Disclaimer: I don't own Free!
A/N - so the last episode (6) of Eternal Summer made me cry and has given me a heartache which I can still, literally feel in my chest. I wrote this to make myself feel better. Take it maybe as how I think episode 7-8 should go, kind of.
This will have 2 parts (or 2 laps as I call them, lame, I know...) and I'll post the 2nd one soon.
There will be MakoHaru, but largely tense in this chapter, building up. The happy and fluffy MakoHaru comes next chapter! Though this chapter has Rin and Makoto bonding, and Rin being the good guy, because I love Rin, and I actually think he would act like this.
If you haven't seen the latest Free! episode, be warned for spoilers. You almost may think that Makoto is OOC if you haven't seen it, just a warning.
Dedication: I never do dedications when writing fics. But I had to this time. So, Tachibana Makoto, this is for you. I mean it. You're a precious, precious angel. Stay strong, everyone loves you, and Haru loves you the most and he'll show you, soon enough, how much.
Jealousy
Lap 1
Start
The train ride back from prefecturals was awkwardly silent. Awkward, because silence itself had never been an issue between Haru and Makoto. With their uncanny joint ability to read one another's minds and expressions, words had never been a prerequisite for conversation. The silence on train rides had always been comfortable; usually Makoto would take out his ipod and offer one end of his earphones to Haru, and they would share, alternatively selecting songs. Makoto even had a 'Haru's favorites' playlist on his ipod, and vice-versa, though Haru's own ipod was woefully underused, since he had always preferred sharing with Makoto. But that day, it didn't look like Makoto would be willing to share - a first for him, one that surprised Haru, but then again, recently, Makoto had been surprising him with a lot of 'firsts'.
For one thing, Makoto had never challenged Haru to a race before, ever. It had always been Rin who had goaded Haru on, and though initially the races had been wholly troublesome - because Haru really didn't care about his timings and whatnot - eventually he grew accustomed to Rin and his competitive spirit, and even grew to enjoy their rivalry, once the animosity had simmered down.
But Makoto… Makoto had never been competitive like Rin; it just wasn't in his nature. And he had certainly never challenged or gone against Haru in… anything. Even when it came to small things - deciding where to go eat dinner, deciding who got the comfier side of Makoto's bed during sleepovers, deciding who got the dolphin keychain at Iwatobi swim club - ever since they had been kids, not once had Haru or Makoto fought or competed over anything. Potential contests had always been nipped in the bud, as either Makoto or Haru (usually Makoto) would immediately concede to giving the other what they wanted and settling for something else. In fact, unlike with Rin, Makoto and Haru's relationship had been devoid of any friction at all - at least till that point.
Haru glimpsed over at the boy next to him. Makoto's green eyes - usually so full of warmth - were glazed, distant, as he stared out of the window. His lips were tight, the lines of his face unusually hard. Haru could hear the muffled music emitting from Makoto's earphones - 'Rage On' by Oldcodex. Sighing, Haru pulled out his own ipod, sliding it out of it's sock - blue with white stripes to match Makoto's green and white one - and plugged in his own earphones. It was playing Future Fish, the new Style Five song, one of Makoto's favorites. Rin had introduced them to Style Five a year ago, and Makoto had loved the music, and eventually Haru had grown to like it too. Haru lay back and sighed, his eyes flicking over to Makoto again. It was going to be a long ride.
Makoto was silent on the walk back from the station as well. When they reached the foot of the staircase leading up to Makoto's house, Haru lingered, but Makoto immediately turned right.
"See you tomorrow, Haru."
His voice sent a chill down Haru's spine, like he had been doused in icy water - there was nothing unfriendly about Makoto's tone, but it was devoid of its usual warmth.
"Wait!"
Makoto stopped, turning around. "Haru?"
"I - " Haru broke off, unsure what to say, and finally settled on just asking outright. "Are you okay? You seem upset."
Makoto stared at him for a few seconds before rapidly gaining composure and forcing a smile. "I'm fine, Haru, just a bit tired, and nervous about the relay tomorrow! It's nothing."
"But - "
"Don't worry about me," Makoto ploughed on, still wearing that fake smile that made Haru's insides twist uncomfortably. "You need to get rest for tomorrow's big race. You'll be swimming your lap against Sousuke after all!"
Haru stared after Makoto's retreating back, wanting to call out, stop him, say something - don't lie to me, tell me what's wrong, what did I do, are you mad at me, why are you upset, what can I do to make it better, how can I fix things - but instead, all he was able to manage was a mumbled "G'night," before he trudged up the stairs. Haru turned around after a few steps, out of habit, expecting to see Makoto looking up at him, smiling, a second goodbye.
There was nobody.
Haru pulled his Iwatobi jacket closer to him, hugging himself, and continued walking.
The next morning, Haru left his house five minutes earlier than their usual meeting time, and waited on the steps. Five minutes passed, and then ten - it wasn't like Makoto to be late, especially on such an important day. They had collectively decided with Nagisa and Rei that they would reach the arena an hour early to practice their passes for the relay. Finally, Haru came to the conclusion that Makoto had been exhausted and overslept, probably forgetting their plan to meet up early. He found himself at the Tachibana's doorstep, and knocked.
