Chancellor Shanahan watched as Tucker managed to scramble from a sitting position to get one knee underneath him on his new board. Still clutching the sides, he rode the small wave until it broke beneath him and sent him headfirst into the water. Chance grinned, inordinately proud. "Almost," he said, when Tucker's dark head surfaced.

"Almost?" Tucker sputtered, stretching out on the board and paddling back to where Chance sat astride his own surfboard, bobbing in the water. "Fuck 'almost'. I was awesome."

Chance laughed at his sulky look and reached out a hand to Tucker's wetsuit, catching the neoprene and drawing Tucker up next to him in the water. "You were awesome," Chance agreed, dropping a saltwater kiss on Tucker's mouth and running his fingers through Tucker's wet hair. "But you'd be more awesome if you let go of the board and actually stood up."

Tucker broke away and gave him a shove, sending them both into the ocean. Chance came up laughing, flinging an arm over his board and treading water. "Aw," he teased. "You gonna cry?"

Tucker tried not to smile, but the dimple in his cheek gave him away as usual. "All right, yeah. I got a ways to go. But I'm doin' good so far, huh?"

Chance ducked under his board and surfaced next to Tucker. "Yup," he murmured, just before darting out his tongue to swipe at Tucker's upper lip. "You're doing good."

Tucker grinned against his mouth and kissed him back, snaking a foot around Chance's calf and bringing their crotches into contact beneath the calm water. Chance could feel him already at full-mast beneath the rubbery foam of his wetsuit. "Don't guess fuckin' in the ocean is a good idea," Tucker said with a sigh,, still rubbing suggestively against him.

Chance shuddered. "God, no. Salt and sand in places you don't want to think about."

"Then I wanna go home."