It has been a hot, muggy summer so far. There would be a brief crispness in the morning before the sun rises a bit past the horizon. Night dew on the grass and trees never lasted long when the haze would set in.

Natsume hates the heat.

Touko and Natsume's friends advise him to always have a hat with him in the summer. There have been too many instances he had fainted or became fatigued. On an outing to the beach with the Fujiwara not too long ago, he received a sunhat. The sun was beating down that day and Natsume had to mostly sit under the umbrella as Nyanko-sensei devoured most of the watermelon. Touko had given him a floppy straw hat, saying a nice man noticed Natsume's fatigue and purchased one for him.

Natsume hisses slightly from the burn of the bench sitting in the sunlight. All the others in the shade are occupied. He tilts his head forward for the hat to block the sun from his eyes. Once he is able to lick the soft ice cream and swallow, he feels a little better of the coolness sliding down his throat.

Matoba hates the humidity.

It is hard to cool off traditional homes in the summer. And when it comes to humidity, it's nearly impossible during the day. It's disgusting and uncomfortable when waking up damp, but the worst is having to maintain his hair frizz. It always causes him frustration. From wetting his hair during the day to hair conditioners, Matoba reluctantly accepts the fact that there won't be a cure to this.

Matoba sighs heavily, spreading out his legs when sitting on the bench, hoping for a breeze to break the stagnant air. He mouths the top of his dark chocolate and raspberry swirl, delighted by a cool twinge that tickles his face. The thought of humidity leaves his mind for the time being.

"You could have chosen a different day," Natsume suggests, side-eyeing the man besides him. The sunhat he wears (now too similar to be a coincidence) shadows his face when he leans in to eat more of the ice cream.

"Today was one of my free days," Matoba offers.

Natsume twists his lips and remarks, "Natori will be jealous," before sinking his lips into the top of the vanilla flavor.

"He's working," Matoba huffs. "He'd be a nuisance to take along." He swipes his tongue around the circumference of his treat.

They're both unsure if Natori's jealously is because of them sharing their company or such a friendly outing he missed out on.

The exorcist releases (another) heavy sigh, the mugginess creeping up his nerves. He hoped the ice cream would suffice and takes another lick. Eyeing Natsume, the teen minds his, eyes downcast to interchange from looking at his treat to the people walking by.

The man leans toward Natsume, startling him with an arm bumping his and tilting the ice cream onto the other's.

"Oops."

Natsume pulls away, not wanting to experience any more dizzying heat. "I know you did that on purpose." He fixes Matoba with a small glare and frown, but the man returns with a teasing smirk. Unimpressed with the prank, Natsume grabs Matoba's hand holding the ice cream and pulls it to his mouth, taking a mouthful of mixed vanilla and swirl.

Although shocked, Matoba doesn't pull back and instead watches until Natsume is finished, back to minding his own flavor again. (His cheeks are redder than before, but he knows how sensitive Natsume is to the heat.)

Self-conscious, Natsume looks forward. The bridge of the hat continues to shield his eyes and face from the sun. He's able to watch both weather-despairing people and youkai that happen by.

When the blond leans forward, Matoba studies the back of his neck and hair. There was a sunburn there some weeks ago, but thankfully it has toned down.

Buying that sunhat really proved to be beneficial.


...it almost makes you dizzy.


Notes: Writing this piece was a lot of fun. It's nice to think of everyday scenarios between these two and them having a pleasant time just chatting (or being sneaky about getting matching gifts).

Prompt is eating ice cream.