Parrot and its Beetle! :P

Laiko managed a slight a chuckle as Annabelle summed up the situation: Making something so complex seem so simple... It was like maths, in a way. You could start with a long line confusing numbers, then finally end up with just a few. Perhaps if he looked at life that way, things would b easier to understand. If he took each big confusing mess, and gradually picked away at it until it was simple enough for him to comprehend? Laiko drew in a deep breath, then released it in a shuddering sigh, calming himself and trying to get a grip. He had so seldom been miserable before that he didn't even know what to do about it... Maybe he could just ignore it, pretend it wasn't there, and hope that it would eventually vanish?
Annabelle offered to drop him at home then, and Laiko glanced at her - wondering if he should accept - then finally forced himself to nod, accompanied by a small smile, which was the best he could muster at the time. He remained where he was an Annabelle stooped down to pick up the keys, then began walking toward the Moped. As he was about to follow, a chill scuttled down his spine and Laiko froze in the spot. His heart hammered desperately against his chest and he knew instinctively that something was wrong. He had felt premonitions like this before... It was as though his senses automatically picked up things that his mind would ordinarily have missed. As though there was some long forgotten training lying deep in the back of his mind which he used automatically when he needed it, without even realizing it. The feeling of unease multiplied, and just as Laiko felt the hairs on the back of his neck begin to rise, he felt the tension in the air snap and acted swiftly, completely without thinking.
"Get down!" He yelled, and he flung himself at Annabelle, tackling her to the ground. At that selfsame moment, the sickening bang of gunfire ripped through the air. In the exact spot Laiko had been standing a moment before, the sand exploded with the force of the bullet - sending the soft yellow grains shooting up like a fountain, then falling gently down like drops of rain. Laiko watched this, completely forgetting that he was still lying over Annabelle. His eyes darted around through the haze of flying sand grains - searching for the shooter. Finally, his keen eyesight detected the distant silhouette of a figure leaping down off a rooftop some distance away, then vanishing to where Laiko could no longer see him... Or her. From this distance it was impossible to tell. Laiko felt his tension release slightly as he realised that they were now safe, and then he turned his head to look back at Annabelle. He was somewhat startled to find her face so close to his and he instantly made to lift himself off of her, but then his motion ceased suddenly. He watched her for a moment, his eyes searching her face and a strange, unfamiliar sensation in the pit of his stomach. For a brief moment he couldn't move away, or perhaps he didn't want to, but then the moment passed, and Laiko quickly looked away, then pushed himself up and scrambled hurriedly away from Annabelle - finding his feet swiftly. He glanced around briefly, then looked back at Annabelle. "Are you okay?" He asked, bending down and offering his hand to help her up. This situation seemed rather familiar, somehow... Apart from being shot at. Though now that the danger had passed, this did not seem to trouble Laiko in the slightest. He certainly was not acting like somebody who has just had their life threatened, in any case. His only nervousness and worry stemmed from a strange confusion in his mind - born of trying to decipher that one inexplicable moment that half of him wished he could just forget, and the other half was desperate to understand...

Laiko turned back to Annabelle as he heard his name, managing a slight smile. He made his way back over to her, reaching her side just as she spoke again. "Laiko, what was that?" He had to pause for a moment to consider the question - then he remembered the gunfire, and almost laughed at his own foolishness. Of course that was what she meant... "Somebody shot at us." Laiko explained simply, not seeming particularly troubled by this fact. "I'm not sure why, but they seem to be gone now; so it's fine, right?" He smiled comfortingly at her - starting to seem more like himself now that he had been shocked to his senses and forgone his uncharacteristic depression from a few moments before. "Are you okay?" He repeated, suddenly frowning in concern as he saw her clutching her shoulder. He instantly dropped to the ground beside her, his worried gaze searching her face. "Come..." He said gently, "Let's get somewhere safe."
His gaze flickered to the shoulder she was clutching then, and he hoped desperately that he had not hurt her... Well, he had definitely hurt her, that much was apparent, only he hoped it wasn't too bad... Otherwise it would be all his fault, all over again. He doubted he'd ever come out of the shame spiral... "Can you stand?" Laiko asked kindly, offering his hand to help her up - his bright green eyes gentle and caring beneath the frame of his fringe as he watched her.

