David suppressed a groan as he read yet another data file, this one longer than the other he just finished reading. This one pertained to useful data linked to Arasaka's success throughout the world. He knew it would come in handy with his essay, but these paragraphs dragged on, and his eyes were beginning to strain.
They had shrugged out of their uniform blazers along the way, formal ties hanging loosely around their necks, dress shirt sleeves rolled up on their arms. Next to him, he heard Katsuo let out another irritated breath. At least he wasn't the only one suffering… If he kept this up, he would for sure end up going home with a headache.
"What do you make of this section, David?" Katsuo asked, hand resting under his chin. In his user interface, David received a notification; the blue-haired boy sent him an official data shard file, the said section marked for comment.
David read it with a straight face, but as he began to read further into it, his face twisted in confusion. Not wanting to sound rude, he answered with a single word:
"Insufficient."
Katsuo hummed, running a hand through his hair. "Ok… Thought I was going cyberpsycho for a sec."
"You sure it's an official?" David asked, sounding skeptical. What he read was dogshit. Something like that was probably put out there for sabotaging students.
"I know what you're thinking," Katsuo sighed. "But I double scanned its credentials. It checks out."
"Please don't tell me you're planning on using that," David warned with a cautious tone, turning his head towards the rich boy.
"Fuck no!" Katsuo said, shooting David a look. "Any Night City gonkbrain can read through that kind of bullshit." Only if they were literate enough to do so. He scrolled back on his device, but looked back, now noticing that David wasn't sitting next to him.
"… Why are you on the floor?" he asked quietly. Did he somehow make the choom feel uncomfortable? A small knot formed in his stomach.
David stopped his reading and looked around himself, perplexed. "Huh… I didn't even realize. Must've been too concentrated on my work." He rubbed his eyes tiredly, trying to stay focused. His back was against the front of the bed. It's not like it wasn't uncomfortable.
Yesterday wasn't so bad when it came to working on the midterm. Shira even prepared tea for both of them; David had never tried authentic oolong tea before. The taste was nice.
"Have you made any progress?" Katsuo asked.
"Yeah… I'm trying to finish up this page real quick," David answered with a sigh. "But I feel like I've been reading this same paragraph for the past ten minutes." His eyes were glued back to the screen, eyebrows furrowing in annoyance rather than focus.
Looking at his chrono, Katsuo shifted so that he was sitting cross-legged on his bed, and he placed his laptop to the side. They had been working for a few hours now. A rest period wouldn't hurt. "Let's take a break."
"'Kay," David said, setting his laptop to the side, rubbing his temples. He reached for his blazer that was on the bed, pulling out a soylent bar from one of the pockets. "You mind if I eat this here?"
The blue-haired boy looked at him, and then the bar. "It's fine… Just don't leave any crumbs."
David chuckled. "I know how to eat, choom." He carefully unwrapped the top of the bar—peanut butter chocolate flavor—and tentatively held it out to Katsuo. "Want a bite?"
Katsuo raised an eyebrow. This was the second time the choom had offered him his food. He knew he was doing it out of manners, and he knew it would be rude to turn it down, but it would also be weird to accept a bite out of David's only source of nutrition.
"No thank you," the blue-haired boy responded. As David ate quietly, Katsuo went to one of his nightstands, rummaging through the drawers.
Wonder what he's up to, David thought, elbows resting on his knees. Slowly eating his bar, he thought; it was still shocking that someone like Katsuo would even consider bringing in a low-income commoner like him into their home. Never in a million years would he believe that he would step foot inside a high-end apartment like this.
But it got him thinking—Katsuo was doing this for a reason. Why else would the choom go through all the trouble to invite him over? The rich boy provided an extra laptop and access to sites on the Net that had a paywall. Hell, he even got to try real food—thanks to Shira.
Alas, because of his budget, David could only afford food from the vending machines and small takeout stands in Night City, and although the warm meal he received yesterday was delicious, it ended up giving him the worst stomach ache of his life back at home.
Katsuo felt bad when David broke the news to him.
"Relax, it's not your fault," David told him. "My stomach's just not used to real food."
Who was Katsuo to deny him the right to eat food in his room? At least the choom asked before munching away. Even people like David had to eat.
That wasn't the only act of kindness though; the rich boy had even summoned a Delamain Cab for David's ride home at no expense.
"I appreciate the gesture, choom, but this really isn't necessary," David said solemnly, feeling embarrassed. This was another first experience for him. "Feel kinda bad that you're spendin' money on me…"
"This is safer than using the NCART this late at night. Delamain will make sure you get home safe."
David scrunched up the wrapper in his hand when he finished, and he was about to place it in his pocket until he heard Katsuo say, "There's a waste bin over there," gesturing his head towards the direction.
"Cool," David said as he got up.
Katsuo sat back down on the bed, watching as David stood up, blue eyes automatically wandering to his classmate's behind as he walked. Katsuo pressed his lips, heart racing. Those slacks hugged David's ass perfectly whenever he pulled on his pockets, creating a nice round shape—
Nope, Katsuo thought, averting his gaze. Anymore of those kinds of thoughts and his body would start reacting on its own. The hell's wrong with me?
