you giggle softly, threading your fingers through his hair which slips through like silk and he immediately leans into your touch.

you glance up at the students messing around in the water, a smile gracing your lips. well, students excluding megumi who was, now, scowling under his own beach umbrella after yuji had splashed salty water onto him - of course, eliciting a loud-ass laugh from satoru.

“they deserve this,” you say softly, glad to see the first- and second-year students having fun.

“mm, they do. and we do too.”

“don’t forget the fact that we’ll be scolded by yaga next time he sees us,” suguru reminds you and satoru, though he doesn’t seem to care either.

“hey, it’s not our fault they decided to have a meeting the day we decided to come to the beach,” satoru defends light-heartedly, as if you don’t all know that this was planned after to avoid another meeting with the higher-ups. “besides, we aren’t students anymore.”

“you say that as if you aren’t getting into trouble at least once a week, satoru,” suguru snorts, and you laugh in response knowing how true that is.

“hey! don’t gang up on me. i’m always doing the right thing, they just don’t think so.”

“of course, ‘toru. let’s get some ice cream,” you suggest, patting his hair. “do you want one, suguru?”

“no, i’m okay, thank you.”

“alright, let us know if you change your mind,” you say, taking satoru’s hand when he stands up and offers it to you to help you up. you stretch a little before lacing your fingers with his again, walking towards the ice cream stand. “let’s get some for the kids, too.”

“yeah, especially megumi. he needs one to get rid of that scowl,” satoru snorts, remembering the earlier events. “and then, i’ll drag him back to the water.”

“you’re a menace, satoru. leave the poor boy alone. i think yuji would have more fun getting dragged into the water.”

“well, yeahhh but that’s what makes it less fun for me.”

you shake your head in amusement, laughing at his reasoning. “you really are a menace.”

you both wait in line at the ice cream stand, a few people ahead of you. satoru’s arms wrap around your waist and he leans down to rest his chin on your shoulder while you wait in the queue.

“you look really pretty, you know,” he murmurs, his warm breath tickling your ear. he turns his head to press a soft kiss to your neck before resting his chin back on your shoulder. “all tanned and carefree.”

“that’s because of you. no one would’ve had so much fun today if you didn’t suggest going to the beach. it really was needed.”

“probably one of the best ideas i’ve had. the kids get to have fun, we get to avoid the higher-ups, and i get to see you in this pretty little dress.”

you snort softly in response. “well, i have to admit that you look pretty yourself. in your pretty little swim shorts,” you mimic his tone, but your words are sincere.

he laughs, keeping his arms looped around you as you step forward when the queue gets shorter.

soon, you arrive at the front of the ice cream stand, ordering one for yourself, for satoru, and the students. satoru slips his card out of the pocket of his shorts to pay for the ice cream before he balances four of the cones between his two hands and you do the same with the other four.

“we might need to walk faster before these ice creams melt all over our hands,” you say, quickening your pace.

satoru smirks and suddenly runs towards the area where all your belongings are. “last one there is a loser,” he calls out to you.

you shake your head at his words, laughing before you run after him. he gets there first, grinning as he watches you catch up. and by the time you get there, you just want to collapse back onto your beach towel because of the heat. but you both call out to the students to get their ice creams.

you hand one over to megumi as he’s already nearby under the beach umbrella and he mutters a “thanks”. you give two of the other ice cream cones to nobara and yuji, while satoru gives the rest to the second-year students.

as the kids sit and stand around with their ice creams, you settle back onto your beach towel, your knees bent as you sit up, beginning to eat your ice cream. satoru sits down beside you, half of his ice cream somehow already gone. he stares out at the ocean that mirrors his beautiful eyes.

he’s relatively quiet and this makes a singular eyebrow of yours arch curiously with a hint of concern.

“is everything okay, satoru?” you aks gently.

it’s only when he turns his gaze to you that you realise you don’t need to be concerned. even if his eyes are mostly hidden behind his sunglasses, you can see the swirl of emotions in them.

a moment passes before he nods. “yeah... i’m actually just really happy right now.”

your expression immediately softens at his words, seeing the smile on his lips that reminds you of your highschool days, and the hint of vulnerability in his eyes. he leans against you, watching the students enjoy their ice creams. he’s glad he’s able to give the students time to relax and be happy. to be kids.

as his head rests on your shoulder, you turn to give his soft hair a kiss, letting your lips linger for a moment longer. you hear him hum contently at your kiss as he continues to eat his ice cream.

but after a while, the ice cream appears to give satoru more energy than before because he’s standing up and crouching down next to suguru with a cheeky smile.

“hey, suguru?” satoru says quietly, the mischief in his tone evident.

“hm?”

“bet you can’t build a better sandcastle than me,” he says, already suggesting a competition.

suguru peeks an eye open, raising his eyebrow at the 28-year-old sorcerer. “you’re ridiculous, satoru,” he huffs, closing his eye. then, he sits up. “... you’re gonna lose that bet. i’d obviously build a better and bigger one.”

“no way, i already got it all planned out in my head. it’ll be fit for my princess.” satoru throws a cheeky wink your way. you roll your eyes playfully but you can’t help the small laugh that slips out.

“you’re on.”

“you gotta buy me a supply of mochi when you lose,” satoru says confidently with that annoying smirk of his.

“when you lose, you have to put blue hair dye in principal yaga’s shampoo.”

a shiver runs down satoru’s spine at the thought of having to do that. but his confidence comes back a second later as they shake on it.

with an amused yet gentle smile, you observe them, seeing their younger selves again. even if it was only for today.

a/n 2.0: real ones know this is an olddd repost