The world needs more Top!Rin. This is a prompt and writing blog dedicated to Rin Matsuoka and all pairings involving him and his baes. (Feel free to submit links to any recs!) Please click the 'About' link and read the post on what I am comfortable writing before sending a prompt.
Summary: With Rin leaving for Australia once again, Rin and Sousuke spend their last night together making memories. But all actions have consequences. Written for the Free Kink!meme
The baby came in the winter, a month before Sousuke was due to sit his entrance exams. A little girl who took an entire night to birth and when they finally laid the sleeping infant into his arms for him to look at, Sousuke's second thought was to wish Rin was there to see her too. So real now, a wrinkled little face still red from birth, soft and delicate and so, so tiny. He was enamoured.
Pressing his nose to the baby's head, he wondered if he did the right thing. To deny her a father. He wondered if he would ever stop questioning it. But he couldn't go back on that now, he had to stick by it.
He named the baby 'Kei'. A blessing.
~~~
Parenthood was a difficult thing, he soon learned. Harder still to juggle his studies on top of it. He was thankful for his father's help and experience, felt in turns overwhelmed and more focused than he'd ever been in his life, like his whole world had narrowed to revolve around catering to the needs of this helpless creature who needed him for everything, like he'd never been needed by anyone before.
Pregnancy had changed his perception of his own body - he had never really had any particular awareness of what it's capabilities as an Omega were before, just that he was taller and broader and held a power that the other genders didn't. When he'd been younger, it hadn't even meant much that his body would go through Heat - most Omegas started taking suppressants as soon as they hit puberty and never experienced their first heat until they were mated and started trying for a baby. After he'd hurt his shoulder, he'd resented his body immensely - it hadn't been able to take the strain of his training as he grew, had broken under the pressure he'd put it under instead of getting stronger. And then it changed in pregnancy, his broader waist and hips accommodating the baby's growth inside him easily, his broader chest plumping so he could feed it. He'd spent entire afternoons, fascinated by the feeling of it kicking inside him, amazed by his body's capabilities and learning to love it again. Then, after the baby was born, he found his perception of self strengthened, found a resilience in his spirit that he had been digging for for years, that he hadn't quite managed to find for himself, but had managed to find for Kei. It was as if she was a well of strength he could draw on, even as he slowly adjusted to the responsibilities of his new role as a parent.
The first few months felt the most difficult, when all Kei seemed to do was cry and eat and poop and sleep. It was exhausting, to be up at all hours and to fall into fitfull sleep, hair-trigger ready to wake at the slightest indication that Kei might need him. He got a lot better at multi-tasking, learnt to do everything he needed in the times that she was sleeping, and to do it with one eye on her always too.
But slowly, a distinct sort of personality started to make itself known. Kei was a little quick to cry (and of course she would inherit that trait, Sousuke thought with a sigh), but just as quick to cheer up again, to giggle sweetly at her father and grandfather pulling faces and making silly noises at her. By and large, a sweet-natured child, if easily excitable. As her features plumped out he could see they shared the colour of his eyes, but the shape of them was Rin's. Her nose too like her sire's, and something of Gou in her chin. No hair yet, but the soft fuzz covering her head was indeterminably dark.
The start of the academic year was his first day away from her, as exhilarating as it was distressing. Leaving her was like a strange sort of grieving, being apart even worse. His father sympathetically told him that separation anxiety was something a lot of new bearers went through, except most of the time it happened after a period of parental leave longer than the handful of months Sousuke had had. He was thankful that there were only introductory lectures for the first week, because his mind was too occupied by thoughts of Kei at home with her grandfather, missing her, to be able to concentrate on what he was being told or to appreciate fully adult conversation that wasn't interspersed with cooing or didn't revolve around baby needs.
He wasn't so open with the fact that he was a parent, and a single-parent at that. Being unmated and having a child just wasn't the done thing and if he had to tell anyone, he would stick with the lie that the sire was at away at university elsewhere. When he was with Kisumi, people often assumed they were together and then he didn't say anything. Perhaps for his grandparent's generation it would have been more common to have settled with a mate and start having children by his age, but nowadays people tended to leave it later. Mid-twenties at least, certainly not nineteen.
