A/N: Long time no see, minna-san~ As some of you may have read on my profile, I got attacked by a writer's block. I can't say it's entirely gone, seeing as I struggled with this story enough and I'm not exactly bursting with ideas, but I truly hope this one will do. It shares simarities with two other stories of mine, but it's not supposed to be a follow-up to either of them. I'm also not exactly looking for harsh critiques since I'm insecure as it is, and I'm content that I even managed to finish it; I have no interest in improving this one. So with that, I hope you can see past the flaws and enjoy my new fic. -heart-

Nagumo cracked one eye open as a sudden light shone into his and Atsuishi's bedroom, but quickly shut it again when he recognized the silhouette in the doorframe. That was the fourth time – in a week – little Suzuno came to disturb him at night, begging to sleep in his bed instead of staying put in his own. After Nagumo had twisted his ankle for the sake of retrieving his soccer ball, the other boy had grown surprisingly attached to him. It was no wonder, considering Nagumo had been the first to show him kindness in a new house full of other orphans, but the redhead was beginning to think Suzuno liked to stick to him a little too much.

Pretending to sleep, he waited until the light of the hallway vanished and Suzuno's footsteps faded into silence. Instead, the disruptively bright streak only grew and the silver-haired boy slowly made his way to his bedside. "H-Haruya-kun…" he started hesitantly, not sure whether he should shake him awake or not.

Nagumo saved him the effort. He opened his eyes to look at him from under his cozy blanket. "What is it this time, Fuusuke?" he whispered, not sounding particularly inviting. Suzuno noticed his irritated tone and began to fiddle his hands without making eye contact. "I-I'm scared…"

"Of what? The dark, the storm, or the monsters under your bed? You have a new excuse every time."

Suzuno began to whimper to the floor and Nagumo felt an instant pang of guilt. He didn't mean to snap at him. He didn't even mind so much that Suzuno invaded his bed, or that he had to explain to his roommate why they had a reoccurring guest. But right now, he was tired and cranky and he just wished there was a way he could convince Suzuno nothing was going to happen if he slept in his own bed.

"You slept fine before we met, right? Besides, don't you have Touchi with you?" Nagumo usually referred to his siblings by their first names, but he wasn't particularly fond of the boy Suzuno shared a room with. He was stiff, indifferent, and all-around boring. But as far as he knew, he and Suzuno managed to get along.

"B-but…" Suzuno stammered, obviously scared of annoying him further. "I-I feel better with you…"

Nagumo let out a small sigh. As he thought, Suzuno really had become too attached to him, to the point of seeing him as his only source of comfort. He wanted to tell him he should sleep alone and make other friends and preferably not cling to his arm whenever he had the chance, but he was too tired to make a fuss.

"Alright, fine…" he groaned, and just these small words had the effect of summoning a big smile to Suzuno's face. He rushed to close the door and crawled into bed as soon as Nagumo scooted to the side, where he happily sank under the warm covers. "Thank you, Haruya-kun."

"Yeah yeah," Nagumo muttered, avoiding eye contact with a small blush. As much as Suzuno's clinginess annoyed him, it seemed completely irrelevant as soon as the boy showed him his affectionate smile. Rolling to face the wall, he could only hope he wouldn't end up starting the morning in a snoozing Suzuno's arms again. "Now go to sleep. And promise this is the last time you come to me with this."

"I promise," Suzuno chirped, worries long gone. He took the liberty of snuggling up to his friend's back and, shortly after closing his eyes, fell into a world of warmth and peace.

"Race you to the beach!"

The eleven members of Aliea's Prominence raced down the dunes, quite literally leaving the Diamond Dust players in the dust. Gazel and his teammates followed them at a calmer pace, characteristically less fired up than their colleagues.

"So noisy this early in the morning," IQ commented with a grimace.

Gazel gave him a smile. "They're just excited. The bus arrived at our cottage later than we planned yesterday, so we didn't have time to visit the beach."

