The One That Understands Me | A Zanvis FF [COMPLETE]

Chapter XXXXVI - Water

~Travis's PoV~

I'm nervous.
   "Are you sure you got everything where it's supposed to be?" I say into the phone for about the third time this call.
   "Yes, and I'm about to make sure there's some relaxing coconut oil or something 'cause you sound like you need it." Dante responds, his voice merged with the slight static coming from my phone.
   "Well, yeah. Today's the day. I want it go perfectly." I sigh, grabbing my keys from the coffee table.
   "Aw, you have such a heart of gold. But no seriously, dude. Everything is in its place. If you do your part correctly then it'll go smoothly." There's some noises and sharp thuds coming from his end, so I assume he's moving around a bit. "Look, you go ask him out, and I'll call Aphmau right now to make sure she's finished with her part.
   "Hey Dante, thank you. I haven't said that to you yet. And I've been nothing but irritable." I say my thank-you's as I lock my door and stuffing the keys back in my pocket.
   "Ah, dont mention it, bud. I mean, what are friends for? I just hope you have a good time and I wish ya good luck."
   "Thanks. Well, this is where I gotta leave you." I'm almost to his front door. "I'm almost there."
   "Alright. See you later. And one more thing, don't you dare back out of this now." His voice changed to a more demanding one by the end.
   "I wont, I promise."
   "Good. 'Cause both me and Aphmau have been waiting for this ship to sail and we are so close."
   "Oh, so you're only helping me out so your ship can sail?" I say, my voice brimmed with fake hurt. In reality a smile is tugging at me lips.
   "Oh shut up. Don't be a dumbass, I want you to be happy, you prick. I'm your friend." He says, insulting me but I know it's all in good fun.
   A laugh escapes my lips, and I quiet myself down since I'm right outside their house.
   "Okay okay, I gotta go, for real. See ya!" I say finally into the phone.
   "Bye!" The call ends.
   Oookay, Travis. You can do this. You got this.
   I ring the doorbell. I wait.
   The doorknob jiggles for all few seconds before I'm met with blue eyes and blonde hair.
   "Oh, well hello Travis! What brings you around?" Garroth flashes me a smile, as he casually leans on the door frame.
   "Oh. Well, I was just, uhh, hoping I could see Zane." I say, trying to hide my nervousness. It doesn't entirely work.
"Oh, ok! Let me call him down." He turns around, and yells, "Zane! Travis is here to see you!" Then he turns back to me. "Soo... why do you want to see my baby brother?"
   Shit.
   He's onto me.
   "Um, n-no reason." Damn my stupid stutter.
   "No reason, eh?" He raises a brow and narrows his eyes. "Then why has he been going to your house almost every day for the past week?"
   "B-Baking?" I state, although it comes out as more of a question.
   "Travis.." he gruffs, getting closer to me.
Oh Enki, why does he have to be taller than me?
   "Look, I don't know what you two have been doing. But if you think that for a second--"
   "Oh, hi Travis!" Zane says, coming down from the stairs. I let out a somewhat shaky breath, not knowing I was holding one. "Garroth, are you threatening him for some reason?" Zane says narrowing his eyes and glaring at Garroth.
   "Wh-what? Of course not! Wh-what makes you think so?"
   At least Garroth is still definitely the stutter king.
   "Mm-hmm." Zane hums, signifying he doesn't really believe Garroth, but is not going to further question it. "Well anyways," he begins to walk to me, "what did you want?"
    He's staring at me with those crystal sky blue eyes...
   I clear my throat.
   "Well, I wanted to know if you'd accompany me somewhere." I say simply. I can't ask him out on a date right in front of Garroth. He'd flip.
   "Sure. Like where?" He asks.
   "Uhhm.. it's a surprise." I smile, somewhat smugly as I lean forward to stand on my tippy toes to try and contain my excitement.
   "Oh. Okay then. Let's go." Zane doesn't ask me any other questions, and walks out the door.
   "Woah woah woah, I'd like to know where you're taking my baby brother," Garroth butts in.
   "But then it won't be a surprise." I whine, using that as a last resort.
   "I mean you could just tell me in my ear so he won't hear--"
   "Ugh, Garroth just let it be." Zane huffs, turning around once to face him, and turning back to look away from the door. "C'mon, Trav." He stomps away from his house, me following him like a lost puppy.
   Garroth walks back inside, mumbling something and closing the door behind him. I turn back to Zane and keep walking.
   "Ugh. Honestly I just don't understand why he still sometimes treats me like I'm still a kid." The male ahead of me says, crossing his arms.
   "Well, he you are still his younger brother. He just wants to protect you, and he doesn't want to see you hurt." I try and reason with him.
   Zane sighs, probably taking into consideration what I just said.
   "Well anyways," he speaks, changing the subject. "What do you want to show me? I know that whole surprise thing was a cover up."
   "Nope, I can't tell you. It actually is a surprise." I say, smiling goofily.
   "Oh c'mon Trav tell me." He almost whines.
   "Nope!" I pop the p. "Just... okay, I'll be abrupt. Wanna go on another date with me?" I look at him hopefully.
