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Amane hated summer nights.
Unbearable heat permeated everything, crawling into every nook and cranny. The air was drenched in humid waves that crashed against his skin like an ocean against the coast. And if he didn’t know any better, he’d probably think the sweat that coated his body was the moist, sticky air itself washing over him.
Most of Amane’s time was spent tossing and turning in bed as he went back and forth between letting the oscillating fan blast cold air over him and then covering himself with his bedsheet when the harsh chill became too much for him. It was an aggravatingly ironic conundrum.
It was just as he had pulled his sheet up to his chest when he heard a hissed beckoning from the side of his bed. "Psst Amane!" Tsukasa practically stage whispered.
Amane groaned, frustration thick in his tone.
"Amaneeeeee!" the younger tried once more.
After a moment of heavy silence, a pair of sweat laden hands clapped over Amane's cheeks and tugged, twisting his head around to face his younger brother. "Ow ow ow ow! Tsukasa!"
A grin spread across his face as he released Amane. "Oh, good! You're awake!" Without hesitation, he tore the sheet from his twin, letting it fall to the floor. "C'mon, let's go!"
"Wha--?" Amane glanced at the clock as his brother yanked him to his feet, dragging him to the closet. "Tsukasa, it's almost 1AM. Where are--?!" the older twin began to ask, abruptly being cut off by the pants that had been tossed at his face.
Tsukasa continued digging through their clothes, throwing aside random articles here and there. "We're going swimming," he stated plainly as he shoved an outfit into Amane's hands. "Here! Put these on! I'll go wait outside!"
"Wait, Tsu! We can't jus--" And with a click of the bedroom door, Tsukasa was gone, the soft romp of his feet gradually disappearing until Amane heard the front door open and close.
Amane yawned, leaning against the chain link fence as Tsukasa fiddled with the lock on the gate that stood between them and the school swimming pool. Attempting to keep up with Tsukasa had left him even hotter and sweatier than before and Amane chose to avoid staring at the enticing oasis on the other side, opting instead to observe Tsukasa's rare expression of focus.
It was as if his brother had been entranced as he prodded at the lock with one of their mother's bobby pins. His gaze was solid and his body unnaturally still. Not even a single shifting of weight to rock him back and forth.
When had lockpicking become Tsukasa's new katanuki?
Eventually a loud click broke that focused face as the lock gave way to his hands. "Got it!" Tsukasa announced as he shoved the gate open.
Without an ounce of restraint, Tsukasa leapt forward, breaking into a sprint as he rushed toward the water. Knowing better, Amane waited until the sound of the large entry splash dissipated before removing his shoes and making his way over to the edge of the pool.
As expected, remnants of Tsukasa’s boundless energy lined the ground in the form of water droplets and puddles.
With a short trek around the perimeter, Amane was able to find a spot that was relatively dry where he could sit, sighing as he dipped his legs into the pool.
The water was tepid, simmered from the heat of the sun during the day, yet it remained cooler than the warm night air.
Amane swung his legs lazily in the pool, leaning back on the heels of his palms. With his eyes closed, he could feel the glide of water over his shins and the gentle resistance his feet met with each kick. He could smell the unmistakable scent of chlorine, the sterile waves burning his nostrils. He could hear the summer songs of crickets and frogs and--
Wait. Something was off. The silence was, well, silent.
As he leaned forward, Amane opened his eyes just in time to see Tsukasa leaping at him with a wild grin and outstretched arms poised for tackling. Tsukasa’s laughter mixed with Amane’s distressed shout as the former dragged the latter down under the water in a tight hug.
They sank quickly to the bottom, Amane struggling to escape the nuzzles that tickled the back of his neck. When he was finally allowed to return to the surface, he did so with a heaved gasp and a couple hacks of pool water from his windpipe.
Tsukasa emerged from the water in much the same way he had entered it: loudly, energetically, and with a joyful cackle as he sent splashes of water in every direction.
"Ts-Tsukasa!" Amane shouted, doing his best to block the stray waves with the weak shield of his arms. "Hey! Knock it off!" When his instruction was ignored, he growled in his throat before slamming his own hands against the surface, shoving a large wall of water straight at his brother. "I said quit it!"
The crash of Amane's attack fell over Tsukasa, rendering him speechless and wide-eyed. With sparkling admiration and a slack jaw, the younger twin stared at his brother without so much as a word.
It was enough to make a smile crack through Amane's annoyed expression as a giggle sputtered from his lips. Then another. And another. And another, until the series of restrained laughter burst from him, loud and carefree.
Seeing Amane devolve into a fit of gaiety, Tsukasa's own grin returned as he charged toward his brother once more. "Amane, Amaneeee!"
Before he could fall victim to another one of Tsukasa's tackles, Amane dove down to the bottom of the pool. His brother was quick to follow, stopping just in front of Amane when he held up a hand instructing him to halt. They faced each other with puffed cheeks, hovering just above the ground, and shared determined stares for several moments.
When it came to breath holding contests, Tsukasa had Amane beat without question. His energetic shouts and laughter trained his lungs for exceptional capacity. However, this also gave the excitable twin the unfortunate disadvantage of succumbing to giggles at even the simplest things, which Amane took full advantage of by contorting his rounded face into ridiculous expressions.
Vision blurred slightly through the water, Tsukasa exploded into a cacophony of distorted underwater laughter and air bubbles as he pushed himself up to the surface. He gasped in gulps of air, refilling the laughter in his chest which only became stronger when he felt Amane rise up underneath him, pulling his legs onto his shoulders so that he sat on top of his older brother. "I win!" Amane declared once his head was above the surface.
They both giggled playfully as Amane carried Tsukasa around the pool, no rhyme or reason to any direction he ran. Just his own feet being spurred on by the younger twin's joyful commands of "Faster! Faster, Amane!", he didn't even mind the heels kicking into his stomach or the fingers tugging at his roots until he slipped forward, sending both of the boys tumbling into the water.
Just a few seconds of silence passed before the two resurfaced, laughter returning to fill the night air as they floated on their backs together. Eventually, they slowly caught their breath, letting their giggles fizzle out as they drifted along, both sets of amber eyes glued to the sky above.
"Look, Tsu." Amane raised his arm, pointing up at the moon. "You can see the lunar seas really well tonight."
Tsukasa hummed, taken by the dark plains that stood against the bright orb. "Hey, Amane. Let's go swimming there one day too."
The older twin chuckled. "There's no water in them. You know that."
"Then we'll bring some!" Tsukasa responded, his smile clear in his voice. "We'll fill them up with water and go swimming on the moon! And we'll float on our backs in the Sea of Tranquility and watch the Earth just like this!" Amane startled at the hand that suddenly appeared above his face, pinky outstretched. "Promise, okay?"
Blinking at his brother’s hand, Amane was silent for a moment. But before long, another chuckle escaped his lips as Amane wrapped his own pinky around Tsukasa's, their hands perfectly framed by the ring of the moon hanging in the sky above them.
"Promise," he answered warmly. And he meant it.
Because despite the distance, despite the time, and despite the obstacles, he knew if his brother wanted it enough, he would find a way to get them there. Tsukasa would drag Amane through the stars, just as he had dragged him through the streets that night, until they reached the dry seas of the moon together.
And when that time came, Amane would undoubtedly follow, wearing the same smile that adorned his face now as he floated about the reflections of stars and moonlight with his twin brother.