THE SLEEPOVER
Chapter 8 "Answers"
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing. Nothing… *fade out*
A/N: Whew, writing Rei's thoughts was harder than I imagined! There I was researching how doors are made.
WARNING: This chapter is almost entirely about Nagisa and Rei's escapades. It contains a slight manhandling of Nitori and just the tiiiiiniest bit of angst, I really dislike angsty fics but this was necessary. Little fluff towards the end though.
This is the second to last chapter!
"D-Did he just…" Nagisa gasped in utter disbelief. "Lock us in?!" As the facts downed in on him, he grabbed onto the doorknob and began twisting it frantically while pulling and pushing at the same time.
"Nagisa-kun please," interrupted Rei, laying a hand on his shoulder and trying to gently pull him aside. "Let me try, you're going to break the doorknob if you continue pulling like that."
But the gentle tugging on his shoulder was counterproductive as Nagisa started feeling the walls closing in on him, the thought of another body almost pinning him against the locked door before him was enough to almost drive him to tears.
"Riiiin-chaaaan!" he yelled as loud as he could. "Let us ooout!" He then took a step back and angled himself sideways, taking aim and throwing himself against the door, bouncing off ridiculously in a manner that would have otherwise made Rei laugh however slightly.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch," complained the short blonde swimmer, sprawled on his back and massaging his sore shoulder. The unfairness of it all made him all but start kicking and squealing. And just when they were about to swim together again!
"Nagisa-kun, are you okay?" asked the blue haired teen, kneeling beside his friend and gently pulling him up to a sitting position, but the blonde merely shook his head in response, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.
Rei did not like seeing Nagisa in this state, not one bit. He had to admit it, he couldn't really blame Rin-san for locking them in, after all, he had probably been aware that they were trying to mess with them for a while now. The taller swimmer was secretly glad it had been Rin-san who delivered this particular blow in the name of revenge, he was sure if it had been Haru, they would have ended in a spot a lot tighter than this little closet they found themselves locked in. Despite whatever everyone said, Haruka-senpai was a scary person. A soft sniffle caught his attention and he turned to his very disappointed friend. Dammit, there was just something about Nagisa that made you wanna protect him at all costs. He looked perfectly frail and innocent at that particular moment, rubbing at his sore eyes, pouting slightly and sniffing like a kid who had been refused a lollipop. It was probably those red hamster eyes. That's it, he wouldn't let his little friend get hurt anymore! Ryugazaki Rei suddenly adjusted his glasses and stood up straight, placing both hands on his hips, superhero-style.
"Do not worry, Nagisa-kun," he began mightily. "I'll get us out of here."
Nagisa looked up at him with sparkling eyes which he immediately started rubbing with both hands, itchy from crying.
"R-Rei-chan?" he tentatively asked, getting Rei's undivided attention. They stood in silence for a few seconds, Rei's brain racing. He took a step closer to the door and placed a hand on its cool surface.
"Solid Brazilian Cherry, thickness of around 2.5 inches. Flat panels, grain runs vertically. Although relatively yielding, it would require a 1RM of at least 65 kg." He took hold of the doorknob and twisted it in his hand. "Unlocked, pressure coming from outside object." He gently pushed the door only to find it bounce back at him immediately. "Most likely a chair, angled between 40 and 50 degrees-"
"W-Why…" Nagisa interrupted but was caught up again in another sniffle. "Why aren't you-" he hiccuped.
Rei smiled back at his friend, guessing the end of his question. "Why am I not scared, you mean, Nagisa-kun?" he smirked back and adjusted his glasses over the bridge of his nose. "Sensitive, rational folk like me don't scare easily, it's like we have a sixth sense earned by years of hard study that allows us to face dangerous situations with-"
"N-No, Rei-chan, that's not what I meant," Nagisa spoke again as he gathered himself and stood up, gently leaning against the nearest wall for support. He then hugged himself and twisted his waist from side to side, cracking the bones of his back, he touched his ears to his shoulders one at a time, making more cracking noises. His left hand suddenly grabbed onto his right shoulder, waving his right arm in circles back and forth, after which he repeated the same motions with his other arm, as if readying himself to throw a spear.
