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The water spread out endlessly before him, light sparkling on its surface. Thousands of eyes were trained on him; but this time, he was not afraid. The people cheered, and his heart soared. He belonged here.
He looked to his side, and found the one he had to thank for this. He smiled at him, and his Joy smiled back, radiant with excitement. He was glowing. He was beautiful.
A hand touched his shoulder. His Joy had always been fond of touching him. "Haru!" The shining boy smiled. He smiled back, feeling the warmth from his hand and the glow of the water illuminating their hearts. Together, they soared. The hand on his shoulder squeezed harder. "Haru!"
"Haru!"
"Gh," Haruka responded, reluctant to be pulled away from a rather pleasant dream. "...Wh." His eyes slipped closed again as he settled back into the sheets.
Rin shook him again. "Haru, wake up. We're gonna go see the sunrise!"
Haruka cracked one eye open to glance at Rin lying beside him in their shared bed. "Why."
"Because," Rin huffed, as if it should be obvious, "the sunrise on the harbor is beautiful, and you absolutely have to see it. And it's a clear day, so it's perfect, and..." Rin hesitated, unsure of how to convince Haruka to go along with his silly romantic fantasies; he couldn't exactly dangle mackerel on a string to get him to follow him (or could he?).
Haruka rolled over. "...'s romantic," he murmured, his voice partially muffled by the pillow.
"W-well, yeah, uh," Rin stuttered, his cheeks burning. He nudged Haruka again. "Hey, if you get up I'll treat you to a really nice breakfast, okay?" He winced internally at himself at how much of a date this suddenly sounded like.
"Mmm," Haruka turned to face Rin, squinting at him through his tired eyes. Sounds like a date. "Okay," he agreed, shuffling closer to Rin until he was all but cuddled against him. "I get to pick where we go for lunch, though."
Rin blushed up to the tips of his ears. What is all this all of a sudden? he thought. When did we become so much like... a couple?
He exhaled slowly, trying to calm his racing heart. "Okay."
The air was crisp on the walk out to the bridge; Rin could even see his breath if he exhaled hard enough. Haruka, however, didn't seem to be fazed by the cold. Rin thought that was strange. He'd thought Haruka was having trouble adjusting to the sudden temperature drop from summer in Japan, since he had complained about the cold in the hotel room and slept close to him for warmth.
Unless...
No. Rin shook his head. He wouldn't let himself get carried away with silly fantasies here. This was too crucial of a moment in Haruka's life. He needed to be there for him, to help him. As a friend.
Nothing else.
Rin shoved his hands in his pockets, ignoring the tingling feeling on his fingertips.
Haruka had never minded the cold. But he knew that Rin always had.
He supposed it was partially due to his tendency to swim outside as soon as it was warm enough for water to not be completely frozen. Indoor pools had probably made Rin soft. He'd have to remember to tease him about that later.
He noticed Rin shoving his hands in his pockets. He wondered if his hands were getting cold, and how it would feel to hold them to warm them up.
"Ah! We're here."
The sky had barely begun to lighten up, making everything on the harbor seem curiously lacking in color. The dim lights of the docked boats flickered like stars, the only ones left in the fading night sky.
Rin paused at the railing on the bridge, motioning for Haruka to come stand and watch. Haruka approached the railing cautiously, wary to walk into what seemed like such a private moment. Rin looked like a picture on a postcard, smiling softly and leaning casually on the railing of the bridge at Sydney Harbour, soft purple light aglow around him; Haruka could almost imagine a Sydney: wish you were here! scrawled below.
(Rin never had sent him any postcards, but this was much better.)
The sun wasn't quite up yet, but Rin could have sworn he saw it in Haruka's eyes (he filed that one into the vault and locked it tight; that was too cheesy, even for Rin). In the quiet, still city, just before sunrise, it felt as if they were the only two people in the world. Somehow, it felt as intimate even as sharing a bed, where they shared whispered conversations and their deepest feelings without fear of judgement.
Rin's heart squeezed.
"Haru," Rin started.
Rin told Haruka his ultimate plan, his future; his dream. He poured his feelings out into his words, hoping he could convey it to Haruka without outright saying it; I want you there with me. I want to see you standing next to me on the podium with a smile on your face. Please, see how much I want this, and realize how much you want this too.
Haruka listened with a smile. For once, instead of fear and anxiety, he felt joy. He felt exhilarated.
because
"Rin. I've found it too."
and it's all thanks to you
The sun broke the horizon, illuminating the sky and bathing Haruka's face in a warm glow.
Rin's chest filled with Haruka's words, and he felt himself unable to tear his gaze away from Haruka's face. Haruka shone in the dawn, his eyes sparkling with renewed determination. This was the Haruka that Rin always knew he could be.
He stood beside Haruka, watching the dawn break upon the harbor. Haruka's gaze was fixed on the sky, but his eyes seemed to look much further.
Rin inched closer; he wasn't about to fall behind just yet. His fingertips tingled. If he held Haruka's hand, could they enter the future together? Rin cringed at himself. What an unbelievably silly thought. It didn't stop Rin from nervously nudging the hand hanging at Haruka's side with his own.
