A/N: Woooo, good thing I put that disclaimer about school coming first last chapter, because it's been a BUSY quarter. The next chapter is pretty much almost complete, since the plan had been to write all of the winter break section before editing, but I got so bogged down with school that I decided to just get to editing the first half so I could post something. So happy Thanksgiving, if you celebrate, and if not, happy today! I'll try to get the next chapter up by Christmas, since I'm on vacation soon and things start to speed up next chapter as well.

Thanks again to everyone who commented on the last chapter. A big thank you to the two readers who left comments as guests mangemad and Thegrandabyss, since I couldn't reply personally. And a quick overall note - Haru calls Gou 'Kou' in the anime, which I have him do here too. Ok, hopefully author notes will be shorter from here on out, I'm just a big blabbermouth. (Sorry for the super long wait ;A; And feel free to point out any editing errors I've missed.)

Chapter Two: Overbearing (Winter Break - part 1)

Haruka watches as Nagisa lets out a wail and drops his face into his notebook, startling the peace that has long settled over the study session in Haruka's living room.

"Rei-chan, I can't do it," Nagisa says, words muffled in the pages. "Show me your answers."

Rei swats away the hand that is inching towards his notebook. "Nagisa-kun, you can't look at my answers during the exam, and you can't now. Language is an instinct; you must trust yours. This is merely a matter of writing what comes most naturally to mind."

"The only thing that comes naturally to mind is a bunch of gibberish," Nagisa says, raising his head and pinning Rei with pleading eyes. Rei pushes up his glasses, swoops lower over his notebook, and continues writing.

Nagisa swivels his eyes over to Haruka and Makoto, who are across the table from him, heavy college textbooks open before them – though Haruka has his elbow in his book, and his chin in his hand. "Haru-chan, Mako-chan, you took this test last year."

Makoto gives a little laugh, marks a sentence in his book with his finger and copies a few phrases into his notebook. "You know I was never good at English."

Haruka, who has never been good at English either, and has found alternately watching Nagisa pester Rei and Makoto fill up blank pages in his notebook to be infinitely more amusing than studying, simply lets out a sigh and lies down on the floor. "I don't care about economics."

"Haru!" Makoto scolds gently, at the same time that Nagisa says, "You don't have to tell me about economics if you tell me how to conjugate English verbs, Haru-chan."

Haruka closes his eyes and turns his head away from them. Makoto shakes his shoulder, but is ignored. The heater by the doorway has left the room warm, almost stuffy but not quite, and the floor becomes more comfortable with each passing moment.

Nagisa groans. "I need Gou-chan."

"Gou-san isn't very good at English," Rei points out.

"Well, if you're so good then help me out, Rei-chan."

"I have been trying to help you. However, you seem to be under the impression that that involves you trying to steal my notebook, which will not help you learn anything in the long run."

There is a quiet thud; Haruka thinks that Nagisa has dropped his face back into his notebook.

"Rin's coming back tomorrow, you can ask him them," Makoto says. The smile is audible in his voice, and Haruka opens his eyes to stare at the wall.

The ten-and-some weeks are up. A bubble of anticipation stirs in his chest.

"Ah," Nagisa sighs in the background, "I hope he brought us all something back. Kidding, Rei-chan! As long as he brought his brain to help me with English, I'll be happy."

Haruka wonders when Rin is going to want to race him – and almost manages to give himself a self-depreciating frown, because what a selfish thing to think about first.

He also wonders, for some unfathomable reason, if Rin looks any different – does going to a foreign country do that? The only instance he has to compare with had resulted in a change of staggering proportions. It hasn't been so long this time, though it feels like it has – things are so much quieter without Rin, and with Nagisa still in high school and not always around to fill that silence.

His thoughts steal upstairs, to the necklace that's been sitting in his desk drawer for the past ten weeks. It hadn't felt like the right place to put it – who keeps a necklace among pens and paperclips? – but he hadn't known where else it could have gone.

"Haru," Makoto says, and Haruka turns his head slightly. Makoto smiles down at him. "You should really keep studying. The exam's on Monday."

"Don't care about economics."

Makoto chuckles. Picks up Haruka's textbook and places it on the floor next to his head. "Care about it a little?"

Haruka ends up using the book as a pillow, cheek pressed to the cool pages. The quiet sounds of studying fill the room once again – pages turning, pens tapping, the soft clatter as pencils are set down on the table, the occasional sigh or muted huff of frustration. Rei muttering under his breath. Haruka lets these sounds fog his mind, lets them lead him into a doze.

