They were hurled from the raft, flailing as they fell into the pool at the end.
Clair swam up for air. Vision popped up right beside her. They looked at each other, then both broke out laughing.
"Let's do that again!" Clair shouted, swimming to the edge of the pool. Vision smiled, following after her and dragging the raft with him.
The two went down the slide a few more times, then moved on to the zip line.
After that, they went to a nearby restaurant and ordered food, opting to sit in the picnic area outside because their clothes were still wet.
Clair took a bite of her burger and asked,
"What should we do next?"
Vision thought while chewing his food.
"I want to visit the private hot spring," he said.
Clair coughed, choking.
Vision put his food down and walked over to pat her back.
"Slow down, don't hurt yourself."
She pounded her chest trying to clear her windpipe,
"Sounds great," she forced out, still struggling to breathe.
He frowned and then walked away to ask the waiter for a glass of water.
When he returned with the glass, she took it from him graciously.
She drank carefully before saying,
"Thank you."
Vision sighed with relief. They finished their meals and headed to their next destination. With each step forward, Clair's anxiety spiked.
At the hot springs, they were brought to a room with a huge glass door, displaying a sectioned-off area of water.
The room had a small bed in the corner, a drying rack and a personal bathroom.
The attendant left towels and robes on a table before leaving them alone.
"This is my first time at a hot spring." He admitted while removing his shirt. Clair turned her back to him, flustered, and said,
"It's not mine."
There was a long pause.
"Did you come alone?" he inquired.
Clair gasped, reluctant to admit she'd come with her ex.
"No..." she muttered, deciding to be honest but kicking herself for bringing up the topic in the first place. She heard the sliding glass door open, and he stepped out ahead of her, so she sighed.
She hung up her damp swimsuit and put on one of the robes before joining him in the water.
Vision was looking down, contemplative, so she moved closer and leaned against him.
"What's on your mind?" she asked.
"... I don't want to talk about that," his reply was sharp, so she withdrew slightly. He placed his fingers under her chin so she'd meet his eyes.
"Am I your first boyfriend?"
Clair's heart quivered at hearing him claim that title for the first time and from worry of how he might handle her reply.
"... I've been in a few relationships," she admitted, feeling almost guilty. He groaned, startling her, but then he pulled her into his lap, facing him.
"Well... since you have more experience with this... can you tell me how I'm doing so far?"
Her heart fluttered, and she averted her eyes,
"So far so good," Clair answered awkwardly.
There was another long pause.
"Are you... naked?" Vision muttered, his voice full of surprise. Clair's blushing worsened.
"I thought we both were, since this is a hot spring," she muttered, looking down and noticing he still had his trunks on.
Vision frowned, and she clumsily attempted to get out of the water only to be tugged back down into his lap.
"Why are you leaving?" he asked in a testy voice. Clair's embarrassment spiked, and she looked down and whispered,
"Because I'm naked," she whispered.
He chuckled slightly before moving his hands into her robe and kissing her lightly.
"I don't mind."
Clair was too stunned to speak.
"We're both in our twenties... I'm the weird one for not having any experience," he muttered, planting kisses on her neck while moving his hands down her back. She arched her back and squirmed against him.
"I'll just make sure I'm the only one you want," he added softly, while moving his kisses down to her breasts.
Clair let out a loud gasp and replied,
"Y-you are."
Vision smirked with satisfaction.
"Let's return to our room after this," he offered, looking into her eyes once again. Her cheeks tingled, and she nodded softly.
His eyes drifted down as his fingers explored her curiously.
Clair tried to stay calm, but it was impossible. Every cell in her body was on high alert.
"You're shivering... but I know you're not cold," he noted, playfully. Clair huffed and whispered,
"It's because of how you're touching me."
Vision paused his hands and tilted his head.
"Do you like it?" he asked with a devilish grin. Clair swallowed hard and avoided his eyes.
"Of course I do," she admitted.
Vision picked her up, exiting the spring with her in his arms.
She gripped him tightly so she wouldn't fall, then he laid her on the bed.
"I don't think I can wait till we get back to the hotel."
