Chapter Text
That morning, Rin awoke to the muffled sound of shouting, coming from somewhere just outside of his dreams. It took him time to even register the noise - his subconscious quite happy to incorporate it into his restful sleep - the cries fading into encouraging cheers as he ripped through the water on the Olympic stage. It all seemed so natural and comfortable, but when his coaches started yelling a name that wasn’t his own (“Haru-chan!!”), he finally found himself being pulled from the deepest, most satisfying sleep in ages. Which, of course, made him more than a little cranky.
Slowly opening his eyes, his lips set into a frown as his body, heavy and satiated, refused to move more than an inch. As he blinked himself into wakefulness, he found his surroundings just unfamiliar enough to punch his heart up into his throat. He turned his head quickly, coming face-to-face with Haru laying next to him, still fast asleep and dreaming, a small smile on his otherwise relaxed face. And then Rin relaxed too, the memories of the previous night flooding back to him and causing his heart to race for completely different reasons.
Last night, he and Haru had sex.
(Kind of.)
Last night, he and Haru exchanged sloppy and satisfying blowjobs before falling asleep in each others’ arms and it was kind of amazing. They also made out a lot, got each other off multiple times with their hands, and kissed some more before passing out in a comfortable cuddle.
As his face burned in a happy embarrassment, Rin could barely resist the urge to do a small victory dance in bed. Sure, he and Haru had been dating for a little bit over a month and this was bound to happen, but it did. And that was the best part.
Next to Haru and him being boyfriends, of course.
As a wide smile blossomed on his lips, he reached out to brush Haru’s hair away from his face. And what a beautiful boyfriend he had. Haru looked so serene when he was sleeping, wearing a similar expression to the one Rin saw whenever he spotted water in the distance or floated in a pool. He was so, so— Amazing? Incredible? Wonderful? Rin wasn’t sure he could pick just one word to describe Haru, so he didn’t.
Laughing quietly to himself, he leaned down to kiss Haru on the forehead, but found himself stopped when he heard more muffled shouting outside of Haru’s cracked window.
“Haru-chan, wake up!” called one voice, desperate and whining.
“Nagisa-kun, Haruka-senpai’s probably asleep. We’ll come back later.”
“Then let’s just break in through the back, like old times!”
Drawn toward the sounds by his own curiosity, Rin sat up and moved toward the window, opening it just enough to poke his head through. He found himself holding his breath as he peeked down at the street, hoping he was quiet enough not to draw the attention of whoever was currently harassing Haru’s house. But when did he ever have that kind of luck?
“He’s awake!” someone shouted as Rin looked down, seeing a small group of three standing just below Haru’s window and watching it expectantly. One of them he recognized as Makoto, but the other two were complete strangers. Though he could’ve sworn he saw their faces somewhere. Maybe in photos at the swim club?
As Rin locked eyes with Makoto, he saw him turn three shades paler, reaching up to cover his face a little too quickly. “Oh my god,” Makoto groaned. “We should—”
“—Who’s that?” the short, blond one asked, his expression twisted in confusion. It only took him a few seconds before his face lit up, a grin stretching his lips and cheeks. “Wait, is that Matsuoka Rin?!”
And the tall one with glasses had the decency to blush. “Nagisa-kun, don’t be rude,” he chided, but paused to look up at Rin, who was staring down at the group, lips parted, face flushed. He knew he should’ve been ducking back into the bedroom, but he found himself rooted to the spot, unable to look away from the slow, painful train wreck that was his own life. “It can’t truly be…”
Makoto continued to groan, face behind his hands in an attempt at giving Rin some decency. The blond - Nagisa, apparently - was beaming as he looked up at Rin. “It is! We have his poster in our bedroom, I’d recognize him anywhere.” This seemed to make the tall one blush even harder as he cried out, but Nagisa was having none of it. “Wow, what’s Matsuoka Rin doing—“ He paused, eyes widening before his grin followed suite. “Holy crap, Haru-chan! Get it!!”
