Starting Days is 5 years old today!!
Reading High Speed! again and wanna jot down my thoughts (translation in case anyone wants to read)
3 years after they joined the iwatobi swim club, Haru's still only there because Makoto asked him to be
"I think it's about time you stopped putting '-chan' on my name."
Makoto liking Haru to a dolphin. Haru liking Makoto to an orca.
Makoto being the one to start calling him "Haru" (rather than Haruka or Haru-chan), which marks a change in their relationship
Haru thinking of himself and how this effect his life but keeps phrasing it "for himself and Makoto" like it's the same thing, like anything that would effect Haru would obviously also effect Makoto
Chapter 2: (cw: panic attacks)
Haru referes to seeing Makoto as meeting up "with Makoto and his smile".
When they're watching the fishermen return after that storm, they don't really know what's going on, but Makoto looks scared (even tho he doesn't know if he is). Haru grabs his hand and takes them away from there.
Haru knows that if Makoto is going to get himself involved in anything, sooner or later Haru is going to end up doing it with him
Haru kind of expects Makoto to speak for him so that he doesn't have to, but then he also thinks Makoto doing so is meddlesome? Haru is a bit ungrateful imo lmao
Haru almost drowns, and when he wakes up in the hospital, despite the fact that it hurts his ears, he doesn't tell Makoto to be quiet or stop fussing over him bc his "voice flowed over him naturally, just as it always did". He can't even open his eyes he's so exhausted but he still tries to talk bc he needs Makoto to know he's okay
When saving Haru, Rin freezes up so Makoto takes charge and tells Aki and Rin what to do. Makoto is shaking really bad whilst pulling him out and in the ambulance, and doesn't let go of Haru's shirt all the way to hospital.
Rin was "seriously scared" to the point that he's about to have a panic attack not because Haru almost drowned, but bc that's how shaken up Makoto was when rescuing Haru and it terrified Rin so much.
Makoto puts up a brave face in front of Rin and says he doesn't remember what he was doing, but as soon as he's alone, he starts having a panic attack, crying and hugging himself :(