AN: Fem!Haru needs more love. I can't express that enough.
If there's even an audience out there for this story, I hope you enjoy it and drown in this cheesy fluffiness.
Also check out my other story titled The Invisible Wall. That one is a bit grungy, huhuhu.
Summary: Makoto decided to take the next big step but it's not easy when you have a teasing tsundere girlfriend. What's a guy to do? Fem!HaruxMakoto. Future Fish AU.
Happy reading~
Say Yes
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"Nii-chan!" "Nii-chan!"
Small voices echoed through the halls of the quiet apartment as they reached their destination. Inside a neat room with simple furnishing, laid a very tired firefighter in bed, who just came home from a thirty-six-hour shift. The fire they dealt with was stubborn but luckily, they had no fatalities.
Groaning as he felt tiny hands print onto his firm and sore back, the very tired fireman shifted to get the little kids off of his back as he turned on his bed holding them by their little waists. Giggling, the kids squirmed in his big strong arms, "Nii-chan, how big was the fire this time?" the girl asked.
"Nii-chan, was there a big explosion?" the boy asked.
"No! Answer my question first!" the girl yelled as the boy shoved her face away, "No! Mine!"
The kids continued to fight as the tired fireman yawned and slowly got up, making the kids move away, "Nii-chan's very tired but the fire was very big and we managed to save everyone and the animals" he answered just as he heard a gentle knock at the entrance of his bedroom's door.
"Makoto, I put the food in the fridge, Dear. Sorry the kids woke you up" a gentle voice apologized as she bowed. "We'll see you later today, I'm just glad you came back home safe again. Get some sleep, Sweetie" Makoto's mother bowed again and ushered the kids out of his room. This was her usual routine in his apartment – leaving him leftovers she's made and tidying up the place a bit knowing how busy he is.
"It's fine, thanks Mom!" Makoto, the exhausted firefighter smiled as the twins came rushing back to him. He hugged the twins and gave them both a kiss on the cheek.
"I'll see you guys later, now, let me sleep please!" he playfully stuck out his tongue as the kids got off the bed.
"Bye, Nii-chan!" they waved and left his room with their mother.
Closing his door, his mom blew him a kiss and soon quietly left the apartment. Makoto chuckled as he fell back onto his cozy comforter and fluffy green pillow. Turning his head to the right, he smiled as he looked at a blue pillow next to him knowing that it would be a very good day today.
On his nightstand, a black box was set right next to a small framed rare picture of a smiling woman.
A silent wish that she'll say yes loomed in the air.
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"We need three dozen egg tarts, fruit tarts, cheesecakes, macarons, and cookies!"
"Don't forget about the cannoli and taro orders!"
"Ten mini matcha mousse cakes!"
"Four orders of birthday cakes!"
"We need more pudding!"
"Where's all the powdered sugar?!"
"Haruka, help! I burned the caramel!"
"Again? Coming…" she deeply sighed. Haruka rubbed her cheek, smearing the flour all over her face as she dashed towards the new employee in the spacious kitchen of the café she works at.
Being a pastry chef was no easy job, especially when you're one of the top chefs there. Coughing from all the smoke, Haruka helped extinguish the small fire caused by a new baker as she measured all the ingredients and helped them fix their small problem.
"You're a life saver, Haruka-chan! Thank you!" the new energetic employee continuously bowed as Haruka raised her hand and stopped her, "Drop the -chan" she rolled her eyes with a quick smile.
Hearing the front entrance's bell ring, she made her way to the front to attend to the new customer. "Welcome, what can I get you?" she asked without looking at the person as she rummaged around the desk to find a pen and notepad.
"Could you wrap yourself in red ribbon? I'll take you to go" the customer smoothly said.
Haruka was no stranger to random guys hitting on her and at times, even some girls too but she was in no mood to deal with this person.
"I'm not for sale. So tell me, what'll be?" she said, finally looking up at the customer.
"A chocolate cake for my family" the customer chuckled, "is that powdered sugar on your cheek, Haru-chan? Can I lick it off you?" he leaned over the counter as Haruka shoved his face away.
"I'm trying to work Makoto, and it's not sugar, it's flour" Haruka smugly replied, writing down his order on her notepad in red ink.
"Haaaaaru-chan, please" Makoto frowned, "I haven't seen you in days!"
Sighing again, she leaned in to meet him on the counter, taking a menu from the side of the cash register, she placed it standing up so it would cover them. "Make it quick" she whispered as Makoto brightly smiled and closed the gap between them, swiftly kissing her with enthusiasm.