Already being a year behind most of his classmates - people who would have been his juniors up to then - made him feel like he needed to work harder, like he had more to prove. He wasn't behind because he was a dropout or something. And where his classmates would go out to socialise after lectures, all Sousuke wanted to do was go home to his baby, already feeling anxious from being away from her for so long. So he kept mostly to himself - it wasn't hard to stay busy with studies and a newborn to stay on top of. It could be a little lonely, but time would decide which new acquaintances would become friends.
He managed to hear through the grapevine that both Samezuka and Iwatobi had made it to Regionals, then Nationals; that Nitori had managed to put in a solidly improved performance that had netted him a fourth in the 200m breaststroke (which made Sousuke feel rather proud of him) and had gone on to apply to university in Tottori. Momo had managed a bronze in the 100m backstroke and the Samezuka swimming club was once again under the leadership of a Mikoshiba in his final year, which meant the kid had upped his game and wasn't messing around so much. They hadn't had much contact though - Nitori had invited him to come and watch the Nationals, which always took place in Tokyo, but Sousuke had been rather obviously pregnant by then and reluctant about it being public knowledge for his former club mates to gossip over and so had declined with an excuse about rehab sessions.
Gou, on the other hand, had managed to get into university in Tokyo - to study something related to sports and management because muscles had apparently transformed from an obsession into a lifestyle choice - though she was on the other side of the city from him. She messaged him fairly regularly - more regularly than Rin nowadays anyway - and was quite tenaciously keeping in touch. Sousuke was grateful for it - Gou was like a sister to him too and he missed her.
~~~
She came over with Kisumi one day, not long after moving to Tokyo, wanting to both meet Kei and tell him off for being bad at keeping in touch, and then tried to make it a point to meet once a month. To that end, she'd taken his phone and programmed it into his calendar with alarms to remind him too. He remembered that first visit though, the way she'd been quiet as she watched him with the baby as if she was having trouble relating the way she knew him to what she was seeing. He could understand that - he'd never been that parental, not like that Tachibana guy from Iwatobi who seemed like the sort of Omega who had been born ready to have kids. It must have been strange for her to see him being so tender, with a baby in his arms.
She'd been absolutely delighted by Kei, who had also taken well to her (possibly partly due to bribery with yoghurt lollies) and play-dates with Aunty Gou became as regular as Uncle Kisumi, rattling colourful toys just out of reach as she told him about all the gossip she was in know about.
That summer, Rin made the rankings that allowed him to compete in the Pan-Pacific Championships that were being held in Canada, in both butterfly and free sprint distances. Both Kisumi and Gou decided to congregate at his house (with snacks!) to watch because Gou had needed to stay at university for an assignment instead of going to Canada with her mother, but fortunately, the aquatic finals fell on the weekend. He managed to feed Kei and while the diving was on, none of them paying too much attention to the graceful lines and arcs the divers made as they fell into the water while they waited for the races in the next hour or so. Gou was talking about the National competitions she had taken Iwatobi to in her final year of high school, critically dissecting various performances with newer insight as he did so.
"You were right to make Nitori-kun focus on the longer distances, of course. If he'd tried to take on Nagisa-kun in the shorter distances, he definitely wouldn't have placed so highly."
Sousuke shrugged, tipping the bottle to a better angle for Kei's mouth, "He always had a lot of stamina, but he got discouraged because his technique and focus were on the sprints. We worked to correct that and it seems like he kept it up."
"And Momo-kun did really well - his style is quite different to Makoto-senpai, but it's also a little lighter."
Well, Tachibana could be surprisingly aggressive in the water, completely at odds with his usual nature. But it was a style that worked for him and made him a ferocious contender to compete against - the few times he'd actually bothered to watch him had showed him that immediately. Sousuke wiped at a little dribble on Kei's chin, then sat her up to burp as Kisumi pulled faces at her.
