’s eyes seemed to glance at him every so often as well.

The stomping of bare feet on wet stones announced the return of the twins. Joji was the first to reach them and came to a halt next to King’s sunlounger.

"Here, King-san!"

"What did you get me?" The suspicious undertone in his voice made not only Kakeru snicker.

"Uhhh," Joji drawled while reading the package. "Melonpan and cinnamon."

King stared, absolutely flabbergasted, at the green and brown-ish ice cream package, then he looked up at the twin. He opened his mouth, but didn’t get any word out. Next to him, Yuki burst out laughing and Akihiro chuckled.

Musa’s eyes, however, sparkled. "That sounds delicious!"

"Here you go, Musa-san!" Jota chirped and handed Musa the same type from the bunch he was holding in his arm, packages crackling as he shifted them around.

"Seriously, who gets melonpan and cinnamon ice cream?" King groaned, but took the offered package anyway to feel it with his hands, smearing the condensed water with his thumb.

"They recommended it," Jota simply stated, shrugging. "Now let’s get started, I want to try it."

The twins distributed the rest of the ice cream – apparently they had indeed bought one for each – and in the next seconds the sound of crackling plastic filled the air. Trying to arrange them all sitting was more difficult than expected. The twins, Ouji and Kakeru had gathered a few sunloungers when they had arrived, but since there were a few other visitors at the pool, they hadn’t wanted to take all of them. Thus, they had to make do and the twins started to take their towels to settle on the ground, making room for the others. Kakeru wanted to follow their example, but a solid grip around his biceps hold him back.

"You can sit here, you know?" Haiji said, gently smiling, while patting the place next to him, careful as to not drop his ice cream. "It was your place to begin with."

"But maybe you want more space."

"I’m fine, sit."

Kakeru nodded and withstood the urge to rub his hot cheeks. "Th–thanks."

A warm smile guided him back on the lounger. Kakeru shuffled a bit to leave Haiji more space anyway, but Haiji followed a little as well so that in the end Kakeru’s crossed legs touched Haiji’s and he could feel the body warmth seeping through his skin, grounding him.

More or less able to relax – considering Haiji was sitting right next to him – Kakeru started his own ice cream as well. The first few licks made him frown as the weird combination of tastes spread over his tongue, but he had to admit that it was indeed tasty and as he let his tongue swirl around the frozen chunk of sweetness, he let his eyes trail around to watch his friends.

The former Kansei track team had quickly started to engage in chatting with each other about their lives, discussing their jobs, their studies, an annoying client, a new manga that had been released recently, or a new project that would take Akihiro’s working hours across the globe. When Kakeru’s gaze finally came back to settle on Haiji, he just caught the other laughing about a weird coincidence King had experienced at work the other day.

In awe, Kakeru watched brown eyes squeeze shut and the skin around Haiji’s mouth and eyes crinkle. His nose crunched a little, impossibly cute, and the relaxed muscles of his jaw and neck and the smooth skin, ready to tan at the side of the pool, made his senpai look soft and comfortable. Once Haiji opened his eyes again to listen to the second part of King’s story, his eyes gleamed in the shadow of the parasol, making Kakeru’s heart beat faster.

Kakeru knew this feeling, he knew it all too well, but at least he could be sure that what he was experiencing now wasn’t a nearing heatstroke nor another phenomenon that came along the searing summer heat. He swallowed and while he continued to lick his ice cream, he lost himself in listening to an endearing giggling Haiji and gazing at the spot just below Haiji’s collarbone.

"What about you, Kakeru?"

Being ripped out of his trance, Kakeru blinked and met Haiji’s eyes that gleamed above a warm and gentle smile – a private smile – that was only meant for Kakeru.

"Huh?" Kakeru asked in confusion and noticed now that King had turned to Shindou instead.

"The ice cream," Haiji said. "What do you think about the ice cream?" And as he spoke, he fiddled with the empty wooden stick between his fingers.

Kakeru licked his lips which tasted like cinnamon. "It was weirdly alright, I suppose."

"See? We made a good choice," Jota barged in, making Haiji snicker.

"You really did. Who would’ve thought."

"Oi!"

Haiji laughed louder and there they were again, the soft creases around his eyes that immediately drew Kakeru’s attention to them. He observed them grow shallower until they disappeared again when Yuki noticed the stickiness on his phone and bellowed at the twins, who gave him similarly innocent looks. It was thanks to Akihiro’s hand reaching for Yuki’s arm, stroking it to calm him down, and mumbled I’m sorry’s that peace was re-established.

They took their time after finishing their ice cream and lazed around on the sunloungers or towels. Kakeru noticed with relief that King looked a little better.

"Let’s go swimming," Jota said after a while and he wasn’t the only one being excited about it as Musa had sent curious looks towards the calm pool area, its surface only waiting to be disturbed.

The twins, however, were the first to get up, run to the pool, and jump right back in. Yuki smirked with determination and shouted for revenge for his phone while he dropped his casual clothes and hurried – with Akihiro on his heels – to get into the water.

