Title: A Sweet Retirement
(Fic Series): A Life Worth Living
Fandom: Free!
Pairings: Sousuke/Rin
Rating: T
Chapter Word Count: 1.7k
Warnings: N/A
Summary: Post-Free! Eternal Summer Fic
With retirement leaving them free to do what they wished, there was always a lot of time for thinking. Rin had some doubts, Sousuke has none.
A/N:
WELL! Here we are, finished at last! Thank you everyone for coming with me on this journey, I'm so glad that you did. I wondered if I should follow through with this last installment, finding that I did enjoy the end of the previous one, but when I thought of this whole story, this story of Sousuke and Rin's shared life together, this was the end I had envisioned. Not a true end, but reaching something that I can't quite explain.
Either way, thank you all! It was amazing, and I hope that in the future I might try something of this magnitude for this lovely pairing again, even if the fandom dwindles down. Sousuke and Rin have wormed there way in to my heart, and I don't see them leaving any time soon.
A Sweet Retirement
"I've been thinking," Sousuke started, watching Rin get up off the couch and turn off the DVD player. They had just finished an old movie that Sousuke hadn't cared much for as a kid. He found it a little more interesting this time, and could understand why it'd bring tears to Rin's eyes whenever they had watched it before. Still, it wasn't engaging enough to keep him that focused on it the entire time.
"That can't be good," Rin laughed as he sat back down on the couch next to him, leaning into his side. Sousuke's arms went around him and he dropped his head onto his shoulder. He marveled at how warm Rin was in his arms and let out a content sigh.
"Shut up," he grumbled, with no force behind it. "I've been thinking about how amazing this is."
"What is?" Rin asked, turning to get a better look at him. Sousuke picked up his head and dropped one of his arms onto Rin's lap, taking his hand. He stared down at them and admired the way they looked together, already their veins stood out, already their skin was turning paper thin. The wrinkles from time that showed on them both a wonder beyond his dreams.
"This. That I'm here with you right now," he clarified, shaking their hands. Rin's eyes grew wide and he looked down at their hands as well before laughing.
"I guess you're right, but what's got you thinking like that now? Are you really feeling that old? Getting nostalgic?" he teased, nudging him with his elbow.
"If that's the case you've been old since I met you," Sousuke retorted with a chuckle. Rin pulled back with a frown and clicked his tongue at him. Sousuke just smiled and leaned back onto the couch further, getting comfortable. "It's not like we're that old, but we're definitely old. Look at all this gray hair."
His hand went up and rubbed the back of Rin's head. His hair chopped short now in the recent years. He remembered the last day he saw that hair, beautiful silver strands flowing through it. Rin claimed it was because it was too hard to maintain, but Sousuke thought it might have been because he was embarrassed about having long hair at their age.
"You know," Rin hummed, turning his head to the side, "there was a time I thought you'd get bored of me."
"What do you mean?"
Sousuke's hand left Rin's head to graze his knuckles across his cheek, prompting Rin to look back at him. He wasn't that upset looking, maybe a little nervous. Rin huffed, and showed him a brave grin.
"Don't know, just thought you'd like the younger me better or something. That I'd might be a disappointment with how I look now." He shrugged and his other hand covered theirs, Sousuke's eyes drifting to where his hand was encompassed by Rin's. Two rings still on his finger, well taken care of over the years.
"I should be the one saying that," Sousuke laughed, pulling his free hand back to cover his eyes. When he was done laughing Rin was look at him with a big old pout and he couldn't stop himself from letting some more chuckles escape him.
"It's not funny," he complained. "Stop laughing."
"It is though. Honestly I thought I was the one who had to worry, it's not like I kept much of that body that you oh so loved. Look at how soft this is," Sousuke said, gesturing to his stomach. Rin grabbed it just to be a tease and Sousuke grunted batting at his hand.
"That's true, you've went soft first," Rin snickered.
"Yeah, yeah," he conceded. "But anyways, if you worried about whether or not I still find you attractive, I really thought I've proven myself over the years."
"Shut up," Rin choked, elbowing him. Sousuke covered his sides for protect and laughed.
"I didn't even say anything!"
Rin punched his arm and Sousuke grabbed the offending appendages, holding them so they couldn't inflict him anymore pain. He brought his hands up to his mouth and kissed them, watching Rin with his eyes. Rin's brow creased and his nose wrinkled, the corner of his mouth twitched as he tried to keep a frown.
"I find you very sexy now," he reassured, a smirk on his face. "And handsome too, can't forget that. But as for the younger you, I did find him sexy too, but when I look back at it now I can't help but to think you were more cute than anything."
"Cute?" Rin bristled as he repeated the word.
