A/N: Ugh, as usual, I get less confident the closer we get to the end of my story. I suddenly see twice as many flaws and since I fear I'll only worsen it by changing things at the last moment, I can only pray you guys will like the last chapter just as much as the others. I guess that's all I can say, so yeah... hope you enjoy.
The ice captain walked over and cast a curious look on his unfinished construction. Right now, its circular form resembled Grent and Beluga's arena, but he could tell it was going to be a castle from the two surrounding towers. "Not bad," he commented sincerely.
Burn looked up at him with a grin. "If you think this isn't bad, wait until it's finished." He saw a camera dangle around Gazel's neck and added: "Take a picture when I'm done. No one cares about a work-in-progress."
"Your teammates do," Gazel pointed out, "especially them." He pointed in direction of the turtle makers. "I've never seen someone so camera-friendly."
Spotting the girls, Burn responded: "Yeah, well, that's them. Better be careful with Nepper, he tends to bite."
Gazel mirrored his grin. "I'll keep that in mind. I'll see you later."
"See ya," Burn waved, and his grin spread as he watched Gazel's back. Little did the other boy know he was going to be the finishing touch to his sandcastle.
An hour had passed by the time most of the participants wrapped up their entry. Those who finished early went to do something else, but came back when it was time for Gazel to do his job. Examining the creations carefully, he found a lot of his teammates were actually quite talented. It was amazing enough that the Tokyo Tower managed to stand, and the arena as well as the swan turned out to be masterpieces. Some other creations, like the siblings' starfish and the girls' turtle, served for entertainment rather than impression. Nonetheless, Gazel took pictures of all the finished works before he ended up at Burn's. He immediately saw that it was rather… peculiar.
Burn had used his spot near the water and the rising tide to his advantage. A small ditch, about to fill up, led to his castle, where it functioned as a protective moat. Inside it were the round castle walls with now four towers on the side, but the thing that struck Gazel with surprise was that the castle itself was empty. Unlike ordinary sandcastles, this one had mere barriers with a hollow interior. But the thing that bewildered him even more was that Burn's castle possessed a diameter of at least one meter. It was practically big enough sit—… in…
Gazel sent Burn a suspicious look. "What's this supposed to be, Burn?"
Burn could tell from his expression that he was onto him, but replied with an innocent grin nonetheless. "It's not finished yet. Judge Gazel will have to sit in it first."
Gazel wasn't exactly pleased with that request, but seeing as he already understood his plan, he didn't see the harm in granting it. He stepped inside the castle and sank on his butt, keeping his knees folded. As expected, he fit in perfectly. It was in the nick of time, too, because the tide gave another push and water began to creep towards the castle, gradually surrounding it.
The other contestants were curious to see what their judge was doing, so they came over to admire Burn's castle as well. Most of them grinned in amusement and the girls even giggled, while Burn crossed his arms with a proud grin. If this didn't at least make the top three, he didn't know what did.
Noting the water was approaching at a rapid pace, he quickly snatched the camera from Gazel's neck and took the liberty of immortalizing his entry himself – with the judge included, of course. "No castle without a princess, right?" he teased when Gazel stood up.
Gazel gave a grimace and snatched the camera right back. "I'll admit that it's… creative," he started with a hint of reluctance in his voice. However vague it may be, Burn couldn't help indulge in it. It was clear Gazel hadn't seen something like this coming from his hand. "… but I believe the first prize should rightfully go to Droll's arena, with Rhionne's swan in second place and Grent and Beluga's Tokyo Tower in third place." He then smiled at his teammates from both elements. "You did a great job, everyone. Thanks for joining."
His audience clapped shortly, congratulating the winners, before they dispersed and went to observe each other's creations. Gazel was about to follow them and put the camera back around his neck, but a warm hand on his shoulder held him back. "What about me?" Burn questioned with a discontented pout.
Gazel lifted a casual eyebrow. "What about you? Didn't I give you points for creativity?"