And then the doorbell rings, startling him awake.

"Gou-chan's here!" Nagisa cries, jumping to his feet. He trips over Rei's backpack, ignores Rei's splutters of discontent, and rockets out of the room, all of which Haruka watches sideways and through the table legs.

He peels his cheek from his book, leans up slightly. He hears Nagisa's feet pounding against the floor, hears the front door open.

"Gou-cha – Ah! Rin-chan!"

In the beat of silence that follows, the snap of Rei's pencil lead is audible. Haruka sits up straight, rigid, the sleep kicked clean from his brain.

"Surely he didn't just say…" Rei trails off, a dubious furrow to his brows as he starts to twist around towards the hallway.

Haruka isn't sure he believes it either, but in between the more animated sounds of Nagisa and Kou's voices, he hears the unmistakable low tones of another. The anticipation sharpens in his chest, pulled taut, restless.

"I thought he wasn't coming back until tomorrow," Makoto says, and starts to stand, but pauses when Nagisa lets out a loud laugh. A splutter, and feet pound back down the hall.

"Guys, look!" Nagisa cries, flying around the corner and tugging Rin with him. "It's Rin-chan!"

Rin grabs onto the door frame to keep from colliding with Nagisa. He looks very harassed, eyes wild and cheeks flushed. "Christ, Nagisa!" he's saying, "I sat on a plane for fifteen hours, you're gonna fucking kill me." His hair has been pulled back, his teeth are bared, he sounds grumpy and grousing. All familiar things.

He's back.

"It's a good thing you're getting exercise, then," comes Kou's voice, and she appears, ducking beneath Rin's arm and sending the others a smile as she enters the room.

Makoto lets out a delighted laugh. "Rin! I thought your flight was tomorrow!"

Rin looks at Makoto, absently tries to tug his arm from Nagisa's grasp without success. "Yeah, well, surprise," he says, giving up trying to get away from Nagisa and instead stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "Gou told me she lied to you all and said it was tomorrow."

Kou looks completely unabashed as she settles down at a free side of the table, between Makoto and Rei. "Surprises are fun," she says with a grin, and pulls out a plastic bag from her backpack. "Surprise, I brought melon bread."

This steals Nagisa's attention, and he abandons Rin in the doorway. Rin frowns after him, and in the sudden commotion over the melon bread his eyes find Haruka's. His posture stays relaxed but something flickers across his face – it's almost like he tries to look away but can't figure out how to for the smallest moment, except the next second his eyes are indeed somewhere else, looking a bit over all of their heads, a showy frown of the mightily beleaguered across his lips.

"Rin-san, have you even been home yet?" Rei asks. "You seem to have put significantly less attention toward your attire than usual."

Rin's eyes dart over to Rei. "Yo, Speedo Glasses, watch it," he says, but the glower doesn't last long. He steps into the room, rubs wearily at one of his shoulders. "I was home for five maybe minutes, but Gou said I had to come here to help her with her English homework."

"You can help me and Rei-chan then, too!" Nagisa crows around a mouthful of bread. Rei gives him a slightly affronted look – talking with a full mouth is most likely the very opposite of beautiful – and insists, "I don't need help."

Rin adopts another tormented expression as he sits down across from his sister, Haruka nearest his left shoulder and Nagisa his right. "Are you kidding me? I'm not helping any of you, it's your own damn homework. I just sat on a plane for fifteen hours."

"Two planes," Kou says.

Rin rolls his eyes. "Whatever. Jeez, it's hot in here." He unzips his jacket – a track jacket, hardly fitting for the weather outside – and flings it into a corner. Then, contrary to his griping, he peers down at Nagisa's notebook, points his finger at something. "It's 'lost,' not 'losed.' If they're irregular you can't just use the normal rules."

"Thanks, Rin-chan!" Nagisa says, erasing what he had written and scribbling out the correct answer. "But how do I know if they're irregular?"

Rin tugs the tie out of his hair, shakes his head. "You just have to memorize them."

"They all seem irregular to me."

Rin shrugs. Gathers his hair back up and ties it neatly against the back of his neck. "Just memorize them," he says again. Nagisa tries to push the notebook nearer to him, and he pushes it back. "First do all of them and then I'll look at it," he grumbles.

"Aye aye, Rin-chan!"

Rin winces, sends a very bemused look across the table at Kou, who sticks her tongue out at him. Then he lets out a sigh, eyes closing and head dropping slightly. Haruka can see the fatigue on his face, the weariness that seems to pull at all corners.

