Chapter Text
On Christmas Eve, Rin woke up to short little kisses presses along his cheek and temple, and it brought the biggest smile to his face. He loved being in Australia with Sousuke; it was like they had their own new life doing whatever they wanted, however they wanted…most importantly, together. It felt amazing. They stayed in bed longer than they initially intended, neither one of them wanting to pull themselves away from cozy sheets cooled by the air conditioner, soft skin, and lazy kisses. They were on a schedule, however, and didn't want to be late despite not wanting to move.
Later that afternoon, they were going to Russell and Lori's house to spend the holiday with them. Rin was ridiculously excited; he had wanted to introduce Sousuke to them for years and was thrilled to finally have the opportunity. He had a lot more to talk about with them and share with them, including Sousuke and their relationship. He had nothing but optimism that it was going to go well and that they'd treat him as kindly as they did Haruka. In spite of that, it didn't seem that Sousuke was feeling as positive as Rin was.
It was hard for Rin to not notice how quiet Sousuke had become since he had arrived in Australia. The closer they got to heading to his home stay family's house for Christmas, the more shut-in and silent Sousuke became. Rin knew that he was nervous, but he didn't expect Sousuke to be that nervous. At first, he was responding to all of the teasing remarks Rin was shooting his way, throwing back all sorts of witty remarks and comebacks, but the replies had stopped hours ago and it was beginning to make Rin worry.
He had to get to the bottom of Sousuke's sudden freak out before they got there.
With that in mind, Rin pushed himself up and off of the couch then made his way toward the bathroom, tapping on the closed door gently. His place wasn't all that big, it wasn't as though Sousuke had many places to hide. "Hey, Sousuke? You good in there?"
"'m fine."
"Tch." Rin sighed, knocking a bit harder on the door. "I stopped believing you hours ago, you know. Come on, open up. What's wrong?"
"I said nothing was wrong."
"You don't sound all that convincing through a closed door. Maybe if you opened it, I might be more privy to listening and agreeing."
"You're a horrible liar and that was a lame attempt to get me to open the door, Rin."
"Oh for fuck's sake," Rin groaned, irritated. He slammed his fist on the door, knocking over and over and over with the hopes that the sound would become aggravating enough for Sousuke to be forced to open the door and let him in. It probably wouldn't make him speak up, but Rin was prepared to fight one battle at a time. "Quit antagonizing me and open the door!"
The hard knocks and silence kept going until suddenly the doorknob turned and the door was quickly pulled open, almost causing Rin to lose his footing and stumble inside if he hadn't caught himself at the last moment. He regained his balance with a huff, but the anger dissipated from his face when he caught sight of Sousuke. He looked positively miserable, mind clearly taken up by a million and one thoughts that Rin could only imagine. He wasn't sure what to make of it; Sousuke had been all smiles and lazy warmth the entire time thus far, was he really that afraid?
"You don't… You don't have to go if you don't want to," Rin suddenly mumbled, unsure what else to say.
"No, no, don't say that," Sousuke responded with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "You're lying through your teeth if you say you don't want to go. They're your family. Until I showed up, you had already planned to go see them, right?"
"Well, yeah. Of course."
"Then we're going."
"But don't simply agree and think I'm going to forget that look that was in your eyes just now." Rin stepped forward to get close to Sousuke, letting his hands come to rest on Sousuke's hips. "Talk to me. We promised we'd talk to each other better, remember? No more secrets, no more hiding things from one another."
"I know. I remember."
"Well, then? What makes this any different?"
Sousuke brought a hand to cup Rin's cheek, his fingers gingerly brushing against his skin for a few brief moments before going still. "I'm scared to death."
"No shit," Rin responded playfully while one of his hands sneaked up underneath the hem of Sousuke's shirt to pinch his side. "But why? That's what I don't get."
Sousuke's body jerked at the pinch, and in turn he pinched Rin's cheek much to his chagrin. "Come with me. I'll talk," he said as he removed his hand from Rin's cheek to instead reach out and grab his hand.
