Chapter Text
“Do we have everything?” Luxanna Crownguard asked herself out loud, “Let’s see, let’s see. Sun screen, towels, water bottles for the cooler? Don’t see those…EEK!” She jumped as a frozen water bottle was placed against the back of her neck by her brother Garen. The younger sister turned around and smacked him across the arm, which hurt her more than him, and frowned deeply. He let out his booming laugh and held up the cooler he’d pulled the bottle from to show her it was packed.
“We’re good to go on that front,” He assured her, “You’ve gone over your list like…six times. Pretty sure you’ve said you’ve got everything at least three of those times,”
“I know,” she said bashfully, “It’s just…this is the first time we’ve gone to the beach together in over ten years and I want it to be perfect is all,” her head tilted to the side and she looked embarrassed to be making such a big deal about it. Garen’s catcher’s mitt of a hand came up to rub her hair fondly.
“I’m excited too,” He admitted quietly, “But even if things go wrong it isn’t going to change the basics, okay? We’re still comin’ back to our home together and gonna have more chances in the future to do stuff,” Her face brightened instantly at his words and she nodded.
“That’s great and all, honey,” another voice spoke up as Katarina walked into the living room dressed and ready to head to their destination, “If you do anything to ruin this I will personally make you sleep on the couch,”
“Uhh, Kat? How’re you going to do that when I’ve got a separate bed?” He asked in confusion.
“Because if you ever want to not have to use said bed instead of the one you really want you’ll do what I say?” her threat landed crystal clear and on point. Lux’s further giggles left Garen feeling a bit uncertain as he just swallowed and nodded.
“Yes, dear,” he responded, which drew a big, bright smile from his girlfriend.
“Okay you two, let’s head out!” she declared.
“Shotgun!” Lux called quickly.
“Shot-dammit!” Garen groaned as he was beaten to it and just sighed. He turned to pick up their beach gear and prepared to play packmule. The two ladies laughed and gathered their own stuff to load up Kat’s car for their road trip to the beach.
Within the god weapon academy system there were 54 days of summer vacation before school came along just to end it. So the annual problem for all generations was finding a good way to spend it. Like maybe, going to the beach! A tested and time honored tradition for anyone who wanted to swim in the ocean, soak up some sun, build sand castles, and play some sports. It also served as an excuse to check each other out as they showed off the hard gains from a grueling school year. In the past, it was rare for any of the students to actively hang out with members of other academies. There were always the rare exceptions due to past history, or a friendship born out of combat that extended past school lines. The current situation was a little different, however.
With Luxanna and Garen making up, and him dating Katarina, more and more of the current student body started to mingle between Labrys and Durandal. Fierce rivals in competition, even if the latter usually won due to superior recruits and funding, they nonetheless had found some common ground. Students from each school would drop by the shared home and be forced into contact with their rival. Between pizza and the occasional round of competitive party games barriers started to break down. A few still remained and not everyone joined in on the fun. But when Lux’s call went out about her intention to have a beach party with anyone who wanted to show up? Well, she found several interested members of both academies to be there.
Ever the planner, Lux had reserved an area at the city-run beach complete with a gazebo, grills, and even a volleyball court in case anyone wanted to jump in. She’d even drawn up a list of activities they could do in case people got bored, but Kat had taken it from her and told her to relax for once. Garen had agreed and assured her people would have plenty of fun. He hadn’t mentioned that there were already plans for at least one volleyball game of questionable friendliness. The trio was easily the first to arrive and Lux directed them on how to set up everything with an efficiency that would have made Cailtyn a little jealous.
“Any bets on how late Wukong is going to be?” Kat asked as she pulled off her shirt to reveal the bikini top she had underneath. Garen started to answer as he looked over and just stopped as a dumbfounded look crossed his face. His mouth hung slightly open as he openly gaped at his girlfriend. The triumphant grin on her face showed that was exactly what she’d been going for. Lux smacked his arm hard and caught his attention again.
