By the time Alban arrives at their meet up spot, Sonny has already spent thirty minutes feigning casual indifference. Leaning against a telephone pole may look “cool” and “suave” in theory, but it’s actually hella uncomfortable. Not to mention some lady with three kids almost ran over his foot with a stroller. Thankfully, Sonny Brisko is completely unaffected and unbothered, as one is when waiting for their much anticipated date after arriving too early. So what if he spent forever glued to the screen of his phone so as to not make eye contact with anyone? That’s between him and God. And by God, he means the unnerving eyes of the krill on the humongous ad pasted to the side of the aquarium, advertising their latest exhibit.

 

“Hi!” Alban says when he dashes over. His cheeks are slightly flushed in the cold weather, and Sonny resists the urge to touch him with his frozen hands. “Did you wait long?”

 

“No,” Sonny lies. “I just got here.”

 

Alban smiles, his eyes curving into happy crescents. “Then let’s go get our tickets!”

 

“Ah. I already got both of our tickets earlier,” Sonny says. At least this part of the plan is going smoothly.

 

You see, Sonny may have exaggerated earlier by calling this a “date” when in reality it’s simply a hangout between two bros. Absolutely platonic and no homo.

 

Except Sonny desperately wants it to be full homo. He’s been trying in vain to confess for months, ever since he acknowledged his feelings for Alban. Somehow, his attempts always get sidetracked, from Luca randomly inviting himself to running into other people mid-hangout and getting absorbed into the larger group. Sonny is starting to think that God (the krill) hates him and wants him to be alone, but then Alban invites him to the aquarium.

 

So here they are, being ushered through the line and into the building. It’s been years since Sonny last visited, and he’s amazed to find the ceiling of the entrance hall covered with jellyfish decorations. Gusts of air from the doors make the jellyfish arms eb and flow, captivating him.

 

“Alban, check this out! Are you looking?” Sonny says, spinning around to find Alban smiling at him.

 

“I am,” Alban says but doesn’t glance at the decorations at all. When a little kid stumbles into Sonny’s leg and pushes him forward, Alban slips his hand into Sonny’s and tugs him out of the line of fire. “Come on, let’s start over here!”

 

They begin in the freshwater area, marveling at swarms of colorful fish in wall-length tanks. Alban keeps asking Sonny to identify common breeds, and Sonny is happy to oblige until he notices a group of kids listening in on their conversation. Sonny can’t tell if he’s showing off or just sounds like an aquatic otaku, but Alban doesn’t seem to mind.

 

The path leads them to the underwater ocean tunnel, and Sonny nearly loses his mind when a nurse shark swims directly over their head. Krill-sama must be favoring Sonny for once, because the shark hangs around long enough for them to take silly selfies with it. In a particularly funny photo, Sonny is posing like he’s being eaten.

 

By some stroke of luck, it’s also Octopus Week. They get to watch the aquarium divers swim with an octopus in the window and attend an octopus weigh in. There’s even a new exhibit for the dwarf color changing cuttlefish. Sonny is so fascinated by it all that he feels almost spoiled. This is supposed to be a day catered to Alban!

 

“Sorry,” Sonny starts to say. “We can move on to the next exhibit.”

 

“No, I’m having fun!” Alban insists. “Tell me about their natural predators again!”

 

Sonny genuinely can’t tell if Alban is serious. The natural predator-prey cycle of mollusks can’t be that interesting, even if Alban keeps asking him questions. At some point Sonny realizes Alban has an uncanny interest in tentacles and abruptly redirects them elsewhere.

 

At the touchpool, Alban squirms after brushing a seastar. Just to be mean, Sonny covers Alban’s hand with his and moves them over the wet leatherlike surface.

 

“Nooo!” Alban yells as he tries to pull away, but Sonny just grips him tighter until they’re both laughing. Unfortunately, an employee comes over and asks them to handle the touchpool with care. They quickly apologize and beat a hasty retreat to the hand washing area, where Alban and Sonny both squeeze under one faucet. It’s a little intimate, but this was the only one available and Sonny doesn’t want to hold up the line okay!