"Haru. You have a book crease on your cheek."

Haruka blinks, and Rin turns his head slightly, opens his eyes to look at him sidelong. A smirk takes to Rin's lips, and Haruka realizes he's been caught staring. He raises a hand toward his face.

"Other side," Rin says, and then he snorts. "You look stupid." He reaches for some of the melon bread in the middle of the table, pretends to ignore Haruka's frown.

Haruka hears Makoto snigger and elbows him in the side. The taut feeling in his chest begins to unravel. Calmed, soothed.

The others take mercy on Rin and the bags underneath his eyes and return to their own work. Haruka hasn't bothered picking his textbook up off the floor, so he instead picks bits off the melon bread and eats them slowly. Nagisa blazes through his problems in no time and pushes the notebook back toward Rin.

"Okay, Rin-chan. Oh, are you asleep?"

Everyone looks up.

"No," Rin mutters. If he hadn't spoken, it would have been hard to know. Eyes closed, back hunched and head dipping toward his chest, he looks as though he could have easily nodded off.

"He says he couldn't sleep on the plane," Kou says.

Rin furrows his eyebrows. "There were like five damn babies on that flight. One stopped crying and another would start. It was fucking torture."

"Be nice," Kou chastises. "They're babies."

"It's not like I did anything to them," Rin says. He opens his eyes, frowns. "And they didn't have to cry so much."

Kou smirks, for a moment in startling likeness to her brother. "I don't think you have the liberty to complain about anyone crying, oh sentimental brother of mine."

Rin splutters, and even Haruka chuckles amidst the laughter that rings out. Rin sends him a quick glare, then stuffs a piece of melon bread in his mouth, looking put out. But Haruka sees the corner of his mouth pull up in a reluctant grin, sees him try to keep his expression cloudy when Nagisa nudges his shoulder. And Haruka looks away, feels the fight against a smile begin on his own face as well.

Kou and Rin have to leave before nightfall to make it home for dinner in time. Nagisa and Rei pack up to leave with them, backs stiff and eyes tired from studying. The light is dimming outside when they all crowd out the door, and everyone buttons their coats snug, tighten scarves around their necks.

"Haru," Rin says. He stands in front of the others, hands in his pockets and frown on his face. He doesn't have a scarf, doesn't have a warm coat, hunches his shoulders against the cold.

Haruka waits in the doorway, Makoto – who's staying longer – next to him.

Rin looks a bit to the side. "I'm sleeping tomorrow. I'll race you Monday – Ow!" He looks wide-eyed at Kou, who has just smacked him in the arm. "What?"

"You're not going to be useless all day tomorrow."

Nagisa sniggers in the background, and Rin's expression turns indignant. "Fifteen hours! I'm tired! And I just had all my exams!"

"Me and Nagisa-kun and Rei-kun all have our exams coming up too," Kou says, though behind her Rei comments that "Rin-san's must have been more intensive than ours will be."

"They were very inten–" Rin starts to agree, but Kou cuts him off.

"Haruka-senpai has exams too. How do you know he'll be free on Monday?"

Rin falters, snaps his mouth shut. He turns back to Haruka. "Oh yeah. I forgot."

"I don't have any exams on Friday," Haruka says, aware in a distant way of the irony – that the race seems to be the first thing Rin thought of also. "I'll race you then."

"Fine. Yeah. That's good." Rin nods.

"Okay."

Rin nods again. Pulls a smirk onto his face. "You're going down."

Kou rolls her eyes, takes her brother's arm and starts to steer him away. She sends a last wave over her shoulder at Haruka and Makoto. "See you guys later. Good luck with exams!"

"You too," Makoto says, waving back.

Haruka nods, raises a hand. Rin and Kou bicker as they head away, Nagisa and Rei tagging along behind. Kou unwinds her scarf and starts to give it to Rin, but he pushes it back, voice rising in words that Haruka can't quite make out, but in a tone that suggests he doesn't want something that is pink with orange polka dots around his neck. Haruka watches Kou lean up and pull Rin's hood over his head instead.

"Haru, come on, it's cold," Makoto says, and Haruka steps back inside so Makoto can close the door. "He seems to be doing fine," Makoto says, once the cold has been sealed out, smiling in that soft, knowing way of his.

"Yeah," Haruka agrees, and moves around him, starts to head back down the hall.

Makoto catches up easily, long strides and loud steps. "So, think you'll be able to care about economics now?" he asks, when they turn back into the living room.

