TORPEDO ✓

arthur rimbaud & paul verlaine?

GIO DOESN'T GET TO FINISH his sentence because he is cut off by Dorian who throws his arms around his taller neck. Dorian buries his face inside his collarbone and siphons Giovanni's fruity scent to fill his lungs.

"Thank you, for everything," Dorian breathes.

"It is 2022 and people still say thank you?"

Giovanni can swear he can't be satisfied being this close to Dorian. But they're in swimming trunks; Dorian in tight shorts while he's in a spandex onesie. Their crotches are pecking just by a bare inch. Last thing he wants is getting a boner around the school's swimming team, in the school's pool.

Awkwardly, Gio removes from the hug, appraising the confused look shadowing Dorian's face before the latter shakes it off.

"But come to think of it, you've barely gotten off suspension and already bashing skulls in. I heard you have some bullies a good beatdown around the block for messing with you."

"So?"

"Don't 'so' me." Gio flicks his forehead and gets a soft yelp from the other boy. "That's not very Dorian Ayuba of you."

"Well, don't blame me. I'm in my Taylor Swift's reputation era." Dorian swerves in front of Gio like some four-year-old showing off her art project to her mom. Dorian spins on his heel before resting in a ta-da posture.

Gio's eyes scour him from head to toe, judgement flashing across those eyes, only for a jiffy, before finishing with a nod. That wasn't the reaction Dorian expects.

Dorian purses his lips and looks down at the pool beside him and his aquamarine reflection looks back at him. Apart from choosing extra tight swimming shorts that will give a pretty view of his ass, Dorian dyed his hair blue and made it in short dreads, to impress Giovanni. Does Gio think he's starting a phase? Or does Gio feel pity and responsibility for him?

That's like, so far-fetched right? The normal Gio would have flirted to hell and back, and even threatened to ride his face right here, right now.

Gio folds his arms and pushes his hip to an end. "Since when did you of all people listen to Taylor Swift?"

Wrong response. "Oh."

It's like the forces of fates took a needle and jammed it into a balloon, which is Dorian's self-esteem at the moment. He deflates, his lips twitching as he tries to gain his composure.

Dorian shoots back. "The real question is: since when are strong alpha males not allowed to have taste?"

"Good point." Gio nods, comically placing his chin on his hand.

Dorian guesses they have developed in a way. Although, he's not a fan of them exchanging roles. Gio should be the one pushing it towards him and Dory slyly declining with either "no homo" or "bro that's gay".

"And by strong alpha males, I mean there's only one between us two." Dorian flits his index towards Gio and back. "The other is a bitch."

"On what basis is that, bro?" Gio muses, throwing his limbs out already in a brief workout session. They can hear the whistle calling for tryout reverberating through the water and large hall.

"The Dorio Scale."

Yeah, that's it. Dorian is going to test how long Gio can keep up with this straight act. Because, it's unacceptable. He's already three months late from being a "bro".

Gio blinks for a moment before it dawns on him. One second, he's blushing pink. The second, he has wiped it off with a weirded-out countenance. "A ship name? So juvenile."