"It's good Momo didn't have to race him, but I think he could give him a run for his money the way he swims now. Tachibana was good enough to be scouted, just unlucky that he was sharing a pool with Rin and Nanase. You have to be in the right time and place for these things."
"Yeah. But Makoto-senpai didn't want a career in competitive swimming - he loves it, but he doesn't thrive on competition the onii-chan does. He's going to be a great teacher though, it's perfect for him. Hey, you know he and Haruka-senpai are dating now?"
Beside him, Kisumi muttered 'finally' with a roll of his eyes, but Sousuke quirked a brow at her, drawn in despite himself: "Weren't they already?"
"No! It only happened like a month ago! And there was drama!" Sousuke didn't really care - they were more Rin's friends than his - but she carried on anyway. "They're at different universities with different schedules and they've made friend groups that don't really cross over as much, I guess, but apparently Makoto-senpai was under the impression that Haruka-senpai liked my brother."
Well, that was news to Sousuke, though he'd be lying if the thought hadn't crossed his mind. Rin had been fascinated by Nanase from the moment he'd first seen him swim, had moved to Iwatobi to figure out what made it so special. Sousuke had wondered, briefly when they were younger, if Rin liked other Alphas. But he'd also wondered if maybe Rin liked a certain type of Omega, given the way he'd been around Tachibana - oddly protective and gentle, in the same way he was to Gou, though he was a little like that with Hazuki too. Absent-mindedly, he sniffed Kei's bum, then laid her down in his lap to settle her.
"So, he was trying to move on or something, but Makoto-senpai being how he is -"
She titled her head towards Kisumi, who smiled wryly and added, "That guy doesn't know he's popular, so of course a lot of people like him. I went to his student union for a party last year, you should have seen how many people wanted to get him stuff. A lot of Alphas, but not just them."
"Exactly, so Haru-senpai was getting really jealous -"
"It doesn't actually take that much to get Haru jealous where Makoto is concerned - I used to tease him all the time back in middle school. I tried to do the same to Makoto once, but he just got all sad and I felt like I kicked a puppy, so I didn't do that again."
"-right, and apparently it was disrupting his swimming. But then onii-chan yelled at him - I know because he called me to rant after and said I should yell at them too. He told Haru-senpai: 'you need to take the chance while you have it, otherwise someone else will come along and make Mako happy and you'll have lost your chance from being blind and stupid! You don't have to pick between the water and Mako, so don't!' And it worked! Isn't that great?"
Sousuke watched Kei sleeping and wondered if those words had anything to do with how Rin felt about him, then told himself that they didn't mean anything at all. Gou sighed and put her hand to her cheek, her gaze turned inward.
"It's silly, really - they've never had eyes for anyone but each other. They were just being, ugh, dumb. But…it says something, doesn't it? The things we take for granted, without bothering to do anything to actually make them happen - we just…expect them to. But things don't just magically happen by themselves."
Her eyes shifted to him then, something sad and rueful in them as she looked at him and at Kei. "You know, I used to think that you and onii-chan would get married. I think I even planned your wedding out in my head once." She laughed, softly.
Sousuke shrugged uncomfortably, not knowing how to respond. "…It wasn't the right time or place."
Kisumi managed to change the topic to something lighter then, livening the atmosphere until the races started, freestyle first. Rin stepped into the screen with Nanase behind him, both of them looking in the best physical condition they had ever been in. Sousuke couldn't help but stare as Rin took his position on the starting block, at the chiselled musculature that looked even more defined, at the determined jut of his chin and the cocky grin he sent to the camera. He looked…good. The starting horn blared and they dived, fast-paced commentary accompanying every stroke.
"And it's Australia's Campbell in Lane 3 and Japan's Nanase and Matsuoka in Lane 5 and 6 taking the lead early with smooth entrances there. Some explosive energy from Matsuoka there. These two are up and coming, but they've had solid performances since they've entered the international arena and already the favourites for Japan's Olympic team! But they've quickly become infamous for the way they swim when they're in the pool together, you can see the way they're pushing each other, they've already posted times that are so close to National records and they are nipping on Campbell's heels - a lot of talk on which of these is going to be breaking records first.