"Maybe we should go as well," Shindou’s calm voice suggested. "Do you want to go as well, King-san? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I’m okay. I think I’ll go to the showers over there first." King pointed at the outdoor showers that were in the shadows of the trees.

"Me too," Musa agreed. "I think I should prepare myself before getting into the water."

Shindou nodded and together, the three of them trailed off to round the pool.

"Maybe we should get in as well?" Haiji got up and looked at Kakeru, who nodded. "What about you, Ouji"?

Both men turned to look at Ouji, who raised his head from behind his manga.

"I’ll stay here."

A pause.

"What?" Ouji added as both of them looked at him in surprise. "Someone needs to watch our stuff."

Kakeru cocked his head to the side. "You just reached the fifth chapter, am I right?" he asked with a smirk.

His friend stared at him. "Don’t spoil!"

"Oh, never." Kakeru snickered at the reaction. "But yes, it’s nice of you to watch everything. Thank you, Ouji-san."

Ouji gave him a soft smile and his facial muscles relaxed again as he was officially allowed to return to his reading. Kakeru hoped that in case someone really wanted to steal their stuff – albeit he highly doubted that – Ouji wouldn’t be too engrossed with the increasing drama in the manga and actually prevent any theft to occur.

"So, let’s go?"

Kakeru met Haiji’s excited expression and smiled. "Yes."

They left the safety of the parasols and the comfortable closeness to their water bottles and stepped into the direct sun. Kakeru felt like melting right away and hoped that the sun cream would last for a while. The stones under the bare soles were incredibly hot and Kakeru walked closer to the edge of the pool so he could cool down his skin by walking into the small puddles that had splashed over. The wet marks his feet left on the ground dried immediately.

While walking, he glanced at Haiji, who shielded his eyes with a hand to look across the pool towards the showers and grass field behind, that looked – compared to the shimmering air above the stones framing the pool – like a good resting place. Just as Kakeru was wondering why they hadn’t gone there instead of to the sunloungers, Haiji reached out and his surprisingly cool palm encircled his arm.

"We could go take a shower as well, hm?"

Kakeru blinked and felt Haiji’s grip lower until his loose fingers wrapped around his wrist. "Y–yes. Good idea."

A soft smile. "Let’s go."

With a stuttering heart, Kakeru nodded and followed his senpai, who let go of him again. Missing the contact, Kakeru followed so that they walked side by side to the other side of the pool.

"We can take the other one," Haiji said once they reached the first open booth where King, Shindou and Musa were chatting while dipping their heads under the wet spray.

Once they reached the second shower area, the two men took one each and pushed the buttons to start the stream. Kakeru hissed at the sudden cold touch of water hitting his head and he wished he had would’ve been wise enough to turn his body that at least his shoulder would be first. After a while, he got used to the cold and actually enjoyed it. It was a very welcomed change from the heat surrounding them. Given that the showers were halfway in shadows, Kakeru didn’t need to blink against the bright light and there was even a gentle breeze dancing around his body, tickling his limbs that were out of the constant water stream.

Turning his head, Kakeru dared to watch Haiji from the side. Slender hands carded through brown hair, varying between sorting and tussling them, but when his head was out of the water, he looked wild and a little like a wet dog; but the cute type.

He comes after Nira, Kakeru thought in his head and when he said it aloud, Haiji stared at him in utter surprise before he started to laugh.

"Well," Haiji said, still giggling, "at least I look like a dog when I’m wet."

"How do I look?" Kakeru replied, smiling.

Haiji turned his body to face Kakeru properly now. The automatic of the showers switched off, one after another, while Haiji kept looking at Kakeru, brown eyes trailing slowly downwards over his lean athletic body, the flat stomach, the strong legs, the knobbly knees. It was as is Haiji’s eyes left a burning path on Kakeru’s skin, revealing what he was staring at and how long he lingered at his ankle before returning and meet Kakeru’s eyes again.

"You look… not like a dog," Haiji said, his voice quieter now and when he laughed, it sounded bashful and maybe a little shy.

"Not like a dog," Kakeru repeated. "What do I look like, then?"

The other shrugged. "Kinda hot? I don’t know." Rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, Haiji averted his gaze to look at the row of vivid green bushes that grew around the shower area. He chuckled nervously under Kakeru’s surprised stare.

"Uhhh," Kakeru drawled, unsure what to say with that accumulating feeling in his chest that had expanded at Haiji’s words. "Thank you."

Haiji looked back at him and now there was a blush spreading across his cheeks that had nothing to do with the summer heat. "You’re welcome?" he returned, voice inclined to a question, and his lips twitched.

Kakeru chuckled and it eased Haiji’s pose a little. "At least… not an animal, huh?"

"It would be alright if you were a little like Nira, I suppose," Haiji replied, shrugging. "He’s cute after all."

"Oh."

"Oh?" Haiji repeated, worried.

"I just…" Kakeru made a vague gesture with his hand toward Haiji. "I just thought the same."

"That Nira looks cute?"

The puzzled expression on Haiji’s face was absolutely endearing and Kakeru just nodded, not trusting his voice and hoping that Haiji would understand. And he did, sort of.

