Disclaimer: I don't own Tsuritama.
They'd taken a different route home that day, up to a peaceful spot looking out onto the waters surrounding Enoshima. Winter break had begun, the teachers shooing them out of school, not without a stack of homework and an essay to do. The train ride home had been quiet between the two of them, the ebony-haired boy beside him making no effort to spark a conversation.
It was times like this where Yuki wished Haru had stayed on Earth.
The bubbly alien would always have something to ramble on about, be it what was for dinner, how crooked the teacher's tie had been throughout the day, or how difficult the quiz had been.
Although he'd learned to express his emotions far better than he had before he arrived in Enoshima, Yuki could never babble enthusiastically about random topics. He stayed silent, waiting for the other party to speak.
But, it didn't seem like Natsuki was going to budge.
What do I say? While our talks aren't nearly as grand as they were with Haru, Natsuki's never this quiet.
He gulped, tapping the tips of his fingers together, "Uh, Nat-"
"Want to take a different way home?"
"Huh?"
The question had been but a mumble, but Yuki heard it clear as day on the noisy train. They arrived at their stop and before Yuki could question any further, Natsuki was already up and out the doors, dragging Yuki by the wrist.
Natsuki stayed silent the entire walk, and Yuki made no move to break the tense, yet somehow comfortable, atmosphere.
He didn't bother wondering where they were going either.
He didn't even bother to take his hand back as Natsuki kept a loose grip on it.
All his mind was pondering over was the imaginary water was climbing up to his shins. It was just Natsuki. The water only rose.
He wasn't completely drowning, though; his face wasn't contorting into that mask of anxiety. He was calm on the outside. It was his insides that were screaming.
Yuki stayed a step or two behind his friend, allowing his arm to be pulled along as he admired the bare trees, the last of their leaves weakly hanging on to the thin branches. (Really, he just needed something else to look at other than the dusted-pink tips of Natsuki's ears that he, for some reason, wished to warm up himself- Just what am I thinking.) It was cold, much unlike the slightly calloused hand that held his. (Stop it, Yuki! Don't think about it!) They weaved through the desolate park pathway, the sky above turning to pastel colours of pink and yellow.
The first thing he noticed when they exited the threshold of trees was a small green shrine with a bronze bell hanging in its centre. The fence surrounding the lookout was adorned with probably hundreds of thousands of locks.
Oh.
Yuki felt his cheeks burn as he remembered just what this place was. Enoshima's Bell of Love, a place where couples gather and ring the bell to ensure themselves eternal happiness.
This was turning out to be like one of those cliché romantic light novels he once picked off a bookstore shelf. (It had an interesting cover, and it was actually well written, is what Yuki would defend himself with whenever asked about the book in his own reading nook.)
Yet, Natsuki seemed to have other plans. He didn't give the bell a second glance as he let Yuki's hand slip from his and walked right by the shrine to the fence, resting his chin on his forearms and gazing past his glasses to the wintry view. Yuki hesitated before taking small steps to join his friend at the lock-covered wall. It was quite a sight beyond; the ocean reflecting the colours of the dimming sky, brilliant reds and oranges mingled with the silver and blue of the night, the crisp breeze creating small waves on the surface. It ruffled Yuki's red hair and nipped at his face, making it more flushed than it already was. He should've brought a scarf.
His thoughts were cut off there, when a plaid wool scarf was wrapped around his neck. He turned to his company and found himself face to face with the reason why his stomach was doing flips. The water only rose higher. Natsuki's words came out hushed, yet soft; kind.
"You were shaking. You should really bundle up, you know. The costal winds are cold..."
His voice trailed off as his eyes caught Yuki's and the redhead continued to stare, silver eyes wide and mouth only slightly agape.
I'm not cold. You're the one who's making me shake.
Yuki's grandmother had always told him to never let a chance slip away. He never took that advice to heart until that day.
The day that he saw the same look in Natsuki's eyes that he was feeling. Awkward, warm, wanting. The water was at his neck.
If there was ever a time to seize the day, that time was then.
His body moved on its own, moving closer to his bespectacled companion, and Natsuki followed suit, amber eyes sliding shut. Yuki felt rough, chapped lips against his own and he was completely new to this, but the contact was enough to cause the waters to crash away, the butterflies in his stomach to vanish, and his mind to be cleared of any doubt.
The kiss was short, sweet, and posed no questions to the two high schoolers. They both knew what it meant and they wondered no further. They stayed silent and turned from the darkening sky and the small green shrine, Natsuki's hand once again gripping onto Yuki's, entangling their fingers together, heading home.
They'll leave the bell and its myth for another time.
These two are my OTP and I've barely done anything with them. Oh, the logic.