A/N: Thanks so much for all your support, everyone! I was genuinely surprised when I saw so much interest in just the first chapter after I'd been inactive for a while. I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D

The two teams reassumed their positions and Diamond Dust continued the match. After Burn's sporadic little stunt, Prominence decided to resume their regular pace for whatever reason. But Gazel wasn't going to wait around until they pulled another trick. Once the ball crossed the net, he jumped into mid-air, lacking need for support like Burn did, and kicked the ball with so much power that it flew over his rival's head, away from the field and towards two random beach-goers.

"Ah, watch out—!" Gazel started, but just as one them was about to get hit, his companion suddenly stepped in front of him and almost effortlessly blocked the ball with his bare chest. It was then that Burn and Gazel, along with the rest of their teams, recognized both individuals with ease.

"… Gran." Burn's confident voice had mysteriously swapped to a grumpy one when Hiroto approached them. In one hand was the lost volleyball, in the other was Midorikawa's. The greenhead, shyly following, was visibly recovering from the shock that had come with Hiroto's save. Seeing as his back had been turned to the volleyball field, he had no idea he was a target until Hiroto jumped in.

"'Hiroto' is just fine," Hiroto corrected with that smile Burn and Gazel both hated so much. If there was one purpose behind their vacation, it was to have fun and leave the past behind. It was almost typical that their ex-superior had decided to put a dent in that plan, even if it was by accident. Similar to their captains, their teammates didn't seem exactly happy to see him either.

Hiroto observed the field, then the benches, and continued to smile at his fellow captains. "Fired up as always, I see?" He neatly spun the ball on his index finger before tossing it back to Diamond Dust's half.

"Che." Burn crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "And what about you? Having a fun beach day with your girlfriend?"

Midorikawa tensed at the mocking tone behind that word, but Hiroto's expression remained unchanged. He glanced at his companion before returning his gaze to Burn. "Last time I checked," he started matter-of-factly, "Ryuuji was my boyfriend."

Proclaiming the lowest rank captain as his romantic partner was embarrassing enough, but everyone within earshot of Hiroto's words particularly froze at the 'last time I checked'-part. Midorikawa received the biggest blow, not only reddening furiously but also shooting the redhead a desperate look. Not knowing what to do, he pounded his fist on Hiroto's shoulder. "H-Hiroto!"

Hiroto simply chuckled him off and greeted his siblings with a wave. "Well, I'll leave you to it then. Until later."

"Hopefully very much later, disgusting pervert…" Burn grumbled under his breath while the couple walked off. Once they were left alone, the teams refocused on each other and he gave Gazel a grin. "Who was the one with anger management issues again?"

Even with the net in the way, Gazel's opponents were able to spot a vague blush on his cheeks. He hadn't meant to kick the ball so far, but his anger towards Burn had temporarily overtaken him. He regained himself by stroking his hair once more and lifting his chin, tilted towards the sea, with dignity. "Hmph. I'm sure you will be the one to make that clear by the end of the match, when you're incapable of swallowing defeat like the loser you are."

One of the veins on Burn's face became dangerously visible. "Is that so…? Let's see who'll have the last word then, shall we, Gazel?"

"Yes, I agree," Gazel nodded, and he tossed the ball over the net to let Prominence have the next throw. His own shot couldn't have been more out, after all. As the match went on, both the players and the audience became more and more lively. While Diamond Dust did their best to even the score, Prominence tried just as hard to prevent them from it. But at one fateful point, Gazel once again intercepted the ball in the air, and this time, sent it flawlessly to the right back corner of the field.

It was the ice half of the audience that got to applaud this time, and Gazel grinned as Burn retrieved the ball with gritted teeth. "There, now we're even. Can we finally start playing seriously?"

He definitely knew how to push Burn's buttons. First calling him a bad loser, and now indicating what he and his team had been doing so far was mere child's play. Burn clenched his hands onto the ball while he forced a grin in Gazel's direction. "Trust me," he hissed, "I won't hold back."

