(A/N) Hey there, everyone! I wasn't actually planning on coming back to the SouHaru fandom so quickly, but I was reading High Speed 2 and just got inspired by the scene where Sousuke goes to Haru's house xD So that's what this short little story is based on! The "what if Sousuke stayed longer at Haru's house?!" type. I tried to write it in the style of the novel, with present tense and everything, but I of course am not Kouji Ouji so don't expect anything spectacular :P I also don't write in present tense often, so go easy on me! I think I caught all of my mistakes, but if I didn't, please feel free to point them out to me (kindly, if you please)!

If you haven't read High Speed 2 yet, I highly recommend it. Not only is it good, and you should read it anyway if you're a Free fan (as well as High Speed 1), but this story will make much more sense if you do. Since it's hindering to the story, I didn't go into much detail about the events immediately leading up to this scene and you might not get some of it if you don't read the chapter. The following website has full chapter translations and summaries to anyone who's interested:

h_t_t_p_:_/_/_s_a_y_a_s_a_m_a_x_3_._t_u_m_b_l_r_._c_o_m_/_post/56013645417/high-speed-translations-and-summaries (remove the underscores from the first half of the link - FF is silly)

However, if you don't read it, that's totally fine! I can't control your life or anything, haha. To those who choose not to, I will explain this: Makkou is a stray dog that Makoto pretty much forced Haru to take care of (he of course ended up loving the dog xD) His name is a pun on the fact that it's the Japanese word for killer whale as well as a variation of Makoto's name (which is further accented by the fact that Haru originally wanted to name the dog Makoto).

I talk too much. Go on – read the story! I hope you enjoy it, and thanks so much for reading!

Haruka finds Sousuke at the bottom of the stairs leading up to his house, and he immediately knows that today is not going to be one of his better days. He stops walking and just stares at the lanky teen for a bit; while part of him wants to know why he's sitting awkwardly on his steps, the other, bigger, part of him just wants him to leave.

"Hey." Sousuke stretches out his long legs, as if they were cramping. He then holds something up in his hand. Haruka squints at it.

It's a keychain, a dolphin keychain specifically. The dolphin is blue and flat, and yet utterly adorable. It looks exactly like the one that should be attached to Haruka's house key. Glancing at it suspiciously, he wonders how Sousuke could've gotten a hold of it. He never uses his house key, so how could it have fallen off?

"You dropped it in the changing room yesterday," Sousuke says, as if reading his thoughts. Haruka doesn't like that – he likes being impassive.

Haruka walks over to take the keychain from him and flips it over. On the back, just as he'd suspected, was his name and address. He eyes Sousuke when he's done making sure the dolphin really is his. "You came all the way here just to give it to me?"

"Yeah, well." Sousuke cracks his neck as if he's embarrassed. "It was also a sympathy call – I wanted to make sure you weren't dead from exhaustion."

He means from the meet. Haruka feels the old frustration and darkness swirling in him again as he remembers the helplessness he felt swimming that 1500. He pushes it away, with effort. He is strong – that weakness will never show itself again.

Haruka sighs. He remembers how upset Sousuke was with him when he'd been too exhausted to race him properly. Though he really didn't want to, perhaps he owed the guy an apology. After all, he did go out of his way just to return a keychain that he could easily replace. Haruka bobs his head towards his house. "Come up."

"Nah, it's fine, I need to go home soon." Sousuke's response comes too quickly to be a true refusal.

"Come and eat croquettes," Haruka insists. He holds up the bag of croquettes that he'd gotten from his mother earlier to accent his point. "At least let me thank you."

"I see – guess I'll take you up on that, then." Sousuke doesn't argue twice.

Before Haruka knows it, he's leading someone who doesn't particularly like him up the stairs to his house. As they walk, Haruka takes out his house key and reattaches the dolphin to it. Though he doesn't actually use his house key, he has to admit that the dolphin's presence gives him comfort. It's accepted by the water, just like he is.

"Seriously though," Sousuke huffs behind Haruka. Haruka wishes he wouldn't say anything, "Who writes their name and address on the back of their keychain? That's like inviting a burglar in for tea."