Rin nodded, following Sousuke the short distance back into the living room where the two sat down on the couch directly beside each other. Rin decided to make himself more comfortable, shifting so he was reclining across the couch, head cushioned by the armrest behind him, and draped his legs across Sousuke's thighs. He folded his arms behind his head, grinning at Sousuke to try and relax him as best as he could considering he was so oblivious to what was really going on. "Okay. I'm comfortable. You can start."
"You're impossible," Sousuke mumbled with a chuckle, shaking his head. One of his hands came to rest on Rin's thigh, rubbing it absentmindedly while shrugging his shoulders once the attention was brought back to the real matter at hand. "We're… We're different, Rin."
Rin opened his mouth to make some sort of sassy reply, but stopped himself. It didn't seem like teasing was really what Sousuke needed at that moment.
"You and I, and what we have. I know back home it's really not talked about, and it's some sort of an unspoken rule to not discuss it, at least not openly. That we're in a relationship."
"Where are you going with this?"
"I know your mom and Gou took it well, and part of me wasn't surprised about Gou. But your mom… I was scared out of my mind. We grew up together, and I was the best friend of her only son, yet that Christmas when you were sick, she pulled me aside to set up the tray with lunch for you and told me some things, and I wanted to die. How did she know? I mean, I barely knew it then."
"Wait, wait, wait. Stop. Pause. My mom…? Details. Now."
Sousuke let out a long sigh, almost as though he were preparing himself for what he had to say to Rin. "She called me into the kitchen. She had a tray with miso soup, orange juice, and some other stuff, I can't remember. She asked me to bring it up to you. As she was setting it up… she said something like, 'you know, he's never as happy as he is when he's with you.' And I didn't think anything of it because, why would I? We were just friends. But then she handed me the tray and said 'I can tell that you love him. Just know that he loves you too.'"
Rin sat up, jaw slack, eyes wide. He picked up one of the pillows off of the couch and smacked Sousuke with it a few times, wishing he could control the blush on his face. "Are you serious? Why didn't you ever think to tell me that before?!"
Sousuke just laughed, covering his face with his arms to avoid any direct hits. "I assumed you knew! Or at least figured it out when she called me her son-in-law before you left for Australia the second time."
"You make me sick," Rin muttered before throwing the pillow in Sousuke's direction. He plopped back down against the arm rest, his arms folded across his chest. "Well? That doesn't explain why you're freaking out now."
"No, it doesn't." Sousuke paused, taking the pillow to place it behind his head, tilting it back to get more comfortable. "Your mom and Gou, like I said, were the exceptions. They knew and openly accepted us without any second thoughts or hesitation. It was unheard of to me, because I never knew that could be a thing. I never knew that you could just support that and press on like it was anything out of the ordinary…"
Sousuke trailed off, and Rin froze when he realized what he seemed to be hinting at. He sat back up and scooted closer to Sousuke so that he was next to him again, his thighs laying across Sousuke's lap. "Wait, Sousuke. Do you mean…"
"It's probably what you're thinking," Sousuke confirmed, returning his hand back down to rest on Rin's thigh. Rin's hand immediately went on top of it. "I don’t think I’m going to be able to ever introduce you to my family as more than just my best friend, Rin. If we were to ever get married - ” Rin cleared his throat loudly, “ - okay, when we get married, my family probably won’t be there. My parents were very open about their distaste for homosexual relationships. They had a very thin, fine line about how they wanted things to go, how they wanted things to be, about anything and everything. When it came to their careers, their money, politics, home life, and my life. They're not bad people, don't get me wrong. I do love them, very much. But, they're a little more business-oriented and a lot less family-oriented."
"Oh," Rin responded dumbly. He had figured as much; he was never over Sousuke's house as often as he was at Rin's. The few times he did meet Sousuke's family, they did seem like very nice people. He remembered being offered ice cream and other treats, but he also remembered never fully feeling like he belonged there. Rin got the sense that Sousuke let loose at his house more often than he did at his own, but he never felt like he knew enough to judge.
Sousuke's concerns over meeting total strangers seemed a bit more understandable, suddenly.
