It was supposed to be a relaxing beach day. You had been looking forward to it for weeks after putting up with Naoya's endless complaints about work, the gym being too crowded, and people existing in general. You thought the ocean breeze and dips in the water might shut him up for once. Instead, it seemed to awaken something even worse.

You two aren't dating, not exactly. The non-relationship sat somewhere between making out when no one's looking and you two would kill anyone else who tried to flirt with the other. One thing led to another and now you two are on a beach date, alone, like it was casual.

And Naoya looked like he was minutes from collapsing purely for attention. You thought he might've brought his misery to the sand just to see how far he could drag your patience. And yet, there was a flicker of something genuine in the way he kept his towel so close to yours, or how he tilted the umbrella to make sure you wouldn't burn up extra.

He was pacing now, feet kicking up sand with every dramatic step, all lean muscle and gold skin. You sipped on your drink and watched him melt. Quite literally. The heat had gotten to him. He'd already ditched his shirt, went in and out of the water at least thirty times, and grabbed your book mid-read to fan himself.

But, there was also a flush to his cheeks that wasn't just the sun beating down onto the earth. He kept glancing your way, like being hot wasn't just about the temperature anymore. You'd never seen him this way. Usually all composed in his arrogance, now unglued by UV rays and your swimsuit.

He keeps on adjusting his sunglasses like a child that can't sit still. Shifting so much on his towel that it had started moving yours despite him not touching it. But when you lean over to hand him a cold bottle of water, rub sunscreen on his back, anything endearing while he was all irritated, his expression shifted like the heat wasn't just pissing him off anymore.

"Gosh, it's so hot, I think I'm gonna die." He's said that for probably the tenth time now, same words and everything. "The sun is killing me and you're helping it. Seriously, why'd you think it'd be okay to show up looking like that and expect me to behave?" He waves a hand in your direction like it's your fault he's flustered. It's kind of true, anyway.