Haruka ignores him. Any burglar that would climb up a mountain of stairs just to steal the measly possessions in his home is too dedicated to need to steal anything. Besides, what's he supposed to say? He'd rather have his dolphin keychain back than worry about potential burglars. Anyway, Iwatobi is a peaceful town; he wonders where Sousuke lives to worry so much about burglars.

Makkou meets the two of them at the top of the stairs, his stance guarding. Nostrils flaring, the dog sniffs Sousuke, trying to identify him. Haruka pats the dog's head, and that seems to reassure him. He walks over to the lanky teen who kneels down and pets the dog's head. When Makkou warms up to him, Sousuke gently pulls the dog's cheeks back and forth, much to the dog's pleasure. Haruka seriously wonders how everyone but him seems to know that dogs like that.

"He's a good dog," Sousuke says. He actually sounds happy. "I have a dog at home, too."

"Oh?" Haruka doesn't really care, but he figures he should keep the other talking about something he actually enjoys.

"Yeah, he's a Rottweiler named Sho." Sousuke stands, and Makkou eagerly follows him and Haruka into the house. The doors are all unlocked, which is why Haruka doesn't need to use his key.

"Aren't Rottweilers pretty vicious?" Haruka asks as he heads immediately to the kitchen. He doesn't know much about dogs, doesn't even know what breed Makkou is, but he thinks he remembers hearing stories about people getting attacked by Rottweilers.

"No, they aren't." Sousuke sounds surprisingly defensive. "They get a bad rap because people don't know how to treat them right."

Scary on the outside, kind on the inside. Just like you, Haruka thinks before pushing away his thoughts. He doesn't know why he thought that.

"What's his name?" Sousuke rubs Makkou's belly, as the dog is completely relaxed on his back. His tongue is dangling out of his mouth and he looks happy. Haruka makes a mental note that he should rub his belly more often.

"Makkou," Haruka answers as he gets two plates out of a kitchen cabinet. He then sets them down on a small tea table where Sousuke is now seated. He leaves the bag of croquettes on the table as well as he goes back to get some chopsticks and tea cups.

"As in the killer whale? Or Makoto?" Sousuke asks. Haruka wonders how he can be so perceptive.

"Both." Haruka doesn't want to talk about it. He doesn't want to talk about that, or why he doesn't care if burglars are in his house, or why there's no one else in the house but him and a guy who doesn't like him. He distracts himself by feeding Makkou, who woofs appreciatively.

Sousuke seems to pick up on the hint and shuts his mouth. When Haruka's done feeding Makkou, he goes back to the table and dishes out the croquettes. Sousuke prods one with his chopsticks and, before Haruka can wonder if he's ever eaten one before, pops it into his mouth. He chews for a while, a contemplative look on his face.

"This is good! Did you make it?" Sousuke swallows and reaches for another croquette.

"My mom." My absent mom.

"Do you cook any yourself?"

Haruka doesn't know why he wants to know. Perhaps he's just trying to be friendly, but he thinks that's weird too. Sousuke has never tried to be friendly to him before. "Yeah."

"Man, lucky – I wish I could cook," Sousuke sighs loudly. Finished with his croquette, he leans back on his hands and stares at the ceiling. "My mom's too busy working to teach me, and I don't want to bother her when she gets home tired. Though I don't think I have a knack for it anyway."

"What about your dad?" Again, Haru doesn't know why he asks.

Sousuke's mouth tightens. "I never knew him. If I ever run into him, maybe I'll ask him."

Despite the lanky teen's sarcasm, Haruka thinks he needs to remedy the situation. They're heading into dangerous territory: he doesn't think he or Sousuke want to start talking about the sad conditions of their families. Haruka wishes that Makoto was here – he always knows how to considerately change the subject. He always knows how to explain Haruka to others, since he's so bad at doing it himself.

"I can teach you." Now Haruka really has no idea what he's saying.

Sousuke eyes him, skeptical. "You would do that?"

"In return for the keychain." Haruka shrugs. "And for not swimming against you seriously."

To Haruka's surprise, Sousuke actually smiles. It's the first time he's ever seen it, though it didn't occur to him until that moment that the other has never smiled. "Thanks, Nanase. No one's offered to do that for me before."