A bright, grinning young face answered. "Morning, Haru-nii!" Ran chirped happily.
"Good morning Ran," Haru replied, patting the little girl on the head as she latched herself to his leg. "Where's Makoto?"
"Oh! Nii-chan left early," Ran said, pulling back. "He said he had some errands to run." Her face scrunched up cutely. "I thought he would have told you?"
Haru's heart sank - Makoto never left without him - "Oh. He must have forgotten. Thanks, Ran."
"Good luck for your relay!" Ran hollered after him.
When Haru reached the stadium, Makoto was already there, as expected - along with Nagisa and Rei.
"Haru-chan!" "Good morning Haruka-senpai," the other two greeted respectively and Haru nodded at them, before turning to Makoto and narrowing his eyes.
"Sorry about today morning," Makoto replied, pleasantly enough. "I had to run some errands and - "
"Ran told me," Haru said.
"Ah. Okay."
There was an awkward silence after that, and Makoto refused to meet his eyes.
"You could have told me," Haru grumbled. "I would have left earlier if you had stuff to do."
"I didn't want to bother you," Makoto said coolly, and Haru felt like he had been punched in the gut.
Since when do you think me spending time with you is a bother?!
They had always done things together - even small things like errands, and chores, and babysitting Makoto's siblings - it made no sense.
Haru didn't have time to argue then, because Nagisa and Rei had started for the pool.
"Let's go practice," was all Makoto said, and with a heavy heart, Haru followed him.
The relay practice went off well enough. The water washing over his body as he sliced through it provided a somewhat calming effect for Haru, and he relaxed slightly - he hadn't even noticed how tense and uptight he had been. As he glided through the pool, thoughts of Makoto inundated his mind - and then suddenly, Haru could feel the water splashing around his feet, he could feel his breaths grow shorter and more erratic, his arms straining to push through the water, fighting it. His palm slammed against the tile wall and Haru emerged, panting. He took a few moments to collect his breath, before extending an arm and looking up.
There was no strong, warm hand wrapping around his own, no Makoto gazing down on him with shining green eyes and a proud smile, no "well done, Haru-chan". Haru's eyes found Makoto - standing over by the side of the pull, talking to Rei and - Seijurou Mikoshiba?
His heart dropped even further, and Haru scowled.
"Well done, Haru-chan," a voice drawled teasingly, and a hand was held out to him. Haru's eyes snapped up, his expression darkening.
"Don't call me that, Rin," he snapped.
Rin snorted. "You know how much of an idiot you look like right now? Can't even get out of a pool by yourself anymore?"
"Shut up," Haru muttered, ignoring the proffered hand and hoisting himself out the pool with his own strength.
"I suppose since Makoto's always there to do it for you…" Rin's eyes flicked over to Makoto, and then to Haru, his eyebrows knitting together. "Hey, is everything okay between you two?"
"Of course it is," Haru said, more sharply than he had intended to, and Rin raised an eyebrow, whistling.
"Somebody's more strung up than usual today."
"..."
"Don't tell me… is Makoto actually upset that you beat him yesterday?"
"He's not like you," Haru snapped, and Rin looked mildly insulted for a few moments before noddingly.
"You're right though. Makoto's too angelic to get worked up about something like that. Besides, I doubt he could even face the prospect of beating his precious Haru-chan."
"You should stop worrying about Makoto and focus on your own relay," Haru advised.
"I should be telling you that," Rin shot back. "You're swimming against Sousuke. And from what I just saw, your form is completely off."
Haru swallowed, unease growing within him. So it had been that obvious, that even Rin had noticed. Then again, Rin was bound to notice; he was Haru's rival after all.
"Rin-senpaiiiiii!" The hurricane that was Momotaro suddenly descended upon them, golden eyes bright. "Rin-senpai, thank you so so so so SO much!"
"What the fuck, get off me," Rin snarled as Momotaro jumped him from the back. "What the hell, Momo, you moron!"
"Sousuke-senpai told me," Momotaro practically screeched into Rin's ear. "That you put me in the relay!"
"Oh yeah." Rin flicked back his hair with one hand, pushing Momo's face away from his with the other. "That. I'll cut you though, if you don't get off me right now."
"I'm so happy," Momo gushed, detaching himself. "I have been presented with yet another chance to win the beautiful Gou-chan's heart!"
"The hell?! I wasn't joking when I said I'd cut you! Leave my sister alone!"
"And that Rin-senpai put me on the relay team and gave me this chance means that I have support of the family!"
"It fucking does not mean anything like that!"
Haru sighed, walking away and leaving them to it. He started making his way over to where Makoto was, but bumped into a flustered-looking Nitori.
"S-senpai!" Nitori cried, looking distraught. "I'm so sorry I bumped into you!"
"It's fine."
"Senpai your… your…"
"What is it?"
"Your swimming yesterday was - it was downright inspirational!" Nitori gushed admiratively. "Especially in the 200 m race! I actually thought that Tachibana-senpai would win, but in the middle of the last leg you caught up and overtook him! It was amazing! Though Tachibana-senpai was amazing too! Who knew he could swim the front crawl so well when his specialty is back! And he even beat Momo by a full second!"