The sun had begun setting now, casting an incandescent glow over the earth. It delved everything into a bright array of gold, yellow and fiery red - seeming to bathe the world in flame. As the golden light fell over Annabelle's shaken face, Laiko felt a sudden burst of protective instinct grip him. He wouldn't let anything hurt her... Ever, ever again.

Laiko seemed slightly taken aback when Annabelle pulled away from him. Then, when she said that she wanted to leave, he seemed distinctly upset. "I" she had said... "I" and not "we". So did that mean that she was leaving him...? That she hated him for what had happened, and that she'd just leave him there... After all she had said trying to get him to go with her, and now when he decided that was exactly what he wanted to do, she didn't want to be near him any more... Okay, so he had messed up - he had hurt her - but really, what other choice did he have? Just sit around and take the risk of letting her take a bullet? No way. He'd rather have her hate him forever than let her get shot. Calmed by his logical thoughts, Laiko's lips parted as he prepared to reply to her words, but before he had a chance to say a thing, she was leaning against him - pressing against his chest, her fingers gripping his shirt tightly. A sharp intake of breath replaced the words Laiko had been about to speak, and he felt himself tense momentarily in surprise. Now he was more confused than ever... He didn't understand this at all. She wanted to go, leave, get away from him, and yet here she was leaning into his chest as though she wanted to be nearer to him... It made no sense. Laiko felt his heartbeat quicken considerably at the pressure of her fingers on his chest, though he had no idea whatsoever why this was. He gulped nervously, then finally decided that the best course of action would probably be just to react, rather than trying to understand things that were beyond his understanding. Laiko hesitantly opened his arms and encircled her in a hug, stroking her back soothingly. He felt himself relax a little more then - the tension leaving his muscles. "It's okay." He murmured in a low, soothing tone. "Let's get out of here. Go somewhere..." He added quietly. Of course, being twistedly innocent as he was, Laiko did not understand how bad those words sounded - especially in the current situation. Perhaps if he'd remembered those commonly used lines from the many romance movies Mike had made him watch to 'educate' him, Laiko would have chosen his words better - but alas, he was distracted, and perhaps not quite thinking clearly just yet.

As he felt Annabelle pulling away from him, Laiko released her, watching her in vague surprise and slight trepidation as he waited to see why she suddenly didn't want to be near him any more. "Hold on... Wait." She began speaking, and Laiko cringed away from the edge to her voice, watching her with bewilderment as she went on about... Wait, what?! Where had she got that from?! He hadn't meant it that way... "N-no..." He stammered uncertainly, but before he had a chance to explain, Annabelle had walked off to fetch her Moped. This left him some time to think, and Laiko quickly sorted through the small collection of memories he had back to what he had said earlier. Oh... Not his best choice of words after all. That had indeed sounded rather... Oh. Well, at least that explained why Annabelle was acting this way. Laiko suddenly glanced toward the ground, feeling distinctly uneasy. He could feel the colour rushing to his cheeks, too, and that did nothing to make him feel any more comfortable.
Then Annabelle returned. Laiko glanced at her briefly, then cast his gaze down - watching the toe of his shoe as he kicked the ground. He seemed a little shy and slightly ashamed, but when she asked him a direct question, he managed to make himself look up at her and chuckled awkwardly before starting to explain. "No, no... I didn't mean it like that..." He babbled nervously, speaking almost too fast to be coherent. "I- I just meant that- You know, it seems, I don't know, kinda dangerous here... What with people shooting and all... So we should probably go somewhere else, somewhere safe, and I thought that maybe, you know, since you seemed so shaken..." He fell silent for a brief moment, then added in a small voice "I thought maybe you'd want me to stay with you... until you felt safer. That's- That's all... I didn't mean like- Or anything- You know." He spoke in nervous, disjointed tones and when he'd finally finished, he fell silent instantly and looked down again, still kicking the ground. His face was flushed to an even deeper extent that before, clearly showing how deeply embarrassed he felt by his little slip up. "I, uh... Sorry." He murmured in a small voice, still not quite able to meet her eyes. Wow, that had been awkward~... He certainly hoped she hadn't taken it too seriously... That she could just let it go... And that maybe they could get away from the beach before it got dark, which it was doing with increasing rapidity.

