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City lights twinkled in the distance, the sounds of cars sounding like murmurs from the top floor of the hotel. Light flowed out of the window, into the darkness that blanketed the city.
“Art, how much money did you spend on this hotel?” Nice sighed as he stepped away from the window, throwing himself onto the bed.
“Don’t worry about it,” Art smiled. “You need a break.”
“You need one too,” Nice retorted. “You’ve been having less sleep than me. Shut up, I can tell.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“I know,” Nice chucked a pillow at where Art was standing, the other catching the pillow easily.
“You deserve a break,” Art rephrased. “You’ve been working extremely hard.”
Nice opened his mouth to respond, but Art cut him off. “Do you feel like swimming?”
“...Swimming…” Nice repeated, toying with his headphones. “What?”
“Swimming,” Art smiled.
“Uh,” Nice frowned, confused. “Sure? There are pools open right now?”
“There happens to be one,” Art responded vaguely. “Let’s go.”
Letting Art lead the way, Nice followed the other through the maze that was the hotel. After taking what seemed like a thousand turns, they got onto an elevator. It was quiet as the elevator moved upwards, jolting to a stop on a different floor. “A hotel pool,” Nice mused to himself. “I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“I think you will like it,” Art continued to walk, smiling.
Eventually, the two of them stopped in front of the pool entrance, barred by glass doors that could easily be pushed open. Nice pushed the door lightly, the door opening inwards and letting the smell of chlorine wash over his senses. “It’s a pool alright,” Nice commented.
“This pool is different from most ones that you see in hotels,” Art explained. “You can go outside and look at the city.”
“What?” Nice shook his head. “Go outside?”
“Yeah, I’ll show you.”
The two of them changed into swimwear, folding their normal clothes neatly and placing it into a locker. Nice shivered at the coldness of the night air, but the pool water was warm and it was easy for him to settle in.
The two of them waded out to what seemed to be a wall, but Art pushed past the small curtain and ducked under, his hair brushing against the surface of the water.
“Here, look,” Art turned around, seeing Nice follow him.
Below them, lights flickered like stars in the night sky, streets illuminated by lamps and cars passing like ants. A cold breeze blew through, causing Nice to subconsciously lower himself into the water, leaving only his face above the surface. “It’s so cold,” he complained, shivering.
“Ah, it’s better to come here during the noon time, but usually there are too many people,” Art apologized. “Would you like to go back?”
“It’s okay,” Nice smiled. “We can stay out a little bit longer. The view really is nice up here.”
Art was silent as he folded his arms on top of the glass edge, looking at the city in the distance. “I remember when the two of us… and Skill… wanted to look at the world from the highest skyscraper,” Art said suddenly. “And I jumped off the building after I tried to destroy Ego. I had no more will to live.”
“Art?” Nice shifted over to where Art was standing.
“I wonder what it would be like if I didn’t survive,” Art sighed.
For a moment, only the sound of rushing water could be heard. Then, the sound of a slap across the face. Art blinked in surprise, moving to press his hand against his cheek where he had just been slapped.
“Art, we talked about this before,” Nice frowned. “You know you survived because of Skill, right? He’s telling you to live! You can’t just abandon his wish so you can go off and die on your own. Remember? I’m not going to let you die, alright? Get rid of those thoughts! You’re better than that!”
Nice stopped, his shoulders heaving from his sudden outburst. Art stared at Nice for a moment before laughing. “You’re right,” he said between laughs. “You’re absolutely right.”
Art leaned sideways, resting his head on Nice’s shoulder. “I have a will to live now… a reason to live.”
“What is it?”
“You.”
“Art…” Nice let out a breath. “You’re so shameless.”
“Hm,” Art hummed, closing his eyes. “It’s just me being honest.”
Nice turned to press a kiss to Art’s forehead, moving to intertwine their hands below the surface of the water. “You know, we should head back inside. We’re going to get sick.”
“You’re right. It wouldn’t be much of a vacation if you were to spend it sick.”
The two of them made their way back inside, towelling themselves dry before switching back to their normal clothes. “Hey, Art,” Nice called for the other as he put his headphones around his neck. “I know the past was… hard and difficult, but I’m here now, okay? You can trust me.”
Art smiled slightly. “Thank you,” he let out a breath. “Let’s go back to our room.”
“Hey, you should come to Cafe Nowhere after we go back,” Nice kicked his legs up, lying on the hotel bed. “I’m sure the others would love to see you.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Art sighed. “I did try to kill you.”
“But that’s in the past, it doesn’t really matter now. Besides, I want you to come. Isn’t that a good enough of a reason?”
“Is your reason just that you want me to go?”
“Yeah,” Nice admitted. “But, it’s not like you’d turn me down, right?”
“Hm.”
“What does that mean?”
“Maybe.”
“Geh, why not? What’s stopping you?”
“Nice… I’m literally a murderer. Why would Hamatora want a murderer within ten feet of them? That’s not good public service.”
“Well, I’m here,” Nice retorted. “And I want you here. I want you to stay with me. You aren’t the past you; you’ve changed, haven’t you? There are things you can’t undo, but you can change your future.”
“You’re becoming so poetic,” Art smiled. “I’ll think about it.”
“Great,” Nice grinned. “But, I’m also serious. If you need to talk about anything, I’m here for you. You better remember that before you go jumping off another building.”
“I will,” Art responded, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.