It was then that Rin remembered just how naked he currently was, and even though they couldn’t see him from the waist down, this was not the impression he wanted to leave on Haru’s friends. Ducking behind the window just enough, both of his hands flew to his face so he could hide just how hard he was blushing. “Oh my god—“
“I’m so sorry, Rin! I didn’t know—“ Makoto called up from the window, and Rin might’ve appreciated his apology if the current situation were any less mortifying.
“Mako-chan, you didn’t tell me Haru was dating!”
“I’m sorry!”
Peeking through his fingers, Rin noticed that Makoto was still covering his face, probably to keep from openly staring at the naked spectacle currently poking out of Haru’s window. At least they couldn’t see the rest of him, but that wasn’t comforting enough as Rin flopped back on the bed, knocking into Haru’s feet and groaning into his hands.
He’d never get a cool introduction to any of these people, would he? Except maybe Makoto. At least Makoto thought he was cool. Maybe these other two thought so as well, considering they had a poster of him on their bedroom wall. (Maybe that wasn’t such a great thing. Rin didn’t really have the mental capacity to think about it.)
Just as he started to pray for Haru’s bed to swallow him whole and never release him again, he felt Haru shift underneath him, pushing the covers aside until he was sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. Looking over at him, Rin couldn’t help but think that he was ridiculously adorable when he was sleepy, his hair a little mussed and his eyes half-lidded. Covering a yawn, he looked at Rin and smiled this amazing, endearingly soft smile, before he crawled over Rin and toward the window.
“Wait, your friends are outside—“ Rin tried to warn, but it seemed Haru was having none of it, as he shamelessly poked his entire (naked) upper body out the window to look down at the shouting masses below.
“Hey,” he said, leaning against the window frame.
“Haru-chan!” Rin heard Nagisa call. “Why didn’t you tell me you were seeing someone?! You should’ve called.”
“Sorry,” Haru mumbled.
“Nagisa-kun, leave Haruka-senpai alone,” Glasses chided. “Didn’t we come here to—“
“Shut it, Rei-chan. You’re just mad ‘cause you lost the bet,” Nagisa teased, and Rin found himself crawling toward the window again. And not just because he wanted to admire Haru’s naked ass up close.
“I’m so sorry, Haru,” Makoto called, embarrassment evident in his voice as he apologized for what felt like the millionth time. Rin would’ve bet a lot of money that he was probably still covering his face, especially with Haru shamelessly displaying his naked torso and making no move to cover up. “I didn’t know Rin was over!”
“Holy shit,” Nagisa cut in before Haru could respond. “Are those hickeys?! Oh my god, Haru, you’re covered in them!”
Next to him, Haru looked down as if noticing them for the first time. Rin’s face turned a healthy shade of fire truck red as he admired his own handiwork; there were an excessive amount on his neck and chest and they were pretty noticeable. His eyes widened as he remembered the marks Haru’d left on him and his hands flew up to his neck before he sought out a mirror. Only to find Haru’s bedroom had none.
Damn, how did Haru get dressed in the morning?!
Haru, as cool and collected as ever, only peered out the window as he rested his hands on the ledge. “I didn’t know you were in town,” he said.
“Oh, right!” This seemed to distract Nagisa, or so Rin assumed, as he finally changed the subject away from Haru’s sex life. (Later on, after he could put this embarrassment behind him, he knew it’d amuse him just how astonished Haru’s friends were at the fact that he was dating. And flattered that they were even more surprised it was a famous Olympic athlete. Who they all had posters of in their bedrooms…)
“Rei-chan and I are on vacation. We wanted to come home!” Nagisa called up to the window. “But it seems like you’re busy—“
“We were planning on going to the beach today. You wanna come, Haru?” Makoto called, and Rin never felt more appreciative for him in his entire life. (He really owed Makoto a lot, didn’t he?)
Pulling away from the window, Haru looked down at him, his brow raised. “You wanna go?” he asked.
