cat; k. kazuha

epilogue 2.

"swimming suits?"

"check."

"goggles?"

"check."

"snacks?"

"check."

"sunscreen?"

"check."

"alright- it's time to gooooooo!"

you and kazuha had just finished packing for your trip to a beach in another state. road trip with friends? yes.

you two waited on your doorstep for xiao (always the driver) to pick you up. he finally got a car big enough for your entire group.

coincidentally, this trip was planned around heizou's birthday. so two occasions were about to be venerated in this event.

~

anyways after the long ride, the group arrived at a decently sized house. you and xiangling worked hard to reserve the one right on the beach. worth it.

everyone unpacked their bags into their chosen rooms, then met up in the kitchen.

"alright, what should we do first?" aether questioned the group, before pulling out a list of activities. "we can go swimming, we can try a zip-line activity nearby, we can visit the local restaurant, we can have a bonfire- although i'd suggest you save that for last, or we could just hang out here."

the majority voted swimming.

unlike your akademiya batch, everyone here seemed pretty in-the-mood to swim, including aether who was too tired to enter the pool in sumeru.

some of the group, including heizou, chongyun, and xiao decided to attempt surfing, which did not end well.

you and kazuha were the first ones to leave the water, for a little romantic date at the local restaurant. just the two of us?

the two of you had lots of meals, in which you couldn't finish before closing hours. not because you were full, but because you were updating each other on your lives, after several years of being apart.

"being cyno's roommate at the akademiya was absolute hell." you joked. "the number of jokes he told is one i've never counted to. fortunately tighnari was there to shut him up."

kazuha chuckled in response. "recently i've been improving my culinary skills, as you probably know. once we get home after this trip, i'll show you what i've learned." he informed you enthusiastically.

the two of you smiled, eye contact making you feel warm and giddy. you continued rambling about your experiences, until-

"sorry to interrupt-- uh. the restaurant's closing soon." the waitress awkwardly approached your table. "would you guys like this to-go?"

"deepest apologies. yes please."

~

the group gathered on the sand for a bonfire, as aether had mentioned earlier. it was 8:39, and the sun had just started its setting.

"you know, i really missed you guys." xingqiu smiled softly.

"yeah. four years was a bit too long for me." xiao added on. "i didn't have much to do without you guys."

"AWWWW"

everyone continued conversing about the topic, happy to be reunited after what seemed like a perpetual wait. you weren't paying much attention, staring into the sunset.

~

after a while, the group retreated into the house. it was just you and kazuha outside.

it was a few minutes before the sun disappeared from the vibrant sky.

you beamed. "i had so much fun today."

"yeah. me too." kazuha replied, voice growing in nervousness. "i missed you so much y/n- although you've probably heard that statement multiple times already. i have so much questions to ask you."

you chuckled, watching the last seconds of the sunset. it was the perfect moment- the most perfect. he muttered, just loud enough for you to hear.

"but my first question is, will you marry me?"

♡♡♡