"I don't know how it is here in Australia, maybe I should've asked you first before freaking out on you." Sousuke paused, chuckling to himself. "But if it's anything like it is back home, I'd rather they not know. Please don't get me wrong, I want to tell everyone how in love I am with you, I'm not ashamed of it in the slightest. But I don't…"
"…you don't want to feel their judgement or resentment, yeah?" Rin supplied, inhaling deeply when he saw Sousuke nod in reply. He removed his hand from on top of Sousuke's, that arm wrapping around his neck so Rin could use it to pull himself closer, lips ghosting over the skin of his ear. "I can understand that, and I'm sorry if I've maybe been pushing you too hard to go. I really do want you to meet them, Sousuke. They mean a lot to me. They're going to love you, I need you to quit freaking out. It's different here than it is in Japan. I mean, no, gay marriage isn't legal, but a few places do let same sex couples have civil unions, and let them adopt children. You don't have to keep it a secret. Of course, there are people that don't agree but that's everywhere… Sou, please don't let their feelings and behaviors affect you and your view.”
Sousuke didn’t anticipate Rin’s words. He felt like a fool, worrying himself and Rin so much when they should’ve been enjoying each other’s time together to the fullest. Sousuke could’ve just asked, he could have avoided assuming...
He blinked in surprised when Rin adjusted himself into his lap, the palms of his hands pressing gently against his cheeks and tilting his head so Sousuke had no choice but to meet Rin’s gaze.
“I love you. I wouldn’t lie to you. I’m sorry that your parents aren’t more understanding... but trust me, okay?”
Rin was thrilled to see the smile spread across Sousuke’s face again. He didn’t want Sousuke to worry about something so trivial when all those concerns were for nothing, at least not now. Rin couldn’t help but mirror Sousuke’s smile, especially not when he placed his hands over Rin’s and leaned in so their lips were brushing against one another’s.
“I trust you. I’m sorry for freaking out.”
“You should be,” Rin teased quietly before leaning in the bit more necessary to make their lips meet.
*
“I can’t do this.”
“For crying out loud... Sousuke, we had this discussion already.”
“I can’t speak English.”
“Thanks for stating the obvious…”
"How am I supposed to speak with them?"
"Using your words?"
"Did we not just reestablish the fact that I cannot speak English?"
"Are you getting mad, Sousuke?"
"You are not teasing me in a language I can't understand right now, Rin."
"It sounds like Sousuke's getting mad…"
"I am going to leave."
"And you'll be on the evening news as the idiotic foreigner that got placed on the missing person's list because he's a dumbass with no sense of direction. That's how you want to introduce yourself to my home stay family?"
"You little shit - "
The sound of a dog barking interrupted Rin and Sousuke's bickering. Rin glanced down, smiling widely as he bent down to greet the pudgy black dog that came running at high speed in his direction. Sousuke wondered how quickly he could sprint off of the property now that Rin was distracted, but his opportunity was gone in an instant.
“So, this must be Sousuke.”
No, Sousuke didn’t know English, but he went on high alert when he heard his name. How did they even know his name and who he was? How did they even know how to pronounce it? True, she was a little off, but still nailed it pretty well.
Rin laughed as if nothing was out of the ordinary, and Sousuke glared at him for it. Rin was having way too much fun at his expense.
"Yeah! Russell, Lori, this is Sousuke Yamazaki. He's the one I've been telling you about."
The sound of his full name made Sousuke stand up a bit straighter. He was still nervous as hell, but if Rin was just openly going on as if nothing was different about them, then Sousuke had no reason not to trust him...right? Even if his heart was beating so fast he assumed that it had either stopped, or was seconds from exploding; he wasn't sure which. These people were as much Rin’s family as his mother and Gou; Sousuke was adamant about gaining their approval and trust. He wanted to be deemed worthy of dating Rin in their eyes, despite the limitations in his communication with them.
Russell extended a hand to Sousuke, a kind smile on his face. He didn't seem disgusted or apprehensive in the slightest and it kind of threw Sousuke for a loop. What exactly had he been expecting, though? "G'day, Sousuke. I hope I'm pronouncing that right. I'm Russell."
