Notes: Part 1 of the "honeymoon photos" series.

Disclaimer: Diamond no Ace belongs to Terajima Yuuji.

private time

Watching Chris wade lazily through the private plunge pool is strangely mesmerising. He cuts such a lovely figure in the water, arms slipping in and out of the surface as he comes closer before stopping a distance away, hands held out to Tanba, palms up in invitation.

Tanba abandons the hotel menu he had been half-heartedly flipping through, and pushes away from the edge of the pool. He tangles his fingers in Chris', allows himself to be pulled closer, until they're pressed up against each other, the water rippling in circles around them.

Chris slides a hand up his chest, over his nape. "What were you looking at?"

You, Tanba thinks, even as he's amending that to, "Our dinner options."

"Oh? Anything interesting?"

"There's so much to choose from," he replies. "I can't decide."

His eyebrows crease into a light frown. "Are you hungry?"

"Well. Not yet."

"Then don't worry about it. I'll help you pick something out later." Chris smiles at him. "Come enjoy this pool with me. Isn't it amazing?"

Tanba chuckles. "Yeah, it is. A little small though."

"It's not meant for swimming," Chris comments, taking several steps back and pulling Tanba with him, out from under the cool shade and into the sunlight. He doesn't let go until they reach the outer end of the pool, where he glances back at Tanba with a faint smile.

Tanba feels the expression echoed in his own lips, and mimics the way Chris has draped himself over the edge, head pillowed on his arms. He takes in the view—the sea stretched out around them for as far as the eye can see, glittering in the sunlight; the foliage surrounding the balcony, and the occasional cool breeze tumbling their way, dancing to the steady roll of ocean waves in the background. It's a nice change from the constant lights and noise of the Tokyo crowd, nice to glance sideways and see Chris sighing next to him, relaxed in a way he hasn't been in a long time.

Chris opens his eyes, turns to meet his gaze. "What are you looking at now?"

This time, Tanba puts to words the warmth curling in his chest, breathes it out with a hushed, "You."

Chris' lips twitch at the corners. He tilts his head sideways, lets his voice drop low as he asks, "See anything you like?"

Tanba eyes the curls of wet hair draped over his forehead, hanging heavy over his neck; he bites his lip, watches Chris' gaze flick down, before coming back up. "Maybe."

There's a beat in time when neither of them move. Tanba waits, feeling his heartbeat pick up, pulse fluttering in his throat as blood thrums beneath his skin.

In the end, it's Chris who breaks the standstill, turning to face him properly. He raises his hand, the splash of water uncharacteristically loud in the quiet, as he slides wet fingers along Tanba's jaw. He pulls Tanba closer, until they're only a breath apart, his next exhale hot against Tanba's mouth.

It's Tanba who bridges the remaining space between them, pressing their lips together in a slow, close-mouthed kiss. He tilts his head, brushing their noses together in a way he knows they both enjoy, that has them both shivering with delight.

When they pull apart for breath, Chris blinks slow, then rests his head against Tanba's shoulder. "You know, I'm really glad we came here."

"Me too," he murmurs, running his hands up and down the length of his back. "It's better than I expected. Definitely worth skimping on date nights."

Chris chuckles, his breath washing warm against Tanba's neck; it seeps into his skin, down his throat to settle deep in his lungs. "Definitely," he hums, tracing Tanba's collarbone with his fingers, planting butterfly kisses in its wake.

Tanba cards a hand through Chris' hair, loving the way it runs smooth against his fingers, the way Chris presses into the touch. Sliding his hand down, he cups his nape, ducking in once more. He feels Chris smile through the kiss, and then he's tugging on Tanba's arms, pulling him back until they're pressed up against the wall, breaths mingling.

"There's something," Chris manages between kisses, "I've been thinking about."

