"Senpaiiiiii!" I hear through the door as the bell rings and I know exactly who it is. I walk to the door and open it up to a wide smile on Nitori Aiichiro's face. He's holding out a basket of pastries which look very delicious and smell fresh. "Hi, Rin! I got you a gift to congratulate you on your new home!"
It had only been a day since I officially moved into my new apartment after transferring to Iwatobi to be with my friends again. Aiichiro did not take it very well, but he promised to come over often and made me pinky swear to go to some of his competitions. I admit it was hard leaving him. We had gotten pretty close in my stay, even if I was acting impartial, but my leaving was worse for him. I remember seeing tears well up in his eyes as he waved goodbye. One part of me wondered if he was trying to make it hard for me, but I know that it was just Aiichiro being the sensitive boy he is.
I take the basket from him hands and smile at him. "You didn't have to get me anything, Ai," I say, stepping aside for him to come in.
"It's ok, I wanted to! So? How do you like your new place? Have you started decorating? Do you miss the old room?" He goes on, cheerfully chatting away as always, looking around my apartment, taking everything in.
"Come in here," I say, walking through the doorway to the left into the kitchen and dining room. There is a table to the left, and I motion to him to sit on one of the pillows. He nods his head and kneels down in front of it. I take the kettle off the stove eye and place it on the table with a couple of cups then pour tea into them. After he takes his cup, I sit down on the opposite side of the small table in across from him.
"I haven't really started anything yet," I tell him, "I'm still unpacking." I nod my head to the side, gesturing to the boxes still on the kitchen side of the room. "I probably won't do much to decorate the place. You know I don't really care about that."
He takes a sip of his tea, smiling at the flavor, and says, "I thought so, but if you change your mind, you can always call me to help you come up with ideas!"
"Thanks Ai." I think for a second about what to say next, so I just ask him, "How is practice? Are you doing well in school?" then mentally drive my palm into my forehead, remembering I've only been out of classes for two days. I stayed another night before moving into my apartment. He looked appreciative of the question anyway.
"It's not the same without you, Senpai! I don't know how well I'm doing without you helping me. Other than swimming, I took that test that was coming up just after your transfer and got an A." He says. "Do you think you'll ever come to practice again?"
I have him a half-hearted smile, seeing that he really misses me and isn't considering everything. "I'm not a part of the school anymore. I doubt they would let me swim. But…" I'm going to regret this, "If you want… we can swim in the community pool sometime and I can help you where you need it."
He gasps and puts down his cup, obviously enjoying that promise a little too much. "Thank you Senpai! That will be fun!"
My cellphone rings in my pocket and I pull it up to my ear, pressing talk. "Hello?"
"Hey Rin, it's Haru. I'll be over in a few minutes. I'm picking up some food on the way."
"Ok, what are you getting?"
"I heard there was this new restaurant that makes really great macke-"
"We're not eating mackerel."
There's a sigh on the other side of the conversation. "Fine… what do you want?"
"I don't care, just not mackerel. We eat that literally every time I go to your place with our friends, so let's have a variety at mine at least."
"…no one makes you eat it…" He replies. There's a pause and another sigh. "I'll be there soon."
"Bye."
I put your phone down and look up at Nitori. He looks a mix of awkward, confused, and disappointed. He finished his tea and asks, "What's going on, Senpai? Do you have someone else coming over?"
"Mm," I grunt affirming with a little irritation, "That was Haru. He asked to see my place, so… I ended up letting him. You can stay if you want, Ai."
A great deal of me seriously wanted Ai to stay here, because I knew what was going to happen tonight. I would never ever admit it to anyone ever, but I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Haru which turned into agony and anger after I left for Australia because it hurt more that it was supposed to when he was no longer around and I knew he was what stood in the way of me being free from my ties, so I blamed him for all the pain I caused myself. To this day, he still irritates the crap out of me, but I wouldn't give up him being around me. Not again.