Haruka pulled away before Makoto could get carried away causing him to groan, "tease" he frowned again with his green emerald eyes giving her a pleading look.
"We'll continue later tonight" she turned away having a hard time trying not to blush at what she just said. "Go sleep. This is your only day off, right?" Haruka asked, changing the subject.
Makoto yawned, "Yeah, then I'm back at the station bright and early tomorrow. I dealt with the fire and rescue last time so they might place me with the EMT this time around"
"Sleep, Makoto. I'll have the cake done before my shift ends. We're still going over to your parents later tonight, right?"
Makoto quickly pecked her cheek, "yep!"
Haruka shook her head and went back to work. A simple visit from her boyfriend always made her feel at ease from all their constant orders and hectic schedules but at the same time embarrassed her.
Makoto stood outside the café he was just in and took out a small black box from his right back pocket. He opened the small ring box and chuckled to himself as he closed it right back up.
He was hopeful that tonight would be the night their lives would change forever.
His heart was hopeful in hearing that she'll say yes.
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Later that night, the doorbell rang as the couple waited outside holding hands. Not long after, Makoto's mother opened the door and immediately greeted them with warm hugs and kisses.
"Come in! Come in! Oh, it's been so long since I've last seen you two together!" she gushed as she quickly took Haruka's hand and led her to the kitchen to help out with dinner.
"I see, nothing has changed here" Makoto chuckled as his father rolled up his newspaper and got up to greet his son. "Your mother is as lively as ever" he chuckled as he quickly gave Makoto a hug.
"Hey dad, can I talk to you in private?" Makoto sheepishly asked while raising am arm to awkwardly ruffle the back of his already messy hair.
His dad tilted his reading glasses with a raised brow, "sure, son"
Ushering him into his father's office room, Makoto quickly waved a 'hello' to his little siblings and walked into the room. Inside, he offered the only chair to his dad and paced around the room as he found the proper way to word his thoughts.
"What's this that you want to discuss, Makoto?" his father crossed his arms and bent one leg over the other to show him that he had his full undivided attention.
"I want…" Makoto gulped, his heart beating as he had a hard time looking at his dad.
"Makoto, breathe"
Makoto did as he was told, sharply inhaling and exhaling as he tried to calm himself down. Momentarily he closed his eyes and took out a small black box from his right back pocket. He opened his worried-filled green eyes and quietly handed it to him before he spoke up, slowly seeing the surprise in his father's eyes.
"I want to ask Haruka to marry me, but I'm terrified of making her worry more than I already do. I'm a paramedic but I'm also a firefighter. I can't tell you how many close calls I've had at work before but… but it's my passion and I love my job just as much as I love her. I'm asking for some guidance here. I don't know what to do and you know it's not like I could even go ask Mr. Nanase for his blessing" Makoto rubbed his temples as he looked away from his dad and placed his head against the cool wood of the door.
A few silent minutes passed before he heard a soft chuckle.
Mr. Tachibana got up from his seat and took a step towards Makoto, placing a firm hand on his shoulder as he spoke up, "son, we all love Haruka as if she were a part of this family already. You know I'd be damned if we hadn't opened our home to that precious girl currently right out those doors, helping your mother out with dinner. Her parents may have disowned her and threw her to the side, but I could never do that to a young child when she needed her parents the most. You two have grown up close and I have seen your love blossom and mature into something special. Haruka is not the most vocal person in her feelings, I know she would never tell you to quit your job and will continue to support you just as much as you support her with her passions. I wouldn't be too worried. If your mother and I weren't sure you'd take every measure in order to be safe in the line of duty then we'd never have helped you with you getting your degrees and certificates. You have both your mother and father's blessing, it'd be a great honor to properly call Haruka our daughter"
Makoto heard every word, letting them sink in as he turned around and with a gleam in his eyes, he did the only thing he could: he tightly hugged his father and let out a small 'thank you' escape his lips.
His father patted his back in good spirits as he handed the black box back to his son. "It's a beautiful ring but it'd look even more beautiful on your future bride. Go get her, son" his father chuckled and opened the door for him.
Makoto could cry from all the emotions he was feelings.
All were joyous and positive.
He knew now that he was certain in his decisions.
He just hoped she'll say yes.
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Makoto found Haruka in the kitchen stirring a pot as his mother chopped and placed vegetables and condiments in.
"Hot pot in this heat?" he questioned as he shadowed over Haruka to see what other things were being placed inside.
