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“The Beach!” The ocean, clear skies, the sun; brighter than ever. Angela ran, her pale, white -and-red bikini-clad body charging towards the water, the sound of sand shifting underfoot. Fareeha had barely stepped out of the car, looking over the open beach from the parking lot. There’s her wife, running with reckless abandon. There’s her wife, tripping over her own feet and plunging face-first into the sand. Pharah chuckled before heading down to join her, dressed in a more conservative outfit; a baggy tank top and cargo shorts, complete with sandals. A large beach umbrella and several towels, not to mention a large cooler, came with her. Angela had just picked herself up as Pharah caught up to her.
“Pleahh” The medic coughed, brushing sand from her eyes and coughing. “I think there’s sand in my mouth…” Fareeha laughed, setting down the supplies and flicking on some sunglasses.
“Be more careful, aren’t you a doctor?” Fareeha jeered teasingly, stabbing the umbrella into the sand, laying down a few beach towels. The usual. Angela ignored the comment, instead putting her hands on her hips, trying to size up the ocean for a fight. Fareeha laid down, enjoying the fresh, salty air as her loving spouse charged once more toward the waves.
She watched Angela through the shades of her sunglasses, pretending to sleep as she watched with concern. Angela splashed about in the shallow tide, enjoying herself as she flopped about in the waves, caught up in child-like joy. Fareeha brushed some hair behind her ear, a small smile forming on her lips. Many nights she watched Ziegler stare into space, sometimes crying, overcome with past guilts, things she wouldn’t even tell Fareeha about. It was nice to see her enjoying herself so wholly.
Angela splashed further and further into the waves, Pharah’s smile disappearing with more and more fear. Is she okay? She watched Angela’s arms flail. She’s drowning. Oh god, I need to do something. Fareeha scrambled up off the ground, putting her military training to good use as she sprinted across the sands, jumping into the water with a loud sploosh.
Ziegler blinked, watching her wife gasp about near the shore. After a good twelve seconds of Pharah flopping in the water, Angela swam over, grabbing her wife and pulling her ashore. Fareeha lay on the beach, gasping with half-lidded eyes, weakly reaching up towards Angela.
“An...angel...am I…...dead?”
Angela looked at her partner like she looks at her team when they let you die, then request heals from across the map. “Fuck no, you’re not dead...do you know how to swim?” Fareeha coughed, spitting up some water and shaking her head.
“I thought you were drowning..” Fareeha lowered her hand, looking up at the open sky.
“Thought I was drowning? That’s kind of you, but stupid. And look at you, you’re soaked.” Fareeha sighed, gesturing at Fareeha’s sopping clothes. “You’re lucky I brought an extra swimsuit.”
Pharah tugged at the strings of her new swimsuit, the tight fabric showing off her skin. “I..I think it might be a bit small.” Angela elbowed her in the ribs playfully, feasting her eyes on her rarely-exposed bulk.
“You’re only four inches taller than me. Is it your muscles~?”
“......” Pharah grabbed her sunglasses, pushing them up against the bridge of her nose.
“So in any case, why don’t you know how to swim?” The couple sat on their large beach blanket, relaxing under the wide umbrella. Angela rummaged around in the cooler as she spoke, grabbing a popsicle and tearing it open. Amari looked out across the endless waves, pretending to contemplate the answer. “Is it because your mother never took you? I know we had a swimming pool at the station. A big one at that. Or…” An evil grin passed across Ziegler’s face. “Are you scared~?”
Fareeha stiffened, the words making her think of the possibilities beneath the water’s surface. Who knows what could be down there. Fish with no eyes. Eldritch monstrosities. Tentacles. The words echoed in her head, almost as if someone else was whispering the thoughts into her ears. Just the thought of being dragged down to the depths of the ocean, drowned or violated by who knows what. She could almost feel the cold, slippery caress of the unknown. Fareeha frowned, lowering her sunglasses. Angela was drawing her popsicle up her arm, whispering into her ear.
“-enternel darkness, only you and the dark, taken advantage of by monsters never seen by human eyes, water choking your lungs-”
“Babe.” Angela traced the popsicle around Pharah’s neck, too busy fantasizing to notice she’d been caught.
“-hopeless, your body never being found again, the endless sea swimming around you, beings of hell circling around you…. tentacles..”
“....Babe.” Fareeha swatted the popsicle away, the treat landing in the sand. Angela froze, a bit of blood leaking from her nose.
“.....ah.” The deviant doctor quickly acted natural, leaning back and enjoying the shade, whistling softly. “Sure is a nice day out, huh?” Fareeha stared at her for a solid minute an a half before deciding the topic wasn’t worth pursuing.
“I’m going to bury you in sand. C’mon, it’ll be fun.” Fareeha stood up, shoving her sunglasses on top of her head, gesturing to the shore. Angela followed, wondering how much Fareeha realized.
“There, perfect.” Pharah slapped her hands together a few times, clearing off the sand as Angela sat, buried deep in the sand, save her head at ground level. Angela closed her eyes, enjoying the cool dirt.
