#kisame hoshigaki x self insert

[historicfailure]

Work Under Water

6. Chapter: Washed onto the Next Best Shore

Kisame finally explains why he continues to flirt - and shows it, too.

~ X ~

Hey there, sorry for the long wait. I had lots of stuff going on in my life, and I don't know, possibly had writer's block without even realizing it. Now though, I feel like I can do something about these left and abandoned stories again. If that "something" is good or not, that's not for me to judge. I hope you guys like this new addition. Thanks for reading and have fun :D

~ X ~

The first date was a resounding success. After swimming with Kisame, the two of you laid on the grass and dried under the sun, and even though you hid away beneath your towel, that talk had felt like Kisame truly tried to get to know you on a deeper level. The conversation with him grew deeper as well, continuing all throughout the afternoon and the better part of dinner. The sun nearly vanished in the darkening sky as Kisame dropped you off at the lake again, where your parked car still waited.

As you opened the door of the truck in the nearly empty parking lot and wanted to climb out, Kisame was faster. One hand landed on your arm, holding you back before you could slip away.

“Have a good night, (Y/N).”

The casual touch made your breath hitch. Fuck. How could something so simple as the touch of a hand on your arm could be this fantastic to you? Was it the fact that only a few people ever did this? Touch you just for the sake of touching you?

Fuck, am I really that touch-starved?

He has me in the palm of his hand, for sure.

Does he know? I hope not. 

A smile formed on your face, easy and light. “I hope you have a good night, too.”

His smile turned up a few notches. “Oh, now it definitely is. And think about a second date with me, alright?”

Without a question in your mind, there would be a second date. God, you needed a second date. Like the damned crave for sweets at 2am hit you with a vengeance, you needed that second date. And a third, a fourth, and so on. After just one date with Kisame, you wanted more. More of his voice, more of his touch, more of him in all varieties. Being so addicted to him in a matter of a few hours should scare you, but on the contrary: you felt like you were floating as you walked over the hard parking lot towards your car, got in and waved one last time before you drove off. 

Kisame waited until you left the lot safely, only then he left as well. Making sure you were on your way home, before he went to his own home. A kind gesture, and one you appreciated greatly. On the few dates that you had, the men tended to try to shoot their shot, and when you made clear that nothing sexual would happen on the first date, their play-pretend interest in you evaporated like morning dew under the hot summer sun. 

Barely at home, you fought with yourself a little bit before texting Kisame. Was it too soon? Too rash? Too much? The questions swirled around in your head, but that couldn’t stop your fingers from typing out a message to him and sending it off. 

>It was a wonderful first date. Thank you so much for this day. :)

The answer came in an instant. Like Kisame had waited for your message with his phone in his hands.

>It was my pleasure. Sooo… About that second date…?

A little smile flashed over your face.

> I would love to. If you’re up for it.

> Now that you agreed, you’re not getting off the hook that easily.

It should feel like a threat. Something dangerous and threatening, something anxiety-inducing. Instead, there was a warm tingle spreading from the pit of your stomach all throughout your body. Still in your clothes and with your skin feeling suspiciously like you had a sunburn, you fell into your bed, all the while pressing your phone to your chest. 

You could try. You would, that much was clear. But you didn’t expect that tingle and the warmth, the little fluttering of your heart when Kisame gave again confirmation that he wanted to see you again. 

For the second date, you picked the location. Even though it was tempting to simply pick the secret spot at the lake once more, you went with a simple picnic in the park, followed by a walk through the greenery. Seeing Kisame with clothes on was still a bit weird, and you somehow expected him to wear a pair of swimming shorts beneath the rough jeans he wore to the date. Together with the marine-blue loose t-shirt, which still managed to cling to his muscles in all the right ways, it made Kisame easily the most attractive man in the park. 

A fact a few people also noticed. And they noticed you beside that attractive man, walking beside him, talking with him, being touched by him. And some obviously asked themselves what you had so Kisame spent his time with you.

He noticed. Of course, he did, you weren’t that secretive about your growing insecurity. 

Suddenly, Kisame stopped in his tracks. You nearly walked past him, but paused and turned ever so slightly to him. “What’s the matter?”

“You’re thinking way too loudly.” His askew cheeky grin made your heart pound harder in your chest. He reached out, and when his big fingers closed around your smaller hand, your heart felt like leaping out of your throat. “I know what you’re thinking.”

“And what?” Despite the anxiety chewing at your insides, you dared to raise your chin in defiance. “What could I possibly think?”

“That you’re somehow not worthy to be here with me. That you’re not good enough. That the others look at you with disdain.” Kisame stepped a little bit closer. Just enough for the tips of his shoes to hit yours. Somehow, the new closeness stole your breath away. “But,” he leaned even closer, so close his mouth was tantalizing you with its look, and you could feel his breath ghost over your face, “but I want this. I want you. Only you. Never forget that.”

It didn’t matter anymore that the two of you were standing right on a neatly cared path leading through a wide park, with lots of people nearby to stare at the very open closeness between the two of you. But with your heart pounding and your blood rushing in your ears, you couldn’t care less. There was only Kisame, his scent, his body. All of him, and you were drowning. 

Will he…?

Oh god, no.

Oh god, yes. Yes, please.

For a few long moments, you wished and prayed that he would lean down further. That  you maybe found some courage and leaned in instead, to do what you wanted to do so desperately that it hurt. To feel his lips against yours, with the knowledge and security that he wanted you, warming you from within. 

But it didn’t happen. Kisame merely winked, like he could read your thoughts down to the comma, before straightening himself out. “I know what you want, little one. But you know what they say.”

“What?” You fell into step beside him, with your hand still held by his, his grip gentle and warm against your skin. 

“Third time, and by that I mean the infamous third date, is the charm.” Your hands, with the fingers tightly yet gently intertwined, swayed between your bodies. Such a nice touch, you forgot about anyone else but him.

It was so terribly easy to believe that it was real. You wanted to believe him, and part of you already did. Still, there was a tiny voice whispering and murmuring in your head. The voice was silent whenever you were with Kisame and talked with him, but it grew louder and louder whenever you were alone. 

Your insecurities were just muted when you were with him, not simply gone. You wished life would be that easy, but it rarely was. That was why you still felt like puking when you pulled up to the lake again, decked out with a two-piece swimsuit, light clothes and some light food, fitting for one of the last days of the summer. The nights got colder, sharp winds blew from time to time, and thankfully, rain started to come down more regularly. The last weeks of the hot drought took a toll on the environment, but in the next few days, the forecast announced rain and thunder.

Maybe, rain would fall even sooner than that. You could feel the humidity on your skin as you slipped out of your car, encompassing you like a coat as you made your way over to the beach. At the top of the hill, which descended into the sandy area, you could overlook the entire beach. Your eyes automatically went to the highest vantage point: the lifeguard seat. And there he was, the man you were casually — or maybe not so casually, as you hoped — seeing. Even over the distance, you could see how the man lounged in his chair, the long legs stretched out and dangling, one arm draped over the armrest, the other loosely holding onto a water bottle. A white tee hung from his shoulders, stuck to his skin in places where the sweat glued it to him. That meant he didn’t have to go into the water at all today, or just very early into his shift. 

You smiled. It also meant Kisame would be antsy to swim a few rounds. By now, you managed to find out one simple truth about the man: he loved to be in the water. A day spent without going for a swim was for him a wasted day. Even worse when it was hot and humid. 

You took a quick peek at your phone. Yeah, Kisame’s shift really was over in a few more minutes. Then, a little idea sparked in your brain. Yes, it was definitely a great idea. Before you knew it, you had opened your messenger app and typed out a quick message. Just a tiny hint of newly discovered cheekiness at play, and your thumb sent out the message before you could think too much about it. 

Of course, Kisame couldn’t really look at his phone. But only a few minutes after your message, the lanky guy with white hair stepped out of the small hut for the lifeguards. Without a hurry, he strolled over to the seat, with his arms crossed behind his head. 

Aah. Shift change. 

A bit late. And not hurrying in the slightest. 

Cheeky little…

Watching from afar was possibly even funnier than being up close. Like this, you could fully take in the scene: Kisame turning his head and spotting the younger lifeguard, who then climbed out of his seat and down from the higher vantage point. There, he waited, and waited, and waited for the younger guy to finally reach the stand, while he crossed his arms over his chest as he saw what you were witnessing. To say that he dressed the younger lifeguard down would be an overstatement. Just a small exchange of words, in which Kisame raised his fingers at the younger man, before walking off with wide strides. His eyes were intently set on his goal: the hut for the lifeguards. Only when he was halfway across the beach, he checked his phone, which he had placed into a small bag, together with his water bottle and sunscreen. All of those items were valuable for his job. 

He stopped in the middle of his tracks. Again, he read over the message, only for his head to snap up and scan his surroundings. 

> you’re looking good up there. Can’t wait to see you in the water, though. ;)

You knew he spotted you when his eyes met yours. Even over the distance, you could feel his look ghost over your body like fingers. From head to toe, he mustered you. A pleasant shudder wandered down your back, goose bumps peppering your arms and legs from the raw intensity of his look. Then, he raised his phone to his mouth, spoke for a moment, only to raise the same hand in a little wave. 

A few moments later, your phone pinged. Without looking, you knew the message was from Kisame. 

Just a short message, merely a few seconds long. You pressed the play button, your heart trembling at the prospect of hearing his voice already, while your eyes followed Kisame’s body, which had continued its way towards the hut.

“I’m looking good up there? Babe, why don’t you tell me stuff like this when I’m with you, huh? Then, I could at least tell you the same.”

A smile flashed over your lips. The way he said it… It sounded like he felt just as impatient as you possibly did. Yeah, you didn’t forget the stuff he said about the “third date”. Back at the park, it had been a promise, and now, it could become reality. 

Something deep down in your stomach curled. Curled and heated up, and the heat spread through all of your limbs. Subconsciously, you gripped your phone tighter. Fuck, you were down bad. Down bad for this man. Really, it was unfair.

Just so me to fall so much for someone.

Even if he’s into me, it’s like comparing an avalanche against some light snow. 

I’m sure I’m way more into him than he’s into me.

Before more doubts could arise, the door of the lifeguard-hut flew open, so hard that when it hit the wood of the wall, the entire building seemed to shake. 

Kisame stepped out, now dressed into a floral Hawaiian shirt, which was still open and fluttered around his naked torso more than it covered him up, and another pair of swimming shorts. 

“Sorry,” he spoke so loudly you could clearly understand him even over the distance, “won’t happen again. Have a nice day!” Before anyone could answer, Kisame threw the door shut again and came towards you in a half-jog, half relaxed walk. 

“Hey there.” His cheeky smile was infectious. Your own smile instantly brightened as he leaned down for a short hug. Just for a second, his arm around your shoulder pressed your body close to his, and the scent of sunscreen, lake water and something deeply musky enveloped you. Before you knew it, you took a deep breath in, and that breath kindled the heat inside of you. 

Yup. You were really down bad for him.

Kisame loosened the hug and stepped a small step back. His eyes flew up and down your figure, something akin to appreciation and possibly even adoration in his eyes. “Finally, I can return the compliment. You’re looking hot as hell today.”

“You’re overreacting.” Despite your insistence, you could feel how your face grew warmer. Such a simple compliment, and you were melting. Damn Kisame and his charm! Only barely, you lowered your eyes, only to flinch the tiniest bit when his fingers gently stopped you from doing so.

“Oh no,” Kisame grinned, “not today. Not when it’s the third date. You might think I have been terrible before, but you have seen nothing, babe.”

Babe. Uuurgh. 

Is it normal to get weak in the knees just because of that?

I never liked that nickname. But… I could get used to it.

And the way Kisame said it… Like he was caressing the syllable with his tongue, tasting every letter with the sensuality of a true, dedicated lover, with attention to detail and all the time on his hands. You really felt a little bit weak in the knees, just enough to excuse leaning into his hand as the one cupping your chin flattened against your face. 

“As much as I would love to stand here and grow roots with you,” his grin revealed more of his unusually sharp teeth, and just for a second, you imagined those teeth lightly digging into the sensitive skin of your shoulder, “I can’t wait to get alone with you. I have so much planned.”

“Planned?” you echoed. Really, it was hard to think at the moment. “What exactly?”

“Not much.” He shrugged. “Just a bit of swimming, relaxing, lying around in the sun, making out… You know, the usual.”

“Wait…” Did you hear that right? But before you could ask about what he said, Kisame’s thumb swiped over your lips, then suddenly fell away. Tingles spread all over your lips, making a whimper rise in your throat. What the hell was going on today with him? 

“I’m afraid I can’t wait. You neither. Let’s go to our spot, alright? Then we can… talk. And do the other things I mentioned.”

Your heart pounded at the speed of lightning as Kisame tugged gently at your hand, then started to walk towards the sandy parking lot. Also, your mind was reeling at the things which just happened. Like he promised, the third date would surely be memorable and a wild ride on top of that.

Heh. Wild ride.

Oh, shut up.

But yes. I hope it will be a wild ride.

Your face grew even warmer as you listened to your own horny thoughts. You definitely enjoyed some written porn occasionally, but your own sexual experiences were kind of limited. So, now, with the prospect of being thrust into that kind of situation, you were overcome with a totally different kind of jitter than before.

The walk back to the car was easily forgotten in your mind. The only part you could concentrate on with crystal-clear clarity was the feeling of your small hand in his, the many calluses, the way his fingers tightened as he led you towards his car, and the way his touch lingered just for a little bit longer before he let go, right when you were about to climb into his truck. 

You were still trying to get your warm face back under control when Kisame slipped into his own seat behind the wheel. But you were unsuccessful, measured at the newly awakened cheeky grin spreading across his face as he glanced at you before starting the engine. 

“Don’t,” you warned him, “just… don’t.”

“I haven’t said anything.”

“You’re thinking way too loudly.”

“Believe me,” Kisame craned his neck to leave his parking spot backwards, with one hand safely secured on your seat, the other at the wheel, “if you could truly read my thoughts, then I would be in hot water.”

“Why?”

“Because from the very first moment,” another glance to you, then Kisame turned his eyes completely towards the road ahead of him, “my thoughts about you were completely indecent.”

That did absolutely nothing to calm the raging flush on your face. Nor did it calm you down, with the quickly growing lust burning through your veins like a forest fire. It made you squirm around, wringing your fingers together even though it was in plain sight for Kisame, and the need and want for something you barely really experienced made you press your thighs together.

A sudden hand captured yours, pressing it to the top of your thigh. The touch made the squirming even worse, but you definitely couldn’t wring your hands anymore, not like this. 

“Nothing to say to that revelation?” he asked. His tone was deep and rich, all smooth honey and rich smoke. “Or are you so blown away by that?”

“I honestly don’t know what to say,” you admitted, “and, to continue being honest, I’m also really, really overthrown by your sudden… advances.”

“Advances?”

“Yes, advances. I…” You swallowed dryly, all the while your thumb twiddled with his index finger. “I never had someone… saying such things to me.”

“It’s about time, then.”

“But why now?” The pad of your thumb circled the rough knuckle of his index finger. You stopped for a moment, thought and sorted your thoughts, before continuing. Slowly, with every word weighing on your tongue like iron. “Why… The first two dates were, like… They felt like you wanted to get to know me. This… now it feels like you only want to get into my pants.”

He shrugged. “Can’t I want both at the same time?”

“Yes, of course. But… it was never like that with me.”

“And that’s,” he slowed down the truck, preparing to turn into the small pocket leading into the forest, “exactly the reason why I’m doing it.”

His answer confused you even more. What was that supposed to mean? Some kind of twisted pleasure in seeing you all flushed and flustered? Was that it? Deep down, though, you knew that wasn’t the solution. No, the real answer to the question felt like the one thing you feared a little bit, because it would be so hard to accept: that he was genuinely interested in you. In your personality and in your body, desired both, even. 

As you struggled your way through the thought process, Kisame parked the truck between the trees. As he fastened the handbrake, he had to pull his hand away, but as soon as the engine was off, his touch was back. Insistent yet gentle, unfolding your fingers and allowing them to curl around his hand again.

Your eyes were glued to that miraculous sight. A big hand wrapped around yours, obviously enjoying the feel of your hand in his. 

“The reason,” he started, and his voice seemed to fill every nook and cranny of the car, “is so simple. Because you hinted at something like this on our last date.”

“I did?”

As far as his seat and the limited space allowed, Kisame scooted around. “Yeah. Really, only hinted at. Took me some time to get it.”

“What a relief.” Even though you weakly chuckled, your insides seemed to freeze. What could he have possibly been thinking? 

“You don’t have a lot of experience with… things like this. Relationships. Romance.” Kisame paused. “Sex. And together with other, very human insecurities, resulted in you being nervous around me.”

“You noticed?”

“Babe,” another shudder wandered down your back, so strong you had to close your eyes, “it was pretty hard not to notice.”

“Right.” You still didn’t look up, just continued to twiddle with his fingers. “And why now this… this charm-offense?” 

“Cool people also call it flirting, you know? And I want to flirt with you because I hope that it will boost your confidence a bit. And make you actually believe that I’m interested in you. Mind, body, the entire package,” he answered. His fingers flexed around yours, only to gently slip away. “But if you don’t want that, just tell me and I will stop. Alright?”

“Alright,” you mumbled. The heat on your face would probably stay there forever. No chance to go back to your original body temperature, not when Kisame was so close and so charming. As you climbed out of the car, while he was busy unloading the back of his trunk, you tried to make sense of the revelation.

Kisame wants to flirt with me.

Because he wants to give me some confidence in myself.

And because he finds me attractive.

You couldn’t believe it fully, not yet. But maybe, just maybe, you believed it a tiny bit more than before. And as you continued to watch him, with his sweaty muscles moving right below the fabric of his tee, something inside your chest grew. The small spark of hesitant craving, kindled by the touches and his comments and his unwavering want for you to believe in him, grew more and more. 

Fuck, you wanted him. Wanted this. And just once, you wanted to… Just once, you wanted to be brave and confident and sexy, all the things you never had been. But somehow, he saw those qualities in you, and when he described you in the brightest colors… you felt instantly ten kilos lighter, with your heart leaping out of your chest and a smile lifting the corners of your mouth.

And you tried. Kisame was still busy unloading the truck, setting down bag after bag onto the ground. So, he didn’t look into your direction when you stepped up behind him, but he definitely noticed your tentative hand reaching out and touching his shoulder.

Just a small touch. Nothing big, merely your fingers gracing over the curve of his shoulder. The first contact initiated by you, because you wanted to. 

The reaction was instant. Kisame stopped all of his movement. A tremble flared through him, but he held impossibly still. A statue, just for you. For you to touch and explore and discover. Again, your hand reached over, followed the sharp curve of his shoulder. Down, to the iron cable of his biceps. The muscle twitched beneath your touch, just a small flare. But you felt it; felt the miniscule motion in the palm of your hand, as well as a wave of heat washing through your veins. 

You continued the careful discovery of Kisame’s arm, while the newly found and small spark of bravery made you open your mouth and form words which forced itself into existence. 

“You make me want to be the person you see in me, Kisame. Really, I want to. But…” You shrugged weakly. “I don’t know how.”

When Kisame moved, your hand fell away. His warmth though didn’t. He turned and stepped closer, so close you were forced to look up into his face as your nose would have otherwise hit his sternum. He looked down on you, and you couldn’t help but squirm beneath his gaze. 

If he touches me right now, I will spontaneously combust.

“I can give you a hint, if you want.” His face was suddenly closer. Startled, you stepped backwards, but there was only the side of the truck. Kisame followed, effectively blocking you in, and leaving you with nothing but weak knees, a quickly beating heart and the nervous jitter of anticipation rummaging through your body. He closed in on you, with his arms extending, caging you in between the truck and his naked chest, only framed by the flaps of his floral Hawaiian shirt.

“Is that enough of a hint?” His eyes fluttered down to your mouth, only to flick back up again. “Or do you need… more proof?”

“Yes.” You almost didn’t recognize your own voice, all breathless and needy. Barely above a whisper, and despite the closeness, you weren’t sure if Kisame heard you. But before you could speak up again, he leaned in, and you knew.

Knew when his lips met yours. Barely contained hunger, mixed with hard-earned experience, still a bit wet and tasting of the lake, but still so uniquely him — the kiss was all Kisame, and you could do nothing but ride it out. And god, you wanted to ride it out. With a low moan vibrating deep in your throat, you opened your mouth. Needing him, all of him. Your arms came up, small hands splayed across strong shoulders, holding on just barely, clawing into the warm skin and tight cords of muscles. A gasp was drowned in his mouth as his tongue met yours, first shy and playful, only to flick across your lips with devilish intent. Just for a moment, he pulled back, and you could feel his lips smiling against your mouth. 

“You’re burning for me, babe. So eager and innocent to feel.” His grin widened just a fraction, before he pressed another quick kiss to your lips, albeit it wasn’t any less hot and made your toes wiggle in your shoes. It left you dizzy, with your head spinning, and your eyes fluttered open just in time to see Kisame’s half-lidded eyes and the quickest flash of sharp teeth. At that, your knees grew weak. Fuck, now you were happy about the truck in your back as it kept you upright and standing in the face with Kisame’s… entire being.

He’s… so fucking hot. I’m melting.

Am I melting? Yeah, to a freaking puddle right at his feet, begging to be stepped on. 

Internet horniness has ruined me in that regard. Because I’m so close to just asking to be stepped on.

Thankfully, you didn’t actually ask that. Just a pitiful little whimper left your mouth as Kisame stepped away, with his eyebrows wiggling like the devil he was.

“And please believe me when I say,” his eyes raked up and down your figure, taking every little detail — the slightly disheveled hair, the reddened lips, the hazy look in your eyes — in, “that I’m burning for you just as much, babe. Maybe even more so.”

Only slowly, the meaning of his words filtered through the fog of deep craving for another kiss. He wanted you. Wanted to kiss you, wanted to touch you. But the insecurity inside you still reared its ugly head, slithering around and whispering about your size, your looks and your taste in clothes. As you picked up your stuff and followed Kisame down the beaten path into the forest, you were still pondering. Pondering and trying to reason with yourself. 

Will I ever feel secure? Secure enough to not doubt this every minute of the day?

Will Kisame continue to be this understanding? Or will I annoy him soon enough with my constant self-doubt?

I don’t know what to do. I just don’t know. 

[dolliestfairy]

Tw : Noncon/Dubcon, Predator x Prey kink, fear kink, Manhandle (?) & Outdoor sex. lmk if i miss anything. Chubby Reader Fics With No Skintone Of Reader Mentioned.

Mdni!

Currently thinking abt men who have a predator x prey kink. Men who love to see your trembling expression when he act like some merciless predator. men who loves to play hide and seek with you. despite his own self being a grown man, he cant help but get even more turned on when he sees your scared expression, while his hand pinch your chubby cheeks, only to make you more trembling in fear.

"look at you.. all scared and stuff... you're only making me more excited y'know?"

he's a man who is soo thrilled when he was chasing you. catching you around like a crazy dude, its only a matter of time before his hand get onto your clothes and easily ripped them off, and later on, you'll be getting pinned down beneath him while your pussy service his cock, laughing as a respond from him to your cries, slapping your fat belly and grabbing them with a very harsh grip. and.. ngl you both are going to look like some wild animals fucking each other in the woods, but dont worry though. he's a mass fucking possesive dude. theres no fucking way he'll let some random stranger look at your body. your body is all his and his only for see and touch. and if you forget it? he'll gladly reminds you.

The Men That i'm talking about Are;

GETO SUGURU, OBITO, Itoshi Brothers, MIYA ATSUMU, KUROO TETSURO, Tsukishima Kei, HOSHIGAKI KISAME, ALEC, Sakamaki Brothers, MUKAMI BROTHERS, Lev Haiba, TENDOU, MADARA, KIBA, ITTO, Childe, Scaramouche, POSEIDON, SEBASTIAN, Malleus, HADES, SHIVA, OVERHAUL, SIMON 'GHOST' RILEY, Horangi, Alejandro, HIDAN, Deidara, Sasori, KAKUZU, OROCHIMARU, UCHIHA SASUKE, SUKUNA RYOMEN & Bachira.

DID I FORGET ANYONE? INSERT UR FAV!

[tireddovahkiin]

Ultimate F/O list!!!

(if you see any f/o on my list that you feel uncomfortable sharing, feel free to block me! I totally understand the meaning behind it, so ur all okay <3 )

(the opposite also stands. If you see a f/o that I marked as 'uncomfortable with sharing'/if your f/o falls in my f/oe criteria, PLEASE don't interact. Thank you <3)

(Also, have in mind that my romantic F/Os are shipped with SELF INSERTS ONLY! Any other ones are OC x CANON! Every canon character has its own designated parter!!! But, Familial F/Os are a mix of S/I and OC pairing!)

(However, this selection is strictly through MY own side of the view, not through the OCs I ROMANTICALLY ship them with!!! (not all of them, tho) Ex. Irl see Calcharo as a qpr f/o, but I have an OC that I ship him with romantically!!!)

(the list is not in order!)