As David walked back from disposing of the wrapper, he noticed a holo picture on an elegant end table. He stopped his tracks, taking in the look of a young Katsuo Tanaka as a first year student at Arasaka Academy, a very happy and bright smile painted on his face.
"Woah, check it out! You had shorter hair back then!" David commented, grinning.
Unsurprisingly, Katsuo's hair was still blue, but it was definitely shorter, having it styled in a more professional look. David's smile slowly faded when he saw Sr. Tanaka next to his son, a very unimpressed and bitter look on his face. Jeez… what's that about? Even Katsuo's mother was smiling. Huh… The rich boy resembled his mother more than his father.
"What are you looking at?" Katsuo asked in a vague tone, looking over to where David was standing. And then he realized. Oh, that's embarrassing. He stifled a curse.
The choom walked back, collecting the laptop from the floor and sitting down on the bed. "Never thought I'd see you with short hair."
"That was years ago…"
David looked over at Katsuo, who was fiddling with two braindance wreaths. "Whatcha doin'?" he asked.
"We're," Katsuo began, handing David one of the wreaths, "gonna take a break." The rich boy equipped his headset, scooting up on the bed and lying down on one of the pillows.
"Uhh, what kind of BD is this?" David asked warily, praying it wouldn't be porn. His brain wouldn't be able to handle seeing Katsuo fully nude and participating in highly intimate activities.
"It's not an XBD, if that's what you're thinking," Katsuo clarified, hands resting on his stomach just like in class. "Make yourself comfortable."
David did so, placing the laptop between them both and resting his head on the other pillow next to Katsuo. "Don't we have to connect our links for this to work?"
"Nah. These wreaths already come with full expanded connectivity," the blue-haired boy explained, an ecstatic grin on his face. "You ready?"
David looked at him, brown irises gazing at the rich boy. He was nervous, not knowing what to expect, but he shoved that negative feeling down. His classmate seemed a little too excited about this, so maybe it wouldn't be that bad.
"Yeah," David responded, grinning as the braindance wreath began flickering its lights.
The first thing he noticed was the temperature. It was hot—hotter than most days in Night City. The second thing was the damn sun beaming down on him. Was he outside? That explains the temperature… God, it was bright as hell, and he raised an arm over his eyes, glancing around his surroundings.
They were outside, alright. But where? It didn't look familiar with everything looking so bright. He blinked a few times, letting his eyes get accustomed to the braindance.
As his vision got better, his nose picked up a new scent. What was that? It wasn't bad—quite the opposite, actually. He breathed in again. It smelled fresh, clean. Then he saw where he was, sand and the view of an ocean in front of him.
"What do you think?" he heard Katsuo's familiar voice ask next to him. David turned to him, eyes wide with excitement.
"Are we at a beach?!" David asked enthusiastically, face shocked in awe.
"What does it look like to you, Martinez?" Katsuo teased with a small chuckle. Right now they were standing near some outdoor showers. "C'mere."
The blue-haired boy led them to a tented stand behind the showers, a large table in the center with different swimming clothes, as well as racks of them on each side of the table. Beside the stand were other essential items meant for the beach.
"Take your pick," Katsuo said as he chose a pair of blue board shorts that equally matched his hair color.
David inspected the many clothing items. There were so many bikinis, one-pieces, and speedos?! He cringed. There was also something that resembled what netrunners wore when going into the Net. Then his eyes settled on the perfect wear: a pair of black board shorts with yellow stripes. Yep, this is the one.
Katsuo was waiting for him by the showers, a small spray can of some sort in one hand, the shorts on the other.
"You change on the other side," the rich boy said, hanging his shorts on one of the shower handles.
David quickly walked to the opposite side, not wasting a moment as he briskly got out of his dress shirt and slacks. For a moment, he hesitated to take off his briefs. He didn't need them, right? Quickly looking inside his shorts, he noticed that there was some sort of underwear attached to it. Well he got his answer, and he stepped out of his briefs. Sweat was starting to form on his forehead from the heat, but at least it felt good to feel the beach breeze on his exposed body.
Katsuo hung up his clothes along the pipes and handles. There was a nervous feeling itching at him right now. All of a sudden, he felt so self conscious, being almost nude in front of David. He brushed off the anxiety, silently laughing at himself. It's not like David hasn't seen his dick already, and vice versa. He quickly slipped into his shorts, grabbing the sunscreen spray and heading to the other side of the shower wall. But before he actually walked off, he stopped at the edge.
"David?" Katsuo called out from the side, not wanting to peep on his classmate who could still be changing. "Are you decent?"
He waited for a few seconds, but no answer came. "David…?" He slowly peeked his head, noticing that David's clothes were strewn about on the floor, the choom in question already heading towards the water.
"Come on, Katsuo!" David called out, waving his arm.
The rich boy stared in bewilderment as he saw his classmate take quick steps on the hot sand. This gonk…
"Idiot! This is a very interactive BD! You can experience actual sunburns!" Katsuo yelled out. Oh, what the hell. They were here to have some fun—something to take their mind off the midterm. The rich boy quietly laughed, sunscreen spray bottle in his hand as he walked towards his classmate.