"Hot pot in the summer is the best thing to combat the heat!" his mother said as she nodded at the logic of her statement. Makoto knew it made no sense, but it was a tradition of there's that he'd never break.
"Once you're done, can I speak with you outside in private, Haru-chan?" Makoto leaned in and whispered into Haruka's ear. His thumbs rubbed into her tense shoulders as he felt her shudder.
"Drop the -chan and maybe I will" she smirked at his hands stopped their movement and a little groan came from his throat. "After dinner, then" he countered as he walked off before his mom threatens to kick him out with a wooden spoon.
Before he entirely left the kitchen, he asked his mom if she could look at his cell phone. Confused, she wiped her hands on her apron and took his phone in her hands to read what the text said. 'I'm going to ask Haru-chan to marry me'
Mrs. Tachibana nearly dropped the phone to the floor as she clasped both her hands against her mouth to stop her from squealing in joy. Makoto gestured with a finger against his lips to keep quiet about it as he tried to be discreet with Haruka in the room.
His mother vigorously nodded her head and wiped the forming tears from the corner of her eyes with the back of her apron as she tightly hugged her son and gave him a big kiss on his cheek before pretending to really kick him out of the kitchen with her handy, all-purpose wooden spoon.
That night, Makoto experienced the most nerve-wracking dinner of his life. His knee wouldn't stop bouncing as he tried to concentrate on all the conversations at the table. It was only when Haruka got annoyed with her own knee touching his jittery one, is when she placed a hand on top of his knee to stop him from continuing.
If only for a brief second, it aided in relaxing him as he dropped one hand to place on top of hers that was resting on his knee. He then felt her lace her fingers with his and gently squeeze his hand. Makoto turned to glance at her as he studied her features as she was fully immersed in what everyone was discussing.
He prayed that she'll say yes.
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Done with dinner, Haruka followed Makoto outdoors to the front of the house. She decided to sit on the top steps, the nostalgic steps that had once led up to her childhood home. If she could even call it that, having practically been raised with Makoto's in his house.
The thick humid air did nothing for them as being even a second outside caused them to sweat and Makoto was already sweating bullets.
"Before you tell me what you want to tell me…" Haruka began. She bit on her bottom lip as she sighed, hating how her mind was left stewing in the news she needed to tell him.
"What is it?" he frowned, already knowing it could be no good from her distant tone.
"My parents recently contacted me" she told him as he tilted his head in confusion.
"Why now? So suddenly?" Makoto narrowed his eyes, still trying to process it.
"They left Japan a few years ago from what they wrote in their letter. Apparently, they moved to France and established a small bakery there"
"Okay and what does that have to do with you?"
"I guess they suddenly remembered they even had a daughter when they found out that I'm a pastry chef here in Iwatobi. Remember when the local news featured the small café I work at?"
Makoto nodded, "oh yeah, so let me guess… now they want to profit off of you and make you move to France, is that it?"
Haruka smirked, crossing her arms, "I told them to go to hell. I don't have parents"
"You're wrong there, Haru-chan, my parents love you as their daughter" he shook his head.
Haruka agreed and gave him a genuine smile, "they mean the world to me just as you're my entire world, Makoto"
Makoto blushed at the confession, knowing that it was now or never.
"Haruka…" he loudly whispered.
Haruka patiently waited for what he wanted to tell her all night. She knew that whenever he'd call her by her full name, he was being serious about something. She'd usually give him a hard time for always calling her 'Haru-chan' but truth be told, she was a shy tsundere who was easy to fluster and embarrass with cutesy nicknames.
She watched as he took a step towards the rocky stone steps she was sitting on and bent down on one knee. Her eyes widened as she watched him reach behind to take out a small black box, already knowing where this was going and the question he was about to ask.
"Haruka Nanase, will you marry me and give me the greatest honor of calling you my wife? I know that I scare you each and every time I'm out dealing with big fires, but I swear to you, I promise that I'll always come back to you. Broken, bloodied, bruised or healthy, I will always come back right to you. I love you and have always wished you'd have me as your husband and take on my last name. I don't want you to be burdened any longer by your past. You're my entire world and there's no one else I'd want to wake up to in the mornings or go on adventures with" Makoto felt like he was rambling on, just telling her what was on his mind and what he felt. He could spend days on telling her how much he loves her but with shaky hands, he held up the opened box revealing a mixed sapphire and emerald encrusted silver ring.