🖤- no sharing

💜- selective sharing

💚- okay with sharing

Main F/Os:

Romantic ↴

Hanami (Jujutsu Kaisen) - [tag: 🌹serenity upon a flower field...🌸] - 🖤

Sephiroth (Final Fantasy) - [tag: 🖤under my black wing...🪽] - 🖤

Room (_Boisvert) - [tag: 🪑together against the unknown...👥] - 🖤

Queerplatonic/Crush ↴

Sukuna Ryomen (Jujutsu Kaisen) - 💜

Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney) -💜

Calcharo (Wuthering Waves) -🖤

Knuckles the Echidna (Sonic The Hedgehog) - 🖤

Enrico Pucci (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) -🖤

Solazar (Friday Night Funkin') -🖤

D (Vampire Hunter D) - 🖤

Mahoraga (Jujutsu Kaisen) -🖤

Optimus Prime (Transformers) - 💜

Megatron (Transformers) -🖤

Gakupo Kamui (Vocaloid) - 🖤

Fifteen (Katana Zero) - 🖤

Leon Von Alvensleben (Katana Zero) - 🖤

Terminator T-800 (Terminator) -💜

Dr. Veritas Ratio (Honkai Star Rail) -🖤

Shockwave (Transformers) -🖤

Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic The Hedgehog Media) -💜

Morgo (Little Misfortune) -🖤

Nero The Sable (Final Fantasy 7) - 💜

Weiss The Immaculate (Final Fantasy 7) - 💜

Svarog (Honkai Star Rail) -🖤

Luocha (Honkai Star Rail) -💜

Wanderer (Genshin Impact) -💜

Thranduil (Lord of The Rings) -💜

Smaug (Lord of The Rings) -💜

Mystic Flour Cookie (Cookie Run Kingdom) - 🖤

Tobirama Senju (Naruto) -🖤

Kakuzu (Naruto) -💜

Kisame Hoshigaki (Naruto) -🖤

Capitano (Genshin Impact) -🖤

Zhongli (Genshin Impact) -🖤

Legolas (Lord of The Rings) -🖤

Barok Van Zieks (Ace Attorney) -🖤

The Vigilante (Pizza Tower) -💜

Arataki Itto (Genshin Impact) -🖤

Logan Howlett (MARVEL X-men movies) -💚

Gyomei Himejima (Demon Slayer) -🖤

Muzan Kibutsuji (Demon Slayer) -💜

Platonic F/Os ↴

Junior (MY Oc) -🖤

Dagon (Jujutsu Kaisen) -💚

Mahito (Jujutsu Kaisen) -💚

Jogo (Jujutsu Kaisen) -💚

Lee (Oc by @/mahitosoulmate)

Kuro (Oc by @/rabbitcyclops)

Kaze (Oc by @/flowey-apologist)

Yuuji (Jujutsu Kaisen) -💜

Alduin (Skyrim) -🖤

Odahviing (Skyrim) -🖤

Godzilla (Kaiju Monsterverse) -🖤

OMORI (Omori) -🖤

Soundwave (Transformers) -🖤

Costar (Oc by @/darknadaworld)

Mai (Oc by @/radaverse)

Deadpool (MARVEL) -💚

Zack Fair (Final Fantasy 7) - 💚

Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy 7) - 💜

Tankman (Friday Night Funkin') -💜

Daidem (Friday Night Funkin') -🖤

Guardians of the Galaxy (MARVEL: Avengers) -💜

Familial F/Os ↴

Enmei (MY fanchild) -🖤

Marry (MY Oc) -🖤

Vincent Valentine (Final Fantasy 7) - 🖤

Reeve Tuesti (Final Fantasy 7) - 🖤

Cait Sith (Final Fantasy 7) - 🖤

Aerith (Final Fantasy 7) - 🖤

Boy n Girl (Friday Night Funkin') - 🖤

The Marionette/Puppet (Five Nights at Freddy's) - 🖤

Milky Way Cookie (Cookie Run) -💚

Lady Dimitrescu (Resident Evil) - 🖤

Minato Namikaze (Naruto) - 🖤

Nahida (Genshin Impact) - 🖤

Sonic (Sonic The Hedgehog Media) - 💜

Clifford the big red dog (Clifford) - 💜

Adri (OC by @/one-winged-dreams)

Less important F/Os:

Romantic ↴

Sonon Kusakabe (Final Fantasy 7) - 🖤

Queerplatonic/Crush ↴

Argenti & Boothill (Honkai Star rail) → poly ship - 🖤

Justine Courtney (Ace Attorney) - 💜

Ruvyzvat (Friday Night Funkin') - 🖤

Dark Cacao Cookie (Cookie Run Kingdom) - 🖤

Erwin Smidt & Levi Ackerman (Attack on Titan) → poly ship - 💜

Smokescreen (Transformers Prime) - 💜

Godot (Ace Attorney) -🖤

Shi-Long Lang (Ace Attorney) -💜

Diluc (Genshin Impact) - 🖤

Polytheus (Mia and me) - 💚

Bayonetta (Bayonetta) -💜

Platonic F/Os ↴

Rouge the Bat (Sonic The Hedgehog frandchise) - 💜

Yuffie Kisaragi (Final Fantasy 7) - 💚

Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy 7) - 💜

Cid Highwind (Final Fantasy 7) -

Angeal Hewley (Final Fantasy 7) - 💚

Genesis Rhapsodos (Final Fantasy 7) - 💚

Hanji Zoe (Attack on Titan) - 💜

Bandu (Friday Night Funkin') - 💜

Dave (Friday Night Funkin') - 💚

Bambi (Friday Night Funkin') - 💚

Venom (MARVEL X-men) - 💚

Knockout (Transformers) - 🖤

Familial F/Os ↴

Kel (OMORI) - 🖤

Tony Stark (MARVEL: Avengers) -💜

Gingerbrave (Cookie Run) - 💜

Dr. Wing Ding Gaster (Undertale) - 💜

The Narrator (The Stanley Parable) -🖤

F/Oes (dni if you selfship with these, thanks.)

Gojo Satoru (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Professor Hojo (Final Fantasy 7)

[leporcide]

The Pinned Post

It's your local shapeshifter welcome home you fuckers. Age in your blog bio or I block :knife:

Important tags:

hollaring: this is literally just me yelling, personal posts idk myart: my art wee myfiction: my fanfiction, I write for whatever fandom is in my headspace at the moment *Please go to my AO3 though I post everything over there mailbox: actually super new tag for answers (i rarely get asks so) everything else: what it says on the tin, all my reblogged/personal posts for fandoms will be under their tags Rules:

-18+ Blog, Minor DNI please for the love of god -I try to tag things to the best of my ability but I am stupid so feel free to ask me to add tags to something -I like some dark shit. I won't lie. I'm not going to explain my trauma to you and get right the fuck out if you want to shame me for it. The block button is free and I use it to curate my own space. You should too. -I fandom hop often and wildly. I don't have dedication, only simp thoughts and nasty little gremlin hands.

-Requests, you can ask for either art or writing, mostly into only self-insert/oc/yn x canon stuff ngl it's my passion, my hobby, my beloved even

-Commissions, are usually open. in case you wanna 100% get me to draw you something

Recent Fics:

masterlist: coming soon besties

the cabin event: > cicadas in the background: Kisame Hoshigaki (Naruto) x reader, "Fresh air, scenic views, and a beautiful lake offer a perfect retreat when you need to escape life's troubles. But your peace, however, is shattered when rowdy campers move into the cabin next to yours and an eerie presence in the lake takes a keen interest in you."

> in the dark: kyojuro rengoku (demon slayer) x reader, drabble

[silvernyxchariot]

My F/O when I, in fact, do not have a healthy sleep schedule:

Me: Is it going to be 3 hours or even 3 days? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Who knows? It's like Russian roulette at this point.

Doffy: You get nightmares too, huh? You'll get over it.

Szayelaporro: Well, whatever. That means you're just one step closer to death and therefore one step closer to becoming a spirit, like me.

J.P. Polnareff: Okay, bunny, we can joke about these types of things all day. Me too. But seriously, come to bed and stop wandering around the vineyard at 3:45 AM.

Harribel: I'm aware that's not healthy for humans, even we arrancar sleep at satisfactory times. Is there something I can do to help?

Satan: I... Were you reading a book at least? If not, I can try to come up with an anti-insomnia spell for you. That's not good for your brain.

Kisame: That anxiety sure sucks, but with the way we lived, it's not surprising. It doesn't have to be that way anymore, try to relax.

Ghiaccio: Do you or Risotto ever sleep? Go👏to👏bed👏. Or I will make you.

Melone: I've never had a Junior with an insomniac mother before. Care to try it out?

[broccolitachi]

Three Strangers and a Rainstorm

Anonymous said: Hi lovely! Idk if your request are closed so i'm gonna try ! Could you do an headcanon or scenario about Itachi if his s/o would look for him after he left the village to join Akatsuki? I LOVE your blog !!

A/N: Thanks for the kind words <3.

“Looks like we’ll have a storm soon.”

Itachi stared up at the gray sky blanketed by clouds. Rain was on the way. He said nothing and kept walking.

Frowning at his partner’s silence, Kisame shrugged and hauled Samehada onto his shoulder. “Well, if you don’t care, I respect that. But as a katon user, shouldn’t you be somewhat worried at least?”

“It won’t affect me or my jutsu either way.”

“If you say so.”

The pair paused in front of a darkened storefront as the first drops of rain came down. Within moments, they were caught in a shower that rained thick curtains of water down upon them.

“We’ll shelter here until the storm stops.” Itachi sat in a wicker chair left under the awning. Kisame stood against the wall and took off his straw hat. He gave it a shake, and the water on it flew off.

“Aren’t you gonna take that off?”

“No.”

“The water’s dripping on your cloak.”

“I know.”

Heavy silence fell between them, broken only by Kisame’s occasional cough. Itachi held his head lowm and Kisame wondered if he’d fallen asleep. Just as he was about to wake his partner, the sound of hurried footsteps slapping in mud reached them. A lone figure in a heavy cloak and wide straw hat emerged from the path, running toward the shop.

Kisame’s hand settled over Samehada. “An enemy? Or a friend?”

“The pattern of their footsteps indicates speed for the sake of distance, not a fight. They’re trying to get out of the rain.”

The cloaked figure reached the storefront just as Kisame let go of Samehada’s handle. They shook the rain off their hat, then put it back on. 

Itachi finally raised his head, glanced at the newcomer, then returned his gaze to the ground. 

“I wish this would happen more often.” The newcomer’s voice was barely audible over the sound of the rain pounding down. Kisame leapt at a chance for conversation.

“Are you a fan of rain?”

“No. But three strangers, gathered together. No questions, no hostilities. Just all hiding from the rain however we can. Too bad it can’t last.”

“I suppose it is rather poetic.”

The rain eventually subsided, and rays of sunlight broke through the heavy clouds. The stranger pulled their cloak tight around their shoulders, and stepped off the porch. “Say, strangers.”

“What?”

“Do either of you know the whereabouts of a man named Uchiha Itachi?”

Several silent seconds passed as Kisame eyed his partner. Itachi, still hidden under his hat and huddled in his seat, said nothing. At last, Kisame replied, “No. Haven’t heard of him.”

The newcomer nodded, waved, then set off, leaving a trail of footprints imprinted in the muddy ground. Once they left, Kisame turned to Itachi, who hadn’t spoken or moved since the stranger arrived. “What was that about, Itachi-kun?”

Itachi raised his head and rose to his feet. “Nothing.”

“If they’re a threat--”

“We should get going.” Itachi stepped into the ground and began walking away. Away from the stranger’s footprints heading down the path the pair had come from.

[historicfailure]

Work Under Water

7. Chapter: Springtide

The date is going well, but you're still feeling insecure. Luckily for you, you decide to voice your insecurities and Kisame is more than happy to proof them wrong.

~ X ~

Heya! Welcome back! This is... a monster of a chapter. It's 18 pages long, I sat last night down and finished it, thus why the ending might be a bit lazy. I'm just happy I finished this fic by now. Sorry for this half-assed attempt, I hope you guys still like it.

~ X ~

You didn’t speak with Kisame on the way to the small, secret spot. As you reached it, you started to prepare the blanket, spreading it over the ground and smoothening down the edges endlessly, even though they were without any wrinkles almost from the get-go. Your thoughts were still clouded when a real shadow fell upon you and your hands, still busying themselves with stroking slowly over the rough fabric. 

“Hey there.” For a moment, Kisame towered over you. His body shielded you from the sun, but then he kneeled beside you and reached for one of your hands. A small sigh escaped you as his fingers slid over the back of your hand, only to slip into the spaces between your fingers. “All good?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Still, you couldn’t look up into his eyes. 

“Something is wrong, though.” 

“Damn, you.” A weak smile flashed over your face. “So perceptive.”

He hummed. “I’m getting better. For example, I think you still have some reservations.”

“That’s…” You breathed in, breathed out. I can do this. “That’s an understatement.” 

“Need more proof?”

“No, I mean… yes.” At his teasing tone, you had to laugh. Just a bit, nothing more than a short giggle, quickly wiped away by the anxiety curling deep down inside your stomach. “It’s just… I want to believe that you’re into me. I really do. It’s just… so unbelievable.”

“Eloquent and straight to the point. I knew why I liked you.”

“See?” Helplessly, you shrugged, all the while your free hand continued to wring itself into the blanket. “I’m… I’m an anxious mess about this. About relationships. If that is even what this is, because I have no idea if that is what you have in mind. Maybe, you just want to sleep with me once and wash your hands off of me. Which, for the record,” you breathed again in, even though the tears already burned in your eyes, “I would be totally fine with.”

“Woah, there, there. Calm your horses. I definitely don’t want this to be a one-time-thing. Do you?”

“No,” you admitted, so quietly that the faraway engine of a boat nearly overwhelmed your voice, “I… I want this to last longer than that.”

“See?” Ever so gently, Kisame pulled at your hand. Pulled and pulled, right to the point he got up and pulled you up with him. In his shadow, it was easy to lean into him to look up, right into his face.

He seemed calm. Calm and collected, despite the small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. One hand was still holding yours, the other came up to wipe a wisp of your hair away from your sweaty temple. “I really want to get to know you better. I really want this to last. I really, really want to kiss you again, and be kissed by you.”

“But…” The single word slipped out before you could stop it. In real time, you could see how that single syllable confused the man. His eyebrows drew together, the smile faded away, and his jaw tensed just for a split second, before loosening up again. 

No use in backing down now. So, you breathed in and finished the sentence. “But do you find me attractive? Like, really, really attractive?”

Your voice shook a bit as you spoke. For a second longer, you were able to look into his face, only for your eyes to drop to his collarbones. Way safer than to look into his eyes, which seemed to bore through your facade and right into your soul. 

Not for long though. Suddenly, his hands slipped away, away from your hand and your face. Without a word, they wandered down your body. You bit your bottom lip as they explored the soft curves of your chest, barely avoiding indecency by merely cupping the side of your boobs. A teasing thumb swiped up and down, only for the hands to slip further down. 

Your body turned into stone. Pliable, hot, wanting stone, unable to move and to an extent also unwilling to move even an inch as Kisame’s hands teased and hinted, sliding over your clothes like he wanted to memorize the shape of your body for all eternity. They stopped briefly at your hips, the lovehandles somehow perfectly fitting into the plane of his palm. Then, with a huff ghosting over your hair, Kisame continued to touch you. Sensual and, as you dared to glance upwards, with half-lidded eyes and a tilted grin again on his face, he bent ever so slightly forward to draw small circles on the top of your thighs. His index finger followed the hem of your shirt, which had barely touched your skin. From the outside over the apex, only to inch dangerously close to the inside of your thigh.

You nearly choked at a single breath. Subconsciously, you gripped into his upper arms, not wanting him to stop but acutely aware of your surroundings. Sure, you were all alone here, but there were still people around. On the lake, on their boats…

“That here,” Kisame suddenly breathed into your ear, “is real. This is not your imagination. And I want you. So, so much. I’m just trying to be a nice guy here.”

“And what if you don’t try to be a nice guy?”

He closed his eyes and sighed loudly. “You don’t want to hear that.”

Your fingers on his arms tightened. “Maybe I do.”

His eyes snapped open. Your eyes locked. Locked and couldn’t let go as he stared into your soul, searching, hunting and coming up with something he would work with. The corner of his mouth quirked higher, revealing the hint of pearly-white teeth and badly hidden mischief.

“Then let me tell you something, babe.” 

You only had the hint of a warning, in the way the corners of his mouth quirked up. His massive hands grabbed the back of your thighs and pulled. Lifted you upwards, still grinning and obviously reveling in the surprised squeal you let out. Your arms automatically wrapped themselves around his shoulders, holding onto for your dear life. But fuck, if him lifting you up easily into his arms wasn’t hot, you didn’t know what else was.

You were wrong, as you realized quickly when Kisame spoke up again. “Since the moment I saw you,” a quick kiss was pressed to your lips, just a hint of toe-curling passion and lava-hot lust, “I wanted to bury myself inside you. Fuck, you and your curves. Everything about you screams to be ravished.” 

Heat rose into your face. Sure, you had read one too many steamy novels and fanfic where characters talked like that, but to experience it first hand… Especially as it was directly aimed at you! For the first time ever in your life, someone talked like that about and with you!

Kisame continued, ignoring how you squirmed and wiggled in his grip, his hands as secure and safe as a baby’s cradle as he held you against him easily. “Not one day passed since I saw you in which I didn’t have to stop myself from jerking off to you. Sometimes,” his grin widened, turned cheeky and almost devilish, “I came so hard that I didn’t have the strength to get up and clean myself afterwards. I would just lay there, cum spread all over my stomach and my own dick still twitching and wanting more. More of you, babe.”

“Oh god, Kisame…”

Him breathing heavily, chest heaving with spurts and splutters of white ribbons painted upon his skin. One hand fisted into the sheets of the bed, the other still loosely curled around his still painfully hard cock. Face flushed, eyes half-lidded, a satisfied smile drawn upon his features as his body relaxed into the afterglow.

Fuck, you wanted to see for yourself so, so badly.

“Seeing you in your bathing suit was torture. Sweet, sweet torture and cruel heaven”, he continued. Without even a grunt, he hoisted you up higher, to the point your face was hovering slightly above his and your throbbing crotch rubbed with every breath against his rock hard abs. Another quick kiss, merely breathed to your mouth, only for him to lean backwards to take your features in without any obstruction. “I dream about your tits, your stomach, your thighs. You’re so soft all around. This here,” his grip on your upper thighs tightened, “and this,” his chest bumped into yours, “and especially this,” his hands slipped just the tiniest bit higher, teasing the curve of your ass before quickly securing his grip once more, “begs for me to kiss and mark you all over. When we start, I’m going to take my sweet time with you, babe. Because you’re sexy, beautiful inside and out, and so damn worth it.”

“And what about now?”

The words slipped out so fast you had no time to hold them back. You cursed yourself for that; your hormonal, horny, mesmerized self, totally entranced by Kisame’s description of you, as well as your drenched middle screaming at you to give in. 

“Now?” One of his eyebrows wandered up. Then, he turned his head, eyes wandering over the wide open lake and the possible watchers out there. “Right now?”

“Not if you don’t want to.” Something wild and crazy possessed you; born out of years of neglect and the newly awakened flame burning deep down inside your stomach. Your skin tingled all over, in all the spots your body was pressed against the hard planes of his. You could feel his every move: Kisame’s chest heaving as he swallowed thickly, a little shift in his stance to distribute your weight better, and his hands gripping a bit tighter into your ass, holding you harder against him. 

Like he didn’t want to let go.

Your heart fluttered a bit at the thought. The wings of a butterfly, vibrating against your ribs like it wanted to escape and fly up into the sun. Kisame’s face never had been closer, and as he turned around to look into your eyes again, you could inspect every little detail. The sharp edge of his jaw, just a hint of beard-shadow. The little creases around his eyes as he showed off his trademark-smirk, just enough of a smile to not look douchey — at least, not by much. A thin line of sweat rolled down his temple, glittering under the sunlight and a temptation to just follow with your finger. 

Kisame breathed in, the wings of his nose fluttering weakly. “Babe. Fuck. I didn’t want to do it like this… but you have two choices.”

The knot in your stomach tightened further. Biting your lower lip, you grinded your body against him, relishing in the groan he buried deep in his throat. “Yes?”

His eyes sparkled with the same storm of feelings “The forest… or the back of my car.”

For a few moments, you didn’t realize what Kisame offered there. Then, the lust crashed into you with the weight of a freight truck. Nothing but the deep-seated crave to be close to him, to feel him, to know how it was to be touched by him existed. 

“Hey.” His eyes flashed down to your lips, only to flicker back up. All in a split second. “It’s your choice. All yours. I will just follow your lead.”

A decision. Your choice. Suddenly, it was way hotter than before. The possibilities of the very near future were both so very tempting. Laid out in the back of the truck, hasty hands ripping at flimsy, sweaty clothing, or your back pressed against the rough bark, scratching ever so slightly over your skin as he pumped-!

“The forest,” you said before you could stop yourself, “just… I can’t wait.”

Kisame chuckled as he already started to move. “You don’t know how relieved I am to hear that.” 

His steps were strong and measured as he continued his way, his eyes intently set on your face. There was no doubt on his own, not an inkling of a shadow. Just honest adoration, and for once, without the self-doubts clouding your mind, you were able to see clearly. All too eagerly, you let your hands wander. Over his shoulders, contracting under your touch. Over his neck, adoring every little muscle. Your fingers wandered over his jaw line, just before the boldness inside you boiled over, and you leaned forward to press a small kiss to his cheek. And another, right beside the first one. Your lips moved on their own, mouthing the rough skin with the small pricks of growing stubble. He tasted of summer; heat, sweat and a bit of sunscreen. It was addictive, so much so that you weren’t willing to stop. Not at all, mouthing more and more bites onto his skin, hungrily devouring every centimeter of him, until Kisame groaned loudly into your ear. 

“Fuck, babe. You’re killing me. Give me just a few more seconds,” he groaned. The hands on your ass flexed, eager and more than willing to touch every single part of you. “You’re torturing me.”

“Says the right person. You know exactly how good you look shirtless.”

“Oh? Have you been watching me?”

“Every time you swing your ass into the lake to drag a bunch of rowdy kids out of the water,” you admitted, “I’m watching. Very closely. Just like the rest of the beach-goers.”

Kisame’s smile could have turned the desert itself into an ocean. “I don’t care about the others. The only pair of eyes which matters to me is yours.” He thought for a moment, only to chuckle. “And the rest of you. Your ass is mine.”

Without you noticing, Kisame had already reached the forest and stepped into the cooler shadows. His steps were light and easy, and his arms didn’t tremble one bit despite your weight. Only when he stopped, you broke the intense eye contact. 

When you spotted a nearby tree, a mighty oak with a trunk wide enough to accommodate you, Kisame spoke up. 

“Is that okay for you?”

Just for a moment, you hesitated. Then, you nodded. “It’s perfect.”

Kisame laughed. “Thank fuck. Watch out, babe.”

Only the hint of a warning, but you reacted out of instinct. Carefully, he let you down, teasingly letting your body slide across his torso. Every hard ridge and bump made you close your eyes and pray that he couldn’t feel the overbearing heat of your skin. As you felt the ground beneath your feet, you stayed close to him. Tilting your head up in a silent invitation, you looked up at him. And thankfully, Kisame understood. 

His lips claimed yours once more. It was so easy to forget about everything else. The possibility of getting caught out here in the woods, the chance of being seen from the water, the still lurking doubt. Kisame swept everything away; a big wave crashing into you and drowning everything else out. 

Your hands clawed into the sweaty fabric of his shirt. Fingernails scratched over his abs, while his hands cupped your face. His mouth opened, and together with a weak groan, hushed words brushed over your mouth and chin. 

“Fuck… fuck.” He pressed those two words out like a curse, but you just knew that nothing could be farther from the truth. Not a curse, but a plea. The kiss stopped for just a moment, in which both of your breath’s mingled, mixed, intertwined. Only for his lips to descend upon yours again. The hunger was evident in every careful swipe of his tongue, every greedy move of his lips, every eager finger pulling you close; closer to him. You were hungry for him too. Your lips parted for him, for his taste and his scent, his very essence. 

Rough bark pressed into your back. With a low grumble, Kisame pulled back, only to pepper more kisses down your neck.

The feeling of his lips on your skin like this sent small bursts of raw lightning through you. Your hands threaded themselves into his hair, tried to drag him where you wanted, no, needed him the most. 

You could feel his chuckle more than you could hear it, buried in the curve of your shoulder. “Fuck. You know what I like, huh?”

“For sure,” you breathed out, barely able to think straight, “but why don’t you remind me again?”

“Someone who reacts to everything I do with them,” just to prove a point, his lips nibbled along your clavicle, and your fingers gripped harder into his scalp, “someone who clings to me like their life depends on it, and someone who wants me so much they get vocal about it.”

A little whimper vibrated in your throat. He was so close that his hard dick pressed against you. Even within the restraints of his pants, you could feel the molten heat as well as the size against your soft stomach. You writhed against him, whining deep within your throat. The lust and need clawed at your insides, desperate to break free. You never felt like this before: being utterly consumed by the feelings wrecking havoc, and Kisame was the promise of relief and peace. 

He understood. Without a word, he came up to look into your eyes, while his hands slowly descended upon your clothes. Carefully, almost reverent in their care, he pushed your shirt upwards. When the fabric revealed your stomach, you had to close your eyes for a second, but a hoarse whisper made them snap open once more.

“No. Look at me. Look at me, (Y/N).”

And you did. Even though your pulse fluttered as more and more as your stomach was revealed to him, you kept your eyes open. Out of instinct, you sucked the air in to flatten your stomach. 

