The turnstiles clicked back into place behind them. Kyle fell a couple of steps behind and took a short breath.
That familiar scent of saltwater hit him immediately.
People wandered through the aquarium at a leisurely pace, though there weren't many of them. Soft blue light enveloped their silhouettes.
Just like then, it was cool inside. The sounds he knew almost too well — footsteps, echoes of voices, children's laughter or crying — now surrounded him in reality instead of pressing in from memory.
A tall figure stopped ahead. Darren turned and looked at Kyle with a slight frown. Then he tilted his head to the side.
"Coming?"
Kyle could read the word on his lips, but he couldn't hear it.
Darren took a step, already about to go back for him. But Kyle blinked slowly, gave a brief nod, and closed the distance himself.
Together they drifted with the slow-moving crowd past towering aquariums. In some, small, colorful fish left trails of bubbles; in others, larger ones stirred up small waves.
Mesmerized, Kyle kept slowing down, stopping every few moments. Darren waited without a word, giving him time to take it all in.
Kyle stopped once again beside one of the largest aquariums — one stretched upward into the ceiling, a heavy curtain of water suspended above their heads by nothing more than thick glass.
He raised his head and stopped blinking.
A shark swam slowly overhead, every movement radiating quiet confidence.
Kyle watched its gills open and close, its tail sweeping through the water, sending currents around. Its powerful body passed menacingly above them, as though it were hovering.
It seemed completely indifferent to the people beneath it. They, on the other hand, watched it closely.
Or so Kyle thought.
At some point, Darren lost interest in the shark and looked away. He found something more interesting.
A strange shiver ran through Kyle's body — whether from the cold or something else — and he looked back at the water.
Another second, and their eyes would have met.
For some reason, the shark no longer held Kyle's attention either. His focus had shifted — to the eyes watching it from beside him.
Dark and pale blue light shimmered in Darren's eyes. Though to Kyle, it almost seemed the other way around — as if it was the blue of his eyes reflected in the water.
Darren looked at him again, and Kyle quickly looked away. He gave a small shake of his head, slipped both hands into his pockets, and drew in a quiet breath through his nose.
"Shall we keep going?" Darren asked.
Kyle smiled faintly and nodded.
For another hour — maybe even two — they wandered through the halls, past brightly colored fish, swaying seaweed, smooth rocks, and water. Lots of water.
Neither of them spoke, both lost in their own thoughts. Neither kept track of time — and neither wanted to.
Eventually, the towering aquariums gave way to lower glass barriers and open pools. They had reached the marine mammal hall.
Fur seals lounged on their backs, occasionally patting their bellies with lazy flippers. Penguins waddled back and forth in small groups, while others happily ate fish.
Kyle couldn't stop smiling at the adorable animals with the open, sincere look in their eyes.
Suddenly, Darren stopped.
Distracted by a pair of penguins playing together, Kyle bumped into Darren's back. But he immediately stepped back, rubbing his nose before looking up at him.
Darren stood with his arms folded across his chest, staring ahead with a thoughtful, almost puzzled expression. He propped his chin on one hand and narrowed his eyes, his gaze growing even more serious.
He let out a quiet hum. Then his lips curved into a smile — and laughter filled the space around them.
Kyle frowned and followed Darren's gaze. Otters were swimming in the pool ahead. One of them — a lighter, fluffier one — was floating on its back, playing with a small ball on its belly.
"What's so funny?" Kyle asked.
"That otter… ha-ha—" Darren tried, but couldn't get the words out.
Kyle's frown deepened. Out of habit, he clasped his hands together and began fiddling with his fingers.
Darren took a deep breath through his nose, then exhaled sharply. He ran his hands over his slightly flushed face.
Kyle waited patiently, still watching the playful otter.
"Whew," Darren finally began. "That otter. See it? The one with the ball."
"Yeah?"
"It looks way too much like you."
Darren looked at Kyle and smiled softly. Kyle, on the other hand, frowned even harder, staring intently at the otter.
"...What?"
After a few more seconds, his expression finally softened. He rolled his eyes.
"It doesn't look anything like me," he said seriously.
"I disagree," Darren replied without hesitation. "Give it a game controller instead of the ball, take it out of the water and put it on a bed—" he laughed, "—and that's literally you."
"..."
Darren glanced at the otter, then at Kyle — and burst out laughing again.
Kyle sighed. Then a smile spread across his face.
Seriously? I look like an otter?
A moment later, he laughed too.
"Fine. An otter it is," Kyle said once they'd both calmed down. "Think whatever you want."
"What about me?" Darren was still smiling broadly.
"What about you?"
"If you had to compare me to one of the animals here... which one would it be?"
Kyle looked slightly surprised. But being who he was, he took the question seriously.
"Hm..."
He lifted his eyes toward the ceiling.
Nearly a full minute passed in silence before he finally answered:
"A shark. A whitetip reef shark."
Darren blinked.
"Whoa. Didn't see that coming," a small laugh escaped him. "Why a shark? And why that one in particular?"
"Why…?"
Kyle fell quiet and looked away, lost in thought again.
"Heh. No particular reason," he finally replied. "Just... a shark. That's all."
For a split second, Darren frowned in confusion — then the corners of his lips lifted into a smile again.
"A shark, then," he murmured. "Alright. A shark it is. A whitetip reef shark."
Their eyes met. They didn't say a word. The silence between them felt surprisingly natural. Nearly a minute passed before Kyle finally looked away.
Darren glanced at the otter again, now swimming with the others.
"Want to grab something to eat?"
"Sure," Kyle mumbled.
He quietly followed after Darren, head down. He could feel his cheeks burning and absolutely didn't want Darren to notice.