"Shit! Hot-hot-hot!" David winced. Was sand normally this hot? It felt as if he were walking on hot coal. The water would definitely help cool down his feet—
David gasped as he splashed into the water. Why was it freezing cold?! He held his breath as the cold water surrounded his ankles. At least his feet weren't getting cooked anymore… But this water was something else; the longer he stood in it, the more it felt as if his bones were freezing as well.
From behind him, he heard a faint sound. Turning around, he saw Katsuo was spraying sunscreen on his arms and torso. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of Katsuo shirtless. David had seen how his classmate's dress shirt hugged him, making out the shape of his torso, but he never thought he'd see him in the flesh. The blue-haired boy began rubbing the substance thoroughly on his skin, and David could feel his face getting hot, mouth getting dry.
"Here, rub some on my back," Katsuo said passively, handing the bottle to David and turning around. "I'll do you next."
"O-ok," David stammered out. Did he really have to use that kind of terminology? Oh god, why was he acting like such a nervous wreck right now? He applied a healthy amount, almost forgetting that Katsuo was taller than him. His back was well toned, skin warm and smooth as he rubbed the material across his back, noticing a few moles splayed out here and there.
Take your sweet time, will ya? Katsuo wanted to blurt out, but he held his tongue. He felt a warm hand move his hair to the side, then a cool mist hitting the back of his neck. He could've done that himself—and he was going to—but this was fine.
"Is your hair organic?" David asked quietly. It was so silky and soft and so very… blue.
"Obviously," Katsuo responded. He half-turned to him. "Why?"
"Just the way it feels—it's nice," David complimented. Not wanting to make this any more awkward, he finished up, handing the bottle back.
"Turn around," the rich boy said.
David flinched when the cold mist hit him, slightly arching his back. "Shit, this stuff cold too?" The blue-haired boy didn't react the same way when he sprayed him. He must've been used to this already.
"Stand still," Katsuo grumbled, a hand quickly but gently rubbing David's back. The piece of chrome there stared back at him, and Katsuo narrowed his eyes. So this is the thing that broke my nose… His fingers brushed against the cool metal, the small green lights reminding him of the ability David could utilize at any second.
"C'mon, choom! I wanna swim already!" David whined. His body was giddy with excitement, patience slipping away. This was his chance to put those swimming skills to the test.
"Ah-ah-ah. Gotta wait two minutes," Katsuo stated. His hand was now on David's lower back, and the brown-haired boy tensed. "Unless you wanna get sunburnt… Here—apply this to the rest of your body. Don't forget your face." He handed him the bottle.
"Where are we anyway?" David asked as he sprayed his chest and stomach. Brr… The temperature wasn't too bad on his arms and legs.
Katsuo grinned. "Pacifica."
David sharply turned to him. "Wait, for real?!"
This wasn't Pacifica. No way. It was clean—too clean for that matter. And the ocean looked a healthy blue, not the green-brown toxic water that the real Pacifica housed.
But then David looked to his left; the pier was there, along with the familiar rollercoaster. Behind all that was the Grand Imperial Mall. If all that was there, then maybe some of the hotels and spas were too…?
David didn't pay attention as Katsuo walked somewhere else outside of his vision. He was still transfixed on his surroundings. There was no trash in sight—no graffiti splayed out on the shower walls or other parts of the visible buildings. The sand looked healthy too.
"I recommend you apply this too," he heard Katsuo say behind him, watching as the rich boy applied some kind of eye drops, blinking a few times.
"What's this for?" David asked as Katsuo passed him the small bottle.
"So your eyes won't get irritated by the salt," Katsuo replied. He sneakily reached down to the water. "And for better vision underwater." He stood to full height again, a sly smile on his face.
"Hmm… as if there's anything to look at in there," David replied quietly, finishing adding the drops. Underwater sea life was a thing of the past. Not even the few fish that managed to get caught were safe to eat. He huffed annoyingly, patience gone. "Are those two minutes up—?"
He got cut off before finishing his sentence, a loud gasp escaping his throat, back arching backwards as he felt cold water pour onto his head unexpectedly.
Next to him, Katsuo was trying hard to stifle the laugh that wanted to come out. "Thus concludes… the two minutes…"
David came back from the shock, kicking water towards the blue-haired boy. "What the hell was that, Katsuo?! Shit's cold as fuck!"
The rich boy shielded his face with his arms, and David saw the item that held so much water. Where did Katsuo manage to find a toy bucket? The rich bastard was laughing at this point, and David looked around. Two can play at that game. It was obvious this was his doing, having control of the braindance settings and all.
There were several different kinds of beach essentials splayed out on the sand now, as well as beach toys and water guns. Amazing how all this spawned in seconds, David having no clue until he turned around. He found the perfect item to get back at the blue-haired boy, who was still laughing. Tank reservoir full and aim poised, he fired the toy water gun. But Katsuo didn't flinch when the water hit his chest, and he gave David a smug look.
"You're gonna have to try better than that, Martinez. I'm not as sensitive to this as you are." He began to slowly walk over to where David was, hand holding a refilled bucket.
