Body Heat (Free! Iwatobi Swim Club, MakoHaru)

[Natto]

Natto: Hello there! This is my second full-length Free! Iwatobi Swim Club fic, the first one being Nitori's Observation Diary. This one was written as part of a trade with AllergicWolf—she requested either Makoto or Haru having a cold, so I started with Makoto. She also requested that the cold be messy, which is is, so if you don't like mess you should probably turn back right now. It's in second person because that's just how it turned out. Also, Makoto's younger siblings do get sick here, but the point of that is for Makoto to be worried and stressed out about them, and their symptoms are very minimally described.

Anyway, I hope that you guys enjoy the fic, and that you'll leave a comment letting me know what you think!

~`~`~

Body Heat

by Natto

approximately 5000 words

~`~`~

“Um, Haru? Snnfff. I uhh...snnifff. I'b dot goid to be at school today. I'b dot feelig too...sniiifff. Well.”

This is such an understatement that it may as well be a lie. Not feeling too well indicates a slight cough, some sniffles, maybe a bit of a headache. What you have is well beyond that. Your head is pounding, your throat hurts like you're swallowing thumbtacks, and you can barely croak out your sentence. You're congested, really congested, like your ears are blocked and your nose is blocked and it feels like your head is a locked up fortress. Your nose is running relentlessly, and you have to keep a handful of tissues pressed there if you don't want to get covered in snot. You're shivering, and you haven't checked, but you're pretty sure you have a fever.

You don't know how this happened—you were fine when you went to bed last night. But here you are, hanging out in Bad Cold Central. Haru asks if you're okay, and you wheeze out a yes. Then start coughing into your tissues. You try to reign it in so Haru won't worry, but you can't stop coughing for almost five minutes. You're surprised that Haru is still on the phone. He says, “I'm coming over to make sure you're okay.”

“Dod't you hahhh....HHAHHH...” Oh great, now you have to sneeze. This makes holding onto the phone a complicated prospect, as well as causing problems in the not worrying Haru department. Your nose is twitching anyway, your mouth hanging open and your eyes watering and then, “HWAHHCHHIEW!” Droplets of spit and mucus flying into the air because for some reason you moved away from your handful of tissues while sneezing. This was instinctual, but it made no sense on an instinctual level. It just happened. You wipe your hands off on a clean tissue, and tell Haru that he doesn't need to come. “You habe school. Snnff. You'll be late if you cobe here.” You put the phone down, blow your nose into your tissues, and come away with a thick, yellow slug of snot. Gross. “You dod't wadt to be aroud be adyway. Snnff. I'b disgustidg, ad defiditely codtagious. Snf.”

“You sound terrible. Are your parents around?” Worry gathers in Haru's voice. You tell him that you're totally fine, that you'll probably be back to school by tomorrow. This is unlikely, unless a miracle occurs, but you want to keep Haru calm. Your parents are on vacation. You are responsible for watching your younger siblings. You could use Haru's help, but you don't want to worry him, or get him sick. “I'm coming over,” he says. You don't try as hard to stop him as you should. Instead you just collapse into another coughing fit, and lay back down on your bed. Your eyes flutter closed, and when you open them again, Haru's standing over you shaking your shoulder.

“Huh?” Your pillow is sticky with drool and mucus. Your eyes are bleary and your nose is prickling. You sneeze into your blanket, “HEHPHH!” and greet Haru with a weak wave of your had. He passes you a tissue from your nearly empty box, and you drain your nose until it's soaked, then reach for another one. How all this gunk got in your head is beyond you. “Ugh, I'b so sorry Haru. Snf. I kdow this is disgustidg. Snff. Ehhh....hhhh....hhhh....ahhh...” You need to sneeze again but it's not coming out. An itch wildfires through your sinuses, your eyes water, your mouth quivers open, your chest heaves, but nothing. You blow your nose to try to quell the urge, but that only makes the itching worse. “hhhehh...ehhh...ehhh....” Haru taps your nose with his finger. You look at him through eyes swimming with tears and then try to duck your head so you don't sneeze on him. Your breath keeps hitching and finally, “HUUAHHCHH! HHKKSHH! CHH! HHHH-CHHOO!” Loud ragged sneezes scraping against your throat. You blow your nose again, thank Haru for trying to help you.

“No problem. You always take forever to sneeze. Anyway, have you had breakfast yet? I brought some mackerel, but I can make something else, too.” You smile weakly, and say that you need to make breakfast for your siblings. “Are they sick too?” Haru asks.

