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The beach was supposed to be a normal, stress-free day. A break from the usual. Satoru had insisted on it. “It’ll be fun,” he said. “The sun won’t bother me,” he said. Yuuji could still hear the confidence in Satoru’s voice echoing in his head as they walked down the sandy shore, the sun glaring overhead like it had a personal vendetta. A vampire at the beach—it was like something out of a bad joke. And yet, there they were, Satoru’s pale skin practically glowing under the midday sun, protected only by a generous coating of SPF 100 tinted cream and the world’s most obnoxious black parasol.“I can handle it,” Satoru had said, twirling the parasol like he was on a runway, his usual swagger on full display. Yuuji wasn’t so sure. He’d seen—heard what happened to vampires in the sun. It wasn’t pretty. “This is a terrible idea,” Yuuji said to himself, but the words were lost in the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. Satoru heard him anyway.“Relax, babe,” he said, flashing that too-bright grin that could probably blind a normal person, let alone someone who was already sensitive to light. “I’ve got this.”Right.Yuuji shook his head, deciding to let Satoru have his fun. It wasn’t long before he found himself relaxing too, the sound of waves and distant laughter lulling him into a rare state of peace. He stretched out on the sand, sunglasses perched on his nose, and let the sun warm his skin—just the right amount.Time drifted by lazily, the day unfolding with the simplicity of a beach postcard—until it didn’t.It took a few hours before Yuuji started to notice it. Satoru’s usual cocky strut was turning into something more… sluggish. His grin was still there, but it had shifted from confident to… strained. His pale skin, normally as smooth and unblemished as marble, was starting to turn an alarming shade of light red.“You okay?” Yuuji asked, trying to keep the concern out of his voice.“Never better,” Satoru replied, but there was a tightness to his voice that hadn’t been there before. He was still twirling the parasol, but it was more of a half-hearted flick now. And was he… sweating?“You don’t look so good,” Yuuji pressed, squinting at Satoru’s face. His cheeks were definitely pink. Not the usual flushed-from-being-mischievous pink, but a more… sunburnt pink. “Are you… burning?”“Pfft, of course not,” Satoru said, but there was a hint of panic in his eyes that Yuuji didn’t miss. “I’m just… acclimating.”“Acclimating to what, becoming a lobster?” Yuuji shot back, crossing his arms. “Admit it, Satoru, you’re getting sunburned.”Satoru opened his mouth to retort, but all that came out was a hiss—a very un-Satoru-like hiss that had Yuuji’s eyes widening in alarm. He’d seen Satoru mad, smug, and even a little tipsy, but he’d never seen him in pain. Real, physical pain.“Oh crap!” Yuuji panicked, grabbing Satoru’s arm and dragging him toward the nearest shade. Satoru didn’t resist, which was even more worrying. Satoru never passed up a chance to be difficult. This was serious.“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all,” Satoru admitted, his voice tight with discomfort as Yuuji practically shoved him under a beach umbrella.“You think?” Yuuji snapped. He rummaged through their beach bag for something—anything—that could help. More sunscreen? Useless now. A towel? Too late. Aloe vera? Of course, they didn’t have any. Why would they? “Just… stay here,” he ordered, pressing the towel into Satoru’s hands. “And don’t move.”Satoru looked like he was about to argue, but then he grimaced, and that was enough to shut him up. Yuuji could see it now, the flush spreading across Satoru’s face, his nose turning red, his arms—exposed thanks to the tank top Yuuji had talked him into wearing—all blotchy. It was almost comical if it weren’t so concerning. His skin was practically melting.Still, Yuuji couldn’t help it. A laugh bubbled up from his chest, and he let it out, unable to stop himself. “You… you’re actually burning! Oh my god, this is too good.”Satoru shot him a glare that could have melted glass, but it only made Yuuji laugh harder. He knew he should stop—Satoru was clearly in pain—but the absurdity of the situation was just too much.“I’ll go get something for it,” Yuuji said, still chuckling as he stood up, giving Satoru’s shoulder a sympathetic pat. “Just stay in the shade, okay? And don’t try to prove anything. You’ve done enough damage for one day.”As Yuuji jogged toward the beach shop, his mind was still reeling from the image of Satoru—his great, all-powerful vampire boyfriend —reduced to a sunburnt mess. He knew he shouldn’t take so much pleasure in it, but really, what did Satoru expect? The guy was always pushing boundaries, testing limits. This was a good lesson for him. Yuuji found a bottle of aloe vera gel and some cooling spray at some random shop, along with a wide-brimmed hat that he figured Satoru would hate but desperately need. And some popsicles for himself. When he returned, Satoru was exactly where Yuuji had left him, hunched under the umbrella, a towel draped over his head like a makeshift hood. His expression was somewhere between annoyed and pitiful, and Yuuji couldn’t resist snapping a quick picture with his phone. You know, just in case.