Tropical Revised - Chapter Seven
The otters weren't alone on the kilometer-long track; dozens of other students were stretched across the track, including their friends. When they started, they were all together but since the others have pulled far ahead of the two otters, who were running at the same pace. At the end of the third lap, they slowed to a walk to rest.
"Otters are so not built for this," complained Cloud, taking deep breaths.
"I agree but we've got plenty of time to finish the last two laps," Rye responded, also breathing heavily.
"How much time do we have left?" Cloud asked, fanning his shirt to allow more airflow to his fur. "It's so hot out here today."
"Twenty-three minutes for two laps," he replied, checking his PawPad.
"Come on you two," yelled Nate while he jogged by, shirtless. "I'm already done with seven laps. You two only have to do five."
They only responded with irritated growls, prompting laughter from the wolf, while he ran by.
"Let's see how fast he'd run with all this fur, and a heavy tail," remarked Rye under his breath. "Come on Cloud, let's try to finish these laps. We'll go get a smoothie afterwards."
"I certainly would like a smoothie right about now," replied Cloud. The otters resumed their jog around the track. Shasta passed them as well, but refrained from making any sarcastic comments.
Nate did manage to pass them again, and finished nearly a lap ahead of the otters before he headed for the locker rooms to get cleaned up and probably go home. He wasn't the last to beat the otters on their time either, while many more finished their final lap before Rye and Cloud were half a lap from the finish.
When the straight run to the finish was in sight, both otters bolted and raced each other to the finish. Rye gained a lead, but they both managed to finish the five-kilometer run practically at the same time. He fell to the ground at the end, panting heavily, while Cloud was paws on knees, also trying to catch his breath.
The pale-blue otters' chest was visibly rising and lowering with the deep breaths he was taking but after a minute of catching his breath, he boasted: "I beat you."
"Your reward is you get to pay for the smoothies," replied Cloud sarcastically with a smile. He stood back up straight and stretched his back before extending a paw to the otter lying on the ground.
Grabbing the extended paw, Rye pulled himself back up to his hindpaws.
"Let's go get a drink," he suggested, walking toward the parking lots, away from the locker room.
"Should we change first?" asked Cloud, walking slowly beside the otter.
"We shouldn't change into our good clothes because we have to walk home in this heat anyway," commented Rye. "It's a shame I didn't drive to school today. The parking lots must be so clear after school's been out for two hours."
"I forgot that you walked to school today," moaned Cloud, following Rye's lead. "I'm glad I didn't push myself over the limit then."
"I did," Rye admitted bashfully. "My legs hardly want to support me right now."
"Ha, then maybe I will have a chance of beating you at laser tag."
"Laser tag?" repeated Rye. They were walking off the school grounds now and heading along the path toward their apartments. "We haven't played that since the Games. Did you want to play again?"
"I want to play solo against just you," replied Cloud, with a mischievous smirk. "I think I can beat you, and that'd help justify for all the time I spend over at your place, taking up space and eating your food."
Rye giggled. "Not that I mind and am more than happy with having you over but would one match pay for it?"
"I guess not," Cloud said, his smile fading while he thought. "But I'd have nice bragging rights for a while."
"I suppose you would. Tonight the Lagoon is closing early for maintenance, maybe we can sneak in there after hours and play a game."
"Wouldn't that be trespassing?" Cloud asked.
"I have permission to be there at any time, and don't worry we won't get caught," Rye assured the white otter.
"I don't know about this," muttered Cloud. "Let's get our drinks and relax a bit first then you can tell me how you're going to get us arrested."
Rye chuckled. The walk to the shop was short, in comparison to their run, and when they arrived they found it rather full of patrons. The otters managed to order their frozen drinks and find a place to rest among the patrons. While the two of them chatted together, and exchanging friendly conversations briefly with the others in the shop, Rye successfully persuaded Cloud to agree to a late night game of laser tag.
It didn't take long for them to finish their drink, and well rested so they set out to their apartments to get changed. Rye complained lightly of the soreness in his legs and thighs but the pain wasn't intolerable.