"I see." A frown dug between Haiji’s brows and then his eyes widened all of a sudden. "Wait, didn’t you just say that I–"

Kakeru couldn’t take his eyes off of Haiji and simply nodded again, now shyly smiling.

"If that’s… I mean, it’s not that I… You don’t look cute, I mean, you do look cute, but also kinda h–ho–hot, maybe. Maybe a lot, and well…" Kakeru trailed off and now it was his turn to rub the back of his neck. Then he heaved a tiny sigh. "I don’t know what I’m saying," he added quietly.

Haiji blinked and laughed loud. "I think I got the gist of it, Kakeru." Throwing a quick glance over his shoulder – whether to check if the dripping shower head was off for good or if there were no people around, Kakeru couldn’t tell – Haiji left his place and approached Kakeru. Once he stood right in front of him, he took Kakeru’s hand in his, grasping it firmly.

The water had cooled both of them down and despite their fingers being rather clammy and cold, it was still a comfortable touch. Initially rigid, Kakeru slowly eased his muscles and wrapped his fingers around Haiji’s, which squeezed his gently.

"You look cute too, you know?" Haiji said now. They stood so close to each other that Kakeru felt his breath brushing his wet cheek.

"I–I do?" Kakeru stuttered and watched, swallowing, how Haiji carded brown hair out of his face with one sweeping gesture.

Haiji nodded. "Yeah. You do," he confirmed, his was voice much lower than before and had a raspy tune to it.

"Oh."

"But…" Brown orbs trailed off to gaze down Kakeru’s chest and legs. "Also kind of… like this. I really like when you look like this."

Kakeru observed how watchful eyes returned to look at his face with a gentle expression.

"I guess I like a lot of things, not just how you look in swimming trunks."

"Me too," Kakeru said hastily and Haiji’s eyes widened.

"Yeah?"

Kakeru nodded again. "I like… lots of you. Not just today, not just by the pool, not only when you wear these pants. Where did you even get them?" he added and nodded towards the dog heads scattered over Haiji’s crotch and butt. Haiji chuckled at that, but didn’t interrupt by answering that. "I really enjoy… lots of you."

Haiji’s eyes gleamed. "Yeah," he whispered. "I guess I knew."

"You did?"

The other just nodded.

"I see." Kakeru frowned and thought back about so many other moments there had been. "I think… me too. I was the only one you texted this week after all."

Haiji laughed. "Your words helped me to wind down after work, Kakeru. But they got me excited about today," he explained and his other hand found its way to Kakeru’s free hand. He wrapped his fingers around his wrist, placed index and middle finger into his palm and gently thumbed the pulse point.

"I’m glad. Though," Haiji added and his eyes quickly darted to the pool where the twins and Yuki were racing in the water, "this wasn’t how I imagined it to be."

"What do you mean?"

"Like…" Now Haiji frowned thoughtfully. "I… I wanted to tell you… more. With no one else around."

"The day isn’t over yet," Kakeru noted, smiling.

"Oh. How bold, Kakeru."

"I learned from the best."

"You did, huh?" Haiji chuckled. "How far does your boldness go?"

Kakeru bit his lip and his heart pounded powerfully, almost painfully, against his ribs. "I can show you," he mumbled and leaned a bit forward, just a bit.

"Yeah?" Haiji whispered and complied, his breath tickled Kakeru’s wet cheeks. A hopeful expression filled brown orbs to the brim, making them glow in the shadows of the trees.

"Yeah," Kakeru said, much quieter now.

"Show me."

Warm breath touched Kakeru’s lips. "I will. If you would let me."

"What’s stopping you?"

"You talking."

Mirth gleamed in those deep eyes Kakeru had fallen in – and for. "Mhm, then make me stop."

"I will, Haiji-san."

Kakeru looked into the waiting eyes, filled with as much anticipation as excitement as it ran through his own veins, and closed the gap between them. He angled his face a little to the side and the last thing he saw were brown eyes fluttering shut.

Haiji’s lips were wet from the shower but pliant and bore a mixture of gentle coolness and the warmth of the blood that tinted his lips rosy as Kakeru pressed his own against them. He had parted his lips a little, to imitate what he had imagined so often in the past, and hummed, pleased, once Haiji returned the kiss immediately. When Haiji’s grip around his wrist and fingers tightened a little and he tugged to pull him in, Kakeru complied with him and moved his foot forward to narrow the space between them and flush their chests.

Playing with the angle, Kakeru found a good position to slot their lips together and move them over each other. Just when he slid his tongue over Haiji’s upper lip – barely using any teeth – the other let out a quiet whimper and took over by turning his head to the other side, cupping Kakeru’s jaw and kissing him deeper.

Securely connected, Kakeru used his now free hand to place it on Haiji’s sternum, under which he felt a rapid heartbeat, and dragged his fingers slowly over taut skin and abs that trembled under his touch until he could grab Haiji’s hip. He pushed his own pelvis against the protruding bone and nudged his leg between firm thighs, seeking contact. Once established, he let go of the hipbone and looped his arm around Haiji’s waist and pressed his thumb lightly into warm skin while he held the other close. A soft moan spilled between Haiji’s lips, right into Kakeru’s mouth, and their hugging frame tumbled a little when Haiji tried to push himself even closer, seeking skin contact in the fervency of their kiss.