And so he didn't, and neither did the other seven players. The game was now even more exciting due to the balanced score, which both Prominence and Diamond Dust were determined to tip to their own side. The players attempted another kick at times, but their opponents were prepared and always caught the ball with their heads. No one even seemed to care anymore whether the move was allowed or not. Their friends on the bench got so loud that even other tourists stopped to have a curious look. It was clear from first sight that this match wasn't just a friendly game; both teams played as though their lives depended on it. Maybe not their lives, but definitely their reputation – at least Burn and Gazel's. They may have made the decision to combine their strength in soccer, but in every situation that was capable of spawning a competition, they were bent on defeating each other.

Unfortunately, Clara blew the end whistle before either side managed to grasp another point. To no one's surprise, the match ended in a draw. Panting, most of the participants wiped their sweaty foreheads and went to get something to drink, while their captains approached each other and Burn patted Gazel on the shoulder. "Better luck next time, I suppose."

"Yeah," Gazel grinned, a soft, playful grin. "I'll admit that you're almost as good as me. I suppose I'll have to train a little more before I can make you bite the dust."

"Don't get ahead of yourself now; I won't let Prominence fall behind so easily." To Gazel's surprise, Burn squeezed his nose between his thumb and forefinger for a moment. He blinked, then touched it as if afraid Burn had left something there. He had never made such a gesture before. That is, not since they were kids.

Burn just grinned and pointed towards a beach restaurant. "Wanna come with? I think we could all use some ice cream after sporting in this weather."

Gazel slowly nodded in agreement, and decided forget Burn's little antic on their way to the restaurant. After their friends had chosen their ice cream of choice, he decided to go with a cone that consisted of four multi-flavoured scoops. Burn, who went for a simple popsicle, observed the thing in wonder. "I see that habit hasn't changed a bit."

Gazel understood he meant the fact that he'd always gone for such extravagant cones as far as they could remember. "Want to taste?" he teased, holding the cone in Burn's direction, but Burn just rolled his eyes and snapped a "No."

The couple returned to their part of the beach and went to sit at the edge of their water, where they could dip in their feet. Gazing into the horizon, they licked their snack in silence until Burn spoke up: "We haven't competed like that in a while."

"Yeah," Gazel answered. "We never had much of a chance to after we decided to work together." He slowly turned his head to Burn, wondering if he should speak the next words on his mind, but the redhead was ahead of him: "I liked playing against you."

Slightly surprised, Gazel felt his cheeks warm up a little, and he quickly cast his eyes back on the ocean. "… yeah," he repeated in a softer tone. He liked competing with Burn. In fact, he loved it. The excitement, the adrenaline; putting his all into a game to see which one was stronger… It never got boring, even if their equal status never seemed to want to change. But he was fine with that. Gazel was actually glad they were on the same level. It was different when they were kids: when Burn was rash and sure of himself, just like he was now. But Gazel used to be quiet, introverted, wimpy even. He never dared to take risks or even initiate contact with his siblings. Burn used to be ahead of him on many levels… but he had caught up, as his rival and his friend. At this point, Gazel couldn't be more content.

Burn broke him out of his thoughts by saying: "We have more than half of the day left. What do you want to do?" It was a minor detail that probably went by unnoticed on his friend's part, but Gazel was inwardly glad that Burn insinuated he wanted to spend the rest of the day with him.

"I don't mind another swimming lesson," he started, "and I think Droll brought a kite with him." Then he grinned, threw a thumb over his shoulder, and added: "Or we could follow their example."

Burn looked behind them and saw Barra, who had only managed to cover Bomber's legs so far. With their heights being polar opposites, it was going to take a while for her to complete her mission. To his credit, Bomber possessed the patience of a saint. He didn't seem to mind the sun if it meant doing his little sister a favor.

Burn shot his co-captain a look and softly punched his shoulder. "Forget it. Though I might change my mind if you're the one who's being buried…"

"You wish," Gazel smirked, and Burn smirked back. "The kite doesn't sound too bad, but I don't feel like swimming right now. Particularly because of that."

Gazel followed his finger to the water and saw what he meant. Hiroto and Midorikawa must've found their own spot on the beach, because they were now playing with a beach ball. Gazel rolled his eyes back to Burn. "Are you seriously going to let them keep you from entering water? Just swim somewhere else."

"Che," Burn pouted stubbornly. "I don't like those two. Gran is an ass and Reize is a wimp. He always clings to him like some helpless little duckling, it's pathetic." Surprisingly, that comment brought a smile to Gazel's face. He wondered if Burn realized he had once been the same with him.

