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“I’m not going to a fucking amusement park!” Arakita spat from the furthest corner of the bench. “We’d be spending our day waiting in line for mediocre rides and expensive food!”
“Stop being so pessimistic! It’s a club trip not an Arakita trip! You can’t decide for all of us.” Toudou huffed in aggravation.
“What would an Arakita trip be like?” Shinkai whispered to his friend.
Arakita responded by kicking him in the ankle none too gently before raising his foot and resting it on the bench beneath him. Shinkai grinned at the other before turning his attention back to Toudou and the whiteboard he was pointing at. It was the Hakone Gakuen’s Bike Club tradition to hold an annual event for those who had participated in the Inter High. Usually it was up for the captain to decide where the six club members would go, but Fukutomi had asked his friends to help him make the decision.
“A large group like ours would have a higher chance of separating in an amusement park,” Fukutomi commented from the locker he was leaning against.
“I agree with Juichi. Wouldn’t you rather the six of us be together instead of going off on our own?” Shinkai asked Toudou for the sake of his childhood friend. He knew the argument was a weak one —a group of six wasn’t large at all, but Juichi didn’t fare well with roller coasters and wanting to help his friend save face, Shinkai decided to weigh the vote in the bike captain’s favor.
“Then I’m out of ideas,” Toudou announced as the crossed out the final trip idea written on the whiteboard.
The four third years went silent as they contemplated the other alternatives that had been ruled out previously. Most suggestions were too basic to be considered a club trip. A trip to the arcade or the local pool were things everybody enjoyed doing together, sure, but was it summer vacation trip worthy? No, not really. Shinkai wistfully stared at the crossed out characters on the board that originally spelt “buffet”. That suggestion had been one of the first things to go unfortunately. The others to follow weren’t that great either. Mountain climbing, one of the many festivals taking place over the summer, Jinpachi’s family hot springs. They all seemed basic and boring or too outlandish and physically exhausting.
“At this rate our summer’s going to end before we can even reach a conclusion!” Toudou complained as he sat on the chair parallel to the bench with a huff.
“At this rate—” Arakita repeating in a mocking tone before dropping his voice back to its normal octave. “—the summer ending is the preferred outcome compared to being stuck here with you.”
“Arakita, enough.” Fukutomi demanded unenthusiastically, most likely feeling as defeated as everyone else.
“If we can’t decide, maybe we should ask Izumida or Manami,” Shinkai suggested while trying to ignore how Arakita had brought his other foot up on the bench so that he could sit cross legged. Practice had ended long ago and Arakita had switched into a simple white t-shirt and black gym shorts, the latter of which just so happened to ride up at this very instance, revealing the hem of his boxers.
Shinkai gulped and turned away hastily when he realized that he had been staring. This wasn’t the first time he had caught himself looking at Arakita, and he was terrified knowing that it certainly wouldn’t be his last. The effects that the ace assist’s body caused on Shinkai were confusing and addicting all the same. Every time Shinkai caught himself fixated on some part of Arakita, his pulse quickened and his stomach grew warm.
“If we do that we’ll ruin the surprise,” Fukutomi noted.
Everyone hummed in agreement at their friend’s words. The one thing the intimidating captain was adamant about was treating this trip as a reward for Izumida and Manami’s hard work. The two had been especially hard on themselves after their team’s loss, and Fukutomi wanted this to be his way of saying thank you.
“Ah! Sorry for interrupting!”
The four teens turned to see Ashikiba entering the clubroom with an apologetic look plastered across his face.
“I just forgot something in my locker,” he added hastily as he pointed to the area behind Arakita.
The raven moved over a tad, allowing for the taller boy to reach over the bench and into his locker. Shinkai held his breath as Arakita’s arm brushed against his.
“Ashikiba, what do you think?” Shinkai asked, finding the need to speak —to distract himself.
“Hmm?” Ashikiba hummed while whipping around swiftly, causing his gym bag to hit Arakita in the back of the head.
The ace assist silently reeled forward, and Shinkai’s arms instinctively shot out to catch him. The two grappled with each other until Arakita caught his balance and shot around to glare at Ashikiba, who had been sputtering a terrified apology at the angry third year.
