A/N: insp- kxrahxnaarchive dot tumblr dot com /post / 141564967073/mollykatheryn-baelistair-gymaaholic-strong just remove the spaces & replace the "dots" with actual periods
"Where the fuck is Jinta? Really, how long can it take to run a simple errand?"
"No pun intended, but chill out, Toushirou. He said he was stuck in traffic." Yukio snorted then as he tossed his cell back in his duffle.
Perhaps, she thought as she watched Hitsugaya gripe, it had been a bad idea to take a trip to the beach on the hottest day of the year. Not only was it packed– shoulder-to-shoulder in the water and crowded on the shore–, but not even under the shade of Yukio's outdoor umbrella could they escape the heat, which left Toushirou as crabby as... well, a crab. So Jinta had set out for some drinks too cool them off. Unfortunately, it seemed everybody had the same idea at once and decided to flood the area, hence his lateness.
"I'm literally going to roast." Toushirou groaned. She watched from her spot on the sand in the edge of the shade as Karin pet the top of his fluffy
"You'll be fine, Toushirou, I promise." She said. "I'm sure Jinta will bring us back some ice cream or soda or something to cool off with. He probably wants it just as much as you."
She wasn't sure if he groaned or mewled, but it made Karin giggle, and he nuzzled her palm. Either way, she must have staved off at least some of his irritation if he didn't bite back.
"Ururu,"
She turned her attention to Yuzu, who had been quiet since the ride over. Her bangs were caked to her forehead with her sweat, stained brown like whiskey. She knew Jinta would've cracked a joke about her thirst, and though it wouldn't have been far from the truth, it was the exact reason she didn't tell him anything about her crush.
"What's up?" She hummed.
"I'm really sorry about this, I should've known this would happen when I brought it up. I'm sure you're absolutely miserable." She said. "I mean, I'm literally watching your back burn right now."
She turned her head over her shoulder and, sure enough, her back was as red as a cooked lobster. She hadn't even realized... "My fault for not wearing sunscreen." She replied.
"You're gonna wrinkle up and die of skin cancer with an attitude like that." Karin snort. She merely rolled her eyes.
"Really, it's fine. If I can withstand impalement, I doubt a sunburn will hurt much."
Yuzu clicked her tongue as she fished sunscreen out of her bag. "Move your hair, please." She said as she scooted behind her. She dutifully obeyed, as if she was attached to strings for Yuzu to pull.
Karin and Yukio grinned cheekily at her at Yuzu slathered sunscreen on her back. She tried to glower back, but alas, she couldn't juggle her bashful smile and some sour look.
"Where's a hollow when you need one? I'd do just about anything to get out of this stuffy gigai. How do you people stand your bodies? I'm baking, I swear."
"We know, Toushirou. It only makes it worse the more you bitch, you know." Yukio mumbled as he pushed his fingers through his stringy hair.
She arched her brow as Karin sneered. "Hey guys, check this out!"
Toushirou squawked as his pillow vanished with a cackle, and then he shrieked as Karin heaved him over her head and shoulders like a weight lifter. She squat and rose like the show-off they all knew she was, and she couldn't help but laugh as Toushirou stammered in his shock. That ought to shut him up for the time.
"Niiice, Karin." Yukio tittered. "You're gonna end up being a body builder someday."
"Oh come on, now. He's light as a feather."
"I'm not sure if I'm insulted or enamored by this." Toushirou mumbled as Karin set him down, his normally tan face nearly violet, and they laughed.
"Don't worry, Toushirou! I'm into muscular girls too. It's not something to be embarrassed about." Yuzu assured him.
Her heart leapt into her throat then. She wasn't nearly as fit as a streetfighter like Karin- who rippled like a beautiful specimen- because of her… nature, but she wasn't a twig either. She had her morning jog, and then thirty squats, push-ups, and planks before breakfast.
She qualified as fit, she thought.
She, too, flew to her feet, swept Yuzu up by the back of her knees, and supported her with one hand high on her ribs and the other on the inside of one of her legs. Yuzu squealed before she burst into a fit of giggles as she slowly squat.
"Oh my god, Ururu, when I said I liked strong women, I didn't mean I want to be used as a weight! And your thumb is like three centimeters from my crotch, put me down!"
She laughed as she dropped onto the sand and helped Yuzu slide onto her feet again. She pulled her lips between her teeth to stifle her smile, and Yuzu huffed with pink cheeks.
She saw Karin wink at her from peripheral, and were her eyes still not glued to Yuzu, she would have returned the gesture.