"Those alleged 'points' of yours aren't exactly easy to swallow when you believe there's more creativity in some typical swan," Burn growled.
"I wasn't solely judging on creativity, Burn," Gazel explained calmly. "I was also paying attention to details and refinement, neither of which your castle has."
"I'm sure you did; that's why you gave both the first and the second place to your own teammates," Burn snapped.
Gazel's eyebrow went back down. "You're accusing me of being biased?"
"I'm accusing you of being a crappy judge altogether," Burn clarified harshly. "You obviously favoured the entries you liked personally, instead of making impartial observations."
Gazel exhaled a sigh. "You're only saying that because you're angry you didn't win."
"No, I'm saying it because you clearly refuse to acknowledge I'm good at other things than soccer," Burn corrected.
Gazel was unimpressed. "Anyone can build a sandcastle."
"But you didn't see mine coming; you just don't want to admit it." Burn accusingly pointed at his face, but Gazel's cold expression stayed the same. "I think you're a little too confident, Burn. When it comes down to it, your castle wasn't even finished; you just built a hole with water around it. Are you really saying such a thing would impress you in my place?" He turned around and began to walk off, head high as if he was wasting his time talking to this Neanderthal. "Better get over yourself before that overconfident attitude makes you even more disillusioned."
Burn needed all the effort he could muster not to fly at his throat, but he managed. Instead of lashing out, he just shouted at Gazel's back: "You may not be impressed by it, but I'm sure our classmates will be! How about I show that picture to the entire school, bet people will find it a perfect match."
Gazel abruptly halted at the sound of those words. His fingers clasped tightly around the camera, as infuriation began to capture his mind. He knew Burn wasn't bluffing; he bluffed about a lot of things, but he wouldn't miss the chance to make a fool out of him. He'd felt like an idiot just being watched by his teammates; if people other than his siblings saw this picture, his reputation would be crushed. As if he was going to let that happen at the hands of Burn.
Since all Gazel did was stiffen without retort, Burn naively folded his arms, believing himself to have the upper hand. That was one mistake he shouldn't have made, seeing as it left him completely open when Gazel spun around, dropped the camera, charged him and shoved him into his own sandcastle. Burn crashed onto the already fragile walls with a gasp, but understanding Gazel was looking for a fight, he reached for his wrist to drag him down with him. In a swift movement, he managed to roll them over and push Gazel on his back, knocking off his hat in the process, but Gazel was just as quick and immediately flipped them over.
The two of them continued their struggle until they hit the water, where Burn himself petrified at the cold that suddenly stung his backside. Taking advantage of this one defenseless second, Gazel caught his wrists and pinned them beside his head. The cold became the least of Burn's concern and he attempted to wiggle out of Gazel's grip, but the ice captain made sure to keep him in place.
"You seem to have forgotten that I'm in possession of the camera here," he hissed, "as well as things on you that don't even compare to that picture in terms of humiliation. For example, which one of us wet the bed until he was seven again…?" A sadistic smirk crossed his features. "Wouldn't want the school to know about that, would we?"
Burn widened his eyes in shock, but then shot him a destructive look. "You wouldn't."
"Of course I would," Gazel answered, as if leaking Burn's deepest secrets was a daily occurrence. "In fact, not even all of your teammates know about it, do they? I wonder what they'll think of you when I tell them their captain still needed a diaper by the time he was already losing teeth."
Burn's jaw dropped when he saw the seriousness in Gazel's teal eyes. He wasn't making a joke. He was going to go this far if given the chance. He was prepared to humiliate him front of his friends, his classmates, and God knows who else.
"You… bastard…!" Burn gritted out a growl as rage gave him newfound strength, which he used to resist Gazel's grasp until he managed to topple him off. Gazel splashed into the water and needed only one look at Burn's furious face to know he should make a run for it. He dashed into the water with Burn on his heel, claw-shaped hands out to get him.
