"I'm a little surprised Linh agreed to you being over." Keefe stated as Tam slung his bag filled with clothes and his imparter onto the floor of Keefe's bedroom.
"I told her your dad would supervise us." Tam stated, looking at Keefe.
"So no mentioning that we were left alone or else she's gonna actually kill me."
Keefe hummed, nodding.
"Gotcha." Keefe said.
Tam then sat on Keefe's bed as Keefe went over to one of his drawers and looked through some swimming trunks.
"... We're gonna go to the beach right away?" Tam questioned.
"Yep! Why not?" Keefe smiled at Tam.
"Get your swimming trunks on and let's go have some fun!"
Tam shuffled uncomfortably.
"... Uh, I don't think I'll want to go swimming soo..." Tam shrugged.
Keefe frowned slightly.
"Huh... oh well." Keefe shrugged.
"I'll be back! I'm just gonna get changed into my trunks then!"
Keefe grabbed a pair of swimming trunks and he shut the drawer, quickly walking away.
Tam raised his eyebrows as Keefe just went like that. No questions asked. It made Tam smile.
It took a couple minutes before Keefe strolled back in, in just a pair of red swimming trunks along with a towel wrapped around his neck with another towel in hand.
"Here you go Tammy! Just in case you do get in the water, or well... something you could lay on or sit on while on the sand!" Keefe said, handing Tam the towel in his hand.
Tam raised his eyebrows as he looked at Keefe up and down.
"... Why do you have a scar right here?" Tam questioned, delicately tracing his fingers over the scar under Keefe's ribs.
Keefe felt shiver down his spine as soon as Tam touched him. His cheeks turned red and his brain took a moment to function again.
"Uh, when I fought with King Dimitar. He slashed me there and uh yeah. Battle scar, whoo!" Keefe grinned nervously.
Tam glanced up at Keefe and seen how red his face was.
"Is me touching your scar making you flustered, Sencen~?" Tam grinned, teasing the blonde.
Keefe gulped.
"Yes?" Keefe said, looking down at Tam.
"I mean, you're uh..."
Keefe was too flushed to speak or even finish a sentence.
Tam snickered as he took his hand away from Keefe.
"God, relax Keefe." Tam said as he got up, draping the towel over his shoulder.
Tam gently pecked Keefe's cheek.
"Let's grab some snacks and head out to the beach." Tam said, gently patting Keefe's cheek which he had just kissed.
Keefe's heart was beating like crazy as Tam walked off, leaving the bedroom.
Keefe groaned as he ran his fingers through his hair.
"C'mon Loverboy!"
Keefe felt his cheeks warm and he grumbled as he left the bedroom, following Tam towards the kitchen to grab snacks.
*****
Tam was sat on the towel which was laid on top of the sand.
Tam looked over to see Keefe messing about in the ocean, he kept reaching down and tried to look for some crabs, or some sort of aquatic creature. It was cute.
The weather wasn't all too bad. It could've been worse, it was okay weather for a beach day though.
Tam felt slightly guilty he wasn't in the ocean with Keefe but... he felt iffy about the ocean.
It wasn't as if he was scared, no. It's just... he didn't know how to explain it.
"Tam! Tam!"
Tam looked up to see Keefe running over to him, something trapped in his hands.
Tam reluctantly backed away as Keefe got closer.
"What do you have...?" Tam questioned, squinting his eyes at the blonde.
"A crab!" Keefe exclaimed.
"Little rascal kept running and hiding! Look!"
Keefe uncupped his hands and held the crab down for Tam to see.
Tam looked at it.
He felt queasy looking at the creature.
"Oh... nice..." Tam said, not wanting to back away to offend Keefe but also just not wanting to be anywhere close to the little thing in Keefe's hands.
Keefe noticed how Tam was acting.
"Do you not like crabs?" Keefe asked.
Tam gave Keefe an awkward smile.
"Not really, no."
Keefe hummed and nodded.
"I'll put him back, uh, get any sand off my towel will you?" Keefe asked as he covered the crab with his other hand again.
Keefe then turned around and ran back to the ocean.
Tam looked at the towel next to him, which wasn't blown away yet due to the placed their bag of treats on top of it.
Tam gently moved the bag and held the towel up, shaking off any sand and holding it for Keefe for when he came back.
Keefe came back within 5 minutes and he took the towel from Tam.
"Thanks!"
Keefe dried himself off as he managed to squeeze himself next to Tam on his towel.
"Oi, where do you think your putting your wet ass?" Tam huffed.
"On your nice dry towel." Keefe smiled, quickly kissing Tam's cheek.
Tam smiled as he looked at Keefe.
Keefe wrapped the towel over his neck and he gently slipped his hand into Tam's, interlocking their fingers.
