A/N: Thanks to FanofBellaandEdward for being my beta!

X

Driving Haru to swimming practice was something that Rin was unused to. Haru would be waiting for him to arrive after classes, already dressed in swim trunks and one of Rin's shirts that sat baggily on his lithe frame. His hair would glow a dark, inky blue in the afternoon sunlight and his skin was practically opalescent.

The only downside was that a lot of the time the swimming practice times would clash with his own. That left the driving to Makoto. It wasn't a terrible situation, it just meant that Rin would worry the entire practice about how Haru would be in a team of guys he didn't know. Not to mention, if any of his side-effects presented themselves. The dry, scaly skin was easy enough to explain. Gill scars and fins springing out? Not so much.

This particular Thursday night Rin was able to leave early. He'd cut his relay time by a quarter of his original, and suffice to say he felt he'd earned a little more free time. It was a huge relief to, not just himself, but also his coach.

He walked around to the Iwatobi swimming pools, bag slung over his shoulder and being weighed down by his wet towel, and his feet crunching on the asphalt. As he neared the main doors he almost tripped over the foot of someone sitting on the small wall that housed a few bedded plants. "Oh Sor-" he cut himself off when he saw who was sitting in the dark. "H-Haru? What're you doing out here?"

The dark haired creature looked up from where he'd been drawing patterns with a broken twig. "Waiting," he said simply.

"For who? Me?"

Haru nodded.

"But I thought Makoto was going to drive you-?"

"Phone."

Blinking at such a modern word coming from the merman's mouth, Rin reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. Sure enough as the screen glared back at him through the darkness, it read that he had two missed calls and five unread messages all from Makoto. Opening the first of the messages Rin felt his stomach lurch.

'Hey Rin, sorry I had to rush off and leave Haru at the pool! The twins were taken ill and I had to go and get them home! Sorry!'

Rin bit back a groan. The one thing you couldn't hate Makoto for, as much as you'd want to, was that whenever an excuse involved the twins, it was hard not to get worried about them too. It was like a super power. Pocketing his phone, Rin looked up just as a cool wind bit at the wet back of his neck. Haru must have been freezing his bollocks off! Reaching out a hand, he was grateful that Haru barely hesitated to grasp it and allow himself to be hauled to his feet. "Jeez I'm sorry, Haru. I guess I had my phone on silent. Come on, let's get you in my car and warmed up."

The walk to his car was only a couple minutes more into the shared schooling parking lot. The doors unlocked with a 'clunk'. He opened the passenger door for Haru to climb in, leaned over to buckle his belt, before going around to the driver's door. Once he was fastened in, he put the key into the ignition, started the engine and pulled out onto the main road. At 7PM there was still some heavy traffic from people heading home from work, or heading to clubs, bars or a night shift. Either way, it made Rin bite back all his road rage and not complain too much about it taking almost forty-five minutes to make the twenty minute journey home.

Damn those crossroads.

With their bags dumped on the kitchen counter -the towels and trunks needed to be washed and dried -Rin turned his attention to Haru. "Now, before Makoto left, did you get a chance to shower?"

Haru shook his head.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Rin sighed before heading to the downstairs bathroom down the hall, motioning over his shoulder for Haru to follow. The only indication that he was, was the soft pattering sound of his feet. Tugging the light cord, the red-haired man took an experimental sniff of the room; it no longer reeked of old fish, a problematic stink he'd had to work very hard to scrub out. Turning to Haru, he cocked an eyebrow, "Do you want a bath or a shower?"

Haru cast a stoic look at the shower-bath-combo and a small crease appeared between his eyebrows. "I ... What's a shower?"

Rin blinked. "It's the thing over the ba -are you telling me you haven't showered once since you started practicing with the team?"

The creature shook his head, an almost nervous glint entering his eyes.

A strong part of him wanted to object, wanted to say that it would mean Haru hadn't bathed in almost a month! Perhaps he was just so used to it not being an issue for him? "Okay, shower it is then. Here, I'll set it up for you okay? Now these control the temperature," leaning behind the glass screen he turned the handle of the shower, adjusting the position until the water ran fast and warm against his arm. His sleeve got soaked but he ignored it. "If you want to shut it off, just press the whole handle down, okay? It'll stop the water. To make it colder, go left. To make it hotter, go right."

Haru gave the shower a sceptical look. He wasn't convinced about it; a waterfall with no rocks or small fish and you could control what it did? Nuh uh, humans were too weird trying to control everything! Shifting from foot to foot, he opened his mouth. "I can ... have a ... bath ... later?"

Rin shook his head, "Sorry, but you stink. You need to shower. Now."

"O ... kay ..." Haru reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it off over his head.

Rin balked. "Wha- No! Not RIGHT NOW! Let me leave the room first!" Muttering under his breath and trying not to blush too hard, Rin left the bathroom, catching a flash of Haru's athletic body as he closed the door. Once he was alone in the hall he exhaled heavily before heading into the kitchen to make something for dinner.