"Adorable really," Sousuke answered with a nod. Rin puffed up his cheeks in a pout, glaring at him before he turned his head away and leaned into his side.
"Yeah well, I guess I could say the same," he sighed. "You were pretty cute back then too, like when you'd pout or try and pretend you didn't do things on purpose. You always said I was the romantic, but you were definitely worse."
"Was not," he argued, leaning in and brushing his nose along Rin's cheek. "It was just because I knew you liked it."
"Sure," Rin laughed, turning to face him, leaning their foreheads together. "That was the only reason."
Just as he was about to retort they were interrupted by a loud mewl. They looked to see their cat, sunshine as Sousuke had so lovingly named him, staring at them from corridor. Rin got up and walked over to him, picking him up.
"I'm sorry, we haven't gotten you two dinner yet have we?" Rin cooed at the cat. A tiny paw came up to his face and the cat meowed again. Sousuke got up to follow him to the kitchen. He watched as Rin prepared their dinner and saw a flash of black scampering in at full gallop.
"You really did end up getting everything you wanted," Sousuke mumbled to himself, a fond smile stretching across his lips.
"Huh?" Rin asked standing up from petting the cats.
"Nothing," Sousuke answered, shaking his head as he held out a hand. Rin's intertwined with his and he tugged him into a hug, kissing his shoulder. "I got everything I wanted too."
Rin stiffened for a second before he tightened his squeeze on Sousuke. "Did you? Don't regret anything?"
"What's there to regret?" He questioned, one eyebrow rising as he pulled away from Rin, hands sliding down to loosely encase his waist. "You regret something?"
"No! Don't you? I mean you kind of just went along with everything I wanted and," he babbled on. Sousuke just kissed his mouth shut and sighed when Rin pulled back. "I'm serious."
"I know you are, and I'm serious. I don't regret anything, hell, I got more than what I thought I would. The only thing I've had a thought of regret for was about taking you away from a normal life. But it's like you've said many times before, you weren't planning on having a wife anyways."
Rin stiffened and clamped his mouth shut in a tight frown before he nodded, looking at the ground. His hands were gripping the sleeves of Sousuke's shirt and Sousuke wondered if he had angered his love. Rin looked up at him and fell into his chest, resting his head against Sousuke's neck.
"You're definitely happy, right?"
"Of course I am," Sousuke whispered, kissing him more. "Have been since I met you."
"Okay," Rin said, reassuring himself. He sighed and nodded into his shoulder. "Okay, good. Me too."
"What's this all about anyways? You seem to be awfully stressed about regrets lately, just the other day too, talking about how we should be traveling more."
"I," Rin croaked, "well, I mean. We're getting old and, any day from now until we're a hundred we could go, you know?"
"We're not that old," Sousuke joked, though he could see what he was saying. "But even if something happens, I'm happy Rin. I mean what I said, you've given me more than I ever expected of my own life."
He felt his shirt start to dampen and he sighed, though it was fond as he rubbed his back. He ran his palm along Rin's sides until his hiccupping calmed down and Rin rubbed at his eyes. Sousuke didn't tease, especially since it had been awhile since they had talked about something so serious. He brought his hands up to hold Rin's cheeks and kissed his forehead, breathing in the scent of him.
"I love you, and no amount of time on this earth will ever be enough," Sousuke concluded as he looked back down at Rin. His husband smiled at him and kissed him softly.
"The same goes for me, you know?"
"I know," Sousuke assured.
"Do you," Rin started before he turned his head away and sighed. "Well I know you don't believe in much but, do you think we'll meet each other again? After we, we go, I mean."
"After we die?" Sousuke asked, blinking in surprised before looking up at the ceiling. "Well, if there is something after this, we'll definitely meet again."
Rin hummed thoughtfully, swaying them together in the kitchen, slower than a dance. Sousuke followed along, waiting for Rin to say something more. He spun them around a little, grabbing Rin's hand and turning it into a real dance.
"I don't think I could live without you," Rin admitted, eyes focused far away from them. "I should go first. If you were to leave me first, I don't think I could go on anyways."
Sousuke thought about that for a second, the sound of the cats running around could be heard. Rin gripped his hand tighter and leaned in closer as Sousuke thought in silence. He kissed Rin's head and grinned.
"I think I'd want you to go first too," Sousuke confessed, he felt Rin try to pull away but he dropped his hand in favor of holding him close. "Hana would be depressed if you were to just let go like that. Besides, I've always followed you. If I follow you, only good things will happen."
Rin paused in his struggling then and turned his face to look up at Sousuke. He met his gaze and saw the wonder in his eyes and smiled at the other. Nothing could scare him with Rin leading the way, not even death.
He was sure of that.