A/N: This fic was written for the MakoHaru Flash Bang 2018 as part of a collaboration with paribean on Tumblr! You can find it on her blog and on the makoharubigbang blog.

As you can probably guess from the description, there are mentions of minor injury and also tiny mentions of blood, but it's really nothing too graphic so it shouldn't be a problem even if you're a bit squeamish.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy! ^^

"Go, Tachibana!"

"You can do it!"

"Tachibana-kun!"

The voices echoing around annoyed him immensely, because they were calling out for all the wrong reasons. Some high-pitched, raised an octave above their normal tone and squealing just to catch Makoto's attention. Others guttural, yelling not to genuinely encourage him, but with the sole intent of wanting to win. Hearing it filled Haruka with the odd desire to drown out every other voice, so his would be the only one to reach Makoto's ears, because he believed it to be the sincerest. "Makoto!"

Cheering Makoto on was something that Haruka had grown to be an expert in. During countless of races throughout the years, he had made sure that his unwavering support would sound out through the venue, whether he was on the bleachers, or waiting in line for his turn in the relay as Makoto's powerful backstroke propelled him through the water and left everyone behind. Even if he couldn't hear it, Haruka was sure that he would be able to feel it resonating within his heart. This time was no different.

What was different this time around was that Makoto wasn't in the pool, nor was he the one giving the team a headstart in this relay; he was the anchor who would run their team to victory, chosen specifically because he was the fastest and fittest boy in their class. He was quickly overtaking his opponents, and Haruka could tell that Makoto was giving it his all like he always did. Because he didn't want to disappoint his classmates, prove to them that giving him the most important role in the race wasn't the wrong decision. Because he wanted to make them proud.

While Haruka was always proud of him regardless, he couldn't help but want to contribute to Makoto's success. Unlike with medley relays, he was now supporting him from the sidelines; after seeing his performance at the club versus club race at the start of the year, their class had easily determined they didn't want Haruka anywhere near the track-events of this sports festival. They wanted to win, after all. That just meant that he had to make his voice count from here.

"Makoto!"

Only a few meters left until the finish line and Makoto was in first place. It seemed like there was nothing that could take away his victory now and their class was already cheering.

But then Makoto's right foot twisted awkwardly beneath his weight, making him trip forward and sending the baton in his hand flying. He was barely able to catch himself on his hands and knees, but when he tried to get back up, he fell again.

Instantly, the entire race was forgotten as Haruka's eyes widened in shock and worry. "Makoto!"

He rushed over to Makoto's side, and he wasn't the only one. When he crouched down beside him, Haruka noticed that people were swarming around them, students and teachers alike.

"Tachibana-kun, are you okay?"

Numerous similar questions were shot at him, and Makoto looked up with his sunny smile as he gently rubbed his ankle, but he wasn't able to conceal the pain in his eyes - at least, not to Haruka. "I'm alright, I think I just sprained my ankle, that's all. Sorry!"

After hurting himself pretty badly, the idiot was now apologising for losing the race, of all things. That truly showed just how kind he was and Haruka huffed in a mixture of exasperation and fondness. "Don't apologise. I'll take you to the infirmary."

"I'll help!"

"Me too!"

Haruka immediately shook his head at the shouted offers. "It's fine, I got him."

Hearing the underlying bite of dismissal in his tone, Amakata-sensei cleared her throat and spoke up before the other students could protest. "Let Nanase-kun handle it. Otherwise you'll all miss the closing ceremony."

The crowd quickly dissipated after that, but not without some students voicing wishes for Makoto's quick recovery. He thanked them all with his default smile as Haruka helped him up and slung his arm around his shoulder, his own wrapping around Makoto's waist.

Slowly they stumbled towards the school together, but it wasn't long before Makoto stopped in his tracks. "Haru? The nurse has a first-aid tent outside…?"

"You need an ice pack for your ankle to minimise the swelling and she probably doesn't have those outside."

It was obviously a lie, but the meaning hidden within his reasoning didn't get lost on Makoto: all of the attention he had received had gotten on Haruka's nerves and he wanted to be alone with him for a moment. So he simply smiled as he skipped along, trying his best not to lean too much of his weight on Haruka.

