A/N: And hope you like this one :) I always wanted to do a free fic, and I finally did. I hope the characters are executed well xD

This is a purely friendship fic, for the straight boys of Iwatobi. Enjoy their day at the beach.

"Rei- chan~ Hurry…Hurry…"Nagisa whined impatiently, his slippers sinking into the mounds of warm sand. Rei sighed under his breath, muttering incoherently, as he adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. He slugged the duffel bag, over his bare body, waiting for the conversation behind him to die down.

"Wait! Wait! We'll have to carry these bags alone-"

Makoto's words were effortlessly cut off; a t-shirt draped over his face, brown khaki pants slung on his shoulder. He groaned under his breath, in time to witness, Haruka treading the sand gracefully.

The salty breeze ruffled his raven locks, his feet aching to feel the dampness of the sand, caressing the soles. The sun glinted in his blue eyes; sparkling. Without a care in the world, he dived in, completely ignoring the grumbling feeling in his stomach.

Makoto pouted lightly, holding the rest of the bags. Knowing Haru, the excitement of spending the day at the beach, would have made him forget the necessities of life; food.

Rin let out a deep chuckle, grabbing a stray bag from Makoto's hands.

"It's fine. Let him do what he wants-"

"I do…But-"

Rin continued walking towards Nagisa and Rei, oblivious to what Makoto was about to say. His eyes dropped lightly, he smiled under his breath gently, before following.

"Mako-chan~ I'm hungry…What did you bring?"

"Well, if you had listened to me, and stopped at that bakery we passed here together…You wouldn't be so hungry…" Rei stated nonchalantly, adjusting his glasses. Nagisa pouted, waving his hands, in dismissal.

"Yesh! I'm starving too…"Rin said slowly, his eyes blank, opening the picnic basket Makoto prepared.

"Wow! Mako-chan, you brought along a lot of stuff…"Nagisa said beaming, as he peeked inside the basket. There was a variety of stuff, but the one thing that caught Rin's eyes was the mackerel, carefully packed in the corner.

Rin stared at the parcel, in confusion; it felt like he had forgotten something important. Nagisa and Rei groaned under their breath.

"You're encouraging his absurd diet, aren't you, Makoto-sempai?"Rei asked slowly, nodding his head lightly. Makoto nervously chuckled, opening his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Rin's words.

"Haru still eats only mackerel?" He asked softly, his lips forming a light smile.

Makoto stared, at the concentration etched on Rin's face. He was trying his best to remember, to catch up on all the lost and the new memories.

"Yes~" Makoto said softly, placing his hand on Rin's shoulder. Rin shook his head; a light smile shadowed his lips, shrugging off his idle thoughts.

"Okay, yes, I'm going to eat this…Let Haru get something else to eat…"He said smirking happily, opening the packing. Makoto stuttered, protesting; he only packed that for Haru, now when he returns, he will have nothing to eat.

"Ah, Rin, there is nothing else for-"

"So? He should have come earlier then…"Rin stated quickly, shielding his plate childishly, from Makoto's gaze.

Makoto chuckled.

"B-but, for Haru then?"

"I smell mackerel…"

Their heads turned towards the voice; Haruka stood, water droplets clinging desperately onto his form, his feet soaked with the warm sand. He drew his fingers through his wet hair, as he stared at the mackerel delicacy in Rin's hand.

"No…No…Haru, this is mine…I beat you to it…"He laughed, eating another piece of mackerel. Haruka's eyes widened, stepping on the red table cloth, they had placed on the floor.

"Haru-chan~, you're getting sand all over the place…"Nagisa whined, slapping his feet. Haruka ignored him, quickly sitting beside Rin.

"Give it to me, Rin…"

"No…I got it fair and square…"

"Haru, here a towel…"Makoto said slowly, holding a towel out for him. Haruka ignored him, as well

"Give it to me, Rin…"

"No…"

"Give it to me, Rin…"

"No…"

"I'm hungry…Give it to me, Rin…"

"Jeez, we'll share then…Why can't you eat anything else? I got this first as well…"

"No…"

"Then you don't get anything!"

"Are they always like this?"Rin whispered to Nagisa, softly.

"Yes, yes, pretty much, Rei-chan…"Nagisa said loudly, as he munched on his sandwich.

"There was a reason I was whispering!"Rei stated loudly, his cheeks flushing out of embarrassment. Nagisa laughed, patting Rei on the shoulder.

Haruka stared blankly at Rin, watching him eat. His stomach was starting to hurt, watching that beautiful mackerel-

Rin sighed under his breath, mumbling incoherently.

"Fine, we'll share then…"Haruka said softly, almost inaudible.

