> Not because he's a pony-loving pillow hugging recluse, but because of trauma.
> A month or three before the story began, Miles sought out nothing but the freeing spirit of death. Sure, he had good friends, and an OK job...
> ...but his mental health was dwindling, and his situation was more than dire.
> He took to the nearby beach, looking out into the cold horizon and the wavy shores.
> Then, taking a few steps forward, he met the edge of the tides. He looked back at the bright city, but wished nothing more.
>
>
>
### Miles Prower
> Miles snapped out of his flashback, looking up at the showerhead and sighing, sitting down on the stool in the shower. The surface felt cold upon his bare body, but he didn't flinch.
> He reached over the the faucet, taking a breather, and twisting it on.
> Cold water shocked his body, making him jump off of the stool in panic, falling upon the bathroom floor. He shivered, reaching over to the faucet and turning up the heat.
> He then waited, naked on the bathroom floor, for the water to warm up.
> "I hate this... so much... Why does it have to be this way... Why did I have to do all of that... fuck..."
> Miles reached out to touch the water, in order to feel the temperature. The second a droplet fell upon Miles' hand, he got sent back to the cold horizon of the beach...
> He shivered once again, flinging his hand away and backing up against the wall, waiting...
>
>
> Steam began to form from the shower. It soon hit Miles, making him look up and almost... cry... The steam seemed to remind him of good memories.
> It felt heavenly, and the warmth was like back when he was young, curled up upon his mother's fireplace. She had to read manuals to him as stories, but he never cherished those moments any less.
> His mom didn't actually mind, although she gave him a hard time about it. She simply enjoyed seeing her boy grow up... but now he's a tubby mess who can't even take a shower.
> Miles decides to test the waters again, due to the steam forming... He enters the shower, and...
> It feels amazing. The warm water hits his back, and each droplet brings back bold memories. Good memories... He stands, taking it all in... He'd never felt anything more beautiful in his entire life.
> At this point, he thought of Silver, and those he loved, as he applied the usual soap to his body. The fishy ocean smell that was ingrained into his coat disappears - not entirely, but it has for now.
> All of this reminiscing, and all of this... soap... on his bare body, he... gets an idea.
> Miles has not yet had sex... and Silver could be his... first? The thought exits his mind, he wouldn't want to think of it out of uncomfortability.
> ...but it comes back, and slowly becomes ever so more enticing of an idea. The setup is clear, and the payoff is huge. After the party, they could... hang out, and... do it.
> He's never actually had sex before, though... and he wouldn't want his first time to be a sloppy mess of confusion... so he simply puts off the thought until later, when he has time to learn.
> For now, though, this has been the best shower experience he's ever had, and he might never forget it.
