Author's Note: EEP! A little late this time on the update T3T Forgive me! Wows~ Thank you all for enjoying the fic so far. I hope this one is a bit more satisfying than the last chapter, because I don't want to keep dragging on the "mystery", you know? :3 It was really hard to write with the right timing *sobs* This chapter is also a tad bit longer :D

Warning: May be exaggerating character traits, so potential (extreme) OOCness. Ending still not quite decided, but you guys will see why soon enough. Not the typical love triangle perhaps. College!AU (and some events in high school are made up)

Chapter Two: No Secrets Between Friends

It had already been several years, hadn't it? And yet…

Haruka winced as he stepped on a shell, pain shooting up his weaker leg, but he didn't cry out or make any jerky movement. He knew that Makoto worried about him far too much to begin with. Any hint of him being in pain and the hulk would probably insist on carrying him.

He sighed, chuckling wryly to himself. That didn't sound like such a bad idea actually-

What was he thinking?! A man had to have his pride, right?

He sighed again, watching Nagisa strip and jump into the water with his trademark excitement. The lithe, small male moved through the water exuberantly, and Haruka couldn't help but feel a pang of envy, fond as he was of his junior. He missed the feeling of immersing himself in water and becoming one entity with it.

He wanted to pick up the shell but decided not to risk anything and left it there, cursing it for hurting him.

In any case, Haruka had already seen and registered everything – the surprise in Nagisa's face, the panic in Makoto's – after walking and turning around to look at them both back at the café. He had wondered how long he could possibly hide it, but in the presence of Nagisa's sharp gaze, he was bound to be found out sooner or later. Of course, he had tried to keep a steady gait but he still couldn't manage it.

On their way to the beach, he had thought that Nagisa would surely bug him about it and he'd have to tell the truth since they were friends and all. Nothing happened, though. It was just yet another way Makoto was supporting him, looking after him. No matter how outrageous his request had been back then, his tall friend had agreed to it and stuck with him all this time. It was Makoto who had taken care of him, Makoto who stayed with him by his side.

Makoto who kept his secret.

So it made sense, didn't it? Or was it just that he wanted to be in any kind of relationship? That couldn't be, considering he'd never really liked people in the first place. What did it even mean, to be in a relationship? If anything, Haruka knew there was a…physical side to things, but what else was there? They were already spending every second together anyway, weren't they?

If it was Makoto, he really wouldn't mind…

Would Makoto?

"-ru…-ru…Haru…?"

Haruka's questions flew out of his head, unanswered, as he turned to look into a pair of soft green eyes. Damn, he was close. It was only Haruka's usually expressionless self that stopped him from appearing too startled.

"Yeah?" he answered casually.

Makoto stayed silent for a bit, not saying anything, but Haruka could already see the "You okay?" expression clear in the brunet's face. It was just Makoto trying even harder to not annoy Haruka with his worry.

"I'll stop Nagisa," Makoto said at last, a puff of air escaping his lips as he exhaled. "If that's what you want still."

Haruka looked at him, lips quirking a little into a half-smile. "No, it's fine. It's just you and me that know so far. It won't be so bad to have him know. He's…a part of our group or something, right? So it'll be okay."

"Do you want to…? Or should I?"

Haruka simply nodded in response, knowing Makoto would understand him, squatting down slowly and taking a seat next to the waves that were splashing over the sand and receding as quickly as it came. The comfort that the water provided him was almost unmatched by any other.

The one exception probably being Makoto.

It was kind of funny how things worked out. Even though he didn't regret what he did and even though he thought he had lost a large part of himself, somehow he was just…fine. Would he have done anything differently? He liked to think, no.

"You should go have a swim, too," Haruka suggested quietly, unbuttoning his shirt. He ignored Makoto's flustered protesting ("Stop, Haru! You really don't have to strip!") and shielded his head from the sun with the piece of clothing.

Makoto, now calm, sounded a little wistful. "But…"

"Seriously, Makoto. I'm not an invalid," Haruka muttered. "I'm fine with just watching you."

"That sounds creepy," Makoto teased lightly, but he tugged the shirt over his head and shook out his hair, tossing the fabric lightly down on to the sand. Haruka surprised himself by having to fight the selfish feeling of wanting the other male to stay right by him. After years of Makoto's sole company, it was like he had become…

Desperate.

Haruka sighed yet again, reaching up to his temple with two fingers, when Makoto surprised him by sitting down right next to him. A strangely warm feeling spread over his chest.