Rin looked back up at Haru, swallowing the lump forming in his throat. Honestly, he was looking forward to this rare moment of freedom, when he knew Taki was safe and being cared for by his sister. And he was looking forward to using it to spend time with Haru, in an emotional, physical, and sexual sense. He definitely wouldn’t mind a repeat performance from last night…
But he was interested in getting to know Haru’s friends, and the weather outside was beautiful. He hadn’t lived this close to the beach in a while, and he knew Taki would enjoy going out. Nodding, he swallowed again and allowed himself to smile. “Sure.”
Looking back out the window, Haru called down to his friends below, “Yeah. We’ll be down eventually.”
Rin was almost positive Nagisa was grinning like a loon. He could practically hear it in his voice when he called back, “Sure, we’ll go hang out at Mako-chan’s! Have fun you too.” He wouldn’t be surprised if Nagisa even threw Haru a wink.
He probably should’ve appeared in front of the window again, at least to wave to them as they left. But Rin knew he needed more than just a shower and some time before he could face those three again. Especially Makoto.
Crawling over the bed, Rin grabbed for the phone still laying in the back pocket of his pants. “Mind if I invite a few others?” he asked, looking back at Haru, who was making himself comfortable in bed again.
“Sure.”
It took Haru and Rin an embarrassing amount of time to get ready. In between swapping kisses on his bed, showering off their stickiness from the night before, and making breakfast, it was well-past morning when the two of them finally regrouped with Haru’s friends. It was then that Rin finally got a significantly less embarrassing introduction to Ryuugazaki Rei and Hazuki Nagisa, Haru’s high school and childhood friends respectively.
“They’re living in Kyoto now,” Haru explained as the five of them stood in front of Makoto’s old house, dressed and ready for a day at the beach. “They’re both working in a hospital together.”
“Rei-chan’s doing his residency right now,” Nagisa explained. “I’m training to be a nurse.”
Rin nodded, impressed. Though he knew little about Nagisa, that surprised him. He seemed like more of the television personality type, really. Though Rei seemed like a smart, scientific nerd, if his outward appearance and general seriousness said anything. “Sounds like a lot of work.”
Rei nodded. “True dedication to the scientific and doctoral arts is required when pursuing such a passionate field,” he said, smirking as he reached up to adjust his glasses.
Nagisa rolled his eyes, smiling up at Rei in a way that seemed comfortably familiar to Rin now that he’d been dating Haru for almost a month. “He means yes,” he explained, and Rei turned a few shades pinker as he cleared his throat.
Finally, the five of them took off toward the “usual spot,” heading in the direction of the beach together. The conversation focused heavily on Nagisa and Rei’s life until that point, as it seemed that Makoto and Haru hadn’t seen either of them in some time. Rin was eternally grateful for this, hanging at the back of the group and walking side-by-side with Makoto, who continued to look over at him and mouth “I’m so sorry” every five or so minutes.
“Let me tell you, the training nurses at the hospital? They have it out for me,” Nagisa said, nodding as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Maybe they’re just jealous ‘cause I’m dating a hot doctor.”
Rin snorted as Rei blushed. “Hardly,” he said. “And one of them was mean to you once, Nagisa-kun. They don’t have it out for you.”
Nagisa shrugged as Makoto laughed. “So, have you two thought about what you’re going to do after you’re done?”
Both Nagisa and Rei shook their heads. “We’re still figuring it out,” Rei offered.
“So, Haru!” Nagisa started, changing the subject as he sidled up to Haru. “I wanna hear all about you and Rin-chan.” Rin flushed at the nickname, mouth agape as he had half a mind to chide Nagisa for his sudden familiarity. But his bubbly personality and genera outgoing nature made that a little more than challenging, and he found himself grumbling instead.
“He’s my boyfriend,” Haru explained, and the squeal that left Nagisa’s lips caused Rin to choke back a laugh. As well as the heart currently beating up against his throat.
“Tell me everything!” Nagisa said, grabbing onto Haru’s arm and tugging at him.
