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It’s Thursday morning and the boys are at school.
Haru ignores the ongoing lecture and instead chooses to direct his attention outside the window, towards the ocean. He faintly sees its waves crash and his blue eyes glisten as he follows the ripples with his eyes, watching as water meets land. His legs wrap around each other and he lets out an audible sigh, all too sensitive to the tick of the clock - he’s anxious to get out and swim.
When class finally lets out he grabs his bag and slings it over his shoulder. His feet uncharacteristically begin to speed up as he makes his way through the door, already feeling the water surround his body. Of course he manages to control himself just until Makoto catches up, but then he’s practically running to the pool, the taller teen chasing behind him.
"Haru," Makoto gasps once they reach their destination. He places his hands on his knees and wheezes for breath, sweating profusely all while trying to balance on his shaking legs. "Couldn’t you have…waited…a second…?"
The older boy raises a brow. Are you joking? his eyes question.
"Right, sorry for asking." Makoto takes one last gulp of air before straightening himself out. "Where are the others?"
Haru shrugs and doesn’t bother to look for them. His hands grasp the bottom of his shirt and he pulls it up over his head, shaking out of his pants and exposing his swimsuit. He then dives into the pool and stays underwater for a while before surfacing, starting on his laps. Makoto shakes his head at the sight but doesn’t seem surprised - he’d seen this happen far too many times that at this point, he’s just glad the boy still wears a uniform to school.
"Mako-chan! We’re here!" A chirpy voice echoes behind the brunette and he turns to find Nagisa and Rei sprinting towards him. "Sorry we’re late!"
"It’s fine," Makoto laughs. "You guys are already in your swimsuits?"
"Yeah, we changed inside the school!"
He blinks. “You ran out of the school with your swimsuits on?” Not even Haru does that.
"Weeeell," Nagisa begins, "I accidentally spilled some juice on Rei’s uniform and he got really mad." He snatches the boy’s glasses off his head and puts them on, deepening his voice. "Nagisa-kun, this stain isn’t beautiful!” He stops his impression, though, when Rei grabs it back. “So I told him to just switch into his swimsuit and he was embarrassed so I did it with him!”
"You purposely spilled juice on me!”
"Eeh? No I didn’t."
Rei pinches his temple and grumbles out, “Nagisa-kun, you stood there and flipped the cup over in your hand.”
"On accident." Nagisa’s eyes hold nothing but innocence as he crosses his arms behind his back.
"You even said ‘I’m gonna spray-chan my Rei-chan!’ and pinned me down!"
Makoto doesn’t like where this is going. “Let’s just forget about it for now,” he chuckles nervously, bringing his hand up to rub the back of his head. “We should just start practice.”
Rei nods and looks towards the pool, noticing Haru’s fluid strokes. “I see Haruka-senpai has already started.”
"He’s always the first one in the pool," Nagisa comments, walking over to the edge and waving. "Haru-chan!"
The raven-haired male stops his laps and glances over at the blond, no emotion on his face. When Nagisa motions for him to come over he draws his mouth into a line and makes his way to the boy. He stops right in front of him and looks up.
"Rei-chan says he wants you to teach him more. Can you?"
Haru blinks before looking at Makoto, conveying something to him through his eyes.
"He doesn’t know how to teach butterfly," Makoto relays.
"I know that. But Rei-chan wants to get more tips from Haru-chan so he can learn faster!"
Another message.
Makoto nods. “Why is he asking for help now?”
Rei clears his throat. “I’ve been improving but you guys have as well. I just feel like I need to be pulling more of a load, especially since I’m already lacking skill-wise.”
This time Haru’s eyes sparkle and Makoto tries to stifle a laugh. Nagisa sees this interaction and grabs Haru’s hands, eyes widening. “What did you tell Mako-chan?”
Haru doesn’t respond.
"Please tell me! You always communicate with him but not with us," he pouts. "I can’t guess as well as Mako-chan can!"
Still nothing.
"Mako-chan, what’d he say?" Nagisa tries. His orbs grow to twice their size as he awaits an answer.
“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” the taller boy chuckles. He sees Haru looking at him from the corner of his eyes.
"That’s not fair!" Nagisa whips back towards the other. "How come you never talk?"
The sparkle that was in the boy’s eyes disappears at the question. He continues to stare at Nagisa and Makoto feels the atmosphere change. “Why don’t we move onto another—”
"I’ve never heard Haruka-senpai’s voice," Rei adds, stroking his chin. "I wonder why that is."
"He doesn’t like to talk in front of us. He’s too shy. But I bet he does it in front of Mako-chan all the time!"
The brunette sighs. “Actually, I’ve never heard his voice either.” Rei and Nagisa can’t believe what they hear and their expressions show nothing less than surprise.
"Really?!"
