Haruka was lying back-down on his bed, his dolphin plushie pressed flush against his chest, his ear warm from continuously being pressed against his cellphone. He was listening to the person on the other line intently and staring at the white ceiling.
"You know, you guys have been going out for like what," There was a pause as Rin counted with his fingers, "three months now?"
A pause. Silence.
"C'mon Haru, you gotta work with me here," The voice on the other line groaned exasperatedly, and the loud crackle of someone turning over in what could only be bed sheets rang in Haruka's ear, who winced and moved the phone a little further from his ear. After a second thought, he brought the device away from his ear and—after a few failed button presses—put the phone on loudspeaker before hovering it next to his chin. He blinked his long eyelashes slowly at the ceiling, rubbing his cold fingers against his ear in an attempt to cool it, not quite knowing what to respond after hearing what Rin had said.
Haruka, still not used to acknowledging the fact that he was dating someone, responded with a sound that was something between an affirmative grunt and a question. He tried to ignore the creeping heat that was making its way up to his cheeks.
Well it was true. He was dating Makoto.
"What have you guys done together so far?" Rin asked, his voice quipped with curiosity that he was trying not to let show through his voice. In a way, he was frustrated that he didn't know more about their relationship. Although Haruka was his best friend, he wasn't the type of person to let him in on anything secretive, and Makoto had also refused to tell him anything that he was doing with Haruka, always responding with an apologetic smile before walking away with blushed cheeks. Their relationship was all very hush-hush, and it was getting on the red haired boy's nerves.
If Rin was being honest with himself, he was also getting just a little jealous of the fact that Haruka now spent most of his time with Makoto. Usually he would be the one dragging the raven-haired boy out of bed and around town—not caring if Haruka grumbled the entire way about something or another, or surprising him at home with cookies Kou had baked, or just spending simple time together discussing swimming techniques, the best swimwear and arguing over which one of them was the better swimmer—the last being the most common.
And maybe he wasn't just jealous—he was also a smidgen sad that, in some way, he had grown slightly apart from the introverted boy.
"We've done, normal stuff I guess." Haruka said, his free hand playing with the soft fabric covering his beloved dolphin.
"Define normal." Rin's lip curled into a small grin.
"We usually just spend time at the mall or at my place—nothing suggestive happened, okay." He blushed, and paused long enough for Rin to respond with an interested hum, knowing damn well the cherry red-head now had a full blown smirk on his face.
"Really, nothing much has happened, to be honest." He shrugged slightly to himself—and, tired of staring at the blank ceiling, he closed his eyes and enveloped his vision in darkness. Haruka steeled himself for the teasing he knew Rin was going to assault him with.
"What aren't you telling me, Haru," Rin said, in a sing-song voice. "You know, since it's been so long since we've talked," his smile faltered, and voice dipped into a somewhat sad tone. But just as quickly as it had dropped, his voice perked back up almost instantly. "You've gotta be hiding something."
Haruka was too attentive to miss it, and he felt guilt nip him in the gut.
Rin wasn't alone in realizing that they had been spending less time together. During the day, Haruka was usually caught up in swim club matters, school and Makoto—but once the sky grew darker and he was lying on his pillow trying to fall asleep, Rin would always pop up in his mind.
"Yeah, I should probably start updating you next time I see you," Haruka responded, conveying a smile through his voice. He listened for Rin's response, and when it didn't come after a few seconds, Haruka raised his eyebrow slightly.
"Rin?"
"Ah?" Rin responded, sounding somewhat distant.
"Are you busy or something?"
"Oh, no, I just—ah."
It was at the tip of Rin's tongue, he was dying to say it, but he wasn't sure what exactly was holding him back. Pride? Or was it the fear of Haruka rejecting his offer?
Haruka seemed to pick up on the hesitation of his friend across the line. He half-opened his cerulean blue eyes, unhappy at the glare the sunlight streaming in from the window was causing. He sat up, and stretched, groaning as he popped his shoulder.
"Haru-"
"You wanna come over?" Haruka said, in the breath that he let out as he relaxed his body.
