#cdzrarefest

“Urgh! Stupid rain! Couldn’t it have waited for two measly minutes?!” He grumbled, sending a scathing look at the sky, his hair now drenched with water.

Kanon was just as wet, but looked more seraphic and just chuckled at the Scorpio’s shenanigans. Nonetheless, the weather was cold by itself and standing out dripping with rain wasn’t going to make things better.

“Shouting out at the clouds will only get Zeus to personally electrocute you... Come on now, let’s get inside and dry up, otherwise we’ll catch our death.” He said, putting his hand on Milo’s shoulder and guiding him towards the Twelve Houses.

They’d taken a shorter route when they’d heard the first thunders, so they were actually nearer to the Eighth House than the Third, as it would have been had they arrived at the start of the stairs. Milo ran inside his temple, his feet squeaking inside the water-filled shoes he was wearing.

Not hearing a second pair of squeaks, however, the younger man turned back and saw that Kanon was still waiting, between the columns, doing nothing to move towards the private rooms.

“What are you doing out there? Get your wet ass inside, mate! Never let it be said that Scorpio Milo lets his friends catch a cold!” He called out, gesturing for the Gemini to follow him.

Kanon let out a soundless chuckle and shook his head slightly, sending raindrops around, before obliging his comrade and entering.

Milo’s private rooms were cosy and warm, and the plaid covers resting on the couch looked particularly inviting. Still, the weather had made a cold feeling settle in their bones.

“Man, my nails are getting blue... I’d better get a shower. Think you can resist a few minutes? I’ll be super fast!” Milo said, frantically bending his fingers as if to bring sensitivity back into them.

Kanon blinked. “Uhm... are you suggesting that I use your shower?” He asked, his voice sounding strangely unsure – like Milo had never heard it before.

The Scorpio Saint looked at his friend like he’d grown a second head. “Well, of course! You wouldn’t want to stay there dripping wet until you go back to the Third, right? This rain isn’t going to stop any sooner!”

Kanon shrugged slightly. “I wouldn’t mind. I’m used to being wet.”

Milo’s eyebrow raised sceptically. “Still, mate. I’m not letting one of my friends get a cold when I could offer him a warm bath. Come on, I’ll give you a towel so you can take a bit of rain off of yourself while you wait. Oh, and get rid of those shoes, or you’re going to have ice blocks instead of feet in an hour!” He replied, throwing a white towel to Kanon just before closing the bathroom’s door and filling the bathtub with hot water.

Kanon absentmindedly surrounded an abundant lock of hair with the towel and started rubbing it, relishing in the nice smell of soap that came from the cloth. His mind had gone blank for a moment when Milo had offered him to use the bathroom... he was probably being an idiot, but still that nice gesture had made the Scorpio only dearer to him in his heart.

He grumbled to himself and put the towel over a chair to sit on without drenching it. He smirked when he heard the muffled sounds of Milo singing under the running water coming from behind the bathroom door.

That guy was really something.

He was always so happy and lively, a smile ready on his lips – he’d been the first to lend him a hand when they’d been revived by Athena, the first to make him feel at home.

They’d been friends for months now. He felt like they’d grown close – he considered himself a good people reader and Milo wasn’t one to hide his thoughts and feelings anyway.

But in the last period, Kanon had started feeling something... deeper for his curly-haired comrade. He’d started feeling butterflies in his stomach any time he heard Milo’s laughter, and he’d discovered himself getting lost while looking at him training... or dreaming about his eyes.

“Hades be damned, what’s happening to me?” He grumbled, passing a hand through his face.

“Oy, Kanon! What did you mean with ‘I’m used to being wet’ before?”

Kanon raised his face hearing Milo’s voice. The Scorpio Saint was emerging from the steam-filled bathroom, a towel covering his thighs and hips and another one on his head. His turquoise eyes were peering curiously at him from behind his wet locks.

Kanon used three quarters of his willpower to not let his eyes wander to his host’s abdomen.

“Well, I lived underwater for thirteen years... it tends to be wet, although it was salt water and not rain, but still.” He replied, shrugging.

Milo seemed to accept the answer, because he just nodded and went to the bedroom to change.