Haru seemed unruffled by the excited manhandling, but complied anyway. “Fine,” he said, and launched into an astonishingly simple explanation of his and Rin’s short but sweet history. If it were Rin telling the story, he wouldn’t spare any detail, embarrassing the hell out of himself while he went on and on about his feelings for Haru and how long he pined for him. (Gou knew all of that firsthand.) But he liked the way Haru told it, even if it wasn’t the most grand, elaborate story.
Mostly because he liked the way that Haru liked him.
It was a stupid thought, but just hearing Haru talk about their relationship to someone else - just hearing Haru call him his boyfriend - was thrilling. Haru was a closed book, shut with a lock, key, and a bike chain, and while Rin had gotten just a little bit better at reading him, there were still times when he wasn’t sure what Haru was thinking. So to hear those feelings vocalized, even if they weren’t at him… Well, it made him really happy.
He couldn’t stop smiling as he walked behind the group, enjoying Haru’s brief story about their meeting through Taki, about their awkward flirting, and about their first date.
“I can’t believe you’re dating Matsuoka Rin!” Nagisa exclaimed, looking back at Rin with a beaming smile, apparently not caring about his open fanboying. Rin couldn’t find it in himself to care. “Rei-chan and I are huge fans.”
Rin blushed despite himself. “Always good to meet fans,” he said with a teasing grin.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous.”
“Nagisa-kun!” Rei muttered, flushing a deep shade of red as he fidgeted with his glasses. Clearing his throat, he turned toward Rin. “Please excuse my partner.”
“I know you’re jealous too, Rei-chan,” Nagisa teased, looping his arm through Rei’s and leaning up to peck him on the cheek.
“That’s beside the point…”
Rin reached up to rub the back of his neck as his cheeks stained themselves a permanent red. Haru looked back at him and Rin could see that familiar ghost of a smile on his lips as his look turned playful.
“I’m not sharing,” he said, and Nagisa burst out laughing as Rin flushed even more.
He was relieved when the conversation switched back to reminiscing, Nagisa prattling on about the “good old days,” the swim club, and high school. He asked a lot of questions about what Haru and Makoto were doing - about the swim club and Makoto’s job as a teacher - even attempting to pry into Rin’s personal life, to which he answered to the best of his ability.
It didn’t take them long to finally get down to the beach, and Nagisa’s ceaseless chatter continued on until they reached the edge of the water. It wasn’t the first time Rin had been there - he ran past the water quite a few times on his morning runs, and he’d even taken Taki down there when they first moved to Iwatobi - but this was the first time he’d been there since summer started, and it was beautiful. The sun glittering off the surface of the water, the waves rolling in and crashing on the sand, and the cry of gulls in the distance combined with the salty sea breeze made Rin feel at ease.
As much as he enjoyed city life, and as long as he’d lived like that, there was something nice about the quaint town of Iwatobi, and while he’d been hesitant to move there at first, a move he took following Gou and her job and not by choice, he was much happier there than he was when he was living in any city.
And he knew that reason extended well beyond the beautiful ocean in front of him.
In fact, it was standing next to him, looking out at the water too as Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa whipped out their towels and umbrellas and started getting comfortable. Glancing over at Haru, he was surprised when he looked away from the water long enough to stare back. And Rin couldn’t help the wide grin that spread across his face as he found himself laughing.
“What?” Haru asked, tilting his head to the side.
“I’m just…happy,” Rin admitted as he bumped his shoulder against Haru’s, their knuckles brushing as their arms touched.
Haru watched him for a while before he looked back out at the ocean. “Me too,” he said, and touched Rin’s hand, gripping it in his own.
It wasn’t long after the five of them had gotten settled that Rin heard the sound of his son’s voice in the near distance. “Dad!” Taki called out, running toward him, leaving Gou and Seijuurou behind in the sand and the dust. Getting up from his towel, Rin crouched down and opened his arms up so Taki could tackle into him, wrapping his arms around his neck and squeezing him tight.
Picking Taki up and swinging him around, Rin laughed as he hugged his son back and set him down. Taki was breathless and grinning, his eyes sparkling as he looked up at Rin in a way that made his heart twist in his chest.