Rin's heart leaped, and he sat up on his bed almost too quickly. From across the line, Rin could hear Haruka's chuckle reverberate. Not wanting to look too needy, Rin cleared his throat to regain his composure. He sucked his cheeks in in an attempt to stop his giant grin, but it bounced back the moment his lips went back to their original state.
"Yeah, sure, I guess." Rin tried to sound nonchalant, but his beam shining through was undeniable. Haruka hid behind a smile, happy.
"Come over. I'll make us dinner, okay?"
"I don't have anything to do right now, so alright. See you in a bit, Haru-chan."
The last thing Haruka heard before Rin turned the call off was the noise of Rin excitedly scrambling around his room, looking for this and that, and shouting to Nitori that he would be back late. Haruka laughed under his breath, glad to hear—but never admitting that he was—Rin calling his name so casually like he used to.
"Stop calling me –chan." He said, in a voice that was too quiet for Rin to hear.
He then clicked his phone shut, got off the bed and made his way to the kitchen.
"You not gonna hug me or something?"
"No."
"I know you missed me, Haru-chan."
"Yeah, yeah. I missed you so much."
Rin was really milking it, standing at Haruka's doorway, the biggest smirk on his face. Haruka stood in front of Rin, apron covering his front and a ladle in his hand, with an annoyed look misting his face.
"You gonna come in or did you just come here to torment me from the door?" Haruka grumbled, not really that irritated, and smiling ever so slightly.
"Well you were the one who asked me to come over, in case you forgot." Rin said, moving his eyebrows up and down cheekily. "At least hug your best friend that you haven't seen in weeks." Rin pouted cutely, holding his arms open.
Haruka rolled his eyes in pretense annoyance, his smile unfaltering.
"The mackerel soup is going to burn if you keep me at the door," Haruka said, very matter-of-factly, shooting Rin a look.
"I bet if I were Makoto, I wouldn't even have to ask for a hug—"
Haruka proceeded to shut the door in Rin's face, and the cherry-red head had to hurriedly stick a hand out to hold the door open, laughing. Rin was stronger than Haruka was, and he managed to push the door open against Haruka's effort to close it. The ink-haired boy stumbled back a little, startled at the unexpected force, and Rin saw the very red cheeks adorning his face once he was in full view. Haruka realized the impending disaster—that was Rin's teasing—about to start, so he turned heel and walked briskly back into the kitchen, leaving Rin laughing at the front door, kicking his shoes off his feet as he let himself in.
"I'm home!"
Fall had begun, and as the nights went by, the temperature only dropped lower and lower. There was the loud rustle of dry leaves. Following that, a chilly breeze swept in through the open window and snuck down Rin's shirt, causing him to shiver. He got up to close the window, then sat back down and scooched in closer to the heated kotatsu Haruka had prepared in his living room. The delicious aroma of warm soup filled the air, and Rin could feel his empty stomach growl at him. Impatient, he got to his feet, and followed his nose to the source of the smell.
Haruka, who had been stirring a pot of soup, looked at Rin as he came into the kitchen. "Sorry for intruding, oh god- sorry!" Rin exclaimed as his arm knocked against an empty pot. It fell over, and made a loud clanging noise as it hit the ground. Haruka responded with a peaked eyebrow, watching Rin pick the pot up hastily. Rin swept away the door curtains carefully with his arm, making doubly sure to avoid any other kitchen utensils as he stepped inside, smiling sheepishly at Haruka, who offered a small amused smile. "Need any help?" Rin asked, sounding slightly apologetic.
Haruka nodded towards a chopping board lying on the counter next to him with washed radishes on it. Rin rinsed his hands in the sink, before moving next to Haruka and getting to work. The pleasant sound of bubbling soup, crisp chopping and the crackling of the stove fire filled the quiet air and made for a calming atmosphere in the kitchen.
Haruka slid his eyes to where Rin was standing, right next to him, focused intently on cutting the radishes. Rin had his rather long red hair tied behind him, and he was wearing a black sweater which sleeves he had rolled up to his elbows. The cherry-red head had his sharp teeth biting on his lower lip in concentration.
A warm feeling radiated in Haruka's chest. He had really missed his asshole of a best friend. Rin must have noticed Haruka's eyes on him, because he nudged said boy gently in the side, his eyes never moving away from the cutting board.
"I know I'm gorgeous, but it's rude to stare."
