A MakoHaru fanfic (? It's really not all that romantic, but...). I wrote this after I read some chapter summaries of the light novel High Speed!, off which the anime Free! is based (If you're interested in reading them too, you can check out makeupsyndrome or fencer-x on Tumblr) and wanted to write using some details I learned about Makoto's character. Therefore, this fanfic may contain mild spoilers if you haven't read it, though I'm not sure how closely the anime will follow the novel. Anyway, this is my first published fanfic, so I hope you like it. (Go MakoHaru! Woot!)

Makoto felt he belonged with Haruka. The boys had grown up together, endured the hardships of childhood and adolescence together, and oftentimes turned to each other for emotional support when they felt nobody else in the world could understand their feelings. It was most likely that the two would not be able to survive without each other; Haruka would die of hypothermia without Makoto regularly monitoring his lifestyle, and Makoto's airheaded nature would get him in trouble sooner or later if Haruka wasn't there to protect him. Makoto thought it natural for them to be together and feared their separation. But being by Haruka's side had often forced Makoto to endure another longtime fear of his.

The water. To Haruka, it was a part of him, far more so than even Makoto was. If there was one place in the world where he felt comfortable and at home, it would definitely be submerged in the deep, encompassing substance. He had never fully discussed the connection he had to water with his best friend, but Makoto acknowledged it all the same. After all, it only took a few glimpses of Haruka's flawless freestyle swimming to see that the water was where the boy belonged.

However, Makoto's relationship with water was very different. To him, it was a massive, all-powerful force that threatened everything he held dear. It was almost as if there was some spirit present in the water that was beyond human control, waiting to grab onto an unsuspecting victim and drag them away from the world. Physically being in the water was not unbearable - he was, after all, a talented swimmer - but always, he was wary of the sheer strength the mysterious water possessed, and he feared it would one day take away something precious to him.

But still, Makoto knew that Haruka could not live without water, and he didn't dare try to separate them for his own selfish reasons. And so, he watched endless times as his cherished companion offered his soul to the water, swimming and floating in bliss rather than terror. Makoto kept his fears secret from Haruka, wishing not to be a burden to him, or even worse, abandoned by him. He hoped with all his heart that over the years, his childish fear of the water would subside, and that he would one day be able to share Haruka's unwavering love for it; but at the same time, he thought it wouldn't be so bad if his friend simply got bored of water and left it alone forever. Of course, the latter notion was surely impossible.

And so, it was quite natural that Makoto would join Haruka at the beach one hot summer day, both to appease the boy's desire to be in water and simply to spend some quality time with his friend, whom he never wanted to drift away.

"Hmph," Haruka grunted, stepping across the burning sand as he scowled slightly at the sight of the crowded beach. "There's too many people here..."

Makoto chuckled beside him. "'They're going to take up all the water'... That's what you're thinking, right, Haru-chan? Well, don't worry, the ocean's pretty big."

Haruka only shot him a quick glare before he turned away and muttered something about his friend's use of the "chan" honorific.

The two kept walking along the beach, Haruka staring at the glistening water the whole time, until they came to a small, secluded area hidden by some bushes far away from the noise of the people at the main area.

"Is this place okay, Haru-" Makoto's words went unheard as Haruka sprinted towards the ocean, not stopping until his whole body disappeared into the vast water.

"Haru...!" Makoto gave an exasperated sigh at his friend's eagerness, though he was not the least bit surprised by it. He picked up the bag Haruka had so quickly discarded and placed it next to his own in a safe spot far into the shore. He then went to join the other boy in a slow, much more careful manner.

As Makoto watched Haruka get his fill of the water, he couldn't help but smile genuinely; it was times like these that his Haru was most happy, and the sight of it was perhaps even greater than his own fear. That's right, he thought. Nothing that Haru loves this much could be all bad. The water is Haru...and Haru is the water.

"...Haru!" Makoto shouted from the shore. "It's getting a little late, don't you think?"

He sighed once again when he received no response. Whereas he had gotten sick of the water long ago and retreated to land, Haruka was in no hurry to get out any time soon. The sun, which had burned brightly when they arrived, was now gone from view. It was beginning to get chilly, and Makoto struggled to warm himself in only his swimsuit and a thin sweatshirt. He also worried for Haruka's health, they boy having swum vigorously for hours and now relaxing in what must be freezing waters. Tearing Haruka away from his beloved water would be no easy task, Makoto knew, but it had to be done sooner or later; he worried the boy would fall asleep, and then the unpredictable water would tug him to the ground, and then - no, he shouldn't think of such things. But still, the way Haruka was floating on the surface with his eyes closed while small waves crashed around him definitely couldn't be safe.

