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The inside of the store was much colder than it was out on the boardwalk. The hum of the shop's single air conditioning unit was low but persistent, and the whole room had the smell of artificial refrigeration. Tourist shops always had the same smell; it was odd, now that Reigen thought about it.
Mob stood beside a rack of swim shorts, looking for a pair that would fit the older man. At this point, Mob seemed to be more worried about finding some shorts in Reigen's size, more than he was worried about what they actually looked like. As evinced when Mob pulled out a pair with flamboyant pink flamingos on it, made even more eye-catching by the bright aqua background they were set against.
Mob held them out to his master for approval. Reigen quirked an eyebrow at him, crossing his arms. "No."
In the end, the 'no' turned into a reluctant 'fine' after Mob and Reigen confirmed that the flamingo shorts were the only ones that would fit Reigen in the whole store. "I suppose it is my fault," the blond man grumbled as they made their way to the register, "for not seeing the hole in my old swim trunks before packing them."
Mob laughed quietly at this, raising a curled hand to his mouth and closing his eyes. Watching him, Reigen blushed for a reason which had little to do with his own embarrassment.
While they waited in line to pay, Reigen noticed Mob looking at something on the checkout counter. There were all sorts of knick-knacks for sale there, little souvenirs which had little at all to do with the beach. Reigen wondered how a "mood ring" would aptly remind anyone of their fond memories on the coast. Shigeo was staring rather fixedly at a display of friendship bracelets. They seemed to be woven with pale hemp, decorated with beads of different colors. Reigen smiled at this.
"Want to buy some, Mob?" he asked, gently touching his elbow to Mob's bicep. Mob looked away from the bracelets quickly, staring up at Reigen with a slightly guilty expression on his face, as if he'd been caught doing something bad. "For Ritsu, maybe? I'm sure he'd appreciate it if you brought him back a souvenir."
Mob blushed, looked down for a moment before looking back up. "What about you, Master?" Reigen furrowed his eyebrows. "Would you... want to wear one with me?"
Mob was sixteen now, but he was still just a kid. Sometimes Reigen forgot what it was like to be at that age. Maybe Mob knew he'd forgotten, stumbling over his words to make the request. Adults didn't wear friendship bracelets after all.
Reigen smiled again. "Sure. Let's pick some out."
In the end, they left the store with matching twine around their wrists. Reigen had used the fitting room in the shop to change into his new swim wear, and it attracted quite a few looks from those around them. Of course, this didn't bother the older man, who was used to attracting attention.
As they walked down the boardwalk, side by side, their arms brushed and hands touched, but neither Mob nor Reigen reached out to grasp the other — they couldn't make it look purposeful, after all. Even if this was a town where they were outsiders looking in, the rules hadn't changed. They weren't the kind of people to throw complete caution to the wind.
On the beach, they set down their towels, then lathered themselves with sunscreen at Reigen's behest. Then they jumped into the sea. Unlikely as it was, Reigen was a good swimmer. He'd spent his summers as a child in the pools of his friends, his town, the lake, the beach. The habit had died off once he'd become an adult, but he still took to the water as if he'd never left.
Mob was less skilled, but all his time in the Body Improvement Club had paid off. He could hold his own against the sea. Together they jumped the waves and chased the tide. Sometimes they held hands or held onto each other, Reigen wrapping his arms around Mob's waist, holding him from behind as they braced themselves against the crashing surf. When there was an excuse, people tended not to wonder.
Exhausted, they hauled themselves out and trekked back to their towels. There were a number of umbrellas stationed around the beach, courtesy of the township itself, and Mob and Reigen had managed to secure one for themselves. Under its shade, Mob flopped to the ground, laying on his back.
Reigen stayed standing for a moment, watching as Mob's chest rose and fell with his breaths. His arm was thrown over his forehead, and his pale skin glistened with the tears of the sea, like pearls on silk. Reigen swallowed. Mob opened his eyes and looked at him.