When they arrived at their destination, Laiko glanced around with a frown. A hotel...? He had just been planning on waiting around at her place until she settled down. There was no need to rent a hotel room! Especially for him as well... He felt awful that she should have to spend her money on him, especially knowing that he wouldn't be able to pay her back. And also, what about school? Okay, so the next day was Friday and that would help, but he couldn't ruin his perfect attendance more than he already had. If he lost that scholarship... If he lost that, it would all be over. He would have nowhere to go... Nowhere to live... Nothing to eat. He could scarcely imagine going a day without food! It would be terrible... He loved his food. He was jerked out of his thoughts then by Annabelle's explanation as they reached the desk, and he simply nodded dumbly in acceptance. He wondered what her father was like... He supposed he wouldn't get to find out. But if Annabelle was willing to rent a hotel room to get away from him, they obviously didn't get along very well. But then why didn't she stay at the boarding house...? She would probably enjoy it, and he would certainly be ecstatic to spend more time with his new friend. Perhaps he ought to mention it to her...
Smiling cheerfully over his latest and greatest idea, Laiko followed Annabelle jovially up the stairs until the reached their room. He followed her into he room, gazing around in jubilant awe at the wonderfully soft carpet, the perfectly made bed, and the general attractive neatness of the room - so unlike the dorm he shared with Mike and Kevin... Well, to be fair Kevin was pretty neat, but Mike- No... He wasn't even going to go there.
Laiko glanced over at Annabelle with a smile as she spoke, but upon hearing the tone of her voice, the smile slowly slipped from his face and his shoulders dropped in defeat. She turned and walked into the bathroom then, leaving Laiko staring after her - seeming hurt and bewildered and trying to understand what he had done wrong... It wasn't until his and fell to his side in complete hopelessness that Laiko realized he had been reaching out toward her. What had he done wrong...? This time, he hadn't thought he had done anything.
Sighing quietly to himself, Laiko walked toward the door and placed a hand on the handle. He hovered there uncertainly for a while, wondering if she meant him to leave, then forsook that idea and walked back to the opposite end of the room. What was he supposed to do now...? Why was she suddenly being so cold towards him? Okay, so he was definitely being overly sensitive, but that was simply the way he was and there was nothing he could do about it. Finally, Laiko flopped down onto the bed and resigned himself to simply waiting for her to emerge. He fiddled with his hands in his lap until, finally, Annabelle re-entered the room. "How are you feeling?" He asked anxiously, leaping to his feet the second she emerged. Watching her with concern, he stepped briskly over to her - intending to give her a hug. Then, at the last minute, he remembered the tone she had used earlier. She didn't want his affection any more. Laiko stopped, and took a step backwards - struggling to hide the hurt and disappointment from his eyes as they returned in full measure. He did his best to keep a grip on himself, which was becoming easier now he was learning how to do it, and waited anxiously to hear if Annabelle was all right.

