Hello everyone! This is my first Free! fanfiction so please enjoy it.
This idea came to me from seeing Haruka's love for water and pools. He must love rain too, shouldn't he?
I do not own Free! (Though, I wish I did!)
Raindrops
Sunshine was pure. It was warm, sending tingles through your skin. The way the soft, hazy glow of sunlight, dipped below the houses; and seemed to set the ocean on fire with red, orange, and pink hues. Everyone liked the sunshine.
But even then, Haruka was more interested in the rain.
XxXxX
"Haruka-senpai, wait for a minute!" Gou called after him. It was a typical Wednesday afternoon, and similarly, another typical swim practise for the iwatobi swim club. Haruka was famous for jumping into the pool before their manager, Gou, even gave them their training regimen of the day.
Today was no exception.
The girl squatted down by the pool's edge to meet him when he came back from his quick lap across the pool. "Mou, Haruka-sempai, you have to listen to me sometimes!"
He said nothing, but sighed. His hair was dripping water into his eyes, so he shook it out like usual, and climbed out of the pool. Once all 4 boys had gathered she spoke matter-of-factly, "Alright boys, the prefectural tournament is coming up soon! You've got to work even harder!" She sauntered over to her clipboard hung by the pool and ripped off another countdown page, "Only a few days left!"
"You're still doing that, Gou-chan?" Nagisa asked curiously.
"It's Kou!" She reminded exasperatedly. Taking a deep breath and regaining her composure, she said, "So, here's the regimen for today!" She held up another sheet of paper, "Read it, learn it, practise it, ace it! Now go!"
With that instruction, Haruka dived into the pool to begin practise, obviously with no hesitation. Gou sighed once again, wondering how she had come to be acquainted with such people. Makoto laughed from beside her, "It's okay Gou-chan, that's just how Haru is."
She didn't even bother to correct him with her name. "I guess so," She replied. Above them, the clouds began to gather, "You guys better get a move on, it looks like it's going to rain today."
"Looks that way, doesn't it?" Makoto said, before joining the others in the pool.
XxXxX
"Haru-chan, it's about time to get out of the pool now, don't you think?"
The raven-head was the only one left in the pool. Nagisa and Rei had headed for the change room, Gou and Amakata-sensei already on their way home. Haruka further emerged himself in the water before accepting the hand Makoto held out to him and climbing out of the pool. "Lay of the '-chan' already," He muttered under his breath, flipping his hair once again.
Makoto laughed lightly, before the two boys began walking toward the change room, "We'd better hurry, it's going to rain. Did you bring an umbrella?"
Haruka shook his head, "No."
"You like the rain, don't you?"
"..."
"I still think you should've brought an umbrella, no matter how much you love water."
XxXxX
On the way home, it began to rain. Makoto had shared his umbrella with Haruka, even though he had kept refusing and didn't want it. "You'll catch a cold if you walk in the rain Haru," His friend had insisted, "Please."
So, Haruka had let him. Though, he was persistent in walking the rest of the way home without an umbrella once reaching Makoto's house. Though it was obvious Makoto didn't agree with his choice, he knew there was no way to persuade Haruka's mind.
The rain was light, not particularly stormy, though not just a drizzle. His hair was still wet from swimming, so that didn't matter to him much. His uniform was soaked now, his white shirt turning almost transparent and sticking to his skin. The raindrops danced along his arms, like a child's small fingers trying to tickle him. Water began to trickle down his face, as his hair continued to drip water into his blue eyes. He could feel the slightest hint of chlorine from the pool, but it was diluted greatly from the pure rain water.
As he continued to walk, the rain began to fall down harder. It splashed against his ankles as he walked, and the thunderous roar of the raindrops hitting the pavement was the only thing he heard. And for a moment, it felt like he was completely submerged. Looking up to the sky, with raindrops hitting his neck, he smiled. It was a soft, little smile, which usually went unnoticed. But that was a step for Haruka, who seemed like he didn't have emotion.
Finally arriving home, he kicked off his wet shoes, and sauntered into his linen room for a towel. His clothes were dripping water everywhere, and he eventually peeled them off to change. Toweling off his hair, wearing fresh clothes, while tossing his uniform in the dryer; he listened to the rain, beating against the house's rooftop. It was a sound he really did like. It was the perfect lullaby, and followed the beat of his heart.
Yawning, the teenager sat down on his bed, still toweling off his wet hair. But the sound of the rain, the water, was so soothing. Before he knew it, he had fell fast asleep, his hair still wet, sticking to his forehead. That little smile still on his face.
XxXxX
"Haru! Are you there?" Makoto called, knocking on his door. Not receiving an answer from him, Makoto pushed the door open, mumbling a polite "excuse me". He noted Haruka's shoes, tossed to the side of the foyer, followed by a trail of water droplets.
This puzzled the olive-haired boy, and he continued to follow it. "Haru, where are you?" Makoto called again, following the trail of water into the linen closet. It lead him to the laundry room, where he saw Haruka's wet clothes stuffed in the dryer. It seemed he hadn't turned it on.
Makoto sighed, before turning the machine on himself. Possibly Haruka was in the bath again, and wasn't responding, again. So he walked in, surprised to see the bathtub empty, and even more strangely, bone dry. "Just where is he?" Makoto muttered, beginning to feel impatient. And finally, he checked Haruka's bedroom, just to find the boy asleep. His hair stuck up from drying while he tossed and turned, and Haruka wasn't even in his bed. He was just on top of it. The towel he was using had fallen to the floor. Bending over to pick it up, Makoto saw the serene look on Haruka's face. However, he also noted his flushed cheeks and eventually laid a hand on his forehead.
Hot.
And Haruka began to stir, his crystal blue eyes opening blearily, seeing his best friend come into focus. "Makoto?" He murmured, before a cough fit came upon him.
In turn, Makoto just sighed, before handing him a tissue from his pocket, "I told you not to walk in the rain."
He received no answer, just a few sniffles into the tissue.
"I like the rain," Haruka said finally.
"But now you're sick."
"... Urusai."
The End.
And that's it! I hope you liked it!
I would love to see what you guys think, so please leave me a review and tell me!
xoxo
~Mikashi-chan :)