This time, Rin thinks, his pool light must definitely be broken. He never did get chance to figure out if it was just tripping out of its own accord or if it was all that idiot Nanase's fault, after all. Surely, surely, it must just be faulty.
A guy can hope, right?
Three nights of unbroken sleep can put Matsuoka Rin in a frighteningly optimistic mood.
A mood which disappears at the sight of a certain head of black hair bobbing in his pool.
"Oh for fuck's sake, get out of my pool!" Rin demands, storming out of his sun room and heading straight to the edge of the water.
Nanase deftly avoids the arm that swings down to grab him and Rin is left bewildered at how easily this guy moves in the water. He's broken his rhythm to get away from Rin, and is now twirling idly underwater, twisting his body and kicking his legs like a dolphin. Finally, he comes to a halt in the middle of the pool and narrows his eyes at Rin, who just smirks.
"Out," he says in a sharp tone.
And that bored face just disappears beneath the water again.
The next time the light glints on as Nanase reaches the far end of the pool, apparently resuming his laps, Rin sees the shadows of his strewn clothes, scattered by his deck chairs, and heads over to find his phone. He knows just who to call.
"He's in my pool again," he says in a gritty voice before Tachibana can even get a word out.
"Matsuoka?!" the man on the other end squeaks, his voice disproportionately high for his size.
"Mmhmm," Rin agrees, keeping an eye on the idiot as he picks up the abandoned clothes.
"I'll be there as soon as I can. I'm so sorry about this!"
Neither bothers with pleasantries as the call ends. Rin is far more bothered with getting this idiot out of his pool.
"Oi!" he calls, and for a split second Nanase pauses, and Rin thinks he might have cracked his stony revere.
But he just continues swimming.
Rin heads inside and dumps Nanase's clothes in the lounge, before getting the same towels the kid had used the other day out of the utility room where they've dried, waiting to be washed. He gives them a quick sniff to make sure they don't smell damp, and then wonders why he even cares. He decides it's because he doesn't really want a wet couch.
He goes back out to the pool and lays himself down on the flags, awaiting Nanase. The kid doesn't know what hits him when two hands swoop down and grab him by the arms, making him splutter to the surface, only to be met with Rin's toothy grin. He looks a little worried. It's the first emotion Rin's seen.
"Out," he starts, and leans in. "Of. My. Pool," enunciating each syllable as he leans in to hiss against his ear.
Nanase, for his part, hardly resists as Rin practically lifts him out of the pool and sits him on the side, handing him the towel.
"Dry off and get inside before you catch a fucking cold," Rin says, with not nearly as much bite as he intended as he holds open the back door, letting the idiot in in front of him.
"Just like Makoto," he says as he passes.
As he turns the key in the lock, he wonders why he hasn't called the police again. Nanase has quite happily wandered off and presumably plonked himself and his swimsuit clad bottom onto his couch without a care, and Rin feels like he should be more worried than amused.
He's still smirking when he finds the kid, and smirks even harder at his scowl.
"So what's that face for?" he says, taking a recliner across from Nanase.
Nanase doesn't even spare him a glance upwards and pulls the towel tighter around his shoulders.
Rin leans over and turns the heater on, and they wait for the phone to ring in a strange, but not awkward silence.
"You're wearing pants this time," Nanase mumbles casually as Rin leans in the doorway after buzzing the front gate open.
"You're not," Rin says in the same tone, unsure what else to do.
Nanase sighs and rolls his eyes over at the pile of clothes, as if getting dressed is his most resented chore, but pulls his clothes on all the same.
Tachibana collects him with another flurry of 'thank you's and apologies, and Nanase simply huffs on his way out. Before he goes to bed, a little niggle in the back of his head tells Rin to wash Nanase's towel, and for some reason he obeys it. He even gets it dried and folded by lunchtime the next day, and can't pin point a reason to leave it sitting on the end table in the sun room.
Well, he can, but there's no way he's going to admit that. Even to himself.
Rin isn't even in bed when he next has to think about that little 'reason'.
"Oh for fuck's sake, Nanase," Rin yells into his garden.
The splashing sounds immediately stop.
"Ten minutes," that silky voice calls back.
Rin stops in his tracks, completely floored, and almost finds himself agreeing to what he assumes is a request for permission.
Until he realises that it's after midnight, it's still too cold to be swimming, and this idiot kid needs to get the fuck out of his pool.
"Nanase!" he barks, standing at the edge to reach in and grab him.
He doesn't grace him with a response again, and is doing those little twirls underwater that Rin can't help being fascinated by. The kid always looked so rigid in the house – or just on land – that he finds the contrast to how he moves in the water quite remarkable.
