SOUSUKE x HARU - “I want to keep burning” [For Littlemissfiretruckx!]
Merry Christmas and happy New Year to my friend, littlemissfiretruckx!
Sub her!!
/ littlemissfiretruckx
I’m sorry this took so long. I had trouble figuring out the story at first but I had a lot of fun editing this despite its challenges. xD
It’s the day of competitions! Sousuke is having troubles with his shoulder and dealing with a lot of physical and emotional pain. Meanwhile, Haru tries to compete and feels something weighing him down. He misses Sousuke despite their constant fighting and otherwise exhausting interactions. He cannot be free when he feels like this. He feels so bad he doesn’t even hide his desperation and misses Sousuke fiercely. Unbeknownst to Haru, Sousuke did go to watch his swim and leaves disappointed in both of them. Rewind to earlier— their first meeting since competing as children. It awakens the competitive drive in both of them but this is not a friendly rivalry. Sousuke is eager to crush Haru again and confronts him about it, along with stuff about Rin, implying that Haru is holding everyone back including himself and Sousuke is disgusted by it. Despite his annoyance with Sousuke for bothering him before their swim, Haru is more interested in Sousuke than he was before, maybe feels a spark of romantic or sexual interest alongside his dislike for his rival. This isn’t like Rin with all the self-loathing and hurt that came with their rivalry— this is something almost devoid of personal attatchment and Haru reaches for it despite knowing he shouldn’t. They swim in the relay. Sousuke has a flashback of seeing him swim the relay with Rin and feels jealous and lost and inspired all at once. He wants what Haru and Rin have. He wants the opportunity to swim again like he knows he can’t. He’s angry that Haru gets to have all this and doesn’t appreciate it. Haru wins. Over time, Sousuke and Haru keep thinking about each other, both good and bad thoughts. Their feelings of attraction and rivalry grow. They enter into a tremulous relationship which either of them refuses to name and which mostly involves arguing and physical stuff. Sousuke keeps swimming, keeps pushing himself beyond the limits his injury places on him. Sousuke shows up to walk Haru home from school and the atmosphere is tense. Haru was not expecting Sousuke. Sousuke yells at him, blaming him for his shoulder, for his anger, for being a distraction during competition season— for everything. And we see what happened the night before the competition. Haru and Sousuke had sex at the hotel the night before and Sousuke, feeling tired and agitated despite a release they both probably needed, breaks it off with Haru in the elevator. They should not have done stuff like that before a big competition. They should never have even gotten together in the first place. In the present, Sousuke not only leaves Haru once again, but tells him to quit swimming. Haru is devastated but doesn’t have it in him to argue with Sousuke at this point. Time passes and Sousuke realizes he has to give up swimming permanently. He can barely do it anymore and it’s painful and disappointing when he does. He misses Haru. He calls him and tells him to meet up the school. He wants to talk and something in his voice makes Haru want to listen to him. He goes without hesitation. They meet up and Sousuke announces that he’s quitting swimming. He says he wants to be with Haru again, starts to apologize when he says, “Race me in free.” If Sousuke wins, Haru will hear him out and maybe think about trying to date again, implying that things will be different between them this time. But if Haru wins, Sousuke has to continue swimming and being his rival. Maybe they’ll go out on a date after regionals. Sousuke, determined, agrees. And there’s rivalry still, but it’s lighter and charged with an excitement and awareness of the other that neither of them have felt before. They race.
I didn’t realize how hard this song would be to edit until I started but the lyrics were so perfect for them. I have enjoyed our present exchange for the last few years. Thank you for betaing my videos and encouraging me and helping me grow so much as an editor. Thank you for being my friend! I don’t really know how to eloquently express how important our friendship is to me, but that always seems to happen to me when I get emotional in the descriptions for these things. So here’s some beloved SouHaru for you. Angsty ships to express my appreciation for one of my best friends— sounds about right. xD Again, merry Christmas and happy New Year to you! I look forward to yet another year of friendship.
Big thanks to MissDoonaQueen for the beta!
/ missdoonaqueen
PM me for information about the song/artist.
Footage: Free!
Character(s): Sousuke ; Haru
Program Used: Sony Vegas Pro 10