Cheat Day [Makoto]

[Rin Matsuoka]

[googlefont="Courgette"]

love is a dangerous game

The cafeteria had absolutely nothing on the menu that was on his pre-approved diet plan. However, he had absolutely no energy to cook up in his dorm kitchen tonight. He figured he was afforded one cheat day. He hasn't had one in years, he was still a junior high student he was pretty sure. Unless a couple of cookies in highschool counted. It helped that he didn't much like sweets to begin with. However, there was a heavy smell of fried fish in the cafeteria. Fried foods, definetly not on his list of pre approval. But today it was fish and chips, not to mention practically a whole lemon but he was pretty sure lemons weren't off the list. He snagged a few packets of hot sauce from the condiment section. Though he did cave and snag a portion of the steamed vegetables. He should at least get something good in him. He already had a large bottle of cold tea strapped to his messenger bag from classes so that wasn't an issue. He scanned his meal-plan card and went to settle in a spot.



It was odd. Studying in Japan, and yet still being so far from his family. Though, that wasn't much different from when he was boarding at Samezuka. He hadn't really liked it then either. Though he figured it was bettter than staying with Gou and his mother. Gou was fine, even when he was ebing stubborn about it, she was easy to talk to. His mother was another story entirely. He didn't really know how to connect with her so it made the house seem a little stifled. He shook the thoughts from his head and proceeded to practically bathe his fish in lemon juice and dig in. He probaby should have tracked one of the others down to eat something with him. He didn't like lonely meals. It was probably the worst thing about school in Australia when he was younger. Even though they were stacked side by side in the lunch room tables, it had still felt lonely. His accent and limitation with the language had made sitting side by side with people feel like being alone on an island. 



The ache from his morning training was starting to settle in. He might have overdid it a bit, but he knows very well his limites. He was kept to a pretty strict schedule in Australia, and land training was always more annoying than water training. Lifting weights and doing pull ups was annoying but he could see the benefits to it. He would have to check his times against the other's soon. The small break didn't seem to affect him so badly, mostly because he spent much of his time in water even on break form school. 

#four-six-four

Makoto Tachibana

ψ

[Makoto Tachibana]

How'd we drift so far away from where we left off yesterday?

I'm lonely like a castaway

The cafeteria was buzzing with activity. There were university students everywhere, and there was definitely a crowded feel to it. It wasn't like Iwatobi High School at all. Sure, it wasn't necessarily a small high school, but it definitely wasn't like this. Makoto was actually feeling a little intimidated, which wasn't too off from what he felt every time he walked through the hallways of this still rather new place. He wondered if he would ever be able to shake the feelings he was having away. It just wasn't like him. He felt like a small fish in an endless sea. In high school he'd felt more like more of a whale among other fish, having not experienced quite so many large crowds. It was probably safe to say Makoto was over reacting a little bit considering he'd always felt slightly invisible in a lot of ways anyways. He just had to keep waiting for everything to start feeling normal just like his father had told him to do. After all, nothing could stay new forever.

All of the bad thoughts seemed to escape him as soon as Makoto got in line to grab some food. Everything looked amazing, and he was sure his stomach could be heard grumbling all the way in the states. After holding up a few people and giving them nervous, smile-filled apologies, Makoto finally settled on squid tempura and a side of vegetables. He was pretty sure it was a special, so he definitely didn't want to pass that up. His mouth started watering inside as the smell of his food seemed to start intoxicating him. He was suddenly feeling a bit more cheerful then he had upon walking into the cafeteria. Food definitely had a power over his mood.

After stepping away from the crowded area of starving people, he took a few steps toward all of the tables. Coincidentally, that area seemed to be pretty populated as well. It seemed like no one wanted to stay in tonight. At least he had something in common with all the rest of them, even if it was just an idea. Green eyes quivered as he scanned the room, the sudden anxiety of where the hell he was actually going to sit setting in. That's when he spotted a familiar face, and immediately a smile took over his own, stretching wide across. His free arm went up into the air, and he waved it once just to grab his attention. It was a subtle wave, but with his massive size, he was pretty sure he'd be spotted. His arm stretched far above the heads of others. "Rin!" He called out in a happy tone, though nothing in comparison to the hype Nagisa's tone would have held if he'd been here. Makoto made his way over to where he was sitting and stopped only a couple feet away before speaking again. "Funny running into you like this. Mind if I join you?"

