Chapter 11
Stay

The hospital room was silent, except for the soft beeping of the heart monitor and the sound of the oxygen machine. Haru lay on a white bed, a thick blanket covering up to his chin. He had bandages on his head where the bone of his right temple had cracked. Hidden by the blanket and hospital gown, Haru's body was riddled with stitches and bandages, making him look like a porcelain ragdoll.
Sousuke sat in a chair beside the bed, holding Haru's small hand in his. Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa had almost come to the hospital, quietly watching the Samezuka swimmer's interaction with their friend.

"Sousuke, what happened?" Makoto spoke softly, pulling up a chair to sit near Sousuke. The other two did the same, forming a semicircle around Sousuke.

"You mean to Haru?" He asked, gently stroking the back of Haru's hand with his thumb.

"Yeah. And why were you the one that found him?" Sousuke looked at Haru's pale face, watching his chest rise and fall a few times before sitting up straight and facing the Iwatobi team. His hand never left Haru's.

"He broke up with Rin. It was hard to see before, but Rin was not good to him. Haru was scared, and I didn't want him to be. I told him I would be here for him if he needed me." The larger boy answered, his voice soft and careful. The green eyed swimmer looked hard at Sousuke, confused.

"We were under the impression that you did not like Haruka-sempai." Rei said, not accusingly, just in an attempt to understand. Sousuke felt himself smile a little at the comment.

"So was I. But I didn't really know him. Now I do, and now I understand how he means so much to you guys." The other three swimmers looked at each other, sharing surprise over the genuine care in Sousuke's voice. Makoto looked back at Sousuke, his face relaxing, becoming warmer.

"You like him, though, as more than a friend?" He observed. Sousuke felt his cheeks heat up, earning a very lightly chuckle from the others. At that moment, a new sound entered the room. A new voice, though it was strained and exhausted.

"Sou...suke..." Haru's small, raspy voice came from behind the oxygen mask. Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa watched Sousuke whip around, moving closer to Haru.

"Haru, I'm here." He said gently, reaching a hand up to very lightly brush some of the hair out of Haru's face. Haru's eyes squeezed shut, then his eyelids fluttered as he slowly tried to open his eyes. With a soft whimper, blue eyes met teal. Sousuke couldn't help the smile that spread across his face, tears welling up in his eyes.

"You...look silly..." Haru managed, his voice lethargic.

"You look stoned." Makoto gasped and was about to chastise Sousuke's seeming lack of care, but stopped when Haru smiled at him. Sousuke smiled back, nodding his head toward where the other three sat. Haru shifted very slightly, looking at his friends. His eyes met Makoto's, and they stared for a long moment before Makoto smiled.

"I'm glad you're alright, Haru." He said warmly. Nagisa was now bouncing in his seat, smiling wide.

"Hi Haru-chaaan! I'm so so sooo glad you're awake! We were so worried, and Sou-chan was a mess!" He babbled. Rei had made him be quiet for too long, apparently.

"Sou-chan..?" Sousuke mumbled, frowning at the nickname. Haru stared at each person in turn, looking confused slightly at why they were all here. His eyes slowly began to fall closed, the drugs in his system pulling him back to sleep.

"Cold," he mumbled, the oxygen mask making his voice sound airier. Sousuke frowned, looking around the small hospital room for another blanket.

"I'll go get him another blanket. Rei, Nagisa, come with me?" Makoto said with a smile, standing up from his seat. The blonde whined in protest, but got up with Rei did and followed them quietly out of the room, pouting. Sousuke turned back to Haru, glad for some time to be alone. The taller boy laid his head down on the bed, level with Haru's waist. Haru moved his hand, slowly and weakly, and placed it on Sousuke's head. The teal-eyed teen felt the other's fingers softly moving through his hair. It was a faint gesture, but it made Sousuke smile.

"I…did it." Haru said, his voice fading as he was about to fall asleep.

"I know." Sousuke smiled more, feeling Haru's hand slowly stop moving.

"Free…" Haru mumbled very quietly.

"I will make sure you stay free, Haru." The Samezuka swimmer said softly. Sousuke lifted his head slightly, but stopped as Haru spoke one more time before falling asleep.

"Stay with…me…" he whispered, "for…a while longer…"

Sousuke was not sure if Haru heard him, but he replied.

"I will stay with you, for as long as you want me."

/

A/N: And there is the end! Thank you to everyone who had stuck with this story, I know the posting of chapters has been sporadic. All of your reviews, favs, and follows are so motivating for me to keep writing. Because of all of you, I have decided to make a sequel to this story. It will be a fluffy SouHaru! I hope you all enjoy it!

Preview summary:

Haru has been released from the hospital and has Sousuke by his side. He struggles everyday to regain the normal life he had before Rin, but it is proving harder than he may be prepared for. Sousuke will always be there for him, through anything and everything. And maybe, that's all he ever needed. SouHaru, fluff. Maybe some reappearances from this story…if you catch my drift ;)