I don't like to read the synopsis of shows (esp. anime) before I watch them, and in the first episode, I seriously thought (and am still half-believeing) that this AU headcanon thingy was true. Enjoy and thanks for reading!
When you're ten, they call you a prodigy.
Haruka still had the boxes of trophies and medals, stuffed into the back of his closet, to prove it. It had taken a bit of skill to maneuver the cardboard obscenity into a place where it wouldn't catch his eye every day when he picked out his uniform. Not that it helped, of course- he knew it was there, weighing on his conscious.
He'd been somewhat of a mystery to his coaches and friends back then; a boy who didn't care about his time but nonetheless never lost. They'd stopped asking over time, knowing that he'd never bother to give an answer. Haruka wanted to tell them, but how do you possibly explain to the most human group of people on this earth that it didn't matter how fast he was? That even his "sprint" during races and meets was holding back to the point where it almost hurt?
At first, he wasn't even able to explain it himself. When he was thirteen he'd stayed after practice, hiding behind the lockers as Coach Sasabe left the building for the evening, to test it for himself. There was a whole hour before the older group would even start showing up for their practice- he had the center, and, most importantly, the pool, all to himself.
That was the first time he'd swam absolutely freely- no restraints, no one watching, just him and the water. He'd made sure to click a stopwatch before diving in, and, despite clearing his mind of anything but swimming, he carefully kept track of his laps.
He didn't even start to feel fatigue until about halfway through. It was a new sensation, really- he'd felt it before while running or playing games on land, but never before in the water. By the time the 400 was finished, he was actually breathing hard, no pretending necessary. It felt amazing; his muscles were burning, his heart pumping.
He wasn't breathing extremely heavily, of course, despite having not taken a breath of air since beginning the swim. That one still didn't quite make sense- he'd already checked himself for gills (feeling extremely stupid, especially when there were none to be found), and the one time he'd tried to directly inhale water, he coughed and sputtered just like any other normal person. He couldn't explain it; it was as if his need for air was completely dispelled while he was in the water.
He smiled to himself, yanking off his goggles and cap and shaking his hair out before glancing back at the stopwatch.
Haruka's brows furrowed in confusion: he'd placed it right there before diving in-
"H-Haru..." He looked up, eyes wide, at Makoto's equally shocked expression. The green-eyed boy blinked before apparently snapping out of it, and he bent down to offer a hand to his friend in the pool. Haruka took it, grateful, and tried to suppress the usual remorse about exiting the water.
"What are you doing here?"
"You didn't come out; I was waiting for you to, er, walk you home." Makoto blushed, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "But- but Haru, how...?" Seeing Haruka's confused expression, Makoto showed his friend the stopwatch he was grasping tightly in his hand.
2:39.19. For a 400m free. Haruka vaguely recalled Nagisa rambling excitedly about someone setting a new Olympic record the other day for that exact distance: just under 4 minutes. He knew Makoto had heard about the record as well (Nagisa wasn't exactly easy to ignore when he was excited- which was often). A nervous chill settled in the base of his spine.
"Makoto, I..."
"C'mon, Haru, let's go home." The warmth had returned to his bright green eyes. Haruka could only nod. Makoto waited patiently as he grabbed his bag, quickly toweling off and throwing on a shirt and shorts over his swimsuit.
...
He'd never asked Haruka directly, but to be honest, Haruka was pretty sure Makoto had known from the beginning.
When you're fifteen, they say you're a genius.
The water had never felt so hostile in all of his life. When he and Rin had first swam together, Haruka could literally feel the electric pulse undulating as their stroked glided through the pool. Now, the choppy waves of the surface seemed to batter Haru's face, the current dragging him the other way at every possible opportunity. He'd still managed to beat Rin, still had to hold back his true potential, still had to pretend to draw a breath every now and then.
The redhead's tears mixed with the pool water, a part of the boy's essence and spirit leaving his body as he realized that, once again, he'd lost.
How was Haru supposed to tell him that he'd never win, no matter what he did? No matter how hard he trained?
As soon as his eyes met Rin's, Haruka's stomach dropped. He'd known that no outcome of that race would satisfy Rin. How could he have been so stupid, fooling himself into thinking that beating Rin would be a good idea? Three years later, Haru was still regretting the aftermath of the mistake.
...
Genius, indeed.
Once you're twenty, you're just an ordinary person.
The water in his bathtub just wasn't as reassuring as the cool, clear pool water. He'd been lurking here, his head under the water, for the past twenty minutes. It didn't help clear his mind as much as it usually did. If only the tub was big enough for him to extend his legs- he could feel his knees practically crying out from being bent up and stuck remaining above water.
Last he'd checked, there was still a good half hour before he needed to leave for school, but, as always, time passed twice as fast when he was submerged.
"Hey, Haru! C'mon, we're gonna be late!" He could hear Makoto's shout clearly, as if Haurka's head were above the water. Sighing underwater once more, he opened his eyes and sat up, blinking water off of his lashes and grasping Makoto's reassuring hand.
"Rei-chan! We came to visit you~" Nagisa's practically leaped at his bespectacled teammate.
"Nagisa? Haruka? Makoto? What are you-"
"Here, we brought you a gift." Makoto held out the plastic bag with a kind smile.
"Oh, yeah! We have food for you!" Nagisa grabbed the item out of the bag and shoved it into Rei's face. "See? Melon bread!"
"Melon bread." Haruka echoed. Immediately, Nagisa whirled around, the bread still in his hands.
"It's good, I promise! Here, Haruka, try some." The blonde wasted no time in shoving the entire loaf into Haru's mouth (wasn't this supposed to be Rei's gift, anyway?).
Haruka had never been a big fan of melon bread, but this particular loaf was incredibly sticky. He could feel it practically sucking the moisture out of his mouth. He began to cough and sputter as if choking.
"Losing... moisture..." he managed to gasp out. Nagisa chuckled, not really understanding, but Makoto's eyes widened.
"Rei! Quick- get some water for Haruka!" Haru had never realized his body's physical need for water (he'd never really been away from it long enough to test the theory). If something this minor could trigger a reaction of this caliber.
"Here, Haru, drink up." Makoto thrust the large glass at Haru's face, ripping out the loaf of bread, still looking worried. Haru downed the glass in one gulp, gasping like he'd been holding his breath until he was about to burst.
"Are you okay, Haru?" Makoto asked under his breath, being the only one who truly understood the gravity of the situation. Haru gave a slight nod, coughing again and giving a weak smile.
"Maybe we could make popcorn instead, then," Nagisa said, not missing a beat. "Rei-chan, do you have any popcorn?" He pulled Rei into the kitchen.
...
Haruka didn't miss the wink and the nudge, and he was certain Makoto hadn't, either.
Just three years until I'm ordinary
...
Like that would ever happen.
Hinting at the MakotoHaru pairing no way who me?