A/N: Yeah, I know I put them in a bath before, but I promise this story is different~ This is also my first fic on here that's kind of... intimate. I wrote another actual yaoi fic about these two a few days before, but I'm pretty hesitant on putting it up here in case it's not well-received. So you could say this fic is a bridge: if you guys approve of this one, I'll put the yaoi fic up as well, despite being horribly embarrassed. XD; So yeah, enjoy~!

Gazel was lost in thought as he made his way through the base of Fire Dragon. The Football Frontier International preliminary finals for Asia were only three days away, and all team members were in good shape. Their minds were set on winning, their techniques were constantly improving, and Gazel had almost perfected the new hissatsu he shared with Burn and Aphrodi, Chaos Break. That was the problem: almost.

The three boys had been psyched to create a technique together, and they had practiced day and night to get it right. Gazel treasured the bond he shared with Burn and Aphrodi: their way of thinking was often very similar, and the three of them got along great as friends. Gazel had even thought he and Burn had gotten closer since Aphrodi scouted them, but recently, he couldn't help but sense a strange distance between himself and the redhead.

Gazel started to notice it about a week ago. Every evening, the team would take a joint shower or bath, exhausted from their hour-long practice. Burn and Gazel were never bothered sharing the water with others, as it was a custom when they worked together as a team. But recently, Burn seemed to have grown fonder of taking a bath when no one was there, or rather, when Gazel wasn't there. Whenever he saw Gazel enter the bathroom, he would quickly finish his shower, even if he had just started. And each time it was the other way around, he would refuse to take a shower at all. Burn would wait until everyone, including Gazel, had finished, and then sneak inside for his own turn. He had started to seclude himself from his friend, not only in the shower but also on the field. He rarely talked to him on his own initiative, and his answers seemed distant whenever Gazel spoke to him.

It bothered Gazel to no end. Burn was having a problem he refused to discuss, even though it apparently considered his teammate. Gazel couldn't remember doing anything so bad it would leave Burn with a grudge against him, aside from the general teasing between them. He thought the two of them had become real friends since the foundation of Chaos, but apparently, Burn saw it differently.

Gazel was currently headed for the open-air bath behind the building. A towel over his shoulder and a bottle of soap and shampoo in his hand, he planned to take a nice, long bath after his extra training. Seeing as Burn was only slowing down the progress on Chaos Break, Gazel wanted to make sure he stayed in good shape and remain good enough to score goals on his own. He didn't know what Burn's problem was, but he sure as hell wouldn't let him interfere.

After removing his clothes in the changing room and wrapping the towel around his waist, Gazel entered the onsen area, relieved to see it was empty… almost entirely. He instantly recognized beautiful, slender figure in the bath, his blonde hair flowing gently atop the water. The boy was facing away from him and had apparently failed to hear the door open, seeing as he didn't turn around to greet him.

"Good evening, Aphrodi," Gazel said calmly as he stepped into the water. He shut one eye in discomfort for a moment. The temperature was always so high.

Aphrodi turned around with a surprised expression, but he softened up when he saw who it was. "Hey, Suzuno," he greeted back, and he held up one hand. "You're just in time. Wanna do my back?"

"Give me some time to adjust to the water first," Gazel complained. He slowly sat down, embarrassed to find that every time again, he needed a minute to get used to the hot bath. It seemed he was the only one who was so sensitive to heat, as everyone else in the team enjoyed the water as it was, and a certain other player even craved it.

Aphrodi chuckled kindly. "Of course, whenever you're ready," he answered, and Gazel felt grateful his fellow forward hadn't resorted to a nasty remark instead. He knew a certain other person would've died to tease him about his sensitivity.

Once he was sure the water wasn't out to chase him off, Gazel shifted closer to Aphrodi and took over the sponge he was holding. After spouting some of his soap on it, he placed the boy's long hair over his shoulder so it wouldn't be in the way. As Gazel started to wash his back, it occurred to him Aphrodi might be the right person to talk to about his issue. He was the one Gazel was closest to next to Burn, and he knew Aphrodi wouldn't judge or tell on him for his concerns.

"… Aphrodi…?" he started hesitantly.

"Hm? What is it?" Aphrodi asked, turning his head with a smile.

"Uhm…" Gazel glanced down at his hands, wondering how he should put this into words. "Have you… noticed anything about Burn lately?"

"Nagumo?" Aphrodi clarified, tilting his head slightly. "I don't think so… Why?"

