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The streets were deserted, practically emptied of their usual activity by the blistering summer heat - and the very few passerby that were still daring to go out at this time of the day were quite literally sweating bullets. From his spot on Josuke’s bed, near the window, Okuyasu could see the neighbourhood gardens drying off from lack of water, pretty, luscious grass turning dry and yellow from the sun’s powerful ministrations. Truly a depressing sight.
Almost as depressing as that, though, was the fact that he and his friends were all stuck inside during summer breaks, with no means to really have fun or cool off. It was too hot out to do much of anything: going to play pachinko was out of the question, the pool was going to be way too crowded, and there was no way they’d sunbath in this merciless weather. Okuyasu supposed that they could’ve walked to a café, maybe even Tonio’s restaurant - somewhere that had functioning AC, at least. But getting there meant having to go out in those horrible, breezeless waves of heat, and none of them had enough energy for that.
So, here they were. Okuyasu, Mikitaka, and Josuke, all lazing around in the latter’s bedroom.
Talk about feeling like losers.
Josuke and Okuyasu had both taken to dress very lightly, and Mikitaka was as of now the only one still wearing trousers and a thick cotton t-shirt; this form of dress, however, didn’t seem to lower the horrendous warmth that plagued the two boys. For a moment, Okuyasu began to envy Koichi, gone on a trip in northern Japan, to Yukako’s family, where the weather was more clement. Meanwhile, Josuke felt himself starting to grow a bit dizzy, his eyes blinking absently as he stared at the small TV screen.
"Dude", Okuyasu mumbled with no real energy, "you focusin’? I’m actually beatin’ you over there! I didn’t even look at the screen for like five minutes!"
They’d been playing some old Tekken game almost all day now. Josuke had only two controller, so they’d asked Mikitaka if he wanted to take turns; but the long haired boy had declined politely, and was now resting on Josuke’s bed next to his friends, reading a massive illustrated book on South America’s wildlife he’d found in Josuke’s bookshelf. He was now halfway through, and seemed deep in thoughts.
Josuke groaned, letting go of the controller and letting it fall on the carpet with a plush ‘thump’, rolling around on his stomach, plunging headifrst into a mess of sheets piled up at the foot of his bed.
"I’m tired of this game."
"You’re the one who wanted to play it, bro."
"And I frickin’ hate this heat."
The boy let out a sigh, slightly muffled by the sheets his chin was now resting upon, and raised a tentative hand towards his hair, testing the waters… And as expected, his pompadour was just barely holding on, despite the copious amounts of hair gel he’d applied in the morning. He let out another groan.
Okuyasu, after pausing the game, also let go of his controller, and sat up against the headboard, playing absently with his leg hair.
"What d’you wanna do, then?"
"I dunno. I’m tired. And out of ideas. And my hair’s a mess . And I’m all sweaty and gross and ugly."
"Bro! Don’t say that! Even with like, no makeup and shit, you’re still super pretty and handsome and all that. Seriously."
From the bundle of sheets that hid his face, Josuke let out a thankful noise that didn’t seem entirely convinced. He then slinked himself off the bed and got up, running his hand through his now tousled hair - a sight he would never allow mortal eyes to see in different situations.
"I’m gonna take a shower. You guys behave, okay? I’ll be back in a sec. You can take one after if you wanna, Oku… Mikitaka?"
"I will be fine, thank you."
It was true that the boy barely seemed affected by the heat. Unlike the two others, he was still very much clothed, and not an inch of his skin was either patched with red or glistening with sweat. Instead, he seemed perfectly at ease, not a hair out of place - and those moments were why his friends barely doubted his extraterrestial origins anymore. At his refusal, Josuke just shrugged with a slight smile, and made his way to the bathroom.
"Oku! he shouted once he reached it, "don’t unpause the game, ‘kay? I’m gonna beat your ass properly once I’m in my right mind again, just you wait!"
Okuyasu grinned, and replied that there was no way he was gonna lose this time, although he knew perfectly well there was no beating Josuke at Tekken in his own house. It just wasn’t realistic to begin with.
Left in silence, Okuyasu straightened up slightly against the headboard, pulling on the hem of his boxer which was riding up a bit too high for his liking, and, left with nothing to fidget with, stayed a moment completely mute, embarrassed by the situation.
He’d known Mikitaka for about a year, now. Supposedly, that was enough time for someone to be able to talk to someone else without it being too awkward or weird; but, somehow, Okuyasu couldn’t manage that.
Maybe it was because he was kinda stupid and didn’t really know how to talk to people in general - the only exception being Josuke and Koichi and Yukako -, or maybe it was the fact that, well. He didn’t really know where to start with Mikitaka.