His eye lights up, but he quickly shifts, looking to the right and blocking my view of his face.
   "Sure."
   "Yay! Okay let's go!" I cheer, pulling Zane to my car.
   "Wait, right now?" He asks.
   "No, next Tuesday." I say sarcastically. "Of course today, now come on!" I pull him next to my car, urging him to get in. He gives me a sort of confused and hesitant look, but gets in anyways. I jump into my car, and put the key into the ignition, the car rumbling to life.
   Okay, first destination: Red Lobster. I heard Zane loves seafood, and I do too, so I thought why not. Although, it was more of Dante's idea, to take him out to a restaurant, and Aphmau added that Zane enjoys seafood. And after that... after we get places into a romantic scene, I'll ask.
We drive into the parking lot, and I see Zane's visible eye light up for the second time today.
   "How did you know I like seafood?" He asks.
   "I know my ways." I say coolly.
   "Aphmau?"
   "Yep."
   We get out of the car, and go to the front desk to be seated.
   "I hope you're hungry." I say as we go to our table after a bit of waiting.
   "Ugh, I'm actually starving." He replies, "I was just too lazy to get out of bed."
   "Oh but you took no time to get out of bed when you heard I came to get you." I say, smirking.
   "Well I was already leaving my bed when you got here."
   "Sure, say what'cha need to." I say, my smirk now bigger. He scoffed, but it quickly turns into a soft chuckle, like he was remembering something from long ago.
   We order, and the food came quickly. Zane's plate consists of different types of shrimp: fried shrimp, breaded shrimp, lemon and butter shrimp, all that jazz. I just have a few fried fish fillets with a side of fries. And a bit of salad.
   The meal is eaten over some small chit chat, and a couple flirts here and there. He didn't back down, and neither did I until one of us starts laughing, and the other soon joins in too. Lunch is quickly over, although it's pretty late to call it lunch. It's around five now, almost six, so it's the perfect time for what I have planned next.
   I pay for the meal, with Zane insisting, but I do anyway. If I take him out, I'll pay.
   "Alright, c'mon, there's one more place." I say, dragging him out of the restaurant, hands locked, fingers intertwined. He smiles, as his mask was off from eating, and I do hope that he keeps it off.
   "There's more?" He says, arching an eyebrow.
   "Oh, this is the fun part! Get in." I let his hand go, sad at the loss of his warm touch, but continue anyway. I drive out of the parking lot, and go to a type of lake place, where you can rent a small boat like a canoe, but they have a variety. They even have gondolas, and that's the one I'm going to rent. I read that on their website that they have bigger boats, and the canoe types have two different sizes. I'm going to get a smaller one just for Zane and I. You can also get assistance by asking for someone to row the boat for you, but I don't think we'll need that.
   I stop in area designated for parking for the lake. Zane shifts his head to the side, something to show he's definitely questioning why he's here.
   "What is this place?"
   "It's a lake. Duh." I say, pointing out the obvious.
   "No shit sherlock. I mean why're we here?" Zane asks, and I laugh at his attitude. It's changed since I've known him, and I love his attitude know. It's more confident, sassy even, with some spunk.
   "You'll see." I use a sing-song voice, starting to walk to the small docks, where all the boats are lined up. I ask to rent one, and I get a small gondola, still big enough for about four or five people, but it's fine. While someone goes to prep the boat, we get instructed on what and what not to do while over the water. It's all fairly simple: don't stand on the gondola, don't jump off the gondola, don't make sudden forceful movements to shake the gondola, you get the idea.
   We get on, Zane probably more cautious than ever, and I row us out into more or less the middle of the rather large lake. The lake itself is like bow- or peanut-shaped, and there's a there's a bridge between the two closest edges of the water. We're a little ways away from the coffee colored bridge, and closer to the edge away from the docks. People dot my vision here and there, but it's nowhere near crowded. Perhaps many people aren't here because of the fact that it's not a romantic holiday, this lake isn't the most popular, or simply that is Thursday. Whatever it may be, I'm grateful.
   "Travis," Zane chuckles a little. "Seriously, what are we doing here?" I put the oars down, half of them still in the water, but they're still held onto the boat holes on the sides.
   "What? Can't a guy show his care for another through a date?" I say smoothly, turning around slowly so that I don't mess with the floating boat.
   "Well, sure, but you really went out of your way for this one. I haven't paid anything and I know renting a gondola isn't cheap." I says, staring right at me. "Plus, I can honestly tell you put a lot of thought into this."
   "I did. I mean, it is that you're on my mind all the time, so I had to give it some thought." I say, still trying to be smooth. I want this to be as romantic as possible, and the scenery is definitely working. The sky caught in an orage haze, just the time before sunset. Birds chirp, filling the air with graceful sounds. The water that surrounds us still, mirroring the sky, so it could almost seem like we're alone, floating in a shimmering golden light.
   Zane smiles and gives a rare giggle, one that I find so adorable.
