#miraltar

He'd tried to take up surfing while they were here. Makoa claimed he hadn't truly surfed in years but was able to thread the waves without any hassle after less than an hour of reintroducing himself to it. Elliott's introduction hadn't gone as smoothly and he never really managed to pick it up; he tripped over his own feet at the best of times. Makoa had encouraged him to keep trying, telling him that no one gets it right on their first couple of tries. After taking a significant tumble and somehow managing to whack himself across the back with his board, Elliott decided this activity simply wasn't for him and opted to float around on his board and daydream about taking to the waves with his partner and sharing passionate kisses between the sea foam and all the other things he'd seen in movies.

Makoa noticed the slight pout that seemed to linger on the trickster's lips when they returned back to their beach house, dried themselves off and retired back outside to relax in the hammock that hung between some trees nearby. Elliott reclined himself between Makoa's legs and laid back against him, resting his back against his chest while they settled down and chatted quietly about the setting sun on the horizon. Elliott pointed out the pink hue to the clouds, before letting his hand drop onto the larger man's chest, which Makoa promptly took in his own and brought to his lips, kissing the back of it before speaking.

"Did you have a good time today?" There was a long pause before Elliott spoke up. "Yeah." "You don't have to lie," Makoa chuckled, giving his partner's hip a reassuring squeeze. "I know you didn't enjoy our surf session." "I just wanna be able to take an interest in your interests," Elliott sighed, exasperated. "But I just suck at everything." "And my family calls me melodramatic. You did fine. And hey, as long as we get to spend time together, that's all that matters." "Yeah...you're right." "Did you hurt yourself when you fell?" "Besides my ego?" the trickster replied, with a small laugh. "Not too much. My back hurts a little. Not too bad." "Would one of my Outlands-famous back rubs make you feel better?" Makoa asked, smiling to himself at the immediate 'maybe' he received in response.

Elliott pushed himself into a sitting position and shuffled forward slightly to give his partner better access. He began undoing the buttons of his light, floral shirt, giggling quietly to himself when Makoa began to offer his assistance and slid it off his shoulders. Makoa rested his hands on his shoulders for a few moments, allowing the trickster to soak up the warmth of his touch. He began gliding his hands back up his partner’s back, gently smoothing over any areas that needed his attention, under Elliott's guidance. Makoa didn’t push too hard. The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt him further, which was fine by Elliott who was happily enjoying the sensation of just being touched.

After some time, Makoa gave his shoulders one final, appreciative squeeze before pulling away, humming contentedly at the satisfied sigh from Elliott. "Feel better now?" he asked, running his finger between the trickster's shoulder blades once more. "Much better." "That's a shame," Makoa replied, his tone playful. "I was thinking we finally try out that hot tub out back. But if you're already feeling better…"

Elliott placed a hand to his forehead, dramatically flopping back against his partner's chest. "Oh, I'm suddenly feeling hurt again. The pain...it's excru-excum...so bad." "We better get you into that warm water," Makoa chuckled, playing along as he moved to stand and slipped his arms under his partner and hoisted him into his arms. "Don't worry, Sir. I'm trained search and rescue. Never fear, when Gibraltar is here, eh?" "My hero."

Makoa carried Elliott back to their accommodation, both of them keeping up the act they'd just invented until they were both laughing so hard, Elliott had to be set back onto his feet. They stripped down, sitting close together in the hot tub as they watched the sun finally set, bathing the area around them in a peaceful glow. Elliott let out a contented sigh, as Makoa draped an arm over his shoulders, sinking into the warmth of the water and his partner.