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Taking a break in August has always been the best option for Rin. Taking Haru back to Australia with him for a few weeks was definitely worth it. July and August was mid-winter for Australia, and you could make a clear difference between the tourists and the residents. Those who weren't used to the "cold", which is 20 degrees minimum, would wear thick jackets while the Europeans walked around in t-shirts and shorts. Rin wore his favourite leather jacket today, and Haru, well, he was wearing the same blue sweater he wore back when he came with Rin to Australia for the first time. The vibrant turquoise color withered and almost-white patches were starting to show up on the hems. The zipper was all curled up as well, and that couldn't be any good. Which brought Rin to an idea (but also, and for most part, because it's one of his favourite hobbies besides swimming). "How about we go shopping? You look like you're in the need for a new sweater."
"This sweater's fine."
"C'mon Haru, you've been wearing this thing for the last three years."
"And I still think it's fine. It's comfortable."
"One day it'll just fall apart.” He mumbled, not expecting an answer in particular. When no response came, Rin let out an audible sigh.
"Well, I'm in the need of a pair of pants myself anyway, so I'm taking you with me. Unless you wanna sit in the apartment by yourself until I'm back." He mused. The aloof way he said it clearly pushed one of Haru's buttons, because he received a glare and then glanced away. "Whatever, I'll go with you" came the response. The original plan was to check out the shopping district, but they decided to step out of the bus earlier after Rin's eye fell on a neighbourhood that were holding an outlet outside just by the beach. Rin figured it would probably benefit Haru more than himself, but whatever. If it meant he could stare at Haru’s expression whenever he glanced at the ocean all day, he was willing to toss all better options aside. He wasn’t going to find the best pair of trousers here, perhaps some baggy floral ones you see hanging outside the stores during most outlets. And maybe if Haru’s lucky he might find something that catches his interest as well. It wasn’t so crowded as Rin expected, so as they walked down the lane alongside the beach Rin had every opportunity to show Haru all the shops and food stands that sold typically western stuff like hamburgers, hot dogs and waffles. Haru complained about the lack of mackerel mostly which made him twitch in annoyance.
“We’ll have some mackerel later in a seafood restaurant or something, okay? Just don’t get all bitter when it’s expensive.” Rin argued as they turned into a side street that looked like they had various tourist shops to explore.
“Is seafood expensive here?” Haru asked.
“Depends. If you’d order a full lobster you’ll probably be broke in an instant.”
“How much does mackerel cost?”
“Djeez Haru, I don’t know. Why don’t you ask someone here? Practice your English a little.”
“Then I don’t want to know.” He said, accompanied with a little frown that made Rin laugh out loud.
“C’mon Haru,” He grinned while shuffling close to Haru’s side, “I’m sure you can do it. You’ve progressed really well over the past few years.”
“You think?”
When Haru turned his face was closer to his then he expected. His eyes were big and expecting, clearly wondering is his English did get better. Not really actually, to Rin’s judgement. He tried to tutor him as much as he could when they both had spare time. But Rin’s pretty sure that aside “thank you”, “nice to meet you” and “my name is Haruka Nanase”, he has merely extended his vocabulary with with “yes”, “no”, “mackerel” and “Rin is an idiot”. And maybe also “goodbye”. Rin clearly hesitated before he replied with a mellow “of course”. Since then Haru kept looking at him with an indifferent look.
With Haru’s saltiness making him more and more unconformable, he distracted himself by suddenly crossing the road, eyes falling on a store that appeared to be selling clothes of a more decent brand. He heard a distressed “Oi, wait!” behind him when Rin walked into the building. When hearing his little ragged breaths drawing closer towards him, he realised how inconsiderate he was being again. He turned around to slap his hand behind Haru’s lean back. He tried not to think about how soft and warm Haru’s sweater felt, despite how old and over-worn it appeared.
“Let’s go look for my pants now okay? You wanna come with me to the back of the store or do you wanna look around here a bit?” Haru was sporting a light blush across his cheeks and with blue eyes turned away from him. “I’ll stay here. You go look for your stupid pants.”