   "Also, let me see your beautiful face~! I can't believe you slipped that stupid mask back on when I wasn't looking." I say, pointing it out. He did put it on between the time we were in the car her talking with the instructor.
   "Noo." He nearly whines, dragging out the o. Then he chuckles slightly, "Then you'll see how much I'm blushing."
   "Exactly, it's cute." He takes it off, setting it beside him. I lean closer to him, and put my forehead against his. I touch our noses with a small boop coming from my mouth.
   "T-Travis..." he mutters, the blush on his growing redder. I feel my own face heat up as well, but only slightly.
   I close my eyes, just enjoying the moment between us. Then I breathe in deeply, grabbing my courage to finally ask him.
   "Zane?" After a while of comfortable silence, I speak up. I take both of his pale hands and intertwine my fingers with his.
   "Yes, Travis?" Zane responds in a small voice.
   I open my eyes again, and his left eye meets my right.
   Okay. It's time.
   The world seems to stop.
   "Would you be my boyfriend?"
   Zane's eye widens, and fear strikes through me like a knife.
   Did I ask him too soon? Was I too blunt? Does he not share the same feelings?
   Oh dear Enki.
   Suddenly, Zane throws himself onto me, wrapping his arms to hug me, a smile on his face. He does so with so much force that he actually pushes me back, and the boat rocks.
   Wait, that's a little too much rocking.
   "Zane!" I yell, before the boat tips.
   Splash!
   Cold water quickly seeps into my clothes, chilling my bones, wetting my hair as well. I close my eyes as the water stings them, and I pump and kick my arms and legs to rise back to the surface. Sound clouds itself, and all I can hear is dull splashing. The splashing gets louder as I swim up, and I break the surface, taking a big gasp. I look around hurriedly, my white locks whipping me in the face as I try to find Zane.
   Please tell me he can swim.
   I hear a loud splash from behind, and I turn to find a gasping Zane, unable to see because his hair almost completely covers his face while it's wet.
   I quickly swim over to him, and once he removes his hair over one eye, and pushes himself into him arms.
   "Yes!" He cries, clinging on to me as if it were dear life.
   "What?" I ask, confused.
   "Yes I'll be your boyfriend!" He explains.
   "Zane, we just tipped over in a boat, and are in a near freezing lake." Although near freezing is an exaggeration, it is very cold water.
   "I don't care." He hugs me tighter, like I'll disappear if he won't. "I just want to be here with you."
   My eyes widen, and I almost stop pushing down water with my arms to keep us both afloat. Slowly my body warms itself more, the heat spreading out into my limbs. I smile.
   "And I with you." I say into his ear. Zane then detaches himself slightly, and he plants his lips onto mine. Sparks fly, and I freeze up a little at first, but then melt into it.
   Even if I am in a lake, swimming for both of us, I don't mind. I just want this moment to last.
   But all good things must come to an end.
   We separate, then start to get back to the gondola, pushing it to the nearest edge. Then we drag ourselves onto the dirt, flowers brimming the edge where the water meets the land. I look at Zane, and he looks back at me, and we just laugh at the mess we made.
   "Let's go tell the people who work here what happened." I stand, helping him up.
   "Uh, yeah." He smiles, then his grin drops. "Wait, I lost my mask!"
   "...But, do you really need it?" I say, a toothy grin plastered on my face.
   "You know what..." he looks up at me. "You're right."
   I didn't expect him to actually agree with me.
   We walk back to the docks after drying up a little, crossing the bridge. I explain what happened and apologize for the inconvenience that they have to go get the gondola from the other side of the lake. They don't seem to mind at all, they are more worried about us. One keeps asking if we're alright, and we reply with yes's. But I feel better than just alright, I'm sky high.
   I have a boyfriend, and it's Zane. Words cannot describe how amazing that is for me right now. 
   They finally let us go, and I drive us back to Lover's~Lane. The ride consists of more-than-content-silence, and I wouldn't change it. I sneak looks at Zane, and he would do so at me. He just probably thinks I don't catch him. I smile the whole time, and so does he.
   We reach the front of my house, and I park the car. I get out, waiting for Zane. He gets out and joins me, and I walk him to the front door of his house. He smiles tenderly as I say:
   "Thanks for accompanying me somewhere." I say, staring nowhere else but his beautiful eyes.
   "Thanks for being my boyfriend." He says back, bluntly. This earns a laugh from me. I go closer to him and kiss him passionately. He kisses back almost immediately, holding me cheek.
   This time, I don't care who sees. We're dating, get over it. I'm finally with Zane.
   He pulls back and gives me another giggle, saying, "bye~." He opens his door and walks in, smiling at me before closing it gently.
   I sigh dreamily and walk back to my house, entering it while my I dance loosely, foot to foot. It would seem like I've just been shot by cupid's arrow.
   "So!" Dante says energetically as I walk in. "How'd it go?"
   I lock the door, turn, and answer while grinning like a lovestruck idiot.
   "Perfect."

3073
Ohhh yeah
Long chapter. And an eventful one
Damn I'm on a roll
This is going beautifully :>
Live, Love, Lapis, wish y'all a great life! Bye my Gems!