"They're bouncing off the walls now, beautifully smooth turn from Nanase - there's no way he could have timed that better - but Campbell's still in the lead. But he can see them, with every turn of his head, they're right there, it's looking incredibly close, they could pip him at the last second - but Campbell's just managed to touch the wall first, Nanase then Matsuoka a fraction of a second behind! It's Australia's gold and Japan take a silver and bronze! They're going to show the replay, it honestly looks so close, there's practically no difference in those times, what a race! Some beautiful swimming there and we'll be seeing more from Matsuoka later in the Butterfly too. What a race!"
None of them had been able to watch without sitting forward, each of them shouting when Rin and Haruka had touched the wall, loud enough to startle Kei awake and then frantically shushing each other though the damage had been done. Gou, who had shot up to pump her fists in the air knelt by her to try and soothe her and stop her startled cries. When Kei finally quieted down, suckling on a soother, Gou giggled and they all followed. After that, there was no getting her back to sleep.
"Ah, Aunty Gou was making a lot of noise while Kei-chan was sleeping! Silly Aunty, very silly, ne? But your Uncle RinRin is swimming and we're all going to cheer for him to win - Kei-chan can cheer too, ne?" she pressed a rattler into her fist and clapped her hands excitedly. When Rin came back onto the screen for the butterfly race, she pointed him out, "Lookie, there's RinRin! Kei-chan, cheer loudly for RinRin, ok?"
And Kei did, waving her chubby little hands and feet and the rattler, caught up in the excitement of the adults around her. The commentator's rapid-fire chatter rang over the crowd's hooting to highlight the swimmers' performances:
"…Men's 100m butterfly, the ones to watch out for in this race are Gonzales, Kaling and Matsuoka. Gonzales really took the World Championships last year and rumour has it that he was making fifty point seven in practice, so if it's a good day for him, we'll see. Kaling can be notoriously inconsistent on his starts, but he's been doing really well in these games and his first fifty is how we'll guage it. Matsuoka, honestly, consistently better every performance - look at that entrance!
" Immediately, Gonzales pulls ahead, but Matsuoka is right there, just a hand-span behind and not letting go. It'll be the turn that judges it - and Kaling is just a little too near on the twist, not a good turn. Matsuoka has fantastic turns, really wrings that extra boost of power out. It's between Gonzales and Matsuoka and you can see Matsuoka has his head down, he's turning it up and Gonzales is feeling the heat. Will he make it? He's getting level, just the last bit - and Gonzales just makes it first! Ohoho, there was a hair's breadth between, honestly, it is so exciting to watch promising newcomers like this - Matsuoka is really going places and I can't wait to see what he'll do - a bronze and a silver on the same day and maybe gold in the future! But there you go, USA, Japan and Singapore on the podium for this one! Wow!"
None of them had managed to stay seated the entire race, all of them on their feet by the first leg and cheering at the touch. Gou was jumping up and down with baby toys in her hands and Sousuke raised Kei up over his head, where the baby spat out the dummy in her mouth and started screaming and laughing in delight.
"RinRin won! RinRin won!" Kisumi started the chant and they all took it up, dancing around the living room together.
Sousuke felt giddy with the sensation of his heart racing, as if it would burst out of his chest - Rin was realising his dream of standing at the top of the world stage. And, by proxy, it felt like he was realising Sousuke's too.
Summary: With Rin leaving for Australia once again, Rin and Sousuke spend their last night together making memories. But all actions have consequences. Written for the Free Kink!meme
He ended up with a little less time off than he'd previously thought and spent most of it in Iwatobi with Gou and his mother, feeling guilty that he hadn't done so much before, and dropped in on his underclassmen at Samezuka who were excited about his progress. A whole day was prioritised for Nagisa and Rei as well. He gave himself three days in Tokyo and met Haru and Makoto first. He saw Haru a lot in swim meets and competitions anyway, racing each other more often than not; and they had a group chat that they keep in regular contact with, but he hadn't seen Makoto since the end of school and he missed that sincere and unassuming presence.