“Do, they'd fide. Snnff. Why?” You wish you could stop sniffling for five seconds, but your nose is running like a waterfall. You wipe it with a tissue, sniff again and feel your sinuses crackle.

“Then you shouldn't be making food for them. You'll get germs all over it.” You nod, grateful that Haru chose this tactic. If he'd told you to stay in bed for your own sake, you wouldn't have listened no matter how tired you were. Posited as something that will help your siblings stay healthy, you don't have to feel guilty about staying where you are, as long as it doesn't take too long, and Haru goes to school soon after. You're going to have to take your siblings to the bus stop soon, and you hope he'll be gone before then.

Haru heads out to the kitchen, and you trail after him, your blanket still wrapped around your shoulders. You really did intend to stay in bed, but you realize that you'd have to get up soon anyway, and you may as well start acclimating to being awake. You can sleep once your siblings are on the bus. Haru starts the tea kettle, and finds a box of tissues, which he plunks down on the counter beside you. You try not to look too desperate as you snatch a handful of tissues from the box, but you're sure you fail because you are desperate indeed. Your nose is running profusely. You press a wad of tissues to your nose and try to blow it, but all you accomplish is hurting your ears. Mucus continues dribbling steadily. Your nose is getting sore.

“Thadk you for...snnff...bakidg breakfast,” you rasp. “We dod't have ady backeral. Snnf. Just...hhhehh...just r-rice...hhhh...”And there's that itch again, forcing you to sit there with your mouth hanging open and your nostrils twitching. You scrub at the underside of your nose, hoping either to coax out the sneeze or make the urge go away. Neither works. Your eyes water. You pinch your nose closed. Finally, a massive “HRRAHSHHIEW!” shoots out of your face, splattering your tissues and your hands with stringy mucus. Somehow, the sneeze does nothing to unlock your sinuses. If anything, you're even more congested now. Haru hands you a bottle of hand sanitizer, which you gratefully accept. “Ugh. Snnf. If you catch this I sidcerely apologize. Snf.”

“I'd better not catch it. Last time I got sick I had to deal with your mother yelling at me not to go swimming. But don't worry about it, okay? Just relax.” Haru scoops some rice from the rice cooker, sprinkles it with seaweed flakes, and sets it before you. You chopstick a tasteless bite into your mouth, and immediately start coughing. Haru's fist kneads your back, and you smile weakly.

“Thadks Haru,” you say. Haru nods, then observes that it's awfully quiet. “You're right. The twids ought to be up by dow. Snnf. I deed to getd theb to the bus stop by 7:30. If they ared't ebed up yet they're goid to be ladte. Snrk.” You blow your nose on another handful of tissues, wincing at how sore your nose has become. You're betting it's got to be bright pink by now. “Ughh...I'b so tired. Snnf. I wish I could just go back to bed. Snf.”

“Go right ahead,” says Haru. “I'll take your siblings to the bus stop. I've done it before, it's not like it's hard.” You shake your head, mumbling something about it being your responsibility. You feel like someone's shoved a bowling ball straight up your nose, so it's possible you aren't thinking clearly. You cough into a closed fist, then put your head down on the table. Haru slips out of the room, then comes back immediately with your sister in tow. “She's sick too,” he says.

One look at your sister confirms this to be true. She's sniffling with a thread of snot dangling from her pink nose. Your plans to sleep while they're at school die a painful death, and you sigh, heavily. “Ughh...I'b sorry Rad-chad, did I get you sick?”

“I dunno...” she mumbles, climbing onto your lap. Her knees push the table across the floor, probably leaving scratches that you'll have to try and buff out later. “Um...Ren-chan's sick too. He was coughing a whole bunch last night...I couldn't fall asleep because of him.” Now you feel bad because you didn't notice. You don't have the excuse of being ill yourself, you were perfectly healthy last night, just caught up in playing some stupid video game and ignoring your responsibilities to your siblings. You had thought that they were asleep and thus fine.

You blow your nose, dislodging enough snot that you can speak semi-normally for a few minutes. You kiss your sister's steaming forehead, then tell her that she's staying home from school. “You have a fever, so you need to spend the day in bed, okay? Ren-chan too, if he's anywhere near as sick as you are.” And there goes your nose stuffing up again. Ten seconds of breathing and that's it. You sigh again, look at Haru who is standing in the doorway with crossed arms and pulled-in lips.

