I finally watched the Free! movie, and found a partner for Kisumi. Or should I say partners... I gave it some thought and came up with the right idea what would fit these characters.

Since we also know most of them only as 12 year olds, I will fill in some gaps on my own and have them more mature than they were in the movie.

Hope you'll enjoy!

...

Pushing his soft pink locks to the side, he squinted his eyes to see the traffic light across the street better. The rain made it impossible to tell if it had turned blue already or not, but so far no one else was moving, so he stood his ground, and waited with them, clothes soaked all the way through by now.

This wasn't strange weather for the time of year, that point where summer was slipping away, making room for autumn. The seas had heated up, sending all kinds of thunder storms their way. For now it was at least sticking to rain, but the wind that had carried it land inward made it impossible to hide away under an umbrella. A few people around held onto theirs for dear life, but most had broken down already. Kisumi hadn't bothered at all with one, knowing his cheap one he had gotten at the drug store as some kind of gift was not going to hold up against this weather. He didn't have the time or energy to buy a better one, which his mother would curse him for.

As the other pedestrians finally started crossing, Kisumi tried to push his way through as fast as possible, but this was the centre of Tokyo. Fast crossing was not something possible here as there were simply too many people. In all honesty Kisumi hadn't gotten used to Tokyo yet. He had moved her a little over a month ago and still had trouble adjusting to the loudness of it all. Tokyo made Iwatobi look like a tiny farmer town, while before Kisumi always thought Iwatobi was quite prosperous.

Tugging at his tie, Kisumi loosened the knot a little, giving himself some room to breathe. It had been his own decision to come here after university to continue on working in his studied field. There were a lot more job opportunities here, especially in Marketing, so it had been an easy decision made. His parents had supported him, his little brother had too. And so he had made the journey here.

A job had been easily found, the only downside being that he started at the lowest position possible, but that was how things worked here. You had to work your way up. The only good thing that had really happened so far, was that he had gotten back in contact with his hold friends. Seeing Makoto, Sousuke, Haru and Rin again made up for a lot, and after a good talk, they had stayed in touch as well. It made things a little less lonely, though Kisumi had to admit loneliness still tugged at his heart, but it was a different kind. Seeing such a happy couple all the time really made one realise how very single they were.

Reaching the end of the crossing Kisumi quickly turned right and practically sprinted down the steps to the subway station, almost losing his footing on those slippery wet stones. Thankfully he made it down alive. Flashing his card against the gates of the station Kisumi entered the platform. Being out of the rain made him feel slightly better already, and the prospect of almost being home did even more.

"If it isn't Kiss-me."

The sudden mention of his 'nickname' made Kisumi jerk his head to the source, finding a familiar smirk, fiery red hair, and a burgundy gaze to match. "Asahi?"

The redhead moved towards him, weaving around a few other people who were eager to get home. He still carried this confident air around him Kisumi remembered so well. It was the way he held himself, with his chin lifted in the air, one hand casually stuffed in a jeans' pocket. And it wasn't as if Asahi was overconfident, since Kisumi knew about some insecurities he had had in the past, but you wouldn't be able to tell at first glance. It's something Kisumi had liked about him, together with his temper and loud mouth.

"Hey, man," Asahi said once he had reached Kisumi, holding up his hand for Kisumi to grab. They avoided hugs at this point, the wet sound their hands made when meeting enough of an indication. It hadn't been just Kisumi who had fought the rain outside. "Long time no see. How have you been?"

Kisumi hadn't seen Asahi since graduation from middle school, and was a bit too taken aback to respond right away. Asahi's voice had gotten rougher, holding some kind of raspy edge to it that sent tingles down Kisumi's spine, though something else might be the cause of that as well. Kisumi was slightly taller than him, but Asahi was far more muscular. Clearly he was still an athletic, while Kisumi hadn't played basketball anymore since he finished university. His red mop of hair was flattened due to the rain now, but it looked a bit longer than it was in middle school. Asahi had really changed and yet it all felt so familiar. The thing that stood out the most though, something that really made Kisumi lose his senses, was that musky smell Asahi carried around. The rain had washed most of it away, but Kisumi could still pick up on it.

"Right now I feel a bit drenched, but other than that I'm okay," he finally replied after Asahi raised an amused eyebrow at him.

"Ah yeah, I guess this isn't really the time to catch up with old friends. The weather, the crowd, not really a fitting scenery."

Kisumi glanced around, seeing all the soaking wet clothes sticking to the people around, most even avoiding checking their phones, choosing to simply stand and feel bad for themselves. It wasn't a good environment to meet up, but did that really matter? "Isn't it always the right time to see an old friend again," Kisumi relayed as he moved to look back at Asahi again.

The grin that broke out on Asahi's lips made Kisumi's heart flutter, and he cursed himself for doing this again. Getting ahead of himself. "Ever the optimist. Glad you didn't change that about yourself, Kisumi," Asahi replied, right as the subway rolled into the station, giving Kisumi no room to reply to the last statement. "Let's get on before it's completely full and we need to wait on the next one again." Asahi grabbed Kisumi's sleeve and pulled him forward, effectively getting them on the crowded subway.