"That - that's true," Haru said. "I'll tell Makoto you said that. He'll be happy."
"Oh would you?" Nitori looked delighted. "You really are the best, Haruka-senpai! I understand why Rin-senpai considers you his rival."
And with that, Nitori scampered away to find his beloved Rin-senpai.
The first thirty minutes went in the women's individual medley events. Samezuka, somehow, had ended up right next to Iwatobi on the bleachers. The Mikoshiba brothers were trying to persuade an increasingly murderous-looking Gou into entering the women's medley.
"I told you I can't swim that well," Kou snapped, flushing. "And don't call me Gou-kun! Or Gou-chan! My name is Kou!"
"But Gou-chan, you don't need to swim," Momo entreated. "Just flop around in the water, wearing a swimsuit. Or don't even enter the water, just stand there. In a swimsuit."
"Two piece," Seijurou added. "It must be a two piece."
"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Kou shrieked. "Perverts!"
"Now, now, Gou-kun, if you're allowed to admire all the muscles, we should be given something worth looking at too, don't you think," Seijurou reasoned, waggling his eyebrows.
"What the hell?! Onii-chan, say something!"
"Oi! Mikoshiba assholes! The next one of you who tries to hit on my sister is going to be thrown over the stands and straight into the pool!"
"Oooooh, I don't mind," Momo said excitedly. "It's a pool full of girls after all!"
Rei and Nagisa were engaged in a conversation with Nitori, who kept tugging at the back straps of his goggles.
"No, you're doing it all wrong," Rin said disapprovingly. "It needs to be smooth. That's not beautiful at all."
"I bit Rei-chan can do it really well!" Nagisa said chirpily. "Rei-chan show him!"
"Rin-san does do it rather beautifully," Rei agreed. "I suppose I could emulate his coolness. I'm already swimming butterfly like him, after all."
"Oi, don't go comparing my butterfly to yours, speedo megane," Rin called from over where he had Momo in a headlock. "You still have a long way to go!"
Nagisa was laughing, as was Nitori. Haru looked over to Makoto, expecting him to join into the conversation, to crack a joke, to laugh. But Makoto wasn't even smiling. He was staring into the distance, a frown pulling at his lips and an inexplicably sad look in his eyes. It made Haru's heart ache. Makoto never looked that said.
"Makoto," Haru said softly, nudging the boy next to him, jerking Makoto out of his reverie.
"Ah! Haru. Sorry, I was spacing out."
"Are you… are you really that nervous about today's relay?"
"Sure I am, it's Samezuka after all."
"But you're being… weird."
"Really?" Makoto tilted his head, giving Haru yet another blatantly fake smile. "I don't know why you'd think that. Sorry to worry you though!"
Haru wanted to call him out, because it was clear that Makoto was lying to him. Makoto had hidden things before, but he had never lied, not to Haru's face like this. But he couldn't say something, not when they were sitting amidst the entire Iwatobi and Samezuka swim team. Makoto suddenly stood up.
I'm going to swing by the locker rooms and grab a bottle of juice, do you want anything?"
"I'll come with you," Haru said immediately, standing up as well.
"No, no need, enjoy the races," Makoto said quickly. "Besides, everyone is here, Rin too!"
And then he was gone, before Haru could even protest. Out of the corner of his eye, Haru saw Rin get up, a few moments later, and saunter down the direction Makoto had gone in.
"Bathroom break," he called over his shoulder to an anxious Nitori. "Be back in a bit, don't follow me. I'd like to do my business in peace, thanks."
"Hey."
Makoto looked up, slightly surprised. "Rin."
"Sup." Rin plopped himself down on the bench, sliding next to him. "Thought I'd find you here. Shouldn't the captain be with his swim team?"
"I could say the same for you," Makoto pointed out, and Rin smirked.
"True. But I needed to put some space between myself and Mikoshiba."
Makoto looked sympathetic. "Which one?"
"Both," Rin said darkly. "And it wouldn't be good captaincy on my part if I broke his legs before the relay."
"...I suppose not."
"Though given it's backstroke…" Rin said thoughtfully. "Momo could manage with two arms and a leg, right? Kicks aren't that important, are they?"
"Why would you ask me?" Makoto looked alarmed.
"Well you're the expert."
"Ah, well…"
"Jokes aside, the real reason I'm here is for you."
"For me?"
"Don't look so shocked," Rin told him. "You and Haru had a fight, right?"
"Haru sent you then?" Makoto frowned.
"No, I came here on my own accord," Rin said, sounding annoyed. "Answer my question."
"Haru told you something then?"
"God, no, like that freak would say shit. I'm not blind, Makoto."
"H-huh?"
"The past half an hour you've looked like a dying kitten," Rin said frankly, and Makoto winced at the analogy. "And Haru keeps looking at you all sadly. It's depressing. Plus, he completely screwed up his front crawl this morning, and it would be a disgrace if he swam the relay like that…"
"Ah, so you're worried about Haru, then? And the relay?"
"Damnit, Makoto, what's your problem?" Rin snapped, banging a fist on the wooden bench. "Everything isn't always about Haru, okay!"
"I'm sorry?"
