Sun, Surf, and Sand

Winter glared out at the sparkling water from where she was standing by her car. There were at least another twenty activities she would rather be doing than spending time at the beach. However, Weiss had begged her sister to agree to chaperone her and her college friends to the beach for spring break. She had always sucked at saying no to her sister in any situation, ever since they were children—though it still irritated her to no end.

"Honestly, she's twenty-years-old," Winter growled as she shaded her eyes from the blinding light. "You would think she could grow up and just go with her friends on her own."

"What did you expect Ice Queen. The little princess doesn't know how to do much without her sister's help." Winter could feel herself twitching just from the sound of the drunken slur. While they did have a valid point, it didn't make it any less irritating.

"And don't you have anything better to do than follow around a group of college teenagers?" Winter fired off the question as she whipped her head around. While the sight of Qrow Branwen in a pair of red swim trunks and a black pull that was unzipped to show off his sculpted boy was appealing, it didn't change how obnoxious the personality that was attached to it was.

"Not really," Qrow answered with a shrug. "I can never say no to a request from my nieces."

"And apparently neither can Weiss," Winter grumbled as she started to head to her car and grab the cooler filled with sodas for everyone though out the day. "I told her to keep it to just her three friends so we would only have to take the one car, but no, she had to invite more."

"I'm not complaining."

"No, of course, you aren't."

"Relax," Qrow said as he grabbed the cooler from her with little effort. "What can go wrong Ice Queen?"

…

"Sun would you stop jumping those rocks before you cut your foot!" Sun only laughed at Blake's protest as he continued to jump around the moss-covered rocks. Blake had gone off on her own to hopefully avoid the loud chatter of her friends so she could get some quiet reading done. However, Sun apparently had different ideas. Since Neptune refused to step foot near the water Sun decided he would bother Blake instead.

"Relax Blake its spring break!" Sun called out at her with a bright smile and a hearty laugh. Blake wished she had her camera at that moment though because just as he said it a large wave crashed into the rocky shore and caused Sun to tumble back into the surf. Blake was panicked for a moment before she saw the blonde hoist himself out of the saltwater, spitting a cursing. She giggled then and set out her towel to begin reading.

"Serves you right," Blake snickered as she began to flip open her book. She noticed Sun's shadow looming over her though before she heard him which was a first. Out of curiosity she looked up and could feel a blush creeping over her cheeks to see him stripping off the cover-up he had been wearing. He caught her gaze and winked before she could avert her line of sight.

"I don't know why your so embarrassed," Sun laughed as he sat down behind her on the towel. Blake did her best to try and ignore the close proximity of his body to hers. "It's just me Blake."

Blake could feel his breath on her bare shoulders since her hair was swept over to one side to act as a curtain for her face. It was precisely that reason that she was embarrassed because it was HIM. She hated to admit it, but Sun was exactly her type.

"What are you reading?" The question caught her off guard more than anything. Sun never really cared about what she was reading. He would just peek at the cover and shrug before running off with Neptune so she could read in peace.

"It's a story about two dragons who are slowly burning a city to the ground and the heirs to vast family fortunes who are desperately clinging to their way of life," Blake describes the book as she felt her fingers absent-mindedly rub the rough, matt cover with the neon lettering of the book title.

"Sounds cool," Sun agreed as he leaned over Blake's shoulder to get a better look. "Mind if I read it with you?"

Blake could feel her heart pounding like a steam hammer in her chest while her throat and mouth suddenly felt uncomfortably dry. Her fingers gripped tighter around the pages before she felt herself flip back from page thirty she had been on when they got to the beach to page one so Sun could better understand the story with her. If Sun noticed she was willing to reread pages for him to follow the story better, he didn't say anything about it.

"Just don't get my book wet," was all Blake said before the two sat in comfortable silence reading a story about a dystopian world very different than their own.

…

"Do you just plan on hiding in the snack shake the whole day?" The question Yang was asking hadn't meant to come out of her mouth as mean or sarcastic, but there was still a little more sass in it then she intended. The person she was asking the question to was sitting at a table and sipping some pineapple juice from a glass with a bendy straw. Yang knew Neptune had a fear of the water but this was a little ridiculous.

