(Wind Breaker) The Green Rose's Thorns

Part 53

Idiot! Dumbass! Why would you do that?!

Suo sat with his hand over his mouth, in pure agony as he cursed himself and his actions. Aoi had finally calmed down and joined the others in the water, currently engaged in some sort of water gun centered showdown. He was perched atop Sugishita's shoulders, blasting down their shared enemies and making a mockery of the sport as his classmates desperately tried to take the two out.

It would have been funny, and Suo would normally have been happy to add fuel to the flames. But he was too busy choking on his delayed reaction to what had happened just a little while ago. The way he woke his partner and pathetically pushed into a blazing inferno of touches and tastes. Thinking about it now got him all worked up all over again, even as Aoi was hit square in the face with the beach ball Nirei had retrieved earlier. Tumbling down into the shallow waters with a pathetic squeal, where he waited just long enough to rouse suspicion before shooting upward with arms out and his hair a soaking mop that covered his face.

"Sea ghost!," Tsugeura's horrified shriek sent everyone into hysterics and provided temporary relief for Suo from his own head. Wandering thoughts, given just the outlet they craved earlier. Just enough of a taste to want more, so much that it almost hurt as he sat there under the shade of a large canopy erected shortly after Aoi found his footing and ventured out.

For his part, Aoi seemed overall fine. He was behaving like his usual self, though with a bit more enthusiasm than he normally expressed. Their situation back home really felt normal, until they were all in a different environment like this where they could just act like the goofy teens they actually were. Pushing his hair aside, he remembered something critical from that morning. His empty stomach, gurgling loudly as the wind blew the aromas from the myriad stalls lining the opposite edge of the sandy shore his way.

"Goin' to get a snack?," Tsubaki chased after him as he started toward the stands. He was dressed in a beautiful one piece, with a long flowy skirt as a coverup that had a tantalizing split above one leg.

"Didn't eat breakfast," Aoi's bright and cheery face turned to tired and ragged in an instant, flipping back just as quickly.

"Did you bring your wallet? It'll get all ruined in the water," Tsubaki asked a very important question. One answered easily by Aoi's flustered search of his one and only pocket and deflated expression.

"I'll get something. Let's go see what they have," Tsubaki pulled Aoi along by his wrist, settling on some shaved ice for now and getting downright chatty with the young woman running the stall. Aoi got a small cup, and waited just to the side while Tsubaki wrapped up his girl talk and got his order. While he waited, picking at his snack, two horridly beachy bros approached him.

"Hey, babe. You look like you know how to have some fun," one of them leaned into the post closest to Aoi and started his spiel. He gave Aoi the once-over with his eyes, taking particular interest in the tattoos he spotted.

"Hey, I saw 'er earlier. Smackin' faces with that dude over there," the other guy pointed vaguely in the direction of Suo's location. Aoi's face heated up a little bit at that, almost painful under the burning hot sun.

"Oh really? Well, why not ditch that boring loser and come with us? We can show you a real good time," the first one leaned in close to Aoi and ran his fingers over the string to his hoodie. Way too close, and way too persistent.

"No thanks," Aoi spoke flatly. He had no interest in whatever misunderstanding was taking place, and hoped Tsubaki would take notice and give him an easy out. Tsubaki did, but things didn't quite go as he wanted.

"Hey, boys. Pretty sure that was a hard pass," Tsubaki made himself an entrance, shooting both guys a nasty glare.

"What the-?"

"Piss off, man. We're obviously not talkin' t'you," the one making the most aggressive of advances wrapped his arm around Aoi's shoulders as he threw his shade at Tsubaki. Aoi, more than fed up with it, looked from his cup of melting ice to the guy's midsection. Thinking, a dirty little plot hatching there that he immediately acted on.

"Hey, woah!"

"Damn, couldn't wa-AAAAH!," the two assumed something entirely different when Aoi's fingers slid under the band of the other guy's trunks. Pulling the fabric out, and promptly dumping the contents of his paper cup straight into the gap made there. The beach bum shrieked impressively as he cupped his nether regions, now icy cold and somehow burning all at once as he fell to his knees with tears in his eyes. His buddy knelt down beside him, struggling between spewing insults or somehow helping his friend out.

"What the hell? You bitch!," he settled on berating Aoi, who had already turned to take his leave.

"Oh, my bad. Would it have been better to let you find out I've got a dick the hard way then?," Aoi scoffed at the pair and stepped away. Face darkened as he made a beeline for the canopy Suo sat at and plopped down beside him. He was so annoyed he didn't even see the murderous leer Suo had sent toward the other two or the hint of red on his ears as he was once again confronted with their proximity.

"That's one way to deal with them," Suo smirked with his comment, earning a pouty glare from Aoi.

"This ain't Machiko. Can't just pummel every idiot who gets on my nerves here," Aoi continued to pout while his stomach grumbled about its continued emptiness. With a huff, and just the right amount of dramatic flare, he flopped onto his back and laid there in the shade with a scowl painted over his features. Had someone not had the foresight to lay out some towels beforehand, he would have surely been full of sand from that little fit.

"Tired?," Suo tried to keep a conversation going to keep his mind busy. Aoi didn't really seem to feel it though, just waving his hand indifferently and letting out a deep breath. After a few more minutes, he dozed off for a third time.