"This isn't going to work," Haruka admitted after a couple more meters. Makoto was putting too much strain on his ankle and he didn't like the way Makoto's arm around his shoulder reminded him of last summer; of a cold, limp body and weak breathing. Of fear and desperation. He let go of Makoto's arm and crouched in front of him. "Here."

"…Are you sure?" Makoto questioned with furrowed eyebrows, "You know I'm heavy-"

"Just come on already," Haruka cut off, the finality in his words showing there was no room for discussion.

Makoto sighed in defeat and wrapped his arms around Haruka's neck, muscles flexing as Haruka grasped his bare thighs and lifted him off the ground. Haruka wobbled a bit as he straightened his back, but he soon recovered and continued to walk.

Haruka's determination was honestly adorable; Makoto could vividly remember the last time he gave him a piggyback ride like this. They were eight, maybe nine, and he had tripped over his untied shoelaces as they were running home; they had completely forgotten the time as they were playing and it was already five minutes past their curfew. His knees were bleeding pretty badly but he didn't want to cry, and Haruka had offered to carry him home. "Thanks, Haru-chan, you're my saviour," he had said, which made Haruka's face turn as red as a fire hydrant.

It was funny how that was still true, even today.

When they arrived at the infirmary in one piece, Haruka gently put Makoto down on one of the beds before he collapsed beside him, panting and wheezing.

"You shouldn't have carried me, Haru," Makoto scolded in disapproval, "You're always complaining about how heavy I am and how I'll crush you with my weight-"

"But I did it," Haruka objected, pulling himself from the mattress and sitting upright next to him. "It's not like I couldn't do it, so I don't see the problem."

Another fond sigh escaped Makoto's lips when he realised what was actually going on. Since Makoto had gotten so much bigger and broader than Haruka, he wanted to prove both to him and to himself that their size difference didn't mean that he couldn't carry or protect him anymore. Haruka really was too cute.

With his right hand Makoto grabbed Haruka's and intertwined their fingers, his left coming up to lovingly cradle Haruka's cheek. "Well, thank you, Haru," he murmured, voice dyed in mild teasing and heartfelt sincerity, and he closed the distance between them to capture Haruka's lips in a tender kiss.

Haruka shut his eyes and hummed into the kiss, tension evaporating at the reassuring touch and his free hand found Makoto's knee, lightly caressing his skin. The contact lasted much too briefly for Haruka's liking, but he couldn't protest as he felt Makoto's forehead against his. Eyelids fluttered open and he was greeted by shimmering green as Makoto met his gaze and nudged his nose with his in affection.

His breath was warm against Haruka's lips as he whispered, "After all these years, you're still my saviour."

Heat rose to Haruka's cheeks with a single heartbeat when he processed those words. He abruptly pulled away and got up, walking off in utter silence.

"Haru?"

"Ice."

That excuse for his flurry of overwhelming feelings made Makoto chuckle, thinking that Haruka might as well grab some to cool his blazing cheeks while he was ahead.

"Are you going to carry me home too?" Makoto teased as Haruka took off his sneaker and sock, hissing when he suddenly pushed the cold compress against his pulsating ankle.

"Shut up."

Embarrassment was written all over Haruka's face, which made Makoto giggle once more. He earnestly replied, "I love you too."

Almost inaudibly and while avoiding all eye-contact, Haruka grumbled under his breath, "Love you too."

That just made Makoto laugh harder, interrupted by a fierce and startled yelp of "Haru!" when Haruka pressed the ice pack against his thigh in revenge, smirk adorning his features.

"Serves you right."

Again, Makoto could only smile. He might have lost the relay and had to watch how victory was stolen from his grasp, but he couldn't mind it, not when he had long since won the greatest prize he could ever wish for: Haruka's heart.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

This was the first (flash)bang I've ever participated in and it was a lot of fun, though I must say that it was hard to keep the word count below the maximum allowed. When I signed up, I misread the instructions and thought the maximum word count was 5k instead of 1.5k. When I reread the rules after signing up, I felt pretty stupid, haha. I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it, but I'm glad I pulled through because it was a fun challenge. So I hope you all liked it too.

As always, you can find me over on Tumblr, Twitter and Curious Cat at DatHeetJoella for more MakoHaru content between fic posts and updates.

Thank you for reading, I hope to see you all again in the future and for now, I wish you a lovely day! ^^