[Free!] HaruMako; chasing a saint into the sea
Fandom: Free!
Pairing: Tachibana Makoto/Nanase Haruka
Content/Warnings: AU/introspection and vague smut
Word Count: 450ish
It is a common belief that a selkie will only remain on land if their shed skin is forcibly held.
Haruka watched the seafoam play around his ankles.
Sunlight danced low over the waves, obscuring the shallows underneath the surface. The water was a refreshing contrast to the heat-soaked wood of the jetty under him. Still Haruka felt the pull of the ebb, the urge to slip under and be washed away.
The crying of gulls and crashing of the tide covered the sound of his name being called. It was only as gentle hands wrapped a towel around him that Haruka’s awareness returned, and was reminded of the frailty of his human skin with a shiver.
“You’re going to fall in,” Makoto said, holding his hand out.
“You’re worrying needlessly,” Haruka replied, ignoring it.
“The sea isn’t going anywhere,” Makoto sighed, arm unwavering. “But Nagisa will definitely eat everything if we don’t hurry up.”
With a reluctant bob of acquiescence, Haruka accepted Makoto’s help getting up and suitably clothed.
Makoto knew the unquenchable longing the ocean stirred in Haruka. The fussing was a bluff for the worry he carried in his heart. Haruka sometimes wondered if it wouldn’t be better if he did dissolve into the crest of a wave; all he seemed to do was trouble people.
They were thoughts that could be locked away as he was led into a circle of such people. They admired him, needed him, and gave him purpose. In return, he could only bury his doubts and do his best for them. Surrounded by their babble, it warmed the empty spaces that before had echoed a yearning for a former home.
Perhaps those thoughts would have taken a hold of him again once the circle was broken, the first years leaving them behind. But it always ended with them, had always been them, and evening’s caress led them inevitably to each other’s embrace.
Secluded in the privacy of his room, Haruka clutched Makoto to anchor himself. Tongue met tongue until lips strayed downwards. They still smelt of the sea, and Makoto tasted like it. A bouquet of red marks bloomed as Haruka sucked the salt from his skin. But Makoto never could take without giving back, and soon it was Haruka arching under his mouth. Following the current of their desire, their voices swelled as they rocked, bodies pressed together as close as they could get as the world melted.
Afterwards, with only the night covering their nakedness, they held each other with hushed breaths. Even in silence, Makoto understood Haruka. With the pulse of their heartbeats mingling, Haruka felt he could finally return that understanding.
This life on land Haruka had chosen, and he would not regret it any more.
Pairing: Tachibana Makoto/Nanase Haruka
Content/Warnings: AU/introspection and vague smut
Word Count: 450ish
It is a common belief that a selkie will only remain on land if their shed skin is forcibly held.
Haruka watched the seafoam play around his ankles.
Sunlight danced low over the waves, obscuring the shallows underneath the surface. The water was a refreshing contrast to the heat-soaked wood of the jetty under him. Still Haruka felt the pull of the ebb, the urge to slip under and be washed away.
The crying of gulls and crashing of the tide covered the sound of his name being called. It was only as gentle hands wrapped a towel around him that Haruka’s awareness returned, and was reminded of the frailty of his human skin with a shiver.
“You’re going to fall in,” Makoto said, holding his hand out.
“You’re worrying needlessly,” Haruka replied, ignoring it.
“The sea isn’t going anywhere,” Makoto sighed, arm unwavering. “But Nagisa will definitely eat everything if we don’t hurry up.”
With a reluctant bob of acquiescence, Haruka accepted Makoto’s help getting up and suitably clothed.
Makoto knew the unquenchable longing the ocean stirred in Haruka. The fussing was a bluff for the worry he carried in his heart. Haruka sometimes wondered if it wouldn’t be better if he did dissolve into the crest of a wave; all he seemed to do was trouble people.
They were thoughts that could be locked away as he was led into a circle of such people. They admired him, needed him, and gave him purpose. In return, he could only bury his doubts and do his best for them. Surrounded by their babble, it warmed the empty spaces that before had echoed a yearning for a former home.
Perhaps those thoughts would have taken a hold of him again once the circle was broken, the first years leaving them behind. But it always ended with them, had always been them, and evening’s caress led them inevitably to each other’s embrace.
Secluded in the privacy of his room, Haruka clutched Makoto to anchor himself. Tongue met tongue until lips strayed downwards. They still smelt of the sea, and Makoto tasted like it. A bouquet of red marks bloomed as Haruka sucked the salt from his skin. But Makoto never could take without giving back, and soon it was Haruka arching under his mouth. Following the current of their desire, their voices swelled as they rocked, bodies pressed together as close as they could get as the world melted.
Afterwards, with only the night covering their nakedness, they held each other with hushed breaths. Even in silence, Makoto understood Haruka. With the pulse of their heartbeats mingling, Haruka felt he could finally return that understanding.
This life on land Haruka had chosen, and he would not regret it any more.