“I missed you,” he said.
Rin could barely contain the smile plastered on his face as his heart twisted again. “You have fun at Aunt Gou’s?”
Taki nodded excitedly. “Yeah! We stayed up late and watched movies, and she let me eat ice cream for breakfast.”
“I told you not to tell him,” Gou said as approached the group, stopping behind Taki and putting her hands on her hips. She winked at Rin knowingly before ruffling Taki’s hair.
Rin rolled his eyes. “She spoils you,” he said. “Miss me?”
Taki nodded. “Yeah, but I knew you were having a sleepover at Haru’s, so it’s okay,” he said, and then looked around, almost as if remembering it was more than just the two of them. When he spotted Haru, he jumped out of Rin’s arms and ran over to him, tackling him into the sand as well with a happy cry and an excited grin. If that didn’t make Rin as happy as it did, he might’ve been jealous. (But how could he be, when his son liked his boyfriend almost as much as he did?)
“Oh my god, he’s so cute,” Rin heard Nagisa tell Makoto, and he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face.
After Taki’d had his fill hugging Haru and gushing to him about his Deep Sea Crossing town and his sleepover at Gou’s the previous night, he finally looked around to see the rest of the group. He waved none too shyly at Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei before he paused, his eyes widening.
“Wait, are you… Haru’s boyfriend friends?!” he asked, and rushed over to Nagisa and Rei as if he’d just spotted a pair of celebrities. The two of them shared a look before Nagisa burst out laughing.
“Yeah, we are.” Nagisa grinned. “Are we famous around here, Haru-chan?”
As Haru sat back down on his towel, he looked off to the side. “Not really.”
But apparently Taki thought otherwise. “Haru told me all about you!” he said, jumping up on his feet. “About your cool breast stroke and your beautiful butterfly.” He pointed to Nagisa and Rei, both of whom were blushing, Rei looking a little more than flattered. “And how you’re boyfriends and awesome swimmers and super cool friends.”
As Rei adjusted his glasses, puffing out his chest in some display of pride, Nagisa giggled. “Wow, Haru-chan. Super cool friends?”
“His words,” was Haru’s answer as he laid back on his towel under the shade of Makoto’s umbrella. This only made Nagisa giggle harder as he leaned down to talk to Taki.
Rin turned to Gou as he stretched his arms over his head. “Hope he wasn’t too much trouble,” he said. “It’s been a while since he’s spent the night.”
Gou smiled, waving her hand in front of her face. “Never,” she said. “Anytime you need to get some, you know who to call.”
And Rin felt his face heat up all over again, and not from the burning sun beating down on him. “That’s not—“
“Tonight, you’re gonna have to tell me all about it,” Gou cut in with a wink as she reached for her own towel so she could set up and relax under the warm sun and cool sea breeze.
And Rin knew he’d do just that later. After all, he had a lot to talk about.
As their group settled into the sand and Taki made his rounds, chatting with each person as he grilled them with questions about their lives, Rin allowed himself to relax on his towel, settled right next to Haru’s. Haru sat next to him, their legs occasionally touching as he laid back and relaxed.
“I’m surprised you’re not swimming,” Rin said, sitting up to look at Haru over the rims of his sunglasses.
Looking up, Haru nodded toward the tube of sunblock sitting next to him. But Rin knew that was just an excuse; nothing could keep Haru from the water, not even the threat of sunburn. There was a small part of Rin that hoped Haru wasn’t in any rush to get swimming because he wanted to spend time with him, but he wasn’t sure how true that was.
Hey, he could dream, right?
Grabbing for the tube, Rin grinned and shook it in front of Haru’s face. “Want me to get your back?” he asked.
Haru sighed and sat up, reaching to tug his shirt off in one swift motion. Rin couldn’t help the way his heartbeat quickened as his eyes traced every curve of Haru’s lean muscles, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. And he couldn’t help the way his stomach twisted when he saw the shameless hickeys spread across Haru’s neck and torso, but Haru didn’t seem to care as he presented his back to Rin without question or comment. And what could Rin do but oblige?