He didn’t laugh nor did he chuckle. Thankfully, you probably would have burst into tears if he did that. No, Kisame instead cupped your face with one hand. The other was still curled around the hem of your shirt, his knuckles dragging over your stomach with exquisite, terrifying little tremors. 

“I want you,” he said simply, “I want you so much it hurts.”

“I want you, too,” you whispered, “but… I don’t know if you will look at me the same way if you see me… like this.”

“Then, maybe…” He stepped backwards, and you nearly would have begged him to come back closer. But as his own hands curled around the hems of his open shirt, suddenly, all the worrisome thoughts vanished. You weren’t opposed to Kisame stripping some of his clothes completely off. Not at all. 

Before, you didn’t have the nerves to openly ogle at his wide and muscular chest. Just fleeting glances up to close or some lingering ones from afar. But as he bared himself completely in front of you, accompanied by the teasing slowness of someone who liked to be watched, you stared, studied and watched carefully. 

His knuckles graced ever so slightly over his chest as he pulled at the fabric. One shoulder slipped free, nothing more than a bit more of his skin on display. Nevertheless, your heart stuttered for a second. Your breath as well, rasping over your lips in a silent “Haah…” as Kisame’s arm slid out of the short sleeve. He stopped, grinned, and let his arm flex to tease you even more. His biceps swelled beneath the skin. You could easily believe now that he was able to carry you without a problem. 

“I guess you like what you see.” Not a question, not by a long shot. Just a simple statement, and yet he managed to make you feel silly for ogling him that much. Before you could turn away, his now free arm rose and a big, calloused hand captured your chin with care and gentleness. 

“Do not,” Kisame’s eyes flickered again down your body, touching you with his mere look, “do not think for a moment that I’m not affected by you. Do not think I’m embarrassed by you being affected by me. It’s one of the best compliments for me to see how much you want me.”

The rest of his Hawaiian shirt fluttered to the ground, without any preamble. Carefully, you peaked again at him, letting your eyes roam freely over his skin. Your mouth ran dry at the sight of his perfectly sculpted upper body. But even more tempting was the sight below the waistband, and when your eyes followed the lines of his body downwards, you just had to gasp at the sight. 

“See?” Kisame palmed the distinct bulge in his swimming shorts. “This is all your doing.”

“I haven’t done anything, though.”

“Believe me, you being all over me is more than enough.” He paused for a heartbeat, only to step closer. So close, the bulge nearly brushed against you. 

Your brain couldn’t form a single coherent thought. All of your attention was drawn to his hard dick, clearly visible even beneath the thicker fabric of his shorts.

“And?” His breath ghosted over the top of your head. “I showed you mine, you show me yours?”

“So, that was what you were going for.” And it had somehow the desired effect. You wanted to be closer to him, even more so now. He made himself clear, again and again, was patient and kind, to the point it almost hurt. Another glance towards the insistent bulge in his shorts, only to look into his face again. Accompanied by his intense eyes, you curled your hands into the hems of your own shirt. Still, you paused for another long moment, in which you could listen to Kisame’s labored breathing. Just a tad bit faster than usual, just a little bit heavier than you were used to. And it let the flames in your stomach flare up like a wildfire. 

Shortly, you were blinded by your own shirt as you pulled it over your head. Then, you were bare, apart from the bikini top. Nothing fancy, something which could actually support you, but it was still so much riskier than any of the other swimsuits you had already worn in his proximity. 

He stared at you. You tried not to squirm too much, but only when he shook his head weakly, all the while his eyes still roamed up and down your body, you froze into place.

Then, a grin appeared on his face. “Fuck. You’re even prettier than I thought.” 

Calloused fingertips brushed over your stomach. You gasped, the air nearly punched out of you, but then the touch was already gone. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled, and yet, the offending hand was still flexing weakly, like he wanted to touch you again, “I just… can’t believe it.”

“Me neither.” Despite your joking tone, you nearly jerked away when he moved. But he didn’t touch your stomach, just reached out to one of your hands, dangling by your side. “There,” he placed your hand on his chest, right above his sternum, “then we’re even.”

The moment was clearly special. You could feel it in the air, a constant thrum of shy awareness and unbridled lust. Still, you wanted — needed — to keep things slow, as you didn’t want to overwhelm yourself and turn him away. And fuck, you would be insane to turn Kisame away. 

Your hand flattened against his chest. Your fingers stretched out, and still seemed so small in comparison to the rest of him. His skin was warm and slightly wet, either residue of water or a faint sheen of sweat constantly coating him. On anyone else, you would’ve found that prospect slightly disgusting, but on Kisame, you found yourself… intrigued.

Would it be weird to suddenly lick all over him? 

Of course, it would be salty? Or would there be something else?

Fuck, that is way too horny. Way, way too horny.

But you couldn’t help it. With your heart beating like a drum, you leaned forward, glancing up at the man as you did so. His eyes were blown-wide as he probably pieced together what you were doing, but he didn’t stop you. Didn’t stop the contact of your lips with his chest, just held still as you dared to explore his chest with your hand and mouth alike. 

Probably the most daring thing you ever did. Honestly, you were surprised yourself that you did something like this, so bold and confident and so unlike yourself, but when you started to gently nibble at his skin, every other thought was pushed away. 

Salt. Some sunscreen, and a hint of the lake-water, all mixed together with a faint whiff of deep, heavy cologne you couldn’t quite name. A small moan vibrated in the back of your throat as you continued to map out the plane of his chest, edging higher and higher. When you couldn’t go up anymore, you had to stand on your tip-toes to reach further, and even that didn’t help much. 

Kisame’s hands grabbed your waist. Your own arms came up and steadied yourself against the man, while your mouth continued to suck and nibble along the skin you could reach. Your mind reeled with all the new sensations; everything seemed so much more and vibrant: his heat enveloping you, the feeling of his fingers flexing against your waist, his bulge pressing into your stomach. 

When you couldn’t stand on your toes any longer, your mouth slowly wandered down again. Your lips brushed over his pebbled nipple, circled it, peppered small kisses all around the sensitive skin. Just shy of completely touching it. 

His hands on your waist tightened. Just a bit, but together with the first loud sigh from him, told you enough. “Do it,” he hoarsely whispered, the rasp in his throat sending shivers down your spine. “Fuck, please. Do it.”

Well, when he’s asking so nicely…

How could I refuse?

Ever so carefully, you kissed the skin right above the nipple. Then, just after another small glance into his face, you allowed your lips to close around the pebbled nub. Your teeth scraped over his skin, feeling some small hairs the razor missed against your tongue, before flicking the nub with the very tip. 

Kisame outright moaned. Looking up, you could merely see the juncture of his neck and head, as he had thrown his head back and clearly enjoyed the sensations of your mouth. And fuck, if that wasn’t an ego boost, you had no idea what else would. It made you smile, with your heart lurching into your throat, only to go back and lick and suck at the nipple over and over. Your tongue dragged over the nub, lapping at it like a thirsty dog. Kisame trembled, but just buried his face in your hair. His breath felt humid in your hair, but you were only dimly aware of that fact. Feeling the man tremble ever so slightly because of your actions was a way stronger drug than you anticipated. 

When fingers gently wrapped around the back of your neck, you moaned against his chest. His grip was the slightest bit possessive, a hint of desperation, and maybe just a tiny bit painful. He was strong, after all, and his mind was probably gone due to your tongue still playfully flicking over his nipple. At least, you hoped so. 

Your teeth gently closed around the nub. Before you knew it, you tugged at the skin, and you swore you could feel his cock pulse against your lower stomach. 

Kisame’s groan rumbled through his chest, so powerful it rocked your entire body to its core. “Fuck. Fuck, babe. You’re killing me.”

“Hopefully not.” Cheeky as you felt, you laid a kiss onto the other nipple, not yet puckered and wet with your spittle. “I still want you in a different way.” 

“And I definitely want you in any other way.” Kisame groaned as you started to lavish the other nipple with your attention: licking, nibbling and gentle biting to tease and rile him up further. Such an aphrodisiac you had never experienced. Heady confidence encompassed your mind, like a heavy fog urging you forward.

More. More of his taste, more of his sounds, more of his touches. More, all of it. 

I need him. Fuck, I need him so much. 

I need to, I have to…

Before you could lean more into him, reach more and more of his skin with your hands and lips, Kisame sighed heavily. His fingers gently closed around your wrists, forcing you to wake from your lust-driven stupor. 

“My turn,” he stated. His voice was thick and heavy, just like his cock promised to be. Your breath hitched when he let go of your wrists, the fingertips sliding down the inside of your arm. A shudder wandered down your back. His touch was so tentative. His fingers explored your skin like he wanted to commit every minute detail to his memory. Down from your wrist to your elbow, where he lingered, drawing the lines and watching your reactions. 

You tried not to react too much, but his touch tingled. Tingled like the greatest fireworks going off right below the surface. It just took a few seconds to simply break, and a gasp slid out between your lips, and you had to close your eyes to try and control yourself from not simply sinking to your knees. 

Mhm. Maybe not such a bad idea.

Kisame’s fingers didn’t stop. They circled lower, down to the wrists, feeling your heightened pulse beneath his fingertips. He waited, enjoyed, grumbled lowly, only for his hands to jump over to your hips. His big, strong hands which spread over the curve of your hips. 

“You fit so perfectly,” the words ghosted over your face, warm breath and the scent of lightly sour sweat embracing you, “and feel so fucking good.”

His hands squeezed. In the sweltering summer heat, everything felt like it was too much. You shouldn’t try to bury yourself in Kisame’s wide chest, you should be disgusted by the nearly possessive touch of his hands, you should be nervous about him feeling your soft, squishy, fat body up. But you tried, and you weren’t, and you felt the tiniest bit confident as Kisame obviously reveled in the feel of your body in his palms. 

You almost didn’t notice when his fingers slid towards your stomach, but when a curious index finger followed a few stretch marks on your stomach, you breathed sharply in. In comparison to before, this wasn’t a quick slide, but a careful exploration. And also in comparison, you held still instead of reflexively pushing the offending hand away. Even though it was hard, you didn’t move a muscle as Kisame’s hands moved further inward, further toward your stomach and all the fat you carried around. His thumbs met, over the dip of your belly button as our heart beat so loud in your chest, you believed it to jump straight through your rib cage out in the open. 

Due to the proximity, you could hear him swallow. “Please, let me… I want to make you feel so good, babe.”

You were pretty sure he was talking about something more than the petting you both were indulging in. And before you even realized it, you nodded, unable to speak as your tongue was suddenly glued to the roof of your mouth. 

Kisame’s entire face lightened up. “Fuck, yes. Right now, yes?”

“Yes…?”

“Are you sure?”

When you thought you had the man all figured out, he surprised you all over. Out of the few sexual encounters, no man ever really had seemed to care about your level of comfort. Then why did you feel so much better out here in the middle of a forest, with the risk of being spotted by innocent passerbys, than in the bed of one of those past men you slept with? 

You nodded. A conscious, easy decision, and seeing Kisame’s face light up like the sun itself only reassured you in your decision. So, his fingers sneaking down the band of your bikini bottoms didn’t come as much of a surprise. Still, you sucked the air in as you felt them curl around the fabric, only to tuck gently at it. Despite everything, despite his reassurance and you feeling secure with him, you couldn’t help it.

He instantly paused. You could feel his body tense as he tried to make out what went wrong, where he went wrong.  Then, he breathed through his nose, nothing but an airy puff of air ghosting over your temple, followed by his mouth pressing a sweet peck right where his breath had hit your skin just seconds before. 

“‘s okay,” he whispered, “we can always stop. Just say a word and I will-!”

“No, don’t stop. I just…” Another kiss was breathed to your temple, and you nodded. “I just need… a bit longer.”

“Okay.” The fingers withdrew from your bikini bottoms, but stayed close enough to stay on your mind. A threat or a promise, one of the two, and you had to figure out what his touch would do to you quickly. Otherwise, he might be gone within a split second. So, you closed your eyes and breathed, breathed the man in and his very essence. Your fingers gripped his upper arms tighter, knuckles white and hard when his fingers lowered themselves again, carefully toying with the band of your bikini bottoms. Kisame advanced with all the carefulness of the world. Even though your stomach quivered with every featherlight touch, you allowed him to touch you, destroying every single one of the boundaries you subconsciously set for yourself in the gentlest way possible. 

First, he drew line after line around your stomach. Always careful, he followed the hem of your bikini bottoms around your body, happy to indulge himself in such a simple, mindless activity. His breath crashed in harsher and harsher waves against your sweat-stained neck. You could feel some of his jitters against your own body, born out of restlessness and eagerness to go forth, but waiting. Waiting for you. 

Pressing your eyes closed, you nodded. Nodded again when his fingers halted, just right above your ass. More trembles you could feel, only for the man to breathe out in sheer and utter relief. 

“Thank you. God, you’re…” 

His hands instantly sneaked below the band of your bikini bottoms, not caring about your squeal of surprise or your instinctual scramble of limbs. That only led you more into his embrace, pressed against his chest, and against his hard dick.

Kisame chuckled at the look of wide eyes on your face. “Gotta say, babe, your ass feels just perfect.” Another squeal fell from your lips as he squeezed your flesh, thumbs digging into your butt cheeks. “If I weren’t so damn horny for you right now, I might have been tempted to take a little bite.” 

A brief flash of his goddamned perfect teeth made you weak in the knees. This man and his charm would be the death of you, for sure. The only thing you could do was pay him back and forward, somehow. 

“Perhaps there is a chance for that later”, you whispered back. The pleasure of seeing his pupils narrow in on your lips at your words, followed by a third squeeze of your ass, was more than enough. 

“I’m counting on that promise. For now though,” he breathed harshly in, “how about we… get a bit more undressed?” His fingers, still caught beneath the fabric of your bikini bottoms, wiggled around. 

After a moment of hesitation, you nodded. Slowly, but full of knowledge that Kisame was there for you for every step of this journey. The eagerness burning through the nervousness deep down in your stomach helped as well, as you allowed Kisame to slip your bikini bottoms over the curve of your hips and down to your legs. Halfway down, the fabric just slid down your legs, exposing your ass and everything else to the sweltering summer air. 

There wasn’t much time to feel nervous. Your own hands only trembled a little bit when you reached for the strings and waistband of Kisame’s swimming shorts. Feeling his sweaty skin beneath your fingertips, you allowed yourself to stray a little bit. 

It’s just so goddamn tempting.

Just a little bit, okay?

You had never been with a guy like Kisame before: so muscular that he could model for a sport’s magazine. So, your fingers of course had to follow the sharp V of his hip bones, feeling the roughness of the skin as well as watching how the man sucked sharply some air in at the tentative touches. Looking up, you found his eyes already intensely studying your face. A small flash of his teeth, and he leaned back against the tree. The back of his head hit the bark, exposing his neck in a silent invitation.

Touch me more, if you want. Right now, I only belong to you. 

You bit your lips at the gesture. Thus, letting your hands quickly drift lower felt right, ghosting over the tented fabric of the shorts, only to nestle with the strings of the shorts. And even though he looked absent-minded and detached, Kisame’s hands joined yours, helped to push and shove and pull the obscuring fabric out of the way. 

The freed erection sprung out of the shorts. You gasped, one hand flying to your mouth at the sheer size of the dick. Every little detail about it seemed so important, illuminated in the hot summer air: cleanly shaven, circumcised, the head already weeping translucent tears which had dried previously in his shorts, only to now roll down the entire shaft. Big and obviously heavy, the cock curved ever so slightly to the left. Way bigger than you had ever seen before. 

Would that even… I mean, I’m pretty sure I can close one hand around him, but just… barely. 

Does he even fit into any condoms? 

“Don’t worry,” Kisame’s dark rumble made you tear your eyes away from a few more spurts of pre rolling down the heavy cock, “I will prepare you thoroughly for this.”

“We don’t have…” You swallowed thickly as you stared at his cock, heavy and oh so tempting, trying to find your voice and thoughts alike. “You don’t happen to have some protection on you?”

Every movement of Kisame stopped. That alone said more than enough, but when he groaned like a wounded animal and let his face fall into the crook of your neck, you knew for sure.

His mouth moved against your skin, his muffled voice tickling ever so slightly. “I’m almost tempted to say fuck it and ask if you want it raw, but even though I can be an asshole, I’m not that kind of asshole.”

“Very good to know. And very responsible.” You chuckled weakly as you felt his huff against your neck.

“Fuck responsibility. For weeks now, I’ve dreamed of getting inside you and staying in there until I’m completely spent. And now, when I’m so close…” Another sigh breathed across your skin, then Kisame snuggled even closer. “Fuck.”

“Fuck, indeed,” you echoed. “But…”

Kisame paused. Every muscle in his body went taut; rock-hard against yours. A wolf, ready to pounce onto his prey at any second. “But?”

“I mean, I’m not sure if I could fit you in my mouth…”

“And I would never ask for that.”

“Mhm, I also need time for that certain endeavor. But right now, I definitely want to see you cum.” The words were out before you even realized what you were saying. With your face growing warm, you held Kisame’s look as you said: “I at least want to see what you did to yourself when you thought about me.”

He hummed, eyes scanning your face intently. “Aw, you can say it. Then I might make good on my promise to eat you up. Because I cannot wait to taste you, babe.”

You were pretty sure he was teasing you. Still, you had to gather all your courage first before you formed the fateful demand you had. “I want to watch while you fuck my hand, thinking about me. I want to watch you come undone. I want you to cum all over yourself.”

A deep, wounded groan erupted from the man, and he closed his eyes again as he leaned harder against the tree. “Babe, that was… holy fuck. When you’re like this… I nearly came right then and there.” 

That Kisame was already this close, and nearly reached its peak just because you stated what you wanted from him loud and clear, let another powerful rush wash over you. Every cell in your body burned, sung, vibrated in its eagerness to get on with it. 

Fuck.

Indeed.

So, Kisame liked it when you were confident? Hiding behind the nervousness was easier, but at the same time… you wanted to give this man so much back. He had been calm, reassuring, so benevolent in all of his actions, that you wanted desperately to give him just a fraction of the pleasure he had given you already. So, you swallowed your nerves down, stepped forward, and wrapped your hand around his twitching dick. 

The gasp you elicited from him was music to your ears. But even more than the wonderfully strained sounds he let out, you were interested in the cock in the grasp of your hand. 

There was no other word for it. The few you had seen so far really didn’t measure up to the word “cock” anymore. Big and heavy, it laid in your hands. You could feel the veins against your skin, running right below his. The head was weeping still; more and more pre spilling over the top of the purple-ish crown and coating your hand. 

You had to test the waters. Carefully, you let your hand drift from the middle up to the head of Kisame’s cock. His body strained, obviously trying not to move, as you took your sweet time to torture him a little bit.  Reaching the tip, you let your thumb run over the little slit, the source of all the wetness, spreading it more and more around with slow, deliberate motions across the sensitive spot. Back and forth, just back and forth and enjoying the twitches you could feel in your palm. 

“Enjoying yourself, babe?” Kisame asked. For a moment, you thought he sounded like always: a bit cocky, lots of confidence, and incredibly calm. Though, as your thumb continued swiping across the head of his cock, you could see some changes. There was a flush spread across his face, just along the lines of his cheekbones and over the bridge of his nose. A rasp distorted his words the tiniest bit, the soft grumble making a shiver wander down your spine. And his eyes, half-lidded and slightly unfocused, were still fixated on you like his life depended on it. 

“Kinda”, you answered. Ever so gently, you let your thumb run another circle around the head, before luxuriating in the feeling of the entire cock twitching in your grasp as you stroked downward. Kisame gasped, and a smile broke out on your face. “On second thought, I really enjoy this.”

“Good.” The man laughed hoarsely, only to moan at your continued touches. “Because I won’t make it for long. I clearly waited too long for this.” But Kisame grinned at you; a tired, breathless, deliriously happy grin. He hadn’t wanted it any other way, even if it might have not been the way he planned today to go. 

And honestly, you also wouldn’t want it any other way. You didn’t have any expectations towards this day, at least not high ones. Surviving the date with Kisame without making a total fool out of yourself had been one. Doing anything remotely sexual with him hadn’t even come to your mind, but here you were: badly hidden away in the forest, half-undressed and obviously horny beyond belief, as you were jerking Kisame off and were dripping at the prospect of being eaten out by him. 

Your hand sped up, fueled by the increasing wetness and his sounds. His hips bucked upwards, seeking the friction and pleasure. Gently, you let your fingers run across his cock. The dick twitched in your palm, more and more wetness coating your fingers and his skin. This allowed you to go faster; watching Kisame unravel at the seams with every upward stroke and being pulled together with every move downwards. His eyes were screwed close, mouth agape, the hands balled into fists like he had to hold onto something to keep the last bits of his composure. 

But you wanted to see him fall apart completely. By your hands, no less. So, you tried to find that sweet, sweet rhythm which the man liked the best, just to achieve your goal. And you believed you had found it, as the man gasped out loud.

“Babe,” Kisame groaned, “I really can’t-!”

“It’s okay,” you answered, “it’s okay.”

A tired grin flashed over his face. “Of course it’s okay. You’re doing this to me.” 

You had to grin back. Your fingers twisted, caressed, loved the cock, right until the point Kisame’s entire body suddenly tensed up. The orgasm broke out of him with the force of water exploding out of a broken faucet. A deep, guttural groan ripped itself out of his mouth, as white ribbons shot out of his spasming cock. Right over your fingers, spurting up to the underside of his chest, and dribbling down in long lines. Hot and heavy, the cum clung to his sweaty skin, running down with every heaving, shutter-y breath the man took. When his eyes fluttered open, his look seemed unfocused, hazy even, and it took Kisame a few moments to gather his brain back together. 

In those few moments, you allowed yourself to take the entire picture of him in. The man was even sweatier than before, hair adorably tussled and red in the face. If his body had been tense before, his muscles now had clearly relaxed to the point he didn’t use the tree behind him for support anymore, but to keep himself upright entirely. His chest moved like he had just run a marathon, more of his cum — thick and blindingly white — still running down his chest and stomach. His cock, still in your grasp and still hard, softened slowly in your hand, but continued twitching in small spasms as you continued to jerk him through the aftermath of his orgasm. Kisame groaned again, the adam’s apple in his throat bobbing. 

“Yeah, just like… Shit, babe…”

“You’re gorgeous.” The words slipped out before you could control yourself. You could feel your face heat up, but continued nevertheless. After what just happened, it would be more than silly to keep genuine compliments to the man to yourself. “And you really…?” 

“Every single time you visited the beach.” Kisame chuckled. One of his hands rose, fingers dipping into one of the quickly cooling streaks of cum splattered across his stomach. “And every night, I would finish so hard I saw stars. But this,” he sighed, “this is even better.”

Silence spread between the two of you. The few more moments of peace allowed you the attempt to clean Kisame a bit up. His half-hard, half-soft cock was gently tugged back into his swimming shorts, and you were in the middle of cleaning up the first streaks of cum across his lower stomach, when one of his hands gently grasped your wrist. 

“Leave it,” Kisame whispered, “that was all you, after all.” 

Before you could answer, he leaned in. His lips found yours, stealing a quick kiss and a nibble of sharp teeth. “Now let me take a bite, too.”

“What are you-!” Quick like a shark in water, Kisame had turned the tides. His hands easily handled your body, until you found yourself in his position: Back pressed against the rough bark of the tree and overshadowed by this tower of a man. All of a sudden, you were again heavily aware of your own unprotected state: just a bikini top covering your boobs, otherwise you were painfully naked and still horribly aroused. You tried to secretly rub your thighs together to relieve some of the horniness, but the only thing you noticed was how more slick was slathered across your inner thighs. 

Kisame noticed, of course. His lazy grin widened by a fraction, before he sunk to his knees right in front of you. 

“Do you want to try this?”

Quickly, you nodded. Fuck, you wanted this so much. And even though it was scary, you allowed Kisame to manhandle one of your legs over his shoulder, opening you up to him and his intense eyes. His hands stroked over your bare ass, gently soothing some of the nervousness, before he laid a small kiss onto your inner thigh. His breath ghosted in harsh waves over your wet pussy, to the point you worried that you were dripping all over him. 

“I’m starting slow, okay?” A questioning look was thrown at you. “And tell me when you feel-!”

“Uncomfortable, yes.” You almost didn’t recognize your own voice: So breathy, needy and almost harsh. To soften the tone, you reached over, finger sinking into his sweat-slicked hair, and let your fingertips run through it. He leaned into your touch, cheek smothered against your thigh and eyes twinkling in badly hidden mischief. “Please, Kisame. Get on with it. At this point, I’m way too horny to care.”

The embarrassment would come later.

Kisame chuckled, but obliged. Without any fanfare, his fingers sunk into the locks between your legs. He was careful, gently spreading your lower lips apart and coating his fingers in your wetness before advancing further. 

Subconsciously, you spread your legs a bit wider. Fuck, you were shaking, and only Kisame and his needy breath with whispered words crammed in between kept you upright. “You’re being so brave. I can feel you, so, so eager for my touch. So sweet, sexy and fucking hot.”

His fingers teased your clit, playing with the small pearl but not giving you any kind of pressure. He rolled the button around, making you whine and roll your hips into him in your feeble attempt to receive more.

“You have to tell me what you want, babe.” 

“Fuck you,” you pressed through gritted teeth, “you’re… oh please!”

Kisame licked again over your clit. Just a short touch of his tongue, like a kitten tasting milk for the first time. “Yes?” he asked, tone as innocent as one could act.

