what the water gave me

"Yeah, that." With a twinkle in his cyan eyes, he points to the icy treat once more.

"How should I know?" He couldn't see his own tongue. Apparently, having an 'all blue-y' tongue added to the overall ice-pop experience, though he didn't see the appeal.

"Soda," he supplied curtly, a flicker of irritation flashing across his expression as the persistent, overfamiliar stranger allowed himself even closer than before. To remedy his discomfort with the situation, Haru slid himself to the end of the bench, putting some space between them.

He could have told the other that it was just a regular Gari Gari-kun popsicle, though to indulge in conversation seemed as though it would only encourage the overfamiliarity and, really, he just wanted to enjoy his break from studying in peace. Purposely closing off his body language in hopes of dissuading any further interaction (take a hint), Haru took another bite of the dessert before catching a small glimpse of writing engraved into the wooden stick. He knew that on a rare occasion, some popsicles would reveal an elusive stick etched with a message once you bit into them, that would allow you to redeem a second popsicle free of charge if you brought it back to the store. The whole idea felt like a myth at times, though now he could say that he had won the popsicle lottery.

righteousruler

wielder-of-hearts

nxnase

wadda-chi

"Mn? This?" he began, before biting a small chunk from the treat.

It was dark, that was what had given him the strength to reach out and take his hand in a clumsy tangle of fingers and warm palms. The lights shifted in the tank and projected them in a soft glow of rainbow colours, flickering between different colours on a minute or so cycle and he took the time to concentrate on that to will the tremble away from his form and voice; He was nervous about overstepping the mark after all.

He could read Haru but he didn’t know how to read Haru in a sense of romanticism.

As added protection he moved half a step closer and shielded their hands between their bodies, just in case they were happened upon by other observers in the aquarium. His heart was still thumbing but the trembling was gone, aided by the fact that Haru’s hand had shifted and settling in comfort in his grip. His gaze turned to glance to the tank next to the one they were stood before where different shaped jellyfish glided around in lazy pulses, but when Haru spoke in one of his usual philosophical manners he turned his attention to him. “That depends. I don’t think they have brains.” Makoto answered gently. “But I’m sure they don’t feel lonely at least, not with all of them there together.” A squeeze of his hand, green eyes settling a doting look on Haru.

It was like he was projecting his feelings, that he would feel the same as the Jellyfish; It didn’t matter what happened as long as he had Haruka there with him. “I think that maybe some of them know, but others don’t because they were born here so it’s all they know.” He wouldn’t know what it would feel like to swim and hit a literal wall, it was something they sought out in the pool after all; But in the ocean? It sounded frightening. The ocean was bad enough without him being confined and enclosed to it.

Not even Haru was sure how to read himself in a sense of romanticism. He'd never really thought about it before, never really cared, though suddenly it was something worth at least considering. It was all a bit confusing though, wasn't it? Who really knew about these sorts of things? There was no set rules, as far as he was aware. A lot of it would be discovered through trial and error, he supposed, testing boundaries and venturing into previously untouched territories.

It wasn't entirely unpleasant and bothersome though, he thought. The warm digits tangled around his own were nice, pleasant. The light, unfamiliar flip in the pit of his stomach that the contact elicited was... interesting.

Nothing had really changed much, on the face of things, at least. They still talked about the same old stuff, did the same old things every day, only now with occasional hand-holding and a 200% increase in flustered, nervous stuttering from the gentle giant over seemingly trivial things. Like hands accidentally brushing or shoulders bumping.

No brains, huh? Sometimes that would be nice, he muses, almost wistfully. Not having to think about anything. Like right then, regarding Makoto's next comment and the accompanying suggestive squeeze around his hand that had sent his previous comfort with the situation scattering. The only motor functions Haru was apparently rendered capable of came in the form of turning his head to the side, his only available voice a quiet, noncommittal "Mh...". The sentiment was no less than mutual, though voicing it quite so easily and in so many words was another story for a different day. He wasn't really sure how Makoto could come out with these little lines every now and then with no apparent trace of mortification. Maybe it had something to do with that fact that he was more attuned to himself, assessing and sorting the things he felt instead of pointedly ignoring them; pushing them to some forgotten corner of his mind and heart until he could ignore them no longer.

Makoto's suggestion to move on from the room was actually welcomed. The previously comfortable darkness of the room had suddenly felt too thick and almost suffocating, warm and sticky and claustrophobic.

"Alright," he agreed easily, replying to the squeeze around his hand by untangling their hands, deliberately lacking haste as to avoid any misunderstandings regarding the whole hand-holding situation. Only once he let his hand fall lifelessly to his side did he realise how clammy his palm had grown without his notice.

The route to the underwater tunnel was conveniently signposted once farewell to the jellyfish room had been bade, making the next leg of their short journey quick and simple. By now, blue hues had once again become entranced with their surroundings, neck craned back to watch the creatures swimming serenely overhead. All of a sudden feeling greatly calmed again, wishing he was on the other side of the glass, weightless, like he'd float away to some unknown depth if there wasn't anything there to anchor him in place.