Surprised by Haru decision to not keep Rin in his field of vision for once, Rin smiled and left off further inside the store. When he was halfway in he couldn’t help but look over his shoulder to see if Haru was really alright. He found his blue sweater peaking out between a set of flowery hems. Pale hands cluelessly pushing the fabric from side to side, pretending like he was really interested, despite the fact he was actually looking at women’s clothes. It was pretty clear both men knew Haru couldn’t stay so dependant on Rin whenever they’re abroad. At some point Haru has got to learn English and explore some areas by himself, though Rin must admit that he did enjoy having Haru show him a vulnerable side that he would never be able to see in Japan. (Rin couldn’t help but tease him sometimes by suddenly turning a sharp corner and hear hurried footsteps rush after him). Their first trip to Australia was understandable. Haru had never gone out of Japan since then, but after a trip to both London and New York he’s getting convinced Haru is simply not into the Western life.
Rin reached the area in the back and immediately hissed when the only cheap trousers were messily thrown on top of each other by previous costumers who clearly couldn’t be bothered to fold it back neatly. Where the hell are the clerks when they’re needed anyway? Ignoring the heap of discarded trousers in all shades of grey, black and blue, he moved on to the more dressed pants that were at least not spread across the damn floor.
After finding the perfect fit, which were a pair of creamy white trousers, not over-the-top pricy, he quickly trailed around the accessories to perhaps find something cute for Gou, or for his mom. Looking at the rather cheap necklaces, Rin felt quite charmed by the simplicity of some jewels. One row sported a series of necklaces with a simple either gold or silver chain. With his mind set on Gou he looked for something in the rack that looked pink, or reddish, or anything that would match whatever his sister would wear. When he finally found something nice and grabbed it, he stumbled over his feet and ended dropping a couple of necklaces along with a few earrings. With a flushed face and feeling nearby costumers staring daggers at him, he hurriedly picked up his present for Gou and another single necklace that Rin hasn’t laid his eyes on before dropping it.
It was a simple small silver chain holding a bright azure pearl, clear as water, accompanied by a silver holder which had small waves carved into it. The pearl was small, yet simple and its blue colour reminded him of a certain someone who had eyes in the exact same shade. The whole necklace, in its simplicity and it’s colour scheme, screamed literally nothing but Haru. Wrapping his fingers around the packaging, he held it up and stared at it, suddenly with a bright smile on his face.
What was he even doing. Looking at woman’s clothes. Rin was taking so long he had to turn down several shops clerks asking if he needed any help. The way he had to say “no thank you” every time was embarrassing. His accent clearly showing through. He just wants to grab Rin by his stupid collar and leave. He doesn’t remember how long he was walking around the same perimeter where Rin left him. Having checked out every rack in the area for at least three times already. And his legs were starting to hurt. Relief washed over him when he finally caught a glimpse of a bewildered looking Rin between the crowd, with a pair of white trousers draped over his arm. After waiting in line with him to pay off at the register they finally left the store. Haru sighed in relief when he felt the fresh breeze of the outside air wash over his face. He heard Rin giggle beside him, pushing his arms through the narrow sleeves of his black leather jacket.
“Sorry for the wait. Hope you didn’t miss me.”
“Oh, shut up.”
“I’ve found everything I need, so this time you can take me wherever you want.”
Haru hesitated.
“…The beach?”
“Alright.”
It was a little colder and windier then he’d hoped for. Haru’s initial plan was to go and take a swim in the ocean, since he got his jammers prepared. And Rin could do whatever he wanted: either join him or watch him swim as he relaxes. But given that Haru was currently shivering with his clothes still on, he reconsidered the idea.
“You wanna go in?” Rin asked him, hitting the nail on the head.
“I don’t know. I think the water’s too cold.”
“Too cold? The water’s never too cold here.” Rin said, grinning. “C’mon, hop in. It’ll do you good.”
