Free! (Reader x Character)

Nanase Haruka

  You saw many of the most beautiful sights you had ever seen in your life underwater. You had never felt as clam as you felt when your body was immersed in the cool waves that swept away all your worries. Ever since you had learnt how to swim, you had found yourself strongly drawn towards any waterbody you could access. The ocean was your personal favourite. However, due to safety reasons, you had to satisfy yourself with a swimming pool. Once in the water though, everything else just faded away. For a change, you felt you were in control. Entrusting yourself to the water had never made you feel as insignificant as you felt outside of it. There was something about that soft embrace that you could never get enough of. Many of the most overwhelming emotions that you had ever felt had been in the security of the water that kept you afloat.

It was no surprise then that you found yourself as strongly drawn to those all-seeing ever-contemplating blue eyes as clear as the water itself that calmed you when you first met Nanase Haruka at the age of four. He was unbounded, just like the vast ocean. He was as free as the waves that tempted everything grounded. He was everything you had loved the water for being.

"That was your fastest to date!" Gou-chan, the second-year manager of the Iwatobi Swim Team cheered as Haru pulled himself out of the water and sat on the edge of the pool. He watched the water calm down now that he was out of it. It had always amazed you how he hardly ever looked winded despite the sped at which he swam freestyle. That was partly why he was such a delight to watch in the water. What drove was not the medals or the records that he inevitably broke. What drove him was his love for swimming. What drove him was that he was free.

"Haruka-senpai keeps getting faster! Is that even possible?" Rei-kun, the second-year butterfly swimmer commented.

"Haru-chan is Haru-chan. It would be weird if he did not surprise us." Nagisa-kun, the second-year breast swimmer smiled. "Right, (y/n)-chan?" He threw a glance at you.

You nodded. "Haru is where he belongs."

"I agree!" Rei-kun mused. "He's the reason I even signed up for this. I want to be able to swim like Haruka-senpai one day."

Everyone here shared that sentiment in one way or another.

"Alright! Let's wind up for today." Makoto, the third-year back swimmer and the captain of the Iwatobi Swim Team announced. "Keep up the good work."

Haru climbed to his feet and walked over to you, taking the towel that you had held out to him and using it to dry his hair. "I would have liked to keep going."

"Haru-chan, we can't trouble Ama-chan-sensei anymore. We've already stayed overtime." Makoto said, patting his best friend on the shoulder. "Besides, there's no point in overdoing it. The tournament is next week."

"Haru, it is getting late." You added. "And the weather forecast predicted rain."

He looked disappointed, as he always did, and yet, he said nothing more, as per the usual.

"Good work, everyone!" Gou-chan said enthusiastically. "Keep this up and we might just make the nationals!"

"Good work, everyone!" Ama-chan-sensei too chimed in. "You all deserve a good night's rest. Go home and sleep early."

"Yes!" Everyone sounded off loudly and while you and Gou-chan helped sensei clear the pool area, the boys went in to get changed. Once everyone was done and you had bid farewell to Ama-chan-sensei, Gou-chan, Rei-kun and Nagisa-kun for the day, you, Haru and Makoto began on your daily walk home. The three of you lived near each other and had naturally grown close over the years.

"I'm hungry." You commented as you climbed the stairs towards your houses.

"Come over, won't you?" Makoto offered. "Haru-chan too. I'm sure Mom's made way too much as always."

Haru and you lived by yourselves. Your parents had moved to other cities for work. He had chosen to stay for school and for swimming. You had chosen to stay for school, swimming and Haru. Makoto still lived with his family and they often invited Haru and you to go over for meals.

"Not today, Makoto." You shook your head apologetically. "I have some leftovers in the fridge that I need to finish."

"Oh. Haru-chan?" He looked at the other young man.

"Not today." Haru echoed. You couldn't stop yourself from smiling. After all, the reason that Haru turned down the invitation was that there were some leftovers in your fridge that needed to be finished.

"Really? Too bad... Then, next time." Makoto sighed.

"Surely." You agreed. The three of you had come to the point from where Makoto went right to his house and you and Haru continued on ahead. "Convey our regards to your family."

"Will do." Makoto smiled and waved. "Good night, you two!"

"Good night!" You waved back.

"Good night." Haru added.

With that, Makoto had gone off and the two of you proceeded.

There was a moment of silence before you decided to speak up. "You could have eaten at his place if you wanted to. I would not have felt bad."

"But there's food leftover."

"You eat with me nearly every night. It's okay." You shrugged. "It's just one night."

He stared at you in contemplation, then replied. "I can still go back."

No, thank you. "You don't have to." You smiled a little tensely and brought your eyes to the path ahead. If anything, you knew that Haru was not so insensitive as to not understand that you were merely trying to be unduly polite.

"Okay." He nodded just as the two of you approached your house.

"What 'okay'?" You pouted. You just wanted to push your luck a little.

"I'll eat with you. I like your food anyway."

Haru liked your cooking. Could you possibly have asked for more? "I'm honoured."

He did not say anything more to that.

"You're going for a run tomorrow too?" You ventured a question as you entered the house.

"With Makoto." He replied.

"Hm." You could never keep up with them even if you hadn't wanted to admit to it. "It's a Sunday anyway. Want to go for a swim before breakfast?"

"Do you want to?" He asked back.

You nodded as you took off your shoes and stood up, softly mouthing. "With you."

Whether he heard that or not was beyond you but he did return a nod. "Be ready by the time we're done running then."

"Of course."

You had a routine dinner- a routine you had come to love and take for granted. Nothing needed to be said between the two of you. After all, you were bound by the tides of the water that you both loved so dearly.