Tokyo had been good to Makoto, who had never given himself enough credit for his own strength and ability. But it seemed he'd come to some sort of acceptance of himself, seemed more confident than the last time Rin had seen him and it made him happy to see that.
He met Kisumi next, in a teaming student hang-out that took him an embarrassingly long time to find. Kisumi steered him to the bar immediately, waving away his apologies for being late with a teasing, "Well, I was beginning to think you were standing me up, since you're usually so punctual - but you made it, after all! Now I don't have to go home and nurse a broken heart!"
Rin huffed a laugh, sheepish. "Yeah, well, I may have wandered the wrong way from the station - Tokyo can be kind of confusing and the map on my phone took a while to figure it out."
"Ha! Tell me about it - I spent my first month here glued to my map and only just made it in time for half my lectures. At the risk of sounding like a country bumpkin - coming from Iwatobi, the city can be really…distracting." He waved down someone behind the bar who he seemed to know well enough that he could ask for two sodas with minimal communication.
"Ugh, so distracting - the smell of food is the worst. I really miss Japanese food and everything around here smells like home. They have us on a really strict diet and it's fine most of the time, but sometimes I just crave other food. Nutritionally useless starchy carb food." Rin smacked some notes down on the counter before there could be any quibble over it and Kisumi rolled his eyes at him, but let him pay with a shrug.
"I think I know what you're talking about - Makoto is always complaining to me that Haru is always complaining to him about the strict diet. And every time he does it, I start craving the biggest bowl of ramen - but I've only given in three times, so far! How's that for self control?!"
Rin laughed and looked at him thoughtfully, turning to lean against the bar-top. "Do you meet up with Makoto often then? We try to vid-call every so often, but I have to admit I haven't been that great with that lately."
Kisumi looked uncharacteristically serious then, eyes seeming a little faraway. "Well, it's just…we used to be such good friends, you know. And then with you moving away and us all going to different schools, we all lost touch. But - it's going to sound kind of stupid saying it out loud," he smiled a little bashfully, "it kind of felt like a second chance I shouldn't waste when we ran into each other again, Makoto being my little brother's swimming coach and then the summer fair with you guys. So I try to make it a point to meet up."
And that was something Rin could understand very well - a lesson he'd learned the hard way after all. It was with a wry smile that he agreed, "Yeah, I know that feeling. It doesn't sound stupid at all."
In the ensuing silence he could feel Kisumi's eyes on him, appraising, and braced himself for what he knew was coming.
"You know…I see Sousuke a lot too."
And there it was. But in a roundabout way, Rin had been hoping Kisumi would broach the subject first, because he still felt…conflicted was probably the simplest way to put it. He pulled his backpack around to unzip it and reach inside. It also meant he didn't have to look at Kisumi's face.
"Hey, uh, when you go see him next - would you give him something from me? It's nothing big, just-"
Kisumi's hand over his stopped Rin from pulling his package out. When he looked up, Kisumi's eyes were endlessly kind.
"I'm going to see him tomorrow to drop off some books for entrance exam prep. Come with me." He must have seen the indecision on Rin's face, because he carried on. "You're still friends, right? I don't know what happened between you two, but I know he's missed you."
His fingers clenched once around the package, crinkling the wrapping a little before he let it go and pulled his hand out of his bag.
"Yeah. Yeah, ok."
--
It wasn't that Rin was unfamiliar with nervousness necessarily, but standing outside the blue front door of Sousuke's home while Kisumi rang the bell had him shuffling awkwardly wondering what he would do when it opened. Their last conversation hadn't exactly left them on the best of terms and they hadn't spoken since. And he'd been mean, which bothered him the most.
He stiffened at the sound of movement from within, the click of the latch an anxious sound to his ears. And then the door opened and that achingly familiar face was revealed, blue eyes widening at the sight of him, and Rin could feel all the thoughts in his head scattering like dust in the wind because. Somehow. Rin always seemed to forget how much the sight of him felt like home.
"Hey."