"We should catch up before they steal all the good spots, though!" IC jumped in, and she dragged her brother forward by the wrist. Some of Gazel's teammates followed her when she picked up the pace, but he himself, Droll, Clara, Valen and Rhionne were in no particular hurry. They'd come at an early hour, and it would take at least 30 minutes before the beach flooded with other tourists.

By the time Gazel fished his towel and sunscreen out of his bag, someone crouched down at his beach parasol and Burn's face came into view. "Morning heat too much for ya?" he teased with a grin. He had already stripped down to his fire-red trunks and the sun tended to have mercy on him for some dumb reason, rendering sunscreen unnecessary.

"Boast all you want; we'll see if your mouth is still as big as your ego once you go into that water." With an equally smug grin, Gazel pointed at the clear, transparent ocean. At first glance, one would think he was referring to Burn's allergy to anything cold, but both of them knew he was indirectly addressing a second issue.

Burn scoffed and plopped down in the sand. "I don't plan on going to the deep, you moron. I have more fun on dry land, anyway."

"Oh?" Gazel asked provocatively, and he undressed himself until only a pair of navy blue swimming trunks was left. "After I tried to teach you all these years, you're still scared of water as soon as the bottom vanishes under your feet?"

Burn's face flared up at the memory of visiting the beach with his siblings at a younger age. One of the few things Gazel had always bested him at was swimming, and he'd attempted – more or less vainly – to teach him how to do it. Burn couldn't stay calm in water; he would panic and trash around and ultimately need Hitomiko to bring him to safety. And thus, Gazel had just hit the nail on the head: he was completely powerless the moment water took hold of his feet.

Gazel smirked while he opened his bottle and smeared sunscreen on his arms. "I knew it. If you want, I can give you another lesson? Even though you're a hopeless idiot and you'll probably need another ten years before you even manage to float."

"That—!" Burn sputtered indignantly. "I—You're the idiot for not being able to withstand the slightest bit of heat! Look at that, you need a friggin' parasol!" He angrily slapped the material. "At least I don't have sensitive skin like a girl."

"Having a supposedly resistant skin won't teach you how to swim," Gazel answered simply. "Aren't your teammates the same as you? All of you do well with high temperatures, but you're the only one who evades water."

Burn needed a single glance at the ocean to know he was right. Alongside the ice players, most of his team had started the day off with a fresh swim. The only ones still on the beach were Bonitona, who preferred sunbathing, and Barra and Bomber; she was busy burying her big brother in the sand. Everyone else was playing in that wet, frigid, dangerous water. Even Nepper, who used to share Burn's pain, abandoned his pride so he could take swimming lessons from Rhionne. But that was most likely because he was head over heels in love with her, and the beach was one of the few locations where she actually removed her mask – an opportunity he'd hate to miss.

Burn gritted his teeth. He'd drop dead before becoming a laughing stock among his teammates for being the only one incapable of saving himself in water. "Alright, fine," he snapped, and he took Gazel by surprise by snatching his wrist and dragging him out into the sunlight. "Let's get on with it."

"Wha—Just a second. I haven't finished my sunscreen yet." Gazel lifted the bottle demonstratively, then promptly shoved it into Burn's hands and turned around. "Do my back for me."

Burn stared at his naked backside before he caught up with the situation. For some reason, that demand threw him off-guard. It wasn't like Gazel asked for a miracle; the two of them had reconciled as friends upon establishing Chaos, after all. But still… Somehow, his request made Burn's mind stop functioning for two seconds. He quickly shook his head to clear it and began to spread the liquid on his co-captain's back.

Unbeknownst to him, Gazel's face, blank at first, warmed up at the touch of Burn's hands. His eyes were closed and his straight lips curved into an indulgent smile. He initially harboured no ulterior motive behind his words, but he couldn't deny he was enjoying the massage. For someone with a tough attitude, Burn could be surprisingly gentle.

"Alright, done." Burn returned the sunscreen and Gazel stuffed it into his bag. He'd taken care of the rest of his body while Burn was struggling with his water complex. The couple made their way to the edge of the water, where they stumbled upon their first problem. While Gazel marched right in, Burn fell behind by slowing his pace and repeatedly hissing "Cold…!" to himself. Gazel spun to him with a grin. "That's what I thought: you lose your attitude as soon as you're in. Are you really going to let anything below fifteen degrees hold you back? That doesn't sound like something a man would do."