Once he was deep enough, Gazel doubled his pace by diving in, but Burn continued to pursue him even when he didn't follow his example. It was only when the water reached his neck that he was forced to stop, while Gazel found safety in the bottomless area he dreaded so much.
The silver-haired boy grinned knowingly and leaned back, letting his toes peek out above the surface. "Not so tough anymore, are you, Haruya? I'm afraid the only way you'll catch up now is by swimming to me."
Burn responded with a hissing sound. As if he didn't fucking know that. There was no doubt Gazel was going to stay where he was until he ceased his efforts, so he only had one choice if he wanted to catch him. What was keeping him from it, anyway? His fear was long gone now that he only had room for anger, and it wasn't like he didn't know how to move about. Little Suzuno had taught it to him himself.
Gazel was met with surprise when he saw Burn advance on him, even though the seafloor was no longer supposed to support his feet. He understood what he was doing – all the while baffled that he was actually doing it – and quickly swam back a little, but then he felt the water stir around him. He turned around and saw a giant wave coming, one that was undoubtedly twice the size of the one that had helped Burn scare the crap out of him. He could only shout a "Duck!" before it collapsed onto them, and he dove through the wave at the exact right moment so the current couldn't swallow him. When he rose back up and saw Burn was gone, he understood it had gotten him.
"Burn?" he called, and he swam to the place where the wave had stopped rolling. It wasn't close to the beach, but at least his feet were back on solid ground. Burn was supposed to be here if he had been stupid enough to let the wave pull him along. Gazel repeated his name as he had a look around, but frowned when Burn remained hidden and a strange sense of déjà vu hit him. He wasn't seriously pulling this joke again, was he?
"Burn, I know what you're doing, so you can just come out," Gazel scoffed, and he crossed his arms where he stood. He wasn't going to lift another finger until Burn decided to show himself.
Fortunately, he didn't take all that long this time. Gazel saw his hair tulip stick out of the water within seconds, and he made his way over with an irritated sigh.
"If you were planning to sneak up on me again, you probably shouldn't put your most remarkable feature in plain view, tulip-head," he mocked. Gazel waited until Burn jumped up and countered with some half-assed remark, but he stayed completely underwater. His tulip rested quietly above the surface, merely floating about. Almost as if… Burn wasn't even moving himself.
"Burn?" Gazel felt a hint of worry, but he tried not to let it get to him. After all, this was what Burn wanted: for him to worry sick so he'd let down his guard and allow for him to scare the living hell out of him. As if he would let that happen twice. This joke was going to end now.
"Burn!" Impatiently, Gazel reached into the water and grabbed Burn's shoulders to drag him up himself. But the moment he saw his face, he knew something was indeed wrong. Burn's eyes were closed and his lower lip hung open slightly. When Gazel tapped him on the cheek, he gave no reaction. When Gazel shook him lightly, then roughly, he gave no reaction. He was out cold. He had swallowed water. And it looked like he had swallowed too much.
"BURN!" Gazel couldn't get to the beach site any faster. He swam desperately, hands clasped around Burn's shoulders from behind, and flopped him into the sand the moment they reached dry land. He sank down next to him, paying no heed to surrounding beach-goers, and placed his ear on his chest. His eyes grew wide in horror. No heartbeat. There was no fucking heartbeat!
"NO!" In total panic, he pulled Burn's lip down fully and pressed both his hands onto his chest. A gush of water, and definitely not a small one, leaked out of Burn's mouth as soon as he applied pressure. Gazel kept going without pausing, even when their siblings – including Hiroto and Midorikawa – caught air of the situation and rushed over with questions. They were all wise enough to stay back when they realized what was happening, but they, too, paled in terror at the thought that their captain and brother may have succumbed to the water.