A sudden high-pitched squeak startled Kakeru and he pulled away, searching for the source of the sound.

"Mu–Musa-san! Wha–"

Musa stood a few metres away, his hands formed loose fists that were pressed to his mouth, and his dark eyes were round and looked incredibly giddy.

Haiji blinked in a daze and was about to say something, when Shindou’s calming voice neared.

"Musa, what’s wrong? Oh, Haiji-san and Ka–" Shindou stopped and smiled softly at the two men, who had pulled away from the kiss but were still pressed together in a close hug.

Tugging at Musa’s arm, Shindou looked up to his boyfriend. "Let’s go, Musa, and give them some privacy."

"Privacy? At a public pool?"

Kakeru groaned internally at the – indeed – public mortification, as King came to join them. He stopped next to Shindou, looked at the hugging men for a solid second, and hummed. "Ah," he said, as if he had realised something obvious. "I see. You finally found the answer, right?"

"The answer?" Haiji mumbled and turned his head to look at Kakeru, who was rather busy with disentangling their legs and their overall, rather intimate position.

"Oi! What are you doing?" Yuki’s shout echoed over the water surface and Akihiro, who was swimming close to him, stopped now and both looked over to the small group. They both realised what was going on at the same time and smirked.

"Took you long enough," Yuki muttered, grinning.

"Lovebirds," Akihiro chuckled, nudged his boyfriend and continued to swim.

Yuki winked at them and followed.

"LOVEBIRDS!?"

Kakeru groaned for real this time and glared at the twins. "Come on, don’t shout. This is a public pool!"

"Now you notice, huh?" King muttered, while Haiji said, "We’re the only ones here, though."

"There are still other visitors, Haiji-san," Shindou mentioned and gazed to the few scattered people on the other side of the field and the inside pool.

"Not how I was expecting this to be," Kakeru sighed.

Haiji chuckled. "Now you can see my point?"

"I can totally see your point."

"Lovey-dovey, huh?" King huffed but he smiled at them. "Anyway, I wanna swim. Are you coming or what?"

Haiji’s fingers still clasped Kakeru’s wrist and now he tugged at them again. "Good idea," he said and added, contemplating, "My physical therapist recommended swimming for joints anyway. Kakeru?"

"Yes, of course."

"Let’s just drink something real quickly. My throat feels dry."

They left the shower booth and headed towards their sunloungers. When Kakeru met Musa’s wide smile, he couldn’t help but smile back, relieved that their friends had taken – or rather, anticipated – the change in their relationship status pretty good.

While Shindou, Musa and King entered the water, Haiji led Kakeru to their place of scattered bags, towels, a reading Ouji and Jota, who was drinking some water. As they surrounded the pool another time, Joji swam closer towards them.

"Why are you holding hands, Haiji-san?" he asked curiously when they were close enough to the loungers.

"Oh." Ouji’s voice sounded slightly surprised but not that much. "Finally, huh?"

"You say it," Yuki intervened while swimming past the twin, whose expression was puzzled.

Ouji regarded the comment with a nod, then he looked at Kakeru and smiled, before going back to reading. Jota lowered the water bottle and grinned widely.

"Huh?" Apparently, Joji was the last to understand. "What do you mean?"

"They just kissed, idiot," Akihiro helped out, still smirking.

Joji’s eyes widened and grew round and curious. "Ohhhh, I see. So you’re a couple now? Cute."

Haiji glanced at Kakeru, who shrugged. "I guess?" he said, but his insides were all tingly at the sound of it and he couldn’t help but grin.

"So," Jota said now, "to celebrate this day!" His sudden loud voice was distraction enough, but before Kakeru or Haiji could turn to face him or prepare for anything that might follow, a broad hand touched their backs and they fell, face front, into the water.

Since the pool was warm, it was less of a shock than imagined, but a shock nonetheless. Kakeru splashed and scrambled to stand in the pool; when his head was once more above the water and he knew Haiji’s was safe and sound next to him, he whirled around.

"JOTA!"

The twin cackled and bent forward, face distorted by sheer mirth.

Kakeru gave the twin the sternest glare he had. When he heard Haiji laugh next to him, he turned and saw the other wiping the wet hair out of his face and searching for his eyes.

"Revenge?" Haiji offered, smirking.

Kakeru nodded grimly. "Revenge it is."

Jota, who still stood where he had shoved them both in, barked and his eyes widened when Kakeru and Haiji each grabbed a hand of his and pulled. The blond man landed between them, splashing like a drowning dog, but finally secured a stable position. He was laughing loudly and began to tackle Kakeru, but as he knew Haiji on his side, Jota soon had to declare defeat.

When the water calmed down again and Haiji finally got to drink something, they did some real swimming. Side by side, Kakeru and Haiji did a couple of evenly paced laps in the pool, the water pleasant against their skin. Akihiro and Musa joined them soon, the twins and Shindou did a race, and Yuki and King were enjoying a calm corner where the owner had installed some bubbling underwater wellness massagers.