That's the sun, you fool, Haruka chided himself inwardly.

"I'll go into the water if you do," Makoto said calmly, looking straight ahead.

An eyebrow twitched in irritation. "Don't tempt me. Makoto, you know I can't-"

"That's not true," Makoto murmured. "You know it's not."

"Tch, just go have fun when I say so, will you?" Haruka grumbled, plopping down on to the hot sand and almost regretting as it burned his back. Still, the water lapping at his limbs felt nice enough anyway.

"But…back there, at the café I mean, you were going to tell me something." Makoto prompted, obviously curious. "What were you going to say? It was about something we should do…"

Haruka's blue eyes widened. Embarrassment was not an emotion he was used to feeling. "I'll tell you later. Don't worry about it too much. Besides, Nagisa's going to get curious."

As if on cue, Nagisa shouted, "Aren't you two going to swim?"

"I'll be back then." Makoto bit his lips and stared at Haruka, who shooed him away with a light wave of his hand and dove into the water.

Too close.

He wasn't entirely sure if he should ever get those words out.

I think we should go out. I think we should try being a couple. I think we should try dating.

Urgh. It all sounded too…gross. Unappealing. Something made him hold back, though Haruka didn't really understand it.

But before he could think much further about the matter, he became distracted by Makoto's smooth, gliding form, quickly reaching Nagisa. Makoto really had a swimmer's body, tall as he was. Lanky arms, broad shoulders, and long legs, combined with toned muscles, he was possibly one of the most good-looking, fit athletes of the university.

But the stupid idiot had thought of giving up swimming for him. It was only because he'd insisted that Makoto continue swimming that the green-eyed male caved in.

Haruka wondered what he'd done in his past life to make a friend as special as Makoto (he would never admit this out loud, though). No matter how cruel he could be sometimes, it was like Makoto ultimately understood him.

Haruka squinted up at the clouds absentmindedly. Makoto was the kindest person he'd ever met – so kind, in fact, that it made him want to be meaner to the poor guy, tease and poke fun at him. Maybe Haruka was actually a sadist at heart.

No, the real sadist in their group was-

Haruka jerked up right instinctively, heart pounding. He didn't like the direction his thoughts were heading but it was too late. What had Nagisa said, again? Something about…

Rin.

He hadn't seen Rin in a long while. But he really didn't want to think about him, not now. Every time Rin became involved, his life became crazy, which wasn't a bad thing but…

His leg throbbed.

They'd fought again after making up in high school, this time because Haruka didn't want to go to a college specializing in swim. Rin had insisted they go together, but Haruka had already declined his place in the class because he hadn't wanted to enroll there. The only reason why he'd even applied was to appease Rin for the time being. They had split on bad terms yet again, probably because both of them were so stubborn in their own ways.

He really didn't want to think about this anymore. If he could, he wanted to lock up his memories for good…

Vaguely, Haruka heard Makoto's protest of "Wait, Nagisa-" but hardly paid enough attention to him, lost in his own mind.

"Haru-chan…? I wanted to ask you something…" Nagisa interrupted his thoughts completely, taking a seat right next to him, dripping wet. He panted for breath and flipped his hair a bit, spraying Haruka in the process.

Haruka sat up, coolly brushing off the droplets, and braced himself for the potential interrogation, only to have the blond ask him, "Are you okay?"

He blinked, seeing Makoto walk awkwardly away while maintaining eye contact. He nodded to the brunet to say that he'd be fine, and Makoto headed for the snack stand reluctantly to give them some privacy.

"It seems like a lot of people are asking me that these days. I'm fine."

"Well, you aren't swimming and it's…weird! In fact, the first year we went to high school together, you wanted to leap into a fish tank. That's how badly you wanted to swim and that's how you were all the time. You even caught a cold that time in April, was it? Do you remember? The pool was way too cold and you just dove in."

"I didn't catch a cold," Haruka insisted, remembering the time clearly. Though the water had felt exceptionally chilly, it had been rather refreshing, he thought. "It was just someone talking about me."

Nagisa laughed but his face quickly darkened, smile fading a little.

"Seriously though…I could have sworn…you were limping back there at the café…" Nagisa said quietly, as though he was scared to hear the answer. "I don't mean to pry or anything but that doesn't have anything to do with why you're not just jumping into the water, right?"