Lori waved slightly, Russell's smile mirrored on her face. She looked sweet, kind hearted. Really, they both did, and it made Sousuke even more confused. "Hello! I'm Lori. Rin's been talking you up for a few years now."
Sousuke took a moment to try and process their words. He understood bits and pieces of what they said to him, but not the full sentences. It was as though all of his knowledge, what little he had to begin with, vanished into thin air. He could grasp enough to know that they were greeting him and introducing themselves, though. "Hello," he replied nervously as he took Russell's hand to shake it, feeling comforted by the squeeze he felt in greeting. "It is nice to meet you."
"He's going to be freaking out and nervous this whole time, just so you know."
The two laughed while making their way to Rin as he stood up, Winnie in his arms, hugging in a casual greeting while Sousuke glared over at Rin. Sousuke knew that he had said something about him even though he couldn't understand it. Rin was just carrying on, petting the pudgy dog (‘Her name is Winnie,’ Sousuke mentally reminded himself) and rubbing her head once their hugs had been exchanged. 'At least somebody's at ease,' he mused.
"Please, come in! We've been working on dinner, it'll be ready in a little while," Lori spoke up, her smile still present. "You two boys can rest up in the living room if you'd like, Winnie will love the extra company."
“Lori, do you need any help with the food?” Rin asked before pressing a kiss to the top of Winnie’s head.
“No, no. Get in here and relax!”
Russell and Lori made their way back inside the house, Rin and Winnie following behind them. Sousuke took a deep breath before going in after them, feeling as though it was just the beginning of his night of panic.
*
Sousuke had done his research - well, as much as he could with the time he had to work with. Before he left for Australia, he had gone over his notes from English class at Samezuka that he went over again on the plane. Granted, maybe he should have paid better mind to read up on English for traveling purposes, because his journey at the airport wouldn’t have been as much of a disaster as it was had he done so. He was sneaking in simple sentences and phrases into the translator on his new phone which made Rin smile brightly with pride every time he caught Sousuke trying to repeat one of the sentences aloud with the goal of impressing him.
But now that he was in a situation where he couldn’t just turn a page or run to his phone, he felt like he forgot all of what little he had retained. Rin had stated that the best way to learn and grasp the language was to be immersed in it, but Sousuke felt like he was drowning in the heavy waves.
How ironic.
It wasn't as bad as Sousuke expected - yet, at least. The couch and all its pillows were comfortable, and the living room as a whole was very homey. There were pictures everywhere, and a Christmas tree that was much bigger than the one he and Rin had was standing in front of the window, adorned with multiple ornaments and lights. There were Christmas decorations just about everywhere, but the room wasn't drowning in them. It was clearly done with a lot of thought and planning in mind, and Sousuke could appreciate that. The candles were relaxing him, and he found himself spending more time examining all of the decorations than thinking about what could happen that night.
Winnie's cold wet nose against his forearm threw him off, as did Rin's loud laughter when Sousuke rapidly twisted around to face the dog who kept her eyes on him, her tiny nub of a tail wagging back and forth as quick as it could go.
"You're both against me," Sousuke said with a sigh, unable to keep from grinning at the smirk that formed across Rin's lips. “Don’t trust him, Winnie, he’ll exploit your weakness and then laugh about it in front of your face.”
"She's just saying hello!" Rin replied, reaching out to pick Winnie up and place her in his lap. “Are you still so nervous?” He asked softly, scratching behind Winnie’s ears to keep her put so she wouldn’t go off and tackle Sousuke again with the goal of getting his attention.
“They’re really nice. It’s clear that they care about you a lot,” Sousuke replied fondly, his gaze going back to resume his exploration of the living room. “It’s really nice here, and the food smells delicious...” Sousuke trailed off when a particular picture frame caught his eye, causing him to get up and walk across the room to confirm his suspicions. He picked it up and couldn’t help but smile to himself; the picture was of Rin, probably early in to his stay in Australia the first time. He was in-between Lori and Russell and had his goggles around his neck. He looked pretty happy, and Sousuke didn’t miss the pride that were in his home stay parents’ eyes.
