ruuui

The Beach . Modern AU Summer Fic . Carbinah

The sun beat down upon the road as the group drove along to the beach, the distinct call of seagulls getting only louder as they neared the ocean. Carmen looked out the car window, enraptured by the sight of clear, bright skies and the deep blue waters sparkling just in the distance.

She relished in the atmosphere of Summer--the gentle hum of the car engine and the radio quietly playing a playlist of her favorite songs as the AC blasted cold air to fight the heat of the sun's direct rays. The cooler they brought in the back of the car thumped with each bump in the road, the ice and drinks inside rattling--leaving Carmen hoping none of the soda cans would end up exploding when they open them up later.

When she'd gotten her fill of the outside view, she looked over at her lover by her side, Garion. She stared at her for a while, admiring how movie-esque her girlfriend was with her beautiful appearance complimented by the black swimsuit she'd decided to wear. She was covering up with a coat while they were in the car, but Carmen could still glimpse her figure. She was once again reminded of the fact that Garion had once done modeling and acting as a career.

"We're here."

The car came to a smooth stop and the engine sputtered off, the car all quiet once again, leaving only the sound of waves and seagulls.

Garion was the first to step out, Carmen quickly following after her as they began to pull their items out of the car. Eventually their friends who had already been at the beach came over to help with the cooler of drinks and their towels. When they had gone down to the beach, it surprisingly wasn't all that crowded today, giving them both the space and time to set their things down besides the rest of the group's items.

Garion had set her coat away and caught Carmen's gaze--the two staring at eachother for a few moments, "I thought you wanted to come to the beach to look at the ocean, not me."

Carmen adored how Garion's teasing smile was always filled with real amusement and that special fondness she held for her--her eyes had only become more and more expressive the more time they spent together, and those days when she'd smile with only her mouth and not her eyes was long gone.

"How could I not look at you? You wore the swimsuit I said looked nice on you."

Garion was caught off guard, Carmen could tell by the way her eyes widened just a little bit. Garion moved closer to her, hand on hers. Carmen reciprocated, intertwining their fingers together.

"Your words are always so sweet, you know. Now enough staring at me, you can do that plenty of times when we're alone."

She was right, their friends were being polite right now by not interrupting their moment and instead talking with one another, but Carmen could tell they would probably prefer if they didn't just blatantly flirt in front of them.

"Then when we get to the hotel, you're not allowed to take that swimsuit off until I say you can."

She tightened her grip on Garion's hand a little, their friends had already gone off on their own to go play in the water--the only ones near them were Ayin and Benjamin, but those two were sitting under an umbrella together and sharing their own private conversation.

Garion leaned down to tap her head against hers, a little love tap without blatantly kissing in front of everyone.

"Of course."

...

The two ended up splitting up in the end, Garion went to get icecream for everyone else with Kali, while Carmen went into the water with all the others--that being Malkuth, Michelle, Daniel, and Gabriel.

Garion was glad to take a moment away since she'd honestly been staring at Carmen a little too much as well. They're dating and they should be used to eachother's appearance by now, and yet she always has a hard time taking her eyes off of her. Carmen's always glowing when she's able to enjoy the sun, it only made her fall in love with her even more. It's the more time spent with her that makes her realize how she's never had a love like this before, one where she only kept falling, deeper in love with each little thing about the other person and their time together. At first it was new and almost terrifying, she used to both fear continuing on like this and fear the thought of there ever being an end to it, but now she felt comforted by it. Each time she felt love for Carmen, the more she was happy to be by her side. It took a while, but she'd learned to welcome that happiness.

"It's so weird seeing you like this."

Kali's voice came from the side. She was watching her pick out Carmen's favorite icecream out of one of those icecream coolers with a sliding glass top.

"Like what?" Garion inquired.

"Happy--like, uh.. how do I put this..," Kali scratched her head, trying to find the words. "You usually try to present yourself a certain way and it makes you kind of unapproachable. But lately you've been a lot more open about what you're feeling and thinking. It's gotten easier to read you, but not really in a bad way."

Garion knew exactly what Kali was trying to say. She knew very well it was Carmen who instilled this change in her. She handed Kali the icecream flavors the others liked, "So even you can tell."

Kali looked unsure if that was a good or bad statement, so she reassured her, "Don't worry, I don't mind it. I know you're only trying to state your observation."

As she walked over to the fridge full of drinks, Kali followed.

"And I am happier," She grabbed some chocolate milk, "I think the reason as to why is pretty clear, while with her, I feel it's fine to be a little weaker and more open once in a while. It's also nice that she likes it when I'm more open about what I'm feeling."

Kali makes a face at that, and Garion finds it amusing. Kali makes another face, one more incredulous,

"There, like that! You're laughing at me in your head right now."

Kali was quite loud. Garion blatantly ignores her, checking out their items and putting them all into a recyclable bag. The walk back to the beach would be filled with bickering.

...