"So, uh, he finally tried after a long moment of awkward silence. How come you aren’t even hot, anyway?"
He swallowed.
"I mean, uh. Like. Feeling hot."
"Oh! Well, my species is cold-blooded, you see, as opposed to human beings. I actually really enjoy this weather! I’m feeling quite toasty."
Toasty.
Practically 40°C outside, and Mikitaka was feeling toasty .
There was no way in hell Okuyasu was going to believe that. He snorted, reaching out to pinch at his cheek.
-Yeah, right. You stop bullshittin’ me, now, y - oh my fuckin’ god, dude!"
"Eh?"
Okuyasu’s hand recoiled as soon as it touched him. His eyes went wide, and a crestfallen expression fell unto his face, as if he’d been violently burnt.
"You’re freezing ! It was like - I dunno, touching an icicle or some shit! Your cheek was so cold, man!"
"Oh! I apologize, was it this unpleasant?"
"No, uh. It’s not that, it’s just - it surprised me."
It hadn’t been unpleasant, not at all. Quite the opposite, in fact; for the first time in many hours, Okuyasu had felt an intense relief from the heat, just from touching the skin of his friend’s cheek. For a moment, he’d felt completely refreshed, as if he’d just dipped into a cool bath with a chilly cocktail in his hand.
Mikitaka’s lips curled into a smile, his green eyes shining with delight.
"I see. Well, if you found it appealing, feel free to try again. I can see that you humans are quite sensitive to harsh heats…"
He lifted his bare arm, in a way that strangely reminded Okuyasu of those old period movies, in which the richly dressed lady proposed her arm to a gentleman during a ball, inviting him for a dance. Okuyasu didn’t know how to dance, but hell did Mikitaka’s arm seem enticing. Swallowing nervously, he reached out, and loosely wrapped his hand around the other boy’s wrist, feeling up the pleasantly cold skin - letting out a breath of relief.
"Wow… Dude… Bro… Your skin… It’s like a snake or something! So cold…"
"Eheh. Yours is so hot. It’s making me ticklish!"
A blush crept up on Okuyasu’s cheek, as he retreated once more, his weight making the mattress creak as he backed down.
"Ah… Sorry."
Mikitaka tilted his head to the side, a surprising look in his gaze.
"No, no, that’s perfectly alright! It’s… Pleasant. As a cold-blooded being, I enjoy being kept warm! So this is no trouble at all."
Okuyasu’s ears felt warm. He stayed put for a moment, playing with his own fingers, popping his joints. He felt the bead of sweat running along the curve of his spine, the breezeless air around him, and the sweltering heat surrounding his body - and he remembered, when he was very little, when Keicho had given him a bag of frozen peas to keep cool in the summer, while the other kids had fun in their kiddy pools. He remembered himself, three or four years old, clutching the dripping, cold bag to his chest, falling asleep on the living room’s floor at the beginning of dusk. A wave of nostalgia hit his heart.
"... Man, can I cuddle you?"
Mikitaka let out a small laugh.
"But of course!"
Without any more discussion, Okuyasu immediately curled up to the boy, taking his whole arm in hostage and pulling it to his chest, letting his face rest against the pale shoulder. He let out a pleased sigh, closing his eyes.
"Wow… This is honestly so refreshing, dude… You mind if I nap here a little while?"
Book still in his right hand, Mikitaka gave a little bump of his forehead to Okuyasu’s, still smiling lovingly.
"I don’t mind at all. Go ahead, get some rest - you do look exhausted. Your species needs at least 8 hours of sleep per night, did you know that? Even more for a teenaged individual! I’ve even read somewhere that -"
Mikitaka kept going for a little while, and his voice soon lulled Okuyasu to sleep. He dozed off, cuddled up against the boy’s arm, until the bathroom door closed, and Josuke all but barged in, ruffling his long, wet hair with a towel.
"God, almost passed out in the shower. This heat’s just - woah, we having a cuddle pile there? Make room, guys!"
With a huff, Josuke literally threw himself towards the bed, landing on it expertly, and making himself and his friends bounce on the mattress - Mikitaka chuckling delightedly, and Okuyasu letting out a surprised yelp.
"Dude, what the fuck," he grunted. "I was almost asleep…"
"Sorry, sorry. Woah, Mikitaka, what the hell! Your skin is so cold! How do you do it?"
As Mikitaka went to explain his cold-blooded condition once more, Okuyasu went back to his initial position, but this time, with his head leaning across Mikitaka’s stomach, lifting with each breath the boy inhaled. Soon, Josuke joined him, leaning across his chest, wet hair tickling Okuyasu’s lower back, and the two of them dozed off, pleasantly cool and pacified, while Mikitaka read, a content smile on his lips, and his heart feeling delightfully warm.