Harmonic (An EraserMic Story)

Chapter 7

"Really? A water park?" I muttered as Hizashi pulled the car into the parking lot. "Why not? Besides, you said I could choose~!" he bragged in a sing-song voice. We got out of the car and he pulled a bag out of the back seat. He'd managed to sneak into my room, find my swim shorts, and smuggle them. His goody-goody grin had frozen on his face; he was sooooo proud that he'd managed to drag me to a "fun" place.

When we walked through the entrance, an overwhelming scent of overpriced junk food and chlorine was thrown at me. Brightly colored slides and structures were dotted throughout the shimmering water. The place was crowded, which wasn't a surprise considering it was a toasty Saturday. "C'mon, this place is the best," he claimed, grabbing my hand and leading me to the changing rooms.

I wasn't very thrilled about going into any sort of changing room. The thought of having to expose myself in a sweat trap full of hairy, soggy, naked men made my skin crawl. And on top of that, Hizashi would also be there with me. The moment we walked through the door, I slithered behind a changing curtain with my shorts. Hizashi followed, going behind the curtain next to mine. We couldn't see each other, but it didn't make it any less alarming that I was changing about a foot away from him. I had already seen what he looked like, but it was only for a split second; and I also felt weirded out that, at any moment, he could accidentally see me.

Suddenly, I could only hear Hizashi; I could hear the ruffling of clothes and soft, shallow exhales. It felt dirty to be able to sense his presence next to me. My face was swallowed with pink splatters of blush. As awkward as it was to change in there, having Hizashi next to me only rubbed it in. If this is awkward, I thought, then how awkward will the actual pool be?

~

It was a miracle we found a shaded area to put our stuff. I glanced at Hizashi as he took out his bun to let his gorgeous, silky hair run wild. We were quite the unbalanced pair sitting together. I looked like a vampire that had been left in a hot car while Hizashi sat, bathing in perfection, with his smooth, mimosa-colored hair and his glistening honey glow skin that covered his flawless body. I was a pile of ash sitting next to a Ken doll.

"Hey, uh, I know you're already pretty pale as it is," Hizashi said, "but don't you need some sunscreen?" Sunscreen was probably a good idea, but I hadn't brought any. Hizashi pulled out a bottle of sunscreen and started coating himself in it. I looked away from him, waiting for the bottle to be passed to me. After waiting a while, I heard Hizashi ask "want me to get your back?" I was thrown off by his question, but couldn't think about my answer before muttering "I guess..."

Without another word, I suddenly felt a cold dabble of sunscreen on my back followed by Hizashi's warm hands spreading it. My back arched a little, stunned by the sudden feeling. I could feel the Sun's heat go straight to my face as it ignited in a flustered red glow. Each of his fingertips reached to each shoulder and the back of my neck. I could feel him trace down my spine; I was trying my hardest not to flinch. I'd never really had anyone rub my back before, so it felt strange yet comforting.

His hands traveled down my back, almost touching the waistband of my swim shorts, and I couldn't help but abruptly straighten my back. I heard Hizashi chortle to himself as he continued up and around. I could feel when he was rubbing in the sunscreen; he would move his fingers in heavy circles which, frankly, tickled. "Alright, I'm done," Hizashi said, his soft hands parting from me. I may not have been sunburnt, but boy was I red in the face.

~

Hizashi led me around the park, looking for where to start, before he finally stopped in front of a tall staircase. It led up to a few big slides, gleaming with metal screws and bird shit. "So, which one do you wanna go on first?" Hizashi asked, like a little kid urging his mom to take him on the slides. I, frankly, didn't care what slide he wanted me to go on as long as it didn't make me sick, so I shrugged off his question. He paused for a second, seeming slightly frustrated with my indecisiveness, before grabbing my arm and dragging me over to a cage of tubes by the slides. He scooped up a double-tube and then dragged me back to the slides, getting in line.