As he finished helping Haru apply his sunscreen, Taki came and flopped down between them, hugging his beach bag close and smiling up at them. “Are we gonna swim?” he asked. “Get my back too, dad!”
And Rin smiled as he squeezed a large glob of sunscreen onto his hands while Taki tugged is shirt off. Handing the sunscreen tube to Haru, he watched him apply the rest out of the corner of his eye.
“Aunt Gou brought snacks!” Taki said as Rin was finishing up with his sunscreen. Reaching for his bag, he pulled out some chocolates and sweet potato chips, hugging them close to his chest with a grin.
Rin rolled his eyes and smiled. “And Haru and I packed lunch,” he said, grabbing the cooler filled with quickly made meals they’d thrown together that morning. “And since you had ice cream for breakfast—“
But he didn’t even have to convince Taki to eat his and Haru’s cooking. Snatching a bento box from the cooler, Taki ripped it open and dug in almost immediately. He was beaming around his chopsticks as he ate, mumbling praises for Haru’s cooking in between each bite.
Glancing over at Haru, Rin couldn’t help but notice the small smile on his lips as he rubbed more sunscreen into his arms.
After the three of them had eaten, Rin laid back on the towel and listened to the chatter amongst the group as they all relaxed in the sand. Though their voices were barely heard over the crashing of the waves and the wind coming off the ocean, it was a nice background noise as he found himself dozing off, completely comfortable and more than sated. Taki curled up in between him and Haru as the three of them laid there together, relaxing.
After all had eaten and digested, Nagisa was the first to jump up from his towel and run over to Rin. “Taki-chan, let’s swim!” he said, holding out his hands.
Taki grabbed it and pulled himself up with a grin. “Yeah!” he said, before he turned to Haru. “Haru, let’s go!”
And Haru couldn’t say no to that, letting Taki pull him up from the towel and drag him down to the water. At least Taki spared a wave to Rin, who continued to lay back on the towel and watch from afar, a smile plastered to his face.
As the rest of the group played in the water, Rin found himself sticking close to shore. Normally, he’d be all for the extra swimming practice and exercise (as well as the fun), but the hickeys on his neck and chest made him more than a little self-conscious. Sure, Nagisa had already pointed them out, and when Taki had seen the ones Haru was sporting, he loudly asked what they were (to which Rin quickly responded with “bug bites.” Nagisa’s counter was, of course “love bug bites,” which started a very heated discussion between him, Rei, and Taki). But he’d never had hickeys before, and while he found them hot on Haru’s body and liked the reminder they gave him of the night before, he wasn’t quite ready to take his shirt off.
Not yet.
Still, he found peace and relaxation as he watched Taki frolic in the water with Nagisa and Rei, allowing Seijuurou to hoist him up on his shoulders so the two of them could go even deeper into the ocean. And he found it nice to watch Gou shy away from the waves as she waded in to her ankles, laughing every time her boyfriend did something silly or Nagisa made a dumb joke.
He found himself watching Haru almost as much as he was watching Taki. It didn’t take long for Haru to swim out to sea as far as he could, but when he came back, he was floating less and talking more, as he and Makoto stood together and let the waves hit their thighs. The two of them stood side-by-side, Makoto smiling knowingly as Haru spoke to him. And Rin was too far away to hear what they were talking about, though he was more than a little curious.
He could go out there and eavesdrop, couldn’t he? After all, there was a chance they were talking about him, right?
But just as he was about to get up and head out to the water, shirt and all, Gou plopped down next to him, her legs and feet sandy and a smile on her face.
“So, don’t give me all the details now, but how was it?” she asked, nudging Rin with her shoulder. “I can tell by your neck that something happened.”
As she reached to pinch one of his visible hickeys, Rin found himself blushing and grinning at the same time as he swatted her away playfully. “It was amazing,” he said, looking out at the ocean and at Haru. “It was just…so amazing.”
“Worth the wait?” Gou asked with a wink.
Rin looked over at her and smiled. “Definitely.”
