Author Notes: Thank you so much for your patience! Here's that beach fic I promised y'all!

This takes place a couple of days after Summer Koushien. Technically, this is post canon.

This is part of my That Sky series, but you don't need to read the other parts to read this part.

I hope y'all enjoy it!

That Steady Summer Sky

"It's the beach! The beach!"

"Carlos, put on your— Never mind. This is one time you can take your shirt off."

"Come on! Let's hurry up and get into the water!"

Eijun's lips twitched despite himself as he watched the Inashiro third years.

… Honestly?

He… hadn't wanted to come to the beach.

After getting back from Summer Koushien, Boss had given them a couple of days off to recover.

Eijun had been planning on using that time to review his pitching and work on his stamina.

(This year, he refused to lose to Furuya.)

As soon as Mei had heard about his time off, though, he had somehow convinced him to come to the beach with him.

The hope (and Mei's plan) had been for them to have a beach date, but…

He pouted, kicking the warm sand.

The rest of the Inashiro third years had heard about their plans and joined them, wanting to go to the beach, too.

… Not that Eijun didn't like them or didn't like hanging out with them.

In fact, it was the opposite.

When Mei had invited (read: ordered) him to come, though, he had been expecting—

… No, he supposed it didn't matter anymore.

Everyone had already come.

Might as well make the most of it.

(Maybe if Mei wasn't too busy next year, they could have a beach date after Eijun retired from the team?)

He sighed, his shoulders slumping.

The thought of Furuya and the rest of his teammates working hard on their stamina and batting during their time off made his hands twitch.

Sure, Eijun got to see Mei again, but maybe he shouldn't have come.

"I don't know what you're unhappy about, but I'm here now, aren't I?"

Eijun's lips twitched at the arrogant voice behind him. Arms wrapped around his waist from behind, Eijun leaning back against him and touching Mei's hands. "I really shouldn't have—"

"Don't say that." Mei leaned closer, resting his chin on Eijun's shoulder, causing Eijun to look over at him. Mei pouted, briefly tightening his grip around him. "I know it's not the beach date I promised you, but we got to see each other again."

Eijun briefly tightened his grip on Mei's hands, his chest warm, although he couldn't tell whether that was because of Mei's feelings for him or the hot sun above them. "You realize it hasn't been that long since we last saw each other, right?"

"So you're saying you're not happy to see me again?" Mei continued pouting.

Idiot.

Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "I didn't say that. You know I'm…" He glanced at Mei's arms around his waist before smiling softly at him. "You know I'm always happy to see you."

That was something that would never change.

He loved Mei.

Mei smirked, kissing the back of his shoulder, his smirk widening as Eijun shivered. "That's what I thought."

Eijun turned around in his embrace, hugging him back. "Mei, I—"

"Hey lovebirds! Did you put on extra sunscreen?"

They let go of each other, Eijun's face turning red.

Mei glanced at him, his cheeks flushed, before shooting Akari-san a dirty look. "Don't interrupt us, Akari-neechan!"

Akari-san walked up to them, wearing a red and pink bikini. "I'm allowed to worry about you two, you know!" She huffed, almost pouting. "Besides, we're in public! You two should be careful about your public displays of affection!"

Mei let out a huff himself, grabbing Eijun's hand and tugging him with him. "What's wrong with letting everyone know that Eijun's mine?"

Eijun shivered, although he couldn't tell whether that was because of Mei saying his given name or his possessive tone.

Mei and Akari-san bickered on the way back to their towels, Eijun's lips twitching as he listened to them.

Eijun looked at their joined hands, squeezing Mei's hand gently.

Mei glanced at him, squeezing his hand back before giving a retort to Akari-san, causing Eijun's chest to feel warm.

I love you.

Lately, Eijun had been struggling not to tell Mei how he felt about him.

Every time they met up, he almost confessed to him.

Thankfully, he had always managed to stop himself in time and put his hands over his mouth.

Mei had given him some strange looks, but he never tried to force him to talk about it.

Something that always made him feel relieved and his chest feel warm.

… Not that he planned on hiding this from Mei for long.

(Impossible, really. Eijun was horrible at hiding things, especially from Mei. Normally, he told Mei everything.)

All he needed was the right moment.

Of course, the best possible scenario would be that Mei returned his feelings, but it was… alright if he didn't.

For now.

He hoped Mei would love him back eventually.

If not…

Eijun shook his head, shoving that thought away, missing Mei's concerned look.

Kenji-san and Mai-san looked up from their books as they approached, smiling.

"I'm glad I told Akari-san to check on you two." Kenji-san grinned a teasing grin. "You two get lost in your own world so much that I thought you'd forget to come back."

Mei huffed, looking away from Kenji-san. "That's none of your business, Tou-chan. We don't need any of your or Akari-neechan's help."

Akari-san stuck her tongue at him. "Well, I didn't want to come find you either! I only did it because Tou-chan asked me to!" She huffed, plopping down under the large umbrella next to Asami-san.

Mai-san shook her head, amusement in her eyes. "Alright, you two. Stop fighting on such a nice day." She looked at Eijun, smiling softly. "I'm sorry about them, Ei-chan. They really should know better than to fight in front of a guest."

Eijun's eyes widened. "No, that's…" He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "I don't mind."

"Eijun's not really a guest. He's more like family, don't you think?" Kenji-san smirked.

Eijun's face turned red at his pointed look. He glanced at Mei, feeling a little better at seeing Mei's flushed face. "I… That's… We're not…"

It was weird, considering Kenji-san didn't know him as well as Mei, but…

Did Kenji-san… know about his feelings for Mei?

So embarrassing.

Mei glowered at Kenji-san. "Tou-chan, I keep telling you to stop assuming things." He briefly tightened his grip on Eijun's hand, causing Eijun to blink.

Kenji-san laughed his booming laugh. "It's the truth, isn't it?"

"That's not… We're not…" Mei looked at Eijun, his face turning red, before glowering at Kenji-san again. "That's too far into the future!"

Mai-san gave Kenji-san a disapproving look. "Kenji, I thought you promised me not to tease them too much."

Kenji-san smirked. "Like you don't feel the same."

"Kenji."

Kenji-san grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry." He looked at Eijun, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, Eijun. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable."

Eijun shook his head. "Don't be. I wasn't uncomfortable at all." He grinned a bright grin.

Mei cleared his throat, pointing at himself. "Tou-chan, what about me?"

Kenji-san looked at Mei, humming before looking back down at his book. "If I were you, Mei, I'd hurry up and ask Eijun to marry you. You don't know when someone might come and steal him away, you know."

Eijun's face turned a darker shade of red. He glanced at Mei, briefly tightening his grip on his hand. "Kenji-san, I—"

"That will never happen!"

Eijun gasped as Mei let go of his hand to wrap his arm around his waist.

Mei glowered at Kenji-san, tightening his grip around Eijun's waist. "I'll never let anyone steal him away from me! He's mine!"

Eijun shivered at his possessive tone, leaning in close and wrapping his arm around Mei's waist. "Mei, I—"

"Oi, Mei! Let's play some beach volleyball!"

"Yeah, Mei! How long are you going to hang out with your family?"

"You should play with us, too, Eijun!"

Mei turned his head, glowering at his former teammates before sighing and looking at Eijun. "What do you want to do?"

Eijun pouted despite himself.

He had been enjoying his time with Mei.

Of course, it would've been perfect if they were alone and not with Mei's family, but…

This was supposed to be their beach date.

He didn't want to share Mei with the rest of Inashiro, and he knew Mei felt the same about him.

Being selfish, though…

That… wasn't right.

Besides, Mei and his teammates were… getting along for once.

(Mei had told him once that he and his teammates got along a lot better than Eijun thought they did, but Eijun never saw it. Every time he visited Inashiro and watched them interact, it was like Mei's teammates didn't like him for some reason.)

He turned to face Mei, reaching out and cupping his cheek, his heart fluttering when Mei held his hand in place. "We should go." He made a face. "I don't think they'll give us any privacy anytime soon."

Mei's eyes softened. He turned his head, kissing Eijun's hand. "Leave it to me. I don't know when, but we'll get some time alone today."

Eijun's heart jumped hopefully. "Really?"

"We'll sneak away if we have to." Mei winked.

Eijun laughed softly. "I don't know how you'll manage that with your large ego."

"Easily." Mei smirked. "You'll see."

Eijun grinned devilishly. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"I'll surprise you." Mei's smirk widened.

They leaned in to kiss each other, their lips about to brush when loud laughter made them stop.

They turned to look at Mei's family a few moments later, Eijun flushing at their amused looks.

Kenji-san smirked, looking smug. "Looks like I was right, huh?"

Mei shot Kenji-san a dirty look, his cheeks flushed. "Shut up, Tou-chan." He grabbed Eijun's hand, tugging him over to his towel and pushing him down onto it gently.

Eijun let out a surprised sound, looking up at Mei. "Mei?"

"We should put on some more sunscreen before we play with them." Mei sat down behind him, grabbing Eijun's shoulders when Eijun tried to turn around. "Stay still, you idiot. I know you're flexible, but even you can't reach your back."

Eijun huffed, almost pouting. "I can, too. I can do it myself."

"Oh?"

Eijun's breathing hitched as Mei spoke near his ear.

"You're going to refuse my generous offer?" Mei kissed the back of his pitching shoulder, causing Eijun to gasp. "And here I thought you love it whenever I touch you."

You have no idea.

Eijun almost squeaked when Mei's hands brushed against the top of his swimsuit. "You…! Don't touch my ass here!" he hissed.

"What's wrong with touching it here?" Mei kissed the back of his head. "At least you'll know that it's me touching it and not someone else."

Eijun whined despite himself when Mei traced infinity patterns into his waist. "Mei, if you're going to do it, hurry up!" He froze, belatedly realizing how Mei could take that.

Mei laughed loudly. "You're so cute. You're lucky everyone's waiting for us, or I would take you up on your offer."

Eijun flushed, looking down at the towel.

"Can you two get any more disgusting?"

Eijun furrowed his eyebrows, looking over, his flush darkening at Asami-san and Akari-san watching them.

Mei clicked his tongue. "You're lucky we've got somewhere we need to be, or I would show you how disgusting we can get."

Eijun looked back down at the towel, feeling his face warm up at the thought of… doing something in front of Mei's older sisters. He shivered at Mei's callused pitching fingers on his back. He leaned back into the touch despite himself. "Mei…"

Mei held his shoulders again, not letting him move. "While I'm glad you enjoy my touches, you need to stay still. I'm rubbing sunscreen on your back."

… Oh, right.

Eijun had completely forgotten about that.

He looked down at the towel. "S-Sorry."

"You don't need to apologize." Mei sounded smug (much to Eijun's irritation). "I'm glad you enjoy my touches."

Eijun huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Hurry up and do it, you ass."

"Normally, I would tell you not to speak to me like that, but I'll forgive you today." Mei snickered. "Because I know you're just as eager to touch me."

Damn it.

How did Mei know?

Mei laughed loudly when he didn't answer. "I was right, huh? And you call me the—"

Eijun turned around, wrapping his arms around his neck and kissing him, causing Mei to let out a surprised sound. He let out an approving hum when Mei kissed him back a few moments later. He moved his hands up to Mei's hair, Mei letting out a pleased sound against his lips.

Mei allowed him to deepen the kiss several moments later, his mouth opening. Eijun's tongue darted forward, exploring Mei's mouth before touching his tongue, causing Mei to moan.

Eijun pulled away sometime later, smirking at Mei's surprised look. "What were you saying about me?"