"Yeah?" he asks, pulling back, and pausing—as Chris runs a hand through his hair, sweeping his fringe out of the way, water dripping down his forearm; Chris with well-kissed lips and pink cheeks, pearls of water caught in his lashes, and painted against a backdrop of glittering seas and bright blue skies. It's breathtaking, snatches the thoughts from his mind as Tanba stares, trying to commit the moment to memory.

"Y-Yeah?" Tanba says again, watching Chris lick his lips, tracking the movement with his eyes as Chris' smile curls wider. "About what?"

Chris wraps his arms around his neck, the gesture slow and sweet, and murmurs, "I think you know."

And Tanba does know; they've been together long enough that Tanba can see Chris' string of thoughts in the shape of his shoulders, in the weight of his touch and the cadence of his voice—and here, with his arms heavy against Tanba's neck, his words pitched low and soft enough Tanba barely hears it, the request is loud and clear.

So Tanba leans in again, catches Chris' lips in his own. He runs his hands down Chris' chest, lets his fingers brush teasingly over his nipples before following the slant of his ribs and the curve of his waist, thumbing over his hipbones. It's not until he feels Chris' hips twitch that he nudges a knee between Chris' thighs, swallowing his sigh. From there, it's only a matter of holding steady until Chris is clinging to him, hips jerking as he grinds slowly against Tanba, the beginnings of pleasure pooling in the base of his stomach.

Tanba lets his hands drift lower, over the hard muscles of Chris' legs, down the underside of his thighs. He pulls away from the kiss with a soft 'pop,' tugging gently. "Come here."

Chris breathes out a soft moan, anchors his arms over Tanba's shoulders as he hops up to wrap his legs around Tanba's waist, sending water sloshing over the edge. It's easy like this, with the water supporting Chris in his place, because it means Tanba can shift his weight forward, until they're pressed so close there isn't an inch of space left between them.

Being this close means every gesture pushes their cocks together, and the contact spreads like wildfire in his blood. Tanba lets Chris set the pace, relishing the sensation of hard thighs clenching around him as Chris slowly rocks their hips together. He focuses instead on nipping at Chris' lower lip, dragging his teeth over it until Chris whines. Hands over knees and then Tanba is moving lower, reaching back to squeeze his ass, gratified by the way Chris jerks against him, and then moaning in turn when Chris redirects that motion into a particularly forceful thrust. He retaliates by trailing kisses along the line of Chris' jaw, further and further away until Chris mutters a low growl, gripping his chin to tug him back for a proper, sloppy kiss.

"Are you going to do it," Chris pants out, "or should I?"

"Somebody's impatient," he says, ducking in for another kiss.

Instead of responding, Chris snags his tongue, sucking it into his mouth until Tanba groans. He releases it with a loud smack, and smirks at Tanba, the expression made all the more coy by the way he's still steadily grinding against him.

That's enough of an incentive for Tanba to slip a hand between them, tracing lines down hard muscle before dropping lower to cup Chris' straining cock. Chris breathes out a soft moan, his whole body twitching in aborted thrusts as Tanba rubs him through his swimming trunks. Then he's tugging the elastic waistband aside, trailing his fingers past the soft curls of hair to grip his cock in his hand.

Tanba strokes him slowly, dragging his thumb over the head, and twisting his palm along the way down. He keeps that up, just that, until Chris groans, bucking up against him.

"Kouichirou," Chris gasps.

He pulls out to tug Chris' swimming trunks down, and pauses when he realises he's not going to get very far with Chris' legs still wrapped around him. It draws laughter from them both, breathless and easy, and then Chris is bracing his arms over the edge of the pool, straightening his legs so Tanba can pull the trunks all the way off. Tanba balls it up in his fist, and throws it across the pool, where it lands near the patio chairs, before reaching down to do the same for himself. "Why did we even bother putting these on anyway?"

"I didn't think you'd be willing to come into the pool without them." Chris arches a perfectly innocent eyebrow at him, a stark contrast to the heat that follows his next question. "Are you saying we could have been skinny dipping this entire time?"