	Rin Matsuoka	495 words
	(:

pyxis ★

[Rin Matsuoka]

[googlefont="Courgette"]

love is a dangerous game

Rin smiled at Makoto when he came over to his table.  He was a little surprised to see the other, even though he knew logically he went to this university as well. It was just odd. He was used to the masses of people he didn't know bustling about. Being in the city was a hell of a lot more comfortable than the small town he once called home. As much as it was lonely, he also kind of liked the anonymity that the large throngs of people provided. He stood out in smaller settings, between his hair and his teeth. When he was here, or in Sydney for that matter, he could go a little more unnoticed. Which, had it's pros and cons. 

"Of course, take a seat. I'd like the company." He offered, gesturing vaguely to the open spaces at the table. This was sort of the best possible mix of situations. A lot less lonely when he had all the people he cared about here with him. Though now he was a bit embarressed about his particularly awful meal. Though, Makoto's seemed pretty much as much deep fried as his own. So maybe he was a bit more lax about his diet, or maybe he was on a cheat day of his own. 

"You know the last time I had fried food, I think I had just moved to Australia." he mused thoughtfully, striking up a conversation. Makoto was his friend, a good one at that, but he never really knew what to talk about around the boy. They had a bit in common, surely, but he had always been oddly jealous of Makoto. He'd never really been able to put his finger down as to why but it settled in his chest even when he was a little kid. Still he wanted to get closer to the other boy. Especially now that they were going to the same school again. It was silly not to. He had spent the large majority of his life missing him, and all the other friends he'd left behind when he went to Australia. Even when he was a whole lot closer and at Samezuka there had been a bit of a disconnect. Now he had a chance to reconnect with at least Haru and Makoto fully. 

#three eight six

Makoto Tachibana

ψ

[Makoto Tachibana]

How'd we drift so far away from where we left off yesterday?

I'm lonely like a castaway

It was so great that Rin seemed to be in a much better place now than he'd been in the past. Only a couple years ago, Rin had been a little harsh toward the crew even though Makoto never blamed him. In fact, Makoto was just more concerned about him than anything else. He was also always concerned about how Rin's actions had seemed to affect Haru. It felt like a rather dark time even though Makoto had worked his hardest to just keep on smiling for the sake of everyone back then. It was just last year that things with Rin were beginning to seem normal again. The crew seemed to be back to it's ordinary dynamic again with the addition of Rei who'd easily managed to become an important part of it. He'd been welcomed in with open arms, even if he hadn't felt like a part of the team for a short while in the beginning there. Makoto tried to dismiss his thoughts. That was enough reminiscing for now. He turned his attention back to reality.

Makoto would have smiled at Rin's answer if he hadn't already been smiling. Being around friends always made him feel at ease. Just being in the presence of one actually simmered down that odd feeling he'd gained in his stomach since coming to the large university. He hadn't really ran into Rin like he'd assumed he would've either, but Makoto just figured he was busy most of the time with swimming related things. He tried not to be a bother to him or Haru as much as he could manage, knowing how important it was that they focused on their future goals.

The brunette sat down in the seat across from Rin, placing his food on the table in front of him. Looking over at Rin's choice in food, Makoto let out an embarrassed laugh. "Guess I'm not the only one making a few questionable choices today," he spoke while still wearing his usual, kind-hearted smile. Rin's choice in food didn't really look all that terrible, but he assumed it wasn't quite what he normally munched on. At least, it wasn't from what he'd seen. Makoto was hardly in the water lately, even though he intended to be a coach. The truth was, he wasn't keeping up with his diet as much as he should have been. The new place was making him seek more comfort food then he'd ever had in his life. Even when there was no swim club during high school, he'd always managed to make the healthier choices.

"That long ago, huh?" Makoto tilted his head to the side slightly as he began to push his food around on his plate, looking down at it as he did. "So then what makes today so special?" He looked back up and hoped that question didn't sound like he was prying. There might not have been any reason for his sudden change in diet at all, but it was just in his nature to worry. For all he knew, Rin could have been treating himself in celebration over something.

	Rin Matsuoka	520 words
	(:

pyxis ★

[Rin Matsuoka]

[googlefont="Courgette"]

love is a dangerous game

The redhead chuckled at the other's comment when he looked over his meal. Even growing up here he could never really get behind squid, or octopus for that matter. It was a texture thing he could never really cope with. Even when it was coated in batter and fried. To each their own he guessed. He was pretty sure there was something in his own preferences that would be considered abnormal. Other than his blatant dislike of sweet things. 

