A/N: Alright, a nice little break from anything serious, here :)
The knock on the door startled Thomas, the only person in the apartment who was awake, but he stood up and opened the door nevertheless. He opened the door to Albert, and he glanced up and gave a small smile.
"I'm afraid she's not awake yet. Nobody's awake yet." Thomas remarked. He stepped back and let Albert in the apartment, and he sighed.
"I'd go in and wake her up myself, but last time I did that I got an eyeful thanks to that weapon of yours." Albert remarked. Thomas grimaced and nodded.
"I'll brave it. Please, sit." he said, turning away and walking down the corridor. He opened the door of Mina and Stitches' room and closed his eyes.
"Mina, your dad is here." he called. Mina stirred, Stitches didn't move at all, but Joseph gave a small cry and fell out of the bed and onto the ground with a loud thump. Thomas sighed and shut the door again, walking back out to Albert.
"Where are you off to today?" Albert asked, noticing the bags packed on the floor by the door.
"We're going to head out to the beach. Mina's request." Thomas remarked. Albert nodded as a redheaded girl with a sleepy smile walked out of the room.
"Good morning, Dad." Mina smiled, walking over to her bearded father and hugging him tightly.
"Happy birthday, love." Albert hugged her tightly back, and she stood up and yawned. She walked over and sat beside Thomas, who glanced at her with a smile.
"Happy birthday." he said, and she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thanks." she laughed, and he rolled his eyes as she tightened her grip on him.
"You're going to suffocate the poor boy, Mina." Albert remarked. Mina turned her head and poked her tongue out at her father.
"I'm an adult now, Dad. I don't have to listen to you." she waggled her finger at Albert and he smiled and laughed.
"You make me feel old." Albert remarked, and Mina shrugged. At that moment, quick footsteps could be heard as Joseph ran to the bathroom.
"Good morning Mr West!" he cried, and as Albert turned his head he got a quick and altogether unwanted view of Joseph's backside.
"Death, does that boy own clothes?" Albert asked at the instant Stitches walked out of the bedroom.
"You don't get to complain until you've seen him participate in No-Pants Friday." she remarked, and Albert glanced at her with a sympathetic smile.
"You're looking cheerful this morning, Stitches." he said. Stitches shrugged and leant against the wall.
"Better than most mornings. Happy birthday, Mina." Stitches smiled at her best friend, and she got a small salute in return.
"Thank you, my dear." she smiled, and Stitches watched at Joseph raced out into the living room, thankfully clothed, with a grin on his face.
"Morning, everyone!" he beamed, and not a single eyebrow was left unraised.
"Mr West, you could come to the beach with us." he remarked.
"As much as I'd love to spend a day with your delightful self, Internal Affairs has just been inundated with paperwork. That deadline's ridiculous – that's why I'm here so early." Albert said.
"You work under Kid, don't you?" Stitches asked. Albert nodded.
"I'd better tell Maka to tell him off. Making a man do paperwork on his only daughter's birthday." Stitches shook her head. Albert laughed and crossed his arms.
"Ah, the boy runs a tight ship, but he's not bad as bosses go. It's hard to be faceless when you're Shinigami-sama's son." Albert said. Stitches nodded.
"Still. I'll get Maka onto him." Stitches smiled, and Albert smiled back.
"I might have to hold you to that, Stitches." he said.
"Come on! Take it off!" Mina exclaimed from about twenty feet away from Stitches. It had taken them over an hour to drive out to the beach, seeing as Death City was about as non-coastal as you can get.
"Go to hell, Mina." Stitches said, laying back on the towel she'd placed next to Thomas' and Mina's on the beach. It was late spring – not too hot, not too cold, but the self-conscious Stitches was wearing a jumper over her bikini and shorts nevertheless.
"Come on!" Mina exclaimed, Stitches sat up and crossed her arms.
"No." she said, definitively. Thomas sighed and leant over to his girlfriend.
"Come on. You look great." Thomas said. Stitches sighed.
"You have to say that. We're sleeping together." Stitches said. Thomas shrugged slightly.
"Exactly. So I know what you're gonna look like better than anyone." Thomas said. Stitches slapped the blonde boy across the side of the head.
"Shut up." Stitches said, crossing her arms. Thomas rested his hand on Stitches' shoulder.
"You aren't even going to be able to see the scar." Thomas said.
"You will. It goes around the back a little." she murmured.
"Nobody's going to look at it. They won't care." Thomas insisted. Stitches blinked and sighed, standing up. Thomas smirked as Stitches took off her shorts, bending over slightly to take them off the bottom of her legs.
"Nice view from down here." Thomas remarked. Stitches turned around and scowled at her boyfriend.
"If I come in, you can't laugh." Stitches said, crossing her arms. Mina sighed.
"Sweetie, we've bathed together." Mina said.
"We were six!" Stitches exclaimed.
"We're not gonna laugh." Mina sighed. Stitches took a deep breath and took off her jumper, revealing the polka-dotted one piece, the one Mina had made her wear. Mina wolf whistled, causing Stitches to growl.
