When it came to playing at the beach, there was one thing Rhodes definitely didn't look forward to: applying sunscreen.
It was just asking for trouble.
But when Mira lay on the beach mat, exposing her smooth, fair back, and tilted her head with a sweet smile to look at him, he simply couldn't say no.
"Make sure it's even," Mira said calmly.
"Of course," Rhodes replied, taking the bottle of sunscreen. "Tie your hair up first."
Before she could respond, he gently gathered her long silver hair and tied it into a ponytail using the small hairband he always wore on his wrist.
He was getting frighteningly good at this kind of thing.
After sweeping her ponytail forward over her shoulder, Rhodes squeezed a small amount of sunscreen onto his fingers and dotted Mira's neck with evenly spaced white blobs. Then, using smooth circular motions, he rubbed the lotion in thoroughly—just as she asked.
From her neck to her shoulders and down her back, he continued the process with precision. Occasionally, his fingers "accidentally" slipped in just the right way. Completely reasonable, of course.
"You've got pretty good hands, Rhodes," said Erza, who had suddenly laid down next to Mira on her own beach mat. "Mind doing mine too?"
Rhodes couldn't see Mira's face—but he did notice the beach mat wrinkling ominously beneath her.
He immediately declined. "This'll take a while. Mira, why don't you go ask Natsu instead?"
"Good idea," Erza said, nodding. "Natsu, come here and help me apply sunscreen."
"Ugh, such a pain…" Natsu grumbled as he walked over, clearly reluctant.
"Just follow what Rhodes did," Erza instructed. "And I'll help you later."
"I'm not even afraid of the sun," Natsu muttered. Still, he watched Rhodes's movements and began imitating him.
That's when Rhodes had a dangerous thought: If I do something a bit... unusual, will Natsu copy that too?
Mira, who still hadn't turned around, wrinkled her nose and warned him, "Better not get any weird ideas."
"How'd you know?" he asked, startled.
"Hmph."
Of course she knew. His hand pressure had changed the moment he got distracted.
Meanwhile, Lucy stood nearby, holding her own bottle of sunscreen awkwardly. She had originally wanted to help Mira or Erza apply theirs—but clearly, that ship had sailed.
So… should she ask Gray?
No. No way. Asking a guy who stripped at random like it was second nature to help with sunscreen? That was out of the question.
Just as Lucy began to fret, a small voice chimed in.
"Lucy, need our help?" asked Happy, fluttering up beside her.
Lucy narrowed her eyes. "That smirk says it all."
"I wasn't planning anything!" Happy said, trying to sound innocent.
"No one's buying it."
Deciding to handle it herself, Lucy pulled out a Celestial Spirit Key. "Open, Gate of the Maiden—Virgo!"
With a flash of golden light, Virgo appeared—though not in her usual maid attire. She wore a black swimsuit trimmed with white lace, complete with a ruffled skirt.
"Princess," Virgo said, kneeling upright, "is this a beach training session?"
"No!" Lucy snapped. "And why are you dressed like that?!"
"I heard from Brother Loke that you received a vacation voucher," Virgo explained. "So I came prepared… for training."
She remained perfectly still in her kneeling position. "Shall we begin now, Princess?"
"I told you, it's not training! I just wanted your help…" Lucy groaned. Then she paused. "Wait a minute, what was that about calling him 'brother'?"
"Lord Loke asked me to refer to him that way," Virgo replied, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Lucy sighed and held her forehead. "That guy…" But, well, this was just how Celestial Spirits were. They had their own quirks. She decided not to dwell on it. "Anyway, please take care of it."
"Yes, Princess." Virgo got to work with her usual diligence.
Meanwhile, behind a coconut tree not far away, Juvia peeked out while nervously wringing her hands. Dressed in a modest swimsuit, she whispered to herself, "Gray-sama is all alone… This is the perfect opportunity, but… Ahhh! I didn't plan for today…"
Back on the beach, Gray stretched his arms and called out, "You're taking too long. Happy and I are gonna start without you!" He turned to the Exceed. "Let's have a sandcastle-building competition!"
"AYE, SIR!" Happy shouted with sparkly eyes.