“Please, Kisame…” You weren’t too proud to beg. Not anymore at least. You tried to inch your hips closer to him; to him and the promise of a mind-shattering orgasm. “Please, I really can’t wait anymore. Please.”

The mischief in his eyes softened. One of his fingers rested on your clit, not moving an inch yet hinting at what was about to come. “Because you asked so nicely. Hold on babe, and scream as loud as you want.”

You held your breath as his index and middle finger slipped lower, circling your entrance. Another long moment in which you waited with bated breath passed, eager like a common whore as you stood there: Leaning against the tree and with one leg hooked over Kisame’s shoulder, so eager and wet for him you could hear the sounds of his fingers pressing into you in the air. 

His fingers stretched you almost painfully. Just a small twinge, just a certain edge of pain taking some lust away, yet heightening the experience into infinity. A whine drifted through the air, high and oh-so-needy, and only moments later you realized that that whine left your own mouth. God, you needed him so badly. Needed him like you needed air, like you needed sunlight, like you needed sugar sometimes. A deep, painful crave, and one you could satisfy with just your words.

“Please,” whining and unable to stop yourself, you rolled your hips into his fingers, “please, Kisame! Oh fuck, I’m-!”

“You’re so fucking hot, babe.” His rough whisper easily carried over your own breathless pants. “And from what I can tell… you’re going to taste absolutely delicious.” 

You could feel the tip of his nose nudging against your clit, with his fingers only halfway inside. They stayed still for now, just trembling from time to time as Kisame’s lips nibbled, caressed and tasted, but you could feel them ever so slightly curl.

And they hit that perfect spot. A gasp flew from your mouth, as stars and fire shot through your entire body. 

“Kisame!”

His chuckle was breathed right against your wet folds, making you shiver yet again. “Oh, I do like the sound of that.”

“Please, I can’t…” Your head shook left and right, as your mouth was unable to form any coherent sounds. “I can’t wait, I can’t-!”

“Alright, babe. Alright.” Kisame licked in a long stripe all over your pussy. He obviously relished in your trembling breath, the way your body tensed up, and the way your mouth spilled more senseless begs to make him get on with it. Finally, his fingers inside of you slipped deeper, right up to his knuckles, only for his tongue to playfully lick over your clit and tease it.

With a long moan, the back of your head hit the bark of the tree. Your hips rolled into his fingers, which started to slowly fuck in and out of you. The squishy sounds were mingling with your stuttered breathing, but the pleasure roaring through your veins was worth every second of it. 

His tongue was talented and as nimble as his fingers. The very tip flicked against your clit time over and over, only for him to dig deeper and rim your stuffed hole with his fingers twitching inside. Kisame himself was full of abandon; clearly sinking himself deeper and deeper into the task at his hands. Still gently fucking his fingers in and out of you, his lips wandered back up, only to close around your clit and start gently sucking. The suction was too much for you.

“Oh fuck!” Pleasure pulsed through you with the might of an earthquake. You had to bite your lips to keep yourself from making too many sounds, but your hips rolled on their own into Kisame’s mouth. The man hummed, obviously pleased with your reaction, only to suck even harder. His fingers picked up speed, moving and spreading apart and curling, aiming right into that little spot which made you see blindingly white stars. 

The orgasm had built over the entirety of the date. No, actually, it had been built since you had laid your eyes on Kisame, and since he had smiled his first wickedly sexy smile at you. Now, with your back pressing so hard against the tree that it hurt and with this gorgeous, gentle, wonderful man burying his man between your legs, the peak was so quickly approaching you had no time to warn him in any way. Every muscle in your body seemed to tense up, pull together — only to fall apart just a moment later. A weak gasp wrung itself from your mouth, quickly followed by a long, low moan from the very depths of your soul.

“Kisame…” you sighed. “Fuck… okay, that’s…”

He laughed again, the warm rumble vibrating against your clit. His licks and little sucks turned into kisses and nibbles, gently bringing you down from the peak back to earth. It hurt a little bit, but he followed every little motion of your body like he could read your body like a book. Looking down, you noticed that you had buried your hands in his hair, subconsciously pulling him closer into your body. Insatiable, always hungry, trying to devour him with every fiber of your being — shamelessly having taken what he so graciously offered. Carefully, you loosened your grip on him, stroking and combing through his sweaty, dark hair.

Kisame gave your pussy a last, longing lick, then looked up. His chin and the area around his mouth were slick with spit and your own wetness, and with his hair disheveled even more than usual, he looked the part of a man being caged by a woman who hadn’t had a good orgasm in years.

Well, that part is definitely true. Every other one pales in comparison to this one.

“I was right.” His eyebrows wiggled. “You’re fucking delicious.” 

“And you’re absolutely filthy.” Again, you let your fingers run through his hair. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. I wanted to do this for you. And also for myself.”

“Mhm…” Still, you couldn’t help but wince as you watched the big man get up and hear his knees cracking. What he also couldn’t hide was the renewed boner in his swimming shorts. Because there was absolutely no way he was still hard after that massive orgasm he had just a bit ago. 

Kisame rose to his feet again, one hand brushing off his knees, the other flying up to wipe a lick of your mixed liquids off his cheek. He mustered his thumb for a moment, only to quickly lick off the substance. “Might get addicted to this.”

You let your eyes linger on the bulge in his shorts. “I can see that.”

“All you. But don’t worry. For now,” Kisame sighed dramatically, “I can live like this. I’m definitely less pent-up now. And…”

“Yeah?”

“Are you sure now?”

For a moment, you had to think about what Kisame meant. Your brain worked, until the earlier conversation popped back into mind. “Oh�� Yeah.”

“Yeah, like yes, or yeah like, “yes, I remember”?”

“Yeah, like… yes.” You felt your face warm up. Your eyes darted over the ground, getting caught at the fabric of your shorts and bikini bottoms. Right, you were still mostly naked. Stepping away from Kisame gave you a small moment of reprieve, but as you bent over to pick up your clothes, you could feel his eyes on your butt, scanning every little centimeter of skin. As you straightened out, you tried to find the words while not trying to think about the fact that he was still ogling your ass.

“Yes,” you turned around, while folding the fabric over your arms, “I’m feeling… definitely better. About you, about - about us, this… A lot better.”

Kisame flashed you a bright smile. “Sounds good to me. Well then… As much as I love to watch you like this, how about we still continue the date?”

“More than fine by me.” You smiled back. Nothing bad happened. Kisame had been nice about everything, understanding of your reservations and insecurities, and he didn’t laugh one time.

The sky was still in place, not shattered, and the sun was still shining. The world was still alright. And this… this could maybe work. 

One day at a time. Calm down, one fucking day at a time.

Quickly, you pulled your clothes back on. Kisame merely picked up his shirt, which he had haphazardly discarded before, and his eyes followed your every move as you stepped into the bikini bottoms. You only caught him staring when you were done adjusting the band around your stomach, making sure the fat rolls were again safely secured and covered. “Uhm… what is it?”

“Nothing, nothing. Just…”

“What?”

Kisame reached over. Out of instinct, you took his hand, despite not having pulled on your shorts yet. The man started to walk back into the direction where you two had come from, and you were forced to follow his gentle lead. “In the danger of sounding ignorant and self-absorbed, but I can’t wait to get into the lake.”

“Hey, I totally get you. You’re still…”

“Sweaty? Messy? Hey, if you would use a dark light on me, I would glow like a murder scene.”

A silly little giggle broke out of you. “I’m pretty sure, yes. So, a good swim it is.”

Kisame hummed. Your joined hands and arms swung weakly between the two of you, as you walked through the forest. “A good swim first. Then some food. And maybe…”

“Yes?”

“If you want to, we can go back to my place. I have some condoms and no shift tomorrow morning. And,” he squeezed your hand, “my bed is really big, sturdy and definitely more comfy than the tree.” 

An offer. A more than tempting offer for more: more of Kisame, more pleasure, and more confidence. You breathed in, breathed out, then squeezed his hand back.

“Yeah. Sounds really good to me, too.”

[historicfailure]

Before the date with Kisame, you're incredibly nervous. When the two of you are alone though, you're being pushed to your limits, until all the insecurity breaks free. 

~ X ~

Hey there ^^ Welcome to the next chapter of "Work under Water". I'm really happy with the progress so far, and I really hope I can keep up the posting schedule for the last two chapters as well ^^ Thank you all so much for the support, I love to see all you guys seeing yourself in this fic. It was supposed to be an incredibly self-indulgent fic, but it's wonderful the topics also resonate with so many of you.

Oh man, way too much talk. Onto the story ^^ Have fun!

~ X ~

Time was a strange thing. Even though you wished that the days would stretch into eternity, so you could avoid thinking about the upcoming meeting, they just flew by like the scattering of carefree sparrows on the sidewalk. There was barely time to worry, and like that, you found yourself by the lake on Wednesday, shortly before 2pm. 

You deeply breathed in, letting the gust of air settle in your lungs, before pushing the breath out again. It only did little to calm your frayed nerves. 

I’m looking ridiculous. 

I shouldn’t have spent so much money on this outfit.

Why did Maimi convince me to even buy it in the first place? 

On top of buying a new bikini, Maimi also forced you into all kinds of clothing stores. Spending hours and hours of underneath the terrible lighting and inside those stupid small changing cabins, of forcing yourself to not look at the size tables of the clothes and ignoring the pitiful stares of the thin women who worked at the stores and having had to put away all the clothes which didn’t fit. All of that, and even though you liked the new ensemble, it didn’t help that it was so unlike your usual style. 

Your heart fluttered inside your chest. Again, your eyes swept across the packed beach with all the playing children, the relaxing families, the happy people who were just enjoying the summer sun and warmth to the fullest. None of them seemed nervous about anything. 

But none of them had a date there, right?

You reached into the bag hanging by your side. One glance at the phone and you breathed out. A few more minutes until Kisame’s shift ended.

There’s still time to run away. So he doesn’t have to see you like this.

Poor guy. His eyes will bleed.

Nobody wants a cow like me. With a sad smile, you stroked over the fabric of your new clothes. Kisame just wants to be nice. Maimi isn’t always right. She just wants me to feel good about myself. There’s nothing—!

“Hey there. Sorry, did you wait long?” 

You swiveled around, heat already rising onto your face at his voice so unexpectedly close to you. “N-no! I didn’t, just a few minutes…”

An easy smile flashed over his face. “Great! I will be with you in a second, just need to get out of my uniform. Otherwise, the people won’t leave me alone all day. Will you wait for me?”

Indeed, Kisame was still wearing his white tank-top with the red cross boldly printed upon his wide chest, as well as the red swimming shorts. There was a thin sheen of sweat covering his entire body, but it especially accentuated his strong arms. Only barely able to form just a single coherent thought, you nodded weakly.

“Nice. Okay, I’ll be back in a second.” His smile didn’t waver as he turned again away to half-jog over to the hut for the lifeguards. He made it look so effortless, when you knew that running on earth and sand was anything but. 

Besides, from behind, you could ogle him at least a little bit before he would turn you down. Something nice to remember when you would tell Kaya about the one time the hot local lifeguard had a pity date with you. 

Your fingers clawed into the strap of your bag a bit harder. Right. Just get through the first few hours, until Kisame had enough, and then you were done with it. A deep breath in, and you turned around to look towards the lifeguard hut. Until then, you could try and enjoy the pseudo-date as much as you could. 

Suddenly, one of the windows opened. It took a few seconds to recognize Ringo, as she had lost her tightly bound hair, but she instantly recognized you. She waved, you waved back, then the woman turned over her shoulder to say something. Probably teasing Kisame somehow. Another wave from Ringo, and the window was shut with way more force than necessary.

It took a few more minutes for Kisame to emerge from the hut. A few more minutes in which you could worry and fret and overthink, but when he walked up, all of that seemed to disappear. Washed away by the sight of him.

A crisp, white, short-sleeved button-up shirt spanned across his wide chest. A few buttons were left undone, so you could catch glimpses of his skin and sometimes even his collarbones when he shifted around. His legs were also only half-covered by a simple pair of royal blue swimming shorts, showing off his muscular legs as well as another tattoo of a set of shark-teeth on his calf. Kisame raised one of his arms, scratching the back of his head with a little cocky grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. 

“Well? Am I well-dressed enough to impress?”

Like he even had to ask that. He had to know…

“Yeah.” You felt how the heat creeped up your neck and cheeks, but tried so, so hard to not flail and stutter around. “You are definitely well-dressed.”

“Same to you,” his small grin turned bright, all happy and confident, “You look stunning.”

That was it. Your entire face must’ve turned into a tomato at this point. Unable to meet his eyes, you lowered your head, staring at your feet as you mumbled a quick “Thank you.”

Fuck. Like you could say anything to that. Like you could look him all cool and proper in the eyes, thank him properly and without sounding like you had wool in your mouth, as well as act like nothing ever happened? Even though you knew it was probably a gentle lie to make you feel better about yourself, you couldn’t help but… feel the tiniest bit happy about the compliment. 

That’s it. This one will definitely go into the collection of rare feel-good-moments I will always replay when I’m feeling seriously down. 

Like when my classmate told me I had beautiful eyes. 

When was that? Third or fourth grade?

Before you could get lost in your thoughts, Kisame spoke up again. He pointed towards the parking spots, overrun by cars, bikes and all kinds of vehicles. “If you don’t mind, I know about a peaceful spot at the lake. It’s only a five minutes drive from here. Of course, if you don’t want to get into a car with a stranger and drive to a secondary location, I totally understand that.”

“I mean,” it was hard to speak up, but you did anyway, “I think I know one of your numerous occupations as a lifeguard for sure. Then, Ringo also saw me leave with you, and my sister also knows that I’m here with you. I hope that is enough to not kill me on the spot, so I’m willing to take that risk.”

Kisame whistled. “Lots of preparations. Alright then, I have to restrain myself and not devour you on the spot.”

“A cannibal? At least it will be an original murder-case.” 

“Well, I’m not going to eat you up… on the first date, that is.”

“Aah.” You hummed under your breath as your feet hit the asphalt of the parking slot. “A cannibal with some honor. Well, who am I to deny that invitation?”

His boisterous laughter made you feel all warm and tingly all over. “Now I think I know where Kaya got his humor from.”

“Someone had to teach him how to make people laugh, right?”

Light bantering was easy enough. You were good at that, at least, and secure enough to let go of some of your defenses. Right. Maybe you could enjoy this “date” as much as you could. After all, when would you again have such fit, attractive company? Why not just let go of your inhibitions for once and enjoy life?

It was harder said than done, but you could try. 

“Alright.” Kisame stopped beside a big, fire-red truck. “That’s my car here. I know, I know,” he answered your badly concealed shock, “but I need it for hauling around the boat for the lifeguards. Plus, a small car won’t fit me, my long legs and my big attitude.”

“I noticed.” Another look at the monstrosity of a car, then you nodded. “Okay, let’s go to that mysterious secondary location. I’m ready to get murdered and eaten up.”

His face brightened in an instant. “Nice. Hop in!”

After carefully storing your belongings onto the backseat, Kisame gave you a helping hand in trying to climb into the high passenger seat. His fingers closed around yours like a promise and you were proud of yourself for not blushing like a tomato yet again. Still, Kisame’s silent chuckle as you let go of his hand all too early was enough proof for you to know that he knew what kind of effect he had on your poor mind. 

Just a few precious seconds in which you could calm yourself down, then he easily slid onto the driver's seat. “Well then,” he had the guts to wink full of cheeky confidence, “time for some fun, eh?”

“I’m definitely up for it.” And this time, you even meant it a little bit.

To hell with your insecurities. To hell with your internalized shame. To hell with all of that and more. You wanted to have some fun, and if you forgot about all of that, then you could make taking away a nice memory, which would warm you in nights you were unsure if someone would actually be able to find you attractive, a reality. 

The truck roared to life. With it, the radio also turned on, instantly blaring way too loudly inside the car. So much so, everything seemed to vibrate.

“Oh fuck.” Kisame twitched forward. His hand closed around the little knob controlling the audio level, instantly turning it down to zero. “Sorry. Had a little,” he fiddled with the knob, fingertips barely edging at the metal, “jam session this morning.”

“We all need that from time to time. What was that music?”

“Some dance remixes of the 90s and ‘00s. What can I say, I grew up with those songs. And they are great for workouts.”

“I can only imagine.” A hint of bitterness swung in your voice, but you quickly pushed away every thought of your own fat flabbing around while doing sports. “Do you like anything else? I mean, in music. Or any form of media you like.”

The small smile splayed across his face betrayed nothing of his thoughts. “Oh, already jumping to the typical date-questions, huh?”

“Is that bad?”

“Not necessarily, no. So… I’m into the mentioned ‘90s and ‘00s electronic music, but I also like some songs on the radio. I don’t really have time to watch movies or series really diligently, but sometimes, I like to indulge in some of the more popular series. Whatever is the hype at the moment, to be honest.”

“So, basically everything on Netflix?”

“Almost everything on Netflix,” Kisame chuckled, “and really, only when I have the time. Mostly, I’m out at the lake, swimming, educating myself on the latest discoveries when it comes to water rescue, boot mechanics. There’s no time in between, really.”

“So, pretty much married to your job?”

“Yeah.” He paused for a moment. “Yeah, that actually tracks. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t make time for someone special, of course. If I had a girlfriend, I would definitely cut back on some of my habits.” He threw a small glance into your direction, before concentrating on the road again. “I believe that it’s important to spend quality time with my partner.”

“That sounds great.” And you meant it, even though you knew that the “quality time” would never be spent with you. “And like you really want to dedicate yourself to the person you love. That’s a wonderful quality.”

Oddly enough, Kisame didn’t answer. One glance at him and you could spot a smug grin on his face. Though, the smile wavered, his hands on the steering wheel tightened, only to switch positions and turn the entire car left. Right into a small back road, not paved and hidden away between bushes and low-hanging branches. 

“Hang on,” Kisame lowered the speed of the truck, and still, every bump of the road shook you in your seat, “the road is a bit bumpy.”

“Really? I didn’t notice.” But you laughed as you said the sharp words, turning them into good-natured banter. “The road is basically as smooth as butter.”

“Damn, you’re mean today.” A flash of his teeth, then he concentrated on the bumpy road again. “I like it. There’s some bite to you, huh?”

“Of course.” Another big jump of the entire truck made you choke your next words. “Ah. Fuck.”

“Sorry. We’re nearly there, so hold on for a second.” Kisame shifted the stick to change gears, drove a few meters forward, only to come to a complete halt. “And the second is over. The last bit of the way, we have to walk.”

Quickly, you unbuckled your seatbelt and opened the door before Kisame could even pull the key out of the ignition. The silence of the forest was only disturbed by the faraway screams of delight as children jumped into the cool water, as well as the faint glimmer of blue water glimmering through the trees. 

“My my,” the back of the truck popped open, making you turn around to Kisame, who rummaged through the trunk, “already excited about our little swim? But I definitely understand that.”

“Didn’t you get to jump after overly eager kids and fainting aunts today?”

“More than enough, to be honest.” Kisame laughed while hauling a small cooling bag and a huge backpack out of the trunk. Shouldering both, he managed to close the trunk and locked the car. “But there’s nothing more satisfying than going for a leisurely swim after a day of hard work rescuing people. Especially on a hot day like this, and with company like this.”

You had no idea what to make of his tone when he finished his sentence. There was something lying underneath and you didn’t dare to listen all too closely. Just a small smile flashed over your face, then you turned towards the lake again. No false hopes, no make-believe. Just enjoying the present, nothing else. 

Kisame seemed to sense the shift of atmosphere, but didn’t comment on it. Instead, he shrugged his backpack even more onto his shoulder before brushing past you. The man didn’t show one bit of the weight hanging from his shoulders. For a long moment, you were allowed to appreciate the way his back muscles played beneath the flimsy white fabric of his shirt, only to be caught red-handed. 

He had quickly turned his head, a predator checking out their prey with small, handsome, dark eyes. “You coming?”

“Yeah.” With heat rising into your face, you shook your head. “Sorry.”

“For what?” Kisame took a big step into the forest and you tried to quickly follow him on the same beaten-down path towards the lake. “For looking at me like I’m the last drink before you have to enter a desert? Like I’m a good, raw steak, and you’re a dog? Like I’m—”

“Stop! Oh god, stop. I get it.” Laughter bubbled up in your lungs, easily pearling over your lips. Kisame’s chuckle mixed into your own and you couldn’t help but notice that both of your laughs intermingled, intertwined, and somehow mixed into something… pleasant. 

Lots of dangerous thoughts to your personal inner peace swirled through your head as you followed Kisame onto the overgrown, nearly invisible path. The air was hot and humid, with the promise of some rain in the night, certainly not making the waterfall of sweat pouring down your back feel any better. 

Your eyes snaked over Kisame’s wide back. His white button-down shirt was already see-through in some places, with his muscles rippling right beneath the thin fabric as temptation for your thirsty mind. Not that you hadn’t seen the naked skin already, but with the newly added layer of fabric, looking at Kisame was again worth every moment.

And you looked. You stared, appreciated, and maybe even salivated the tiniest bit. Your focus was entirely on him, so much so, you didn’t watch the path as much as you should.

You merely felt a small tug at your toes. A small tug, then your entire world jerked and stumbled forward. In a matter of split seconds, Kisame’s back rapidly crashed towards you. Or you were tumbling towards his back. It didn’t matter either way.

But before you made contact, Kisame easily turned around and caught you with his free arm. Really, like he had eyes in the back of his head. Safe and secure like a baby, you hung over his arm, still a bit flabbergasted at what just happened, while another part of you swooned at his natural ease and grace. 

He really just… caught me. Right in the air. 

He’s still holding me up! Oh god, he’s still holding me up like it’s nothing!

I really should…

“Oh god, I’m so, so sorry!” You scrambled onto your own two feet, all the while not daring to look into his eyes. The ghost of his arm tingled against your skin, right across the area of your stomach he had to touch to save you from yourself. “I didn’t mean to, I’m just… Sometimes, I just…”

“Hey, no worries there.” His teeth flashed with his little, cheeky grin. “I’m always happy to be of service.”

“Asking you to carry me again would be a bit too much, right?”

The words slipped out faster than you could even think about them. One second, they just emerged from the depths of your consciousness, the next, they already rolled off your tongue and echoed between the silence of trees. Immediately, you wished you could take them back, but no such luck—or mercy. 

Kisame heard them loud and clear. His little grin instantly turned brighter and bigger, revealing more of his teeth and more of his delight. “So, you liked being carried around, hm?”

No way to back down, so the only thing you could do was charge ahead. So, you crossed your arms over your chest, answering his cheeky grin with a defiantly joking glare. “It’s for convenience. How else would I reach that secret spot of yours without falling on my nose?”

“You could always fall on me… or for me.” He shrugged, still grinning like he truly enjoyed the conversation. “I’m not picky.” His eyebrows waggled up and down, cheeky suggestion and perhaps, even a bit of a joke to himself, too. “But I have a bit of a preference, of course.”

“Everybody does.” 

This time, you couldn’t hide the hint of bitterness in your voice. You had tried, but everyone had their limit, right? And this one was yours. Sooner than you wanted or anticipated, but you knew that you would reach it today. How could you not? With this so-called date, or more like, thinly veiled joke on your cost, it had just been a matter of time. 

Kisame’s grin withered away, and suddenly, you had trouble breathing. Fuck. That was your doing, your tone, your bitter words poisoning the easy atmosphere between the two of you. Quickly, you forced a fake smile onto your face while avoiding his inquiring eyes. “Sorry. That was… Let’s just get to your secret spot, alright?”

“(Y/N)...” He reached out, but you stepped aside. 

“No. It’s… it’s fine. Everything is fine. Let’s just forget about this.”

“Okay. If that is what you want.”

“Yeah.” You nodded, before pushing past Kisame. “It’s just straight ahead, right?”

You didn’t wait for an answer. You couldn’t. Not with the sinking feeling deep down in the pit of your stomach. It made you feel sick, with bile rising in your throat and the first tears burning in the corners of your eyes. 

I hate this. I hate feeling like this.

Like I’m just the big, dumb cow who gets played.

I wanted to enjoy this. So why can’t Kisame just stop mocking me with his flirting? 

His sweet words and easy smiles were wasted on you after all. 

You barely heard Kisame follow you through the loud heartbeat thundering in your ears. A small jitter still wandered through your body, mostly settling in your hands and fingers, but you gripped the handle of your bags tighter. It helped. Marginally.

Still fighting the faint trembling in your hands, you didn’t notice how the surrounding forest opened up. Only when the first rays of unfiltered sunlight hit your eyes and you were blinded for a short second, you awoke from your miserable self-pity. 

The first thing you saw was water. Water and the smallest of waves, making the surface glitter in the high afternoon sun, splashed upon a small strip of land. Just a hint of hard sand and dirt, only to directly lead into the water. 

Behind you, Kisame grunted as he also stepped out of the cool shadows of the trees. “Nice. Looks like nobody has been here since last time. It’s still pretty clean.”

“That’s always a relief, yeah.” With a low sigh, you let your bags drop onto the grassy ground, just a few meters away from the sand and the tempting lake. “Is that also a problem at the beach over there?” You jerked your head into the direction of the beach, which you could see from your position, a long strip of beige with some bright-red buoys bobbing up and down in the water.

