Haru is mysteriously turned into a six-year-old and Sousuke is left to babysit him for the day.
The knock to Makoto's door had Sousuke wondering who it could be. He glanced at the backstroke swimmer who silently apologized for the interruption. Makoto removed his glasses and placed his pen down before heading to the door. Sousuke scratched his cheek as he leaned back against the sofa, a little relieved their studying was brought to a halt. The surprised gasp from the hall had Sousuke pursing his lips in curiosity. It wasn't long before Rin appeared with Makoto. But they weren't alone, a small child was clinging to Makoto's trousers, lightly scowling. The boy looked incredibly familiar, dark raven hair with deep blue eyes that couldn't help but show emotion when no other facial muscle would.
"Is that…?" Sousuke dropped his mouth open in astonishment unable to even finish the question due to its insanity. Rin nodded in answer knowing exactly what Sousuke was thinking.
"Say hi to Sousuke, Haru." Makoto crouched down beside him and encouraged him by waving at Sousuke himself. Haruka rose a sceptical brow before he sighed and shyly waved at the butterfly swimmer.
"Hi." He greeted, flushing red in embarrassment as Sousuke smiled mockingly and waved back.
"Hi, Haru."
"Sousuke, you're babysitting Haru today," Rin announced, silencing him as his mouth opened to protest. "No excuses, it's happening. Come on Makoto."
The back-stroke swimmer silently apologised to both Sousuke and Haruka before following the redhead from the room.
Sousuke blinked at the now empty doorway. They left him with no explanation as to how Haruka Nanase had magically shrunken to a child. He turned his gaze down at the boy lingering near the coffee table. He was inspecting the textbooks, picking up the pen Makoto had been using.
"What are you doing here?" Haruka asked accusingly, snapping his head to the teen.
"Studying, Tachibana is helping me," Sousuke replied not fazed by the child's tone. "Why are you a child?"
Haru huffed a little ignoring the man's question and slumped down on the pillow beside Sousuke.
Sousuke watched the boy for a while, the way his eyes ran across the page like a tiger chasing his prey. The way his lips mouthed at the words he couldn't enunciate correctly. The wrinkle of his nose when he turned a page caused Sousuke to smile. The butterfly swimmer realised what he was doing and swiftly averted his gaze and concentrated on his studying.
It was sometime later when Haru sighed loudly. Sousuke stopped chewing his pen and glanced to the side. Haruka was watching him with the cutest pout Sousuke had ever seen.
"What?" he asked the ravenette who sighed again.
"Pay attention to me!" Haruka tugged at Sousuke's arm. The butterfly swimmer huffed in amusement before swatting at Haru's hands.
"What do you want from me? I'm just here to babysit you."
"I'm not a baby..." Haru folded his arms in annoyance which caused Sousuke to shake his head and continue to write.
"Hey!" Sousuke growled as Haru sneakily snatched his pen and ran to the door. "Give that back!"
"First you have to pay attention to me." Haruka bargained tapping the pen in his palm. He smirked as Sousuke's scowl deepened and his jaw clenched.
"Fine..." the butterfly swimmer rose and gave in to Haru. "What do you want to do?"
"I want to go for a swim."
"Seriously?" Sousuke let his shoulders sag. He glanced at the work on the table then at Haru, then back at the table. "I suppose what Makoto doesn't know..."
Haru cheered excitedly before quickly shrouding his happiness as Sousuke gazed at him in surprise. The ravenette averted his gaze knowing it was strange for him to express emotion so freely. Sousuke shook the shock away before he approached Haru and offered the boy his hand.
"Let's go."
Haruka gazed at the man suspiciously, pocketing the pen before letting his much smaller fingers interlock with Sousuke's.
When they made it to the local pool and managed to avoid Goro, they signed in and headed to the changing room. Haru blinked and watched Sousuke undress, gaping a little as it appeared the butterfly swimmer had been wearing his jammers beneath his jeans. Sousuke noticed the boy's look of surprise and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Sometimes you do actually come up with good ideas." He shrugged before tapping on the locker encouragingly. "Come on, you're the one who wanted to swim."
