Chapter Text
After weeks of weather that couldn’t quite make up its mind, with cold mornings, warmth that never lasted, and occasional rain, summer had finally settled in for good.
Beside the shoreline, the others were engaged in a frantic volleyball match, while further out, a few had devolved into a chaotic water fight. Their laughter reached him as a distant, blurred frequency, competing with the rhythmic hush of the tides.
Luchino, however, sat motionless several meters away, a book resting on his lap. While he usually found the social demands of the group exhausting, the way the heat settled into his skin was a luxury he couldn't deny. It sank past muscle, loosening something deeper in him.
Summer, of all seasons, was the time of the year he felt the most at ease. Under the sun’s warmth, any tension simply dissolved.
A fresh breeze stirred; he exhaled deep and slow, lungs filling with dry, salted air.
When he opened his eyes, Eli was standing over him, blocking the light, with a glint in his eyes. And a tube in his right hand?
“...What’s with that look?”
“I brought sunscreen,” Eli replied calmly. “You don’t want to burn, don’t you?”
Luchino narrowed his eyes. “No… But I can—”
“Then let me”. Eli was already lowering himself, sitting on the towel. “You just have to stay still.”
A beat of hesitation, then a short grunt. Luchino set the book aside and shifted closer.
Content, Eli squeezed a generous line of cream into his palm and rubbed his hands together, warming it until the white turned translucent. The vanilla scent, sweet and ridiculous, made Luchino huff softly. Normally, he would have chosen an unscented one. Functional enough. Not this.
“Arm.”
Luchino extended one without arguing, and Eli caught it gently between both hands. He began to work in slow strokes, from elbow down to wrist, then back up again. His thumbs swept the streaks until they disappeared into his skin, leaving it gleaming faintly. Silent, Luchino offered the other arm after he finished once the first was done.
“Now turn around.”
And Luchino obeyed, presenting his back.
The palms settled first at his nape. Fingers brushed the braids before sliding outwards, index grazing his collarbone. Then his hands moved down, spreading the lotion across the broad line of his shoulders.
Luchino let out a sigh, tilting his head back. It wasn’t something he was used to: being handled so gently, with such casual care.
Eli hummed softly. “You’re surprisingly cooperative today.”
“Don’t get used to it.”
“Relax.” Eli smiled, as he applied more cream. “I won’t tell anyone.”
By the time Eli’s hands drifted lower, kneading as he worked, Luchino had completely melted into it. His shoulders had dropped; his hands, resting on his thighs, had unclenched.
The touch remained unhurried and thorough. Eli’s palms slid along the dip of the spine, then fanned out in slow, circular motions across his back. Each press pulled a deeper breath from Luchino.
“We should get ice cream later,” Eli said casually, as fingers traced slow circles. “Do you think they’ll have hazelnut?”
“Mhm.” Luchino’s eyes remained closed. “Sure.”
“You’re not listening.”
“I am,” he replied, voice low. A pause, then softer:“I just don’t feel like answering.”
In amusement, Eli huffed and continued.
Eventually, his hands moved to the front, arms slipping around Luchino from behind. Chest brushed his back as he traced the shape of his pectorals. His thumbs pressed in just enough to draw a sharp inhale.
“Eli—”
And then, without warning— A firm squeeze of his chest, Eli’s fingers digging in.
Luchino jolted and twisted halfway around. “Alright, Eli, that’s enough—!”
Light and delighted, Eli laughed. With a boyfriend like Luchino, it was hard not to be a little shameless. “What?” And, like the most innocent person in the world, he resumed to smoothing the lotion. “Thorough application.”
The faint white handprint on Luchino's chest faded in seconds, leaving no evidence of his crime except the indignation on the other's face.
“You’re abusing your privileges,” Luchino muttered, though he didn’t pull away.
Eli leaned in, chin resting on shoulder. “And it was worth it,” he murmured, smiling against his skin.
A clicked of his tongue. Closing his eyes again, Luchino tilted his head against Eli’s. “...Just— finish what you were doing.”