Peach Summer

Cattails and Clouds

The next day was rather laid back. They hung around the house, slow to wake in the shade and cozy of impending overcast skies, eating grocery store cinnamon rolls and lounging around the couch. Eventually, the drowsiness felt a need to lift, the clouds however, did not.

In spite of the relaxed quiet, a desire to explore began to seep about the room until finally Mitsuki spoke up.

"Who want to go to the beach?" She decided suddenly tossing her phone on the dining room table, a hand planting firmly on her hip as if to emphasize her question. Inko and Kirishima immediately perked up, both down for a fun outing despite the clouds.

"Swim at the beach? In this weather?" Katsuki challenged, blond hair exploding from the hood of his blue hoodie, red eyes narrowing in judgment.

"C'mon Kat," his friend started, softening the blond's demeanor as he rested a hand on his shoulder. "We wouldn't swim... at least I don't think."

"Kirishima gets it." Mitsuki affectionately ruffled red spikes, a few strands falling softly in the teen's face. "Let's just go for a walk, collect shells, something stupid like that."

"Yeah Kat," Eijiro chided.

"Eijiroooo," he whined, palms crackling as he glared into puppy-dog-eyes. Crossing his arms, he seemed to accept that he was being dragged along no matter his stance on the subject and he may as well give up and go willingly. "Fine, but if it starts raining I'm gone."

"Deal." Taking his hand, Kirishima wildly shook his limp arm like this was some sort of business deal that Katsuki was begrudgingly agreeing to.

"Whatever."

Sandals and flip-flops were shuffled on at the door and Mitsuki led them outside with a small cloth bag at her hip, Inko following with a collapsible umbrella folded and looped around her wrist. The group walked for a while down the house's street to a sandy offshoot, wreathed in thin, scraggly, trees, spurts of wildflowers, and as they passed further inside, dune grass.

The sand became darker as the broke the foliage, and a gloomy landscape stretched their view. It was like a beach, but it very clearly wasn't, rather, it was a weaving of grayish water in snaking through the marshes filling the small inlet. It curved sharply along the shore of gently lapping water, the decline from the thicket to the water was wide but declined quickly, and the place itself was almost perplexingly quiet (in the way of people that is). A group of birds lifted flight from the sand and a crab scuttled over Kirishima's flip-flop, surprising him as he jumped back, knocking into his friend.

"Eijiro!!! It's a just a damn crab!!" Bakugo shouted, almost falling.

"Sorry, sorry, wasn't expecting it!" Stabilizing, the blond scooped the crab off the sand, and brought it to Kirishima's eye level.

"Crab."

"Sheesh, sorry dude." Putting his hands up, the redhead stepped away and his friend set down the crab. Inko tried to stifle a laugh but both teens heard, turning Eijiro's cheeks as gentle pink and quickly shutting them up.

The group strolled the curvy lengths of sand, collecting shells and inspecting the various washed up and salt-tossed items. Overhead, clouds only thickened from a light gray wash to dreary dark clumps, packed tightly over the sun's usual shine.

The heavy scent of rain breezed along the beach without a drop and the continued on, turning over dozens of shells and spotting various animals as they went about their daily ventures. There was a brief spotting of a fox atop a small overhanging hill, which was admittedly pretty cool and a particularly obese and unfriendly seagull—less cool.