Laiko felt a painful stab of hurt as Annabelle ignored his words completely, simply stepping past him to sit on the bed. That had hurt... Damn, but that had hurt... He didn't even know how it was possible to feel such pain without being wounded, but somehow it was. He knew, because he could feel it right there and then... And he knew that pain was real. He was going mad with worry over her, and she wouldn't even acknowledge his presence... Worse still was the fact that he didn't understand why! What had he done? And why had she brought him here if she was going to act like he didn't exist? What was he supposed to do now? What did she want him to do now?
Feeling painfully broken by his thoughts, yet this time managing to contain his misery without bursting into tears as he had before, Laiko glanced over at Annabelle, intending to ask her exactly what she wanted from him. His mouth dropped open then, but no words escaped it as he saw her - holding her shirt in her hand and looking at it. More noticeable still was the absence of the shirt she had been wearing a moment before. Laiko's mouth snapped shut, and he quickly turned away - his face flushed beet-red now. This was not normal was it? He highly doubted that this was supposed to happen... What on earth was she undressing in front of him for?! Was he expected to do the same? Even if he was, he did not plan to. Not a chance... Suddenly wondering if he had just imagined it, Laiko glanced toward Annabelle again. Now she was slowly peeling her jeans off... Okay, way too far! What was this supposed to be - straightness camp?! Laiko quickly slapped a hand over his eyes, covering them determinedly. He could feel the heat of his burning face beneath his palm, and he hated to imagine the colour it must have been right then. "Uh... Annabelle?" He began tentatively, staring at the wall now with his hand still shielding his eyes. "I... I'm, uh... I'm still here, you know..." He informed her with difficulty - feeling so panicked and uncomfortable that he could barely form the words. He began backing toward the bathroom then - peering through his fingers as if to see where he was going, yet still moving backwards - leaving his eyes fixed on Annabelle. "I'll just..." He muttered, feeling around behind him with one hand for the bathroom door behind him while his other hand, with fingers parted, ineffectively covered his eyes. Finally, he got a grip on the handle, and opened the bathroom door from behind him. "I'll just... W-wait in here until you're done..." He stammered shyly, his face flushing an even deeper shade. He stumbled into the bathroom, then quickly turned around and closed the door behind him - releasing a deep sigh of relief, and perhaps an inexplicable hint of disappointment. Well... That had been a particularly unpleasant, if very effective way of making him forget to feel hurt... Then again, he was feeling so uncomfortable now that it was barely more pleasant than the pain from before... He felt hot and sweaty, not to mention nervous and twitchy - and this was causing him to feel rather ill. Was Annabelle doing all this on purpose to torture him or something? Had she brought him in here just to punish him for whatever he had done that she was so upset about? What had he done...?
At this thought, Laiko reverted back to his bewildered, wounded state from before. He slowly slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, then he drew his knees up to his chest and hugged them for comfort. He hadn't done this since the first night he could remember... When he had woken up in that hospital bed feeling completely empty, and utterly alone, without even his memories for company. Now he just felt lost and broken... And confused, oh so confused! He just couldn't take the confusion any more! It was torture, torture! Couldn't somebody just help him understand...? Sighing softly, Laiko decided to shake off the thoughts, and scooted into the corner of the bathroom - sitting beneath the sink, yet feeling comforted by the walls stretching upwards all around him. He had never felt more bewildered and confused in his life, and now there was nobody to help him through it. One thing was for sure: He was not going to leave this bathroom again. Not while Annabelle was there. He wouldn't be able to face her after all this... With slight timidity, Laiko thought back to what had just happened. He didn't even know why he had reacted like that. Why had he been in such a panic over it...? He wasn't usually one to be so shy, and besides - he was gay, so it shouldn't matter, right? Of course it shouldn't. But then why... Sure, he liked to be polite, and of course it was wrong to peek, but if that was the only problem he certainly could have handled it with far more dignity... Ah well, it didn't matter now. He would just stay hidden where he sat until he could do what Annabelle clearly wanted him to, and get far, far away from her. The thought nearly killed him, but the thought of making Annabelle unhappy was far more painful than the thought of losing her friendship...

Laiko glanced up as Annabelle stormed in, his breath catching in his throat as he watched her in a potent combination of hope and trepidation. Then the harsh words were spat from her lips like venom, and she turned on her heel and stormed out again - completely crushing his hope. Okay, he no longer felt broken now, he felt shattered. If he had been capable of anger, he probably would have felt a lot at that moment, but alas, he just felt pain. Hurt, confusion and guilt. Well, whatever. Annabelle had just made his decision for him. Thrusting his troublesome emotions aside, Laiko shoved himself to his feet and walked toward the door. He tugged it open and stepped into the room, not even pausing to spare a glance for Annabelle. Well if she hated him and wanted him gone, she could have her wish. Laiko stepped quickly over to the door, then paused as his hand rested on the handle. "I would apologise from the bottom of my heart..." Laiko murmured quietly, his voice betraying the complete confusion he felt. "But it just wouldn't feel sincere if I don't know what I'm apologising for... Goodbye." He spoke the final word in a whisper so quiet it was lost in the silence, then pulled down the handle and pushed the door open - preparing himself for the long walk back to the school.

