In Jinyoung’s eyes, nothing could compare to the sound of waves crashing against the shoreline paired with the cool ocean breeze on a hot summer’s day.  His mind, body, and soul could finally be at peace when he was at the beach.

Jinyoung grew up going to the beach all the time when he was younger, but the beaches in LA were different.  They felt like something out of the western movies he watched as a child.

It wasn’t like he didn’t love the beaches in Korea, the feeling just wasn’t the same.

“Jinyoungie,” A face popped out in front of him.  Long sandy blond hair covering his eyes. 

What was the point in experiencing a Californian beach without your Californian boyfriend?

“Shouldn’t you cover up…”  Jinyoung placed a hand on Mark’s chest, trailing over the red and purple marks left from the night before.  Jinyoung was half-lying down on his beach towel and Mark kneeled to talk with him.

“Why should I?”  Mark smiled, the light hitting his tan skin in the most perfect way, leaving him looking sun-kissed and beautiful.

“People will see.”  Jinyoung didn’t have much fight in him to begin with.  Trying to get his boyfriend to put his shirt on was the exact opposite of his agenda most of the time.

“What people?”  It was extremely early in the morning.  Mark had wanted them to drive up and watch the sunrise together, but they had missed it by a few minutes.  Mark was upset but Jinyoung thought the sunrise looked just as beautiful from the passenger side window.

“There are people here.”  This was true, even if the beach was mostly deserted there were still a few people out jogging and swimming in the early hours.

“Relax Jinyoungie, nobody cares.”  Mark flopped down in his swim shorts next to Jinyoung, bringing an arm over his chest.  “This is an American beach, you’re not supposed to wear your shirt here. 

Jinyoung felt Mark’s hand sneaking its way underneath his t-shirt but Jinyoung quickly pulled his arm out.  “I’m cold.”

“So, if it were warmer, you would take your shirt off?”  Mark was smirking because he knew Jinyoung didn’t have a smart answer for that one.

“I don’t get why I need to reveal myself to everyone, you already know what I look like, isn’t that good enough?”  Jinyoung almost recoiled at how snobby that last sentence sounded. 

Mark was laughing at him now.  “Yeah, I know,” Mark now had his arm and leg swung across Jinyoung’s body.  “All for me, only for me.”

They lay there like that for a while, holding each other and enjoying the calmness of their surroundings.

Mark couldn’t lie there forever though, eventually detaching himself and sitting back up.  “Come on, we’re not going to have the beach to ourselves forever.”  Mark stood up and reached out his hand to pull Jinyoung up as well.

Jinyoung would’ve been happy lounging in the sun with a book all day but he knew Mark couldn’t stay away from the water for too long.

The sand was rough underneath Jinyoung’s feet, so he was happy once they finally reached the water.  Mark immediately walked into the deeper sea, letting his entire body sink in.  Jinyoung was happy enough wading near the shoreline, occasionally bending down to pick up sea glass.

Jinyoung picked up the prettiest pieces and started making a pile of them by the shore.  Mark busied himself dunking his head under the water and picking up schools of tiny fish in his palms.

“Jinyoungie!”  Mark called for Jinyoung to look over before he dived straight down into the water.  He came back up a second later holding something in his hand.

“What is it?” 

Mark waded over to Jinyoung.  “Hold out your hand.”  So Jinyoung held out his hands as he was told, and Mark gently placed a huge piece of green sea glass in his palm.  The surface was far smoother than any of the pieces he had already gathered.  “For your collection, it’s almost as pretty as you.”

“Shut up.”  Jinyoung smiled as he went back to add the glass to his pile.

Jinyoung suddenly felt a gush of water on his back, turning around to find his boyfriend caught wet-handed.  “You may be wearing a shirt, but at least it’s white.  Completely see-through when wet, very smart.”  Mark giggled.

“Not,” Jinyoung splashed water right back at Mark, even though he was already completely soaked.  “Funny.”

“Then why are you smiling?”  Mark said, and he splashed water all over Jinyoung’s front.

