Chapter Five

Date Four - Romantic Walk

A wiser head would've given up after three failed dates - Rin wasn't wise and plus, with a little persuasion Haru was still willing. If a bit reluctant. Which Rin couldn't blame him for.

But this time... It was so damn simple that nothing, nothing at all could go wrong without a meteor falling from the sky and crushing a specific part of the Iwatobi shore. Which was highly doubtful.

It was a walk. On the beach. At sunset - the very cliché of romance. And after buying shaved ice, they walked side by side, their footprints leaving marks on the sand together. They didn't say much - made a few comments and jokes about their previous dates - but nothing beyond that as they seemed to just enjoy the time in each other's company.

After their shaved ice was done, Rin ran up the shore to throw their containers in the trash and returned to Haru who had removed his sneakers and rolled up his jeans, his feet submerged in the water, it lapping around his ankles. Rin followed his lead, dropping his sneakers to the sand and rolling up his jeans, stepping into the water that felt frigid against his skin.

Unconsciously, Rin stepped toward Haru, his shoulder bumping Haru's as they looked out together to the horizon and the sun starting to dip lower in the sky.

Haru moved into him and Rin took the hint, wrapping an arm around his waist and kissing gently at the top of Haru's head.

"Looks beautiful, right?" Rin said softly.

Haru made a soft noise in affirmation, the content sound as comforting to Rin as a boisterous declaration of love. A larger wave rocked their ankles, the water higher on their legs and wetting their clothing but Rin didn't care as he pulled Haru closer, feeling the press of his body even through the layers of clothing.

When Haru turned to face him, his face open and honest, blue eyes wide, Rin took one glance to see they were alone before he leaned in for a kiss where his tongue plundered Haru's mouth - taking his time and tracing his tongue over teeth and palate, slowly running his hands over Haru's hoodie clad back.

When they pulled away, Haru buried his head in Rin's shoulder, in the soft material of Rin's sweater.

"This is better."

"Yeah..."

The moment felt quiet and blissful and they decided to walk some more as the sun finally descended below the horizon, darkness starting to overtake light. As they walked, shoes in hand, the water lapping their feet and wetting the bottom of their jeans, Rin reached for Haru's hand and clasped it tight, Haru turning and offering the smallest softness smile that made Rin beam.

This date was going perfectly and Rin hoped that maybe when he walked Haru home there would be more than a goodnight kiss tonight. They were both eager for more - that was clear in the way Haru moved against him during their making out at the pool and so Rin felt confident after a successful date there would be something exciting to follow.

In the blissful state, Rin barely noticed the dog dart into the water, shouted at by an owner, loudly. But then he did notice that the dog had got caught in the tide as it swam too far out and soon, the owner was stripping off clothes in an attempt to rescue their pet Rin looked at Haru, his eyes widened as he took in the scene. They were too far away to be effective but with a nod, they both ran down the beach to the spot where the pets owner had left his clothes.

Rin's eyes narrowed as he saw ineffective splashing - the man in obvious trouble now he'd got too far out. The dog was nowhere to be seen. Haru stripped swiftly, Rin not amused as he usually would be by the swimsuit underneath his clothing as it was completely appropriate and necessary right now. Rin stripped too, though he had to make do with boxers as he followed Haru into the cold waters of the ocean, diving in as soon as he could so that all of his body had been exposed to the chilly salty waves.

Taking a deep breath when he broke the surface, Rin swam towards the splashing, seeing the arm waving even above the rolling waves, and he could sense Haru was there too, ahead of him, his arms probably slicing through the waves.

As Rin finally got to the man, he saw Haru was wrestling with him, trying to get him to come back to shore.

"My dog!"

Rin intervened, wanting to shout that the dog was probably a better swimmer and more likely to survive than the idiot man but all he did was grab for him, forcefully holding at his neck as he swam back to shore, Haru swimming some more to try and spot the animal as Rin completed the rescue.

Dragging the flailing man to the shore - Rin looked for Haru, momentarily afraid when he couldn't see him but that passed as Haru emerged - sans dog. Rin heard the man shout and then attempt to make his way back towards the water, despite being a poor swimmer, and then the sound of barking cut through the air. Rin turned and saw the animal bound through the surf, obviously having swum back to shore somewhere down the beach and now seeking out its owner. The dog was fine - more than fine and Rin growled as he felt cold and annoyed at the idiot who had tried to save his animal.

"Don't dive into the ocean if you can't swim," Rin said angrily but the man was too enraptured by the dog who had dove into his arms to care for Rin's annoyance. Haru rolled his eyes, a shiver in his own shoulders, and they both sought out their clothes, putting them on over their damp skin and making their way back to Haru's home.

Rin muttered under his breath angrily the whole walk, shivering occasionally and he used the term "idiot" and "asshole" frequently and other less pleasant curses. When they arrived at Haru's, Rin waited at the doorway, curious if he was to be invited in - he felt so damn cold and annoyed, he was sure he would be bad company but Haru nodded and kept his door open, letting Rin inside, Rin's eyes taking in the school books on the floor and pictures on the walls as he followed Haru to the kitchen.

Haru made tea to warm them both and handed Rin some ill-fitting clothes that Rin guessed were Makoto's due to the size and being too large for Haru. After drying himself thoroughly and warming up with tea, Rin tried to initiate a kiss but Haru was blank eyed and unresponsive.

"Why would someone dive after their animal if they can't swim? Isn't that suicidal?"

"It's stupid but not suicidal," Rin answered with a shrug. It was clear the idiot had ruined their romantic mood and Haru was thoughtful.

"I'll go. I need to warm up, you know?"

Haru didn't persuade him to stay, only stood at the doorway and accepted Rin's brief peck of lips without complaint. Rin felt downhearted as he made his way back to Samezuka as the mood had turned melancholy and he didn't know how to fix that - or how to make Haru feel better. There was so little he knew about him despite all their rivalry and races and Rin felt he was only scratching loosely at the surface with his fingernails. Dating, it seemed, was hopeless.

After a long shower, Rin staying in until his body finally felt warm, he got ready for bed, sliding into his bunk, Sousuke ignoring him as his mood was clear. Rin grabbed for his phone and wrote a message, swallowing nervously as he sent it.

/do you still want to?/

/yes/

The brief to the point message said it all and Rin had to believe that Haru still wanted to attempt the dating thing even though it was turning into an unmitigated disaster.

He sighed, turned over and held his phone as he fell asleep, his mind trying to figure out a date that couldn't go wrong. And he still hadn't thought of one as he fell asleep, dreaming of Haru's clear blue eyes and the slight smile he'd shown Rin when they hugged at the water's edge.