Hunger's Abode

Mace snorted. Kyo knew a name brand, but not what it was actually was?? "It's a jet ski. Ski doo is a brand of jet ski. But really, look around. You see anything? Hear anything? Besides, the jet ski's aren't allowed in the swimming zone anyway." he also stepped over to the water, but Mace didn't stop at the edge. He stepped i until he was up to his waist. His reasoning? It would make them faster. Less splashing, less noise, and it wouldn't take them all that time to run in making a mess before they could actually swim. A bit self consciously, he brought his hand around to his shoulder and rubbed the name now facing the teen, as though that would conceal it or something. "If we start like this, it won't be so loud. And we will see. I was captain of my swim team back in high school. Just because I graduated didn't mean I lost the ability to swim." a crooked smile broke out on his lips as he turned to look at Kyo, hand dropping back to his side and skimming the warm water, waiting for the other to join him.

Kyo was actually loving the humor between them. It was a great ice breaker between the 2 of them and he hoped they would have more ice breakers and be good roommates. "I have only seen like one and that was a long time ago You know what I meant." he huffed as he walked into the water and stood a few inches from Mace as his ears twitched in all directions seeing if he could pick up any sound. Nothing but the waves rolling in and he smiled. He noticed the man had slender hands when Mace scratched his back and again he shook his head to get thoughts out of his perverted mind. "Alright Sea Captain let's see just how well you are? Ready when you are." He said as he smirked. He was determined to at least make it a close race if at all possible.

He snorted at Kyo and buried the toes of his back foot into the soft sand. "Less talking, more swimming. We'll see who's gloating at the end." His hands submerged, feeling the temperature of the water, knowing which way the soft current would be going at this time of night. "One." he breathed softly, closing his eyes and bending his knees slightly. Starting a race from waist deep in the sand wasn't what he was used to, but he already knew the advantage he would have over Kyo. "Two." The moon was shining on the water in a way that- "Three." He was gone. He dove into the water and was completely invisible to his housemate. He would only been seen when he came up for air, which wouldn't be for a good 20 more seconds, long enough for him to get out a little less than halfway. The length from where they started to the buoy was about as long as an olympic pool, which was what he swam in back in school. There and back. He could win this.

Or would he let Kyo win?

It came down to being competitive or being a good host, and he'd learned from his mother that being a good host came before everything else. When he surfaced for air, he stopped, treading water for a split second and looking to see where Kyo was.

In the back of Kyo's mind he figured he was going to out do the man. Kyo felt the cool waters and was preparing to run his ass off into the water and swim as fast as a torpedo. Mace counted down and Kyo was smirking away as if he had already won. Once three left the man's lips Kyo jumped into the water but Mace was no where in sight. No way...he can't be that far....can he? Kyo had to get his mind right back on track quickly before he was going to lose. Kyo came up for air and spotted Mace. With another smirk he dove back underwater swimming as fast as he could to that bouy. Once he reached it he began swimming back. He had to admit it has been a long while since he went swimming and he was sort of tiring out a bit but he pushed to beat his housemate.

Pfft. Idiot kid was pushing himself too far, too fast. He was going to plummet halfway back to the buoy, and that wasn't going to end well for anyone. Mace reached the large, floating object a split second after Kyo did, but waited there, completely unafraid of the deep waters at night, and just watched.

He was a mess.

Kyo, that is. He had no technique, no set breathing pattern, just, sort of... flailed from point A to point B. And it caused Mace to wonder if he went about all of life like that. Lost, no sense of direction, making a ruckus and turning heads. Not that he didn't turn heads already. The young man was quite attractive.

He shot off like a bullet in the black water, drowning that thought under the buoy he left behind, bobbing on the current.

It took him maybe another four seconds to catch back up, and he knew it was a dangerous move, but he really couldn't help himself. Mace surfaced for air one good time and submerged again, swimming directly under Kyo. He had to stay a little further from the other than he liked, but that was because Kyo's legs were working like powerhouses to propel him forward. With an underwater smirk, he reached forward and ran his fingertips up from the young man's navel to his pecs, swimming off again and surfacing farther in front of Kyo, laughing loudly as he tried to stay afloat.

Swim, swim, swim, swim.... that is all Kyo could think about as if the words held some sort of magic retainer to them causing the white haired male to swim much faster than he was going. This pup was concentrating on one thing and one thing only: Winning! He felt a determination that never seemed to reach his heart before. Except for one thing but now was not the time to be thinking about such matters. Half way there. YES! The pup was swelling with pride as he felt he could swim there in no time and beat the man to his challenge. Little did he know that Mace was lurking very much like a shark a small distance underneath him. And at an opportunity Mace touched his skin which had the pup yelp.

Like a fish out of water Kyo surfaced flopping about and trying to get air into his lungs. The pup coughed and looked around beneath him hoping to see a fish to strangle for breaking his thoughts. But a laugh....a pure laugh like sun kissed waves caught his ears as he turned around to see Mace laughing at the pup. "Hey~" Kyo pretended to pout but smirked at Mace. "Now you're going to get it~" The pup cooed as he swam as quickly as he could towards Mace in hopes of seeking some payback.