"I know," David nagged. "I was just warming you up." His hand turned on the dial on the side of his water gun, setting the water temperature to the lowest setting. Katsuo blinked.
Oh, he didn't see it coming, and David snorted as the rich boy recoiled at the freezing water hitting him, gasping audibly and quickly turning around, only to get hit on his back.
Ok, now that was cold, way colder than any beach he'd been at. Katsuo ran to the nearest water gun that lay on the sand, trying to quickly fill up the reservoir as David still hit him. The long stream of cold water began to die down, as well as David's laughter, and before long he began to hear short spurts as the reservoir emptied.
"Well, well, well… looks like you gotta reload," Katsuo tutted, aiming his weapon at his classmate. "Oh and look! This one has temp control too! How convenient." His fingers turned on his dial, and David began to slowly retract, taking a step backwards.
"W-wai—Agh!" Son of a BITCH! It was like being soaked with water from Antarctica. And Katsuo wasn't aiming for just one spot—he wanted to watch Martinez dance on the sand, hitting his arms, legs, back and torso.
He crouched down for a refill.
Tsk, rich bastard… David thought as he fired up his implant, unsure if it would even work in a braindance.
His hypothesis was confirmed when he began to see Katsuo moving slowly, the choom still crouched down. The toy bucket laid next to him, and a thought came to his mind, grinning.
Katsuo didn't seem to notice. "And here I thought you wanted to swim, David—"
"Who said I didn't?," David countered behind him with such equilibrium.
Katsuo realized he wasn't staring at David anymore who was some feet in front of him. He sharply turned behind him to where the choom stood, brown eyes lit with a victorious look, mouth widened with a smile. The toy bucket Katsuo had earlier was now in David's hands, no doubt filled with low temperature water. He tilted the bucket.
Holy fuck! Holy FUCK! Katsuo doubled down as he got splashed relentlessly, most of the water hitting his back all at once, some of it dripping down his arms, hands planted in the sand. He gasped at the coldness, breathing hard to try and get past the shock, shivering slightly. Behind him, he heard David giggle, and Katsuo turned around.
"Gotcha good, didn't I?" he asked teasefully, a bright smile on his face. He held his hand out.
A warm feeling arose inside Katsuo. He was so transfixed by his classmate's smile; he'd never seen David this joyful before. That familiar warmth in his stomach was coming back. Katsuo accepted his hand, wiping down sand that stuck to his legs as he stood.
Oh, but they weren't done yet.
Katsuo swooped down and hoisted David up over his shoulder, walking towards the water, the choom surprisingly light.
David yelped at the sudden action, confusion and concern plastered on his face. "H-hey what are you doing, Katsuo?" he quickly asked, face blushing. He could feel a hand holding onto his thigh, while the other was literally on his ass.
"Goin' for a swim," Katsuo casually replied, completely unfazed by the whole situation.
And then David realized: Katsuo was going to throw him into the water. Panic began to sprout inside of him. He did want to swim… but after getting used to the water's temperature, wanting to take it little by little.
"Wait-wait! The water's fucking cold—!"
PLAP
David blinked. Katsuo spanked him. That did not just happen.
"Hey—!"
PLAP
Another spank. He softly gasped from surprise, muting himself entirely. His face was most likely red by now, and he closed his eyes, feeling his feet hit the cold water.
"Huh… That seemed to shut you up," Katsuo said nonchalantly. David's head snapped upwards. Was the rich bastard mocking him? He could hear that sneer smile too.
He didn't have time to think as Katsuo flung him into the water with ease, body splashing. His thoughts scrambled as he resurfaced, taking a deep breath of air, coldness embracing him. What a rush! Beside him, Katsuo casually floated by, hands rested behind his head, a smug smirk on his face.
"You'll get used to the temperature, Da—" He got cut off as a foot lightly pushed him to the side, his whole body now very wet. He didn't take the playful assault personally though—there was no need. And he knew David understood that too. A small laugh escaped him, and he asked, "How's the water?"
David's body was still somewhat in cold shock, but the feeling was slowly passing. "S'alright," he breathed out. He dove his head underwater and opened his eyes. There wasn't much to look at besides the sand and a few plants.
Resurfacing again, he wiped his face. Beside him, he saw Katsuo narrow his eyes as he scrolled through the braindance settings display. David's eyes caught some of the information. This was one hell of a regular BD, no doubt it took ages to fully edit and add customization options for the user if it spanned out this much.
"What kind of sorcery did you unleash this time?" David asked as he watched the rich boy close the display.
"Go underwater and I'll show you," was the response he got before Katsuo dove under, waiting.
Hmm… There was that familiar nervous itch again.
Better not pull some shit again… David thought as he went under after his classmate. Ok… now what…? He was staring at Katsuo, who was pointing at his own mouth. David quirked an eyebrow. Ok… what about your mouth? Katsuo then opened his mouth, but was now pointing his finger at David's facial area.
David scrunched his face in confusion. What the hell was this bowl-cut trying to say? Was he somehow trying to communicate underwater? Then he saw Katsuo roll his eyes, crossing his arms. His blue hair floated about in the same tone.
