Title: Plans for the Future
Chapter Title: Pets
(Fic Series): A Life Worth Living
Fandom: Free!
Pairings: Sousuke/Rin
Rating: T
Warnings: Rin being a tease? Appearance of Ai?
Summary: Post-Free! Eternal Summer Future Fic
Rin starts making plans for the future and Sousuke finds the ideas and hopes worming their way into his heart.
A collection of different conversations about the future between Rin and Sousuke, all set at random periods of time between their get together and graduation.
Chapter Summary:
Rin and Sousuke meet up with Ai for lunch.
A/N:
This was also a lot of fun to write and I hope everyone enjoys it! I wanted to finish another chapter since the last one was so short.
I keep making Rin a terrible tease, but honestly it's only because he's so comfortable with Ai, he couldn't be a tease in front of anyone else. Also I can't see Ai getting over using honorifics easily, but he tries, he really does.
Plans for the Future
Chapter 4:Pets
"Rin-sempai! Yamazaki-Sempai!"
Nitori Aiichiro was standing at their meeting place, waving one hand in the air frantically, the other holding his bag's strap in a tight grip. Rin had seen the boy long before he had caught sight of them but didn't want to make a spectacle of himself by calling out to him when they were still so far away. He hadn't seen Nitori since graduation so it was no surprise that the other was excited, and Rin felt just a tad bit guilty seeing that excitement in person.
It wasn't like Rin was particularly busier than he ever was. Sure he had left the country for a week, and he had been going to the local swim club and gym more than before to follow his new coaches' suggested training regime. Not to mention he was teaching Sousuke English in between studying regularly to make sure there wouldn't be a gap when he entered college, but he could have made time.
"Stop that, you're going to worry him," Sousuke muttered beside him. He smacked the back of his hand against Rin's forehead. "You know, you're going to get wrinkles if you keep thinking too much."
"I'm not thinking too much, and I'm not getting wrinkles," Rin grumbled, pushing his boyfriend. Sousuke said nothing as their small friend came bouncing up to them.
"Rin-sempai! Yamazaki-sempai! It's so good to see you both!" He smiled at them in cheery delight. Rin calmed under his friend's gaze.
"It's good to see you too, Ai."
"You look taller," Sousuke commented with a grin. Rin shoved his boyfriend again, both knowing it wasn't true, but he said nothing because Ai was already beaming at Sousuke like he was his savior.
"It would be good if that was true! It'd make being captain easier anyways," Ai sighed. "I really don't know how you did it Rin-sempai."
"Ai, how many times have I told you to stop calling me that?" Rin forced a frown, making a show of being mad. Ai startled before stuttering, a bright flush on his cheeks.
"Ah! Sorry Rin-san, Rin-kun! It's just an old habit," Ai said with a smile, though it wavered in his nervousness. Rin sighed, letting his continued use of honorifics slide.
"Yeah, yeah, so are we going to go eat, or what?" He smiled as the boy jumped again. He turned towards the restaurant they had decided to meet at.
"Of course!"
The bouncing ball of nervous energy led them into the family restaurant. Sousuke traveled behind the two, watching how at ease Rin felt with Ai. He knew it wasn't only Ai who needed this, Rin needed to remember he had friends too. That he couldn't just continuously push himself.
"Yamazaki, I mean, Sousuke-sempai?" Ai ventured.
Sousuke glanced over at him, having gotten a little lost in his own musings. Rin was already shuffling into the booth, sitting closest to the window. The smaller boy gestured to the seat and he offered the boy a smile, sliding in next to Rin. Ai settled down after that and sat himself across from them. The attentive boy had noticed Sousuke's daze, though he likely confused the reason for it.
Their lunch went on peacefully. Ai relayed to them some of the crazy happenings at Samezuka, and inquired about Rin's future and Sousuke's shoulder in roundabout ways. Sousuke surprised him by being upfront about the status of his injury, and his uncertain future.
