Beach Babes

It was almost as if they were attempting to redo their previous beach trip with Maid Latte as, hand in hand, Misaki and Usui strolled behind the Maid Latte crew on their way down to Nagisa's shop, the second summer after their last visit. The sun was taunting, scorching their skin from above and the wind was tangy with the salty scent of the vast ocean beyond. The trees bestowed them with shade as they walked, their feet coming across the heated sand. Misaki jumped. It was a little too hot and she'd broken her jandals five minutes prior. Usui smiled and stopped walking, slipping his feet out of his own jandals and kicking them to her. She blinked at him for a moment but put them on gratefully.

"Thank you." She kissed his cheek and tightened her hold on his hand as they drew closer to Nagisa's shop. When they got close enough to notice that the rest of the Maid Latte crew had disappeared inside, Nagisa appeared in the doorway.

"Hey you two." She smiled, her gaze dropping to their joined hands, Misaki's sparkling ring and Usui's jandals, a tad too big on Misaki's feet. Her eyes twinkled. "I heard you got engaged since the last time I saw you...," Nagisa trailed off, looking as if she wanted to say more.

"But you didn't believe it?" Misaki laughed. "No one ever does." Nagisa scratched the back of her head, her smile apologetic.

"I guess it's something you have to see for yourself. But, congratulations." Misaki smiled up at Usui who yawned and rubbed at his eyes with his free hand.

"Thanks." Misaki said, her eyes roaming to Nagisa's questioning gaze as she looked at Usui.

"What's with you, Usui?" His eyes flicked down to Misaki's and she blinked.

"Oh- him? He just doesn't like the sun. It makes him sleepy. He didn't want to wake me by leaving early so he came with us instead. Looks like that backfired, didn't it, Takumi?" Nagisa smiled at the couple as Usui grumbled and she ushered them inside.

"Come in. It's cool in here." They entered the shop and Nagisa pointed up the stairs. "The rest of them are unpacking upstairs. They made me save a room for you two. Second door on the right."

"Thanks, Nagisa." Misaki began to pull Usui towards the stairs and he walked along with her, seeming to perk up somewhat the further they went into the air-conditioned shop. They reached the second door on the right at the top of the staircase and opened it. It was big enough for two people to sleep and potter around comfortably but small enough that it was extremely cozy. Usui closed the door behind them as Misaki ditched their suitcase on the floor and pulled open the ranch slider, leaning her body against the railing of the balcony. Usui, smiling, joined her and rested his elbows on the railing, peering sideways at her instead of out at the ocean where her eyes were trained. He tucked a stray strand of hair back behind her ear and she turned her head towards him. "What?" She murmured as his hand stayed in place, his fingers tucked into the hair beneath her earlobe.

"Nothing." He grinned. She rolled her eyes and he freed his fingers from her hair.

"I see you've recovered. You could have left early if the sun bothers you that much, you know."

"Then I would have left my beautiful fiancee asleep in our bed when I could have been with her," He poked at her nose. "You come first. You know that." She smiled and cupped his right cheek with one hand, her engagement ring cold and inviting against his cheek.

"You've mentioned." She smiled, leaning closer to close the gap as a knock sounded at their open door and Erika cleared her throat.

"Come on, love birds. We're going down to the beach." Misaki pulled away hurriedly and her cheeks sported a light blush. She wasn't as embarrassed as she used to be but people interrupting their romantic moments still made her flustered. Erika grinned and closed their door. Misaki, taking a deep breath, made her way to their suitcase and knelt down in front of it. She opened it and took out Usui's swimming trunks and her blue bikini and then dragged the suitcase into the corner of the room as Usui grabbed his shorts. By the time she'd dragged the suitcase in front of the closet, Usui had already changed and was handing her her bikini. She made him turn around as she pulled it on and fiddled with the halter strings.

"Gimmie a hand, will you?" She said, giving him permission to turn around. He grabbed the strings and gently pushed her fingers aside, letting her know that he had a firm grip on them. He tied them up slowly, his fingers brushing the nape of her neck as he went. He finished his bow and let the string go, his hands travelling down to her waist as he ducked down and kissed her bare back. She giggled at the contact of his lips against her skin and he turned her around and wrapped his arms around her waist. "That's not going to stop me from going outside this time, you know?" She smiled and he dipped his head to catch her lips, her hands coming up to cup his face.

"I didn't expect it to." He grinned and another series of impatient knocks sounded outside their door.

"Stop making out and get outside already!" Aoi yelled from the other side of their door and Misaki laughed, running her fingers through Usui's hair. She went back over to their suitcase and grabbed a bottle of sunscreen and two towels.

"We'd better go then."