It wasn't until Kisumi cleared his throat, somewhat awkwardly, that Rin realised they'd been staring: drinking in the sight of each other after months of silence. His eyes dropped then, taking in the curve of Sousuke's belly that made his state obvious. And suddenly it felt painful, a lurch in his chest that Rin swallowed down as Sousuke moved to let them in.
"Uh, sorry, the place is kind of a mess. I've been studying is all so…." Sousuke led them into a cosy living room, couches turned inward toward a coffee table that was littered with textbooks and sheets of notes in his familiar chicken-scratch scrawl. It made Rin think of their dorm, of homework after a long training session with mellow music to accompany the scratch of their pens and their own murmured talk. God, why did that hurt?
Beside him, Kisumi was seated and making himself comfortable, so Rin sat too. When Sousuke took a seat across from him, he found his eyes repeatedly drawn to the bump, involuntarily, and try as he might, words escaped him. He was grateful when Kisumi filled the silence, placing some textbooks on the already full table and cheerfully warning Sousuke of his upcoming trials and which components of the entrance exams he'd found particularly difficult, with grumbles about the pointlessness of some of it in return.
It gave Rin time to compose himself a little before he could start contributing to the conversation, chatting about anything and everything until there was a comfortable lull. Sousuke excuses himself to use the bathroom and wanders further into the building, shuffling through the kitchen to put the kettle on to boil on his way through.
"He's really having a baby." Rin said it with mild surprise, not sure what his surprise was for. "It's really…."
"Hm?" Kisumi turned, with questioning eyes.
"I couldn't imagine having a baby now, you know? I feel way too young. And to tell the truth, it kind of scares me to think about. But Sousuke's going to have a kid - a few months and he's going to be a parent. That's a whole different level and I've got to admit I've been struggling to process it. I didn't even know he wanted that."
"Yeah…I guess I know what you mean. All of that seems a little far off to get to, yeah? Strange to see someone our age jump up the ladder so much already. But I think Sousuke can do it, even it's hard to study and raise a kid at the same time."
"Oh, definitely. Nobody works as hard as Sousuke when he's set his mind on something and he wants to succeed. He'll do great whatever he decides on, I know that. Must be one hell of a guy, though."
"Huhh?"
"Have you met him?"
"Have I met who?"
Sousuke came back in then, holding a carefully balanced tray of drinks and snacks and a look on his face that suggested he was trying to be nonchalant about the fact that he hadn't brought them sooner. He'd never been that good at following ettiquette, but more out of carelessness than because he was rude. He set the tray down, asking, "What are you talking about?"
"I was just wondering - do I get to meet the lucky guy you've chosen to be with? Is he here?" They were best friends, after all - introducing your boyfriend to your best friend was as important as having them meeting your parents, right?
"Uh…no. He's at university at Kyoto still." Sousuke didn't seem to want to look at him, perhaps feeling awkward about the subject.
"Oh. What's his name - you never told me." Rin couldn't help but press. He knew absolutely nothing about the man he'd lost to. And he needed to make it not-awkward.
"Ah, I didn't, did I? His name is Watanabe Ryuu. He was my senior on the swim team - had the smoothest breaststroke I'd ever seen - and he really looked after me when I hurt my shoulder. I didn't fully appreciate it at the time."
He looked a little lost at that, in remembering something painful, and that wasn't what Rin was trying to do. So he left it there. Where before they might have known exactly how to work around the edges of each other's sensitivities (or bulldoze over them, as the case may be), now he wasn't sure what was acceptable. That night had changed their dynamic and then his news had changed it again and Rin felt cautious now. So he turned to rummage in his bag and pull out a slightly awkwardly, but neatly, wrapped package, which he pushed into Sousuke's hands.
"I, uh, didn't know how much stuff you needed or what you already have, so I got you something - it's nothing much. Lori helped me pick it out…."
Russell and Lori were the only ones he'd told about Sousuke. They'd figured out he was upset about something when he'd cancelled on their weekly dinner and insisted, in that gentle but firm way they had, that whatever it was gave no worth to avoiding them. They hadn't pressed him on it though, just waited. He'd been feeling hurt and angry and confused about why he felt that way and also that he had no right to feel that way at all. Without talking to them, he wasn't sure he would have found his way out of that confusing mire of emotion for a while yet. But it had been Russell, straightforward as always, who had reminded him that, at the core of it all, he still cared deeply about Sousuke and didn't want to stop being friends.