Sousuke was curious about what other photos they had, puzzle pieces to Rin’s past that he only had certain parts to, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him from proceeding. It wasn’t Rin, Rin was still on the couch with Winnie and a wide smirk that Sousuke wasn’t too thrilled about, because it meant that -
“You boys can come to the table if you want. Dinner’s just about ready.”
“Thanks, Russell,” Rin replied, setting Winnie back down on the floor before standing up. “Sousuke, don’t forget to breathe now.”
“I’d curse at you but it’d be rude,” Sousuke muttered, then sheepishly glanced at Russell, sure that his nerves were evident on his face. “Thank you.”
The heavenly smell of food was even better once they were in the dining room; Sousuke didn’t care what it was, he was ready to eat it and maybe have seconds. Possibly thirds. He was grateful for the air conditioner being on full blast because he couldn’t imagine what the house would be like with the heat from the oven mixed in with the Australian summer sun. Physically, he felt comfortable. Mentally, however, he couldn’t help but still feel nervous despite Rin’s soothing words and optimism. Meeting Russell and Lori was a big deal to Sousuke; he wanted to do right by them. But it wasn’t just that.
He couldn’t help the stab in his heart over the constant reminder floating in the back of his mind that his family just wouldn’t ever be anywhere as loving and affectionate as all of Rin’s family was. They would grow cold, probably would answer Rin with short, clipped sentences and sentence fragments that he would need to fill in on his own. The moment he was gone, that would be when Sousuke would get an ear full of his parents remarks and opinions as if he were twelve-years-old all over again. There would be no family dinners, no embarrassing nights looking at old photos, no nightmare-like scenes of walking into his house to find Rin and his mother cooking and talking together, gossiping about Sousuke and his habits and tendencies.
It was all meaningless in the long run, but Sousuke wanted all of that. He wanted to share every first and every milestone and tiny moment their relationship could have, just like everyone else could. He felt as though he was denying Rin of something he should have - a relationship with his family.
As if Rin sensed Sousuke’s thoughts, he sent a sharp kick to Sousuke’s shin under the table causing him to jerk in his spot, which in turn caused Rin to snicker.
“Lori’s talking to you, you total nerd,” Rin whispered, and Sousuke glared at him in reply. “Quit being a brooding old man in his thoughts and stay present.”
On cue, Lori appeared at the table, her bright smile easing Sousuke’s nerves a tad. ‘Breathe, set a good impression,’ Sousuke instructed himself.
“We’re having ham tonight, I hope that’s okay,” she said, and Sousuke was grateful for the fact that she slowed her pace in speaking down so he had a better chance of understanding her. It did help. “If you could maybe help me out with some things in the kitchen?”
Sousuke could feel Rin’s stare on him at Lori’s request. He didn’t get the full sentence, but the words he did get out of it were enough to work with. “S-sure!” he replied with a nervous smile, standing up to follow her into the kitchen. He wasn’t very sure just how much of a help he would be, but he’d give it a shot.
The kitchen was filled with an even more powerful array of aromas that had Sousuke’s mouth watering; everything smelled delicious. There were a few small bowls on spread across the kitchen table filled with things from mixed fruit, to roast vegetables, potatoes, and what looked like steamed pudding. Sousuke made his way over to the counter to join Lori, seeing her mixing chopped vegetables in a large bowl.
“Could you start bringing those bowls to the table, sweetie?” she asked, turning to point at the bowls on the table before gesturing back toward the table where Rin and Russell were still seated.
She was talking to him as though there were no language barrier. The pace of her wording and her gestures made it far easier to grasp what he couldn’t outright understand, and it made Sousuke feel so much more relaxed. He wondered if she realized it. He nodded in reply, grabbing the bowls of vegetables and potatoes to bring them out. Rin and Russell were talking and laughing, finishing the glasses of water they had on the table.
“Well!” Rin said with a smile as Sousuke set the two bowls down. “She has you working, huh?”