"Alright, Happy! The key to a proper sandcastle is shaping the sand just right!"
"AYE!"
Gray worked quickly, his hands skillfully crafting a detailed sand structure. Meanwhile, Happy enthusiastically made… a sand mound vaguely shaped like a fish. Then he threw his little arms up and said, "I'm tired already."
"That was fast!" Lucy said from her beach mat, watching them with mild amusement as Virgo continued to apply her sunscreen. "You barely started!"
Happy looked deflated. "Because no matter what I do, it never looks as good as Gray's…"
"Gray, can't you cut him some slack?" Lucy called out.
"Huh? Why?" Gray replied seriously. "This is a contest—a contest between men!"
Lucy blinked. "Wait, how old is Happy again? Isn't he six?"
Then she frowned and mumbled to herself, "But in cat years that's actually pretty mature… But Happy's not exactly a regular cat either…"
Given Happy's behavior, he was basically a mischievous little kid. Come to think of it, so was Natsu.
"Don't give up, Happy!" Natsu called out, having just finished haphazardly applying sunscreen to Erza. He rushed over and squatted beside Happy. "Let's show them what we've got!"
Together, they built… something. It resembled a collapsed tower, or maybe a lumpy sand hill. Either way, it could barely qualify as a sandcastle.
Lucy tilted her head. "I mean… it looks more like a dragon's nest than a castle."
Natsu grinned proudly. "Exactly! See? Lucy knows what's up!"
"Ugh, moving on!" Gray ran straight into the ocean, kicking up a spray of seawater. "Let's settle this with a water fight!"
"Hey! Sneak attack, you jerk!" Natsu shouted, charging in right after him.
Happy, determined not to be left behind, grabbed his tiny swimming ring and waddled after them.
Mira, her cheeks slightly flushed, gently pushed Rhodes. "Alright, I'll take care of my face myself. You go have fun too."
Rhodes raised an eyebrow and replied dryly, "I'm not that childish…"
Before he could finish, a splash of water hit him square in the face. His hair was soaked, and the front of his shirt clung to him, dripping.
How the heck did they manage to splash that far?
Natsu burst out laughing. "Ahahaha! Rhodes got drenched!"
Mira giggled behind her hand, clearly amused by his soggy state.
Rhodes wiped the water from his face and gave her a sly smile. "Alright. I'll go take care of a little something."
"Okay~" Mira replied sweetly.
"DIE, NATSU!" Rhodes roared as he charged into the water, arms spread wide. "Hydro Charge."
"You dare challenge me?! Take this, Fire Dragon's Water Strike!" Natsu shouted, slinging water at him.
"I'm in too, Water Machine Gun!" Gray added with unnecessary flair.
Lucy sweat-dropped as she watched from the shore. "Seriously? Rhodes has gone completely childish… And those names? Is there even a difference between any of those attacks?!"
The trio kept shouting their over-the-top names, but in reality, it was just good old-fashioned water fighting. The only difference was how hard the splashes hit, getting smacked in the face felt like being slapped.
"W-Woah, blublub—!" The first casualty was Happy, who got caught in the crossfire. He became their unintentional target dummy, sometimes even being launched out along with the waves.
After a while of chaotic splashing, the three soaked troublemakers took a break to change into their swimming trunks.
"That's too much…" Happy grumbled with a pitiful expression. "I'm emotionally scarred."
Rhodes, trying to cheer him up, summoned Warm and nudged him toward Happy. "Go play with him for a bit."
Warm, the round and fuzzy creature, plopped down on the beach and looked up at Rhodes, clearly annoyed.
It was too hot. Way hotter than the guild. Didn't they agree Warm would only be summoned on cool summer days?
Rhodes pulled out a large bill and waved it in the air. "Wanna get some ice cream?"
"Huluuu~!" Warm lit up immediately, tail wiggling with joy.
This glutton had no self-control. Food always won him over.
Warm was now about the size of a pig—rounder, in fact. Rhodes could easily ride him if he wanted. He was sturdy enough to carry both Happy and himself to grab some frozen treats.
And just like that, Rhodes declared with a grin, "Ice cream's on me today!"
...
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