Haruka gives him a bemused look. What's that supposed to mean? he thinks – doesn't bother to say it out loud because he knows Makoto will be able to decipher it from his expression. And indeed, Makoto's smile is still soft and still knowing, if not a little devious. Haruka doesn't even try to understand where the last part comes from.

He toes his book shut where it lies on the floor. "No."

There was never a chance that Haruka would stop swimming – he knows Rin knows this, and knows Rin knew it two months ago. When Haruka took out a membership to the local fitness club after graduating high school, Rin did the same because he had had those extra three months to pass before school would start for him overseas.

Haruka would swim in the early morning, body used to early risings for school, whereas Rin would come a couple hours later, after his daily run. Sometimes, they would bump into each other in passing – Haruka leaving, Rin just arriving – but oftentimes they never saw each other at the pool. And then school had gotten into full swing and Haruka had stopped coming regularly – sometimes in the late afternoon after catching the train home from school, sometimes weekend mornings, and then even the sometimes became rare.

Rin was one reason to look forward to winter break, but having time to swim was another.

And when Haruka arrives at the fitness club Friday morning, Rin is waiting out front, leaning against the handrail.

"Yo," Rin greets with a grin. He's dressed warmer today – a true winter jacket, though his scarf hangs useless and decorative over his shoulders. His eyes look a little bright, a side effect of the cold – Haru feels his own smarting in a way that only a long walk in the winter can do.

"Hey," Haruka says, coming level with him. Rin pushes off the railing, and their shoulders jostle as they head to the entrance doors. It's a little bit strange – Haruka can't tell if it feels like there were two months of separation between them or not.

Heat washes over his face as they enter the lobby, and he tugs his scarf loose. A balding, middle-aged man behind the front desk looks up from some paperwork, grins broadly when his eyes fall upon the pair of them.

"Mornin' Nanase! I guess you're on break now, eh? And Matsuoka, thought I'd never see ya again! How long are ya back for?"

"Hiya, Kaji-san," Rin says, grinning as well and speeding up to get to the desk. "Just three weeks."

"I'm using my guest pass," Haruka announces – because Rin had decided that it wasn't worth paying for a year-round membership if he would be gone the majority of it.

"Sure thing. Hey Matsuoka, I might be able to let you use the facilities for free these next few weeks in return for some on-air mentions once you win that gold medal, how about it?"

Rin laughs, catches the towel Kaji-san tosses his way, and the one he tosses at Haruka as well. Haruka frowns as Rin then pushes it into his hands, but Rin pays him no attention, leans against the front desk.

"I'll take you up on that, Kaji-san. I'll be here tomorrow morning, so you better let me in."

Kaji-san laughs, waves them down the hall toward the locker rooms. "Yeah yeah, ya better be grateful about it. Typical Friday morning," he calls after them as they head away. "Pretty empty; just the regulars."

Haruka and Rin enter the locker room in silence. Change in silence – though when they take off their pants and both have their swim suits on underneath, Rin does let out a snort, and Haruka tips his face away to hide his own amusement.

Friday morning is usually the quietest day of the week, the lanes laid out for laps and mostly empty. Haruka knows who the regulars Kaji-san had mentioned are, so he is already anticipating the shout of recognition that comes as he and Rin enter the pool room.

"Haru-chan!" shrieks a child's voice, the sound amplified by the high, sloping ceiling, and out of the corner of his eye Haruka sees Rin jump.

A young boy splashes up the steps of the shallow end and starts to run over, bright yellow floaters on his arms, short bangs plastered damply to his forehead. "No running near the pool," Haruka warns him, and the boy transitions immediately into a quick walk, feet slapping loudly against the cement. He barrels into Haruka, tries to wrap short arms around his hips.

"Haru-chan! You came back!"

Rin makes a confused sound off to the side, and Haruka schools the impending smile off of his face. He places a hand on the boy's head, tips it back so the boy is grinning up at him. "Yeah. You lost another tooth."

The boy's smile widens, and he sticks a finger into his mouth to pull his lip back, revealing a gaping hole up top and center. "Yeah! I lost it when I was eating chips! It's weird 'cause when I eat now I can't bite things there, but I like to stick my tongue through it so it's okay. Hey, who's that?"

He releases Haruka to point a finger at Rin, whose forehead is wrinkled into the most comic expression Haruka has ever seen.

"Hiro, it isn't nice to point," comes a softly reproving voice, and with a quiet splash the boy's mother lifts herself out of the pool behind them. She removes her goggles, wrings the water out of her ponytail and gives Haruka a warm smile, faint age lines by her eyes crinkling. "Good morning, Nanase-kun. You must be on winter break now, too. Hiro got off last week."

