Title:

Summary: Haru is a dolphin, Makoto is a chicken.

Note: The anime was twelve episodes of heaven. To show my appreciation, I wrote this kind-of-drabble. Prepare for cuteness. And some OOCness.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Free! characters. If I did... (cue image of Makoto in chains)

Enjoy!

-in the tub-

"Haru! You're going to be late for school again!"

It's somewhat like looking after a child, Makoto muses as he finds Haru in his porcelain sanctuary. But, just to clarify, this is not a complaint. Makoto is one who loves to feel needed. And it just so happens that his friend is quite often in need of something, be it a wakeup call before school, or a meal consisting of something other than mackerel.

To Makoto, it is no doubt they are made for each other. The only mystery is whether they met by fate, or extreme luck.

Though it is an everyday routine to help Haru out of the bath, he blushes as their hands touch, and blushes even more as Haru stands and reveals all his lean, dripping glory, luckily (or unluckily) clothed in his standard swim suit. Haru doesn't notice, however, and steps out easily, intent on drying himself. Makoto focuses on calming his stuttering heart. He's seen Haru's close-to-naked body for years, but only lately has he been feeling these... feelings.

If Makoto's life was a pond, it has been tranquil for the past seventeen years. But now, if he squints, he can maybe see some ripples on the surface.

-in the pool-

"Haru! Five more minutes! We're having dinner at my house tonight!"

It isn't Haru's swimming ability that makes him amazing. In fact, it is simply that Haru doesn't see it as ability, or skill, or prowess at all, but merely a means of liberation, to become free. As if his body is only moving forward to find his disconnected soul, and when he doesn't reach it at the end of the pool, he turns around to search again. Or maybe the water around him, embracing his limbs and parting for his breath, will eventually cleanse him of something deep inside, and he won't stop swimming until he is washed out.

Supervising this dolphin-boy long after practice has ended, Makoto takes a minute to admire Haru's undeniable passion. He also can't help but admire Haru's undeniably perfect body.

The walk home is silent. Sometimes Makoto enjoys just relaying the day's events to an unresponsive Haru, but today, they simply walk.

Occasionally, their hands brush, and send a tingling up through Makoto's arm, almost like his blood has turned into a carbonated drink. He decides he maybe, possibly likes this feeling.

Makoto spends the entire walk finding a suitable amount of seconds after each moment of contact, before he "clumsily" swings his arm out toward Haru's again.

-in the ocean-

"Haru-chan! Mako-chan! Come in the water, it's really nice!"

Haru chooses not to answer, and even if he did, he wouldn't bother to raise his voice enough for Nagisa to hear it across the beach. So Makoto calls out a quick promise that they'll take a dip later, before returning to the task at hand.

That is, rubbing sunblock on Haru's back.

He feels slightly dizzy somehow. Perhaps from the strong pineapple scent of the lotion, but realistically, from the fact that he's having a hard time breathing properly. His fingers knead into hard, defined muscles, his palms caress unbelievably smooth skin, and he wishes his hands would just go numb already, because he's starting to see spots.

When he finally becomes aware of his name being said, he blinks and raises his head.

"Yes, Haru?"

"Can we go in the water now?"

They pack up the lotion and descend down the beach. Makoto hesitates where the water meets the dry sand, looking out into the waves.

Warmth reaches his pineapple-scented hand, and he turns to bright blue eyes and a tiny smile. He allows Haru to pull him into the ocean, step by step, until their steps are kicks and the ground is gone. And they never let go.

Makoto thinks that he is maybe, possibly, kind of in love with his best friend.

-in the rain-

"Haru! Wait up!"

Haru does, though it's a wonder he can hear despite the loud hum of the summer shower.

Makoto jogs the rest of the way to where he is paused on the sidewalk. They usually walk home together, but whenever swim practice is cancelled, everyone finds that Haru starts to act adorably lost.

"Why didn't you bring a jacket or umbrella? You're going to catch a cold!" he scolds, changing his grip on his own umbrella in order to fit Haru underneath. "If I hadn't found you, you'd be soaked and freezing before you got even halfway home!"