Haruka felt the energy of Rin's presence before he felt the hand barely grazing his own. He extended his fingers, inviting Rin's hand closer. When he felt Rin's hand hold his, he gave it a firm squeeze. Rin swallowed, and squeezed back.
Haruka leaned on Rin's shoulder, basking in the warmth of the moment. Rin inhaled sharply through his nose, the hand clasped around Haruka's growing clammy and his shoulder going rigid where Haruka leaned against it. Haruka nudged himself more insistently against Rin, determined to make his feelings known without words.
Slowly, Rin began to relax, allowing Haruka to lean on him more comfortably.
Has it... always been this way?
Haruka made himself at home in the crook of Rin's shoulder, smiling contentedly into the sunrise.
It's always been like this, hasn't it?
Rin released Haruka's hand on the walk to breakfast; with the sun rising higher into the sky, and with how much Haruka was glowing, Rin was afraid he would burn. Haruka didn't seem to mind, content to just walk with Rin as they kicked pebbles in their path and watched the world awaken together.
They shuffled into a small corner café, where Rin chatted happily with the hostess in English. Haruka squinted at the pair, wondering if they knew each other. Maybe Rin had come here often when he lived in Australia?
The hostess led them to a booth by the window, which was just big enough to accommodate the two of them. Their knees bumped as they sat across from each other in the tight space. The hostess handed them their menus and scurried away, grinning like she had a secret.
Haruka narrowed his eyes at her. That girl definitely knew Rin.
"Russell and Lori are old friends with the family that runs this place," Rin explained, casually opening his menu. "They used to take me here for breakfast sometimes. We probably won't get a discount or anything, but we might get some extra coffee if we play nice."
"...I prefer tea."
Rin rolled his eyes. "Of course you do." The girl returned with a pad of paper, now playing the role of waitress, and Rin said something to her in English. She nodded, scrawling quickly on the paper and briskly returning to the counter.
He turned back towards Haruka, who was busy squinting at his menu as if trying to decipher hieroglyphs. Rin hid a chuckle behind his own menu. Cute. "They don't serve mackerel for breakfast here, if that's what you're looking for."
Haruka turned his frustrated expression towards Rin. "I know that."
"You could just ask me for help, you know."
Haruka glanced away. "Too much effort." Were his ears turning red?
Rin laughed. "More effort than trying to read a language you don't understand?" He shook his head, but his eyes were full of affection. "You're so stubborn." He nudged his knee against Haruka's where they rested beside each other under the table. "Haru~"
This time, Haruka definitely blushed.
The waitress returned with a cup of coffee for Rin, and a cup of hot water and a tea bag for Haruka, which Haruka eyed questioningly. She poised her pen and paper again, but with a few words from Rin she was off again.
Haruka waited as Rin poured what seemed like a negligible amount of cream in his coffee (no sugar, he noticed), staring at his own cup in front of him. Rin sighed, taking the tea bag out of the wrapper and dunking it in the cup. "You're supposed to put the tea in the water, Haru."
"How did she know I wanted tea?"
Rin raised an eyebrow. "Because I told her, you idiot."
Haruka lowered his eyes, watching the tea steep. Oh.
"Do you know what you want to eat yet?" Rin asked, moving his cup aside to open his menu again. "Besides mackerel, of course."
"...They don't serve any kind of fish?"
Rin snorted. "You're abroad, you know, why don't you try something new?" His eyes scanned the menu. "Toast and eggs, you can handle that much, can't you?"
Haruka frowned. "It's not enough food."
"Add ham then?"
Haruka considered it. He didn't think he'd ever had ham at breakfast. "What're you getting?"
"An omelette and toast." How was Rin so decisive?
"I'll just have the same thing, then."
"Don't just get it because I'm getting it!" Rin scolded. "Besides, I'm getting mine with lots of meat in it, so you probably wouldn't want it."
Haruka huffed. Breakfast was so complicated when there was no mackerel.
The waitress returned again with her little pad of paper and pen, and this time Rin spent a lot more time talking to her. Haruka squinted, trying to listen to as much as he could. He barely understood a few words, and certainly not enough to catch the gist of the conversation, but the girl was smiling brightly and Rin chuckling awkwardly, and Haruka was pretty sure he heard something sounding vaguely like his own name.
Were they talking about him?
She left again, smiling almost smugly to herself. Rin turned back to his cup of coffee with a sigh that sounded relieved.
"...Did you talk about me back then here, too?"
Rin choked on his sip of coffee, setting down the cup as he coughed. Haruka wordlessly handed him a napkin. He was still waiting for an answer.
Rin snatched the napkin from his hand and promptly wiped his face, clearing his throat. "I... have no idea what you're talking about."
Haruka maintained his gaze on Rin. "I'm talking about how you apparently used to tell everyone you ever met about your gigantic schoolboy crush on me."
Rin let out an inhuman noise, his entire face and neck flushing deep red. "I didn't--I-I wasn't--I was just a stupid kid!" He buried his face in his hands. Haruka wondered if the blush could bleed onto his fingers, too. "You know how kids just--say things, and they exaggerate, and adults think it's cute for no reason, and they exaggerate, and they love embarrassing you when you're older about it, and they--exaggerate more, and--"
"Rin." Haruka pulled his hands away from his face with a meaningful look. "It's okay."