"I don't have anything to wear," Haru recalled Rin redressing him, his now enormous black and purple jammers calling out to him from the redhead's bed as he pulled him out the dorm.
"Oh, I'm sure they have something," Sousuke and Haru headed back to the desk and asked if they had any spares and to Haruka's delight they did. Sousuke averted his gaze after Haru snapped at him, laughing lightly as he waited for him to change.
"Okay, done," Haru called out, holding his arm shyly. "Don't laugh."
Sousuke turned back and he wanted to let out a noise of endearment but held it in. They headed out to the pool and were met with an enthusiastic pool advisor shoving some arm floaties into Sousuke's arms.
"Kids under seven have to wear floaties, for Drowning Awareness week" He grinned happily, ruffling Haru's hair before walking away.
"There's no way I'm wearing those." Haruka scowled at the man's back, fixing his hair. Sousuke knelt in front of him and sniggered a little.
"It's the rules Haru, come on." He mocked, holding one floating open for the child to put his arm through.
"I'll wear them if you do." Haruka folded his arms in stubbornness, glaring Sousuke down like a spoilt child.
"What? No, I'm a grown man."
"So am I!" Haruka snapped back only to avert his gaze to the floor in embarrassment as Sousuke smiled in amusement.
"You look like a six-year-old to me."
Haru gazed up at Sousuke for a moment seeing the clear enjoyment of his situation. He sniffed a little, trying to keep his childish emotions in check. As soon as the first tear fell Haruka tried to run away. Sousuke was too quick for him and grabbed his arm and spun him around.
"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry." The butterfly swimmer began to panic slightly, guilt filling him as Haru wiped his eyes.
"I'm not c-crying." The ravenette hiccupped a little, freezing in his spot as Sousuke wiped his thumb under his eye.
"I'll wear the floaties, okay?" Sousuke assured the child, swiftly putting them onto his arms. He blew them up before he stood and showed Haru by flexing his arm muscles. The ravenette giggled before laughing at Sousuke who slowly began to scowl as Haru couldn't stop. "Alright, alright… I'm getting you a pair. Don't move." He ordered.
"This is ridiculous." Sousuke announced as he stood on the starting block beside Haru, both of them wearing their bright orange floaties. Haruka smothered his amusement as he watched Sousuke try to adjust them. The butterfly swimmer caught him and stuck his tongue out before diving into the pool before the ravenette. Haru gasped in disbelief and quickly followed. He had to stop halfway in fits of laughter as Sousuke was attempting the butterfly stroke. Sousuke stood up and joined in with Haru's amusement before swimming over to him.
"You're an idiot," Haruka stated with a tone of affection, gazing up at the smile of the butterfly swimmer's lips.
"Thank you," Sousuke's smile turned into a smirk before pushing Haru lightly. "Now come on, you wanted to swim."
Rin and Makoto were sitting in the brunette's sitting room, the redhead biting his nails in anxiety. It had been several hours since they had discovered Sousuke and Haruka had disappeared. Makoto had managed to calm Rin down to the point that he wouldn't call the police, and forced a cup of tea into his grasp.
"They'll be back soon." He reassured Rin, smiling when the door opened, and a childish joyful bout of laughter was joined by the huff breath of deep enjoyment. Rin jumped up and glowered at Sousuke as he appeared gently rubbing Haru's wet hair with his towel.
"Oh dear." Sousuke quickly nudged Haru who glanced up and the two of them stood at attention. When the towel slid from the ravenette's head and hit the floor with a light thump, Sousuke and Haruka burst into laughter ruining Rin's horrifying and dangerous mood. The butterfly swimmer knelt beside the ravenette and held him as he rolled his eyes at Rin. "Come on, let's get you home and run a bath."
Haruka lit up and nodded eagerly, unconsciously kissing Sousuke's cheek. They gazed at one another for a moment both flourishing a rather embarrassing tint of red. Haru the child he was, was the first to recover waving at the surprised and confused Makoto and Rin.
"Bye Makoto. Bye Rin!" He smiled before removing himself from Sousuke's grasp and pulled him from the house.
"Wait!... We know how to change Haru back…" Rin called out, his words all for naught. His shoulders sagged as Makoto placed a hand on the red head's shoulder and chuckled lightly.