His smile grew wider as did his eyes, making no movement or flinch when Nemu touched his face, though he did lean back against the edge of the spring to keep from staring at him with expectant eyes.  That would have been too much pressure and he was already realizing how it could be bad to spread information like this around, despite how they were the only ones in this particular spring.  He looked out over the steaming water, shaking his head in excited disbelief,

“What it means is that we aren’t alone in the expanse of space.  We know so little about it now, but knowing there are others like you could open up the possibilities to being nearly infinite…!”   He looked back over at him, smile just as wide but eyes finally calming down, though still sapphire in hue as he looked upon him,

“Just imagine Nemu if we could get you back where you came from, we’d be helping you but also it’d be such a huge advancement for us as well.  You’ve been here, seen what it’s like, don’t you wonder what other places are like out there?”   He tilted his head back, looking up at the clear blue sky in indication,

“It’s terrifying…”   Yet the smile never faltered.  He likened it to the thrill before going into an unknown forest or cave: you didn’t know what was there, and that was scary but that also meant that anything could be there including wonderful discoveries.  But he was no fool, he knew that if such information fell into the wrong hands then horrible actions could and would transpire.  Anything could be abused, no matter how beautiful it was.

Still, maybe it was best not to linger on the subject for long, previous thoughts being a big part of why but also because Nemu was such a timid person that he didn’t want to overwhelm him anymore than he already had, “F-Forgive me…”   His smile turned sheepish as he looked back at him, reaching a hand out and gently gripping his shoulder,

“For now it might be best to keep such information between the two of us, just until we can know a bit more about your entire situation.  Not to alarm you, but I’m sure there would be those that would make a spectacle of your origins…exploit it.”   His former enslaver had already seen to that and he didn’t want to see any further abuse, not if he could help it.

Nemu pulled his legs towards his chest and propped his chin atop his knees so he could look towards the sky. He was aware enough now to know that Master was under the belief that as a star his tears were valuable, and much of his punishments revolved around the fact that Nemu couldn’t cry. It was the reason he had taken Nemu from the sky in the first place, and as Naota said others may try to take advantage of him if they found out.

But something about what he said before, it gave Nemu pause to think. On the night they first met, Naota had talked about getting him home. He knew, even then, going home was impossible - something about himself has changed, though what he still did not know. Occasionally, throughout their travels and now - Naota would still mention this intent to get him home. The buzzing sensation that had persisted this whole time subsided along with his glow as Nemu was consumed by an odd feeling. Why? Why does the thought of going home feel so… sad?

”I-I can’t go home - but, I-” But what? Nemu ran his fingers through his hair, struggling to find words to explain himself. The lilac strands were still a bit damp from where he’d submerged himself in the water. It was an odd sensation, the wet hair dragging across skin as the fingers moved pass. One of many, uncountable sensations and experiences he’d learned about in his time on land. Things he would have never known if none of this had happened. Is it, maybe - you don’t want to go back?

Nemu turned his head, the side of his face resting on his knees as his gaze fixed itself on his friend. He missed home, desperately but… but something. Here was Naota, who had shown him the world, was sitting here talking to him about the wonders of his own home in a way he himself had never known - or even considered. Naota, his friend, who was sitting so close they were within arms reach of one another, was smiling at him and talking to him and making sure he was safe from those who might wish him harm.

Nemu reached out, slowly pressing his palm against the chest of his friend, spreading fingers against his skin. A heartbeat, the vague rise and fall of the chest as he breathed, the sensation of warm skin against the muscles of a man far stronger than he. Naota, a person he met, is alive, and Nemu can feel it.

”I do not…” Back home, in all the years, countless years - he never, not once met another being. He watched, pining for knowledge and understanding from afar and never could he simply reach out and touch another person as he was doing now. Physical contact, the sensation of touch that let him know that the other person was alive, and let the other person know that he was as well. Genuine interaction with another living being, and not simply observational sonder.

”This. I do not know how to explain - If I go home, I can not do this.”