Haruka senses treacherous ground again and opts to stand instead of offering a reply. He hears Sousuke get up and follow him as he walks into the kitchen. Glancing at the note stuck to the fridge, Haruka thinks for a moment about what they'll need. He doesn't think cooking is hard as long as one follows the recipe, so he isn't sure how to teach the lanky teen hovering beside him. Perhaps he should just walk him through it…

"What are we cooking?" Sousuke asks, breaking Haruka out of his thoughts. Haruka glances at him.

"Butajiru."

Sousuke wrinkles his nose. "What is that?"

"Pork and vegetable soup." Haruka wonders what Sousuke eats at home if he doesn't even know what that is. However, he doesn't ponder it for long as he begins to collect the ingredients he'll need. He then remembers that he's supposed to be teaching Sousuke and turns back to the awkwardly hovering teen. He hands him a daikon. "Cut that."

"Uh," Sousuke stutters as he holds the daikon like he doesn't know what to do with it. "In any specific way?"

"Just into small pieces." Haruka thinks that he should at least be able to do that as he hands him a knife.

They work in silence for a while, Haruka preparing the meat and oiling the frying pan while Sousuke dutifully chops vegetables. Haruka finds himself strangely relaxed – it's nice to be cooking with someone else. Not only does the work get done half as fast, but he likes not having to be alone. Even though they're not talking, and he's glad for that, just having Sousuke there is strangely comforting.

As Haruka throws the meat into the sizzling oil, Sousuke turns to him with his cutting board of chopped vegetables. They're vastly uneven and some pieces look like they've been mutilated. Haruka just stares at them. He doesn't understand how someone could fail at just cutting things. To his credit, Sousuke sounds embarrassed. "Is this good?"

"It needs to be smaller. And neater. Here." Haruka takes the carrot and knife from Sousuke's hands and pushes his way to the cutting board. For a moment, his body is touching Sousuke's before the lanky teen moves out of the way. Though the moment was brief, for some reason it sticks with Haruka. He doesn't usually let people touch him, but he didn't mind that. Cheeks starting to burn, the freestyler pushes the thoughts out of his mind. If he doesn't focus on the cooking, it won't turn out good. Besides, he doesn't want to cut his finger off.

"You cut it like this," Haruka explains as he expertly cuts the carrot. He can feel Sousuke watching him intently, and that too is distracting. He frowns a little.

When he's done cutting, Sousuke nods and takes the knife back. "I think I get it. Let me cut the next carrot."

Haruka moves out of the way, but watches carefully as Sousuke hesitantly begins chopping. It's still clumsy, but he's making more of an effort and it's coming out better. Satisfied that he can do it, Haruka walks back to where the meat is sizzling in the pan. He turns the pieces around to assure they all get cooked; he does the same for the vegetables that Sousuke slowly adds into the pan.

However, it's bothering Haruka. Sousuke keeps touching things: the pans, the fridge, the stove, the ingredients. He wants to yell at him to get out of his kitchen, but that of course defeats the whole purpose of why he's here. So he just bottles it up and tries to ignore it. After all, he was the one who offered to teach Sousuke – he has to allow him to get used to the environment.

"Can you get that pot on the stove?" Haruka asks Sousuke once he's done cutting the vegetables. The lanky teen follows his gaze before lurching forward to grab the pot. He puts it on the stove and turns on the heat with Haruka's instructions as the freestyler pours all of the ingredients into it.

They both stare at the stove as the food cooks. Eventually, Sousuke breaks the silence. "I never thought I'd say this, but this was fun. Thanks, Haru."

Haruka is surprised at the informalities, and Sousuke apparently is too as he quickly corrects himself to "Nanase." The freestyler isn't sure what to think. He thought it was kind of fun, too, which surprises him because he usually finds cooking such a chore. But more importantly, no one calls him Haru except for Makoto.

"I, uh… I'm sorry for getting angry earlier." Sousuke's talking again. Haruka glances at him, surprised. "You must've been tired, swimming the biaxial so much."

"That's no excuse," Haruka replies without really thinking. He means for himself, but Sousuke seems to take it personally because he sighs heavily.

