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The air hits in a different way when you’re sitting in a bus with your best friend sitting next to you. And you’re about to have a day out at the beach, right after the last day of school.
Riku and Daeyoung had just left their last class before the summer holidays. Their backpacks sat at their feet, making sure no one could tell what they had inside (they didn’t bring any book or school supplies, Riku’s was full of snacks, meanwhile Daeyoung had a volleyball (Riku’s) and their beach towels inside).
Their life was almost ordinary. They went to school like any other seventeen-year-old, they had friends whom they hung out with, they were disciplined. The only thing that differentiate them from all the other kids at their high school was their relationship.
One couldn’t say they weren’t best friends but one couldn’t also say they were. No best friends at their age acted like they did. And everyone noticed, their closest friends, their families, their acquaintances, random people who saw them at the canteen together or at school in general.
So the warm July air really hits differently and your heart beats faster when you realize you’re taking your foreign crush to the beach you’ve always visited with your family as a kid.
Takasu Beach was the closest beach to Fukui Riku knew, where they both lived. The ride from their high school was almost 50 minutes but it seemed like 10, since they were together. And they would never get bored together.
They spent all 50 minutes looking and smiling at each other, talking about everything they could think of, laughing and holding hands all the time.
The sun hit Riku’s gentle face the whole ride. Daeyoung couldn’t believe he was the only one who could see him like this. His honey-like skin glowed under the rays that colored him, making him shine even more than how he already does. Daeyoung pitied the bus driver and everyone in that bus, they didn’t have the privilege to sit near him and listen to his sweet voice and look at his glowing skin and breathtaking smile.
The bus moved fast, and in what seemed like 10 minutes they were already at the bus stop near the beach. Riku was visibly shaking from excitement. After putting their backpacks on, he took Daeyoung’s hand and sprinted out the bus, running to the beach and almost making the Korean boy trip on his own feet.
“Wait! Riku calm down!” Daeyoung’s voice sounded strained from laughter, he tried his best to keep up with Riku’s pace. “My pants are falling, wait!” Daeyoung tried again, his pants weren’t falling, indeed. But anything to make Riku slow down.
“Don’t care! You’re wearing your swimsuit under anyways!” Riku replied with a heavy tone, smiling like crazy, his breath stopping in his lungs. He kept running until they reached the beach.
Riku finally stopped running. Daeyoung bumped into him, making both of them almost fall over. Riku didn’t hesitate to leave Daeyoung’s hand and take off his shoes and socks. And Daeyoung, almost involuntarily mirroring his movements, did the same thing.
The sand was soft, thin, dainty. Their feet almost sank in it. Daeyoung didn’t remember the last time he went to a beach. Or the last time he had so much fun. Everyday was fun, if Riku was in it, but especially today, there was something special, something fizzy, something that he couldn’t quite capture in his head.
Maybe it was the warm July air that somehow still felt fresh and chill. Maybe it was the sand, creeping up on his legs when they started walking on it, creating that weird textured layer between the skin and the jeans. Maybe it was Riku’s hand.
Riku had taken his hand, again, after carefully placing all his stuff (socks and shoes) in the other, always keeping one free hand to take Daeyoung’s.
The beach was surprisingly almost empty. Some kids were running with their kites up in the air and their parents were chasing them, trying to catch them in case they fell. Daeyoung smiled at the view, feeling his palm sweating on Riku’s.
He won’t care, everything’s fine. He can’t feel it, and if he does, he won’t say anything. It’s embarrassing. God.
Daeyoung’s head was on fire. Not literally, even though the sun hit his scalp so bad he could feel it burn. But he couldn’t stop thinking. About everything.
About how he could win Riku over, how he could make their day perfect and never make Riku stop smiling. He couldn’t see his face yet, since Riku was basically dragging him by the hand, but he hoped he never stopped smiling.
“Daeyoung” Riku stopped moving, looked around for a bit and, without leaving Daeyoung’s hand, he bent down to put the shoes on the sand.
“This might be the perfect spot in the whole beach, trust me. The sun goes down in that direction” He pointed straight where the sea was in front of them. “We’ll have the perfect view later!” And for the first time in 20 minutes, he left his hand definitively.
Their jeans got so dirty so fast, since they both carelessly threw them onto the sand to sprint in the sea. Oh and their hair. God, their hair was so dirty as well.
