Kota smiled, pressing his nose up against the glass and rubbing affectionately. The fish were so cute, he couldn’t help himself! He knew most people wouldn’t react as strangely as he did, but then again most people weren’t him. Being the friendly and outgoing type, he’d always gotten along with both people and animals – fish, as he saw it, were no different. They were fascinating creatures that deserved his attention as much as the next person did…although he did want some company to socialize with, now that he thought of it.

Breathing out a sigh against the glass, he watched as the air he puffed out fogged against the fish tank. Blinking wide, innocent eyes, he began scribbling a doodle of a fish on the foggy glass when he noticed a dark image crowding his vision on the tank. Squinting, he realized the dark image was merely a person’s reflection gleaming off the fish tank, causing him to turn around in modest surprise.

Another boy stood quietly in the empty room amongst the fishes, his black hair and dark eyes making him easily distinguishable amongst the blues and whites of the room. No wonder Kota managed to spot his reflection on the tank so easily. He shook his head and brought up a smile across his features, judging the boy to be somewhere around his age by the looks of him.

“Hey,” Kota started, his smile bright against the dimly lit room. “I don’t normally talk to fish, just so you know. It’s just…weird that there’s no people around,” he explained, laughing awkwardly and scratching his cheek.

Turning back to face the tank, his blue eyes widened as he watched a brightly-colored fish swim by his vision. “They’re fascinating creatures, aren’t they? The only kind of animal that can breathe underwater – well, I guess there’s several different kinds that can, but you know what I mean.” He shot a friendly look over his shoulder toward the boy and asked politely, “So, are you from Aurora Academy too?”

Kota smiled at the other boy’s reddening skin. Despite the dimly lit room, his blush was easy to spot with his pale skin and contrasting dark hair. He wasn’t sure why the boy was blushing, whether it was from embarrassment or frustration he wasn’t sure either. They were just two guys hanging out in an aquarium, talking about fish. Surely there was nothing embarrassing or frustrating about that, was there?

When he responded to his query about the fish, giving a more depressing answer, Kota felt his smile turn down a notch. Glancing between the fish tank and the other boy, he rubbed his chin in thought. Yeah, it was sad that they were locked away. “But despite being stuck in a tank, there’s still a lot to be grateful for,” Kota mused, thinking out loud. “After all, they don’t have to worry about predators. And they’re with others of their kind, so they have families.” He turned to face the boy with a questioning look, eyebrow raised slightly. “You’re more of a pessimist, aren’t you? There’s nothing wrong with that, but I’m an optimist. I prefer to see the glass half-full, you know?”

As the boy introduced himself as Edmund, Kota held out a hand for him to shake. “Nice to meet you. You can call me Kota,” he introduced, smiling bright. “First year. And you’re not weird, you just think differently. I can appreciate that.”

Turning back to face the blue tank, he watched with wide eyes as another couple of fish swam by his vision. He had to stop getting distracted by these damn fish! He was probably the one coming across as weird; he could see it now – Edmund returning to school and reporting to everyone about the weirdo boy who likes to watch fish. By the time he made it back to campus, everyone would be calling him ‘fish boy.’

Then again, he seemed like the quirky type. Maybe he wouldn’t make fun of him. Kota wasn’t sure of him yet to make a solid opinion. All he knew was he was used to being bullied if it came down to it.

“So…” He turned back around to face Edmund, giving him a curious look. “What brings you to the aquarium? I mean, if you think fish shouldn’t be locked away I’d think you wouldn’t be here to look at them, right?” It was an ironic situation when he thought of it.

When Edmund accepted the offered handshake, Kota barely got to squeeze his hand before the other boy quickly shook and separated their hands. He shouldn’t have been surprised. Edmund seemed like the reserved type that kept to himself, unlike Kota who made it his daily mission to make his way into other people’s lives. It didn’t bother him, though. Rather, it made him feel slightly sorry for the boy. He hoped he overcame his reserved nature – he seemed like a nice-enough guy.

Letting his arm drop back to his side, he listened as the boy made an awkward statement about being neither optimistic or pessimistic. Huh. That was strange. “Would you consider yourself a realist then?” he asked, rubbing his chin in thought. In all honesty, he should’ve known better than to push the subject. The two were basically strangers, aside from knowing each other’s names. He shouldn’t be trying to figure Edmund out, and yet he was compelled to do so.

At the mention of Finding Dory, Kota’s blue-green eyes lit up with excitement. “Ooh, so you saw the movie? Was it any good?!” he asked, a grin now forming across his features. He bounced from one foot to another with his newfound energy, showing a more child-like side of him. “I haven’t seen the movie yet, what with school and all. Now that I think of it, I haven’t been to the movies in a while. This is the first chance at a break that I’ve gotten. It’s my off day, and while I get them every week this is the first one where I have no work to do! Whew, finally! It’s like, do teachers have nothing better to do than to give us nonstop work? I don’t need to know what the square root of X is to know math. Geez!”