“You’re lucky you’re so cute.”  They started flinging water back and forth non-stop, getting drenched and laughing as they did.  Jinyoung could taste the salt water in his mouth and he was pretty sure you could see right through his shirt but at that moment, he didn’t care.  All he was focused on was how lovely his boyfriend looked when he laughed that stupid high-pitched laugh of his that made no sense paired with his deep speaking voice.  He focused on how silly it was they were acting like children at the beach when they were both grown men.  He focused on how in any other situation he would never be caught doing this, but when he was with Mark life seemed so much easier and carefree, like nothing else in the world mattered if they were together.

Mark ducked under the water and swam into the deeper parts of the sea. 

“Hey!  No escaping allowed!”  Jinyoung followed him, not knowing he was playing right into Mark’s hands.  “Where are y-“

Suddenly, Jinyoung felt Mark’s arms around his legs, pulling him down into the water.  Jinyoung bobbled underneath before his head sprang up above the water surface, only to find Mark nose to nose with him. 

“Are you trying to drown me?”  Jinyoung asked jokingly.

“It’s called revenge, you know rev-“

“Yes, I know revenge.”  Jinyoung interrupted.  “I know it all too well.”  Jinyoung closed the gap between their faces and pressed his lips against Mark. 

Jinyoung felt the immediate electricity between them, his knees buckling but Mark steadied him upright, knowing the way Jinyoung melts when his lips touch Mark’s for the first time. 

Jinyoung only had a moment to catch his breath as Mark fixed the angle of his face and went back in with an open-mouthed kiss.  Jinyoung would never get tired of the way Mark had him laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe one moment then the next he was kissing him so deeply he couldn’t remember his own name.

The slide of Mark’s tongue against his felt so unrighteously good.  Jinyoung couldn’t even describe what he was feeling- wanting, joy, lust, helplessness- all at the same time.  Jinyoung’s hands slid down Mark’s wet body, down the arch of his back and over his swim trunks, then back up again.  He wanted to touch Mark everywhere, but his two hands were not enough.

Mark lifted one leg up to wrap around Jinyoung’s waist and the realist in Jinyoung was telling him, Mark, you’re really going to slip and fall if you keep trying to do this every time we kiss, especially in the middle of the sea, but Jinyoung obliged and supported him as Mark slid his other leg up so he could be carried.

Mark had one hand digging fingers into Jinyoung’s back, and the other lacing through his wet hair.  Mark was trying his best to explore every inch of the inside of Jinyoung’s mouth with his tongue while Jinyoung’s mind got more and more muddled with less than innocent thoughts.  He felt Mark tug roughly at his hair and immediately felt a wave of pleasure, unable to hold back a soft moan. 

Jinyoung never wanted to leave, going back to real life was such a vile thought.  Leaving this beach, leaving his boyfriend, how could reality be so cruel?  Jinyoung didn’t want to know any reality that didn’t involve freezing this moment in time.

Mark had finally stopped; giving Jinyoung a chance to breathe.  He moved to nip at Jinyoung’s neck before settling himself in the crook of his shoulder.  Jinyoung’s wet shirt suddenly felt cold against his heated skin.

“Love you,”  Mark whispered.  “Love you so much.”  He whispered it repeatedly, like a mantra.  Say it five hundred times to be certain it was real.

“I know, I love you too.”  Was all Jinyoung could reply.

Their bubble of reverie was broken when there was a loud wolf whistle directed at them from the shore.  Jinyoung almost dropped Mark he was so stunned.

“Ugh.”  Mark slowly slid down from Jinyoung’s grip, planting his feet back on the sea floor.

“Time to go home?”  Jinyoung asked.  They had lost track of time and the beach was slowly starting to fill with people. 

Mark pouted.  “All the way home?”

Jinyoung laughed.  “To the car at least?”

“Sounds good.”  Mark started wading back to shore to grab their stuff while Jinyoung trailed behind him.

Mark folded up the beach towels while Jinyoung grabbed their bags, where he saw his phone flashing inside.  He picked it up and opened it to his calendar notification.

“Something the matter?  You suddenly look sad.”  Mark asked as Jinyoung quickly shoved his phone back into his bag.

“It’s nothing!”  Jinyoung plastered a smile back on his face.  “Do you even remember where we parked?”

“I thought you were paying attention.”  Mark shot back, looking concerned.

Jinyoung laughed.  “Too cute, way too cute.”  Jinyoung pinched his cheeks and started walking off to the parking lot, his chest heavy but his heart light.

Someday, he would find a way to make this feeling last forever.