((Prompt: Imagine your OTP enjoying a night of stargazing. Things are going well, and romantic, they start to kiss/make out and a storm hits. But instead of seeking shelter from the rain they make love under the night sky not caring if they're drenched. They're just caught up in the moment of passion itself, the heated air of summer only provides a good reason to enjoy it. ))

((Pairing: Sharkbaitshipping, Yuma Tsukumo x Ryoga "Shark" Kamishiro))

((Timeframe: a few years post-series, Shark and Yuma are just starting high school now))

. . .

"And that one's a seahorse."

"You're just making these up now."

"No, I swear, Astral told me that one's supposed to be a seahorse."

It was really hard to tell if Yuma was joking or not, because he had a silly grin on his face either way. The cheerful boy had somehow ended up with his head in Ryoga's lap, leaning back against him with his arms sprawled across the grass. Yuma was definitely the more cuddly of the two of them...not that Ryoga was really complaining right now.

He stared up at the sky where Yuma was pointing, a clump of stars barely visible between the thickening columns of clouds.

"I'm not seeing it," he said. "They're just a clump of stars."

"Nope, it's definitely a legit constellation. The seahorse constellation."

"Stop making things up," Ryoga said, grinning as he pushed Yuma's head gently.

Yuma laughed and sat up to escape the light attack. Ryoga was a little bit disappointed, because Yuma was warm and the night was getting colder, but he didn't say anything. He didn't have to be disappointed for long, anyway, because Yuma just flopped immediately against his shoulder so that his head was leaning against him. Ryoga let out a soft sigh of contentment as he silently leaned his head on top of Yuma's, feeling a little bit guilty about it, but not being able to deny his desire for human contact.

They sat silently for a moment. Just staring up at the stars.

"It's...quiet," Yuma said.

"Yeah."

"Kinda like it."

"Mmhm."

The breeze wafted gently past them, rustling the faraway trees and making the swings in the distant playground squeak quietly.

"Hey...Shark?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Ryoga blinked. He shifted a bit, trying to see the boy leaning against him.

"For...what?"

"For being my friend...and for coming back after...you know, all the crazy stuff that happened...you could have hated me and Astral for everything, but you didn't...and you remember all your Barian life and everything so you're technically a whole lot older than I am, and there wasn't a reason for you to come to school with everyone again, but you did anyway, and..."

"Yuma," Ryoga said. "It's okay."

The boy had actually started to tear up a little. He sat up quickly, rubbing at his eyes with the backs of his hands.

"Haha, allergies are hitting me all of a sudden," he said. "I guess it's really spring."

Ryoga hesitated. Yuma wasn't look at him, his eyes in shadow, staring out towards the other side of the park.

All of a sudden, Ryoga really, really wanted to feel him leaning up against him again. He wanted it more than anything he had ever wanted anything before—he could feel it like a tremble in his hands. But he did not reach out. Part of him didn't think he deserved to get what he wanted.

"You don't have to thank me," Ryoga said, finally. "I didn't do anything worthy of thanks."

He had hurt Yuma, he thought with a pang in his heart. He had betrayed him, left him as soon as he had remembered his past, had not even for a moment thought of how he could use their friendship to reach some kind of compromise to avoid the war that had brewed between the dimensions. He had opted instead to become Yuma's enemy, to leave him behind when he probably had needed him the most, with the betrayal of Vector still so fresh in his mind and just barely coming out of his depression from losing Astral. No, he had done nothing worthy of thanks. He had hurt Yuma in a way that could never be forgiven. He supposed...that was why he wanted to stay close to the boy, to protect him this time. So that he would never see that broken look on his friend's face again, so that he would never leave him or hurt him again.

But he didn't deserve to be so close to him.

"S-Shark," Yuma said suddenly. "Really. I'm—I'm so glad that you came back. And I—I don't really know how to say this but...whenever I'm around you I feel so weird—not in a bad way, not in a bad way! But like, I just want to...to be close to you and...and I was so scared that you wouldn't come back, or that when you did you would decide to leave and travel like Vector did, but you came and you stayed and I...I feel kind of selfish and..."

"Yuma," Ryoga said. The name rolled of his tongue, tasting sweet and fresh and beautiful all at once. He felt that trembling starting in his shoulders again, that desire to reach out and slip his hand onto Yuma's shoulders and then into the other boy's hand.

He didn't deserve this.

But Yuma was staring at him now, his eyes shining, confused, still kind of half sputtering, trying to find the words. He had no idea, did he? He was so innocent, so naïve...he had no idea how to put words to the feeling—or was Ryoga just being too hopeful, projecting too many of his own feelings onto Yuma, and was misinterpreting everything?

"Shark," Yuma said. "I...I don't know how...why is my heart making weird jumps when I look at you?"

Ryoga swallowed. He wanted this. He wanted to hear this so badly, but—but did he deserve it?

"Yuma," he whispered. "I...I'm the...same...I..."

He swallowed. His tongue ran over his lips.

"Yuma...can I...kiss you?"

Yuma blinked. His eyes widened for a moment, lips parting slightly. Ryoga punched himself mentally. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He had messed up. He had messed—

"Yeah," Yuma said suddenly, his voice barely more than a breath. "Yeah...yeah you can."

Both of them hesitated. The breeze wafted between them again, rustling their hair. Soft thunder rumbled in the sky above. Slowly, slowly, Ryoga leaned forward. His hand came up to take Yuma's chin gently, tilting him softly up towards him. Yuma didn't resist, didn't say a word as the two of them drew closer. His eyes slowly fluttered closed as Ryoga reached him, and Ryoga's own eyes closed as his lips brushed against Yuma's.

Gently, tentatively at first, just lips bumping together, two awkward boys uncertain of what they were doing—neither who had ever kissed before—and then a bit harder, pressing into each other, lips parting to allow the other one access to each other. Ryoga's hands slid over Yuma's shoulders, and Yuma's came up onto Ryoga's chest, and they were pressing together, each other's taste imprinting itself on each other's tongues.

The sky opened up.

Rain poured from the sky, a sheet of water just dropping from the heavens on top of them. But they barely noticed, they were so wrapped up in each other, in this moment that both of them had wanted but neither had known how to ask for. It was only when the water began to stream down their faces that they had to break apart before they drowned, Yuma pulling away with a laugh and a shake of his soaked hair.

"Oh my gosh!" he laughed, his arms still wrapped around Ryoga. "Your hair looks ridiculous!"

"You look worse," Ryoga teased, having to shout over the rain. "Let's get to that gazebo!"

Yuma nodded, and they scrambled to their feet to make a break for it.

Neither of them realized they were holding hands until they reached shelter. And neither of them broke away even when they did realize.