A/N: Sorry for the wait…please don't kill me T.T I've enjoyed reading your comments so much, that replying to them is just as fun as writing this story! So here it is, both my replies to your reviews and the next chapter! Enjoy! (Rated T btw)
Disclaimer: I do not own Free!
Ren-chan Jinguji: Hehe, glad you enjoyed it! Sorry for the wait…but here, finally progress with this chapter!
ChocoxDragon: Haha, I'm ecstatic to see you so enthusiastic. And of course not! You weren't reviewing too much. It's nice to hear your thoughts on different chapters :DD I wonder what you think after reading this one!
Top Hatss and Bow Tiess: I appreciate the honest advice. I have realized that my editing skills at 3AM is nowhere near a functional state. Now, I know haha. Right after reading your review, I went back and edited. Thanks again for your honest review! I'm curious what you think of this chapter, so let me know! Hopefully less mistakes here, haha. Thanks again :DD
BlueKaZeBlack: I'm delighted that you enjoyed this chapter. I appreciate your enthusiasm ^^And yes, Makoto shall prepared to be slayed by Rin. Tehee. Enjoy this next chapter =]
Empecool: Hahaha, your review makes me smile. I haven't been writing anything but essays and more essays these past few years, so getting back to writing fanfic was a bit of a challenge. I'm still adjusting, and the adjustment is made easier with support and encouragement like yours! THANK YOU :3 And yes, of course, more fluffy smut soon in future chapters ;D
Sinsidhe: Same here—never again, will I see an umbrella the same way. I've used it shamelessly in my story and now…it will be a shameless reminder of HaruxRin. Hehe ;D …I found it very hard to take when I realized that the episode wasn't coming out until 2 weeks! I was like, 'WHATISTHISMADNESS?!'
iMakeMistakes: I'm glad that you enjoyed this chapter :D Yes, it is very hard to do that in alleyways nowadays, especially with a very dedicated Mako-chan prowling the streets for Haru-chan. Teehee. Enjoy this chapter!
Tarouchoo: 0.0 if Makoto found them a bit later…perhaps a permanent mental scar? Haha
DerpsAllNightLong: Hahaha…MakoxHaru versus RinxHaru, I love them both. Enjoy this chapter!
StarLIghtsoxo: Haha, I like cruel xP Thanks! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Latheia: Although it wasn't my original intention to make the chapter seem this way, I saw what you meant in your review so I changed it ASAP so it was more consensual. Thanks for your input!
Lulussi: Poor Mako-chan. Being hated by Rin and now by the readers for interrupting a crucial moment bwahahaha. Enjoy this one!
FlameMetal: Kudos for being in school during the summer! Motivation right there xD HAHA…I love your response to how Haru learned to kiss ;D And yes, Mako's all too good timing is simply too cruel! Enjoy this chapter!
The-l0llip0p: Thank you for loving this fic :D I greatly appreciate it! Thank you for your kind words. You have motivated me!
Pennamesareforfancypeople: Ahahaha….oh my, your scenario with Nagisa made me laugh out loud. The image is too hilarious XDDDDD ….Enjoy this chapter!
Harukaze Saku-chan126: Thankyouthankyouthankyou :D That means a lot to me. Thank you so much! I hope that you continue to enjoy this fic!
PotatoShavings: And I love you, reader! :D
Abskjg: I love your remarks and smiley icons for each chapter in your review. They make me laugh. I wonder which emoticon you'll use for this chapter.
Starfruit-kitten: Haha, poor Rin is getting all the reader's sympathy and Mako-chan is getting all the hate vibes. Bwahahaha. Enjoy this next chapter!
Warrior Nun: :D I'm glad you enjoyed the smex and rain combo ;DD
Roach: Thank you for your encouraging and motivational review! I hope I will not disappoint and that you thoroughly enjoy this next chapter!
Danithzdragneel: Thank you very much :D I hope that this continues to be your favorite fic! Please enjoy this next chapter!
