Chapter Thirty One

"Sorry," Makoto offered as he sat next to Sousuke on the beach. "The twins can be a little… excitable."

Sousuke laughed, looking down at once had been a white shirt but now had food and juice stains on it. And messy handprints. "It's okay. I'm sure I can live without it."

"Yeah," Makoto murmured as he looked back towards the ocean and ignoring the wreckage of Sousuke's clothing. He'd had to borrow some shorts of Makoto's as his suit pants had been soaked by the spillage and the way Sousuke was dressed now was in sharp contrast to the way he'd arrived at the Tachibana house. Though actually Sousuke in brown shorts, a stained white shirt with the sleeves rolled up seemed more "him" than the suit and tie he'd arrived in.

"Why'd you wear a suit?" Makoto asked, leaning his head against Sousuke shoulder and smelling sickly sweet fruit juice and some salty pork broth as well as the scent of Sousuke's skin underneath it.

"I thought… I'd make a good impression. Hide some of my ink."

Smiling, Makoto nuzzled into Sousuke's neck and brushed his lips over his pulse. "My parents don't care."

"Hmmm," Sousuke replied distractedly as he moved his neck indicating for Makoto to keep kissing, "yeah, I know but you can understand how I view parents and tattoos. Remember they still think I mutilated my body."

Sighing, Makoto pulled back and reached instead for Sousuke's hand threading their fingers together. It was true Sousuke was at least speaking to his parents but it wasn't smooth sailing. Sousuke had made it very clear he wanted nothing from them money-wise and that had confused them. It seemed like Sousuke didn't speak the same language to them but there was an attempt to heal. Not much but some. Maybe one day there would be reconciliation but Makoto doubted the Yamazaki's would ever be truly a "family".

"I can't believe you told them about my tattoo," Makoto said with a laugh.

Thankfully, Sousuke had not mentioned the alcohol and the passing out but that's what had excited the twins to the extent to make most of the food from the table end up down Sousuke's front and in his lap. His parents had been a little shocked but non-judgemental and it had been a relatively painless experience. Less painful than admitting his sexuality when Makoto had arrived the day before. But apparently that was not surprising. It seemed they knew more about Makoto and Kisumi's relationship than Makoto thought.

"I can't believe your parents mentioned the noises you used to make when your ex stayed over."

Makoto blushed then, elbowing Sousuke sharply. "I thought we were being subtle."

Sousuke laughed. "You were fifteen - being subtle when there's sex involved is impossible."

While Makoto was tempted to deliver another elbow to the ribs, he relented and nodded. "True… And least they like you."

"What can I say?" Sousuke teased, "I'm a delight."

Snorting and nearly choking, Makoto then managed to turn the unattractive noises into a chuckle. "You? Mr. Grumpy Asshole as Rin says…"

"Oi! Don't bring that douche into this…"

"Yeah?" Makoto challenged, his eye brow raising. "How you gonna stop me?"

He knew what challenge he'd issued and Sousuke responded by tickling at the spot at Makoto's neck and upping the stakes by following it with a few direct hits to Makoto's sides and ribs. Makoto tried to fight back, aiming for the spot under Sousuke's knee but Sousuke stopped that by launching himself at Makoto and pushing him down to the sand, using his body to stop Makoto from responding.

Pinned down, Makoto bucked up his hips, playing as dirty as he could and he could hear the groan that left Sousuke's due to the brief touch of groin and groin. The hands that had been tickling suddenly changed their intent and Makoto shivered when fingertips brushed over his hipbones and ran up his sides underneath his thin t-shirt. The kiss that accompanied it was light presses, little licks as there was a hesitance due to the fact it was torture for them. There was no way they have sex tonight in the Tachibana house and so to do more than the mildest of making out would be just painful.

It didn't stop Makoto though as he grabbed for Sousuke's hair, pulling him down for a more determined kiss as he flexed his body underneath Sousuke's confident touch. Neither wanted to stop, that was clear but Sousuke pulled back, sitting back on his heels and taking a few deep breaths.

"Don't kill me here," Sousuke said, a hand going to his hair where it had stuck up from Makoto's grabbing.

"I have an idea… we can have some private time."

There was a puzzled expression on Sousuke's face but Makoto pulled out his phone and searched for the number he'd not called in a while. He'd not told Kisumi he'd be back in town as even though there had been some forgiveness between them, Makoto still felt an over-whelming sense of guilt due to the events of his last visit to Iwatobi. So making the call was somewhat awkward. Especially when Sousuke was straddling him. Kisumi did pick up and while Makoto kept his conversation brief and informal, Sousuke could probably hear enough to figure it out.

"Kisumi's meeting us at the pool with keys."

"The ex?" Sousuke asked, his face suddenly very serious.

Makoto nodded and Sousuke inclined his head in response, getting to his feet and wiping sand on Makoto's brown shorts. Makoto was worried that Sousuke was pissed at him for bringing someone who he'd slept with into this moment but then he offered his hand to help Makoto up.

