@sharkbitings
It was a half-common occurrence the previous school year to see phantom shades of crimson disappearing behind the natatorium doors, the only evidence of his presence being a lone granola bar and bottle of water. Or, sometimes, familiar footfalls taking off down the dorm corridors as if trying to make it around a corner before someone saw him. These Ai remembered fondly.
And-- true, Ai missed these little things. A part of him wonders if he took them for granted, currently cleaning himself off by the poolside just shy of midnight with no granola bar or bottle of water to give him the energy to make it back to the dorms. I miss Rin-senpai, was the clear and easy sentiment - his gifts of encouragement mere bonuses left to the past.
Ai has his nose buried deep in a stack of paperwork he was carrying out from the administration room in the natatorium; roster lists for regional submissions, just around the corner. Even as he opens, turns, and locks the large natatorium doors, the cool night air gliding over his skin, he still doesn’t feel or see the obvious presence mere feet away.
It isn’t until he’s quite literally bumping into a shoulder upon turning on his heel--
-- that Ai realizes he isn’t alone.
“Rin-senpai?!” It’s a miracle he didn’t drop his folder. Ai struggles to articulate the questions running through his head: when did you come back from Australia? How long are you staying? What are you doing here?, all of them amassing as a string of unintelligible words in his head and a pure expression of shock on his face.