Ineffable
Part 4
They slipped through the gift shop pretty quickly. Tsunami himself preferred the real thing, and Fudou seemed allergic to anything that cost money.
Tsunami didn't hear from Fudou for a few weeks after that. Not a surprise, really, considering his injury. Even two weeks was an optimistic estimate for something like that. And then his school team went on a training camp to the mountains, and upon his return it was Teikoku's turn. The next time they met up again was a full six weeks after their trip to the aquarium, which was, as far as Tsunami was concerned, much too long.
After their one-on-one session, he dropped in a mention about his itch for the sea. But Fudou only smirked and said, "Well, you should go to the aquarium then."
The message was clear. Tsunami didn't press further. And that was the end of that.
Or, at least, that was what he thought.
One morning, a few months later, his doorbell rang. And rang. And kept ringing in short, sharp bursts, almost like the visitor was trying to punch his doorbell off.
Tsunami answered the door, bleary-eyed. In contrast, Fudou's eyes were sharp, the green of his irises so brassy it gave him chills. He was restless, fingers drumming on Tsunami's doorframe, looking everywhere but at him. And thank goodness for that. Fudou's gaze was so piercing that Tsunami really didn't think he could handle a direct hit.
After looking Fudou up and down, Tsunami wondered if he had forgotten something important. He was midway through a yawn and a wake-up stretch when Fudou spoke.
"Tsunami," he said, "let's go to the aquarium. Right now."
Fudou's tone of voice gave no room for negotiation. Not even for some time to have breakfast.
Tsunami turned back to look at his clock. Half an hour till the aquarium's opening time.
Yeah, this worked.
Tsunami stayed quiet the whole trip there (and even he knew it was uncharacteristic of him). There was just this massive Do Not Engage aura around Fudou, and he didn't want to see what would happen if he broke it.
When they got there, right on time for opening, Fudou made a beeline for the big tunnel room. In long, quick strides, he walked straight up to the glass, staring intently at the depths within. Then, slowly, his head angled up. Higher and higher it went, his gaze shifting gradually, until his neck was craned to its limit and he was absorbed in the contents of the ceiling. One of his hands touched the glass, palm flat against it, while the other lay slack at his side. The line of his shoulders relaxed.
And Tsunami was struck by a feeling he could only describe as absolute clarity.
They left after a few hours. Tsunami was sorely tempted to get the whale shark bun that was the aquarium's specialty, but even his fish-loving self couldn't justify 350 yen for a piece of bread, no matter how cute it was.
Just before they split up to go their separate ways, Fudou cleared his throat.
"Hey, Tsunami…" he said, then trailed off. Tsunami quirked his eyebrows.
Fudou's lips pressed together. His gaze was directed firmly at the ground. His Adam's apple bobbed.
"Thanks for coming with me," he finally got out.
Then he looked off to the side.
Tsunami couldn't stop the smile growing on his face. He was far too nice to force Fudou to look at him, but he did take the time to enjoy this side of Fudou he had never seen before for just a little bit longer.
It was actually kind of cute. When Tsunami realised he was thinking this, a metaphorical gale blew past him, and he sputtered.
"It's not a problem at all, dude. I had fun too."
After they split, Tsunami took the few extra steps to get back to his apartment, unable to get the expression on Fudou's face out of his mind.
Fudou and cute were two words he had never ever thought he'd use in the same sentence, but there you go. Life was as unpredictable as the sea sometimes. You had to roll with it, just like riding a wave.
But, even so.
It really wouldn't be too bad if he got to see this side of Fudou again.
The End