Naota’s eyes saddened as he spoke.  The tone of which his voice flowed as well as the anxious actions of his hands had him urged to move his hand from his shoulder to the back of his head.  Instead he left his hand there, though he eased his previously excited grip to a gentle rest there instead.  His shoulders slowly dipped down as he listened and his eyes lifted up to the sky.  As amazing as it was, it was still far and that was an inconceivable amount of loneliness.  Why wouldn’t he be able to get back though…?  Maybe something about being here, on land, had stunted his ability.  Honestly he knew absolutely nothing on the subject but hoped he’d be able to help in some way…Even if that meant being a good friend while he was here.

He offered him a small smile when he rested his cheek down on his knees and he shifted his hand down to his shoulder blade due to the curl in of his body.  What were they going to do to get him back?  He didn’t even know where to start with something like that, who could they even go to?  A deity might know, but he was hesitant to approach one, and wasn’t sure how comfortable Nemu would have been with that in the first place.  If anything it might end up being a trek he’d make on his own, at least to find out if something could be done at all.

His lips parted and he straightened slightly when Nemu reached out and touched his chest though.  He looked down at himself, expecting to see something on his skin, some reason for him to have done it, but as he began to talk it came together.  Nemu…didn’t want to go home.  From how he was talking it was almost as if  he’d never even been around another person before –not in a good way at least-, but how could that be?  Was there no one there with him before he had fallen?  There were so many stars in the sky that he wasn’t able to logic out how that was possible, but those eyes and this touch were enough of an explanation that he was right.  That would be something to question later, if ever.

For the past few weeks he’d gently pulled him around from place to place, trying to fill his head with as much knowledge for the world that he could in such a small amount of time.  In that time, he’d pulled him back from streets, ducked him down, anything necessary to keep him safe from falling victim to his own naiveté, nearly all of it involved touching but this was different.  It was so simple but the reasoning behind the action made it feel more…intimate.  And now the touch on his chest was all he could think about, of all the places he could have decided to press his hand.  

His smile faded, though not in a bad way, and he moved his hand from his shoulder blade and gently rested it on the back of his head; fingers lightly woven between the locks, “You know, if you’re this hesitant, maybe it’s not so horrible that you’ve fallen.”  He wanted to ask him more questions, most revolving around how he could be alone up there in the sky, but kept from doing so, “You can stay here.”  The smile returned, though it was slight as he moved his other hand to gently rest over Nemu’s at his chest, “You can have this.”  

It had been explained, gradually over their time together, that Nemu had in fact been kidnapped from his home and then immediately taken into servitude. Both of these are things people should not do to one another. These things are horrible, as Naota said. But regardless, Nemu found he couldn’t dislike the man he knew as Master. Not sitting here right now, with a friend and a warm hand against the back of his head. Despite his intentions and methods it was Master who had brought him here, and because of that he had a chance to experience this.

He missed home, yes. Nemu had learned this was not an unusual feeling for people who leave their home behind for whatever reason. Had he of never left he may well have been perfectly content, but to return after having been to this world which so readily fed his insatiable curiosity and knowing that there was so much he did not understand still - That, I think, would probably be horrible.

You can stay here… Nemu sat up straight at those four words, suddenly, eyes wide and searching deep and direct into the other man’s pupils. Did I hear right? The star-speckled patterns of his iris began to shift as excitement threatened to consume him, ”You understand, then? You are not… disappointed?”

The hand pressing against his chest, a gesture mirroring his own - he understood. Even Nemu didn’t quite comprehend the feeling he had been trying to convey and still Naota understood. The glow came back with a flash, bright and intense, and a great big smile found it’s way across the little star’s face. The quiet fears that had been bottled and brewing since that first night - the worry that Naota wanted him to go home and would be upset when he couldn’t or worse, would be mad when Nemu didn’t even want to. It was too much, the excitement, the relief, the joy - Nemu lurched forward with a laugh, wrapping his arms around Naota and burying his face against the man’s neck as he hugged him as tight as he could muster thank you thank you~

If the conversation had not been about something so serious he would have laughed.  Of course he wouldn’t be disappointed that he’d decided to stay here.  How long had he even been thinking about this to build himself up into a worry?  He smiled as he shook his head, “No Nemu, I most certainly would not be disappointed.  You choose where your home is, nothing else and no one else should be able to dictate that.”