"I'm worried about you too, you know!"
Makoto's expression softened. "Rin…"
"He's depressed because you're depressed and you're both clearly pining for each other so I don't get why you can't just fucking sort it out already and stop subjecting all of us to your sadness because it's pissing off!"
Makoto's eyes were wide, and he stared at Rin in surprise after the sudden outburst.
"I know it's not the same as before," Rin mumbled, when Makoto didn't say anything. "But I - I care about these things, okay, and I - "
"Thank you, Rin," Makoto said breathlessly, interrupting him.
"What - "
"I'll sort out whatever I have to with Haru later. But thank you."
"Whatever, it's not like I did anything," Rin muttered, looking away. "Besides, you and Haru are too attached to one another for your own good."
"That's probably true," Makoto murmured. "At least about me. I don't think Haru - "
"Please, Haru is ridiculously dependent on you even if he acts like he's not."
"Haru's just… free…"
"He isn't. Today morning after your relay practice he was holding his hand out, expecting you to pull him out of the pool. You should have seen his face when he realized that you weren't there. He looked like a kicked puppy."
A spasm of regret crossed Makoto's face, but Rin also noted that he was blushing.
"You baby him around too much," Rin continued, and Makoto couldn't help but notice the slight bitter note that colored his voice, and the dark look in his eyes. Makoto recognized it immediately, only because it mirrored his own emotions, emotions he had kept bottled up for years and had only recently allowed himself to admit.
"Rin, are you… jealous?"
"What the fuck?" Rin glared at him, eyes flashing. "Why the hell would I be jealous of him? Or you? Either of you?!"
"Of - him - wait - what?" Makoto shook his head, confused. Rin's statement really hadn't gone with his train of thought. He had expected for Rin to be jealous of Makoto's closeness to Haru and wanted Makoto to back off so that he could get closer to Haru. He voiced this opinion and Rin stared at him as if he had sprouted a second head.
"Are you fucking senile?"
"Then what?"
"Why would I want Haru to myself?" Rin spat out. "I'm not as patient as you, I don't think I could stand him for long periods of time. He'd make we want to drown him."
"You don't mean that, Rin, you - "
"Look, I know I fucked up okay, with Australia and everything. But the fact remains that even if I had stayed here, I would have still been the outsider, the third wheel. It was like that in elementary school too, you and Haru have always been inseparable, you'll have shared this creepy, mind-reading bond, you behave like a married couple, and I've accepted that, okay! But you don't need to rub it into everyone's faces, and - " Comprehension dawned on Makoto as he listen to Rin's rambling, which definitely held undertones of envy, whether Rin would admit it or not. " - whatever you want, I don't care, and I'm definitely not jealous."
"Alright," Makoto conceded, seeing that Rin wasn't going to admit it. "You know, Rin…"
"What now?"
"I - I was jealous, actually," Makoto finally said. "Of you."
Rin stared at him incredulously. "...why?"
"Because of what you and Haru have…" Makoto mumbled, warmth seeping into his cheeks; it was painful to admit it, least of all to Rin, but he figured since Rin had practically almost-confessed his jealousy, Makoto may as well get his issue off his chest.
"We're rivals." Rin narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me that's the reason you're upset!"
"Just part of it," Makoto mumbled and Rin facepalmed.
"We're both idiots, aren't we," he muttered. "Jealous for the stupidest reasons ever."
"It's not stupid," Makoto insisted. "You and Haru have this epic rivalry going on, and when you swim, it's always all about one another. I just - I don't know where I fit in."
"Always all about beating one another," Rin corrected. "And maybe it was like that, yeah, but not anymore. I don't know about Haru, but I definitely have a ton of other reasons why I swim now. I still don't see why this makes you jealous? We're just rivals."
"Isn't there something more to it?" Makoto pressed, and Rin shook his head, looking confused. Seeing that Makoto still looked uneasy, Rin sighed.
"Look, I'll admit, when it comes to swimming, Haru is pretty damn awesome. And he's kind of considered the goal for a lot of people, at least when it comes to freestyle. I'm pretty sure Sousuke considers him a rival too, and I don't think the pair of them have ever exchanged a word. As for me, yeah, I like having someone who actually measures up to me, someone who pushes me to do better."
"I think Haru feels the same way," Makoto said quietly.
Rin shrugged. "He probably does. Nothing wrong with healthy competition. But sometimes it gets frustrating too, you know. Sometimes I wish that Haru would just swim another damn stroke or be in another heat or prefecture… or another region altogether." Makoto looked shocked, and Rin quickly amended, " - but of course he's my friend, so I wouldn't actually want anything like that to happen."
"Okay…"
"I still don't get what you're so damn depressed about," Rin snapped. "Not everyone needs a rival, you know! And some people aren't even rival-material!"
"What - what's that supposed to mean?" Makoto looked slightly hurt. "Are you saying I'm not good enough to be your - or Haru's rival?"
"No, nothing like that," Rin waved him off. "Well… you don't specialize in the same stroke as we do, but that's hardly the case. It's your personality."
"...what does that even mean?"