"Hahahaha…See, I won again…"Rin said slowly, handing the plate over to Haruka. He mentally gasped, a light smile tugging his lips.

A curve formed on Makoto's lips, his eyes blank, as he gently kept the towel back in the bag. His lips a thin line, as he bit a piece of the sandwich.

"You need to eat something else as well, Haru…How the hell do you survive only on this fish. What if I decided not to share…"Rin rambled aimlessly, as he watched Haruka slowly eat the mackerel.

"But you won't…"Haruka stated slowly. Rin sputtered, a light shade of pink dusted his cheeks. Haruka stared at him, in confusion, lips parted slowly.

"It's my turn, now…"Rin said quickly, pulling the plate from him.

Haruka sighed gently under his breath, as he stared at Rin.

"Makoto, didn't you bring anything else for me?" Haruka stated nonchalantly, his gaze still focused on the mackerel, Rin was eating.

Makoto chuckles good naturedly.

"Sorry, Haru…That's all I brought for you…I had to wake up early just to prepare that…"Makoto said softly, placing his hand on Haruka's head.

Haruka nodded aimlessly, watching Rin. Makoto chuckles, and takes his hand away from his head, his fingers brushing against his raven locks.

A soft, ephemeral smile tugged his lips. Haruka turned towards Makoto, his eyes showing confusion. His fingers lightly rose to the spot, which Makoto patted; his blank, blue eyes showed confusion, Makoto's hand felt cold.

Makoto stared at his hands subtly, oblivious to the raven haired male's gaze focused on him. His hands felt large and empty.

"Makoto, are you alright?"

"Yes…Don't mind me, it's been a while since we all spend time together~"Makoto said laughing, his eyes blank, hands placed on either side. Haruka stared at him; it felt wrong, that smile, his hold- it felt different. There was something more to what he said, but what was it? He didn't know what made Makoto feel different.

"Ah, here…It's your turn, now…"Rin mumbled, mouth full, as he placed the plate idly on Haruka's lap. Haruka ate silently.

"Aw~ Eat fast, will you? Me and Rei-chan have the most bestest idea ever~"Nagisa said excitedly, rambling incoherently.

"Huh? Me?"

"Yes…Yes…We've decided on a friendly game of volleyball before we hit the water~"

"You decided, you mean! Though, that is not a bad idea…" stated Rei slowly, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"Get up so then, Rei-chan~" Nagisa said slowly, standing up as he held onto Rei's hand. He tugged impatiently on his hand, forcing him to stand.

Rei sighed under his breath, his fingers tightly grasping Nagisa's hand, as he slowly stood up.

"Well, if it must be done, but only if Haruka-sempai and Makoto-sempai agree to it…"Rei said slowly, still grasping Nagisa's hand.

Nagisa beamed cheekily, swinging Rei's hand side to side. He nodded.

"Ah, Volleyball, yesh! I'm playing. Eat faster, Haru…"Rin said smirking, as she slapped Haruka playfully on the back. Haruka choked, leaning forward.

"I'm not playing…"

"Ah, but why Haru-chan~"

"I'm not playing either then."

"Ah, not you too, Rei-chan…"

"Come on, Haru…For us…This is the first time all of us are…"Makoto said slowly, his words trailing off. Haruka smiled softly, opening his mouth to speak.

"Hey, we aren't having any of that. Get up, Haru…We are definitely playing…"Rin stated quickly, withdrawing his hand out to Haruka.

Haruka stared at Makoto in confusion, before placing his hand in Rin's grasp. Rin chuckled heartily, pulling Haruka to his feet. Haruka clutched his hand tightly, his eyes wondering towards Makoto's green eyes.

Makoto's fingers curled into a fist, his heart and stomach lurching; he was still smiling though. He could feel the effort his lips were making to form that simple smile. But, why was it hard to smile?

Why, couldn't he smile?

"Haru, let's go then…Let's have fun everybody ~"Makoto said laughing as he headed towards the beach.

"Wait for me, Mako-chan~"

Haruka protested, his lips parting slightly, his voice faltering. Rin stuck his tongue out, placing his hands on Haruka's shoulders, forcing him to move forward. His legs stubbornly dug into the sand, mounding at his feet, while the brash male continued to push him towards the court, they had created.

"Yay! Hmm…One, two, three, four and five…"Nagisa exclaimed merrily, clapping his hands together.

"Since we have an odd number, one team will have more-"

"Hardly fair, is it…"Rei interrupted, pushing his glasses back, adjusting them over the bridge of his nose. Nagisa pouted, jumping on Rei's back, taking the male entirely by surprise, causing him to topple face first, into the sand, with the hyper blonde male.

