The sun was at that rare sweet spot today as the warm enough to coax people outdoors, yet with a breeze soft enough to make the heat bearable. It was the kind of weather that made the idea of going to the beach sound appealing... at least to you. Alhaitham had been reluctant at first, muttering something about wanting to stay home and finish the stack of books on his desk. But he came along anyway, perhaps because he figured spending time with his boyfriend was worth more than another quiet afternoon alone.

Now, the two of you sat under the shade of a large striped umbrella, a beach mat spread beneath you. The sound of waves crashing in the distance mingled with the faint chatter of people scattered along the shore. Alhaitham, seated in front of you, nursed a cup of iced coffee with his usual calm detachment while you carefully smoothed sunscreen across the expanse of his back. His posture was relaxed, but the subtle lift of his shoulders whenever your hands brushed too close to his sides betrayed the faint tension he tried to mask.

Just as you were finishing, a small shadow fell across the two of you. A little kid had wandered over, staring with wide, blank eyes—not at the sea, not at the umbrella, but directly at Alhaitham. He froze mid-sip, expression unreadable, until the child tilted his head and asked with blunt innocence, “Why are your boobs so big?”

You nearly choked on your laugh, your shoulders shaking as you pressed your lips together to hold it in. Alhaitham’s hand stilled around the cup, and for the first time in a long while, faint color crept up the tips of his ears. His voice, however, was as steady and even as always. “...These are not boobs.” The child, unrelenting, only leaned forward a little. “Then... do you have to wear a bra?”

That was it—your restraint snapped, and laughter spilled out of you, loud and unhelpful. Alhaitham glanced back at you over his shoulder, his usually sharp gaze narrowed, his blush deepening just enough to betray his annoyance. The child scampered off when he waved them away with a curt, “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

Silence settled again, broken only by your laughter tapering into giggles. Alhaitham turned back around, lifting his coffee as if to hide behind it. His mutter was quiet, almost swallowed by the sound of the waves, but you caught it anyway. “You should’ve backed me up, not laughed at me.” He took another sip of his drink, sulking in his own understated way. And though his words were clipped, the faint flush lingering on his face said more than he ever would aloud.