"It's easy to compete with Haru because sometimes I just want to rile him up enough to make him lose that calm expression of his. It pisses me off how he always acts like he doesn't give a shit, and I know I sound like an asshole, but I'd probably derive some sadistic pleasure from seeing him at least a bit annoyed or worked up."
"Um, okay…"
"But I don't think I could do that with you…" Rin trailed off, considering it, before decidedly shaking his head. "No way. Not you."
"What's wrong with me?"
"You're too damned nice, that's the problem," Rin said. "Even I would feel bad goading you or taunting you. And I wouldn't want to piss you off because I would feel really guilty about it later. Also your face is generally less annoying than Haru's because you actually emote, so I would be less inclined to rile you up."
"Rin…"
"Having a rival is cool, yeah, but there's a lot of shit that comes with it, a lot of fighting, as you saw before. I don't think you're capable of having that kind of relationship with anyone because you'd just give in to what they want, sacrifice your needs for theirs."
"Do I really do that?" Makoto wondered aloud, and Rin smacked his forehead, yet again.
"You don't even realize it do you? Here, I'll give you an example. Remember when I first joined Iwatobi, what two strokes were you specializing in?"
Makoto scratched his head. "Backstroke, obviously. Oh, and breastroke too."
"Right. You were specializing in breast. And I remember you were the best in our entire grade, you won all the medals too."
"I did, didn't I?"
"When did you give it up?"
"When - shortly before our relay, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, and why was that again?"
"So I could focus on backstroke, and because Nagisa was doing breastroke."
"Okay, and after the relay? You never picked it up again, did you?"
"No…"
"Why not?"
"What is this, a police interrogation?"
"Answer my question, Makoto."
"Well, I enjoyed backstroke, and breaststroke was Nagisa's specialty and I didn't want to - oh." Makoto fell silent, the realization hitting him.
"Didn't want to take away from Nagisa, didn't want to defeat him in all the races, didn't want to come in his way as an obstacle that needed to be overcome," Rin finished for him. "Typical Makoto, really. Now you realize why I said you're not exactly rival-material?"
"I - I guess," Makoto muttered. "I was being stupid, wasn't I? About this entire thing?"
"Yeah, you were," Rin agreed.
"I'm surprised at how well you know me after all these years though…"
Rin flushed, but rolled his eyes. "Please. You're easy to read and you haven't changed even a bit."
"Not even a bit?"
"You're taller. And you bulked up. And became more self-sacrificing if that was even possible."
Makoto chuckled. Rin looked rather proud of himself as he flashed his pointed teeth in a grin. "Victory."
Makoto raised his eyebrows, confused, and Rin clarified. "You finally smiled. For real."
"Was I that obvious?"
"Nah, I can just tell. And yeah, you were, that too."
"Ha."
"What? I know you well too, okay," Rin defended. "Remember, in middle school, I was friends with you before I really got close to Haru."
Makoto's eyes crinkled and he smiled reminiscently. "That's true. All three of us were close back then."
"Even now, come to think of it, I actually talk to you more than I talk to him," Rin said. "Though that could be because Haru barely communicates…"
"He thinks things - "
"That doesn't count as communication, Makoto, I don't have mind-reading powers like you do - "
"You figured me out today."
"You're a lot more expressive than Haru."
They lapsed into a comfortable silence, and Rin checked his watch. "Twenty more minutes left till the men's medley relay starts."
"And then a break for lunch," Makoto continued. "And then our relay."
"Samezuka versus Iwatobi. Epic rivalry for you, right there."
"Who would have ever thought that we would be captains of rival swim clubs," Makoto said, laughing.
"What can I say, I bring out the rivalry in people," Rin joked. "Haru didn't give a crap about timings and what not before, but now he clearly does, all that nonsense about not caring is utter bullshit."
"You take credit for that?"
"Yep I do. In fact, I should feel insulted."
"Why?"
"You wanted to swim a race against Haru, but you never challenged me. Tch."
"I thought you said I'm not rival-material?"
"You aren't, but you challenged Haru, my rival, and so for that I feel slighted and think that's it's justified that you challenge me too, so that at least Haru and I are equal."
"No you're being ridiculous," Makoto said, though he was still laughing.
"Hey, Makoto."
"Hm?"
"Nothing I say would convince you to start breast again, right?"
"Why would I? I'm out of practice, and individual events are over. It's my last season swimming too."
"So you - you won't join a swim club in university?"
"I - I haven't really thought about all of that…"
"Ever thought of trying for the Olympics?"
Makoto stared at Rin. "You're joking, right? Isn't that your dream?"
"It is," Rin shrugged, flushing slightly. "But that doesn't mean it wouldn't be nice to have you guys with me."
"There's no way I'm good enough," Makoto protested. "No way!"
"That's what you think," Rin snorted. "You won your race by a decent margin this time - "
"It's just prefecturals - "
"And I know for a fact that out of all Iwatobi members, you practice the least."
"Wha - no - that's not true," Makoto spluttered at the accusation.
"Yes it is." Rin sighed. "I've seen you at joint practice. You're always so focused on timing Haru and Nagisa and Rei and helping them out. You spend half as much time on improving your own times and stroke as you could."
"That's not true," Makoto said, but Rin looked at him pointedly and he backtracked. "Well - I - I like helping everyone out, and it's fun doing things as a team! And I practiced enough to win my race!"