I had been starting to realize things I feel about him since I had transferred to Iwatobi and began hanging out with him again. I wanted to slap myself when I realized how drawn to his body I was one day, and he didn't understand why I so suddenly left the swim club's changing room. When he asked to see my place yesterday, it took me by surprise, but, by that time, I had finally admitted to myself that I maybe sort of could possibly be interested in him in a way slightly more than a friend. God, I hate being that honest with myself about Haru. Anyway, I had agreed to let him see it and I worked out a time for him to come in the evening. I planned to try something tonight and see how much I maybe do like him. I still don't know exactly what I want to do, but I'll come up with it at the appropriate time. I am NOT chicken. I can touch and like who I want to.
"Oh," Aiichiro shakes his head quickly, "That's not necessary. I need to leave soon to start studying anyway." He says as he gets up from the table. I know he's lying because it's 6PM and he's usually finished by 5PM because he's a nerd like that, but I don't let my face tell him I know.
I walk him to the door and he turns around to look at me. "It was nice seeing you, Ai. Thanks for coming over." I say, holding out my hand to him.
He takes it in a firm shake and smiles at me. "Thank you for having me! Enjoy your basket!"
"I will," I assure him and close the door. I will never understand how he always seems so happy and positive all the time, but I know that he's a nervous wreck under that mask from my time staying with him. Is there anything he doesn't stress about? I think to myself,Homework, swimming, talking to people, clothes on the floor, girls- wait, hold on. I search my memory for a moment. Actually, I don't remember him mentioning girls at all. The whole time we were roommates… hm, weird. Maybe he did and I just thought nothing of it.
I plop down on the couch and turn the TV on. I get absorbed in a show and it surprises me when the doorbell rings again. I check the clock and it says 6:30PM. What took him so long?
I open the door to see Haru standing on the other side holding three paper bags which, I assume, are full of the food he picked up. "Hey, come on in."
He walks past me and turns to face me as I shut the door. "Where do you want to eat?" He asks.
I hand him some money for my part of the food. "My day was fine, I mostly unpacked things and listened to music. How about yours?" I reply sarcastically and point at the coffee table in front of the couch. I reach down beside the TV and pick up a DVD. "I rented a movie if you want to watch it."
He puts the bags on the table and takes a seat on the couch. "That's fine. I wasn't sure what to get so I got a few different things. You can keep the leftovers."
I play the DVD and sit down on the couch beside him. "What took you so long?
"I got a little lost on the way here and had to ask for directions." He answers.
"You could have just called me and I would have explained, you know." I sigh, "Anyway, I'll go get some plates."
I retrieve some plates, chopsticks, and the tea from the kitchen and start piling food onto my plate. After we start eating, I notice Haru making faces at a shrimp rice cake and he apparently hasn't eaten one yet. "Come on, it tastes good." I encourage him.
He slants his lips in an unsure expression. "I don't know… I've never had one before."
"How are you going to live if you never try new foods? Mackerel three times a day?"
"What's wrong with that?"
I take the cake out of his hand and say "Nagisa and Makoto are dating." His mouth drops open as wide as his eyes do and I shove the food into his mouth. He instantly closes his mouth and gives me a look that reeks of death and despair.
He chews it tentatively and his face takes on a few different unsure expressions until he finally swallows it down. "Well?" I press.
He thinks for a moment before he says anything. "It's good." He says, picking up another and taking a bite out of it. "But you were joking about Nagisa and Makoto, right?"
"Duh, doofus." I punch his shoulder and he cracks a half smile. After a moment of thinking, I add, "But what if they were?"
"Hm." He finishes the rice cake, "I wouldn't mind. They're my friends. But I don't see that happening in real life. They both seem pretty straight to me."
I laugh out loud, nearly choking on a piece of sushi I was chewing on.
"What?" He cocks an eyebrow at me.
"Do you even pay attention to your friends?" I ask. How clueless is he?
"Yeah, why?"
I take a sip of tea before I speak. "Well first of all, Rei and Nagisa are basically humping in the pool and Makoto is your little show puppy drooling over you while he waits for you to tell him to sit down or roll over."
His gaze slides off me and he has a thoughtful expression, like he's never considered any of that before. He looks back to me, "You're joking, right? He's not really like that… we're just friends."
"Not in his special alone time before bed, you're not." I laugh, "Just pay attention. He's practically all over you. Have you ever wondered why he's so compliant to everything you say and ask? Face it, dude. He's into you."
