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Moving on from the past had been a task and a half for the Yamadas and the Aohitsugis. They had done it together, though, and everyone had come out okay.
With everything finally starting to settle into its natural order, Ichiro figured a nice vacation would be good for them. He'd proposed the idea to Samatoki first, during one of their dinner dates. Samatoki had agreed, so long as Nemu was also okay with going.
Ichiro had asked the other three that following morning, and they had all come to an agreement. Ichiro organized the entire trip with Nemu's help, and they'd decided to rent a two day long stay in Okinawa for everyone to go to the beach, eat, and have some time just to relax. Nemu had gotten three separate rooms - one for Samatoki and Ichiro to share, one for Jiro and Saburo to share, and one for her to have to herself. Jiro had initially protested, but she reminded him that she was the only girl and wanted her own privacy.
They left a week later, and arrived in Okinawa safely. Ichiro was buzzing with excitement, telling them about all the things they could do in their time. Jiro talked excitedly about the beaches with Nemu, while Saburo had his headphones on, tuning everyone out. Samatoki just nodded along with the others, agreeing to Ichiro's proposals of silly picture sites and beach adventures.
Once settled into their rooms, Ichiro had immediately dipped into the bathroom to change into his swimsuit. He insisted Samatoki did the same, and he'd listened, not wanting to let his boyfriend down. After changing, Ichiro laid on the bed while he waited for Samatoki, texting their group chat.
Okinawaaaa ☆
Ichiro: Hey guys!
Ichiro: Samatoki and I are getting dressed to go to the beach
Ichiro: If anyone wants to come with?
Jiro: fr? i'll go with
Jiro: lemme get dressed
Ichiro: Bring Saburo along, will you?
Jiro: kk
Nemu: I'll be there too!
Ichiro set his phone down, looking over at the bathroom door. "Samatoki! The others are gonna go to the beach with us." He calls, standing up to get his sunscreen, beginning to lather it over his skin. He knows they'll be out there a while, and certainly doesn't want to burn. When Samatoki opens the bathroom door and comes back out in his swimsuit, Ichiro beckons him over. "Let me help you." He insists, showing off the sunscreen on his hands. "At least let me get your back."
Samatoki chuckles a little, walking over to Ichiro and sitting down in front of him. He leans over a little, showing his back off to the man behind him. He feels Ichiro's hands press against his skin, the cold sensation of sunscreen being smeared across his back. "Nemu goin' too?" He asks, sitting up when Ichiro's hands leave him, and trading spots so he can reciprocate the gesture. "I don't want her wanderin' around alone."
"She's going!" Ichiro confirms with a cheerful smile, closing his eyes to prepare for the cold sunscreen to hit him as well. Samatoki rubs his hands together, though, warming up the cream before applying it onto Ichiro's back. "Jiro is getting ready and I asked him to bring Saburo. I'm sure Saburo won't get into the water or anything, but I also don't want him to be alone." He smiles, standing and taking the bottle to sunscreen the rest of his body. They trade it off every minute or so, until both of them are completely protected.
Moments later, a soft knock rings upon their door. Samatoki is the first to turn his head towards the sound, "Come in, it's open."
Nemu opens the door slowly, already fully dressed. She has a coverup on - one of Samatoki's old shirts - a pair of sandals, and a cute necklace that dangles around her neck. She steps just inside, both of the Yamada brothers behind her. "We're ready to go whenever you guys are. Think you're all set?" She asks, smiling.
"We're good to go!" Ichiro confirms, picking up a beach bag he has. It has sunscreen, towels, and a couple water bottles stored in it. Ichiro has gradually grown to pride himself as the group babysitter of sorts, despite everyone being old enough to take care of themselves. He likes to take the burden off of everyone else, to let everyone else be more at ease.
However, Samatoki equally likes to take that burden off of Ichiro. He takes the bag from Ichiro in stride to the door, hoisting the bag over his shoulder and pulling the door open for both Nemu and Ichiro to walk out. Ichiro smiles at Samatoki in thanks, and the group makes their way to the beach.
