Haruka injuries himself during joint practice and Sousuke watched from afar. To Haru's surprise, Sousuke showed concern and took him home.
This is for DoubleDuece and his one-shot request!
Joint practice with Samazuka was always an experience, the competitiveness between the two swim clubs was always a thrilling sight. Today Rin was more cocky than usual, triggering Nagisa's competitive bone and the two teams swam furiously against one another. The swimming lasted about an hour before Haru's was finally allowed to swim freely, taking his stance on the water soaked block. He bent over grasping the edge tightly, flexing his fingers as he took a breath revelling in the silence that came with it. Haruka smiled slightly to himself before counting to three in his head. A shout from the redhead who hadn't know the ravenette was about to dive caused Haruka to falter, foot slipping on the saturated block and twisting at an awkward angle. The ravenette's lungs filled with water at the pained yell that escaped him, his leg smacking heavily against the edge of the pool. Haruka swiftly resurfaced, spluttering the water that threatened to drown him back out and bit his lip in pain as he attempted to stand on his foot. The ravenette hopped to the edge of the pool where Makoto was holding out his hand, the look of worry sent his way. Haru grasped the brunette's hand and allowed Makoto to pull him up, eyes widening in panic as he pulled away. The ravenette unconsciously put his injured leg down to steady himself only to cry out in agony and fall to the ground, clutching at his leg and foot.
"Haru!" Makoto exclaimed at his best friends condition, kneeling down beside him. "I'm sorry, I thought you were okay."
"It's fine," Haruka winced. Nagisa and Rei came rushing over with the others close behind, Rin profusely apologising for yelling out unexpectedly while the Samazuka coach pushed forward. Sousuke stayed behind, glancing over his shoulder at the downed Haruka from the other side of the pool, concerned at how tightly the freestyle swimmer was clutching at his leg. As the coach fussed over Haruka with the ravenette smacking his arm away on instinct after he tested the wound, the ravenette's snapped his head to the side, his gaze catching Sousuke looking at him. The teal eyed teen turned his head away glancing down into his damp towel in worry before he brought it to his face and began to wipe his hair dry.
Haruka soon found himself being pulled up from his spot on the floor by Makoto and the Samazuka coach and placed awkwardly on the bench as Nitori and Momo brought over a stool for the boy to lay his leg on. Haruka firmly put a stop to Nagisa as he attempted to touch his leg and held his breath hitching the painful weep in his throat as he grasped his thigh and lifted his leg. As his ankle hit the cold metal of the stool he grimaced, gently moving it into a barely comfortable position. The coach and Rin returned with ice packs, offering them to Haru who accepted them with thanks. They all lingered for a while before one by one they returned to practice leaving Haruka alone to linger on his pain of not only his leg and foot but the knowledge he wouldn't be swimming for a while. Haruka hadn't known he had crossed his arms and was pouting a little at the water when a shadow hovered over his features. He smoothed his furrowed brow and glanced up to find Sousuke looking at him nonchalantly, a few towels balanced on his arm.
"May I?" Sousuke asked as he stood before Haru's foot and waited for the freestyle swimmer to respond. The ravenette's eyes roamed the body in front of him, attempting to decipher Sousuke's real plan. Not finding anything but the urge to help Haru nodded and was ready to grunt in pain. But he found himself blinking in surprise as Sousuke gently laid his hand underneath his calf and lifted it ever so slightly before slipping a towel underneath it. He delicately placed it back down and tilted his head at Haruka in a way that the ravenette thinking 'cute'. "Better?"
Haruka stared at Sousuke for a moment before glancing down at his foot, the coldness from the stool was gone replaced with the softness caress of the fluffy white towel and he nodded, watching closely as Sousuke wrapped the icepacks in the remainder towels and replaced them before sitting beside Haru, offering him another towel that was slowly slipping through his fingers.
"Hair." Sousuke elaborated at Haru's confused gaze and draped it over the ravenette's head, smirking lightly as Haruka glanced up at him from behind the towel.
"Why are you doing this?" Haru asked, motioning to his injured leg then to his hair.