The furiously scarlet blush slowly started to fade from Rin's face, Haruka's gentle touch replacing it with a warm glow. "Y-yeah... right, sorry, I just--okay."
Haruka lowered their hands, holding them over the table. "If it makes you feel any better, for being a stupid blabbermouth kid," Haruka bit his lip, glancing at their entwined hands. He absently rubbed one of Rin's thumbs with his own. "...My grandmother knew everything about you."
Rin's gave Haruka's hands a gentle squeeze in response before carefully disentangling their hands. Haruka nudged Rin's leg back just for good measure, because it was right there next to his own, and Rin seemed to be weirdly fond of that little gesture for whatever reason. Rin noticed, and grinned.
Haruka's chest felt light. It felt so natural, being with Rin like this. Comfortable. Right. Like this was how they were always supposed to be.
Rin hooked his ankle around Haruka's, grin remaining firmly in place. They remained like that as Rin made light conversation, rocking their legs together playfully and accidentally-on-purpose stepping on each other's toes. Haruka tried very hard to focus on drinking his tea before it got too cold and not on the jittery feeling in his stomach. He was less than successful.
The waitress appeared with two plates, setting them on the table with what Haruka could have sworn was a wink. Rin thanked her--Haruka understood that much, at least--and she hurried away to tend to the café that was rapidly filling up with the breakfast rush.
Haruka stared at the omelette and toast in front of him.
"I got you an omelette, copycat," Rin said, gesturing to their plates. "But instead of all the different kinds of meat like mine, I asked for yours with just ham. That okay?" Haruka nodded, still staring at his food. "It's kind of like a combination of all the other things you almost got, I guess. Kind of like... a breakfast compromise?" Rin rubbed at the back of his neck with an awkward laugh. Why am I still talking?
Haruka gingerly picked up his fork and knife, muttering his thanks and cutting himself a piece. He looked up with wide eyes. "It's good," he said. "...Could use more salt, though."
They both reached for the salt shaker, but their hands collided over the table. Rin swiftly retracted his hand and looked away. Even with their legs casually entangled, that small accidental touch still somehow caused an electric shock between them. Cliché.
Haruka bit his lip to avoid laughing at Rin's overreaction. He salted his omelette, watching Rin carefully. Rin was sipping his coffee extremely casually and avoiding eye contact. Cute.
"Rin." Haruka handed the salt over with sparkling eyes.
"Thanks..." Rin reached for it, knowing what was coming: their fingertips brushing as they passed the salt. Rin bit his lip. So cliché. Haruka allowed his fingers to linger on Rin's a bit longer than was strictly necessary, just to mess with him. Rin fumbled with the salt shaker, concentrating very hard on sprinkling salt on his omelette and avoiding Haruka's smug stare.
Rin tore off a hunk of his omelette and chewed grumpily. His expression faded into bliss, however, as he finally tasted his food. "Mm!" He closed his eyes, looking perfectly content. "Been a while since I had a breakfast this good!" He took another bite, humming happily as he chewed.
Haruka remained relatively silent, starstruck by Rin's smile. Even when he was shoveling food into his mouth and laughing while he was chewing, it was still dazzling.
"Hey," Rin said, nudging his leg. "Do you like your food? Is it okay? You haven't said much, y'know."
Haruka nodded. "It's good. I already said it was."
Rin cocked his head to the side, then shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Just making sure everything's alright with you. You know."
"It's okay." Haruka nudged Rin's leg back. "...Thanks."
Rin's eyes became wide for just a moment before they fell into a softer expression. "Yeah."
Haruka continued to eat, wondering if Rin really believed him. Did Rin know just how much he wanted this future together in the world of professional swimming? Haruka had never been very good at expressing his passion when it really mattered. But sometimes, he had his ways.
"You know," he started, "if we're going to be professional athletes, we're probably going to eat big breakfasts like this more often," he stated casually.
Rin dropped his fork mid-bite. "Y-yeah... yeah. We are."
Haruka hummed. "I wonder if I'll have to give up mackerel..."
Rin scoffed at that. "Mackerel is fine, just don't eat it every day for breakfast lunch and dinner. You need more varied sources of protein... and eat some damn vegetables."
Haruka nodded seriously. "Rin." His eyes twinkled. "Will you teach me to eat like an Olympic swimmer?"
Taking another bite right at that moment was a poor choice; Rin coughed, nearly choking on his food. "I--yeah! Of course, you need a balanced diet to realize your full potential," he said eagerly, clearing his throat.
"And then once I've combined my diet with my training, I'll beat you easily the first time we meet in competition," Haruka smirked. "Think you can keep up once I'm in peak condition?"
Rin's chest flooded with warmth at Haruka's words. This was real. Their dreams were intertwined now--they were aiming for the top, and they could face the world together on the same team. They would.
Rin leaned in, his smirk matching Haruka's, a flame in his heart ignited by the competitive spark between them.
"You're on."