After some time Kakeru and Haiji decided to return to their sunloungers and soon after the rest followed. Once they reached their place, Kakeru grabbed his towel and dried himself off. Then he put on his t-shirt and settled on the lounger to observe Haiji – his boyfriend! he thought excitedly – who slid his arms back into his sweater, leaving the front open.

"Congratulations."

Kakeru faced Ouji, who was smiling at them as gentle as ever.

"Thanks, Ouji!" Haiji replied immediately, widely grinning. The bright spark in his eyes was filled to the brim with happiness; the same Kakeru felt as he looked into these orbs.

"It feels weird to be congratulated for something like this," Kakeru nonetheless noted, frowning. When he caught Haiji smiling warmly at him, his confusion ebbed away and he smiled back. Naturally.

"Why?" Yuki grabbed his own towel and gave them two raised eyebrows. "Took you long enough. You earned a ‘congratulation’ at least."

"True, we had to watch you pining each other for three years," Akihiro mumbled before he settled down with a satisfied grunt.

Was is that obvious?, Kakeru thought to himself, flustered and stunned at the same time by the mild reactions of the others.

"Repay us, Haiji," Akihiro continued, glancing up to Haiji, who was fetching his shorts to cover those adorable dog heads.

"Repay?" Haiji repeated with a chuckle.

"I want fries," Jota threw in.

"Frieeessss," his brother added, both coming closer, eyes huge and pleading.

Kakeru chuckled at the odd demand, but noticed that even Ouji peeked from behind his manga, saying, "Fries sound good. I actually– JOJI!! GO AWAY!"

Everyone turned at the sudden shout to give full attention to Joji, who stood right in front of Ouji’s lounger and dripped lukewarm pool water onto the manga.

"Go, go, go!" Ouji made shooing movements, pulled his manga closer to his chest and gave it a bewildered stare. "I don’t want my– Ugh, it’s already wet."

"I’m sorry, Ouji-san." The twin looked like a dispirited squirrel, who had squished his nuts.

"And I just got to the final chapter." Using his towel, Ouji looked sadly at his manga and started to wipe at the wet corner. His mouth dropped and his eyes were still blown in shock.

"I think it’ll dry in the sun, Ouji," Akihiro said now and sounded encouraging.

"I’m sure as well, Ouji," Shindou added. "Just put it into the sun for a while, it’s still very warm."

When Ouji looked up, he still wore a sad expression, but instead of replying to any of them, he glared at Joji, who reflexively took a step back.

"I–I said I’m s–s–sorry, didn’t I"? Seeking help, Joji looked at his brother, who just nodded fervently.

"I won’t take you home."

Joji frowned in confusion. "What?" he asked and tilted his head to the side.

"I won’t take you home," Ouji repeated. "You can run home, if you want."

Kakeru observed the two warily. Given that Ouji was their driver and the distance between the pool and Aotake was more than 70 kilometres, he understood that Ouji took his act in fact pretty badly. He wasn’t necessarily angry at Joji personally, but rather at his precious property being damaged, and Ouji never joked when it came to manga. Kakeru feared the worst, but he didn’t want to intervene in case his words would create more damage than anticipated.

"Ouji-san, this wasn’t on purpose I swear!" Joji’s eyes had grown wide, but Ouji still glared at him.

"You know him, Ouji," Yuki dared to interrupt and pointed at the twin. "He’s an idiot, who doesn’t mean any harm."

"Right! Wait, what!?"

Yuki cackled, but despite Joji stuttering for another excuse, Ouji stayed unfazed.

"Well," Haiji said and bent down to fetch his purse from his bag. "Good luck."

"Ha–Haiji-san? A little help?"

"It’s your own fault, Joji," Kakeru said now and gave his friend an encouraging smile.

"Kakeru, you too?" Joji stared at the two, then back at Ouji. Heaving a sigh, he dropped his shoulders and his whole body seemed to shrink a few centimetres. "Can’t help it, huh?"

With one swift movement, Joji knelt down, placed his palms on the ground and crawled in front of Ouji, who stared at him in utter surprise.

Joji took a deep breath, before saying with a full-tuned voice, "Oh, Ouji-sama, I ask for your forgiveness!"

"W–what is this?" Ouji stuttered, but it seemed that he was unable to tear his eyes away.

"Please have lenity, I’m a mere disciple, willing to do anything to beg for your mercy."

"I–is that from the Kazu-Nii Chronicles?"

Joji sat on his heels, folded his hands in front of his chest and closed his eyes. "Oh Ouji-sama," he said and it sounded a bit theatric. "Please! I ask for–"

"Yes, yes, I forgive you, geez!"

Kakeru chuckled and watched how Ouji’s stern expression grew soft as he grumbled, "Dirty tricks you play on me."

"Really?" Joji snapped his eyes open, beaming at the older man.

"Yeah, that was a real dirty trick."

A pout distorted Joji’s mouth. "You forgive me?"

"Yes, yes."

"I won’t need to run home?"

Ouji tilted his head to the side. "Would be a good training, right?"