"Are you lying, Makoto-senpai?!"
"I’m not," he replies with a shake of his head. "But let’s move on to another topic, okay?"
Nagisa completely ignores the captain’s words and leans back against the floor, arms propping himself up. “I wonder what Haru sounds like. Maybe he has a really squeaky voice and that’s what he never says anything. Or maybe he has a really deep voice, like that one guy in our class.”
"There’s no way, Nagisa-kun."
His eyes flicker to the megane. “Then what do you think Haru-chan sounds like?”
Rei takes a minute to ponder. During that time, Makoto makes his way over to the edge of the pool and sits down, watching Haru carefully. The boy’s almost completely submerged in the water - only his eyes are sticking out - and he’s intensely watching the group.
"I believe," he finally starts, "that Haruka-senpai has a voice like me."
Haru’s brows draw down at the guess and Makoto covers his mouth with his hand as he imagines it. Nagisa just full-on launches into hysterics.
The look on Rei’s face is nothing short of offended. “What’s so funny?”
"There’s no way Haru-chan has the same voice as you! It doesn’t suit him at all!"
"It could! Looks are only a part of how we perceive sound. There’s also-"
"No, Rei-chan!"
"Just let me explain!"
Nagisa shoves his digits into his ears and begins to hum a song, completely ignoring Rei. The boy sputters at his actions and takes Nagisa’s wrists, trying to yank them out all the while saying Nagisa-kun, please let me tell you why, it makes sense!
A low hum builds in Haru’s chest and Makoto turns back to him. He sees the corners of his lips twitch - almost a smile - and can’t help but allow one of his own to spread across his face.
"Mako-chan, what do you think Haru-chan sounds like?”
"M-me?" He’s not expecting the question at all. Forest green orbs meet ocean blue as he thinks about his answer and the raven-haired male keeps his gaze on the brunette the entire time, waiting. He wants to know. "Well, I imagine his voice would be like his swimming. Soft, fluid…very beautiful."
"Hm, that’s a good guess." The blond nods approvingly. "Is Mako-chan close, Haru-chan?"
Haru barely pays any attention to Nagisa; instead, his eyes widen slightly at Makoto’s answer and he turns his head when he feels his cheeks begin to warm. He dives back under the water and makes his way to the other side of the pool, continuing his laps from earlier.
"Well, I guess we’ll never know," Rei sighs in defeat.
"It’s okay. We still love our Haru-chan," Nagisa giggles.
Makoto smiles and, unknowing to the three sitting down, Haru does, too.
~
"You miss it, don’t you?"
Makoto and Haru walk home after practice finishes. The brunette catches Haru gazing longingly at the ocean as they pass it, blue orbs brightening at its sight. At his friend’s question, though, he turns towards Makoto and shrugs.
Haru had originally lived in the ocean as a merman.
Makoto’d figured it out one day when Haru gave him a journal full of drawings, all summing up his life story. Haru had became such good friends with everyone - Nagisa, Rei, and especially Makoto - that he’d given up his life in the water, trading in his tail for a set of legs to be with them. Sure, he missed always being surrounded by the liquid, but he could still swim.
There was a consequence to his decision, though. Giving up a life in water for a life on land meant he had to give up his voice, too.
Only Makoto knew this.
"Is there some way to get it back?" Makoto had asked after Haru drew out the condition to him. The raven-haired boy had simply shaken his head and turned around, not wanting Makoto to see the hint of uncertainty in his eyes.
Because there was a condition
A kiss from your soulmate.
Sometimes Haru would sit down and stare at Makoto, take in his messy hair, his green eyes, his arms and legs powerfully moving through the water as he swam. He would think to himself Maybe Makoto’s my soulmate but then the idea would disappear as quickly as it’d formed.
Because that would be too easy.
Wouldn’t it?
At Haru’s shrug, Makoto lets out a small sigh and gazes at the ground with something new in his eyes - sadness?
Haru stops walking and it takes Makoto a few more steps to realize he doesn’t have the raven-haired boy next to him anymore, so he turns around and backpedals. He’s met with a fierce pair of azure, ones that scream I don’t regret it, Makoto. Don’t be upset.
The Tachibana allows a small laugh to escape. “If you say so, I won’t let it get to me, okay?”
Haru nods and takes his place beside the brunette again as they continue to walk towards Haru’s home. He moves in a little closer the remainder of the trip there.
~
They’re sitting on the grass in Haru’s backyard, watching the stars move through the sky. Makoto has one arm under his head, the other wrapped around Haru, and the other has his head on Makoto’s arm, both hands placed over his chest. The wind rolls around every minute or so and billows their shirts and messes up their hair, but they lay quietly and gaze up at the sky.