"Well… It just seems like he's avoiding me," Gazel admitted, "and I have no idea what's wrong with him. I didn't seriously anger him as far as I know… and yet, it's like he doesn't want to come near me."

"Hmm… I did notice a bit of distance between you two, but I thought it was part of your usual quarreling," Aphrodi answered, placing a hand on his chin in thought. "However, if it's not that… Have you talked to him about it?"

Gazel nodded. "I tried. He either brushed me off or told me it's none of my business."

Aphrodi chuckled once again. "Typical Nagumo. So, what makes you think he's avoiding you?"

"He doesn't seem to want to talk to me during practice," Gazel started, "he's almost reluctant to train with me altogether." He then started to blush a little as he continued washing Aphrodi's back. Was he supposed to tell him about Burn's shower issue too?

"Is that all?" Aphrodi inquired, apparently capable of mind-reading.

Gazel answered him in a soft tone, as if he didn't want anyone to hear him say this. "He… doesn't want to shower with me anymore," he muttered, embarrassed. "N-not with me personally, of course. But it's like he's in a hurry to get out of there as soon as I come in."

Aphrodi raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Really? That sounds really unusual. Nagumo isn't one to care what people think of him, is he?"

"Definitely not," Gazel agreed. "And even if he cares, he tries to beat you down by yelling whatever comes up in his mind. But now, he doesn't yell at all… He just leaves."

"Hmm… So Nagumo refuses to shower in your presence, and he seems distant around you during practice…" Aphrodi summed up, his eyes shut in thought for a moment. He opened them a moment later, a confident smile on his face. "He's ashamed, Suzuno."

Gazel's hand halted at his right shoulder. "What?"

"He's ashamed," Aphrodi repeated. "Ashamed of being naked in front of you. He's worried what you think of him, and he avoids you because he doesn't want to hear you criticize him."

Gazel blinked a couple of times, staring at him in surprise. "Wha—no, that's ridiculous. Burn and I showered many times before, he never-"

"Perhaps something changed," Aphrodi suggested, pointing his index finger at the sky so as to prove his point. "You guys were friends before you joined Fire Dragon, right? Perhaps he thinks of you as more than a friend now."

Gazel felt his cheeks darken. Burn, his former rival and current teammate, liked him as more than a friend…? Was that even possible? This was the arrogant, egocentric Burn they were talking about. Gazel had never considered him being capable of having special feelings for someone. And him, of all people… it sounded unbelievable. It actually sounded absurd. So why did his heart beat faster just thinking of the possibility?

Embarrassed, Gazel withdrew his hand and gave the sponge back to Aphrodi. "Y-your turn," he stammered.

Aphrodi sent him a meaningful grin, but he didn't address Gazel's bashfulness. Instead, he moved behind the other boy and began to wash his back in return.

"It's not that impossible, is it?" he smiled. "Don't you think his behavior would make complete sense in that situation?" When Gazel didn't answer him, he widened his smile and added: "Confront him once more. If you close in on him in the shower, he'll have no choice but to tell you. His reaction alone will probably be enough."

Gazel abruptly turned his head, staring at him in disbelief. "Catch him off-guard while he's showering? I'm not some kind of pervert!" he exclaimed.

Aphrodi started to laugh at his reaction. "Of course not, that's not what I mean," he grinned. "There's no need to intimidate him; just confront him with words, voice your thoughts. He should be powerless if you do so in the shower; he can't just run away."

Gazel exhaled a sigh when he realized he was right. That sounded like a successful plan, but even though he had seen Burn naked before… somehow, joining him in the shower with an agenda like this sounded awkward. What was he supposed to do when Burn refused to explain himself? He couldn't actually grab him by the wrists, force him against the wall and—

Gazel shook his head like a mad man. What was he thinking? It was just a joint shower, there was no reason for him to fret like this. If he followed Aphrodi's advice, all he needed to do was engage a simple talk; that should be enough to solve the problem.

Gazel sighed once more and leaned backwards, trying to finally relax a bit and enjoy the sponge massage. "Thanks, Aphrodi… I'll think about it."

Aphrodi flashed an innocent, yet cunning smile. "You're welcome."

The next day passed as usual. With only two days left until the preliminary finals, the members of Fire Dragon exited the shower room after another day of heavy practice, happy to be clean. As the boys chatted with each other, Gazel and Aphrodi followed in the back, also having washed up. They perked up at the same time when they saw a red flash in the corner of their eyes, and Aphrodi sent Gazel a nod without speaking. Now was the time.