Suddenly, he strides over to you, takes Ran-chan's hand and tells her he's taking her back to bed. “I'll get you whatever you need for today, okay? Makoto-oniisan is sick too, so you need to leave him alone and let him sleep so he can get better.” You try to protest, tell Haru that he needs to go to school, but you're stopped by a violent coughing fit. “Makoto, go back to bed. I don't care about missing a day or two of school.”

“Day or two? Haru, you're dot goig to...hhhh...” And now an itch starts feathering through your sinuses, expanding seemingly infinitely throughout your head. You suck in air, mouth hanging open, eyes closed. “Hahhh....ahhh...” Your lungs feel tight in your chest, your face aches. Haru hands you a tissue, which you hold expectantly to your quivering nostrils. Finally, you explode with a “HEHHCHHHHIEW!” And turn the tissue into useless pulp. Despite the barrier of the tissue, you still have snot resting on your upper lip, so you wipe it off, then snort miserably into yet another tissue. “Haru...” you rasp. “You cad't biss two days of school because of be...snff.”

“When are your parents getting back?” he asks.

“Dext week...HEPSHHH!” Damn, that one snuck up on you. You blow your nose again, amazed at how often you're obliged to do this. At least you managed to cover it in time, and avoid sneezing on your little sister's head. She mumbles that you're too loud, so Haru picks her up and takes her back to bed. He returns and says that your brother is still asleep, and your sister shut her eyes immediately upon being tucked back into bed. Then he tells you you'd better get in bed, too. “You dod't have to do this, Haru...” you rasp, then follow up with a flurry of coughs.

“Yes, I do. Otherwise you're going to be running after your siblings all day and you'll end up making yourself sicker. I'm not having that.”

“But you could get s-si...IHH? Ihhh...snnfff. Snnff. IIIchhhhIEEW!” Another wad of tissues wrecked with the force of your nose. You groan, and slump over in your seat. “Ughhhh....fide Haru, you wid. Snff. I feel too lousy to argue with you. Snff. Just please be careful dot to catch this, okay?” Haru nods, then says that if he does get sick, he'll just swim for a while and be fine.

“Actually, instead of going to bed, maybe you should take a bath,” he says. “The steam will loosen up your congestion, and the water will relax your muscles. It'll be easier to go to sleep after you do that.”

Baths are Haru's solution to everything, and part of you wants to reject it immediately for this reason. After all, if he suggests it for everything, it can't possibly be a real solution, right? You feel cross and contrary and you want to be asleep right this second, but Haru's suggestion actually does make sense when you think it through. So you nod, and you thank him, and you drag your aching sack of a body toward the bathroom.

~`~`~

Haru runs the water as hot as it will go, then scrounges through your cabinets for bath salts. “Your mom gave my mom these vanilla-scented bath salts one year for her birthday, so I'm guessing it's something your mom keeps around too. Am I right?”

You shrug. You know you've seen bath salts hanging around in the cabinet before, in fact you're pretty sure you bought some for your mother's last birthday. Right now though, your mind is too fuzzy to think of where they might be, or whether it's been used up since then. You think, vaguely, that perhaps Haru shouldn't be rifling through your parent's medicine cabinet, but when he produces the bath salt you forget about that. He sprinkles a handful into the steaming bath, then tells you he'll be in with some tea once you've settled into the water.

It takes a little while for that to actually happen. First off, you have to get over how cold and shivery you are and take off your clothes. Second, you have to stop worrying about your siblings and let Haru handle it. Though you often end up having to take care of him for various reasons, you know that right now, he's more capable of handling the situation than you are. So you strip off your clothes and sink into the water. It's a little too hot, but not so hot that it hurts you. Your jumping muscles go slack, and your ragged breathing smoothes in the steam. Your congestion loosens just a little, and your nose runs freely. No matter, you're in the bath and you can wash it off with no problem. Your eyes flutter shut and you almost fall asleep, but you're jerked into consciousness by Haru, who is shaking your shoulder and staring at you with a look of grave concern.

“Don't fall asleep in the bath,” he says. “You could drown. Don't be stupid. Anyway, I made some tea. You mostly have black tea for some reason, which I didn't think was a good idea since you'll need to go to sleep soon. So I went out and bought some herbal tea. Oh, and I made breakfast. Soup.”