Rin assured them both that nothing was uncertain about Sousuke's future, and even told Ai that Sousuke would be going abroad with him. Ai commented on how close they were, and how wonderful it must be to have a childhood friend, neither bothered to correct him. Sousuke wouldn't mind, but Rin was still very cautious when it came to who to tell about their status as boyfriends. He was set on furthering them, not hindering them, he had once said.
Sousuke allowed himself to be pulled along by the conversation as it carried on between the more talkative members of their small group. He enjoyed watching the two boys react to things they had said. He was glad that Ai had been there for Rin when Sousuke couldn't. He was a good friend, though Rin said he was terrible to have as a roommate.
"Cats? But Rin-kun, you seem like such a dog person!" Ai exclaimed, disappointed in having been wrong. Rin chuckled a bit, discreetly hooking ankles with Sousuke under the table. He stole a few fries from his best friend's plate, gobbling them down easily.
"I do like dogs, but they're really high maintenance and it's not like I could spend a lot of time looking after them. I didn't like cats too much at first either, but that was before I met Haru and Makoto, they're cat-fiends," he laughed.
"Tachibana-san and Nanase-san like cats?" Ai asked.
"Love them," he snorted. "Like I said, cat-fiends. They kind of grew on me after that."
"So that's why you want a cat instead Rin-kun? Because they're not as much work?" Ai took a dainty bite out of his sandwich. Sousuke knew the kid could wolf it down as well as anybody, but he always tried to put on his best for Rin. He found it awfully endearing.
"That too, but they are work. They sulk if you ignore them for too long, and they'll scratch up your furniture if you forget to clip their nails or they're bored." Rin's smile didn't falter as he continued on about all the negative points of having a cat.
Sousuke couldn't follow the conversation well. He was more focused on the distracting touch of Rin's thigh against his, and the drag of his foot along his calf. He knew that Rin wasn't ready to let Ai know about them, but the amount of times he pulled stunts like this had him questioning if it all wasn't an elaborate ruse.
"Then what's good about them?" Ai questioned, confused by Rin's professed adoration of cats. Ai confessed to being more of a dog person himself.
"They're really cute all the time, no matter when, even when they're being little shits. All they do is laze around all day and go crazy at night, and if they want something they'll beg in the most adorable ways they can come up with. They're also really warm and soft, and purr when they're happy."
Rin's smile grew as he spoke about them, and so did his confidence. Rin had fully placed his leg on top of Sousuke's after a slow and thorough rubdown, and Sousuke was more than just a little quite. He had the sinking suspicion that Rin wasn't talking about cats anymore.
"Well, I suppose so. Does that mean you'll have cats when you're older?"
"I'd like to. Wouldn't you like to have kittens, Sousuke?" Rin smirked, eating more of his French fries. Sousuke hadn't touched his plate since Rin had started his games.
"I'm not much of an animal person, cats or dogs," Sousuke said with a frown, watching Rin carefully. Nothing in his demeanor changed. He took the words for face value and responded as such, but he was still suspicious of his mischievous boyfriend.
"That's also surprising," Ai observed. "I thought Sousuke-sempai would be a dog person."
Rin laughed, leg slipping back into his own personal space, though his foot snuck around to hook ankles with Sousuke's again.
"Ai, I think you think everyone's a dog person."
"But dogs are just too cute sempai!" Ai protested. "How could anyone not like dogs?"
Sousuke thought of the drooling, dribbling, slobbering beasts. He liked dogs in pictures, and dogs afar, but they were so messy and so needy. It didn't help that he had been bitten by a dog in his neighborhood as a child. If he had to choose, having cats would at least be a step up.
"I think I'd rather have cats," Sousuke remarked. Rin grinned, brushing shoulders with Sousuke.
"See? We definitely have to have two or three."
The smile on Rin's face told him the truth behind what he had said. He was serious, and Sousuke wasn't sure he'd be able to deny the boy ten hundred cats if he looked that happy just thinking about having three. He slouched against the booth in exasperation. Yes, cats were most definitely in their future. He felt a smile tug at his lips and tried to force it down. He attempted to steer his attention back to the two chatting in front of him, but all he could think about was Rin's crazy ideas. Rin's visions of them in their future home, playing with a couple of cats no doubt.