Nemu had the foresight to get a place close to the beach already, so their commute would never be too far. As they walked there, she took out her phone, standing on her tiptoes to take a picture with Samatoki. He wraps his arm around her shoulders and leans in, smiling ever so slightly for the picture she takes. She had picked up a knack for taking photos whenever she spends time with any of them, claiming to be making up for lost time.
She's back to snapping more pictures when they get to the beach. She takes a few of the scenery, the waves, the sand underneath her sandals. She hurries to get a good set of seats not far from where the water meets the sand, and starts dropping her stuff on it. Jiro had hurried after her, tossing his phone and shoes off at one of the lounge chairs.
"This sun is so bright.." Nemu murmurs as she takes her coverup off, trying to shield her eyes from the sun with her hand. "Jiro, do you have sunglasses?"
Jiro looks over at her, trying to think. "Nah, I don't. Brought my hat though." He offers, taking his hat off and plopping it onto Nemu's head. He watches as her eyes relax, her hand dropping down. He grins a little, nodding. "Try not to get it wet, though."
"I won't!" She smiles, leaning down to take her sandals off. As she does, a guy sneaks a glance at her, and Jiro smacks his fist into his palm in the guy's direction. He quickly looks away, just as Nemu sits back up. "Race you to the water!" She exclaims, and takes off in the direction of the ocean.
Jumping, Jiro practically tumbles over himself as he races after her. "Hey, that ain't fair! You didn't give me a heads up!" He shouts, almost immediately tripping over the wet sand and tumbling into the salty water. Nemu laughs beside him, moving into the water and watching as Jiro resurfaces. He coughs a little, using his hands to clear his hair out of his face. "Damn."
The other three take their time getting to the sets of chairs. Samatoki sets the bag down onto the sand with a muted thud, taking out a couple of the towels and water bottles. "Those kids sure are still rowdy." He murmurs, taking a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket and putting them on. "Kinda surprised Jiro's made it this far when he almost drowns steppin' into the water."
"Never agreed with someone more." Saburo says under his breath, the utterance immediately causing Samatoki to laugh. Saburo doesn't pay it any mind though, lounging back on the chair Jiro had previously claimed. There's an umbrella towering over it, casting enough shade to cover Saburo's face from the sun. He takes a manga of sorts out of his own bag, leaning back and starting to read over it.
Ichiro shakes his head at their teasing remarks, tossing one of the water bottles over to Saburo. "Don't get dehydrated, okay? And- I can give you yen if you want to go buy snacks." He says, drawing Samatoki's gaze. Samatoki listens as Ichiro dotes over his youngest brother, trying his hardest to ensure Saburo's comfort. Samatoki feels the urge to tease him for it, but realizes he does the same thing over Nemu, and holds no authority over Ichiro in this moment.
Once Ichiro has finished his protective rambling, he sighs and turns back to Samatoki. "I'm gonna get in the water!" He declares, rushing out to the ocean like Jiro and Nemu had. They both cheer as Ichiro enters the water, dipping his head back to soak his hair in the saltwater.
Jiro immediately goes to tackle Ichiro, trying to use his weight to dunk him under the water. It hardly works, in fact, it does the opposite, as Ichiro only slightly loses his balance and instead tosses Jiro back into the water. Jiro resurfaces after a small pause, coming up holding a sand dollar. "Look, holy shit! Can we find shells around here?!" He asks, voice loud and boisterous with overexcitement. He shoves the sand dollar into Nemu's hands, letting her inspect his bounty.
"We can look for shells!" She tells Jiro in an instant, holding the sand dollar tightly. "We can look for shells to bring back home! Can we go search the shore?" She asks, giving Jiro a hopeful sort of look. The two had developed a close friendship, mostly due to their relative closeness in age. Nemu was still slightly older, but enjoyed being able to act childish whenever Jiro was around. Even though they had both grown up a bit, Jiro never quite lost his childish spark, and was more than happy to share it with her.