"Nothing special per-say. I just overdid it a bit this morning with weight training and really didn't feel like cooking. Nothing on the menu today was particularly safe, so I figured if I was cheating on my diet I might as well go all out." He said with a snort. He really loved fish and chips, though he found himself craving some vinegar and considering he'd only eaten it that way once, that he could recall, it was kind of strange that that stuck with him. It was easier with just Makoto than he thought it might have been. He was always a little nervous that it would be hard to talk to him one on one. Though he felt the same way about Nagisa as well. Though he found he didn't have to work too hard with their blonde friend as he was a non-stop chatterbox. It was easy to just let the boy talk, giving feedback where necessary. Being around the younger boy was never dull. 

With Makoto is was a different kind of easy. He had a generally calm and easy going demeanor that was kind of refreshing to be around. He figured that was partially because he was so high-strung all the time but he wouldn't get into that right now. He didn't need to acknowledge those short-comings at the moment. They worked out in his favor more or less eventually. Even if it meant he had to do a lot of stuff the hard way. "I mean, I've been training to compete in the Olympics for so long, you know? My trainers in Australia didn't like me indulging in stuff that was bad for me. It made it a ton easier that I don't really like sweets, I'll tell you." he said with a chuckle. "It sort of just carried over even after I moved, not that I could be terribly picky at Samezuka, but they were known for their swim team, so their meals had those kinds of options. " he explained. He was babbling now, but he doubted the other would mind too much. Come to think of it he had never really seen Makoto terribly angry about anything. But then he guessed most people didn't handle their emotions as poorly as he did. "So how is Tokyo treating you? Are you adjusting okay?" He asked curiously. He understood what it was like to be in a small town one day, and then suddenly be thrust into a giant city with a bunch of strangers. At least Makoto had the benefit of being able to understand the majority of them when they spoke. Still it could prove difficult to adjust.

#four six zero

Makoto Tachibana

ψ

[Makoto Tachibana]

How'd we drift so far away from where we left off yesterday?

I'm lonely like a castaway

Good. Makoto liked his answer, so much so that it brought the smile back to his face that had briefly disappeared as he'd become a more serious version or himself. Makoto was usually a good mix of kind, happy, serious, and a little bit goofy to most outside people so it helped his communication skills in moments like these quite a bit. Moments when he couldn't keep the bits of worry out of his head and he just had to ask questions.

"Well, good. You deserve it with all that hard work you put in." Makoto wasn't sure he'd ever really known anyone with more focus than Rin. Rin always seemed to be on the right track, always pushing himself to be one of the best. He supposed he had him to thank for pushing Haru that far too. It was because of Rin that Haru figured out what he actually wanted to do with his life. Makoto did feel a tad bit of jealously there. After all, he was his best friend and yet he wasn't the one who was able to help him. There was a part inside of him that was worried he might be replaced at any moment. It made it especially hard to back off sometimes, but Makoto always did so. He made it look like he did so with ease as well. He'd like to think it was some kind of talent. He'd learned by now that there were things Rin could do for Haru that he'd never be able to. He swallowed down his feelings when he'd noticed his mind drifting again, not wanting anything to reflect on the outside.

Makoto nodded, listening to Rin speak. It was nice to hear him go on about something for the good moment he was talking. It was like he was opening up to him in a way which was nice. He'd always wondered what it would be like had the two of them been left in a room too long together without Haru or Nagisa around. He wondered if it'd be awkward or if their friendship was strong enough to make it seem like everything was just the same as it was when they were kids. It was weird to think that they were both all grown up now, but nice to know that they'd still managed to become friends again. Of course, Makoto never really felt Rin wasn't a friend even when he seemed a little less then kind toward him and the others. "That makes sense considering Samzeka had some pretty fierce swimmers." He chuckled, reminiscing on some of the past competitions for a brief moment in his head. "I usually brought my own lunch to school back then. Unfortunately, now even without any clubs, I feel busier than I've ever been."

He shrugged as he thought about the answer to Rin's next question, the loneliness flashing in his eyes for a brief moment before he forcefully made his smile return. "It's not too bad here. It's just a lot more populated then the halls of Iwatobi, you know?" He knew Rin had been in a similar situation before in Australia, and Makoto considered himself lucky in comparison to that. In fact, it made him feel a little foolish to complain about it at all. So, he decided he wasn't going to. "But other than that, it's pretty great. I'm learning a lot here, and over all coming here was really the right choice for me." He wondered if Rin considered coming here the right choice over going back to Australia, but he was going to save that question for a little bit later.

