A/N: Just another Haruka one shot! Please review! All feedback is welcome and much appreciated!

"H-Haru?"

Aya hated herself for stuttering. But he had absolutely caught her off guard, and she was still blinking in surprise. Haruka just gazed at her unblinkingly, though the slightest dusting of pink was visible across his cheeks, and she was certain that if she swept back his hair, his ears would be bright red.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he said. It was as close to an apology as she would get. She shifted slightly in her position sitting on his sofa, her legs tucked beneath her.

"Didn't mean to -? What did you think would happen when you said that?!"

He sighed and shrugged. "I wasn't sure, but I suppose this wasn't what I was expecting. I was just curious; it wasn't a request in the making."

Aya rested a hand on his knee and said, "You don't need to defend yourself. You just really threw me for a loop. One second I was talking to you about studying for the math exam we have at the end of the week, and the next, you were asking me if I've ever considered investing in any form of birth control!"

"I have admittedly been a bit distracted lately," he explained. "The question, related to my distraction, just came out."

"I didn't realize…" she muttered, tucking a lock of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear.

Haru noted the way she began to chew her lip and he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Are you… bored with me?"

He chuckled at the fearfulness in her voice, but quickly reverted to his calm demeanor. "Hardly."

"Oh."

Sensing her confusion, the swimmer elaborated, "You are really attractive, Aya. You had to figure it was on my mind at least some of the time."

"I don't think…" she trailed off, her fingers nervously twisting around a lock of her wavy hair. She frowned, her eyes dropping from his. She was often self-conscious around Haruka. He was gorgeous with his raven hair, deep aqua eyes, and well-toned body. On the other hand, she was plain with her not blonde, not red hair, her murky, coffee colored eyes and generally average build. It was a mystery to her what he saw in her when he had asked her out, and it was a mystery as to what kept him around.

"You have a skewed perception of yourself. You really don't get it. I almost got in a fight with Rin the other day because he was speaking inappropriately of you."

"He… what?" She blinked uncomprehendingly. "What could he have been saying?"

"Which reminds me," Haru said, passing over her question. "May I request that you do not wear that swimsuit at the school pool anymore?"

"What?"

Haru sighed. "The red one with the white polka dots? The two piece?"

"What's wrong with it?" she frowned.

"Rin expressed the hope that the ties would come undone."

"Oh," she gasped and flushed deeply.

"I think Rei agreed but was too shy to say so."

"Stop it, Haru!" she moaned with embarrassment, her hands coming up to hide her flaming face.

They sat in silence for several moments before he muttered, "I didn't like them looking at you like that."

She peeked at him from between her fingers, and noted that now he was the one who didn't make eye contact. Suddenly, she spoke up, "I've been on the pill for a while now."

His head snapped up, his eyes widened with surprise. "What?"

Aya gave him a small smirk and a playful jab of her elbow. "You have to know how attractive you are, Haru, and that I would think about it sometimes, too."

"The pill seems… like you have seriously considered it."

"I have. I just wasn't sure when it would happen, if it would happen."

"Do you want it to happen?"

Aya groaned and hid behind her hands again. "This is so weird talking about it like this. I guess I thought it would just… happen. That it wouldn't have been premeditated."

"Oh," Haru frowned. "Should I not have asked about the contraception?"

His voice sounded genuinely confused and regretful. Aya quickly squeaked, "No, no, I'm glad you think about things like that!"

"Sorry," he sighed. "I've made you uncomfortable again. I don't seem to say the right things."

"Haru…" Aya muttered, slipping her hand into his and lacing their fingers together.

Haru turned his head to look at her wordlessly, his expression carefully blank. "Just one more thing, but I don't want to upset you."

"What is it?"

"Can you wear that red swimsuit when we go to the beach this weekend?"

She flushed and asked, "What is up with my swimsuit?!"