Mei let out a frustrated sound. "Now who's the tease?"

Eijun's smirk widened, especially at the way Mei's cheeks flushed. He turned back around, feeling pleased with himself.

"Seriously, you two. If you're going to flirt, can't you do it somewhere else?"

Eijun froze, belatedly remembering where they were and who they were with. He looked over at Mei's family, face turning red at seeing them watching. "I just…! I didn't mean…! He just…!"

Asami-san reached out, gently patting his knee. "It's alright, Ei-chan. I don't blame you."

Akari-san smiled a knowing smile. "Yeah, Ei-chan. We know that feeling of wanting to get back at Mei-chan when he teases you."

Eijun's face turned a darker shade of red. "That's not it! I just…! We just…!" He flapped his arms before looking away. "I'm sorry!"

"He's so cute."

"I know, right? Mei-chan's so lucky."

Mei huffed behind him. "Quit hitting on my boyfriend."

Eijun shivered, leaning back against him.

"I thought you said you're working on your jealousy and possessiveness."

Mei clicked his tongue, rubbing some more sunscreen on Eijun's back. "I am. These things take time."

"I feel sorry for Ei-chan. It's probably going to take a long time since you're an idiot."

Mei scoffed. "I told you before, didn't I? He likes my jealousy and possessiveness."

They bickered for a little bit more before Mai-san stepped in, telling them not to argue.

Mai-san sighed. "Honestly, what is with you three? We finally get a day off to enjoy some time as a family, and you three can't stop arguing with each other."

"Sorry, Kaa-chan."

Akari-san groaned. "Sorry, Kaa-chan."

Mei let out a frustrated sound. "I didn't ask you guys to come in the first place. You invited yourselves." He rubbed sunscreen on the back of Eijun's shoulders, arms, and his neck before patting his pitching shoulder gently. "There. All done. Turn around."

Eijun turned around, almost shivering at the intense look in Mei's eyes. At the question in his eyes, he nodded, his chest warm.

Mei kissed him gently for a few moments before rubbing sunscreen on his arms.

Eijun shivered as Mei took his time rubbing sunscreen on his left arm.

"Is this alright?"

Eijun clenched his fists to stop himself from reaching out and grabbing him. "It's… It's fine." His voice sounded hoarse. He cleared his throat, briefly looking away at Mei's knowing look. "Continue."

Mei ignored his former teammates whenever they called out to him, concentrating on Eijun and Eijun alone.

It felt… nice.

Really nice.

Eijun always loved it whenever he had Mei's attention.

(Something about having the king look at him and only him made goosebumps form on his skin.)

Sure, they couldn't be alone right now, but with Mei giving him all his attention like this…

It felt like they were alone.

Like they were on that beach date Mei promised him.

Like a protective bubble surrounded them, muffling all the sounds around them and not allowing anyone to get close.

Mei switched arms, rubbing sunscreen on his right arm before rubbing it on his chest.

Eijun squeaked despite himself when Mei's hand darted under his swimsuit, touching the area above his crotch. He shot him a dirty look, Mei snickering.

Mei kissed his cheek to apologize, his eyes soft. He continued rubbing sunscreen on his chest, moving to his legs next.

Thankfully, Mei's hands didn't wander any more after that. He rubbed sunscreen on his legs, his eyebrows furrowed in that familiar determined look of his, causing Eijun's breathing to hitch.

It was stupid, but sometimes, he forgot that Mei could look like that off the mound.

He was so used to seeing that determined look of his whenever Mei pitched.

Honestly?

A large part of him felt sad that he would have to wait a while before he got to see Mei pitch again.

(Why couldn't Mei be in the same year as him?)

At least he still had Mei, though.

Mei wouldn't show these expressions to someone else.

Only him.

Mei moved close, causing Eijun to gasp despite himself. Mei gave him a strange look before glancing at his neck, causing Eijun to nod.

Eijun tilted his head up, allowing Mei to rub sunscreen on the rest of his neck, shivering when Mei leaned close and breathed cool air onto his neck. He shot him a dirty look, causing Mei to snicker.

Mei kissed the top of his head, glancing at his lips.

Eijun nodded again, whining despite himself when Mei rubbed sunscreen on his face instead of kissing him. He huffed at the mischievous light in Mei's eyes, closing his eyes at Mei's gentle touch.

"There."

Eijun bit his lip to stop the moan as Mei spoke into his ear.

"All done. You're protected from the sun now." Mei's voice was soft. "Where's my reward?"

Eijun opened his eyes, grinning devilishly. "I should've known you wouldn't do it out of the goodness of your heart."

Mei winked. "Might as well get something out of it, right?" He hummed, looking him up and down. "Although getting to touch you like this and having your attention comes pretty close."

"You're so greedy." Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly. He grinned devilishly as Mei whined, clearly impatient. "Let's see… What would be a good reward?"

Mei gave him a suggestive look. "I can think of one, but I would have to wait until we're alone."

Eijun shivered, pulling him close and kissing him. "And not in public."

"You're alright with it?" Mei's eyes lit up.

Eijun smiled softly at seeing the happiness in Mei's eyes. "Yeah, I'm alright with it." He kissed him one more time before grinning devilishly. "It's my turn now, right?"

Mei smirked. "You should feel honored that the king is allowing you to rub sunscreen on him."

Eijun rolled his eyes, kissing him one last time before moving behind Mei and holding his shoulders when Mei tried to turn around. "Stay still, Your Majesty. I need to rub some on your back first."

Mei huffed, the back of his ears pink. "Well, why didn't you say so? Hurry up."

Eijun snickered, rubbing sunscreen on Mei's back.

Mei always liked teasing him about how he enjoyed his touches, but Eijun knew Mei enjoyed his touches, too.

Even now.

Mei leaned back against his fingers, letting out an approving hum.

(He probably liked that Eijun touched him and not someone else. He was so possessive sometimes.)

Unlike Mei, though, Eijun allowed him to lean back against his touch as much as he wanted.

Eijun smirked, rubbing sunscreen near the top of Mei's swimsuit.

Time to get his revenge.

Mei let out a surprised sound, turning his head to shoot him a dirty look when Eijun touched his ass.

Eijun's smirk widened. He kissed the back of Mei's pitching shoulder, amused when Mei shivered. He rubbed sunscreen on the back of his shoulders, arms and neck before nodding to himself. "There. All done. You can turn around."

Mei turned around with a huff. "You took too long." His voice was soft.

Eijun laughed softly. "Sorry, sorry." He gestured to Mei's arms with his eyes, waiting for Mei to nod before rubbing sunscreen on them. Like Mei, he started with Mei's left arm, taking his time.

Mei's skin was lighter than his.

Eijun didn't want Mei to get a sunburn.

Mei's eyes widened before softening. He rolled his eyes a few moments later, kissing the top of his head. "You worry too much," he murmured.

Eijun huffed, his cheeks flushing. "Shut up, and let me do this, you ass. I was quiet when it was your turn," he muttered, looking down at Mei's left arm.

(A part of him felt surprised Mei hadn't teased him about being quiet. Maybe Mei hadn't wanted to disturb the peaceful moment either?)

"I appreciate you looking out for me, Eijun."

Eijun shivered, looking up from his arm, about to shoot him a dirty look.

To his surprise, Mei smiled a soft, genuine smile at him. His eyes looked softer than the blue waves behind him.

Eijun's breathing hitched. He stopped in the middle of rubbing sunscreen to stare at him.

Sometimes, he couldn't believe that such a handsome guy belonged to him.

Not just any guy, too.

Narumiya Mei.

The king didn't want anyone else.

Didn't look at anyone else like this.

He only looked at Eijun this way.

Only wanted Eijun.

Mei always looked good with a smile. It made him look gentler and more approachable.

A large part of Eijun wanted everyone to see Mei's smile and see how gentle Mei could be.

(Namely his teammates. They all had trouble believing that Mei could be gentle for some reason.)

At the same time, though, he also… wanted to keep that smile to himself.

Mei had enough fans.

If everyone saw that gentle smile…

More people would fall in love with him.

Maybe it was selfish, but Eijun liked that Mei only smiled at him like that.

Mei smirked, causing Eijun's flush to darken.

Oops.

Eijun quickly looked down at Mei's left arm, rubbing sunscreen on it before switching to his right arm. He looked up, wanting to hate the way his heart skipped a beat at Mei's irritatingly attractive smirk.

Idiot.

Why did he get caught staring at him?

Eijun rubbed sunscreen on Mei's chest next, grinning devilishly and tugging at the top of Mei's swimsuit.

Mei's smirk widened. He reached down, untying it and starting to inch it off his waist.

Shit.

Eijun's eyes widened. He quickly reached down, grabbing Mei's hand with his free hand, shooting him a warning look.

Mei snickered, moving in close to his ear. "You seemed interested, so I decided to help you. Was I wrong?"

Eijun bit his lip to stop the moan. "I… I was trying to tease you, you pervert." He let go of Mei's hand, relieved when Mei let go of his swimsuit. He pulled Mei's swimsuit back up, tying it into a bow.

"Oh?" Mei gave him a suggestive look, licking his lips, his eyes dark when Eijun shivered. "I wonder who's the pervert between the two of us."

Eijun stared at his lips for several moments before clearing his throat and looking away, missing Mei's smirk. "That's… definitely you."

"Or maybe it's both of us." Mei forced him to look at him before winking.

Eijun snorted, moving to his legs and rubbing sunscreen on them. "You're more of one than me."

"You're admitting it?"

Eijun waited until he finished rubbing sunscreen before moving closer to him and grinning devilishly. "Why? Nothing wrong with it, right?"

Mei's eyes widened. He smirked, kissing the top of his head. "I like the way you think."

"Says the guy who keeps calling me an idiot."

Mei snickered, tilting his head so that Eijun could rub sunscreen on his neck. "What can I say? I like the way my idiot boyfriend thinks."

Eijun huffed, the corners of his lips twitching despite himself. "You called me an idiot again. You're such an ass." He waited for Mei's nod before rubbing sunscreen on his face, rubbing it slowly to take his time and to be careful.

Mei closed his eyes at his gentle touch. "I'm your ass."

Eijun shivered, freezing, his eyes wide.

Mei opened his eyes a few moments later when he didn't continue, furrowing his eyebrows. "Right?"

"Y-Yeah." Eijun kissed him softly before rubbing sunscreen again. "You're my boyfriend."

Mei let out an approving hum, closing his eyes again. "That's what I thought."

Eijun kissed the top of his head when he finished, moving away before reaching out and squeezing his hand. "There. All finished." When Mei opened his eyes to look at him, Eijun grinned a bright grin. "You're protected from the sun."

"One of them at least," Mei muttered, looking away briefly.

Eijun blinked a few times, especially at seeing Mei's flushed cheeks.

Weird.

What did Mei mean by 'one' of the suns?

Mei's former teammates called out to them again, sounding impatient, causing Eijun's cheeks to flush.

Did they take that long?

Mei snickered, getting up and pulling Eijun up with him. "That was nice while it lasted." He grinned cheekily. "This was a good idea, huh?"

Eijun's lips twitched. "You mean because we got to touch each other?"

Mei hummed, squeezing his hand. "Well, there's that, of course."

"What else?"

Mei grinned cheekily, brushing the hair out of his eyes. "It felt like we were alone. Like we're on that beach date I promised you."

Mei felt the same as him.

Of course he did.

Eijun grinned devilishly, squeezing his hand, his chest warm. "Yeah, that felt nice. It felt like no one else was around."