"Na-Nagisa-kun? Wha-" Rei's eyes widened as he took in the sight before him, Nagisa's gaze was focused on the door yet again and he struck a pose reminiscent of hurdles track athletes at the start line. There was a manic shine in his eyes.
"I meant," he stretched both legs before him. "Why aren't you," he took aim. "Doing," he said as he readied himself for the last time. "Anything!" he yelled (not as loudly as Rei, completely taken aback) as he ran the whole distance of three steps before crashing against the door with a very loud thud. This time he didn't even bounce back, he simply slid down the door pathetically, moaning loudly.
"Ouch…"
"Honestly," Rei rubbed the back of his head, sighing audibly. He forced his friend back up once more and gently tugged him all the way to the back of the closet, forcing him to lean against the wall. Nagisa held his knees defeatedly and closed his eyes, a strange smile on his lips.
"You know, Rei-chan?" he asked his friend and the only response he got was absolute silence, prompting him to continue. "I really hope they are fooling around. It's like Rin-chan's completely back only better. Tonight's been so much fun."
Rei raised an eyebrow, inquiringly.
Catching his friend's questioning gaze, Nagisa continued.
"When we were kids we all went to the same swim club but we weren't really close. Well I mean, Haru-chan and Mako-chan were, although it seemed like Haru-chan would have been fine otherwise. He was such a beautiful swimmer, even as a kid, and that made him the coolest guy in my eyes. But he always had this aura of unapproachability to him, it was very difficult to engage him in conversation. I'd chase him around like a lost puppy because I admired him so, I thought if I could only be a little more like him then ah, how wonderful that would be. If he could consider me a friend, not just a kid that went to the same swim club as he did. Then we had a breakthrough. And was all because of Rin-chan.
"When Rin-chan arrived, something stirred in Haru-chan. I could tell. It was almost bizarre, how Rin-chan seemed to be everything that Haru-chan wasn't, and the other way around, except of course they were both fantastic swimmers. It was because of Rin-chan that Haru-chan finally opened up, even if only a bit, and I managed to get closer. I felt like a part of the team and it was all because of whatever effect they had on each other. We would run together to the swim club and back, he would swim together and joke together. We became friends and I remember going home one afternoon and actually crying myself to sleep because I was just so happy.
"And then Rin-chan left. I stopped going to the swim club and I lost contact with both Haru-chan and Mako-chan. I was so thrilled when I enrolled in their high school because I thought I'd get to hang out with my friends once more! But then, Haru-chan wasn't the same and I knew, I knew it was because of Rin-chan. After all that we went through in the following months, meeting you, starting the swim club, then the competitions and how hostile Rin-chan had become, it was kind of evident that these two had a lot more issues than I had thought in the first place.
"Even after it all worked out in the end, if it turns out that at the root of Haru-chan and Rin-chan's animosity is the fact that they actually have feelings for each other, and that that's why they've been at each other's throats all this time well, that would make me so incredibly happy."
Rei was puzzled by that last statement, really, it made absolutely no sense to him.
"You mean it would make you happy to find out that all their problems were caused because they like each other? How is that good news?"
Nagisa smiled cheekily, patting his friend gently on the head.
"Silly Rei-chan. It's only good news if they're actually fooling around. I'm afraid that if they're not, I'm going to have to intervene and hook them up so they get all lovey-dovey with each other and we all become close friends as a result! Just today, both Rin-chan and Haru-chan were being so pleasant around each other, when was the last time that happened? Years, I tell you, it's been years! And that's because I'm guessing they'd been smooching every time they were alone for over 10 seconds. Can you imagine how much more agreeable those two would be if they were actually sexually pleased?"
Rei almost choked on his tongue and blushed furiously.
"Your brain scares me," he deadpanned. Nagisa responded with an even bigger smile.
"I really, really hope they're fooling around, a little more love in the world," he beamed for the last time before pushing himself upwards, pulling his friend up by the arm.
"Now, Rei-chan, use your brain and get us out of here," he added mischievously. "I have a plan."
Rei sweat dropped, unable to bring himself to ask what that new plan was. Instead he decided to focus on getting that door open. He looked around the closet for something he could use to lever the door out of its hinges. They were apparently locked into a janitor's closet where all cleaning and gym maintenance supplies were stored. Everything from towels, cleaning sprays, brooms and buckets all the way to whistles and chronometers and-
"Nagisa-kun!" Rei almost yelled excitedly. "Hand me that clipboard, will you?"