	Rin Matsuoka	611 words
	(:

pyxis ★

[Rin Matsuoka]

[googlefont="Courgette"]

love is a dangerous game

"I would have, but that's really not an option when you're boarding." Rin said with a shrug. "I brought lunches with me when I was staying with my host family in Australia." He explained. He tended to preferred a home made meal to whatever the cafeteria had on hand in school. Not to mention when he was young he was a little hesitant to eat some of the weird stuff they often ate there. He hadn't realized that someone could actually eat a Kangaroo. Though he did find that it was actually pretty good when he finally gave it a chance. It had taken him some time to warm up to the idea. At least he wasn't like Haru who they were hard pressed to get to eat anything other than mackerel.

"How'd you book yourself as far as classes go? Because I'm pretty sure I shot myself in the foot." He said with a chuckle. He booked the majority of his classes in the early morning, which meant he had to get up even earlier if he wanted to do any morning land training. Then it was afternoon swim practice and then he had work-study and finally he sat down for some homework. It was already seeming to pile up, but he had never really been the kind of person to sleep well to begin with so it evened out. Even when he had to be up at the crack of dawn. It was better than Australia at least, where he had to write all his homework in English and it seemed to take twice as long. He was liking his work-study position down at the on-campus cafe, and he pretty much thought he scored in comparison to the ones that got stuck in the cafeteria.

Rin was surprised to see the flash of emotion in Makoto. He'd never considered himself very perceptive when it came to those things. He could never seem to read Sousuke quite right, and Haru was stubborn when it came to showing how he was feeling. He didn't like that the other felt like he needed to hide how he was feeling from him. "Mm, I do know that. I felt like I was going to be swallowed alive when I got off the plane in Sydney. And that was just at the airports. At school I thought the other students might actually eat me alive." He said with a snort. Kids were mean, especially when you didn't fit it. Between his accent, his hair and his teeth well, he pretty much got the worst of it. "I'm glad you're liking it overall. It gets better, the kind of daunting largeness of it all. Especially when you start getting to know the people in your classes a little better. It makes you feel more like a person and less like a tiny part of a huge crowd." he offered with a little smile. He just hoped it would help ease whatever the flash of worry that spread itself over the other's face had been.  

#a few ((Will count later))

Makoto Tachibana

ψ

[Makoto Tachibana]

How'd we drift so far away from where we left off yesterday?

I'm lonely like a castaway

"Yeah, I can see that." Makoto let out a soft chuckle, having never really thought about it. He didn't mean to imply anything by saying he didn't bring his own lunches. Makoto lived at home through out his entire high school career, so he always got to be in that home setting. In fact, he never really understood what it felt like to be in a dorm until recently when he moved into his own. Even how it was now wasn't what he imagined it to be like boarding at Samezuka. His dorm had all the essentials to live a normal at home life. He was pretty sure Samezuka's rooms were only for sleeping and studying if he remembered hearing correctly.

Makoto sort of wished he'd been given a roommate. He was so used to being in a house with both his parents and his two siblings that it was a rather lonely place to be at times. Being in his dorm almost increased the homesick feeling he was getting. It was as if he couldn't win. When he was out, there were just way too many people around. When he was in, it was only him. Again, this was just another problem he was looking forward to getting used to in the future. Soon, everything would get brighter. He just had to keep his hope alive and do his best to keep it from changing himself as a person.

Makoto let out a laugh, forgetting about the loneliness for a moment when Rin spoke again. It was so nice to talk to a familiar face. He couldn't stress that enough. "I'm about right there with you. I don't really know what I was thinking at the time! My classes sure are giving me hell, but with all the studying I've been doing, at least I'm keeping up just fine."

He looked back down for a moment, finally taking a bite of his food and chewing it as Rin spoke. After swallowing, he just smiled again. What Rin was saying was giving him proof that this was all going to get easier, and he really appreciated his words. He felt like he could connect to them, even if it was on a less extreme level. "I can't wait for that to happen," he said, offering a little more of the truth of how he was feeling now. He still wasn't sure if he should. He didn't want to be a downer on Rin's mood, but then again it wasn't as if he was on the verge of tears over the whole thing. In fact, if he was, Rin might have run away or something like that. Okay, so he probably wouldn't have run, but Makoto imagined it like that in his head. His thoughts were really strange lately. "I'm counting the days." He chuckled to ensure that it didn't seem like too much of a big deal to him. "I feel like I don't even know the faces of the people I sit next to in my classes yet. I'm just too focused on paying attention so I don't fall behind."