“Mackerel?” you croak. You feel guilty about having fallen asleep, and embarrassed that Haru's standing here staring at you with no clothes on. You should have worn a bathing suit, you don't know why you didn't. Haru doesn't seem phased by your nudity though, so you try not to care too much. You're too exhausted to hold onto embarrassment for long

“No, miso.” You have no idea what this is in reference to, and you only remember when Haru says, “I'm going to make mackerel for dinner.” You thank him profusely, then cough into the air. Cover your mouth when you remember that Haru's presence means he could get infected. Your sinuses are itching again. Haru plunks a mug of tea on the side of the bathtub, and you pick it up and take a shaky sip. The steam makes the itch much worse, so you pass the tea to Haru and sneeze violently into your hands. Now your hands are covered in yellow gunk. You didn't even know it was possible to produce this much mucus. You groan. Haru hands you back the tea, which you drink, though it tastes awful and swallowing scrapes your throat raw.

“Do you want me to call your parents?” asks Haru, sitting on the closed lid of the toilet.

“Do, dod't bother theb,” you plead, eyes wide with worry. “This is the first tibe they've had a vacatiod id years. I cad handle it. Dobody's sick edough that they deed to...nnnn...” Again, your nose is prickling . It hasn't really stopped, it's just a little more intense now then it's been. You rub your nose, hoping you won't sneeze again. No luck, after thirty seconds of hitching breath and fluttering eyelids, you explode into “hhhh-HHHHAHHHCHHUU! hhhpph—SHH! Ehhh...hhhh....hhhh....nnnnHHHGHHCHH!” Your nose is still clogged, but now your ears have joined the party, so sneezing feels like a detonation deep in your sinuses. You groan, massaging the bridge of your nose. Cough a little, then tell Haru you're sorry for causing so much trouble.

“Stop apologizing. Once you've lost your voice completely you're going to regret using you ability to talk on such boring things. It's not your fault that you got sick, and I don't mind helping you out until you feel better, okay? You'd do the same if it were me.” That's true, you would. You've done it before. And so you don't protest when Haru dumps a basin full of warm water over your head, or when he starts rubbing shampoo into your scalp. You don't tell him it's unnecessary, or that you can bathe yourself. Instead, you just submit to his help, and try to focus on continuing to breathe.

~`~`~

After the bath you feel a little better, but not much. Haru tries to steer you toward your bed, but you need to check on your siblings first. “I kdow it's stupid, but I deed to see for myself if they're okay, otherwise I'll be worrying too buch ad I wod't be able to...HHHSHH! Snff. Sleep. Ugh. Haru, cad you getd be a tissue?” He hands you the whole box. The first time you blow, nothing comes out because you're so stuffy, but after a few tries you need five tissues to clean up the mess. For ten seconds you can breathe, but your sinuses seal themselves up pretty quick. Your ears are ringing. You pad toward your sibling's shared bedroom and peak inside. Both of them are awake.

“Hi onii-chan!” yelps your little brother. He sounds a little raspy, but not nearly as congested as you do. You're relieved, but also worried, because if he feels well enough he'll be running all over the place. Your sister is laying down, hair draped over her fever-flushed face, reading Sailor Moon.

“Hi Red-chad,” you croak. “How're you feeling?”

“Good! I mean, not really good, like my nose is all snotty, but good! Ran-chan's worse, I think. I'm bored though, can I go outside?” You want very much to let him go, because then he'll be quiet instead of hurting your head with his voice. But the clouds outside are gathered close and very gray, and you're not going to let him go outside in the rain and get sicker.

So you shake your head and tell him he's got to take it easy today. “If you're sick edough to stay hobe frob school, you're sick edough to stay id bed. Snff. Why dod't you read a book or sobething?”

“Reading's boring!” Ren pouts, crossing his arms. Haru muscles past you, starts rifling through the twin's bookshelf, and eventually pulls out a worn copy of the first Harry Potter book. He hands it to your brother and tells him that he's going to be quiet and well-behaved, or face the consequences. He doesn't say what those consequences are, instead just staring at Ren with wide, steady eyes. “Okaaaayy!” says Ren, picking up the book and flipping through the pages to a random spot. You lean against the doorway and cough into your elbow. You want to admonish Haru for scaring Ren, or Ren for not listening to Haru, or something, but your head is pounding and you're dizzy and exhausted and you don't even know how you're standing upright anymore. Your vision blurs, and when you can see again you see Haru's arm slung around your shoulder, holding you upright.

