(Disclaimer: I do not own The Bad Guys; just Lilith and my other OC's.)

(AUthors Note: Hello dearesr readers and fellow writers! Thank you all so much for checking out this story and for reading this latest chapter. Enjoy!)

Chapter 6

-Wednesday Morning-

With an anxious spring in her step and a bright smile lining her heart-shaped face, Lilith adorned her two-piece red bikini swimsuit, and her sleeveless, knee-length, white crochet cover up dress, before then donning her sunhat, flip flops and sunglasses. Afterwards, she grabbed her beach towel and sunscreen, and placed them within her tote bag before retrieving her wallet and cellphone from the kitchen counter and placing them within the zippered pocket of said tote.

Grabbing a couple bottles of water from the fridge, she also placed them within her bag before grabbing her keys and heading out of her apartment and down the three flights of stairs towards the exit.

Once outside, Lilith hitched a ride on a public bus and rode it over to Black Cat Brew, where upon entering the cozy little shop, she was met with the heavenly aromas of freshly ground coffee and warm pastries.

"Good morning, dearie. What can I get for you today," Tabitha kindly asked as she transferred a tray of fresh baklava into the display case.

"Oh, actually, I'm waiting for Mr. Snake. I was going to get our orders today, seeing as how he treated me to coffee and scones last time."

"Ah, I see," she warmly smiled before setting the (now) empty tray aside and closing up the glass case. "Snake is lucky to have someone like you. I've never seen him smile so much since you came around."

"Really," Lilith asked with a soft blush, to which the older woman nodded:

"Indeed," she curtly nodded before adding, "I know not many of us humans would act so kindly towards him and his friends, simply because they're predators and former criminals, but I'm glad you're not like the others."

Out of the corner of her eye, Lilith suddenly noticed a framed picture hanging on the wall behind her: it depicted a loving couple standing on the beach, side by side with one another. The woman was a human, wearing a pretty pale blue dress and a crown of flowers in her hair, while the man was a lynx, wearing a formal suit and tie. Both had warm, happy smiles on their faces and were holding hands/paws.

Fully understanding where Tabitha was coming from in regards to predators and the prejudice they face, she gave the older woman a nod before gesturing towards the framed picture, "Is that your husband?"

Glancing over her shoulder with a smile, the barista gave the younger woman a nod, "It is."

"What's his name?"

"Ralph. He's been my partner in life for nearly 37 years."

"Wow, that's amazing!"

"Tell me about it," she softly laughed before the door opened to reveal a familiar serpent, which brought a warm smile to the younger woman's face:

"Good morning, Mr. Snake."

"And good morning to you too, Lilith," he replied with an equally bright smile as he slithered over towards the counter where Tabitha looked at the two of them with a knowing gaze before addressing the serpent:

"Morning, Snake. Would you like your usual order today?"

"I would. Thanks, Tabitha."

"Of course, dear. And for you, sweetie," she asked Lilith, to which she replied:

"May I have a blended white chocolate mocha and a piece of that delicious-looking baklava, please?"

"You certainly may. That'll be $10 even."

Reaching into her tote and retrieving her wallet from the zippered pocket, Lilith paid for their orders (as previously agreed upon) and gave Snake another smile. "I see you're ready for the beach," she gestured towards his sunglasses and lack of clothes, which he gave a nod:

"Yep! Of course, I could say the same about you," he noted while keeping his gaze on her face rather than the sheerness of her white crochet dress and bright red bikini underneath it.

XXXXX

Upon receiving their orders and bidding Tabitha farewell, Snake and Lilith stepped out of the coffee shop and casually made their way over to the beach. By the time they arrived, their drinks and treats were gone, to which they disposed of their garbage in a waste bin before walking along the shore and taking in the scenery.

"So, Lilith, do you come to the beach often?"

"Not as often as I'd like," she admitted with a sigh before the two of them spotted a familiar pair of aquatic individuals sunbathing nearby.

"Hey, hermano! I thought you were going out on your date today," Piranha noted with a smirk as gave Lilith a knowing wink, causing her to softly giggle.

"I am on my date," Snake replied as Shark sat up and gave a grin:

"Nice! A trip to the beach is always a win. By the way, you guys are welcome to use our spot. Piranha and I were just about to go swimming for a bit."

"That's very kind of you, Mr. Shark. Thanks," Lilith politely bowed her head as he and his freshwater friend stood up and gave a nod before happily running out into the water. Glancing over at Snake, she gave him a smile and set her bag down before retrieving her towel and laying it upon the ground (underneath the large beach umbrella). "Well, I don't suppose you'd mind helping me with applying some sunscreen. I can't quite reach my back," she admitted as she removed her crochet dress and placed it within her tote before retrieving her sunscreen and sitting down upon her towel.

"Y-Yea, I don't mind." Thickly swallowing his nerves, Snake slithered over and applied some of the lotion across her back before using his coils to gently rub it into her fair skin. "How's this?"

"Mmm, that's nice. You'd make a great masseuse, Mr. Snake."

"Heh, thanks, Lilith," he lightly chuckled as he applied some sunblock to her shoulders and the back of her neck before handing her the bottle and allowing her to finish applying the rest to her exposed skin.

Upon finishing, she asked, "So, would you like to resume our walk or sit and watch the waves for a while?"

"Hmm, why don't we sit for a little while and enjoy the scenery. We'll resume our walk when Shark and Piranha return from their swim."

"Sounds good to me," she smiled before laying herself down upon her beach towel, to which he coiled up beside her and flicked out his tongue to taste the air around them, while a content look settled upon his face.

This was nice. He could definitely get used to this.

XXXXX

-Later-

After enjoying the ocean scenery for roughly an hour, Snake and Lilith resumed their walk along the beach before heading up to the boardwalk for some ice cream. Stepping into the little shop, the pair were greeted by a pair of timid-looking teenagers:

"H-Hi, welcome to Creamscapes. What can I get you both," the cashier asked.

"Ladies first," Snake gestured to the young woman beside him, to which she blushed and gave him a smile before answering:

"I'll take a scoop of Peaches & Cream and a scoop of Summer Strawberry in a sugar cone, please and thank you."

"Alright, and f-for you, sir?"

"Yea, I'll take a scoop of Triple Fudge Brownie and a scoop of Mint in a sugar cone, please."

"Okay, your total is $12 even," the first teen noted and rang up their orders, while the second set to work preparing them, to which Snake coughed up his wallet and paid for their ice cream before placing a couple bucks in the adjacent tip jar and swallowing his wallet once more.

Upon receiving their ice cream, he and Lilith exited the shop and casually resumed walking along the boardwalk. With a smile he curiously asked, "So, how is it?"

"Mmm, delicious! Thank you."

"No problem."

"Would you like a taste," she offered, to which his eyes widened in surprise.

"Uh, yea, sure. But only if you'd like a taste of mine," he added with a smile, bringing a soft dusting of pink to her cheeks:

"Of course." With that, they took a lick of each other's ice cream before resuming with eating their own at a leisurely pace.