Amused by this, Araiso watched the other sink and sink. He chuckled, “I wonder if I should take that meaning that I’m a good kisser?”

Just then the door opened and in walked a young blond dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. “Yo! Kasei, you in here?”

Kasei quickly swam up as a panicked Araiso swam down to the bottom of the pool. “Yeah, what’s up, Daaku?”

“You suddenly ask to borrow my pop’s pool then don’t even ask me to join you for your midnight swim?” the other said, walking toward him. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Uh… Family… Trouble.” Kasei answered, swimming to the edge nearest the blond. “You?”

“I love swimming but not alone.” Daaku shrugged, sitting down. “How’re your sisters?”

“Bratty and spoiled.”

“Dad?”

“Busy with work.”

“Mom?”

Kasei shrugged, pulling himself out of the water. “She’s spending a lot of time at the theatre.”

“She’s performing tomorrow isn’t she?” Daaku asked, handing Kasei a towel.

Kasei shrugged, wrapping the towel over his shoulders. “I guess...” He looked around for his pack of cigarettes.

Daaku watched him for a while, seeing his friend smoke away his stress. “You know your dad loves you.”

“Loves me?” Kasei snorted. “He spends all but five hours at the office. My sisters don’t even think of him as a father any more.”

Daaku shrugged. He couldn’t relate to Kasei, as his family was very well-knit. “Hey, where’s your lil mirror?”

“In my jacket.”

“Pray to it yet?”

“Always do.”

“Think your prayers will be answered someday?”

“Someday.”

There was a long silence between the two of them that lasted nearly twenty minutes.

“Let’s go to the cape.” Daaku said after a bit.

“Why?”

“The stars tomorrow are supposed to be amazing.”

“I hate stars.”

“Please?” Daaku begged, resting his head on the other’s shoulder. “You wouldn’t go to the planetarium with me when they had that special sleep under the stars niiiiight~”

Kasei made a slight glare to the blond. “Fine.” He said after a pause, “But you can’t keep leaning on me.”

“Why nooot~” he whined, wrapping his arms around Kasei’s shoulders. “You never minded before. Why now?”

“…We’ve never kissed, huh?”

Daaku broke out into fits of laughter. “Kiss? Oh hell no! But we hold hands and snuggle and spend lots of time together. That solidifies us dating right?” He smiled at Kasei.

Kasei just looked at Daaku without a change in expression, then he looked slowly to the pool, puffing out a trail of smoke from a new cigarette. “Maybe we should shack up?”

“That’s kind of jumping a step, don’t ya think?” Daaku asked, letting go of Kasei. “I mean we haven’t even gone on a hundred dates yet.”

“Thought we have by now.”

“Nope. Not proper ones.”

“…There’s actual categor- Nevermind.” Kasei shook his head. “Anyway, let’s shack up.”

“But you hate the whole P.D.A.”

“In a house it isn’t public. Sides, you have a big apartment.”

Daaku smiled, resting his head against Kasei’s shoulder again. “Okay. Let’s move in together~”

Kasei didn’t say anything as they sat there like that until dawn. All he could do was smoke half his pack gone as he stared at the water slightly rippling where he knew deep below Araiso was hiding.