Haru sat in the bathtub quietly water tricking down him like rain; his eyes were glazed over and his mind was far away. He was thinking about the first relay he ever took part in and the girl that stole his heart. Since that day her memory had remained burned in his heart; she was his first love after all.
He had been unable to forget her crying and angry face after she lost the relay; how angry she had been at herself for not being good enough. She hadn't hoped to beat Haru at first until she lost the 4th time they raced. After that she had left for Australia to become stronger and become closer to achieving her goal of becoming a professional swimmer.
Flashback
Haru lunged to the surface swiftly his blue head plunging above the water. His body was weary from how fast he swam but he enjoyed every second of it. If he could he would stay like this forever.
"Need a hand?" Makoto said kindly. Even as a kid Makoto had always been a softy; a gentle kid with a warm smile who acted as the voice of reason. Popular with the other kids but always loyal to Haru.
Haru stared at the olive haired boy for a while before taking his hand and climbing out of the pool quietly.
"So you're Haruka Nanase huh? You're even faster than they say" a cheeky female voice said from behind him.
Haruka looked behind him and his eyes widened in shock; hanging onto the pool float line was a very cute magenta haired; sharp toothed girl. Her eyes twinkled with mischief and excitement.
The girl let go of the pool line and dropped underneath the water; she then appeared quickly at the end of the pool her speed surprising Haruka. She then climbed out her body dripping in water. She approached the two boys quietly a big smile on her face "My name is Rin Matsuoka" she said cheerfully.
Haruka said nothing his cheeks heating with embarrassment; she was really cute. Her eyes twinkled like jewels and while others found her sharp teeth weird; he found them cute.
Makoto smiled warmly "My name is Makoto Tachibana; it's nice to meet you Rin-chan" he said politely. He reached out to her to shake her hand; she responded politely and they shook hands.
Rin smiled playfully and then turned to Haruka "Your swimming is really amazing; would you mind racing me sometime?" she asked hopefully. She had heard from the other class members that he was good; however she had never believed it until now.
Being able to swim against Haruka would be fun; it would allow her to train her body and become better as a person. Considering she was a girl and her body was smaller than his she would be faster.
Haruka looked away quietly "Sure" he said bluntly. He couldn't look into her eyes without feeling tingly inside. It was a warm sensation but pleasant; like the feeling you get when your mum hugs you but 100 times better.
Rin blinked but smiled warmly; he sure was quiet and odd but he was really cute. His eyes were so beautiful and alluring; he was definitely the prettiest boy she had ever seen. "I look forward to it then" she said happily and took his hand gently and squeezed it.
Now
Back then Rin had been so cute and sweet; a bit awkward and shy but she meant well. Even then he had seen how pretty she was and she held a lot of talent. The fact that she was so open and spoke her mind was something Haru had admired back then. If anything it only made him like her more; but he couldn't understand what had made her change.
Ever since she got back from Australia she was very distant and cold; ignoring the group and spending time by herself or with Gou. She had closed up her heart of what she was feeling causing others to worry about her.
She still attended Iwatobi but had transferred at the beginning of the year; she was still at the same level as them but was still adjusting. Due to her high grades and pretty face she was popular but ignored everyone.
Haru couldn't understand what had caused her to do such a 180 change. She never talked about what happened in Australia or how her training went; making his suspect something bad happened.
"What happened to you Rin?" he muttered quietly. If only she would tell people about what had caused her to change so much. There was no way she was this bitter over a race; no she was hiding something.
Suddenly the front door opened and Haru knew who it was. Makoto always came by to make sure he got to school on time. He was a great friend like that and he thought of the guy like a brother. He heard him walk down the hallway and then the bathroom door opened; Haru looked up to face him through soaked bangs.
The olive haired teen shook his head in amusement before looking at the other boy "Morning Haru; enjoying your bath?" Makoto said fondly smiling at him.
Haru said nothing but nodded quietly; he loved how Makoto was so casual about his love of water. Yes he teased him about it sometimes but in good measure; it was fair to say what they had was a bromance. He reached out his hand and took the others tightly; he then slowly helped him out of the tub onto the mat.
"I'll go get your bags while you get dressed; I think you'll have to make do with mackerel on toast today" Makoto said firmly. He had accidentally slept in a little this morning so Haru didn't have time to sit down. But he could still enjoy breakfast on the way to school.
Haru nodded quietly and grabbed a towel; eating breakfast and gazing at the sea sounded nice. It would be a peaceful atmosphere and help him think about things.
A short time later
Haruka walked beside Makoto absentmindedly while the other rambled on about something. He was barely listening as his mind was elsewhere this morning. He chewed on his mackerel toast quietly enjoying the flavour.
"You seen much of Rin recently?" Makoto asked casually his tone hinting concern. He had been aware since they were kids that Haru liked Rin. She was very cute after all and a deadpan Tsundere.
Haru's eyes became sad and he shook his head; she always avoided him nowadays and was only ever interested in racing him. She was so talented and hardworking yet she tended to avoid those that were important to her.
Makoto smiled sympathetically; Rin wasn't the easiest person to deal with but she wasn't a bad person. He was sure things would work themselves out eventually; it just took time. He patted Haru's shoulder gently "It'll work out Haru; after all like my mum said you can't rush love" he reassured him kindly.
Haru's eyes shone with gratitude but he didn't smile; he was glad to have someone as supportive as Makoto. He was a great wing-man and helped him gather courage when he needed it most. "And besides Nagisa and Gou are looking for new members for the swim team; if you're lucky Rin might be on his cards" Makoto teased fondly.
Rin was a very skilled swimmer; but still unable to beat Haru. However after her training abroad she had gotten immensely better than before. However she had not joined the Iwatobi swim club but would hopefully give into persuasion.
By joining the swim club she could still challenge Haru and improve her own skills; and in doing so Makoto would be bringing Haru closer to his crush without Rin ever being aware.
Haru felt a blush heat his cheeks; since hitting puberty Rin's body had filled out very well. She had nice curves, long toned legs, a nice shaped ass and voluptuous breasts. Every time he looked at her his heart skipped a beat.
He longed to tell her how he felt; to convey the love he had been harboring for her since they were kids. But he was so shy he never found the ability to say those three words "I love you".
The three smallest words in the world with so much meaning; so simple and yet so fucking hard to say. God he cursed himself for his inability to convey whatever was on his mind.
Makoto saw Haru's perplexed expression and smiled; it was so adorable seeing Haru like this. All loved up on his childhood crush like a puppy dog; he believed the saying from Disney was "twitter-pated".
Being the good friend he was; he would do everything in his ability to bring these two together. Yes it wasn't going to be easy with Rin's stubborn nature; but he was so quitter. For the sake of his best friend's happiness; he would try and get them together.