“You're going to bed, now. No arguments.” Haru grabs your hand, and leads you toward your room. You stop, crouching against the wall to cough and pant for breath. Haru drags you up again. You're still dizzy, your feet aren't going in the right direction. Your brother is in the hallway asking if you're okay, and you think you're responding but he keeps asking the same question, so maybe you're not. Then you're in your room, on your bed, shivering and coughing violently into your pillow. You feel wretched, but you don't want to say as much, don't want Haru to worry. His hand's on your forehead, he's muttering something about a fever.

“I dod't have a fever...” you mumble. Haru wipes something off your upper lip with a tissue, then tells you that you definitely do. “Oh do, what if by siblings get fevers, how am I supposed to deal with that...hhk-CHH!” Haru wipes your nose again. You push his hand away, then thank him for helping you. He rifles through your dresser and pulls out a pair of fleece pajamas, your warmest ones, your green plaid pajamas for winter. You don't have the energy to put them on, so he maneuvers your body like a puppet, untying your bathrobe and sliding it off your arms, then threading them into your pajama shirt and your legs into your pants. Then he pulls your blankets out from under your legs and drapes them over you. He gets you another blanket. You're still shivering, no number of blankets is going to make you warm. Then suddenly Haru's in the bed with you, practically on top of you. “Haru, what...?” you rasp.

“Body heat,” he says, voice muffled by the bundle of blankets. “You're shaking so much it's scaring me. Close your eyes and go to sleep, okay?” You nod, though you can't imagine falling asleep through the mountainous blockage in your sinuses, or the harsh cough rattling in your chest. Hacking and snorting and sniffling aren't very conducive to sleep. Haru rubs your chest with his knuckles, kneading out some of your pain. You do shut your eyes, and though you don't fall asleep for several hours, eventually you do.

~`~`~

When you wake up you feel like you've been run over by a truck. You're not shaking anymore, and you can pay attention to your surroundings, but you feel like hell. Your whole body hurts, your face feels packed with cement, and your throat is scraped completely raw. You're not entirely sure that you just have a cold, but you're hoping like hell that's all it is, otherwise your siblings are going to be dreadfully sick too, and you can't deal with that, you don't want that, you...you need to sneeze. Your nostrils twitch, your head rears back, and your breath hitches for nearly a full minutes before finally you explode with a “HEH-KSHHU!” and then there's a whole who knows how many hours worth of snot production all over your hands. You drag yourself to the bathroom to wash your hands and blow your nose, then plod to the kitchen and sit at the counter, clinging to a box of tissues like a life preserver.

Haru's standing by the stove, stirring something you can't smell and won't be able to taste when you eat it. Still, you smile weakly at Haru and thank him for making...dinner? Breakfast? “What tibe is it?” you croak. Your voice sounds like your throat's been through a shredder.

“8:00 PM. You spent the whole day sleeping. How're you feeling now, any better?” You nod, snuffling into a handful of tissues. “Your brother and sister are okay...neither of them have fevers, I checked. They're just tired and stuffed up. You've got the worst of it...fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, I guess. Snff.”

“What was that?” You raise an eyebrow, shoot a look toward your friend. “Haru, did you just sniffle? You're dot gettidg sick too, are you?”

“I'm fine. It's just the steam from the soup making my nose run. Don't worry about it.” There's no way you're not going to worry about it. If Haru's sick then it's your fault. He's already missed two days of school helping out with your siblings, if he gets sick he'll miss more school and tank his grades. Practical considerations aside, you just don't want him to feel bad. You tell him he should sit down and relax, he shrugs and says he'll do it once dinner is ready.

“What are you bakidg...HHHPH-SHH!” Snot pools on your upper lip, so you mop it up quick. Your nose is chapped and starting to hurt you.

“Rice porridge. Also there's some mackerel baking in the oven. Snf. Plus some salad. You don't have to eat everything if you're not hungry.” Your appetite has utterly abandoned you, but you intend to eat anyway. You know if you don't you'll worry Haru, and you'll set a bad example for siblings, who need to eat if they want to get well. Technically that applies to you too, but you're not thinking about that. Haru sniffles again, then rubs the underside of his nose.

“Are you sure it's just the steam?” you ask.

“Yes, I'm sure. Stop hassling me, you're using energy you don't have.” Haru clears his throat, then ladles some rice porridge into a bowl for you.

