Crewfics

Tide

     How did I get myself into this?

While the other guys had decided to go drinking, Shadow had stayed back. It wasn't that he didn't drink; he just hadn't felt like it tonight. Instead, he stayed behind to play some Minecraft by himself.  Almost by himself.

One of his friends, Sidearms, was still too young to drink, so he stayed back also. He had the choice to come along, but he mentioned how he didn't feel like coming along. So, it was just the two at the rented beach house together. It was pretty quiet and relaxing. The sun had went down and the stars were starting to come out. Shadow kept the window open, feeling the calm breeze whisk through the window, shifting the curtains. He was in the middle of adding to his little sky island, thinking of when G18 might strike with his little plan to build a wall or whatever. He didn't pay too much attention to the video, but he knew there was going to be something coming along, and he had to prepare. "Shadowwww." Letting out a long sigh, he pushed his headphones off before turning to look behind him. "What?" Sidearms was standing there, giving a lopsided grin. Shadow raised a brow, "what?" He repeated. "Wanna... go to the beach?" Well, that's a stupid question. Side glanced outside, and Shadow followed his gaze. It was dark out, with barely a single person outside. "Side, it's eleven at night. Why the everloving fuck would we go to the beach?" He leaned back in his chair, about to turn back to the computer screen, only for his friend to speak up again. "But... Shadowww," he drawled, "it's still warm out! Plus," he had a mischievous glint in his eyes, "I bet you're just scared there might be shark attack or somethin'."

Silence gripped the air like two long fangs, sinking in and refusing to let go without a fight. Then, Shadow narrowed his eyes a bit. Was that a challenge in Side's voice? Taking in a deep breath, Shadow stood up and headed to the room that held all the towels. As he walked past Side, he gave a small glare and a friendly smirk. Side followed after, grinning like an idiot.

After they had both grabbed a towel and changed into their swimwear, they walked out of the house. Thankfully, the beach was pretty close, (which wasn't too surprising since it was a beach house.) so close that Shadow nearly wanted to call it a backyard. A giant, sandy backyard. After taking only a few steps onto the sand, he was suddenly shoved forward. He stumbled, but quickly regained his balanced and watched a giggle Side running away. "Oh, you son of a bitch..." With a grin spreading on his face, he raced forward, giving chase. A second or two later, he could only pause and watch as Sidearms stumbled slightly before gravity denied any savior, causing Side to toss up a cloud up sand as he toppled forward, right into the sand. Walking coolly over towards his friend, Shadow neared closer to the fallen friend, who was still laying face-down in the sand. "Need a little help there?" He grinned, and all he got was silence. "... Earth to Albi, you alright?" Side muttered something as he tried to stand up. "...You didn't see that." Side turned to look over at Shadow, who was holding his hand out and raising a brow, letting out a snort. "If it wasn't night out, the whole world would be laughing right now." As his friend grabbed his hand and yanked him to his feet, he muttered a single word under his breath. "Dork." Turning, he walked toward the water. His eyes followed Side as they ran toward the water, and he soon raced after.

While Side has leaped into the crashing waves, Shadow slowed his run down to a walk, watching as his friend splashed around. He turned his gaze toward the ocean, watching as the stars and moon reflected off the surface, broken and distorted by the rippling waves that were smoothly moved by the calm winds. "Oh, shit—" Great moment ruined. Side had reached over, grabbing Shadow's hand and swiftly dragging him into the warm waters. Startled, he flailed around for a moment before standing back up, water flowing down his hair like tiny waterfalls as he glared at his friend, who was currently struggling to hold in his laughter. "Side..." he warned. That dorky grin quickly transitioned to a nervous smile. "Ohf—" Side scrambled out out the water, fleeing away while Shadow chased after. Sidearms didn't get too far before Shadow tackled him to the ground, both of them falling into the soft sand. Rolling off of Side and onto his back, Shadow stared up at the sky, unable to contain his laughter after hearing Side start a small giggle-fit.

The two quietly laid there for a bit, staring at the dark, white-speckled sky above them as the rhythm of the waves crashing onto and retreating from the shores became nothing but background noise. Soon, the peaceful silence was broken.

"Shadow?" Side whispered, as if talking too loud would scare away the tranquility. 

"What?" Shadow hummed, distracted as he looked at the stars. 

"Do you know about the stars?"

"Sure, why?"

"Why do they name groups of stars after things? Like, a lion?"

"I... I have no clue. Wasn't that Leo?"

"Not sure."

A bit more silence. It was really nice. At least, for Shadow it was. Just two best friends sitting around, watching the stars, listening to the waves, feeling the nice breeze, all under the silver rays of the moon hanging in the sky. Side-by-side. Just them, the stars, and the moon. Feeling a little bored, Shadow glanced over to Side, who was staring absentmindedly at the sky. Honestly, he didn't know what triggered it. Whether it was just a small thought that grew until it couldn't be ignored, or just a spur-of-the-moment thing, or if he always wanted to do it, but he did it. With a quickening heart and slightly heated face, he tentatively reached over and grabbed onto Side's hand before turning back to the sky. His expression had said 'calm and collected' and 'not-a-single-shit-given', but on the inside, he felt like he was going to have a heart attack. He didn't know why he decided to do it. He knew the risks— losing his friend, things becoming very awkward, their friends finding out and being picked on, being rejected.  Little did he know, Side had a small smile that quickly grew. Giving a gentle squeeze to Shadow's hand, Side took a glance over before turning back to the sky. It was a blissful and peaceful time. No words were said to fill the silence— it wasn't needed. Just two fluttering hearts and the dimly lit sky.

As time dragged on, Shadow had decided it was getting a little late. Starting to stand, he heard Side speak up beside him in a soft voice. "Can... C-can we just stay a little bit longer?" Glancing over, Shadow could clearly see the slight desperation in Side's eyes. Taking in a deep breath and letting out a small sigh, he sat up. Sadness flashed in Side's eyes for a moment, only to switch to joy as Shadow just sat there, just watching Albi expectantly. There was nothing to be said to know it was an invitation being told. With a smile, Side scooted to Shadow, quickly sitting between his legs and staring at the ocean as his friend's arms encased him in a protective hug. The two sat there, not letting themselves admit that they wanted to stay together at that beach forever. It didn't need to be said. They both knew. They let silence be the only conversation. Setting his head on top of Side's, Shadow stared out at the waves in the distance. By this time, most of the lights in the houses and buildings had gone out.

"We should be heading back."

The only response was a small whine from the younger of the duo.

"Albi, C'mon."

Another whine.

"I'll get you a cake from the bakery."

Silence for a moment.

"Cake?"

"Mhmm."

Side let out a small, thoughtful hum, but both knew that Albi just couldn't resist a cake. Just before Side could scoot away to stand up, Shadow planted a tiny kiss on Side's neck before standing. His face slightly heated up as he resisted smiling. He only took a step or two before he felt someone — he knew who — grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. A swift kiss was set on his cheek before Side ran off, glancing back with a smirk. A smile spread across Shadow's face as he, with no hesitation, chased after.

Maybe I should stay back more often.