"Oh, Garion you're back!"

Carmen stood up and Garion leaned over and pecked her on the cheek, handing her the icecream and chocolate drink.

"Missed me?"

Carmen was about to reply before her attention was taken away by the chocolate milk, a pleasantly surprised look on her face. She'd brought chocolate milk in the cooler for her to drink, but Ayin found it and took it without even asking. It upset her, but she couldn't say anything without ruining the mood. She loved how Garion noticed and fixed that small wrong in her day without so much as a word.

"You were only gone for a short while, isn't that too soon to miss someone?" She joked, sitting back down onto the beach chair and uncapping her drink to sip it.

"Aw, but I miss you even when I can't see you for a few minutes." Garion sat on the empty chair next to her, quickly unwrapping her own icecream popsicle before it can melt.

"That's so cheesy," Carmen turned so she could push her legs against Garion's, "Am I the only thing you think about or something?"

Garion smiled, also shifting a little to push lightly against Carmen. "Maybe."

Carmen couldn't tell if that was a 'yes-maybe' or a 'no-but-only-if-you-want-me-to-maybe'. In the most literal answer to the question, it'd probably be the latter.

Garion liked how Carmen's mood was visibly lifted by her presence.

"It looks like Giovanni's getting buried in sand."

Garion couldn't help but notice it--Malkuth was literally covering him in more and more sand while Michelle was trying to not laugh at it. Gabriel was sitting under the shade and yelling at them while Chesed tried to re-apply sunscreen on him.

"So he is. I wonder if it feels nice, apparently sand feels a lot cooler under the top layer, since the heat doesn't travel far past where the sun touches."

Carmen seemed less focused on the fact that Giovanni may not even be able to escape the sand trap Malkuth was puting him into and more focused on pondering about science.

"Would you like to try it?"

Garion was just teasing, but Carmen answered in full seriousness.

"A little bit, maybe once I finish my food." She sure was taking her time enjoying that chocolate milk.

"Alright. I'll go help bury you when you're ready~"

When she said that, Carmen's eyes lit up with an idea. She turned to look at Garion, those big round red eyes staring at her a little intensely. "Would you build me a tomb like the egyptians did with thier pharoahs and fill it with my favorite things?"

"Sure. I'll even bury myself with you since I'm one of your favorite things."

"You sound conceited.." Carmen wasn't smiling, but Garion could tell she was absorbed in the moment and fully enjoying it. If she wasn't, she wouldn't bother to give her any response at all.

"Then should I not?"

Carmen's response was quick, "Naturally you'll be buried with me. Even if I die before you."

"Are you suggesting I bury myself alive?"

"Would you not want to?"

The two were looking into eachothers eyes as if they were the only people in the world in this moment, Garion couldn't take her eyes off Carmen and Carmen couldn't take her eyes off of her.

"Of course I would love to."

"Hm.. good. But you can't die even if I die. I won't let you." She liked that Garion would be so willing to do that, but the idea of Garion ending her life prematurely when she didn't want her to left a bad taste in her mouth. "You can only die if I tell you to."

"Alright." Garion's eyes looked at her with the same intensity, and Carmen could tell she knew what she meant. She liked being understood so well like this. She smiled, looking away from Garion to go back to enjoying her icecream now that her chocolate milk was all finished.

The two quietly enjoyed eachother's company until Garion deemed it safe for Carmen to go burying herself in sand without getting indigestion from eating seconds prior.

Extra. (holding your hand when I say this: there is no nsfw, it's just them being weird.)

When they eventually got back from the beach and into the hotel they'd be staying at for tonight--since home was such a far drive away--the two tried to get as much sand off of them as possible before stepping off the mat at the door, but it was a losing battle in the end and they headed for the shower.

"Put your swimsuit back on when you're done. I didn't get to look at you as much as I wanted earlier."

Garion had gotten used to Carmen's demands by now, doing as instructed.

After putting the swimsuit back on, Garion found Carmen in their room also still wearing hers despite having gotten out of the shower before her.

Carmen looked up at her, face blank as she answered the question clear on her face, "It's only fair you get to look at me too."

Understanding that Carmen's just genuinely reasoning it's a fair trade, Garion joined her on the bed beside her and pressed her shoulder into hers.

The two cuddled while staring at eachother for a pretty long time before changing back into their sleeping clothes for the night.

"I love you." Carmen shifted closer to Garion as they lay facing one another.

"I love you too." Garion replied, kissing her one last time as she watched her beloved doze off. Carmen was desperately trying to get even closer to her all the while.

Garion wrapped an arm around Carmen and also let herself slowly fall into slumber, comforted by every evidence of the presence beside her; From the simple sounds, the rising and falling of her body along each breath, to the warmth emitted by that of another living person, and even the way the bed dipped under their shared weight rather than just her own, proving to her that this moment was real and Carmen was alive.

I love her. Was the only thing on her mind as the land of dreams welcomed her.