It was full in the cabin, very full. Everyone was pressed together, meaning Asahi's chest was pushed up against Kisumi's, leaving no personal space between them. This was normal in the subway, and with strangers Kisumi didn't mind, but this felt different. Feeling his old classmate's breath fan over his face with every exhale, his chest expanding with every inhale. And of course now that they were cramped in a tiny space with so little room between them, that musky scent rose up even more, stinging Kisumi's senses.

"Still think this was the right time to see each other again," Asahi teased as a swerve in the road pushed him even closer against Kisumi.

At least on the outside Kisumi was always able to keep his composure, a sweet smile on his lips as an initial reply. "Maybe it's a little awkward, but I'm always happy to see Asahi," he said sweetly, making the smile on Asahi's lips disappear for a second before setting in again. He then shook his head in reply, letting a soft chuckle fill the air between them. Nothing else was said as Asahi couldn't keep up the conversation while being this close, averting his face to the left to give them some space to breathe without feeling the other's breath. But Kisumi didn't like the silence, always speaking before he really thought his words through. "So how have you been? Seeing anyone?"

Burgundy eyes shot right back to him in surprise, and then Asahi chuckled again. "You really are as bold as ever, aren't you?" Asahi said back first, Kisumi's question being a bit too personal to discuss straight away, unless you really only had ulterior motives. It wasn't even what Kisumi really meant with it, but he simply couldn't keep his curiosity at bay. "I've been good, and I am single." As a reply Kisumi only hummed, not wanting to show too much emotion right of the bat. But this only made Asahi stare at him, trying to read his expression as Kisumi did his best to hide it from him. "How about you? Are you in a relationship?" Asahi asked eventually, admitting defeat.

"I'm not," Kisumi said. He met Asahi's gaze and they stared at each other for a while, before averting their eyes when things got uncomfortable.

"I saw Ikuya the other day too. Had been years since I saw him last as well," Asahi said, breaking the silence. It was peculiar Asahi decided to mention it now, as if he was implying something. "We want to meet up soon and catch up."

"Oh, that's great," Kisumi replied, putting on a sweet smile. "It's good to catch up with old friends. See where they are now and what they've been up to."

"We should do that too."

The determination in Asahi's voice vibrated through Kisumi's body, making him unable to refuse, even if he had wanted to. That dark burgundy stare sunk deep into him, and Kisumi found himself swallowing heavily under it. Why was this encounter so different from others? Was it because of some kind of weird chemistry between them? Or was Kisumi overthinking things? Expecting too much, because he wanted what his other friends had. And Asahi was exactly that. A childhood friend who could become more. "Yeah, I would like that," Kisumi answered, shooting Asahi another sweet smile to mask his real feelings.

"Okay, give me your number. Then we can plan when to meet up," Asahi said cheerfully, flipping out his phone to punch in Kisumi's number. Right as he did so the subway reached its first stop, making people push their way out of the carriage again. It caused Asahi to fall forward against Kisumi, his free hand landing on Kisumi's hip to steady himself. Feeling those warm fingers slide over his wet dress shirt, burning the skin under it, made the situation even worse. Adding feeling Asahi's breathing fan out over his neck, made Kisumi want to bolt out of the carriage. "Sorry," Asahi murmured as he pulled himself back, his red hair tickling the side of Kisumi's face.

They stayed quiet as Kisumi added his number to Asahi's phone before giving it back. The quietness between them became very noticeable, but Kisumi couldn't bring himself to speak. Normally he would've. Filled the silence with mindless chatter that left his lips with such ease.

Keeping his attention on his phone Asahi seemed to be answering a text, but when he started speaking, Kisumi understood it was some kind of façade. "You know I never expected you to be an Omega, with how manipulative you were and all," Asahi said innocently, breaching the subject they had been avoiding so far. For a second he smiled up at Kisumi, and then turned his attention back down to his phone.

"I always expected you to be an Alpha. You've always been prone to lead, though I hope you've gotten better at it since middle school," Kisumi teased, glad he found his composure again with this subject. He really should just not think too much. When he started thinking, things went awry.

A cheeky smile was sent his way, Asahi probably quite happy with Kisumi's opinion. "Well, I guess it was just meant to be. I was a born Alpha."

"Of course you were born with it. It's in your genes."

"Know-it-all," Asahi said, giving Kisumi an eye roll with an added smile. The subway came to a halt again, doors slowly opening. Asahi shot a quick look outside at the sign and then cursed softly under his breath. "This is my stop. It was great seeing you! I'll give you a call, so we can set up the get together."

"Are you going to ask me out on a date?" Kisumi said with a wink, heart skipping a hopeful beat.

Stepping outside the cart Asahi called over his shoulder, "you wish, Kiss-me."

...

What did you think so far?

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Love, Dana