"I'll drive my car over to pick you up so you better be changed by the time I get there," said Rye, once they reached the apartments.
"I'll be ready," Cloud replied before they split off in opposite directions.
Walking alone now, Rye slowed his pace to compensate for the soreness he still felt. He was grateful that there was no school tomorrow; otherwise this late night trip would be a terrible idea.
Within ten minutes, Rye was in his swimming trunks and in his exotic car heading over to Cloud's apartment. The short drive took only a couple minutes but he thought back about the last time he's even been over to Cloud's apartment. Rye has never actually been inside either, and he wasn't sure if Cloud has spent more time in his own apartment or over at Rye's.
Pushing the thought aside, Rye pulled up to the front of Cloud's apartment, where the white otter was standing waiting for him. Cloud quickly jumped.
"Alright, just to let you know, if we get caught I'm running and putting all the blame on you," he said, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Understood," Rye said, focusing on his driving. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you that we're not doing anything illegal though. I have permission to be there, along with any of the staff, whenever we want."
"Well, it's good to know that you're not going through some ridiculous rebellion phase," Cloud remarked, giggling under his breath.
"Rebellion?" repeated Rye, raising an eyebrow. "I live on my own, and by my own rules. What would I rebel against? Myself?"
The white otter chuckled.
The drive was short, as it always is, and they pulled up to the main entrance of Beach Lagoon. With a swipe of his card, the doors unlocked and both the otters entered the building. They quickly made their way through the exotic lobby and back through the lockers before they escaped out to the large, dully lit pool.
"I'm going to leave the majority of the lights off, and we'll only use the deep pool," said Rye, walking along the wall of the main building. He eventually stopped at an equipment closet, unlocked with his identification card, and pulled out the necessary equipment for a match.
"What map will we play?" asked Cloud, accepting the laser gun from the other otter.
"Want to play one you've been on before or one new?" Rye answered with another question. "There are a couple maps that I haven't played on yet."
"Let's do one that's new to both of us," Cloud stated. Both of the otters casually walked toward the deep end of the pool.
"This one sounds unique," commented Rye before he read the details on the map: "'Sky Society. With this map, swimming turns to flying. Soar over the landscapes, and battle for key strongholds and buildings. Don't get caught out in the open air.'"
"That one sounds fine for me," said Cloud, looking down into the dark waters. "How does it give the sense of flying?"
The map was activated, and the pool waters shifted, filling with clouds and the buildings mentioned in the description. Most shocking was that the bottom of the pool disappeared, giving way to a dark abyss. The clouds looked like they were hundreds of meters below them.
"Interesting," mumbled Rye, looking around the map that lit up before him. "Much better than the Seaweed Jungles, those are dark enough with all the lights on."
Small lights appeared at the bottom of the pool, looking very similar to lights of a city thousands of meters below them. Even a few birds flew among the clouds.
"You can head in first, and I'll follow in five minutes," said Rye, sitting against the edge of the pool. A strange sense of vertigo filled him, and it almost felt like he was sitting on the edge of the world, literally. "Don't forget to hold your breath."
Cloud chuckled lightly before slowly sliding himself down into the pool. "Don't watch where I'm going."
"Once you go below those clouds, I won't be able to see you anyway."
The otter lowered himself into the water, and Rye watched him dive toward the clouds. Soon, through the darkness and the cover of clouds, the he lost sight of the otter. Counting in his head, Rye waited for the five minutes to pass before he also slid in the water and dove for the cloud cover.
Keeping his eyes open and searching for the other otter, Rye swam toward one of the outpost buildings he saw surrounding the main and largest structure. Whenever he looked down at the bottom of the pool, and seeing nothing but empty space, a vast sense of vertigo overtook the otter. Shaking off the feeling more than a couple times, the otter did his best not to look down.
Staying with the moving cloud, the otter slowly drifted toward one of the structures circling the main one. With a quick glance over the other buildings, Rye bolted for it and climbed inside. Covered by the building, Rye positioned himself upright and checked around the corners.
