Disclaimer: I don't own Free!

Pairings/warnings: Rin/Haru, m/m sexual activities, some angstness, taking place after episode two though obviously not following canon.

Thanks to Lunar Pull for her beta and her encouragement to post my first fic in this fandom.

After Dark

The slide of water against his skin made Haru feel alive as he cut through the ripples, his long arms slicing through the pool's depths. It was dark, late, or in fact the very early morning. Makoto and Nagisa had thought he'd gone home to sleep after they had been caught, after the race he let Rin win but Haru had felt something come alive within him and his insatiable desire had been to be back in this pool - a fire alight in his otherwise listless soul. He couldn't just lie in bed, couldn't just sleep when his passion for swimming more competitively had been re-ignited.

Rin inspired that - so different from his boyhood friend and Haru felt so responsible for that - felt that it was all his fault that the young man he was now was mocking and sarcastic and nothing like the Rin he used to know. All because he'd been better - a better swimmer - and because of that race, their friendship had been destroyed. Along with Haru's desire to compete - swimming competitively meaning nothing when he had hurt someone important to him.

Haru got to the turn, letting his body somersault through perfect water and then he was kicking off the wall and making his way back to the starting blocks.

He enjoyed the water, revelled in it as it caressed his skin and while he could stay all night, he stopped when he reached the edge, coming up for air and shaking his dark hair from his eyes.

"Huh, didn't think you'd come back."

Haru looked up to see Rin sat near the edge of the pool, a smirk on his face as he looked closely at Haru. He glared back at the red-haired young man and then pulled himself up out of the water - droplets falling over his defined muscles. He could feel bad forever about beating Rin that day yet now that Rin had beaten him, Haru saw little point in his guilt. Maybe he had let him win, but all he wanted was the water and the feel of his arms and legs suspended in semi-weightlessness. He didn't need the race like Rin so desperately did.

Rin looked at him all too closely as he stood in the darkness.

"We should race again."

Haru shook his head, his hair falling over his eyes as he looked down at Rin. "I'm done. I don't want to get into anymore trouble."

Rin laughed. "Scared without your two puppy dogs? Always following you around, idolising you, no where near as good as you."

"They were your friends once," Haru shot back.

"Huh."

That was the end of the conversation to Haru who looked for where he'd left his clothes and realised they were not there, and it became obvious where they were - he could see the material peeking out from underneath where Rin sat.

"My clothes," Haru stated to which Rin shrugged and waved a hand.

"That's not my problem."

With gritted teeth, Haru approached and looked down at Rin who appeared unfazed at him looming above him.

"Move."

"Make me," Rin challenged.

Haru didn't want to make Rin move. He wanted to be friends again but his attitude was so infuriating that he pushed, an attempted wrestle at the side of the pool. Rin pushed back and they had hands on each other, Haru feeling Rin's body so strong, so firm, so hard. It ended with both of them crashing into the water, Rin fully clothed, thrashing together and fighting each other.

Haru couldn't breathe for a moment, as he was deep down in the water, yet he could feel Rin close and that was comforting. It was comforting only as long as they were submerged as when they broke the surface, Rin pushed at him, splashed at him and they were pushing each other under, Haru's hair obscuring his vision, occasionally swallowing water as they thrashed. Rin was anger and a hard firm body and Haru stopped fighting, swam away, and leaned against the side. On seeing his retreat, Rin treaded water before he kicked himself to the side, coming next to Haru, and they looked at one another.

Haru, for a brief moment, wanted to say he missed Rin - though maybe he didn't miss this angry bitter Rin, yet as he felt their bodies brush at the side of the pool, he was feeling a warmth that spread through his body, a feeling of being alive that was comparable to how he felt swimming again after so long. The touch of Rin's fingers, hands, thighs had skittered across his nerves and despite the water, Haru burned.

Sensing something, Rin got out of the pool, stripping off his black clothes until he was only in his swimming suit. He sat on the edge of the pool, his legs spread wide and dangling into the water. He ran a hand through his distinctive hair and Haru swam towards him, steadying himself at the edge of the pool, in between Rin's legs.

Haru looked up and Rin's eyes seemed softer now.

It was the point to say "sorry" or that "I missed you" but instead, Haru acted on an instinct that had been awakened the moment he saw Rin in the abandoned swim club. It was what made him grip his legs and brush his cheek against Rin's inner thighs, a sharp inhale of breath his reward as he nuzzled the flesh through the restrictive material.

Rin reached to touch Haru's head as he held himself out of the water, his chest free of it and his lower half submerged. Haru licked at the slick fabric, tasting chlorine and then he reached the apex of Rin's thighs and he paused, knowing Rin was hard, his cock straining the front. He had never done this - never intended to do this to a boyhood friend yet here he was, and he licked at his lips as he used one hand to bring out Rin's dick and he licked once across the head.

"Haru..." Rin's voice was shaky and Haru repeated the action.

He tasted of water and then salt, and Haru lapped at it, a hand more firmly in his hair as he opened his mouth wider, bobbing down onto Rin's cock, before returning his attention to the sensitive head, his licks and lapping making Rin grunt and touch him, support him so he didn't slide into the water.

His arms were latched onto Rin's thighs, his legs kicking softly as his mouth worked over the hot, hard cock in his mouth and in the water where Rin had beaten him, Haru tried to heal the broken friendship - or now it wasn't a friendship, now it was something more as he breathed through his nose, as he swallowed and moaned, felt Rin shiver and swear. He instinctively knew what to do as he sucked, increased the pressure, used his tongue and hand. Haru enjoyed the feel of control, of Rin hot in his mouth, and the sounds he let out made his own dick throb. He took as much of Rin's cock as he could, letting Rin thrust forward a little, in and out until finally he came, the taste salty and not entirely unpleasant, swallowing it so he didn't choke.

Rin was leaning back on his elbows as Haru climbed out of the pool and he saw his firm chest rise and fall - his actions having made him breathless. His own cock strained against fabric but Haru only gathered his clothing from where it had been at the edge of the pool and walked away to the locker room and shower.

"Haru?"

Rin's breathing was less ragged now - and Haru paused, his head low and not looking back.

"It doesn't mean..." Haru said vaguely adding, "anything."

It didn't have to, not to Haru as he found the darkened shower cubicles, wrapped his hand around his cock, his head pillowed against his arm on the slick tiles, and he came silently, water washing evidence away. Water providing him with moments of peace and relief as he hoped their encounter in the pool would be the beginning of healing whatever their relationship was.