It’s not long before Haru hears the very soft breaths of his friend. He’s sleeping, he thinks, and a quick glance to the right proves his theory correct. He keeps his eyes on Makoto and takes in his relaxed face, a small smile thrown on top even in slumber.
Makoto, he mouths, because no sound can escape. He slowly lifts his hand and trails it down his jawline, fascinated with the entire other laying before him.
He would like to think that he still would’ve given up his tail had he only met Nagisa and Rei, but deep inside, he knows that isn’t true. He knows that the main person he wanted to be beside, the main person he wanted to walk with everyday, was Makoto.
And why not?
Makoto had been the spark in his life, lighting a fire and illuminating a path Haru never thought possible. He was the one thing he felt could stay constant throughout his life, the one thing he wanted to stay constant in his life, because there was no way he was letting him go. Ever.
Everything Makoto has done for him rushes through his mind. He remembers the time Makoto had confessed to his fear of the ocean, had practically cried, and Haru had just sat there and listened to his friend talk about his fears. And when confronted about what made him scared, he had drawn pictures of them while Makoto watched, eyes wide at his artistic talent but heart open for him. Because Makoto always had his heart open for Haruka.
His arms were always welcoming, too. Haru remembers a time where he forgot how to use his legs and had stumbled to the ground. Blood seeped out of his elbows and knees and he winced in pain and wanted to cry out, but couldn’t. So Makoto had helped him up, taken him back to his home, and cleaned him off. He helped Haru change clothes and, when realizing the pain was still there, had extended his arms for Haruka to take. And he did. He stepped into those arms and Makoto laughed at his rose-colored cheeks, promising him that he’d always be by his side to pick him up if he ever fell. And Haru knew that his words held double meaning, that it wasn’t only a physical fall Makoto would help him out of.
He remembers the time where Makoto took him to see Ren and Ran on their birthdays. He remembers the looks on their faces when Haru had nodded in agreement to playing with them and remembers the look on Makoto’s face when he did. He had seemed so happy, so at ease, so glad that Haru was smiling at his interactions with the twins. Haru spent the night that day and Makoto had walked inside his room to find his siblings cuddling up on the bed with Haru, Ren on his legs, Ran in his arms, as he hummed them songs Makoto had never heard before.
There’s too many things to remember, but he does. He thinks of all the times Makoto has protected Haru and defended him. He remembers all the times people called him weird for not speaking and all the times Makoto stuck by his side, changing the subject when that topic was brought up. He remembers the time Makoto had traveled an hour to another store just to buy him mackerel - Because I want Haru to be happy, he had said - and had spent almost all his money to do so. And he remembers the feeling in his chest when his friend did that, the feeling that broke past his usual demeanor and caused him to launch himself at the boy, mouthing Thank you's that he knew Makoto would hear. Because the guy in front of him always heard Haru even if Haru never spoke.
Haru also remembers all the nights he’d called Makoto just to hear him speak because sometimes, Haru couldn’t fall asleep without hearing his voice. No matter what hour of the night it was, Makoto had always answered and spoke - of his day, of the team, of his family - as Haru wordlessly listened on the other end.
And Haru was just as caring towards his friend. He smiles to himself when he recalls a time where he had thrown Makoto a birthday party. The brunette had no idea it was going on, had almost dropped his bag when he walked through the door, and he remembers the way Makoto turned to him and smiled that smile Haru absolutely loved. Nagisa was there, of course, and had said a few too many things about how telepathic the two were - he had even jumped into “married” territory - and he remembers the stutters that escaped Makoto’s mouth at the words and the way Makoto had tried to avoid Haru’s gaze the entire rest of the day.
But when everyone left, he wasn’t so shy anymore, and he enveloped Haruka into a hug and whispered “Thank you” into his ear.
Haru remembers a time where he saw a girl hitting on Makoto, obviously making the Tachibana uncomfortable. He had walked up to her and stood there, just stood there, saying nothing until she got freaked out and moved away.
"You don’t need to be so scary,” Makoto had said, but Haru knew there was relief lacing his words, and so Haru kept on doing it.
And then he remembers all those times - not just one, but probably a hundred - where his chest tightened upon sight of Makoto, face flushed at his words, heart beat at his actions. He remembers all those times he turned away with a pout to hide his embarrassment, all those times he pretended to be tired just so he could lean on Makoto and embrace his warmth, and all those times his lips quivered, yearning to get a sound out, any sound out, anything that would voice what he so desperately wanted to say. Something he couldn’t draw out.
He feels Makoto shift and gets snapped out of his thoughts. Emerald green eyes, still in a daze from the nap, meet his and Makoto’s smile grows upon seeing his best friend still next to him.
And then Haru really remembers.
It’s one of the things he’s come to love the most: Makoto’s eyes.
