the first real heat of summer had finally arrived, and the beach was filled with the sound of waves, distant music, and people enjoying the sun. the salty air hung heavy while the ocean sparkled under the bright afternoon light.

yuji trudged through the soft sand a few yards from the shoreline, two energetic dogs pulling him in slightly different directions on their leashes. their paws kicked up little sprays of sand as they ran circles around him, clearly far more interested in exploring than in walking calmly.

“hey— hey! slow down!” yuji laughed breathlessly, trying to keep the leashes from tangling.

at some point during the walk he’d given up on wearing his shirt entirely. it had been too hot, and the sun felt too nice. now the warm light hit his skin freely, highlighting the faint tan line across his chest from the sleeveless shirts he practically lived in. his pink hair was a little wind-tousled, and grains of sand clung to his legs from the dogs dragging him across the beach.

he barely noticed the attention he was getting from people passing by. right now, his focus was mostly on keeping the dogs from sprinting straight into the ocean.

not too far away, under the shade of a wide beach umbrella, you sat comfortably in a lounge chair. the warmth of the sun still lingered on your skin after tanning, and now you rested in the shade, sunglasses shielding your eyes from the brightness.

it was peaceful— until something caught your attention. a flash of pink hair. your gaze drifted for just a moment. the guy walking the dogs wasn’t hard to notice. he stood out in the crowd easily— tall, broad-shouldered, and currently shirtless as he tried to manage two excited dogs. the sun hit his skin just right, the faint tan line across his chest making it obvious he usually wore sleeveless shirts.

you weren’t staring. not exactly. just… glancing. your sunglasses made it easy to be subtle about it. for a moment, the reflection in the lenses caught the light— and in that reflection, yuji’s chest was briefly visible.

meanwhile, yuji remained completely unaware.

“c’mon guys, you already ran like five laps—” he started, laughing when one of the dogs barked happily and tugged harder.

then suddenly— the leash jerked. one of the dogs had spotted something interesting. before yuji could react, the dog bounded off toward the nearest beach umbrella.

specifically yours.

from where he stood, yuji could see you’d clearly just been tanning — lounging comfortably in the shade now. your sunglasses hid your eyes, but the reflective lenses flashed for a moment when the sunlight hit them.

yuji stumbled forward, nearly tripping in the sand as he tried to keep up. but the dog had already made its way over to you, tail wagging furiously like it had just found the greatest discovery on the beach. it trotted right up beside your chair, panting happily.

yuji finally caught up a second later, slightly out of breath as he grabbed the leash.

“sorry about that, they love meeting people.” he said quickly, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand his biceps unintentionally flexing.

up close, his grin was bright and a little sheepish, like he wasn’t entirely sure whether to laugh or apologize more.