"No, I just don't want to get sunburned," Neptune defended himself weakly as he peaked up at her with big, blue puppy-dog eyes. Yang couldn't help but roll her eyes at that. He was so deeply tanned from his natural skin-tone and in combination from always being outside in the sunlight, she wasn't really sure he would burn. Especially if he put sunscreen on like she knew he did religiously to prevent early wrinkling and sunspots. His skin care cost more than Weiss'!

"Ok, that's bullshit and you know it," Yang stated before sitting opposite of Neptune. "You know it's ok to be scared of the water. I know Jaune, Sun, and I wouldn't mind getting a game of two-on-two beach volleyball going with you instead of swimming."

"Yeah, but they seem pretty content doing what their doing," Neptune mused before using his chin to motion out to the shore-line. Yang looked out to follow his line of sight and she saw what he was talking about.

Sun looked absolutely content to be sitting with Blake and reading one of the books she had brought far away from the rest of the group. Though, Yang could see how he regularly looked away from the book to look at her. Jaune, on the other hand, was following Weiss around like a duckling as he attempted to help her set up their little "beach camp" as she was calling it. While other guys would have looked miserable helping out a type-A personality like Weiss, Jaune looked perfectly content, a smile on his face the whole time.

"Guess it would be a shame to pull them away, though I surprised you even agreed to come to the beach in the first place," Yang lamented while her lilac eyes skirted back to where Neptune was playing with the little pink umbrella in his drink. "Why did you come to the beach anyway?"

As Yang asked this she crossed her arms on her chest making the purple swimsuit she had borrowed from Blake (more like was given to her since it was too large for her leaner friend) stand out more against her slowly tanning skin. Neptune's gaze had started at eye level before falling lower and then shot to the side when the bluenette had realized what was going on.

"No reason," Neptune said with a slight cough, refusing to meet Yang's gaze again. "Just didn't want to have an odd number you know."

Yang only giggled in response. He was so obvious it was actually adorable. Maybe one day she would just stop their little game and ask him out, but for now, she was enjoying watching him struggle with keeping his cool.

"Aren't you going to go hang out with them?" Neptune asked, his eyes still focusing on the table and not the golden-haired beauty across from him.

"No, I think I'm going to hang out here for a while and enjoy the view." Neptune dared to peek up to see if she was looking out at the water again, but instead, he found her eyes fixed onto him, making him melt into a puddle of goo.

…

Weiss breathed out a sigh of relief when she finally finished setting up all the umbrellas, safe-sand mechanisms to keep their personal belongings safe, and the towel laid out so the wind wouldn't blow them away. It was exhausting since only Jaune was helping her and everyone else had run off as soon as they got to the beach, and Winter was too busy arguing with Qrow to really be helping her but that was ok. She liked having control better than worrying about everyone else's opinions.

"Finally, relaxing," Weiss heard Jaune sigh I relief before he flopped onto his towel very unceremoniously. Weiss could feel herself twitching in response. She wasn't sure why he irritated her as much as he did, but she was slowly learning to control it better.

Calmly, she followed suit and sat down on her beach towel; her legs tucked under her overskirt for her powder-blue one-piece. She exhaled softly, before beginning to pull her hair into a bun to prevent as much sand from getting into her hair as possible. Gods only knew that Weiss' hair was hard enough to care for without the added stress of sand in her hair. Sometimes thick hair was more of a curse than a blessing.

"Hey, Weiss you need any sunscreen?" She turned to glare at Jaune for interrupting her piece, and she saw him visibly wince but he didn't retract his arm that was offering her the bottle of Sports Sunscreen with about seventy SPF.

"You know sunscreen after thirty is just more chemicals, right?" Weiss asked and Jaune founded in response.

"That doesn't answer my question, Weiss," Jaune stated back bluntly and Weiss flushed a little bit. Yes, she did need sunscreen, but all the girls were gone. Winter was still lecturing Qrow about the effects of drinking so much before the evening. Even Nora and Ren, who had been helping at first, left to go buy a watermelon to eat in a bit. Which meant if she wanted to get her back sun-screened she had one option… she wondered if the burn would be worth it.

