It's Wednesday!

Which is bad because I have band rehearsal, but good because the new episode of Free! comes out! :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.


A cough was heard throughout the household, followed by a loud, disgusting sounding sniffle. Akihiko was sitting on the edge of the bed, hair lying damp down on her shoulders, Lando moving around behind her, plugging in the hair dryer.

"I think I'm sick." Akihiko announced for about the fifth time since they'd woken up at eight in the morning, voice cracking.

Lando sighed, brushing out her friend's hair, "That's because you are sick." said the girl who had yet to even comb her hair that morning.

Akihiko sniffled again, "So why are you making me go still? He has practice more then one day a week. I don't want to get him or any of the others sick."

Lando rolled her eyes, sitting down the brush, sitting cross-legged behind Akihiko, "They're athletes. They have strong immune systems." she said simply, turning on the hair dryer and beginning to dry Akihiko's hair for her, the noise drowning out any response she could of made.

Akihiko's phone vibrated in her hands, unable to hear it ding over the hair dryer, and held it up to see a text from Daddy Shark. She coughed into her elbow as she typed in Nagisa's birthday, opening up her text.

'You coming?'

'I didn't realize I had a choice.'

She could tell Lando was looking over her shoulder, though didn't mind.

'You don't.'

She rolled her eyes. 'Then I guess I'm coming.'

Lando, done drying Akihiko's hair, turned the dryer off, sitting it down on the bed and scooting off the bed, "Do your make-up while I go get your straightener!" ordered the girl, picking up the purple make-up bag from Akihiko's vanity and throwing it at her, a sneeze following suit.

"... Eww." said Akihiko sullenly, and Lando rolled her eyes, leaving the room as Akihiko stood and walked over to her vanity, her body stiff.

She checked her phone as she sat down in the chair to her vanity, a text from Rin drawing her attention.

'you're damn right you're coming.'

She smiled to herself, typing a response with one hand as she dug out make-up with the other, 'Oh, aren't you a bad ass.'

She tilted her head to the side, letting out a choppy sigh at the sight of bruises still present, her breathing restricted by her swollen throat. Pulling out foundation, she sat her phone down, awaiting a text message from Daddy Shark as she removed her glasses.

'you know it.'

She found herself giggling at that, as she squinted at her phone, face a few inches in front of the screen, holding a eye pencil in her hand. She didn't bother with a response for the moment, turning back to her reflection.

When Lando returned, red, sparkly straightener and cans of hairspray clutched in her arms, Akihiko's make-up was already done, pink eyes outlined with brown only on the top eyelid, eyelashes batting against her glasses, inspecting her unblemished neck in the mirror. She turned in the chair when she saw Lando out the corner of her eyes, head tilted back.

"Can you see them?" she asked, gesturing to her neck, "I covered them up with foundation, and to make sure I used powder on top it. I can cover the one on my deck with my hair, too, so I think it'll be okay."

Lando nodded as she walked over to the bed, dropping the hair products on the bed, "I can't see them. Just make sure you don't get, like, splashed by water or anything." said the girl, grabbing the straightener, plugging it in beside the vanity, letting it sit beside the girl's phone as Akihiko gathered her make-up back in the bag.

"I figured." replied Akihiko, zipping up the bag and putting it to the side, catching the brush Lando threw at her and beginning to brush out her hair with a grimace and a cough, speaking to her friend without turning. "Did you talk to Nagi on your way down?"

"Yeah. I told him that I'd take you home with me so he didn't have to worry about you being sick during practice. We can just start walking in a little bit, and you can head to Samezuka and I'll go home. I can get Grandma to pick you up afterwards, if you want."

Akihiko nodded, "Yeah, that's fine. I feel bad lying to Nagi, though-"

"Don't feel bad! You'll tell him soon enough. Just not now."

Akihiko nodded in reply, knowing there was no use to argue against the girl, picking her straightener up.


An hour later, the two girls were walking down the street, Akihiko's hair straightened and make-up done, while Lando had simply thrown her hair up in a bun without brushing it, bandana tied round her head. The two girls looked almost identical except for that - glasses were on the bridges of their noses, a cami on underneath a jacket, unzipped just below their busts, Akihiko's a dark blue while Lando's was camouflaged. They both wore faded jeans, Lando's skinny while Akihiko's were bootcut, Akihiko's sparkly moccasins padding along the cement while Lando's flip-flops dragged with her feet. Akihiko's camouflaged purse was strapped across her body, hanging at her hip and hitting against her in a way she found comforting with every step, a cup of still-boiling hot chocolate held in one hand while the other moved as she spoke.

"I mean, do you think they'd, like, be mad?..."

Lando shook her head, bandana almost flying off her head, "I don't think they'd be mad, exactly, probably just... shocked? I don't know. Like, I know Mako would be fine with it, because, well, he's Mako. Haru probably wouldn't care. Nagi wouldn't shut the fuck up, which is no different from now, so. And Rei... I'm not sure about Rei, since he doesn't really know Rin, so it's not like he can really judge you or anything, and he doesn't really seem like the sort of person to do that, anyway. Kou would be happy." she shrugged as the two girls continued walking, hips swaying with their steps.

Akihiko thought for a moment, before nodding, the sun making her hair glimmer, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

The two stopped walking, Akihiko beginning to turn down another sidewalk. "You okay walking home alone?"