“Shut up,” Sousuke replied, but his smile was evident in his tone.
“Thanks!” Russell said, “I’m glad to see you relaxing, son.”
“He’s very afraid of you guys,” Rin replied to him. “Do you need any help?” he asked Sousuke, turning to face him.
“I’m trying,” Sousuke replied to Russell before glaring at Rin immediately afterward. “No, you jerk, I’ve got it. I think I’m okay, I mean, I haven’t made that much of an ass out of myself yet.” Sousuke unconsciously reached out to grab Rin’s hand and squeeze it reassuringly, but when he remembered where he was and that Russell was at the table with them, he pulled his hand away quickly as though he were being burned and hurried to return to the kitchen for the remaining bowls.
“He looks like a keeper,” Russell commented with a chuckle, resting an arm on the table. He had a knowing look on his face as he glanced back to Rin who looked away in embarrassment.
“Y-yeah. I guess,” Rin stuttered.
Sousuke was blushing deeply when he returned to the kitchen to get the remaining bowls of fruit and pudding. When he went to grab them, Lori’s hand placed itself on top of one of his to stop him. When he looked at her, she was smiling at him with the same knowing look that Russell had been giving Rin.
“So... How long?”
“E-excuse me?” Sousuke stuttered. The question had so many potential directions it could take, and the worst part was that he knew he might not be able to understand all of them.
“How long have you been dating?”
Sousuke would’ve dropped the bowl had Lori not stopped him in picking it up. No, he didn’t have any expectations on what she’d say, but that question certainly threw him for a loop.
“I can tell you both care about each other very much,” she said slowly, giving Sousuke’s hand a squeeze. “I’m glad to see Rin so happy.”
Sousuke didn’t know how to reply. He knew what she was saying, but it went above and beyond any and every expectation he had of what she and Russell might say to him. “I, um.” He took a deep breath, and upon his exhale, he grinned at her, feeling more confident than he had all day. “Not yet a year.” Another pause as he thought back hard to make the words come back to him. “Thank you for being here for him.”
Lori placed her free hand over her heart and her smile widened. “You are too sweet.” Sousuke could tell that his words, thick accent be damned, got to her and were understood. She squeezed his hand once more before letting him go to head toward the oven. “Let’s get this food out there.”
Sousuke was all smiles when he and Lori came back out to the table, setting the platter with the brandied ham down as well as the remaining bowls of side dishes. Rin’s eyes widened and Sousuke almost laughed at him; it felt good. He was finally beginning to feel like he truly did fit right in. He sat down next to Rin, fighting hard to keep from grinning like a lovesick idiot when he felt Rin’s hand come to rest on his thigh above his knee under the table.
“Thank you so much for helping me back there, Sousuke,” Lori said as she sat down, Russell’s hand immediately moving to place itself on top of hers. “And quit being so shy. You two can just be yourselves, no one is judging you here.”
Despite having a good idea about the meaning behind her words, Sousuke wanted to question Lori, but held back when he noticed the bright red blush that spread across Rin’s face.
“I... I don’t know what you’re - ”
“Rin,” Russell replied, laughing. “It’s pretty obvious, mate.”
“You did say they not to worry about them,” Sousuke added with a smug smile.
“Sh-shut up!” Rin muttered, giving Sousuke’s thigh a firm pinch. “I just didn’t want to parade anything around or whatever.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lori scolded. “We don’t care who you date, as long as you’re happy. Besides, Sousuke says it’s been about a year?”
Rin’s face turned impossibly redder. “When did you...?!”
He was cut off again, but this time by Sousuke’s laughter. “We spoke a little in the kitchen just now.”
“Oh, so suddenly you’re no longer having a stroke over talking to my home stay family?” Rin grumbled, glaring at Sousuke.
“I take back my prior comments on you being a late bloomer, Rin,” Russell added, chuckling in amusement. “Don’t yell at him too harshly, now!”
“What’s a...a late bloomer?” Sousuke questioned, finding it hard to repeat Russell’s words correctly, but Rin got it. His jaw dropped and Russell’s laughter continued, joined in by Lori who reached across the table to pat Rin’s shoulder.