“Yasutomo don’t,” Shinkai warned, knowing the other was about to yell. He clutched Arakita’s arm tightly with one hand while the other rested flat on his back. Arakita turned around to look at Shinkai with a small frown, and he muttered “I wasn’t going to yell” at the redhead before turning back to look up at Ashikiba.
“Its fine,” Arakita stated to the younger club member. “But yeah, where do you think we should go for our summer trip?”
Ashikiba hummed in thought as Shinkai gradually released his grip on Arakita’s arm. He heat was back and he prayed that nobody else had noticed the shift in his body temperature.
“Why don’t you guys go to the beach?”
“That’s so simple!” Toudou scoffed as he pointed to the whiteboard, which had the word “beach” crossed out along with the other suggestions. “Everyone goes to the beach in the summer.”
“So? It’s fun,” Ashikiba stated simply as he shrugged his bag comfortably over his shoulder. “You guys can swim and make sandcastles—”
“Sandcastles,” Arakita scoffed under his breath.
“—and play volleyball and cut a watermelon.”
“I never saw a problem with going to the beach,” Shinkai admitted as he recalled the last time he had gone with Juichi, who had ended up opening a watermelon as if he were executing a man.
“I’m fine with the beach as well,” Fukutomi added sternly while looking at Toudou.
The ace climber looked like he wanted to argue, but kept his mouth shut.
“I’m fine with the beach too. Toudou say you agree so we can go eat,” Arakita complained.
“I agree,” Toudou sighed as he stood up. “The beach wouldn’t be bad if we planned accordingly.”
“Thank you Ashikiba,” Shinkai grinned as the tall boy gave them all a bow and made his way out of the club room once again.
“Great! Now that that’s settled, we need to decide how we’re going to present this to the others!” Toudou claimed as he stood up and began erasing the whiteboard.
Arakita groaned in pain, which caused the physical vibrations to shoot through the palm of Shinkai’s hand —the hand that was still resting on the small of Arakita’s back! What the hell am I doing? Shinkai hadn’t even realized that he was still touching Arakita.
“Now, now Yasutomo.” Shinkai chimed in as he nonchalantly patted the other’s back. Shinkai rubbed what he hoped were reassuring circles against the white fabric in order to play off the initial physical contact he had been holding for much longer than would have normally been deemed “friendly”.
“We can decide at the diner,” Fukutomi declared as he stepped away from the lockers he was leaning on.
Small sounds of agreement were heard within the room, and soon the four third years began packing their things and making their way to the exit. Shinkai followed closely behind Arakita as he lugged his bag over his shoulder, choosing to blame the churning in his stomach on the hunger he felt instead of the ace assist walking in front of him.
***
“We’re here!” Izumida announced excitedly, jostling the other’s from the thoughts.
Shinkai turned his eyes away from his phone as he glanced over Fukutomi’s shoulder, wanting to look out the window. The ocean was the first thing his eyes landed on. The endless blue was complimented with more blue as the sea’s horizon met the sky, the only inclination of the two being of different mediums determined by the rolling waves disrupting the ocean’s surface. Long breaking waves travelled over and scattered around gray rocks jutting over the tide line and the foam crests outlined anything unmoving along the sandy beach.
The club’s bus turned into the designated parking lot, and the scenery went out of Shinkai’s site. The ace sprinter turned to look at the two seats adjacent to him, curious to see the reaction of one person in particular. Manami smiled happily in his seat and stood up the second the bus had stopped moving, leaving a napping Arakita alone by the window. Without thinking, Shinkai immediately switched seats so that he could wake the other.
“Yasutomo,” Shinkai cooed softly, not wanting to startle Arakita (and get yelled at). When Arakita didn’t stir, Shinkai poked his cheek lightly, tensed and ready to block any incoming punches the other might swing. Arakita’s brows furrowed momentarily, but the creases smoothed a second later. Shinkai held his breath at the serene site before him. When Arakita wasn’t frowning, his face looked much kinder and alluring. His arched eyebrows seemed less exaggerated and the thin lips appeared fuller when they weren’t stretched into a firm line of contempt. Shinkai leaned forward as he observed how the long lower lashes mingled with his upper ones and fanned over his pale skin radiantly. If there was one thing Shinkai could admit was undeniably attractive about Yasutomo, it was his striking eyelashes. They were as dark as the night sky and each whisper of a hair was naturally thick in a way that Shinkai was certain the other didn’t necessarily appreciate.