"Yes," Weiss answered though it came out as more of a squeak. With a shaking hand, she started to rub the lotion on her arms, legs, neck, and face. Jaune was off in his own little world the whole time while Weiss was blushing furiously. When her back was the only thing left she handed the bottle back to Jaune.

"All done?" He asked with an innocent smile. She twitched again.

"No," she answered simply as she jutted out her lower lip.

"Then why are you—"

"Because I need you to do my back dummy!" There was an awkward silence then as Jaune processed what she had said and Weiss stewed in her own embarrassment.

"Ah, r-right," Jaune stuttered before moving over to Weiss, while she was already laying on stomach in anticipation.

"It's funny," Jaune began to ramble to break the tension. Weiss could feel him apply the cool substance to her back, making her jump at the sudden sensation. "I don't think I have had to do this since my family stopped going to the beach together when I was eleven. Too many of us in the car."

"Never had to put sunscreen on Pyrrha's back?" Weiss asked before she could stop herself. They all knew Pyrrha was a taboo topic since the Italian exchange student had to end her brief relationship with Jaune to go back to Italy. It was mutual but it still stung the blonde more then he would admit. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean, I mean I was just…"

"No, you're fine," Jaune said and it sounded like he had a small smile on his face. "You're the only one who hasn't been walking on glass around me. But no, Pyrrha preferred spray when she went outside and would have her roommate do it before she went out."

When he was finished Weiss sat up and stared at him doe-eyed and Jaune backed up a few feet. They were both blushing messes, but neither said a word really.

"You can talk to me too," Weiss started but never dared to look at him. "If you ever want to get anything off your chest."

"Thanks," Jaune replied with a small smile. Weiss moved her hand closer to his, but not a word was mentioned as they watch the others play in the surf.

…

"Everyone! Come on were going to smash the watermelon!" Nora yelled with a slight jump in her step causing the frills of her hot pink suit to sway and bounce with her. She always hoped when she was doing this that Ren was watching her though she knew the odds of that happening were slim to none. They had been together since high school, in both the literal and figurative sense, yet she still struggled to get him to look at her like a female. The other girls didn't have this issue. Even Ruby had the little early graduate tripping over his feet to talk to her.

Slowly, Nora watched as all the others that had paired off came walking to where they were gathered around the six smaller watermelons. This had been one of the few games she had been looking forward to when she first learned about the beach day, and there was no way she was going to let anyone miss out.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen," Nora announced once everyone was around. "We're going to play a nice, clean game of smash the watermelon. Everyone will be broken off into a guy, girl pair."

"Why guy girls?" Weiss asked and Nora pointed at her ashen-haired friend with as much dramatic energy as she could manage.

"Because I said so," Nora replied and everyone sighed. They had long since learned they really should question Nora's antics but someone ended up doing it every time. With a giggle, Nora continued with distributing the pairings. Qrow and Winter (since they were the chaperones), Blake and Sun, Yang and Neptune, Weiss and Jaune, Ren and Nora, and finally Ruby and Oscar.

"Alright, the goal is to smash your watermelon as quickly as possible, winners have the best time and get first pick at the melons!"

Watching everyone compete was entertaining enough, but Nora had her own devious reasons for wanted to play the game. She was hoping to steal a kiss from Ren while he was blindfolded. That was the plan.

"I'll go ahead and guide Nora if your cool with it." Nora wanted to screech no to Ren at the top of her lungs, however, if she did that it would blow everything.

"Sure," she said simply though her eyes felt a little dead. "I'm better at smashing anyway."

"See, we're always on the same page," Ren said with a smile and Nora smiled weakly.

"Yeah, always on the same page."

Nora's only consolation prize was watching the others fail miserably. Winter and Qrow didn't even get to smash the watermelon before Qrow had ripped off the blindfold to yell at Winter for her shitty directions. Sun and Blake were a little better but Sun and Blake weren't really all the big on winning so he just kept following her directions the exact opposite while Blake laughed before adjusting accordingly and smashing the 'melon.

Yang and Neptune were in the lead with their like-mindedness making it easy for them to coordinate with Neptune's directions and Yang smashing the thing clean in half with the stick almost breaking it. Weiss and Jaune were tied with Winter and Qrow for the worst time. Though, they still at least broke the 'melon after Jaune finally understood what Weiss was trying to say.