The shorter swimmer turned to his side and located a small stack of clipboards piled on the shelves to the right. Wondering silently what his friend needed it for, he handed it over and followed the blue haired teen's every subsequent move. With one swift movement, Rei broke apart the steel clip at the top, leaving the board completely flat.
Rei got down on his knees placing an ear on the floor, trying to peek outside the door from underneath, a feat that required him to remove his glasses if only for a moment. Nagisa heard him mumble what he was sure were calculations and he didn't even bother to try to follow. Next thing he knew, Rei had fit the bottom side of the clipboard under the heavy door and took a few more seconds to angle it to his heart's content.
He straightened up and gazed down at his handiwork, cupping his chin with his right hand. Nagisa thought he heard him mumble disapprovingly but decided not to interrupt him, although curiosity was burning within him.
The blue haired teen then turned and pried over the different articles scattered across the closet, trying to find the perfect thing.
"Aha!" he beamed, making Nagisa jump and straighten up in an almost military fashion.
"What is it, Rei-chan?" he couldn't help himself but ask.
Rei then took hold of the sturdiest looking broom amongst the pile in the corner and turned it over.
"And this is how good of a pole vaulter I am," he almost whispered as he took aim and walked as far back as he could, taking a deep breath and propelling himself in a mad dash towards the door. He aimed the end of the broom exactly towards the top of the clipboard and the second the broom made contact with the clipboard, the little object slid completely underneath the door, almost immediately followed by a loud metallic clank from outside.
One second later, the door creaked open rather lamely, revealing a proud looking Rei and a completely dumbfounded Nagisa, both in their underwear.
"Rei-chan!" Nagisa jumped over his friend almost making him tumble over, he hugged him tightly over the shoulders while both legs snaked around his friend's waist. "You did it!" he beamed, strengthening his grasp and making his friend gag.
"N-Nagisa-ku-" he coughed frantically, making his friend release his iron grasp around his neck.
"Sorry," Nagisa apologised, sliding down his friend's back and scratching his head.
"Hmph," Rei would have looked affronted if he hadn't been so damn happy his idea actually worked. Although of course, it had to. He glanced at the chair that had imprisoned them for a while with almost pure disdain. "Hmph."
"Rei-chan, Rei-chan," he turned as his friend called him over. "I think I hear someone coming," he whispered urgently. "Hide under that bench press!" he motioned the side as he effectively slid down the opposite bench press, the same under which Rin had hid before. They were completely out of side within two seconds and not another 3 seconds later, the door creaked open and a pair of red sneakers walked towards the middle of the room.
Nagisa held his breath with both hands pressed against his mouth, straining his ears as much as he could, catching the distinct sound of someone typing a message on his phone.
"so… I… don't… think… you… should… worry… anymore… " both hidden swimmers immediately recognised the whispering voice, it was Nitori, Rin's roommate and partner in crime. Somehow both teammates managed to make eye contact from under their respective pressing benches, nodding at the same time, silently agreeing with each other. One second later, Nagisa slid loudly from his hideout, earning a high-pitched yelp from Nitori who dropped his phone in the act.
"Ha-Hazuki-san?!" he asked incredulously at the slightly short but definitely intimidating silhouette before him. "Wh-why are you naked?!" he asked unnecessarily.
Nagisa chuckled darkly, a feat that would have made Rei gulp if it had been aimed at him. The taller swimmer slid from under his bench silently behind Nitori's back, completely unnoticed by the latter.
"Fancy running into you, Ai-chan…" Nagisa all but whispered, as he took a step forward, his body completely hidden by the shadows of the room, his red eyes shining with malicious glint.
"A-Ai-chan?" Nitori audibly gulped, taking a step back.
"Just wondering, you know, not that I particularly care," he added almost conversationally. "Where is Rin-chan?" he ended, his voice a tone lower than normal.
Nitori took another step back, unknowingly walking closer and closer to Rei who stood behind him, waiting for a signal.
"I-I…" he gulped. "I don't know what you're talking about," he lied pathetically.
Nagisa chuckled yet again, only this time it was completely humourless.