It was an invitation, or a question. Reigen sat down and Mob propped himself on his elbows, sitting up. "Tired?" Reigen asked. His throat felt dry.
Mob nodded. "A little."
"Not from the exorcism this morning, I hope," Reigen said, going through the small stash of belongings they'd brought along with them. He handed Mob a bottle of tea.
They'd come to this coastal town on a job, of course. There always had to be a pretense in order for them to spend time together. Some immature spirit who got his kicks off of pantsing the visitors on this very beach. It hadn't seemed to give Mob any trouble when he'd gotten rid of him, but then again, power levels were a relative thing. Reigen, for example, wouldn't have been able to do anything against the spirit.
"Maybe it was the early start we had," Mob said after taking a sip of tea. He handed the bottle to Reigen who drank next. "I didn't get that much sleep last night."
Reigen felt a stab of guilt at this. Few middle schoolers wanted to spend their Saturday mornings up at the crack of dawn. It had been necessary though, to exorcise the spirit before the beach was officially opened to visitation. And he'd also had to account for the time it took to travel here.
"You can sleep some more during the ride home, if you want."
Mob blushed. "We'll see."
When Reigen opened a bag of chips for them to share, Mob's new bracelet fell into the bag as he was reaching for a handful. Mob seemed upset by this but Reigen only chuckled, asking Mob to hold out his wrist while retying it for the younger boy.
"I'm glad it didn't fall off while we were in the ocean," Mob mumbled, watching Reigen's deft fingers tie some kind of elaborate, decorative knot. Something much more complicated than the apparently ineffectual granny knot he'd tied himself.
"You know, it's always a little risky putting one of these on," Reigen said, tongue poking out between his teeth as he worked.
Shigeo's eyes widened a little and he pulled his arm closer to himself on reflex. "What do you mean?"
Reigen grinned. "Back when I was in school when these were a thing, the superstition went like this. If you put one of these on with someone else, then if it fell off and you lost it at some point, that meant your relationship with them was going to end."
The blond man pulled the ends of the two strings taut, then grasped Mob's wrist briefly before letting go. "But you won't have to worry about that happening in our case. There's no way that knot will ever come undone. It'll only fall off once the strings themselves are frayed, and that'll take a long time."
Shigeo held the bracelet up to his eyes, inspecting Reigen's handiwork. It was done well and carefully, impressively. It was just like Reigen to have an odd talent like this. Tying knots, picking locks, he possessed all sorts of esoteric skills.
Mob looked at him and said seriously, "I hope it stays on forever."
Reigen's terrible adult mind immediately made the jump from twine bracelets to much smaller, more expensive bands worn around the fourth finger. He felt his pulse quicken and promptly shoved down the flustered feeling in his chest. Not for another two years, he reminded himself. At minimum.
Reigen gave Mob a nervous smile, but he was genuine when he agreed, "Me too. Now, shall we go for another swim?"
---
Late afternoon found them strolling down the coast, salt on their skin, in their hair, sand crusted between their toes. Reigen carried their things with them in a bag slung over his shoulder while they walked, arms pressed together, fingers brushing. Not all those who walked along the beach at sunset were lovers, but most lovers did like to spend this intimate time of the day together. Mob and Reigen were no different.
When the sun sank below the horizon, they sat at the edge of the surf, letting it lick their heels. The lights on the boardwalk behind them came on, but in the safety of the dark, they felt emboldened. Mob laid against the wet sand and when the tide came in, it brushed against the tips of his ears, finely sifting his dark hair as it unfurled, then drew back in. His arms were twined over his head, wrists bent attractively as he blinked at Reigen with dark eyes. Reigen watched the picture he made for a moment, mesmerized, before moving over him. Mob adjusted his legs and Reigen knelt between them, dipping down to kiss Mob on the mouth.