“Seriously? You share a bed with her most nights!” Lux admonished him quietly. A bit of a blush came into her own cheeks as she dragged her eyes away from the pink haired assassin. She had to admit, the woman looked good.
“Doesn’t stop my girlfriend from being so hot!” He protested back and busied himself with a small bag of charcoal to start a fire in the grill. Kat snuck over and gave him an appreciative kiss on the cheek before she stepped back, “Oh, uhh, and Caitlyn is giving him and Leona a ride over so I think he might mostly be here before it gets too late this time,”
“No Yone?” Kat asked as she cracked open a diet soda and took a seat again. Garen smirked at that and shook his head.
“Something about his brother being in town,” He answered, “So you’ll be without your favorite target,”
“Oh my, someone sounds a little jealous!” Katarina teased him further. He shrugged lightly and glanced over to get another look at his girlfriend.
“A little,” He admitted quietly, “Why wouldn’t I be whenever I don’t get a chance to spend time with someone like you,” That gave the brash woman pause as she blushed and murmured a ‘shut up,’ in his direction.
“What’s this?” a voice suddenly joined them, “Katarina Du Couteau at a loss for words? Will wonders never cease,” Jayce Talis made his way over towards the table. Lux brightened as she saw her friend from school and walked over to give him a hug. The assassin gave him a rude gesture at his teasing.
“Jayce! Glad you could make it,” Lux said and pulled back, “I mean, I know we just saw each other like two weeks ago but it’s nice to do it not at school, you know?” The famed pretty boy of Durandal grinned and patted her shoulder.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” He answered, “Otherwise I probably wouldn’t ever get out of the lab this summer. Some of the teachers are harping on me to redo that one experiment that…uhh, yeah. Anyway!”
“Hey, Jayce,” Garen said with a smirk. He knew very well which experiment the inventor was talking about. The very one that had boosted his own abilities to the point they were at. Jayce rubbed the back of his head and looked towards the other man a little guiltily.
“I am glad you’re doing better,” He offered, “And, uhh, sorry again for what happened,” Garen looked at him and smirked.
“Don’t worry about it, man,” the blonde battler assured him, “Things worked out in the end and I’m still here, right? Just make sure it doesn’t happen again,”
“That’s a promise!” Jayce answered, “At least in the lab. No promises if we meet in the ring,” The predatory smile Garen gave him sent a shiver down the young man’s spine as though it were a promise of pain were they ever to cross paths in a tournament. Another voice rang out to interrupt their conversation.
“Hey, Lux! Hey, everyone!” Ezrael walked up with a bright smile and a big wave as he dropped his stuff off at the table. The three Durandal students smiled at him and gave various greetings to their classmate. Garen waved hello from the grill and poked at some coals to get them going faster.
“Hey, Ez!” Lux responded with the most enthusiasm, “I was kind of surprised you said you’d come. Aren’t you usually traveling around during breaks?” Ezrael flipped some hair out of his face like he had practiced for a shampoo commercial and gave his winningest smile before he answered.
“Normally, but sometimes it’s good to do something different. Especially, since this’ll give me a chance to show off all my hard work,” He answered and then struck a pose directly in front of Lux. One that gave him a chance to flex a bit and reveal the results of his workouts through his tanktop. Everyone just stared at him for a long moment as Kat desperately tried not to go into a giggle fit. The redhead he posed for also just kinda looked and then gave a somewhat awkward smile.
“You look great, Ez,” she assured him, “I’m guessing you’ve, ahh, been working out more?”
“Glad you noticed!” he responded, “It was kind of hard to fit in between all the studying and other training we have to do, but well worth it,” Ez sniffed and continued to look at Lux hopefully.
“Hey, Jayce,” Garen would step in front of Ez and extend a hand with a bottle of water in it, “Here, in case you were feeling a bit parched,” The larger man then flexed his arm as he handed off the bottle to cause his bicep to swell larger than the smaller man’s head.
