Yugyeom bit the tip of his thumb. 

Bambam wasn’t paying attention to him and this was a problem. 

The smaller cat was basking in the sunshine, tail flicking lazily, toes digging into the sand and arms thrown across his eyes for shade. His chest was rising and falling slowly, the slight definition of his abdomen muscles clenching with every exhale of breath. 

Yugyeom pouted a little ways away under his umbrella, volleyball lodged between his big feet and chin resting on his knees. He could see Jinyoung yanking down Jackson’s swimsuit near the shoreline and he could definitely hear the shriek of horror Youngjae made a moment later when a Jackson pounced on him. Their tails were soaked and they looked like they were having fun.

Unlike…

Yugyeom’s eyes narrowed when they landed on Bambam again. 

“Hey Bam.” He stretched out a ridiculously long leg and poked Bambam’s bare shoulder with his big toe. No reaction and Yugyeom scowled. 

There was another shriek and Yugyeom watched glumly as Jaebum tackled Mark to the sand, tumbling around in a flurry of limbs. Jackson was cackling with his arm around a shivering Youngjae, but even he was smiling and Yugyeom really felt depressed. 

“Look at how much fun they’re having…” Yugyeom sighed pathetically, flopping over onto his side.

“Why don’t you go join them then?” Bambam asked, the sound of his voice making Yugyeom’s ears perk forward. He sat up, smile broadening across his face.

“Want to come with me?”

“No.”

Bambam rolled over so his back was facing Yugyeom and the other cat scowled again. 

“Bam, you’re not fun at all.” 

Bambam’s tail thumped on the sand and he looked over his shoulder, “Does it look like I’m stopping you? Go! Begone! I’m taking a nap.”

Yugyeom’s face fell.

About twenty minutes later into Yugyeom’s gloriously boring beach day, Jackson plopped down beside him, shaking wet hair from his forehead and wringing his ears out with both hands. 

“C’mon, you have to help me drag Mark into the water.” He shoved Yugyeom lightly on the arm and the other cat cringed.

“I can’t.”

Jackson made a face and got up, reaching down to clutch at his tail, “You’re lame. If you change your mind, bring the volleyball and we can start a game.” He wrung water out over Yugyeom’s head and ran away, cackling again and the cat sighed, flicking saltwater off his ears.

Yugyeom stared down at the volleyball in-between his feet, thinking about how cute Bambam would look jumping around in the sand in his little, leopard print trunks and lamenting the fact that he would never see it. He didn’t even play volleyball anyways. His gaze traveled from his feet and to Bambam, who was still turned away from him.

His eyes widened. 

Nervously, Yugyeom reached down and picked the volleyball up with both hands, knuckles going white as his fingers gripped harder than was probably necessary. This was probably the stupidest idea he’d ever had in the history of all his stupid ideas and it might be the cause of his death but— 

He was willing to risk it.

This was stupid.

Real stupid. 

Too late to turn back now, Yugyeom threw the volleyball like a pitcher throwing in the last ninth inning pitch with two outs and all bases loaded. The ball bounced off the back of Bambam’s head and ricocheted back to Yugyeom— but he had already stumbled to his feet, taking off down across the sand like a bat out of hell. 

“YUGYEOM.”

He didn’t even turn back to look, sand kicking up behind him as he passed Jaebum, Jinyoung and Youngjae and then past Jackson sitting on Mark’s shoulders— whose knees looked like they were going to give out at any moment. 

“KIM YUGYEOM.”

He was laughing maniacally now, adrenaline pumping through his veins— the feeling similar as to when he flushed Jaebum’s horrible smelling, two day old fish down the toilet and blamed it on Youngjae. 

It was exhilarating. 

Then it all came crashing down when his foot caught on a long piece of driftwood and he went down like the titanic. Yugyeom rolled, somersaulting across the sand until his arms finally came out to stop himself. He was groaning and he was sure he had broken his tail— when little fingers were prying at his shoulders and he was flipped over, blinking up into blinding sunshine and Bambam’s face.