"Exactly, so imagine how good you would have been if you had actually practiced more seriously and focused on just yourself, like I did."
"Huh - "
"I have to train thrice as much as you do to develop muscle the way you can. Sousuke said that out of me, you and Haru, you have the body type most suited for the Olympics."
"Rin…" Makoto said sadly. "I really don't think Olympics is even a question here."
"Fine, it may not be," Rin said. "But it annoys me sometimes to see your wasted potential. You're almost as bad as Haru in that regard."
"I'm trying, you know," Makoto said, looking heart. "I even tried for the freestyle this year - "
"200 meter freestyle," Rin pointed out. "When you know that you're built for speed and not stamina."
"Well 100 was kind of yours and Haru's thing and I wouldn't be fast enough - "
"No, don't you get it!" Rin cried. "Look, Haru actually swam his very best during that race, okay. I could tell! It bothered him probably, having to go against you, but he still did. And still, he only managed to catch up and beat you in the last 25 meters."
"Well I'm sure that was his strategy all along. The end of a race is what matters most," Makoto said, shrugging. "There's no way I could beat Haru at freestyle."
"I won't lie, I kind of really wanted you to," Rin said. "Just to see the look on his face. And yours. But then if you beat Haru and Haru beat me… that would kind of suck for me. So I guess I'm glad he won."
"Okay…?"
"But that's not the point! You stayed ahead of him for just about over three fourths of the race, and he only overtook you towards the middle of the last lap! And you wouldn't have fallen behind if you hadn't slowed down so much in the last forty meters or so!"
"Your point?"
"Stamina," Rin said. "You lack the stamina! If you'd just done some stamina building, there's a chance you could have actually come closer to beating Haru in that race!"
"Why do you want me to beat him so badly now?"
"I don't, I'm just saying it for your sake! You're strong, and fast, but your swimming style is so powerful that it uses up a lot of energy, so if you want to maintain speed over a long distance, you need to build up your stamina. Go running, and shit."
"I go for runs along the beach with Haru - "
"Makoto, please."
"What?"
"Runs with Haru don't count."
"Why not?!"
"Because Haru, on land at least, is slow as fuck. And knowing you, you probably lower your pace so that you can keep up with him."
"...how do you know that?"
"You were faster than me back in middle school and Haru never even qualified for any of the track races. Plus, I've gone jogging with Haru, once. Never again though."
"Why not?"
"He's a fucking tortoise. When I told him to speed up he gave me some crap about how he didn't care about his speed - not like he could have sped up even if he wanted to."
"That's mean."
"What's meaner is that I left him then, and ran ahead."
"Rin!" Makoto looked scandalized. "How could you do that?"
"It was that time, after I slept over at his place," Rin said, before adding accusingly. "You ditched."
"Ah, yeah," Makoto nodded, remembering. "My parents were out for an anniversary trip so Ren and Ran were alone. I had to go back and babysit."
"Anyways, back to my point. You should work on building stamina before regionals."
"Regionals… yeah… okay..."
"What?! I'm serious! Also, um, one more thing, kind of urgent actually," Rin said, checking his watch. "Please don't kill me."
"What did you do?"
"You have a race in ten minutes."
"What? Has the relay been preponed?!"
"No, actually…" Rin smirked at Makoto, leaning forward and slinging an arm around his shoulder. "You're participating in the 200 m individual medley relay."
"What?!"
Haru ran through the corridors, panting slightly. He had searched for ten minutes, but to no avail. Makoto was nowhere to be found, and was definitely taking a long time for someone just getting drinks.
I hope he's okay.
He stopped suddenly, hearing a familiar, teasing voice. Rin's. Haru walked in the direction of Rin's voice - perhaps Rin could help him search for Makoto - and then froze, as another voice filled the air; familiar and warm.
Makoto.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Haru walked ahead, peering around the corner. Rin and Makoto were there, sitting on a wooden bench, and Rin had his arm around Makoto's shoulders. Makoto looked rather flustered about something, and Rin was laughing. And then Makoto said something - Haru was too far away to make out exactly what - and Rin looked shocked, and then Makoto started laughing.
He was laughing.
A part of Haru felt relieved that at least Makoto seemed happy now, that he seemed okay. A part of him was glad to see Makoto laughing.
But the other part - the ugly part that had made him feel like giving up on quitting swimming after he'd made Rin cry - felt like it had been punched in the gut.
Haru didn't know why he felt so uncomfortable looking at the scene in front of him. Rin had always been casual with touching, friendly, and there was nothing more to it. He was just like that, very outgoing, and Makoto was the same, though to a lesser degree. It was good that at least Rin had managed to make Makoto smile and laugh normally, because Haru couldn't.
And that was the problem. Rin had cheered Makoto up, and Haru couldn't do anything. Rin was sitting and laughing with Makoto, the very same Makoto who had barely spoken to Haru since their race.
What did I do wrong, Haru wondered, panic overtaking him. Rin's words echoed in his head.
Is Makoto actually upset that you beat him yesterday.