At least his burglar is nice to look at.
Rin's already decided he has a pretty weird life. Weird, but definitely awesome. He has all he's ever dreamed of now that his old high school band, Samezuka, has actually made it into the charts. The money is certainly nice, and he loves the support of his fans. Knowing his picture is on the wall of many a girl's bedroom isn't as creepy as he used to think. In fact, it's flattering.
After a rather lengthy sold out tour, Rin was glad to be taking a few months to relax and write songs at his leisure. His life was almost feeling normal – until he realised he couldn't actually go anyway without having people point and scream. He knows it's egotistical to like the attention, but he loves it.
He glances at his phone. The kid's had seven minutes. Rin can wait it out a little longer.
There's something about this kid. Something surreal. As if having him break into his estate by some miracle Rin hasn't figured yet on a recurring basis wasn't surreal enough, all he seems interested in is swimming in the pool. It felt offensive to not be recognised on sight as he so often is now, and he took an even bigger hit to his self-esteem when the kid didn't even recognise his name.
What's even weirder is just how nice it feels to have someone treat him so indifferently for the first time in three years. The kid is probably a few degrees past crazy, but not having someone jitter with nerves and excitement at the sight of him is somewhat humbling, after getting over his own ego.
It's normal, he decides.
Rin checks the time on his phone again and calls out when the kid next surfaces. "You said ten minutes, you've had twelve. Come on, out."
Nanase paddles over obediently, and even accepts the hand Rin was going to use to drag him out like usual and steps out in a graceful manner. He heads over to the back door and opens it.
"Aren't you coming in? It's cold," he asks in his same dull tone as he lets himself into Rin's house, picking up the towel.
Rin kick starts himself with a growl and swipes up Nanase's clothing, following him inside, ready to chew him out for his cheek. For some reason he makes a detour to the kettle on his way through to the front room.
"You're shivering," he says, which is a phrase that has far too few curse words and really doesn't get across the point of don't just invite yourself in. "There's a bathroom across the hall with a shower."
He doesn't say it as an invitation – because who invites a pool-burglar to use the shower? But Nanase takes it as such, and wanders out, directed by a point from Rin who's now on his way to make some hot tea. For himself, of course.
Setting the tray down on the table, he can hear the shower is still going so takes Nanase's phone.
Come and get him, he texts to Tachibana.
Nanase is still in the shower when he buzzes the rather ruffled looking man in.
"I'm really, really sorry about this," he says with an exasperated breath.
Rin shrugs and invites Tachibana into the lounge, where he offers him one of the three teacups.
"I let him have a shower," he explains when Tachibana notices Nanase's absence. "Is there… uh… something wrong with him?" he asks nervously.
Tachibana's lips curl up slightly as he takes a sip of the tea. "No… I know he's a bit… odd," he says, deciding on the word after a brief pause.
"Because breaking into my backyard and using my pool is just a bit odd, right."
Tachibana squirms slightly. This is what Rin has become more accustomed to.
"He's harmless, right?" he asks, just to clarify he isn't making some huge mistake by not calling the police.
A mistake he's made three times already, and still can't justify.
"He just really likes swimming… the community pool closed in town recently."
Peering through the doorway, Rin can see Nanase dressed in only a towel walking down the hall and gets up to lead him back into the room. It's a big house, he's probably gotten lost.
"I'm just getting some underwear," Nanase says as soon as Rin moves, and heads straight for the utility room.
Tachibana's mouth falls open. So does Rin's. This fucking kid.
He returns to the lounge in nothing but Rin's red guitar-printed boxer briefs. Designer, of course. They're a little loose on Nanase's tiny ass and Rin doesn't know if he's jealous of the man's trimmer figure, or disappointed he's not getting a more skin tight view. Then he realises he shouldn't think either of those. Tachibana makes a face at him, but it's enough of an instruction to get dressed.
Nanase takes the final tea cup without prompt, casually leaning back on the couch. Rin could almost laugh, but he settles for a subtle smile.
Rin gets up and heads to the front door as soon as both men's teacups are set back down, followed diligently by Tachibana who's dragging the idiot behind him.
"Again, I'm really, really sorry," he says at the door.
Rin shrugs and turns to Nanase. "Can you…uh…" not break into my pool? "Break in a little earlier next time? I have things to do."
"Whatever," comes the silky voice, though with a small hint of amusement and a glint in his eye as he meets Rin's.
Rin promptly locks the door and goes to bed. His heart is beating far too fast and it's because he's so tired of this bullshit.
He's not at all lonely the next day when he goes to sleep without interruption.