 

By the time they get to the gift shop, the crowd has died down. Alban picks out some magnets and postcards while Sonny peruses the plushies aisle. What he really wants is a sushi-themed fish, but he supposes that’s not really appropriate. He’s still deep in thought when something thick and textured brushes against his neck. Sonny nearly knocks into the shelves until Alban pulls him into a hug and half laughs, half gasps out, “It’s me!”

 

It is just Alban, but with an uncanny looking squid wrapped around him. One hand is holding the tentacle he used to jumpscare Sonny. “I’ll stop, I’ll stop,” Alban says, even though he’s still grinning.

 

Sonny hasn’t checked the weather for today, so he’s surprised when they step outside to find layers of snow covering everything. Thick fluffy snowflakes descend from the skies, engulfing them in a world of white. A group of people are taking photos of the giant sea lion statue.

 

“Wow,” Alban says, with a clump of snow gathering on top of his head. “Let’s go play! Come on, I think there’s a park around here!” True to his words, there is a small park a few blocks away already filled with kids. While Alban takes photos on his phone, Sonny gets an idea for revenge. He quickly grabs a handful of snow and slips it down the back of Alban’s sweater.

 

“ACK! Sonnyyyy!!!!”

 

“An eye for an eye, Alban!” Sonny goads proudly. “Thou shall not prank Sanni without getting pranked in return! It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth—” He stops upon getting a snowball to the nose.

 

Sonny manages to wipe the ice off his face in time to catch Alban sticking his tongue out at him. “Oh I see how it is,” Sonny says before striking back.

 

This somehow devolves into a massive snowball fight with multiple strangers involved. It’s cold and messy and extremely chaotic. Sonny tries not to go too hard against a group of small children, but then finds himself on the receiving end of relentless attack from tiny hands. He’s saved only when the kids find a new mutual enemy in someone else, by which point Sonny’s hair is already half wet.

 

Then another snowball hits him in the back. Sonny spins around to find Alban wiggling his fingers at him, and then the chase is on. They dash past the playground before Sonny manages to tackle Alban into the ground, both of them going down cackling.

 

“You’re under arrest for being naughty!” Sonny shouts when he pushes Alban underneath him, his hand bracketing Alban on both sides.

 

Alban peers up, his mouth red and open. “Oh? What are you gonna do to me?”

 

The angle makes Sonny freeze. From this close, he can see Alban’s wet eyelashes and the puff of warm breath he blows into the air. Alban’s now messy brown hair is pillowed by the snow, and his sweater rides up scandalously high on his torso.

 

Sonny feels faint with anticipation. A sense of purpose overcomes him. “Alban, I—”

 

“Yeah?” Alban asks, tilting his head.

 

“I…” Sonny starts to say. “You— I mean. I—” It’s then that Karma Krill decides to punish him for his hubris, because Sonny abruptly sneezes on Alban’s face.

 

A moment passes. Alban stares up at Sonny in disbelief. “Oh,” he says quietly, almost as a whisper.

 

“Ohmygod I’m sorry!” Sonny begins wiping Alban’s face. His hands are cold from building snowballs and make Alban shriek. “I’m so sorry, I’m gonna krill myself—”

 

Alban reaches down and pulls Sonny into a hug, laughing the entire time. Then he nuzzles against Sonny’s cheeks.

 

“Ew!!” Sonny wheezes out.

 

“This is your snot, Sonny!”

 

“Noooo!”

 

They eventually manage to untangle from each other. The chill is starting to seep into Sonny’s clothes, and he finds himself sneezing again. Miraculously, there’s a cafe nearby that’s not too crowded. Alban manages to snatch a table by the radiator.

 

It’s nice. The seats are comfy, the drinks are good, and the holiday music adds another layer of warmth to Sonny’s mood. The shop already has a Christmas tree set up. The lights twinkle faintly and hypnotizingly, luring Sonny into closing his eyes.