They may have also been 17, but right now, they looked like two 5 year old kids who can’t stop splashing each other and giggling all the time while diving under the sea and swimming so bad even an actual 5 year old would be embarrassed.
And neither of them cared about the too-cold water or the kite kids judging them from afar. It was like they were in their own world.
“Riku!! Stop splashing me, I have so much sand in my hair right now!” Daeyoung whined and complained while Riku was laughing his ass off, ready to splash him again the exact second later. And so he did, right after he had nodded as an apology. This traitor.
“HEY!” Daeyoung yelled when, after the wave (Riku’s splash), he heard Riku laughing at him. Also, he only heard him because his eyes were too busy burning with the amount of salted water inside them. When he finally managed to rub it all out and finally opened his eyes, he saw how Riku looked.
And not just looked at him. He saw him.
Saw how his dripping wet skin reflected the sun rays, how his hair was so messy from the water, how his eyes became all red and how his fingers looked so pruned. He hoped he was at least half as beautiful as him.
His eyes softened when he saw Riku smiling back at him, he didn’t even realize he was smiling at him. Too lost in his thoughts.
Daeyoung was a very obvious boy, everyone but Riku knew about his crush. And he couldn’t help it, his face had subtitles on. But apparently Riku didn’t know how to read. Maybe his subtitles were in Korean?
“Can we go dry a little bit and then do something? I wanna teach you some volleyball basics” And how could Daeyoung say no?
Okay, sure. One single towel was too little for two people.
“Why didn’t we bring three towels? One for you, one for me and one to sit on!” They were sitting very closely on one single towel, with the other towel wrapped on both their bodies as best as they could get it on.
Their shoulders touched, their thighs too and Daeyoung could almost feel Riku shaking next to him.
“I’m sorry! My backpack was too small to fit three!” Daeyoung apologized with a little bow and immediately took the small piece of towel that hugged his still wet body, protecting him from the chilly wind.
He wrapped it around Riku’s body. “Take it, I- don’t need it”
Riku shyly smiled as Daeyoung almost hugged him to wrap it on his body. And Daeyoung almost missed how his face became all red. Riku was shivering, his body still damp and his swimsuit still drenched. Not only did he have the towel around him now, Daeyoung was hugging him too.
“Is it better like this?” Daeyoung whispered into his ear, resting his chin on Riku’s shoulder, feeling bold as Riku looked so vulnerable. Riku nodded and, under the towel, his hands moved to reach Daeyoung’s, which were still around him.
“You already know the answer” Riku let out a giggle, caressing Daeyoung’s arm. Now it was Daeyoung’s turn to be shy, he didn’t feel as bold anymore. He nodded, hiding his face in the crook of Riku’s neck, tickling him with his wet hair.
“You’re so cute, Daeyoungie” Riku laughed, his hands found their way to Daeyoung’s head, patting it a couple of times. “Do you wanna play a bit?”
The sand was still soft, fine, and it crept on their bodies as they literally threw themselves on the ground to catch the ball.
Riku finally had the chance to teach some volleyball to Daeyoung but it didn’t seem to go very well.
“Daeyoung! You have to throw the ball at me! Not at the sea!”
“I can’t align it well!” They were almost yelling and Riku almost died from laughing. Daeyoung was so ridiculous but at least he was trying. Cute.
“I told you how to do it, do you need more?” Daeyoung dramatically fell on his knees, laughing at how Riku’s patience was almost at its limit.
He lifted his head only to see Riku walking towards him, with the ball in his hands and a sneaky smile on his face.
“C’mere” Daeyoung got up, his knees full of sand which he didn’t bother to wipe off. Riku got closer, stood behind him and took his right wrist. He made him raise his arm until it was at the perfect height to throw the ball the right way. Daeyoung couldn’t even pay attention to what he was doing, too distracted by the warmth of Riku’s body, the sun had helped them dry.
“It’s easy.. You just-” Daeyoung’s brain blocked out whatever Riku said when he left his hand just to touch his hips. Was it necessary in order to learn volleyball? Daeyoung guessed it was.
“Got it?” Riku separated from him and was now looking him in the eyes. Daeyoung hesitated before nodding. He was screwed.
“I knew it! C’mon, show me!” Riku was so excited too, oh God Daeyoung hadn’t heard a word. He tried anyways, making his best effort to remember at least the movements Riku was making his body do. He picked the ball up and when Riku walked back to his side of the court, Daeyoung replayed all he could remember in his head.
