A/N: This is my first time writing for the Free!dom and hopefully the first of many. We are still getting used to the characters, but I just had a sudden urge to write and this was born. I hope that you guys like it! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Free! if I did...well, there might be a few more nosebleeds.
It had always been the water that aroused strange feelings within him.
Haruka had always been fascinated with it. How it could just trickle down your fingers when you dipped your hand in it and how it could be so refreshing when you were out in the sun for far too long.
He knew that his best friend, Makoto, was aware of his fixation with it, but didn't know of the reason behind his friend's attentiveness.
Haruka had always assumed that Makoto took the time to read him like a book because he was bored and it was something that would help him pass time. Little did he know, that his best friend harbored a crush on him.
"Summer."
A small smile crept its way onto Haruka's face at the thought of the season.
The atmosphere would heat up and the water would be warm enough to be able to swim without the risk of catching a cold. He had often tried to go swimming in the winter, but Makoto would always find him and warn him that he was putting his health at risk.
Even now, while he was lying in his bathtub, enjoying the coolness of the body on his skin, he waited patiently for his friend to enter the room like he always did.
"Ah, Haru-chan!"
As if on cue, Makoto walked into his bathroom and grinned. The boy stood at a height of 6'0 so he towered over Haruka who was 5'9". If one looked at the two of them, they wouldn't really expect them to be friends, nevertheless best friends.
Makoto was friendly and quite extroverted, compared to Haruka who kept to himself and preferred the company of water. A sigh escaped Haruka's lips as he allowed himself to go under the water's surface.
It was always something he tended to do before he exited the tub. His bright blue eyes remained opened as he glanced up at the blurred ceiling.
After a good thirty seconds of remaining under, Haruka allowed himself to breach the surface and shook his bangs out of his face in his signature hair-flipping style.
"Haru-chan, " Makoto softly stated as he held out his hand to help him out like he always did.
That nickname again, Haruka thought to himself.
Even when they were younger, he had told Makoto to drop the –chan, but the latter ignored it and kept it as a sign of endearment.
Haruka firmly took Makoto's hand in his and allowed himself to be pulled up. He heard his friend sigh when he saw that he was wearing his swimming trunks.
"Again, Haru-chan? Do you even wash them?" Makoto narrowed his eyes before rubbing his head.
"Of course, I do," Haruka stated as he reached over to grab a towel.
"I shouldn't be surprised, yet I always am," Makoto sighed.
The black-haired boy glanced at his tall friend momentarily before making his way out of the bathroom.
"One of these days, you're really going to catch a cold," Makoto warned as Haruka walked around the house with just a towel on his head and his swimming shorts.
"Summer," Haruka said as he made his way over to the kitchen.
Predicting that the one-word answer would not satisfy his friend, Haruka continued going through his daily routine as Makoto spoke.
"That's no excuse, Haru-chan! If you get sick, you'll miss school!"
"But then I can swim," Haruka slowly stated as if it was the obvious thing to do.
"You can't swim when you're sick!" Makoto half-shouted as he flailed his long arms around.
The two friends continued their bickering as Haruka prepared his breakfast. It was a Saturday morning and the two had no school that day. Makoto sat quietly as his green eyes watched Haruka while he ate.
"Ne, Haru-chan, can I have some?" Makoto spoke without really thinking about he had said.
"Hm?"
Puzzled blue eyes looked up into green and Haruka felt a wave of confusion as Makoto's face turned a bright shade of red.
"I-I'm just hungry and I haven't had your cooking in a while, so I…wanted some?" Makoto nervously laughed while rubbing the back of his head.
Haruka merely stared blankly at his best friend for a few minutes before nodding and sliding his bowl and chopsticks over to his friend.
While Makoto prepared to eat the rest of his friend's meal, Haruka placed his right elbow on the table and rested his cheek on his palm. Unlike his friend, who was inwardly panicking because he and Haruka had shared an indirect kiss since they used the same pair of chopsticks, Haruka's thoughts drifted back to water.
How he longed to feel the ocean waves against his back. Ignoring the world as he swam along with the current.
"Ahhh, that was good," Makoto sighed before patting his stomach. He smiled at his friend before asking, "So what now?"
Haruka remained silent as his eyes glanced off into the distance. It took Makoto milliseconds to realize that his friend had not snapped out of his reverie.
"How about the beach? It's nice out today and I'm sure you'd be more than willing to go," Makoto said as if reading his friend's mind.
A light blush crept onto Haruka's cheeks as his blue eyes twinkled at the thought of going to a place with water.
Amused by this, Makoto chuckled before cleaning up the dishes and walking over to the kitchen.
"Better get ready to go, Haru-chan, I'll wash these while you get ready," Makoto said.
One wouldn't be able to fully count to ten at the speed that Haruka rushed to his room to grab clothes. The thought of going to a place with water excited him to no ends. He felt like he was a little kid again, waiting to explore the great unknown that was around him.
The moment that he arrived by the front door, he saw Makoto standing there with a smile. The taller boy pointed his thumb away from the house to signify that they should be on their way.
The two of them walked silently toward the beach. Their thoughts clouded with what they desired. For Haruka, it was to lay in the water and just enjoy the cool liquid as it surrounded his bare skin. Meanwhile, for Makoto, it was to watch the one he cared for enjoy himself and be at peace with the world.
The day went by rather slowly as the two boys remained at the beach. In the distance, a dolphin jumped out the water as if freeing itself from its entrapments, while right underneath an orca whale merely observed from a safe distance.
A/N:
I hope that you guys liked it! Like I said, it was short! Any who, insight is appreciated ^_^ Thanks again for taking the time to read it!
imuffinator out~
