#reading hs!

[makoandharu]

Starting Days is 5 years old today!!

Reading High Speed! again and wanna jot down my thoughts (translation in case anyone wants to read)

Chapter 1:

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 :(

[Tbc]

[makoandharu]

Ayyo I have a Makoto-related question and I feel like if anyone would have the answer (or would be able to find more information) you’d be the one. What happens first in the Free! timeline: Haru almost drowning in the river or the fisherman’s death/funeral that makes Makoto fear the ocean? Does it ever clarify that somewhere in the High Speed novel??

As always, a long answer to a simple question 🤡

Yeah that's what the first few chapters are about actually! Fisherman's funeral happens first, and Haru talks about watching all the men walking down and neither of them know what's actually going on, but Makoto looks scared so he grabs his hand and takes them away from there. It also makes sense bc Haru nearly drowns just after Rin joins ISC and by then his dad has already passed away, which is why he's so pushy with the boys to join him in the medley relay.

I guess the memory of it is just constantly fresh for Makoto which is why it effects Makoto even more when Haru falls into the water, honestly it messes him up, like this is when he can't swim facing down anymore.

(Slight tangent from ur question but pls cry with me: The few days leading up to Haru nearly drowning, Makoto's been running late to school every day so Haru leaves without him; but it's cos he's been changing the fish water every morning. A few days after the incident, Makoto comes back from school and the fish had died. He goes to swim club, and it's just more sad boy hours bc of Haru (just so much is happening emotionally) so he's just so messed up emotionally, and when he comes back home and burries the fish in his garden he looks at the empty fish bowl thinks "it's almost like the water that nearly swallowed Haruka that time." At this he starts shaking again and runs out of the house bc he "has to see Haruka now". This is when he finds Haru already waiting for him on the staircase and he asks Makoto if he needed something and Makoto says yeah but seeing Haru's face took care of it. He also admits here about being afraid of the water since the fisherman's funeral.

I mention this bc is s1 Makoto talks about the fish in direct relation to the Fisherman, but it's clear from the novel that their death effected him more bc of everything that was going on with Haru at the time. I like to think Haru knew this which is why he got him the fish at the festival after Makoto has retold the story, as a "I'll always be with you" type of reassurance. I also say this bc no hc we ever come up with will hurt more than this stupid novel)

TL/DR: Fisherman dies first, Haru almost drowns after. Then the goldfish die. Makoto is straight up not having a good time

[makoandharu]

Haru meeting Rin was like *annoyance at first sight*