Sometimes eyes shone like the ocean,
other times they were clouded in a hazy mist of pain,
but never any regrets pooled there
He stood like an unrelenting stone statue
in the wake of love
His eyes glimmered,
and his soul danced
Perhaps that was why Rin could never look away,
perhaps that was why his heart began to sing
Rin's hands slipped around Ai's waist,
and may be that is why his nickname sounds like love,
why Ai always tries so hard for his sake,
why Rin's only starting to see his Kouhai this way,
why he's falling so madly in love with the one
that pushes himself for Rin's joy,
that pushes past heartbreak
and manages to find the time and a way to dance for joy,
that manages to have Rin feel so darn smitten for him,
and all that Rin could think about was that this man,
this swimmer,
spent all of his time trying to make Rin happy
He'd spend his time out by the pool, of course,
pushing his swimming to its limits,
but he'd also spend his days worrying over every bruise of Rin's,
kissing him when no one was around,
running his fingers so delicately through Rin's long, red hair,
and smiling and sometimes even laughing at Rin's every joke
There was something about warm afternoons,
ice creams in hand,
fingers intertwined with the other's hand,
huddling close
as the sun beat down on them,
making them sweat
and ensuring that if they did anything a little more strenuous than normal
that their breaths will come out in puffs,
and laughing at nothing in particular
There's something about ignoring one of the beds in their dorm,
and snuggling on the other one,
trying to fit like jagged pieces of one big puzzle on too small of a table,
whispering in just soft enough tones,
trying to tell stories that won't ever be enough,
trying to lull each other to sleep
with gentle chatter
There's something, too, about the way
Ai picks up the phone and answers it,
his parents watching their son
as his voice goes soft and sweet to the mysterious caller on the other line,
making them wonder if he got himself a girlfriend
though he never says,
he just says that the other person has family that lives in Iwatobi,
and that they are the closest of friends
There's something about his voice too during those phone calls
that always last too long,
but never long enough
There's something about how he hugs Rin after he's back
and how he calls their little dorm room, home,
as if it became more important to him than the house that had raised him,
as if his family or those closest to him are near
though it's only Rin
There's something about slow workout days
when Ai trips over himself
and on to Rin
or if they are alone in the gym,
tries to sneak quick and athletic kisses
There's something about the way that Ai stares at him now,
making his legs feel like jello
and his heart race
that has Rin pulling him close,
pushing deep thoughts aside
to meld their lips together,
and somehow fall even more in love with each other.