Plot: Rin attempts to understand why Makoto cares so much about his boyfriend, Haru. It turns out, there are a lot of things about Haru that no one but Makoto knows, and Haru is forever grateful for him. !Rated T for attempted suicide!

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The sounds of bodies diving into water, splashes from hands and feet tearing through the blue. Makoto watched lovingly as Haru swam, his muscles straining beneath the surface of his skin, much like the water that was straining beneath his ferocity. Makoto knew why he was swimming so hard, swimming as if something were chasing him. In actuality, something was chasing the raven-haired boy. Expectations, memories, thoughts. Everything that Haru seemed to be immune to, everything that he seemed to let roll off his shoulders, was never really ignored. Makoto could see it all, in his eyes. Every time they shared a glance, Makoto was able to see everything that occupied Haru's mind.

The backstroke swimmer suddenly felt something solid collide with his shoulder, and even though it did not hurt, he immediately turned and rubbed the spot that had been hit. Beside him, a tall redhead stood with a somewhat annoyed look on his face. Crimson eyes met green as Rin placed his hands on his hips after punching Makoto in the shoulder.

"Ow, Rin, that hurt!" Makoto whimpered, pouting slightly as he rubbed the slightly red mark that popped up on his tanned skin. Rin rolled his eyes, turning his gaze to where Haru was swimming along the members of Samezuka's swim team. Joint practices with Samezuka always put Rin and Haru on edge with each other. They were constantly racing, constantly trying – at least for Rin – to one up each other.

"I don't understand what you see in him." Rin sighed, shifting his weight onto one foot and crossing his toned arms over his chest. The shark tracked Haru's every movement; the stroke of his arms, kicks of his legs, the way his body seemed to fly through the water. Makoto watched Rin for a moment, chuckling softly before turning his eyes back to Haru.

"I see everything in him, Rin-chan." The brunette replied, his eyes softening at the sight of Haru's standing in the water, in front of the diving block. He was breathing hard, leaning his back against the wall to catch his breath. The Samezuka swimmers reached their starting blocks as Haru leaned against the wall, causing Rin to huff in frustration at the time gap. The redhead turned back to Makoto, registering what his friend had said.

"Everything? All I ever see is you doing everything for him, and he doesn't do shit." Rin snorted, earning Makoto's gaze. Makoto's smile grew a bit, his eyes seeming like a small fire had sparked in them.

"Have you ever seen Haru, Rin-chan?" Rin looked at Makoto incredulously, eyes narrowed in a way that was meant to convey the thought of Makoto being idiotic.

"Of course I have, I see him right now." Rin replied, looking back at the pool as Nagisa and Rei dove in, along with Momo and Ai. Makoto chuckled again, earning an annoyed growl from Rin.

"I'm sorry, Rin. I know you've literally seen him, but you haven't seen Haru. If I weren't with him, he wouldn't be here right now." Makoto said, a bit more softly. Haru had gotten out of the water, though did not appear done swimming. Makoto could see him out of the corner of his eye, getting ready on the starting block with Captain Mikoshiba on the one beside him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Rin snapped, not comprehending at all what Makoto meant.

"You've never asked him about himself, have you? If you did, he would tell you. You're his best friend," Makoto answered, now watching Haru and Mikoshiba ripping through the water.

"What is there about him that I don't know? I know he has a fucking weird obsession with water and mackerel, and for some reason you love him." Rin adjusted his arms over his chest, watching Makoto who was watching Haru.

"Well,"

/Flashback: Haru & Makoto age 5/

The sky was turning grey as rain laden clouds crawled over Iwatobi. They threatened to spill any second, however, Haru was still standing outside. He stared down at his feet, looking at the slab of granite in front of him with his grandmother's name written beautifully in gold kanji. Tears streamed silently down his pink tinged cheeks, his fists clenched at his sides. Haru wore black pants and a black button up shirt, though his feet were bare. The grass beneath his toes was soft and cool, the smell of rain on the wind. Haru felt like his heart was being torn out of his chest, like someone had reached in and was ripping it apart, vein by vein. Thunder rumbled distantly in the still darkening sky, but the boy did not budge.