It was finally Ren and Nora's turn. And Ren tied her blindfold tightly and she palmed the stick tightly in her hands before he spun her around. She would try and forget the plan and move onto something else later, for now, they were going to show the others their coordination level.

"Alright Nora, a few steps forward. Now turn to the right. You're another right, Nora. Good now, walk straight forward. And stop. Don't swing yet though." Nora was a little puzzled at the instructions but listened anyway. Maybe he stopped to get a better angle to give her other directions?

Suddenly there was a warm sensation on her mouth. It was sweet, like licorice. She recognized the taste, how could she forget after years of a relationship and craving the minimal contact she got. She dropped the stick and leaned into the kiss while everyone in the group groaned or whooped in encouragement.

"Next time you want a kiss, just ask," Ren teased when he pulled the blindfold off of her. "And don't leave your diary laying out for others to find. You right some pretty racy stuff in there."

Nora flushed before giggling and playfully punching Ren in the arm. He really was perfect for her in every way.

…

After the disaster that was the watermelon-smashing contest, Ruby was thrilled to dunk her flushed skin into the cool ocean water. Oscar had been right behind her and Ruby was glad. She didn't want to have to beg her friends to find someone willing to swim with her. Oscar and she had been pretty close since they were both younger students in an older class. Oscar was sixteen but had enough credits to be a sophomore already while Ruby had graduated high school at sixteen and was already a junior in college at eighteen.

Lately, though, Oscar had been rather shy and quiet around her and Ruby couldn't think of why for the life of her. She had run their conversations over and over in her head, and she couldn't think of anything she had done wrong over the past weeks that might make him distant with her.

"Hey Ruby," Oscar said as they sat down on the shore letting the water wash over them and talk without spitting out seawater every single time. "Is there anyone you like?"

"Not particularly," Ruby stated bluntly after pondering the statement for a bit. Ruby noticed his shoulders slump a bit but if his face was relieved or disappointed she couldn't tell. "Why do you ask?"

Oscar stood up ramrod straight then and Ruby could see the deep red blush on his tanned cheeks.

"No reason," he squeaked as his hazel eyes avoided her gaze, and his chestnut hair blocked her face.

"Well is there anyone you like?" Ruby asked her silver eyes gleaming with curiosity. Oscar never really talked much about his personal life with her. Mostly because Ruby was the mouthpiece of their conversations and Oscar kind of just nodded along with her.

"There is someone," Oscar said quietly. Ruby could feel her stomach twist a little in response. "Though, I don't think they really see me like that."

"Why wouldn't they?" Ruby asked more out of shock than anything. "You're a great guy Oscar, sure you're younger then most of us, but you are still in college so that has to count for something!"

Oscar smiled and Ruby had no clue why her heart felt like it stopped for a second. Maybe she should stop holding her breath when he does that. It's a little weird anyway.

"You have any advice, Ruby?" Oscar asked and Ruby didn't know why her first instinct was to say no.

"Sure," she finally blurted out. "I say just march right up to her and say you like her and see where it goes. You won't get anywhere unless you say your feelings. That's what Yang always says anyway."

"Thanks, Ruby, and just so you know," Oscar started as he grabbed her shoulders so she could look him in the eyes. He had a face of fierce determination. "I want you to know I like you as more than a friend."

The kiss on the cheek he gave her was not what she said to do, but her heat fluttered anyway.

…

Winter growled to herself as she was helping Qrow get the large group of sleeping college students into the vehicles. She knew this would happen. As soon as the sun was down and they were all around the campfire they dropped like flies.

"Honestly," she huffed to herself as she put Weiss into her car.

"That's the last of them," Qrow said as he slammed his van door shut.

"Good," Winter said with a curt nod and Qrow strode over to her. He carefully picked up a hand of hers and kissed it.

"Always a pleasure Ice Queen," Qrow said before dodging a slap from her hand with a chuckle.

"Get out of here Branwen," Winter growls while she blushes deep from her cheeks down her neck.

He just laughs again before getting in the van and taking off, somehow being sober enough to past a sobriety test. As he peeled out she swore her head was trying to run after him with the speed it was pounding.

BRK: This fic was a request by Giolingad. I hope it was worth the wait and you have a wonderful birthday!