"I think you do," he stepped closer, Nitori stepped back. "And I think you don't want to tell us…" and before Nitori could even reply, Nagisa nodded sharply and Rei caught Nitori from behind, trapping him in an iron hug.
The silver-haired teen yelped and would have screamed at the top of his lungs had Rei not effectively covered his mouth with his hand.
Nagisa bent over and retrieved the discarded phone on the floor, smiling charmingly.
"Now, now, Ai-chan, don't go making such a ruckus," he beamed, his voice and general attitude completely back to his genki self. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you that much there, consider it a little payback for locking us up, that's all."
Nitori struggled against Rei's grasp unsuccessfully. As his heartbeat calmed down he wiggled slightly against the hand over his mouth, asking for permission to speak. Rei and Nagisa made eye contact and the latter nodded. Rei let go and Nitori took a mouthful of breath.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry Hazuki-san, Ryugazak-san! I promise I don't know what you're talking about! I didn't know you were locked in somewhere! Rin-senpai had asked me to take you guys to the captain's dorm but when I got here I only saw Tachibana-san! I don't know what Rin-senpai is planning and I really don't know where he is! I was just messaging him to let him know the corridors are all clear!"
Nagisa and Rei exchanged looks once more, silently deciding wether or not to believe him.
"All right," Nagisa began. "Say we believe you, what were you doing here anyways?"
Nitori took a deep breath and began explaining.
"I came back to see if senpai was still here, I had been patrolling the corridors for him but like I said, they're clear. I was just on my way to the swimming pool area where I last saw Nanase-san, he was swimming alone and didn't even see me, but I think he's gone as well! I promise I have no idea what's going on!"
The blonde swimmer nodded twice and Rei cleared his throat to speak.
"So Rin-san is probably with Haruka-senpai at the moment, only we don't know where," he added and Nagisa nodded once more. He glanced down at the phone he was holding and turned to glance at Nitori, smiling apologetically.
"Sorry for this, Ai-chan, but it's for the greater good." His face suddenly broke into a giant smile. As he said so, he turned to the phone he had been holding and began scrolling down the half-written message.
"Senpai,
The corridors are clear, tell me if you need anything else! I think you guys are clear to go swimming now so I don't think you should worry anymo-"
"W-What are you planning, Nagisa-kun?" Rei asked urgently, outraged at his friend's blatant disregard for personal privacy.
"Sorry, sorry, but I just can't have you send this message, Ai-chan," he said as he started deleting the already typed words.
"Hazuki-san?" Nitori asked incredulously.
"We'll explain everything, and Ai-chan?" Nagisa inquired, getting Nitori's full attention. "I'm really, really sorry for what we're about to do, I promise I'll make it up to you, I really, seriously promise on my life, please don't take this personally."
As Nitori's eyes widened, he didn't even have time to react when he was pulled by the arm by Nagisa towards the janitor closet where they had been locked in, and pushing him inside, locking the door behind him and placing the discarded chair back on its position against the doorknob.
"Nagisa-kun!" Rei spoke, completely outraged.
"Hazuki-san! Let me out!" Nitori yelped from inside, banging his fists against the door.
Nagisa then leaned in closer to the door, whispering into the crack between the doorknob and the wall.
"Shh! Ai-chan, I promised you it'd be alright, didn't I? I'm sorry for this, we'll come back to get you in a few minutes, please don't make too much noise, remember if we get caught we'll all be suspended, us, you, Rin-chan…" at the mention of the latter, Nitori effectively calmed down and sighed in defeat.
"I understand, I'm sorry it all had to come down to this, but please don't forget me in here! Do whatever you have to do and hurry back! I'm not so fond of small places…" he finished.
Nagisa smiled benignantly.
"I swear we'll be back in less than ten minutes!" he said as he turned on his heels towards the door.
"Nagisa-kun!" Rei grabbed him by the wrist, stopping him from walking away. "This isn't right… we just can't-"
"Rei-chan, Rei-chan, please just trust me on this one, okay?" his eyes were pleading and that always seemed to work on Rei.
"Fine," he sighed, "but we need to find our clothes!" he said as he looked around the floor trying to find the previously scattered garments that were now nowhere hear sight.
Nagisa took a few steps back towards the bench where he had been hiding, pulling out a bundle of familiar looking clothes.
"How-wha-" Rei asked dumbly and Nagisa shrugged.