Chessie: Here you go! Sorry for the wait ^^;
Erika Karisawa's New Sidekick: Hahaha…I appreciate the nosebleed.
TynxCann: Sorry for the long wait but here's finally progress! Please enjoy!
Nidzz86: Aww, your review was very touching and motivated me to get my computer out and start writing. I've been so lazy lately so motivational reviews like yours really help me get going.
Bubble-chan93: There is more! Sorry for the long wait but it's here finally here! Progress! Enjoy!
Nozami97: Uou gave me one of those reviews that got me off my lazy butt and got my fingers start moving on the keyboard. Your kind words and motivation really got me going and fueled me to finish this chapter. Yes yes, you can call me Ramyun-senpai. It's not strange at all. I like Ramyun :D hehe. Thanks again, Nozami! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Purecarnation: Thanks for enjoying the story's progression! Hope you enjoy this one! Hehe…it shouldn't be long before Makoto finds out ;DD
Cakoir: Your review was so sweet and made me smile :] Thank you for your kind words. I am glad that this fanfiction has been good for you and I truly hope that you will continue to enjoy it! I'm curious about what you think about this chapter! Enjoy! Bon appetite!
AbbeyActon: Sorry for the long wait T.T Here's progress finally! I'm so glad that you are enjoying this story! Please enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 7
"Achoo—"
Haruka sniffed, rubbing his nose. It had been like this since he woke up this morning.
"Haru, I told youthat you'd get sick after running out in the rain like that," Makoto sighed. He sat beside Haruka's futon, cross-legged, stirring the bowl of porridge that he prepared for the boy.
Tucked under his blanket (because Makoto gave him no other option), the raven-haired boy stared glumly up at the ceiling. He had given up protesting against his friend in regards to the state of his health. In the midst of their argument, a convenient headache came pounding into his head which Makoto found as a signal to promptly send him back into bed.
So now, on this fine and sunny Saturday morning, he was sick in bed.
"Haru-chan, open up…ahhhhhh…"
And Makoto was nursing him.
"Don't call me, Haru-chan," Haruka mumbled, turning his head away from the spoonful of porridge that the brunette held out. Makoto smiled, warmed by the familiarity of Haruka's response to his nickname.
Pretending to be upset and complain, Makoto pouted. "How can I have such a stubborn patient?"
Haruka averted his eyes. "There's no fish in there," He mumbled.
"No fish today for you," Makoto pressed the spoonful of porridge against Haruka's lips, urging the boy to open his mouth. Haruka whipped his head left and right, refusing. "You need something clean in your stomach."
"Mmph…rghhp," Haruka responded, lips still clammed shut to prevent Makoto from shoveling porridge into his mouth.
"Stop…resisting…." Makoto clenched his teeth in an effort to break past stubbornly clamped lips with the spoon.
"Rmmphh…rrghh….!"
"Haru!"
Makoto was on the verge of giving up when the bedroom door suddenly slammed open with a long BANG.
Haruka flinched.
A gleam reflected in Makoto's eyes as he saw a golden opportunity.
"AGH! MMRPH…" Haruka yelped just as Makoto thrust a spoonful of porridge into his mouth. The boy sat up, coughing and shooting daggers with his glare.
"Wah, Haru-chan, we heard you had a fever but it seems like you have a bad cough too," Nagisa frowned, studying the coughing boy in bed with concerned eyes.
The taller male standing beside the blonde pushed his red glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Perhaps I can take a closer look at it. Then I can properly diagnose you after taking all the symptoms into consideration."
Makoto laughed nervously, fully aware of Haruka's glare.
"What brings you two here?" The brunette questioned.
"When you told me that Haruka-senpai was sick, I, of course, had to visit!" Nagisa replied. Haruka felt an unsettling dizziness starting in his head as the blonde bounced and twirled around the bedroom, dramatically reenacting his devastated reaction when he heard the news from Makoto.
"And I guess Nagisa dragged you along too?" Makoto chuckled, looking up at Rei.