“Oh, thanks Garen! That’s nice of you,” Jayce stepped in closer and took it before he flexed, as well. His arm wasn’t as large as the warrior’s, but it was still well developed from years of moving heavy equipment around his lab. Ezrael watched the display and his shoulders slumped as he realized he’d acted over the top in his hopes of impressing the girl he had a crush on. To her credit, Lux didn’t laugh and instead looked at him with sympathy. The same couldn’t be said of Kat whose face was buried in her arms on the table as her body shook in laughter.
“Hey, looking good, Ez,” Garen slapped his shoulder hard enough to move the kid a few steps forward, “Keep at it. Important to improve yourself, if nothing else to feel better, right?”
“Yeah, Garen,” the poor kid said deflated. The blonde battler stopped and realized he might have gone too far. A withering look from Lux confirmed he had and silently let him know he should do something. Garen looked towards Jayce who gave a shrug and looked lost on how to fix it, even as guilt played on his face.
“You’re still up for the volleyball match later, right?” He tried to think of something, “You and Jayce better be ready after Leona shows up. We’re not going to go easy on you,” Ezrael looked at the other man and a competitive glint slowly returned to him.
“You think we’re going to go easy on you?” the young prodigy bounced back with a grin. Garen smirked at him and crossed his arms over his broad chest.
“You’d better not or I’m gonna kick your ass! No free passes here,” Garen jokingly warned him as he held a fist out towards Ez. The younger man looked at it for a moment before he fist bumped the guy back.
“Deal,” the prodigy responded and tension bled from the picnic. Ezrael turned to talk to Jayce about something from school as he grabbed a drink himself and Kat turned to that conversation, as well. Lux looked at her brother and noticed he stood there with his brow slightly furrowed and seemed distracted.
“You okay?” she asked quietly, one of her hands rested on his arm to catch his attention. Garen looked over and smiled lightly.
“Yeah,” He whispered back, “Just weird, you know? The, uhh, positive reinforcement thing I just did. Never thought I’d do something like that, especially for a Durandal student,” Lux beamed in response and leaned up to kiss his cheek fondly.
“I’m proud of you, brother. Keep it up,” she encouraged him and then spoke more loudly, “Might want to get those burgers on the grill soon,” He blinked and looked towards the smoldering charcoal and hurried back over towards the grill to slap pucks of ground beef down on the heated metal.
“I’ll take mine extra crispy!” Wukong called out as the last of their crew showed up. Caitlyn, Leona, and the simian battler came over with their own gear. Jayce was the first to perk up and called out to his childhood friend.
“Caitlyn! Glad you came. Feels like it’s pulling teeth to see you these days,” The Labrys Academy president set down her stuff and walked over to give the man a fond hug.
“I’m not the only one,” she shot back easily, “Always busy with some new invention or other. Half the time you forget to text back for hours,” Jayce smirked at her as he pulled back.
“It is hard to respond to half of them when it feels like I’m getting a military history class,” he teased. She nudged him playfully and continued to chat with him as though they weren’t on opposite sides of a bitter rivalry. Wukong, a friend to all, greeted Ezrael and dragged him over to see what was going on with Garen. Leona, left to her own devices, headed over to Lux and Katarina and offered them a grin.
“Hey, you two. Thanks again for the invite, Lux,” she said and put down a small bag, “Been a while since I’ve been to the beach and it gave me an excuse to get a new swimsuit,” Lux looked up as her cheeks colored a bit and gave the other woman a brilliant smile.
“Of course! This is the first time Garen and I have gone to the beach together in like a decade and it felt right to invite everyone,” Lux rambled a bit as the blue haired woman reached down to pull off her shirt. The redhead was about to say something else when her voice caught as a pair of well built arms were unleashed by the top’s removal. Abs forged from hundreds of hours of hard work in the gym and battle practice revealed themself for all to see. Leona shook her hair free in a way that only happened in teen romance movies before she gave a smile as dazzling as a picturesque sunrise towards Lux.
“Always appreciated,” Leona continued to smile at Lux and pulled down her shorts, as well. The bikini the warrior wore was not as daring as Kat’s, but it was still incredibly flattering on her muscular and toned body, “I know we’ve been over at your place a lot lately and but it’s nice to always see you more,”
“Yeah…” Was all Lux got out as her wide eyes stayed glued to the magnificent woman before her. Kat watched it all with increasing amusement.