"Good morning, Ishikawa-san," Haruka says, bowing his head. Hiro peels away, darts over to take his mother's hand. Before another word can be spoken, he points the finger back at Rin and pipes up, "Hey, are you as good at swimming as Haru-chan?"

"Hiro," Ishikawa-san says in warning, but an indulgent grin breaks out over Rin's face. He crosses his arms and puffs out his chest.

"You bet I am. I'm better than him."

Hiro's eyes widen, and the finger drops. "No way! Prove it!"

"You got it. We're gonna race right now."

Haruka can't decide whether he wants to roll his eyes or sigh, and both urges cancel each other out. "Hiro," he says instead. "Do you want to help us with something?"

Hiro's lets go of his mother's hand, clenches his fists in anticipation. "Yeah!"

Haruka sends Ishikawa-san a questioning glance, and she smiles and waves her hand in a 'just go ahead' motion. During the summer Haruka would sometimes give Hiro swimming lessons in the shallow end – a delight for Hiro, and an invaluable service for a single mother who couldn't spend every moment of her time looking after a rowdy kindergartener.

"You can tell us who wins the race," Haruka tells Hiro, who lets out a crow of delight and bounds back over to reclaim his hand. Haruka jerks his chin so Rin will fall into step with him, and the three of them head for the deep end of the pool as Ishikawa-san heads for the bleachers.

"You look heavier than Haru-chan, so I think you're gonna lose," Hiro says to Rin, feet slap-slap-slapping as he works to match their strides. Rin splutters, and Haruka, on the verge of laughing, clears his throat and explains to Hiro what he's going to have to do – stand near the edge and look to see whose hand touches first when they swim back.

"No lying, okay kid?" Rin says, heading over to the center lane. He pulls on his goggles, snaps the strap against the back of his head. "You can't pick Haru just 'cause you like him better."

Hiro stands up straight, chin raised importantly. "I'll tell the truth, promise!"

Haruka pulls on his own goggles and crouches into position next to Rin, watches his reflection ripple in the water. "Tell us when to start, Hiro."

"Start!"

Haruka dives right in, barely hears the sound of surprise Rin makes. He hears Rin hit the water a moment later, though, and the gap closes quickly – Rin has always been the stronger diver. A thrill settles into his arms and spreads quickly through his body as he slips through the water, invigorating yet paradoxically calming, sharpening his focus. He knows the feel of Rin's ripples, the way Rin's strokes disturb the water and create currents, can sense the grin he knows is on Rin's face.

He's a bit ahead by the turn, but this is where Rin pulls even, because he's also always been the stronger turner. Haruka, however, is more agile in the water as a whole. He takes to the straight-away like an arrow. The water parts for him, brushes gently past and lets him through. Rin's ripples are right beside him. It's neck and neck.

His lungs start to burn – a sting that races through him, electrifies him, makes his muscles ache and work harder. He sees the wall and doesn't let himself breathe, knowing that a breath could make all the difference in their times. He knows that beside him, Rin won't be taking another breath until the end, either.

His hand touches the wall, and he throws his head out of the water, gasping for air. Rin is in the next lane over doing the same, and though their eyes can't meet through the tint of their goggles, they look at each other, though neither can say who won. Chests heaving, they simultaneously look up at Hiro.

The boy's fists are clenched, his eyebrows screwed up in concentration. "I don't know," he finally says. He looks from Haruka to Rin and back. "I think it's a tie." He looks a bit let down – like he messed up an important task – so Haruka hoists himself out of the pool to sit next to him.

"That's okay," he says, taking off his goggles. "Sometimes nobody wins. Ties are okay."

Hiro gives a tentative smile, then looks past Haruka to Rin. "You're really fast!"

Rin gives a breathless laugh, arms resting on the poolside and goggles around his neck. "I told you, didn't I?"

"Haru-chan, can he teach me too?"

"I don't know," Haruka says, looking away from Rin, who looks far too pleased at Hiro's compliment. The aftereffects of exertion tingle through him, the burn in his chest fading as his breathing evens back to normal. "He comes later than I do, but you can ask him."

"But you'll still teach me, right?" Hiro asks with wide, insistent eyes.

"For the next couple of weeks."