~`~`~

Your siblings are chatty at dinner. You're glad that they feel well enough to talk, but you wish they wouldn't, because you don't. And Haru doesn't seem to either. He hardly says a word during dinner, and he doesn't eat much, either. He eats the mackerel—good, because if he didn't you'd be calling an ambulance—but he pokes at everything else. Unlike you, he's actually a good cook, so though you're far too congested to taste the food, you're sure it's good. Still, Haru doesn't want to eat it. You ask him about it, but he waves it off, and your throat hurts too badly to argue with him.

“You cad go hobe after didder if you wadt,” you croak, dabbing your dribbly nose with a pulpy tissue. “Snff. You dod't have to stay here ad take care of be all dight.”

“Why are you staying here anyway Haru-san?” asks your brother. “Everybody's all sick and gross right now, you're gonna get sick too if you stay here.”

That's exactly the point you wanted to make, but Haru isn't having it. “Makoto's too sick to take care of you guys on his own,” he says. After a small coughing fit Ren says that he and Ran can take care of themselves. Ran nods, rubbing her eyes. “You guys can't even take care of yourselves when you're healthy,” says Haru, rolling his eyes. “You'd better behave yourselves tonight, okay? Finish your homework and go straight to bed. Ren-chan, you're going to school tomorrow, alright? Snff. If you can run around the house all day, you're well enough.”

“Did he bother you? I'b sorry, I was sleepidg all day...”

“No, it's fine. Don't worry about it.” You start coughing, and Haru starts rubbing your back. It feels like you're being stabbed in the throat. “Go back to bed when you're done eating. Snff. I'll clean up.”

As you drag yourself to bed you think you notice Haru grabbing one of your tissues and blowing his nose, but with your ears blocked up and your eyes watering, you're not quite sure.

~`~`~

You wake up with your cheek basted in yellow mucus, and with such ridiculously stuffy sinuses you think your eyes are going to pop straight out of your head. Your nose is so blocked that you can't blow it, can't even sniffle to keep the snot at bay. You're forced to hold a wad of tissues under your nose, but pretty soon those tissues are soaked through. An itch is blazing through your sinuses, and you think if you sneeze it's going to be like a volcano erupting, so you pinch your nose closed and hope it doesn't happen, wincing at the unpleasant squishing sound that results. Then you hear a sneeze, and in your grogginess you think it was you. You're even annoyed that your nose is still itchy. Then your brain catches up with your ears and you realize, it wasn't you sneezing, it was Haru.

And he's still doing it. Six tiny little “kkshh!”s into the crook of his elbow. He lays back down on the futon he's been sleeping in by the foot of your bed, then coughs quietly into his pillow.

“Haru?” you croak. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Snff. I'b fide. Snff. Just woke up for sobe reasod. You should go back to—hkk-CHH! Sleep.”

“You're sdeezidg ad awful lot, Haru...” You pass him the box of tissues near your bed. He takes one, drains his nose, and folds it up in a neat little square.

“Ugh...I kdow. By dose is botheridg be. Snff.” Haru takes another tissue and blows his nose again. This time it sounds wetter, more productive, but you can tell he's still pretty stuffed up.

“Did you catch by—srff—cold?” You grab another tissue too, wipe off the film of snot forming on your upper lip. You're not going to try to blow your nose for now, it's too sore and you're not going to accomplish anything. Still, you want very badly to try and clear the thing. You're not sure how long you can go without it. Your nose is overflowing with mucus, and wiping it isn't helping. You sniffle pitifully with the tissue pressed against your face, and watch Haru cough before he answers you.

“Baybe,” he rasps. “Ughh, this is the worst tibidg. We have to practice for the regiodal...regiodal...hhp-chh! Hchh! Hhh-PPPCHH! Regiodal swibbidg competitiod. Snff.” You remind Haru that that's months away, but of course you all need months worth of practice. The more time you lose, the less likely it is that you'll place, and you want to do better than you did last time. You reach down and rub Haru's back, say that you're sorry for getting him sick. He nods, then pulls thin blankets up over his ears.

“Haru, cobe up ad sleep id the bed with be. Snff. You're dot goidg to be warb enough with just those bladkets, add we're both sick—hhh!” And now that itchiness is firing up again, but you're still trying to talk for some reason with your mouth hanging open and your eyes watering and slamming shut. “S-so itd...d-doesn't...hhhhkkk...batter about spreading gerbs...hhh—hnnn—hphh-SHH!” After giving up on your promise not to blow your nose again, you move toward the wall to make a space for Haru. Wearily, he rises from the futon, and crashes into bed next to you. You tuck the blankets around him, drape your arms around his shivering frame. “Body heat,” you whisper.

