AN: Fem!Haru x Makoto needs more love. What a simple piece of fanart can inspire.
Summary: Haruka wanted nothing more than to reach her boyfriend's height.
Just Like You
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"Stop growing"
A simple yet firm statement.
"Stop getting so tall"
Irritable pouting lips whispered.
"You're too tall"
A sigh escaped her lips.
Haruka stared silently at him, he had nervously chuckled not knowing how to respond. Big sapphire orbs slowly narrowed as she watched him awkwardly raise his arm and scratch the back of his neck. "Makoto, this is an order" she finished off, crossing her arms over her wet swimsuit.
Makoto nervously gulped, running his fingers through his olive green hair, "I'm sorry, Haru-chan. This is something I can't control" he gently rubbed her crossed arms, trying to warm her up as he leaned in and kissed her cheek. "You better hurry up and dry off before you catch a cold"
Haruka frowned making Makoto's natural smile falter when she walked away without another word. He sighed and waited for her as he walked back and forth thinking about why she was so persistent in not wanting him to get any taller. He was a guy, and he was fourteen years old, it was only natural for him to eventually surpass Haruka in height. He wouldn't admit it in front of her in fear that she might punch him in the arm but he actually enjoyed their height difference very much.
He loved how she looked so tiny when standing side by side next to him. He loved holding her small hand in his big one. He loved leaning down to kiss her and how sometimes she had to tiptoe in order to gain an inch. He loved helping her reach for things that were in high places and how he could playfully tease her whenever he'd take things like her favorite snacks and hold them as high as he could as she would try to jump to reach it. He loved giving her piggyback rides and being able to sneak up on her to give her a kiss on the cheek. He just loved their height difference.
Thirteen year old Haruka felt troubled by their height difference. She was being stubborn, she was aware of it but she couldn't help it when it felt like she just kept shrinking whenever she was next to Makoto. Frowning, she dried off in the swim club's changing room and put on her school uniform. Walking out, she silently took Makoto's hand noticing how big and rough it was but very warm.
She didn't say a word on their way home as Makoto felt bothered and left mentally contemplating whether he should say something or not. Either way, he had no idea what he was going to say. Anything would do really, but he felt stuck in an awkward predicament. Should he apologize for being too tall? Maybe brush it off and tell her that she was just being silly? Makoto gloomily stopped walking and bend his head down.
Halting their walk home midway, Haruka let go of his hand and titled her head, facing him as she opened her mouth to say something but was cut off when Makoto loudly groaned and hastily ran his fingers through his hair.
"I-I-I can't stop growing, Haru-chan! It's impossible!" Makoto's lips trembled as he continued, "I-I-I'm still growing! Dad says I won't stop until I'm in high school!"
Haruka stared at him without saying a word as she took his hand again and lead them up the stone stairs to her house. Entering through the back door, Haruka lead him down the hall and upstairs in a hurry without taking off their shoes. Living alone for a whole year after her grandmother died, Haruka didn't care to make noise as she made her way. She led him straight to her room without saying a word as she gently took Makoto by the shoulders and pushed him against the wall next to her room's door. Taking a marker from her bag, she uncapped it using her teeth as she tiptoed and marked above Makoto's head on the wall.
"Makoto will always be taller than me"
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Every single months over the years since she could remember, Haruka would always mark hers and Makoto's heights onto her bedroom's wall and every month once he was gone, she would sigh and fidget around her house as she slowly got over the annoyance she felt with their height difference.
Haruka – a girl and Makoto – a boy. She knew this, yet every year, she would act stubborn about it.
Makoto grew accustomed to this side of Haruka just like he grew accustomed to better reading her thoughts when she was silent. He knew that she just didn't want to be a burden on anyone. She didn't want to rely on him for everything but no matter how many times he'd told her in the past – he didn't mind, he loved having her rely on him.
Whenever Haruka had her moments and complained about his heights, he'd give her a little white lie. When she asked what his secret to growing so tall was, he simply told her that he had a routine diet of mackerel every day.
This of course had back fired and now Makoto found himself constantly being worried over her health. Making sure that she didn't eat just mackerel and sometimes he'd go against his white lie and discourage her from eating mackerel at all, in fear, whenever he'd read the news about high amounts of mercury poisoning.
Some days, Makoto felt more like a concerned mother than a boyfriend.
They were just kids when they had started dating, the term was taken so lightly back then. From holding hands to just quick pecks on the cheek.
Now a sixteen year old Makoto found himself knocking on a fifteen year old Haruka's bathroom door.
"Haru-chan, I'm coming in" he called.
"I'm naked" she called back.
Makoto knew this was a lie, she was always sitting in her tub with her swimsuit on. Entering the bathroom with his hand covering his face just in case there ever came a day when she was really telling the truth about being naked; he held his hand on the door knob as he heard Haruka sigh and move the water around as she stood up.