Those eyes that can read him so well, that can glimpse into his soul and pull out words and meanings that Haru is sure don’t even exist. Those eyes that can tell what he’s feeling, tell what he wants to do, and know what he doesn’t. Those eyes - those beautiful eyes - that can communicate to him. And that’s one of the things that saves Haruka. The fact that, even upon giving up his voice, he only feels their communication and bond get stronger. Makoto’s eyes gave him the ability to not be left out, to still talk and grow. He imagines that if it were anyone else, he wouldn’t be understood, and he’d never be heard.
But Makoto made damn well sure that Haru was always heard.
Haru was never alone.
And it’s those green eyes that, whenever he gazes into them, make Haru fall deep.
He was deeply in love with Makoto.
Now, his heart beats as he stares into them, allowing that feeling to embrace him all over again. That feeling of losing himself, of succumbing to his friend’s gaze and relishing in the warmth it brought him.
"Haruka…" Makoto slurs out, before his eyes close again. He’s still tired.
Haru watches him but his feelings overtake him to such a degree that he can’t stay still. Instead, he slowly raises his body and hovers above the brunette, breaths becoming more rapid as he thinks of what he wants to do.
And as he lowers his head, Makoto’s eyes open once again, and Haru jumps back.
Makoto is tired, but he still process what Haru was about to do and that jolts him out of his sleep. “H-Haru?”
At this time, he’d glad he doesn’t have his voice, because now he has an excuse not to answer. He just stares back, wide-eyed, face flushed.
"Haru…" Makoto moves closer and grabs his hand before he can squirm away and escape. "What were you about to do?"
The raven-haired male looks away but Makoto gently cups his chin and turns him back to face him. At this point, Haru knows he’s lost, because Makoto is staring right into his eyes. So he sits and waits, dreading the reaction to come out of the other. He closes his lids…
…and then feels a breath over his face.
Makoto is right in front of him, so close to him, inches away from him. He looks nervous, Haru realizes, and he feels a great amount of heat pulsating off of his body as his own cheeks darken. He’s still staring into his eyes, but he’s already figured it out, and the older boy comes to the conclusion that he wants it all the same.
So he doesn’t wait.
He presses his lips against the other’s and squeezes his hand, not used to this feeling since he’s never experienced it to begin with. But it was good, he thinks, and he wants more. He wants to pour all his feelings into the connection between their lips and wordlessly speak out what he’s never been able to say.
Makoto responds just as much. He takes Haru into his arms and kisses the other with as much passion as he can, because that’s all he’s ever felt for Haruka. The raven-haired male grabs at his clothes and pulls him closer, overcome with his feelings as his heart rapidly pounds against his ribcage in happiness. He doesn’t want this to end.
Neither does Makoto. As their lips part and their tongues begin to dance with each other, he starts mumbling against the other’s mouth, “Haru, Haru, Haru…”
And then…
"…Makoto."
The kiss stops. Their lips linger on each other’s for a while longer before the brunette pulls back. “Haruka,” he breathes, eyes glistening. “…You talked.”
Haru lays there in shock. But it’s not because he spoke; it’s because, even after all this time where he would’ve imagined the act of speaking to be absolutely foreign to him, it’s not. Makoto’s name had glided past his lips with such ease that it’s like he had never stopped communicating with him at all.
And that, he realizes, is because he hasn’t.
He’s never stopped, not for one day.
And that’s what makes the brunette so special.
"Makoto, Makoto, Makoto," he repeats, over and over, pressing their lips against each other continuously. The name feels so good on his lips and he can’t help but smile as tears pool at the edge of his lids and collect before dropping onto the grass. "Makoto, Makoto…"
"Haru," Makoto laughs, euphoria overtaking him. His chuckles earn him a curious look from the other, so he follows up by saying, "You sound exactly how I thought you would."
Now Haru can’t keep his tears at bay at all. “Makoto, Makoto, Makoto,” he continues to say, squeezing the other so hard that, if it had been Nagisa instead, the boy would’ve been passed out already. He sighs happily and takes several sharp intakes of breath as sobs begin to escape his throat. “Makoto, Makoto, Makoto.”
"Is that all you’re going to say?" he asks jokingly, a beaming smile stretching across his face.
Haru blinks and then takes a breath, mustering all his energy to push the words at the back of his throat out. They’re the words he’s wanted to say for so long, wanted Makoto to hear for so long, but he’s kept it hidden inside. Surely Makoto must’ve seen it one day, when Haru wasn’t controlling his emotions well enough and let it slip, but if he had, the Tachibana hadn’t said anything, probably not believing it.
He mouths the phrase to himself a couple times to get a feel for it and Makoto tilts his head in confusion.
Haru nods and a smile graces his lips. I like the way this sounds.
Now he can say it.
And so he does.
"I love you."