The mental image that brings up has his face burning to the tips of his ears, and Tanba has to stop and squeeze his eyes shut briefly before he can continue. "Let me guess. You've been thinking about that, too."

"Yes," he answers without pause. "It just seemed easier that way."

"Right," he says finally managing to kick his own swimming trunks off, tossing them away. "Okay, come back here."

Chris grins at him, fits his arms around Tanba's neck, his legs around Tanba's waist once more. "So you don't mind?"

"Don't mind what?"

"Going without," Chris clarifies, moving his hips again. "The swimming trunks."

It takes him a while to answer that because the width of his world has been reduced to the warm press of Chris' body against his, and the slick slide of their cocks against each other—and really, it shouldn't be any different than the times they've done this in the bathtub, but it is, and it'sbetter.

"Okay," Tanba says, when his brain finally manages to process the question, and feels his stomach twist with butterflies as Chris whole face lights up in a bright smile. He's still staring when Chris brushes a hand across his stomach, slipping lower to wrap his palm around their cocks.

Tanba sighs in relief, hears the sound echoed a second later. He drops his head onto Chris shoulder, losing himself in the sensation of Chris stroking them together, a tad too loose, a little too fast for his liking. He reaches down, covers Chris' palm with his own and tightens his grip, slowing him down. The change of pace has Chris trembling against him within seconds, choking on tiny, needy noises as he strains to follow, his fingers restless beneath Tanba's own.

The water makes it slippery, each stroke too smooth where Tanba would like a little more friction, but it's worth it for the way Chris shakes and keens with each stroke, his breathing reduced to ragged pants as he clings to him.

"Kouichirou," he gasps, dragging his hand over Tanba's shoulder and down his chest, then back up again to cling to his neck. "Kouichirou."

"Mm." Tanba pulls back just enough to see—the way Chris' eyes are scrunched shut, the way his lips part for breath, his face curtained by wet curls of his hair. He eyes the beads of water dripping down his neck, his skin gleaming. Reaching up with his free hand, he tangles his fingers in Chris' hair, pulling back until Chris gasps. He leans in, breathes out against Chris' mouth, "Wait for me?"

Chris groans. "Hurry up."

Tanba obliges, strokes them faster now. He feels Chris' whole body go tense with the effort of holding back, his every motion rocking the water around them. The heat in the pit of his stomach is building, coiled so near the peak that he can almost taste it, can feel his toes curling in anticipation. The way Chris shakes against him, heels digging into his back and nails digging into his skin, his desperate moans filling the air; Tanba mashes their lips together just as the pleasure peaks, hears Chris keen as he follows him over the edge a breath later.

With a long exhale, Chris goes limp against him, relaxing so suddenly that Tanba rushes to catch him. He leans them both against the wall, tucks his chin over Chris' shoulder as they climb down from their high, their bodies wrecked with shudders. Tanba sucks in a deep breath, lets it out slowly as his pulse quietens.

Finally, Chris says, "I'm really glad we came here."

He grins, presses a kiss to his nape. "Me too."

For a while, neither of them say anything. Tanba rubs his thumbs into the underside of Chris' thighs; Chris nuzzles his neck, his arms draped loosely over Tanba's shoulders, boneless.

"Hey," Tanba whispers, "are you falling asleep?"

"No," he mumbles, snuggling closer.

"I think you are, and I think we should probably get out of the pool now."

He breathes out a long, sated sigh, and doesn't move. "Carry me?"

At that, Tanba pauses, pulls back enough to level an incredulous stare in his direction.

Chris meets his gaze with heavy lidded eyes, and smiles.

(In the end, Tanba does carry him to the other side of the pool, holding his hand and supporting his weight as Chris climbs out after him. He picks up their discarded swim gear as Chris towels his hair dry, and then guides him back into the suite and into bed.

Tanba lies down next to him, their knees bumping as he props himself up on one elbow, fingers playing idly with Chris' hair. Chris drifts off with a half-smile nestled in his lips, his breathing steady with sleep.

Tanba leans over, kisses him on the forehead)