"Good. 'Cause I go to swimming lessons now but it's more fun with you, so you have to come every day and teach me. I wanna know how to do all –"

Hiro stops when his mother calls his name. She's standing by the entrance to the women's locker room, holding up a towel. "Oh, I have to go to grandma's now so mom can go to work," Hiro says, and turns back to Haruka. "Bye, Haru-chan. Bye," he adds, waving at Rin, before he patters off to his mother, who drapes the towel over his head and lets him drag her into the locker room. She sends Haruka a parting wave as she goes, and then it is quiet.

"That was interesting."

Haruka looks back at Rin, who is grinning.

"What?"

Rin gives a chuckle, expression gaining a familiar teasing lilt. He tilts his head so that his cheek rests against his arm. "Nanase Haruka, friend of mothers and children alike. I never would've guessed."

Haruka shrugs. "We swam at the same time during the summer."

"I think he was lying. I think I won."

Haruka knows he's joking, but it brings an important matter to mind. "You haven't been practicing your free."

Rin's eyebrows lift in surprise. Haruka knows he's right: "You should've beaten me."

Rin's surprise melts away, and he's left looking a bit guilty. "I've been practicing it. I've just been focusing on butterfly more."

"It's fine," Haruka says with a shrug, not wanting to sound accusing. "I just noticed."

"You still don't know I didn't win. Technically I would have. You had an unfair start. The kid didn't do a countdown."

"You had a late start. It's your fault."

Rin tsk-s. "Whatever."

Haruka picks up his goggles, slips back into the pool. "I won't tell anyone you lost," he says, pulling the goggles back over his eyes.

"But the water told me I won."

It's about the most un-Rin-like thing Haruka has ever heard him say, and he feels his eyebrows twist into something incredulous. He almost forgets to keep treading water. "Huh?"

"You're not the only one the water talks to," Rin says, and now he only has one arm on the edge of the pool, and is facing Haruka with his eyebrows raised.

It takes another moment of incredulous staring, but – oh, he gets it. Rin's teasing him. The corners of Rin's lips twitch, as though in confirmation.

"The water doesn't talk to me," Haruka says, aware that he sounds petulant and hoping that Rin doesn't tease him about this too. But sure enough, Rin sniggers. For some unfathomable reason Haruka has a difficult time maintaining his frown.

Rin notices this as well, and reaches over the lane divider to push him by the shoulder. "You're allowed to smile, you know," he says. He looks triumphant, like he's just achieved some great victory.

Before Haruka can deny that Rin's childishness would goad a smile out of him, Rin pulls his goggles on and curves gracefully away from the wall. Haruka frowns after him – a real frown this time, which is a natural reaction to most things Rin does.

Which means that everything is normal.

He has the pool and he has Rin, two things his life has been sorely lacking, and he sets off after the latter. And sure enough, once he closes the distance between them he feels something unspoken pass through the lane divider, and they are off on another impromptu race.

"You've gotta be shitting me!"

Haruka comes up beside Rin, who has stopped in front of the exit doors, sounding distressed. Through the glass, Haruka can see a steady rain falling. The gray sky from earlier has clouded over; there are already puddles in the parking lot.

"Did you bring an umbrella?" Rin asks him.

Haruka glances over. He doesn't mind the rain too much – water is water – but by the frown on Rin's face he can tell that he'd be going alone if he stepped outside now. "No."

"Kaji-san," Rin says, turning around. "D'you have an umbrella we can borrow?"

"Eh? Ya know what, I actually do." He ducks out of sight for a moment, reemerges with a black umbrella that he holds out over the desk.

"Oh, are you serious?" Rin's face lights up and he heads over to take it. "Aren't you gonna need it?"

"Nah, I got my wife's with me today 'cause I left that one here a couple weeks ago. Just bring it back soon."

"Kaji-san, you're a real lifesaver, you know that?" Rin says, and Kaji-san waves them off again, though not without a: "Just remember my TV mentions, ya really owe me now!"

Once they're outside beneath the overhang, Rin hands Haruka the umbrella so he can loop his scarf – which he really had apparently worn only for the sake of accessory – around his neck. "I thought the rain meant it was supposed to get warmer or something," he grumbles, tugging the scarf far enough away from his neck that he can burrow his chin into it.

Haruka unfolds the umbrella, holds it up so it will shield both of them. "Don't know. Did you walk?"

Rin pulls his ponytail – the ends still damp – out of the folds of his scarf, cast a heavy look out at the rain. "Yeah, but I'll take the train back."

And so they step out into the rain. Drops patters loudly against the umbrella. The hand Haruka has on the handle goes cold quickly, but he doesn't mind all that much. The air is fresh; he relishes the smell as it fills his lungs. Rin's shoulder bumps into his every now and then.