[Emily]

You probably already knew how hot this was but I'm gonna tell you anyway.

THIS

IS

SO

HOT.

The whole second person thing? HOT AS DUCKS. ROASTING DUCKS, STILL ON THE SPITTLE TURNED SLOWLY ATOP A FIRE. You write long thingamaboobs just as well as (and maybe even better than) you write drabbles. 8D This makes me feel so fuzzy and hot and bothered. The stuffy talk, the fluffy plot, the whole thing is so beautiful. I'm just melting in a puddle right now but welp, "some people are worth melting for."

[shingetsu]

Oh wow! This is just...BEAUTIFUL! It has everything I want in a perfect sneezefic... Haru is so good at care-taking... and his sneezes are so adorable, as always. And your descriptions are just gold! And the ending...I don't even have the words...I enjoyed every second of it!!

[Kshu]

Yay! You used the new contagion tag!

[kendisima]

Natto, you are a genius... I don't even watch this show and I was eating this fic up. AMAZING writing, loved the second person POV, and that contagion... grnnghh...

Lovely, lovely, lovely! :D

[4000tacobells]

This is so, so great. And the first thing I've read under the contagion tag, too! Love that brotherly Makoto and all the snot made me very happy. Ugh perfect ♥

[a_nonny_mouse]

This isn't even my fandom and it's gorgeous. =)

[42686]

good god this is great

so messy

youre great at describing colds in detail too

[AllergicWolf]

I woke up this morning, checked the forum to find THIS?!!! ASLCNCBCFLFN I CAN NOT EVEN COMPREHEND THE AMAZINGNESS OFF THIS YOU ARE OFFICIALLY MY GOD!!!!!

[Natto]

Oh wow, eight comments! Heck yeah, so glad people liked this story, especially AllergicWolf, who I wrote it for! Thanks guys! Now on to the individual replies.

@ M-リ: Well, I knew I thought it was hot, but that doesn't say anything about other people. Great to know it worked for you! I like writing long fic, I just haven't done it too much lately because I've been distracted with other major writing projects...doing trades is a good motivation though, because then I have to. And yayy you liked the second person--so many people hate second person, but it's just what flows naturally for me. Anyway, thanks so much for your comment, made me very happy to see it.

@ novusluna: I'm so glad that you enjoyed it--especially since, judging by your signature, you seem to like Free too. I tried to match Haru's sneezes with how he sounds in canon, though that's easier said than done. As for Makoto, I had to make it up, because of course he never sneezes. Honestly, they all should. Repeatedly. In every episode. Because I said so. XD; And yeah, I think Haru would probably be a good caretaker, just a bit brusque? I mean, he has to know what goes into that sort of thing--raising yourself teaches you a lot about how to take care of other people, since you have to know how to take care of yourself. Glad you liked, and thanks for the comment!

@ Kshu: Oh yeah, that was your idea, right? It's an excellent idea for a tag, and I'll probably be using it...in most stories I write, honestly. Contagion is one of the favorite things in this world. Thanks for the idea, and I'm grad it got approved.

@ kendahhll: Yay, thank you! Free is one of those series where you don't really need to know that much to get into a story about it. Yes, the characters all have their histories, but it's a real-world setting and most people who are into anime at all know the basic premise. I'm glad that you liked it despite it not being your fandom, though! And I'm glad you thought the second person thing worked. And yeahh...couldn't resist the contagion. I tend to feel like a coldfic isn't complete until the cold's been passed along...

@ 4000tacobells: Thanks! Yeah, the contagion tag is great, but since it's new I guess it's not surprising it doesn't get used too much...some people might not have noticed it yet. And eeeek, I'm so glad you liked that it was messy. XD; I've been criticized for that before, but it's one of my favorite things to write about, so it's nice to see other people appreciating it! And yeah, Makoto trying to maintain his brotherly responsibilities while feeling terrible was fun to write. I actually took inspiration from your fic, Responsible Adults...I remember loving reading about a similar thing, and I thought it suited Makoto well.

@ a_nonny_mouse: Thank you for reviewing a fic not from your fandom, that's really nice of you. And I'm glad it worked despite not knowing who the characters are.

@ Glue: Thank you! I feel like describing colds and allergies in detail is the main point of fetish fiction--it's definitely what distinguishes from my normal writing where characters sometimes get colds but it's not really closely described. I'm glad to hear that you think I did it well!