	Rin Matsuoka	521 words
	(:

pyxis ★

[Rin Matsuoka]

[googlefont="Courgette"]

love is a dangerous game

"I'm pretty sure it's not going to get any better either, as far as my schedule goes. I can just be glad that I didn't end up going back to Australia to be honest." He explained with a toothy grin. "At least I don't have to do all my classwork in English." Rin added after a moment. He was fluent by now, arguably perfectly so even if his accent was still a little off. His accent was probably worse again now that he had been in Japan for so long again. He wasn't sure if he would have been able to handle that added level of difficulty. He was fluent but it could be hard to learn in a language he didn't think in. The mind was a rather odd thing, if he was being perfectly honest. He'd found himself slipping between languages on more than one occasion, though it was more common when he was speaking in English than the other way around.


"You're a nice guy, it shouldn't take too long." He reassured him. He was nice, and other than his size he had a more or less welcoming aura about him. Rin, on the other hand, had sort of a tendency to repel  people. He didn't really mean to, it was just hard for him. It was a miracle that he managed to be able to gain even the two new close friends back at Samezuka. Sure, it was rather impossible not to have some sort of a friendly relationship with Nitori, they were roommates for a fair amount of time. He was just surprised that it went further than that. He still got calls from either of them on a regular basis, which was nice. He liked hearing about his old team's progress. 

"My classes by themselves aren't too bad, but I guess I have the advantage of being used to having to take notes word for word in class, I don't need to do that as much as I used to have to. But it's sort of something I do on autopilot," He said with a little chuckle. "Mm, and if you're having trouble a lot of the professors seem to put their lecture notes and stuff on the student site." He added as an afterthought. He didn't really use it because he spaced out and ended up with full pages of shorthand notes. That were mostly useless but it helped later on when he was freaking out about exams. "I'm just having trouble juggling everything. Between classes, practice, training and my work study I barely have time to sleep." He added with a snort.

#440

Makoto Tachibana

ψ

[Makoto Tachibana]

How'd we drift so far away from where we left off yesterday?

I'm lonely like a castaway

The fact that Rin was glad he didn't have to go back to Australia put Makoto's mind a little bit more at ease. It meant that he wasn't completely unhappy with his choice to go come to Tokyo. He felt the worry lingering inside of him lessen, if only just a tad. Makoto chuckled and shook his head. "Doing classwork in English must be twice as hard. I hardly know any English at all. They'd eat me alive over there." He was sure of it. He definitely didn't have the guts Rin had. It was something he'd always admired about the guy.

Makoto smiled again even though he wasn't exactly sure if he had really stopped. He shook his head. "Nice only gets me so far." Nice tended to make people walk all over him even if Makoto wasn't even aware they were doing it. Even though he thought it to be true, he'd spoken that statement as a joke. "Truth is, I wish I was a little more aggressive like you." He laughed, not really kidding about that part. If he was, he might have been able to help Haru out in the ways he needed more often. Unfortunately, Makoto knew he would never be able to be like Rin. He wasn't capable of changing so drastically, even if times like this made him feel like he should.

"Notes are always nice. They ensure that you can always go back." Makoto wasn't exactly the best note taker, not that he didn't try. He just found himself listening too hard to remember to take notes, so he usually ended up with about a quarter of his classes actually written down. It didn't set him behind really, because luckily most of the knowledge stuck in his head. It was the benefit of over-focusing. "They do? I'll definitely have to check that out then."

The concerned look came back for a moment. "That is a lot. Just don't forget to take time to breathe every once in a while." Rin was going to make it. If there was anyone he was sure about, it was Rin. He had such focus and determination. It was just a shame that he couldn't push a little bit of that over to Haru. At least Haru cared now. That was a plus. He just wondered if he was caring quite as much as Rin was. Makoto didn't want to bother him, but he really needed to make time to talk to Haru to figure out how everything's been going for him.

	Rin Matsuoka	425 words
	(:

pyxis ★

[Rin Matsuoka]

[googlefont="Courgette"]

love is a dangerous game

The redhead hummed in agreements nodding at the other's assumption. Even with perfect fluency is was about twice as hard. When he was in primary school, well it had been like some insurmountable mountain. He understood the language, to a point but he definitely hadn't been fluent, not like he was now. So it was not being able to understand the words being used to explain concepts he was supposed to be learning. It had been like drowning on dry land. He picked up quickly, and what he couldn't, he learned how to copy down without understanding the words exactly. He was just glad he managed to keep up his grades despite the challenges presented to him. "Kind of, yea. But I was reasonably proficient in the language when I moved. I could explain myself even if it was a little bit like a small toddler trying to articulate what  they want without having all the words. It got better pretty quickly on that front. It's sort of amazing how quickly you pick up a language when you're sort of tossed into the middle of it and expected to just know." He said, a smile pulling across his features. It had been a difficult situation but there was no use comparing apples to oranges. Makoto was still struggling with the new environment. He didn't really know how to help, really. He dealt with his own experiences incredibly poorly. Shutting down and shutting out his close friends. Every move he made pretty much from leaving until well after he had gotten back was a mistake.


