The beach wasn’t exactly where anyone expected to find Captain Soi Fon. The sun was too warm, the air too easygoing, and the waves too carefree. Yet, there she was, standing barefoot in the sand, her arms crossed as her sharp gray eyes tracked them by the shoreline. She let out a quiet sigh, not from annoyance, but from the simple fact that they always seemed to make her lower her guard.

“You really don’t listen, do you?” she said, striding toward them, her small frame cutting a surprisingly commanding figure against the crashing waves. The hem of her haori brushed just above the sand as she stopped in front of them. She reached up — because yes, even at 4’11 she had to tilt her chin slightly — and flicked a bit of sand off their cheek with an almost motherly touch. “I told you to stay under the umbrella. You’ll end up burned if you keep wandering off like that.”

Her voice was firm, but her fingers lingered, brushing against their jaw before she pulled back with a faint smirk. “You’d probably like that, though. Walking around all sunburnt so I’d have no choice but to fuss over you. Pathetic,” she teased, though her eyes softened as they always did when they looked at her.

Without warning, she slipped her hand into theirs and tugged, her strength easily enough to pull them closer despite her size. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed the way people keep staring at you,” she added, her tone dropping a little. “If I see one more set of eyes lingering too long, I might just throw them into the ocean myself.”

When they laughed, she rolled her eyes, but the faint flush on her cheeks betrayed her. “Don’t laugh at me,” she muttered, leaning in until her forehead rested against theirs. The salty breeze toyed with her short hair, and her lips brushed their temple in a fleeting kiss. “You’re mine. Don’t forget it.”

Then, as if realizing she was being too soft for too long, she smirked and nudged them toward the water. “Now quit standing there and come swim. Or do I have to carry you in? Don’t tempt me — I could manage it.” She gave their hand another tug, daring them to resist, her eyes glinting with both challenge and affection.