Haruka stared impassively, at the two males, enjoying themselves on the sand. Nagisa stood up first, not even bothering to dust himself.

"Okay, so rock, paper, scissors to decide who gets to be first captain…And go…"

No one had time to think, or prepare, and ended randomly throwing their hands in. Nagisa put scissors, while Rei, his hand sprawled out the floor- they deduced it to be paper.

Makoto put paper as well, losing instinctively. Rin also put paper, but attempted to change it last minute, but Nagisa knew better, as he swatted away Rin's last minute entry.

Nagisa stood there, blankly as ever, his hand curled into a fist.

A rock.

"Okay, so the captains are me Nagisa, and Haru-chan~ So take your first pick…I choose you, Rei-chan…"

Rei spluttered out the sand, as he slowly straightened himself up. He didn't have say in the matter. Sighing under his breath, he took his place, besides Nagisa.

"Your turn, Haru-chan~"

Haru lazily lifted his eyes, focusing it on the two males, awaiting his judgment, and he said he only wanted to swim free.

"Rin…"He said half-heartedly, his eyes closed. Rin threw his hands, in the air, only to let them hang by his sides, clearing his throat.

It was not a well thought out answer at all. He just uttered the first name, which came into his mouth; might as well, get this volley ball game done with- it was a chance to play together, with his friends; with Makoto.

Let's get this over with.

He was wrong though, he was undeniably at fault. Maybe it's just a personal opinion; still it didn't stop his heart from breaking.

Makoto was always picked last, for the teams, because of his soft spoken nature. He didn't get angered at anyone, nor did he ever feel a sense of regret, betrayal. They smiled at him, and said, we'll choose you next time for sure, Makoto-chan, while snickering behind their backs, at his feminine name.

He just chuckled, waving his hands in dismissal, and he would happily walk over to the team, who had to choose him by default.

He didn't mind one bit, because Haru was right next to him, staring blankly at the wall, ignoring the calls of both the teams. He sighed under his breath, before indifferently following Makoto, to his team, and then he would follow Makoto, wherever he would go.

He was nice.

Makoto's eyes widened, his lips parted shakily, trying to smile. He wasn't trying to be dramatic, he was just hurt. It was the feeling of being left out, detached, excluded…replaced.

He shook his head, trying to shrug off all the insincere thoughts that swarmed into his head. He was just thinking this, and no one would be able to figure out what he was thinking.

He smiled, staring at Haru's panic stricken eyes. Oh, he looked worried, surprised. Makoto laughed; so that's what it was.

He just wanted to finish the game off fast, to go swim free in the ocean. He hadn't thought about his decision. He knew that Haru would never leave him out like that.

He would never.

He wouldn't.

He knew it wasn't like what he thought. Well, at least now since, Rin is here, Haru has been participating a lot.

"Makoto-chan!" Nagisa yelled, pulling him towards their team.

"B-but, I wanted…Nevermind…"Haru protested, choosing to ramble incoherently, under his breath. A wide grin bore on Makoto's lips, as he approached Haruka, patting his shoulder good naturedly.

Haru grumbled under his breath, a faint shade of pink dusted his cheeks.

"Mako-chan, no fraternizing with the enemy…Okay, the team which loses has to pay for treats…Team Trunks will not lose…"

"Team Trunks?"Rei asked, his eye on the verge of twitching. Nagisa nodded innocently.

"It refers to the first swimsuit you wore, when you wanted to compliment-"

"My beautiful legs!"Rei started to laugh manically, like he had done the first time, Makoto told him.

A whistle blew, from nowhere, the sound of heavy cheering echoed through their ears, as the battle began. Rei takes the first serve, for Team Trunks, his palm hitting the ball, with fiery fierceness in his eyes, accompanying him the little giant, Nagisa-kun.

Team Trunks took Team Mackerel completely by surprise, the ball thwarting instantly towards the ground. The ball fizzed into the ground, Team Mackerel's eyes widening, by the second.

"Not bad…"Rin scoffed, his proud gaze focusing directly on Rei. He pushed back his glasses, smirking through it all.

Makoto was not bad with his hands at all; he was the one who scored that point. They slapped high fives, Rei and Nagisa taking this match very seriously.

Behind the scenes, Rin was fuming. Team Mackerel was steadily losing this match, Haruka's gaze wavering every time Makoto scored a point, which was every freaking second.

The second set was going to be a comeback.

"Haru, if we win this battle, I challenge you to a! Um…Mackerel eating contest!"

Haruka instantly perked up, his ears twitching. It was on.

Makoto hit the ball, hoping it would hit the ground, but no. Haruka jumped and slapped the ball nonchalantly, causing it to flop against the ground.