"I know, right?" Mei's grin widened. "No annoying teammates. No random people around us." He made a face. "No family to interrupt our moments."

Akari-san huffed behind him. "Hey, we heard that!"

Mei stuck his tongue out at her.

… Oh, right.

Mei's family had been with them.

Which meant…

His face turned red. He moved close to Mei, burying his face in his shoulder, causing Mei to let out a surprised sound.

"Eijun?"

He shivered, wrapping his arms around Mei before whining.

Mei laughed loudly, Eijun feeling his shoulders shake. "Don't tell me… You just realized?"

Eijun whined again. "It's your fault!"

He had never felt embarrassed about his feelings for Mei or how deeply he felt for him.

Getting lost in Mei's presence enough to tune out the world around him, though, especially Mei's family

So embarrassing.

Mei laughed again, wrapping his arms around him. "What do you want me to do about it? I'm not going to apologize. You know why?"

"I have a guess," Eijun muttered.

Mei briefly tightened his grip around him. "Because that makes me so happy. That part of you always has."

Eijun pulled away enough to look him in his eyes, his heart fluttering at Mei's soft smile. "Don't you mean it makes you smug?"

Mei snickered, letting go of him. "Well, there's that, too." He grinned cheekily. "You know me so well."

Eijun snorted, letting go of him before reaching out and holding his hand.

His phone vibrated in his bag, causing Eijun to blink and look back at it.

"What is it?"

Eijun walked over to his bag, digging through it and pulling out his smartphone. "I got a message. Probably from one of my teammates." He gasped, looking up at Mei. "I can look at this later! I don't want you to—!"

"Go ahead. Look at it."

Eijun blinked again. "Huh?"

Mei kneeled in front of him, squeezing his hand. "It might be important. I know you said you guys have a couple of days off, but something might've happened."

Eijun frowned. "Are you sure? I don't want to ignore you."

"It won't take long, right?" Mei smiled softly when he nodded. "Then go ahead." He let go of his hand, kissing the top of his head before standing up. "I'll give you some privacy."

Eijun frowned deeply. "You don't have to. You can stay."

He didn't want Mei to leave him.

(Besides his feelings for Mei, he didn't keep any secrets from him.)

"I'd love to, but…" Mei looked at his former teammates. "I have a feeling they'll want to split us up when we play. I need to make sure that doesn't happen."

Eijun grinned a competitive grin when Mei looked back at him. "Not that that's a bad thing."

Mei smirked. "Well, if it ends up happening, we all know who'll win." He walked toward his former teammates, turning his head to wink at him.

"I'm going to win, you ass!"

Mei turned his head to look at him, his smirk widening before looking away.

Eijun huffed, looking down at his phone. He blinked at seeing a message from Haruichi.

Haruichi: Enjoying your beach date? Everything's alright here.

Eijun pouted at the mention of his beach date.

After Mei asked him out (read: ordered him to come), Eijun had immediately shared the news with Haruichi and Furuya.

Part of him had felt torn at first, but Haruichi had convinced him to go and enjoy himself.

When Eijun couldn't stop smiling goofy smiles and practically vibrating out of excitement, Haruichi had looked amused, telling him he looked like a shoujo manga protagonist about to go out on a date.

Furuya hadn't looked amused or happy for him (as usual). He had only called him ridiculous.

Eijun had squawked at that, glaring at him.

He sighed, messaging Haruichi back before putting his smartphone back into his bag and getting up.

It was nice that Haruichi took the time to message him, though.

(He wouldn't admit it to Mei, but he had been wondering how everyone was doing back at Seidou.)

"Eijun."

He furrowed his eyebrows, looking over at Kenji-san, blinking at his serious look. "Kenji-san?"

"Sorry, Eijun. This won't take long." Kenji-san smiled apologetically. "I know Mei and everyone else is waiting for you."

Eijun frowned. "Is something wrong?"

Mai-san shook her head, smiling softly. "Nothing's wrong, Ei-chan. We just… wanted to make sure you're alright."

Eijun frowned deeply, tilting his head. "Alright? What do you…?"

Asami-san sighed for some reason. "They're talking about your fight with my idiot little brother."

Eijun's eyes widened. "Eh? That's…"

Akari-san furrowed her eyebrows, giving him a scrutinizing look. "Are you two alright now?"

"I know it's none of our business, Eijun, but…" Kenji-san frowned, looking behind Eijun to where Mei talked to his former teammates. "I can't help but wonder if we could've done something different. You know so that this wouldn't have happened."

Eijun hummed, smiling softly when Kenji-san looked at him again. "Kenji-san, it's true that Mei really hurt me." He winced despite himself remembering how Mei trampled on his trust. "I won't say that everything's alright now, but they will be." He laughed loudly. "Besides… It's not your fault. This would've happened anyway because…" His eyes softened. "Mei's that kind of guy."

Mei's family looked surprised, causing him to blink.

Asami-san and Akari-san smiled gentle smiles at him a few moments later.

"I know I said this before, Eijun, but you're really kind." Kenji-san exchanged a knowing look with Mai-san. "It says a lot about you that you two were—" He shook his head. "Are working past it together."

Eijun laughed, rubbing the back of his head, his cheeks flushing. "I don't know about that. If anything, we have you and Mai-san to thank for that." He bowed at the waist toward them. "Thank you very much for everything." He grinned a bright grin when he straightened.

Mai-san looked behind Eijun, shooting Mei a disapproving look. "Honestly, I don't know whether to feel happy or annoyed that that boy's resembling his father more and more."

Eijun furrowed his eyebrows, looking confused.

Kenji-san laughed his booming laugh. "Don't worry about it, Eijun. Sorry to keep you." He smiled a gentle smile. "Go have fun with Mei and everyone else."

Weird.

Eijun still felt confused, but he bowed to them again. "If you'll excuse me."

"Ah, Eijun."

Eijun tilted his head. "What is it, Kenji-san?"

"Sorry. I just remembered something. We met your father and grandfather at the Seidou and Inashiro game."

Eijun's flush darkened. "I'm sorry about them. They probably said some rude things, huh?"

Not to mention, they probably talked about him a lot.

(Did they tell Mei's parents all about his embarrassing childhood memories?)

Mai-san hid her smile behind her hand. "You're a lot like them, Ei-chan."

… Eh?

Eijun rubbed the back of his head. "You think so?"

Did they get to know Oyaji and Jii-chan that well?

"They weren't rude at all." Kenji-san grinned a reassuring grin. "I enjoyed our conversation with them. It would have to depend on you and your family's schedule, of course, but we wanted to ask you something."

Eijun blinked. "Ask me something?"

What did Kenji-san mean by their schedules?

Was Kenji-san planning something?

"Would you and your family like to have dinner with us one night?" Kenji-san grinned a teasing grin. "Mei would be there, too, of course."

A… family dinner?

With Mei's family?

Eijun already knew he might die of embarrassment by the time the night was over.

(No doubt, they wouldn't stop teasing him and Mei and hinting about them getting married. What was with them and marriage anyway? He and Mei were still in high school!)

Getting to see his family and Mei's family again would be nice, though.

Plus…

Mei would be with him.

He would get to see him again.

He grinned a bright grin. "We'd love to. Thank you very much for the invitation."

"I knew you'd agree. Your grandfather and father told me you would." Kenji-san smirked. "Not that I didn't already know. All I had to do was mention Mei's name."

Eijun's face turned red.

Was he that obvious?

Mai-san shot Kenji-san a disapproving look. "Kenji." She smiled apologetically at Eijun. "I'm sorry about him, Ei-chan. We're looking forward to it."

Eijun cleared his throat. "Y-Yeah, I'm looking forward to it, too."

"Now is that because you can't wait to see Mei again?" Kenji-san's smirk widened.

Eijun's face turned a darker shade of red. "I… That's… I-I'm looking forward to seeing you guys again, too!"

Akari-san squealed. "He's looking forward to seeing Mei-chan again! So cute!"

Asami-san smiled a gentle smile. "Very cute."

Mai-san sighed, giving them a disapproving look. "Honestly, I keep telling you not to tease him too much."

Akari-san huffed. "We weren't, Kaa-chan! Ei-chan would've said something!"

"You would tell us if we went too far or teased you too much, right, Eijun?" Kenji-san gave him a serious look, causing him to blink.

Mai-san smiled another apologetic smile at Eijun. "We want you to feel comfortable around us, Ei-chan. Now and in the future." She exchanged a knowing look with Kenji-san.

… What was that about?

Eijun laughed loudly. "Don't worry! I feel comfortable around you guys!" He grinned a reassuring grin. "I would tell you guys if you went too far or teased me too much!"

"I thought you would, as you're such an honest kid." Kenji-san shook his head, amusement in his eyes. "I didn't know for sure, though, as I also know how polite you can be."

Eijun glanced behind him despite himself. "I don't mean to be rude, but did you need to talk to me about anything else?"

Oops.

That was probably rude.

They probably thought he didn't enjoy talking to them.

Kenji-san laughed a booming laugh, causing Eijun to furrow his eyebrows. "Sorry, sorry. We spent too long talking to you, didn't we?" He smiled a gentle smile. "Like I said before… The family dinner will depend on when you and your family are free."

Mai-san smiled softly. "We know we sprung this on you all of a sudden, but it won't be anytime soon. Maybe in the next couple of months."

The next couple of months?

If that was true, though, Eijun would be in the middle of the fall tournament.

… Not that he couldn't leave his teammates during dinner one night, but still.

Eijun smiled softly. "I see. I'll let Mei know whenever my family and I are available. Thank you very much for your understanding." He bowed at the waist.

Kenji-san's gentle smile remained on his face. "Go have fun with Mei, Eijun."

Eijun grinned a bright grin despite himself. "If you'll excuse me." He bowed again before turning around and walking away from them.

Mei looked over as he approached, frowning. He waited until Eijun was close enough before reaching out and grabbing his hand, pulling him close. "Everything alright?" His voice was soft.

Eijun tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Mei frowned deeply, cupping his cheeks, his eyes softening briefly when Eijun held his hands in place. "Your face looks red. Did they…?" He shot a dirty look over Eijun's shoulder.

Ah.

Eijun should've known Mei would've seen him talking to his family.

(Mei, the impatient brat that he was, probably kept looking over at him the whole time.)

"I'm alright, Mei." Eijun smiled softly, wrapping his arms around him.

Mei huffed. "They teased you, didn't they?" His eyes darkened. "I keep telling them not to tease you so much. Why won't they listen?"

As expected of the Narumiya family.

"They did, but it's alright. Some of it…" Eijun briefly tightened his grip around him. "Some of it was because of something else."

Mei furrowed his eyebrows. "Something else?"

Eijun grinned a sheepish grin at Mei's former teammates before looking at Mei. "I'll tell you later, I promise." He kissed him softly, causing them to groan.

Mei glanced at his former teammates before huffing again. "… Fine, I'll wait." He let go of him. "You've kept us waiting."

"What do you mean I've kept you guys waiting!"

It wasn't just his fault!

Ass.

Like Mei had predicted, his former teammates split Eijun and Mei up on different teams.

Mei had pouted and complained about it for a little bit, but once the game started, he grinned a competitive grin at Eijun, a challenging glint in his eyes.

Eijun tried to keep his attention on the game, wanting to beat Mei.

… Keyword being tried.

Whenever Mei jumped, spiking the ball with that familiar determined look on his face, though, Eijun's heart skipped a beat.

He couldn't stop staring at Mei.

(How was Mei so cool? It was so unfair.)

"Eijun, what are you doing!"