"Let's go!" He decides, getting out of the water as fast as he can to start searching the sand for seashells. Nemu quickly joins him, fingers digging through the sand to find some that may have been buried deeper.
Ichiro watches them endearingly, then looks back to where Samatoki and Saburo were. Samatoki waves at him, and Ichiro responds by gesturing to the water. Come swim!
Samatoki shakes his head.
In that moment, Ichiro decides that he knows what the correct response is. He gets out of the water, and calmly walks up to Samatoki.
"What? You need water?" Samatoki asks, starting to sit up to get one of the water bottles. Ichiro immediately swipes his hands under Samatoki's knees, and then behind his back, lifting the yakuza clean into the air. Samatoki nearly dies, wrapping his arms around Ichiro's neck for stability. It isn't the first time his dumb boyfriend has picked him up, but it's the most sudden, and Samatoki knows exactly where Ichiro plans on taking him, too. "Goddamnit, you--!" He exclaims, trying to fight his way out of Ichiro's grasp.
"Sorry, what was that?" Ichiro grins, feigning ignorance over Samatoki's obvious protest. He makes a dash to the water, and hears Jiro and Nemu cheering him on again the closer they get to the tides. Ichiro has no issue tossing Samatoki into the water, shallow enough that he won't fully go under but deep enough that he won't get hurt. He dusts his hands off once his boyfriend makes contact with the water, smiling with great pride.
What Ichiro does not expect is for Samatoki to come right back out, only to grab both of Ichiro's hands to pull him back in. He, just like Jiro, attempts to use his weight to drag Ichiro into the water, but succeeds where Jiro had failed. They both go tumbling into the water, laughing and playfully fighting each other. Nemu laughs when Samatoki starts to take the upper hand in their little charade, and Jiro decides that it's time to take sides.
Jiro, obviously on the side of his big brother, whips the hat off of Nemu's head before lifting her into the air. He's clumsier with it than Ichiro is, but manages to toss her into the water all the same. He holds the hat for when she surfaces again, and just as she takes it, Samatoki shoves Jiro back into the water in tandem.
Thus, began the great water battle, of the four of them trying their hardest to have some sort of aquatic battle royale. Saburo doesn't join until after Nemu splashes Ichiro square in the face, and he joins with a force, as his first attempt is to shove Jiro under the water before beginning to back up Ichiro.
Eventually, Saburo scales up Jiro to get onto his shoulders, and Nemu does the same with her brother. They fight again like this, both of them trying to topple the other down. Ichiro cheers and referees, standing close to support them. "Looks like we got a proper game of shoulder wars today, everyone! With the Aohitsugi siblings up against the younger Yamada brothers, it's a true test to see who will come out on top!" He says, trying to pull off his best announcer voice.
"It ain't even a question!" Jiro taunts, trying his best to plant his feet in the sand. He knows Saburo shouldn't be athletic enough to take down a former agent of Chuoku, especially when she's riding on a yakuza's shoulders. Saburo leans forward, hands lacing with Nemu as they shove back and forth to try and topple the other.
"Just give in, Saburo!" She encourages, laughing and trying her best to balance and shove at the same time. Samatoki holds onto her with a great sense of security, and she can vaguely compare it to the way he'd hold her when they were kids. Samatoki was always safe and secure, and she feels that way now, even as they play some stupid game in the ocean. She shoves Saburo again, and hears Ichiro whistle in surprise.
Ichiro circles them, watching as Saburo struggles to fight against Nemu and Samatoki. Then, suddenly, Ichiro comes in between both parties and shoves both of them back. "The winner is... Yamada Ichiro!"
Jiro and Saburo both fall back into the water, Saburo holding onto Jiro's hair tightly as they sink like a fallen ship. Jiro goes down laughing, trying his best to cushion Saburo's fall. It doesn't really work, but there's an attempt made. Jiro winds up standing back up, hoisting Saburo out of the water.
Nemu squeaks and hangs onto Samatoki as he nearly loses balance, but then completely loses it as the sand beneath him shifts. They tumble, but he lifts Nemu up above him so her upper body never goes under the water. He surfaces again just after, setting her down and tackling Ichiro back down.