“Oh, you can get a bath too now. I’ve still got lots of hot water...”

“Uhm, Milo?” Kanon asked, suddenly struck with a doubt.

“Yeah?”

“I don’t have any spare clothes.”

Silence followed the statement.

“Well... you’re just three centimetres taller than me, and at a guess you’re not much bulkier... I can lend you some of my things, until you can go back to your House.” Milo finally replied, looking through his drawers.

Despite feeling really touched at the thought, Kanon felt the urge to smirk. “Are you telling me that I don’t have muscles?”

Milo’s grumpy face peered out of his bedroom’s door, his eyes flashing. “Need I remind you who got his ass handed to him the last time we fought?”

“Define last time, Scorpio!” Kanon laughed, closing himself in the bathroom at seeing Milo’s face crunch in a baby’s pout.

“How was it, anyway?”

Kanon’s eyes peeked from the AC/DC sweatshirt that Milo had lent him – it wasn’t as tight as he’d expected it to be – to look at the younger Greek, who was sitting on his couch, his legs covered by the plaid, a warm cup of coffee in his hands.

Damn, he looked  adorable.

“How was what, Milo?” He asked, approaching and sitting next to him.

“Living underwater. I noticed that nobody ever questioned it, I mean... how did you breathe? Did you distinguish between day and night? What did you eat? Had you... any company down there?”

Milo’s questions simply bubbled out of his mouth, much to Kanon’s amazement. They were, indeed, legitimate questions, that nobody at the Sanctuary had ever asked. The only one who could have cared would have been Saga, but it probably hurt too much for his twin to unearth that topic between them.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, just... I’m curious. When I went out swimming during my training in Milos I always wondered how would it be to live under the sea, you know, and...”

Kanon stopped him with a gentle laugh and a hand on the shoulder. “Ok, ok, I got it. I have no problems answering, you know? Take a breath, now...”

Milo closed his mouth and brought the cup of coffee to his lips, looking eager to listen.

Kanon felt a tug at his heart.

“Well... Under Poseidon’s power it’s somehow easier to live under an entire ocean. His Cosmos protects the areas of Atlantis and the Pillars, so the humans living in it can survive the pressure and breathe easily. As Marina Generals, the others and I could also extend these abilities to the other areas of the seas – I don’t know the exact dynamics, but I suppose the Cosmos filtered the oxygen in the water to make it more available. There wasn’t as much light as on the surface, but we could see the difference between day and night. Food... well, mostly we ate algae – the ones the Japanese use for sushi, you know? And the fruits of seaweed.” Kanon explained, his eyes wandering around the room without actually seeing it, reminiscing of his years as Sea Dragon.

“No fish?” Milo interjected, blinking in confusion.

Kanon chuckled good-naturedly. “Fish and sea creatures in general are Poseidon’s protégées just as we were, it would have been quite counterproductive for us to kill them. Especially considering that I, as a General, had the duty to actively protect them from any menace to the kingdom... which included ruthless fishing, among other things. We ate them only occasionally, if some predators brought their prey as gift to us, or some... let’s say ‘volunteers’ that were already dying by themselves came to us asking for it.”

“How come you’re talking about them as if they were sentient?” Milo wondered, taking another sip of coffee.

Kanon’s eyes flashed with something akin to protectiveness. “Because they are. At first I couldn’t believe it myself, but it took me only a couple of weeks to understand that I could feel them. It wasn’t a real conversation, mind you, but more of an exchange of feelings and sensations... and it became more complex with animals like big sharks, mantas, or cetaceans. Dolphins weren’t Poseidon’s messengers for nothing, they’re... quite talkative. And of great company, I might add.”

A tender, wistful smile graced his lips, much to Milo’s amazement.

“You miss them.” The younger Greek murmured, struck with a sudden realization.

After some instants of silence, broken only by the muffled sound of rainfall on the outside, Kanon answered, simply. “Yes, I do.”

“You know, I... Despite the fact that I was planning the most horrible things down there, cheating on a God, wanting to kill my brother, there were many moments when I felt... at home. Being surrounded by water that didn’t hurt me was so soothing, and... peaceful. No one in there cared about my past, the Scale had accepted me readily, the animals trusted me as if I’d always been meant to be there... I miss that feeling. More than I’d care to admit.”