It can't be that though, Haru told himself, it has to be something else, Makoto isn't that selfish, he isn't that shallow…
He wondered why he suddenly felt an urge to sock Rin right in his smirking, laughing face. He'd never been prone to such violent thoughts, and their rivalry had never affected him in such a way before.
Could I be… jealous?
Haru hated competing in general, but Rin usually ended up dragging him into it; and eventually Haru realized that he didn't mind competing with Rin.
But not over Makoto.
Haru didn't want to compete with anyone over Makoto.
Suddenly, Rin stood up, dragging a rather reluctant-looking Makoto by the arm. Not wanting to seem like an eavesdropper, Haru quickly stepped into a side corridor, waiting for them to pass, before taking another route back up to the bleachers.
"Wait - you - what?!"
Rin grinned. "Thank me later. Let's go, you have a relay to swim!"
"Rin - how did you even do that! You're not in Iwatobi!"
"Makoto, please, Gou's my sister."
"She betrayed us!"
"She likes me more, clearly," Rin boasted. "Anyways. Individual medley relay starting in… eight minutes. Let's go!"
"I can't swim individual medley!" Makoto moaned, looking flustered. "It's impossible!"
"You can, actually," Rin said. "You have a better chance than anyone at winning it. You're the fastest at back, you'll kill breast if you actually swim it - "
"I haven't swum breast competitively in years - "
"Doesn't mean you've forgotten how to swim it - "
"What, no, it doesn't work like that Rin!"
"Your front crawl is really good, not as fast as me or Haru, but better than more than half the guys who entered the freestyle. Plus your form is impressive."
"There's a big problem though, in case you forgot," Makoto cried, flailing. "The butterfly!"
"Yeah I thought about that," Rin said coolly. "And decided your strategy should be to just wing it."
"Rin! I can't just go and wing it during a competitive race!"
"Rei winged it last year..."
"He didn't, he had trained very hard for that!"
"He was still an amateur. Still kind of is. I mean, come on, if Rei, after just over a year of swimming, could come first in his heat, clearly those morons swimming butterfly aren't doing it right."
"Rei's improved drastically - "
"I know, I know, guess who trained him?"
"Oh yeah, you did, right? I guess we should thank you…"
"You're not surprised?! Did he tell you?"
"No, we kind of found out actually. We saw you guys."
"What?! At night? How?!"
"Long story, blame Nagisa… but still, I can't swim butter, Rin, I can't! It's the hardest stroke and I have no idea how to do the form."
"Everyone learned butter at Iwatobi," Rin said, before adding as an afterthought. "Except Haru. Because he only swam free and all that jazz."
"It was my worst stroke so I gave up on it!"
"Well ungive up on it now, because you're swimming it! And I bet your worst is still better than some people's best."
"You just want to see me humiliate myself in your stroke," Makoto cried.
Rin smirked. "I promise I won't laugh."
"Rin!"
"That wasn't my intention, I swear. Makoto, you actually have a chance at this!" Rin removed his arm from around Makoto to grip his shoulders instead. "I'm serious. You're really strong at three of the four strokes, and your back will more than make up for your butterfly!"
"I don't even have the stamina to finish 200 m properly!"
"Yeah, I saw that last race. Idiot. Just pace yourself properly this time, don't waste all your energy in the first three laps. Well actually, given the first lap is backstroke, you may as well get a good lead to start off with."
"Is there any way I can forfeit?" Makoto asked, hanging his head.
"As the Iwatobi captain? You'll disgrace your club."
"...you're really evil, you know."
"Hey, I'm doing this for your sake."
"Fine," Makoto relented. "I'll enter the relay. On one condition though."
"Shoot."
"You enter it with me."
"Wh - what?!" Rin let go of his shoulders immediately, as if stung. "You're kidding, right."
"I'm dead serious." Makoto's green eyes had an odd glint to them. "If I'm about to humiliate myself like this… well, I don't want to be swimming alone. Besides, you specialize in two of the four, and you've definitely learned breast and back, I've seen you swim them."
"Yes, and you probably remember what a disaster my back was," Rin said, going red at the memory. "I couldn't even go straight."
"I remember," Makoto laughed. "You kept hitting all the other swimmers. Don't worry though, you'll realize if you hit the divider between your lanes."
"My breast looks more like a doggy paddle!"
"You exaggerate, your breast was decent back in the days."
"I'm not doing it, Makoto!"
"Consider it training for the Olympics."
"What the hell?!"
"Or a challenge. Consider it a challenge, from me. Weren't you the one whining about how I challenged Haru and not you? Well, here you go."
"I was wrong about you," Rin muttered. "I thought you were an angel, but you're evil Makoto, you're manipulative and evil."
"You're one to talk! I still say it's not too late to forfeit."
"Like hell you'll forfeit!" Rin stood up, yanking on Makoto's arm. "Let's go!"
"What did I ever do to deserve this?"
"Consider this my way of repayment for that voice message you left a year ago, telling me to join the Samezuka swim team."
"Ah, you got that, didn't you?"
"Yeah. I had already made up my mind to join though."
"I did that for your sake though!"
"And I'm doing this for your sake. Thank me later."
"Onii-chan! Makoto-senpai!" Kou cried out in relief, when the pair arrived, still bickering. "Where have you been?! Makoto-senpai's race starts in five minutes!"