He did exactly what Riku taught him and the boy could see the genuine effort. Riku was ready to catch the ball and throw it back at him again, he was already in his position. So Daeyoung ran and did his best, throwing the ball to the other side of the (invisible) net.
The ball fell in the water again.
Riku bursted out laughing again, louder than ever while he saw Daeyoung getting desperate on the other side.
“I was so- so sure you would’ve made it” Riku held his belly while endearingly laughing at his friend, while Daeyoung was almost rolling on the sand.
“It’s not fair, I’m not made for this at all!” Daeyoung laughed too, not embarrassed to suck at volleyball. He was glad Riku could laugh like that because of him, even if it meant sucking at something.
He got recomposed quickly when he noticed the ball getting a little too far in the sea. “Oh my, I’m gonna go catch the ball!”
Riku nodded softly, watching as Daeyoung ran in the water before they could lose the ball.
“Fuck..” He sighed, slapping his cheek twice to regain control of his thoughts. “I love him.” He murmured under his breath, when he made sure he was far away from him.
Daeyoung was lucky, he was able to catch the ball on time and bring it back to the mainland. Riku felt sorry for him. The sun was going down already and now he had to dry again, and his swimsuit was dripping all over. Luckily he didn’t have to get his hair wet again though.
Riku quickly ran to their stuff, grabbing the driest towel of the two, and handed it to Daeyoung as soon as he was out of the water. Poor Daeyoung, he was shivering (his fault for sucking at volleyball).
“Here.. Kinda deserved.” Riku giggled as he wrapped it around Daeyoung’s shoulders, letting it fall on the rest of his body, covering his beautiful skin.
“You did your best… I’m proud of you anyways,” He kept talking with his sweetest tone, making Daeyoung melt and drop the wet ball on the sand. Daeyoung was about to bend over to pick it up but Riku was faster at hugging him.
“Leave it there. It’s okay.” Daeyoung immediately hugged him back, wrapping his arms around Riku’s waist.
“You’ll get wet too.”
“I don’t care.”
When Daeyoung was dry enough to sit on the sand and not make a mess on his swimsuit, they got ready to watch the sunset together right on time. The sun was almost on the water’s level and Riku couldn’t wait anymore.
“After the sunset we’ll have to go catch the bus or we’ll stay here until tomorrow” Riku watched Daeyoung’s confused expression.
“There aren’t any buses after?” Riku shook his head, pressing his lips in a thin line.
“Oh.” He paused for a second, taking a look at the pink sky before them, then looked at Riku again.
“I wouldn’t mind spending all night here with you. We could stargaze.” Daeyoung hoped it didn’t come off too flirty, even though he kind of wanted Riku to catch on to his intentions.
Riku kept silent. Daeyoung could see the panic in his eyes as he wasn’t replying.
Fuck, did I overdo? I should apologize.
“I’m-”
“That would be romantic,” Riku replied before Daeyoung could say more. Daeyoung’s eyes widened, still fixated on Riku.
“Don’t you think?” Riku’s gaze lowered on their hands, so close yet so distant. He decided to do what he thought could be best and just took Daeyoung’s hand in his. Daeyoung froze. The whole world froze too.
“Uh Riku- Yeah- Yes.” He tried his best to reply to Riku’s innocent question but as Riku started caressing his hand with his thumb, Daeyoung felt like fainting. His whole face was on fire, and not burnt by the sun through the whole day (even though they absolutely did get sunburnt).
The air really hits in a different way when you’re sitting on the beach with your best friend sitting next to you. And you’re about to kiss.
The dim sun rays hit Riku’s face perfectly. His eyes glowed, his skin looked like honey and his lips looked redder. His cheeks were red too and Daeyoung couldn’t understand if it was the sun’s fault or Riku was actually blushing. Definitely both.
“Can you kiss me?” With a whisper, Riku broke the silence, which until then was only filled with the sound of the distant waves. Daeyoung looked at him, his breath stuck in his lungs. His bottom lip trembled and his gaze faltered, going from Riku’s eyes to his plump lips.
He hadn’t noticed Riku moving closer. He did the same thing.
The next thing he knew was how he was finally kissing Riku.
They both closed their eyes, not caring about anything else apart from each other and their hands were still tangled.
The sun was finally setting and there could be no better view for their first kiss ever. Even though they were gonna miss that. They didn’t really care, kissing was more important anyways.
Daeyoung brought his free hand to Riku’s face, cupping his cheek and bringing him impossibly close. Their lips barely moved but the mere contact could make them melt.