"Nagisa told me and asked for some help on getting some things for Haruka-senpai," Rei began, looking at Haruka who had laid down and shrunk deeper under his blanket. In the background still, an ignored Nagisa continued his dramatic act, unaware that his three-man audience had moved on.
"Oh?" Makoto cocked his head.
Rei held up a grocery bag. "The ingredients for the best fever medicine."
"…what ingredients?" Makoto asked, staring at the bag with a somewhat nervous feeling.
With a push of his glasses, Rei seemed to reflect a look that made both Haruka and Makoto feel very uneasy. "Apricot kernel, glycyrrhiza root, cinnamon bark, and ephedra plant…." The boy grinned widely, holding up his grocery bag of herbs as if a light of glory was downcast on it. "It has no side effects unlike pharmaceuticals and will decrease levels of cytokines just as well!"
"Isn't Rei amazing? Now Haruka can be cured in no time!" Nagisa chirped, returning from his dramatic endeavor. Rei took the blonde's praise with a flustered look.
"Well…I simply did a bit research from before when others asked," Rei said humbly.
Haruka stared at the bag dangling from Rei's fingers, looking as if he was seriously debating on whether to run the hell out of the house or not.
It was one thing to have Makoto nurse him. But to have Rei and Nagisa too!?
The blonde cheerfully dropped down beside Haruka with a reassuring smile shinning across his features. "You just stay here, okay, Haru? Rei and I will go make you your medicine!"
Makoto caught the horror-struck look in Haruka's widened eyes as they watched Rei and Nagisa exit the room with a bag of, what Haruka had identified as, his taste bud's worst nightmare.
"Don't," Makoto caught the raven-haired boy's shoulder just as he sprung out from his blankets, in what Makoto suspected to be a hasty escape. "Yes, it'll taste bad but it'll help you get better sooner."
"…I don't trust the two making medicine for me," Haruka remarked.
"I'm sure they will be—" A loud bang from the kitchen cut Makoto's sentence short. "…just fine."
"…I'm telling you, it's for your own good!"
"Hold STILL!"
"Don't let him go!"
"QUICK! Grab his feet!"
"Squeeze his nose! Squeeze it!"
With three desperate nurses, and an even more desperate patient, World War III was wreaking havoc on the bedroom floor.
Rei placed his feet firmly on either side of Haruka's hips, slowly crouching down and leaning towards the boy with a mug in his hands. Underneath him was Makoto, teeth clenched, sweat rolling down his forehead, as he held down the sick boy's lower half like his life depended on it. Just as deeply focused was Nagisa, taking care of Haruka's upper half, as he pressed down the victim's chest with one hand and squeezed his nose with the other.
It was truly a magnificent display of teamwork.
"We've got you restrained now, Haru," Rei said, positioning the straw extending from the mug in his hand at Haruka's lips. Haruka struggled, but under Makoto's strong grip, his lower half couldn't budge. And under Nagisa's firm hold, he wasn't able to move his upper half. For how much smaller the blonde was in comparison, he sure was strong. Too strong.
"Come on," Rei cajoled, pushing the straw for Haruka's lips to grant it entrance into his mouth. Haruka resisted.
"Just drink it, Haru-chan!" Nagisa chirped. Haruka glared, his body wanting nothing more badly than to be released from his friends' grasps. Especially his nose. Nagisa was holding on a bit too firmly.
"If you take this medicine, you'll get well sooner," Haruka narrowed his eyes as Makoto spoke. "The sooner you get better, the sooner you get to swim." At the sound of those words, he felt a sudden sensation of capitulation settling in.
Medicine or swim?
Medicine.
Swim.
Medicine….or…
Damn it.
There was an uproarious chorus of cheers as Haruka bit down on the straw and sucked the liquid, although with much reluctance as his darkened eyes did not hesitate to show. Makoto sighed with relief, releasing his hands from Haruka. Nagisa swiped a fist across his forehead, using the other hand to high-five his teammates. Rei simply smiled with a hint of smug satisfaction gleaming behind his glasses.