"New teams!" Nemu insists, rushing over to Jiro. She leans close to his ear, "We can definitely take those two. What do you think?"
Grinning, Jiro nods. "Without a doubt." He agrees, taking his hat - which still got soaked - and setting it on her head. Then, he crouches down to give her an easier time getting on.
When Samatoki and Ichiro come back out of the water, Samatoki connects the dots and looks over at Ichiro, a mischievous look on his face. "You want top or bottom?" He teases, which causes Ichiro to just roll his eyes.
"You couldn't hold me up on your shoulders for more than five minutes. C'mon, hop up." Ichiro invites, leaning down so Samatoki can get up on his shoulders. They resume their fight, Saburo taking over the referee position in Ichiro's stead.
They finish up about fifteen minutes later, deciding that everyone is exhausted and needs some time to rest and re-hydrate. Jiro and Saburo flop down on chairs across from each other, and Nemu sits independently while Ichiro and Samatoki sit beside each other. Ichiro is guzzling from a water bottle he'd brought, passing it to Samatoki once he's had his fill.
The group is at the beach long enough to watch the sun begin to set. They'd relaxed, bought drinks, and even gone to grab a quick bite. Now, they all lounge back, watching the sun start to cast its light across the vast expanse of the ocean. Nemu admires it intently, taking her phone out to take a couple pictures. A couple were captured with Saburo in the distance, collecting shells from the shore. He has a few in his hands, dipping them into the soft waves to clean them off.
Ichiro smiles as Saburo holds up a shell to show it to him, smiling and giving a thumbs up. He can hear Jiro asking if Nemu wants him to take pictures of her by the shore, and then watches them both go out to do as such. Samatoki watches, too, making sure Jiro doesn't dare make an advance on his sister.
"I think this was a good choice." Ichiro says to Samatoki, eyes still on their littler siblings in the distance. Jiro takes a few pictures of Nemu, then they switch, then they take selfies, then they invite Saburo to come take pictures too. Saburo doesn't agree to more than one picture of the three of them, but is happy to show off the shells he'd gathered. "I'm glad they all get along as well as they do."
"I think it was good, too." Samatoki agrees, taking his sunglasses off to instead rest on top of his head. Ichiro catches the way the sun reflects in his eyes, almost making his crimson eyes look like a part of the sunset in front of them. "Good call, beach trip." He adds, taking his phone out. "C'mere."
Gesturing for Ichiro to lean in, they take two pictures together. One of them just next to each other, then another of Ichiro kissing Samatoki's cheek. Ichiro admires the photos after they're taken, smiling warmly. "I love you, Samatoki." He whispers, voice soft. Of all the things Ichiro appreciates the most, Samatoki and his brothers come at the top of that list. Being here, the five of them, is the best trip Ichiro could've ever asked for.
"Love you, too." Samatoki responds, earning a wide-eyed look from Ichiro. Typically, Samatoki doesn't like to openly express his love, and tends to show it through actions and gestures. He knows it, too, cause he even smiles at Ichiro as he says it. He acknowledges, just like Ichiro does, that they've come a long way since when they'd first met, first been in a group together. They're both incredibly grateful to be where they are now, sitting side by side on the beach together.
Their attention turns as the three on the beach all squeal at the same time, and both of the older brothers immediately lurch up at the sound. Jiro holds up a large piece of seaweed, complaining about how slimy it feels. So, naturally, he tosses it onto his younger brother. Saburo swears, shoving it off and wiping his hands off on Jiro. They can hear the exchange of complaints, and sit back, any risk of danger dispelled.
They head back to their rooms a short while later, after the sun had set. Ichiro and Samatoki happily discuss the joys of the afternoon, laying side by side. Jiro and Saburo sit in their room with Nemu, all playing a game that Jiro had brought for late evenings.
As the years pass, they continue to return to Okinawa, every year around the same time. It becomes their favorite family tradition.