"No, you saw right," Haruka murmured, leaning back until he was facing the sun. He closed his eyes, feeling the water brush against his legs, seeing only the orange glow from behind his lids. It was peaceful and felt relieving, somehow, as though he was unburdening himself of something heavy. "I was limping."

"So…are you…feeling well? Do you want to tell me what happened?" Nagisa amended, taking care not to repeat the question. Still, Haruka sighed, slightly exasperated.

"I'm feeling fine, like I said. But…"

"It's just a sprain, right?" Nagisa said, almost desperately, as though he already knew the answer.

Haruka decided to be blunt. "I can't really swim anymore."

Dead silence.

He sat up slowly and opened his eyes to look at the water. Everything was incredibly bright and focused, like a scenic photo. But he knew Nagisa was probably shocked. How would the blond take it? He expected to hear a gasp or a surprised "are you serious?" or something along those lines.

What he didn't expect was what he heard. A sob.

"Hey, hey," Haruka grimaced. Of all things, the events were unfolding like a cheesy story. Wasn't Nagisa being a little too emotional? "Don't tell me-"

"MAKO-CHAN!" Nagisa wailed and the gentle male came running, a plastic bag in one hand, cash and receipt in the other. "What's going on? Why?"

"He'll tell you, so calm down," Makoto tried to say, eyes sympathetic, but his words were all but drowned out by Nagisa's crying. The blond was so loud, in fact, that every person there on the beach (and there were quite a few) began staring openly at the three of them.

"Be quiet," Haruka said in a tone so decisive that Nagisa's mouth snapped shut, though tears still filled the violet eyes. His voice softened as he tried to explain.

"I hurt my leg badly in an accident, that's all. It's affected my hip and knees a bit. It took a while to learn how to walk without crutches. Swimming is going to be harder to…readjust to," Haruka admitted a little vaguely. "They don't tell me it's impossible but they think it. Anyway…just…don't talk about this to anyone. When it happened, only Makoto knew about it."

"Haru-chan hic, you must have been hurting so badly hic and you didn't tell me, you jerk?!" Nagisa hiccupped.

"I'm telling you now, aren't I?" Haruka said uncomfortably. "And I'm not 'hurting' anymore, so you don't have to worry-"

"I…I feel awful now! I just went into the water all excitedly without knowing how you'd feel," Nagisa said quietly all of a sudden, as though he was drained of all his energy. "Haru-chan…"

"Like I said, I'm okay. Things are just the way they are," Haruka shrugged.

"I…I always…wanted to swim with you guys again," Nagisa mumbled, tears dripping onto the sand like the water droplets from his hair. "But at the very least, I'm glad you're okay."

"Well, now you know. Makoto, can I have a popsicle?" Haruka said coolly, trying to change the subject. Nagisa's overwhelming concern was making him feel strangely guilty. Makoto handed it to him wordlessly. "Thanks."

"I think…I'm going to go home now, if that's okay," the blond said softly, scrubbing at his tears and smiling brightly. "Bye, Haru-chan! Bye, Mako-chan!"

It was now Haruka that was worried, but Makoto merely smiled back and waved, covering up the awkwardness of the situation.

[~ * ~]

Nagisa cried.

All the way from the beach to his dorm, he hadn't taken a single bus or cab. He walked, letting the tears just flow. He needed to get it out of his system or he'd cry the next time he saw Haruka. And that would just make Haruka more miserable, even if he didn't show emotions all that well.

Nagisa knew it was wrong for him to feel so sad about his friend, because even Haruka seemed to be dealing with it quite well. If only he'd been able to help in some way…

For Haruka, taking away swimming was like taking away breathing from any other person. He was absolutely perfect and free in the water that he loved so much. It defined his personality and had taken up the largest part of his life. Seafood, swimming, bathing, everything had to do with water.

So, what cruelty was this?

Somehow, Nagisa was just sad. It was okay that Haruka didn't want to tell people. It was okay that Makoto had been the only one to know and that Nagisa himself had only found out probably years after it had happened.

What was not okay was the fact that no matter how much Haruka tried to hide it, the expression of longing for the water had been plain in his eyes, in his face.

Nagisa had noticed this as he was in the water. He hadn't known that Makoto was trying to distract him, but that was probably what it was all about. There was something very unnatural about it all, about Haruka staying behind the way he did, and his instincts had been right.

Still…

"Nagisa-kun?"

Horrified, Nagisa rubbed his face harshly with his shirt, only to have the fabric tangle clumsily around his finger. Was that even possible?! He yanked but to no avail; he was so disoriented with such puffy eyes that he couldn't function properly.