"You were supposed to block Mei!"

"Stop being disgusting and pay attention to what's going on!"

Eijun flushed, looking at the former Inashiro players. "Sorry, I'll… pay attention, I promise." He looked at Mei again, wanting to hate the way his flush darkened at Mei's smirk.

They played a few games, Eijun somehow managing to pay attention to the games and not Mei.

It was even harder not to pay attention to Mei when they switched teams, Mei grinning cheekily when Eijun walked over to his side.

Mei's muscles, the same muscles he worked hard to hone through strength training and lifting weights over the years, stood out to Eijun.

The way Mei dove to receive the ball…

The way he jumped to block their opponents…

The way he spiked the ball…

Mei was a great beach volleyball player.

Maybe in an alternate universe, Mei would've been a beach volleyball player or a volleyball player instead of a baseball player.

… Eijun didn't know how he felt about that.

On one hand, he didn't want to imagine a universe where Mei didn't play baseball and didn't pitch.

On the other hand, Mei looked so cool right now.

(To be fair, Mei would look cool playing any sport. So unfair.)

"Eijun, it's going over to you!"

He blinked, yelping and falling over as he received the ball with his face.

"Eijun!"

He winced, rubbing his forehead as he sat up, his breathing hitching as Mei spiked the ball.

Mei waited until the ball touched the sand in their opponent's court before turning around and dashing over to him, kneeling next to him. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, I was…" Eijun looked away briefly at the concern in his eyes. "I was surprised more than anything. It didn't hurt that much."

Kamiya-san rolled his eyes. "We keep telling you to pay attention to the game, Eijun."

Shirakawa-san clicked his tongue. "Even an idiot like you should know that there's a time and place for everything."

Eijun flushed at his pointed look. "Sorry, Shirakawa-san. Kamiya-san."

"Don't blame him." Mei glared at them. "There's nothing wrong with staring at me." He helped Eijun stand up, squeezing his hand. "He really likes me."

Eijun looked down at the sand, squeezing his hand and biting his lip to stop himself from correcting him.

I love you.

"Why don't you take a break?"

Eijun looked up at him, his eyes wide. "Eh? But—"

"We can play later." Mei gently brushed the hair away from his forehead, kissing it, causing his former teammates to groan. "Besides…" He grinned cheekily. "We don't want you to lose any more of those precious brain cells of yours."

Eijun glared at him. "Don't call me an idiot!"

Mei laughed loudly, Eijun wanting to hate the way his heart fluttered at the sound of it.

Eijun and a couple of Mei's former teammates took a break from playing, cheering them on from the sidelines.

… Well, all except for Eijun.

Eijun had been planning on cheering them on, but he… couldn't stop staring at Mei.

Mei spiked the ball, scoring another point, causing him to let out a triumphant yell and fist pump. He turned to look at Eijun, winking.

Eijun huffed, the corners of his lips twitching despite himself. He stuck his tongue out at him, amused when Mei's jaw dropped.

After they finished playing beach volleyball, Mei and his former teammates argued about what to do next.

As for Eijun…

He had walked back to his towel to sip some water, Mei's family asking him to buy some shaved ice for them.

He walked along the beach, looking for the shaved ice stall.

Part of him had thought about asking Mei to come with him, but he didn't want to ruin Mei's fun.

Mei had been arguing with his former teammates, but they looked like they were getting along.

(For once.)

Besides, Eijun wouldn't be gone long.

… At least, that was the plan.

Not only did he have trouble finding the shaved ice stall, though, but he had to wait a while until he got to order.

"Ah, Onii-chan!"

Eijun furrowed his eyebrows at the familiar voice, turning around and watching as a young boy ran up to him.

A familiar boy with short black hair combed to one side and bright brown eyes. He wore a red and black swimsuit that had flames on each side.

"I knew it was you, Onii-chan!" The boy stopped in front of him, beaming. "It's been a while!"

Where did he…?

Eijun's mouth opened as he remembered one of their dates five months ago.

He and Mei had attended a strawberry dessert buffet at a hotel.

They had enjoyed the desserts and each other's company, but when they were about to leave, a young boy approached Eijun with teary eyes.

Eijun grinned a bright smile. "Takumi! It's been a while!"

Takumi's eyes widened before lighting up. "You remember me, Onii-chan? That makes me so happy!"

"Still playing baseball?" Eijun blinked, remembering something. "Weren't you on vacation the last time I saw you?"

Takumi nodded furiously. "I'm still playing baseball, and I'm still pitching, Onii-chan!" He turned around, pointing at his parents who sat under an umbrella not too far away. "It's summer vacation right now, so Papa and Mama took me to the beach." He turned back to face him, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I never thought I'd see Onii-chan here, though!"

Cute.

"I'm glad you're still playing baseball." Eijun grinned a bright grin. "I'm sure Mei will be happy to hear that, too."

Takumi gasped. "Eh? Prince-sama's here, too?" He stepped closer, his eyes sparkling. "Does that mean you two are still together?"

Eijun almost corrected him and told him Mei was the king now, but he finally decided not to.

Mei's expression would be priceless.

"Yeah, we're still together."

Takumi cheered, throwing his arms up into the air. "That's great! I'm so happy you guys are still together!"

Eijun smiled softly, his chest warm. "Yeah, me too. Thank you, Takumi."

Takumi gasped again, tugging on his arm gently. "Let's play together, Onii-chan!" He pointed to a partly built sandcastle near them. "I could use some help."

"I'd love to, Takumi, but I'm here with Mei and some other people." Eijun smiled apologetically. "They're probably wondering where I am."

Takumi pouted, looking down at the sand and kicking it. "I see. In that case, you should go." He looked up at him, smiling a weak smile. "I'll be alright by myself."

Eijun's heart clenched at the disappointment in his eyes. He looked behind him at Mei and the rest of the former Inashiro third years before looking back at Takumi. "Alright, I'll play with you."

Takumi's eyes widened. "Eh? You will?" He frowned, worry in his eyes. "Is that alright, Onii-chan? I don't want Prince-sama to feel like you're ignoring him."

"Yeah, it should be alright as long as it doesn't take long." Eijun grinned a reassuring grin. He gestured to the tray of shaved ice. "I need to give these to the people who asked for them, but after that, I'll be right back."

Takumi's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Onii-chan! I'll be waiting!"

After giving the shaved ice to Mei's family, Eijun walked back over to Takumi, Takumi running over to him and grabbing his hand once he got close enough.

They chatted in between working on Takumi's sandcastle, Takumi talking about Summer Koushien and baseball.

During a break, Eijun stood up, looking over at Mei.

Was Mei wondering where he was?

He narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

A bunch of girls (and some guys) surrounded Mei, screaming his name and showering him in compliments.

Like he was some celebrity.

Mei laughed, flushing. He grinned at all of them, saying something.

He… looked like he was enjoying the attention.

Eijun glowered as one of the girls touched Mei's arm.

What were they thinking, touching his boyfriend?

He had half a mind to march over and remind them about his presence.

Mei, though, looked happy.

He pulled away from the girl's touch, smiling a fake apologetic smile and saying something.

That made some of the jealousy in Eijun's stomach die down, but…

He huffed, turning around.

Mei hadn't changed a bit.

Eijun helped Takumi build his sandcastle, trying to ignore the hurt and anger.

If he walked over to Mei, he knew Mei would ignore everyone that surrounded him and only pay attention to him.

(They didn't need to hide their relationship anymore thanks to Mei.)

Eijun… couldn't move, though.

Not only was Mei enjoying himself, but this felt like what happened when Mei trampled on his trust.

Back when Mei did that, he had wanted attention.

He hadn't cared about Eijun or Eijun's feelings.

It was the same now.

Mei enjoyed the attention and… ignored Eijun.

He hadn't been lying when he told Mei that he forgave him and accepted his apology, but he also hadn't been lying when he told Kenji-san that he and Mei were… still working on getting through what happened together.

Unfortunately, these things took time, and both knew that.

Ignoring the jealousy, he concentrated on helping Takumi build his sandcastle.

"Done!" Takumi cheered, standing up and jumping around.

Eijun stood up to look over their masterpiece, grinning proudly. "Yeah, that looks like a nice sandcastle!"

Takumi stepped closer to him, his eyes sparkling with delight. "Thank you, Onii-chan! You're the best!"

Eijun laughed loudly, flushing. "That's right! I'm the best at building sandcastles! I'm glad you understand! You know, I—"

"Hey, aren't you Sawamura Eijun?"

Eijun blinked, looking away from Takumi and furrowing his eyebrows.

Three guys walked up to them, grinning at him.

Two of the guys were shirtless, one wearing a black swimsuit and the other wearing a blue swimsuit.

The last guy wore a red short sleeved unzipped jacket and a black and red swimsuit. Unlike the guys beside him, he had a six-pack.

All the guys looked taller than both him and Mei.

(Maybe university students?)

"You're Sawamura Eijun, aren't you?" The guy wearing the jacket grinned at him, looking him up and down.

Eijun frowned at the way the guy's eyes lingered on his swimsuit. "You know me?"

"You're dating Narumiya Mei, aren't you?" That same guy stepped closer to him, his eyes gleaming with… something. "I also watched you pitch at Summer Koushien on TV."

Eijun would've smiled at being recognized, but something about the way these guys looked at him made him want to scowl.

(He didn't even know why.)

He grinned a fake grin. "Is that so? I'm happy you recognize me. Thank you for supporting Seidou."

The guys stepped closer to him, Eijun forcing himself not to move.

The shirtless guys snickered before exchanging some type of look.

The guy wearing the jacket laughed. "I don't know if I would call it supporting Seidou so much as supporting you." He winked.

Eijun flushed despite himself. "Thank you very much." When they stepped closer again, he frowned. "What are you…?"

"Leave Onii-chan alone!"

Eijun and the guys blinked, looking down and seeing Takumi standing in front of Eijun with his arms outstretched.

Eijun furrowed his eyebrows. "Takumi?"

Takumi huffed. "Onii-chan's already dating Prince-sama! He won't like it if you touch Onii-chan!"

The guys stared down at Takumi for several moments before laughing loud, mocking laughter.

"Who's this, Sawamura? Your little brother?"

"Look at him trying to protect him!"

"As if a squirt like him can protect anyone!"

Takumi let his arms fall to his sides, his shoulders slumping.

Eijun narrowed his eyes. He stepped closer, placing a hand on Takumi's shoulder. "Don't call Takumi a squirt." His voice was dangerously low.

Takumi turned his head to look up at him, his eyes wide. "Onii-chan…"

The guys laughed again, the shirtless guys even wiping away fake tears.

The guy wearing the jacket smirked, reaching out and gripping Eijun's right shoulder, causing him to wince. "Oh? And what are you going to do about it?" His other hand touched Eijun's collarbone, slowly making its way down his chest.

Eijun pushed him away, stepping away from him. "Don't touch me!"

The guy's smirk widened. He stepped closer, reaching out a hand again. "Don't be like that, Sawamura. I know you're dating Narumiya, but…" He looked him up and down again, licking his lips. "I'm sure he won't mind if we have some fun with you."

Eijun glowered, stepping away again. "Mei's the only one who can touch me, so leave me alone! You assholes are disgusting!"

"You can say that again."

Eijun froze at the icy voice behind him.

A large part of him felt smug at the way the assholes flinched.

Before Eijun could turn around, though, Mei wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him back against his chest, causing Eijun to gasp.

"Do you assholes normally go after people like this in broad daylight?" Mei sounded disgusted. "You're lucky we're not calling the police."