"That kid calls you Haru-chan," Rin says, after they've walked a block. He sounds amused.

"Yeah. He came up with it on his own."

Rin sniggers. "He's like a not really but kind of Nagisa. I like him already."

Haruka frowns bemusedly at him, and realizes in the grin that Rin sends back at him that this is exactly what Rin had wanted. Rin's good mood is rubbing off on him; he's taking Rin's bait.

They reach a crosswalk, wait for a couple cars to pass through. "You really teach him how to swim?" Rin asks him.

"I did over the summer," Haruka says. They step into the street, avoiding the water that's starting to fill the gutter. "He just wears the floaters when his mom's doing laps."

Rin lets out a hum. It's a pensive sound, and Haruka hears the catch in it – tension, or some kind of irritation. When Rin's words come, they are slow and wary.

"Haru…you don't regret it at all?"

They reach the other side of the road; shoulders collide as they step up onto the sidewalk, as Haruka turns a puzzled expression towards Rin.

"I mean not swimming anymore," Rin says. "I mean –" and he falters, and his words come tumbling: "I know you swim but like, for a team where you can swim all the time. You were scouted and everything, don't you feel like you missed out on something big? Like, how can you stand – you, Haru, how can you stand not to keep swimming?"

Haruka contains a sigh, though it probably wouldn't be audible over the rain anyway. He dips his chin into his scarf, drops his eyes to the sidewalk. He realizes they're just standing on the street corner, wonders how it happened that Rin got in front of him. He can feel the weight of Rin's gaze on him, wide-eyed and genuinely uncomprehending.

"I still swim."

"I know you do," Rin says, and lets out a frustrated breath. His hands move this way and that to punctuate his words – Haruka focuses on them instead of his face. "But like, on teams. In tournaments. You'd help people win. You're –"

"Rin."

"You're a fucking natural, Haru!" Rin blurts, and Haruka feels himself tense. He had known this conversation would come; he had been dreading it. Rin has gone silent – maybe because he's noticed Haruka's body language, maybe not. Haruka looks up, and as soon as he does the stubbornness takes to Rin's features again.

"It's fucking frustrating how good you are," Rin says, eyebrows pulled together, deep furrows between them. "For you to not do anything with that, it's just such a –"

Such a waste.

Haruka hears the words hanging in the air, sees them in the sudden widening of Rin's eyes as he catches himself.

"I didn't get scouted by the same school as you," Haruka says.

Rin's face heats up. "That's not what I'm – that's not my point," he says angrily, on the verge of stammering.

"Then why are you so bothered?"

"Because you not swimming doesn't feel right! Why the fuck would you choose not to?"

Haruka holds Rin's gaze, wonders how flat his expression looks compared to the fire in Rin's eyes. Rin looks away first.

"You know what I'm going to say," Haruka says. He doesn't want to get defensive, but he hears to tone start to creep into his voice nonetheless. He starts walking again, leaving Rin out in the rain because he doesn't want to have an argument now, not after how easy this morning has been.

Please respect my decision.

He wonders if Rin will catch those words in the air.

Rin catches up quickly, ducks back beneath the umbrella. "Because you don't care about winning or setting records," he recites sourly. "I know, I get it." A moment later he lets out a heavy sigh and changes his mind: "No I don't. I don't get you."

Haruka glances over. Rin meets his eyes for a second, then looks away and mumbles a quiet, "Sorry."

Haruka isn't sure if it's for not 'getting' him, or if it's for bringing up the conversation in the first place. Either way, he's already forgiven him.

And in all honesty, he does miss swimming on a team. But there's always been one team and one team only that he's been willing to swim for. It grew a bit when Rei came into the picture, but then it was set in stone. He's never swam for any thing – it's always been people. He knows he wouldn't be able to swim the same for any other team. He wouldn't want to. He couldn't.

Besides, there is normalcy to look forward to now. Now that he no longer has a team to swim for, he gets to be normal. Shed the weight of being a prodigy, a genius, a whatever, from his back.

Rin asks him about school – it isn't really a new topic, but Haruka knows that Rin had tried to steer the conversation to new waters. Haruka talks about how he doesn't like economics, doesn't really like math, honestly doesn't care about school much at all. Rin has no idea what he wants to major in – he went for the swimming, doesn't know what to do about academics even though he's good at pretty much everything.

"School sucks," Rin sums up at one point, though his tone is light, lacking concern.