Lando nodded, "I do it all the time. Have fun with your Daddy Shark, Aki~"

Akihiko rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Bye-"

She cut herself off, a yelp escaping her mouth as Lando's hand came in contact with her butt, a loud smack echoing through the empty street.

"Look at that ass, Aki! I didn't know you had one!"

The girl's cheeks blushed and she turned, beginning to walk backwards down the road, eyes following her friend, "S-shut up!" she snapped, voice cracking.

Lando laughed, waving at Akihiko, "Those jeans make your butt look good, Aki!"

"I know they do!" hissed Akihiko, "Now stop talking so loud!"

"Are you wearing those for Rin?"

"What - No! I'm wearing them because I'm about to spend the next few hours of my life in an all-boys' school!"

"I'm sure that's why, Aki!"


She felt self conscious, standing at the gates of Samezuka, sipping at the hot chocolate in her hand, scrolling through her Facebook newsfeed on her phone in an attempt to look busy. She'd already sent a text message to Rin fifteen minutes prior, and, as it was getting closer to her standing at the gates for half an hour looking like a fool, she was about to call Lando's grandma when a voice made her jump.

"Hazuki-senpai?"

She started, almost dumping the hot chocolate on herself as she turned, a short boy standing there, pretty blue eyes blinking at her, head inclined only slightly - he had to only be a few inches taller then her, she figured.

She hesitated, "Oh-" her voice came out hoarse, and she coughed in her elbow once, shoving her phone in her jacket's pocket, "Don't call me that, please - Akihiko is fine."

The gray-haired boy smiled at her, the beauty mark of his below his right eye becoming noticeable to her, "Oh - I'm Nitori, Akihiko-san. Matsuoka-senpai sent me to get you."

She hesitated, smiling back at him, "You shouldn't let him boss you around, Nitori-san."

He hesitated back, shaking his head, "Oh - no, I don't mind, Akihiko-san!"

She smiled, following after the younger boy as he led her into the school, him pointing out things to her as if on her tour, though she didn't mind - she supposed he seemed like a nice boy.

"And here's the pool, Akihiko-san-"

"Nitori! What are you doing?!"

The two hesitated at the voice, turning to it, where a tall, redheaded man stood, golden eyes staring down at the two as he made his way down the hall. Akihiko recognized him as Samezuka's Swim Team Captain, Seijuro Mikoshiba, from Iwatobi and Samezuka's joint practice. She couldn't help but to flinch away from the boy as he walked closer and closer, his jacket hanging on his broad shoulders, and her pink eyes directed to the floor, brushing back her bangs to distract herself.

He looks really scary.

"Rin's already at the pool, Nitori, what're you doing out here?"

"Oh - Matsuoka-senpai sent me to get his girlfriend at the gates! This is Hazuki-senpai!"

Akihiko's cheeks flared up, and she glanced up from the floor at the gray-headed boy, "I'm not his girlfriend, Nitori-san." she said quickly, before turning to the Captain, "I apologize - I'm not his girlfriend, Mikoshiba-san. Just - a friend."

She was surprised at the hearty laugh that sounded from the man's throat, his large hand ruffling her hair that she'd spent a little over two hours on.

"Hahaha! Don't be embarrassed about dating Rin, Hazuki! Hmm... But he's probably a handful, isn't he?"

She hesitated as he pulled his hand away, already beginning to brush her fingers through her hair to fix it, "Just call me Akihiko, Mikoshiba-san - and, really, I'm not dating Rin-"

"Hahahaha! No need to lie, Akihiko! You and Rin probably make a nice couple - someone like him needs something cute in his life to settle it out!"

Did he just call me cute? Where's Rin-

"Mikoshiba, leave her alone."

They all hesitated at the hoarse voice that sounded as the pool's doors opened - Rin stepped out, still in his swimsuit, dripping water, pressing a towel to his hair. At the sound of Rin's sick sounding voice, and Akihiko, sniffling, Mikoshiba added two and two together, clapping Rin on his back.

"Hahaha! And Akihiko was trying to tell me you two aren't dating! You're both sick - there's no way that's a coincidence!"

Rin rolled his eyes, though sniffled as well, and Akihiko hesitated, holding onto the cup in her hands.

She'd gotten him sick?...

"Shut up - and stop calling her by her first name."

"But it's a cute name - even if it's a boy's!"

Rin rolled his eyes once more, walking over and claiming Akihiko's hand, beginning to pull her to the pool, Mikoshiba and Nitori following after a moment. As he let go of her hand, he flashed her a smirk as she sniffled, throwing his towel into her arms - she caught it hesitantly, folding it on the arm with her hot chocolate, the wet hand he'd held going up to touch the bite-mark he'd given her on her collarbone.

And, though she didn't notice her foundation smearing, Mikoshiba did, with a beam and a boasting tone in his voice.

"Akihiko - is that a hickey? I knew it! Rin, get back up here! Explain this to me!"


These chapters are all so short lately - sorry, but my friend's going to show up to pick me up for rehearsal anytime now!

.Kittys: Here's the daattteeee~! It's not over with though, don't worry!

Aoi Kazuya: I'm a pretty big girl, so I don't let anyone pick me up - it scares me when people try xD Here's another chapter~! :3

Soulfully Sadistic: I actually think it's really weird when people put "OC" as one of their characters in the filter - maybe it's because I'd never seen it done before, and I'm just not used to it, I don't know.

Review? :3