“Well, when he lived with us before, he was very obsessed with swimming and improving himself. He was rather oblivious to everything that was going on around him...” Lori began, stopping only when Rin covered his face with both hands, looking as though he were hoping the floor would open beneath him and swallow him whole.
“Now, now. Let’s eat before the poor boy faints in his seat,” Russell replied, much to Sousuke’s dismay. Even if he couldn’t understand all of it, he was beyond ready to hear any and every embarrassing story Lori and Russell had to share about Rin growing up. They still had the rest of the night and the following day, hope wasn’t fully lost. The fact that they were talking so openly and candidly with him was a sensational feeling.
Sousuke, Lori, and Russell began to serve themselves the side dishes first while Rin reluctantly removed his hands from his face, standing up to grab the knife and have a better angle at cutting into the ham to help serve everyone. The silence that passed over them while they filled their plates was comfortable, and it help the deep crimson begin to fade away from Rin’s face until he no longer felt like lowering the air conditioner temperature even further to assist his discomfort.
Russell sparked up the conversation again once their plates were filled and they began to eat, and it was the usual small talk partnered with questions about Sousuke and his interests. Rin stayed quiet and would reach back down to Sousuke’s thigh to squeeze it supportingly every time he stumbled through an answer or sounded unsure. Rin could tell that he still didn’t want to disappoint, despite how positive things had gone so far that night. The final time he did squeezed Sousuke’s thigh, he heard Lori clear her throat, and when he glanced at her she tapped her finger on the table before winking at him. Rin opened his mouth to question her, but understood what she was saying a second later and pressed his lips tightly together in a straight line.
“Rin?” Sousuke questioned, arching a brow as he watched Rin’s hand move from his thigh to grasp his left hand, tightening his hold before bringing both of their hands up to rest on the tabletop.
“Better,” Lori said before Sousuke would even come up with a reaction. “Don’t be so shy! Are you still looking to swim competitively?”
“N-no,” Sousuke replied, moving to place his hand on top of Rin’s, his thumb moving back and forth along the back of it. “I’m going to study physical therapy.”
“He’s taking some time to learn English and work,” Rin chimed in. “Then we were talking about him maybe coming to school here.”
“Really?” Russell asked, pausing to take a drink from his glass of water. “Would you move in together?”
“That apartment would be much too small for the both of you!” Lori remarked. “You’ll need a place with more breathing room, a bigger bedroom!”
“What?!” Rin cried out. He had been so sure that Sousuke would be the embarrassed one of the night, but he was the one that kept blushing so bad he didn’t think he’d ever stop.
“Between the two of you in that place, there’ll be no room for your things. You’ve grown up and filled out quite a lot, you’re no longer that tiny little boy, Rin. And him! Look at him!” Lori set her fork down on her empty plate before she gestured to Sousuke. “Stand up.”
Sousuke blinked, looking to Rin who shrugged at him. Keeping his hold on Rin’s hand, Sousuke did as requested and pushed his chair back so he could stand up. He glanced at Lori, and the moment he did she moved her finger in a circle a few times which finally made a loud laugh escape Rin’s throat. They let go of each other’s hands so Sousuke could turn in a slow, small circle, partially covering his face as he sat back down, hoping that was enough for Lori because he felt embarrassed as hell for just that quick moment.
“Good eye, Rin,” Lori stated. “You have good taste.”
Both Russell and Rin looked at Lori who simply laughed, shrugging her shoulders in reply to their stares.
“Simply stating facts! Boy’s a looker.”
Sousuke slouched down in his seat, moving his fork to push around what little pieces of food that remained on his plate as a means to distract himself from the conversation.
“Lori, you’re embarrassing the poor boy. He’s become redder than Rin has all night,” Russell added, chuckling.
“You’ll come here for university, yes?” Lori ignored Russell’s comment, looking back at Sousuke with a smile.
“We can help you with your English if you want.”
