Relationship Text

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Haruka was cradling his head in his hands as he watched his teammates shuffle out of the change rooms after the competition had ended. They had been allowed several hours to take a break and relax before they would be herded like cattle back on their appropriate buses. Haru had decided to remain in the change room, desperately wanting to avoid his friends. The simple thought of seeing them made his stomach churn and his throat close up in apprehension. After his futile attempt with Makoto and Nagisa, he was increasingly more anxious and uneasy. Haru wanted them to know when his breath faltered as he began to pack his suitcase, how his heart clenched, and wilted when he passed Makoto's home. The heart-shattering snap of the when his mother had ripped and discarded the phone numbers he had secretly written down.

Those confessions were at the tip of his tongue, ready to be spilled. But the petrifying thought of certain questions terrified him to the point he would pretend they didn't exist. It was becoming exponentially clear he didn't possess the answers his friends wanted to hear. Haruka had chosen to not defy his parents, and he was progressively realising that he hadn't even tried to defend his place to remain in Iwotabi. What did that make him? Nauseatingly submissive, indolent, and a cold-hearted automaton. It made him queasy to think back on how he handled the situation. He squeezed his eyes shut and didn't realise that the locker room was yet to be completely emptied.

"Haru, you okay?" Haruka glanced to left to find Taekun watching him curiously from his locker, "You've been acting weird ever since I bumped into that boy in the hallway."

Haru's eyes widened at Taekun's comment. He had forcefully pushed that incident to the back of his mind. They had been making their way back to the locker room when Taekun had collided with Rin. Joining his sweet smile was an immediate apology. Rin, who flashed him a cheeky grin in return, caused Haruka- who had yet to be seen by the redhead- to instinctively flinch. That mischievous smile that on countless occasions was so infectious that Haru would be unable to stop his own smile bracing his lips. It was like Rin had embraced him with his rivalry warmth only the day before. The redhead's sharp shark-like teeth easily cut at Haru's victorious thoughts. The ravenette had persistently pulled on Taekun's jacket sleeve and didn't dare look at Rin. He could sense the redhead had been about to protest, to explode into whatever emotion the swimmer was capable of after finally laying eyes on him, but Haruka hurriedly intervened.

"Come on Taekun, we better get back." He had said with a rather cold tone, one he hadn't meant to voice. When it seemed Taekun was hesitant in leaving so abruptly, Haruka dragged him away.

"I'm fine." Haruka came back to reality, swinging his head back down, examining his hands that flexed unnaturally in his lap. He felt Taekun slump down beside him and followed the hand that came to rest comfortably on his knee.

"Haru, what's wrong?" Taekun asked him with a tone so soft, Haruka intertwined their pinkie fingers.

"I can't face them," Haru whispered out and breathed deeply at the confession he spoke aloud.

"Sure, you can." Taekun smiled at him in sympathy. "You already faced two of them, and they were ecstatic to see you."

"I ran away. Like a coward..." Haruka clenched his jaw and sighed profoundly. He rose his head to the ceiling and whined lightly.

"I'm sure they're just as scared as you." Taekun reasoned and knocked their knees together. "You're so emotionally numb."

Haruka presented him with a stern gaze at the amusement in the brunette's voice. Taekun smirked and flicked the boy on the nose.

"Hey!" Haruka slapped his hand away and stood. "I'm not emotionally numb. I'm pretty terrified if you hadn't noticed."

"Maybe you should think about what the others are feeling," Taekun suggested and crossed his legs, giving Haru an expecting gaze.