He sounded shy and guilty as he said this. Clair's immediate thought was to comfort him but she lost her ability to speak when his trunks hit the floor.
Moments later he joined her in the bed. The sheets were soaked from her robe but neither of them seemed to care.
It was night time when they returned to their room.
Both were too flustered to look at one another, but Clair broke the silence between them saying,
"I can't believe we did that at the hot springs,"
"... They had a bed in the room, so I'm sure it happens all the time," he muttered while going through his bag for clean clothes.
"Do you think anyone heard us?" Clair asked, putting her hands over her face.
"Does it matter?" Vision replied curtly, but it was obvious by his face that he was embarrassed as well.
He went to the bathroom, taking a quick shower, before returning in his sleepwear and saying,
"Go ahead and take a shower, I'll wait till you get out, and we'll watch a movie together."
He was waiting on the sofa when she was done. The suite had a projector and screen installed on the opposite wall, he was scrolling through movie titles with a bored face, but smiled when he saw her.
"Anything you want to see? I was thinking horror," he said while patting the cushion next to him.
Clair plopped down next to him.
"You want to watch horror? Right before bed?" she asked in a critical tone.
"That's the best time to do it," he replied, kissing her cheek and quenching her urge to argue. "We should order room service," he added, while skimming through several gory looking titles.
Clair mentally prepared herself, avoiding looking at the screen, and decided that food would be a good distraction.
"Yeah, I agree."
She went to retrieve the menus.
After selecting their meals they called the kitchen. There was a room service cart in the room already and minutes later it began glowing and two plates with a bottle of wine appeared.
"...That's impressive," Vision noted, settling on a spider-themed thriller.
"Tinka designed these too, to save the workers time, they just need to place the meals on the identical cart in the kitchen, then input our room number." Clair explained.
"Are you friends with, her?"
His question surprised her because it seemed off topic. She pushed the tray over to where they were seated before answering,
"Tinka is everyone's friend. She's friendly, kind, and loves talking to lots of people because her power is fueled by imagination and inspiration."
She poured them both a glass of wine before sitting both of their plates on the table and taking her seat at his side.
"I could tell you were friends. You visited Tinka's shop, but you didn't buy anything." Vision commented.
That had completely slipped her mind. The day she met Veil, and made Vision think she was following him, she had just intended to visit Tinka, but got sidetracked.
"She's easy to talk to," Clair admitted shyly.
"... Just like you,"
His comment sent butterflies through her stomach. He reached down to grab his plate and started the movie. So she picked up hers and started eating again, cringing every time a spider or blood appeared on screen.
Amidst all the craziness happening in the movie, romance stirred. There was an intimate scene where the main characters had just burned down the last horde of spiders. They were so relieved they embraced each other then kissed passionately until the credits rolled in.
When it happened, Vision looked away bashfully, while Clair watched on in quiet awe.
He turned off the projector, finished his glass of wine and cleared his throat.
"Well I'm ready to sleep, now," Vision announced as he walked to the bed.
Before following him, Clair placed their empty dishes on the serving tray. They vanished from the room.
She then got under the covers beside him. They were facing each other and he seemed deep in thought, so she wiggled closer and said,
"What are you thinking about?"
He blinked at her expressionlessly, then revealed a soft grin.
"I want to try kissing you, like they did in the movie."
Clair's heart raced, and she reached over, lightly stroking his arm.
"Let's try it."
He pressed his thumb against her bottom lip and said,
"Keep your mouth open."
She inhaled sharply, in that same instance, their lips met. He kissed her deeply. Just like the two protagonists who had just survived an apocalypse together.
His tongue moved against hers and when he pulled away he licked his lips. Clair was in a daze, surprised by his passion.
"... That put me in the mood," he whispered softly. Yanking her back to reality.
He waited for her response before making a move.
Clair sat up and moved the comforter away.
"Me too... but I let me take the lead this time," she said softly, while unbottoning his shirt.
Her statement clearly unnerved him but he only muttered,
"Fine."
And closed his eyes when she leaned down to press her lips against his chest.