The guy wearing the jacket gulped audibly, holding his hands up in front of him. "C-Come on, Narumiya. You don't need to go that far. We were just—"

Mei growled, causing the shirtless guys to shiver. "He told you not to touch him. What part of that do you not understand? Leave now before I make you pay for touching my boyfriend."

Eijun shivered, leaning back against him and touching his hands.

The guys flinched before turning around and dashing away.

As expected of Mei.

An angry Mei was a scary Mei.

Mei huffed. "Why does everyone keep going after my boyfriend?"

Eijun turned around in his embrace and cupped his cheek, forcing Mei to look at him. "I don't know, but it doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter? You—!"

Eijun smiled softly. "Right? I'm dating you, and I'm not going to leave you."

Mei stared at him for a few moments before flushing. "I already knew that, but it's nice to hear you say that." His eyes softened as he looked him up and down. "Are you alright?"

Eijun's heart fluttered when Mei turned his head and kissed his hand. "Yeah, I'm alright." He leaned in to kiss him.

"I knew Prince-sama would come and make those guys pay!"

Eijun flushed, remembering Takumi. He stepped away from Mei, causing Mei to pout.

Mei reached out, grabbing his hand and squeezing it before looking at Takumi and furrowing his eyebrows. "Hey, you're that kid we met before." He tapped his chin. "Your name was… Takumi?"

A part of Eijun felt surprised Mei remembered him.

(… Then again, Mei always remembered their dates, especially the ones that ended with sex.)

Takumi beamed, flushing. "Yeah, I'm Takumi, and I'm eight!" He hopped up and down. "I'm so happy you remember me, Prince-sama!"

Mei's jaw dropped. "You…!" He narrowed his eyes. "I'm not a prince anymore! I'm the king!" He looked at Eijun when Eijun snickered. "You knew about this, didn't you?"

Eijun was right.

Mei's expression was priceless.

Eijun snickered again at Mei's suspicious look. "Who knows? I don't have any control over what Takumi calls you."

Mei pinched his arm, causing Eijun to yelp. "Bullshit. You totally knew."

"King-sama, you were so cool!"

Mei blinked, looking at Takumi and smirking. "I know."

Eijun rolled his eyes.

Takumi gasped, his eyes widening. "I know!" His eyes sparkled with happiness and excitement. "Onii-chan and I will build a sandcastle for you, King-sama!"

Eijun frowned at him. "What's wrong with the one we already built?"

Takumi looked at the small sandcastle near them, humming. "It's a little small for King-sama." He looked up at them, spreading his arms out. "We need to build a larger one for him."

"Hang on… Why do you keep saying 'we'?" Eijun frowned deeply, pointing at an amused Mei. "Mei should help us."

Takumi huffed, placing his hands on his hips. "What are you talking about, Onii-chan? We can't make King-sama help us."

"Why not!"

Takumi looked at him as if he was an idiot. "Because kings don't build their own castles?"

Mei snickered, his snicker turning into loud laughter when Eijun shot him a dirty look. "Yeah, Eijun." He smirked as Eijun shivered. "The king doesn't build his own sandcastle. Not when he's got his knight to build it for him."

Eijun shivered again, glowering at Mei. "I told you not to call me that!"

"Better get started." Mei's smirk widened. "You don't have a lot of time to work on it."

Takumi gave him a determined look. "We'll build the best sandcastle for you ever, King-sama."

Eijun almost sighed. "… Alright, I'll help you, Takumi."

Mei kissed the side of his head before letting go of his hand with a wink.

Ass.

While they worked on the sandcastle, Mei stood nearby, giving them his opinion and what he wanted to see.

Eijun almost exploded, annoyed at Mei telling them what to do.

Takumi, though, kept beaming. He always listened seriously to Mei and worked hard to build the sandcastle Mei wanted to see.

Seeing that made Eijun rein in his anger, settling for occasionally shooting Mei dirty looks.

(Mei was lucky he had a soft spot for Takumi.)

"Done!" Takumi stepped away from the sandcastle thirty minutes later, hopping up and down.

The new sandcastle looked three times the size of the previous one.

It looked as huge and as golden as Mei himself. Takumi had placed miniature flags on each of the castle's spires. He even decorated a few of the courtyards with rainbow-colored shells. He had even built a few staircases and a moat, pointing out that every castle had them.

Mei walked around the sandcastle, humming. "Not bad. I didn't think you guys could do it."

"Do you like it, King-sama?" Takumi smiled toothily.

Mei smiled softly, patting the top of his head. "I do. It's perfect for a king like me. Thank you, Takumi."

Takumi beamed, his smile as bright as the sun.

Eijun waited for several moments before pointing at himself. "What about me?" He pouted. "Aren't you going to thank me?"

Mei snorted. "Why would I thank you? You kept messing up Takumi's hard work."

"What was that! I didn't mess up that much!"

Mei walked over to him, grinning cheekily. "Now that you guys are done, we should get going. Everyone's been wondering where you are."

Eijun frowned at the sand. "Does that… include you?"

"Of course it does, you idiot."

Eijun huffed, clenching his fists. "Yeah, right. You were too busy enjoying the attention. You probably didn't even—"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't accuse me of things that aren't true."

Eijun clenched his fists tighter, glaring at him. "You're telling me you didn't enjoy the attention?"

Mei grinned cheekily. "I won't deny that I enjoyed the attention." He blinked a few times. "Wait… If you saw me, you should've walked over." He pouted, reaching out and holding Eijun's hand. "I kept telling them that my boyfriend's waiting for me, but they didn't believe that you were here."

Did that mean…?

"You…" Eijun squeezed his hand, his heart fluttering. "You told them that? You were… thinking about me?"

Mei frowned. "Of course I was. It's true I enjoyed the attention, but I…" His eyes softened. "I also didn't want to ignore you." He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "I already hurt you once before because of my constant need to have attention. I didn't…" He closed his eyes briefly, looking pained. "I didn't want to do it again."

Eijun felt like hitting himself.

What was he thinking?

Sure, Mei enjoyed everyone's attention, but it was nothing like having his attention.

He should know that by now.

"I'm sorry." Eijun bowed his head, regret in his eyes. "I'm sorry I doubted you. I thought you…"

Mei kissed his forehead. "Don't worry about it. I'm sorry, too."

"Why are you apologizing?" Eijun looked up, furrowing his eyebrows.

Mei clicked his tongue. "For not coming to you sooner. For not pushing my way through the crowd."

Eijun laughed loudly. "It would've been great if you did, but I wasn't expecting you to." He smiled softly. "You wouldn't be Mei if you didn't enjoy the attention. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

Mei furrowed his eyebrows, scrutinizing him for several moments before kissing his forehead again. "Come on. Let's return to the others."

"Wait, Onii-chan! King-sama!"

Oops.

They forgot about Takumi again.

Eijun turned to face Takumi, smiling an apologetic smile. "Sorry I can't play with you longer, Takumi." He grinned a bright grin. "I had a lot of fun!"

Takumi's eyes lit up. "I had a lot of fun, too, Onii-chan! Thank you for playing with me!" He looked down at the sand, tugging at his hair. "I-I'm sorry I forced you to play with me."

Eijun kneeled in front of him, tapping under his chin to make him look at him. "You didn't force me, Takumi. I chose to stay and play with you."

"But if I hadn't said anything in the first place…" Takumi sighed. "If I didn't look sad when you were about to leave…"

Eijun smiled softly. "I still would've stayed."

"But you're here with King-sama and everyone else."

Mei kneeled beside him, causing Eijun to glance at him. "That's true, but I don't blame him for staying and playing with you." He winked. "In fact, I'm grateful that he made one of my biggest fans happy."

Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

Takumi's eyes widened before lighting up. "Yeah, I'm so happy right now!" He flushed, looking away briefly. "Onii-chan, I…" He tugged on his hair again. "I wanted to thank you."

Eijun blinked a few times. "Thank me?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "You already thanked me for playing with you."

"Not that. You stood up for me earlier."

Ah.

Eijun huffed. "They deserved that. You're not a squirt."

"Thank you, Onii-chan." Takumi narrowed his eyes, looking determined. "I might not be able to protect you or anyone else right now, but I promise I'll get stronger." He bumped his chest with his fist. "I still remember the promise to help you if you're ever in trouble, and I swear I'll keep it."

Eijun grinned fondly. "It's no big deal, really. I—" He gasped, his eyes widening when Takumi leaned in, kissing his cheek.

Mei huffed beside him, his eyes narrowed. He looked adorable. "What is with you and kissing? You know he's—" His eyes widened when Takumi kissed his cheek. "What are you…?"

Eijun snickered at Mei's bewildered look.

"Thank you, King-sama. I'm glad you came to our rescue and are still dating Onii-chan." Takumi beamed. "I hope you two stay together for a long time."

Eijun smiled softly, looking at Mei, his heart fluttering at Mei's soft look. "He can't get rid of me even if he tried. He's stuck with me."

Mei's eyes widened. He grinned cheekily a few moments later. "The king doesn't want anyone else. Only his knight."

Eijun shivered, shooting him a dirty look. "Don't call me that."

Mei snickered, gently bumping his shoulder into his own.

They waved goodbye to Takumi a few moments later, holding hands as they walked away.

They walked back over to Mei's former teammates, Yabe-san challenging Mei to a race.

Mei smirked. "I'll have you know that I'm an excellent swimmer. I won't lose to you."

"I'll make you eat those words! Hurry up!"

Mei snickered. "So impatient." He looked at Eijun, kissing the top of his head, causing them to groan. "Cheer for me, okay?"

Eijun grinned devilishly. "I think I'll cheer for Yabe-san instead."

Mei's jaw dropped. "You little…!" He gave him a betrayed look. "You're supposed to be my boyfriend!"

Eijun laughed with the rest of Mei's former teammates.

Mei shot Eijun a dirty look before joining Yabe-san in the water.

Eijun smiled softly, keeping his eyes on Mei.

Mei swam with grace, his beautiful form easily moving through the water.

He wasn't kidding.

Mei was a fast swimmer, easily touching the large rock sitting in the water before turning around and swimming past Yabe-san.

Could Mei do anything?

(So unfair.)

"I hate to admit it, but he's a good swimmer."

Eijun looked beside him, seeing Kamiya-san and Shirakawa-san.

Kamiya-san hummed. "He might even be better than me." He winked at Eijun. "Not that I would ever admit that to him."

Shirakawa-san clicked his tongue. "He's got a massive ego as it is already."

Eijun snorted, looking at Mei again. "I know, right?"

"Are you alright now, Eijun?"

Eijun blinked, looking at them again, furrowing his eyebrows at their frowns. "What are you…?"

"We heard what happened."

Ah.

Eijun winced despite himself, looking away from them and missing the way their eyes darkened. "I would be lying if I said he didn't hurt me, but…" He looked back at them, grinning a reassuring grin. "We're working on it together. I'll… I'll be alright."

Shirakawa-san scowled. "He doesn't deserve you."

He certainly wasn't the first person to say that.

Something that annoyed Eijun.

Why did everyone keep saying that?

Sure, Mei really hurt him, but that didn't mean he didn't deserve him.

(Besides, Mei had been working hard at showing Eijun how much he meant to him. It always made Eijun's chest warm whenever he thought about it.)

Eijun frowned, giving him a disapproving look. "Shirakawa-san, that's—"

"That's just our opinion, Eijun." Kamiya-san shot Shirakawa-san a warning look before grinning a reassuring grin at Eijun. "We didn't come here to insult Mei or tell you that you should break up with him."