“You look ridiculous,” Yuuji said, plopping down on the sand beside him. He pulled out the aloe vera gel from the plastic bag in his hand and waved it across Satoru's face. “This should help.”Satoru grumbled something under his breath, but he didn’t refuse it. “This never happened,” he hissed as Yuuji started applying the gel to his sunburnt arms.“Oh, it happened,” Yuuji teased. “And I’m never gonna let you live it down.”“This is your fault, you know.”“My fault?” Yuuji questioned, genuinely incredulous. “You’re the one who thought sunscreen was enough to beat the sun.”Satoru huffed. “You should have stopped me. You know I don’t always think things through.”“Understatement of the century.”Satoru shot him another glare, but there was a hint of a smile tugging at his lips now. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”Yuuji rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help the warmth that spread through his chest at the comment. He finished with the gel, and reached for the spray. “Is it working?” He asked. Satoru didn’t answer, but the way his taut shoulders slumped in relief was all the answer Yuuji needed. “Next time,” Yuuji said, reaching over to adjust the hat on Satoru’s head, “We’re sticking to nighttime activities. Deal?”Satoru sighed, tipping the hat lower to cover his eyes. “Deal.” They’d barely made it through the door before Satoru collapsed dramatically onto the couch, limbs sprawled out as if he’d just run a marathon. Yuuji shut the door behind them with a sigh. “Seriously? Are you still tired?” he asked, kicking off his sandals. He dropped the beach bag on the center table before heading straight for the mini-fridge in the sitting room. He pulled out a bottle of water and tossed it to Satoru, who caught it with all the grace of a person that had been rudely awakened.“You try being flambéed alive and see how you like it,” Satoru groaned, twisting open the cap with a grimace and taking a sip. He drank it all the way down before tossing the empty bottle carelessly on the floor. He was still wearing the hat, though it was now tilted precariously over one eye.“Flambéed, right,” Yuuji snorted at the fancy word, grabbing a couple of ice packs from the freezer. “Is that another adjective for sizzling.”Satoru gave a half-hearted wave of his hand, dismissing Yuuji’s question with a pained wince. “It was just a… minor miscalculation. My body wasn’t ready for that level of exposure.”“Minor miscalculation, my foot.” Yuuji slammed the fridge close. He reached for bag, wrapping the ice packs into one of the towel before approaching the couch. “Next time you decide to challenge the sun, maybe listen to the guy who actually knows a thing or two about it.”Satoru peered one eye up at Yuuji with a sheepish smile. “Point taken. Now, how about a little sympathy for your boyfriend, hmm?”Yuuji rolled his eyes. He went down on his knees, and gently began placing the makeshift ice packs on Satoru’s arms. The sharp hiss that escaped Satoru’s lips made Yuuji wince.“Is that cold enough for you, or do I need to fetch some snow from the Alps?” Yuuji teased, adjusting the towel to cover more of Satoru’s arm.Satoru’s response was a low, pitiful whine that made Yuuji chuckle despite himself. “Keep enjoying this. I'll have the last laugh eventually,” he grumbled, closing his eyes and leaning back into the pillows.“I'm looking forward to that,” Yuuji said, reaching over to pluck the hat off Satoru’s head. He gave it a twirl before tossing it onto the chair across the room. “But you’re going to be like this for a while, so get comfortable.”“Trust me, I’m plenty comfortable,” Satoru mumbled, “Now if you could just do one last thing…”Yuuji raised an eyebrow, waiting for the inevitable. “A massage,” Satoru continued, and Yuuji could practically hear the smirk in his voice. “You know, to help with the recovery process. I’d do it myself, but…” He trailed off, lifting one arm pathetically as if to demonstrate his current state of helplessness.Yuuji sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re something else, you know that?” With a reluctant grin, he dropped the towel, and positioned himself onto the couch to start the requested massage. “This is the last time I cater for you like this, got it?”“Of course, of course,” Satoru agreed, though Yuuji knew better than to trust that.As Yuuji’s hands began working over Satoru’s tense muscles, he couldn’t help but marvel at how they’d ended up here. The day had started so normally, and now here they were—him playing nursemaid to a vampire who had underestimated the power of the sun. It was absurd, ridiculous even, but as he felt Satoru start to relax under his touch, Yuuji realized he didn’t mind. Not really.It was moments like these that reminded Yuuji why he put up with Satoru’s antics. Beneath all the bravado and teasing, there was something more that Yuuji didn’t mind taking care of, even if it meant indulging Satoru every now and then. Yuuji let out a breath, letting his thoughts drift as his hands continued their work. They stayed like that for a while, the only sound the low hum of the fridge. Yuuji wasn’t sure when it happened, but at some point, he realized Satoru had fallen asleep, his breath even and calm.Yuuji carefully pulled back his hands, not wanting to wake him. He leaned back on the couch, watching Satoru’s chest rise and fall, and let himself relax too. He’d tease Satoru about this later, no doubt, but for now, he’d let the moment be. There’d be plenty of time for jokes and jabs tomorrow. Tonight, they’d just… be.