Ship: makoto tachibana/haruka nanase Fandom: free! Major Tags: none Other Tags: this is so Soft(TM) Square: b1 - the ultimate bet Word Count: ~700
***
Makoto and Haruka start dating on accident.
It’s a welcome surprise, to be sure, but a surprise nonetheless. With a lack of familiar faces to turn to once they move to Tokyo, Makoto supposes it was only natural that he and Haru would gravitate even closer together, their orbits tightening under the unfamiliarity and pressure of an unfamiliar environment.
Even so, nothing quite prepares Makoto for the quiet, unceremonious way that Haruka first kisses him. It was a goodnight kiss, an unconscious farewell, perhaps, and a chaste one at that. But it still leaves Makoto reeling, one foot out the door. He hadn’t even put on his coat yet.
But it’s easy to get swept up in Haru’s pace, his tendency to be completely devoid of shame or apprehension when going after what he wants. Not to mention, Makoto doesn’t mind trading their nights in playing video games for nights in making out on Haru’s couch, watching the door in case his roommates come home early.
One night, in the middle of another study-session-turned-make-out-session, Haru pauses.
“When was the last time we swam together?”
“Huh?” Makoto leans back, arms still slung around Haru’s waist, “Well, we went to that water park a couple weeks ago, didn’t we?”
“No, I mean a race,” Haru’s eyes are penetrative as always, boring down on Makoto, who just smiles.
“Not for a while,” he answers, “Not since high school.”
It was a rhetorical question to begin with, of course. It doesn’t take Makoto more than a second to realize what Haru is really asking is if they can race again, swim like they used to. Makoto is happy to oblige.
He sneaks them into the campus pool they use for physical therapy field work, which is a bit smaller than the pool Haru is used to, but it will do just fine. They stretch, do some laps, and settle on a 100-meter backstroke race; it’s nostalgic for Makoto, and one of the strokes Haruka’s swim coach is having him practice.
“Go easy on me,” Makoto says, as climb into the pool and get ready to take their marks, “I’m way out of shape.”
“You’ll do fine,” Haru smiles, that small, private smile he saves just for Makoto, “I could always give you a head start.”
“No way!” Makoto splashes him, “Are you that sure you’ll win?”
“I’m very sure,” Haru says, but there’s no malice in his voice. It’s just the truth, “Why don’t we make a bet?”
Haru shrugs, pushing away from the starting block and floating on his back, “It should be a high stakes bet then, right?”
“Sure.”
“How about, if I don’t win, we break up?”
“Haru!” Makoto frowns, “That’s not funny. I would just lose on purpose, anyway.”
“Sorry, sorry,” Haru laughs softly, disappearing underwater for a second, popping back up with that same small smile dancing on his lips, “How about, no kissing for a month.”
“A week,” Makoto counters.
“Fine, fine.”
“And if you win?” Makoto prompts, “Since you think it’s so inevitable.”
“If I win,” Haruka muses, playfulness gone from his face, “You have to make me a promise.”
“Do I get to know the promise ahead of time?”
“Sure. Here’s the promise,” Haru wades a bit closer to Makoto, until their legs brush as they tread water, “If I win, you have to promise that we’ll stay together.”
“Haru-chan,” Makoto starts, face softening, “That’s hardly a difficult promise to keep.”
Perhaps not, is what Haru’s face seems to say. But his voice drops, “Even if I go to Australia, or America, or somewhere I’ve never even thought of going. You… you don’t have to follow me. But you have to promise we’ll stay just as we are now. Even then. No matter what.”
It’s clearly something Haru has thought about, maybe even agonized over, and Makoto has to swallow hard at the lump in his throat, “I promise, Haruka. Of course, I promise.”
He drops a kiss to Haru’s forehead, but Haru bats him away, “But only if I win.”
“Sure, Haru-chan.”
(Haruka, of course, wins their race. Makoto keeps his promise just as easily.)
FILL: TEAM GRANDSTAND, B1, G
Fandom: free!