"It is quite… becoming." When he saw her look of confusion, he mumbled, "You look really good in it, Aya. Your chest…"

That earned him a pillow to the face out of embarrassment.

"Cheer up, Haru!"

The teen looked down at his girlfriend, his lower lip stuck out slightly in a moody pout. "I didn't think they were coming with us."

Aya sighed, and said, "I know, Haru, but you know your friends always invite themselves along."

He grumbled something unintelligible, and looked away. Aya's hand slid into his, squeezing briefly before she made to retreat. Haru held onto her, still looking out at the approaching sea as they walked closer to the white sands. Aya flushed lightly as their joined hands swung slightly between them.

"Haru-chan!" Nagisa's voice interrupted. "Haru-chan, you have to promise to get out of the water to eat lunch with us today! You always skip our picnics!"

Haru just hummed in a bored tone.

"I believe that if Aya-senpai stops to eat lunch with us, Haruka-senpai will, too," Rei declared, pushing his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose.

"Aya-chan, you have to eat with us, then!"

"Shut up, Nagisa," groaned Rin.

"Rin-chan!" the short blonde whined.

"Guys, I see a spot down that way that looks big enough for our blankets!" announced Gou, pointing down the beach a little ways and effectively ending the argument that was about to erupt.

The group of teens followed her and began to set up their blankets, weighing down the corners with their bags of towels and food. Aya watched Haru as he stared at the ocean, his bright blue eyes swimming with wonder. His hands moved to the bottom hem of his t-shirt, lifting the article of clothing off over his head. Her eyes watched in admiration as the muscles moved beneath his skin, his arms flexing as he pulled the fabric off and his abdominal muscles contracting as he twisted to the side to deposit it on the blanket.

He froze in the process of removing his shorts, looking up at her with a frown on his face. In a low voice, he asked, "Did you wear what I asked you to the other day?" Heat blossomed on her cheeks and she nodded. Haru let out a small groan and said, "I asked when I thought we'd be alone."

"Sorry," she muttered.

He waved her off and finished removing his clothes, leaving him in his usual swimsuit. Around them, the others were shedding their clothes as well. It was a hot day, and swimming was never passed up by the boys. Aya sighed and unbuttoned her shorts, wiggling them down her hips. They fell in a pile atop Haru's, and she pulled her own t-shirt off, leaving her in her bright red bikini. She tugged at the bows behind her back and at the nape of her neck, assuring everything was tied tightly.

"Aya-chan, you look so pretty!" Gou complimented, appearing at her side.

The strawberry blonde smiled at her, noting the girl's forest green two piece. "That's a great color for you, Kou-chan."

"Thanks!" she giggled.

"Enough girl talk," Rin rolled his eyes. "Let's go swim."

The guys broke out in a run, Gou following close behind. Aya smiled and moved to follow, but Haru grabbed her wrist and stopped her. She looked at him curiously but he just smirked. Before she could process what was happening, he had crouched in front of her, his hands moving behind him to slip behind her knees and hoist her up on his back. Aya gasped as he stood with her perched on his back, her arms flying around his shoulders.

"Haru!" she protested.

"You take too long to get in the water," he said, as if that was a perfectly cogent explanation.

"So? You can get a good amount of swimming in while I get used to the water temperature!"

He didn't reply, just continued forward toward the ocean. In mere minutes, they were already deep enough that the water hit the middle of his chest. With her position on his back, the water only reached the middle of Aya's torso, but she shivered with cold nonetheless. Haru didn't appear to take too much notice, his eyes closing in relaxation as the waves rocked around them. Ahead, swimming around in deeper water, were the rest of their friends.

His hands left the backs of her legs, and she slid from his back as he moved to swim towards the group. Unprepared for his sudden movement, Aya hit the water with a splash, immediately surrounded by the cold waters. Her head broke the surface, and she flipped back the wet sheet her hair had become. The cold water nipped at her skin, and her body shivered beneath the surface. She found herself slightly annoyed with Haru for not letting her move at her own pace, but she couldn't be mad when he looked so at home and happy gliding through the crisp salt water.

