"We're a little old to be doing this, you know!" His twin yells from high above the wire gates.
Kaoru laughs and slips his foot into the mesh to climb above.
The November air is sharp and each breath Kaoru sucks in hits his lungs harder than usual. The night sky is dead and the air is still, but the pool water below them cycles like ocean tides.
Beside the edge of the public pool, Hikaru had discarded his shirt and pants and was currently tipping a foot into the shallow end.
"Come on, Kaoru! Hurry up! The water's not even that bad," he teased. He was lying, of course.
The place had closed in August for a reason.
Kaoru's brown eyes reflect gold in the sliver of moonlight peeking from above the sky.
His stomach is twisted up in knots and something in him hopes he'll figure out what he's feeling.
Kaoru laughs and watches his brother wince as he enters the chilled water up to his knees.
"Fuck, this is cold!" Hikaru yells, still smiling.
"I'm not the one who decided to sneak out," Kaoru says before wading in to meet him.
"I'm cold, Kaoru, keep me warm," Hikaru says in a sing-song voice.
Kaoru's cheeks glow bright pink and Hikaru wonders if he looks even half as
beautiful as he always does.
Kaoru dives into the black water and surfaces a few feet away to splash Hikaru.
"Oh, shit! That's cold! I'm gonna splash you back," he laughed breathily.
Always playing games.
Somehow, Kaoru finds himself cornered between the pool walls and his brother's advancing figure.
"I'm going to win if you don't even try," Hikaru says, smirking.
But he's dangerously close. Hikaru's hips are full-hilt to Kaoru's and Kaoru can't back away, he's trapped by two walls of cold concrete. He's caught.
His breath comes out like a cloud in the night, he inches further into the deep end but Hikaru is still pushing his back into the drop-off even further. 5 feet. 6 feet. 7 feet and rising.
Suddenly, Kaoru's feet are swept away from the bottom and he loses breath-
Everything's so damned quiet. His brother's slow breathing beats in his ears, louder than his own heartbeat.
Hikaru kisses him on the mouth, hard.
What do you do? What can you do?
Kaoru kisses back, half-heartedly. He tries not to think about how he's kissing his twin. Always deluding himself, he tries to think he's kissing away all the years they've gone ignored. He's trying to kiss away his brother's pain, through the tears and through their own sorrow.
Hikaru tries to pull away and carries Kaoru out from the deep end of the pool. They share a look in the night, even just for a second- it's smoldering. Neither brother will forget the looks they share.
"Why'd you do that?" Kaoru mumbles tiredly into Hikaru's chest when he's carried out of the pool.
"I wanted to see how far we could go."
Kaoru's red hair is dripping over the side of his eyes and he's certain they'll turn to ice if he stays outside much longer.
"You know that isn't what I mean, Hikaru," he admonishes.
His brother has a serene look, one he didn't have going into the water.
"I know you trust me," he tells his younger brother. He doesn't tell him the full truth.
Hikaru stares a little longer than he should at the dazzling smile his brother creates when they leave.
Kaoru knows he's not saying something he ought to but smiles up at Hikaru anyhow. He understands his brother will always be pushing him into the deep end.