Carefully both Haru and Rin removed their shoes and indulged their toes into the wet sand. The coolness being the most satisfying he’s had all day. And when a particularly large wave crashed over the sand and flooded the area to above their ankles, Haru couldn’t help but sigh in delight. The water was inviting him, and the scent of the sea drifted into his nose.
“The water’s pretty warm, isn’t it?” Rin said with a smile. Within seconds Haru was in his jammers and ran off towards the depths of the sea, leaving a perplexed Rin behind.
When he came back, he finds Rin relaxing on the dry area of the beach, holding out a towel for him. “You’re really lucky I brought towels. I knew you’d probably dive in without a second thought.”
“You’re becoming like Makoto.” Haru joked.
“Hanging out with you and anticipating your every move has left me no choice, really.” Rin replied loudly, unceremoniously throwing the soft towel over Haru’s head. For a while Haru sat next to Rin in the sand, towel wrapped around him tightly. Once his torso felt completely dry he covered himself with his blue sweater once again, deciding on leaving his shorts and shirt in Rin’s rugsack. As expected, Rin gave him a funny expression when he put on his sneakers. “Just the jammers and the sweater today, huh?”
Before Haru could go in on his remark he suddenly saw Rin’s red hair dive into the yellow plastic bag he received from the shop and grabbed onto something that appeared to be small. Haru tried to see what he was exactly holding, but ended up frowning at Rin’s broad back instead while he started fumbling on the curious object. “What are you doing?” Haru eventually asked.
“You’ll see.” Came the response.
Haru only got more suspicious when Rin suddenly stood up and crouched down in front of him, hands behind his back and crimson eyes staring straight into his. He was carrying a smirk and he has no idea why. Things only got more blurry and confusing when Rin was suddenly standing very close. Still looking straight into his eyes. And then his hands shot up and wrapped himself around Haru’s neck, making his heart rate shoot right up. Rin’s fingers were slightly grazing the side of his neck, a subtle touch. Haru tried to oppress a shiver. He then unlocked his gaze from Rin’s eyes and registered something fine dropping around his neck. He looked down and found a little blue pearl dangling over his collarbone. A necklace? Rin brought him a necklace?
“Rin…” Haru murmured, still flabbergasted by the sudden proximity. Rin was now busy looking over his shoulder hooking the chain together. Once he finished he stood back, taking in the sight of a surprised Haru, bearing a brand-new jewel.
“What do you think?” Rin eventually asked, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. “I picked this up and I couldn’t help but think of you.” The laugh that followed was soft and endearing. Was he embarrassed now? Haru held the necklace in his hand and studied the gem carefully. The pearl was bright blue, and it was attached to the chain with an embedding that flowed around the pearl like a wave. It was simple, and it was beautiful. And Rin gave it to him.
“It’s suits you way better than it would with me.” Rin continued when Haru remained silent, still completely taken in by the object. He never asks for anything physical of his friends before, not even for his birthday. Today isn’t even a special occasion and yet Rin gave him this. A jewel.
But when did Rin ever give and take with his permission?
“But…why?” Haru blurted out. He stood up to meet Rin’s eye level. “I don’t even deserve this.”He said it before he realised it, and immediately felt a pang of regret when he looked up to meet Rin’s eyes staring at him in disappointment. Maybe Rin just expected from him to just accept it and say ‘thank you’. At least, that is the most normal thing to do when you receive a present. It was quiet for a while what seemed like ages.
“Why would you think that?” Rin asked, more quietly than Haru expected.
“Because I don’t know why you would give this to me.”
“Heck Haru, I’d give you everything I have.” Rin exclaimed, voice dropping in disbelief. “You deserve it because you accepted me while I was being asshole to you. You deserve it now because before I've given you nothing but pain and worries. I swear this silly necklace doesn’t even make up for it.”
“Rin…” Haru didn’t expect Rin to actually go that far. Then he couldn’t help but smile. Why was he even worried? This is Rin, the romantic, emotional Rin. The Rin in all of his sincerity, and the Rin Haru has fallen in love with. He grabbed his wrists, forcing Rin to look up at him. Then before he could even register it the other flew into his arms. The sudden act made Haru almost stumble over but the force of Rin’s arms kept him in place. The smell of his leather jacket and the faint smell of cologne drifted into his nose when he leaned his head against his shoulder. Enjoying the warmth after having been exposed to the cool air for so long, Haru leaned into the hug, and wrapped his arms around Rin’s hips. “Thank you.” Haru whispered into his ear.