Makoto decided to try calling out to his friend again. "Haru, can you hear me? Let's go-"

Suddenly, an especially formidable wave reared its head and washed right over Haruka's body. Makoto shrieked involuntarily at the sight of the water swallowing his best friend, and he waited for several dreadful seconds until the wave passed, only to find that Haruka had not reappeared.

Makoto panicked. His heart pounded in his chest and he fell to his knees, his whole body beginning to tremble. He clutched his head as thoughts raced through it. What am I doing? I need to save Haru. I need to save him, or he'll be gone forever. So why can't I move...? Before he could regain his composure and rationality, the realization hit him. It had finally happened; the water had taken Haruka away from him. For a moment, he truly believed this; there was no use trying to save Haruka, because the water had already won. Haruka didn't just belong in the water, he belonged to it. This was destined to happen, so why couldn't Makoto accept it? He shut his eyes as he desperately tried to hold back tears. No... This can't be happening. Please no... Soon he was quietly sobbing his friend's name, over and over again.

"Haru... Haru... Haru...!"

"What?"

Makoto looked up in shock. Standing before his pathetic figure was Haruka, just as calm and cool as ever. He was picking a few pieces of seaweed from his hair, but looked otherwise unharmed.

You're alive. Makoto almost uttered the words, but found himself unable to say anything as he slowly exited his frenzied state. They stayed like that in silence for a few moments, until Makoto finally managed to get out, "W...what happened?"

"Didn't you see? I got hit by a wave," Haruka answered nonchalantly. "I was kind of out of it when it happened, so it surprised me and I didn't get back up to the surface for a little while. What's up with you?"

Only then did Makoto realize how strange he must have looked. He scrambled to get back up on his legs, which still barely had the strength to support him. "Oh," he croaked. "Um, I was pretty tired, so I was just trying to rest. It's pretty late, after all... But I'm all right!"

It took no time for Haruka to see through his friend's lie. He scrutinized the other's face and detected a trace of both worry and relief in nervous green eyes. His own sharp blue eyes widened slightly as he understood.

"Makoto..."

"Huh? Oh, it's fine. Anyway, we should head back now. I'll go get your towel."

Haruka didn't say anything after Makoto avoided the issue. In fact, both of them remained silent for the entire walk back to Haruka's house. Makoto internally scolded himself for getting so worked up over such a minor occurrence, and only hoped Haruka hadn't noticed his temporary breakdown. Meanwhile, Haruka wondered if he should make sure Makoto really was all right, but decided it probably wouldn't do good to pry. Neither of them were completely at ease, but both wanted to avoid an uncomfortable discussion over a certain subject.

The two boys had planned on working on a summer project together the next day, so Makoto was to spend the night at Haruka's. The rest of the evening passed as any other; they bathed, Haruka remaining in the tub for a ridiculous amount of time, had dinner (fish, of course), and were then ready to turn in for the night. Few words passed between them the whole time.

Makoto lay on the guest futon beside Haruka's, trying to clear his mind of unwanted thoughts. He saw. Haru saw me like that and now he thinks I'm weak. To get so upset like a child, I... No. I've got to stop worrying and just go to sleep. Makoto squirmed in his blanket as Haruka turned off the light. That's right. We'll both go to sleep and forget everything that happened today. It's okay, because Haru's still here. He glanced one last time in the direction of his precious friend, shut his eyes, and soon drifted off into slumber.

The water. There is again. They are back at the beach, the sky blue and the sun shining. Haru is swimming in the water, of course. Makoto is there as well, but not physically; he is watching the scene happily, admiring how Haru's swimming is so graceful and pure. Haruka looks very happy, and he even laughs when his head is out of the water; Makoto marvels at the rare but beautiful sight of his friend in such glee, and wonders how he could have ever been afraid of this sparkling, endless water.

Suddenly, the skies turn dark with clouds. The water adopts a more sinister aura and Makoto begins to feel anxious. He now wants nothing more than to pull his Haru out of the water, but he cannot do anything. Waves crash around Haruka and swallow him whole, pulling down him from the water's surface. When the waves stop, Makoto is terrified to discover that Haruka is still gone.

The clouds clear from the sky and the sun returns; the water is calm once again, and just as sparkly as it was before. But now, Haruka is nowhere to be seen. Just like that, he has been plucked from Makoto by the spirits of the water, never to return to this seemingly natural, pretty scene. He is finally gone, forever. As Makoto realizes this, he begins to cry out his friend's name, just as he had done earlier that day. "Haru! Haru! Haru...!"