He heard footsteps from somewhere behind him, a child's voice and an adult's voice speaking to one another.

"Mother, it's going to rain!" a young boy announced, his footsteps quicker in order to keep up with his mother.

"I know dear, but we must come pay our respects to Grandma Nanase." Haru felt his entire body tense, angrily wiping the tears away from his eyes. He suddenly felt a small hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn around.

"Why are you out here with no shoes? You'll catch a cold!" the young boy, a brunette with the gentlest green eyes, spoke with worry. Haru looked down at his feet, feeling the tears well up in his azure eyes before he looked back up slightly at the other boy.

"I-I don't know h-how to t-tie m-my shoes," Haru replied shakily. The boy in front of him gave him a sad smile, but Haru felt somewhat at ease. This boy, he was like warm sunshine cutting through the cold, lonely darkness. The boy looked up at his mother, who smiled softly back at him.

"My name is Tachibana Makoto," he said, turning back to Haru.

"Nanase Haruka," Haru replied, feeling his throat get tight when he said his name. "Call me Haru," he added. Makoto smiled a bit more, taking Haru's hand in his. The blue-eyed boy's eyes widened, looking at Makoto with some surprise.

"I'm sorry," Makoto said gently, his small hand squeezing Haru's.

"Would you like us to take you home, Haru?" Makoto's mother asked sweetly, gently brushing Haru's hair out of his face. The smaller boy nodded quietly, squeezing Makoto's hand as well.

"And I can show you how to tie your shoes! That way you won't get sick!" Makoto said a bit excitedly. Haru looked at Makoto, blue staring into green. It was then that Haru realized, everything was going to be alright. He had someone, though they just met, he had someone to stand by him. He could feel it.

Unable to contain it, through his tears, Haru smiled.

"Okay."

/Present/

Rin listened quietly to the story Makoto told, watching Haru and his own captain climb out of the pool. By the end of the story, Haru had beaten Mikoshiba and they were now talking (or as much as Haru talks to people he doesn't know). Makoto felt warmth in his chest, recounting the day that he and Haru had first met. That first smile Haru ever gave him.

"I still don't understand. You became friends over something tragic, which is sweet. But I don't understand why he wouldn't be here, without you." Rin had dropped his hands back to his hips, watching Haru walk around the pool toward them.

"Makoto." Haru said, stopping in front of them. Said boy looked at Haru, closing his eyes and smiling warmly.

"Good swim, Haru-chan. Why don't you change, and we can get Nagisa and Rei?" Makoto suggested, earning a nod from the freestyle boy. Rin watched the two closely before speaking to Haru.

"I want a rematch tomorrow, Haru." Rin challenged, grinning wide enough to expose his sharp teeth. Haru turned to Rin, Makoto suppressing a grin.

"Good luck." The Iwatobi swimmer replied, a somewhat cocky grin gracing his face for a moment before he walked away toward Samezuka's locker room. Rin growled in frustration, gesturing aggressively toward Haru as he walked away.

"How do you put up with that?" he demanded, simply causing Makoto to laugh. The boys noticed that the practice was coming to an end, everyone climbing out of the pool and toweling off, chatting. Rin ran his fingers through his damp hair, getting ready to move toward the locker room to change.

"Just talk to him one day." Makoto said before exchanging goodbyes with his friend. Makoto stood there for a moment, recounting a past experience that had caused him and Haru to become closer than ever before.

/Flashback: Makoto & Haru age 14/

"Haru! Are you awake?" Makoto called, knocking on the front door of the Nanase's residence. This had become a habit, ever since the boys had met nine years prior. Makoto could come over every morning, make sure Haru was prepared for school, and then walk with his best friend to their destination. One thing that had never changed, was the front door was unlocked. The brunette sighed, opening the door and taking off his shoes before stepping on the dark wood floor. He shut the door slightly loudly behind him, hoping that Haru would hear and if he was not decent, would give Makoto some indication of such.