“C’mon Haru, seriously. It’s okay. Let’s go back to the apartment. I’m tired.”
“No. You wait outside.”
“Haruuuuuuuu.”
“Shut up.”
Rin gave up and when he saw Haru disappear into the shop on his own, he took a seat on the ground outside. The shops were almost closing but to Rin’s surprise the lane was still crowded. Mostly teenagers and families were scattered around the area.
After waiting for 15 minutes after receiving curious glances from by-passers, Haru finally left the building, holding a little bag in his palm. “Well?” Rin asked, grinning. Haru seemed to be equally as excited as Rin because there was a glint in his eye.
“Let’s go somewhere more quiet. You’re going to like this a lot.”
“Ooooh?”
They’ve arrived at a square a couple of streets away. By then the red and pink hues of the sky has gotten darker and a several stars were starting to appear. The lights illuminating the area gave a very romantic feel to the place, and Haru’s quietness started to make Rin feel nervous. Of course, Haru was always quiet, but this felt different. Haru was giving off a vibe that made Rin both curious about what Haru had exactly brought him, but also quite nervous of how he was going to present it to him. Since Rin’s method managed to startle him, to say the least. Or maybe he was just overthinking it.
When they sat down a nearby bench, Haru turned to him. His cheeks were lightly dusted pink. "Rin."
Oh dear.
“Close your eyes.”
Rin snorted. “You’re making me really nervous now, Haru.”
“You’re going to like it, trust me.”
“I trust you.”
He felt Haru’s breathe ghost lightly over his cheeks and despite not even touching Rin, he felt a pleasant warmth emanating from him, which made an unexplainable feeling pool in his stomach. It clearly was also a necklace, and indeed, after a few seconds he felt the chain drop around his neck. It felt slightly heavier than he’d expected. “Can I open my eyes now?” He asked impatiently, he couldn’t contain his excitement. They way Haru planned it all out just warmed his heart.
“Yeah.”
The first thing that caught his eyes was Haru’s endearing smile, and when he looked down, he was quickly turned on the verge of crying.
Cherry blossoms. It was a branch with cherry blossoms that extended over his entire collarbone, the flowers had a pearly sheen to them, but the branch was brown and carved out very realistically, as though Haru just took it from a tree and offered it to Rin as a jewel. It was so beautiful. It was so fucking beautiful and he can’t believe Haru gave this to him. He can’t believe Haru in general.
He shifted when he suddenly felt a single finger pressed against his cheek, wiping away a tear. He didn’t even realise he was already crying because he was so taken in by his present. “Haru…I can’t…. this is amazing.”
“I told you were going to like it.”
“I fucking love it, Haru.”
“You also deserve way more than you think.” Haru began. “You shouldn’t blame yourself for the pain I’ve felt in the past. Because my pain was merely your pain. I couldn’t stand seeing you like that. I care for you, Rin. You’ve showed me sights that I couldn’t even imagine before, ever since we were young. You made me rediscover the whole world. And for that, I couldn’t thank you enough.”
With eyes like saucers, Rin followed Haru’s every word. He can’t believe his ears. He can’t believe Haru can even say something so sincere to him while Rin is currently weeping his eyes out like a child. Haru never seizes to amaze him. Behind his oddities and his strange obsession with water and mackerel, and his incredible swimming talent, is the most kind and forgiving soul Rin has ever met.
Without thinking it entirely through, Rin grabbed Haru by his arms and pulled him into a strong embrace for the second time that day, pushing Haru’s face flat against his chest. “I don’t get you sometimes.” He muttered softly into Haru’s black locks. Haru let out a little laugh, before he lifted his head to meet Rin’s. His face was only a few inches away before Rin closed up the distance between them with his lips.