Hey everyone! It’s Tobin’s (aka @gallifreyan-pal ) birthday today! Happy birthday Tobin! I hope today is going to be good for you! On that note, here’s your present; or at least, the present that isn’t a cringefest. That one will come later. For now, I hope you like this one! This is my first time writing Blue, so it’s all fine! And have a wonderful birthday!
~~~~~~
“Come on, Error; just get in the water!” Blue pleaded with his boyfriend, but it was to no avail. Error sat on their towels, knees to his chest and as far away from every single grain of sand as physically possible, glaring at the ocean with the fury and spite he usually reserves for AU’s; or maybe Ink when he’s being particularly dickish.
“You want me...to cross a burning desert...just so I...can climb into a wet deathtrap?!” Blue thought that Error might just be, ever so slightly, a tad dramatic, but he knew ever saying that would only prompt outrage and an endless array of excuses that were only half thought out, so he settled for an unimpressed stare.
He had hoped that bringing Error to the beach would be a fun experience; Error had never taken the time to really experience beaches, or swimming in general, and Blue had wanted to share that experience with his boyfriend. Beaches were still a new thing for Blue as well, and he only got to experience them every now and again, so he still had the wonder a young child usually has for these large stretches of sand and water. He, in his optimistic mind, had pictured spending a day at one of his favourite break spots with his beloved boyfriend and figured it would be a wonderful day where they could swim together, make sandcastles, and walk along the beachside hand in hand. It...hadn’t quite turned out that way. But Blue wasn’t ready to give up hope on that wonderful day just yet.
“Please, Error. For me?” Blue tried giving Error the pleading eyes and, when he saw that wasn’t working, turned to his next plan. “How about this? If you come in the water with me for a while, I’ll get you a chocolate ice cream from the van afterwards?” Now that got Error’s attention. He could see the cogs turning in the other’s mind, weighing the bribe against what he was being asked to do.
“Two scoops?” Error asked, prodding for how much he would get if he went through with this.
“Two scoops.” Blue confirmed, holding up his fingers in a ‘2’ sign that probably looked a little ridiculous. “But you have to actually spend a decent amount of time in here with me. No dipping your feet in and then immediately getting out.” The tips of Error’s tongues poked out of his mouth as he thought about it, before finally nodding and reluctantly getting to his feet.
“Fine, then. Just this once.” Error hesitated at the edge of the towels, then pulled himself together and stepped onto the sand. He made an awkward half-run to the water, the sand no doubt burning his feet, and let out a sigh when he hit the wet sand. He paused again as the waves reached his tarsals, and giving a glare to Blue that he knew was only half-hearted, before the lure of chocolate ice cream forced him into the water. Blue watched Error shudder, gulp, and then wade his way out towards Blue. Blue held out his hand, patiently smiling as he waited for Error to reach him.
“Yaarg!” Error suddenly screeched, strings coming out in lightning speed to attack something in the water. The blue strings ripped the offender out of the ocean and into the air, squeezing it with remarkable prejudice. Blue squinted in the glare of the sun, trying to see what exactly it was that had spooked Error so much, before-
“That’s seaweed.” The limp strands of green, slimy plant hung within the blue strings for a moment longer, before they were tossed away in disgust. Error let out a deeply unhappy whine, but Blue held out his hand patiently.
“Come on, you’re almost there.” He could see that it took a lot of effort for Error to push himself that last little bit, but he did eventually make it. Error took Blue’s hand and slide next to him, grumbling all the way. Blue didn’t let it bother him and kept smiling.
“Easy there; try to relax a bit.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of Error’s hand. “I’ll make sure no more seaweed comes near us.” Error grumbled a bit more, probably at Blue’s amused smile from that last statement than anything else, but let himself float gently in the water next to Blue.
The sun shone down on them without a cloud in the sky. The sunlight warmed the water to where it wasn’t cold, but cool enough that they didn’t overheat from the sun. The waves were gentle in the spot Blue had picked and only bobbed them up and down lightly. The sunlight sparkled off the water, and Blue could see boats off in the far distance. There was the faint sound of other beach-goers, but they were far enough away that they only served as background noise. For this moment, they were in a world of their own. Blue could feel as Error grew more and more relaxed, letting the waves and the sky melt his troubles away. Blue gently bumped shoulders with his boyfriend, giving him a hopeful smile.
“You enjoying yourself?” There was a moment of silence, before Error gave him one of those small, shy, but heartfelt and sincere smiles that made Blue fall in love with him.
“Yeah,” Error said, lifting his head to stare at the sky, smile not fading for a moment. “Yeah, I am.”
It would be later, as the two of them walked down the beach hand in hand, that Error would admit to himself that he had actually enjoyed the day. Licking his double-scoop of chocolate ice cream, while Blue attacked his strawberry cone, Error had the chance to properly reflect on his day. Blue had certainly done his best to make sure that Error enjoyed his time here, and he had mostly succeeded; once Error got over his initial reluctance. Error smiled to himself at the thought of his boyfriend; he’d have to do something later to say thank you, and maybe also to say sorry for how he’d been at the beginning.
The sun was setting, the sand had cooled from burning hot to pleasantly warm, and the colours of the water and sky together made for a wondrous sight. And as Blue noticed Error looking at him, he gave Error a genuine smile; not one of his big grins or patient looks, but a real, genuine smile that was reserved solely for when Blue was happiest.
Error privately thought to himself, as he gave Blue’s hand a gentle squeeze, that no matter how wondrous the view may be, Blue’s smile would always be prettier.