"You can look" she told him as he uncovered his eyes and smiled warmly at her.
Offering her, his hand, she took it and wrapped her blue towel around her waist. Makoto helped to dry her off as she rolled her eyes and frowned when he had to lean in.
Not saying anything, she took Makoto's hand and took him into her room as he blushed, forgetting that it was the first of the month. Gently pushing him against the wall, Haruka took a marker and marked his height on the ever growing line mark list of heights over the years.
"Makoto's grown an inch taller since last month"
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The first of the month was no different than it was every first of the month during the spring. The cherry blossom trees were in full bloom outside as they rained pink petals on everything in their path. The birds chirped happily outside in the cool breeze. The stray cats lounged around the stone steps and slept the day away.
Inside the house that was located just past the first torii gates, inside the house of one seventeen year old girl's house where she's lived alone in since she was twelve – the day had started off normal and it would have continued in its normal bliss if it weren't for the soft moans that escaped her lips.
Haruka sat in her small tub enjoying the water longer than she would normally be given. Makoto was running late when he over slept and his mom was too busy getting his kid siblings ready for school letting him sleep in for a bit longer. Freaking out and jumping out of bed, he quickly hurried and got ready for school. Haruka sat in her tub completely relaxed and just waiting for Makoto to get her as she's become accustomed to. She was falling asleep again while she played with her small dolphin when the door to her bathroom was slammed opened. Makoto didn't have time to cover his eyes and be considerate and playful as he usually would be.
Barging in and panting, he quickly leaned into the tub and pulled Haruka out like a small child. "We have to go!" he quickly yelled as he threw Haruka's towel at her and rushed into her room. Haruka drew the line when he tried to dress her himself. She kicked him out as Makoto tapped his foot and continued to check his phone for the time every thirty seconds.
"Haru-chan, we're going to be late!" he whined as he took a hold of her hand as soon as she opened her bedroom's door and came out.
He didn't give her the chance to quickly mark down his height as she did every first of the month. She sighed and figured that it would have to wait for later and later it did.
After school, once they reached their neighborhood, Makoto was back to his normal self. Relieved that they managed to get their right as the bell rang. Makoto happily went on the rest of the day as Haruka sent him little annoyed glares every chance she could get. She enjoyed the extra time given that morning, allowing her to soak in her small tub but she was mostly bothered by the fact that he had to lean in just to get her out.
A sigh escaped Haruka's lips every so often that Makoto lost count as he titled his head and tried to figure out what was wrong with her. She didn't say anything to him all day and in his rare moments – Makoto was having a hard time reading her thoughts. He was the only one allowed and able to read her but he was finding it to be a challenge that day so he figured that he'd just patiently wait until she'd tell him what was on her mind.
Reaching Haruka's house passing Makoto's, they both took off their shoes at the entrance and then made their way into Haruka's room where she took Makoto by surprise and gently pushed him against the wall. Makoto relaxed when he realized what she was doing and cringed, feeling guilty that he rushed Haruka that morning and didn't give her the chance to quickly mark down his new height.
Haruka held the cap of her marker with her teeth as she finished marking his height and having him mark hers next. Looking at their height difference, she sighed and put the cap back on her marker.
He was the same height as last month, maybe it was a sign of him finally stopping his growth. Maybe now he's reached his permanent height. He said he'd stop in high school and she took that very seriously. He was eighteen and she seventeen, they were third years.
Haruka was off by two and a half inches. Those two and a half inches were such a big deal to her because she never wanted to be a burden to him. She never wanted to rely on him for more than she should rely on him for. She didn't want to shrink and disappear in his presence. She wanted nothing more than to be his equal.
Frowning, she sighed and titled her head as she continued to stare at their height chart that she started when they were about eight years old.
"I want to be just like, Mako-chan"
Makoto heavily sighed, staring at their heights on the wooden panel of the door. His marks were in green while hers were in blue – her favorite color. He knew that she wanted to be his equal but that wasn't physically possible unless she wore heels and she wasn't big on wearing high heels, in fact he's never seen her wear high heels before except for one christmas but even then they weren't very tall.
He didn't care anymore because he wanted to act spoiled for once. He loved their height difference too much and he was sure that he was done growing anymore. It broke his heart to see Haruka so unhappy but the truth hurts sometimes and he didn't know what to do other than shrug and give her a small smile. He knew that she was disappointed since she called him, 'Mako-chan' but that was another thing he wanted to act spoiled about. She was just too cute.
He knew that she would eventually forget about it altogether as the day went on.
