infatuation | free!

afterwards ; makoto

"are you okay?" makoto asked, worry lacing his voice. he tucked a lock of hair behind your ear, his eyes scanning your face for any sign of pain. you smiled softly, your eyelids heavy with exhaustion.

"i'm fine, makoto." you assured your boyfriend, taking his hand in your own and squeezing. makoto exhaled slowly, sending you one of his infamous warm smiles that never failed to get your heart racing.

"i'm so glad," he started, almost relieved that you were alright. "thank you for doing this." he said, shifting so that he laid on his back. you moved closer to him, laying your head on his chest.

"makoto, i love you," you said. "i wanted to do this just as much as you did." you confessed, wrapping an arm around his torso. he reciprocated the gesture, using the arm closest to you to pull you into him.

"i know, i just get nervous, i guess." makoto said bashfully, letting out a sheepish laugh. you exhaled sharply out of your nose, pressing a kiss to your boyfriend's chest.

"i know you can't help it, makoto, but you have nothing to be nervous about." you said gently, looking up at your boyfriend's face. you knew he was insecure, so you did the best you could to reassure him.

"it's not insecurity this time." makoto said, turning to look at you. you raised a brow, confused as to what he meant by his statement. he smiled once again, his warm features making you melt.

"whaddya mean?" you asked, entwining your legs with his own. he hesitated for a moment, looking up at his ceiling to think. the glow-in-the-dark stars made for a pretty decent nightlight.

"the time we've been together feels so surreal, almost like a dream," he started, sighing softly as he shook his head in disbelief. "it's all been so... perfect." he said, playing with the ends of your hair.

"it really has been, huh?" you asked rhetorically, giving makoto a toothy grin as you used your elbows to prop yourself up on the mattress, enabling you to look at him better. makoto looked at your bare shoulders and frowned.

"you must be cold, i'm sorry—" his apology was cut short by your finger on his lips, shushing him. you gave your boyfriend a reassuring smile and shook your head.

"i'm fine, makoto. i'm just happy being here with you." you said gently, cupping his face. he did the same, his eyes flickering back and forth between yours. then, he pulled you in for a kiss. so many emotions lay hidden in a single gesture, his lips pressing gently into your own.

you pulled away after a few seconds, the feel of his lips still lingering on yours. you shifted so that you were straddling his stomach, resting your head on his chest as you examined his face. you weren't one for outright declarations of love, but you couldn't help yourself in the moment.

"i love you." you said softly, the sincerity of your words evident in makoto's ears. his eyes widened for a split second, not used to saving you say things so bluntly like that.

"i love you too, (first)." he said. and he meant it too, moreso than he had anything. he felt as though he truly did love you, his actions from earlier in the night proving this statement.

you felt giddy when he said this, your heart fluttering as his words registered in your mind. it was the first time either of you had said this to each other, and it was special. you had been together for around eight months, and working up the courage to say how you felt was utterly terrifying.

remarkably, however, you felt as though your relationship had changed in the moments it took to say such a meaningful statement.

"you're a wonder, makoto tachibana." you said, pressing your forehead to his. he was clearly flustered by your teasing claim, his cheeks flushing a light pink as he let out a bashful chuckle.

your gaze moved away from makoto's emerald green stare, your eyes landing on a quaint clownfish keychain on his bedside table. to be honest, you hadn't noticed it before, its subtlety making it almost invisible unless you were really looking for it.

"what's the story behind that?" you asked, pointing towards the smiling plastic fish. makoto turned over, following your gaze until he found the keychain that he's had for so many years. smiling fondly as memories flooded into his mind, makoto picked up the tiny trinket, holding it up above his face.

"it's nothing interesting," he said, his eyes glimmering with recognition. "i just got it when i was a kid." he told you, running the pad of his thumb over the fish's striped fin.

"so you're not gonna tell me?" you asked, jutting out your lower lip in an attempt to guilt your boyfriend. makoto chuckled at your phony behavior and reluctantly agreed to tell you the story.

"when haru and i were younger, we went to the same swim club. we spent over half of our lives with each other, which meant he was and still is a very close person to my heart." he told you, spinning the old keychain around in his fingers.

you nodded, urging him to continue. you had always admired the friendship that haruka and makoto shared, often times finding yourself appreciating the friendships you have even more because of them.

"well, one time after class, they had these little keychains on display. coach sasabe, the bearded pizza man, told us we could each have one on the house. of course, haru and i both reached for the dolphin. but, to be honest, i felt as though the clownfish suited me better, and let haru have the dolphin. he still has it, i'm pretty sure." makoto finished his story, smiling at you. for a moment, you didn't respond.

"i told you it wasn't interesting." makoto joked, noticing your silence.

"it was interesting! i thought it was really sweet!" you defended yourself, growing flustered at makoto's assumption that you hadn't enjoyed his story. you were telling the truth, actually. makoto had always been extremely selfless, and this story only made you admire that trait he had even more.

"i know, i know," makoto said, laughing. "i'm just teasing you." he said, putting the clownfish keychain back on his bedside table and wrapping his arms around you.

"you're a jerk for that." you said, placing a gentle kiss on your boyfriend's nose.