 

“Boo!” A voice jolts Sonny out of his slumber. Alban laughs as he slides into the booth, having returned from using the restroom. Then he leans in and abruptly short circuits Sonny’s brain. “You got some whipped cream from the hot chocolate there.”

 

Sonny just stares. Outside, the snow is starting to fall heavier.

 

“Tired already? We can head back if you want!” Alban suggests. It is getting a little late. They make quick work of finishing their drinks and cleaning up the table. The cafe is only a few blocks away from Sonny’s place, but Alban doesn’t complain when Sonny offers to walk him to the bus stop. Together, they tread through the slush in companionable silence.

 

Yet, something still weighs on Sonny’s mind.

 

Sonny likes Alban. He likes Alban so much that sometimes he feels almost crazy. It terrified him in the beginning, the way Alban brings so much joy and color to his life. His feelings are so heavy and full that they’re constantly threatening to overflow. Sonny wants it to be reciprocated so desperately, yet he fears what would happen if Alban didn’t feel the same way. This is the reason he’s held his tongue for so long, but with every passing day he becomes more and more torn.

 

Despite the fun they’ve had today, Sonny can’t help but feel a little disappointed for not being able to confess again.

 

They’re already at the bus stop when Alban pauses to look at a new notification on his phone. For some reason, the sight of Alban’s back makes Sonny’s frustrations bubble up. So Sonny steps forward and pulls Alban into a back hug.

 

“Sonny?” Alban asks slowly after Sonny buries his face in the crook of Alban’s neck. “You okay?” When Sonny makes a garbled noise, Alban laughs and reaches to pet his head. “What’s up?”

 

Sonny inhales. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.” Then his voice gets caught in his throat.

 

A hum follows. “It’s okay. Take your time.”

 

Sonny is tired of taking his time. His grip around Alban’s waist tightens a little, almost possessively. He’s gonna tell Alban today or die trying. “I like you.”

 

“Aw, I like you too!”

 

“No! Not like that. I mean—I like you. Romantically. I wanted today to be a date.”

 

Alban is quiet for a moment. Then slowly, he wiggles until they’re face to face. Sonny would’ve died of embarrassment already if not for Alban’s grin. Then Alban says, “I wanted today to be a date too! Well, technically, I’ve been thinking of our hangouts as dates for a while.”

 

Sonny’s mouth opens. Then closes. Then he tries again. “Hah?! You like me?”

 

“Yes, silly!” Alban nods happily in response.

 

Unbelievable. So it’s not just Sonny? Alban has also been waiting for their relationship to progress? The last of Sonny’s brain to mouth filter erodes, so he accidentally says that part out loud.

 

This just makes Alban laugh. “Well, I had an inkling, but I wanted to hear you confess.”

 

Sonny deflates a little. “Sorry for making you wait so long.”

 

“Don’t be sorry. It was worth the wait,” Alban says in that charming, cheerful way of his that always soothes Sonny’s anxiety. Sonny never wants to let go. They stay hugging and ignore the other people gathering at the bus stop, lost in their own little world. Eventually, Alban says, “My bus is coming.”

 

“Don’t go,” Sonny whines.

 

A gloved hand reaches to pat Sonny on the head. “Then what should I do? Stand here with you until we both become snowmen?”

 

“Come back with me,” Sonny insists quickly, feeling his face heat up. “I mean—I just want to spend more time with you.” It’s true. He doesn’t have any ulterior motives. Sonny just wants to talk to and hug Alban some more.

 

Alban seems to understand. He leans in to plant a loud kiss on Sonny’s nose. Then he suddenly lets go and sprints in the direction of Sonny’s apartment. “Ok! Winner gets there first!”

 

Stunned, Sonny just watches for a second before his body kicks into high gear. The end of Alban’s scarf trails behind him playfully, and Sonny resists using it to tug Alban back. Now that he’s had a taste of victory, he wouldn’t mind chasing after Alban forever.