@ AllergicWolf: I'm so happy that you liked it! *puts on crown, ascends as king-god* Incomprehensible awesomeness is a great compliment, as is god status. XD;; Thanks so much. Can't wait to see what you eventually write in exchange. Glad that we're both contributing to the small pool of Free! fic on the forum.

[Pyrus_Fangmon]

Oh my lord this is amazing! I cant believe I didn't find this sooner and reply. Poor Makoto and now Haruka! Oh I hope you will make another part for them!

[melonbun]

Oh man... that was glorious!

I especially love your descriptions and how you wrote the dynamic between MakoHaru.

The care-taking, contagion and assertive Haru... ALL SO CUTE *fangirls*

[Melody]

*Revives self from a puddle on the floor* okay seriously I'm not even in the Free fandom but this was just hot. Your descriptiveness is amazing and the plot is just gah amazing I can never get enough of your fics!

[8lifflefoot]

I. Love. This. So. Much!!!!

The characterization was spot on, the details were perfect, the story was brilliant, and the fandom..... And the use of second person was positively genius!!

[Kushami Suki Da!]

Oh my god. This is amazing! The mess. The contagion. The caretaking. Everything about this is wonderful!

[daystar428]

Adorable!! Can't wait to read what happens next

[Natto]

Oh wow, I thought that'd be it for the comments when I replied up there--what a lovely surprise to see more!

@ fang815: I'm so glad that you liked it! I don't think I'm too likely to update this, I feel like the story is done...but I'll definitely be writing more things for the fandom, including about these characters, so not to worry! Thanks for your comment.

@ melonbun: Thank you! Yeah...Haru and Makoto's dynamic can be tough...I feel like a lot of people write Haru as being completely cold-hearted or passive, when he isn't really either of those things. He's just very blunt, or assertive, as you put it. I'm glad you enjoyed the story.

@ Melody: *mops up puddle of Melody* Thank you! Heh, I'm glad it worked for you even without the context of the fandom! And you always like my fics? Wow, awesome, somebody's actually read more than one and recognizes me as an author, that's so freakin' cool. Mind if I ask which others you've read?

@ 8lifflefoot: Thanks! I'm glad everything worked well for you, especially the second person part. I'm not sure why I chose to do that...it just seemed right for the story. I was worried people would find it off-putting, but thankfully, at least someone likes it.

@ InuCiel: Yaaay thank you! Mess + Contagion are two of my favorite things, especially contagion...I doubt I'm ever going to write a coldfic that doesn't at least tangentially involve contagion. XD; Glad this worked for you, and thanks for the comment.

@ daystar428: Thanks for the comment and I'm glad you liked it. The story is actually finished at this point, but I have written some other Free! stories and I will probably be writing more in the future.

[EmeraldThread]

Waaah~! Okay, so it took me forever to come back and read it, but now I'm so glad I did. The way you wrote it was really interesting - I noticed it the first time I skimmed it that you used second person, which is something I wouldn't have ever thought of trying for a fic. You did well with capturing Makoto's and Haru's characters, too, and that was something different with the second person, so instead of just reading Makoto, it was sort of like being Makoto, too (although he was a hundred times more unfortunate). I liked how you had his thought process, like how he does feel the responsibility to take care of his siblings, but he secretly wants to rest and just let Haru handle it.

Your descriptions of things, though! One particular part I liked was when you described Makoto getting into the bath and how cold he was and then the warmth of the bath, and falling asleep, and Haru coming back. It was kind of cute how Haru took care of him, too, and made sure he wasn't doing anything like taking care of anyone else. xD;; Your spellings were fantastic, too - they really fit him! Both of them, actually. xD;; And even though I normally don't enjoy mess, I didn't mind it here because it wasn't way over the top or anything, and was just realistic.

My favorite thing, though, is that Haru caught it from Makoto. That's most likely because Haru's my favorite, so fics featuring him in any capacity are wonderful. Obviously Makoto is wonderful, too, so even if there were nothing for Haru in here, I'd have liked it a lot. xD But I'm really glad you included both of them, and I loved the end, where Haru crawls into Makoto's bed, and they do the body heat thing and it's just really really cute and perfect for them. X3

Overall, I liked this a lot, and thank you for writing something for Makoto, whether it's for a request or otherwise!! Free! boys deserve endless love.

[Maus_17]

I know this is months late but goodness, that was so wonderful. Second person is usually rough to nail down- and you've done it amazingly! Cute ending that melted my heart. <3