"Shut up!" Burn snarled, and he tried to prove him wrong by adjusting to his pace. But dammit, that water was so cold…! How did his friends manage to survive in this?

"Dive in in one go," said a female voice that appeared to have read his thoughts. Rean came floating on her inflatable crocodile, smiling cheerfully as always. "If you go slow, the water will creep onto you and just make it more difficult. The fastest way to get used to it is—"

"Yes, Rean, I got it," Burn grumbled in embarrassment. His female best friend – and the rest of his team for that matter – were fully aware of his swimming issue, and while he knew none of them would truly mock him for it, he still hated to expose his limits.

"She's right, though," Gazel backed her up, arms crossed and already at waist-deep level. "Go on," he nodded, "let's see you do it."

Burn just glared at him before he fixed his eyes on the water. He took a few more steps, mentally preparing himself, and then he threw himself below the surface. His body tensed as the water stabbed him with its coldness, but when he jumped up for air, he found that same coldness wore off quickly.

Rean clapped her hands while Gazel nodded in approval. "Well done," he commented. He dove in the same way Burn had – though in a much more graceful manner, the redhead had to admit – and motioned him over once he was back on his feet. Rean wished her captain good luck before she floated away, and with their other friends playing farther off, Burn was relieved there would be no more interruptions. "What now?" he inquired.

Gazel held out his hands below the water and nodded downwards. "You remember the basics, right? Lean on my hands with your stomach and pretend you're swimming."

Burn looked at him as if he was nuts. His brain paused the same way it had when Gazel asked him to do his back, and again for the same reason: he wanted to initiate body contact. On top of that, he would literally be in Gazel's hands this time. The other boy could easily drop him if he wanted to, and given their rocky past, he didn't put such tricks past him. "Forget it," he scoffed.

Seemingly telepathic, Gazel just rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to let you drown, you moron. Just try it already."

Burn grumbled reluctantly, but deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt, he moved over and carefully bent forward. As promised, Gazel's hands caught him smoothly, one supporting his chest and the other his stomach. "Now start swimming," he coached, and Burn was glad he couldn't see his pink face from this angle. He felt stupid and embarrassed at the same time, and he blamed his current position for both sentiments. Regardless, he obediently extended his arms and simulated a swimming motion, legs quickly following. In spite of him resembling an anchor, little Gazel had always been very patient with him, teaching the basic moves over and over. Burn was secretly grateful that older Gazel, despite their arguments, didn't seem to have changed in that aspect.

"Good, you haven't forgotten," Gazel remarked as he observed his movements. "Let's go in a little deeper." Before Burn could even answer, Gazel's hands suddenly vanished and he was flung into the water. Coughing and sputtering, Burn leapt back up and shot him a glare. "You bastard! You did that on purpose!"

"It's not my fault you have no sense of balance," Gazel answered innocently, even though he knew Burn was completely right. He couldn't resist but to tease him when he had the chance. Luckily, Burn dropped the subject – though his pout took a moment to disappear – and followed him until the water reached their chests. "What now?"

"You know the frog-like movement you just made with your legs? That's all you need to do if you want to stay above the surface." To demonstrate, Gazel suddenly sank a little, but stayed untouched from the shoulders up. Although the water was darker here, Burn understood he was practicing the action he himself had executed a moment ago. "It'll prevent you from going under. Give it a try."

Burn hesitated again, but then remembered his feet could still touch the sea bottom. Even if he screwed up and threatened to sink, he could easily retain his balance. With a nod, he lifted his legs, but almost instantly fell to the right. He gave it a second try, and a third, but his body kept tilting to either side.

Gazel smiled a little at the amusing sight and was about to give him advice when he heard his name being called. Back towards the beach, IC was struggling with a deflating tube, and her brother was currently occupied by a front crawling contest with Heat. Gazel gave a short wave before looking at his friend. "I'll be right back. You keep practicing, okay?"

