Work Text:
Mu Qing hates the beach.
But unfortunately for him, Feng Xin was the one in charge of making their date plans for the weekend.
…And Feng Xin loves the beach.
“It’s always so hot,” Mu Qing groaned, hands dragging down his face. “And sandy. And squirmy. And sweaty. And sticky. And stink-”
“Or are you just scared of seeing me topless?” Feng Xin teased, and judging by how Mu Qing’s face absolutely flamed in bright red, it actually did the trick.
“What!? No!” Mu Qing cried indignantly, trying his best to slap Feng Xin’s shoulder without falling off the couch he was balancing on. Little did Mu Qing know though, since he was falling right into Feng Xin’s trap.
Feng Xin laughed and crossed his arms. “Then? Are you scared of me seeing you topless?”
He didn’t even know it was possible, but Mu Qing turned a brighter shade of red. “What the hell! Feng Xin!”
Needless to say: in the end, Mu Qing was persuaded.
“Feng Xin, did you bring everything?”
“Yes ma,” Feng Xin sighed for the umpteenth time that morning. “Haven’t we gone through your checklist like ten times already?”
“Twice!” Mu Qing rebutted, lifting up two fingers and shoving them right into Feng Xin’s face, “And both of which you stopped me halfway because you realised you’d forgotten to pack something! My god, and you told me I could rely on you for this.”
“You can! I’m trying my best!” Feng Xin exclaimed defensively, wildly gesturing towards their bags, “See? Look, everything’s there. Sunscreen, towels, baskets, sunglasses, dry bag, beach umbrella, water bottles, first aid kit, clothes, another set of clothes ‘just in case’,” Feng Xin rambled on, “Flip flops, snacks, even a beach cooler…”
“Okay okay, I’ve heard enough,” Mu Qing said, looking the slightest bit satisfied. “Those are all fine. I think we’re good,” he huffed.
“So?” Feng Xin grinned, and Mu Qing raised an eyebrow. “Am I a dependable husband or w- OUCH!!!”
The sun was bright. Mu Qing’s eyes burned.
“Qing Er,” Feng Xin started, and Mu Qing already knew by his tone of voice that whatever he was going to say next was not going to be good, “Sometimes you remind me of a vampire, y’know.”
“I’ll suck and drain you of all your blood before you can contemplate saying that again,” Mu Qing muttered.
Feng Xin just laughed again, and Mu Qing tried his hardest not to smile. He heard Feng Xin’s flip flops scrape against the sand behind him, and when he turned around to finally look at him, he felt his cheeks burn.
Just his arteries dilating. It’s just his arteries dilating. It’s just his arteries dilating-
Feng Xin waggled his eyebrows. “Like what you see?”
“Fucking creep!” Mu Qing turned away and stormed off towards a direction he wasn’t quite certain of, but absolutely determined to get Feng Xin in the water before he talked to him again. He could hear Feng Xin laughing so heartily behind him that Mu Qing suspected he fell over.
Mu Qing did smile then.
“Are you not going to come into the water?”
Mu Qing lay languidly on his folding chair, sipping his iced tea and reading a magazine. He put the paper down and glanced at his very enthusiastic husband practically jumping up and down in the water a distance in front of him.
“Duh,” Mu Qing rolled his eyes.
“Why not?” Feng Xin said, and it almost sounded like a pout.
“I could list a hundred reasons! First — safety hazard. Have you ever heard of jellyfishes? Sea urchins? Sharks?”
“This place is a ‘no-shark-zone’…” Feng Xin said, pointing his thumb towards the red sign several meters to his right.
“Still! The jellyfishes and sea urchins!” Mu Qing defended.
Feng Xin groaned. “Any other reasons?” He wanted to see just how creative Mu Qing could get.
“Sea water is bad for your hair,” Mu Qing stated simply. “It swells the cuticles on the outermost layer of the hair and it leaves the hair vulnerable to damage. Saltwater draws the moisture out of hair and it’ll become dry and brittle. It’ll also accelerate hair dye fading, and my highlights would not appreciate that. And-”
“Okay okay, I get your point,” Feng Xin pinched his nose bridge. “Anything else you’d like to vent?”
“Modesty! I do not want to be surrounded by a bunch of naked people while I myself am undressed!”
Feng Xin nearly slapped his own forehead. “Okay, then,” Feng Xin tried, “Would you come in wearing your shirt?”
Mu Qing huffed, “That’s a ridiculous question. You’re missing the point.”
“Would you, though?” Feng Xin tried again.
Mu Qing shrugged. “Uh, it wouldn’t be ideal, but… I guess?”
And within a blink of an eye, before Mu Qing could even see what was coming, Feng Xin practically half-hobbled half-ran onto the shore, picked Mu Qing up from his very comfortable position on his chair, and basically hauled him into the water.
Splash.
“Feng XIN!”
Feng Xin watched Mu Qing beat around in the water not unlike a little kid entering a pool for the first time, and he nearly choked on his own laughter.
Mu Qing, who now looked like a soggy, wet, grumpy kitten, crossed his arms. “You ass!”
Feng Xin was about to reply, but somehow, his eyes flitted to Mu Qing’s very soaked shirt instead, which was now clinging tightly to his abdomen, making his abs (regrettably) much more visible and even more defined.
Feng Xin stood still. He felt his heart racing.
“What?” Mu Qing scoffed. “Are you ogling at me now?”
“Uhh,” Feng Xin struggled to look away, ears burning, “…No?”
“Idiot.”
“Qing Er,” Feng Xin started, a certain gentleness to his voice. Mu Qing raised an eyebrow.
They’d just gotten home from the beach as it was almost sunset, and Mu Qing was unpacking all of their items. “So… how was it today?”
Mu Qing looked unimpressed. “You were there the whole time. You tell me.”
Feng Xin frowned. “You looked pissed off half the time. You tell me.”
“Ugh,” Mu Qing closed his eyes. “Fine, it was… okay I guess.”
Feng Xin waggled his eyebrows again. “‘Okay’ is a great compliment going according to your standards.”
Mu Qing hummed a tune, a small smirk on his face. He folded the towels and shoved them into the laundry basket.
“How could anything be less than ‘okay’,” he replied, turning around to look Feng Xin in the eyes (he swore he heard Feng Xin gasp softly), “when my shirtless husband was right there beside me?” He laughed, and Feng Xin let out a squeak. Payback!
To say Feng Xin fucking burned was an understatement.