OPEN-YOUR-MOUTH, Katsuo mouthed as best he could, hoping the gonk would be able to read his lips. Which he did, seeing that David's head went back in even more confusion, eyes giving him an anxious look.
Oh, for the love of—
BREATHE, Katsuo mouthed. It should have been evident that he wasn't even holding in his breath like David was, whose cheeks were puffed up from the intake of air. The choom's eyes widened and he shook his head, giving him a 'are you crazy?!' look.
David saw Katsuo pinch the bridge of his nose in annoyance. What the fuck are you trying to say?! he thought, still puzzled and waving his arms. He was going to need to take a new breath of fresh air pretty soon. Katsuo waved for his attention again. If David could, he would've groaned. This was starting to get on his nerves…
—literally the biggest gonk I've ever known… Katsuo thought to himself as he opened his mouth. Through slow careful motions, he began to breathe, pointing at his chest. It felt obnoxious overdoing the simple movements, but it seemed to be the only thing that would get David to understand that he can literally breathe underwater. He stopped his movements when he saw David give him a 'one moment' hand gesture, the choom swimming up to the surface.
OH NO YOU DON'T—
David took a big breath, water running down his face. "Just tell me what you're getting at, Katsuo," he breathed out in a tiresome tone. Then he noticed that the rich boy didn't resurface with him. David scoffed. "Ok, we get it. You can hold your breath longer than—"
He gave out a short yelp as he was snatched back down into the water, Katsuo holding a firm grip on his leg. Panic arose in him and he tried to kick free from the hold, to no avail. Is the bowl-cut trying to drown him? They were starting to have such a good time, at least David thought they were. It didn't make sense; why would Katsuo go out of his way to bring him here and then choose violence again? He opened his mouth and he was sure he swallowed some water.
Huh…? The texture felt… different. David stopped panicking, and he watched as one of Katsuo's hands gently laid on his chest. Then he read the blue-haired boy's lips again:
'Just breathe.'
Then he understood; Katsuo was breathing underwater this whole time, and was trying to get him to do the same too. It took a few tries, taking short breaths from his mouth and nose. Under other circumstances, doing this would have irritated his nose badly and hurt his lungs. Slowly getting used to the new sensation, he calmed down. Katsuo removed his hand and gave him a thumbs up, a smirk on his face.
David watched as the rich boy began to swim towards the direction of the pier, and he followed suit. This part of the ocean wasn't too deep, but it wasn't shallow either, and David took advantage of the full scale mobility, doing a few underwater somersaults and flips while he caught up to his classmate. It felt even better since he didn't have to resurface for air every now and then. His hands gently grazed the few underwater plants, feeling their coarse texture and admiring their natural colors. A shame there wasn't any sign of actual marine wildlife though…
They came to a stop at one of the platforms beside the pier, Katsuo sticking his head out of the water and wiping his face. David did the same, the air feeling a lot cooler than before. Must've been the aftereffect of breathing underwater for some time.
"You know… for someone who is a top student in our class, you really need to work on your observation skills," Katsuo said, slicking his wet bangs over his head. He grumbled an 'idiot' after his sentence in his native language.
David splashed water at the rich boy's face. "You could've said somethin' sooner, pendejo! I thought you were trying to kill me!" He propped himself up to the platform, board shorts sticking tightly against his form
"That would've ruined the surprise! And besides…" Katsuo began to say, but paused as he laid eyes on David's very well-shaped behind. The wet shorts wedged between his cheeks perfectly, molding his ass entirely—
He gulped.
"What?" he heard David ask in a confused tone, interrupting his trance. Katsuo blinked back to reality, realizing he was staring. David was now standing on the platform, gazing down on him, hands on his hips, waiting for him to finish his sentence. Oh no… But he didn't notice… right?
The rich boy finally remembered what he was saying. "… a-and besides, when's the last time you experienced a braindance that lets you breathe underwater?" He tried his best to act normal, even though he could feel blood rushing to his face… and somewhere else.
No! Not now, not now! Katsuo swallowed, now very aware of his erection pressing against his shorts. He mentally cursed inside. Of all the times… He couldn't go up there with David; the choom would immediately notice and probably recoil in disgust. He could hear him saying something else, but his mind was too focused on his problem…
Well he didn't have to worry about going up there anymore since David jumped back in the water, creating a splash. This was his chance. There was only one thing that worked quickly to diffuse this type of embarrassing situation, and Katsuo hated it: sports.
They were so boring and highly exaggerated that he always changed the channel on his TV whenever it was brought up. Even when playing in the car or AV radio, he quickly changed the channel or just shut it off entirely.
But the only times he tolerated it was when his body decided to torment him in the most random and public of places. And so he thought, thinking about every single activity that required a few humans and a ball of some sort, always trying to score by moving said ball to the opposing team's side.
David was still rambling about whatever the fuck he said earlier. "… my first time I've ever been to a beach—well not realistically, obviously, but this is the closest I'll ever get to it…" Propping himself again on the platform, he sat down, legs moving in the water.