Major Tags: none
Other Tags: this is so Soft(TM)
Square: b1 - the ultimate bet
Word Count: ~700
***
Makoto and Haruka start dating on accident.
It’s a welcome surprise, to be sure, but a surprise nonetheless. With a lack of familiar faces to turn to once they move to Tokyo, Makoto supposes it was only natural that he and Haru would gravitate even closer together, their orbits tightening under the unfamiliarity and pressure of an unfamiliar environment.
Even so, nothing quite prepares Makoto for the quiet, unceremonious way that Haruka first kisses him. It was a goodnight kiss, an unconscious farewell, perhaps, and a chaste one at that. But it still leaves Makoto reeling, one foot out the door. He hadn’t even put on his coat yet.
But it’s easy to get swept up in Haru’s pace, his tendency to be completely devoid of shame or apprehension when going after what he wants. Not to mention, Makoto doesn’t mind trading their nights in playing video games for nights in making out on Haru’s couch, watching the door in case his roommates come home early.
One night, in the middle of another study-session-turned-make-out-session, Haru pauses.
“When was the last time we swam together?”
“Huh?” Makoto leans back, arms still slung around Haru’s waist, “Well, we went to that water park a couple weeks ago, didn’t we?”
“No, I mean a race,” Haru’s eyes are penetrative as always, boring down on Makoto, who just smiles.
“Not for a while,” he answers, “Not since high school.”
It was a rhetorical question to begin with, of course. It doesn’t take Makoto more than a second to realize what Haru is really asking is if they can race again, swim like they used to. Makoto is happy to oblige.
He sneaks them into the campus pool they use for physical therapy field work, which is a bit smaller than the pool Haru is used to, but it will do just fine. They stretch, do some laps, and settle on a 100-meter backstroke race; it’s nostalgic for Makoto, and one of the strokes Haruka’s swim coach is having him practice.
“Go easy on me,” Makoto says, as climb into the pool and get ready to take their marks, “I’m way out of shape.”
“You’ll do fine,” Haru smiles, that small, private smile he saves just for Makoto, “I could always give you a head start.”
“No way!” Makoto splashes him, “Are you that sure you’ll win?”
“I’m very sure,” Haru says, but there’s no malice in his voice. It’s just the truth, “Why don’t we make a bet?”
“That’s no fun,” Makoto teases, “Because you’re right, you’ll definitely win.”
Haru shrugs, pushing away from the starting block and floating on his back, “It should be a high stakes bet then, right?”
“Sure.”
“How about, if I don’t win, we break up?”
“Haru!” Makoto frowns, “That’s not funny. I would just lose on purpose, anyway.”
“Sorry, sorry,” Haru laughs softly, disappearing underwater for a second, popping back up with that same small smile dancing on his lips, “How about, no kissing for a month.”
“A week,” Makoto counters.
“Fine, fine.”
“And if you win?” Makoto prompts, “Since you think it’s so inevitable.”
“If I win,” Haruka muses, playfulness gone from his face, “You have to make me a promise.”
“Do I get to know the promise ahead of time?”
“Sure. Here’s the promise,” Haru wades a bit closer to Makoto, until their legs brush as they tread water, “If I win, you have to promise that we’ll stay together.”
“Haru-chan,” Makoto starts, face softening, “That’s hardly a difficult promise to keep.”
Perhaps not, is what Haru’s face seems to say. But his voice drops, “Even if I go to Australia, or America, or somewhere I’ve never even thought of going. You… you don’t have to follow me. But you have to promise we’ll stay just as we are now. Even then. No matter what.”
It’s clearly something Haru has thought about, maybe even agonized over, and Makoto has to swallow hard at the lump in his throat, “I promise, Haruka. Of course, I promise.”
He drops a kiss to Haru’s forehead, but Haru bats him away, “But only if I win.”
“Sure, Haru-chan.”
(Haruka, of course, wins their race. Makoto keeps his promise just as easily.)