I sat there. Naked. As the gushing water from above rinsed off the layers of dirt and soap from my skin.

<<<

"Mom! Can we go to the sentō again?" Oliver had asked.

"Sure, why don't you go with Rinto?"

>>>

I scrubbed my chest, my back, my arms once more to ensure I had cleaned myself properly.

<<<

"Why are we going outside for a bath?" I had asked.

Oliver looked to me with a tilted head and clearly baffled face. "Don't you know about public baths?"

I remember my face reddening so to speak, I blushed at the mere thought of bathing in public, let alone what I had yet to confirm. "W-we do still wear our boxers in right? Or swimwear?"

I remember the face he made: it was in essence, a look of pure shock and puzzle. "N-No, we don't." He had told.

>>>

I looked to my right, Oliver, just as uncovered as I was, a few light scars visible on his skin where his bandages used to be. He stood up as he finished his shower; I took in his form through the thin mist between us: petite, with mellow curves which somehow accentuated his mature immaturity. I couldn't help but to glance at his little organ – soft, covered – I shifted my view as fast as I could but it was too late, I could feel my own grow erect as the water stopped pouring, the only thing left that could cloud the view was the thin vapour mist from the bubbling pool behind. I hope nobody sees this.

I shifted uncomfortably, pressing the button for the shower to run once again in hopes that nobody would notice. I held my hands over it, let the water rain down on my head, and closed any gaps between my thighs that could leak a view.

...

"Rinto, come on in, it's really good in here." I froze still. What should I do?

I looked back to him to reply, but then I noticed: nobody else was there. It was as if the vast steaming pool had been reserved for us only. So now, it was only him.

Surely he wouldn't think much of it.

After all, we are both boys.

And everyone else does this too, right?

I stood up, turned back and made my way gawkily to the pool, covering the view with my hands though nobody was there to see. I immersed my feet first. warm... and the rest of me followed suit... though it IS still slightly uncomfortable down there. I sought to calm myself down, clearing my mind of any unwanted thoughts, dissolving them into the perfectly heated water that soaked me.

...

"Rinto?"

"Yeah?" I peeked with only my left eye.

"It's nice isn't it?" He asked, facing me. Darn. I had initially hoped to see his left eye – or what could be left of it – but he had cleverly hidden it under his wet bangs.

"Yeah," I closed my eyes once again.

It was then I felt a shock, surge of hot water hitting my face—and the innocent giggle that came thereafter.

"That's not funny!" I replied, enraged, returning a blast of water to him; though the feeling I felt then was much less like when my sister did so. I was laughing.

We sent a few more crests and shots at each other, exchanging a good few chaffs and heckles while we were at it, before we settled back down at the edge; panting, exhausted from our little game.

"Y—You're not bad." Oliver smirked before making a little chuckle, "haven't had that much fun in aaaages."

"Yeah," I replied, laughing myself, "it's great to be able to let loose once in a while."

For a mere second, I felt a soft touch on my half-erect member; and immediately, I felt a jerk in my chest as it tightened and my mind phased into panic. I looked to Oliver, half-way in expecting an explanation of sorts, whose face was now a very bright, clear red, softened only by the light mist, "I-is that?" He merely said to ask.

"Y-yeah," I answered truthfully as I felt my own face heat up.

"I, I'm sorry!" He bowed – or well, tried to before his face fell half submerged underwater.

"It-" I paused in trying to neutralise the comedic effect it had on me, "It's fine."

We stood there for an awkward few moments without an exchange of words; fiddling and stuttering as we kept opposite of each other; glancing and avoiding mutual gazes as we slowly moved back and forth in the calmly rippling pool.... Oliver was the first to break the spell, he climbed out of the pool and exited the bath area. "I'm finished," he quietly told in what sounds to be almost a stutter, with not even a single glance back.

Without anything better to do, I followed him out to the changing room where all the lockers were. There again I saw his full figure stretch as he tried and reached for the top locker, and there again I felt an unwarranted response slowly but surely build up in my lower region. No, not this again!

I power-walked to my locker, which was not-so-conveniently right beside Oliver's; and with twisting my lower half slightly away, I took my towel out, dried myself and impatiently pulled my boxers on to hide my little problem. I then heard a small door-click from my left, followed immediately by the shy familiar voice of the boy, "I-I'll be waiting outside."

I softly replied, nodded, then sighed. that didn't go very well.