Work Text:
This year Ace Trappola had been allowed to go to the White Rabbit Festival. The previous year he had been pressured (barely) by his upperclassmates to stay for basketball drill camp. This year, however, both Floyd and Jamil pressured him (quite a lot) to go. Ace suspects it has something to do with the bunny costume pictures that Ortho was fond of showing everyone after last year's Festival but but he can't pass an opportunity for some fun.
This year third year Vice Housewarden of Scarabia Jamil Viper and third year basically-second-Vice-Housewarden-at-least-some-of-the-time of Octavinelle Floyd Leech had no buffer during drill camp. Most of the time they got along fine. Fine being a spectrum from 'perfect teammates that terrified everyone with how efficiently they work together' and 'that time Floyd decided to play dodgeball except it was just throw basketballs at Jamil.'
Today it is 'Floyd worked really hard for half of drill camp and now doesn't want to do anything basketball related and instead is trying his hand at free climbing the brick wall. Jamil tries very very very hard to not pay attention. But after Floyd slips down for the third time he has to do something.
"Floyd." Jamil strides over. "What are you doing."
"Seaaa snaaaaake." Floyd nods to him. "Climbing." As if to prove a point Floyd stands his full height and puts his fingertips into the small grouted space between bricks above his head and pulls himself up. It's pretty impressive, but since the toe of Floyd's shoes won't fit into a similar space he slides back down the wall rather quickly.
"You're going to hurt yourself."
"Nah, this barely does anything." Floyd wiggles his fingers at Jamil. The skin on his fingertips is a little frayed as expected from someone who's been sliding down the brick wall for like twenty minutes, but not bleeding yet. "'Sides, up here on land I've got seven layers of skin! What's all that for? Two's good enough, you know?"
Jamil does not want to ask about how many layers of skin the eels have in the ocean. Nor does he want to ask about the exact nitty gritty details of transformation potions. Floyd had once told him about a time when he messed up his potion and had like one and a half legs and how it was really funny but also Floyd had given far too many details about bones and muscles and smiled far too wide. Jamil has put up with some real shit in his life including the far too many assassination attempts on Kalim so he really doesn't need to know all about the eel predatory body horror descriptions on top of that. Besides, Floyd just enjoyed riling him up.
"Why are you even trying to climb the wall?"
"Clione-chan showed me a really cool video the other day. Freerunning or whatever? Now that's what feet must be made for!"
Floyd starts to grab the wall again when Jamil puts a hand in front of him. "You can't climb up that way if you have to climb the wall do it in a way that stops scraping up your fingers." Before Floyd could reiterate about the skin thing, Jamil walks over to one of the alcoves in the gym. Usually there's a wire basket of balls in it but it had been cleared out for drill camp. "You can climb up by bracing yourself against the wall like this." Jamil puts his feet against one side of the wall and his back against the other and effortlessly walks himself up the wall.
"Aha~ I knew it, you're greeeat," Floyd cheers, tone listing from amused to sharp and without delay he slots himself into the alcove and climbs right up under Jamil.
"Floyd! How am I supposed to get down now!?" Jamil asks as he's near the ceiling. With Floyd's much longer legs he doesn't need to press against the wall as hard and the eel sits easily in the alcove.
"Hmm, dunno, Sea Snake, sounds like a personal problem."
"Club time is over soon!"
"Mmhm."
"Floyd."
"All right, I'll give you a hint. Y'know how Jade's off on mountain retreat? And Azul's having sooo much fun without me." Floyd sighs. His body posture droops and for a moment Jamil thinks he's just going to let himself fall down the wall. "That's why it's so great we have basketball club together! You're one of the few people who can really entertain me."
"Great. Thanks." Jamil replies dryly.
"So, I'll get outta the way if you give me a kiss."
And now it's Jamil who almost falls off the wall. He slips down two bricks putting himself closer to Floyd than before and stares into the eel's smug expression. It's not that they haven't had their share of occasional fooling around. Sports. Adrenaline. Overnight basketball camp. Just the general magnetism of competition. But Floyd almost never asked, had never dangled a kiss like a carrot. They usually fell together breathless and fast. Somehow it's different with them both almost completely still. The grin on Floyd's face irritates him. He knows Floyd is feeling extra smug now for getting one over him. Jamil has to wonder if this was somehow Jade's idea even though Jade had been away for two days on his mountain retreat. He knows if he flusters Floyd will just keep teasing him.
"Don't act so smug." Jamil snaps and braces himself harder against the wall so he can lean in to kiss Floyd. Floyd, being himself, does not at all try to make it easier for Jamil. The kiss is unusually soft, even if it ends with Floyd laughing.