"Oh- wait, my ring." She slipped it off of her finger and grabbed her ring box, slotting it inside it before she snapped it shut. "I don't want to lose it." She smiled, burying the box back into their suitcase.

"Fair enough." He took her hand and opened the door, Aoi's head just disappearing down the stairs as he closed the door behind them. They made their way downstairs and out of the shop. Usui winced and raised his hand to block the sun but didn't comment. They joined the Maid Latte crew on the sand and Satsuki smiled.

"Did you get settled in alright?" She asked and Erika cut in.

"Oh, they got settled in just fine." She giggled, winking at the couple as Misaki birthed a small blush. Satsuki blinked for a moment before moe flowers escaped through her dazzling aura.

"Have a seat." Satsuki giggled and Misaki set their towels down underneath one of the umbrellas propped up in the sand, rolling her eyes. Usui laid down and closed his eyes, his arm extending onto her towel as she sat in the space between the end of the arm and his shoulder, one leg stretched out and the other arched as she reached for the bottle of sunscreen. She rubbed sunscreen into every part of her skin that she could reach and let it drop onto Usui's chest.

"Can you put some on my back?" She asked and the members of Maid Latte were corteous enough to look away, Erika and Honoka running off down the beach to swim. Usui sat up and put some sunscreen onto his hands as Misaki lifted the end of her ponytail and held it up, away from the nape of her neck. He rubbed the sunscreen into the skin on her neck and his hands travelled down her back until he was satisfied that every inch of her back was done properly. She let go of her hair and he handed her the bottle as he turned around and she dripped the sunscreen tauntingly down his back.

"Misaki." He murmured and she laughed, rubbing the sunscreen in properly as she kissed his neck.

"Sorry." She smiled and rubbed sunscreen over the spot she'd kissed. She handed him back the bottle and laid down as he finished putting sunscreen on himself. He discarded the bottle on the sand and rolled over onto his stomach, his head resting on his arms, his eyes watching her with a small smile. She mirrored his stance and reached out to push his bangs away from his face. "Are you tired already?" She smiled back and moved towards him until their elbows were touching.

"A bit." He admitted, closing his eyes. Her legs felt so nice basking in the sunlight that, when someone chucked a bucket of cold ocean water over their backs, Misaki gasped and sat up instantly.

"A-o-i!" She took a deep breath. "Why would you do that?" Aoi shrugged and snickered, running back to the ocean without a reply. The water did feel kind of okay. Usui sat up beside her as she watched the ocean. "Takumi, how do you feel about swimming?" She grinned at her fiance.

~o~

"God, that water was nice." Misaki said an hour later after she'd dragged Usui into the ocean. She wrapped her towel around herself as he dried his hair. Making her way over to their suitcase, Misaki grabbed out a white halter dress that would be nice and light against the bonfire they would be making. She slipped it on over her togs and rummaged again through the suitcase, handing Usui a blue shirt and a pair of black shorts. She busied herself eating a small handful of gummy bears she'd hidden in their suitcase as he dressed, smiling and shaking his head at the water dripping onto her dress from her hair. He knelt down behind her and began to towel off her semi-wet hair for her.

"You were soaking your dress through." He murmured.

"Oh- thanks." She smiled, turning around once he'd finished and popping the last gummy bear into his mouth. She grabbed his hands and hauled him up, stumbling into his chest as she went. She looked up at him and grinned, his mouth parting slightly as he leaned down to kiss her, slowly and luxuriously, her hand trailing up to grip the hair at the nape of his neck as his free hand drew patterns on her back with his fingers. "We're going to be late," She murmured, tilting her head to the side as he kissed down her neck. His hands gripped at her waist as his nose pushed aside the shoulder of her dress and he trailed kisses down her collarbone. "Takumi," She fought through her haze and raised his head with her hands. "We have to go." She insisted and, with a sigh, Usui gave up and let her lead him downstairs and out of the door. They sunk their toes into the sand and met the rest of Maid Latte, Aoi and Nagisa where they had set up a bonfire in the sand, surrounded by four big logs in a diamond shape. Subaru and Erika sat on the log in the top right, Aoi and Nagisa on the one in the top left and Honoka and Satsuki sat upon the one in the bottom left of the diamond formation. As the last people to arrive, Usui and Misaki sat themselves upon the log in the bottom right of the formation and revelled in the warth radiating from the fire. Erika smiled at them and handed Misaki two sticks and a bag of marshmellows. "Thanks." She nodded towards Erika and handed Usui a stick and popped open the bag of marshmellows, setting it between them and taking four out, stabbing the stick through them like a kebab. She extended her arm out and balanced herself on the edge of the log, quickly roasting her marshmellows in the fire as Usui did the same beside her. She leaned back when they were browned and sat cross-legged on the log, ripping the first marshmellow off with her teeth. She chewed for what felt like forever as the marshmellow had turned gooey and kept sticking to her teeth whenever she went to swallow. It was a wonder she got through the other three... eventually.