"No, please, Ouji-san!"

Ouji giggled. "Yes, I’ll take you home."

"Thank you! And I’ll buy you a new one."

Considering the wet manga, Ouji shook his head. "No need. This was the one I wanted. I don’t want any other."

"The one and only," Yuki commented, earning him a smirk from Akihiro.

"But," Ouji added, "you can put it in the sun for me."

"Everything you desire, oh Ouji-sama!"

Kakeru watched how Joji did a deep bow while accepting the manga before draping it on the broad edge of the flowerbed behind the sunloungers.

"Kakeru."

Someone tugged at his sleeve and when he turned he saw into Haiji’s gently smiling face.

"Let’s go?"

"Yes."

"Ah right," Yuki said, "the prize for bearing your sappiness."

"Indulge us," King added, smiling.

"But not with sappiness," Akihiro playfully winked at them.

"Right, please do that in private," came the approval by Yuki.

"I can’t guarantee that," Haiji replied, shrugging, and smirked mischievously. "Alright, for you to forgive us–"

"Why did you say it like that?" Yuki raised an eyebrow.

"–we will get some fries. Kakeru?"

"Yes, sure." Kakeru rubbed his hot cheeks and tried not to look into the wide grins of the others.

"We had a lot of sweet things, maybe it’s time for something savoury." This time, Haiji winked at Kakeru and even took his hand to pull him towards the parlour in the corner. "Come, help me carry."

"Help me carry my heart," Yuki singsang behind them as they trailed off. His and Akihiro’s rough laughter followed them as they headed towards the small shop.

There was only a counter for the outside area since the main part of the shop was inside. Kakeru noticed the steam of the chip pan, rows of boxes stacked with gummy bears and chocolate bars, a bowl of fruit on top of the fridge, the blinking vending machine on the other side, a small menu card offering ice cream and snacks hung on the wall, and the clerk, who gave them a patient smile as they came to a halt in front of the store.

Kakeru gazed at the wide variety such a small shop was able to offer, but when Haiji started to wrap his fingers around his wrist, pressing into his palm and slowly intertwining their fingers with each other, his heart skipped a beat. He glanced at the other from the side and noticed the nonchalant expressions while brown eyes focused on the menu.

"Do you want something as well, Kakeru?"

Flustered, Kakeru tried his hardest to tear his eyes away and look at the menu. It took a few seconds until he was able to read it.

"I–I’m fine," he said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Fries aren’t good for a runner anyway."

Haiji turned to look at him now and smiled fondly. "You’re right," he said and squeezed his hand a little. "I guess I’m indulging them a little."

"Well, they don’t run competitively anymore. Except for the twins, but I will let them run a few extra laps when we resume practice on Monday."

Haiji snickered and there they were again, the crinkles around his eyes that were impossibly endearing for Kakeru to look anywhere else.

"What can I get you two?" The staff looked at them and smiled friendly.

While Haiji ordered, Kakeru tentatively held Haiji’s hand a little firmer and pressed their palms together. He hadn’t really thought about any immediate feedback, but without stopping to tell the staff the order or to look anywhere else, Haiji returned the gesture by grasping Kakeru’s fingers into a proper grip.

Haiji continued to chat with the staff, but Kakeru paid little attention as his mind drifted and his eyes wandered down the hood of Haiji's sweater to the unzipped front and smooth skin beneath. He stared at the taut pecs, the dip of the stomach, the adorable knobbly navel and hipbones that disappeared under the shorts, and the tiny bit of fabric that revealed a few cheerful dog heads.

K akeru knew how Haiji looked like. He knew very well how Haiji looked like, without this sweater, without those shorts, without those swim pants, without any clothes at all and… Kakeru swallowed.

" Here you go!"

The staff’s loud voice startled him and when Haiji faced him, he shook his head and stared at the older man.

"Kakeru, can you take this? I’ll get the tablet with the fries."

Kakeru stared, baffled, at the row of water bottles and snacks. Reluctantly, he let go of Haiji’s hand and tried to gather everything in his arms, careful not to drop anything as he walked back to the others. Haiji followed right behind him and once they were back, their friends cheered.

They settled and started to distribute the boxes of fries and new water bottles. Kakeru just opened his own, when Haiji’s voice drew his attention.

"Here."

Kakeru stared at Haiji’s palm that presented an apple. Confused, he blinked at it a few times. "Who will get an apple?"

"This one’s for you."

"For me?"

Haiji nodded. "Since you didn’t want fries," he explained and shrugged.

"The typical runner issue, huh?" Yuki said. "I’m glad we don’t have to take care of that anymore."

Next to him, Akihiro frowned. "Taking care of your energy intake should be normal, Yuki."

"Not you too! You just sound like Haiji when we trained back then."

"Apparently," King raised a finger while picking up a soggy fry with the toothpick, "fat isn’t that bad. The omega-3 fatty acids are useful for formation of a substance that lowers the blood pressure and are effective against fever."

"What are fatty acids?" Musa asked and looked puzzled at Shindou, who explained calmly.