Gazel nodded back, but not nearly as confidently. He was still uncertain about the whole idea of confronting Burn in the shower. However, he knew now was the right moment to do this. Everyone had finished showering, including him, and that meant there was no one to disturb when he went to face Burn.

Completely unnoticed, Gazel turned on his heel and zipped back to the showers. The changing room was empty and he heard water running behind the door, indicating the coast was clear. Gazel undressed quickly, not wanting his uniform to get wet, and grabbed his towel almost automatically to tie it around his waist. That was the moment he stopped to think for a moment. Was he supposed to go to Burn naked? They were in the shower, after all. The embarrassing feeling from before returned, and his heart began to race restlessly again. Dammit, why was this situation so hard?

Gazel gritted his teeth and eventually dropped his towel on the bench. Whether he was naked or not didn't matter; what mattered was the resolve between him and Burn, and what mattered was if he really… liked… him… Gazel hastily shook his head. No, no, he wasn't curious about that. He just needed to know what Burn's problem was and solve it with him. Nothing about feelings or romance or anything like that. He was doing this so they could focus on their teamwork and win the finals.

Gazel walked to the door on his toes, even though he knew Burn wouldn't hear him due to the noise of the shower. He slowly opened up until he saw the other boy before his eyes, standing under a showerhead with his back turned to him. From what Gazel could tell, Burn didn't look as tense as when he was with his friend, and if he heard right, the boy was actually humming to himself. So did that mean Burn really felt uneasy around him…?

Determined to find out, Gazel slipped inside the room and tried to pull a serious face, not wanting to give in to the pounding of his heart. He took a deep breath and then slammed the door behind his back, causing Burn to flinch, turn and stare at him with wide eyes.

"G-Gazel…?" he stammered. His cheeks went red and his head swayed to and fro a couple of times, as if he was looking for a way out. Even though there was enough space for him to run, Burn remained frozen at the spot, shocked by the other boy's sudden appearance.

Gazel flashed an awkward smile, as he didn't want to make him feel even worse. "Wow, calm down," he said, and he held up his hands in defense. "I'm just here to take a shower."

"But you just took o-" Burn instantly silenced himself. Idiot, Gazel wasn't allowed to find out that he knew when he showered or not!

Gazel grimaced, well aware of Burn's sneakiness already. Not wanting him to come up with an excuse and make a run for it, he took a few steps closer and cut to the chase: "I have a question for you."

Visibly getting more nervous, Burn moved back as Gazel approached him, and he flinched when the wall prevented him from moving any further. He swallowed hard while Gazel closed the gap between them more and more, his hands plastered against the tiles. "Question…?"

"I'm pretty sure you know." Gazel went to stand right in front of Burn as he spoke, looking into his eyes with a strict expression. "Burn… why have you been avoiding me?"

"I haven't been avoiding-" Burn let out a yelp when his wrists were suddenly trapped and pressed against the wall, each one at the side of his head. Gazel held on tightly as he leaned even closer, clearly not intent on letting him go before he got his answer.

"Don't screw with me," he hissed. "You've been evading me all week. You refuse to shower in my presence and you won't even look at me during practice. What is your problem?"

Burn stared at him with fearful eyes, clearly not used to Gazel being so aggressive. He started to struggle a little and tried: "I-it's just your imagination," but Gazel just pressed him back again and let their foreheads touch without averting his gaze.

"Burn. Don't try to talk your way around it. I'm not blind, I know something is troubling you. If it's about me, you need to tell me."

Burn vividly shook his head, his knees growing weak in Gazel's grip. "I-it's nothing," he denied, "leave me alone!" Using all of his strength, he managed to push Gazel off and ran past him, but the other boy was quick and grabbed him by the wrist again.

"God dammit, Burn!" Gazel shouted. "What is the matter with you? Why won't you tell me what's going on? Aren't we friends? If I did something wrong, you need to tell me! If you care even an ounce about our friendship, you need to set your fear aside and tell me what's wrong! Why won't you?"

"It has nothing to do with you!" Burn screamed back. "Let me go!" He tried to get his hand free, but that just resorted into the other being caught as well. Powerless against Gazel's hold, he was pushed back against the wall, the water pouring aimlessly above their heads.

Gazel stared at him with trembling lips, but said nothing. After a moment of silence, he eventually lowered his head and repeated: "Why won't you…?"

Burn continued to look at him with wide eyes, no longer trying to break out of Gazel's grip. Ultimately, he turned away his own head and shut his eyes, not wanting the words across his lips. "I… don't want you to see me."