He'd found them a nice spot along the wave-shaped tunnel wall, just behind one of the bends, quiet and not too crowded. Despite his efforts and much to his chagrin, contradicting the sense of peace that their surroundings evoked, Haru couldn't quite keep his mind from wandering into those dark, dusty corners of ignored thoughts. Of the tangles of fingers and easy smiles—too easy, disarmingly so—that are so often thrown his way.

Maybe it wasn't that bad, and he was making an issue out of nothing. Maybe, with some steeled nerves and abandoned caution, it wouldn't be so hard confronting the issues. It wouldn't hurt to try, right? To let his guard slip, just a little, for now, easing himself into the situation while the notion was upon him; fingertips dully itching for something to hold on to.

With this admittedly uncertain resolve, Haru willed his hand to reach out, letting nimble fingers coil gently around the soft fabric of Makoto's sleeve around his wrist. It was the next best thing to hand-holding, he told himself—more appropriate, at least, less in-your-face-PDA and more discrete, comfortable, just how he liked things—with his gaze fixed firmly on the underwater world just behind the glass.

He’d handed the tickets over at the door and followed Haruka in, eyes more on his friend as he studied that first reaction to the place; There was the slightly interested glances at the tanks but when the open tank had appeared he really had automatically grasped Haruka’s wrist and allowed himself to be tugged forward so his friend could inspect it. “….” His gaze switched from Haruka to the rippled surface of the water, watching the rays and starfish skate along under the water in lazy, though sometimes startled, paths. His hand felt warm from where it had held Haruka’s wrist, though he had let it go so Haruka could dip both of his hands into the water.

He’d felt his heart jump when he realised he’d wanted to hold his hand next time. “Should we go?” He asked after a time, worried that Haruka would waste the day here simply because he could touch the water and feel it. Blue eyes stayed transfixed on the water and Makoto gently plucked at his arm to rouse him, sending him a patient smile at his apology. “Don’t apologise, it’s your day.” And honestly, Makoto’s heart gave a funny start when Haruka used his towel already.

Today was a good day.

As a large hand snaked around his own in a warm tangle of fingers, Haruka's gaze was torn away from the illuminated display for a brief moment and cast down to their joined hands, before returning it to the almost alien-like creatures gliding languidly behind the glass. It was the first time that he'd done anything like hold Makoto's hand in public—did it still count? The room was almost completely blacked out, nobody would have seen—and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. Perhaps a little uneasy, if he were to be honest. Despite his uncertainty, and comforted by the darkness, Haru didn't retract his hand immediately. He even adjusted the grip slightly so that it was more comfortable.

"Mn." It was a quiet hum of affirmation that, yes, the jellyfish were wonderful; half distracted as blue eyes followed the movements of one of the gelatinous animals in particular as it bumped into one of the others nearby.

We could use some refreshing boys around here.. Or at least I could.

You’ll be living in Foxglove Apt Room 1 with your tall buddy Makoto; hopefully no one else has any problems with this or anything … *cough*Haru*cough*

Have fun!

No more bad thoughts. Or, at least, that was the conclusion Rin came to upon dropping his net back into the water. Dwelling on the past was probably really unhealthy in the first place, but to dwell on mistakes that he had made was likely unhealthier. So, it was his own decision in trying to forget about the past for the moment and just enjoy himself as much as he could. No thoughts about Sano, no thoughts about Iwatobi, no thoughts about Australia. Only about the current activity of crabbing and how he would teach Haru how to properly make this recipe when they got back to Rin’s apartment.

Pulling up his next crab, Rin looked at Haru for a moment before tossing it back into the water, deeming it too small. “Of course I know how to cook fresh crab,” he snorted softly, dropping the net back into the water.

The mention of his Rin's father was rather unexpected, drawing Haru’s attention enough to have him pausing his activities to cast a glance across to his friend. It was something that Rin rarely spoke of, unless he was making a point about his future dream, though the memory that he had recalled this time seemed to be a somewhat happy one, all things considered.

Haru was aware of the delicacy of the topic, though he was unsure why Rin, the sensitive soul that he was, had brought it up with him, known for his occasional unsubtly. Did he finally want to talk about it? Surely Makoto would have been a better choice for that. Haruka's instinctual reactions usually had him avoiding this sort of conversation as soon as he felt them approaching, though that seemed a little too insensitive this time, even for him. Still, he wasn't sure how to handle the situation with the appropriate discretion.

"I—… Um!!" Yikes! Taiga was getting flushed— she sunk lower into the water, but was still able to speak, "No… you weren’t.. I just..! Your swimming is.. really… nice…" Wasn’t getting any better, really. Taiga’s lack of social skills were really evident. But, it was true. Taiga was no pro herself, but she knew above average compared to the norm. 