"That might be," Yuki said now. "But I don’t think consuming this all the time is good. We don’t want to impose an overweight on anyone here."

"You just looked at me though," Akihiro grumbled, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn’t."

"You totally did!"

"Senpai lost lots of weight, Yuki-san," Jota chirped in.

"Couldn’t you at least say it a little nicer?"

"Why? You did loose weight, right?"

Akihiro scowled. "That sounded like I was fat or something."

"In a way," Yuki mused, smirking.

"Oi!"

Yuki grinned and dodged when his boyfriend wanted to box his side.

Next to Kakeru, Haiji chuckled, and turned his attention back on the runner. "You don’t want to?" he asked.

"I’m fine with my weight," Kakeru replied.

"The apple, Kakeru."

"Oh, right. Thank you, I’ll take it." He picked up the apple from the flat of his palm and turned the fruit in his hand before looking up at the other. "Thank you… for taking care of me."

Haiji’s expression softened. "Same here," he mumbled quietly, but loud enough for Kakeru to hear, and bumped his shoulder against his.

The banter around them developed, as usual, on their own. They sprawled out on their sunloungers and towels again, eating their fries and watching the sun dip towards the treetops.

Once again, Kakeru and Haiji shared the same lounger, but this time everything was different from a few hours earlier, when Haiji had held him back and literally invited him to sit close to him. Now they were sitting right next to each other. The shower and laps in the pool had cooled them down, so Kakeru didn’t mind when they touched, skin on skin. As he munched on his apple, excitement and contentment filled him, and a spark made his insides prickle every time Haiji casually placed his hand on his thigh; but as it was Haiji sitting so close to him, Kakeru was able to relax at the familiar presence, the familiar touch, the familiar scent wafting around him.

They spent the rest of the afternoon by the water, chatted about everything and nothing, and Kakeru’s heart melted when Haiji asked him to reapply the sun cream before they swam some more. The eager expression in the brown eyes made Kakeru smile, and as he felt gentle hands moving swiftly across his body, he thought that sometimes his boyfriend really did resemble a dog. A really cute one.

Epilogue

When it was time to leave, they packed their things, stowed them in the lockers provided and headed in small groups towards the showers.

The common shower room was soon filled with laughter and chatter as they got out of their trunks to wash hair and bodies. Kakeru, who hadn’t been to a public pool that often, felt unsure whether he should. But when he saw one after the other taking off their swimming pants, he did the same and reached for the shampoo he had brought with him. It was weird to stand utterly naked in the gentle spray, but not uncomfortable as it reminded him of the days they had all trailed off to Tsuru no Yu.

Most of the others said their goodbyes and left the room, towels wrapped around their waists, until Kakeru realised that the only person left standing on his side was Haiji.

Kakeru stared intently at the tiles, trying not to glance to the side where Haiji was spreading shower gel on his body. But the temptation was too great and so Kakeru tilted his head a little to look at the other man who – and he still couldn’t believe this – had become his boyfriend about three hours ago. His heart raced at the memory of them kissing and he could feel the careful but determined press of those lips against his, soft and gentle. His skin burned where Haiji’s fingers had dug into his flesh, where he had tugged at his arm and had pulled him into hug him.

Would Haiji go home again? Could Kakeru ask him to come with them to Aotake? The twins would be there and maybe it would be loud and the brothers were nosy, but Haiji would be there, with him, and that was what he wanted. They could talk some more, sit in his room, watch the stars in the summer sky and fall asleep on his futon.

Kakeru frowned thoughtfully and wondered whether his thoughts had become just a little bit sappy or if it was just his imagination.

Not minding his confusion too much, he let his eyes trail over Haiji’s lean form next to him, taking in the shape of the man running deft hands over his body and lathering his skin. Haiji had stripped off his swimming pants – the happy dog heads now hanging from the knob of the shower – and slender fingers distributed foam over his chest, around his neck, under his arms, and down all four limbs. Swallowing hard, Kakeru wondered what it would feel like to touch him, and gazed at the pale tan line that stretched around Haiji’s waist.

The soft grunt Haiji let out as he bent down to reach difficult areas might’ve been Kakeru’s cue to offer his help, but he could only stare in fascination at the swift movements and care with which Haiji treated his own body. The smooth skin that covered taut and flexing muscles was only disturbed by the scars that crisscrossed his right knee, drawing Kakeru’s eyes to Haiji’s strong thighs and groin, soft and somewhat heavy looking and–

"Kakeru."

He snapped out of it and directed his eyes on Haiji’s. "Huh?"

"I asked if you can help me out?" Haiji said, his voice patient and smile gentle.

Kakeru swallowed again and withstood the urge to glance down. He may felt confused, but also determined. "I–if you insist," he said. "I’ll do my best."

Haiji snickered. "Okay, then give it to me."

Stunned at the bluntness, Kakeru hesitated. "N–now?"

"Preferably, yes."

"But… We’re in the shower." Kakeru made a needless gesture to the shower room without taking his eyes off his boyfriend. "Haiji-san, what if someone sees us?"

Now it was Haiji’s turn to look confused. "Well, I would just say it’s from you?" he offered. "Nothing to be ashamed of, Kakeru."