I’ll appreciate them for the both of us. Shinkai thought as he poked Arakita’s cheek one more time, observing how the bridge of his nose formed creases and how wondrous lashes fluttered against his skin. Shinkai felt a gentle grin spread across his lips as he used the back of his finger to caress the smooth skin beneath Arakita’s eye, and his face grew warm after realizing how soft Arakita felt.
Shinkai immediately removed his hand when the other stirred. He leaned back and watched Arakita open his eyes and inhaled deeply, becoming fully alert thanks to Shinkai’s rousing. The raven looked around confusingly for a moment before his piercing gaze focused on Shinkai.
“Are we here?” Arakita mumbled as he dug the palm of his hands into his eyes to rub away the fatigue. “Also, were you doing weird shit to my face?”
“We just arrived. Everyone is getting off the bus Yasutomo,” Shinkai informed the other, refusing to acknowledge his other question. “We should get going too.”
“Yeah, yeah. Get your fatass up so we can leave,” Arakita huffed as he climbed over Shinkai to follow Toudou off the bus.
Shinkai waited until he was certain he was the last one getting off the bus before he risked standing up. He hastily lowered his cargo shorts until the belt lied much lower than he would deem comfortable, and he tugged his t-shirt down until it covered his crotch. Feeling his face burn in shame and confusion, Shinkai stiffly walked off the bus, terrified at the implications behind getting half-hard just by looking at Arakita Yasutomo.
Shaking his head to forget his thoughts, Shinkai walked off the bus to see that the beach was full of life and excitement that warm afternoon. Kids were running around screaming, as were teenagers and even some adults. Many were found splashing around in the water while others chose to lie comfortably on the sand doing absolutely nothing. Manami stared at those sleeping on top of their beach towels with a kind of jealously in his eyes that Shinkai couldn’t help but feel concerned about.
“Excuse me while I go use the restroom,” Manami told the others as he grabbed his towel and blatantly ran off to join the sleeping individuals lying under large beach umbrellas.
“That Manami. He’s always escaping his club duties –even now!” Toudou huffed as he handed a large cooler holding their food and drinks to Fukutomi.
“Let him rest,” Fukutomi told the other as he passed the cooler to Arakita.
“You’re too easy on him Fuku-chan,” Arakita muttered as he adjusted his weight so he could hold the heavy box with ease.
“We’ll make him help with the cleanup,” Shinkai suggested as he took the bag from Fukutomi and held it strategically over his stomach.
“The question is if he’ll actually be helpful or create more problems,” Arakita muttered in a low voice so that only Shinkai could hear.
Shinkai automatically grinned at Arakita while silently praying the other wouldn’t notice his odd behaviour. Once everyone was carrying everything needed for the day, they made a move out of the parking lot and towards the designated picnic area with their belongings on hand. After finding a shady spot at the park beneath a large tree and getting situated, Shinkai eventually found himself calming down. He laid a tarp on the grassy area close to their things, and hummed in approval while inwardly thanking the universe for letting his body relax. Although boners were a common occurrence among growing young men their age, and though the four third years were rather close and comfortable with each other, Shinkai preferred it if his friends never found out about his little surprise –let alone the context behind it.
Sighing heavily, Shinkai had followed everyone else’s lead, excited to take part in whatever beach activities his friends had planned. As long as I don’t find myself alone with Yasutomo, I’ll be fine. He concluded while dragging his slippers through the sand and embracing the warmth seeping between his exposed toes.
“Shinkai-san! Did you see the ice cream shop by the entrance of the beach?” Izumida asked as the small group headed towards the sleeping Manami with their towels in hand.
“I did. Should we go check it out later?” Shinkai asked the other, wondering if Toudou would make a fuss out of the frozen dessert or join them whenever they chose to go.
“Sure! Arakita-san, do you want to come too?”
