Secret
"Let me show you a secret…"
Shino glanced up, curiosity brimming in his eyes though they were obscured by the dark rims of the glasses that sat perched low upon his nose. The sun was hot against his bare arms, and he pulled them closer to his chest, folding his hands tightly together as he regarded Haku. "What?"
The boy only laughed, his eyes staring wonderingly off into the burning horizon, alit with fire and melting snow. "Let me show you a secret," he repeated, feet padding along the soft dirt riverside quietly, and all at once he made a dash for the gentle lap of weak waves by the shore. A splash sounded as the water soaked into the material of his pants, but Haku hardly seemed to notice.
His surprise was ephemeral, throwing caution to the wind as Shino allowed himself a small smile, gaze tailing after the (shining) boy. "A secret?"
A rushed nod, and Haku had spun around, extending his hands out, fingers splaying in a beckoning gesture. "A secret!" he incited gleefully, and Shino never questioned that ghost of sadness that lived just below the surface of Haku's beautiful brown eyes. He moved to join the boy in the shallow waters.
"What kind of secret?"
Mirth was evident in his grin, and Shino wearily placed his hands upon the brunette boy's own, shivering as skin hit skin, the cold of Haku's palms numbing his frayed nerves. "The secret kind."
With anyone else, Shino would have rolled his eyes at the childish notion, but this was Haku, and Haku had maintained his cheerful frontage throughout countless frozen years of loneliness. And in some way, he admired him for that.
"Well go on. Tell me."
The smile slid slightly to one side of cherry-red lips, and Haku tugged Shino toward him, his thin, pale hands smoothing up to his shoulders to grip there loosely. "I can't tell you…but I can show you."
He raised his brow at this reply, and nodded in attempted understanding. "Alright. Show me."
It was then that Haku stood up high on his toes to seal their lips together. And it was then that Shino realized just how much he had been missing over countless frozen years of loneliness.