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A year passed and they were no longer living in Iwatobi but rather together in Tokyo. As college students, nothing really changed between them. It was a quiet saturday night in, Makoto was in their study room typing up the last of his essay. Pushing his glasses up, he yawned and continued to quickly type to get over his homework and enjoy the rest of the evening in with his longtime girlfriend.
Eighteen year old Haruka was inside the kitchen preparing dinner. Searching for a jar of tomato sauce, she groaned when she saw the glass jar sitting inside the top cabinet. Sighing, she tried to reach for it as she bared her teeth and growled. Rolling her eyes, she knew she had no other choice but to call Makoto.
"Makoto…" she began, biting her bottom lip, she knew she had to stop being stubborn, "I need your help" she called as Makoto clicked the save button on his program, finishing just in time for dinner.
"Coming!" he yelled back as he rolled away from his desk, leaving the computer chair slowly spinning as he made his way out, passing their bedroom he quickly turned off the light forgetting he had left it on.
"What can I help you with?" he smiled at her when she just pointed at the jar of tomato sauce. Eying the jar and the pot filled with cooked pasta on the turned off stove top, he chuckled and swiftly reached for the glass jar inside the top cabinet. Absentmindedly, he had twisted the jar's lid off and opened it for her, hearing Haruka grumble.
"Sorry, Haru-chan" he winced, apologizing knowing that she hated being treated special when it came to simple little things.
"I just want to be like you, Makoto" Haruka mumbled as she held the opened jar of tomato sauce.
Nineteen year old Makoto always found it cute and he would always go along but he didn't care anymore. "I don't want you to be like me"
This caught Haruka off guard as she slowly widened her eyes and stood still, "What?"
"I don't want Haru-chan to be my equal" he simply told her with hard eyes, his emerald eyes like cold stones as his eyes pierced her.
"W-Why?" she managed, gulping, being slightly intimidated by Makoto's serious side.
Taking his black rimmed glasses off, he set them on the counter behind him as he took a step forward towards her. Haruka took a step back and flinched when the cold of the island counter touched her skin. Makoto gently took the jar from her hands and placed it on the counter as far away from her reach behind her as possible.
Hovering over her, Haruka was forced to look up as Makoto slowly warmed up and soften his serious look. "I want Haru-chan to come to me, I want her to rely on me whenever she needs help. I want Haru-chan to ask me to carry her on my back when she gets tried, I want her to let me open jars and doors for her. I want her to let me hold things for her and let me take care of her. I don't want her to get hurt. I want to spoil, Haru-chan. I love our height difference and I wouldn't change it for the world, Haruka"
"Ma-mm" Haruka was silenced by Makoto's firm lips pressed against hers. She shivered when she felt the cold of the island counter touch the back of her knees as Makoto lifted her up and sat her on top.
Deepening the kiss, Haruka ran her fingers through his olive green hair and tugged on it as her legs wrapped around his torso. "T-t-t-the p-pasta" she breathlessly moaned as he moved on to nipping her neck. "I-It c-can wait, just let me s-spoil y-you" Makoto's voice dripped like honey in her ears as she squealed when he picked her up again.
Carrying her bridal style, Makoto made his way to their bedroom. "I want to be just like you, Makoto" she told him as Makoto chuckled, "I won't allow you to. Nope. You have to stay my cute little Haru-chan"
Kissing his cheek, she rolled her eyes and smiled, "I guess I can live with that, my tall handsome Mako-chan"
Closing the door behind him with the back of his foot, he smiled at her and placed her on the bed as she giggled. Crawling up on top of her, he began kissing her again, making her laugh when he kissed her shoulder instead of her lips. It was dark after all.
"Makoto, you're too tall. That's my other shoulder!" she laughed.
"Oops, sorry! You're too short and I can't see anything!" he teased earning him a playful smack on his arm.
The air was cool, the night was quiet, and the dinner sat cold in the kitchen as a small gentle breeze came in from the window as it rolled a green and blue marker off the table onto a large piece of paper where a new height chart laid on the floor with the heights never changing since last year.
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Done!
When I had first started this, it made all the sense in the world to write a fic about their height difference but then I took a break and came back and lost that insane 'genius' spark of an idea but I'm happy that I managed to finish it and finish it on a note that I'm pleased with.
I love Uke!Haruka just as much as Tsundere!Haruka and in this fic, she's definitely a cute stubborn tsundere. Makoto is a sweet guy so he played along but enough is enough! He had to tell her that he simply does not care because he loves Haru-chan either way.
Anyways I don't really have much to say other than that! There will definitely be more Fem!Haru fics in the near future as well as regular male/shonen-ai MakoHaru fics!
Remember to R&R! Plz & Thankies! :]
I don't own Haruka Nanase or Makoto Tachibana – FREE! is owned by Kyoto Animation.
I just own the idea/plot/story/whatever you want to call it~ lol :P
