𝙸𝙵 𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙺 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝙸𝚂 𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙻 𝙻𝙸𝙵𝙴 ,, high&low

chapter twelve | black butterflies and deja vu

i-black butterflies and deja vu ( the maine ) ii- mariners apartment complex ( lana del rey ) iii- higher ( with confidence ).

chapter twelve

black butterflies and deja vu

"Where are we going?" I laughed as Tetsu excitedly dragged me down an empty street, illuminated by tiny lanterns

"You'll see." He said, a giddy look on his face. "Come on, we're almost there!"

Laughing as he pulled me along, I sped up to try and match his pace as we reached the end of the road, where it split off into two streets. Where the two roads met at a T, a large traditional looking building stood in the near darkness, illuminated by two large spotlights. The sign read Yamano Bathhouse. When we reached the bathhouse, Tetsu dropped my hand and started digging around in his pockets.

"What is this place?" I asked, looking around in wonder

"The family business." Tetsu replied, pulling a large key ring out of his pocket

I scoffed. "Your family owns a bathhouse?"

"My father is a jack of all trades." Tetsu snorted. "Before this, it was a fifties-themed diner that only played Elvis Presley."

After trying three different keys, Tetsu finally found the one that unlocked the front door, and we headed inside. It was an eerie feeling at first, being in the cavernous and dark space. The main hall was lit only by a collection of glowing star stickers on the ceiling. Tetsu ducked behind the counter and pressed a few buttons before a set of bright neon lights sprung to life, illuminating the hot tub in the corner, a shining pink in the dark.

"This is incredible." I mused as the tanned boy began to strip. "Wait a second, what are you doing?"

Tetsu grinned. "You aren't getting in there fully dressed, are you?"

Laughing, I pulled my sweater over my head, getting splashed with water as Tetz jumped into the surprisingly deep hot tub.

"Are you sure we're supposed to be here?" I asked while undoing the belt on my jeans

"Dan, Chiharu and I sneak in here all the time to use the sauna, my dad doesn't care!"

Shaking my head, I stripped down to the matching floral lingerie set I was wearing, trying not to think about Tetsu's awestruck expression as he stared at me. trying to avoid meeting his eyes, I grabbed the metal railing and waded into the warm, bubbling water

"This place is incredible." I said, settling myself on one of the tiled benches circling the tubs perimeter.

Tetsu nodded, a huge smile on his face. "I can't believe that we almost lost it last summer, when Kuryu came knocking, trying to snap up land for cheap."

I was about to ask about Kuryu when the speaker system crackled to life, and I jumped four feet into the air as an indie song I included in the playlist I sent to Tetsu began to play.

"I hope you don't mind." The boy said gently. "I mixed the two playlists, thought the silence might be awkward."

I shook my head, pulling the American flag scrunchie off my wrist to pin back my hair. "No, this is great, actually."

I leaned back on the ledge, tucking my feet underneath me as I sat with my legs crossed, animatedly dancing with my hands as I sung along, off key and somewhat off beat. Tetsu gazed at me from across the hot tub, a gentle smile on his face as he watched, laughing softly. Suddenly feeling sheepish as my face turned pink, I dropped my hands and averted my gaze, an awkward smile starting to bloom.

"Okay, real talk." Tetz said, breaking up the silence. "Favorite court case."

I laughed. This was going to be one hell of a story. "Not a court case, but it happened in a court house. These two thirty-something year old guys, completely separate cases. They passed each other in the lobby of the courthouse, and one starts yelling at the other, something about a girlfriend, and then the other guys just lunges at him. They both knew each other through this girl, she was the one guy's ex and the other's current girlfriend, and it took about five officers each to pull them apart. Best morning of the entire year, that one."

"There's no way." Tetz laughed in disbelief. "Not a chance. About as likely as your Juror Number Seven Story."

"I'm serious! They're all true, the strangest shit happens in my courtrooms. It's like Judge fricking Judy in there!" I laughed.

The sudden song change almost made me jump, transitioning from the soft love ballads of The Maine to a hip hop song that Tetsu had selected. Upon his realization, it took him about three seconds before he whooped, jumped up and started rapping, promptly falling off the ledge and submerging himself in the warm water below.

"Oh my god!" I shouted, getting to my own feet on the precarious edge of the ledge I was sitting on "Are you okay?!"

"Never better." Tetsu shouted, breaking the surface of the water. "I forgot that it drops off there. Like I don't even spend enough time in this place despite helping my father build it, and working here."

I narrowed my eyes, splashing him with water. "You scared the shit out of me."

Without missing a beat, he splashed me back. For the duration of the song, we were just floundering back and forth in the the hot tub, splashing each other with the warm and bubbly water.

The song changed again, to one of my selections- an Australian pop punk ballad by With Confidence- and we stopped, both of us standing on one of the ledges. Tetsu reached out, cupping the side of my face with one wet hand, droplets of water dripping onto my shoulder. Not even thinking twice, I reached up with my own and wrapped my slender fingers around his wrist.

"Has anybody ever told you how beautiful your eyes are? Little galaxies of blue and green that I could get lost in. Like the tropical sea."

"You'd be the first." I answered honestly, tilting my forehead in so that my pale forehead rested against his tanned one.

We stayed like that for a moment before he began to move, the gentle trace of the tip of his nose across my face leaving invisible sparks in it's wake.

His lips neared mine, and I moved to meet them.

We were inches apart, his warm breath fanning my face as I parted my lips-

- and then there was a crash in the distance, sending us jumping apart.

NOTES!!

ha there's still no first kiss. i love this chapter, and I thought about it a lot before I wrote anything, but this idea lives in my mind rent free

took me too long to write though-