The tuna hissed as Rin seared the ends and then let it rest in the hot oil. The pan was old and burned to the point he was sure the base of it was a millimetre thick. As he cooked the fish he strained to listen down the hall in case Haru slipped or fell or something. It wouldn't do to start whistling if the merman somehow managed to strangle himself with a flannel.

The thought of strangling reminded Rin of the scabbed over gills and fins on Haru's body. There was still so much he didn't know about the creature. Even if he didn't know the scientific aspect of any of it, or even know his anatomy, he still didn't know where he lived, how he lived, if he had family or how he'd come to pass so close to shore. 'Perhaps I'll ask him tonight,' he thought as he turned over the baby potatoes before dishing them up with the already plated rice. He reasoned everything with a few herbs from his mother's spice rack before focusing on his tuna.

He wondered if there was anything Haru wanted to know about him? It wasn't like they'd dropped into each other's live in the middle of a family reunion. He wasn't even sure if he'd mentioned Gou or his mother, although he was sure Haru had heard him talking to them on the phone.

The fish was ready just as Haru managed to stop the shower.

"Food's ready so don't take too long drying off!" he called out. Of course Haru didn't bother replying. Rin focused on setting the table for the two of them and even filled the washing-up bowl with some tepid water and slid it under Haru's chair. He noticed how the merman fidgeted a lot when he was away from water for too long. Hopefully this scenario was enough to keep him calm through dinner as well as some questions.

Haru was almost silent as he came into the open-plan room, his legs pale sticking out from under the blue shorts and his frame drowned in a mustard-yellow hoodie. The very same one that Rin was wearing that day on the beach. Did Haru know that stirred such strange feelings inside him or was it an accident? Did he not remember? For some reason the thought that Haru's memory was like a goldfish for real, threw a whole black cloud over the evening he had planned.

Smiling, Rin said, "I made some fish for the both of us."

"Mackerel?"

Scowling lightly he shook his head. "No, Tuna."

"Okay."

Haru dutifully took his seat opposite Rin, frowning when his feet saw the bowl of water waiting for him as he drew his chair back. His bright eyes were so open in that moment that Rin had to catch his breath. Ignoring the butterflies inside him, he watched as Haru stepped into the bowl without a word and sank down into the chair. Now that they were here, face to face, Rin wasn't sure where to start. 'Where're you from?' sounded like such a bad pick-up line. With a sigh he decided to give it a go. "Hey Haru, you never told me what part of the ocean you lived in before now."

"A long way away," he said softly.

Rin rolled his eyes, suppressing the urge to kick the creature under the table. "Do you know where?"

Haru shook his head. "Not sure ... of human name ..."

"Okay. How many days did you swim before you washed up on the beach?"

With a frown Haru struggled to remember. He'd normally kept close to the ocean floor, out of the way of most direct sunlight. He'd only come nearer to the surface in order to find something other than crabs and oysters to eat. "I think ... maybe ... four days?"

Rin felt his eyes go wide. That meant that Haru could live as far out as New Zealand originally. He hadn't expected it to be so far. "But ... your name is Japanese ... How did that happen?"

Haru hummed as he ate his food. At least he was eating. "My family make ... swim every year."

"Is there a reason?"

"Follow ... migration ... to mate ..."in

That time Rin couldn't deny how pink his cheeks got. It was lucky that Haru was so intently focused on the food before him -and his newfound love for baby potatoes apparently -to pay Rin any proper attention. Taking a long drink of water, Rin tried not to choke on his next words. "To mate? You -You were looking to mate this summer?"

Humming again, the blue haired boy tilted his head to the side. "Yes ... Why?"

"D-Did you find someone before you ... washed-up?"

With a heavy sigh Haru shook his head, his eyes downcast. "No ... No one wanted me ... I was ... Swimming home ... too close to shore ... Washed up ..." he trailed off before he lifted his eyes to Rin. "Met you ..."

"Are you glad you met me?"

A small, almost shy smile tugged at the corners of the merman's mouth. Ducking his eyes again he nodded. " ... Yes. Very glad." They ate in silence for a few moments, the air between them charged with so much being left unsaid, before Haru looked up, the deep blue of his eyes making Rin's heart stutter. "Do you ... have more questions?"

Floundering for a minute Rin nodded. "I ... you can ask questions about me you know. I don't have anything to hide."

"I ask ... then you ask?"

Smiling, he nodded. "Sure. I'll let you ask one first though."

"Where's ... your dad?"

"What?" Rin blinked in shock, taken aback by Haru's choice of question.

"I hear you talk ... to your mum ... and sister ... but not your dad ..."

"There's not much to tell," he shrugged off-handily. "My dad left when I was twelve and my mum never remarried. I think looking after me and my little sister put enough strain on her without the added nonsense of a love-life. I don't know. I don't talk to my dad."

Haru watched him silently for a few moment before reaching over and poking Rin's hand with his fork. "Your turn ... to ask."

"Oh right." His skin prickled where the fork had touched him. It was the most playful thing Haru had done all summer. "So what family do you have? Mum? Dad? Sisters or brothers?"

"Only ... child," he managed, "Dad was ... eaten by shark ... mum was caught ... in speedboat ..."

