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“Have you ever been to the ocean?”
Xiao gave a soft snort at the question, shaking his head and looked over at the red head. “Yes. I live right by it. Why would you think I just.. never went?”
“Well.. you seem to stay at the inn a lot. I wasn’t sure how far away you got from it.” Childe replied with a shrug, leaning back against the railing and sighed softly. “Have you ever taken time to enjoy the ocean though?”
Xiao had to pause at that and slowly shook his head, not recalling a time where he took time to enjoy much other than almond tofu. “No.. I only go there for work and once my work is done I leave.” He walked over to where Childe was standing and placed his hands on the railing, looking out at the marsh. “What are you planning?” He asked and glanced up at the taller man.
“Oh nothing. Just maybe a date on the beach. Only you and me so I can teach you how to make a sandcastle.” He said with a soft laugh and watched Xiao shake his head.
“What about my duties? I need to attend to those..” he protested and childe easily gave a pout.
“Come on.. you can’t give me a few hours? I won’t keep you for that long.” He moved to loosely wrapped his arms around the smaller adeptus and looked to the marsh with him. “Please.”
“Ajax..”
“You’re really going to deny me a date?” He asked with a frown and he felt Xiao turn around in his hold. Childe looked down at the adeptus and smiled at seeing his slightly flushed cheeks.
“Fine. But if something happens I’m blaming you.” Childe couldn’t help b laugh at that response and nodded, pulling back with raised hands.
“Alright. Alright.. I promise I won’t keep you for that long. Not long enough for a mess to happen while you’re gone anyways.” He said and let his hands drop after a moment. “We can go now right?”
“Yes.” Xiao replied, sounding nearly exasperated but his lips were curling up in the slightest. “You better hold on though.” He said as he picked up his boyfriend and disappeared off the Wangshu inn with him.
—
“I will never get used to that.” Childe said as he was set down on the sand and crouched down on the ground.
“Give it a few hundred years and you might.” He said with a shrug and crouched next to childe.
“A few hundred years? What do you think I am?”
“Human.”
“And.. how in the world will I live beyond a hundred?” Childe asked and looked over at Xiao.
“I don’t know..” he said with another shrug and twisted some of his hair between his fingers before finally pushing it behind his ear. “Wishful thinking.” He admitted quietly.
Childe slowly nodded and looked down at the sand beneath them. Oh right sandcastles. “So you’ve never made a sandcastle before?” He asked as he properly say down and started to move the sand around.
“No.. what exactly am I supposed to do?” The adeptus watched the human curiously and tilted his head. He watched as the mound of sand started to take shape into something more building like.
Childe looked over at him and let out a soft laugh, looking down at his creation. “I’m not all that great.. it’s probably been a few years since I’ve built one.” He said quietly and continued to let his fingers run over the sand and mold it into a small tower.
“It doesn’t look bad to me.” Xiao looked down at the sand below him and started to do the same. He replicated childes movements but it didn’t turn out quite as good. The sand wasn’t quite working with him and he couldn’t help but frown.
“Ah.” He heard childe start to say something, the humans attention pulled away from his own castle and now on Xiaos. “Let me help you.” Xiao pulled his hands away quickly and watched curiously as Ajax fixed his castle. “Oh..” the adeptus said quietly. He couldn’t have known what to do but now seeing it seemed obvious.
“Why don’t we look for some shells to decorate? And maybe whatever else you can fine..” Childe shrugged as he stood and dusted off the sand, smiling a bit at seeing the two towers poking up from the sand.
Xiao nodded and also stood, looking over briefly when Childe started removing his shoes. “What are you..?”
“There’s a shell in the water. I don’t want to ruin my clothes.” He said simply and Xiao turned to look at the water. He eventually saw the blue of a starconch poking through the sand. And there were a few other shells close by. He nodded slowly and started to take off his own shoes, rolling up his pants like childe did.
“They are your favorite.. right..?” Xiao asked cautiously as he stepped up to the edge of the water. He watched as it lapped at his feet and glanced up when Childe started to wade deeper. He was about ankle deep approaching shin deep in the water.
“Yep. They are just so pretty.. have you ever seen a shell with such a pretty color?” He asked as he held up his prize and tilted his head.
Xiao looked at him blankly before looking at the shell and shook his head. “I don’t think so.. it is nice like your eyes.” The brunt of his actions didn’t hit him until he noticed how childes face took on a bit of pink. His eyes widened and he looked to the side, his own cheeks taking on color and he brought a hand up to cover his cheeks. “I- I apologize. I should not have-“
“No. It’s alright.” Childe said quickly with a shake of his head. “I just um.. didn’t expect a compliment from you..” he mumbled softly and fidgeted with the shell, turning it over in his hands a few times.
Xiao nodded slowly and trained his gaze on the sand below him. He started looking for shells silently after that, much too flustered to even do anything else. It was a bit mindless and it let him think over his actions. Childe seemed to understand and left him alone for awhile. Long enough for him to have a handful of various shells before he felt water hit him.
Xiao turned to Childe an eyebrow raised and the other man was smiling. “Come on. Your pouting is cute but I really didn’t mind the compliment.” Childe said before he walked over to Xiao and extended his hands.
Xiao put the shells he had collected on the ground and took his hands, standing up from his crouched position.
Childe was smiling more than normal and Xiao was fighting to keep his own down. “What..?” He asked with a tilt of his head.
“I just.. I like you a lot..” Childe admitted softly.
“I like you too.” Xiao replied quietly, avoiding his gaze and childe let out a soft laugh. He ducked down to press a soft kiss to Xiaos cheek, laughing more at how the adeptus reacted.
Xiao had to let go of childes hands to cover his face, turning a deeper pink and frowned behind his had. He was at a complete loss of words and childe gently pulled him into a hug. Xiao was quick to lean into the touch and his frown eased.
“Let’s go finish our sand castles..”
“Sure..”
“You’re absolutely adorable.” Childe said with a laugh but it was cut off by a soft ow at the jab to his side.
“One more compliment and I’m gone.” Xiao threatened which Childe frowned at and held Xiao tighter. “Okay okay… still cute.”
“Xiao!” Childe cried out at the shove, not intending to make him lose his balance but Childe fell back into the water. Xiao covered his shocked look behind his hands before he went over to childe. “I’m sorry I-“
Childe was grinning and splashed Xiao before tugging him down into the water with him. The adeptus let out a choked noise, probably close to sounding scandalized that he was getting soaked. “Ajax-“ he started to get upset but got splashed again and his lips curved up.
Xiao returned the splash with a fake frown and the two were soon laughing and completely soaked. Childe eventually braved a few of Xiaos direct splashes and pulled the adeptus close, connecting their lips in a soft kiss.
Xiao returned it easily and wrapped an arm around childes shoulder, pulling back briefly and his lips were curled up. “My clothes are going to take forever to dry..” he mumbled and childe laughed softly in response.
“Sorry about that..” he said quietly and leaned in for another kiss. He tried to keep from smiling too much as he started to dip Xiao towards the water and the adeptus pulled back with a scoff and pushed him up. “I hate you..” he mumbled with a smile.
“I love you too.”