Laiko froze as he heard her voice, his breath catching in his throat. He half hoped she would call him back, yet he was half afraid that she would... At the same time, he didn't dare to hope, for fear his hope would be crushed again. He turned slowly to face her as Annabelle grabbed the door handle, brushing his hand in the process. He released the door and looked down at her, waiting to see what she had to say. He remained silent as she spoke, his face devoid of expression. So she was scared... He had expected that, that was why he had offered to come with her, but then why did she push him away...? Then it came out: She barely knew him. Of course, he had almost forgotten... Because she had seemed so close to him, he had forgotten that she hadn't known him more than, what, a few hours? He had always been quick to befriend, quick to trust and quick to show his affection, to an almost infantile extent. But others... Others tended to be more cautious, slower, more reserved... It was no wonder she was acting like this. She didn't know whether or not to trust him... And yet she said she was already close to him? He agreed on that point, he had thought that they were getting close... Until she had started pushing him away. He wanted to say something... He wanted to... But he couldn't. Laiko glanced down as Annabelle took his hand, and he gently closed his fingers around hers and squeezed them gently - showing that he was still listening... And that he did appreciate it... Even if words evaded him. He took a deep breath, then finally found his voice. "I won't leave unless you want me to." He promised gently, "And whilst I am here, I promise not to let anything hurt you, even at the cost of my life."
He spoke the words like an oath - like an eternal pledge - with a sincerity so intense that it was clear he meant them with every fiber of his being.
She moved away then and settled onto the mattress, direction him toward the bed. Laiko smiled softly, a fond chuckle escaping his lips, then he shook his head and walked over to her. "Come on, as if I'd let you convince me to take the bed..." He teased, shaking his head. Surely she knew him well enough by now to know that there was not the slightest chance he would take the bed knowing that she was on a mattress on the floor? Laiko gently took Annabelle's hand and hauled her to her feet, then, on an impulse, pulled her close. His head moved toward hers without conscious thought on his part, and jut as their lips were about to meet, Laiko came to his senses and froze - suddenly tensing completely. He drew in a tiny gasp of breath at the shock of what he had nearly done, then quickly cast the thought aside as an absentminded mistake and gave Annabelle a brief hug instead, as he had originally been planning. "Thank you," he murmured quietly, "For putting up with me."
With that he pulled back again and set her at an arm's length, his hands resting softly on her shoulders. "Now come on, off to bed with you!" He teased with a impish grin, gently pushing her backwards onto the soft bed.
It was incredible how quickly Laiko could recover... To go from feeling completely crushed to joking around in just a few minutes... But then again, he was somewhat different to most... After all, if he wasn't, he might have been a little more affected by a certain 'nearly' accidental kiss. If he had taken a minute to step back and consider what it might mean, perhaps he would have been sitting in a shocked stupour right then, rather than forgetting all about it and ending up grinning like a fool.

"Of course I'm okay." Laiko replied with a wink, settling down into the bed and mentally kicking himself for failing to bring extra clothes... Not that he could have known he would need them. He snuggled deeper into the blankets and stretched out on the mattress, sinking his head into the soft pillow. After a short while, lying there lost in thought, Laiko slipped off to sleep. The dreams came, and he thrashed and muttered in his sleep, but what he was dreaming about one could not say... And by the time he awoke, he could never remember. The hours ticked slowly by, and Laiko gradually got himself more and more tangled in the blankets until it was a wonder he could move at all. He had always been an untidy sleeper...
When morning came, it was to find Laiko lying face down on the mattress with his head buried in the pillow, snoring softly due to the suffocation that he had not even noticed. the blankets and sheets were completely tied and twisted around him, let still he slept like a log - showing no signs of waking up. Laiko could sleep all day if left to his own devices.