Haru supposed they had been swimming for a while, but time had slowed for him as it always did when he found himself in the water. The others had moved on to some sort of game, but he paid them no mind. As he floated around on his back, he spotted Aya from the corner of his eye. She had been quiet all day, which wasn't out of the ordinary, but he frowned nonetheless. He swam over to her, and saw the small smile on her face, watching the others. That was when he noticed that her lips were tinged blue.

"Aya, you never warmed up?" he asked, concerned.

"N-not really," she stuttered through slightly chattering teeth.

"You should've said something," he muttered guiltily. "Come here."

He pulled her closer, lifting her up by the back of her legs again. Her arms came around his neck, her ankles locking behind his back as she welcomed the warmth of his body. One hand remained at the back of her thigh for support, his other moving to the small of her back, coaxing her closer so their torsos were pressed flush together. His hands idly traced nonsensical shapes across her skin as their gazes locked.

"I couldn't interrupt you when you were out here swimming, Haru. What's a little cold?"

He gave her a soft smile and a chaste kiss. It was short lived, though, as they could hear Nagisa's teasing almost as soon as their lips touched. He let out a sigh of frustration, and muttered, "It's like he has a sixth sense…"

Aya giggled and swept a lock of his navy hair from his eyes.

"Guys, let's go eat!" Gou called cheerfully and began to lead the way back to shore.

Aya was surprised when Haru slowly moved to follow, his arms still securely wrapped around her. "Haru?"

"You're hungry, right?"

She nodded with a faint blush. He didn't say anything, just continued moving forward. Once they were in shallower water, he let her down and they followed their friends back to their blanket. With friendly banter and excited chatter, the group sat down on the blanket and set about passing around the food. Aya folded her legs beneath her and pushed a wet lock of hair behind her ear before pulling the bento boxes she made for herself and Haru out of her bag.

The group ate as they happily continued talking about school, swim practice and upcoming competitions. Aya was surprised when she felt Haru lean closer to her. His hand buried itself in her long hair, moving it forward over her shoulders so it hung past her collarbone. She raised an eyebrow at him, since usually he was moving it farther out of her face rather than to frame it. He didn't meet her gaze, his eyes locked on his food. She sighed lightly at his weirdness and tuned back into what Makoto was saying about the homework for one of their classes.

"Guys, let's go swim some more!" Nagisa cheered, thrusting the fist which held his empty bento box in the air.

The others agreed, quickly cleaning up and heading back towards the water. Aya turned to Haru and said, "Go ahead, I think I may pass this time. It's still just too cold for me out there. Later in the summer it'll be better, though."

"No, I'll stay with you."

Brown eyes widened in shock. "B-but, Haru, you love the ocean!"

He shrugged. "Well, I love you, too, remember?"

She flushed, just as she did every time he had expressed the sentiment. The words weren't exchanged often between them, and she was grateful every time they were. It was a reminder that, somehow, she had gotten lucky enough to be with such an amazing guy. "I love you, too, so go out and swim!"

He just shook his head. "It's fine." They sat in silence for a while, Haru leaning backwards and propping himself up on his elbows so he could stare out at the calm waters. "Sorry about the thing with your hair earlier."

"It's fine, it was just uncharacteristic of you," she replied.

"I saw Rin staring at your chest, so I covered it."

Sometimes, Aya wondered if she would ever stop blushing around her boyfriend. "Haru!"

"Did you want him looking?"

"No, but you… I… That's so awkward! He probably knew what you were doing!"

"Good," he said simply.

"Good?!"

"He knows we're together, and he needs to back off."

"Haru, it doesn't matter!"

"It matters to me."

"But I don't like Rin-san like that! I'm dating you!"

"Aya, do you like it when Kou looks at me during practice?"