Gou smiled and nodded, looking out at the ocean too. The two of them sat in a comfortable silence until, finally, she shifted enough to reach for her bag, pulling it over and setting it on her lap. “I’m gonna show you something, but don’t flip out, okay?”
Rin looked over at his sister, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion and a hint of nervousness. What could she have in her bag that would cause him to panic? Was it a mysterious letter? A photo? A pregnancy test?!
But instead, Gou produced a small plastic bag hidden deep within her purse and held it up for Rin to see. Inside was a ring, delicate and intricate and definitely not what Rin was expecting.
“Sei proposed last night,” she said, and Rin could see that she was barely suppressing a smile as she likely waited for Rin’s reaction.
“Holy shit,” he said, taking the bag from Gou almost too gently. He wanted to tear into the little bag and grab the ring, but he opened it slowly instead, producing it from its plastic confines so he could hold it in his hand. It was beautiful, he had to admit. Light gold bands woven together, a ruby at the center, just big enough to impress, but just simple enough to speak to the nature of Seijuurou and Gou’s relationship. Rin knew Seijuurou could more than afford something extravagant, but this ring was perfect in every way, just the way it was.
“We’ve been talking about marriage for a while,” Gou said, watching as Rin held the ring up and inspected it closely. “You know, ever since we moved in together. So, it wasn’t a surprise or anything. But it was still sweet.”
“How’d he propose?” Rin asked as he handed the ring back to his sister. He shouldn’t have been surprised either; Gou mentioned to him on multiple occasions that they’d been discussing marriage, especially as Seijuurou trained with Rin for his third Olympic run. But Seijuurou never mentioned it to him! Sure, they weren’t exactly best friends, but they’d definitely gotten closer since they started swimming for the same team (and since he started dating Gou). And he was much more welcoming to the idea of their dating than he was when they first started going out. (Maybe Seijuurou was still afraid of him.)
Gou was smiling as she slipped the ring on and held out her hand so Rin could admire it again. “It was really simple and nice,” she said. “I’d just put Taki to bed in the guest room and we sat down to watch a movie, but instead he put on this really cheesy music and made this whole speech and then asked me to marry him.” Rin could see the blush on Gou’s cheeks, and he couldn’t help but smile.
“Sounds sweet,” he said with a nod as he touched the ruby on the ring.
“Sometimes I can’t believe how we ended up here, you know?” Gou turned her hand so she could admire the ring as well. “He was so annoying in high school, always fawning over me. And when his little brother started too?” She sighed and shook her head. “But after you had Taki and I started going to school and we became friends? It just clicked.”
“I’m happy for you,” Rin said, leaning in to give Gou a kiss on the cheek. “You two deserve this.”
“Good!” Gou said, puffing out her cheeks to hide her embarrassment. “Because you’re walking me down the aisle.”
And Rin laughed, just to hide the way his heart twisted in his chest and a lump formed in his throat. “I better be,” he said, wrapping his arm around Gou’s shoulder and pulling her in for a half-hug.
“It’s either you or Momo.”
Sighing, Rin leaned his head against Gou’s. “Don’t even joke about that,” he said, feigning a groan.
And curled up next to him, Gou giggled as she leaned against Rin as well.
When Gou rejoined the party in the water (after packing her ring up, of course), Rin continued to hang back, still out of embarrassment, but more out of quiet contemplation. He thought a lot about Gou and Seijuurou and how far they’d come, but he thought more about his sister and how much she’d been through. He knew it couldn’t have been easy for her, after he left for Australia and came back a different person. And it couldn’t have been easy for her when he brought Taki home, just a baby, with almost no explanation.
He remembered the long nights when Taki was still young, him and Gou struggling with their schedules in order to help raise him together, because he needed all the help he could get. He remembered Gou moving in with him, even though he told her he could hire a nanny, just because she couldn’t let him do it alone.
And now Taki was older and she was settled into a job. She was building a life here in Iwatobi, just like he was. And soon, she’d start building a family on her own too.