Haru doesn't reply as they start their daily commute. Makoto's feet make slapping noises on the wet sidewalk as he tries not to step on the cracks. His right arm brushes against Haru's, and he's glad that they only have one small umbrella to share. He barely notices that his left shoulder is sticking out and becoming wet.

Haru's voice sounds different under the umbrella when he finally speaks.

"Then thank you."

Makoto blinks in confusion.

"Uh... Pardon?"

"Then thank you for finding me."

It takes a few seconds for Makoto to recall his earlier words before his lips part briefly in surprise, then stretch into his trademark smile. Haru answers with a tiny smile of his own. The consequent clench of Makoto's heart doesn't go unnoticed. By now, he's quite sure he's in love with his best friend, though he's promised himself he won't tell a soul.

They carry on in silence. The sidewalk blocks are too long for just two steps per each, but too short for three steps without stepping on a crack. How disobliging of them.

"Makoto."

Haru is talkative today. Makoto tilts his head in acknowledgement.

"Do you ever think about secrets?"

Where did that come from? Haru is actually initiating deep conversation? Is the world ending?

"What do you mean, Haru?"

He receives no answer, at least until they stop and are facing each other at Haru's doorstep.

"Secrets," there is a pause as blue eyes flit about, before deciding to rest on Makoto's, "are only kept secret because telling them would change something. And the person with the secret is afraid of change. Right?"

"Uh... Haru, what are you–"

"But even though things could change for the worse, there's always a chance that it could make things better. And getting what you want in the end is always worth the risk. Right?"

"I... I guess, Haru, but why are you–"

"Sometimes, it just takes a little faith..." Haru chose this moment to brush his finger over Makoto's left shoulder, which was sopping wet at this point, "in order to find true happiness."

Makoto's eyes drifted anxiously to his shoulder, where Haru's hand is resting. He can feel something inside him now, fluttering in his stomach, contracting in his heart and clawing its way up his throat as if it can't be held in anymore. He tries to swallow it down, but his body doesn't work because he's looking into Haru's ocean-blue eyes and drowning in them, and it's almost as scary as drowning in the actual ocean, except it's his heart that is seized up, not his limbs, and he has no control, no way to stop himself and all of a sudden he's not drowning; he's falling off some faraway cliff, falling even harder and faster than he already has for this boy, and there is no turning back now, not when you've reached terminal velocity and are headed face first into the ground (or ocean) below.

Makoto's heart is racing, and then it altogether stops when he feels a new kind of warmth on his face, specifically his mouth, specifically encasing his lower lip as Haru has assumed the tiptoe position in order to kiss him.

Haru. Is kissing him.

It ends too soon, but Makoto is relieved that he can breathe again, though he still vaguely feels as if he is drowning. Swimming in Haru's eyes is a meaningful kind of mirth, and only now does Makoto realize that his secret love was never actually a secret at all. He should have known that his best friend, even emotionally-stunted Haru, would be able to read his emotions as if they were bold, italicized and underlined right under his nose.

And, he admits to himself (but not to anyone else, ever), he probably would never have come clean if not for Haru's prompting. He is once again astounded by how the least socially-aware of his friends was the one to take matters into his own hands and spur this progress.

"Thank you, Haru."

A confused wrinkle forms between two blue eyes. "For what?"

"For... finding me."

He blushes immediately after, promising to punish himself later for saying something so stupid.

But all Haru does is flash his small smile, which draws Makoto's attention towards his lips, which look incredibly soft and kissable in this lighting.

And then those lips are on his and his eyes slip closed and all he can taste is Haru, all he can smell his Haru, he is drowning in Haru, and then a one of Haru's hands takes the umbrella from his grip and seemingly chucks it off to the side, though Makoto isn't sure because his eyes are still shut and he's still drowning, but now he is suddenly and unmistakably being kissed in the rain.

And that maybe, possibly, kind of, definitely makes it a thousand times better.

END

First fic of the New Year! Did the cuteness translate? I realize I can't write anything above K+ for this fandom.

Sorry if some of it came off as choppy and forced. 3/4 of the way through, I was not feeling it and almost abandoned it. This is kind of a warm-up in preparation for other things I've planned for these boys, so I'm not too worried about it. So did you like it? Do you enjoy the pairing as much as I do? Leave a review, please! Thanks for reading!