"Shut up." Stitches said, walking down the beach and standing in the waves, acutely aware of the swimsuit's open back which showed some of her faded scar. Thomas followed after Stitches, watching as a large wave hit Stitches' legs.
"Ooh, oh, no, cold!" Stitches said, jumping out of the water and back onto the sand. Thomas sighed.
"You're such a girl." Thomas said.
"I possess ovaries and the necessary double-X chromosome balance to be a girl, yes. What the hell does that have to do with the fact that the water's freezing?" Stitches asked. Thomas sighed and walked over to Stitches, wrapping his arm firmly around her waist.
"Come on." Thomas said, Mina standing in front of them with Joseph swimming and frolicking around her feet.
"You know, I can swim quite well, actually. It's just cold!" Stitches huffed.
"You've got an unfair advantage." Mina said. After several noises of discontent getting herself into the water, she eventually settled and looked over at Mina.
"What's t-that?" she said, shivering slightly, still not used to the cold.
"You've got built in floaties." Mina said. Stitches sighed and splashed Mina.
"I didn't when I learnt to swim, thanks very much." Stitches sighed. Just then, Stitches felt herself fall over in the water.
"Stitches!" Mina exclaimed. Stitches popped up above the water once more, a dirty scowl on her face.
"Joseph, you're so going to get it!" Stitches yelled, jumping on the black-haired boy. He yelped as Stitches tackled him to the sea floor, the salty water covering them completely. Eventually, they both had to come up for air. Stitches gasped, standing up and taking deep breaths in.
"I hate you." Stitches smirked at her weapon friend. Joseph smirked and slung his arm around Stitches, kissing her swiftly on the cheek.
"Love you lots, Stitches." he laughed.
"You're an ass." she retorted.
"And you still love me. It's remarkable." Joseph glanced at Stitches, and she glanced over at him.
"You're an idiot." she smirked.
"Ah, and you're a genius. And us weapons have got to stick together. We fit." he remarked, and Stitches laughed.
"Oh, please tell me you're not having one of your sappy Let's bond because we're both weapons moments." Mina put her hands on her hips and Joseph smirked.
"You've got Tom. Have a let's bond because we're both meisters moments." he called. She glanced at Thomas and a wicked smirk crossed her face as she raced towards the blonde, flinging herself at him. He noticed with only a second to react, but his reflexes were not fast enough and they went crashing into the sea.
They bobbed up a moment later, Thomas still looking bewildered and Mina in the throes of laughter. Joseph and Stitches just looked at one another.
"Meisters." they sighed.
The four teenagers were all lying around on their towels, having gotten out of the water some time ago. Mina sighed and sat up, the setting sun shining off of her red hair. Joseph walked up behind her and leant down, grasping her shoulders and kissing her on the cheek.
"What are you doing?" Joseph asked.
"Feeling old." Mina glanced up at him, and he sighed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
"You're not old, Mina." Joseph navigated his tall frame around Mina to sit on the sand, and he sighed.
"I know. It's just… eighteen. It's like yesterday I was a kid… and now I'm not." she sighed and rested her head on Joseph's shoulder.
"You're still you, babe. Plus, I'm older than you. You can't complain." he grinned.
"You're a regular cradle-snatcher." Mina remarked. Joseph wrapped his arms around Mina and sprawled across her lap.
"I do try." he grinned up at her, and she smiled and shook her head. She brought her knees up so that Joseph was sat up, and she dropped her head to kiss him. She pulled back and a smirk was plastered on Joseph's face.
"You're gorgeous." he grinned. Mina shook her head and dropped her knees quickly, Joseph's head smacking down quickly.
"Oh, last compliment I ever give you." Joseph frowned, and Mina sighed.
"You know I love you." she shoved him in the arm, and he laughed.
"I love you too. You know it, Mina." Joseph grinned up at her, and she knelt forward, her hair flicking over her shoulder as she glanced at Thomas and Stitches.
"Come on," she stood up and brushed off her legs, "we'd better get ready to go." Joseph stood up and walked alongside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, kissing her temple.
"I really want to tip water over the two of them." he murmured. Mina grinned up at him as she replied.
"You took the words out of my mouth."
A/N: I really love Mina and Joseph. Cuties.
Okay, so this factoid's more about me than the story… but whatever.
Factoid #16: Did you notice Thomas was missing something for this entire chapter?
Thomas' stutter used to be something painfully prevalent for him. The reason that he and Stitches had stutters is that someone you know stammers like a son of a witch. Yours truly. I've stuttered for as long as I can remember. I don't do it all the time, but when it starts, it starts, let me tell you. But Billy Bibbit stuttered too (Google him if you don't know who he is, if you do, we're best friends now) and he was gorgeous.
Anyway. I'm off track. But, yes. Thomas' stammer has disappeared for the most part – though you may notice he still stammers around a certain silver-haired, bespectacled doctor…