Dark clouds drifted through this sky city, with an occasional strange bird or flying rodent flying back. No sign of Cloud. One of the many clouds drifted close to Rye's outpost so he ducked back inside and looked back out into the open water, and down into the abyss. There was no sign of Cloud out there either so he must be in one of the buildings.
Rye used the clouds as cover while he searched all the outposts, but never managed to catch a glimpse of Cloud. He swam for the main building, using as much cloud cover as he could. The otter arrived at the main building, but just as he was about to enter it, a bright flash impacted and destroyed the wall above him. Quickly turning around, he saw Cloud hiding in a cloud with a large grin on his face.
With an irritated expression, Rye ducked behind the wall and fired a few shots back at the white otter. The otter disappeared back into the cloud. Now he was in a really bad position, Cloud knew where he was but he didn't know where Cloud was.
While the cloud drifted by, Rye fired blindly into it a few times then darted for the other side of the large building. It was strewn with corridors and rooms, with some cover provided by the support pillars around the windows. Keeping an eye through the windows, Rye swam closer to the ceiling where it provided the most cover.
He made it to the other side, and glanced out one of the many doorways. The clouds there were around didn't were different, and there would be no way that Cloud could have had time to hide in them before he spotted him. He was confident that white otter was not hiding amongst these clouds.
Bracing himself against the solid hologram wall, the otter pushed himself toward the nearest cloud. Swimming with his sore legs, Rye quickly flew over the abyss while the nearest cloud grew larger. A heavy weight slammed into his midsection, forcing him down in a terrifying fall toward the abyss.
The clouds quickly floated above Rye, but he regained control of his fear and wiggled free of the grip that the white otter had around him. In the struggle, he dropped his weapon, leaving the otters to struggle paw-to-paw. Cloud mysteriously didn't have his weapon either.
During the struggle, Cloud kept his advantage while they fell. Eventually Rye hit something hard in midair, the real floor of the pool. Pinned, Rye quit struggling while they settled on the bottom of the pool. The white otter was sitting on his lower stomach, with his tail going back between Rye's arched legs and holding the defeated otter's paws over his head in a very suggestible position.
Remaining sitting on the Rye, the white otter looked around; seeming to be searching for his lost weapon. The momentary distraction however gave Rye an opportunity to struggle free. With sudden and fierce jerk, he nearly bucked the distracted otter off but Cloud refocused his attention and wrestled Rye back into the pin.
Cloud leaned down closer to him, almost nose-to-nose and smiled. Pointing down in a commanding gesture with his free webbed paw, Cloud told Rye to stay put. The closeness distracted Rye however, sending a jolt of excited electricity through his body.
All of his thoughts vanished from his conscious mind, and his body acted on instinct. Moving closer, Rye's nose briefly touched Cloud's, and his tongue shyly but intimately licked Cloud's lips. A deep blush followed that burned the otter's cheeks.
Surprised by the action, Cloud's eyes widened as he released Rye's paws and sat straight up. For the moment he stared at him, fear gripped Rye's chest while the burn on his cheeks spread to the tips of his ears.
Heart racing madly, Rye was more shocked when Cloud slowly grinned. The white otter leaned back down, head tilted, and returned an affectionate lick across Rye's lips.
His fear vanished, and the otter wrapped his paws around Cloud, one caressing the back of his neck while the other pulled them into a warm embrace. Cloud's arms slipped around Rye's shoulders and waist, while they floated off the of the pool floor.
Through the sky city and clouds, the otters' bodies were pressed tight against each other. Time was forgotten while they floated in the water, paws caressing and tongues licking at each other's lips.
In place of the fading burn of his cheeks and ears, Rye's lung soon started to burn from the lack of oxygen. With a tender lick and a passionate gaze into the emerald eyes, Rye signaled his need for air.
Cloud smiled weakly and nodded before releasing the otter from his grip. Both of them swam for the surface, allowing Rye to suck in a large gulp of air. Treading water, he turned to face Cloud but was unsure what to say. Cloud shyly avoided looking back into Rye's eyes. The burn to his cheeks and ears returned but not as intense.