Still, Haruka has to ask, and he keeps his gaze straight ahead when he does: "Do you like it there?" From the corner of his eye he sees Rin look at him, and then he hears a quiet exhale, something of a laugh.

"Yeah. It's a lot better than Australia."

Haruka nods. He's surprised when Rin throws an arm around his shoulders – the umbrella shakes and tips, and they are showered with water droplets. Haruka lets out a sound of discontent.

"Aw, were you worried about me?" Rin asks, voice close to Haruka's cheek, and Haruka turns his face away.

"That's a stupid question."

"Is that a yes or no?"

"No."

He feels a puff of breath against his neck – another laugh – and Rin lets him go.

"That's cold, Haru."

He makes a noncommittal sound. The station appears up ahead, looking largely empty. They cross the street and sure enough, there is only one other person there, huddled up in his jacket on the opposite platform. The benches are all wet.

They check the schedule as soon as they're under the overhang, and then Rin grabs Haruka's wrist, drags him over to the vending machines. "I think I stepped in a fucking puddle, my socks are soaked," he says by way of explanation that explains very little, because there is no way a drink is going to do anything about his socks.

"You want one?" he asks, popping some coins into the machine, punching the button for a hot coffee.

"I'm fine."

"Suit yourself," Rin says with a shrug, and bends down to retrieve the can from the machine. He cradles it in his hands for a moment, then holds it against his cheek. "It's warm," he says defensively, even though Haruka hasn't so much as twitched an eyebrow. A grin flashes across Rin's face, giving Haruka little warning before his hand darts out to try to press the can against Haruka's cheek. Haruka ducks out of the way, and Rin laughs.

"You're so stiff, Haru," he says, and slings his arm back over Haruka's shoulders, pulls him close. The coffee can dangles near Haruka's jaw. "Crack a smile every once in a while, loosen up."

"I don't want a coffee can on my face," Haruka says. "And I already smiled today."

Rin snorts. "Wow, yeah, so impressive." He reaches his other arm around Haruka to pop the can open, has Haruka in a not-quite hug to do so. Haruka gets a whiff of coffee as the can passes beneath his nose.

"You should keep a tally," Rin says, after taking a sip and smacking his lips. "Think you could get to ten smiles within a week?"

Haruka can't think of a more pointless thing to keep a tally of. "I don't know."

Rin laughs, but it's contained, almost under his breath. He blows into the top of the can, disturbing the steam that rises. "Haru, that's pretty sad, you know? You should really do it. This is important stuff to know."

Haruka wrinkles his nose. He's feeling jostled and hunched, because Rin isn't shy about leaning his weight on him and isn't shy about waving around the hand resting against his shoulder. It's really a wonder that Rin can be so overbearing, and yet Haruka still finds himself able to bear it. Rin smells faintly of chlorine and his hair is this close to brushing against Haruka's face, but Haruka just lets him prattle on because Rin is one of the few people who have earned the right to infringe on his personal space.

Though of course Rin didn't so much earn the right as he crashed his way through every resistance Haruka had ever put up, back when they were adolescents and Rin grinned as much as he has been grinning today.

Though Haruka did miss him these past couple months, so he guesses that makes it okay, too.

With the blare of a horn and a hiss of air a train arrives, and it's Haruka's. Rin lets him go, and Haruka hands Rin the umbrella – "because you have to get to the other side," he says, with a look toward the other platform. He stands there for a moment, dallying between just leaving and saying some form of goodbye. "Bring it back to Kaji-san soon," is what he settles on, before turning away. He gets to the doors of the train before Rin shouts out his name.

Haruka stops, looks over his shoulder.

Rin's cheeks are flushed, from the coffee or the cold or a mix of both. "Are you going tomorrow? To swim?"

"There are swimming lessons tomorrow."

Rin's eyebrows shoot up. "Aw, shit! I told Kaji-san I'd be there."

"You can go afterwards."

"Are you?"

"I'm going before."

The train's horn bellows, and Haruka steps inside. He hears Rin call after him – "Fine! Whatever! See you whenever!"

Haruka turns back, raises his voice in the moments before the doors slide closed. "Makoto will tell you when we're hanging out."

"Or you could use your own damn phone," Rin calls, but he raises the hand holding the coffee in a lazy wave, and the doors shut. Haruka can still see him through the window, sees him tip his head back to drain the last of the coffee, sees him crush the can in his hand and head toward the trash bin.

And then the train lurches, and Haruka grabs for a handhold, and he knows he'll be seeing Rin again before long.