Rin chuckled at the other's statement and shook his head. "Come on, you can be aggressive when you want. You forget I've seen you in the water." He said snorting, rolling his shoulders and sitting back in his seat some. "And I hear you have a bit of a vicious streak when it comes to water-gun fights." He teased, a toothy grin adorning his features. A lot of people, especially strangers found them intimidating, but for the most part his friends took them like nothing was out of the ordinary. "Besides, you don't want to be anything like me when it comes to emotions." he said with a chuckle. History showed he was terrible at them. He didn't know how to deal with them, so they all just came out in bursts of aggression. Sometimes things went his way, other times he pushed his close friend so far away from him it took ages to mend the rift he'd caused, and he wasn't even sure if it was really fixed. There seemed to be a gaping hole between him and Haru still, even with their sort-of heart to heart. 

"Yea if you sign in with your student account on the portal each of your classes has a little section and the teacher can dump files onto it for you. Some of it will be their lecture notes and presentations and whatnot, but occasionally I've been getting sort of extra material. Articles and whatnot to go with the concepts. They can be helpful sometimes." he explained with a small hum. He'd scoured it pretty much every day. He wanted to be as confident in his studies as he possibly could so that he didn't stress himself out by having to do extra cram studying for mid terms and finals. He didn't think he would have time to sleep and crash study if it came to that, and really his coach would chew him out if he got even less sleep than he already did. 

Rin nodded, and smiled good fondly at the other's caring warning. He knew that but it was nice to hear it from someone who actually gave a damn about him. "Of course, that's what I'm doing right now isn't it?" He asked, picking up a fry and taking a bit of his lunch. Yea, he was really wondering if he could get some vinegar from the kitchen if he asked really nicely. He pretty much doubted they had chicken salt in stock, no matter how nicely he asked for them. The lemon juice was a sort of sad substitute for the vinegar, but it at least gave them a little something. "But seriously, I usually do my homework over my lunch break but I got out easy and my math was really quick for once so I'm off the hook." he said, pleased with himself at that.  

#wordswordswords

Makoto Tachibana _

ψ

[Makoto Tachibana]

How'd we drift so far away from where we left off yesterday?

I'm lonely like a castaway

Makoto nodded, listening to him speak. "Were people at least helpful and patient with you?" He asked, but had a bad feeling he already knew the answer. That's what Makoto would have believed had he not been tossed into this big school where people didn't even seem to want to take the time to answer his questions about where different classrooms were. He didn't really blame them considering they all had places to be, but still it felt just a little bit cold. He really hated that he was letting this place change his mind so much. It was Rin, everyone seemed to like Rin no matter how he acted. He was sure at least some student helped him out over there.

The brunette laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, but that's not the kind of aggression I'm really talking about." He was going to explain, but what Rin said next sort of made the smile drop from his face. It was silly not to take into consideration all the emotions Rin must have had pent up that made him act the way he did. Then again, Makoto had quite a few emotions of his own that he seemed to have a talent for holding the lid on. He didn't like to let them out. His friends would get upset by them, and he really wanted to do his best to keep them happy above all else. "I admire you for the way you handle your emotions." Makoto shrugged. "I know that may be a bit strange, but you're not afraid to let the world know how your feeling, it seems. Even if it comes out differently then what you expect, you still let them out, guns blazing. That takes a lot of courage." He knew it was probably because Rin couldn't help himself that he acted like that, but it didn't make much difference to how he felt about it. He seemed to be able to keep Haru on edge and interested in it. Rin knew how to grab and keep people's attention.

"That's amazing. I can't believe I didn't know about that." He pulled out a small notebook from his messenger bag and basically wrote a reminder for him to check it out. He'd probably remember it, but with everything going on in his mind lately, he could never be too sure. "Thank you so much, Rin." He looked back up at him with a smile and then tucked his little notebook away once again in the bag he'd set on the seat next to him at some point.

Makoto smiled again. "Yeah, I guess you're right, but I don't think just stopping to eat a meal, no matter what it is, really counts." Even if he did usually do his homework, it didn't make much difference. Eating still didn't take all that long in retrospect. He supposed he could have counted the fact that he was talking to him, but Makoto felt like that didn't count either since he was the one who came up to him. "I mean, you've gotta' do something fun. Like, dive into the water with a bunch of friends and swim just for the hell of it. Or take a break to actually leave campus and go out to eat. Maybe do a bit of shopping. Just anything you wouldn't normally allow yourself time to do that's more than something you need to do. Like eating." He chuckled.

