The restaurant is called, "The Saba" and Rin wants to punch it in the face. Only it's kind of hard to do that to a 5-Star attraction in his hometown. It's almost become their city's specialty like Okonomiyaki is in Hiroshima or Takoyaki in Osaka.

Oh you're going to Iwatobi Town? You must try their mackerel!

Rin is determined to hate it even though he walks in and waits to be seated. He's already surprised with how tasteful the atmosphere is. Knowing Haru you would think the staff to be decked out in fish costumes or thousands of mackerels hanging from the ceiling.

Later Rin would find out that Haru actually proposed something like this, but Makoto put his foot down and said no.

Haru sulked for weeks while everyone praised Makoto in devout gratitude.

Instead most of the staff wore dark navy yukata, their white logo bleeding across the back like calligraphy. Once Rin is seated in a booth and has to admit the décor is pretty nice too. Silvery paper lanterns like the ones from festivals are hung up around the place. The restaurant has a very traditional feel with shoji sliding doors separating the booths and Ikebana flower arrangements everywhere. Rin can practically smell Rei's influence.

He notices that the predominant flower is orchids and scowls. Orchids are given when a business opens for good luck, but they can also mean that a business is successful. The Saba is very successful.

Rin feels the frown on his skin and pinches himself. Ow. He promised he would be the mature one this time.

So Haru decided to go to culinary school instead of taking one of the plethora of swimming scholarships. So what?

So what that Haru decided to become a seafood chef instead of a famous athlete?

So what that Haru gave up the Olympics and swimming with Rin to…and Rin shuts down that thought fast.

He put his head in his hands and groaned. Nagisa for a prank once stole Rin's phone to make "Rolling in the Deep" Haru's ringtone. Rin smacked him so hard, but leaves the ringtone alone. Sometimes the low Alto's "We could have had it ALLLLLLLLLLLL" suits his feelings perfectly when it comes to Haru. That little shit.

To put it simply…Rin was not Haru. Rin's dreams are not Haru's dreams so it's time to buck up and-

"Oi."

Rin's head jerked up to see Haru standing in front of him. "Haru."

"Rin." Haru pulled out a pen from the black apron hugging his waist. Under that he wore a white chef's uniform with his logo splashed on in black. A black bandanna kept his hair out of his eyes as he stared at Rin.

"What do you want?"

"Hey! Don't you know that you're supposed to be polite to your customers? How about a Welcome or It's been a while, huh?"

"You're not a customer."

Rin sank down in his seat a bit.

"You're a friend."

"AND THAT MEANS YOU CAN BE RUDE?!" Rin's voice rose, but so had his mood.

"Yes." Same Haru as always.

"I see, I see. Well, why don't you give me a recommendation, oh Head Chef?"

"Hmm" Haru doesn't really smile, never has. Maybe all of his expression capabilities were absorbed by Makoto. Yet his eyes almost twinkle mischievously.

"Try the Saba Special."

"Pttf, of course you'd say that. Go figure."

Haru's restaurant had all sorts of seafood dishes. You could stuff yourself with shellfish and squid or go more exotic with stingray tempera. Most people though for their first time do the Saba Special. The Saba Special is where the Head Chef (Haru) comes out to take a look at you and prepares mackerel a way he thinks you'll enjoy.

So far the Saba Special is a great hit with a vast amount of options that Rin could not conceive of. You could have mackerel baked, grilled, fried, in tempera, in sushi, in pizza to even a unique mackerel-flavored ice cream no-haru-what-the-hell?

"Fine, have at it." Rin stretches and puts his arms back behind his head. "But you're never gonna get me to like mackeral." His sharp teeth grin as he issues the challenge.

"Hmm. We shall see, Rin." And Haru's lips cracked sideways a bit, Rin swears. "We shall see."

In an hour, Rin wants to punch himself in the face. Or maybe just punch Haru's smug face with his smug stupid eyes. The saba-loving freak has infected him.

Now he has to come back.

Author's Notes:

I loved Free! Eternal Summer, but the ending always irked me. They had build up this drama of Haru against professional swimming. So for him to suddenly give the okay after a magical field-trip with Rin felt unnatural to me. Maybe if they had given him another episode or two to think about it, but I digress. Instead here's a fic that explores other options Haru could have taken.

I do use some Japanese terms/traditions since I spent two years teaching English there. Something that was really fun is many cities had their own food specialty. Either you make sure you eat it or grab it as a souvenir for home.

Hiroshima = Okonomiyaki (think awesome vegetable/meat pancake)

Osaka = Takoyaki (Octopus Balls, they also like spicy stuff)

Tokyo = Banana flavored snacks (No, I don't know why)

Nagoya = Amazing Chicken Wings, Aka (Red) Miso and Tonkatsu (Pork Cutlet)

Kyoto = Sushi and really bland desserts

Other Random Things:

-Ikebana = Traditional Japanese Flower Arrangement (where you stab yourself repeatedly getting those stupid flowers in)

-Orchid thing is real

-Stingray tempera is real (but rare) and extremely delicious