“Of course,” the raven grinned as he let his towel fall onto Manami’s peaceful looking face. “One of the signs said they served shaved ice. I’ve always wanted to try it.”
“You’ve never tried it? It’s really tasty Arakita-san,” Izumida stated excitedly as he stepped aside for Fukutomi and Toudou to set up their towels beside Manami.
“You’ve tried them before? Aren’t they chock full of empty calories or something?” Arakita inquired as he buried his naked foot into the sand and slowly shoveled a small pile onto Manami’s shin.
“Andy and Frank agree that something a little sweet from time to time isn’t such a bad thing. Besides, after eating the shaved ice I made sure to exercise a little extra.”
Shinkai stopped listening as Izumida explained to Arakita the measures he went through to combat the unhealthy dessert. Instead, his eyes focused on Arakita’s foot, which had once again dug its way into the sand. The ace assist proceeded to shovel up another pile, his target for the heap of sand being none other than the small anthill he had already created on Manami’s leg. Shinkai instinctively brought his ankle up and intercepted Arakita’s advances, silently telling the other to cease his approach. Arakita pushed forward, and Shinkai gritted his teeth as he pressed back while simultaneously trying to keep his balance. Arakita’s strength always surprised him, and the two ended up being stuck in an awkward standstill until the raven gave up and brought his foot down in defeat.
“Fun Ruiner,” Arakita mumbled as he bent over and snatched his towel from Manami’s face.
“Yasutomo, if you’re going to bury someone, at least offer them the chance to give you their consent.”
“Ah then, Shinkai, will you let me bury you alive?”
“That last part is concerning,” Shinkai laughed as he placed his towel down and removed his shirt, his previous worries now at the back of his mind. He proceeded to pull off his cargo shorts to reveal red and black swim trunks underneath, motioning for his friends to join him. The others (minus Manami) followed suit, and soon everyone was heading towards the sea.
Swimming was enjoyable when Shinkai tried not to think about how Arakita was standing a few meters away from him shirtless and completely soaking wet. When Shinkai pushed his thoughts aside, he found himself able to play water polo with ease. He was able to race Izumida to a distant buoy and back, and he splashed Toudou and Fukutomi in the face every time they let their guards down. He was also able to push and shove Arakita without worrying about how his body would react.
When Shinkai didn’t think about Arakita’s body, he would let the palm of his hands press against the other’s smooth chest, or he’d grab the other’s bicep and pull at the toned arm in an attempt to make him fall into the water. When his mind wasn’t focused on Arakita’s body, he was able to appreciate the unblemished skin and welcome the other’s warmth against his hands.
However, after a minute of wrestling with the other, Shinkai gaped in shock as he realized what he was doing and who he was doing it with. He felt his heart pound against his ribs and heat pool to his stomach as Arakita slammed him into the ocean, leaving him breathless and disturbed at how easily his hands had wandered around the other’s body. So much for not thinking about Yasutomo!
It didn’t help his situation that Arakita would sometimes tackle Shinkai from the back to knock him down, or wrestle him into sinking under the surface of the water along with him. Luckily for the disgruntled ace sprinter, others had soon joined their unintentional wrestling tournament, thus acting as a good distraction for Shinkai and allowing him to calm down and enjoy himself with Arakita once again. It wasn’t until Toudou had warned everyone that the sun lotion they had applied in the afternoon had most likely washed off and that they should head back for dinner that Arakita and Shinkai decided to end the wrestling tourney once and for all.
“Okay, last round. Winner takes all,” Arakita claimed as he circled Shinkai in the knee deep water.
“What’s the prize Yasutomo?” Shinkai grinned as he too began side stepping the other.
“Loser does one thing for the winner,” Arakita claimed as he raised his hands up to claw the air in anticipation.
“That’s a vague and sketchy request Yasutomo!” Shinkai laughed as he mimicked the other’s hand stance. “What are you planning to do with me if you win?”
“I’m not —! Shut up don’t make things weird you shithead!” Arakita sputtered, thrown off by Shinkai’s suggestive comment. “Alright how about this? If you win, I’ll buy you all the shaved ice you want.”
Shinkai’s ears perked at the offer of free food. He was down for this.