“Hey, Leona!” Garen suddenly called out to his teammate, “Ez and Jayce say they’re gonna beat our asses at volleyball! You gonna take that?”
“Like hell I am!” Leona suddenly turned and called out, her demeanor changed instantly as the call to battle reached her and she stormed off towards the grill, “Make Wukong earn his keep and take over so we can bury them in the sand!” Caitlyn moved away from her conversation with Jayce to sit with Kat. Her eyes looked curiously at the still staring Lux.
“What happened?” Cait asked the assassin as she eyed her friend with concern.
“Young Luxanna Crownguard just had an awakening,” Katarina answered and pointed over towards the dazzling blue haired battler who was threatening to shove a volleyball somewhere very uncomfortable in Jayce’s body. Garen just managed to keep her back as he dragged her over to the volleyball court so they could get to their game and calm her bloodlust.
“Oh,” Caitlyn said as realization dawned on her, “I can’t say I blame her. Leona is very fetching,”
“What? Were you interested in her?” Kat had to ask. Cait gave a look and shook her head.
“No, I never wanted to have a dalliance with any under my command. Makes it harder to enforce orders,” she answered. The assassin just smirked at the woman before she reached up to pull Lux down to sit between them.
“Honey, can you talk now?” Katarina checked in on her friend and roommate who had a little drool on her chin. The assassin reached up to wipe some of it away which finally broke her of her spell.
“Huh, what?” Lux said smartly and wiped some more drool away, “Was…was I that obvious?” She asked in hopes that maybe it wasn’t. The look the other two women gave her suggested she had been. Lux gave a groan as her forehead thudded against the concrete table in front of her.
“Have you liked her for a while?” Caitlyn asked, “Or is this just a sudden realization?”
“For a while,” Lux’s muffled voice answered, “Since she’s been hanging out with us. She’s just so…nice!”
“And hot,” Kat added.
“And hot,” Lux agreed and didn’t even try to hide her feelings, “But I don’t want to make things weird for Garen,” The two not so abashed women at the table looked over to the game as Leona spiked the ball directly at Jayce’s head. He barely managed to block it and protect his nose from being crushed by its sheer force. Ezrael suddenly shifted to where the ball was to toss it up for Jayce to spike it back as the back and forth continued. They looked back to Lux and each rested a hand on her back in support.
“Honey, it’s going to be weird for Garen even if you bring home a complete stranger,” Kat pointed out.
“She’s right,” Caitlyn agreed, “So you might as well go for someone he knows,” Lux’s head lifted up to look between them.
“Why would it be weird anyway?” she asked.
“He’s an older brother,” Kat said as though it was obvious.
“And he’s become really protective of you,” Caitlyn added, “He might do something stupid at first until he wraps his mind around it whenever you go on a date,”
“He trusts Leona,” Kat added, “So that might make it easier for him,”
“But what if Leona’s not interested in me?” Lux lamented as her head fell to the table once again.
“Oh, she’s interested,” the assassin answered as she took another sip of her diet soda, “She wouldn’t have given you a show like that if she wasn’t interested,” Cait tilted her head and considered that before she nodded in agreement.
“Just do me one favor if you ask her out,” Caitlyn added, “Don’t steal her from me. I need her at Labrys,” That drew a giggle from the younger woman who finally looked up. Her face still looked a mess of uncertainty and anxiety, but less so than just moments ago. Lux took in a deep breath and slowly released it as she took her own advice to Garen and calmed herself.
“Did you have the same talk with Kat?” the redhead asked.
“Yes,” Kat and Caitlyn said at the same time. The three looked at one another before they broke down into giggles and then looked up as Leona gave out a primal scream of victory. They saw poor Jayce had finally been caught by one of her spikes and his head was currently half-buried in the sand as he saw stars. Ezrael stood over his friend with concern as Leona and Garen high-fived and Wukong cheered them on. Lux watched her brother and her crush celebrate together and smiled warmly at the sight. She then pictured what it would be like to go on a date with such an incredible woman. Caitlyn left the table and walked over to check on her old friend as Kat leaned over quietly to the woman who was like a sister to her and whispered.
