WITH THE TIDE.

tfw @caetux makes you feel special <3

     ❝  I’ve  told  you  to  stop  using   “ - chan “   .  .  .   ❞        It  was  mumbled  under  his  breath,  but  even  Makoto  missing  this  detail  wouldn’t  upset  him  tonight.   Haru  still  had  that  SPARKLE  in  his  eye,  especially  once  his  friend  didn’t  try  to  talk  him  out  of  it  for  once.   Luckily,  he  was  no  glutton  like  Nagisa  ————  he  was  most  particularly  excited  for  the  atmosphere,  as  well.   Without  another  word,  he  moves  to  the  door  in  an  effort  to  head  to  this  restaurant  with  the  expectancy  Makoto  would  follow  along.

’Gomena,  I  should  have  considered  a  restaurant  with  Australian  food  might  not  be  for  everyone’  Rin  replies  and  sighs  a  little.  When  he  booked   a  table  here  he  was  sure  it  would  be  perfect  but  now  he  isn’t  all  too  sure  anymore.  Even  more  so  since  all  others  canceled  last  second.  'Now,  I  think  you  should  be safe  with  the  hamburger  but  otherwise,  I  guess  we  could  try  and  escape  without  them  noticing  to  go  somewhere  else?‘  (( @caetux   |  starter  ))

“I don’t know why you let him egg you on for a race… You know you didn’t have to.” Despite feeling uncomfortable with the fact that the matter of friendship with him was at stake, he had never really wanted to put Makoto in that kind of situation. Or really any of them if he was being honest. “I hope he wasn’t a bit… too much with what he was doing.” / @caetux ♡’d

❛  maybe .  .  .  ❜  makoto mused, unsure of where to even start in explaining the motives behind his actions. if he had one thing, it was an unshakable faith in haru─and makoto knew well enough not to bet against him in the water. he wasn’t wearing the rose-tinted glasses of a child anymore; haru was only at the debut of his professional career, certainly not ‘ unbeatable ’ by any stretch of the imagination. that said, racing against even a fellow athlete who didn’t specialize in freestyle seemed like an assured victory─yet, makoto could see the way hiyori was setting himself up to get under haru’s skin, see the way he was planting those seeds of doubt. he’d been right, in the end . . . and makoto refused to let haru take responsibility for another shattered dream that he bore none of the guilt of. he wouldn’t watch his best friend fall apart in front of his eyes again, should he lose.

it was simply that saying such a thing out loud seemed too ridiculous. makoto had no wish to unload such a heavy topic on ikuya when all his friend was doing was checking on his own well-being. perhaps . . . another time would be more appropriate. luckily, makoto’s other reason held merit as well.  ❛  maybe i just felt like i had something to prove.  ❜

if he was honest, he felt a bit out of place to stand next to his friends and watch their life paths diverge. makoto didn’t want to pursue a professional swimming career and he didn’t regret his choice not to do so. it was simply that up until now, he’d always been part of the team, and it was difficult to watch them forge ahead onto a path he could not follow. perhaps knowing that he could still hold his own in a race against someone on that very same path set his mind at ease, as awful as that surely made him sound.

     haru wasn’t sure where this certain bold feeling came from, but he was far from complaining. it was now his turn to take the reigns, figuring he’d show makoto just how much he cared for him by being the one to take initiative this time. after all, a relationship was a two-way street; makoto couldn’t be the one to initiate intimate contact all the time.

     soft lips brushed against even softer, fuller ones, a small hum of haru’s own sounding to match makoto’s. 

     this.. this was where he wanted to be. here, he felt safe, felt a calm he could only achieve by simply floating in the water of a pool or soaking in his bath— makoto’s hands, settling firm and strong on his hips, reminding him of a sturdy, but secure home. a place of warmth, comfort. something only his childhood friend emit with his presence alone.

     something he was grateful towards.

     pulling away after what seemed like an eternity (even though he really didn’t want to), haru pressed their foreheads together as he caught his breath, deep blue eyes staring right into bright emerald green before the softest smile (that was reserved only for him in times like this) carefully tilted the corners of his lips. 

     “hey..” he finished off lamely.

even after all this time, he was so sure his heart was beating so erratically that his ribcage would be no match. the delicate shift from friends to more still leaves him breathless, but makoto isn’t sure that would never not be true. it had been a long time since he learned to cage the butterflies; felt like a different lifetime from ignoring just how badly haru’s touch set his skin on fire. but, if haru is the sea, makoto is the shore─destined to be beside him, part of him, intertwined. maybe that’s why, as the years ticked by, he’d never let go of those feelings. now it was just a matter of learning to set them free.

and now, fit together like a puzzle, makoto could acknowledge that burning touch. there was no other person on this earth, that could be so blissfully calming, and yet send electricity shooting directly through his veins. when he can breathe again ( which is overrated, anyway, if this is the reason behind it ) and makoto’s gaze finds haru’s, he wants to live in this moment forever.

but the same can be said for every other moment, too.

there was not a minute in time, not any scenario that entered his mind where makoto could ever consider haru lame. haru’s voice may be the most familiar thing he knows, but he’ll never get tired of hearing it. he could listen to the same thing over and over again until the end of his time here, as long as it was haru.

     “Makoto.” he gives the other no time to respond, as he’s already claiming the taller male’s lips with his own, hands reaching to cup the back of his neck as he brings him in even closer. there’s no escaping this. || @caetux ♡