Kakeru stared at Haiji. "Haiji-san, can we…" He felt his awkwardness rising again. "I can give it to you later, but not in the shower."

"Kakeru, I need it right now, not later."

"But we’re in the shower, Haiji-san!"

"That’s excatly why I need it, Kakeru."

They stared at each other, Haiji in confusion, Kakeru in utter bewilderment, his face dusted in several shades of pink.

"I–I thought we, uhm, would wait a little bit and… then," Kakeru mumbled, loud enough to be heard over the stream of water.

"I can’t wait though." Haiji raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, okay. But… Please, Haiji-san, not today. Can’t we do that later when we’re at Aotake at least?"

"Wait, Kakeru." Haiji reached out and touched his shoulder. His grip was gentle and careful, but Kakeru nearly flinched. "Kakeru, what are you talking about?"

Kakeru opened his mouth, but knowing that he wouldn’t be able to say this actually aloud, he closed it again and stared, rather dumbfounded, at Haiji, whose expression was filled with a mixture of confusion, curiosity, and worry.

"I just asked if I could borrow your shampoo, Kakeru. I forgot mine at home."

It took a few seconds until realisation struck him and Kakeru imagined that he heard a relieved sigh somewhere else in the shower room; but he couldn’t be sure, his mind was a shattered mess. He stared at his boyfriend, who looked at him rather concerned.

"Ah, oh, uh. Yes," Kakeru muttered and turned to face the wall, staring at the wet tiles. He grabbed his shampoo and blindly handed it over, hoping the stream of water was enough to hide his hot cheeks. He heard Haiji uncap the bottle, the sound of shampoo being squeezed out, before plastic sounded and the bottle was placed back in the mount in the wall.

For a minute there was only the sound of rushing water and Haiji distributing the shampoo in his hair.

"I…"

The quiet tone made Kakeru glance back at Haiji, who focused on the tiles in front of him while his hands were buried in his hair. A soft frown sat between his brows and his expression was thoughtful.

"I agree though," Haiji continued and shot a quick look at Kakeru.

"Huh?"

"We…" A pink hue coloured Haiji’s cheeks and he looked away again. "We can wait a bit and then… you know?"

Despite being in the shower, Kakeru’s mouth became dry and his eyes widened again.

"Yeah," he said, nodding slowly. "Alright."

"Thanks."

"Of course, uhm. I look forward to… You’re welcome?"

Haiji blinked, but then he started to laugh and the sound of mirth echoed from the walls. Kakeru grinned bashfully and reached to use his shampoo as well, his heart a little lighter.

Happy that the scene hadn’t been too awkward, Kakeru smiled and he was just in the process of washing the suds out of his hair, when he heard a quiet voice that wasn’t Haiji’s speak from behind them.

"Uhm… I didn’t know when it was best to get out, but…"

Kakeru and Haiji turned around and discovered the scrawny figure of Ouji, who peeked from behind a wall in the corner of the other side of the room. His gaze was calm, he wore a gentle smile on his lips, and a red towel was slung around his waist, catching the few drops that fell from his wet hair.

"I don’t want to interrupt your romantic shower talk and all, but I’m going out now and you would notice me anyway." He took another step forward. "But be sure that I will keep quiet about your plans. Just… Don’t get me involved. I don’t mind an excuse if you need me to leave the premises for the night in case you decide to stay at Aotake, Haiji-san."

Ouji walked towards the door and opened it.

"Oh, I can take you home as well, Haiji-san. If you like to go to Aotake, it would be very convenient though."

And then Ouji was gone, leaving behind two utterly flustered and utterly stark naked men barely covered by steam. They both stared at the spot where Ouji had closed the door for a solid minute; then they looked at each other, chuckling nervously, smiling, and finally laughing.

"So," Haiji said once they calmed down again, "you wanna go to my place after?"

Kakeru smiled. "Yes, that would be nice. Although it would be a bit inconvenient for Ouji-san."

"I don’t think so, I don’t live that far away from Aotake."

"You’re right."

Haiji hummed. "We can make some dinner together, something light, and just… chat a little or something."

"Sounds good."

"Maybe we can do a little more."

Kakeru nodded. "I would like that."

His words made brown eyes become round and wide, before they grew back to their regular size. Haiji glanced around in the otherwise empty shower room, nodded, and reached out to take Kakeru’s wrist in his.

"I’m 80% sure there’s no one else here."

"Only 80%?"

Haiji hummed and leaned a bit closer. "It’s a public pool after all."

"Right," Kakeru chuckled and glanced down, murmuring, "You’re right, Haiji-san."

Their lips met again and when Kakeru pulled away, Haiji chased him, and they met in another kiss, this time longer and lingering. Kakeru watched the other’s eyes flutter open as Haiji stayed close to him, his breath tickling Kakeru’s wet skin.

"Yeah," he mumbled, "this place is alright."

Kakeru smiled and looked into the glimmering eyes. Soft brown orbs beamed at him, and he knew that this day – the day where the summer heat had warmed him thoroughly – was the start of something remarkable.