	Rin Matsuoka	576 words
	(:

pyxis ★

[Rin Matsuoka]

[googlefont="Courgette"]

love is a dangerous game

Rin's mouth turned up into a bitter smile at the other's question. It brought him back to the first few days of class and it settled uncomfortably in his stomach. He'd gone in with a very optimistic mindset. Bright and excited for new friends and experiences but it was dashed rather quickly. "A lot of people were. My teachers, for the most part, my Host parents were so great. I love them dearly." He said, trailing off for a moment, "It was other people more often. Fellow students and some shop keepers things like that, that really didn't I got picked on a lot because of my accent and broken English. But I got bigger when I grew up, so it stopped eventually. And I'm way more fluent, but my accent still comes back full force every time I come back here for any length of time and then switch back to English." he said with a small chuckle. It took a while for him to get a grip back on how to form the sounds without sounding like he would relaxed.

If Rin didn't feel like it would be offensive he would laugh at Makoto for that. If the on-campus therapist was worth their salary then he had a significant amount of problems dealing with his emotions. It was stuff he was supposed to be working on, that he had to work on. Because he couldn't get to the Olympics if he was going to be debilitated by a little bit of loneliness. He just wasn't the kind of person that Makoto seemed to think he was. Or maybe it was the matter of being so far on the opposite end of the scale that he honestly thought the state of his emotions was better. "I dunno Makoto, pretty sure the therapist might disagree with you. That's all I'm saying." he said, laughing a little hollowly, scratching the back of his head. He never got the help before, mostly because he didn't want to admit to anyone that he had any sort of problem. Never wanted to let anyone see him cry. Especially not his mother. Now it was easy. The therapist on campus was nice, and it was discreet enough that no one would have to know unless he told them. He trusted Makoto, so he didn't think before letting the words slip from him, even if he was a little embarrassed about seeing a therapist.

"I hope it helps, Makoto. I know stuff can be overwhelming at first but I'm confident that you've got this." He said with a small smile. He really, really was confident in that. Because if Makoto couldn't get through school like this he didn't honestly know who else would. He'd come to look up to the other, just a little. He would never admit to that though. 

Rin smiled and nodded slowly after, chuckling at the other's words. Yea, Sousuke and his therapist both got on him about that kind of stuff. Still he didn't know when exactly he was supposed to get that done. On his rest days from training all he wanted to do was lay face first into his bed and sleep. Still, he couldn't even do that because there was sure to be homework or some other thing that required his attention. He tried, really he did, but other than some walks when he really needed to clear his head he hadn't been able to find time to do that yet. He was sure once he was a little more settled in to things it would calm down some but right now it seemed like he barely had any time to sleep, let alone anything else. "I'm working on it, believe me Sousuke rides my ass about it too." He said, though snorting at himself when he realized his choice of phrasing. "Oh, don't say it. I heard it as soon as I said it. I just mean, he's always scolding me about overworking, because he doesn't want to see me hurt. And I get it, but I'm still pretty firmly in the lines of where I need to be with my training regimen. It's all okayed by the nutritionist, and physician, and my coach and whatnot. I just need some time to adjust to the new schedule I think." He said with a small chuckle.

#728

Makoto Tachibana _

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[Makoto Tachibana]

How'd we drift so far away from where we left off yesterday?

I'm lonely like a castaway

The first part of Rin's speech made Makoto feel a bit relieved in his worry about Rin's past situation, but that was short lived when he kept on speaking. "I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm glad it got easier." Makoto wasn't one of those people who said they were sorry about things just because that's what one was supposed to say in a situation like this. Makoto said sorry about things, because he actually cared and let it effect his emotions. When they were younger, Rin was really fun to be around and swim with. It was really awful to think that he'd left them all and had such a bad time on top of it. Even if there were some people who were nice to him, did it make up for all the teasing he must have had to endure? It baffled Makoto how people could be so cruel sometimes, and he wanted to believe they had their own reasons but it was hard to do so in situations when he was biased because of a good friend.

Makoto shrugged his shoulders. "I guess it's a matter of opinion then." He smiled and then took a bite of his food as he processed the fact that Rin was seeing a therapist. It surprised him a little, but he made sure not to let any of that surprise break through the surface in case of offending Rin. He'd just never thought he'd be the type to seek out help. If his emotions were getting that out of hand for him, he supposed it was the right thing to do and was therefore glad he was doing it even if he did admire the way he acted. He should put his mental well being above all else. It could have been possible that Makoto just had it wrong. Maybe even with all the emotions Rin seemed to let out it wasn't enough. Now he really was unsure of what he should be doing with the bundle of emotions that seemed to be growing inside of himself.