It sure didn't seem that way.

Eijun frowned deeply, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Then why did you come?"

Shirakawa-san gave him a scrutinizing look for several moments before giving him a serious look. "Those guys had already decided on going to the beach after we retired from the team."

"'Those guys'…" Kamiya-san grinned a teasing grin at Shirakawa-san. "Why aren't you including yourself in that? I know you wanted to come."

Shirakawa-san kept looking at Eijun, ignoring Kamiya-san. "Another reason was that because we heard you were going to come."

Eijun blinked, pointing at himself. "Me?"

"Yeah." Kamiya-san looked at Mei swimming before looking at Eijun again. "We know we shouldn't get involved with you guys' relationship, but we wanted to know if you were alright. Mei can be an idiot sometimes."

Shirakawa-san clicked his tongue. "Not sometimes. All the time."

Eijun snorted, his chest warm. "Yeah, he can be pretty stupid." He smiled a soft grateful smile. "Thank you very much, Kamiya-san. Shirakawa-san. I'll be alright." He looked at Mei, who let out a triumphant yell and raised his fist into the air. "We'll be alright."

"Don't just thank us."

Eijun looked at them, furrowing his eyebrows.

Shirakawa-san gestured to the rest of the former Inashiro players. "Everyone was worried about you. They wanted to make you happy today no matter what."

Eijun's eyes widened.

"Oh?" Kamiya-san grinned another teasing grin at Shirakawa-san. "Does 'everyone' include you?"

Shirakawa-san huffed, looking away, his cheeks flushed for some reason. "Of course it does. He's impertinent for making us worry about him like this."

This whole time, Eijun had thought that Mei's former teammates had… crashed their beach date on purpose.

They had always been against Eijun's relationship with Mei.

(Itsuki and Fukui-san were some of the only ones who liked, much less approved of his relationship with Mei.)

While it was obvious that they still didn't like, much less approve of their relationship, Eijun… felt grateful.

Their concern for him made his chest warm.

Eijun bowed at the waist toward them. "Thank you very much. I'm sorry for making you worry." He thanked the rest of the former Inashiro players, some of them grinning at him or rubbing the back of their heads.

Fukui-san smiled softly. "I'm glad you and Mei will be alright now, Eijun."

Eijun beamed at him. "Thank you very much, Fukui-san! Me too!"

Mei ran out of the water and over to Eijun, almost tackling him, causing Eijun to let out a surprised sound.

Eijun took a few steps backward, almost falling over. "Mei?"

Mei grinned a bright grin, causing Eijun's breathing to hitch. "Did you see that? I won." He smirked, puffing his chest out. "I knew I would."

Eijun considered not feeding his ego, but the sight of that bright grin followed by that unfairly attractive smirk caused him to change his mind.

This guy was too handsome.

He loved looking at Mei, especially whenever Mei wasn't looking, as he didn't want to feed that massive ego of his. Unfortunately, Eijun got caught looking often, Mei always smirking and rubbing it in that Eijun couldn't be subtle.

(Which… Rude. Eijun could be subtle. He just… struggled with it.)

"Congratulations." He wrapped his arms around him, keeping him close. His heart fluttered when Mei hugged him back, his eyes sparkling with happiness. Seeing him look that happy… He couldn't deny him anything even if he tried. "Let me give you your reward." He kissed him, causing Mei's former teammates to groan and Mei to let out an approving hum.

Mei briefly tightened his grip around him, pulling him back in when Eijun pulled away.

Eijun laughed into the kiss, his hands moving up to Mei's wet hair. He ran his fingers through it, almost laughing again at the thought of Mei complaining about the saltwater in his hair.

Mei would probably demand they shower (or take a bath) together, something Eijun… wasn't totally opposed to, as it meant more time with him.

Mei let out a pleased sound, kissing him for several moments before pulling away with a cheeky grin. "That was some reward." He gave him a suggestive look. "You know what would make it better?"

Eijun shivered, flushing at hearing Mei's former teammates' disgusted sounds around them. "Wait… Wait a little bit longer."

"Fine." Mei pouted, the corners of his lips twitching when Eijun kissed the corner of his mouth.

They played a few games of capture the flag, Mei bragging whenever his team won.

A good (and long) kiss always shut him up, though.

Mei's wide eyes as he stared at Eijun…

That felt so good.

Eijun didn't even care that Mei's former teammates let out disgusted sounds whenever that happened.

(Mei would probably get his revenge later, but for now, Eijun felt smug. He might not have won the game of capture the flag but shutting up Mei always counted as a win in his book.)

Mei's family called out to them when the sun started setting, mentioning dinner, causing some of their stomachs to grumble.

They walked over to the shower station, Eijun letting out a surprised sound when someone grabbed his wrist and pulled him behind it. He tried to pull his wrist away, but the person wouldn't let go.

"Relax. It's me."

Eijun froze at Mei's voice, turning his head to look at him.

Sure enough, Mei stood in front of him, amusement in his eyes.

Eijun frowned, pushing at his chest lightly with his free hand. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Oh?" Mei stepped closer, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Did I scare you?"

Eijun rolled his eyes. "No, you idiot. Now what do you want?"

He had been about to shower.

Wasn't Mei hungry?

Mei huffed, irritation briefly appearing in his eyes. "What, I'm not allowed to talk to you? Have some private time with you?"

"That's…" Eijun's breathing hitched despite himself. "That's not what I'm saying. I just…" He waved his free hand, gesturing to the place around them. "Why now?"

Mei's eyes darkened. He stepped closer, wrapping his arms around him and looking over his shoulder. "Isn't it bad enough that everyone ruined our beach date? I'm tired of sharing you."

What a brat.

"I don't know if they ruined it."

Mei clicked his tongue, briefly tightening his grip around him. "We didn't get a lot of time alone. You can't even call it a date."

… He had a point.

Eijun couldn't disagree even if he wanted to. "I understand what you're saying, but—"

"What do you mean 'but'!" Mei pulled away to glare at him, his body tense. "I thought you wanted time alone with me!"

Eijun shushed him, wrapping his arms around him and keeping him close. "Quiet down, you idiot. Do you want people to find us here?"

"Explain now." Unlike earlier, Mei's voice was soft. He relaxed under Eijun's touch, keeping his eyes on him.

Good.

Eijun didn't want Mei to look anywhere else.

He hummed, tilting his head. "I know you want some time alone with me, but can't you wait until after dinner?" When Mei scowled, looking away from him, Eijun squeezed him gently. "Look at me."

"Why do you insist on making me wait?" Mei muttered. "I know you want time alone with me."

Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "You really can't wait another hour?" He snickered, kissing Mei's jaw, almost grinning when Mei looked back at him. "Such an impatient king."

Mei scoffed. "You should know that by now."

"You're right." Eijun kissed his forehead, his eyes fond. "I'm sorry."

Mei didn't speak for several moments, giving him an irritated look before letting out a frustrated sound. "… Fine, I'll wait." He narrowed his eyes, letting go of him with one hand to point at him. "I won't wait longer than an hour, though. Promise me."

Typical Mei.

If Eijun was honest, though, he didn't blame him, as he had been wanting some time alone with him all day.

His heart felt light and kept fluttering at knowing that Mei wouldn't wait like this for anyone else. Wouldn't listen to anyone else like this.

Only him.

He let go of him, grabbing his hand and kissing the top of it, looking up at him through his eyelashes, his lips twitching at seeing Mei flush. "I promise we'll get some time alone."

"As expected of my knight." Mei grinned when he shivered. "You're eager to spend time alone with me."

Eijun snorted, his heart fluttering at Mei's normal cheeky grin. "Says the guy who's impatient to spend some time alone with me."

"Nothing wrong with that." Mei continued grinning. "You're my boyfriend after all."

Boyfriend…

Eijun was Mei's boyfriend.

Hearing that never got old.

Maybe one day, that title would change to—

Bad thought. Bad thought.

Eijun shook his head, pushing that thought away, missing Mei's confused look.

He didn't even know if Mei… loved him yet.

(Besides, thinking about titles like that… That was too early.)

He wanted to find out, but he didn't want to pressure Mei into responding to him or make him suspicious.

"Eijun?"

He shivered, looking back at Mei. "Yeah, I'm your boyfriend."

Mei narrowed his eyes, giving him a suspicious look. "Everything alright?"

Eijun felt his heart race. "Y-Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?"

Shit.

Why did he stutter?

Mei gave him another suspicious look, causing Eijun to grin nervously. He hummed several moments later, reaching out and grabbing his hand. "I don't believe you, but I'll drop it. For now."

While Eijun felt relieved Mei dropped it, he knew this wasn't over.

"I…" Eijun glanced at their joined hands before giving him a serious look. "I promise I'll tell you one of these days."

Mei clicked his tongue, tugging him after him. "You better. You know how impatient I can get."

If this had happened earlier or was about something else, Eijun might've teased him.

As it was, though, he felt grateful that Mei continued to wait for him and didn't force him to talk.

Eijun squeezed his hand, smiling softly. "Thank you, Mei."

Mei looked back at him for a few moments before looking away, the backs of his ears pink. "Yeah, yeah."

Cute.

They ended up taking separate showers, Mei shooting him a dirty look when he suggested it. After getting out of the shower, Mei grabbed his hand and pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him and breathing in his scent, causing Eijun to flush despite himself.

Eijun wrapped his arms around him, closing his eyes and breathing in Mei's familiar scent.

They stayed like that until Mei's former teammates called out to them, Eijun's lips twitching at their irritated voices.

Mei scowled, shooting them a dirty look, briefly tightening his grip around Eijun for a few moments before letting go and starting to walk away.

Before he could get far, Eijun caught up with him, grabbing his hand, eyebrows furrowing at Mei's surprised look.

Why did he look surprised?

They always held hands.

It didn't matter if they were in public or not.

Besides, he knew Mei loved it whenever they held hands in public.

Sure enough, Mei lit up, Eijun's chest warm at the happiness in those beautiful blue eyes. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for Mei to smirk, holding his hand firmly and pulling him closer so that they walked with almost no space between them.

Eijun knew what Mei was thinking, and honestly, he felt the same.

As much as he liked Mei's former teammates and Mei's family, all he wanted right now was to stay by Mei's side and not leave him.

They sat next to each other at dinner, Mei brushing his ankle under the table and grabbing his hand and looking smug whenever Eijun looked at him.

Not that Mei needed to do that to make Eijun look at him.

Eijun tried to keep his mind on the conversations during dinner, especially when one of Mei's former teammates or family members talked to him.

Like always, though, it was difficult to ignore Mei.

Not just because Mei kept touching him, although those touches felt nice and made his chest warm.

Maybe it was because he loved Mei, but his eyes kept looking back at him.

Like Mei cast some spell on him.

Mei would probably laugh at him if he told him that and might even tease him about finding that line in one of his shoujo manga, but…

It was true.

For over a year now, Eijun's mind was full of baseball and Mei.

Sometimes, he thought about Mei more than baseball.

No one else could catch his attention or keep it like Mei could.

He loved him and hoped that never changed.

They finished dinner, Eijun briefly leaving Mei's side to speak to Mei's family about their plans, not wanting them to worry about them.

Much to his embarrassment, Mei's family saw through him, looking amused when he asked for permission, Kenji-san even making a comment about how they planned on doing it even without their permission.

Was it that obvious?

Did they see them looking at each other during dinner?

Before he could apologize, they gave him gentle smiles, Mai-san and Kenji-san telling him to be careful and not to stay out too late.