Contrary to what most people experience with Haru, is that he does enjoy talking. In fact, some days Makoto has a tough time getting him to be quiet for a few minutes. Around others, Haru did not want to express himself, he did not feel compelled to have conversations with any other person, except Makoto. Ever since they met, Haru opened up to Makoto about anything and everything. No one ever believed Makoto when he would tell them that his friend had gone on an hour long tangent one day about how to properly cook mackerel. Makoto had found the entire ordeal hilarious as well as endearing.

Makoto walked through the main hallway of the house, heading to where he knew with almost one hundred percent certainty where Haru would be.

"Haru, are in you in the tub? I'm coming in!" he called before opening the door to the bathroom. He paused however, feeling something behind the door that was causing it to not open all the way. He pushed a little harder, confirming to himself that something was behind the door.

"Haru?" he called again, able to see from the small opening he had made with the door that his best friend was not seated in the bathtub like usual. This immediately stood out to the brunette as abnormal. Something was definitely not right. Haru was always in the tub when he got there, without fail. Wedging the door open slightly more, Makoto managed to get it open enough to where he could poke his head in, along with about half his body. Swimming and being so active with Haru all the time had caused Makoto's muscles to grow quickly, giving him a much more masculine physique quite early on. After he was able to get his head and most of his body through the door, he looked down to see what was stopping him from coming all the way inside.

Fear and panic surged through him like fire, his heart pounding. Haru was laying on the floor behind the door, online wearing his swim jammers. He was lying face down, his body in a position that looked as if he had attempted to go to the door, perhaps to lock it, before collapsing.

"Haru!" Makoto shouted his friends name, carefully pushing himself through the doorway and kneeling down. He pulled Haru into his lap, holding him tightly to his chest.

"Haru, please look at me?" he begged, gently shaking the unconscious boy. Frantically looking around, Makoto attempting search for something, anything that could help or give him some indication of what had happened. Green eyes quickly scanned the counter, and he felt his breath hitch. Two things sat on the counter, closest to Haru's current position. Two things that were not usually in the bathroom with Haru, and Makoto knew that. On the counter sat his cellphone, and Haru's antidepressants that he had been prescribed a few years after his grandmother's death. The bottle of pills was laying, open, on it's side and Makoto could see inside of it.

It was entirely empty.

Makoto reached up to the counter and quickly grabbed Haru's cellphone, seeing that the screen was still on with a text message he had been about to send.

To: Mako

I'm sorry, Mako. I can't do this anymore.

From: Haru

Time: 7:30am

Tears stung Makoto's eyes, as Haru had been about to send this message to him almost half an hour prior. The brunette immediately dialed the emergency services, praying that they would come in time. After he hung up, he began to cry. Tears rolled down his face, falling heavily onto Haru's.

"Please don't leave me, Haru. I need you, I can't lose you," he cried, hugging his precious friend to his chest. He could feel Haru's lungs expanding and contracting, the time in between getting longer with each breath he took. Makoto knew that if he had come even a few minutes later, his friend would not be breathing. There would be no hope to save him. After the emergency services came, everything was a blur. Makoto could not remember running home and telling his parents to follow the ambulance, he could not remember running into the hospital to find his best friend. What he could remember, was Haru in the hospital bed, IV's in his arm, and an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. He remembers Haru waking up, and what he said.

"Mako, thank you. I love you, I'm sorry."

/Present/

"Mako?" a familiar voice snapped said boy out of his thoughts, causing him to look down at Haru. Nagisa and Rei were a few meters behind him, chatting with Ai and Momo as they made their way over.

"I'm sorry, Haru-chan. I was just thinking." Makoto smiled, taking a shirt that Haru offered him and pulling it on. Haru reached into his duffle bag, digging out a pair of Makoto's sweatpants as well and watching his love pull them over his jammers. The two looked at each other for a long moment, before they both smiled.

"Mako, I love you." Haru said quietly. Makoto smiled more, leaning down and placing a soft, warm kiss against Haru's forehead. The taller boy put his arm around Haru's shoulders, drawing him closer.

"I love you too, Haru."