“Ask before she leaves today,” The assassin then stood and sashayed over towards Garen and Leona who were now busy yelling at Wukong after he had burned half the burgers into hockey pucks. Lux, who remained at the table, watched it all and debated with herself if she had the courage to say anything today, or if she would let a chance slip away once more. She hoped, as she looked at that incredible smile, that she would be brave enough. She knew what kind of happiness her brother’s girlfriend brought him, and she wanted some of that for herself.
Hours passed and the small party enjoyed themselves throughout the day. Lux’s list of planned activities was never brought out as they all knew what they wanted to do and enjoyed each other’s company. Between time in the water, some sunbathing, a couple of pranks and good conversation everything went better than could be expected. Not the least of which was that students from the two schools could come together, forget they were rivals, and just be young adults having fun. When time finally came for them all to head home, everyone pitched in to pack up and carry left overs, gear, and their slightly crispy selves back to the parking lot.
“I had a great time today,” Leona said. Lux had pulled the other woman a short ways away from the others so they could chat about the day and potential future plans. She glanced over towards her brother for a moment who had his back to Leona and let out a breath.
“Me too,” Lux responded, “I mean, I know we didn’t get a chance to talk together as much since there was a big group and we were all busy with stuff but I’m glad I got to see you some more even though you’ve been at my house a lot more lately and we see each other then…” she continued to ramble until Leona held up a hand.
“Lux? Breath,” she told the nervous younger woman. Lux stopped and sucked in a breath she didn’t know she needed.
“I, uhh, sorry,” the redhead blushed as she looked away. She felt like she was screwing this up and that was the last thing she wanted to do.
“It’s okay,” Leona assured her and smiled, “Were you going to ask me out to coffee or dinner or something?” Lux’s gaze snapped back to the other woman in shock as her jaw dropped.
“H-how did you know?” Her cheeks became as red as her hair as her green eyes went wide. Her crush just grinned at her.
“I wanted to do the same,” she admitted with a confidence that Lux wished she had, “And I already talked to Garen. He promised to keep the weird to a minimum and said you were a grown woman that could make her own decisions,” A soft smile crept onto the mage’s face as she felt warm and fuzzy at her brother’s trust.
“So, maybe get some coffee tomorrow?” Lux ventured as she brushed a some loose hair behind an ear, “I know a place that has some great pastries and the music isn’t obnoxious,”
“About two?” Leona asked as she smiled that thousand watt smile of hers that made Lux so weak, “It’s a date,” The older woman winked and then ran towards Cailtyn’s car as Wukong yelled for her to hurry up. Leona smacked him upside the head for interrupting the moment before she got in and gave Lux one final wave.
“I’ll take that as a good sign,” Katarina said after the mage settled into the backseat of her car. Garen had claimed the front and cranked the air conditioning as they headed for home.
“Yeah,” Lux said almost dreamily. Her brother looked over his shoulder at her with a small smirk. He didn’t say anything and instead let his sister gaze off into the setting sun with a goofy smile on her face and hope in her thoughts. She wished she’d been the one to actually ask the question, but she’d still take it. A date with a wonderful, kind, and beautiful woman was not something she thought would happen this summer. But it did, and it made all her work to set this day up worthwhile.
Garen took in a breath and reached over to take Katarina’s hand once it was safe. He had stepped out of his comfort zone a few times today, and feeling the protectiveness common to a good older brother was the weirdest one. He’s spent so many years being angry and bitter at Lux, that some positive feelings he had initially felt wrong. But, he was also happy to feel such things. He also knew it was better to not over react to those emotions. He needed to trust his sister to protect herself. Lux had proven countless times that she could handle a lot when it came to emotions, so he said nothing and let her be.
Besides, Garen also knew that if anything went wrong, Katarina would step in. And she'd be far scarier about it than he would be.