Sousuke was careful opening the package, peeling back the tape to reveal the bundle inside: a little hooded towel with an embroidered kangaroo face on the crest and a little quilted cloth toy in the shape of a koala. He picked it up with soft hands, gingerly running his fingers over the soft cloth. His head was down, but his voice was full of something Rin couldn't quite figure out when he spoke.
"Oh, this is really…it means a lot. Thanks, Rin. I'll use it in the hospital."
Which meant it would be the first thing the baby would ever use. And that was one hell of an honour. Rin felt something in him loosen then - like an assurance of…something. Not something he could figure out then and there, but it was bittersweet and comforting all at once. Perhaps a realisation that they held a special place in each other's heart that wasn't capable of being replaced - which was kind of a kicker, if you thought about it, really. But there was not point dwelling on that now, when there was nothing to do about it.
Whatever their relationship was now, they would work it out.
---
When Rin left a little while later, Sousuke thought he could honestly say he felt like a wrung out dishcloth. Emotionally, anyway. He'd had to work hard to keep them under control around Rin, especially when he'd seen the present he'd given. He sagged into the sofa as soon as he'd closed the door, rubbing his hands over his face as he leaned back into the cushions.
"Soooo…Watanabe Ryuu, huh?"
Shit. He forgot that Kisumi was still there, and that he didn't know either. But there was no way he knew who he was talking about. He rolled his head away and bit his lip. "Uh, yeah."
"Does this Watanabe Ryuu happen to have a younger sister - about our age, really tall, voleyball player, named Riko?"
That was strangely specific and also eerily on the mark. Which meant nothing good for Sousuke. He turned to look at Kisumi, sitting a little straighter, mind whirring as he tried to figure out what to say. For his part, Kisumi only stared guilelessly back.
"We're on the same course and we've become pretty good friends." He shrugged, something in the quirk of his lips that Sousuke would poke at later. "And she hasn't said anything about becoming an Aunty, though admittedly it wouldn't be any of my business to tell it to, but…. It's not Watanabe Ryuu, is it?"
Sousuke could only stare at him, lips pressed tight, caught in his lie. Kisumi was smart enough to put the pieces together by himself, and it was looking like he already had.
Kisumi took a deep breath. "It's Rin's, isn't it? And he doesn't know."
"Don't tell him." He clenched his jaw, stubborn, waiting for Kisumi to tell him all the reasons why he should.
"No, I guess I understand why you haven’t told him." Kisumi sounded thoughtful as he said, but the words knocked the wind out Sousuke's sails easily. Just like that, all the fight drained out of him. "It's kind of a sucky situation, though, huh?"
"…Yeah," Sousuke sagged back against the couch once more, head hanging over the back. "But. I don't know…."
"Hey, you know, I had my suspicions for a while, but when you said Ryuu, it just confirmed it. Does he know you're telling people he's the father of your child?"
"No. I don't tell anyone anything about it, if I can help it. Maybe I should just tell everyone it's you from now on."
"Ha! That'd be hilarious. But I'm here for you, ok? If you need a buffer, I'll be it." He rocked sideways to nudge Sousuke with his shoulder, trying to shake the melancholy look off Sousuke's face. But there was something wistful and distant there, that seemed to have caught him.
"Kind of wish it was you, right now. It'd be easier." The words were quietly spoken, a little sad and defeated.
"Sousuke…shall I take that as a love confession?"
And that seemed to have done the trick, his voice deliberately light and teasing to get the reaction he wanted out of Sousuke. Wide eyes, laughter.
"Pfft, you wish!"
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I just realised I only posted this on AO3 and not here, so I am rectifying that - I hate an incomplete archive!
dededos
theartofmadeline
snowghoul
ellievsbear
tangentwithtanner
titsay
origamiaround