As if Gazel was going to let that happen. When Burn's mouth appeared to be completely dry, he quickly listened to his heart again, but it was just as lifeless as before. Fuck! He knew of only one last option, and he prayed to God it would work. Without hesitance, he squeezed Burn's nose between his fingers and pressed his lips to his. He breathed air into his lungs, ragged and frantic at first, but he eventually managed to even his pace. Gazel snapped his watering eyes shut in despair. His stupid mistake to lure Burn into the deep water had brought them here. If his life was truly in danger, it was entirely because of him. But he wouldn't stop until Burn gave him a sign. He was going to wait until he drew air of his own accord, and he didn't care how long it took. He wasn't fucking going to let him die, dammit…!
A sharp gasp entered his ears, and Gazel thought he was hallucinating at first. But then he opened his eyes and saw Burn had done the same. When he pulled back, his entire body began to stir, as he struggled to catch his breath. In the moment Burn needed to stop coughing, Gazel gaped at him as if he was witnessing a miracle, which he no doubt believed he was. Burn was alive. He was moving again. He was going to be okay. At this realization, Gazel couldn't stop his tears from dripping down his cheeks. He was really going to be okay…!
Though still in a slight daze, Burn noticed people were cheering and clapping, presumably for him. Just as he was about to sit up, someone caught hold of his cheeks and Gazel captured him in a kiss. Eyes big, Burn wondered if he was really awake, but that question was answered the moment Gazel pulled back and gave the warmest smile he had ever seen. Relieved out of his mind, Burn couldn't help but smile back, he and gladly accepted the other boy's second kiss. The applause around them grew even louder and Hiroto and Midorikawa eyed the couple, then each other, with bright faces. It wasn't every day they beheld two wonders in one.
The rest of the day went by peacefully. After ensuring Burn needed no medical attention, his friends demanded that he rest for a while. Burn, of course, resisted, but he didn't exactly struggle when Gazel dragged him to his parasol and forced him to lie down. The redhead gave in soon after, and Gazel, refusing to leave his side, resumed his reading while he rebuilt his strength. But even after Burn managed to convince him he was fine, he undertook no more risky activities. He decided to join Gazel during a second round of seashell-hunting, which turned out to be a wise choice because he managed to detect quite some rare ones. By the time they came back, it was almost time to return to the cottage.
The barbeque that had been scheduled for the last evening of their vacation had been moved to today, in celebration of Burn's recovery. Again defiant, Burn insisted his friends didn't have to go to special efforts for his sake, but there was no changing their mind. Having no choice but to bend to their will, he enjoyed the food nonetheless (even if he had to interrupt his own meal to go inside and get a blanket, seeing as the chilly evening breeze was beginning to get to him). Afterwards, several volunteers went to do the dishes while Burn had his second popsicle of the day, and he began to wander the site in search of a certain co-captain.
He found him at the end of the cliff the cottage was situated on. From the spot he sat at, Gazel had a beautiful view on the beach, which he seemed to take advantage of by gazing into the melting horizon. He perked up when he heard footsteps and smiled at the redhead, who smiled back and sat down next to him. "Too full for another cone?" he asked, lifting his popsicle to make his point.
"I'm afraid so," Gazel answered, and Burn needed inquire no more. If there was one thing that never ceased to amaze him, it was how much this boy could actually eat. "Why you're not as fat as a pig is beyond me," he grinned.
"It's called 'doing sports', Haruya, you may have heard of such a thing before," Gazel grinned back. Burn would've usually continued to tease him, but this time, he left the subject for what it was and went silent while he finished his dessert. After today's events – the volleyball match, his sensual dream, his near-flipping-drowning experience –, he wasn't exactly bouncing with energy. Speaking of which…
"… I never actually thanked you," he said, and he clarified: "For saving me," when Gazel gave him a confused look. The other boy smiled in comprehension. "Don't worry about it. Anyone would've done the same in my place."
"Would anyone have kissed me in your place, too?" Burn smirked, and Gazel turned red where he sat. He promptly avoided eye contact and muttered: "Don't say it like it's a one-sided thing, tulip-head… You kissed me back."
