𝘡𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘶 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘍𝘦𝘴𝘵

❀ [𝗞𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗼 𝗧.] 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘴

Crickets chirped loudly, conversing about the newest rumors in their neighborhoods. Single fireflies could be seen here and there, dancing through the evening air like golden fairies. All telltale signs that it was once again Summer. Just like the dry heat surrounding their sweaty bodies, faces flushed in a light red-ish hue.

Something Zenko couldn't stand.

Summer was her least favorite season - she hated it. It was too hot to feel energetic; every step she'd made would feel draining and exhaust her to no end. She was forced to wear light, and, even worse, short and revealing clothes. Her favorite baggy jeans had to be replaced with basketball shorts, and her beloved hoodies had to be doomed to the back of her closet, as well. Instead, she desperately clung to over-sized shirts, which had her dripping with sweat nonetheless.

Even now, Zenko could feel one droplet after the other, making their ways down her arms, and simultaneously, down her exposed calves. Even the damn back of her knee felt uncomfortably damp! As if her sweaty and itchy nape wasn't enough already. Summer was simply disgusting.
Honeyed eyes trailed over to the fireplace in the garden. There, her Gramps was seated, looking relaxed for once. A rare occasion, that could only be the doing of the young man standing next to him. Not even three meters away, was Tanjirou. Her longtime childhood best friend.

And, Gods, that sight should be forbidden.

Tanjirou, who had helped working on the fields with Zenko, was shirtless. Due to the rough work they took from her Gramps, they had been sweating a lot. To the blonde's advantage, it seemed. Because, damn. Tanjirou was a handsome man, always had been, and he'd been working out for some time now. Back then, he'd started with Kendo. Something that was definitely visible now. The ways his large hands worked around a wooden stick, poking it into the low fire before them, and the way that his biceps and triceps flexed once in a while by doing so...

Maybe Summer wasn't as bad. At least not, when she could spend it with a shirtless Tanjirou.

☼☼☼

Nearly two hours later, they had finished their dinner. Grilled eel, fish and baked vegetables had been filling more than enough, which led to an idea. Going on a walk, a digestion walk, if you will, would be productive for them in two ways:
1) A slow walk through the area around the riverbed was beautiful and comfortable with the cooling air around them, and
2) Zenko finally had some time to have Tanjirou to herself. On a romantic evening, nonetheless.

One could say she had ulterior motives, which she wouldn't deny. Getting her best friend for herself had been rather difficult these past days. There was just always something to do in Summer. Let it be working in the fields, something she had more to do of year to year, (her Gramps wasn't getting any younger, after all), or work around the house.
It had been just yesterday that Tanjirou had to repair a sliding door for them. It had sprung out of its hinges months ago, and couldn't be repaired by anyone else. Thank the Gods for the sweet angel that was her best friend.

"It's way better now.", Zenko sighed in exhaustion, "I can't stand the heat.". The man chuckled lowly beside her, watching as she took off her cap, letting her hair fall down. It barely reached her shoulders, but was mesmerizing to watch either way. And, even though it was dark around them, the blonde seemed to glow like the fireflies around them.
Unprompted, Zenko continued in a hushed voice: "Maybe I should move to the city once Gramps... you know?". The thought alone caused a lump to form in her throat. She found comfort in hugging her knees to her chest. A short moment of silence passed, interrupted by a splashing sound in the distance. A frog had jumped into the river, where it croaked happily to it's potential lover.