“And if you win?”
“If I win, you let me bury you in the sand.”
That was a simple enough request, and Shinkai was fine with agreeing.
On one condition.
“I accept so long as you keep my head above the surface.”
“That’s a fucking given you moron!” Arakita spat as he stopped his movements. “Deal?”
“Deal.”
The two had Fukutomi count them down before they charged at each other like rabid animals. For the first few minutes of their unprofessional wrestling, Shinkai had thought he was doing rather well against Yasutomo. Though they shared similar heights, Shinkai had a little more meat on his bones and thought he could win with strength alone. Unfortunately for him, Arakita had cunning. The ace assist had wrestling moves he either pulled from something he had seen on television, or personally practiced on his sisters at home. Either way, Shinkai suddenly found himself being twisted into a headlock with both arms pinned behind him and an ankle contorting his legs until he fell into the water.
Arakita make sure to kick water at Shinkai’s fallen body while screaming in victory, and continued to splash around until Fukutomi called for him to stop.
“I can’t wait to bury you alive,” Arakita stated as he held his hand out towards Shinkai.
“You’re using that questionable terminology again,” Shinkai noted weakly as he accepted the other’s help.
The two stood unmoving for a moment with their hands linked until Touduo’s piercing voice goaded them out of their trance-like state. Shinkai felt tense as he slowly released the other’s grip, realizing too late that he had just agreed to have some alone time with Yasutomo without any external sources to distracting him.
This can’t be good.
***
Shinkai ate his shaved ice slowly as he contemplated a way out being buried in the sand by Arakita. He had attempted inviting the others to join him, but Toudou wanted to prevent getting sand in his hair and Manami was now bursting with energy and claiming he’d be spending the rest of the day in the ocean. Fukutomi mentioned walking down the boardwalk to people watch, and Izumida had offered to join him, preferring to be in constant motion as opposed to sitting still.
Unable to come up with an escape plan, Shinkai accepted his fate and headed back towards the beach after throwing out his garbage. The large dinner they had eaten was making him sleepy, so he inwardly pleaded for his body to just allow him to pass out instead of being trapped awake and alert of his unnecessary thoughts.
“The fuck took you so long huh? You’re usually the first to finish eating not the last,” Arakita chided the other as stuck his plastic bucket into the elongated hole in front of him to scoop out a large heap of sand.
“Sorry about that Yasutomo,” Shinkai apologized as he stood beside the raven. “What exactly are you making there?”
“Your grave.”
“It doesn’t look very roomy,” Shinkai sighed dramatically as he placed a foot on Arakita’s thigh. “Where am I supposed to fit all my detective novels?”
“Just get in the fucking hole Shinkai,” Arakita spouted as he waved his tiny plastic shovel threateningly at the complaining redhead.
Shinkai removed his foot from Arakita’s leg and did as he was told. He stepped into the large crevice in the beach and helped Arakita pile sand onto his chest and midsection. Once he was relatively covered in sand, the raven insisted he stick his arms by his side so that the proper burial could begin. Shinkai was distracted enough in the other’s presence that he had forgotten about his inner turmoil’s. He spoke to Yasutomo about nothing important as he watched the sand slowly envelope his entire body, the sun-exposed sand feeling relatively warm and therapeutic as it covered his body. When the conversation lulled into a comfortable silence, Shinkai relaxed into the beach and closed his eyes. The sound of waves crashing over the shore behind him complimented by idle chatter in the distance lulled Shinkai into a pleasant nap.
“Shinkai.”
Shinkai’s brows knit in distaste at the sensation of something pinching his nose. After taking a moment to gather himself, he tried to sit up and stretch, only to find his attempts futile.
“Wh—”
“Did you seriously fall asleep for the last half hour?” Arakita asked, his voice laced with amusement.
“I uhh, —no? I was just joking around Yasutomo,” Shinkai lied as he looked down at his body. “Did you give me sand boobs?”
“Double D’s too. Don’t ever say I don’t look out for my friends.”
Shinkai wanted to shove the other back into the water for his stupid declaration. How many passersby had seen him like this; sprawled across the floor with absurdly large breasts covering his chest? And more importantly, had Yasutomo been taking pictures of him while he was dead to the world? He obviously had. Only an idiot wouldn’t take advantage of capturing such an exceptionally ridiculous sight.