He sighed heavily, a sudden sadness darkening his sea green eyes. “Sometimes I wish I hadn’t betrayed them in the first place. It would hurt less wanting to see all of it again, knowing that they wouldn’t hate me for what I did...”

Milo wrapped one of his arms around Kanon’s shoulders, surprising the older comrade greatly. Without even thinking about it, the Scorpio Saint gathered him in a slight, one-armed hug, a comforting smile on his lips, his unbelievable cyan blue eyes shining in immense gentleness. Their Cosmos merged slightly, sharing their body and spiritual warmth.

Kanon was left speechless. He felt like his heart would burst out of his chest when the slight perfume of blackberry that emanated from Milo’s hair reached his nostrils. He was so close...

“I would be more worried if you didn’t wish it so, honestly. I think I’ve made it clear that you’re a good person, no matter what; you’re different from what you were at that time, and there’s nothing wrong in wanting to redeem your image to those you feel you’ve betrayed... Had I not seen a true change of heart in you, you wouldn’t still be alive today!” Milo said, ending with a slight chuckle.

“Thanks for reminding me...” Kanon retorted with a grumble, trying to block a smile.

“Anyway,” the younger Saint continued “I believe you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. What you’re feeling is normal and you shouldn’t be ashamed of it. Missing your life underwater doesn’t make you a less devoted Saint – who wouldn’t miss speaking with dolphins, seriously?! – nor it makes you the hypocrite you think you are.”

Kanon felt his ears start burning under his hair. He hadn’t even said anything...

“You should teach Saga your mind reading witchcraft, Milo. It would make things easier between us...” He mumbled, trying to mask his embarrassment at having been read so easily.

Milo’s eyes twinkled in sincere amusement as laughter bubbled out of his mouth.

“Ah, trust me, mate, mine is not an ability that can be taught! It’s all about talent!”

Later on, Kanon wouldn’t be able to pinpoint what made him do what he did.

Maybe it had been Milo’s radiant expression, the sound of his laughter, or the way he’d just given him a reason to hope and feel a better person...

Whatever the reason, it happened that just when Milo’s laughter died out, Kanon leaned over and pressed his lips on Scorpio’s ones. However, he immediately took notice of what he’d just done and scrambled back on the couch, his cheeks burning.

Milo, on the other hand, looked just thunderstruck.

“Shit” Kanon stuttered, feeling more and more of an idiot. “Shit, shit, shit... I’m so sorry, Milo, I-I don’t know what came over me, I... I shouldn’t have kissed you, please could you say something? You’re scaring me!”

Milo, who hadn’t uttered a single sound for the whole time, blinked a couple of times.

“You didn’t kiss me” he finally said, as if talking about a matter of fact.

“Huh?” Kanon replied. Had he broken Milo?

“That was not a serious kiss!” the Scorpio Saint reiterated, sounding even more sure of his line of thought.

Before Kanon could ask him what the heck he was talking about, he found himself with one of Milo’s hands cupping his cheek, fingers threading in a lock of hair, their faces a mere breath away.

“This is what I call a kiss” Milo whispered, smiling, before closing the distance between them and uniting their lips in a long, long moment.

Almost two minutes passed before any sound was heard inside the Scorpio living room.

Milo and Kanon separated, breathing heavily. Their eyes opened and their gazes met, causing Kanon to blush again, and Milo to smile.

“It’s nicer like this, isn’t it?” the younger Saint joked, seeing his comrade’s face.

“You... you’re not angry?” Kanon whispered, feeling giddy and unsure at the same time – something unusual for him. He wasn’t sure if he didn’t like it.

Milo let out a breathless laughter. “I just kissed you until loss of breath and you ask me if I’m angry?”

He rubbed the tip of his nose against Kanon’s, smiling gently. “Of course I’m not. It was rather... sudden, but not unappreciated at all.”

Kanon smiled back, his eyes twinkling in genuine happiness.

“So... If I felt like kissing you again, some other day... I could?”

Milo snuggled closer, effectively trapping Kanon between his own body and the couch’s seatback. “How about we make this a habit? Starting from... now?”