"What are you doing?! Put your shirt down right now," the familiar voice demanded, sounding scandalized.

"I wish I could," Nagisa said sheepishly, sounding nasal. "Somehow I managed to do this to myself."

Suddenly, his shirt was being yanked down, caught fingers and all.

"Ow," Nagisa winced, as he stared directly up into the unforgivingly (beautiful – at least, Nagisa thought so) features of Rei Ryugasaki. The light glared off his glasses, giving him a menacing look. "Sorry, sorry."

"I get that it's hot but is it necessary to go around almost shirtless like that?" Rei grumbled.

Good. He didn't notice yet-

"Are you…are you crying?"

Damn!

"No, not at all!" Nagisa cheered happily. "I'm just swelling up from the heat, that's all-"

"I can easily see through a lie that unnatural. And your eyes are definitely not swelling from the heat," Rei insisted, his tone becoming more gentle. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, by the way," Nagisa blatantly ignored him. "Why are you outside right now?"

"N-no particular reason," Rei mumbled, lifting his glasses in his typical nervous manner.

"Liar," Nagisa teased. "Were you waiting for me?"

"Not at all. It just happened to be a nice day," he replied lamely. It was incredibly hot outside, and it was easy to observe the sweat drops glistening on his forehead.

"Let's go inside then," Nagisa said, taking the taller male by the hand and dragging him to the dorm building. When they got inside, they were hit by waves of cool air and Nagisa shivered, feeling the after-crying chill. He continued to ignore Rei's concerned questions, blocking them out easily enough until they got inside their shared dorm room.

"Nagisa-kun!"

"What-"

He found himself being tugged, a pair of large hands holding him steady. Rei stared at him intently, as though he were studying him.

"Are you seriously alright?"

Nagisa's eyes began to sting and he chomped on his lip. "I'm fine."

"That's not going to convince anyone," Rei said, his concern overpowering his usual stubborn and easily embarrassed self. "You cried."

Rei continued to stare at him.

"…I-It's Haru-chan's fault!" Nagisa blurted out accidentally, too nervous from the steady gaze. Usually it was him that kept poking and prodding Rei but when the taller male was serious, it threw him off balance.

"Haru-chan…? Haru-san made you cry?"

"No!" Nagisa shouted. Why was it such a mess? He'd already pretty much promised not to tell anyone else. "I mean, no, it's not. I'm just sad, that's all. He just made me sad. But it's really not his fault."

"I…I see…" Rei said uncertainly, suddenly drawing back and looking away as though he didn't know what to think, as though Nagisa's tears were an anomaly. "Well…you should stop if you can. But I understand that tears sometimes are necessary-"

"Rei-chan." Nagisa's eyes began to fill with tears.

"W-What?"

Nagisa looked down at the floor, upset. He wasn't usually like this, really, he wasn't. But…

"Erm…fine."

Before he could ask why Rei would say such a thing, Nagisa felt Rei approach him and get closer. When he blinked, he saw stiff arms trying to…hug him? Rei's face was the shade of a tomato and Nagisa would have laughed despite his tears if the other male didn't give up and pat him on the head instead.

It was a surprisingly comforting feeling, a calloused, warm hand ruffling his hair.

"Rei-chan…?"

"Don't feel…erm…sad," Rei muttered.

If Rei was going to try his best to cheer him up, Nagisa knew he had to stop crying. If Haruka said he was okay, if Makoto was there for him…

He would just have to be as he always was, too.

"Rei-chan," Nagisa said quietly.

"Yes?"

"I love you," Nagisa smiled, all but launching himself into Rei's arms, burying his face against the sturdily built chest so fast that the other male hardly got the chance to defend himself.

"What are you doing?! It's…it's…it's hot, you know!"

"I know. Maybe we should take a cold shower together."

"Nagisa-kun!"

"Okay, okay, I'll stop teasing you…"

Side Note: Did you guys know that brunet is the male version of a brown-haired person? I took 4 years of French and I didn't really think about using the "female" version T3T but instinctively, I (almost) always use(d) "blond" instead of "blonde" when talking about a dude…I feel like I used "brunette" incorrectly, LOL I don't know what I'm saying.

Also: I couldn't help but include Nagisa & Rei *fangirls* more details about their relationship in the next chapter LOL as well as more about Rin

Hope you guys enjoyed the update!