"Anyway," Burn continued when Gazel refrained from speaking, "I think I'll lie in the sun a bit. I could use some relaxation after so much exercise."

Gazel nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. I'll follow your lead and grab a book, then." He quickly finished his ice cream, seeing as Burn had already licked up his popsicle at this point. But just as he was about to stand, the other boy suddenly grasped his shoulder. "Wait. There's some left."

Gazel could only blurt out an "Eh—?" as Burn closed in on him and licked the spilled chocolate ice cream off his cheek. It took one split second, but that was all his heart needed to skip a beat, only to resume at a ridiculous pace. Gazel eventually realized he was idly staring at a confused-looking Burn, but he was so baffled that he found himself unable to do anything else. First the hug in the water, then that thing with his nose, and now this… Not to mention how good it had felt when Burn rubbed his hands on his back. His body, as well as his mind, reacted in the strangest way whenever he got a little too close.

"What—what was that for?!" Gazel's red cheeks grew a darker shade when he nearly tripped over his words. He couldn't help it; Burn's oh-so-innocent gestures affected him a way he had no idea how to handle.

Burn raised his eyebrows, obviously unaware of Gazel's inner turmoil, and indifferently responded: "Did you want that last bit so bad? Sorry, didn't realize it was that important to you."

"T-that is not the point, you idiot!" Gazel stared at him in total disbelief. How could he be so casual about it, as if licking each other's face was the most normal thing in the world?

Burn needed another moment to catch on, but after a few seconds of awkward silence, he flashed a knowing grin and folded his arms. "Aah, I see now. You're embarrassed about what I did. How cute."

"I-it's not cute—!" Gazel started, but Burn let out a laugh and started walking to his beach spot. To him, the conversation was clearly over, which only added to Gazel's frustration. As if touching him at unexpected places wasn't enough, he now thought invading his personal space with his tongue was totally okay as well. Well, it wasn't. And neither was the fact that he cut off the subject as if it wasn't worth talking about. Not that Gazel had a clue what to say, anyway.

Still red-faced, he spun away from Burn with a huff and made for his parasol, where he plopped down and searched the book he brought. He wasn't aware that he was being observed by the very person who messed up his feelings. Burn continued to watch him and his cutely grumpy face a little longer, before he lay down on his towel with his hands under his head. He shut his eyes with a grin. It sure was fun teasing that Gazel. He was always so composed, sometimes even apathetic, but Burn knew better than anyone how to make his frantic side appear. That made Gazel even more fun to be with than he already was. On one hand, he provided a challenge, but on the other, his heart of ice melted when Burn said or did certain things.

Of course, Burn realized these 'things' were anything but ordinary. If Gazel did them to him, he'd most likely have the same reaction – or even worse, given his temper. But he'd already admitted to himself that he liked being this close to Gazel. It was the only explanation as to why his sunscreen request had fazed him earlier, and why he then grabbed every opportunity to touch him. He didn't know why, but he didn't bother hiding it either. Especially when Gazel kept up those adorable reactions. Unless the boy told him to, he saw no reason to distance himself from the one who made his life so enjoyable. And with that thought, Burn let the warmth of the sun soothe him to sleep.

"Burn… Burn…"

When a familiar voice shook him out of his nap, the first thing Burn noticed was that it was hot. Ridiculously so. Rather than a beach, he felt as if he was waking up in a sauna. He opened his eyes to find Gazel next to him, knees in the sand. He was smiling for whatever reason.

"What's up?" Burn asked, planting his hands in the sand so he could push himself up. But Gazel was quicker and suddenly spread one leg to Burn's other side, so that he was sitting on top of him. Burn had no chance to react before he placed his hands next to his own and hovered closer, practically forcing him to lie back down.

"G-Gazel?!" Burn stammered with wide eyes. "What do you think you're doing, there are people around!" But when he turned his head from left to right, he saw he was wrong. The beach was entirely void of other tourists, even their own teammates. Burn would've gladly questioned this mysterious occurrence if he could, but Gazel laid a finger on his lips before he could speak.