Haruka laughed, disguising it as a huff. Rin flashed him a toothy grin.
Once the radishes were all cut up and pretty, Rin dumped them into the pot of soup as per Haruka's instructions. It took another 5 agonizing minutes that felt like an eternity to a watching, hungry Rin before Haruka deemed the soup cooked and ready for serving. Rin helped to scoop rice into bowls, while Haruka bustled around, putting this and that onto plates to eat.
Finally, they were both seated at the kotatsu, a fine spread on the table. Rin's stomach growled for the millionth time, but he mustered enough self-control to keep his hands away from the food until Haruka had taken his seat across the table.
"Thank you for the food," Rin said cheerily, picking up his spoon and ladling spoonfuls of steaming soup into his mouth. The food was simple yet delicious, and Rin expressed his delight through hums and appreciative noises. Haruka smiled, helping himself to the food as well.
They ate and chatted casually, both enjoying each other's company. Any awkwardness that was initially present washed away, and Rin was soon blabbering about everything that had happened in the past few weeks. Haruka as always played the role of the listener as he sipped his green tea, focused on the conversation without adding much to it, cupping the mug in his cold hands to warm them.
"You know, we only have one more term of our school year left before we become seniors." Rin said, stopping to take a sip from his cup. Haruka's eyes lidded.
"Yeah. Time sure flies."
Rin put his cup down onto the table, and looked at Haruka, who met his gaze.
"You have any idea who's going to be captain of Iwatobi swim club next year?"
Haruka hummed in thought. "We only have a few members to date, and our school club doesn't really care about that kind of thing." He rubbed his hands against his mug. "It'll probably have to be me, though, since I'm the only senior in the club next year."
"Yeah," Rin said, grinning at the thought of Haruka ordering people around. Haruka sensed what he was thinking and gave him a disgruntled look.
"It's not that I really have a choice," Haruka mumbled, "Anyway, what about Samezuka swim team?" Haruka's heart beat a little faster at the thought of Makoto, who happened to be one of the members. He didn't let it show on his face. Rin sighed, and shrugged.
"See, this is the problem we're having now," Rin started, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck. Haruka's curiosity was piqued, and he leaned in a little closer.
"Usually the captain is chosen based on swimming skills as well as good grades and all that, and I'm not trying to brag, but—I happen to be one of the best swimmers on the team, and I'm in the first class," Rin's voice showed no sign of pride, and he continued, "But so is Makoto."
Haruka's breath hitched at the sound of his name. "So?"
"So, it's down to me or him as captain of the swim team next year," Rin fidgeted. Haruka felt realization dawn on him when he realized what Rin was trying to tell him.
"Are you guys not on good terms or something?" Haruka asked.
"I wouldn't say that," Rin said, uncertainly. "But he's definitely been avoiding me more than usual."
Memories of Rin chasing after Makoto to find out more about his relationship with Haruka flashed through his mind. That was usually the reason Makoto would avoid him, but in more recent times, the olive-haired boy simply would not be around Rin during practice or sit around him during lunch, which was peculiar since they were usually quite close. Rin had begun to explain this, but stopped when the smarter side of him decided not to say anything in order to avoid any lectures from Haruka about pestering Makoto too much. Haruka's eyes looked away from Rin's, and the ink-haired boy sighed under his breath.
"Do you want me to talk to him about it, or something?"
"Nah, I didn't bring this up so you could confront him about it."
Haruka looked puzzled. "Then why?"
Rin looked Haruka straight in the eye, and, iced to the spot, Haruka couldn't look away.
"Who do you think would make the better captain, me or Makoto?"
If you guys have read my previous story, then you'd definitely recognise this chapter haha
TO ALL NEW READERS, WELCOME! ^-^
I just felt as though this chapter (and the ones I am currently in the progress of writing) are straying away from the initial flow of the other story, so I decided to break it off and make it an entirely new story! I'll still try to write more chapters for my previous story (which is unfinished) but no promises, because I wrote that story like 5 years ago and my writing style has completely changed at this point lol
Anyway I hope you enjoy this suspense filled story that you have stumbled upon
hopefully I can finish this before I get bogged down by life orz
Have a wonderful rest of your day/night! Sending you all the love