"Well, no, not really, but she does that to all of you. It's not like she likes you or anything."

"Can you understand why I don't like it then?"

"Rin-san doesn't like me!" she shook her head. Then, timidly, she asked, "Right?"

Haru's expression darkened and he glared out at the water where his friends were engaged in a race. "Makoto heard him telling Nitori he wished he had confessed to you first."

Aya was quiet for a moment before she said, "Even if he had, the result would have been the same. You've always had my heart, Haruka."

Haru looked at her with surprise written on his face. His expression softened, and he graced her with a small smile. Leaning forward, he connected their lips. After a few moments, he pulled away, never one for too much affection in public. But the look in his eyes when he pulled away left Aya with no doubt in her mind that he intended to pick things up later on.

"Come on, Aya-chan! Let's go check out some of the shops before we go back! The boys can go get food or something!"

Aya glanced at Haru, knowing he had wanted to head back to his house to salvage what was left of the day they had meant to spend together. He just inclined his head in Gou's direction.

"Okay, Kou-chan," she agreed with a small smile. The two girls set off down the boardwalk, wandering in and out of the shops filled with little knickknacks.

"So, Aya-chan, can I ask you a question?" When the other girl had nodded, Gou continued, "Haru-senpai has been acting a little different today. Is there something wrong?"

"Different how?" asked Aya.

Gou brought her index finger to her lip, looking thoughtful for a moment. "He has been more… possessive of you, if that makes sense. But it's not like how other guys would be possessive, it's like his own Haru way."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, he carried you into the water earlier, then he was holding you, he carried you out of the water… Then he actually got out of the water and ate lunch, which is basically unheard of! He sat really close to you and was playing with your hair… I dunno, Aya, it just seemed like he was… marking his territory."

Aya hummed in thought, then said, "Yeah, you have a point."

"What's happened that he's suddenly touchy feely and everything?"

"Nothing happened," she muttered, tucking a lock of still damp strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. "He just… is under the impression that there are sometimes some wandering eyes."

"Rei and my brother?" Aya blushed and tried to brush it off, but Gou laughed and said, "It's okay, Aya-chan. I had a feeling for a while that my brother might like you. And Makoto-senpai isn't physically capable of doing anything that would upset Haru-senpai. Plus, Nagisa doesn't seem very interested in anyone romantically, so I just assumed."

Aya nodded and chuckled. "Very true. If he was anyone else, possessiveness would be a major turn off. But it's Haru, so it's not even really possessive. It's actually a bit endearing."

"It is interesting to see Haru-senpai express any degree of emotion," commented the redhead. "I think your relationship is good for him."

"I hope so," Aya replied earnestly. "He makes me really happy and I feel comfortable being myself for the first time in my life, so I hope I am half as good for him as he is for me."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Gou said with a warm grin.

"Aya."

The strawberry blonde jumped, whirling around with a hand pressed over her pounding heart. "Haru, you scared me!"

"Were you ready to head back?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

Aya nodded, then turned to Gou. "Your brother or one of the others will walk you home?"

She nodded and pointed over Haru's shoulder. Aya looked to see Rin walking towards them. The red haired swimmer stopped next to his sister, asking, "Ready?"

"Yes!" she answered cheerfully. "See you on Monday, Aya-chan! Haru-senpai!"

"Bye, Kou-chan!" Aya waved cheerfully. She flushed when Haru's arm wrapped around her waist, his hand resting on her hip as he tucked her into his side. With his other hand, he gave a single wave before their friends turned and walked in the opposite direction.

"Haru, I know this isn't what you wanted out of today, but did it turn out alright?"

He simply nodded as they began walking towards his house, which was closer. Aya's eyes searched his face, looking for anything amiss. His cerulean orbs turned to hers after a moment and he clarified, "There's nothing wrong, I just want you alone."

She flushed magnificently and he chuckled. Aya was quickly beginning to like this side of her boyfriend.