Lame title, I know, but in honor of my love for these boys (and the excitement over the fact that season 2 comes out this summer), I present you with my first Free! fic. This is based on the last FrFr short, except my ending is exclusively harurin (laughs maniacally)!—By the way, if you haven't already seen the FrFr shorts, go do so RIGHT AWAY! You're missing out if you don't.

Pairing(s): Harurin (OTP)

Warning(s): Shonen-ai, malexmale—Don't like? Don't read. You have been warned.

Disclaimer: If I owned Free!, Harurin would be painfully canon.

Freely

Toweling his hair roughly, Rin gave a content sigh. After years of confusion and misplaced anger he was finally here— a place he had wanted to be all along, but was too prideful to admit. He sat silently and observed the four Iwatobi members fondly.

He wasn't an Iwatobi swimmer, but what mattered was that they considered him part of their team regardless. The thought alone was enough to give Rin a happiness he'd previously thought to be unattainable, and it was made especially great because Haru considered him as part of the team and Haru swam for the team and most of all Haru swam for him and wanted to swim with him and Rin would be damned if he didn't want to swim with Haru just as much. It was so surreal that sometimes Rin had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming, because Haruka I only swim Free Nanase wanted to swim with him, Rin I will never swim with you again Matsuoka. Speaking of—

"Oi, Haru. As usual, I see you never smile." The redhead grumbled unappreciatively, his eyes sharply observing Haru's face for any sign of an upturned lip. Damn it, smile for me, Haru.

"I could say the same for you." His friend began, halting his actions to turn his eyes—to Rin, they were the deepest, most magnificent blue eyes he had ever seen— to the Samezuka swimmer. "You used to go around grinning like an idiot, but now you don't smile at all." Rin sputtered indignantly and cursed inwardly as his cheeks warmed at an alarming rate.

"Leave me alone! I've just grown up is all."

"Hm.. But now that I think about it, I've never seen Haruka-senpai laugh openly." Rei said suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. As if on cue, Nagisa hummed in agreement and turned to Makoto quizzically.

"Say, Mako-chan, have you ever seen it? Haru-chan's laugh?" Haru's disgruntled protest of 'stop calling me Haru-chan' went unnoticed as the swimmers gave Makoto their undivided attention. Several moments of silence passed before Makoto beamed and, with a proud air about him, proclaimed—

"I have." At those two words Rin felt something heavy settle in his chest, 'cause god damn it why hasn't he seen Haru laugh!?

"Makoto, just what do you think you're—

With a well-placed grin Rin approached the crawl swimmer from behind and startled the latter as he swung his arm over his shoulder smugly, almost possessively (read: definitely possessively).

"Now, now." Rin said jollily, masking his growing jealousy with a smirk. Rin ignored his companion's complaint at having his personal space breached so easily—but then again, Haru thought, it was Rin, and Rin was always the exception to the rule—."Spill, Makoto."

"Well, it was when we were all spending the night at a hotel for a school event. I suddenly heard laughter coming from the futon beside me. That's right… it was the sound of Haru laughing!" Makoto spoke as if he was telling a scary story, and Rin had to suppress the urge to face-palm. Honestly, he was getting worked up over nothing. "It was really scary!" Rin stared, bemused. Leave it to Makoto to find such a thing scary.

"Um…Wouldn't that just have been Haru-senpai sleep-talking?" Rei asked, unsure what to make of the backstroker's tale.

"Huh?" Makoto let out a noise that made it clear he'd never entertained the thought. Rin sighed, relieved that Makoto hadn't truly seen a side of Haru he'd yet to see for himself.

"Geez, Mako-chan!" Nagisa complained, patronizing the taller male for being such a wuss.

"Hey, I'm telling the truth!" Makoto's whines evidently fell upon deaf ears as Rei and Nagisa finished getting dressed.

With his arm still placed comfortably around Haru's shoulder—Rin was both surprised and pleased that the smaller male hadn't pushed him away—, Rin shot the other a sideways glance and sniggered. With a smile, Makoto faced Rei and Nagisa and ushered them out of the changing room.

"We'll be going ahead first," Makoto called, winking slyly at Rin as he exited. The Samezuka swimmer turned red once more and unconsciously buried his face in the crook of Haru's neck, inhaling deeply to calm his nerves. Haru's scent was distinct—sweet cherry blossoms, chlorine and, Rin thought with a chuckle, mackerel.

"…Rin?" Haru called after a while. Rin was confusing him, and the older male's breath on his still-damp skin was not helping his train of thought.

"What is it, Haru?" Rin was vaguely aware that, before he divulged himself in Haru's strangely wonderful scent, he'd wanted to see the teen smile. No, laugh, he corrected a few intakes of breath later. Or both.

"Move, I can't get dressed with you hanging off me like this." With a start, Rin realized that both his arms were wound around Haru's neck, and for just a few seconds wonders how he managed that.

"Fine, fine." Haru is startled as Rin suddenly releases his person, only to back away from the other when he sees the grin adorning Rin's face. "But now you owe me." Rin said in a sing-song voice, smirking pointedly at Haru.

"What do you mean?" Somehow, Haruka manages to convince himself that Rin is not up to something mischievous. That thought, however, is quickly retracted when Haru finds himself pinned to the floor by his rival, the readhead's face hovering dangerously close to his own.

"Just one thing," wide-eyed, Haru can't stop himself from staring into Rin's intense red eyes. "Smile for me, Haruka." With a shudder, Haru thinks then, that it's Rin—it's always been Rin—whose able to make him feel such strange, uncharacteristic things. Naturally, Haru blames Rin for the way his body moves on its own accord as his hands reach up to cup Rin's cheeks, and says its Rin's fault that his face breaks out into a beautiful smile before pulling the redhead's face down to his own 'till their lips meet. But that's perfectly fine with both of them.

Next time, Rin swears, he'll get Haru to laugh for him.

Now how much did that suck?!

I want to be happy with it, but I'm still not used to writing Haru and Rin's characters, I'm sorry ;A; Please let me know how you liked it, and feedback/critique is always welcomed!

-Rai