Kisame chuckled as he dropped his own bags onto the grass. “You have no idea. Every few hours, we have to patrol around the beach and pick up trash. Some people have no thoughts left in their self-absorbed brains to think about the ones visiting the lake after them.”

“Yeah,” you nodded, “it’s disgusting. Nobody wants to sit between empty soda cans.”

“Or used condom wrappers.” Again, Kisame’s eyebrows waggled up and down. “You have no idea how horny people get at this lake.”

“No way.” You cringed at the thought. “No… Please, now you put pictures in my head.”

“One time, I was on trash-duty and found an entire string of them. And not only normal ones, no.” He seemed to delight in the chance to gross you out, just the tiniest bit. As he kneeled down and opened one of his bags, he looked up at you, with an absolutely adorable dimple showing in his left cheek. Some strands fell into his sweaty forehead, before he wiped them away with the back of his hand. “Some were of the… kinky kind.”

“Kinky kind? How old are you? Five?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t want to tell you about all the strawberry-lubricant, the nobs and edges. Had the feeling you would keel over… or something.” Mischief blinked in Kisame’s eyes. “Didn’t want to scare you off.”

You snorted. “Before you can scare me off, you have to try harder.”

“Really?” But just when you thought the banter would continue, just when the man opened his mouth again to fire the next playful words back, a thought flashed through his mind. You almost saw the train of thought race behind his forehead, only for his jaw to tense up and his mouth shut close again.

Was that it? Your stomach curled up as you busied yourself with unpacking the bags you dropped onto the ground. Was that the moment? The moment in which Kisame would call the date off? Or at least, drop the pretense of taking you out because he was interested romantically?

But nothing of that sort happened. Out of the corner of your eyes, you watched the man, who did the same thing as you: unpacking the bags and bringing forth more and more items which were all meant to make the leisurely time spent at the lake as comfortable as possible: a large blanket, a small umbrella to add some shadow for the two of you to relax under, a towel, sunscreen, a small bluetooth-speaker and a sun-powered power-bank…

“You’re fully decked out, I see.” 

He shrugged. “Lots of experience.” He glanced upwards, at your own pile of a few bottles of water and the container with a small cake. “And your favorite cake, I take it?”

“Of course. Someone wanted to taste it, or so I heard,” you added after a long, long second of silence.

Kisame nodded weakly. “And I can’t wait for that. But only after a nice swim, without having to work. What do you say, hm? Care to join me?”

Honestly, you didn’t even think it would get this far. That much had been clear. Now, you were confronted with Kisame’s unwavering willingness to see you swim. 

You swallowed thickly. Fuck. This was it. Your time was up. There wasn’t really a chance to deny him anymore without having to explain yourself. And that was totally out of the question. Way too embarrassing to admit out loud that you felt so insecure about yourself. So, you had no other choice but to nod while your mind went haywire with all the possibilities.

He could laugh.

He could make a comment.

He could say nothing, just look at me with disgust.

I don’t know which one would be the worst, to be honest.

But going for a swim would be so nice. One look at the tempting blue water, and you sighed inwardly. The walk over here together with the humid weather really took its toll on you. Sweat made your clothes stick in the most uncomfortable places, to the point you wanted nothing else but to get rid of the fabric and finally cool down a bit. 

But again: taking off your clothes around Kisame? Carefully, you tried to sneak a little peek at him. Maybe he wasn’t looking. Then you could—!

No such luck. His eyes were fully on you. He even noticed the little sneak-peek, grinning as your eyes met and your head snapped back around to stare intently at the water. 

“Well,” he said behind you, spread out over the big blanket, “go on. The water is nice and cool, that much I can tell you.”

“I believe that in an instant.”

“Then why are you hesitating?”

“I need…” You searched for the right word, but nothing came to mind. “I…”

“Maybe,” Kisame interrupted, his low voice unusually gentle, “I will test the waters for you, hm? Would that make it better?”

Infinitely so. A chance to undress without his full attention on you was exactly what you needed. So, you nodded, while the tips of your fingers were still digging into the flesh of your own palm. 

Kisame didn’t look annoyed or frustrated, just pushed himself off the ground. “Alright. But promise me one thing.”

“What?” you asked after several seconds of heavy silence. “What should I promise you?”

His smile was infectious. “That you will definitely join me in the water.” With that, he reached for the buttons of his shirt and started to unbutton the fabric. One after another, and with each and every button, the white fabric fell more and more open. Your eyes were stuck to the revealed skin, the rippling muscles and the casual way of teasing you with each movement. Was this intentional? You had no idea.

No matter what, Kisame continued to undress with the casualness of someone who was used to the process. As he stripped the shirt off his shoulders, he made the effort to fold the white, sweaty fabric properly, before placing it with a gentle pat onto the blanket. Then, not without a little, cheeky wink, he let the muscles of his chest twitch. Right there, right in front of your eyes and without any shame. 

“Like what you see?” he asked, still without any shame. Again, as it was kind of his signature-pose, he propped his hands into the sharp “V” of his hips. “For more though, you have to join me in the water. Don’t leave me hanging.” 

And before you knew it, the man was gone. Just a big splash as well as boyish, excited laughter which echoed in the air, as Kisame immediately jumped into the water without any regrets. 

You turned fully towards the water. Your eyes followed Kisame, how he dived and swam and moved through the lake like he was born to do so. Meanwhile, your mind still struggled to command your body. Only slowly, your fingers curled around the edges of your clothing, ever so slowly pulling at the fabric. Every fiber of your being protested, howled, screamed at you to not do it, to just grab your stuff and run far, far away and never return to the lake. 

Calm down, you chastisted yourself, calm down for once, alright? 

No need to be so melodramatic. 

Yeah, just moving away would be sufficient.

Nevertheless, your body continued. Your hands moved, revealing more and more of your body until the dreaded moment came. The moment when your clothes dropped to the ground and you were left standing in your bathing suit. It was definitely freeing, but the anxiety about Kisame possibly seeing you was too much to bear to revel in the loss of your sweaty, sticky clothing. You hurried towards the water, not caring that you nearly stumbled again or that you stubbed your toe against some pesky stone in your way. 

The water was lukewarm as you placed your first foot in the shallow waters. The first few steps were easily done, only for you to realize that the water was only warm at the surface. The shore quickly fell off, thankfully, leading your entire body underneath the water and covering every unflattering part of you quickly. After a few more steps, you lost the ground beneath your feet and you started to swim. Calm, collected motions, cutting through the water easily. Just swim. Your muscles moved and your mind drifted off. 

I once loved swimming.

Yeah. Loved.

Until the popular girls at school made fun of me for being fat. Good old school-bullies.

You shoved the painful memories of the sneering, thin girls aside. The more pressing issue was: where was Kisame? Because you sure as hell didn’t spot him anywhere near you or anywhere you looked while paddling away with both of your arms and legs. But he was close, had to be. Even though you couldn’t see him anywhere near you. It was like a distinctive presence in the water, looming beneath the surface. You hadn’t seen him dive beneath the water, but that was the only possibility left. Also, you swam in his direction, so—!

“There you are.”

His voice was way too close. You yelped and flinched away from Kisame’s voice, only to slowly turn yourself around. Fuck, your heart jumped right into your throat there. 

Kisame didn’t look one bit apologetic. On the contrary: the same cheeky grin you already knew so well tugged at the corners of his mouth, like he had to suppress a full, throaty laughter. Then, like a sea monster in the old movies, his body rose over the water level. None of you could stand here out in the water, but Kisame still easily held himself upright and calmly, while you had to work a bit harder. His face was way closer than usual, stealing your breath away for entirely different reasons than the scare.

Still paddling, you glared at him. “Not funny.”

He cocked his head to the side, grinning and with a spark of mischief twinkling in his eyes. “Eh, kind of. Your little yelp was very cute.”

“It wasn’t.”

“It totally was.” His eyes twinkled even more at your denial. “Because you’re cute.”

If your stomach could turn into sour milk, it would have. Everything inside of you turned sour, curdled up, and just straight up wanting to vanish. Because you knew, you just fucking knew Kisame was lying to you.

“Don’t say that,” you mumbled as you softly floated backwards, away from the man and his lies, “just… don’t say that again. Please.”

“What?” He shrugged. “You are cute. I can’t do anything about that, so I just point it out.”

“It’s just…” A few more meters of distance between the two of you and you tried not to show how hurt you were. Just by being lied to. “It’s just that that is not… It’s not true.”

Kisame paused. “What?”

“I’m not cute. I’m not pretty. I know that, okay? For a fact.” You raised one arm above the water, showing off the fat and let it drop again, where it was covered by the water with a big splash. “I’m fat. No one ever told me I was cute, because that’s simply not the truth. And no one ever did go on a true date with me, because of the same reasons. It was always just a pity-date, or to get with one of my friends, or anything but another person being interested in me. By lying to me, you’re just making everything worse in the long run, so just say straight up what you want to achieve by doing this,” you gestured around, the water splashing and sloshing with every of your motions, “and then we can be done with it.”

The words spilled faster over your tongue and lips than you could control them. All the frustration, nervousness and bad premonitions over this “date” finally erupted, as you paddled there and stared up to Kisame, who loomed over you, casting a long shadow over the water.

He listened to your rambling without a word. The cheeky grin on his face faded away, getting replaced by a slightly confused and even hurt look in his eyes. A small wrinkle appeared between his eyebrows, growing deeper and bigger the longer you went on. At the end of your tirade, Kisame almost looked downright offended.

But that couldn’t be, right? 

“So,” you sputtered, “I would really appreciate it if you could just stop leading me on and say what you are planning, so I can go back to my life with cakes and cookies and all of my fat, while dreaming about the day an absolutely gorgeous lifeguard asked me out, pretending he’s interested in me.”

Only the gentle murmur of the waves as well as the faraway laughter of children echoed in the deafening silence between the two of you. Looking up, you could read nothing on his face. None of his earlier cheeky chagrin. None of the frustration born from your words, not even a hint of any emotion visible. Just a stony face, with small, cold eyes looking you up and down. It felt like he could even look beneath the water surface, to parts of your body you didn’t want him to look at.

When he opened his mouth, the entire world seemed to pause, just for a few seconds. “Why do you think I am pretending?”

“Because…” You gestured towards him; all of him in all of his glory. “You are… you. And I am me. You, the attractive lifeguard, fit and kind and good with children versus me, the sugar-loving cow who does nothing but eat and is so insecure she can’t even find a single good thing about herself.”

“And?”

“And it’s just impossible that you want me when you could have any women or men under the sun!”

“Really?”

“Yeah!” You glared up to him as the acid in your stomach slowly crawled up into your throat. “So just spit it out! I’m a big girl as you can see without a doubt, so I can take it. And fuck, I get it, I wouldn’t date myself either! Who would seriously want me when I look like this?”

“But,” he sighed weakly, “I would date you.”

“What?” That took all the wind out of your sails. Did he just… “What did you…?”

“I think it’s a mistake to think no one wants to date you. I want to.”

“Why?” Like a stubborn donkey, you dug your heels in—metaphorically speaking, as you were still swimming. “No one ever showed interest in me, so I’m pretty sure of my assumption.”

“But I do. I want to date you,” he repeated for the third time, as calm and reassuring as one could be, and with the patience of a hunting predator.

“Why?”

Again, Kisame sighed, this time a lot heavier. “Because I’m into you.”

Your mind went blank for a moment. To think that he was still lying, right into your face… Your eyes narrowed. “You’re not serious.”

“I am.” 

“Why?”

“Because I think you’re hot as hell, have a sharp wit—if it’s not diminished by crippling self-doubts—and bake like a goddess.” He shrugged, the water rippling around his body. “Is that enough? I can make a longer list, if you want.”

The flames of your anger and frustration should burn brighter than the summer sun hanging above your head, but instead, you felt how your entire body warmed up. Somehow, your mind wanted to believe him. You wanted to believe, desperately so, that Kisame saw something in you that many others didn’t. That he was romantically attracted to you and not disgusted. That he was actually serious and somehow, that thought alone scared you to death. 

Because it meant that your attraction to him already went far deeper than you initially planned.

Instead of denying everything and anything, instead of showing some of that praised wit, instead of just simply swimming away and leaving Kisame in the dust, you stayed there, looked up into his face and felt like melting against him. “You think that?”

“I do,” he answered simply, “and, as we’re being honest here, all the guys who said “pass” when it comes to you have no clue what was in front of them.”

“But…” 

“No.” He cut you off, his voice soft and gentle. Just like the hand which rose from the water, its fingers followed the contour of your shoulder. From the biceps up to the curve, then dipping an inch lower to your collarbone. Before, when he caught you from stumbling over that damned root, the touch was almost accidental and casual. Now, the touch was deliberate, full of tension and definitive purpose. The purpose of touching you, experiencing the feel of your skin and seeing your reaction to his touch. 

You first flinched at the sensation on your skin, caught off guard and confused, before looking up and holding his gaze. You didn’t want to back down, wanting to prove your thoughts right—as weakly as that argument was holding in your mind. The trail of his finger slid higher again, up to your neck and jaw. There, Kisame stopped, with his index finger right beneath your chin and his thumb drawing tiny circles onto you. His touch burned your skin, leaving thousands of tingles and an instant craving for more in its wake. He gently forced you to continue looking at him, and without a chance or will to escape, you did. 

“No,” he repeated, “they had no clue. Because if they saw what I see, then they would have snatched you up the moment you stepped into their lives. Fuck, just look at you.”

His thumb stopped for the blink of an eye, only to pick up the soothing back-and-forth motion against your jaw. Out of instinct, you leaned into his hand.

It felt good. Great, even. Great enough to become addicted really quickly. But you weren’t strong enough to pull away, and Kisame didn’t let go as he continued to talk to you in the same calm, gentle tone he used before.

“I want you. And if I can erase your self-doubts along the way, fine. But don’t push me away before you even have the chance to get to know me, and before I have the chance to get to know you more.” His thumb stopped and just for a second, swiped over your bottom lip. You gasped again. Your mouth opened and like the wing of a butterfly, his thumb ran across the sensitive flesh again. Just the hint of a touch, without any real pressure behind it, and yet making your heart beat like you ran five flights of steps. 

Without realizing it, you nodded. Didn’t matter that he didn’t ask a question. The resounding belief that he truly meant it vibrated through your chest with a need to break free. 

Kisame’s smile grew. “I take that as some compliance on your part. My proposition to you, with absolutely no pressure: we continue this date, have a nice afternoon, then we can go to the next restaurant, sit down, talk and get to know each other. Tomorrow, you can think about it and if you want to continue, then I’m more than happy to.”

Not able to speak up, you nodded once more. 

His eyes closed with his smile; the biggest smile you had seen so far, with teeth and all. “Great. Now, I don’t know about you, but I will go for another round of swimming. You can join me if you want.”

“I…” Your voice was raspy and thick, so you coughed and tried again. “I would like that.”

Another swipe of his thumb over your bottom lip, now heavy, deliberate and pregnant with meaning. A meaning you hoped to finally have deciphered, now that Kisame told you his truth. Only then, he stepped backwards, leaving you fully exposed to the sun and the sight of his upper chest glistening beneath the sunlight.

As you followed him into the deep water of the lake, your insecurities still screamed at you. That he was probably still lying, that nothing he said could be possibly true, that you should leave and never see him again. A much bigger part of you, emboldened by his words and his tender touch, was intoxicated to the point of being able to ignore your self-doubts without a second thought.

[historicfailure]

Finally, you find enough courage in yourself to make a cake and bring it out to the lake. Though, when you arrive, you are confronted not only with the lifeguard, but with your insecurities as well. 

~ X ~

Hey there! Sorry for the little delay, I was really lazy and forgot time >-< So, here is the third chapter, and I hope you guys like it! :D 

~ X ~

You had learned from your fainting. Giving up on a diet never had been so easy, and like always, you reassured yourself with the same empty words. 

You weren’t indulging in anything too unhealthy. Sweets were still the exception, not the rule. Instead of take-out, you totally could just make a salad on your own. And hey, you would totally walk to the closest supermarket occasionally. But one day it was supposed to be raining, so you just had to take the bus. Or you had a bad day at work in general, so some sweet treats were definitely in order. And buying the fresh and healthy ingredients for a salad stretched your monthly budget way too thinly, so you just had to revert to your usual food as it was way, way cheaper. 

Needless to say, you were a bit miffed about yourself and your antics. Weak-willed, flabby and without any backbone, especially to your own whims and selfish wants, that was what you were. The decision to use your craving for sugar for something useful came when you were in the middle of preparing a fresh Strawberry-Cream-Roll. With your fingers sticky and the taste of the sweet, fresh strawberries on your tongue, you had the idea to bring this exact cake to the lake. As a thank-you for the rescue and care the last time you visited. 

Bring the cake to him, drop it off and vanish as soon as you were done exchanging awkward pleasantries. That was the plan you made as you prepared the cake.

Before you could back out, you got dressed in some of your nicer yet light summer clothes, prepared the roll for transport and went onto your way. Decked out with a small hat, sunglasses and the carrier box for the roll, you went onto your way, your heart pounding and anxiety rising in your chest like an incoming storm. 

Would Kisame even appreciate the gesture? Did he even like cakes? Maybe he was allergic to strawberries! Your head swirled with all the ways this could go wrong, kicking right into gear when you stepped up to the tip of the small hill, which descended in a soft curve down into the artificially created beach and the shore of the lake. The seat and platform of the lifeguard sat just a few meters higher than all the people who enjoyed their relaxed day at the lake. Though, despite the heat, there were noticeably fewer people around than on the weekend. Of course, not everyone had flexible hours at their job, or they were gone on their own vacation far away from their home. And none of them seemed to be on a mission like you were, at least, it didn’t seem that way.

“Alright.” You adjusted the strap of your bag, which was thrown over your shoulder once more. “This could be it. Question is…”

Where was Kisame? 

On the seat was a scrawny, bored-looking teenager. Even from afar, you could watch him scratch his head and yawn, as he had snow-white hair. Such a stark contrast to the heat of the summer that he had to stand out everywhere he went. Again, you let your eyes wander over the entire beach, even waited a few minutes and watched the shore to check if Kisame would ascend from the water like he came straight out of a cologne commercial. But no, still not a single hair from the lifeguard. 

Maybe he wasn’t there. Even lifeguards had to take some time off from time to time, right? Your hands slid again over the fabric of the bag, only to drop back to your side. Right. He had to have a free day today. Besides, he wouldn’t even remember you, the incident was a bit over a year ago, surely-!

“Well, well, well, who do we have here?”

You swiveled around, hands gripping the straps of the bag. His voice was so close! And there he was, in all his glory. Unfortunately though, his clothes made your eyes wander all over him, not able to decide on which delicious sight to settle on first. 

It was the first time you saw him in more normal clothes. Summer clothes, no less. Like he was born in them, a close second to the official lifeguard-uniform of red swim shorts and the white tank top. A feeble piece of fabric hung from his shoulders, so little in fact that it would be a disgrace to call it a tank top in any meaning of the word. His sharp collarbones, his wide shoulders, the cords of his muscles flexing right beneath his skin, all of that was pretty much on display as the fabric hung from his impressive frame. At least, the marine-blue tank top fell loosely around his stomach, so you didn’t have to try and avoid that temptation. 

Though, when your eyes fell to the shorts, you couldn’t help but grin. “Under The Great Wave of Kanagawa? Damn, I have that hanging in my bedroom.”

Because indeed, his shorts, reaching to just above the knee, depicted one of the most famous paintings you knew. The big wave covering the left thigh, the fisher boat on the right, you had no trouble completing the picture in your head. Really, it hung in your bedroom, so you had to know what it looked like!

Only his little, dark chuckle made you look up into his face again. “Really? You know the actual title?”

“I mean, I can also describe it as,” you breathed in, feeling how blood rushed into your face, but you pressed onward, “that big japanese wave-painting, if you want to.”

His smile only grew. “Technically, it isn’t a painting. It’s…”

“Woodblock-carved. Yeah.” You smiled back at him. “Though, I only have a lame poster.”

“And I only have this,” he tugged at his shorts, “and the cover for my phone. You’re already way ahead of me, with an actual picture on a wall.”

The shared interest made things… easier and more complicated. Easier, because talking about something you knew was reassurance. More complicated, because it made him even more attractive to you, and any other topic might be even more difficult to talk about without breaking into a stutter. 

“I was just lucky with that print,” you added, and you already felt how some of your anxiety bubbled up in your chest, “and for your earlier question… I wanted to hand this over.” You gestured warily to the bag still slung over your shoulder. “As a thank-you. For last week.”

“Aaah.” Kisame propped his hands onto the slim ‘V’ of his waist. “Well, what is it?”

“Cake.”

“Cake?”

“Well, not really cake, but a cake-roll.”

“Mhm.” The little sparkle in his eyes told you that his mind was entirely elsewhere but the cake. “Alright, I’ll bite. What flavor?”

“Just simple strawberry-mousse. Though, I added in some raspberries to give the flavor some depth.” 

His eyes quickly flittered over your entire body. All of a sudden, all your faults and mistakes weighed your shoulders down. The unattractive trunk-like legs, the pudgy stomach, flabby arms and your face wasn’t that great to look at, either. And his eyes followed every line of your body without mercy. Fuck, beside him, a pinnacle of self-discipline and training, you felt even fatter than usual. 

There couldn’t even be more of a difference.

Fuck. Tonight, I will feel bad for eating anything.

Well, this only fortifies my expectations. I’m lucky that he remembered me.

Because why the hell would a man like Kisame even look twice at you? He was just friendly to everyone around. Part of his job, nothing else. 

“Strawberry?” His cocky grin didn’t falter. “Mhm, delicious. And just for me?”

“Well, I don’t know if you want to eat an entire cake by yourself…”

“So, you want to share with me?”

“Huh?” 

You totally didn’t expect that. But the words still rang in the air, Kisame still as cocky and confident as ever, who just continued without a care in the world. “I surely can’t eat an entire cake by myself, at least not in one sitting. And there’s only a tiny fridge in the hut for the lifeguards on duty, and their drinks are a bit more important than a thank-you cake. No offense.”

“None taken.”

“So, I need someone to help me out.” He winked, fucking winked at you! “So, what do you say? Want to share some of that cake?”

You still had the distinct feeling he meant something entirely different from the actual strawberry roll you carried. But you couldn’t figure out for your life what exactly he was hinting at, so you were stuck nodding and smiling like a clueless puppet. 

Kisame’s grin widened, showing off some of his unusually sharp teeth. Especially his canines seemed longer, but before you could inspect them any longer, they were again hidden behind his lips. “How about right now?”

“Right…” You swallowed thickly. “Right now?”

Fuck, this was bad. You had hoped to simply drop the cake off without any further interaction. Just a quick thank-you for the care he bestowed upon you as part of his job, and leave again. Talking this long with Kisame was already way out of the range of your plans.  And now eating the cake with him?

Before you could politely decline though, Kisame’s attention wavered. His eyes wandered from your face over your shoulder, and automatically, you turned to check who stood behind you. 

“Oy, shark skin! Isn’t today your free day?” A woman’s voice, yet rough and sounding like she smoked at least one package of cigarettes per day, caught your attention. “Don’t you want to relax sometime, or do you need the money that badly?”

One last look into your face, and Kisame took a small step forward. “Sure about putting the young Suigetsu on the seat today, Ringo?”

“Eeh, he will be fine. You said it yourself, he knows what he’s doing.” The voice belonged to a small, muscular woman, dressed in the white and red of the lifeguards. Her long brown hair was pulled into a simple pony-tail, her small dark eyes fluttering up and down and taking your entire being in. Sharp and seemingly piercing through your clothes, to the point you wanted to cover up, even in this torturous heat. “And who are you? One of shark skin’s latest conquests?”

That was it. You would die of embarrassment, right then and there. Quickly, your eyes fluttered over to Kisame, who was already shaking his head. “No. (Y/N) is a regular here. You know, the aunt of Kaya? The funny guy?”

Ringo paused for a second. “Kaya?” Then, like a lightbulb went off, her bored expression turned into sheer delight. “Oh, Kaya’s aunt!”

Great. Did he talk about the ridiculous fat lady who had to be rescued out of knee-deep water?

Good job. That’s exactly how to make sure that no one will ever see you as something else than a big joke.

Can I just run into the lake, dive to the bottom and never come up again?

“Yeah,” Kisame glared at Ringo, “Kaya’s aunt. She wanted to drop off some cake.”

The other woman again scanned your entire body, this time even more interested than before. Her eyes got caught at the bag, which was still hanging off your shoulder. “What kind of cake?”

“The none-of-your-business-type of cake,” Kisame growled. Suddenly, he stepped forward, reaching out and grabbing Ringo by the shoulder. “We need to have a talk. Sorry, (Y/N),” he uttered.

“No problem.” What the hell was going on? Still clutching the bag, you could only stare at the two lifeguards, who walked away in tense silence. They stopped right beside the entrance to the medicine-hut, just far away enough for you to not be able to eavesdrop on them. But you could still watch them talk. And talk, they did.

Kisame said something. You could only see the side of his face, just enough to see the barely suppressed frustration radiating from him. 

Ringo obviously wasn’t impressed. The woman who barely reached up to Kisame’s chest shrugged, only to fire something back at the man.

His turn to shrug. And her turn to attack. Her mouth moved fast, apparently shooting question after question at Kisame, who was unwilling to answer and shook his head. 

He shook his head again and turned away from her. She reached out and placed a hand on his forearm. And like he was frozen into place, Kisame stopped.