Katsuo wouldn't be surprised if the choom was trying to humble him in the first part of his missed monologue, and he joined David on the platform, his 'problem' less evident. Hearing that last part of what David said stung him though.
"If Pacifica was like this, I would come here every time I had the chance," David said, looking out past the water. His eyes held a dim melancholy shine to them, and Katsuo couldn't help but feel bad.
All the things he's experienced in his life—the places he's been to and the different foods he's tried—have always been taken for granted. He never had to worry about his financial situation; both his father and mother provided for him. Food was always on the table at home—thanks to Shira. And if it wasn't, then there were restaurants where he could enjoy real food instead of all that synthetic protein and scop. He had the freedom to purchase any type of clothing he desired and always had extra spares of his Arasaka Academy uniform. He even had multiple forms of transportation, whether it was his father's AV, the Delamain Cab he could summon without thinking about the price, or his own personal luxury vehicle—which he seldom used.
His classmate didn't have that kind of life that allowed him to enjoy all those things only those with deep pockets had. From the little time he's got to know David personally, he's learned so much about him; he had to work for his money to keep that roof over his head, with school inbetween all that too; his daily food intake came from those bars that came from every vending machine in Night City; he only owned two uniforms, both of them visibly tattered and shredded—one from the car accident and the other—
Because of me…
How long…? How long has it been since that day…? A few months at least. After all that time that had passed, he was now feeling guilty. Pathetic, he mentally told himself.
"… maybe two times a week, 'cause of school and work…" David continued, a small smile on his face now. He turned to Katsuo. "Where'd you manage to snatch a BD like this? This has to be on the rare black tier list that people auction off of."
Katsuo met his eyes for a few seconds before looking out at the horizon. "White tier, actually."
David's eyes widened at his classmate. "White tier?! Choom, you got your hands on the Holy Grail!" he exclaimed with surprise. He couldn't believe it. If what Katsuo told him is true, then this braindance is worth more than seven figures. "Are there very few of this particular BD in the world?"
Katsuo chuckled. "You could say that. I'll tell you about it later." He got up and stretched, wringing his blue hair.
A loud and strong sound emanated from behind them. David turned his head in the direction of the noise, asking, "What was that?"
"The rollercoaster," Katsuo responded in kind, suppressing a small smile.
"It works?!" David asked enthusiastically, quickly getting up and heading for the stairs, water dripping along the way. "Let's go ride it!"
He made it to the top of the stairs first, basking in the scenery of the clean pier and red rollercoaster. There were a couple of food stands too, each filled with different varieties of refreshments and packaged goods.
Katsuo stopped by one of them, reaching his hand into a section with many drinks. He retrieved two bottles of the same brand but different flavors. Up ahead, he heard David yell at him. How the hell did he get there so fast?
"Hurry up, you blue bowl-cut!" David shouted, having already climbed up the stairs that led to the ride, leaning on the rail. "Or I'll go without you!" He didn't actually mean that last part.
Katsuo gaped at him in shock. Blue bowl-cut?! Why was everyone he knew always ridiculing him for his hairstyle? And it wasn't just his close friends either; his father verbally disapproved of his hair when he first saw it, claiming it wasn't to Arasaka's professional standard; his mother said she liked it, but the look she gave him screamed 'seriously?' vibes. Shira was more positive about it when he showed her, saying it was an 'interesting' and 'new' look. And yet even that sounded like it held a negative connotation behind it. And now David had something to say about it…
As he walked up the entrance ramp, he saw David sitting on one of the benches, the rollercoaster's cart in front of him. "Thought you were gonna go without me," Katsuo sneered.
"I'm patient."
Katsuo chuckled. "Hardly." He set the two bottles on the ground.
"Come on!" David said, getting up and making his way to the cart. He seated himself in the front row, bringing down the harness. His heart jumped as Katsuo sat down next to him, doing the same. "Uhh, these don't have belts…"
"Relax. This isn't like one of those vintage coasters. These provide sufficient safety," Katsuo explained. He turned to him. "You nervous?"
"Yeah…" David responded anxiously, but with evident excitement as well.
His head leaned back as the cart began to move, starting off with a slight forward acceleration thrust. There was no going back now, and he gripped the handles tightly as the cart slowly ascended on one of the turns. They were now quickly approaching the first hill, his heart hammering against his chest as their bodies leaned back against their seats.
David turned his head, looking out at the water from this height. It looked even better from up above, almost imitating an actual resort.
The first drop had him yell out a 'WOO!' as he brought his arms out, and a new quivering but exciting feeling pooled in his gut. Maybe this is what people referred to when using the expression 'butterflies in your stomach'. And honestly, David couldn't find a better definition for the feeling.
Along the other slopes and hills, Katsuo laughed as he watched David go wild, basking in the sight of his classmate having fun and enjoying himself. It was only when they approached the loop did he actually join David in bringing his arms out, yelling out along with him.
"Preem, huh?" Katsuo asked breathlessly, turning to the brown-haired boy.
David's body was still tingling from the adrenaline high as the cart brought them to a halt. He responded with the only thing in his mind right now, "Again! Again!"
Surprisingly, the cart locked their safety harnesses in place again and began to move.
