...if you asked what lies ahead of me now

Heavy thoughts met with heavy half lidded gaze, Sousuke sat alone on a park bench, his gaze unwavering and his form unmoving. Many people had passed by, but yet the world in which he found himself trapped in he had been alone. A single can of soda rested on one of his thighs with a light grip to the can, barely touched.

[really, he' was just walking to clear his head. when the pool's closed and the ocean's too cold, he had to settle for land training. and when he doesn't want to run, he just walks...and walks. takes things in, and looks around at people.

the last person he expected to walk by however was...haru stiffened and blinked as he did, slowing his steps. he wasn't glaring, but it wasn't a friendly greeting either]

...Yamazaki.

He hadn't noticed who had been passing him by, completely lost in thought, in his mind. Hand only shifting to bring the can up to his lips to take a sip, then settling it back upon his thigh.

Adapting was proving to be a struggle, even for someone like him. He leaned his shoulders back, idly. But- hearing his name had immediately broke through his mindless state.

Blank gaze had drifted to a slight narrowed shape, taking a deep breath. He knew that voice, that tone.

"Nanase..."

-

It would have been easy to keep on walking past. After all, Haru didn't know exactly how he was supposed to feel about Yamazaki anymore.

... pity? Jealousy? Frustration? All stemming from their various interactions over the years, in a convoluted mess. But the low response in which Haru's name rolled off his mouth sealed the deal.

The same expression was lobbed back at Yamazaki, narrowed in response.

"You look," like shit would be the most appropriate response given their shared history of vending machines and glares. But Haru swallowed, and tried something else instead. "... tired."

The trip to Australia was, in all honesty, a bit of a hail mary trip.

Rin has recognised the darkness that Haru had started falling in to and in a last ditch effort to get him out of it, he had impulsively bought the tickets.

Thank fuck that Haru had been willing to go along with him.

Rin wouldn't say it, but truthfully... This trip had healed something in him too. The crack that had formed in Australia all those years ago, that had splintered and shattered, and had remained broken even when he flew home. He had nearly given up hope that he would be able to mend that broken part in his heart.

But being here, being in Sydney again, and actually sharing the experience with someone who meant so much to him? That has helped more than Rin could ever express.

So hearing those words from Haru, said so earnestly, nearly stumped him.

-

Haru huffed,the knock of shoulders inadvertently stirring something in him. It started back at Rin's home away from home, slowly frothing until it peaked in the pool. And here it was again, stirring in him like some underlying illness. The kind where you feel something, but can't place your finger on it.

... so Haru just looked away, unable to stare at Rin's smile too much.

"You were." Haru agreed with Rin's statement dryly.

Rin was an asshole. But... given the fresh perspective he was graciously given from Rin on the beach, he could forgive it. Haru had his moment in the locker room, when Rin was reaching out to him out of desperation after all. Sometimes emotions ran high. It's just how they were.

So, Haru picked at his sleeve for a minute, staring down at the water while he tried to ignore that line of their shoulders pressed together. He wanted to say something about it, but—

"...I hope when you come back, it's different." Haru settled on instead. There was a fresh, ache that began to set in. Rin was coming back here again. And they would once again, be oceans apart. He just wanted Rin happy.

"It will be." Rin promises, voice soft in his sincerity. "I won't let myself get so lost again, and I won't take for granted how special you guys are to me again. Haru... You really do mean a lot to me. I hope you know that."

He turned back to the waves after the admission, valiantly ignoring the heat that threatened to creep up his cheeks.

-

Rin said once it back in the hotel, after making a fuss over the accommodations, and rest escaped them. Haru knows he's said it before too, or at the very least alluded to it without growing too embarrassed. The admiration he holds for Haru, and how their experiences had shaped him.

... but now, Haru really takes that phrase in. Rin's voice edging into a softness that Haru barely recognizes. The moment Rin looks away, Haru glances over at him.

He never noticed how radiant Rin was.

"I'll be fine." Haru assures, as he leans over the railing to look at the water in turn. The quiet that follows is stifling, though a certain peacefulness settles in turn too. He knows his track record isn't stellar, especially recently when it comes to taking care of himself. But the concern in Rin's words hits him differently, and all Haru can think to do is rest his cheek against Rin's shoulder.

... he's tired. But he covers it up instead. The one thing he knows he's good at--

"Don't just eat meat when you're here. I'll send you mackerel recipes, so you'll be balanced."

The trip to Australia was, in all honesty, a bit of a hail mary trip.

Rin has recognised the darkness that Haru had started falling in to and in a last ditch effort to get him out of it, he had impulsively bought the tickets.

Thank fuck that Haru had been willing to go along with him.

Rin wouldn't say it, but truthfully... This trip had healed something in him too. The crack that had formed in Australia all those years ago, that had splintered and shattered, and had remained broken even when he flew home. He had nearly given up hope that he would be able to mend that broken part in his heart.

But being here, being in Sydney again, and actually sharing the experience with someone who meant so much to him? That has helped more than Rin could ever express.

So hearing those words from Haru, said so earnestly, nearly stumped him.

-

Haru huffed,the knock of shoulders inadvertently stirring something in him. It started back at Rin's home away from home, slowly frothing until it peaked in the pool. And here it was again, stirring in him like some underlying illness. The kind where you feel something, but can't place your finger on it.

... so Haru just looked away, unable to stare at Rin's smile too much.

"You were." Haru agreed with Rin's statement dryly.

Rin was an asshole. But... given the fresh perspective he was graciously given from Rin on the beach, he could forgive it. Haru had his moment in the locker room, when Rin was reaching out to him out of desperation after all. Sometimes emotions ran high. It's just how they were.

So, Haru picked at his sleeve for a minute, staring down at the water while he tried to ignore that line of their shoulders pressed together. He wanted to say something about it, but—

"...I hope when you come back, it's different." Haru settled on instead. There was a fresh, ache that began to set in. Rin was coming back here again. And they would once again, be oceans apart. He just wanted Rin happy.

Heavy thoughts met with heavy half lidded gaze, Sousuke sat alone on a park bench, his gaze unwavering and his form unmoving. Many people had passed by, but yet the world in which he found himself trapped in he had been alone. A single can of soda rested on one of his thighs with a light grip to the can, barely touched.

[really, he' was just walking to clear his head. when the pool's closed and the ocean's too cold, he had to settle for land training. and when he doesn't want to run, he just walks...and walks. takes things in, and looks around at people.

the last person he expected to walk by however was...haru stiffened and blinked as he did, slowing his steps. he wasn't glaring, but it wasn't a friendly greeting either]

...Yamazaki.

"Okay! Pyunsuke are you ready for this?

"...."

"Okay great! Listen up everyone! My name is Momotarou Mikoshiba, and this is your chance to join the Free! fandom today! Maybe swimming isn't your thing? Okay cool! We welcome any kind of sport, or realm or whatever here! I mean... who doesnt like an a adventure right?!

JOIN ME IN MANAFESTING THE RESURGENCE OF FREE!!!

Does the Free! Community of the RP variety still exist on heeere?