“This is actually kind of nice. Like a dirt bath.” Mercy breathed slowly, savoring the feeling. The tide splashed against the beach a few feet away. Fareeha watched the incoming tide with vengeful anticipation. But Angela seemed calm. Too calm. She opened her eyes. “I already know you plan to sweep me away with the tide. But!” Nothing happened as Angela tried to point a finger in the air, her body held fast in the sand. She tried a few more times before pathetically giving up. “....but, due to your fear of the ocean, you miscalculated! The waters will never reach this far! BwaahahAHAH-”
A wave soared in, crashing right against Angela’s face mid-sentence. Fareeha stifled a laugh, standing in the ankle-deep water as her wife sputtered helplessly. She whimpered, some seaweed stuck to her face. “Ja, get me out.”
Fareeha crouched down in front of her captive, looking like a Slavic street thug. She peeled the seaweed from Angela’s face, tossing it aside. “Say please.” Angela chose not to say anything, instead staring straight ahead with a mild blush.
“I knew this swimsuit would look good.” Fareeha jolted up, her face almost purple as Angela leered at her. Pharah had only taken a few steps back before the next wave came rolling in. “AGAHGAFHUGAAHUuaa…o-okay, okay! Please!”
The couple laid back near the umbrella, Angela’s wet hair clinging to her skin. Fareeha, once more, was relaxing with her shades down, confident she made her point. Mercy busied herself with a novel, letting her hair dry in the hot sun. The beach had more and more visitors as the hours passed, some food vendors even setting up shop. Angela rolled over, nudging Pharah lightly.
“Hey. I’m gonna get some ice cream. Want anything?”
“Strawberry.” Fareeha didn’t move a muscle, barely moving her lips.
“....Right.” Angela lifted herself up with a heave, grabbing her wallet and making her way to the shore.
“Here you are! One chocolate and one strawberry!” The vendor, a middle-aged man, grinned cheerfully, Angela returning with a smile of her own as she graciously took the cones, turning and looking across the beach for her mate. Angela smiled wider as she caught sight, then not at all as she saw the two men talking to her. Her mood grew dark, walking away from the stall stiffly.
“Hey now, c’mon. We can show you a good time.” The pair laughed, one wearing a snapback and muscle shirt, missing the muscles that go with it, and the other with his hair slicked back, wearing a polo with the collar up. Fareeha had her sunglasses on the tip of her nose, staring at them uninterested.
“I already told you, I have someone. Don’t you two have anything better to do than harass someone for seven minutes?” Fareeha started cleaning her nails, looking like she was about to die from pure apathy.
“Aw, don’t be like that!” Douchebag B gestured enthusiastically, trying to flex slightly. Fareeha glared at them.
“Look. You’re lucky I have the sense not to beat you unconscious. Unluckily, my wife doesn’t quite have that sense. Leave.”
One of the two burst out laughing, doubling over for comedic effect. “Wife?! Oh, man. Here, why don’t I show you what a real man can do~” He reached down, stopping short of grabbing Pharah’s arm, his fingers twitching. Angela smiled darkly as she increased the pressure of her headlock, tightening her grip.
“Oh, dearie me! Am I interrupting you?” She turned, smiling warmly at the second douchebag, the first sagging in her arms, his body limp.
“I...uh..” The rat squeaked, stepping back as Ziegler let his friend drop to the sand, approaching him slowly but surely. “I don’t want any trouble. Y-you know the saying, boys will be boys! It was just a prank!”
Any trace of mercy left in Angela was only her namesake, gripping the boy by his shoulders and throwing him to the sand, pinning his arms with her knees as she wrapped her hands around his neck.
“IT WAS JUST A PRANK!” Angela ignored his poorly-worded pleas, constricting her hands and slowly crushing his windpipe. He struggled, heads of nearby beach-goers turning in disbelief.
“Hit on MY wife, will you?!” Angela hissed through clenched teeth, falling just short of cutting his air off as Fareeha lightly grabbed her shoulder, a look of mild concern on her face.
“Hey. Stop. As much as I want to join you, they’re not worth it. I packed up our stuff, let’s just go.” Fareeha had all the supplies under one arm, her gentle request making Mercy melt. Angela let the douchebag go as she stood up, her handprints bruised around his neck. The other lay in the sand, on his back, breathing normally. That was probably Fareeha’s doing.
Angela sighed, stepping back and following Pharah, the rat left to gasp on the beach.
The car doors slammed shut, the supplies in the trunk. The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, Angela opened her mouth first.
“Hey, I’m sorr- “Don’t be sorry.” Fareeha cut her off, leaning against the steering wheel and looking at her understandingly.
“No, look, i’m trying to tell you that- “Don’t be sorry.” Fareeha’s knuckles were white, her rage just as strong, just better suppressed. “I would have liked to join you, beating the shit out of their miserable hides.”
“No, sweetheart.” Angela chuckled, touching her arm lovingly. “I forgot the ice cream.”
“Oh.” Fareeha paused, biting her lip. Angela laughed lightly, wrapping her arms around her and nuzzling against her bare midriff.
“You know…” Ziegler closed her eyes, thinking about how Pharah stopped her potential bloodlust. “When you stopped me, that expression..I remembered why I fell in love with you in the first place.”
“.....” Fareeha let go of the steering wheel, running her hands through Angela’s blonde hair. “I love you.”
“Prove it to me when we get home. Forcefully.” Mercy snickered, poking her in the ribs teasingly before straightening back up. Pharah didn’t say a word on the drive back home, but that wouldn’t have mattered, Angela was too busy drumming on the dashboard to the incessantly loud music from the radio.