"These are called popsicles. Pretty much just frozen juice on a stick," Adkin explained as he sat beside Aki, handing over the frozen green treat.
"Thanks! I seriously need it! Evening heats here seem to be like the ones in the Yellow kingdom…" Aki placed it in his mouth while Adkin bit into his own.
After the movie theater and being scolded by Adkin for leaving, the two of them continued checking off things Aki wanted to do. Going to an arcade, checking out random stores, walking the streets aimlessly, eating from food trucks, next was the beach!
"I can't believe you wanna go to a place filled with bushy men with guts and catty women competing with complete strangers. The beaches here are usually dirty as well." Adkin asked as he bit into his food. "Still wanna go?" He asked.
Aki pulled his lips from the popsicle before nodding. "Yeah! Even if it isn't the prettiest, all I want is to see as much as I can here. It's… going to get late anyways, so I want to just cram it all in!" He went back to sucking on his treat with Adkin watching him.
"…Okay…" He finished eating and tossed his stick in the trash effortlessly. "After that, we can order pizza!"
"Yay! I want one with everything on it! Meat, peppers, fruits, I'll even have fish! I'll eat it all!" Aki exclaimed. He pulled out the empty stick and placed it in the trash can. "How far is the beach?"
Adkin glanced over his shoulder before pointing. "Across the street. I don't have swim trunks, so getting soaked is gonna be on you," he warned before getting up. "It gets more dangerous when it's dark, so stay close."
Aki simply grinned as he held his hand instinctively. "You're much more protective than I thought! It's nice to see you worry for others."
All the young prince responded with was a scoff before walking Aki to their next destination.
"I don't want to waste time drying off, so just walking on the beach is enough for me!"
"Just keep your shoes on. You'll get sand in them, but it beats shards of glass in your foot…"
The beach really wasn't a sight to see. It was slightly crowded, the sand barely covered discarded bags of chips and bottles, children were screaming.
"I told you… it's–"
"Amazing!" Aki interrupted him as he looked into the water. "I can't even begin to imagine what's inside it…" he leaned against the railing. "It's a real shame…" he sighed.
Adkin sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck before walking Aki down the stairs that lead to the sand. "Catch me and I'll give you something special!" He then released Aki's hand and ran off.
"A-Adkin wait!" Aki chased after him. He rarely ever got to run, whenever he did it was to protect Yani from any danger. But here, it was pure fun. "That's not fair! You're way faster!" he complained.
"C'mon! I'm barely trying!" Adkin laughed.
Hearing his laugh with such joy made Aki's heart skip a beat. Genuine happiness was something he rarely ever got to see. He wanted to see it more often.
Aki pushed himself harder to keep up and not get thrown off with his sudden change in direction. Soon, Aki lunged at Adkin and tackled him down. Laying beside him in the sand as he hugged his waist. Both laughed in hysterics as they tried to regain their breaths.
"D-damn! You really are persistent! I should've challenged you!" Adkin spoke in between breaths.
"I nearly broke my ankle trying to keep up! Don't act like you were being nice!" Aki rests his forehead against Adkin's head until he realized how close they were. He forced himself to sit up and scoot away from Adkin. "S-so about the special reward?" he spoke in a quieter tone.
Adkin sat up as well and looked over at the water. "I know you can't have human things to avoid getting caught, but I wanted to give you this. J-just so you have something to remember…" He ruffled in his pocket before pulling out a small, red box. "If you won't want it I understand…"
The box was snatched from his hand and Aki was already holding it to his chest. "I love it! I don't know why you chose a box, but it does seem pretty normal!"
Adkin's face turned bright red before taking the box back from him. "Idiot! It's inside of the box…" He opened the lid before revealing a silver ring with a red gem embedded in it. "You can wear it under your glove so no one can see…"
"Whoops! I was a bit too excited, my bad!" Aki took the ring out and admired it. "It's really beautiful. There's no magic to it, it's just a simple ring." He held it out to Adkin. "We should match! Then it'll be our little secret!" He suggested before slipping it on his left ring finger.
