Title: Adjusting
Chapter Title: Week 1 - Start
(Fic Series): A Life Worth Living
Fandom: Free!
Pairings: Sousuke/Rin
Rating: T
Warnings: Minor Original Characters?
Summary: Post-Free! Eternal Summer Future Fic
A look into how Sousuke and Rin adjust to life in Australia.
Chapter Summary:
Rin starts school and Sousuke stars feeling the anxiety that comes with an unforeseen future.
A/N:
This is really long, but I had so much fun writing it. I really just want to write out Sousuke's entire life, it's awful lol. I hope everyone likes it!
There are quite a bit of minor original characters because, well, you meet a lot of people in life. It's not like Sousuke could only know Rin during his entire time in Australia.
I'm sure nothing's accurate, but I did try to get a semi-realistic feel. I did look up the position of some apartments near the Sports & Fitness center and saw what it was like in the neighborhood (thanks google) so that it'd be less farfetched. And truthfully, life can get pretty crazy, there's not much that could be considered impossible.
If there are any glaring errors please let me know! I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did.
Adjusting
Week 1: Start
"I'll text you in between classes," he pressed. Rin hadn't left yet, still hesitating at the door. He always gave himself extra time before going anywhere, but that extra time was diminishing by the minute. Sousuke crossed over to him, gathering up his best friend in his arms and placing a warm kiss on his cheek.
"Only if you have time, you'll probably be too busy trying to find out where your classes are anyways."
Rin whined in the back of his throat before squeezing Sousuke and pulling back, placing a quick kiss on his jaw before opening the door.
"I won't be home until seven."
"Alright, I'll have dinner waiting," Sousuke laughed. Rin still stood at the door looking a bit lost. Sousuke gave him another kiss, brushing loose strands of his hair behind his ear. "I'll be fine, go already or you'll be late."
His anxious friend sighed, nodding his head in agreement before tossing another goodbye at Sousuke and closing the door behind him. Sousuke stood at the entrance a while longer before wandering back to the kitchen. It was small compared to the kitchen back home, and there were tiny bars over the window above the sink. The whole room felt dingy despite the light coming in, the creamy colors of the wall and white tiles making him a little sick. He pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed in deep.
They had already been in Australia for two weeks. The first week Rin and Sousuke had spent together getting organized and exploring the area. The second week did have Rin leaving for orientation during the weekdays, but even though Rin wasn't present during the whole day, Sousuke never felt too anxious. The whole thing felt surreal in a way, but now that Rin was starting school it seemed to hit Sousuke all at once.
He had to admit he was more than a bit uneasy about his current state. He hadn't gone anywhere without Rin, and though his daily English lessons continued he still wasn't confident when talking to people. He didn't like embarrassing himself.
Through Rin he had gotten a job at a local grocery store, but the only real reason they had hired him was because they needed muscle to help stocking at night. He had spent the past week in training and they decided to hire him, though he only got to work three days a week. Sousuke didn't mind but the late shift also meant that Sousuke had the whole day to himself. A whole day to think about how clueless he was, and how absolutely useless he was without Rin by his side.
Still, sulking in their studio apartment was not what he wanted to do. Their apartment was decent sized considering what they were paying for it, but it was still only one room, a bathroom and a kitchen. The location was great, only a five minute walk to Sydney Uni's Sports & Fitness building, but a forty minute commute to the Cumberland Campus for Rin. Despite the commute Rin actually found it more agreeable than moving somewhere between the two because then he would be allowed to come right home after swimming. Sousuke liked how excited Rin was about finding the place, but also disappointed that it would mean lunch together would be impractical and near impossible.
Sousuke pulled out some cereal, too tired to bother with making himself a proper breakfast. He felt restless, a sort of tingling sensation under his skin telling him he was out of his mind and should be doing something. The more he sat in the silence of the room the more restless he got. When he was done he washed his bowl and spoon and went to their room, pulling out a pair of shorts and a shirt. He grabbed his phone and slipped his earbuds in, relishing the white noise of his music. He needed a distraction, and what better distraction from his restlessness than a walk or a run?
Sousuke doubled, and triple checked that he had everything he needed. He slipped everything into a string backpack before leaving the apartment, locking it behind him. The air was warm, a gentle breeze carried on it. No matter how bothered by the changes, Sousuke found the sight of the little park across from him settling. The green grass and trees bringing a peace to his heart he never really knew. He never pegged himself to be one for nature.
He walked aimlessly, choosing a direction and walking along it, reading each sign in his head to get a better idea of where he was. He walked each street paying careful attention to what was on them. He even entered a few stores and checked out the lunch menus of some of the local restaurants. He found a pizza place and a Japanese eatery, as well as a Thai restaurant.
He spent a few hours walking the area before turning home. His legs ached pleasantly and he felt relief because of it. He wasn't made to sit still for long periods, even if he did nap often. When he made his way inside the apartment he flopped down on their large full-size bed. It was still a bit small, but much better than the twins they had been sandwiching in for the past year. He rolled his shoulder, remembering he should do his rehab exercises. Despite being theoretically healed he kept them up to improve his shoulder and keep it intact. He couldn't afford another surgery even if he wanted one.
As he relaxed he heard three soft dings interrupt his music. He unplugged himself from his phone and rolled onto his side, pulling the device into view. All three texts were, of course, from Rin. He opened up their conversation and grinned at the picture he saw. Rin was sitting in front of one of the buildings, grinning like an idiot. A boy was with him, one he recognized as one of the friends he made during orientation, the short neon hair being the big give away. Underneath Rin told him that he found his friend, Jake, and that they even had matching schedules for the day.
Sousuke chuckled before responding in awful text talk that he thought it was great that he had a friend for class. It's not that he couldn't text right, especially with the autocorrect, but he liked how it bugged Rin. He asked about how everything was going so far, and Rin responded that he actually really liked the two professors he met. He had one more class before he could head home but it didn't start until four.
They sent each other stupid pictures while waiting out Rin's interval between classes. Sousuke sent pictures of his late lunch and Rin sent pictures of his campus. He felt relieved that Rin was having a good time, and even more thankful that he had yet to notice his own anxiety. His restlessness had subsided for only a few short hours before it starting rearing up again. He vowed that he'd take an even longer walk tomorrow, maybe even head over to Victoria Park for a run.
When Rin's class finally started Sousuke busied himself with mindless exercise and cleaning. He even took a shower just to kill time. The slower that time seemed to pass by, the more tempted he was to leave the apartment again. It only took an hour and a half to provoke him into heading over to the grocery store to buy something unusual to make for dinner.
"I'm home!" Rin called from the entry way hours later, taking off his shoes and putting his belongs in their new homes. Sousuke welcomed him from the kitchen, finishing up their dinner.
"Pasta?" Two arms slunk around his waist, a pointed chin digging into his shoulder. Sousuke grinned, stirring the sauce he had made.
"Walked past an Italian place this morning and felt in the mood for it," he answered. He felt Rin's body stiffen up before he relaxed.
"You went out?" He could hear the surprise in his voice and smiled, knowing that it was a good surprise. Rin was happy Sousuke had ventured out of their little apartment.
"For a walk," he informed, turning his head back so he could kiss him. Sharp teeth gleamed at him when they pulled away.
"You know I might have said this before, but I love you."
"Oh yeah?" Sousuke asked, turning back to the sauce. He turned off the stovetop and went over to grab their plates.
"Yeah."