Laiko was jerked back to wakefulness as as a sudden pain stabbed up his arm, and the mattress lurched beneath him as something fell onto it. He heard Annabelle's voice as though from a distance, but he simply grunted in response, and pressed his face deeper into the pillow. Unfortunately, now that he was awake he was aware of the fact that he could not breathe, which, as expected, kept him from falling asleep again. Groaning sleepily, Laiko lifted his face out of the pillow and slowly shifted himself into a sitting position. He sat there a moment, swaying groggily, then he flopped backwards - falling asleep again where he sat - and knocked his head against the wall. This woke him up better, and Laiko grumbled something incoherent, but obviously impolite about the wall, then sat up straighter, rubbing the back of his head. He yawned widely, then dropped his hand back to his side and glanced up as Annabelle walked back in. He watched her approach, his bright green eyes only half open and his brain still half-asleep to the point that he did not even recognise her at first. He watched her approach sleepily, then blinked himself into wakefulness as she spoke. "Breakfast...?" He repeated slowly, as though he'd never heard the word before. He stared blankly at her, then her words finally seemed to sink in. "Oh, right..." Laiko said with a chuckle, brushing his messy hair out of his eyes to see the brochures she was showing him. "Could I just get some toast, please?" He requested politely, pointing out his choice on the glossy paper. "Thank you." He added, glancing over at her with a charming smile. He had completely forgotten about school by this point. And just as well, too, else he would probably have been freaking out over trying to get there in time.

Laiko was still rather inattentive from the after-effects of sleep, and he remained mostly silent as he slowly woke up properly and munched through his toast. He agreed amiably to all of Annabelle's suggestions - happy, as long as she was happy.
When they were finally ready to leave, Laiko trotted over to the door and glanced at Annabelle properly for the first time - noting the skillfully applied makeup. "You look gorgeous." He informed her with a wink as he stepped through the door to join her outside the room. He pulled the door shut behind him, and then the pair made their way down to the Moped which was waiting for them outside. "Say, Annabelle... Do you mind stopping off at the school briefly so that I can pick up some clothes? I'll be quick, I promise!" He said with a grin, tugging on his helmet and buckling it under his chin as he spoke.
On Annabelle's agreement, they set off - finally arriving at the school a short while later. Laiko dismounted the Moped and glanced around the empty grounds with a fond smile. He had still not realised that he was actually supposed to be in class, since he was utterly convinced that it was already Saturday. Waving his thanks to Annabelle, Laiko dashed through the heavy oak doors up to his dorm. He scribbled a quick note to Mike and Kevin telling them where he was going, then set to work gathering up everything he would need for the next couple of days. After retrieving his towel from where Mike had hidden it on top of the wardrobe, Laiko grabbed his fresh change of clothes and bounced into the bathroom. He showered in record speed - aware all the time of the fact that Annabelle was waiting for him, and that he had promised to be quick. By the time he had finished showering and dressed in his new clothes, Laiko was excited and eager to go. He wore a plain black shirt - casually buttoned up to a few buttons below the untidy collar - And a pair of longish black board shorts with green stripes streaking diagonally across.
He quickly ran a comb through his hair, searched the room for his tooth brush (which he found under Mike's maths book, along with a note demanding that he complete Mike's homework for him.) Laiko chuckled and shook his head, then grabbed the toothbrush and rushed off to the bathroom again, quickly cleaning his teeth before adding the toothbrush to the numerous other items in the bag he had packed. He tugged on a pair of sandals as he raced out of the door, slamming it shut behind him. Taking the stairs two at a time - Laiko soon made it back to the grounds, and sprinted over to the Moped. "Sorry for making you wait." He gasped as he skidded to a stop, droplets of water leaping from his saturated hair. Laiko flashed Annabelle a grin as he struggled to catch his breath, then threw his leg over the Moped again and sat there dripping in cheerful silence as they mde their way to the beach.