The question gave him brief flashbacks to the time spent by the team trying to teach Rei how to swim, a barrage of abstract expressions to provide as answers coming to mind; 'just swim without thinking', 'swim with your heart', 'just feel the water, don't resist it'. None of which, he realised, were in any way useful, though he wasn't sure that he had anything better to answer with other than 'I just do', because, well... he just did.

Coupled with an innate talent, endless hours spent in the pool from childhood had graced Haruka with an elegant and seamless form that made it appear as though he actually belonged in the water; as though it were a second nature, which, he supposed that in a way, it was.

Ah, Ren and Ran. That explained a lot, and made a lot of sense. Of course Haru would have done this with Makoto, especially during the time Rin had been gone. It made him wonder what else he had missed, but he let that thought pass in favour of following Haru’s lead and let his net sink into the water.

He wouldn’t think about the time he had missed with his friends if he could help it - he should be thinking about what he was currently doing, how he had his friends back, both his friends from Iwatobi as well as Sousuke, and of course there was Miyuki, so really, there was no reason to dwell on the past.

He could almost tell what Rin was thinking from the look on his face alone, though the words were already out and he couldn't take them back even if he wanted to. It was true that, in his time abroad, Rin had missed quite a few memories, though dwelling on the fact or pretending they didn't happen just for the other's peace of mind weren't in Haruka's interests. All that could be done was to accept the past for what it was, and create new memories to slot in next to the old ones— just as they were doing now at the end of the pier.

"Keep," he decided after regarding Rin's catch for a moment, deeming it an acceptable size. "Nothing smaller than that."

And on the way to the pier, he walked feet away from the water - which made him wonder when the last time he felt the ocean water under his feet was. Probably days before he lost his father, which had been years ago. But the sand under his feet was a welcome feeling; the sand was warm from the sun, and there was a distinct lack of shells both complete and broken that kept his feet from being shredded.

Once on the pier, Rin took his spot, rear firmly planted on the wooden surface separating him from the ocean water. Knees tucked under his chin, he took the line from Haru, looking at it almost curiously. 

"It's not difficult," he returned as he watched Rin eyeing the bag. They weren't much to look at, granted, though they were effective. The whole thing really wasn't difficult at all, not was there a lot to know about it. Drop the line into the water, wait for a bite, and pull it back up. "We took Ran and Ren crabbing a few times," he added, as though to somewhat explain why he was familiar with the process. As he spoke, Haru had finished off his own net and dropped it down between his legs, letting the gentle current in the water pull the bag closer to the wooden pillar.

He didn't have to wait too long before feeling the first gentle tug on his line; responding to it by smoothly reeling the line up by winding it around one of his hands. The trick was not to be too jerky when bringing the line back to avoid the risk of dropping the crabs off the net.

Of course, it didn’t occur to Rin that collecting fresh crabs meant going to the beach - and the beach meant the ocean. Outwardly, he didn’t display his discomfort with the situation - trying to think about ways to avoid getting overly close to the water was a start.

The bus ride was oddly quiet. He'd half expected Rin to supply at least some pointless chatter to fill the silences, much like Makoto did, though his redheaded friend had become strangely withdrawn after they boarded the coach. It wasn't the quiet that bothered him, more so what had caused the change in his company's disposition. He had a fair idea, though decided against bringing it up.

Thankfully, the journey wasn't a long one, seeing them reach the seaside in little under twenty minutes. The tide was in and the water looked calm, he noted once they stepped off the bus; perfect for catching crabs.

After scoping out his intended destination, Haru turned to Rin and pointed the small pier out to him before beginning to lead the way. He'd slipped his shoes off before stepping onto the shore, hooking his fingers into the heels as they walked across the warm sand towards the wooden wharf; collecting a few stones along the way and filling up a sand bucket with water to deposit their catches in.

What a snarker. "Maybe your roommate had some."

On Rin's cue to leave, Haruka folded up the apron he had been holding and draped it over the back of the nearest chair for later, before heading back towards the door slipping his shoes back on. Once Rin had locked up the apartment, the pair made the short journey towards the Roble block, where Haru retrieved the fishing line and nets he had previously mentioned, as well as his wallet for the bait and travel expenses.

He didn't need to dither with himself over which kind of bacon to get in the store, having already decided on smoked and cured, since it had the strongest smell and was most likely to attract the hungry crabs.

"Since we’re replacing your mackerel with crab and haddock, we could start with crab-stuffed haddock. It’s olive oil, celery, green onions, garlic, crab meat, bread, salt, black pepper, egg, Romano cheese, lemon juice, tomato, butter and haddock. Put that on top of a bed of brown rice, and there’s one well-balanced meal."

And that... That almost sounded like a challenge.

"I'm listening."

Haru had known from the beginning that his mackerel intake would be cut dramatically, though it didn't make 'two or three times a week' any easier to digest; looking visibly deflated after the words had settled in. "What if it's just a topping or part of a side dish?" He'd take anything he could. Haddock, though, wasn't a bad alternative, especially smoked haddock. Tuna he quite liked, as well. "I prefer fresh crab meat," he mentioned absently, as opposed to the packaged kind you could bye in supermarkets.