"Yeah, I did," Burn admitted with less reluctance than he would've thought. He saw no reason to deny his enthusiasm behind the act; he had enjoyed the first kiss as well as the second. Not just because he liked Gazel on a physical level, but because connecting to him in such an intimate fashion felt nothing short of right.
To Burn's surprise, Gazel refocused on him with a grin. "Can't say I'm too surprised. You gave me a clear hint as to how you felt for me before."
Confusedly, Burn began to ponder what he meant, and his face reddened twice Gazel's amount when the realization struck him. That moment after his dream— "You saw it?!"
"No, but considering you don't fear nightmares, that's the only reason I could think of as to why you'd shove your bag between your legs like that," Gazel casually replied. His grin then widened slyly. "And considering your vivid reaction when I came to you, I figured you'd dreamt about me. It took me a moment to grasp it, but… You're not going to tell me otherwise, are you?"
As if he could at this point. There was no way Burn could fabricate an excuse on such short notice, let alone a plausible one. Even though it probably would've been even more shameful if Gazel didn't return his feelings, he couldn't help but feel like a total loser at the moment. How was he supposed to cope with the knowledge that Gazel had been onto him all along?
Reading the anxiety on his face, Gazel softly bumped their shoulders together as an act of comfort. "You don't need to be embarrassed about it; every male experiences it every now and then," he remarked, purposely sounding like a mother trying to ease her son.
Burn shot him a look and snapped: "Really? I'm not so sure about that. I never even thought you were capable of getting one, princess."
Gazel simply smirked. "If you're so confident, would you mind telling me what that dream was about?"
"There is no way in hell." Burn's face soured even more at first, but as something came to mind, it suddenly retained its usual cockiness. "But I could demonstrate it for you if you like."
As he expected, Gazel backed off now. He had no idea he had played the dominative role, after all. Burn liked the idea of keeping him under the wrong impression, even if it was for the sake of teasing him – and maybe his own pride, a little bit.
"That's what I thought," he mused as the other boy fixated on the descending sun with a grumpy pout.
Gazel exhaled a rebellious huff. "Tch. I was actually going to be as generous as to invite you to my bed tonight. But forget it, I don't even want a pervert like you near me."
Burn gave him a surprised look, even though sleeping in the same bed was not at all difficult for them. Their cottage was originally meant for a class trip, meaning it contained separate bedrooms for the boys, the girls, and the teachers. Seeing as their teammates held them in high regard even after the Aliea incident, they didn't mind granting them the privacy of the teacher's room. And those four beds were definitely big enough for two people.
It was just that Gazel's words brought Burn way back to the past. They hadn't slept in the same bed since they were kids, and the whole reason they had in the first place because of how clingy Gazel used to be. Even after he promised they would sleep separately when he invaded Burn's bed for the fourth time, he continued to visit until Burn grew tired of protesting and simply let him in whenever he pleased. They kept up this little ritual for at least three months, somehow without Hitomiko ever finding out. Luckily for them, neither Heat nor IQ had been interested in being a telltale. How quaint that it was again Gazel who wanted to sleep together, despite having changed so much over the years. Or perhaps… he hadn't actually changed that much at all. Burn had only grown more attached to him, after all.
"You don't mean that," he purred, and he teasingly nuzzled his nose into Gazel's neck, knowing it would embarrass him.
"Yes, I do," a red-faced Gazel answered. He quickly shoved him off and adjusted his position so he was facing away from him. Burn, however, followed his movements and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. He flashed one of those playful grins Gazel knew he couldn't resist and his lips formed an inevitable smile. "… alright, fine. I'll think about it."
"That's what I like to hear," Burn chimed. Knowing he no longer needed to fear Gazel's reaction, he leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. Gazel's blush visibly increased, but all he did in response was turn his head so their lips could meet. The Chaos captains gave each other a smile, a loving one, before they leaned against each other and enjoyed the sunset together.