"Shh," he breathed, letting that same finger trail down Burn's throat, chest, stomach, and a place Burn definitely thought he wouldn't ever deliberately touch.

"G-Gazel?!" he repeated, and he groaned under his breath when Gazel spontaneously rubbed between his legs. He looked up at his seductive, charismatic, absolutely gorgeous face, and at that moment, Burn lost his sense of restraint just as easily as him. Suddenly, nothing seemed important anymore; not the empty beach, not the scorching temperature, not whatever motive Gazel had that drove him to touch him like this. All Burn knew was that he liked it, and the heat that bothered him at first was actually starting to set the mood.

Their surroundings began to emanate a sensual red, as if a gradient had fallen over them, and Burn noticed how everything that wasn't Gazel faded into a blur. Strangely unfazed by it, he clasped onto Gazel's cheeks so he could lock lips with the boy. Gazel gladly returned the kiss with the exact amount of passion Burn desired. He let their tongues meet and the redhead muffled another moan into his mouth when he slid his hand inside his trunks, skin to skin.

"G-Gazel…" Burn whispered, his eyes closed by the time Gazel pulled back and shifted his lips to his neck. Burn threw his arms around him and buried one hand in his silver locks, thoroughly enjoying the kisses, the licking, even the love bites. Not to mention the provocative movements inside his trunks. He had no idea what possessed Gazel to do this, especially after pissing him off, but it wasn't like he gave a damn in the first place. His longing for contact grew with each passing second, he craved more and more of Gazel's delicious gestures, and he could only hope at this point that his lover wouldn't stop until he was satisfied.

Burn rose from his towel with a yelp. The image of Gazel coming onto him distorted into that of the real world. The real world where the beach had normal colours and was crawling with tourists, and where the temperature wasn't abnormally high. Burn was so distressed that he couldn't help but pant, despite having rested for God knows how long. He grabbed his sweaty forehead and stared at the end of his towel without really fixating on it. Even after acknowledging the last two minutes had been a dream, the only thing he could concentrate on was his silver-haired co-captain. He remembered how easily he'd welcomed his advances, how he'd accepted the submissive role without an effort. Granted, none of it had been real, but… it felt terrifyingly real. As if Burn wouldn't mind being in such a position. Where has completely dependent on Gazel's good will, about to be spoiled rotten in the most intimate way…

Lowering his head, Burn discovered his dream felt a little more real than he would've liked. His face reddened completely at the bulge in his trunks, and he haphazardly shoved his bag between his crossed legs to hide it. God dammit, for how long had he been lying there with an erection?! How many people had seen it? He inspected the environment and felt a sense of relief when he saw there was not a single person giving him some kind of disgusted look. Okay, good. That must mean it hadn't been there for long. But still, dreaming of Gazel in such an erotic way was bad enough; his privates only confirmed the assumption that he would green-light the whole thing in real life. Burn bit his lip in shame. He already knew he enjoyed being close to Gazel, but he didn't think it'd be thisclose…!

"Burn."

Burn blurted out another squeal and needed to hold back a third when he saw Gazel next to him. He promptly covered his mouth, just staring at the boy. When the hell did he get here—?!

Gazel, now wearing a straw hat, raised an eyebrow in confusion. The sight of a panicked Burn was particularly rare, and the one of him grabbing onto an inanimate object for comfort even more so. "I take it you had a nightmare…?"

If only that were true. Burn shook his head, then wondered what the hell he was supposed to answer, then decided he'd better change the subject. "—h-how long did I sleep?"

"About two hours," Gazel answered. "I guess you were enjoying the sun a little too much." He beamed a sudden smirk. "You looked so cute like that, smiling in your sleep like a child."

Burn managed to shoot him a look. He couldn't care less about smiling in his sleep; as long as Gazel didn't notice his erection, he was fine. But he had been out for two whole hours…? He thought his nap would take approximately 30 minutes, at most. "What have you been doing all this time…?"

Gazel raised the bucket Burn had failed to notice before. "Went to collect seashells. There are some nice ones out here." Well, that explained the straw hat. They both knew he was too vulnerable to the sun if he stayed in it too long without some kind of refreshment. Gazel placed his findings next to the towel in case Burn wanted to have a look, but he made no effort to peek into the bucket. Having his question answered, he just wanted to be left alone so his crotch could calm the fuck down. It didn't exactly help that the object of his desire was right next to him, with only one item of clothing to cover him up.