While the three males had finally released Haruka from their grasp, their eyes fixed intensely on the boy, seeking any hint that would disclose renewed resistance.
Fully aware of this dangerous situation, Haruka remained still and silent until every drop of the (disgusting) herbal medicine had thoroughly tortured his taste buds, leaving his buds to curse its assailants.
"See, it wasn't that hard, now was it?" Makoto smiled in good humor, taking the empty cup that Haruka held out tiredly.
A satisfied Rei stood up, pushing his glasses back. "I guess we'll take our leave now. Haruka should get some rest so he can fully recover."
"Right," Makoto said, standing up too, although somewhat reluctantly as he would've preferred to stay by the boy's side to make sure he was okay. He looked at the clock. It wasn't even noon yet. "I'll come by later today to check up on you."
"Take care, Haru-chan!" Nagisa chirped, waving his hand in the air as he followed Rei out of the bedroom.
At the doorway, Makoto stood and gazed at Haruka, who was lying in bed. His eyes met Haruka's.
"Sleep well, okay?" The brunette smiled warmly. "So you can swim soon."
"I know," Haruka mumbled.
Makoto chuckled and with one last look, he shut the door behind him.
Haruka's eyes fluttered open.
How long had he been asleep?
The boy groaned, turning onto one side as the blanket shifted with his changing position.
Haruka felt significantly better.
Maybe the medicine actually worked. His face didn't feel as hot, for one. The pounding headache was gone, so that was good. But his mouth felt extremely dry. Haruka groaned again, slowly easing his body up into a sitting position.
Water would be good right now.
Releasing a yawn, he stepped out into the hallway and made his way towards the kitchen.
Haruka had just been relieved of his headache, but it now threatened to come pounding back in full force when he took in the state of his kitchen with widened eyes. Dirty pots and bowls scattered across the counter. Was that a spill on the floor?
Rei and Nagisa….
The raven-haired boy groaned, trying not to think too much of it for the sake of his own sanity.
He turned on the faucet and leaned over the sink. Haruka let the cold water run across his face. It felt so good.
Makoto would probably yell at him for this if he were here. After all, Haruka had ran off into the rain and got sick just yesterday. And now he was dunking his head under a faucet of running cold water.
"You'll get sick in the rain!" Makoto's voice echoed in his mind.
Rain….
…Rain…
…Rin?
Rain, Rin, and him.
Yesterday.
Wait—Rin…
SHIT!
Haruka's head shot up from the sink. His eyes frantically searched for a clock, and his heart sunk when he sighted the digits glowing across the screen.
2:13 PM.
"2PM. Tomorrow. Meet me here." He recalled Rin's words. Maybe Rin had been joking and wasn't actually serious about meeting up.
But then again, he did seem pretty serious with the way he held Haruka's eyes.
The raven-haired boy shook his head.
Even so, he probably left by now. Rin is much too impatient. Standing in the alley for more than five minutes would be a pain for him. Rin wouldn't wait this long for him.
Would he?
Haruka clenched the faucet, twisting it one way to turn it off. Contemplating, he watched the last remaining droplets trickle from the head of the faucet.
Drip.
He wouldn't.
Drip.
He would.
Drip.
He really wouldn't.
Drip.
He would.
A/N: Poor Haru and medicine...haha...how did you feel about this chapter? Would Rin wait for Haru? Hm.
ALSO, I feel like I should title my chapters but I wanted to hear your guys' ideas and opinions on chapter titles so you guys can be part of it too haha! :DD I look forward to your thoughts!
I had lots of fun writing this chapter, so hopefully you had some fun reading this chapter too! Thanks everyone for motivating me! I have to confess that 'update' and 'quick' don't go into the same sentence for me...but hearing your guys' thoughts always bring that next chapter out :DD Hope you look forward to the next chapter. Thanks again for all your kind words, motivation, and support! Love you =]