"Race?" Nagisa asked bemused. "What race?"
"The individual medley relay!" Kou announced. "I know it's last minute, but he's decided to take part!"
"Really?" Rei considered this. "I suppose that is plausible given Makoto's senpai's mastery of 50% of the strokes. However, senpai, I wasn't aware that you were practiced in the beautiful stroke that is the butterfly. Or breast."
"Mako-chan's actually really good at breaststroke," Nagisa piped up. "Or he used to be, till he quit. Why did you quit breaststroke by the way, Mako-chan?"
"He didn't want to double specialize," Rin responded quickly. "And Rei, in response to your question, he isn't. Makoto fails at butterfly."
"So then why are you entering?" Rei looked at Makoto, aghast.
"More like being forced to enter," Makoto said, glancing over at Rin.
"Rin forced you to enter an individual relay?" Haru finally spoke, his blue eyes piercing as his glance darted from Makoto to Rin and back. "Why?"
"In my defense, he forced me back," was Rin's reply.
"What?!" Kou shrieked. "Onii-chan, don't tell me you're entering it too!"
"He definitely is," Makoto said grimly. "I just had him sign up."
"But onii-chan, your backstroke - "
"Shut up, Gou," Rin snapped. "
"So Rin-chan and Haru-chan are epic rivals, but then yesterday Mako-chan challenged Haru-chan to a race," Nagisa recounted, eyes wide. "And now Rin-chan is making Mako-chan compete against him. It's like a three-way!"
"Don't call it that!" Rin yelped, reddening. "Look - Makoto and I have to go or we're going to miss our race." He yanked Makoto by his jacket. "See you guys later. Be sure to cheer for us."
"I'm going to be a laughingstock," Rin grumbled, as he and Makoto made their way to the pool. "I can't believe I agreed to this."
"Same here," Makoto said.
"Still, the first lap is back, so at least you'll start off looking good. Me, people are going to think I'm a moron!"
"Nobody's going to think that once they see you in the last two laps. Besides, the last two laps count the most, right? That's when I'm going to look like the moron…"
"Isn't it funny that we both suck at each other's main strokes."
"Hm. Maybe we should practice together more often."
"Sounds like a plan. If I don't drown myself out of embarrassment after the first lap. Or worse, bang my head against the wall like that idiot, Momo."
"He did that?" Makoto winced. "Ouch."
"Yeah. Made his best timing and then sank like a rock right after. Moron."
"Just make sure you stretch your arm back and - "
"Damnit, Makoto, now's not the time to lecture me about theory."
"I wouldn't mind some quick pointers for butterfly."
"Just - kind of let yourself go. Let your body be free."
"Great advice. You sound like Haru."
"Oi! I resent that!"
"You know, I don't think we're actually going to be swimming together for much of this race."
"You're right. You'll be way ahead for the first half, and once I catch up, I'll pull ahead of you almost immediately."
"If you catch up."
"Hah. Are you challenging me, Makoto?"
"What if I am?"
Rin pulled on the back strap of his goggles, snapping them against the back of his head. "I'll show you!"
They lined up at their respective lanes - adjoining ones - and were about to jump into the water, when a new voice greeted them. "Rin. Tachibana. I wasn't aware I had competition in this race."
Rin spun around. "Sousuke?! You - you're - "
"Wow, Rin, thanks for telling me about this," Makoto said, unusually sarcastic.
"I swear to God I had no clue," Rin said, before rounding on Sousuke. "You never told me you were taking part in the individual medley! I thought you were sitting out this tournament!"
"Yeah, well." Sousuke rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles. "I got bored." He raised his arms, stretching a bit, muscles rippling, before sliding into the pool. "Good luck. Don't cry if you lose, Rin."
"Oh, shut up!" Rin yelled half-heartedly, before turning to Makoto. "Makoto. Sousuke's actually a beast at all the strokes. We're fucked."
"I figured that out," Makoto said grimly, before his face lightened into a smile. "Oh well. I wasn't really aiming to win anyways. At least you're here with me."
"Yup," Rin nodded. "The fight is between you and me."
"Kind of unfair when you consider that your two specialties are naturally the two fastest strokes."
"Well, you only suck at one of the strokes, whereas I suck at two, so it evens out."
"Alright then," Makoto said amiably. "See you at the finish line?"
Rin winked at him, baring his teeth. "Careful not to get bitten."
tbc...
A/N - I used some things (Makoto and Rin being friends as kids, Makoto previously specializing in breaststroke) from the High Speed manga, so I guess they could be considered canon.
I really think this should happen. Makoto deserves loving. And MakoRin bromance is a thing.
Sorry if this didn't have enough MakoHaru for you! The next chapter will feature BOTH the relays, plus a MakoHaru reconciliation, yet!
In case you can't wait, I wrote another short MakoHaru thing. It's on my profile, check out the fic 'Why do you swim?'; I tried to keep that one in tone with the anime (even the dialogues I thought of in Japanese and then translated) so it's not quite as free-flowing as this one. But it has MakoHaru hurt/comfort fluff which will hopefully alleviate some of the angst!
Anyways, see you next water time! :D