Nemu’s eyes shifted just before the glow he had grown accustomed to with him flashed brighter.  He blinked a bit, not used to seeing it grow so intensely and the brightness of the sun being overtaken only made him realize just how intense it truly was.  His hand moved from the back of his head as did the one at his own chest, wanting to bring them to his eyes to rub away the slight burn he felt but before he could he felt fast movement in the water.  

Long arms wrapped around him quickly and his eyes opened wide as the other pressed against him.  Personal space.  Personal space.  He’d tried to go over it with him as much as he could over the last few weeks about personal space and while he could understand his excitement at knowing he had a new place to call home, he was still naked…and wet, and heated from water, and pressed very very closely to him.  He swallowed down, his face filling with warmth that had nothing to do with the hot spring as he slowly, carefully, wrapped his arms back around him.

This was…different.  He’d been barred from any form of relationship with women since childhood, even friendships were kept monitored, but they’d never touched down on men and it seemed to make that area much more…delicate.  It also left his mind to wander in that direction as he grew, seeing as it appeared to be the only safe option he would have for a while, and now this very friendly, very…very naked and attractive young man was pressed against him.  

He slowly breathed out, eyes closing, “Y-Yes…well, there you see?  Nothing to worry yourself about.  I wish you would have told me sooner that this was bothering you…”  His voice quieted and his arms gently wrapped more around him.

Naota’s cautious movements as he returned the embrace was electric to the touch. It tickles… Nemu shivered and laughed, tightening his own grip around his friend as he pressed closer. It was unreal, just how much happiness could come from such a short few moments. Home was no longer so far away, a distant cluster of memories that remained in the past. Home was here, now, filled with wonders and endless curiosities and a warm, friendly embrace that let him know he would never again be so alone.

But he still had a long way to go. Nemu curled his fingers against Naota’s back, humming lightly to himself as his face grew flush from embarrassment. Speaking, communicating, was one of those things. This wasn’t the first time his lackluster vocal prowess had caused his friend some concern or bother. He was so often lost in his own inner thoughts, until he met Naota there hadn’t been much reason to speak out loud. But being able to explain, to understand - it was a foreign feeling to know someone was curious to hear his thoughts. Nemu lifted his head to face his friend ”I am sorry…”

They were close. He was quickly distracted by the sudden proximity, taking the rare opportunity to scan the smaller details of Naota’s face. His dark hair was wet, somehow, though Nemu was certain his head had not entered the water - yet the dark brown tips clung to the man’s tanned skin in curious little swirls and twists. How? In their time together, Naota had proven he had many abilities that were definitely not common to the peoples here. He could turn invisible, travel great distances by blinking, and his eyes. They could and would change color at a moment’s notice, not to mention the glowing. He was absolutely fascinating, but entirely a mystery - Naota would explain anything and everything Nemu could possibly ask about his newfound home, but the man wasn’t the type to talk about himself much.

”But, you too.” he tilted his head slightly, looking straight into the other’s eyes ”You tell me, too.”

This was close.  Very very close.  Enough that he could make out each individual star in the other’s eyes and he tried to focus on that rather than their very…intimate proximity.  Perhaps going to a hot spring hadn’t been the wisest decision, though really he hadn’t expected this type of interaction.  Dealing with Nemu’s lack of physical boundaries was easy while they were both clothed and dry on land but in this type of place, not so much.  Over the past few months that the two had spent with one another they’d grown close, and while it felt almost familial he couldn’t deny the rush of hormonal urges.