"Well you were shivering and I know a thing or two about these injuries," Sousuke replied shrugging, eyeing Haruka as he finally noticed he had been trembling. The others or even Haru hadn't dried off the ravenette and the cold of the stool and the harsh chilly push of air from the air conditioner didn't help with keeping Haru's leg still. Sousuke folded his arms and slumped his shoulders to make himself comfortable noticing Haruka was still hunched in on himself. Sousuke removed his jacket and motioned with his head for Haruka to lean forward, to which the freestyle swimmer easily complied. Sousuke slid his jacket behind Haru and waited for him to lean back before covering his shoulders.
"Thanks, Yamazaki," Haruka finally relaxed and smiled a little at him to which Sousuke pursed his lips in slight embarrassment and had to flicker his attention to the purple haired boy as he dived.
"You're welcome," Sousuke replied after a moment, catching Haruka's eye huffing a little in humour before he pointed to his leg. "How is it feeling?"
"It aches and I have stabbing pains when I move my ankle."
"Your foot did look like it twisted funny when you fell," Sousuke commented, placing his hand in the palm of his chin as he leant his elbow on his knee. "It's already started to bruise."
Haruka didn't bother to even take a glance at his ankle too interested in the teal eyed teen. The two swimmers found themselves in a quiet but comforting companied atmosphere and they watched the rest of the practice side by side. Sousuke had scoffed which had Haruka rising a questioning brow and before the two knew it they began to discuss the swimmers in the pool and their stroke styles. Practice was over before Haru knew it and had found himself ignoring the pain of his leg as Sousuke spoke animatedly about swimming. Nagisa and Rei said their farewells and well wishes before leaving, Rin apologising before rushing away. Makoto approached and the guilt in his eye had Haru blinking at him in puzzlement.
"I have to pick my brother and sister up, I can't take you home Haru," Makoto explained, about to say he could ring his mother and clarify the situation only to blink aimlessly at Sousuke. "Say again now?"
"I'll take him home." Sousuke smirked at the shocked backstroke swimmer before patting him on the back, "You go pick up your siblings."
Makoto offered Sousuke Haru's bag and floated around for a moment, waiting for Haruka to protest such a strange offer, but when he shrugged and waved goodbye, Makoto pouted.
"I'll come to yours later," The brunette called out over his shoulder at Haru as he left. Sousuke offered Haruka his assistance as he began to move, eyes widening slightly at how heavy the ravenette actually was and swiftly increased his strength as Haru began to stumble. Haruka found his face bumping into Sousuke's chest, gulping lightly as he glanced up and flushed faintly at how much taller the butterfly swimmer was compared to him. Sousuke coughed awkwardly pulling away slightly to give some room between their bodies.
"You ready to go?" The taller boy asked. Haruka nodded swiftly and cringed as he placed his foot on the concrete, leaning heavily into Sousuke only to snap back, flailing his arms in alarm. Sousuke grasped them frantically and sighed in relief when Haru righted himself and forced the freestyle swimmer to lean against him. "It's fine, use me, that's what I'm here for."
Haru hesitated for a moment before he allowed Sousuke to take most of his weight, they took an unsteady step, slowly growing in confidence as they began to walk in sync. They stopped several times on the journey so Haru could rest his leg.
"It would be a lot easier if I just carried you," Sousuke pointed out to which Haruka scowled at him dangerously.
"I'm not a damsel in distress, I just twisted my ankle."
"And whacked your leg on the edge of the pool," Sousuke stated, "I'm surprised you didn't break it."
They made it to Haru's house and the ravenette let themselves in, Sousuke standing uncomfortably in the entrance of the ravenette's home. Haru leant his arm against the wall and hopped on his foot until he faced the taller teen.
"I'm okay now, thanks Yamazaki," Haruka spoke, placing his foot on the ground showing Sousuke that it was okay to leave.
"Are you sure? I don't want you falling over the second I leave,"
Haru chuckled and hobbled over to the teal eyed teen and placed his hands on Sousuke's arms to steady him.
"I'll be fine,"
Sousuke looked at him unconvinced but nodded anyway, quickly writing something on a piece of paper and handed it to Haruka who read the number in surprise.
"If anything happens between now and when Makoto shows up I want you to call me, okay?" Sousuke demanded narrowing his eyes at Haruka, who bobbed his head up and down and missed the humoured and embarrassed smile that grew over the freestyle swimmer's lips as he slipped out the front door.