"Sure," Burn answered, and Gazel swam towards his teammate to blow air into her tube. It wasn't even half-full when he abruptly heard a massive wave approach, and it clashed over them before Gazel could turn his head in Burn's direction. He and IC were in a safe area and used to water on top of that, but the redhead was practically allergic to it and much more vulnerable in the deeper, darker part. That's why Gazel's eyes widened when he failed to detect him.

"One moment." Gazel gave IC her tube back and hurried to where he'd left Burn. He thought – or hoped – the distance had prevented him from spotting the boy, but even when he was sure he'd reached the place he was supposed to be, Burn was nowhere to be seen. "Burn?" Gazel threw his head left and right, front and back, but he couldn't even find Burn's distinguishable dumbass hair tulip. Everything was dark and blue and it was even worse when Gazel sank through his knees to see if Burn was below the surface. He could barely make out his hands.

Panic began to throb inside his chest as Gazel rose back up and there was still no sign of Burn upon a second inspection. He examined the beach site, wondering if the wave had dragged him there, but he ended up with the same result. "Burn! Burn!" He continued to call for his friend and noticed he was beginning to sound desperate. At this rate, Burn might not only be injured, but something even worse. He couldn't possibly have… drowned?!

Shit! Gazel was starting to lose focus. All he could do was search his surroundings, again and again, praying that friggin' idiot would give him a sign. His heart pounded anxiously and a lump clogged up his throat. If Burn was in danger due to his recklessness, he could never forgive himself. Seconds ticked by and Gazel's eyes actually teared up, fear overtaking him without mercy. Where the fuck was he…?! "Haruya…!"

"Gotcha!"

A pair of arms circled his waist and Gazel let out a squeal when his back was suddenly pressed against someone's chest. Burn's face appeared on his shoulder and the boy grinned at him from ear to ear. Gazel felt himself redden in his embrace, and his embarrassment only grew when he realized the idiot was not only completely unharmed, Gazel had also let him sneak up and take him by surprise.

"Y-you idiot!" Gazel pushed himself out of Burn's arms and gaped at him, trying hard to mask his shock with anger. "Where were you?! I thought that wave had—"

"I know, I know." Burn raised his hands in an apologetic fashion. "That's why I decided to tease you a little. Consider it payback for dropping me earlier."

"That was only a small prank! Don't you realize that wave could've done much worse? The current was strong enough to drag you with it if you didn't have a proper standing! You could've drowned for all I knew; don't you realize how wo—" It was only at the notion of the word "worried" that Gazel acknowledged he was shouting. That's right, he had been worried. He had been worried to death. He had been so scared Burn might've gotten hurt because of him, and right now there was not only shock, but also a major relief overwhelming him. He couldn't believe how glad he actually was that Burn was safe and sound. If anything, he promptly wanted to throw his arms around his neck and hold him close, as if to confirm the boy was really there. But that was even more embarrassing than almost blurting out he had been worried for that, that—moronic tulip-head.

Sadly for Gazel, Burn seemed well aware of his thoughts. They weren't at all hard to guess when his usual poker face was now pouring with distress. "How worried you were?" he smugly finished his sentence. Gazel's blush reached his ears and Burn let out a snicker. "I'm fine, okay? I just ducked when the wave was about to hit me. And look, I managed to do the exercise."

It took Gazel a moment to regain a clear mind, even when Burn demonstrated his accomplishment. His nonchalant attitude made him realize just how much he'd overreacted. He should've known Burn was underwater, waiting to strike. Even if the wave had knocked him out, he would still be floating about and his fire-red hair would've definitely stood out. Damn, he was such an idiot…!

"… whatever," he muttered, and he turned his head to the side as if that would tone down his flushing cheeks. Then he started walking towards the shore. "I'm not in the mood to swim anymore. I'm going to get something to drink."

Burn's hand caught hold of his wrist. "Are you angry? Don't be such a spoilsport, I was only joking." Seeing as Gazel was still avoiding eye contact, he failed to notice how Burn detected something in the water and grew an evil smirk. "If I really wanted to mess with you, I'd do something like this."