Noting his unusual silence, Gazel couldn't help but wonder if something had happened to Burn while he was asleep. He was on the edge of inquiring, but then figured Burn would merely snap at him to go away. So he decided instead to address the matter he'd come for: "Anyway, I came to tell you the others are about to start a sandcastle contest. You're free to join."

Burn scoffed at him. "Sandcastles? I'm not a five-year-old."

"Apparently you are, because you aren't even smart enough to know that certain sandcastles can be real pieces of art," Gazel grinned. He picked up his bucket and started walking to his parasol. "I'm participating. Feel free to jump in anytime."

Burn raised his eyes heavenward, but then lowered them with a sigh. Now that Gazel was no longer fixated on him, it didn't take long for his erection to disappear. But even when his excitement did, his concern stayed behind. Burn had never experienced a sexual dream before, at least not as far as he could remember. Gazel didn't appear in his dreams often in the first place, and when he did, they were usually competing against each other, much like in real life. But this was something entirely different… and Burn found it surprisingly hard to ignore. He couldn't just shrug it off when it affected him to the point of making him wonder if he had actual… feelings for him. It would definitely explain his desire to be close, and to have… sex. Burn gulped at the thought. Did that mean Gazel only attracted him in a physical fashion, or was he infatuated with his personality as well? True, he was stubborn, arrogant, annoying as hell… but Burn already knew he secretly liked those qualities. What shocked him was that he apparently liked them to this extent.

The redhead perked up when Gazel passed him on his way to the contest site, not far from his beach spot. Unlike the volleyball match, where the amount of players was limited, most of their friends participated this time. Even Bonitona, who could tan for hours, had decided to form a team with Rean and Barra. Burn shifted his gaze to the left and saw his little sister had finally succeeded her task: Bomber was buried from neck to toe in sand, and had fallen asleep somewhere along the way. Burn shook his head with a grin. That big, snoring doofus. Examining the contestants a little more, he noticed this game wasn't going to be team against team either. Here, it was every man for himself.

Burn gave the idea of joining a little more thought, but then decided to have a change of heart. He needed distraction from the last five minutes that had practically bombarded him, and it wasn't like he had much else to do. Besides, people to interact with and play against provided plenty of other things to think about. Such as how he was going to beat them – one in particular – all down.

Burn got up from his towel and jogged over to Gazel, who turned around when he placed a hand on his shoulder. "I wanna join the contest."

Gazel smiled at him. "Wise choice. Pick any spot you like, there's plenty of room," he motioned.

Burn nodded, but just as he was about to do exactly that, something came to mind. "… hey…" he started confusedly, "who's the judge anyway?"

Gazel's smile suddenly altered to grin, and Burn knew he was screwed before he even answered: "I am." He pinched Burn's nose, mimicking his own gesture, and added: "Good luck in the contest, Haruya-chan. Make me proud."

A blush spread on Burn's face and he took a quick step back. "You—?!" he stammered indignantly.

Gazel casually heaved his shoulders. "My teammates asked, and yours don't seem to have a problem with it. Not that I have a prize to give or anything." Then his grin appeared again. "You're not going to tell me you have a problem with it, are you?"

Burn gritted his teeth. Well, that certainly explained Gazel's cheerful behavior. Who wouldn't be cheerful after tricking their rival into joining a contest where they could either praise or crush him? For one moment, Burn considered making his castle absolute crap, perhaps even withdraw altogether, but he realized that would only back up Gazel's words about being incapable of swallowing defeat. On top of that, he could still challenge him by creating something that would blow his mind. If this contest wasn't going to be about earning a prize, it was going to be about fazing him.

Burn huffed and poked Gazel on the chest. "Just you wait, princess. I'll show you something great." He spun on his heel and marched off before Gazel could answer, but even after he'd found an empty spot, he wondered how he could fulfill his promise. He wasn't exactly a pro at these things, nor was he bursting with his ideas. He shut his eyes and continued to ponder, until he remembered what he had just called Gazel and an idea spontaneously hit him.

A/N: I hope you liked it up till here, minna-san. :3 One more chapter after this~