"Rin-chan must have hid them there, I swear sometimes he's just too mean," he said, smiling warmly to Rei's utter surprise. They took a few seconds to get dressed and just before they walked out the door, Rei froze on the spot.
"Nagisa-kun! You can't lock him in there!" Rei complained loudly, making Nagisa almost roll his eyes.
"It'll just be for a little bit!" he replied apologetically. "He's even kind of okay with it!"
"No, I mean, what if Rin-san comes back!?" the blue haired teen urged.
The shorter swimmer froze on the spot. He was right, they couldn't just leave him there. Not in this closet. He urgently opened the door, catching Nitori by surprise, he then grabbed the silver haired swimmer by the wrist and pulled him alongside.
"Wha-what's going on?" Nitori asked incredulously as he was being led down a corridor with both teens by his side.
"We need to go to your dorm, lead the way!" Nagisa urged.
Later.
"So that's what happened," Rin wondered loudly. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, rubbing his forehead with a wet towel, trying go at least subdue his hammering headache.
Nagisa and Rei sat on the floor directly in front of him with their legs crossed indian style. Nitori was sitting on the other side of Rin's bed looking awfully flustered and Haruka was sitting by the desk, pointedly looking away from everyone else in the room.
"I started texting you misdirections in order to confuse you," the blonde swimmer admitted, his eyes red and puffy.
"Then when we got here, we had to make sure that Ai-chan-san wouldn't escape," Rei interrupted himself and glanced at Nitori apologetically. "I'm really sorry about everything, Ai-chan-san," he said as he placed both hands on the floor, bending forwards and asking for his forgiveness.
Nitori shifted awkwardly, not used to being addressed in such a respectful manner, regardless of how he had been slightly manhandled before.
"Aiyah…" he raised both hands and waved them fiercely, "please, I understand you had no choice, as you said, I probably would have tried to escape," he admitted.
Rin clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Nitori, don't you apologise to these assholes," he said, forcefully throwing his wet towel directly at Nitori's face.
"I-I'm sorry," he apologised yet again and Rin rolled his eyes.
The redhead stood up and began pacing back and forth.
"So then, it was you two at the cafeteria?"
Both Nagisa and Rei nodded.
"We were… we kind of…" Rei began but was interrupted by Nagisa.
"We texted you to go there and we were hiding behind the trays, we sent you a message telling you that us, I mean, Nitori, was gathering up the clothes because we wanted you to think you were alone, I wanted to snap a picture of you but then I lost my balance and," he glanced sideways towards Haru who still refused to acknowledge them. Nagisa crawled towards his friend, placing both hands over his knee and tugging at his clothes.
The blue eyed swimmer barely glanced down at him before turning his gaze back to the spot between his nose and the wall.
"Haru-chan," Nagisa implored. "I only thought you were fooling around, I thought, if you were and then we all knew that you were, then it wouldn't have to be awkward for anyone since we'd all know! And and… Haru-chan I'm so sorry, if I had known… you weren't just… if I had known you two were in lo-"
Haruka suddenly stood up, making Nagisa almost jump back in surprise.
"Rin," he addressed the redhead who looked up at him expectantly. "Give me the money, I'm going to go get Makoto."
The pointy toothed teen sighed as he took out the notes from his pocket, handing them out to his former rival.
Pocketing the money, Haru grabbed the folded clothes on the bed and walked out the door without glancing back. The coldness of his demeanour making Nagisa's eyes swell with tears.
"And then what happened?" Rin broke the silence before Nagisa actually broke down in tears.
"We decided it would be best to head back to the room and wait for you here, you were bound to come back at some point so I hid in the bathroom with Ai-chan-san while Nagisa pretended to be him asleep," Rei explained but was effectively cut off by Nagisa's loud sniffling.
"Haru-chan hates me now!" he yelped, covering his face with both hands. Rei put an arm around him reassuringly.
"Now, now, Nagisa-kun, calm down, I'm sure he'll understand," he spoke consolingly.
"And what about the guards? The backup? The dogs?" Rin sounded slightly outraged at being played by his two friends.
Rei shook his head. "Oda and Tama are my cats," he admitted guiltily.
Rin rolled his eyes, sat back down and let himself fall back on the bed, covering his face with both forearms.
