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The sun had kissed the horizon and fallen out of view by the time water licked up the backs of Chiaki’s legs. Despite it being nighttime and, naturally, the temperature dropping, the water wasn’t so cold that swimming was unenjoyable. Kanata was a steady weight against his back, arms looped around his waist and face pressed against his neck. Chiaki knew that as soon as Kanata didn’t have to carry his own weight, he wouldn't. He never did. Chiaki knew, and he was content with it, happy to be relied on.
Current dancing around their ankles, Chiaki waded deeper, until the water was up to their ribs. Sand conformed to the shapes of his bare feet, smooth shells caught underneath his toes and sand fleas scurrying just below. Waves washed over them, soaking their shirts and rocking Chiaki’s, and by default Kanata’s, frame back and forth. Seafoam swirled around the two of them, sparkling in the starlight. Now that they’d stopped, Kanata sunk down, submerging to his eyes, eyelashes catching water droplets when he blinked. His arms, however, remained loose around Chiaki’s waist, fingers grabbing at the front of his shirt.
Tugging his shirt free, Chiaki turned in Kanata’s grasp, peering down at him. The moon’s light filled the shallow divots of Kanata’s face, emphasizing the peaks of his eyebrows and corners of his eyes. Tiny whirlpools spun salty curls into Kanata’s hair. He looked, more than ever, like a creature of the sea- a siren with riptide in reach and an insatiable hunger. The thought of said hunger dragged him to Kanata’s level, however he kept his head above water. Sea water tasted terrible, after all. Their eyes met and saw into each other, though Chiaki had a difficult time not letting his eyes wander. Kanata’s arms slowly slid up to Chiaki’s neck, tightening as he floated closer.
Chiaki stood back up, dragging Kanata out of the water with him. The cool breeze was easily nullified by the feeling of Kanata’s body resting against his. They were both so wet, and prolonged exposure to the falling temperature would surely infect the both of them with a nasty cold. Chiaki couldn’t feel goosebumps on either of them, almost as if as long as they were pressed together like sardines in a can, they were invincible. The thought felt ridiculous and a tad overzealous, but Chiaki didn’t have much time to consider what was making him feel that way.
“Look at this…” Kanata gazed at him like he’d hung the stars himself, “My ‘hero’ has come to ‘save’ me from my own defect.”
When Kanata kissed him, he tasted like the sour salt of the ocean and the sweet salt of leftover soy sauce. The two flavors were separate, yet mixed on the inside of his lip; Chiaki spent longer than a few seconds thinking about it. Kanata grew bored of the slackness of his mouth, so he moved to kiss behind Chiaki’s ear, teeth catching his earlobe with a hum of interest. He didn’t flinch when Chiaki squeezed his side in surprise, just pressing his feet into the sand to push against him harder. The sea had gone quiet for them, gentle waves jostling their shared posture and distant gulls singing them a love song.
The tide brought them home, beaching them without mercy. Sand scratched uncomfortably at Chiaki’s scalp, but Kanata looked utterly untouched beneath him. His wet shirt clung to every curve of his body, enticing and breathtaking. The moon and stars themselves reflected in his eyes like freshly blown glass, framed delicately by his eyelashes. Kanata didn’t blink while Chiaki was admiring his eyes, but his mouth curled into someone reminiscent of a smirk. The expression looked good on him, if not a little bit dangerous.
Chiaki was never good with pretty words, but Kanata was so hauntingly beautiful, he could write an entire novel about him. His voice wasn’t really working, nothing came out when he tried to convey the feelings swirling around his head, so he skipped over the talking part and got right to the tarnishing of Kanata’s untouched appearance. When he kissed Kanata, it was like he was drowning, yanked underwater with no air in his lungs. Kanata pushed him away, separating their mouths to Chiaki’s dismay, and onto his back. Knees on either side of Chiaki’s waist, Kanata walked his fingers along the line of his shirt buttons, catching the top one with his nail and pulling it open. Goosebumps rose along along his collarbones, and Kanata bent to warm his skin with warm, open-mouthed kisses.
When his efforts did nothing to banish Chiaki’s gooseflesh, he sat back up, “Chiaki is ‘cold’?”
His words were caught on the edge of laughing, and Chiaki could help but shake his head, “No, I’m okay, Kanata. You’re keeping me warm.”
Kanata’s elbows dug into the sand when he laid his body against Chiaki’s, face cradled in his hands a few centimeters out of reach. He stayed quiet for a while, eyes shut and ears listening to the crashing of the waves against the beach. It felt right to give him his moment, so Chiaki occupied himself, reaching up to smooth frizzy hair away from his boyfriend’s face. Unobscured was the best look for him in Chiaki’s opinion, plus he seemed to enjoy the gentle ministrations. He was so cute.
“Hey, Kanata.” Chiaki counted how many seconds it took for Kanata to open his eyes. “I love you.”
Just over four seconds later, bright green was cutting into deep brown, and Kanata’s blank expression was replaced by one full of life. As heavy-handed of a comparison it was, the contrast was one of tide pools and the earth beneath them. His fingers were cold like a fish when they framed Chiaki’s face, but he found he didn’t mind as long as it was Kanata. His mouth, contrary in nature, was oh so warm when it met Chiaki’s, pressing with his response.
“I ‘love’ you too,” Kanata was positively humming with enthusiasm, heartbeat thrumming where his chest touched Chiaki’s, “I ‘think’ I will ‘love’ you until the ocean ‘dries’ up.”
“I think I’ll love you longer.” Chiaki spoke with finality, closing his eyes and savoring the moment.
A long time passed before Chiaki spoke again. He stared up at the stars, letting his mind wander any and everywhere.
“I’m so glad I met you.” His words were a murmur, muffled by exhaustion and lost to the midnight breeze. Even without hearing a reply, Chiaki knew the feeling was mutual.