Ringo spoke again, this time with a serious face. You could almost hear her words.

You don’t have to date this hippo. You will find an attractive, thin and sporty woman soon enough. 

You know, I could be that woman. For you.

Toss her and her cake aside and run away with me. Into the water.

But again, Kisame shook his head.

And like they trained for it, they both turned their heads to look at… you. Directly at you, Ringo with a smirk on her face and Kisame… You felt the heat rise to your face, like in a hot-air-balloon. Automatically, the free hand not clutching the strap of the bag went up to wipe some sweat off of your forehead. 

You would lie if you weren’t a tiny bit interested in what they were talking about. 

They argued a bit more back and forth, but when Kisame couldn’t hide his trademark-grin any longer, you knew the tension between the two was gone completely. Again, both of them tried to sneak a glance into your direction, Ringo still interested like a cat was interested in her prey, meanwhile Kisame seemed almost… bashful.

No, probably more embarrassed. Embarrassed that the fat chick brought him cake. And disappointed that it couldn’t be something more beautiful, something fancier than a dumb strawberry-cream-roll.

“Sorry for that,” he apologized again when he and Ringo were again close enough to talk comfortably, “I just… needed to make some stuff clear.”

“Oh, no worries!” Despite the insecurity eating away at you, you showed a smile. A strained, shaky one, but it was a smile. “I totally understand.”

His expression instantly brightened. “Really?” 

“Yeah, I do.” One look at Ringo’s face, her crossed arms and the decisive stance was enough. She definitely didn’t want you around nor close to her man. “I can drop the cake just right off. No problems at all. And I’m so sorry for interrupting you guys at work, I just wanted…”

Oh god, you could feel the first tears burn behind your eyelids. Of course, it was terribly stupid to cry over this. You knew that, and already hated yourself more for it. Fuck, no matter what happened now, you wouldn’t burst into tears over this. You were an adult, and you could definitely act like one as well.

Except… Kisame didn’t look relieved. Instead, something akin to dawning horror flashed over his face. “Wait… no. I want to eat that cake with you. Ringo isn’t into sweet things, at all.”

“I’m not,” the woman shrugged, “so you two can go ahead. And tell you what, I’m going to grab some plates and forks. You two can search for some spot to sit and… chat a bit.” She wiggled her eyebrows at Kisame, before turning around and jogging back to the lifeguard-hut where a pale man looked out, following the people running around the beach with cold hawk-eyes. 

“Sooo…” Kisame gestured awkwardly, before shoving his hands into the tiny pockets of his swim shorts. “Want to walk for a bit? I think one of the old benches over there might be good.”

“Uhm…” The turn of the tide shook you to the very core. One minute, you were intimidated by the sporty woman, the next, she seemed to almost… support you, if you weren’t totally off. At the same time, Kisame didn’t seem that happy. About what? Before you could think, you felt yourself nod, with your jaw tense and stomach tied into a tight ball of intestines and anxiety, and followed the man. Between the medical hut and the hut for the lifeguards stood a tall tree, with several old benches standing on top of the grass like they naturally grew there. Most of them were empty, and Kisame lowered himself onto the wood of a bank close to the tall tree, so the shadow covered both of you comfortably for the foreseeable future. 

“Well?” He patted the wood by his side. “Show me that delicious cake.”

That, together with his mischievous smirk, made you laugh against all odds. “You know,” you said as you sat down, all the while untangling the mess of straps around your shoulder, “I have the distinctive feeling you mean something else when you take the word “cake” into your mouth.” 

“I do.”

“Do I want to know?”

“Definitely not.” Strangely enough, he avoided your eyes when he answered, before coughing and obviously trying to cover up some of his unspoken, yet very loud thoughts. “So… you like to bake?”

“Yeah. Obviously,” you added. Your hands fluttered over to gesture at your stomach and thighs, before busying itself with the bag and cake. “But I also find it really relaxing. Measuring everything, how everything comes together and then of course, eating whatever I created… That is pretty nice.”

“And like that,” Kisame’s face lightened up as you opened the small container with the strawberry-cream-roll, “you can also share some with others.”

At his child-like, happy expression, you just had to chuckle. “Of course, that is an additional upside.” 

The man eyed the Tupperware like he was a hawk and caught sight of a mouse. When you opened the lid, and he spotted the sweet delicacy, you swore you could hear the man groan. 

“Fuck, this looks fantastic”, he mumbled. His eyes were fixated on the cake, studying every little detail: from the way the roll displayed its inside at the ends in strawberry-red and light pink, the fluffy dough, speckled with vanilla and a hint of lemon, down to the thin layer of sugar powder on top of the roll. “It looks like it comes straight out of a cookbook. Or one of those fancy recipe-blogs.”

“I indeed had to look this one up on one of those,” you raised your hands into the air to draw quotation marks, “fancy recipe blogs. Usually, I trust the power of the internet to produce a useful recipe.”

“It was really worth it.” Still, Kisame ogled the cake like he wanted to dig in on the spot. Only barely, he seemed to be able to rip himself away from the sweet treat, and look back up into your face. “So, what do you do for a living?”

“Freelance graphic design.”

“So…” Leaning back into the backrest of the bench, he stretched his legs out. All relaxed and showing off the entirety of his gorgeous, well-trained and yet for you unreachable body. “You’re organized enough to keep to a schedule you set for yourself, creative as fuck, and on top of that you can bake like a true saint.”

“You haven’t tasted the cake yet.”

“If it looks this good, I have no doubt that it will also taste great.”

Just when you opened your mouth to ask a question yourself, steps made you look up. There was Ringo, almost skipping over and with two plates and two forks in her hands. “There you go,” she almost threw the porcelain and cutlery into Kisame’s face, “and you owe me.”

“I don’t owe you shit,” he growled back. Though, you thought you saw him nod at the other lifeguard, as a thank-you and maybe a sign of his affection. 

Dread settled once more into your stomach. Really, he shouldn’t eat this cake with you, out of all available people. He should eat it with Ringo, with the pale guy inside the hut for the lifeguards, or even the youngster on top of the lifeguard-seat. 

Your head sunk, your shoulders drew up, and you were about to form another apology and then take your leave. But Ringo was there, brushing past you, and as she passed you to wander back to the hut of the lifeguards, her last, silent words to you echoed inside your mind. 

“You’re just his type.”

What could that possibly mean? And why would Ringo tell you that? It couldn’t possibly mean what you thought it meant. No way. Flabbergasted, you could only look after the other woman. She must be teasing you. Yeah, that was it. Because there was no way someone like you would be Kisame’s type. He surely was into fitness Instagram models or gorgeous women who wore their weight with confidence. You just didn’t, felt heavy and gray, like an elephant. 

“Don’t mind me if I do.” Thankfully, Kisame didn’t notice your inner turmoil. He was way too focused on the cake to see how you had to remind yourself that your anxiety didn’t help anybody, least of all, yourself. Instead, the giant of a man carefully cut a generous slice of the cake, then another, which was about just as thick. 

His head turned to you, while balancing his own plate on his knee. “Which one do you want?”

“The smaller one, please.” It didn’t matter if there was just a gram of difference between the two pieces, you needed the smaller one to reassure yourself that it would be alright, you took the smaller piece, after all. 

Kisame didn’t seem to mind, anyway. Without needing an explanation, he shoveled the slightly smaller piece of the cake-roll onto a plate and handed it to you, only to place his own thick slice on the plate he still balanced on his knee. When he put the platter with the rest of the roll aside, only to cut into the slice with the fork, you just had to stop and stare at him.

The first bite always drew you in. To see what your food did to the one who ate it, seeing their expressions change as well as their reactions, was always worth the hours slaving away in the kitchen. Painfully measuring all the ingredients down to the gram, mixing everything together, only to fret and worry in front of the oven and making sure it would come out right… All this would be worth it, if the first reaction to your cake was positive. 

If Kisame noticed you studying him with hawk eyes, he didn’t show it. The fork with a bite of the roll rose to his mouth, and you watched in painstakingly great detail how his lips closed around the metal.

His eyes fluttered close. A small wrinkle dug into the side of his face as he chewed, tasting the first hit of the strawberry cream. The wings of his nose fanned out, drawing air in, and altogether, some lemony scent of the dough. His jaw slackened for a moment, only to pick up chewing in slow, careful, thorough motions, drawing out the seconds until he had to swallow. 

“Oh god…” he moaned around the last bits of his bite, “this is… delicious.”

“You like it?”

“Like it?” His eyes snapped open. This time, his smile wasn’t cocky or overly confident, just full of unbridled joy and happiness. “I love it. This is probably the best cake I’ve eaten in a whole while. If your graphic-design ever falls short, please turn to baking as your next profession. I’m begging you here.”

His earnest praise to your baking skills made your face grow hot once more. Apparently a permanent state in his presence. “Aah, this is not much. Thank you, though, I appreciate it.”

“Are you kidding me?” He shoveled another bite into his mouth, relishing in the new explosion of taste just as much as the first time. “I don’t eat that many sweets, usually, but I would kill to have this cake every day of the week.”

“Then, I’m glad you like it.” Your voice betrayed nothing, but on the inside, you were squealing and vibrating with excitement. Success! He loved the cake! He loved it! 

Now I can die happily.

His expression when he ate it… Damn. 

Pure ecstasy. Better than sex.

“So…” As Kisame continued to eat and enjoy every bite he took, you merely stabbed into the slice and nibbled at some cream. Even though your mouth watered at the promise of sugary sweetness paired with the creamy coolness of the strawberry. “The lifeguard job… Do you do it full-time?”

“Pretty much.” Another bite vanished in his mouth, then Kisame settled the plate with the rest of his slice in his lap. “For the summer, at least. Autumn will depend on the weather, but even that has an end date.”

“And what do you do for the winter?”

“Odd jobs, mostly. Mainly, I work in a gym as a personal trainer. You know,” he leaned back into the bench, the plate with his nearly finished cake in hand and eyes scanning the lake out of old habit for anyone who needed help, “the work at the gym is fine, but I would trade it in a heartbeat for the lifeguard shift. Being in and around water is just…” He gestured to the leg of his swim shorts, with the wave of Kanagawa looming over the small fisher boat, “it’s just natural for me. Wouldn’t trade it for a thing in the world.”

Maybe that was the moment you fell a little bit in love with him. Kisame, who spoke so openly and carefree about his love for the water, who wasn’t ashamed to admit that the job at the gym wasn’t enough for him, who sat with you on this old bench and wholeheartedly enjoyed the thank-you cake you made for him. Before, it had been mere attraction to his physique, to his features, to his presence. Now, it went the tiniest bit deeper than that, and it should scare you. But just this once, it didn’t.

There was always time for some internal panic and self-doubts. For once, you squashed the insecurity successfully, and allowed yourself to enjoy the moment to the fullest. With a slight smile on your lips, you finally took the first real bite of your own slice of the roll. And really, you outdid yourself with this one. The slight hint of lemon in the usually boring dough of the roll, all airy and light, perfectly complimenting the freshness of the strawberry cream, with just some hints of raspberry deepening the flavor. This one definitely had to be made more often, especially when strawberries were in season. 

And if you enjoyed the time you were able to spend with Kisame like this a bit more, well, that really wasn’t your fault.

[historicfailure]

When you visit the lake this time around, you feel a bit better about yourself. The diet showed some results. And yet, you can't help but feel a bit faint when you see the lifeguard. Or wait, that couldn't be the lack of food, or is it? 

~ X ~

Hey there! The second chapter of this new fic, and I have to say: I thoroughly enjoy writing Kisame, at least, this Modern AU version of Kisame as a lifeguard ;D I might just write him a bit more after that. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter just as much as I did ^^ Thank you all for the kind comments on the last chapter! 

~ X ~

If possible, the summer had turned its heat up a few notches to the point where going out turned into a chore instead of a slight relief. After two weeks of strict dieting, counting calories and avoiding the sweets aisle in the supermarket altogether, you felt lighter. So, your sister asking if you could accompany Kaya to the lake was a welcomed excuse to try again. 

This time around, you had no such luck getting a spot in a shaded place. The entire beach was overrun with people; all the families and children and young adults relaxing, talking and trying not to sit or accidentally lean against each other, because the space was just so cramped. 

“Auntie?” Kaya was also staring at the many, many people right in front of him. Today, he also wore an absolutely adorable old-fashioned fisherman-style hat to protect him from the sun, as well as bright red sandals, sand-colored trousers reaching his little knees and a bright-orange t-shirt with a distinctive red swirl printed upon his chest. He looked so cute. You were so tempted to snap a few pictures of him and gush over him. 

In addition to being the coolest kid, Kaya was of course also the cutest around.

Of course, back to the problem at hand, the amount of people was still troubling you to no end. As you scanned the surroundings, you squeezed his small hand in yours. “Yes, sweetie?” 

“Will you come into the water with me today?”

“Absolutely.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” you smiled down at him, “absolutely. I can’t wait to finally cool down a bit.”

Kaya’s little face lit up. “Oh man, that’s so cool! Come on, let’s go!”

“Woah there. First, we have to find a spot to place our stuff. Then,” you wiggled your eyebrows at him, a small gesture which always elicited a giggle from your nephew, “we can go swimming. Okay?”

Easier said than done. The place was basically way too overrun. It took five minutes of walking up and down the beach to even spot someone getting up from their place in the shadows, and even then, a pair of giggling teenagers were of course faster than you and your nephew. The only other spot left was in the middle of the beach, almost right beside the heightened platform where the lifeguard was supposed to sit. Though, you couldn’t spot anyone nearby this time around. 

“Look,” you pointed towards the spot, “we can go there.”

Kaya obviously didn’t care much, he was just happy that he got to swim soon. You, on the other hand, didn’t like the spot. Apart from the closeness to the beach, there was no shade whatsoever close by. You had a small tent packed, which would at least cover Kaya properly and provide some shadow, but you would suffer terribly under the merciless summer sun. 

For now, it has to do. 

When another spot even close to any shadow opens up, I will go there.

I need to put sunscreen on him. Desperately so. 

“No swimming shoes today,” you told him, “but only if you hold still while I put sunscreen on you.”

Kaya’s nose wrinkled up. “Sunscreen?”

“Trust me, sweetie, it’s not that bad.”

“I’m all sticky, though.”

“If you don’t, your skin will be hurt all over," you said as you spread out the towel over the sand. There was just barely enough space to set up the small tent for him. “The sun is a big, old meanie.”

“Listen to your aunt. She’s right.”

That voice. You couldn’t possibly forget that tone, the smoothness, and the lightly teasing tone. A thousand thoughts swirled through your head, most of them circling around your appearance and what you wore right now. Another one crystallized itself in the midst of all the chaos, self-doubt and confidence issues: Is he always on duty?

“Kisame!” Your nephew screeched, full of childish happiness and excitement. “Auntie is going to swim today!”

“Really? That’s nice of her.”

“Yeah.” After smoothing down the last edge of the small sun tent, you had no more excuse and turned around, knees digging deep into the sand. “It’s way too hot today to say 'no' to a little swim.”

You almost regretted turning around. Kisame stood just a meter away from you, hands propped again onto the crook of his waist. Oh, and he was half-naked, and fresh out of the water, all wet and skin glittering with the many water droplets slowly and teasingly rolling down his torso. There was one sliding down his left pectoral, just missing the pebbled nipple, over the valleys of his six-pack and right into the rim of his red swimming shorts, which were plastered to his thighs. Your eyes nearly fell out of your head at the sight of his muscles shifting as he leaned ever so slightly forward, just a little bit closer into your personal space. His smile was just as mischievous as you remembered, eliciting the exact same jump of your heart as last time.

“Name was (Y/N), right? Welcome back.”

“It’s nice to be here again, yeah.” Your hands trembled. Fuck, he was just… too good-looking and way too close! And why the fuck did Kisame remember your name? “It was a tough choice between leaving the house and the promise of a bit of water.”

“Not going to lie, when I stepped outside this morning, I was also tempted to just stay inside.” His deep, rumbling laughter should be forbidden. A spark of heat deep down in your stomach told you that the vibrator hidden beneath your bed would work overtime tonight, exactly to the sound of his laughter. Kisame reached upwards and let his fingers run through his wet, jet-black hair. A temptation come true. “The humidity is killing me. Hopefully, it rains soon.”

“Hm… Yeah. Hopefully.” A tense smile flashed over your face. Then, after a few more moments of silence, you took the chance and reached for your bag. “I will just quickly put some sunscreen on Kaya. Otherwise, my sister will grill me.”

“Oh.” Kisame flinched, blinked, only to take a step back. “Right. I guess I should… I should get ready. See you in a bit.”

It felt like a cloud vanished from the sky when Kisame climbed up the small platform, leaving you with an excited five-year old and the bottle of sunscreen in your hands. It took a bit of further convincing for Kaya to hold still long enough to smother his skin with the white lotion, but when he was ready, you quickly wiped off your hands on your bare legs.

Now was the time. As your fingers curled around the rim of your shirt, a thousand nervous thoughts shot through your mind. There were so many people around, someone had to watch you undress. Pressing your eyes shut, you pulled your shirt over your head. Every inch of revealed skin felt like you handed more and more ammunition into the hands of a waiting crowd. Waiting to laugh and mock you and waiting to deem you worthless. It felt like eternities until the fabric dropped onto the towel beside you. This time, you opted for your usual bathing suit: black with three white stripes on the right side, running up your flank and vanishing beneath your arm. The material at least covered your stomach. Still, you tried to fold your hands somehow in front of you to hide the bulge of fat and rolls in some way. 

“Aunt (Y/N)?”

“Yes, Kaya?”

Your nephew handed you the tube with the children’s sunscreen. “If I have to get covered with this icky stuff, then you have to cover yourself, too.”

For just a moment, you forgot about your insecurities. Gosh, really. Your nephew really was the cutest kid on this beach and beyond. 

“Of course,” you accepted the tube with a little smile, “same right for everyone. Thank you for reminding me.” 

Kaya brightened in an instant. It was so easy to make him happy and sometimes, you were envious of his sunny personality. As you squirted the first spurt of sunscreen onto your hand, you didn’t think twice. You dabbed a tiny amount of sunscreen onto his cheek, just enough that he felt the lotion. Kaya screeched, a mix of giggles and horror. Laughing, you tried to smear more sunscreen onto his cheek, but he jumped out of the way, still screeching and just barely avoiding the next family over. 

You scrambled to your feet. “Just you wait,” you chuckled as your hands quickly spread some sunscreen over your own skin, “I’m catching you again, little rascal, just you wait—!”

One step too much. One step and you felt the world start to swirl around you. You stopped in your tracks, the laughter dying in your throat as your heartbeat picked up. The world continued to turn, tilt and dilate. Black spots danced in front of your eyes, and as you slowly straightened yourself out, you had to blink a few times to make the world stop spinning around you like a carousel on the carnival. 

Maybe eating so little over the last few days took a little, tiny toll on you. Not that you regretted it, you felt better! Totally. But maybe it wasn’t such a bright idea to instantly jump into the water, or get up and move around. At all. Adding the warm and humid weather, and the impending catastrophe was perfect. You could already see it before your inner eyes: you were drowning in the most dramatic way possible, meanwhile people merely watched on the sidelines.

Fat should stay afloat, anyway.

Blood rushed so loudly in your ears you heard nothing else. You blinked, tried to see through the black, dancing spots in front of your vision, and swallowed dryly. For a few more moments, you tried to get your shit together, only dimly aware that Kaya was still there and talked with someone.

A big hand settled onto your shoulder. Way too big for a five-year-old. Your head turned, and while you tried to peek through the black spots, your ears strained to pick up the echoing voice. 

“Woah, there. You don’t look so good. Are you alright?”

A fluttery hand rose into your vision, weakly waving the words off. Your own hand, you realized after a few long seconds. “Couldn’t be better.”

“I kindly disagree.”

“Well,” you ignored the reassuring hand on your shoulder as best as you could, “sure, I had a small moment here, but it’s over. See? I’m fine.” You also ignored the carousel of fluttery nausea inside your head starting anew and just blankly smiled at the guy who had decided to help the fat lady close to unconsciousness. If you could just properly look at him to assure the guy that he could take away the hand and leave you be!

When you opened your eyes again, there were only a few spots, which also quickly faded away. And to your horror, it was Kisame looking down on you. With his body almost folded in half, one hand still pressed to your shoulder, fingers weakly flexing as if he couldn’t decide if you truly needed more help or if he could let go of you, he was the epitome of the caring lifeguard.

And he was still half-naked. Just a small towel around his neck with the edges hanging over his shoulders covered part of his impressive chest and skin. 

One of his eyebrows rose as he noticed your expression change ever so slightly. “Sure. You’re fine.”

“I don’t appreciate the sarcasm, but yes.” You took a step backwards. His hand fell away, and you definitely saw some kind of hurt flash in his eyes, just before a curtain dropped and hid his emotions. “I’m fine now. Thanks for your concern.”

“Alright.” Kisame didn’t show any more flashes of emotion. Instead, he just straightened himself out, both of his hands rising to grip into the towel. “Take care when going into the water, though.”

“I will, thanks!” Even though the world still turned a bit before your eyes, you managed to smile at Kisame while blindly reaching for Kaya. Thankfully, he held still for a few moments, and waited just for you to get your shit together. Still, as you turned towards the water, you could feel his worried looks burning holes into your side.

“Aunt (Y/N)?”

“Yes, sweetie?”

“Are you okay?”

“But yes, of course!” As you reached over to grab his hand, Kaya didn’t seem too convinced. His bottom lip was jutting out, his small forehead wrinkled up and his cute, small nose did too. Not convinced, at all. Of course not. So, you stopped, your feet already dipping into the water of the wide like, and turned towards your nephew. “Hey, I’m really alright. For a moment, the heat got to me, but it will be better when I get into the water with you. That will cool me down.” 

“Really?”

“Yes, really.” A quick boop of your index finger to his nose made him giggle. Thankfully, you couldn’t bear to see him nervous or sad. “Now, let’s go!”

Even though you acted like everything was fine as you waded into the blessedly cool water, you knew it would be a stupid idea to go into the deeper parts of the lake. The city really did a good job in driving tons and tons of fine sand out to one of their biggest and most beloved lakes around, to create this small beach-like area for families and youth alike. That also included securing the water with markers, buoys bobbing up and down along the small waves, which also marked the depth of the water.

Under no circumstances, you would go deeper than you could stand, and even that was already a thin line you weren’t willing to walk. You could only hope Kaya was considerate enough to stay in the shallow waters. 

Like always, you had to suck in a sharp breath as your heated, sweaty skin met the sharp coldness of the water. It was startling, startling enough to stop and stare into the sky for a second, before you took more steps into the deeper parts. When the water reached your chest, you stopped for a moment. That was far enough. Definitely.

Slowly, you turned around and waded back through the relatively clear water towards the shallow parts, where Kaya waited. Or more like, played with the mud as he sat there, stomach already caked with the dirty-brown earth smeared across his skin.

“Look!” he exclaimed, “I have my own sunscreen now!” 

“You’re really a funny guy, huh?” With a low sigh, you dropped yourself beside him into the mud. Water splashed, then covered the lower part of you up to the pouch of fat you had to call stomach. Then, with a little teasing eye roll, you offered your bare arm to him. “Want to put some of your sunscreen on me too?”

Kaya’s excited screech was one good omen, him reaching immediately into the mud the next. Even though you would have to swim for a good while and make sure no mud would be caked to you when you left the water, it was worth seeing your nephew this excited and happy about something so simple. Another low sigh, and you closed your eyes as another layer of mud was slapped onto your arm and parts of your shoulder.

Actually, the mud was really nice. Cool and watery, cooling you down more and more, even relaxing you to the point you didn’t sit straight anymore, but slumped forward ever so slightly. 

Usually, you would refrain from slumping. It made your stomach look worse than it already was, but right now, your stomach was hidden away in the water. Besides, there was only Kaya. Kaya, who was way too happy to stop anytime soon. So, it was completely alright to just close your eyes a bit and let your mind drift, right?

Water in your mouth. Water in your nose. Water everywhere, with a faraway Kaya screaming and screeching. You sputtered, swallowed more muddy water, only to raise your head above the water. 

Didn’t you just sit straight up? You blinked slowly, before looking around. The scenery hadn’t changed much. People were still crowding the beach, as uninterested as before. The sun was still shining, not even a single cloud in the endless sky, and the humidity was as bad as before. But you were wet, hair clinging to your head, your arms were partly freed of the mud, and Kaya… Kaya was there, by your side. His small face had been happy and carefree just a few moments ago, but now, he was red-faced, with tears clinging to his eyelashes like little diamonds and hands balled into fists.

Was he… wailing? Yes, yes, he was. A high, demanding wail, like a fog horn, cutting through the air and alerting anyone close enough. And also far away, as you could spot a quickly approaching blotch of white and red.

Inwardly, you groaned. Not like this. This was exactly what you wanted to avoid. But no such luck for you today. When the blotch came closer and closer, more details became visible: details you didn’t even need to know who came running for your wailing nephew. And ultimately, also for your fainting ass.

Kisame was just a few more meters away, wading through the water, when you raised one of your hands and waved him off. “I’m alright,” you informed him, trying to put a smile on your face, “I’m okay. Nothing happened.”