Smiling to himself at the thought, Rin didn’t notice as Haru approached him and sat down next to him on his towel, soaking wet with salt water and sand. “Hey,” he said, looking at Rin.
“Hey,” Rin said with a smile. “Tired?”
Haru shook his head. “No,” he said. “Why aren’t you swimming?”
Rin flushed and shrugged. “Oh, you know,” he said, but Haru tilted his head curiously, proving that he didn’t. Rin blushed harder as he gestured to the hickeys on his neck.
Haru rolled his eyes just a little bit. “No one cares,” he said, and then nudged Rin with his arm, getting his shirt wet. “Come swim with me.”
Rin’s heart soared at the idea. He loved swimming with Haru, almost as much, if not more, than he loved swimming in general. And part of believed that maybe Haru felt the same way about him, in his own weird, Haru-like way. “Fine, fine,” he mumbled, attempting to mask the giddy feeling in his chest as he slowly pulled off his shirt.
Tossing it aside, he looked down at his chest and flushed again. It was pretty embarrassing how littered his chest was with marks. Maybe they’d fade by the time he had practice, but he thought that was pretty unlikely. He’d get a lot of teasing comments from his teammates, he knew that much. As long as they didn’t try to dig too deep.
Making to stand up, he noticed Haru was still seated with no intention of moving. Instead, he was staring at Rin almost curiously, his eyebrows knitted together.
“What?” Rin asked.
Haru was silent for a bit before he answered. “I’m sorry I outed you to my friends,” he said, and Rin’s heart leapt up into his throat.
“No, it’s okay.”
“It’s a very private secret. I should’ve asked first,” Haru said, determined in his apology in a way that surprised Rin.
Shaking his head, he smiled at Haru. “No, really. It’s okay,” he said. “If anyone had to know, I’m glad it’s them.” He knew Makoto actively encouraged their relationship, if his advice and restaurant recommendations were anything to go off of. But his other friends? They felt kind of like family to Haru, and that made it worth telling them.
“Okay,” Haru said, and the way that he smiled at Rin - so open, genuine, and honest - made Rin’s heart soar again. And as three words formed in the back of his throat, crowding his mouth in an attempt to get out, he found himself happier than he knew he ever could be.
His life wasn’t a terrible one. He was a professional athlete, he was well-known, and he was successful. He had a family that he loved and a son who made his life better every day, just by existing. And he had a boyfriend that he loved too, who was quirky and strange and made him feel warm in a way that no other person could.
He really loved Haru.
And while he wanted to tell him and kiss him and let him know just how amazing he was, he swallowed his words instead and leaned back on his towel. He’d tell him another time. When the moment was right; when they weren’t still figuring things out together. Right now, he was happy with the pace they were going at and the relationship he had. He wasn’t in any rush to change that.
Standing up, Haru stretched before holding out his hand to Rin. “Let’s swim together, Rin,” he said, still smiling that tiny, beautiful smile.
And Rin grabbed his hand, letting him pull him onto his feet. “Yeah,” he said, leaning in to kiss Haru on the lips. They lingered like that for a while before Rin broke it off with a grin. “Race you there!”
And took off in a head start. As Haru chased after him, Rin felt giddy and happy and wonderful in a way he couldn’t describe. Being there with Haru and his son, with Gou and Seijuurou and Haru’s friends, felt almost perfect.
It was the first day of summer, the sun beating down on them, the water the perfect temperature, and the promise of excitement in the air. It felt like being young again, when summer meant going home and goofing off; being with friends, running wild, and ruling the world.
And what better way to spend that first day of their summer than with friends and family? With laughter, smiles, and love? What better way to spend this morning, after everything he’d been through, than with his new boyfriend.
Looking out at the sea, the horizon seemed endless, just like the possibilities of his own future. It was exciting, wasn’t it? Starting a new relationship, exploring something new, taking things one day at a time. And just like the possibilities of this endless summer, Rin couldn’t wait to see where life would take him, Haru, and Taki next.
This was going to be the perfect start to the perfect summer.
And he couldn’t wait.