"This is the worst day ever," he thought to himself but he shook his head almost imperceptibly not a second after. "He said… he said he's in love with me… I can't believe he…" he was suddenly torn between smiling or crying out loud. That had probably been the most poignant moment of his entire life and his friends had been there to perfectly ruin it. And what was worse, Haru wasn't talking to him. Hell, Haru wasn't talking to anybody. The second Nagisa had made his appearance, Haru had moved to put on his shoes and then retrieved to the corner of the room, nothing anyone said shook him from his reverie. God if only they could be alone for 10 goddamn minutes, everything would be solved.
"Senpai?" Nitori's voice caught Rin's attention and he lifted one arm just enough to reveal one crimson eye. The silver haired youth took it as a signal to continue. "Um… just, just so you know… I'm really happy for you two!" the last few words almost lost as he spoke them as quickly as possible.
Rin was suddenly very glad his arms were covering his face and the blush that he could feel starting to spread across his cheeks.
"Shut up," he bit back, unable to control the smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth.
They stayed in silence for a few minutes until they heard the sound of footsteps closing in on them, the door opened quietly to reveal Makoto looking visibly relieved and Haruka, the same stoic expression on his face.
"Mako-chan!" Nagisa stood up as fast as he could and ran towards his friend, locking him in a tight embrace and nuzzling his chest. "Mako-chan!" his voice was muffled by the fabric of the other's shirt but his clear sobbing was more than distinguishable.
Makoto gently patted his friend's head and glanced at Haru inquiringly. The latter only turned his gaze away from him, locking eyes with Rin for barely a second before effectively sitting back down on the chair by the desk and looking away entirely.
Rin sighed and stood up, pocketing his keys.
"Let's just go, okay?" he sighed as he massaged the sore muscles of his neck.
The rest took it as a signal and they all stood up, zipped up their jackets and tied their shoelaces, making sure they were prepped and ready to run if they had to. As they all headed for the door, Haru cleared his voice and they all turned to look at him, surprised.
"Can you guys… give us a moment?" he addressed his friends, not needing to specify who he was referring to as 'us'.
Nagisa, Rei, Nitori and Makoto exchanged glances for a second and nodded.
"I'll… eh… let's go to the bending machine at the end of the hall, shall we?" Nitori suggested and everyone sounded just a little to cheerful at the idea. They walked out of the room and the door clicked shut behind them, leaving Haru and Rin alone, standing three meters away from each other.
They stood there in silence for a few seconds before Rin clicked his tongue and walked towards Haruka who had been avoiding his gaze.
"Nagisa's pretty sure you hate him," Rin spoke conversationally. "I know I'm not that happy with him either but, don't you think you're actually being a little cold there? I mean he's practically considering suicide."
Haru shrugged dismissively. "I'm not mad at him," he replied honestly. This took Rin by surprise but he found himself unable to add anything to that. The silence continued for a few seconds until the redhead couldn't take it any longer.
"Haru," he gently whispered as he made a move to touch the dark haired swimmer. He was surprised to see Haru flinch back and avoid his touch. The action made Rin's chest contract painfully. "W-What's the matter with you?" he asked incredulously.
Haru clenched his fists and lifted up his face, finally making eye contact with Rin.
"I'm sorry," he began and the words almost knocked the air out of Rin. "What I said, I shouldn't-" but he was immediately silenced by a pair of lips firmly pressed against his. It took him by surprise but as he recovered, he tried to wiggle himself out of the arms that were now tightly surrounding him.
Then it hit Rin, Haru wasn't kissing him back. A cold shiver ran down his spine and he felt a sudden urge to hold on to the boy before him as tightly as possible. Instead, he loosened is embrace and placed both hands on Haru's shoulders, silently begging him to look him in the eye.
"Haru," his voice sounded pleading. "Haru, look at me."
The blue eyed teen complied and locked eyes with the boy before him.
"You said… you said you were in love with me," Rin all but whispered, trying to lock foreheads with the raven haired youth, who only stiffened under his grasp.
"I…" he mumbled back and tried looking away before his chin was brought back by a warm hand, tilting it upwards lovingly.