“Really?” He didn’t believe you. One bit. His tone said at least that much. More wading through water, until the tall man was right by your side, and able to kneel down. The water instantly soaked into his red swimming shorts. His hard eyes met yours, but they softened in a heartbeat. Without looking away, Kisame gestured toward Kaya, who was still sniffling and suffered from a mighty hiccup. “Hey, champ. Mind telling me what happened?”

Oh no, you did not just…

“Aunt (Y/N),” Kaya sniffled, and wiped his forearm over his nose, “Auntie just fell asleep while we were playing. It was funny, but then she fell into the water and didn’t wake up.”

“But I did wake up…” you muttered, only to be confronted with Kisame’s stony expression. 

“You didn’t wake up fast enough for him,” he nodded into Kaya’s direction, “and that is enough. Alright, playtime is over. You’re getting out of the water.”

His tone alone made you want to dig your hooves in like a stubborn mule. Crossing your arms under your chest, you shook your head. “I’m not getting out. I’m fine now.”

“Goddammit, woman…”

“Yes, I am a woman, thank you very much.”

A dangerous glint came to life in his eyes. “You really want to argue with me.”

You nodded. “Absolutely.”

“And you claim you’re fine.”

“I am.”

“Then stand up.” Kisame shrugged. “Stand up and don’t fall, then I might be convinced you’re really as fine as you claim you are.”

You glared at him. Sure, you definitely said you were alright, but you both knew that this wasn’t the case. Fainting like that was the unfortunate combination of the humid heat, your diet and the sudden activity without the necessary calorie intake, and the effects still hadn’t worn off. But you sure as hell wouldn’t admit to that.

“Well?” Kisame’s eyebrows rose. “Get up.”

“I don’t want to.” God, you sounded like a petulant child, even worse than Kaya on his bad days. You could feel the heat rise into your cheeks, but admitting defeat in front of Kisame somehow felt… worse. “Maybe I’m feeling good down here… in the water.”

“Sure you do.” Nothing but a low exhale escaped the man as he rose again from his crouch. “Alright, but I have enough of your games. Get up at three, or I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you over there,” he pointed towards a small shack with a very noticeable and distinctive red cross painted over its door, “to make sure you rest.”

“By three?” you mocked. “Really?”

“One.”

Just a single look up into his face told you he was serious. He would absolutely throw you over his shoulder and make the way up to the small hut as embarrassing as possible for you. And he would fucking revel in it.

“Two.”

One look into Kaya’s reddened face, at his tears and the still wobbling bottom lip, and you knew that a discussion would do nothing but prove how much of an idiot you were. Your nephew was scared out of his mind, worried about you, and you had nothing better to do than argue with the guy who wanted to help you.

“Th—!”

“I can’t get up.”

The admission came out meek and you refused to look into his eyes as you mumbled. Still, you could almost feel the tension in the air fade. Water splashed as his legs moved ever so slightly, only to crouch again into the water. 

“See?” His voice was unbearably soft and gentle; so soft and gentle in fact, that goosebumps peppered themselves down your arms and legs. “Wasn’t so hard, was it?”

You just shook your head. Then, as you slightly moved and tried to struggle onto your feet, Kisame was right there. Hovering over you, trying to not invade your personal space but still so uncomfortably close that you could feel yourself growing weak in the knees, this time for entirely different reasons than your empty stomach and feeble constitution. 

Only when he reached out a helping hand, you accepted it and allowed yourself to be pulled upwards. Water dribbled down your stomach and legs, the rest of the mud was still caked to your arms and your hair must look terrible, but Kisame’s attention was still fully on you. Like you were important, like you mattered, like you were…

Urgh, stop being so stupid.

He’s doing his damned job. Nothing else.

Eh, a girl can dream, right?

As you carefully set one foot in front of the other, your toes digging into the sand and water, you were heavily aware of the man beside you. And his hand, god, the hand which held onto yours. There were callouses dragging across your palm, the callouses alone bigger than the tip of your thumb. Even though his grip was gentle, you could feel the muscles like cords running right beneath his skin, contracting and relaxing with every step as he adjusted his long steps to your shorter ones. And when you dared to break your eyes away from the beach to scan the water for Kaya, Kisame adjusted easily. 

“He’s right there.” He gestured towards the small figure weaseling a bit ahead up to the medical hut of the lake. “Ran ahead when we weren’t looking.”

“I didn’t even notice. Damn.” Weakly, you shook your head, only to sharply breathe in. “Dammit.”

“What?”

“Nothing but a new carousel inside my head.” The joke came easily, just like always. Instead of smoothing the wrinkles on Kisame’s forehead though, it only deepened them. “Really,” you added with a little weak laugh, “it’s nothing. I just need to get accustomed to this diet and then everything will be peachy.”

Again, way too much talk. He definitely didn’t need to know that you were on a diet. When you tried to gauge his reaction, you were more than surprised to see him with an even more worried expression on his face. 

“A diet that strict,” he lowered his voice as you just passed two older women, who were sunbathing and lazily chatting with each other, “in the midst of one of the biggest heat waves. Why again?”

“Uhm…” Was he seriously asking that? Right now, you didn’t even have the safety of the water to protect you from the amused and disgusted stares of the other people around. Certainly, Kisame wasn’t blind, right? “Isn’t it obvious? I’m not wearing small sizes here.”

If you didn’t know better, you would say Kisame looked like he just bit into an especially bitter lemon. But just as fast as the expression of… well, disgust flashed over his face, it vanished again. Overly nonchalant, the man shrugged as he allowed you to walk first through a tight passage between two towels spread over the ground that were abandoned in favor of the promising cool water. “And? Small sizes don’t mean anything. But that’s just my opinion.”

A dry snicker bubbled up and over your lips. “Yeah, right. Like you aren’t swarmed by beautiful models every day. Probably got one hooked to every finger, if you wanted.”

“I’m single, actually.”

Such a casual statement. So simple and yet it felt like someone punched the air out of your lungs. Maybe it was the shock, but suddenly, one of your feet swayed to the side, giving away and making you stumble. Before you could even blink, Kisame’s hands were there to keep you upright. One was still wrapped around yours, but the other was now pressed to the arch of your lower back, his fingers gripping to the curve of your waist.

Fuck, he has gigantic hands.

You know what they say about a man with big hands… and feet.

Fuck off.

“As pleasant as our conversation is,” you shivered as his breath hit the shell of your ear, “I think it would be better for me to carry you the rest of the way.”

“Carry,” you squeaked, “oh no! You don’t have to, you probably will break your back!”

“Nonsense.”

“No, really, I’m fine! I can—! WOAH!”

Kisame obviously didn’t listen to a word you said. In the middle of your defense, the man just swooped you off your feet. Literally. He didn’t even make a sound as he lifted you upwards, only to comfortably adjust your position, cuddling up to his chest like you belonged there. 

His face was now so much closer than you before, with his cocky grin and presence making your heart flutter. “See?” His arms slipped into the crook of your legs, down naked and slippery skin, and to the middle of your back. “No problem at all.”

You would have loved to say anything. Just anything, but the fact that Kisame easily picked you up like a small child and carried you bridal-style the rest of the way, not even complaining once about the weight in his arms, made you shut your mouth and try to control the wave of heat cursing through your system. 

Embarrassment and want. Such an intoxicating combination.

Just with a little bit less embarrassment next time, please.

Next time? Oh man, I wish there was a next time, but I’m not that desperate that I have to fake passing out all the time, right?

“Hey, champ!” Kisame’s voice boomed even louder, now that you were directly pressed to the source. You could feel his chest expanding as he called out to Kaya, who was already waiting for the two of you, right in front of the hut. “Can you open the door for us? It should be unlocked. As you can see,” he shrugged weakly, moving your entire body with the gesture, “I have my hands kind of full at the moment.”

It was probably for the better to focus on your nephew. Otherwise, you might just die of embarrassment right then and there. Kaya was a bit calmer now, face still a bit red, but at least, there were no more tears running down his face. He nodded while reaching up to the doorknob and twisted it. Indeed, the door leading inside the hut swung open without even a small twinge of the hinges, and walked inside. Kisame quickly followed the child inside.

“Aaaaal-right.” Ever so gently, he laid you down on a stretcher. “Stay here and stay calm, okay? Here, let me just pop that beneath your legs,” he stuffed a small and hard pillow into the small space between your legs and the stretcher, alleviating them for you, “Stay here for as long as you need. I will come back in a bit with something to eat and drink, alright?”

Weakly, you shook your head. “I have some stuff with me. Lunch for Kaya, mostly.”

“And also lunch for yourself?”

“Not… not really.”

Kisame sighed. In the small hut, he seemed even taller and wider, but not at all threatening. One hand was lazily placed on the crook of his hip, the other combed through his dark hair like he didn’t even notice himself. “Okay, I can grab you something from the vending machine at the kiosk. Any preferences?”

You shook your head. “Just… not something with too much sugar, please.”

“Well, that’s the entire point now. But alright, I see what I can find which will satisfy both of our needs here. I can also grab your stuff from the beach, if you want to?”

“That would be,” one look at Kaya, who hovered close to the stretcher, nose again crinkled like he wanted to cry out, “that would be great, I think. A small lunch for him would do him wonders.”

Kisame’s eyes softened when they fell upon the small boy. “Yeah, I can see that. But I also believe it would be great to have some helping hands. What do you say, champ?” He crouched down beside Kaya, who turned around to look at the man with his big, shiny eyes. The lifeguard grinned. With his forearms placed on his knees and some strands of his short hair curling due to residual water, was the epitome of anything any hotblooded human who was interested in passion could wish for. “Want to help me out? I probably can’t carry all the stuff up here you guys brought with you.”

It was a testament to Kaya’s manners and compassion alike that he turned to you once more, worry clear on his face and reaching out to grab your hand. “Auntie (Y/N)?”

“I’m feeling better now,” you told him, trying to reassure him and yourself alike, “Really. I swear.”

“Pinky promise?”

“Pinky promise.” Gently, you linked your smallest finger with his even tinier one. A small gesture which always seemed to calm him down. This time, too. Kaya brightened up as soon as your pinkies linked. “I just need to lie here for a bit and eat something.”

“Ice cream?”

“Something like that.” You continued to weakly smile at him, even though only the picture of thick delicious ice cream hurt your stomach — if out of hunger or disgust, you couldn’t tell. As the two of them turned to leave the hut, you were able to catch Kisame’s eyes once more.

“Thank you," you mouthed to him.

Your answer was a single, raised eyebrow and a cocky, yet somehow warm grin. A grin which made the heat rise into your face again—terribly so. His soft chuckle told you that he noticed and if not for the need to keep your legs propped up on the pillow, you would’ve loved to curl yourself up into a small ball to squeal and cry.

Not necessarily in that order, of course. 

Even though you secretly hoped that Kisame would stay for a bit longer, he actually had a job to do. After dropping off all your stuff together with a small packed sandwich as well as an electrical-blue sports drink, he left in a hurry. During the lunch with Kaya, who seemingly forgot about the entire ordeal for now, you fought with yourself on what to do.

I can’t come here anymore. Too embarrassing.

I have to thank Kisame, though.

How?

Maybe… You sighed out loud. Maybe I can bake a cake or something. There’s a recipe I wanted to try out for so long…

Baking is literally the one thing I’m good at. 

Baking a sweet cake. What a temptation when you were trying to lose weight with a stringent diet. But it was true, baking was literally the only thing you felt like you were able to do right. No miracle, at some point you had to learn how to properly supply yourself with some sweet treats.

But alone at the thought of baking, your guilty conscience reared its ugly head. Baking always led to taste-testing, and taste-testing more often than not led to a single little piece of cake or a lone cookie. Because you had to make sure that you didn’t put too much salt in, or something else. Another little test, which sometimes turned into a second taste-test. And so on and so forth. Most of the time, you were pretty lucky to end up with some pieces of cake or some cookies still on the baking tray, as the rest just wandered straight into your stomach.

You gnawed at your bottom lip, to the point you thought you tasted blood. Baking a thank-you-cake, no matter your good intentions, would result in you breaking your own, self-inflicted dietary restrictions. There was just no way you wouldn’t be able to eat something, tasting the batter or making sure the end product was good enough to give away.

“Aunt (Y/N)?”

“Yeah?”

Kaya had some peanut butter stuck to his cheek. Automatically, you reached over and whipped it off with your thumb. He giggled, only to take another bite of his packed sandwich. “When we go back home, can we bake again?”

Your nephew really had perfect timing.

“Ah… maybe…”  you merely nibbled at your own sandwich (whole-grain toast with salad, thick slices of tomato and thinly cut turkey meat) while pondering his question. Could you or could you not bake together with Kaya? Would it help? Or would it make everything worse?

In the end, you had no chance against Kaya’s superpower: his puppy-eyes together with a weakly wobbling bottom lip. 

Damn, he really knew how to play you to his advantage. 

You were so ridiculously soft for him, it wasn’t even funny anymore. With a low sigh, you reached again over and combed through his sweaty hair. “Fine. We can bake one this afternoon. I think I have everything at home for a nice one.”

Kaya nodded, then took another bite of his sandwich. More peanut butter flowed out at the edges, forcing you to intervene and wipe the sticky substance off his small hands. “Thanks,” he muttered. You had no idea if he meant you cleaning off his fingers, or the promise to bake a cake together. 

As you cared for Kaya and made sure he ate his sandwich, you found yourself drifting off again. Maybe some residual lightheadedness from the fainting. 

Speaking of fainting… 

Kisame really carried me up here. All the way from the water up here.

Like it was nothing. Oh god. How much did he train to be able to do that?

Certainly not an easy feat with a cow like me. 

You were lucky he didn’t hurt himself. Even more of a reason to gift him something, right? 

Will he even like a cake?

I mean, that would only show that I at least try to do the right thing. Maybe, he also appreciates the effort if he doesn’t like sweet things. 

Then, it’s settled.

A cake. Something sweet for a job well done. And just in case, something cool and nice to drink. Despite the dread curling deep down in your stomach, you couldn’t help but smile as you nibbled at your own, terribly bland and dry sandwich. It was the right thing to do, like Kisame had done the right thing. And hell, if Kaya wanted you to bake, who were you to deny that? 

[historicfailure]

Again, you visit the lake. This time though, you have some other company than your nephew. And that company is very keen on you realizing what you could be missing.

~ X ~

Hey there! Another chapter, and slowly, things start to come together ;D I'm having fun with this fic, and I will definitely write more for Kisame in the future. Thank you all for following this fic and leaving lovely comments, they mean so much to me! But anyways, have fun with this new chapter ^^

~ X ~

“I tell you, he is checking you out.”

“He isn’t. He’s working.”

“Ohh, you need to open your eyes then.” Maimi laid back onto her towel as she readjusted her sunglasses. Stretching and sighing before finally settling down and relaxing into the ground, she shrugged. “I see it clearly.”

“Clean your glasses then.” The sand beneath your fingers ran through the cracks of your hand like water. Stubbornly, you kept your eyes down on said sand and to not stare at said water, and possibly spot said ‘he’ your sister was so insistent about. 

Visiting the lake again, just a few days after the cake-incident, had been a mistake. Especially with the annoying pest your sister sometimes could be—even now—when you both were supposed to be adults. 

You rolled your eyes. Maimi wasn’t able to see anything. First, you sat upright beside her, turned towards the water while trying to pointedly avoid looking at the lake. An impressive feat in itself, if you dared to say so yourself. Second, it was more likely she either stared up to the sky, or even had her eyes closed as the sun was burning onto the beach without mercy, and today you had no luck in being able to seek shelter in the shadows. And third—!

“Well,” again, she shrugged, ruffling the towel below her a bit more, “the way he only talked to you when we arrived was very telling at least.”

You groaned like a wounded animal. “He was only doing his job. And was friendly, because I baked him a cake.”

“A cake?” Suddenly, Maimi sat up. She shoved her sunglasses onto her forehead, so she could squint at you properly. “He didn’t say anything about cake. What cake?”

“Goddamn…”

“Language.”

“According to your son,” you nodded into Kaya’s direction, who was blissfully unaware, “I can’t even say “fudge," so what am I left with?”

“The entire width of animal names and lego bricks," she replied easily and without a blink. “Now, spill your secrets. What cake?”

“Oh my god, stay calm, will you? I just made a cake for Kisame and brought it here as a thank-you for… well, rescuing me.”

“For the rescue out of knee-deep water?”

“Exactly that one.” You rolled your eyes. “I had to do something for him, right? Just something small.”

“What did you bake for him?”

“Is this an interrogation?”

“It wouldn’t have to be, if you would give me all the details when we originally talked about it," Maimi hissed. 

Your sister always had been nosy: always interested in your love life and always insistent to know what was going on for you. For some time after Kaya’s birth, she left you alone, but lately she started to act up again. Especially if you met someone new, which didn’t happen for quite some time.

So, her interest in Kisame and you baking some cake for him was kind of validated. Not fully, of course, as she was still incredibly nosy, but it really didn’t come as a surprise.

Maimi suddenly squealed. Instantly, her arm shot up and she waved, full of excitement and giggles. Looking up, you barely saw how Kisame’s arm fell again into the water beside him, only to turn around and call out to the children. Slowly, they all lined up, little ducklings following their mother, and together, they all swam and walked back onto the land.

Maimi weakly whistled. “Hot damn. And what does he do otherwise, again?”

“Personal trainer in a gym,” you answered, pouting weakly, “but he would like to do the lifeguard-gig full time.”

“Oh, I bet he would. Caring, ready to jump to action at any given moment, good with children… If I wasn’t married to Baki, I would go for him.”

“You wouldn’t go for him, just wait until you enraptured him enough to make him come up to you.”

Your sister shrugged. “True. But they always feel so good about themselves when they come and talk to me. Why should I take that away from them? Anyway,” again, she shrugged, “I don’t have a chance with this specimen.”

You rolled your eyes to the point it actually hurt a bit. “He isn’t interested in me.”

“Oh, he is totally looking at you any chance he gets. Like, right now.”

You couldn’t help it. Instinctively, you looked up from the sand and regretted it almost instantly. There was Kisame, emerging from the water. His red swim shorts clung to his thighs like a second skin, leaving almost nothing to the imagination, right until the moment he loosened the fabric to be a bit more appropriate. His entire body glistened due to both the summer sun and the amount of sunscreen he probably wore to protect himself over the day constantly out in the sun. At first, he wasn’t looking in your direction, but turned to check on the children again, who were still neatly lined up behind him. One headcount later and the man turned his back to the lake. And you swore, fucking swore, that he looked directly at you, even over the distance between the lakeside of the beach and your own position, basically close to the medical hut. 

You couldn’t let your head drop faster, but Maimi noticed of course. She wiggled her eyebrows in the same way she did when she watched Magic Mike for the first time. “He is definitely checking you out.”

“Don’t be ridiculous," you hissed. 

“He is checking you out. Damn, now I really have no doubts that he could easily carry you anymore.”

“Stop it.”

“In his arms, you said? Like a bride or a damsel in distress?” 

“Stop it!”

“Oh, he is so coming over here. Look at him walk. Uuuuuuh, I get goosebumps just looking at him.”

“Can you shut up,” you hissed, “just for two seconds?”

“But I’m telling you, he wants to talk to you!”

“Don’t be—!”

“Hey.”

Your head snapped back up so fast your neck hurt. It didn’t matter. Kisame loomed over you, in all his dripping wet glory, hair hanging slightly into his face and hands propped upon the “V” of his hipbones. His cocky grin widened a bit as your mouth dropped open, but no word came out. “Good to see you again.”

“It’s… Uhm, it’s good to be back.” You desperately tried to not stare at the very obvious bulge in his swim shorts. But it was hard. Very hard. It basically hung right into your face! You smiled up at him, even though you felt how the tell-tale heat of embarrassment and nervousness rose into your face. “Had a nice swim?”

“Oh, yeah. Water is perfect today. Clear and cool, and not that many people I have to watch out for. Want to join me?”

“Oh no,” you laughed as you shook your head, “I wouldn’t want to disturb you. I’m perfectly fine here, no worries.”

With the grace of a panther, Kisame kneeled down before the towel. His knees hit the sand, both his hands draped over his knee, showing off the corded muscles right beneath the skin. His face was at the same level as yours, and out of sheer instinct, you drew your legs closer and slung your arms around them. Hiding your body, shying just the tiniest bit away from the man and his intense gaze, which was so focused on you that it felt like you would burst into flames at any given moment. 

“You’re not a disturbance,” he said, “and I would gladly show you around the lake.” 

Your heart thundered in your chest. A tremble wandered through you at the offer. If you were more hopeful, you could think that Kisame actually wanted to go for a swim with you, to get to know you even better than during a talk over cake, to experience something alongside you. 

But you weren’t hopeful. It had to be some kind of Samaritan kindness, forcing him to offer a swim around the lake with someone like you, when he could have literally anyone else on this beach salivating over him.

“Thanks,” you said, “but I don’t think—”

“She doesn’t think she can wait too long for that swim," Maimi interrupted. “Want her phone number? So you can, you know, talk about the details?”

Only then, Kisame turned his head to look at your sister. “Of course, I want the number.”

Maimi’s elbow in your side made you flinch. “(Y/N)? Your number… Or his number. Come on.”

You could watch yourself from the outside reaching for your bag and rummaging through it, until finally, your fingers scratched over your phone. Watch yourself unlocking your phone and opening the notes app, where you had your own number saved—you couldn’t be bothered to memorize your own number. Watch yourself give out your number, with Kisame nodding along and your sister almost vibrating in excitement.

You only returned to your own body when Kisame got back up onto his feet. “Alright,” he said, smiling down on you, “then I will text you about our meeting. It will be fun. Promise.”

“Can’t wait,” you answered, short and sweet, before remembering your manners, just a little. “Can’t wait to talk to you.”

His brilliant, honest smile almost hurt to look at. Then, he was gone, and only your eyes followed his wide back right until he vanished on top of the lifeguard-seat.

“What the fuck,” you turned to Maimi, “did you just do there!?”

Your sister had the audacity to shrug. “I prevented you from making a colossal mistake. Now, you have a number and a date. No need to thank me.”

“I don’t…” You shook your head. “Can’t you see he’s doing this out of… I don’t know, pity? I’m not his type.”

“Sweetie, you’re so blind. Not once he looked at me. Not for a second. Or,” Maimi added, “at anyone else, for that matter.” Her index finger poked your arm. “He only ever looked at you. He didn’t do this out of pity. This man wants you, and you and your stupid insecurity nearly destroyed your chance of being happy!”

The seed of truth swinging in her words made her statement even more painful. It stung, being confronted so suddenly with the cause of why you were so adamantly against a date with the good-looking lifeguard. 

The only way to defend yourself against Maimi was to push forward. Years of sisterly fights and petty arguments taught you that much. So, you crossed your arms over your chest, all the while glaring at your sister. “Whatever I do or not do with anybody is literally none of your business. You have no right to get involved in my life. So, next time you want to play cupid, don’t make me your target to practice on.”

“I just want you to be happy.”

“Well, this is not the way to make me happy, okay? Just…” You sighed out. “Just leave me alone. What I do with my body and my fat and my anxiety doesn’t have to bother you.”

When Maimi reached out, with her hand softly touching your shoulder, her expression changed. From playful and a bit teasing to serious and caring; so much so that you couldn’t bear to look into her face. So, your eyes closed and your head dropped, while Maimi murmured more words into your ears you didn’t want to hear, yet hungered for them for a long time without being aware of them.

“You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be seen by someone. You deserve to be loved by someone who sees what an amazing, wonderful, beautiful person you are. Whenever I look at you, I want to scream and shout, because it can’t be that you put yourself down like that just because the beauty standard of today’s society is so screwed up. You look fantastic.”

Her fingers on your shoulder shifted, quickly turning into a little hug, which quickly turned into a long, drawn-out hug full of support and love and care. A hug which brought tears to your eyes. 

“You deserve all the love,” Maimi mumbled into your ear, “and you deserve to be able to give all your love to someone who cherishes you. I want you to see what I see whenever I look at you. And if it takes a hot lifeguard to make you see that, I will move heaven and hell to make it happen.”

And for once, you couldn’t argue against that. So, you returned the hug, closed your eyes and let yourself fall into your big sister’s arms. Even though you two would bicker and argue, you always had each other’s back at the end of the day. And just for a moment, you allowed yourself to truly believe that you deserved all of what Maimi promised, and even more than that.

Romantic love.

A relationship.

A good, hot, caring boyfriend.

… Or something like that.

~ X ~

The first message came earlier than you expected. You were in the middle of packing up Kaya’s toys into the bag Maimi handed to you, when your phone chimed. Without looking, you checked the screen. An unknown number had sent a message. 

Maybe a potential client. So, you clicked on the message.

> Hey. It was great seeing you again today. I would be free this weekend for that aforementioned swim.

Kisame. Out of instinct, you stood up and looked around, right back over your shoulder into the direction of the lifeguard-seat. And there he was: dressed again in his white tank-top and red swim shorts, one hand casually propped against the wood of the heightened seat, the other busy holding the phone. A pair of sunglasses sat on his nose, but you definitely saw his head move, looking at your direction.

Your heart fluttered. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, triple-fuck. Nervously, you gave back a small wave, nothing more than a short twitch of your hand raised to your own shoulder-level. Meanwhile, your thoughts were running rampant.

What the fuck do I do now?

Ignore. Ignore and act like you didn’t read it.

He saw me read it! I can’t act like I didn’t see his messages now!

That would be terribly rude. 

You breathed in, breathed out. Sure. You could do this. With Maimi’s reassurances running through your head, you slowly typed out a message, erased it, only to type again and hit ‘send’ before you could chicken out again.