"Yeah, it's definitely going to be a big help." He laughed. "Just that alone is going to cut down half of my stress." Makoto wondered if he was acting a little but neurotic. He just couldn't exactly figure out what was so wrong that he was acting so strangely lately. He just wanted things to go back to how there were before. Nothing had to change just because he was in a new school. He could still see his friends even if it wasn't on a daily basis. Maybe this would at least make school work easier to give him more time to get a handle on everyone else. The fact that everything seemed to be slipping away made him feel like a failure. He was so used to being able to be the glue to hold everything together for his former teammates, and he just wasn't doing his job lately.

Makoto's eyes widened at Rin's choice of word and he had a hard time not cracking a smile that began to twitch as he tried to hold it while Rin corrected himself. He waited for Rin to finish talking because he chuckled. "Well, you know, the first way you put it wouldn't be all that terrible, now would it? I mean, he's a pretty attractive guy. No one would blame you if that was secretly going on being closed doors," Makoto teased, rather pathetically because he wasn't very good at it. Then he returned his face to a more serious look. "He's right though. With everything you take on, you've really got to be careful, Rin. It's not all about the regimens and the diets and the schedules. You have to make sure you're taking care of your mind too." Makoto tapped his forehead to put emphasis on his words.

	Rin Matsuoka	647 words
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pyxis ★

[Rin Matsuoka]

[googlefont="Courgette"]

love is a dangerous game

Rin nodded, he was too. He was more glad when he came back to him homeland. Here it was much easier to go through his day to day life. He didn't have to worry about saying the wrong words, or not being able to find the right ones. Of course, he was fond of Australia, he has plenty of great memories there but most of them were tinged with a bitter feeling. Still, it was quite beautiful there. "I'm glad it did too, but there were a lot of times where I just wanted to come home and stay here." He said with a small sigh, he didn't let himself go to those memories. They were locked up tight and they would remain that way for as long as he could help it.

"And only one of you is a professional." He teased, a wide smile pulling onto his features. He didn't mind joking about this, even if it was kind of a serious matter. It helped him feel like there wasn't anything necessarily wrong about seeing someone for his problems. He didn't want to drown in them again, not after last time. Not after lashing out so harshly against the people he held dearest just because he didn't know how to articulate his emotions in a way that was healthy and productive. "It's not really a big deal, I mean, I just can't afford another melt down like the last one. I mean, my training was stunted for years because I was depressed and lonely, and then when I came back, well, that didn't help either. You know? If I ever want to make it to the Olympics I gotta take into account everything." he said, a wide smile coming across his features, the one that pulled itself there every time he brought up his dreams to those closest to him.

"Well, I'm glad." He said, taking another few bites of his food. He didn't really know how to address the fact that he knew something bigger was wrong with the other man. It was a sense of he didn't often hold for other people, he had a hard time sussing out people's emotions mostly because he was so bad at recognizing them in himself. "You should think about joining a club or group or something. There's all kinds of stuff, I mean, it might help with the whole meeting people thing, being more comfortable here. It helps to have friends And I don't just mean the three people here that you already know." he offered, the thought springing to his mind. That's what helped him when he was at Samezuka, meeting Momo and Nitori and Seijuro was probably what kept him moving forward with everything. He didn't think he could have made it there without them. 

Rin nearly choked on his food at the insinuation. It took a few moments of sputtering for him to get back hold of himself. He shook his head, laughing all the same. "Oh, no. I mean, I don't disagree. Sousuke is attractive, but he's not really my type." he said, humming in amusement as his mind drifted. At least, he wasn't his type because he'd signed his heart away years ago. Unfortunately he didn't have the courage tell that person he had owned his heart since they were school children. "No Sousuke and me are like brothers. He's my best friend but I just....don't have any of those feelings for him." he said, rolling his shoulders and taking a drink, contemplating his life. "Besides, I haven't...um, ever..." He said, blushing lightly the bridge of his nose and tips of his ears turning pink. He didn't actually want to finish that statement so he could only hope that Makoto got what he was trying to sat more or less. 

"Ah, yea. I mean, I know, hence the therapist." He said with a small smile, tipping his head from side to side for a moment. "I mean, I'll get to that stuff eventually. I think I just need to figure out this whole place a little better before I have any free time." he said, a gentle smile pulling across his lips. He really hoped so, because they said school only got harder through the years. He was pretty sure it was just adjusting a new schedule.

#725

Makoto Tachibana _

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