A part of Eijun still felt embarrassed, but he grinned a bright grin, thanking them and excusing himself before making his way back to Mei's side.

Mei looked at him when Eijun held his hand, eyebrows furrowing at his flushed cheeks.

Eijun grinned a sheepish grin, shaking his head before squeezing his hand.

Mei shot a dirty look over his shoulder toward his family before nodding and squeezing his hand back, glancing at his former teammates before tugging Eijun after him.

They walked in silence for several moments before Eijun couldn't take it anymore, looking at Mei.

"Where are we going?"

Normally, Mei might snort and make a comment about his impatience.

This time, though, Mei hummed, not looking at him. "Doesn't matter." He briefly tightened his grip on his hand. "As long as it's somewhere we can be alone."

Weird.

Maybe Mei didn't want to ruin the moment?

Eijun looked down at their joined hands. "I feel the same." He frowned, looking up at him a few moments later when a thought came to him. "Do you even know this area?"

Mei looked over at him, grinning a confident grin. "Don't worry. We won't get lost."

"That's not what I—!"

Mei's grin turned cheeky. "I'm sure you would've gotten lost if you were by yourself. You don't need to worry, though." He reached out, patting the top of Eijun's head. "I'm here with you."

"That's not…! I wouldn't…!" Eijun let out a frustrated sound, swatting away Mei's hand when Mei continued to pat the top of his head, causing Mei to snicker. "That doesn't make me feel better!"

Mei let out an unconvinced hum, eyes lingering on Eijun's flushed cheeks. "Uh huh. Like I believe that."

Eijun huffed, looking away from those knowing eyes. "Seriously, where are we going?" He gestured to the sidewalk below them. "Are we going to keep walking down this street?"

"How about the beach?"

Eijun jerked his head up, looking back at Mei with wide eyes. "The beach? Are you stupid? Isn't the beach closed?"

Mei rolled his eyes, lightly bumping his left shoulder into Eijun's right one. "We're not going to swim. Stop worrying." When Eijun glared at him, Mei gave him a challenging look. "Do you have a better idea?"

… As much as he hated to admit it, Mei's idea was a good one.

Walking along the beach was a lot better than walking through an unfamiliar city.

Mei grinned triumphantly when he didn't answer. "See?"

Eijun felt tempted to hit him.

"Besides, I thought you'd want to walk along the beach at night."

Eijun's eyes widened.

How did he…?

Mei looked away from him, humming. "Isn't that something that happens in your shoujo manga?" He tapped his chin with his free hand. "It's supposed to be romantic, right?"

Eijun grabbed his heart with his free hand, staring at Mei with wide eyes.

Was Mei… doing this on purpose?

From the way Mei acted so nonchalant about the whole thing, he didn't think so. He wouldn't put it past Mei to think of something like this and act like it wasn't a big deal, though.

Mei frowned at the sidewalk. "We don't have to, you know. I know you're worried about someone catching us. I don't want you to—"

Eijun had heard enough.

He stopped, turning to face Mei, Mei letting out a surprised sound when Eijun forced him to do the same. He leaned in, kissing Mei, causing Mei's eyes to widen. He kept the kiss soft and chaste, briefly tightening his grip on his hand.

He loved Mei.

Miyuki-senpai and the rest of his teammates (and Mei's former teammates for that matter) could complain and disapprove of their relationship all they wanted, but Eijun's heart had chosen Mei a long time ago.

They couldn't do anything about his feelings for Mei.

Even if Mei eventually broke up with him, these feelings wouldn't change.

He cupped Mei's cheek with his free hand, tilting his head to deepen the kiss, letting out an approving hum when Mei finally snapped out of it and kissed him back.

(Seriously, what took him so long? Mei loved it whenever he kissed him.)

He pulled away several moments later, leaning back in to kiss Mei's forehead, his eyes soft. "I really like you."

"I really like you, too." Mei furrowed his eyebrows, looking confused. "What…?"

Eijun shook his head, amusement in his eyes. "Come on. Let's go to the beach."

Mei stared at him for a few moments before frowning. "I thought you—"

Eijun kissed him again, grinning devilishly when Mei chased after his lips. "I didn't know you read my shoujo manga. You should've told me earlier."

Mei scoffed as they changed directions, heading in the direction of the beach. "I don't, you idiot." He flicked Eijun's forehead, causing Eijun to yelp and shoot him a dirty look. "You've told me about your shoujo manga so many times that I ended up remembering information even if I didn't want to remember it."

"You say that, but I bet you secretly read them." Eijun's devilish grin returned to his face. He poked Mei's side over and over. "Tell the truth."

Mei huffed, lightly swatting Eijun's hand. "You want the truth? Fine. I'll give you the truth." They walked down some stairs leading to the beach before Mei pinned Eijun to the wall behind him, causing Eijun to gasp despite himself. "The truth is you're being annoying."

Eijun laughed loudly, Mei's eyes flashing with irritation the only warning he got before Mei kissed him, shutting him up.

Mei only kissed him for a few moments before kissing down his neck, causing Eijun to moan and tilt his head. Mei let out an approving hum, kissing down to his collarbone and licking a few spots, causing Eijun to shiver.

"Mei, not…" Eijun tightened his grip around Mei, his breathing hitching. "Not here."

Mei snorted against his skin. "There's no one around."

Eijun whimpered despite himself as Mei nibbled a few spots. "Wait…" He moaned as Mei marked a spot near his collarbone. "Wait until later."

Mei looked up at him, his dark eyes almost causing Eijun to shiver. He pulled away from him several moments later, clicking his tongue. "That's a promise, right?" He leaned back in and grabbed his hand. "Promise me," he demanded.

"I promise." Eijun tugged their joined hands closer, kissing the top of Mei's hand before briefly kissing Mei's lips, his voice low. "We'll continue this later in your room."

Honestly?

He hadn't planned on staying the night with Mei, as he thought that going back to Seidou for the night would be the better choice, especially since he still wanted review his pitching and work on his stamina before practice resumed.

He couldn't deny Mei, though.

Not after the day they had.

Mei stared at him for a few moments before letting out a frustrated sound. "You're lucky I still want to walk with you along the beach, or I would be upset."

Eijun snorted, grinning an innocent grin and holding his hands up when Mei shot him a dirty look.

Mei huffed, grabbing his hand and tugging him after him. "All this waiting better be worth it."

"I thought you said you weren't upset." Eijun grinned devilishly.

Mei shot him an irritated look. "I'm not."

Eijun's grin widened. "I can tell." He almost snickered when Mei glared at him. A few moments later, he yelped as Mei squeezed his hand hard enough to hurt him. "Ouch! That hurt!"

"You deserved that." Mei scoffed, looking away from him, seemingly uncaring that Eijun was in pain.

Eijun winced, tempted to pull his hand away and look it over, frowning when he looked over at Mei's turned head. He knew that despite appearances and despite how Mei tried to portray himself (even to him), Mei cared about him.

Mei wouldn't have done the same thing to his left hand.

If he did, he would've immediately apologized and looked it over.

Mei had his head turned away from him, looking at the ocean. Eijun noticed his tense posture and felt the way his grip and posture slowly relaxed with each step they took.

Normally, Eijun might've started an argument with him or tried to joke with him again.

As they walked along the beach hand in hand, though, he knew now wasn't the time.

They were finally alone.

Eijun looked down at their joined hands, smiling softly despite himself.

He had been looking forward to this all day, and he planned on enjoying every moment of it.

"What's wrong?"

Eijun blinked, looking up at Mei, his eyes widening at meeting Mei's eyes. "Eh?" He blinked again as Mei's words registered in his mind. "What do you mean?"

Mei furrowed his eyebrows. "You've been quiet. Way too quiet." He glanced down at their joined hands, regret flashing in his eyes. "Did I hurt you that bad? I—"

"I'm alright, Mei." Eijun already knew what Mei wanted to say. Sure, it was always nice whenever Mei apologized, but that regret in his eyes, even if it had been brief… That was enough. He smiled softly. "I know you didn't mean it. I wasn't quiet because of that, I promise."

Mei frowned deeply at their joined hands before looking at him. "Then what were you thinking about?"

Eijun entertained the thought of teasing him or lying and changing the subject, but he decided not to, not wanting to ruin the moment. "We're finally alone."

(Mei always told him he was a horrible liar, and if he lied, he knew Mei wouldn't let go of the subject anytime soon.)

Mei's eyes widened before softening. "That's true. We're finally alone." He squeezed his hand gently. "I'm not letting you go tonight." He gave him a serious look. "And I'm not sharing you."

Eijun's heart fluttered. He didn't know whether Mei meant those words in a possessive way, but either way, those words made him happy. He grinned a bright grin. "That's my line. I'm glad we finally have some time alone."

"What are you talking about?" Mei scoffed. "Everyone wanted to hang out with you today." He frowned, almost pouting. "They didn't even care that I was there. I'm your boyfriend."

Eijun shook his head, tempted to roll his eyes. "That's not true. Kamiya-san, Shirakawa-san, Yabe-san, and everyone else… They kept talking to you. They wanted to hang out with you. You didn't notice?"

He didn't know whether Mei was that oblivious or that stupid.

(… He would be lying if he said his heart didn't feel warm at the thought of Mei keeping most, if not all, of his attention on him.)

Mei huffed, looking away in disgust. "Of course I noticed! They did that on purpose! They kept talking about how they wanted to spend the day at the beach, but the truth is that they wanted to ruin our date."

Eijun rolled his eyes.

Mei could be so stubborn sometimes. He could try and convince him that Mei's former teammates wanted to hang out with him, but Mei wouldn't agree.

It was a shame, too, as it looked like they enjoyed each other's company today.

(Maybe Mei didn't want to admit it to him? He didn't know why, though. Sometimes, he understood Mei better than anyone (except maybe for his family). Other times, he didn't understand him and wondered if he would with more time.)

"While it's too bad we didn't get any alone time earlier, we're alone now." Eijun lightly bumped his right shoulder into Mei's left one. "Don't let those guys ruin the rest of our night."

Mei scowled. "I still think we should've snuck away earlier."

Eijun snorted, causing Mei to look back at him, eyebrows furrowed. "When? Someone would've caught us." He raised his eyebrows. "Unless you wanted us to run away from them and hide somewhere?"

Mei hummed, the corners of his lips twitching. "That would've been fun." His eyes gleamed mischievously. "Like hide-and-seek."

"I don't see a lot of hiding spots around here." Eijun looked around, feeling relieved that Mei's mood picked up. He grinned devilishly before looking back at him. "I'm sure we would've found something." He huffed, the corners of his lips twitching. "Like the shower station."

Mei smirked. "You enjoyed that. I know you did." He poked Eijun's cheek. "Admit it."

Eijun flushed despite himself. "There's a time and place for everything, you know." He looked away when Mei continued smirking. "You didn't even plan that."

"Doesn't matter. I know you enjoyed it, which means I win."

Arrogant jerk.

Eijun hated how he couldn't argue with him. His eye twitched at Mei's smug voice. "Stop sounding so smug. It's not like you won against me the whole day, you know."

"Oh?" Mei forced Eijun to look at him, Eijun narrowing his eyes at Mei's challenging look. "You're saying you beat me sometime today? When was that?"

That little…

Eijun huffed, picking the first thing that popped into his head. "When we rubbed sunscreen on each other." He belatedly remembered what happened, causing his flush to darken.

Mei laughed, his shoulders shaking. "That's what popped into your head? What about one of the games of beach volleyball?" He hummed, pretending to think. "Or what about you kissing me after capture the flag?" He laughed again as Eijun looked away from him. "I thought that was embarrassing."