This was bad.  So much time had been spent on keeping him basically in chastity towards women that they’d never focused on how to deal with such things when it came to men.  And that near monk like abstinence for so long made the build-up that much stronger.  The only physical, well, anything that he had done with a person had been with Holly, but that was before their…predicament.  That whole flurry wasn’t helping either.  Life had been an emotional hurricane for the past year and he wondered if this was why his family was always so cautious about getting involved in the goings on of deities.

His attention was brought back by Nemu’s request and he nodded, that was all he could do for he hardly trusted any type of verbal response right now.  Even as he was thinking of the many reasons why anything physical he did could come back negatively, his hand still moved up to gently hold the back of his head.  He swallowed down, trying not to get too distracted by how his soaked through hair felt between his fingers and failing miserably at it.  …time to get out of the water.  Yet he didn’t move, his voice quieted though, 

“How are you so…comfortable?”  His eyes followed a single drop of condensation as it rolled down the line of his neck and he instantly regretted it.  He quickly returned his gaze to his face, though the green of his eyes soon faded and was replaced with a light lavender.   Y-Yes, time to get out of the water.

He watched as his friend’s eyes trailed down then up, returning a pale shade of purple instead of the brilliant green they were just moments before. Lavender. He couldn’t recall having seen the color before. Something was odd.


The way he had asked the simple question, it was unusually quiet for his friend. Was Naota… not comfortable? Maybe the heat of the healing waters was starting to bother him - the two had been in the pool for some time and the heat coming off the man’s body was feeling hot. But he made no moves to exit, rather the hand that had slipped to the back of the little star’s head would suggest an intent to stay put.


Then what? Those pale eyes and unsure voice - There was something bothering his friend, and he found himself at a loss for a response. Nemu reached up, placing a hand on either side of Naota’s face and gently pulling down until their foreheads were touching while a smile began to spread.

At first when he didn’t answer he felt his stomach twist.  Had bringing attention to this…less than normal scenario made it worse?  His eyes widened and his face filled with heat as he internally cursed himself.  Nemu was different, usually he was able to keep from drawing too much attention to that fact and his fingers curled ever so slightly in his hair as did his hand that was resting in the water.  Some things with him were just going to have to be different, and though they’d spent a good amount of time with one another over the last few months, it still wasn’t enough to learn everything.  After all, he’d only just discovered today where he’d come from.

But when he felt his hands on his face two things happened: the first was that he instantly began to straighten and caught himself before his moves could get too sharp; the second was the almost instant lack of thought.  Though there was confusion, yes, plenty of that.  Touch, a lot of touch, a different type of touch.  His instincts told him to push him, get up and away, teleport even –though there was slight risk of bringing him with him since he’d done so often lately, and there was so much physical contact to aid in that- but he didn’t.

If anything he felt a wave of calm when his head was pulled towards his, having their foreheads press, and his eyes slowly closed.  Yes, a very different type of touch.  It was light, and there was an intimacy to it that he couldn’t quite place yet very badly craved, and before he could stop himself he gently tipped his head and pressed his lips to his.

What is this? Nemu’s eyes went wide from the unexpected move. This, this gesture, it had happened before, but… this time was different. Absolutely, entirely different. This one, this was soft. Kind and gentle, the warm skin of his friend pressed against sensitive flesh and surging that electric feeling from being so intensely close to someone so incredibly kind. It tickles…

He smiled behind the kiss, holding still as long as he could. Being this close, this close - he could see the way Naota’s eyelashes fanned out around the closed lid, he could feel the raw structure of his face beneath his hands, the breath against his skin. It was overwhelming, and Nemu was overtaken by a need to laugh.

His body was abuzz, glow burning bright when he broke the kiss to fall into a fit of laughter. Nemu pulled Naota forward, pressing the side of their faces together and still clinging tight for fear that the other man might leave from the broken contact. This feeling, this joy this warmth - overwhelming and addictive. Nemu pushed forward when the laughter subsided, quickly returning the kiss with enthusiasm and a little less grace than Naota had initially.