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It's when they’re on the beach that Kazuya realizes he’s in love with Ryoga.
The skimpy set up of their beach spot means that Kazuya can look forward to sunburn on his sensitive fair skin, the umbrella they set up barely covered the both of them. The sweltering heat enveloped both of their bare skin while the board shorts they got from the boardwalk stuck to their thighs. Kazuya looks over to the side and sees Ryoga lying down to soak in the harsh, unforgiving southern California sun. Unlike him, Ryoga used the sun rays to his advantage and the sun gifted him with kissing his skin with a glow.
He sighed as he laid down to recall telling Ryoga earlier to put on sunscreen earlier. The boy responded with confidence that he wouldn’t get sunburned, and it was true. Every trip they’ve gone together in this golden, sunny state, no matter how much sunscreen Kazuya put, he’s always ended up with the burn. And every single time Ryoga would brag how he never has to worry about silly things like that.
Ryoga finally sits up from the beach towel and dusts off the sand from his body, Kazuya watches him pout from the slumber of his small nap. Stretching out his arms towards the sky, Ryoga lets out a yawn before he pulls his legs close to his chest and turns his head towards Kazuya. Their gazes lock, Kazuya momentarily mesmerized by those bright golden eyes peeking through the locks of his hair, filled with vigor to explore the wonders of life at his own pace.
It was then Ryoga finally moved toward Kazuya to hover over him when time slowed down. The sounds of the ocean waves meeting the sand were faint and all he could hear was the pounding of his heart. His eyes widen seeing Ryoga more clearly than before. He feels the heat of his body raise, and the reason wasn’t the weather anymore.
He looks at the way Ryoga’s eyes crinkle like small fireworks as he grins. Ryoga closes the distance between their faces and Kazuya can feel another memory burn into his head along with the others they’ve made this past summer. Slowly, yet all too fast, Kazuya lets Ryoga close the distance between their faces, but pausing before their lips meet. Feeling the heat of Ryoga’s breath already makes Kazuya feel he is hotter than the sun beating above them. With a small chuckle, Ryoga lets their lips meet after an eternity with a kiss that starts calmly like a still river flowing, but in Kazuya's heart, it feels like the ocean has come to extinguish his flaming heart. As the waves fall back, he sees those eyes that never fail to ignite his heart over and over again.
It’s then Kazuya realizes that he’s fallen for the sun, the boy before him was a million times more scorching than any burn he’s experienced. Ryoga slowly pulls away returning to his place, and before he escapes, Kazuya grabs his sun before it sets and never lets go.