you're the reason [haruka nanase]

《7》glad you came

▬▬▬▬▬▬ The water was no longer her happy place. (Y/N) sat in her childhood bedroom, her face puffy and lashes wet with tears. She heard her phone 'ping' with a notification, but she ignored it. After all, her friends had been blowing up her phone for days, pleading for the (hair color) haired girl to answer and let them know that she's alright. Since her tournament, she hadn't been back to campus or even her shared apartment with Kiro. Eventually, she had answered one of Kiro's few dozen phone calls and explained that she would be at home until her surgery was over. Kiro hesitantly understood, feeling helpless when it came to comforting her best friend.

Going to check who the notification was from, (Y/N) felt a tug at her heartstrings when it wasn't who she wanted it to be from. She knew she was beyond lucky to have such a caring friend group, but right now she didn't feel anything but unlucky. Especially when none of her notifications had been from Haru.

She began to feel slightly bitter- she felt remorseful at the fact she left without giving him an explanation, but he hadn't even called or texted her. She was aware he was bad at communicating, but was he not aware of the fact she desperately needed someone right now?

'Oh, right,' (Y/N) mused. 'The fact that I've been ignoring everyone else probably doesn't give me the right to be mad about this.'

But she couldn't help it. She needed someone to tell her it was all going to be okay. She was just never great at asking for help... The girl grew up relying on herself to improve and being a better swimmer, and eventually came to the realization she didn't need anyone else to win.

However, she was wrong. You can't win alone. That's just how it is. Even though it's just you in the water, everyone who has ever extended a helping hand to you, cheered you on, or even offered an anecdote of advice is behind your victory. When you're striving to be first to the wall, you carry the weight of everyone who has lifted you up and guided you to be better. In order to return to the world of competitive swimming, she was going to need to realize that.

Her surgery was scheduled for just a week from now. "The sooner, the better," is what she told the doctor. If she took her treatment seriously, he had promised that she'd be able to swim competitively in time for her sophomore year of college. But there was no hope of her finishing this season. She felt a sting in her heart every time she recounted that one simple fact.

"Whatever," she sighed, tossing her phone away from her. The (eye color) eyed girl was about to take her second nap of the day when she heard a knock at her front door. She almost ignored it, but she realized that she was the only one home. With a soft groan, she trailed down the stairs and opened the door.

"Haru?" she asked, her eyes widened with surprise.

"Kiro gave me your address." he simply said. "Can I come in?"

(Y/N) responded with a nod of her head and gestured him to walk in. The male took off his shoes and turned to face the female.

"I had to fight a lot of people to be the one to come visit you today." he mused.

"Is that so? I haven't heard from you in a while." (Y/N) replied, averting her gaze from his.

"That's because when someone skips town, it's usually because they want to be alone. I wanted to respect that."

"Fair enough." she admitted.

"Unless, that's not true. Do you want to be alone?" he asked, looking her dead in the eye.

"No." she whispered, so softly she wasn't sure he heard.

"Are your parents here?"

"Not right now. We can just go to my room." (Y/N) said, leading the male by hand to her room. His face was painted with a look of amusement when the girl just plopped down on her bed, abandoning every principle of formality. He didn't mind, happy that she was comfortable with him.

The two sat in comfortable silence, Haru sitting on the edge of the bed with his feet on the ground and (Y/N) laying with her back to the bed.

"How bad is it?" Haru whispered softly, breaking the quiet.

"It could be worse. I have surgery next week, but by next semester I might.." (Y/N) trailed off, her voice cracking. He turned to look at her, a small blush creeping onto his face at the sight of the vulnerable girl. Even at her lowest point, she was still mesmerizing to him.

"I know you'll be able to come back to swimming." he assured, sincerity evident in his tone.

"Thank you." she replied, smiling for the first time she had in a while.

"Is there anything I could do to help you?"

"You already are." she admitted, sitting up. When she sat up, a small blush creeped on to Haru's face at the fact that their faces were only mere inches away. Noticing the redness, she placed her fingers on his neck, finding his pulse.

"Your heart is beating really fast," she observed. "Do I make you nervous, Haru?"

"Yes." he responded, going to turn his head away from hers until she placed her hand on the side of his jaw. No longer intimidated by the close proximity, he pulled her closer to him, if that was even possible. Closing the gap between them, he placed his hand on the back of her head and leaned in. The kiss was warm and intimate, and entirely romantic. There was no rush, no outside disturbances. Just two teenagers in the midst of falling in love with each other.

Pulling away, Haru immediately started criticizing himself for being too forward. "Was that okay?"

"Yes. You could do that a million more times if you like." (Y/N) giggled, feeling like she was on top of cloud nine right now.

"I don't want to take advantage of you.. You aren't at your best right now." he sighed.

"Actually, right now, I'm better than I've been in weeks." she reassured him, gingerly ruffling his hair.

"I want to be there for you. I don't mean just now, either.. I mean.." Haru started, trailing off when the girl wrapped her arms around his middle and buried her head in his chest. The intimacy was something so new to him, yet so familiar. It made Haru wonder if he and (Y/N) could've even known one another in a past life, because no one has ever made him feel this way before.

"I think we can make each other better, Haru." (Y/N) stated, tenderness ringing through her voice.

Leaning into her touch and situating himself so they were both more comfortable, Haru laid with his back to the bed and (Y/N), drifting to sleep on his chest. Unsure if she was really asleep, a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"I do, too."