"Do you like the beach?" Keefe asked, looking out into the ocean.
Tam stared at Keefe.
"I haven't really had good memories being at a beach." Tam shrugged.
"Linh and I would always go, along with our parents, but since she never had a hold of her abilities back then, sometimes it was... hard."
Keefe hummed.
"Why don't you like the ocean?" Keefe asked, grinning at Tam.
"It's nice and refreshing~"
Tam shrugged again.
"I think Linh once splashed a lot of ocean water in my face and... well salt water is not a nice feeling in your eyes." Tam said.
"I dunno if it's that or something else."
Keefe nodded.
"Not the best date then, huh?" Keefe questioned, squeezing Tam's hand.
Tam looked at Keefe, smiling softly.
"Kinda cute seeing you get so excited and act so childish in the ocean though." Tam said.
Keefe smiled at Tam.
"Mmh, I'd have more fun if you joined me." Keefe said.
"But no pressure. You don't want to, you don't have to."
The two locked eyes on each other and they both smiled.
"Thanks, Keefe." Tam said in a quiet tone of voice.
"Mmh, just being my great usual self!" Keefe exclaimed.
Tam rolled his eyes and Keefe smiled, leaning in slightly.
"Seriously Tam, just... let me know when you wanna head inside as well. I can stay out here for as long as you want."
Tam looked at Keefe and seen how he leaned in. Their noses were nearly pressing together.
Tam gulped and he turned away, his cheeks red.
"Mmh, it's fine. I like the breeze." Tam said.
Keefe bit his inner cheek, looking away from Tam too.
Maybe he was too forward there...
"Oh! Uh, you want some mood candy?"
Keefe let go of Tam's hand as he snatched the bag of sweets and dug out the mood candy.
Keefe opened the little satchel the mood candy was in and held it up to Tam.
"... I don't think I've ever had mood candy." Tam stated, taking one of the sweets.
"Well, the flavour depends on your mood!" Keefe exclaimed.
"Look, you'll see how good it tastes!"
Keefe took a bit of mood candy himself and popped it into his mouth.
He chewed into it and it melted in his mouth, a nice strawberry flavour.
Tam watched as Keefe chewed the sweet happily. Tam hesitantly popped the candy into his mouth but he felt comfortable once it tasted like... a nice soury lemon flavour.
Keefe finished chewing and swallowing his sweet so he looked at Tam and smiled as he seen Tam was enjoying it.
"So, would it be the same flavour for everyone if they were feeling a specific emotion?" Tam questioned, looking at Keefe.
Keefe shook his head.
"Nah, because you may like spicy tasting things and that may correlate to your happiness but I may like something sweeter, so it depends on the person and their preferences." Keefe explained.
Tam nodded.
"Nice." Tam said, grabbing another bit of mood candy and eating it again.
Keefe stared at Tam as he chewed on the candy.
Tam noticed how Keefe was staring and he quickly swallowed the candy.
"... Something you wanna say?" Tam questioned.
Keefe shrugged.
"Wanna be my boyfriend?" Keefe asked.
Tam stared blankly at Keefe.
"... This is your romantic setting of asking me out?" Tam said, raising his eyebrows.
Keefe shrugged.
"We're on a beach, you're very pretty right now, I'm shirtless, I think this all checks romantic." Keefe said, shrugging.
Tam let out a laugh.
"God, you need to give me a chance to be romantic, to show you how it's done." Tam said, smiling at Keefe.
Keefe pouted.
"... So, you don't wanna be my boyfriend?" Keefe questioned.
"I didn't say no." Tam stated, pecking Keefe's cheek.
Keefe raised his eyebrows at Tam.
"I'll be your boyfriend, Sencen."
"Oof, yeah call your boyfriend by his last name." Keefe grimaced.
"That shows him how much you love him."
"Hey, we're not on the 'l' word stage yet, we're still on the 'I hate you' stage." Tam stated, looking at Keefe.
Keefe smiled as he rested his head on Tam's shoulder.
"Alright, then I hate you." Keefe stated, shrugging.
"My first ever boyfriend."
"Oh ew, don't call me that." Tam grimaced.
"That's very cringe..."
"Heyyy! Tamm!" Keefe whined.
Tam smiled at Keefe and pecked his forehead.
"Can we watch the sunset again?" Tam asked.
Keefe snuggled closer to Tam.
"Yeah, why not?" Keefe said.
Tam gently rested his hand over Keefe's, which Keefe then held Tam's hand and interlocked their fingers.
Keefe never thought he'd be this comfortable or this happy with Tam being his boyfriend. Let alone having a boyfriend in general, it never seemed to occur to the empath that he'd have something like this.
But god, Keefe was in a good place of his life at the moment and nothing could ruin that.
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