Haru sits back in the couch and is silent for a while before saying anything. "Why would he feel that way?"
I wasn't expecting that question. "Well… I mean, you're pretty cool once you get past the weird obsessions about water and mackerel and the whole silent loner vibe. And you're nice, somehow fun to hang out with, and really good looking. I mean, he's got a lot to choose from." Did I just tell Haru he's hot? I may as well have complimented his shoes… actually, I wonder where he got those.
He takes another moment to soak that in. "Do you really mean that?"
"Yeah, you're a great guy." Please don't. Stop there. Stop. Don't do it. Haru, don't you-
"About me being good looking?"
And he does. "Um, yeah, I guess. Sort of. If you're into dark hair and blue eyes, lean bodies, and" shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, "…and stuff."
At that he turns back to me, looking into my eyes. Rin, you screwed up big time. Now what? I expect him to stand up, pick up the bags, and say goodbye, but he doesn't do any of that. He just sits there.
"Thanks," he says, turning back to the TV.
"Thanks? That's it?" I was confused, shocked, and a little angry that all he says is 'thanks' after all that news. "Just thanks?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
"What is that even supposed to mean?!" I nearly shout, throwing my hands into the air.
He looks back at me, and I'm glad he's not just going to stare at the TV the whole time. "I mean thanks. You're a great person, too, and… also good looking." I see a faint blush show on his cheeks, and I don't really know how to respond.
"I don't like Mako," he says, "Not like that. He's really nice and all, but I don't feel the same way. If anything, I guess I feel something about you. A sort of connection, I guess, that Mako and I just don't share. I don't really know what I'm trying to say…"
He acts a little awkward and starts to look away, but I rest my hand on his thigh and encourage him, "No, it's ok, go on."
"I just…" He starts, and it takes him a second to find the words, "I like you, Rin, but I don't really know what kind of like or how far, you know? I'm sorry, this is awkward."
"No it's not, I get that," I tell him, "I know how that feels." I look away for long enough to think all too well. "I used to feel that way about you, but ever since that time I swam with you on your team at that competition for the first time in years, I realized that…"
He looks up at me quizzically, "Realized what?"
Why didn't I pay more attention in language class? I'm sure it would help right now if I had actually red those romance books they assigned to us. Words are just not working right now. I growled into a grimace and took a deep breath. I can do this. Just do it, Rin.
I shut up and stop thinking, then dart my face onto Haru's and press our lips together. It's a little forceful and our lips are too hard, but I think it's doing the job. After a few seconds, I Back my head away and watch his reaction carefully.
At first, his face is completely motionless with a shocked expression, but then his eyes find mine and his mouth opens in a small gape.
"Is that ok?" I ask him. He gives me a small nod, which pulls a faint smile on my face and I lead back into him. This time, I take it slow and soften my lips against his, and he does the same. The pressure of tender lips is so… I don't have the words for it. As pathetic as it is, at seventeen, I've never kissed anyone for real besides small pecks for dares and games, but this is my first real kiss, and I see what all the hype is about. I wrap my arm around Haru's waist and snake the other around his neck and run my fingers through his silky black hair, slowly leaning him back onto the couch.
He moans quietly under me and wraps his hands around my back. I gently use my tongue to lick the crack between his lips and he parts them slightly for me. I hadn't imagined myself being so slow and gentle when I had planned this. Rather, I saw myself over him hot and heavy with my tongue half way down his throat. Maybe I just haven't gotten to that stage yet. I let my tongue slip into his mouth and I find his, them together and parting our mouths more.
After a minute, he tilts his head up, breaking contact with my mouth and I take the opportunity to slide down his neck, giving him suckling kisses along it and nipping at the smooth skin with my teeth. I let myself suck on one area a little longer as I breathe in his scent, knowing it will leave a mark. Haru is mine, I think to myself.
His panting, the pressure between our bodies, the skin on my lips, his scent of stale chlorine, fried mackerel, and a sweet natural musk was incredibly intoxicating all of the sudden. I lick up to his mouth again and his lips meet mine willingly, and I kissed him even more passionately. I felt hot and slightly out of control, and I can't help it as I begin to grind myself against him, feeling him stiffen up with , Haru, the things you do to me.