Their eyes met for a split second, sparkles dusted on their heads. It was the sunlight; what did you expect, this wasn't some romantic duel to the death.

"Yess!"Rin cheered, even though it was only one point.

It was Rin's turn to shine, now. Makoto was trying hard now, to defend his honour, to no avail. The ball came swooping to Rin. He instinctively slammed the ball, causing it to pummel to the ground.

Tch.

This was no good; Team Mackerel was catching up to Team Trunks.

The score was now 4:5.

One more and it was all over, only because Haruka was getting annoyed and sweaty; his body was starting to really sparkle.

Who was going to win, this battle of glory?

Makoto slammed the ball, into the awaiting arms of Rin, who received it well. Nagisa reached up, and attempted to slam the ball, Haruka towered over him, using his height as an advantage.

The ball, on the verge of hitting the ground, the savior, Rei hit the ball back, grazing over the net line, landing on the other side.

And, once again, he was covered in sand.

"We won! Team Trunks won!"Nagisa cheered, jumping up and down, yelling the word trunks over and over again.

Rin slammed his fist into the sand. Rei spit out the sand on his tongue, as he stood up.

"I'm covered in sweat sand…"Rei said, a gloomy aura plastered on his face.

"Race you to the water~"Nagisa said, breaking into a run. Haruka took off faster than them, somehow all of them reaching the water, in awkward time intervals.

They splashed and played around; today wasn't half bad.

It wasn't long before, the time they had to go home, was reached.

Haruka held the same bag, he dropped and ran, when they first reached the beach, though this time, he was wearing a T-shirt; the material clung onto his wet form.

The familiar ring of the ice-cream man, garnered Nagisa's short attention span, as he ran towards it. Honestly, how old was he? But, then again, no one was old enough for ice-cream.

Counting them again, he happily asked for five ice-creams. Passing it, one by one, they all had one in their hands.

The sun was warm enough to start melting the ice-creams.

"Um, Nagisa, did you pay him-"

"Ah, I don't have any money~…"

They all groaned under their breath; internally face palming at the blonde male's nature. Oh well.

Team Mackerel decided to pay, returning the debt for losing the game. The ice-cream felt cold, and fluffy amidst their tongue, as they tried to finish it before it could melt.

Haruka held the dripping cone in his hand, his gaze wavering to the smiling Makoto. What was up with him, today?

He just couldn't figure it out, even if he figured it out, what would he say? Makoto was usually the one, to worry about everyone, and help him, as well.

It was always Makoto.

It was now or never. If he couldn't figure it out, he would have to muster up his pride to ask him, what was wrong?

But, it didn't seem like anything was wrong, he was still smiling. Though, that smile, it felt.

"Ah…Makoto…"Haruka questioned, his tone unreadable, as he increased his pace to suit Makoto's.

"Yes, Haru?"

"Is something wrong?"

"N-no…Why would you think that? I had a great time today…"Makoto said laughing, the hold on his cone absentmindedly tightening.

Liar.

Well then, if he said he was alright. But he wasn't, wasn't he? Why couldn't he figure it out? He was probably okay.

And, plop, Makoto's ice cream toppled onto the ground, splattering on the pavement.

"Aw, Mako-chan…"

He stared at it. He was fine, he was happy, he wasn't feeling left out at all.

"Here…"Haruka said, offering his ice-cream. Maybe, the ice-cream could cheer up what he was thinking. Makoto's eyes widened, a light shade of pink dusted his cheeks, while he graciously accepted the ice-cream cone.

Haru cared! How could he doubt him like that? He was going to apologize, he was going to-

"Haru!"Makoto said ecstatically, embracing Haruka, the ice-cream dripping onto the cement pavement. He was overjoyed for the ice-cream, that's what they all thought.

Haruka awkwardly hugged him back, wondering what was going on. Nagisa and Rei joined in. Now, he was very confused.

"B-but…"

Rin stared the scene unfolding in the middle of the road, a light chuckle slipped past his lips, as he scoffed.

"Come over here, Rin…"

Rin clicked his tongue, trying to bite back the blush that was threatening to show, and what surprised him was who said it.

It was Makoto; a smile on his lips-A pure, genuine, Makoto smile. He meant it, with all his heart.

"Argh, fine…"Rin growled in exasperation, before throwing his hands around his friends, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

Haruka was still protesting, finally sighing. Makoto was smiling, Nagisa laughing, Rei adjusting his glasses, every time the hug hit his nose, Rin chuckling, like he had done, a long time before.

They were together, and the ice-cream forgotten.

And, the funny thing was, all their smiles, their laughter, looked exactly the same.