Gazel looked up, unsure if he heard right. "What?"

"I don't want you to see me, okay?" Burn said again, frustration running through his voice. "Not… not when I'm like this… without clothes."

Gazel let out a silent gasp. It was exactly like Aphrodi said. "Why not…?"

"I… don't know," Burn confessed, still avoiding eye contact. "I just… don't want to show myself like this to you. If you came up to me one day and said I'm ugly, I would… I would…" He clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, not knowing how to finish his sentence.

Gazel figured Burn wasn't going to run away now and slowly let go of his wrists, just looking at him in awe. Everything Aphrodi had said was true. Burn was ashamed of being naked in front of him, even though it wasn't the first time. Could that mean… that he really did like him?

Gazel suddenly realized he was at a loss for words. He had never considered what to do once he got an answer from Burn; he had only thought about the process of achieving it. Gazel couldn't help but let his eyes flow across his body now, looking at him and only him. He had never paid much attention to his looks when they were showering or bathing with others, but now… now Gazel had no idea why Burn would be scared of being ugly.

"Burn… uh… I…" he muttered, and he hit himself over the head for sounding like an idiot. He still didn't know what to say, but Gazel knew he couldn't just leave an insecure Burn like this. He had to comfort him, he wanted to comfort him. "… I think you have nothing to worry about," he concluded, and his cheeks went red as soon as the words were out.

Burn finally turned to look at him, his eyes full of surprise. He was blushing as well, but Gazel could see the fear withdrawing from his face. "G-Gazel…?"

"You… you're an idiot for worrying like that, you know," Gazel blurted out. "What made you think you're ugly?" He was about to look to the side, embarrassed about his choice of words, but a sudden hand on his cheek pushed his head back and locked his lips with Burn's.

Gazel let out a shriek into Burn's mouth as the other boy grabbed him firmly by the shoulders, disallowing him from leaving this position. His eyes went wide with shock, a bit of fear even, and his heart beat uncontrollably against Burn's bare chest. The two of them were suddenly so close, entirely naked together, kissing under the shower… and Gazel embraced the feeling without a second thought.

While Burn's arms wrapped around his neck and his fingers ran possessively through his hair, Gazel moved his hands to his butt and lifted him off the floor. Burn made the gesture easier by folding his legs around his waist, clinging their bodies against one another. Gazel pressed the other boy back against the wall in the meantime, completely lost in the passionate kiss they shared.

It felt like minutes had passed when the two finally parted, both panting slightly as they eyed each other. Burn placed his feet back on the floor, removing the weight from the other boy's hands, and Gazel brought them to his back instead, stroking it gently.

Burn and Gazel rested in each other's embrace without a word, the water hitting them being the only sound that resonated through the bathroom. Eventually, though, Gazel let out a snicker, his cheeks a dark shade of red. "Woah…" he muttered, causing Burn to chuckle as well.

"Yeah..." he replied, his mouth curving in an awkward grimace. "Sorry…"

Gazel shook his head to show he wasn't troubled one bit. "Don't worry… I enjoyed it," he admitted, and he gently brushed his index finger across Burn's lips as he spoke.

Burn smiled at the sound of those words and added: "I meant sorry for acting the way I did. You know, avoiding you…" He tilted his head innocently as he muttered: "I guess it was kinda stupid, huh?"

"Definitely," Gazel nodded with a high-and-mighty face. "You shouldn't treat me like that again. If you do, you might never know when I catch you in the shower," he grinned.

Burn grinned back, gently playing with the silver locks of his hair. "Oh? Will you show me what you do if you catch me in the shower?" he challenged, his eyes suggestive.

Gazel brought his lips to his ear and whispered: "Gladly," before he pulled Burn's hands away from his head and let their fingers intertwine. As he placed them back against the stone wall, the two shared another deep kiss, once again removing all distance between them.

And the distance wasn't just erased physically; from that moment on, neither Burn nor Gazel worried about being close to the other again, be it in the shower or during practice. The next day, the restoration of their bond clearly shined through their teamwork, surprising all the other members and even Aphrodi. Gazel hadn't told Burn whose idea it was to confront him in the shower in the first place, but as soon as the redhead looked elsewhere, Gazel sent Aphrodi a wink and mouthed a "thank you". He really was grateful to him for helping their friendship get back to normal, or actually evolve it into something even better. Indeed, he was grateful, and more than happy, that he and Burn could enjoy a shower together again – just the two of them.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot, everyone! Please review~!