"It was embarrassing," Eijun muttered, wishing his face didn't feel so hot. "We kept flirting right next to and in front of your family, and I kept forgetting they were there."

Mei snickered. "Don't worry. They didn't hold it against you. They know how much you like me."

Eijun groaned, tempted to hide his face. "That's even worse!"

Did they know he loved Mei?

They couldn't, right?

Mei didn't even know that.

… Then again, Mei was an idiot.

"I don't know why you're so upset about it." Mei snorted. "I thought having my family's approval was important to you. You realize that's why they agreed to give us some alone time, right?"

Eijun frowned at the sand. "I'm not upset about it. I just…" He hummed, trying to find the right words. "I'm still getting used to it, I guess." He shrugged. "I don't know."

He didn't want Mei to misunderstand.

While it was embarrassing that Mei's family knew how much he liked Mei, he felt grateful and happy they could tell and gave their approval.

He also knew that under normal circumstances, Mei's family probably wanted them to stay with them for the rest of the night and only gave their permission because they knew how much he and Mei wanted some alone time.

Maybe he would get used to their teasing and gentle smiles later, but right now…

"Come to think of it…"

Eijun looked up from the sand and at Mei, furrowing his eyebrows, confused.

"What did they talk to you about earlier?" Mei gave him an expectant look.

Eijun blinked a few times, trying to look innocent. "Earlier?"

Mei gave him an unimpressed look, clearly seeing through him. "Don't give me that. You know exactly what I mean." He raised his eyebrows. "They talked to you before we started playing beach volleyball. What did they say?" He narrowed his eyes, giving him a warning look. "Don't even think about lying or dodging the subject. You promised you'd tell me."

Eijun should've known Mei wouldn't forget. He made a face, looking away from him. "It's not a big deal," he muttered.

"They teased you again, right? Plus, your face was red," Mei pointed out. "Just tell me."

Eijun flushed, glancing at Mei before looking down at the sand. "They… They mentioned how they met Jii-chan, Oyaji, and Wakana during our finals game."

"They mentioned that to me, too." Mei huffed. "They wouldn't listen to any of my questions. Honestly, they're so annoying sometimes."

Eijun looked back at him, meeting Mei's eyes. "They… They didn't say anything about my family, did they?"

Mei blinked before frowning a few moments later. "What, you mean like something bad?" He scoffed. "Who would have the nerve to say something bad about your family?" He narrowed his eyes. "If they did, I would've scolded them and made them apologize."

Eijun almost smiled, his chest warm. "That's not what I mean." He rubbed the back of his head at Mei's confused look. "They… They didn't…" Why was this so difficult? He took a deep breath, glancing at their joined hands. "They didn't say anything about dinner?"

"Dinner?" Mei still looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

… Did Mei seriously not know?

He wasn't messing with him, right?

Eijun wouldn't put it past Mei to mess with him, especially if Mei noticed how much trouble he had talking about the subject.

(Miyuki-senpai still loved teasing him, but he paled in comparison to Mei. Mei loved teasing him and messing with him whenever he got the chance. It was so annoying.)

He almost shot him a glare, but the genuine confusion in Mei's eyes stopped him. Was it possible… Mei really didn't know? "They want us to have a… family dinner."

Mei blinked. "A family dinner?" His jaw dropped, and if it were any other situation, Eijun would've felt amused. "You mean…" He pointed at Eijun before pointing at himself. "Your family and my family eating dinner together?"

"Us too." Eijun grinned sheepishly. "They want us to eat with them, too."

Wow.

Mei seriously didn't know about it.

Why didn't his family tell him about it?

They didn't do that on purpose, right?

He didn't know why Mei's family would do that on purpose, though.

… Then again, this was Mei's family.

(Maybe he shouldn't feel too surprised Mei's family loved messing with Mei as much as Mei loved messing with him.)

Mei scoffed. "Of course they do. They probably want to talk about our future and tease us a lot."

Eijun's flush darkened. "Y-Yeah, I can already imagine that happening." When Mei clicked his tongue, looking away from him, Eijun frowned, hating the way his heart twisted uncomfortably. "If you don't want to go, you don't have to."

He wouldn't like it, of course, but no one (not even Mei's family) was forcing him to go.

"Are you stupid?" Mei looked back at him, Eijun's eyes widening at his serious look. "There's no way I'm not going." He raised his eyebrows. "You really think I'd leave you alone with both our families for one evening?"

Eijun's heart jumped hopefully. "You mean you'll go?"

Normally, Mei might've insulted him, rolled his eyes at him, or even teased him about wanting to see him again.

This time, though, his eyes softened, causing Eijun to wonder if Mei could see the hope in his eyes. "It'll be nice to see your family again." He squeezed his hand gently. "And you know I'd never turn down an opportunity to see you again."

Eijun grinned a bright grin. "I'm glad, Mei! I'm really glad you'll be there!"

"You're so sappy." Mei rolled his eyes good-naturedly, his cheeks pink.

Eijun didn't take offense, especially when he noticed Mei's fond eyes. "I'm sure I won't be the only one." He squeezed Mei's hand. "My family will be happy to see you again."

Mei briefly looked away, rubbing the back of his head. "You think so?"

Eijun furrowed his eyebrows, not sure why he reacted like that. Normally, Mei would look smug and tell him that his family loved him. He understood a few moments later when he noticed the worry in Mei's eyes. "They're not angry with you." He smiled softly. "They trust me and my judgment and won't get involved in our relationship."

"But I hurt you." Mei frowned, regret in his eyes. "Again. And after I promised them I wouldn't."

Eijun hummed before smiling another soft smile. "I'm sure they know you didn't mean to. They might not know you as well as I do, but…" He held up their joined hands. "They know how much you like me. How much we want to stay together and make this work."

"And…" Mei frowned deeply. "And they're alright with that?"

Eijun sighed, stopping in place and turning to face Mei, causing Mei to do the same. He knew it would take time, but he hoped Mei would learn to forgive himself. It was one of Mei's bad habits. "If you're that worried, apologize to them the next time you see them." He gave him a reassuring grin. "I'm telling you right now, though, that you don't need to. They've already forgiven you. Just like I have."

Mei glanced at their joined hands. "You're sure they'll be happy to see me again?"

"Positive." Eijun grinned devilishly, leaning in close. "You know why?"

Mei shook his head, amusement in his eyes. "Why?" He leaned in close, copying Eijun.

"Because whenever I call them, I can't stop talking about you." Eijun's grin widened at Mei's surprised look. "I've done it ever since I told them about our relationship. Besides…" He gave him a teasing grin. "You know they love you." He huffed, almost pouting, the corners of his lips twitching. "Sometimes, I think they love you more than they love me."

Mei snorted, the corners of his lips twitching. "Can't say I'm surprised. You remember who I am, right?"

Eijun hummed, pretending to think before grinning devilishly. "A royal ass?" He laughed loudly when Mei glared at him.

Mei rolled his eyes, turning away and tugging him after him. "You don't tell them that, do you?" He looked back at Eijun, his eyes widening at Eijun's sheepish grin. "Wait, really?"

"I try not to badmouth you that much, but sometimes it… slips out." Eijun shrugged.

Mei snickered. "That sounds like you."

Eijun grinned sheepishly again.

They walked in silence, listening to the waves to their left and the cars driving on the road above them to their right. They could also hear some faint music coming from one of the restaurants.

Getting to walk along the beach like this with Mei…

It felt nice.

Eijun would be the first to admit he had felt uncertain about hanging out with Mei today.

It wasn't a matter of not wanting to see Mei again, as he loved it whenever he got to see Mei.

Practice was starting soon, though.

Miyuki-senpai, Kuramochi-senpai, Zono-san, and the rest of the third years had already retired from the team. Eijun would still get to see them at school, but he wouldn't get to see them in their normal spots on the field with everyone else.

(He tried to ignore the way his heart clenched at that thought. He had to get used to it.)

While he still wished they didn't have to retire, he felt grateful he and the rest of his teammates got to play together with them for as long as possible.

They couldn't look backward.

Only forward.

When practice started back up, they would be a new team.

Some things might change, but Eijun felt relieved and happy that some things (like his relationship with Mei) wouldn't change.

… If he was honest, he wouldn't mind if they got closer and Mei… loved him back.

He shook his head, shoving those thoughts aside, missing Mei's curious look.

Later.

He would think about that later.

While he had been thinking about confessing to Mei soon, it probably wouldn't be anytime soon.

(Assuming he could keep this mouth shut that long and Mei continued being patient, that is.)

"We should do this again."

Eijun blinked, turning his head to look at Mei. "Huh?"

Mei snorted at his inarticulate response. "I said we should do this again."

"Walking along the beach?"

Mei rolled his eyes. "No, you idiot. I mean our beach date. Except this time…" He squeezed his hand gently, giving him a serious look. "It will be just us."

Eijun's chest felt warm. His heart fluttered at Mei wanting to go out on another beach date with him. Well, a proper beach date. "Yeah, we definitely should." He grinned a bright grin, squeezing Mei's hand back. "You might be busy around this time next year, but I'll probably have retired from the team."

Mei hummed. "It's hard to say. I might have a game or practice around then." He winked. "I'll let you know. I know you're looking forward to it."

Eijun snorted, lightly bumping his right shoulder into Mei's left one. "I'm not the only one, and you know it."

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Mei smirked, tugging him closer, Eijun almost shivering at the dark look in his eyes. "I'll get to keep you to myself the whole day. No annoying teammates. No annoying family. Just you and me."

While he didn't agree that Mei's former teammates and family had been annoying, he understood what Mei meant.

Just him and Mei.

Eijun hoped it stayed like that for a very long time.

He grinned a bright grin, his eyes sparkling. "Sounds good to me. I'm not going anywhere."

Mei's eyes widened for some reason before softening. He smiled his soft, genuine smile.

Their beach date might not have gone as well as they hoped, but they had their future beach date to look forward to.

(… Well, that and they planned on going back to Mei's room after finishing their walk on the beach.)

Besides…

Walking along the beach like this with Mei, knowing they were finally alone…

That was the best part.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Author Notes: I hope y'all enjoyed this fic.

Reviews/Favorites/Follows are appreciated. Constructive Criticism is also appreciated.

I'm sorry this took so long. I don't know if y'all remember, but I had been talking about looking for a job. I didn't get that library job I wanted, but I got a job at my local supermarket. I'm so happy! I've been busy working and taking care of myself that I haven't had a lot of time to write. I finally got some time off this week and decided to work on this fic. I didn't think I'd finish it, but I'm happy I did.

sleepybob4 requested a beach fic where Eijun and Inashiro went to the beach with Mei's family, and I know it's been a while since you requested it, but I hope you and everyone else enjoyed this fic!

Y'all got to see Takumi again. Did y'all remember him? This appearance will probably be his last appearance for a while. Y'all will see him again, though. He still has to keep his promise to help Eijun after all 😉😉😉

For those wondering, that Sawamura and Narumiya family dinner talk… Y'all will get a plot bunny of that fic sometime in the future. I don't know if it will be anytime soon, as I've still got some plot bunnies I want to write before I start working on it.

Speaking of future fics… I already know what my next fic will be about. My next fic will be about something a lot of y'all have been waiting for: Mei realizing he loves Eijun! Y'all will also get a confession 😉😉😉 I'm excited to start writing it! I don't know how soon it will be up, considering I'll be working a lot, but I'll work on it whenever I get a day off.

See y'all next time!