One of the real downfalls to being so tall is that Devero can't sink into the pool and have it swallow him up, no matter how much he'd like to dissipate into the water right now. He hadn't realized how openly he was choreographing his discomfort, and being called on it is not making him feel more at ease.

He really should have listened to that instinct to flee.

Shoulders hunched defensively, Devero sits up in the water too. "No!" he says. "No, not at all, Sanzo. I really enjoyed the time we spent together. I just--"

He just what? Even he's not really sure what he just, except that he really wants to be around Koumyou and he knows Madame wouldn't approve. But he can't exactly dump that on someone he's only known for a few cumulative hours. 'Being around you the other day made me feel like a hormonal teenager in the best way, but I'm in a kinky relationship with the Big Boss back home and my junk belongs exclusively to her' was not the kind of thing you shared with a casual acquaintance.

Still, he owes the other man some kind of explanation, if only so Sanzo doesn't think too badly of him for acting like an idiot. "You make me nervous," he says finally. "I've never met anyone like you before."