"You've got marshmellow- here," Usui leaned forward and brushed the leftover marshmellow away from the corner of her mouth with his thumb. She smiled contentedly and laughed as he placed it onto the tip of his nose, his eyes sparkling.

"You're such an idiot." She mused, leaning forwards to kiss his nose. The marshmellow seemed to taste better somehow. Everyone around them was starting to pack up but Misaki was just starting to enjoy herself. Subaru went to extinguish the fire but Misaki stopped her. "Subaru- can you leave it like it is?" She asked. "I want to stay out here for a little bit longer." Subaru smiled and set the bucket of water down beside Misaki.

"Put it out when you're ready, OK?" With that she, Nagisa, Aoi and the rest of the Maid Latte crew stalked back up to the shop. Misaki stood and pulled her dress off, standing in her bikini. She pulled her fiance to his feet and smiled.

"Come and swim with me." She begged, tugging at the hem of his shirt impatiently as he cast his eyes out at the ocean.

"But it's freezing and we have no towels." Misaki flourished her hand towards the fire.

"Hence the bloody bonfire," She pressed her body against his, her arms wrapping around his neck. "If you love me you will...," She trailed off, grinned as he sighed. She knew she had won.

"That's cruel, Misaki." He murmured, as she continued to grin and pulled his shirt over his head, discarding it by her dress. She ran along the sand, her hand in his as she crashed through the waves and let the chilled, black water surround her as the moon spilled across the disturbed water, illuminating the ripples. She smiled and disappeared under the water, watching him take a step towards her before she grabbed his hands and pulled him under the water, bubbles escaping her mouth as she tried not to laugh at his facial reaction to the cold. They broke the surface and Usui shivered. "It's freezing." He moaned and Misaki wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his shoulder. "But you're surprisingly warm." He added, his arms coming around her, his nose resting atop her head as she kissed his collarbone.

"We can get out if you really want to. I just thought it might be nice to cool off." His hands slid under her chin and he tilted her head up to kiss her.

"I think I'm cold enough now." He murmured and she felt him shiver under her, sneezing into his elbow as he went.

"Yeah- okay. Let's get out then." They snuggled together on the log in front of the fire and dried off, Misaki nearly burning Usui's hair when she made him lean forward to get it dry. When they returned to the shop, having extinguished the fire like Subaru had asked them to, only the entrance light was on and Misaki found a note on the door mat with a key placed on it.

Lock the shop up and place the key on the front desk. Cheers. - Nagisa

They did as instructed and then headed up to their room, changing into their pajamas. Misaki toweled her hair off again just to make sure she didn't catch a cold. She found Usui on the balcony and stood beside him, reaching over to twine his fingers through her own. He smiled at her and sighed.

"I wish there were fireworks on tonight." He murmured and Misaki perked up, grinning.

"Wait here." She made her way quickly over to their suitcase and pulled out a packet of sparklers and a lighter. She pulled out the last two sparklers out and brought them outside, handing one to Usui as he blinked.

"You packed sparklers?" He asked. "Wait- we had sparklers at home?" She smiled and nodded.

"Leftovers from Guyfawkes." She clicked the lighter and the flame flickered over the two sparkler ends until they lit and she set the lighter on the railing. She smiled through the bright light at Usui and spelled out 'I love you' in the air. He chuckled, writing back 'I know' as his reply. She elbowed him in the ribs as the sparklers died with the howling wind. "That's all there was, sadly."

"I'm pretty exhausted anyway." He said and Misaki picked up the lighter and took what remained of Usui's sparkler from his hand. They retreated back inside and, as Usui slid under the blankets, Misaki stashed the lighter and the burnt out sparklers inside of the empty sparkler packet. She slipped onto the matress beside Usui, snuggling up to him under the blankets, her head resting comfortably on her pillow. She yawned and he reached his hand out to stroke her cheek. "I love you." He whispered and she pressed her lips gently to his.

"I love you too." She yawned again, resting her head against his chest. "G'night, Takumi."

"G'night, Misaki."

Oh my God, you guys, this is the third fanfiction I've started and finished today (03/01/16 I don't know when I can get this up so, just for reference I suppose) (I've started and finished Private Property, Relationship Confessions and this one) and I still managed to spend half the day with my family! I'm beat. Please remember to R&R, it means the world to me. See you again soon!

Xx SweetsPrincess-Sama