"Oh please." Mace rolled his eyes, treading water until Kyo was about three arms lengths away form him, then shooting off in a breast stroke. You'll- never- catch up to me- Kyo!" he called back over his shoulder occasionally. The water was an extension of his body, nothing more and nothing less. Mace focused on finding the perfect angle to cut through the liquid like warm butter, the path of least resistance. He could hear Kyo just behind him, hell bent on catching up, and suddenly stopped the one technique and started another, dropping like a weight beneath the darkened water and continuing as he'd started. It was only a few seconds later that the Russian felt the water becoming more shallow, sand rushing up to meet his knees if he wasn't careful. Surfacing, he inhaled deeply and ran the rest of the way, making almost as much of a ruckus as Kyo was behind him.

"I win, kid." he panted, collapsing on the sugary beige sand and waiting for his new housemate to join him. "Seems like the old man still has a little fight left in him."

No matter how hard he swam towards the other male this pup was just not cutting the cake. "What the? Hey!!!" In seconds Mace was like a torpedo seeking it's target through the dark waters. "Damn he is fast!!!" He said trying to catch up but as soon as his fingers dug into the sands he huffed and stopped pushing himself. "Haha..So you beat me. How....did you manage to do that?! I mean you were behind me and no sooner do I look back you take a major lead!" He said sounding amazed as he sat in the warm sands and tried to finish catching his breath. "Man. Your swim team must have been real sad for an Ace like you to leave when it was time." He huffed as he relaxed against the cooling sands. Maybe life here will be just right for him.

"Ace?" he stared at Kyo blankly for a moment, pushing himself up onto his forearms. Must have been the language barrier. He'd repeated what it sounded like Kyo had said, but in all honesty, he had no idea what the young man had really said. It sounded like a compliment, though, so he didn't bother getting too curious. Turning eyes that the moon had made almost silver, Mace stared back out over the now calm water. "To swim fast, you have to feel the water around you. The direction of the current; the push and pull of the waves around you. And you have to control your movements. Flailing as you did is no good in a race." The corner of his lips turned upward almost imperceptibly. "You even scared off the fish, I'm sure."

His eyes had glazed over as a flashback took his mind, soaring back years to a bright day, an indoor pool and two teenagers floating on their backs. "Вы не так быстро" "Ha! Я мог бы плыть в Америку и обратно, прежде чем вы получили через один круг!" "лжец!" "Если бы не было рыбы, вы бы испугались их!" Splashes and laughter had filled the air.

"I am in need of a drink." he sighed, pulling himself back to the clear midnight blue of the night and the blank fighter beside him. "And it is late. Aren't you tired?"

Translation:

That blank expression almost made Kyo chuckle a bit. "Ace meaning the Star or prodigy of the team. The look on your face was stating you didn't know. It's okay I will teach you words as we get along." He said as he laid on the sand. Kyo looked up and gave a confused look. "Flailing? You calling my swimming the equivalent of doggie paddling?? That wasn't flailing. I can show you flailing." He sat up and huffed as he dusted the sand off his chest.

Kyo tilted his head and murmured drink in a confused tone. "I want some! Tired?? Hmmm maybe a little but not by much." He shrugged his shoulders as his tail wagged a bit.

"Ah. 'Ace'. Okay." Mace filed the word away mentally, thankful that Kyo understood that he needed to word to be explained. He had studied Japanese, yes, but that didn't mean he understood their idioms and local phrases. Slowly, Mace pulled himself to his feet, dusting the sand off himself and right onto Kyo. Eh, it built character, the pup would live. "Yes, flailing. Not even doggy-paddling." He nodded once before shaking his head roughly, water droplets falling out of his shaggy yellow mane.

"it must be nice, being young and spry, and not a tired old man." He turned to head back in the house, but paused and decided to hold a hand out to Kyo first, an offer to help him up. "What's your drink of choice, Kyo? Or have I already asked you that?" Damn. He must really be getting old, if his memory was starting to go that badly. Maybe it was just a stereotypical "dumb-blonde" moment. He sure hoped so.

Kyo nodded as he laid in the warm sand. Now that the other knew what the word meant he could use it to tease the man. Just to make sure he understood or until the pup grew tired of it all together. Just as Kyo was about to be fully relaxed Mace stood up and dusted his sand onto him. "Hey~" He laughed as he tried to dust it off of himself and back where it belonged: on the ground. As he was working to get the sand on top off first he puffed with his normal hot headed self and pouted. "I'll have you know that my flailing according to you has gotten me pretty far. Otherwise this pup would have drowned a long time ago." He didn't say more as Mace shook out the water from his hair. Kyo tried to cover his face at least while the other continued. I think he is more of a dog than I am.... which were his thoughts for the moment as he shook the droplets off his hands.

"Huh?" Kyo stated not even paying attention as he leaned up into a sitting position. His look even gave him away to state he didn't hear the other at all. Too busy in his own thoughts he wasn't paying attention. But Mace held out his hand and Kyo looked confused at first as he just looked at the man's hand before taking it and standing up. He wagged his fluffy white tail to be free of sand as he dusted his body free from sand particles. "A drink? Um whatever you have is fine." He gave a huge grin as he continued becoming sand free. "You stated you wanted a drink. Never extended it." He chuckled as he finished getting the sand out of his hair, tail and body. "So! Shall we go?" He said not even minding his age to drink at all.