"Thank you," he meekly said after a long moment of silence.
"For what?" Cloud asked gently, glancing into Rye's eyes only for a moment.
"Allowing me to catch my breath," he replied and smiled at Cloud's shyness. "And... for not freaking out."
Cloud smiled widely and met Rye's gaze but remained silent, unsure of what else to say. Cloud was shyer than Rye was. Without a word, he swam over to Rye and licked his cheek. Rye's smile widened, but he resisted the urge to snuggle up to Cloud because they'd both sink back into the water if he did that.
"It's getting late," stated Rye after a soft giggle. "We should head out and get some sleep."
"Rye," said Cloud hesitantly. He shyly avoided eye contact but smiled up at the other otter. "Can I, uh, stay at your place tonight?'
"I would like it very much if you did," Rye declared, and slowly treaded toward the edge of the pool. "Come on, otter."
Cloud slowly followed Rye out of the pool, where they hugged and nuzzled a little bit before heading straight for the locker room. The field was left on but an auto switch would turn it off once no players have been detected in the water for an hour.
Under the hot stream of the showers, the otters washed in silence with Cloud being unusually quiet.
"You're really quiet," Rye said.
"Sorry Rye," replied Cloud, glancing at him with the normal friendly smile. "You have left me in a state of shock. I wasn't really sure that you were feeling affectionate towards me, but now I'm happy that I do know."
His cheeks were sore from blushing and grinning but Rye couldn't help but to smile again. He hurried and finished his shower before suggesting that they head home. The drive back to Rye's place was short and they quickly walked into the dark apartment.
The lights remained off but one of the moons was shining brightly through the tall windows, giving a silver lining to the silhouettes of everything inside the apartment. When Rye glanced at his guest, even the otter had a silver lining on his silhouette.
Slowly and with the cover of darkness, Rye reached and placed his paw on Cloud's shoulder. He saw the vague movements of Cloud's outline turn and smile at him. After returning the smile, he felt Cloud lean on him and nuzzle into his shoulder.
In the dim moonlight that reflected through the windows, Rye directed the clinging otter toward his room. Rye sat on the bed but without his paws leaving Cloud, who was now standing over him. They stared at the glint in the others' eyes that was caused by the dim moonlight.
"I know you've become quite accustomed to those sofa's but I hope you don't mind sharing a bed with me tonight," Rye said, almost whispering.
"I did sleep better in the sofas," responded Cloud, with his tone almost as quiet. "But it wasn't because they were comfortable; it was because you were sleeping near me."
His sore cheeks were stretched once again as Rye smiled. His paws gripped Cloud's waist and pulled the otter over himself. Cloud gasped as they both fell back onto the bed, but he held onto Rye tightly.
In each other's arms, the two otters lied diagonally across the bed taking comfort from feeling the other otter's body tight against their own. They could feel their exhaustion from the excitement and the late night activity start to catch up to them.
Before his thoughts fell out of his conscious control, Rye caressed Cloud's back and slowly worked his paws down toward his tail. Refusing to let his paws be hindered by the swimming shorts Cloud wore, Rye's paws slipped beneath them and tugged them down. Only a few minutes later, the shorts were removed.
Cloud continued to lightly nuzzle into Rye's neck but mimicked his moves and removing Rye's own shorts. Allowing his mind to rest, Rye wrapped one paw down around Cloud's hip while the other arm held tight around his shoulder blades.
Even with their naked bodies pressed close to each other to the point of being arousing to them, Rye noticed Cloud's nuzzling halt and his breathing becoming slower and deeper while the white otter drifted off to sleep.
Looking down over the sleeping otter, Rye felt his chest swell with a euphoric feeling that he's only imagined before. He may have never expressed his desire for such affection in the past, but that desire has always been there. It would often cause him to feel lonely but now he wouldn't sacrifice this moment for anything else in the universe.
His eyelids grew heavier while he gazed down at the white otter until Rye followed him into the realm of dreams.