Leaving his helmet at the Moped, Laiko followed Annabelle to the beach, gazing around with a peacefully contented smile at the glorious sight. He had never swum before - at least not that he could remember - and he was really looking forward to trying. Thus, it was with great enthusiasm that he turned and grinned at Annabelle when she offered to take him swimming. He plopped onto the sand beside her, sitting in companionable silence and gazing around happily. Then a flash of DejaVu grabbed him as he remembered what had happened the day before... When he had sat down beside her exactly as he had done now. His expression shifted slightly, and a tiny shudder ran through him. That kiss had been the cause of such trouble... If only he wasn't gay- But no, perhaps it was best that he was... Else he might end up losing Annabelle as a friend, and that was something he certainly didn't want to do. He glanced up at her with a smile as she stood up, watching her and squinting into the sun. He raised a hand then to shield his eyes, and on the underside of his arm a number of pale lines were visible: Old scars, no doubt, and many of them - especially near his wrist.
Laiko got to his feet as she spoke, walking over to her and frowning questioningly. He didn't want to leave her out... He couldn't do that. Then she explained that she had no bathers, and for a moment Laiko's face fell. But then a thought struck him, and a small smile twitched the corners of his mouth. "Okay then..." He relied casually, pretending to accept Annabelle's intentions. He tugged off his shirt and dropped it in the sand, then stood gazing around innocently for a moment.
He glanced sneakily at Annabelle, then an impish grin lit up his face and he dived at her, hauling her to her feet - then lifting her clean off them and into his arms. "As if I'd accept that excuse!" He teased with a devious grin, before tossing Annabelle carefully into the water with a splash. "A little water never hurt anybody." He assured her with a wink, leaping into the sea himself. He looked around with an eager grin - clearly not the least bit ashamed for throwing Annabelle fully clothed into the sea.
Laiko dived under the water then, and attempted to swim - trusting that his muscle memory was good enough that he would be able to do it. He was not disappointed. After a few strokes, Laiko resurfaced - gazing away from Annabelle toward the horizon as he peacefully watched the waves coming towards him.
On his bare back, Laiko's skin was mangled by 3 terrible scars: The bullet wounds from that night... The perfectly round scars, shining pale against his tanned skin, gave the vague impression that Laiko was some form of human dartboard.
After watching the waves a while longer, Laiko turned back to face Annabelle - a deviously playful grin spread across his face.

Laiko played around in the water a while longer - splashing at Annabelle with joyous laughter, exploring the glorious new worlds opening up to him and enjoying the feeling of the sun on his back.
Finally, when he had had enough, Laiko began to make his way toward Annabelle - who seemed to be studying some nearby rock-pools. He paused as he noticed, much to his discomfort, that her clothes were clinging to her skin so well as seeming slightly transparent. Suddenly feeling rather shy, especially because it was his fault, Laiko stared in the opposite direction for a while - but then chills crept into his limbs and hurried him along. He swam over to her, then clambered up on the rocks and crouched beside her - staring into the little rock-pool with obvious fascination - his mission forgotten in that moment of curiosity and discovery. He gazed at the tiny sea creatures with wide, innocent eyes as water dripped steadily from his hair to trickle down his face and finally fall from his nose or chin. His curiosity sated - Laiko glanced toward Annabelle again, then looked away with a slight blush as he remembered the wet clothing. "Hey, Annabelle... What do you think about going to the park once we've dried off? I went jogging there a couple of times with Mike, and it seems really nice... Though I never had much time to look around properly." He glanced shyly at her, a sweet smile curving his lips as he awaited her response. He could feel the sun warming his back - quickly drying off all moisture. It had added a very faint red tinge to his skin by now - and the old bullet holes showed up more clearly than ever - horrible round dents in his flesh surrounded by raw, pale skin that looked like it had been roasted beneath an iron, or struck with boiling water. Laiko had never been particularly comfortable when shirtless, and considering the state of his back, this was not entirely surprising. Under cover of water he had not minded much, but now - crouched beside Annabelle on the rocks - he was beginning to feel somewhat exposed, and was starting to wish for his shirt back. Not only that, but a chill was creeping through the air now, and Laiko was not the sort to deal well with cold.