He felt like he waited an eternity for her response as he watched her take the box to inspect the ring. She closed it and held onto the box as she finally spoke up, "come to the café in approximately three days and you'll get your answer then"
Makoto's heart sank at her response but tried to not let his disappointment show on his face as he agreed to her terms. Lifting her free hand into his, he gave the top of her hand a peck, "okay"
For now, it wasn't a complete rejection.
She'll still say yes, wouldn't she?
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Makoto Tachibana, paramedic firefighter; he's braved extreme temperatures, saved countless of lives, dealt with extreme cases of fires from oil, electric, to natural, and has grown to hate brittle trees with flakey rough bark with how many times he's had to climb them to save cats. All of these feats and more were nothing to the unbearable impatience he's had for the past three days waiting for time to be up so that he could visit his girlfriend at the local café she works at.
He was an incredibly patient person especially with having younger siblings who happened to be twins, but he was starting to slowly lose his mind at work with how slow it had been. No paperwork, no training, no new emergency to deal with. Nothing.
"Tachibana, you look like you're dreading having to get a root canal done!" Makoto's captain yelled at him from across the room as he made his way to the vending machines they had in the corner.
Makoto quickly shot up from his seat in the cafeteria and nervously waved at his captain, "just worried that it's a slow one, sir!"
His captain nodded and smiled at him as he threw a pocari sweat drink his way. Catching it with one hand, Makoto thanked him and twisted the cap to open it. "I'm afraid so. Stay hydrated and call it a day" his captain waved him off as he walked away.
Makoto wanted to double check but decided it was best to not make his captain repeat himself again. With a new found hop in his step, Makoto clocked out for the day and made his way towards the café with all the legal speed that he was allowed on the road.
There was still a slight chance she'll say yes.
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Makoto left in a hurry that he didn't bother changing out of uniform. Rushing into the café, his chest heaved as he panted and tried to catch his breath as he placed his hands firmly on top of the counter.
He hadn't noticed that Haruka was working the front counter until he looked up and found her smirking at him.
"Water" he begged as he watched her shake her head at him and went to go get him a glass of water.
Haruka came back a minute later and handed him the water as he desperately took it and downed it in seconds. She watched as he finished it before taking the glass and taking it away.
Now came the awkward part.
How was he going to bring up his proposal to her from three days ago?
Haruka cleared her throat before she spoke, "before you overthink things, here"
He hadn't noticed that she had also brought a small baby blue box wrapped in a mint green ribbon out when she handed him the water. She slid the fragile looking box his way on the counter as she leaned over the counter, bending her elbows on top and placing her cheeks in her palms as she watched his confused expression.
With much care, he tried to be gentle as he slowly pulled the ribbon off of the box and noticed it was filled with five colorful macarons all laid out flat in the rectangular box.
Each macaron cookie had something written and drawn in black icing.
Two contained the characters spelling out 'hai', the other two contained heart symbols and the last cookie had an exclamation mark drawn on it.
Haruka watched as Makoto's face contorted from confusion to amusement in a matter of seconds as a giant smile reached even his eyes.
"You mean it?" his emerald green eyes searched her sapphire blues.
She pushed herself off the counter and took one macaron from the box and scooped the tiny bit of black icing off the cookie onto her index finger. She then grabbed a hold of one his uniform's suspender strap and tugged him to lean over the counter as she wiped the frosting on the tip of his nose and nodded.
"Yes, I'll marry you"
"Then why'd you make me wait three days?" Makoto felt dumbfounded. If it was never a question, then why the torture?
Haruka braced herself to kiss him without hiding in public as she closed the gap between them in a sweet, heartfelt kiss, not caring if she caught any of the icing she had she just placed on his nose on herself.
When they pulled apart, he watched as she shrugged her shoulders with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, "because I wanted to drive you crazy"
"Haaaaarrrrruuuuu-chan, that wasn't very nice of you!" Makoto groaned, failing his arms as if giving up.
"Since you won't drop the -chan, I guess you'll just have to get comfortable with suffering" Haruka nonchalantly told him as she tugged on his suspenders once more to bring him closer and whispered, "take it or leave it"
Makoto chuckled at the playful threat, "I'll gladly take it, my future wife"
"Good, future husband" she smiled and kissed him again.
She said yes.
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Done!
I had started this story a looooong time ago but never got around to finishing it until now.
I'm glad I did!
Maybe I'll write more Fem!Haru stories in the future, especially with season 3 being teased. WHOO!
Remember to R&R! Plz & Thankies! :]
I don't own Haruka Nanase or Makoto Tachibana and all other characters used in this fic – FREE! is owned by Kyoto Animation.
I just own the idea/plot/story/whatever you want to call it~ lol :P