“Yasutomo, I have a confession to make,” Shinkai stated seriously as he looked up at the other, deciding to play along for now and beg for the deletion of the pictures later. “I’m not the man that I used to be.”
Arakita burst out into laughter at that, and Shinkai felt his breath catch in his throat at both the sight and sound. The stunning view before the redhead had eliminated the last of his fatigue in an instant and introduced a warmth that had violently spread throughout his buried body. Arakita was looming over him happily, a toothy grin plastered across his face as he looked down at Shinkai’s helpless state. The setting sun caused threads of light to trace the raven’s body and highlight the curvature of hard muscle beneath smooth skin. Orange tinged rays bounced off his exposed physique and cast shadows along his torso and arms in a manner that gave away his strength and durability caused by endless hours of training throughout his athletic career. Behind Arakita sat the beauty of the sunset, the fiery orb sinking behind the distant eastern horizon and dyeing the rolling clouds in yellows and oranges. The dark blue skies in the opposite direction spawned purples and pinks, thus generating a strikingly colourful canvas that successfully accented Arakita’s attractiveness.
Shinkai’s cheeks burned in shame and he felt his abdomens writhe in discomfort as searing heat pooled to his lower stomach. He inhaled deeply and started thinking about something —anything that would distract him from his growing erection.
Unfortunately for him, Arakita’s perceptive gaze noticed Shinkai’s silenced panic, and he eyes scanned the other’s body searching for the source causing his uneasiness.
“Hey Shinkai?”
Oh no.
“I don’t remembering putting a pile of sand between your legs.”
Shinkai desperately tried to wriggle free from his confinements, wanting to shove Arakita away and escape his embarrassment.
“Holy shit Shinkai, is that a boner?” Arakita hissed in amusement, going out of his way to bring his face as obnoxiously close to the squirming ace sprinter as he could, intentionally adding to his discomfort.
“Shut up!” Shinkai spat at the raven, seething in anger and shame.
“Wait, I know how to help. Give me a second,” Arakita commented as he grabbed his bucket and ran out of Shinkai’s periphery.
Damn it! Shinkai knew he shouldn’t have agreed to this. With how his body had been acting around Yasutomo lately, he should have seen this coming. He should have gone out of his way to avoid this type of situation, not waltz right into it. I’m a complete moron!
“Hey moron, catch!” Arakita spouted as he poured ice cold water over Shinkai’s crotch. Shinkai screamed in shock as his dick instantaneously withered at the freezing sensation.
“Yasutomo!” Shinkai shrieked as he kicked his legs free from the sand entrapping him. He wiggled and twisted until he freed his arms and latched on to Arakita’s right ankle.
“Hey let go! The proper response would be to say thank you!” Arakita spat as he tried to pull his leg free.
But Shinkai wasn’t having it. He used the other’s leg as momentum to pull himself up and after grasping Arakita’s limb tightly, he began dragging him towards the ocean.
“Shinkai wait! Let’s discuss this like adults.”
Shinkai turned around to say something to the other, but Arakita had used that very moment to throw sand at Shinkai’s face. The redhead reeled back as sand entered his eyes and up his nostrils. He coughed and spat and screamed at the other, who had ended up laughing while sprinting away towards the safety of the others.
Shinkai clenched his jaw shut as he stepped into the ocean and washed his face. After he was certain his eyes were sand free, he stomped back angrily to his expectant group of friends, making sure Arakita knew he was glaring at him. The other stood wisely behind Fukutomi as Shinkai approached their picnic area, and soon the small group of friends were packing their things and heading back for the bus that had arrived to pick them up.
“Hey, how about this,” Arakita began, appearing beside Shinkai so suddenly that the other accidentally let a strangled scream escape the back of his throat. “Next time we go to the beach, you get to bury me, alright?”
“I get to bury you alive.”
“That last part is concerning,” Arakita mumbled, repeating Shinkai’s words from earlier that day.
Shinkai huffed as he shoved Arakita aside, hating how he had developed a crush on such a crass human being.