"David!" Katsuo exclaimed out loud, not angrily but in shock.
"Aww, c'mon Katsuo! One more time's not gonna hurt! Let's go!"
After their second ride, they settled down on the platform again, bottles opened. David read the Japanese labeling of his drink; it was grape flavored soda. Carbonated drinks weren't his favorite, but it was too late to tell Katsuo, and he sipped away, not wanting to be rude. The flavor was good, but what irked him was the bubbly texture. Oh well.
"That's one way of getting dry," David commented.
Katsuo smirked. "There's more to this BD than meets the eye."
"You mean like the mall?" David asked, taking another sip.
"That and the hotels that managed to get built."
David mused. The Grand Imperial Mall housed six floors of stores, restaurants, and god knows what else they packed in there. Now, it's mostly known as a current base for the Animals. "Must've taken a long while to edit everything, with all that detail."
"And to think that Pacifica was supposed to be like this…" Katsuo said, sipping on his drink. "No gangs in sight, no sign of trash anywhere, the ocean water safe to swim in, the mall available to the public…"
He set down his drink beside him.
"But of course, in a place like Night City, one can only dream of such things," he continued. Evidently, he scoffed. "It's ironic, isn't it? 'The City of Dreams'… but they can never come true…"
It was quiet now, the only sounds heard was the water hitting against the platform and the rollercoaster going off behind them.
David glanced at his classmate from his side view. Slightly wet blue hair gently moved from the breeze of the ocean. His form looked so beautiful from this angle, but David noticed a somber look in those blue eyes. He tentatively took another sip.
"So who's the genius that scrolled this masterpiece?" David asked, trying to change the subject. He didn't want things to end on a sad note.
"A Swedish man. No one knows his true name, but he goes by the acronym DET," Katsuo explained. Legs still in the water, he laid back against the platform, hands resting behind his head. "When he heard about Pacifica's project and what it would come to be—at the time—he got interested and flew over here, along with some other subordinates of his.
"His plan was to scroll a very detailed and accurate representation of the resort, including the condos, mall, and any hotel and spa that had been constructed. Nothing was to be left out, so any and all the rooms are accessible—those were his rules."
"Aren't there certain restrictions that counter that?" David asked.
"Yeah, but he was several steps ahead; it wouldn't be just him recording all the braindance footage," Katsuo said, turning to him. "You get what I'm saying?"
It clicked in David's mind. "Ahh, so that's where his other chooms come in!"
Katsuo smirked. "Precisely. He had his buddies spread out in different areas of Pacifica. Each had different hotels checked into, different rooms of various types. Some had higher status access to the more luxurious parts of Pacifica. It was sort of like a planned out heist, except nothing was getting stolen, of course. Choom even went as far as to pay certain workers for restricted area access."
"All that footage… how long did it take him to piece everything together?" David asked, now very intrigued.
"Some weeks at the very least," Katsuo answered in thought. "Could've taken him longer if he didn't have the extra help, though. Editing all those scrolls and then piecing them together, only to edit them again before adding the finishing touches, on top of that the many customization options…
"When he finally finished editing, he tested out the braindance for himself, exploring every area like a common tourist would," Katsuo continued. "Once he was satisfied with the results, he combined all that footage into its proper original chip."
David scooted closer to his classmate, asking, "How many did he replicate?"
"Initially, he had his team mass produce the chip to about a hundred-fifty. He wanted to sell them as souvenirs for the tourists that actually visited Pacifica. Starting price was around fifty thousand."
David whistled. That kind of money could get anyone decent chrome, or even a good car.
Katsuo chuckled. "May sound high, choom, but he was actually being lenient with the price; his team wanted him to price it at double that."
"Christ…" David sighed, taking a gulp of his soda.
"If the sales of his BD did good, then he would replicate more from the original chip. Things were going fine until the Unification War fucked things over," Katsuo said. He turned to David. "You probably know the rest."
"Yeah…" David said. They had learnt about that in class. Pacifica really became a victim of the domino effect, now only known as a statistical anomaly. "What happened to the rest of his braindances?"
Katsuo sighed through his nose. "His BD's were located at a certain high-end store—some were in the mall. A gang went inside and unleashed chaos, wanting nothing to do with the rich corporate lifestyle. They set the whole store ablaze from the inside. To top it off, they bombed the place afterwards. It's like they wanted nothing to survive."
"And the ones in the mall…?" David asked curiously.
"A few of DET's chooms went to retrieve the rest of them. A lot of stores had been looted and vandalized by that point, but they managed to secure whatever was left. The chips in the mall were packaged in a different label, though. I think that's what saved them—gangs thought they were just another ordinary BD that most people can get their hands on."
He gave a quiet laugh. "Choom was fucking pissed as fuck…"
"I would be too! Spending all that time and money to create something so beautiful…" David commented. "Only to have most of it destroyed…"
"Now, there are less than a hundred of those chips in the world… Fuck, maybe less than fifty now since all those years. Choom could've made more copies, but with that kind of shitshow treatment thrown at Pacifica, he refused. He's the only one with the original chip. No one else can replicate this BD without the original foundation of the coding."
