suga stands in the sand with sandaled feet, hands on his hips. “all right, kids,” he announces. “can anyone tell me the rules, again? haruto-kun, what’s the first rule?”
“always keep suga-sensei in sight!”
“stay with a buddy at all times!”
“yes, that’s correct. itsuki-kun?”
his bespectacled student squints at him. “don’t throw sand at anyone?” suga chuckles.
“no, but that’s true, you shouldn’t throw sand at anyone. the last rule is to always make sure your feet touch the ground when you’re in the water. if anything happens, what do you do? hiroto-kun?”
“and does everyone have their whistle?”
twenty or so arms raise in the air, wrists decorated with bright orange whistles around on a bracelet. fumiko exclaims, “i lost mine!”
“here, i have an extra one.” daichi kneels beside her, sliding a bracelet around her wrist. “i’ll make it a bit tight, so you won’t lose it, but if it’s too tight, find me and i’ll loosen it, okay?”
suga smiles at his partner when he straightens, then turns to the class. “don’t forget the golden rule, okay? have fun!” with that, the elementary school kids descend upon the beach in a cloud of excited fervor.
it’s tradition for suga to take his class to the beach during the last week before summer vacation. parent chaperones are required for such an outing, and this year, he was able to recruit help in the form of his partner and local policeman.
daichi walks behind a group of boys, watching them approach the water and splash through the shallow waves. nearby, some girls shovel sand into pails to make a sandcastle, and another duo are sitting on a beach towel to put sunscreen on their arms. suga approaches him, stands close enough for their elbows to brush. “thanks again for this,” he says. “you really saved me this time.”
“i’ve always wanted to spend my day off watching your kids,” daichi replies dryly.
“i already said i’ll cook dinner for the rest of the month!”
“and kiss me goodbye in the mornings, even when i have to leave at 5 am.”
“damn morning shifts,” suga grumbles under his breath, quiet enough as some of his kids approach them.
“suga-sensei! daichi-san! come into the water with us!”
he feels daichi glance in his direction, hesitant. “i’m not sure about that…”
“you should go,” suga urges. “i have to stay and keep watch from the shore, so it’ll be helpful if you’re in the water.” he nods at the floating platform in the distance, where several kids are already on top of.
“if you say so. just give me a minute, kids,” daichi calls out, jogging to the beach chair they set up earlier, and shucking off his shirt. heat surges through suga’s cheeks at the sight of his partner’s glorious chest, abs, and arms, generously sculpted from years of regular exercise.
thank god he chose not to leave love bites last night. “just shout if you need me,” daichi says, walking past him. when suga doesn’t respond, he bumps into his hip. “koushi?”
“ah, yeah. of course. get out there.” he swears his partner grins at him before joining the boys.
“suga-sensei?” akari asks behind him. he turns away, glancing down at his student. “are you okay? your cheeks look really red.”
suga coughs, turning his back to the water. “i will be, after i get some water to cool down.”
it’s better to watch his partner from a distance, surrounded by the glistening waves, water radiating off his skin like scales. he towers over the kids, a few climbing onto his arms to swing and launch themselves into the water. daichi’s voice carries through the air, resonant with the laughter and shouts around him.
his heart stutters at the sight in front of him. daichi has always been good with kids, always knows what to say and do. suga relied heavily on his advice at the start of his career on classroom management and keeping the students in check, and now, they make a strong tag team, capable of making every field trip run smoothly.
and if he treats them as pseudo dates, that’s only for him to know.
daichi doesn’t return until an hour later, soaked from head to toe, sand clinging to his skin. suga passes him a towel, who accepts it gratefully, wiping his face dry. “should i be worried about any of them drowning, now that i’m out of the water?”
“they all know how to swim, or at least float. we spent a month learning at the local pool.” suga scoots over in his chair, gestures for him to sit. daichi obliges, damp skin brushing against his. “was it fun?”
“oh, yeah. i always enjoy playing with your students, no matter what.” he leans on his shoulder slightly, scent sharp with salt and sunscreen. “do any of your old students visit?”
“not really. i think the only consistent one is megumi-chan, only because she picks up her brother from kindergarten. she plays for her junior high volleyball team.”
“always spreading the agenda, huh?”
suga grins, catching his eye. “always.”
their eyes turn back to the beach, scanning the shore to keep track of all the kids playing in the sand, moving in and out of the waves, running across the beach with frisbees and balls. “what are your thoughts about having kids, ourselves?”
daichi stills, fingers dangerously close to his. suga is tempted to reach for them, pinky stretched in his direction but waits for his partner to respond. “i think i have the same thoughts as you,” he answers slowly.
“and what thoughts are those, exactly?”
“i think you know exactly what they are.”
suga watches the shore again, eyes lingering over the group of girls constructing their sandcastle, the pair of friends reading books with their toes in the sand, the boys jumping off the platform to compete who has the biggest splash. every year is a new group of kids, a new set of challenges and nuisances, a new collection of memories, but by spring, they’ll move on, leaving him behind as a fragment of their childhood. how precious would it be to witness such growth, step by step?
their hands find one another with mirrored smiles. before he can speak, a surprised “ah!” makes him jump, jerking his head to haruto, who’s pointing at them like they committed a crime. “suga-sensei and daichi-san are holding hands!” he shouts.
“ewww!” the boys echo behind him. suga rolls his eyes, rising to his feet to scold them, but daichi places a hand on his shoulder. his partner gives him a wink, then leans forward to kiss him.
“now they’re kissing! gross!”
“kissing! who’s kissing?” the girls abandon their construction to join them.
“suga-sensei and daichi-san! they’re kissing!”
suga smiles against daichi’s lips on his, unable to help but laugh, daichi joining in. yeah, he definitely knows exactly what he’s thinking.
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