When the sky opened up above them, they suddenly realized how long they'd spent kissing in the surf. Mob laughed quietly and the sound sent Reigen's heart into a spiral. He helped Mob up with a hand, then found some article of clothing to shield them as they ran to the parking lot, where they'd left the rental car. Of course, Mob could have used his powers to form a rain shelter for them. But somehow, under some tacit agreement, Mob and Reigen had looked at each other and decided that this was more fitting. This was what they would do today. When they fell into the car together, breathless, Mob wasted no time climbing over Reigen as he settled into the driver's seat.
Reigen pulled the seat back as far as it could go, groaning quietly as Mob fell to his neck, kissing him. "I hope we don't ruin the rental car."
He felt Mob smile against his skin. "It was in bad shape when we got it, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, but I didn't get the insurance," Reigen said distractedly. In his mind, he was wondering more about how many people had fucked in this car before they were about to. He decided he didn't want to know, especially with them both being soaked by the rain and the sea, it would only make things worse to dwell on it.
In the end, there was no lubricant because neither had brought any, knowing they weren't staying overnight. So Reigen made do and collected them both in his hand, used his fingers to work them together. Mob pressed his palms to Reigen's chest, trembling; head tipping back as he came, exposing the white column of his throat. Reigen chased after him, his face cradled in Mob's gentle hold. Mob wiped the come off his stomach with his fingers, then used it to jerk Reigen off to completion, forcing him to swear quietly while wrapping his arms around Mob's waist. Afterwards, they kissed affectionately. It was quiet inside the car, save for the sound of rain falling overhead.
The rental vehicle was rather old, Reigen realized, as he found the crank of his window on the door, rolling it down to let in some fresh air. It was cool and damp outside, the interior of the car warmed by their actions. Still holding Mob against him, Reigen reached for the extra towel in the backseat. He wiped Mob's hair first before wiping his own, then cleaned themselves of come as best he could.
Mob thanked him, touching their foreheads together. "This was fun."
The corner of Reigen's mouth quirked up. "Sex usually is, isn't it?" He put on a concerned face. "Unless you're telling me it hasn't usually been for you..."
Mob covered his mouth with his hand — the clean one, Reigen noted gratefully. The young esper smiled ruefully. "I meant this weekend." He pulled his hand away slowly. "I enjoyed it. Thank you, Master."
Reigen halfheartedly joked about making Mob's enjoyment his pay for this job, earning him an unamused stare. In reality, Reigen paid Mob a reasonable wage now, but it was starting to matter less and less when they shared so many expenses.
On the drive home, Mob had returned to the passenger's seat, his head pillowed against Reigen's folded jacket as he dozed against the window. Reigen had turned the heating on in an effort to dry their clothes. His wet swim trunks clung coldly to the backs of his thighs. What a poor move it had been, not to rent a car with seat warmers. On the empty highway, he fiddled with the radio, turning the volume low enough so as not to wake Mob. He needed some auditory stimulation though, lest he fell asleep by accident.
He settled on a station which crackled through the speakers, picking up the edge of its airwaves. As he listened to the nostalgic song being broadcast, he realized that he'd also had fun today. He and Mob took plenty of trips for jobs, but the further they travelled from home, the less consequences their actions had.
Briefly, Reigen imagined a scenario where they had no home at all — just moved around from one city to the next, moving on once they got to know too many people in one place. Of course, it was impossible, not when Reigen's business depended on its established reliability. Anyways, in two years it wouldn't matter what people thought. The worst others could do would be gossip. And Reigen knew Mob was not the type to deny himself something he wanted, only for fear of being alienated from others.
The only problem left then, was that Reigen sometimes wondered if he would be able to wait so long.
Stealing a glance at Mob's sleeping face, Reigen realized he didn't have much choice. He loved Mob as if the fact were part of himself. Mob nosed further into the folds of Reigen's jacket, smiling as if he could feel Reigen watching him — as if knew what he was thinking, and that he agreed and reciprocated. The affirmation was greater than any need for words. With warmth in his chest, Reigen refocused on the road as he listened to the dreamy song on the broken airwaves, and drove them safely home.