Adkin raised his hand to show off the ring on his right thumb. "Way ahead of you. I'll be hiding it under my glove as well. Silvy will get pissed if he found out I put it here."
It was a crimson red ring with a silver gem embedded. Putting a ring on the thumb signified marriage in the Red Kingdom.
"Today was really fun! Nothing was perfect, but that made it even better!" Aki sighed. "It's just a shame that it'll be over so soon. I feel like I just scratched the surface on this place. My list is endless… so it would never be completed…"
Adkin crossed his legs as he looked back at him. "Wanna say what else you wanted to do?"
"…Well, flying was one. I wanted to try a normal hobby, meet someone trying to make the world better, and um…" Aki's face turned pink as he looked at the water. "I-I wanted to go on a date!" he blurted out before burying his face in his hands. "It's stupid for me, I know!"
"Idiot. We're literally on one right now… kinda…" Adkin scratched his cheek. Aki looked over at him with a confused face. "I-it was as friends. But we pretty much did what humans do for dates. Watch movies, eat food, I held your hand to keep you from running off but it should still count. We're even matching jewelry. The only thing we didn't really do was kiss…" he became quiet.
Aki grinned. "If it's on the cheek it's fine, right? As friends?" He asked.
Adkin looked at him with wide eyes. "I-I guess? So long as it's as a friend…"
It was amusing for Aki to watch Adkin's face burn bright red. As prideful as he was, seeing him act so nervous only made Aki feel more comfortable.
He lightly kissed Adkin's cheek before pulling back. "You're so warm!" he laughed.
"It's because it's so damn hot out here! Don't act all smug!" Adkin glared at him.
"You're embarrassed! Admit it!" Aki teased as he laughed harder.
Adkin grit his teeth before leaning close to Aki and returning the friendly affection. Aki stopped laughing as his own face grew hot.
"Now, we're even. So hush," Adkin smirked at his own remark before laying down in the sand.
Aki did the same and was thankful they weren't laying in anything dangerous. He stared up at the evening sky and took the time to process how much fun he had done everything. Even putting gas in the car was thrilling to him. He never bothered to ask how Adkin felt about it.
"Um… Adkin? Did you have fun?"
"Usually this stuff is pretty boring. But with you, it's a whole new experience…" Adkin answered.
"So, you did have fun?" Aki asked.
Adkin chuckled as he looked over at him. "This is the most fun I've ever had here on Earth. It'll likely be the last after tonight. So I'm glad I at least got to have it with you…"
Aki watched as the sun began to set over the horizon. "I couldn't have ever experienced any of this if it weren't for you, Adkin. I really can't thank you enough…"
"You don't need to. I got to see you experience a lot for the first time. It's special enough for me to feel thankful for asking you out-… t-to hang…" he quickly added. "Ugh… this is getting too sappy for me. Let's get back home before it gets dark."
Adkin pushed himself up with Aki doing the same. It was a slightly awkward walk back to the car. Aki was thankful that Adkin took such a risk to fulfill something he wanted, but he also worried how Yani would react to him being absent without warning. All he could do was trust Adkin's planning.
"I should probably go all out to end this on a high note. We'll have pizza and I'll even show you some movies that are better than the one we saw," Adkin assured him.
"Can it be a scary one? I always wanted to see one! Silvath says they're the best!"
Adkin visibly tensed up. "O-of course! I am not giving myself nightmares for your satisfaction! I hate those creepy dolls and cliche protagonists who always barely escape…"
"Oh right, you don't like them… that's okay! I'll watch whatever!" Aki grinned. Though the playful atmosphere became suffocating as they both looked ahead.
Yani stood before them with another expressionless face. His lifeless gaze left Aki trembling where he stood.
"So this is where you two were? Bold of you to not only betray my trust but to sneak off with the one I hate most? Humans can be quite cruel…" Though his words were cold, Yani began smiling like a madman. "Unfortunately for you, cruelty is my specialty…"