The bottom of Rin's stomach fell out of him. He lost all forms of appetite and tried not to envision how grisly a speedboat motor death would be. The tuna churned inside him and he felt a little queasy. Shaking his head to refocus on the present conversation he searched for the words to apologize, or at least fill the silence. There were no words. Instead, he reached out and placed his hand over Haru's, giving a gentle squeeze. Turning his palm up, Haru stroked his fingers around Rin's wrist, grateful for the acknowledgement.

"So ... you're all alone? When you go back?" Rin asked, a hard ache inside his chest.

"Hmmm," Haru closed his eyes and tried to hold back the tears that had been pent up for so long, only really dribbling out when he'd been stranded on that beach. "Alone ..."

"Haru, I'm so sorry."

"My ... turn ..."

"What?"

"My turn ... to ask ..." He glanced up at Rin to make sure that the redhead didn't try and say anything else. Thankfully, he closed his mouth and gave a minute nod to say that he was ready and waiting. "What do ... you want to be when you ... grow up?"

Rin snorted. He couldn't help himself. It was such an inane question that so many people asked him along with, 'Where do you see yourself in five years?', 'When are you going to get a proper job instead of just swimming?' and 'What will you do after you make it to the Olympics?' So many worries and not enough time to devote to each one. It was nonsense either way. "I ... I'm not sure. If I do make it to the Olympics that'll be great but I'm not too sure what I want to do afterwards."

"You could ... travel," Haru said, "I like travelling ..."

Rin had been tempted to point out that his last travel excursion hadn't exactly ended too well. Then again, in hindsight, it hadn't ended yet. There was still a lot more summer to go. For some reason the whole 'mating season' kept coming back to mind. He was a normal guy with normal urges and he hadn't really had any in ... well ... a good while. He couldn't deny that there was a strange sort of ethereal beauty that followed Haru like an aura, but at the same time he was a guy! Not just a guy but a merman! He couldn't be aching that badly that he'd even consider ...

"Your turn ..." Haru brought him back to the present, almost jerking in his seat as the merman polished off the last of his food. Finally, the creature had an appetite!

"How long do mermen live for?"

"Ninety years ... between that and ... one hundred and seventy ... if we don't get eaten ..."

Rin felt his jaw go slack. "Wait ... so then ... how old ARE you?"

"No."

"What?"

"No," Haru repeated, "It's my ... turn."

The redhead seethed and tried to not grind his jaw into bone dust. "Fine," he spat impatiently, "ask it quickly."

"Do you have ... a mate?"

"A mate?" he frowned before it clicked in his head. "Oh! You mean like a girlfriend? No I don't have one. I used to date this girl in high school. Her name was Yana. We only dated for a few months and then I ended it." He took the plates over to the sink before turning back to Haru, his hands holding onto the counter for support. "Now, I repeat, how old are you, Haru?"

"Why does ... it matter?" he asked tightly, his face paling considerably more.

"I just want to know," Rin said, his voice neutral now. It wasn't that it would bother him. He hadn't really thought about it until now but, thinking on it, Haru could be in his eighties and it wouldn't do anything but impress him. "Please?"

Haru let out a long sigh, his arms braced on the table and his head bowed to his chest. "I -I'm ... fifty-two ..."

Rin was stunned for the umpteenth time that evening but all it did was make him smile as the words sank in. "Well if it makes you feel any better, you look pretty good for your age."

The creature gave him a wry smile before muttering, "Thanks."

"We don't have to do this anymore if you don't want," Rin said, sensing that Haru was gradually becoming more and more tired as the moments passed. "Let me wash up and we can watch a movie or something."

Haru nodded, "Okay." He stood up from the table and gingerly stepped out of the bowl of water and onto the towel Rin had laid down next to it. Dabbing his toes dry, he then made his way over into the living room and sat down on the sofa, knees drawn up to his chest. Rin retrieved the bowl from under the table, rinsed it out, and then added soap and hot water for the greasy dishes. Within twenty minutes all the dishes were scrubbed clean and draining on the side. Heading over the the DVD stand by the TV, Rin looked around for a movie that maybe Haru would like. He knew that the creature was still new to the whole concept of a TV and movies but he seemed to be enjoying them so far.

For now, though, he opted to watch THE MUMMY.

As it turned out, half way through the movie he was starting to feel quite tired from his practice session whereas Haru had fallen asleep nuzzled up against his shoulder about ten minutes into the film. With a sigh he shut the TV off and pinched the bridge of his nose. It really had been a long evening and he was not looking forward to getting up for classes in the morning. With a yawn he stood up and stretched the kinks out of his muscles before turning his attention to Haru. Any normal person would leave him and just throw a blanket over his legs.

Rin wasn't going to do that. Not after the chat they'd had.

Instead, he bent down and gathered the merman up in his arms, feeling how light and frail he really was, before turning his attention towards mounting the main staircase. Once he'd reached the landing he was faced with an issue that had been burning in his head for the last two weeks. In the end, the small tremor in his knees answered for him. Cradling Haru to his chest, he made his way to his and his not-so-huge bed, before shutting the door behind him with a kick.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this update!