The sun was exactly halfway in creating a beautiful panorama, when they moved away to breathe.
Riku spoke first, keeping his face still close to Daeyoung’s. He giggled and exhaled through the nose, with his eyes still closed.
“I hope you know I had been waiting for this moment to happen.” Daeyoung smiled, shyly lowering the hand still on his face, resting it on Riku’s shoulder. It was a little awkward, but they couldn’t care less about it. Before he could speak, Riku pointed at the sea in front of them.
“It’s so special to me, Daeyoungie. You are special.” Riku lowered his voice, looking at the sun then at his best friend. Daeyoung felt his eyes getting watery.
How could I ever be perfect in his eyes? Does he not know how perfect he is instead? Fuck, I can’t cry right now. He’s so beautiful. The sky is so pink and pretty, the scenery is the best thing ever, he was right. I wish he could see himself under this sunlight too-
“Daengie? Are you here?” Riku interrupted his stream of thoughts, making him shake his head, embarrassed. “Yes- Sorry I couldn’t stop looking at you.”
Riku laughed. “Yeah, I could see that.”
“Sorry, sorry” Daeyoung covered his face with both his hands, finally turning all the way to the sea. He knew how important this view was for Riku.
“Do you like me?” Daeyoung frighteningly asked him, without even looking directly at him, he was still looking at the setting sun.
Riku turned his head to his side, almost pissed at the question.
Of course I do dummy, are you kidding me? You’re so stupid sometimes oh my.
But instead of verbally replying, Riku just took his head in between both his hands and brought him near, kissing him again. Daeyoung gasped at the sudden movement but he quickly kissed him back.
“You’re the smartest person I know, please don’t ask stupid questions” Riku murmured on his lips, kissing him again right after. Daeyoung smiled on his lips, feeling Riku mirroring his smile the next second. He was so happy.
The sun had completely set by then. They had waited for this moment for the whole day just to be distracted by something better at the end. Riku moved closer, making Daeyoung lose balance and lay down on the sand.
“Hey!” He laughed, watching as Riku climbed on his body and kissed him again, all over his face.
“I don’t want to be your best friend anymore. Can I be your boyfriend instead?” He asked while leaving a kisses path on his cheeks, lips, forehead and nose, even kissing his eyelids when he got there. Daeyoung couldn’t breathe.
“Yes, yes I want to be your boyfriend too, Riku-chan.” How Riku loved it when he called him like that. Riku moved away, finally watching him from above and just smiled.
Daeyoung would never get enough of his smile. He’s been seeing it for years but he still hasn’t got tired of it, he’s sure he’d never. And knowing he will now be his boyfriend.. Filled his heart in a way he didn’t even know was possible.
“I think we should head to the bus stop now.. Unless we actually want to stargaze...” Riku joked, knowing they would be too busy kissing either way.
“And I think our parents would kill us if we don’t come home by this evening” Riku laughed at Daeyoung’s words, he was right and they couldn’t absolutely risk it. C’mon, they just started dating!
Their backpacks were half empty by the time they got on the bus. They had forgotten about the snacks the whole day and only when they were getting ready to leave did they remember those.
“Your swimshort is still a bit damp, oh my, get away from me!” Riku jokingly said when they sat on the bus seats, next to each other of course. Daeyoung stayed still for a moment, only for his lips to spread in a beautiful smile before getting even closer to his boyfriend.
“You said you didn’t care about getting wet earlier, what happened?” He kept teasing him, hugging him to bring him even closer and Riku just gave up and laughed, loving the warmth of Daeyoung’s whole body.
They calmed down after some seconds and Riku put his head on Daeyoung’s shoulder, closing his eyes.
“Please tell me I’m not dreaming and it’s actually real life.” Daeyoung tried his best to look at him from that angle, failing. Good thing Riku couldn’t see.
“You are not dreaming, Riku, and this is real life..” Daeyoung caressed his face, left a kiss on the crown of his head and kept him close. For the whole ride, getting sleepy on the road, while waiting to get home.
They arrived in Fukui, took the shortcut to Riku’s house from the bus stop and decided to sleep over there. Daeyoung’s parents were only informed of that after they had got home and Riku’s mom called Daeyoung’s to tell her her son was there. They still had a lot to learn.
July’s air was definitely still hitting differently. Still too chilly, too cold. But knowing they were there to warm each other up, didn’t make it seem too bad, after all.