"Haru!" Makoto jolted up from his sleep panting, with one arm stretched before him, as if to grab something. His eyes darted around the room, until they rested upon the sleeping face of his friend, illuminated by the moonlight that poured in from the window. Before he could regain full consciousness, he rushed to Haruka and grabbed his thin body in a tight hug.

Haruka awoke to the sensation of being squeezed very hard, almost to the point he thought he might be crushed. Though he was quite confused at first, he got an idea of what had happened when he heard Makoto sob out his name repeatedly. He became concerned when he thought he felt a few teardrops on his shoulder and got the sense that his friend was shaking.

"Makoto..."

"Haru... Haru... Haru..."

"Makoto, I can't breathe."

"Eh? Oh." Makoto lifted himself off of Haruka and started to realize the situation he was in. At any other time, he would have apologized and scurried away in embarrassment. But the horror of his dream still occupied his mind, and he found himself staring awkwardly at his friend. He let out two words between shaky breaths. "Haru, I..." As he said this, a single tear traveled down his cheek, clearly visible to Haruka.

Haruka felt his chest tighten as he looked up at his friend. He sighed; it was not a sigh of annoyance, but rather of compassion and understanding. How long had it been since Makoto had last had one of the "dreams"? They had started around the beginning of middle school, he remembered; just after the incident when he had nearly drowned. Haruka felt a little guilty, knowing that his carelessness had probably scarred his best friend for life. Makoto would awaken from nightmares and cling to him desperately, whimpering his suppressed fears. The dreams had stopped when the two entered high school, and perhaps both of them thought it meant Makoto had finally recovered. But at the sight of Makoto - who was always smiling, always confident and cheerful - crying and shaking like a small child, Haruka knew that his friend was still haunted.

Haruka decided to comfort him; Makoto was always the one to take care of him, after all, so he had to return the favor. At least just this once, when his companion needed him most. He tugged Makoto's arm, pulling him back towards himself. He wrapped his arms around the larger boy and stroked his hair, holding him gently but passionately. He then began to whisper soothing words into Makoto's ear.

"It's okay. It's okay, Makoto. I'm still here, see?"

He heard Makoto sniff in response, and felt strong arms embrace him again.

"Haru..."

"What is it?"

"I love you, Haru. Don't ever leave me, please..."

Haruka twitched at the confession and felt himself blush. Of course he knew Makoto loved him, and he loved him back. Ever since they were little, they had shared a bond somewhat closer than friendship, but not quite like that of brothers. But now that they were in high school, Haruka wasn't sure what to make of his feelings and chose not to think about it, lest it cause an unwanted flow of strange emotions. Haruka didn't want to deal with that right now, and he knew he shouldn't overthink what Makoto had just said; still, he took his friend's plea seriously.

Quietly but determinedly, Haruka responded, "I won't leave you, Makoto. I promise." As he said this, he squeezed the boy a little tighter.

Makoto seemed to calm down at these words. His breathing slowed, his grip on Haruka relaxed slightly, and he gradually stopped shaking. He lifted his head up and gazed down at Haruka with brilliant, sad eyes but also a hint of a smile. Haruka's heart just may have skipped a beat at that moment, but he would never admit it.

"Thank you... Haru-chan," Makoto whispered.

He lay back down next to Haruka, arms still wrapped around him. A few minutes later, he had fallen back into a much more peaceful sleep, but Haruka still made no move to push him away. Instead, he snuggled into his sleeping friend's chest and gently ran his fingers through olive green hair again. Haruka began to think of what this evening would become the next day: a dream, and nothing more. He and Makoto would wake up, have breakfast, and go about the day as usual. Makoto would have probably forgotten about his confession, which both relieved and slightly disappointed Haruka. Neither of them would mention tonight's events beyond perhaps a subtle "Thank you" and a quiet "You're welcome." Still, the boy couldn't help thinking that somehow, something that had been conveyed between the two tonight would stay with them for years to come. And he knew that he and Makoto would continue to rely on and comfort each other for a very long time, just as they always had.

It was a nice thought, to be with Makoto for many more years. But tonight, they were simply two teenage boys with insecurities and fragile emotions embracing each other, and Haruka couldn't help feeling that all was right with the world at this moment. He thought to himself silently as he allowed a small smile upon his lips before he closed his eyes and joined his friend in sleep.

Sorry, Makoto. I think I'll always belong in the water, even if it makes you nervous. But... I'll always belong right here with you, too.

End