Before Gazel could even look at him, Burn grabbed the back rim of his swimming trunks and stretched it so he could dump a white jellyfish inside. Gazel could solely scream as he started bouncing around like a lunatic, making vain attempts to fish out the animal. He only mustered the patience to stand still and get rid of it properly by the time every single person in a one-mile-radius was fixated on him and his squeals.

The ice captain glared daggers at his colleague, who stood there with his hands behind his head and that despicable, shit-eating grin of his. "… you BASTARD!" Infuriated, Gazel swung his arm back and hurled the jellyfish at Burn's face. Having anticipated the attack, though, Burn simply tilted his head to the side and smoothly dodged it. "Was that all?" he teased, and his smirk cockily spread when Gazel charged him. He evaded his tackle as well, but Gazel quickly recovered and managed to push him underwater at a second attempt. Burn counterattacked by splashing him in the face, which Gazel mimicked with double force.

The members of Prominence and Diamond Dust watched the water fight between their captains in amusement, until Droll stepped forward and raised his hand to grab their attention. "Burn-sama, Gazel-sama! The volleyball field is free, would you like to join the game?"

The boys perked up just as Gazel reached for Burn's throat and Burn was about to rip a tuft of silver hair out. They were quiet for a moment, then eyed each other with the same challenging grimace.

"Let's settle this through a game of beach volleyball, shall we?" Burn hissed.

"You read my thoughts," Gazel hissed back, and the couple made for the beach without another word. There, the two teams quickly decided on their other respective participants: Nepper, Rean and Berkley, and Droll, Gokka and Beluga. Clara volunteered to play the role of referee, while the majority of their friends took a seat on the benches next to the field. A few others preferred to stay in the water and Barra still had her hands full on making Bomber a sandman, but they observed the game on several occasions.

Clara produced a coin and waited until her captains chose a side, but Gazel confidently crossed his arms and said: "Let Prominence start. They'll need the advantage if they can even hope to score one point off us."

Burn was practically seething with anger. "Why, you…!" Throwing an index finger in his rival's face, he snapped: "Just you wait! I will make you regret those words. As well as eat the sand."

"All bark and no bite, as usual," Gazel shrugged, and Clara decided to intervene before they engaged in an actual argument. "Alright, Prominence will have the first throw. Players, take your positions!"

Both teams obeyed, putting their captains in the front, and they waited until the whistle was blown. Once the game started, the spectators attentively anticipated who'd steal the first point, but it didn't take them long to figure out that, as with soccer, Prominence and Diamond Dust were exact equals in volleyball. Their strength and speed on an even level, both teams tried to be swift in pounding the ball into the sand, but their opponents practically predicted their movements and consistently managed to block them.

That's why Burn decided to liven up the game a little. The moment the ball came flying to his side, he suddenly dashed to Nepper and shouted: "Nepper, give me a lift!" Nepper, somehow completely aware of what he meant, folded his hands and provided an extra step for the redhead as he leapt into the air. Diamond Dust didn't have a chance to react before Burn swung his foot at the ball and shot it in the middle of their half, sending sand into their faces.

While the fire half of the audience broke into a cheer, Gazel rubbed his face and shot a glare at Burn, who high-fived his green-haired partner-in-crime. "You cheated!"

Burn gave him a cocky smirk and planted his hands on his hips. "Oh, did I? We're soccer players, aren't we? Besides, I don't see the rules stating we're not allowed to kick."

"This is an entirely different sport, you idiot!" Gazel snarled.

Burn raised an eyebrow. "And? You're just mad because I grabbed that 'unreachable' point you bragged about earlier. Better luck next time, Gazel."

Gazel gritted his teeth together and inwardly counted to five, which only managed to halve his urge to strangle the other boy. He more or less managed to control the other half by brushing through his silver locks, even though the force in his fingers was almost strong enough to tear them out.

If you wish to play it that way… you bet I'm game.

A/N: Hope you enjoy it so far, everyone! The next chapter will be up soon~