Sousuke looked over at Rin and wasn’t surprised to see the hopeful smile across his face. They had discussed it, but never sat down and made anything official. Russell and Lori didn’t seem like they were going to take no for an answer, and Sousuke wondered if Rin got that from them or if they got that from him.
“I’ll try not to disappoint,” Sousuke replied with a timid shrug.
“I doubt you could,” Rin replied, and Sousuke could hear the smile in his voice. It made him roll his eyes.
“Well! Enough of that for now. Let’s get this cleaned up. We can have dessert and drinks in the living room. I want to know more about this boy,” Lori stated as she stood up, reaching to take some of the empty plates. Russell, Rin, and Sousuke followed suit, but Lori gently swatted at Sousuke and Rin’s hands to stop them and shoo them away.
Rin just laughed before reaching for Sousuke’s hand to tug him back into the living room. He knew a losing battle with Lori when he saw one, and he figured that Winnie had been secluded long enough; she knew not to go into the room when they were eating.
When Sousuke sat back down on the couch, he immediately had Rin pressed close to one side, and a peppy and excited Winnie at his legs, tiny tail wagging rapidly with happiness and excitement.
“You’re all going to kill me,” he commented softly as he reached down to help her up into his lap.
“Yeah? But the night’s been a success so far, wouldn’t you say?” Rin replied, scratching Winnie’s head with his free hand. “And you were the scared idiot that was ready to vomit before coming over here today.”
“I just wanted them to think I was good enough for you,” Sousuke answered with a shrug. “It’s almost like you’re their kid. I didn’t want to disappoint. I wanted them to see that I was okay, and that you’d be okay with me.”
“Now I’m the one that’s feeling like he’s ready to vomit...” Rin teased, but leaned in closer to Sousuke’s face regardless. “It makes me happy to see you guys talking and interacting like that. I know this was really out of your element, but didn’t I say being immersed in the language helps?”
“You may have...” Sousuke mumbled, keeping his attention on Winnie who had just curled into a ball in his lap. He felt Rin’s fingers curl under his chin, leading him to once again look in his direction. He was met with a shy smile and half lidded eyes that were much closer than they were a moment ago, he could’ve sworn.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Rin said softly. “You’ve always been good enough, more than good enough. Not just for me, but in general. Anyone could see that, except for you apparently.” Rin leaned in a bit more so that their lips were millimeters apart. “I love you. Everyone that’s important to me now knows that. Don’t you forget that.” His words grew softer as he spoke until they were barely above a whisper.
Sousuke found himself leaning in unconsciously until their lips met in a soft kiss, keeping mindful not to squish Winnie as they pushed in closer to each other. Sousuke’s hand moved from Winnie to the back of Rin’s head to thread through his hair and pull him in closer as if their bodies simply weren’t close enough. He wanted Rin even closer to him somehow. Rin had been saying that his home stay family would love him and he questioned why he was second guessing him so much. They were nothing like the horrible images he had been painting in his mind; they were so much better. They were so much more than he was expecting. They were everything he wished his own parents would be, and Sousuke suddenly couldn’t envision his future without them in it, too.
Winnie unexpectedly jumping out of Sousuke’s lap allowed him to proceed with his desire to get Rin closer, practically pulling the other into his lap until -
“It’s okay, Winnie. They’re just young, they’re fine.”
Both Rin and Sousuke’s eyes snapped open and they pushed away from each other in an instant, both scooting back so that there was a large space between them at the sound of Lori’s voice in the room. But she was laughing again, clearly amused at how mortified they were to have been caught.
“Oh, please. Like I haven’t seen that before.” She came in further into the room to set down a pitcher of iced tea filled with sliced lemons. “I’m getting dessert. Then I want to know more about you, young man.”
Rin and Sousuke stared at Lori’s retreating back as she headed back into the kitchen, presumably to help Russell get the food to bring it out.
Rin inched in a little closer to Sousuke again, poking his thigh to regain his attention. “Are you going to be okay? They’re going to grill you hard. They’ll know your blood type by the time the night is done.”
Sousuke took a deep breath, then turned to face Rin before moving in even closer to be able to cup his cheek.
“Yeah. I’m going to be fine.”