The waves crashed against the rocks and sprinkles of water surprised the young children as they watched in amazement. They giggled when the sprinkles landed on their small figures, barely dampening their dry clothing. You watched the same reaction happen after each wave as you laid your towel down on the sand.
"The sun feels great," Ayato commented, snapping you out of your gaze at the innocent children. You smiled, nodding in agreement as you lied next to him. The sun blazed down on your skin, warming it while it darkened. Droplets of sweat started rolling down your neck only after a few minutes of exposure to the undeniable heatwave.
"Are you sure you want to do this for your birthday? We could do something else," you said, turning your head to look at him. His arms were crossed beneath his head and his favorite pair of sunglasses rested on his face.
"Yep. I just want to be here, with you," he replied. He removed one arm from under his head to hold your hand. His pale fingers intertwined with yours, and your sweat covered hand rubbed against his dry, uneffected one. The difference of heat resistance didn't go unnoticed, as it was just another thing to remind you that you and him were of different species.
"If that's what you want," you sighed, the tugging feeling that this wasn't enough for his birthday not going away. You had originally wanted to do something special, but he quickly shut your suggestions down after deciding all he wanted to do was spend the day on the beach for his birthday. After that, you didn't even bother to argue.
"There's not many people here today," you observed, your eyes squinting as you surveyed the area. Besides the kids multiple yards away with their parents, there weren't many people. In fact, there was only a small group, but they weren't anywhere close to you. The beach stretched further than your human eyesight could see, so you looked away from the blinding sun. Strange spots clouded your vision.
"And that's why it's perfect," Ayato smirked as he brushed the sand off his trunks. You sat up, your eyes analyzing his standing figure and I-know-something-you-don't eyes that were still visible through his barely transparent sunglasses.
"Did you do something?" You questioned, your body slowly standing up. Your head tilted up as you waited for his reply. His lips twitched slightly, but his face somehow remained unreadable.
"There may or may not have been a few ghoul attacks around this area as of late," he answered, his head turning as he observed the almost deserted beach. His voice feigned innocence but his lips twitched again. You felt your jaw slack as you smacked your fist against his impenetrable chest.
"That's risky, even for you!" You whispered, your words laced with disbelief. His throat vibrated with a chuckle, and his hand flew up to his bare chest as if he was actually hurt by your human attempt of a punch.
"Who said it was me?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow. The playful smile didn't fade, but you could've swore you saw it grow. You sighed, and with an eye roll you met his gaze. You ran your fingers through your hair before speaking.
"It's your birthday so I'm going to go easy on you," you finally said, but your eyes didn't match with your words as they glared at him. He raised his arms up in surrender.
"Alright, but since it's my birthday, I'm not going to go easy on you," his words barely reached your ears before you were suddenly mounted onto his firm shoulder. Your hair flowed with the breeze as you pounded on his back. He laughed while easily keeping you restrained over his shoulder as he walked into the ocean. Waves smacked against his skin, but the force of them didn't waver his posture or balance.
You screamed as the warmth of his shoulder left your body and was replaced by the cold, salty water of the ocean. You wiped your eyes after emerging from the unclear ocean, your face scowling at his laughing face.
His chest raised with each laugh that escaped his mouth. His eyes were closed, and only now you noticed he wasn't wearing his sunglasses anymore. You saw another wave nearing and taking the opportunity, you pushed him down as the wave helped rid him of his balance.
"Did I say I was going to go easy on you? Well, I lied," you smirked, watching his head pop up after the wave passed. His hair fell onto his face in wet clumps, covering his eyes. He flung his head back, and the said clumps vanished from his face. Getting back up on his feet, he lunged.
You yelped as you felt your body being pushed down into the unsettled water. Ayato's body fell with you, and his laugh was the last thing you heard before your head was plunged underwater. Both of you laughed after emerging and gasping for air, the atmosphere becoming more playful.
The sun seemed to dull fast as splashes of salt water and laughs echoed through the air. The kids and small group were long gone now, but you and your boyfriend were too occupied to notice. You wrapped your hands around your stomach as you laughed, your sides now as sore as your throat. Your shoulders burned with the aftermath of the sun, but the cool breeze that replaced the burning star made it barely painful.
"We should probably go dry off," you suggested while you rubbed your hands on your crossed arms. Goosebumps were starting to appear and your wet hair only made the coldness affect you faster.
The waves felt lighter against your calves as the water became more shallow. The dry sand instantly stuck to your wet feet, and you could feel every grain between your toes. With each step, more sand managed to cling to the soles of your feet.
You collapsed gladly onto your towel, the warm remnants of the sun still lingering on it. You embraced the leftovers of the sun's warmth before it disappeared, leaving you with a cold and now damp towel.
"How about a fire?" Ayato asked, his eyes scanning over your shivering figure. The water that still clung to your skin didn't help fight the incoming breezes. You only nodded before he sat up to grab fallen branches from nearby trees. He returned moments later with a decent amount of branches. You helped lay them into a basic fire layout, your cold body yearning for the warm heat it would soon provide.
"Do you have a lighter?" You asked after placing the last stick. Ayato's hand reached into the bag next to him, only to come out empty.
"I can just do it the original way," he said with a shrug. You watched with raised eyebrows as he reached for two sticks. Your face quickly changed to amusement after his first attempt of trying to produce a spark or fire itself.
Five attempts later, his face was filled with annoyance. He tried one more time, tapping into a little bit of his ghoul abilities, and managed to get a small spark. That was all he needed and the bundle of sticks and leaves lit up quickly.
"Never knew you had that talent," you joked, leaning into his side. He automatically wrapped an arm around you, pulling you closer as you both enjoyed the new heat.
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," he replied as he rearranged the already falling ashes with a thin twig.
"Oh really? Like what?" You asked, a playful hint lacing your words. You looked up at him, a silly grin plastered on your face. He threw the twig into the flames before turning his head towards you. His eyes were glazed and soft, and his face was tinted pink.
"There's one big one that I haven't told you yet," he continued, seeming to ignore your question. You pursed your lips, an unfamiliar feeling taking over the once joking atmosphere.
"And what is that?"
His eyes met yours with a look of pure seriousness. You felt your playful smile give away as you waited for his answer.
"That I love you."
Your mouth went slack as you comprehended his words. You hadn't expected that, seeing as you and him were taking things slow for obvious reasons. But you couldn't help the warmth that flooded your face and dyed it red. You couldn't help the amount of beats that pounded in your ears as your heart sped up. You couldn't help savoring the feeling of his lips against yours as you cherished the minty taste that came with it.
When you finally separated yourself from him, your lips felt swollen. The heat from the fire felt like nothing compared to the heat in your face. Ayato stared at you with yearning eyes.
"I love you too," you breathed before leaning into him again. You felt his smile as your lips connected with his soft ones once again. They moved in harmony, and you felt his body react when you pulled away. You looked up at him with loving eyes.
"Happy birthday, Ayato."