> Hey back. :) Sorry, this weekend is filled with client meetings on my side. Do you have some space next week?

There. Your fingers trembled ever so slightly as you stuffed the phone into the pocket of your shorts. A giant leap forward, into Kisame’s direction. And into the direction of a massive breakdown, born by anxiety, nervousness and confidence issues, but right now, you focused your mind onto the task at hand: clearing the space from any of the traps Kaya laid out and buried in the sand for an unsuspecting guest at the beach to step onto it. 

When you looked up from your task, Kisame wasn’t standing at the lifeguard-seat anymore. Your eyes scanned the entire beach, hoping and fearing to catch another glimpse of him, but he was probably out in the water, saving lives, or went back to the lifeguard-hut to take a break. Thankfully, as you probably would have lost your nerves and freaked out over the offer. 

At least, you were nice and cordial with your message, right? And it wasn’t even a lie, you had client meetings at the weekend, and you had no idea how long the discussions about the graphic designs would take. 

Maybe he uses that as a reason to call it off…

I don’t know if I want him to call the meeting off or not.

I would be heartbroken if he did that. But I’m way too nervous to actually face him!

A truly horrendous dilemma. You sighed as you placed Kaya’s last toy in the bag. Nothing to be done about it now. You could only sit and wait for Kisame to answer.

And if he didn’t… Well, that was an answer in itself. 

But you didn’t have to wait for long. The beach was just a few meters behind you, with Kaya and Maimi walking hand in hand, your nephew babbling to his mother full of childish excitement, when your phone vibrated again. Way too quickly, you ripped the phone out of your pocket to stare at the screen. 

> that’s a shame. Next week, I have all the early shifts at the lake, but if you come here around 2pm, I will be free. Can’t wait. 

Can’t wait. 

Does he mean that? Does he truly mean that?

Fuck, I need a new bathing suit. A new bikini, tankini, anything. Just something new and exciting, because he could have taken his chance here and backed out, and he fucking didn’t, what do I do, what do I do—!

“And?” Maimi’s voice ripped you out of the first throes of your panic. “Got a nice message?”

Her voice was dripping with sweet, sweet innocence. However, you didn’t have the mental strength to argue back, not even to tell her to shut up. With your heart racing, you turned to the only person who could help you in your current situation.

“Please… Help me.”

And like the great big sister she was, Maimi did help. Without many questions asked, but with an annoying, cocky grin always smothered on her face.

(Just this once, you allowed it to remain there. After all, she kicked this meeting into motion.)

~ X ~

> I will come by next week then. Is Wednesday okay for you?

> More than okay for me. After the swim, want to go and grab some food?

> sure. :) 

> I would love to eat some of your cake again… but thats of course just hopeful wishing on my part. 

> If you want to, I can bring some cake again. I don’t mind.

> Thank you. You’re an angel. 

> any preferences?

> I am not a picky eater. Maybe your own favorite cake?

> will do. Soooo… Tuesday, 2pm, with cake?

> With cake. Lunch/dinner will be on me.

~ X ~

“That’s… good, right?” 

Maimi peeked over your shoulder. Her eyes quickly scanned the screen of your phone, where the playful messages between Kisame and you blinked away. She raised both her eyebrows, then, after a short glance at you, read through the messages again. 

“So… what?” you asked. “Is that good?”

“Wait. I’m thinking.”

“About what?”

“If baking him a second cake casually when you only bake cakes for me when it’s my birthday is an insult or not.” Maimi laughed, then shook her head. “No, relax. That’s good. Really good, actually! Look!” She handed you your phone back. “He’s engaging with you, initiates and offers more stuff to do, and he extends the swimming date for a late lunch or dinner! Oh man, he’s a bag of gold.”

“Oh.” With your face growing warm, you tugged your phone back. Just for another second, your eyes raked over the texts, before stuffing the phone back into your bag. 

“Alright!” Maimi clapped her hands together. “No more worries! You have a date, and we’re here to make sure you look your absolute best!”

Here was the mall of the city, and it especially meant the one and only sport-orientated shop the mall harbored. From the outside, you could look through the glass of the big windows, and watch the many thin people walk around proudly, with their skin-tight clothing and the confidence matching their outfits. 

Subconsciously, you grabbed the strap of your bag a little bit tighter. You absolutely didn’t want to go in there, but it was the only shop with some bathing suits available. Sure, you could try internet-shopping, but the hassle of sending back all the items you wouldn’t need made you cringe.

No, in comparison, the small trip to the mall and inside your personal hell was the better deal.

Maimi, of course, had no reservations. She reached for your hand, took it into hers, and tugged you into the shop. The electric beat swallowed you whole, just her hand as your guidance and lifeline.

I fucking hate stores for sport articles.

[historicfailure]

A heatwave in the middle of summer is best spent at the nearby lake. Though, you have no intentions of going for a swim. At least, not with the gorgeous lifeguard watching over the beach.

You certainly don't want to show yourself to him, when you look like a stranded whale in a bathing suit, meanwhile he looks like a male model. But still, Kisame seeks you out over and over again. If you would just know his true  intentions...

~ X ~

Hey there! :D Finally, another fic! This one is perfect for the summer months, with heat blasting and me ready to sink myself into a basin of ice water xD And as the fic is centered around a lake, what more fitting character could there be than Kisame? As a lifeguard, no less xD The fic will feature an NSFW chapter, which will follow at the end, with the appropriate tags. Thus, the mature rating.

Thank you all for reading this fic! It's like always, a pleasure ;D Hopefully, you guys will like it!

~ X ~

The moment you saw the lifeguard, you knew you were screwed. Absolutely done for. Wrecked to the point that your life flashed in front of your eyes, right until the point you spotted your cause of death. Your fingers tightened around the strap of your bag that was cluttered with all kinds of necessary items for a nice swim, as well as around the small hand of your nephew, Kaya. 

How dare he be this hot? 

You just wanted to spend a nice day at the lake while giving your older sister some much needed me-time. Besides, Kaya was a very lovable, easy-going child of barely five years, who still looked at you with adoration. Another reason you brought him out to the lake was to further cement your 'Fun Aunt' status and bribe him with ice cream. For once, you even felt comfortable enough to wear a nice two-piece swimsuit; one you hadn’t worn until now because of all the unnecessary fat around your stomach and thighs. You didn't feel confident enough to put yourself out like that. Today had been a rare day that you woke up feeling good about yourself, thus resulting in the pretty revealing bikini right beneath your shorts and wide t-shirt. 

Oh, how much you wished you hadn’t been that brave and instead picked your normal black one-piece swimsuit. With this lifeguard nearby, how could you not wish to cover up?

Seriously, as your eyes raked over the muscular arms barely covered by the white tank top with the lifeguard-emblem printed upon his wide chest, to the red swimming shorts just a tad bit too tight to keep his thick thighs completely contained, and then to the face that only angels could have sculptured, it wasn’t a miracle that all the other women between 18 and 50 were already swarming him. 

“Aunt (Y/N)?” Kaya’s sweet voice filtered through the fog of insecurity and instant attraction. “Can we go swimming now? I’m sticky.” 

“F… Fudge.” You completely forgot why you were even there in the first place. Quickly, you loosened the grip of your hand around his smaller one with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. Alright then, let’s go find a nice spot.”

As you managed to rip your eyes away from the lifeguard, you nearly groaned out loud in despair at the sight of a completely overrun beach. Seriously, how were you supposed to find just a single nice spot? Preferably, out of the sight of that gorgeous specimen. 

As you made your way over the beach, you tried to find a single spot where you could comfortably lay down your two towels without having to worry about an incoming sunburn. Just as you rounded a big family of four people, Kaya spoke up.

“Mom says, you shouldn’t say “fudge”. Ever.”

“Why not?”

“Mom said that you mean to say something else when you say 'fudge.'” His little nose crinkled, resembling your sister so much so that you automatically wanted to take a step back. Really, the resemblance was scary. “Something mean and ugly. That you shouldn’t say that word.”

“Okay, I really shouldn’t say it.” Out loud, your brain added. And not when you’re close enough to hear it. “I promise I will try to reign myself in, alright?”

“Why did you say it, then?”

“I was… just surprised, sweetie. Which is still not a reason to say “fudge”. In the distance, you spotted an old couple getting up from their spot, folding their towels neatly and ever so slowly packing up their belongings. In an instant, your steps changed directions, before anyone else could spot that opening. “Say, your mom told me you already have been here a few times with her this summer. Was there always a lifeguard here?”

Kaya thought for a moment. With his round face, the adorable brown locks curling around his ears and the blue eyes, he was the cutest kid at the beach. For you, at least. But that didn’t really count of course, as you were terribly biased towards your own flesh and blood.

Just in time, you reached the small spot. A pair of teenagers also tried to move to the freshly opened patch of sand, only to huff, puff and turn around when they saw you being faster. Quickly, you spread out your towels and marked the spot, so no one would get any funny ideas. It was absolutely perfect: nearby trees overshadowed the area, cocooning the nearby small shop where all the ice cream this five-year-old and his heavy aunt could want, and was reasonably close to the lake. 

As you prepared the spot to your liking, you thought you could feel the stares. Stares of disgust, stares of disdain, and stares of amusement at the fat woman trying to have a day at the water.

Just your imagination. Don’t be ridiculous. 

But when you dared to peek over your shoulder, the first thing you saw was the stupid couple of teenagers, which you beat on the run for this spot. They were laughing and whispering, the girl leaning closer to her boyfriend while her eyes sparkled with mirth and…

No, don’t be stupid. With your stomach dropping, you turned around and tried to concentrate. They are not making fun of me. For sure. They are not looking at my dumb thighs and my waist and my stomach and my arms. They are not making fun of me. It was just a coincidence, just a stupid, dumb coincidence…

“Yeah.”

“Huh?” You paused, right when the towel fell into place. “What’s the matter, sweetie?”

“Yeah,” Kaya repeated, “the last time mom, dad and I were here, there was a lifeguard.”

Probably because of the swimming platform out on the lake. The shabby-looking wooden construct was especially appealing to teenagers and young children, who were all eager to jump into the cold water. That and together with the growing appeal of the previously unused plot of land turning into a beach, the number of visitors skyrocketed in just a matter of weeks. 

“Okay, thanks for telling me.”

“Aunt (Y/N)?”

You straightened out the towels until they properly covered the spot to your satisfaction. “Yes?”

“Can I join the swimming group?”

“What?”

“Last time,” he jumped into your field of vision, sweat already staining his light clothes, “Mom allowed me to join the swimming group the lifeguard had.”

“A swimming group," you echoed. Again, your eyes wandered to the lifeguard. Fuck, he was tall enough that you could still spot him easily. Standing beside the telltale fire-red seat with arms crossed over his chest and legs crossed at the ankles, you couldn’t miss him. The flock of women and a few men also weren't very hard to miss. 

Your stomach dropped again, this time for entirely different reasons. Fuck, fuck, triple fuck. How would you be able to safely hand Kaya over if you couldn’t even look at the lifeguard without having your stomach and tongue tied into a knot? 

Don't even talk about the very comfortable warm tingle between your legs.

“Please,” Kaya begged, “please, Auntie (Y/N)! I won’t even ask for ice cream!” 

Obviously, he had taken the long silence as denial. Poor kiddo.

“Sorry,” again, you apologized. You reached over and ruffled through his hair, “I was just gone in my thoughts. No need to abstain from the ice cream, we can do both.”

Kaya cheered. “Yes! Can I go? Can I go now?”

“Wait a second. Let us change clothes real quick, alright?”

You didn’t have to repeat yourself. Kaya was already trying to pull his bright yellow comic hero printed t-shirt over his head. Next were his trousers, which you easily caught before he could throw them into the sand. Thankfully, you already had the brain to get changed before coming to the lake. Beneath the trousers were the dark-blue swimming shorts with sharks printed upon the rim. 

“Alright. Just let me put some sunscreen on you, okay?” The entire ordeal was usually accompanied by complaints and excuses, but Kaya stayed strangely patient. A testament to how much he wanted to join that swimming group. 

“Now, you." He demanded when you were done wiping the excess sunscreen on your own arms. “Come swim with me!”

Oh no. Absolutely not. 

One look over the rim of your sunglasses towards the lifeguard was enough. Your entire being seemed to cringe and falter at the mere thought of undressing and showing the world your body. Really, you preferred to sweat like a pig over that fate. 

Pig. How fitting.

“I want to lay in the sun for a while first, though,” you promised Kaya, “but later, I will also go for a swim. Is that okay?”

It obviously wasn’t for your nephew, but he relented with a small nod. Hopefully, you could somehow get around undressing by bribing Kaya with some ice cream. 

That’s how I got into this situation. 

Too much ice cream. Too much chocolate. Too little activity to counter the inactivity of my job.

Congratulations. I’m leading my nephew down the same path. 

A sigh bubbled up in your throat, but you suppressed it. Starting today off with some major self-doubts. Always a winner. But there was no time to wallow in them. Kaya demanded your attention, bolting off without putting on the swimming shoes your sister put into his backpack. You scrambled to your feet, the cute little shoes in your hands. “Wait! Fu—! Kaya, wait!” 

You knew your sister was a bit overprotective of Kaya. Personally, you also didn’t like to wear swim shoes, but you also knew that not everyone was responsible and threw away their trash in the correct bin. Or into a bin at all. Thus, you chased after your nephew, despite the summer heat and humidity already tainting your clothes with sweat. Your mind was reeling with all the terrible possibilities: Kaya slipping and falling, Kaya tumbling head over heels into the water, Kaya running into a fat man who would fall right on top of the small boy and flatten him like a pancake… How were you supposed to look your sister in the eyes if something like that happened? 

You were so worried you didn’t even notice which direction Kaya ran in. When you did, it was way too late. You were already in the lion’s den, way too deep and deprived of an escape route. 

Of course, you noticed the group of people Kaya was running towards. Of course, you realized that the flock was all stacked around the lifeguard, but at that moment, you didn’t care. You just worried about your nephew and the possible consequences if you weren’t able to protect him from any consequences… of his own actions. Thus, you only ran after Kaya, who was simply way too happy in being chased, screeching and laughing in all his childish wonder. You paused when he vanished between the legs of the small flock, and without a second thought, you followed. 

“Excuse me, sorry. Sorry, my nephew…” Apologetically, you smiled at all the people looking at you. Most of them weren’t too happy, even though some of them saw the small human running rampant and figured things out pretty fast. In the end, it didn’t help much, as Kaya was way too determined to reach the middle of the group. 

Later on, you would realize that most of the people waiting were parents. They talked among each other or just waited under the blistering summer sun, while waiting until the swimming group would start. But at that moment, you only believed in them to laugh and mock you. Mock you for being fat, mock you for being out of breath and out of shape, mock you for sweating and struggling so much while running after your nephew. 

All of a sudden, there was some free space right in front of you. Without thinking, you stepped forward, only to come face to face with a wide chest. Even though your brain was already screaming and cursing at you for being so careless, you could only swallow while your eyes wandered upwards starting from the chest—upwards to the thick neck where hints of some tattoos showed. Then, up to the jaw, to the mouth, and right up to the eyes, which were fixated on you. 

Your heart was pounding. With the heat burning down on your head, despite the straw hat and the sweat pouring down your body, you absolutely didn’t want to be face-to-face with the lifeguard. But there you were, out of breath and intensely perspiring, with your nephew's small swimming shoes in hand and not even able to properly close your mouth.

You were face to face with the absolutely, drop-dead gorgeous lifeguard. A lifeguard who looked like he could model for all the men’s underwear pictures. A lifeguard who should be forbidden to be looked at just because he was way too good-looking. 

Fuck. Up close, it’s even worse.

I swear, he has the body of a Greek god.

Or something similarly impressive and… menacing. 

Please, don’t stutter, please, don’t stutter, please, for the love of god, don’t fucking stutter and turn yourself into an absolute idiot!

“Hey there.”

Fuck. His voice is like melted caramel.

What to do? Oh god, I’m so done for.

Say something, you dumb fuck!

Just barely, you managed to look into his face—which was hard. The lifeguard towered above you and towered above everyone around, at least two or three heads. Up close, he was even more impressive and that fact made speaking coherently to him even harder. High cheekbones, a sharp jawline, small yet expressive eyes. Right now, they were twinkling in full amusement. At what? You had no idea. But the little, cocky grin tugging the corners of his mouth turned your knees into Jell-o. 

“Hey," you squeaked out. 

His grin grew a bit brighter. “First time here?”

“No.”

“I haven’t seen you here before.”

“Well, it isn’t… It is my first time since the city cleaned up the lake. I haven’t been here,” you sighed out while trying to hide some sweat stains, “in a long time.”

The lifeguard shifted on his feet. Underneath the tank top, which left no contour of his body up to imagination, his muscles shifted. Instinctively, your eyes dropped to his stomach, only to bounce right back up to his face. Nevertheless, you could feel another heat rising inside your chest, right up into your face. 

You had the faint and terrible premonition he noticed too. 

“Then, welcome to the lake. My name is Kisame, lifeguard on duty. But I’m also a glorified nurse, child care center, and in my free time, I save kittens from trees.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Kisame waited for a moment. Your head was terribly empty, though. You could just stand and stare, hoping he wouldn’t ask another thing. No such luck, of course.

“And your name?” In his voice swung even more amusement, and now, you knew it was because of you. 

“Right. Uhm… Kaya!” Before you could think, small hands tugged at your pants. Looking down, the name of your nephew slipped out. Automatically, you leaned down and ruffled through his brown and sweat-matted hair, before a warm chuckle made you freeze in your place.

Kaya. Oh no.

“Kaya? Didn’t know we have two of those today on the beach. Because I remember that this little fellow,” to your surprise, Kisame kneeled down without a hint of hesitation, “is called Kaya. Hey there, champ.”

“Hey!” Still clawing at your leg, Kaya gave the lifeguard a big, toothy grin. “I’m back!”

“I can see that.” Still befuddled, you watched how Kisame offered Kaya a fist bump. Your nephew seemed so proud and happy over the gesture, tapping his little fist onto the man’s. “The funny Kaya. And who did you bring with you today, hm?”

“That’s Auntie (Y/N)!”

For just a second, you wished Kaya would be a little less trusting and open to strangers. Really, you had to remind your sister to go over the stranger-danger you two had been subjected to in your early years. In comparison, Kaya was almost too comfortable spilling information about himself and the surrounding ones. 

Kisame looked up at you, eyes still twinkling in mirth and barely concealed mischief. “(Y/N), huh?”

You could feel your cheeks grow even warmer than the summer heat. “Yeah. I was… Uhm…”

“Aye, I understand. No worries.” He winked. Winked! Then, with a low groan and weakly cracking joints, he straightened once more to his full impressive height. 

Kisame was obviously in a chatty mood. You expected him to turn away and turn his attention to the next woman who craved for his attention. However, he propped his hands into the crook of his waist, exactly where the “V” of his torso met the waistband of his low riding swimming shorts.

“I remember,” he started, voice drawling the letters out, “someone else dropping Kaya off the last few times.”

“Aah… yes.” Your eyes again betrayed you. Just barely, you were able to look into the general direction of his face, when all you wanted to do was stare at his barely concealed abs. 

“So… your partner?”

A laugh ripped itself from your mouth. “Oh, no. No, that was… I’m really the aunt of Kaya. The last few times, he visited with his mother, who is my…”

“Sister. Yeah, now I see it.”

What was that supposed to mean? Just barely, you shook off the surprise. “Yes. I’m doing her a favor today for entertaining him. The heat is not good for her, plus Kaya said he wanted to go for a swim, so…” You shrugged. “That’s why I’m here.”

“That’s really nice of you.”

“I like to spend time with Kaya. He is maybe the coolest five-year old I know,” you joked. 

Gods, you really couldn’t shut up, could you? Either clipped, short answers or rambling on and on, all the while doing exactly what you didn’t want Kaya to do: offer up personal information without a second thought. You really had to stop. Stop talking and stop acting like a complete and utter fool. 

Behind your sunglasses, you sneaked a small glance at his face. Yes, of course. The kind of annoyingly attractive grin was still plastered on there, tugging at the corners of his mouth and creating intriguing wrinkles around the corners of his eyes. 

“The coolest five-year old, huh?”

“Well,” again, you shrugged, “to my defense, I don’t know that many children.”

Kisame’s soft chuckle made you tremble faintly in your flip-flops. “Then let me assure you: Kaya is definitely one of the coolest kids around.”

That answer, together with the cheeky grin, did it for you. The nervous giggle lived way too long in your chest, but it broke free at his words. The giggles washed over you like the ocean itself. Fuck. Quickly, you slapped a hand over your mouth, desperate to keep your laughter down and hidden. But there was no use. A snort broke free, then a giggle quickly followed. The statement in itself had come out of nowhere for your anxiety-ridden mind. Thankfully, you got yourself back under control before you would sound even more like a pig that was happily rolling away in an especially lovely mud puddle. 

With a small cough hidden behind your hand, you stopped giggling, though your mouth was still pulled into a little grin. 

“It is a big reassurance,” you nodded at the lifeguard, “that I don’t have to worry about him not being funny.”

Kisame had been watching you, still with that smile on his face. A smile which promised so many things, none of which you were able to provide for him, you reminded yourself.

“Yeah, he always provides some comic relief,” the big man looked all too fondly down onto the small boy, “and is a fast learner, too. Like he was born to swim.”

“So, all the times we spent swimming,” you combed shortly through Kaya’s sweaty hair, “were not for nothing. Good to know.”

“Oh, you taught him how to swim?”

“It was more like… a shared effort. My sister and I spent many weekends preparing him for a swim.” 

“Seems like your efforts paid off, then.” Another kind smile,  then the lifeguard sighed. “But as not everyone is so fortunate to have such good  guardians, I have to take care of these rascals,” he nodded over his shoulder at the surrounding children and their parents, “and get them into the water.”

“No problem. Sorry for holding you back for so long.”

Just as you contemplated over his smile, your thoughts running havoc in the private, personal space of your mind, to even just slightly dare presume that he was using his charm on you, you were met with another curve of his lips that jolted you back to your senses and grounded you back to reality. It felt almost feral, dangerous even—although it had simply been a grin; a grin that felt all too knowing yet filled with interest.

Almost—just almost—like a predator watching its prey, curiosity and interest in his gaze.

“No worries. It was my pleasure.”

Another shudder ran down your back at the charm of his low voice, and you were relieved when the lifeguard turned to the group, with his voice easily booming over all their conversations. “Time to grab your little midgets and prepare them for the water. As always, I need one or two friendly guardians to chaperone. Not you, Asuma. We all know,” Kisame shook his head in fake disappointment, “that little Mirai is way too much for you to handle.”

You certainly didn’t plan to go into the water. Going for a swim and helping out would mean having to undress and lose all of your clothes. But then, as the people around were already heading towards the water, Kisame turned once more, his naked feet sinking into the sandy shore of the man-made beach. 

“You coming?”

He had to be talking to someone else. But when you turned your head, there was no one else he could be speaking to. 

“Ah, no, I’m good.” You knew your smile was forced, but there was no helping it. Just the picture of you pulling off your clothes in comparison to the incredibly fit guy right beside you, with your flabby arms and the thighs stuck together, made you cringe and crumble in. No way would you undress. Absolutely no way. Instead of jumping into the cool water and fleeing the heat, you waved at him awkwardly with the swimming shoes in your hand. “I will just wait over there and watch you guys. Have fun!”

Just for a moment, Kisame looked like he wanted to say something. And yet, after a few long seconds, he nodded while a little grin flashed over his face. “Okay. Just means the coolest five-year old, and I will spend some time together. What do you say, champ?”

“Yes! Auntie (Y/N), I will be going for a swim!”

“Wait!” Kaya was about to run after Kisame, but just in time, you managed to stop him. “Put on your swimming shoes. Otherwise, your mom will be very disappointed in me.”

“But they are annoying.”

“I know,” for the lack of a better spot, you gestured towards a small stone nearby, the perfect height for Kaya to sit on, “but I won’t risk it. Get up there, okay?”

Under lots of grumbling and complaining, your nephew endured as you pulled on the durable yet tight shoes with a comically stoic expression for a kid, only to instantly run off again when you were done. Right into the direction of the lifeguard. 

Kisame, you reminded yourself. Call him by his name, will you.

You watched how Kisame offered one of his big hands to Kaya. The small child took it without a hint of hesitation, obviously happy someone was going for a swim with him. A deep and heavy sigh left your chest as you continued to watch how Kaya jumped into the water and Kisame holding onto him easily while laughing. 

Another longing look at the water, and you turned to walk back to your towel. That didn’t stop you from throwing looks over your shoulder every few steps, just to make sure. Making sure you still saw Kaya’s head from time to time as he played in the flat parts of the waterbed, you waded into the water so at least your toes could cool off too.

Next time, you swore to yourself, I won’t be such a massive pussy. 

It shouldn’t matter how hot the lifeguard is. I should just not care about that, at all.

It’s hard though.

You hated dieting, but considering that the summer started early this year and the next weeks were supposed to be hot as well, there would be more times when you would go with Kaya to the beach. 

Next time, you would go into the water. And maybe, the lifeguard wouldn’t be on duty. That would make things so much easier, for yourself and your peace of mind. Starting tomorrow, you would watch for calories, again. But today, you would enjoy the ice cream you promised to Kaya even more so, knowing it would be the last one for a while.