A very angry, very irate face.

“Kim Yugyeom.” He hissed, ears flat against his head and Yugyeom resisted the urge to coddle him because even though he was scared less, Bambam was just so adorable and—

He screamed like a little kitten when Bambam twisted his pinky back. 

“Apologize. That hurt dammit.”

“I’m sorry! I’M SORRY!” Yugyeom beat the sand with his free hand, eyes watering. Bambam released him and he gasped, hurriedly reclaiming his smarting little finger and covering it protectively. Plush lips pursed and Yugyeom swallowed, looking pathetic and sandy.     

Bambam was still sitting on his chest, looking like he wasn’t going to move anytime soon and Yugyeom could only stare when the smaller cat’s back arched slightly as he relaxed, leaning into Yugyeom, glaring down and looking completely intimidating with his tail curled around his tiny little waist.

“Do you want to go back—”

Bambam pressed a finger against Yugyeom’s lips and his eyes crossed.

“Stop talking.” 

His face was inching closer, big, soul- eyes turning Yugyeom into a useless gelatin form of himself and he squeezed his own eyes shut when he couldn’t take it anymore. He expected to feel pain, the edges of Bambam’s canines digging into his skin in revenge— maybe even drawing blood— and instead he opened his eyes with surprise when fluffy hair tickled the underside of his chin. 

“I have a headache now and every time you open your mouth it hurts more and I remember things that make me angry.” Bambam muttered and Yugyeom noted the sleepy undertones. “I hate you.”

Yugyeom tried to sit up but Bambam hissed and pressed him back down, bracketing his sides with his thighs and weaving his arms around his neck. His ears were flopping back, tail finding Yugyeom’s and curling around it. Yugyeom blinked with confusion, not minding the pleasant tingling sensation in his belly but wondering when the false sense of security was going to end. 

“Relax, you’re worrying too much, I can feel it in your whole body.” Bambam shifted and Yugyeom thought he was falling off— hands rising to steady him— only to realize belatedly that he had two handfuls of the smaller cat’s splendidly rounded behind in each palm. He jerked his hands away, flushing from his ear tips to his toes.

Bambam rested his chin on Yugyeom’s chest, gazing up at him with lazy eyes and the other cat refused to meet his gaze. He didn’t trust this situation at all. 

“Hey Yugyeom, you’re really comfortable.”

Yugyeom stared with disbelief, ears flicking uncomfortably and former embarrassment forgotten. 

“I think I hit your head a little too hard.” He murmured in awe.

Bambam scowled and Yugyeom jumped when two little, strong fingers pinched the nape of his neck. Yugyeom thought he must be some kind of sick masochist for wanting to get pinched again if it caused Bambam to stare at him like that. 

“I think I just want to take a nap. This is all your fault, so you’re going to be responsible.”

Yugyeom gaped, “So you’re going to sleep on me.”

“Yes.” Bambam nestled against the bare skin of Yugyeom’s chest and the other cat felt his heart swell when the slight rumble of a purr vibrated into his body from another source. He couldn’t help it, his arms came up and wrapped around the smaller body above him and despite all whiny protests he held on and squished his face against the top of Bambam’s head. 

“Yugyeom, I can’t breathe.” Bambam’s lips were pressing against Yugyeom’s collarbone and he eased up a little, so that Bambam could tilt his head back up to look at him.

“You really are hopeless. Why’d you hit me on the head with a volleyball anyways?”

“Because—” Yugyeom sighed as if it was the most obvious answer in the entire universe, “I wanted to spend time with you.”

“I guess you get what you want, huh.” Bambam muttered, eyes narrowing and Yugyeom grinned at him. He really was the cutest when he got annoyed. 

“Yes, that and more.”  

Bambam sighed, sounded defeated, “Kill me.”

Yugyeom’s arms lowered to settle at the small of his back and rather than responding with words, he just held him closer.