"I know… I'm not good at getting my feelings across. Rin was the only one who understood me, but now he's not here either…" Sousuke falls into silence and Haruka doesn't dare breathe. Something about this situation makes him uncomfortable, but he's not entirely sure what it is.

Haruka isn't good with friendship. He doesn't like dealing with bothersome things like people. And yet he can hear a loneliness, a darkness within Sousuke that he easily identifies with. He often spends his days with no one but Makkou for company, and while he mostly thinks that people are more trouble than they're worth, there are times where he wishes someone would come visit him.

He's suddenly glad that Sousuke's here and the thought surprises him.

"I'm not good with it, either," Haruka finds himself saying. He thinks he's being more open than he ever has been in his entire life. "Makoto usually has to explain stuff for me."

Sousuke snorts, but it's not in a teasing manner. "Rin does—did—that for me, too."

Haruka finds himself smiling, and that's weird too. He doesn't usually smile. He suddenly realizes that he and Sousuke are very much alike.

While they were talking, the stew had begun to overflow. Haruka moves to the stove and removes the pot from the burner as Sousuke turns off the heat. The freestyler sets the pot on a cold burner and removes the lid to let steam out. He then grabs a spoon and dips it into the stew. He holds it out to Sousuke, who looks surprised. Haruka just stares at him bluntly.

"Taste test."

Sousuke hesitates before he leans forward and sips the soup. Soon a smile develops on his face and he laughs. "Hey, it's actually pretty good!"

"Of course it is." Haruka is still smiling. "I made it."

"Hey," Sousuke complains as he teasingly bumps Haruka, "We made it."

When it's cool enough, Haruka sets out clean bowls and pours some soup into it, making sure to leave enough for his mother for when she gets home. Sousuke sits at the tea table again as Haruka takes the pot back to the stove and leaves it on a low heat. When Haruka returns to the table, Sousuke is looking happily down at his meal.

"Thanks for the food!" He exclaims to no one in particular and begins to chow down. Haruka watches him for a moment before he utters his own thanks and digs in as well.

The silence is peaceful. Haruka feels content, and he realizes that he enjoys Sousuke's company. When they're together, it seems that all of the troublesome thoughts that usually plague him are absent. The lanky teen never mothers him like Makoto, or annoys him like Asahi and Kisumi, or expects more out of him than he can give like Rin and Nagisa.

He's just his friend.

"Nanase, is it alright if I sleep over?" Sousuke asks when he's done with his soup, as if he's just realized how late it is.

"Sure." Haruka finds himself agreeing. He doesn't bother to question himself anymore. "I can teach you how to make pancakes in the morning, if you want."

Sousuke smiles softly and laughs. "I would love that."

Haruka's mother comes home late to the pleasant smell of soup. She smiles. Though she doesn't see her son enough to say it, she thinks that his cooking has really come a long way. He could be a professional chef someday, if he wanted to.

Not that he would ever give up swimming for that.

As she takes off her shoes in the genkan*, she's surprised that Makkou hasn't come to meet her. She hadn't been sure what to think when Haruka had told her that Makoto had forced a stray dog on him, but she had easily warmed to him and now had grown used to the dog's presence. Usually Makkou would pad out of Haruka's room to meet her when she gets home, but the dog is mysteriously absent tonight.

When she makes her way into the living room, however, she sees why: Makkou is cuddled in between two sleeping boys, Haruka and a lanky boy that she's never seen before. She smiles as she quietly slips past them.

It's been a long time since Haruka has ever opened to anyone besides Makoto, and she's glad to see that that's slowly changing. She knows that her son suffers from loneliness and wishes every day that she didn't have to work such horrid hours so she could mend that some. But perhaps he's making it through on his own. Perhaps just knowing she tries is enough.

As she sits down at the tea table with her soup, Haruka's mom thinks that Haruka is growing up before her very eyes. Soon, he's going to walk out of her house into his own life full of challenges and joys that she will never know or be able to help with. She sighs.

She just hopes that, when he goes, that lanky kid in her living room will be there with him.

*a traditional Japanese entryway to a house. It's where people entering the house take off their shoes and put on their indoor slippers (if they choose to wear them).