He moans against my mouth again and the vibrations of it send waves to my stomach, and I feel my grip on his hair tighten. He feels this and starts to pull mine gently, which feels incredible. I never knew that someone pulling your hair could feel so good, but it does and I've about had it with this boy. I wrench him up off the couch and stand up, carrying him with his legs wrapped against my waist. I break our kiss to walk to my bedroom and I feel him kissing and licking my ear which leaves shutters rolling down my spine, and I groan at the pleasure.
Once inside, I kick the door shut and drop him onto the bed. He pulls himself up on it, rests his head on the pillows, and looks up at me expectantly. I pull the jacket I'm wearing over my shoulders, leaving me shirtless, and I crawl up over him on the bed with my knees. This time, I just let my hands run over his smooth skin, feeling every ripple of abs and pec there is to feel. I lean into his stomach and kiss up his center line, over his chest, licking around his throat as he tilts his head up, then around the curve of his jaw and behind his ear. His hands trail down my back, feeling my broad shoulders and the ridges of my spine. I've never felt so good and turned on in my life, even relieving myself in a hot fantasy. It's never been this intense.
My fingertips find the bottom of Haru's shirt and I basically rip it over his head and toss it to the floor, then I let my lips finally find his. Just before touching, I hear him call out my name, "Rin…" and another shiver of pleasure runs down my back because of him. Haru has been the cause of so much sensation, so I am not surprised he will be the cause of all this tension.
As we make out, I feel the sensation of saliva running over and dipping off of our tongues and lips, and if I weren't so engulfed in him, I would have backed away in disgust, but this only fed my unquenchable desire. Yes, I like him. Yes, I want him. I want him SO BAD. I don't want to ever let him go. I've always liked him. I've wanted him since we were twelve, but I was scared to do anything about it. It's been five years and I'm not scared anymore, so I will indulge in every piece of his body and soul. He will be MINE, and I will make him say it himself. He will want me. "Haru, I want you… right now." I managed between lip locks.
I release my lips from his and he gasps deeply, panting fast. It satisfies me deeply that I took his breath away as I stand up on my knees and hook my thumbs in the waistline of my sweatpants. I pull them down and shrug them off my legs, leaving me in only my boxers. I reach for Haru's jeans and undo them quickly. The realization of what's going on shows up on his face and his eyes pop open as I pull his pants off to reveal a swimsuit. Seriously?
I lie back on top of him and kiss his neck, being sure to mark up the other side, too. "Is this ok?" I breathe as I slip my fingers under the swimsuit on the sides of his waist, threatening to pull them down and observe his full glory.
I feel his voice catch as he struggles for the words. He gives up and nods his head vigorously, and I give a wide smirk into his shoulder as I slide the swimsuit down past his knees. I haven't seen anything and I'm not quite ready yet. I just lay there and prepare myself. This is about to happen… This is actually about to happen…
Click this link for the smut (warning: mature content): art/Free-Sharkbait-Chapter-1-412533541
"Haru…" I whisper in his ear as he snuggles up into the bed sheets. We lay panting, spooning with me behind him and holding him tight.
He hums at me inquiringly and I kiss his neck again. "I never want to let go of you…"
"Please don't." He replies simply.
"I won't. Haru…" I hesitate at what I'm about to say, scared of his reaction. "…I want you to be mine."
I feel him take a small gasp and he thinks for a moment, playing with my fingers on his chest. "What are you saying, Rin?"
"I want you…" Here it goes, "to be my boyfriend, Haru. I want to be yours wholly, and I want you to be mine. Will be my boyfriend?"
I feet him go still with shock under my arm, which makes me nervous. "Haru?" I crane my neck to look at his face and he's avoiding look at me. "What's wrong?" He closes his eyes and pretends to go to sleep.
"Haru…?" I muse quietly and lay my head back down. Did I do something wrong? I didn't hurt him, did I? Why won't he answer?"Goodnight, Haru…" I breath into his hair as I close my eyes as well.