"Haru," Rin's whisper was almost inaudible, his breath ghosted over Haru's mouth as he leaned in close enough to place a chaste kiss on his lips. As he did so, Rin's left arm snaked over Haru's shoulders, running his fingers into Haru's dark mane, pulling him closer by the shirt with his right hand.
Haru's lips parted open but none of them made a move to kiss, instead they both closed their eyes to savour the moment. They remained motionless, locking foreheads and breathing each other's air through their open mouths, a space of millimetres separating their lips. They stayed like that for a few seconds before Rin's tongue shyly peeked out of his mouth, gently running it over Haru's bottom lip, making him shudder.
Without even noticing what he was doing, Haru's hands acted on their own accord and tugged at Rin's shirt, gently at first before he started actually grabbing fistfuls of the fabric, pulling him closer until he firmly placed both hands over the other's waist, the force of his grasp made Rin shudder in turn.
Rin felt Haru relax into the embrace and the second the latter's tongue shyly made contact with the tip of his own, his eyes sprang open and his gaze landed upon Haru's deep blue eyes, his long lashes fluttering momentarily. Unable to refrain himself any longer, Rin plunged forwards, trapping Haruka's mouth in a slow sensual kiss. It wasn't loud, it wasn't sloppy, it wasn't forceful. Their lips moved almost rhythmically, tongues touching shyly, breaking apart and breathing hotly into each others mouths every other second.
"You can't possibly think," Rin whispered between kisses, "that I don't love you back."
Haruka's grasp tightened around the redhead's waist, silently letting him know the reason for his previous hesitation. Rin kissed him again, fighting the tiniest of smiles.
"Haru," he whispered into his mouth, closely followed by another kiss, a hungrier one. "Haru, I love you," he broke the kiss for a second before attacking his lips once more. "So goddamn much," he whispered and Haru moaned into his mouth, his lashes fluttering. "I've loved you for years," Rin's voice melted away between quiet moans and the sounds of their kissing.
And then time stopped, they kissed into the night for what felt like hours and hours on end. Their tongues still danced shyly against each other, not entirely invading each others mouths, although their lips began to swell and bruise slightly. None of them had any idea for how long they had stayed locked in their embrace but the second they broke apart and gazed into each other's eyes, they broke into a smile. Rin was grinning madly and Haru let out a shorty chuckle, the sweetest sound Rin had ever heard him make.
The redhead took Haru's face in his hands and hoisted himself up in order to place a kiss on his forehead.
"Let's go home," Haru spoke, earning a nod from the other teen. They walked out of the room, hand in hand.
Sooooooo, what did you think?
Ahh, this is really reaching its end, next chapter will be the last, but don't worry, I'm planning on making it extra long and extra smutty and extra fluffy and extra funny! Wah, i'm getting emotional, this has been so much fun to write! Thank you thank you THANK YOU every one for subscribing and reviewing my story! I hope Nagisa wasn't too out of character, I think he's got a little devil within him and I just practically drove it out of him for the sake of the story. He's still adorable and full of love! Sorry if anyone was expecting some Nagi/Rei action, I'm actually not thaaat fond of that pairing to be honest, I just think they're the best of friends.
YaoiYuriFan, FREE, Twilight Girl, LOL, Sharkbait Girl, I LOVE YOU: You guys are all friends! Like, in real life? That's just amazing, I wish I had that many friends I could share fan fictions with! My roommate occasionally listens to me rambling about them but it's been a whiiiile since we last read them to each other. You guys are lucky! Thank you so much for your continued comments and support, lots of love to you!
And thanks to everyone else who commented so far! Wow, 119 reviews?! Seriously?! As much as I'd like to reply to you individually in this little section after every chapter but then that would probably take a loooot of space and mislead you guys into thinking the chapter's actually longer than it is. But I know who you are and I treasure each and every single review, I WILL reply to each and every one of you in due time, that's a goddamn promise!
Anyways, next chapter's the last one. Sad. But I might write an extra chapter in the end, you know.. the morning after kind of thing? Haha, who knows, maybe some morning smut? Who'd be up for some of that? Anyways, leave a comment on your way out, let me know what you thought of this chapter and what you think should happen next, are you guys done with all the action? Should we just calm down and let our brave heroes go to sleep? I think they're all pretty tired, let alone disappointed cause nobody except Haru and Rin (a little) got to actually swim!
Or kiss ;)