He shook his head at the thought, realizing at that moment he probably sounded like he was going on a tangent. When Edmund answered his previous question about being at the aquarium to get away from school, he felt he couldn’t agree more. That was honestly why Kota was here to begin with. “Random gloomy thought, huh,” he repeated, lips forming a straight line. “That’s no good. We need to get you thinking random happy thoughts! Here, look at this!” he exclaimed, turning back to the tank to reveal the previous pufferfish he’d been looking at before.

Puffing his cheeks out in a similar fashion, he turned and smiled at Edmund. “Doesn’t it just make you in a better mood, looking at a silly fish?” Taking in a deep breath, he puffed his cheeks out further to the point where they grew a tint of red, closing his eyes and trying to mimic looking like the fish. Peeking an eye slightly open, he hoped he was making a good impression and lightening the mood for Edmund. He seemed like he needed some cheering up.

Edmund shrugged at his comment of being a realist, giving a noncommittal-looking nod and small agreement in return. That was okay. Kota wouldn’t push the subject any further. He felt like he was already going beyond what a normal person would do in a situation like this: meeting someone for the first time. The two were still strangers, and yet he’d managed to pick at the wall Edmund seemed to have constructed around himself the way most reserved people do. In a way he felt proud that he accomplished something between the two, despite the fact that he hardly knew the guy. There was just something about him that seemed different, and that was something Kota wanted to be a part of.

On top of that, he genuinely enjoyed having conversations with people.

And the attention. He liked that, too.

But he digressed. At the mention of not being able to see a certain popular movie, Edmund grinned and gave him a tip about illegally downloading movies before laughing it off and suggesting Netflix. Kota smiled; there goes that wall again, tumbling down and down. He was glad he could see the boy laugh, and when he did the impression of a pufferfish he laughed even harder. Good to see he had some humor. At least the two were beginning to find common ground.

“You should do fish impressions professionally,” he heard Edmund say.

“Aw shucks, I missed my calling,” Kota grinned, dropping his puffy expression to laugh alongside him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had this much fun – especially in a dim place like the aquarium. Kota liked to bring out the happy side of others, though, and was glad he managed to pull it off at a place like this.

As his laughter died down, he turned back to face the tank once more and motioned for Edmund to stand beside him, watching the fish swim across his field of vision. “So tell me, what’s your favorite fish?” Before Edmund could respond, he quickly added, “Lame question, I know, but think of it like an impromptu personality test. Any answer you give will reveal something about yourself.” He smiled at the thought, thinking of his pufferfish impression and what that must’ve said about himself.

Kota looked over toward Edmund, waiting patiently for his reply. The boy seemed a bit flustered at first, unable to answer as he thought to himself. That was okay. Kota could wait and stare at fish all day. It wasn’t that he had a particular thing for fish – something he was worried Edmund might start to think is a thing – but, rather, he found them interesting. And anything he found interesting could occupy his mind for hours.

When Edmund finally gave an answer, Kota realized he wasn’t too surprised. It made sense. “I should’ve guessed you’d pick something like an octopus. They symbolize intelligence and mystery, among several other things. Did you know they camouflage themselves?” He laughed. “At least, that’s what the info card read.”

Edmund asked Kota the same question in return, and he smiled at the puffer fish remark. “Nah, they’re not my favorite. Although I do like them, mostly because they make people smile. Is that corny?” He tilted his head, pondering for a moment before coming up with his answer.

“I guess if I had to pick one, it would be a seahorse. They’re unique creatures, and they basically do their own thing. There’s nothing else quite like them. At least, not that I know of.” Kota scratched the back of his head, offering a cheesy grin. “I’m certainly no expert on fish, let me tell you that!”

Kota tilted his head, searching the room for other people but finding none. Where was everyone? Surely they weren’t the only people visiting the aquarium. He tried racking his brain to remember if he’d seen anyone else, but the only ones that came to mind were employees he’d spotted here and there earlier.

His ears perked up when Edmund made the comment about trying to recall seahorse facts, ultimately saying the one thing Kota didn’t want to hear: “male seahorses carry babies.” Great. So his favorite fish was comparable to a female. He frowned at the thought, feeling himself grow depressed. The last thing he needed was to be compared to a girl, yet again. How many times had this happened in the course of a couple weeks? Three?

Feeling an imaginary rain cloud forming over his golden head, Kota replied with a lower, gloomier tone. “That’s just great,” he sighed. “Another reason to confuse me for a girl. That’s been happening way too much lately.” He didn’t mean to bring Edmund down after he spent so much time bringing him up, but he couldn’t help himself. He’d been mistaken for a girl twice within a short amount of time – hearing another comparison was bound to make him upset.