"Can't say I blame him," David said.
"Nor can I. I'd flip off the world too," Katsuo added. "What he created was art, and he's known for scrolling other masterpieces too, not just this one.
"But the difference between him and other braindance editors is that he takes pride in his work… and patience. Lots of patience. Others do it for quick money, but he could give less of a fuck about that. He wants the world to see his creations—his art. Just like how people go to see the Mona Lisa or any other art piece in a museum…"
David stared at his classmate, surprised he was so fascinated about this type of subject. Along the way of explaining things, he noticed Katsuo's tone had changed to a more reverent tone, almost as if he didn't want to cause disrespect to the creator of the braindance.
It was mesmerizing—hearing him talk and explain things the whole time. And just watching him as he relaxed on the platform, his Strong Arms 400 implants visible from the forearms. David's eyes slowly trailed down his classmate's jugular, taking in the sight of the very well-toned slim build.
His chest looked smooth and fine, nipples slightly peaking. Further down, he noticed something delicious: Katsuo had visible abs. They weren't too prominent, but they were there. It was kind of hard to imagine someone like him working out. Perhaps he had a workout room in that luxury apartment of his. The thought made David swallow. What he would give to watch Katsuo do sit-ups or push-ups shirtless, watching those muscles flex.
His eyes now dipped to his classmate's naval, but lower, transfixed on that area that he got to touch and taste once…
Katsuo's heart was hammering against his chest, eyes wide in… panic? David was staring at him like crazy. Did he not notice? Of course not…
Take a hint, Martinez, Katsuo thought, hoping the choom would stop before it got awkward. He sneaked a peak at him. Those brown eyes held a different tone to them, and it sent a shiver down Katsuo's spine. That was the look of hunger, desire, and where David was staring at made it more obvious.
At this point, Katsuo knew David had a crush on him. It was just so obvious. The choom was literally staring at his lips yesterday. At the time, Katsuo brushed it off playfully, thinking nothing more of it. But right now, with David giving him 'I want you' eyes, playing it off didn't seem like the best option of choice. So he decided to play fire with fire.
"Take a picture. It'll last longer," Katsuo commented, trying his best to sound unimpressed.
David blinked from his daze, and he looked at Katsuo, whose eyebrow was lifted. He quickly looked away, bowing his head. "Sorry!" His voice held a high and embarrassing pitch to it.
The rich boy continued his flirtatious teasing, adding, "Or even better: record a vid." He smiled at himself as he watched his classmate's face and ears turn red. "Y'know… your attraction towards me is very obvious, choom."
David shifted himself on the platform, bringing his legs out of the water and hugging his knees. He turned his head slightly to the opposite side of his classmate, mumbling something against his arm.
"What?" Katsuo asked confusedly, not picking up whatever David said.
"… Nothin'" David said quietly.
Katsuo sat up. "Nah, you said something directed towards me, but didn't want me to hear it. Spit it out, choom."
David shifted again, this time looking out towards the water. He was never going to live this down, and Katsuo may not want to hang out with him afterwards. Mustering up enough strength and courage, he spoke.
"I said you're very attractive…"
"…"
A moment of silence passed between them.
David had wanted to say it yesterday when Katsuo caught him staring the second time, but the timing didn't feel right. Right now, the setting felt perfect; they were both staring out at the ocean, sitting close together.
The blue-haired boy was at a loss for words, his mouth slightly hanging open. It was totally unexpected, and yet—
"What could you possibly find attractive about me, David?" Katsuo found himself whispering out loud. In his mind, he did not see himself the same way his classmate did. Through his peripheral vision, he saw David turn to him.
"I like your hair," David said quietly, giving him a small smile, head resting on his arms. He gave a small laugh. "I'm not gonna lie; when I first met you at school, I thought it looked ridiculous, but I think it's nice. It's very blue… like the ocean. It suits you."
Katsuo's breath caught in his throat, feeling his face warming. It's the first time someone had actually complimented his hairstyle.
"Really…?" he breathed out. And yet there was a negative feeling nagging at him that David was only saying that because of the current mood.
"Yeah," David confirmed with warmth.
Katsuo could feel a shy smile forming on his lips now, and he briefly looked down at the water, legs moving. "Thanks…"
David could see him smiling now, and he relaxed, thankful the rich boy didn't cringe at his confession. He pondered for a moment. Was it even considered as such? It's not like David told him that he liked him.
"Although… " he heard Katsuo say. "I did hear you call me 'blue bowl-cut' earlier." The rich boy gave him a side glance, but he wasn't retaliating—just poking fun.
David snorted. "I was teasing, choom." He playfully nudged Katsuo's arm.
"Yeah, I know," Katsuo said with a shy smile. Finishing the last contents of his soda, he asked, "Ready to get back to work?"
Oh yeah… David had forgotten that this was just a break. "Yeah," he said, quickly taking another sip before the lights around them fluttered, bringing them back to Katsuo's room.
There was that dull ache in his heart again. Had the assignment never existed—if they were just hanging out in the braindance for fun—he would have for sure tried something more daring after complimenting the blue-haired boy.