"Swimming? We don't have suits."

"No… we don't," Makoto replied as he offered his hand to Sousuke who took it and pulled him up, a smirk on his face.

"I think you want me naked, Tachibana…"

"I think I do…"

The walk to Iwatobi Swim Club was full of teasing and Makoto was laughing when they arrived outside, Kisumi waiting by the door lazily, his hair shining in the dying light of the day.

His laughing stopped when he met Kisumi's eye as it became a suddenly very bizarre and awkward situation for Makoto – the rare moment when he was stood with two people he'd had sex with in many many ways. He let go of Sousuke's hand as Kisumi had zeroed in where their fingers were connected and Makoto didn't want to flaunt the physical comfort of their relationship. It felt cruel since he and Kisumi had a history.

"You're Tokyo," Kisumi said, offering a small wave rather than a handshake.

"And you're the ex," Sousuke said with a nod.

Makoto could sense the tension in Sousuke's body despite not touching him anymore and he scratched at his own arm and cocked his head to the side offering a small smile to Kisumi.

"Thank you, we were struggling to find somewhere to go minus the twins."

Kisumi gave a soft laugh. "I remember that," he said as he span the keys around on his index finger, "just don't mess anything up too much and bring me the key in the morning. I can't lose my job."

With that comment, Kisumi handed the keys over to Makoto, the touch lingering despite Sousuke's presence and Makoto met those unusual coloured eyes.

"I hope it all works out, Makoto," Kisumi whispered, his words barely audible.

"You too," Makoto murmured back as the connection of their hands was suddenly absent and Kisumi started to walk away, his stride long but slow.

He turned and gave a smile and a wave and Makoto returned it as he felt Sousuke behind him, his body pressing against Makoto's.

"He doesn't seem a bad guy," Sousuke said, his voice low.

"He isn't."

Makoto briefly felt sad as there felt some finality to whatever it meant between himself and Kisumi as he watched his former friend and lover walk away but then he let his body melt into Sousuke's, feeling the warmth and comfort of his body.

"Let's go swimming."

It was probably the most fun they'd ever had together as Makoto saw another side to Sousuke at his town's local swim club. He saw the playful kid he'd probably been before it was stamped out of him by private school and the attempt by his parents to make him into "the perfect child". Makoto couldn't count the amount of times they dived in the pool, bombing and splashing, blissfully naked.

Sousuke also seemed to have an annoying habit of grabbing for one of Makoto's feet and dragging him down underwater, making Makoto kick and splutter until he broke the surface once again and took deep breaths. They swam a few lengths together, unsurprising with Sousuke' s incredible physique he was pretty good and Makoto got some revenge after winning some races, pushing Sousuke's head under the water in some attempts to win whatever the game they were playing. It was fun and when it was completely dark outside and Makoto felt exhausted he finally suggested they leave the pool to the locker rooms where they'd discarded their clothes.

They had no towels or soap, unprepared for their excursion but it didn't matter as they joined each other in the shower, the hot spray feeling heavenly against their skins after the cooler chlorine filled water of the pool. They took their time together, teasing touches turning into something more sensual and sexual until they were kissing each other with open mouthed intensity and Makoto had pushed Sousuke against the tiled wall, thrusting their hips together in a dance that they'd done more than a few times before.

Climax didn't take long, pent up from the kiss on the beach and being naked around each for far too long. Makoto panted his moan into Sousuke's mouth as his hips jerked a final time and he felt Sousuke's gasp as his own release, the twitch of their cocks and hands and bodies signalling the high of release.

They washed off again with lazy kisses and Makoto's hands wandered over the lotus tattoo like it always tended to as he touched Sousuke. They left the shower reluctantly together, dripping across the floor as they dressed in dry clothes with wet skin, the difficulty more than apparent.

"I want to get something else," Makoto said as he struggled with his shorts, them sticking to his skin.

"Huh?" Sousuke asked as he did up the buttons on his stained white shirt and looked over at Makoto, smiling at the difficulty he was having in dressing.

"Another tattoo."

"Yeah?"

"About new beginnings."

Sousuke smiled. "We'll talk to Rin when we get back… he'll design you something, I'm sure."

They left the swim club, Makoto locking up carefully as Sousuke waited, kicking at a stone in the parking lot as he paused. The cool air met their damp skins and Makoto felt a shiver as he walked over to Sousuke, grabbing for his hand and letting his head lean against Sousuke's shoulder.

"Let's walk slow," Makoto said as he had no desire to be back home straight away even though he felt the slight chill.

As back home it would be the twins vying for both of their attentions and Makoto's parents trying to find out more about Tokyo and Sousuke. It wouldn't be as hard as it would be with Sousuke's parents but still Makoto wanted to enjoy the current good feeling for a bit longer.

"Nowhere else I'd rather be," Sousuke replied.

Even though they were both pretty wet and the breeze was cold on their skin, they walked slowly back to the Tachibana house, holding hands and sharing a few kisses, talking about potential tattoo ideas and thinking about what new beginnings meant.