A/N: I've really been feeling the urge to write again. But with work and school, along with just other stuff in my life (preparation for Otakon, etc), it's been really hard to just sit down and write, especially when I'm not particularly in the mood to do so. But I'm slowly trying to get into the swing of things again. Slowly, but surely.

When it comes to prompts, I still have some in my ask box and I still plan to do them, eventually. As for right now, they're gonna be hanging in my ask box until I get my muse back completely. I have no idea when that'll be, but that'll happen eventually.

Now, onto what I'm writing. I've had this Free! AU (called Free!dom idols) for a while now (like, a month or so?) and I really wanted to write it up. As of right now, it'll just be a series of one shots, because I am very unreliable when it comes to chapter fics.

Warning: Friendship, AU, slight OOC

Disclaimer: I don't own Free!

"Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be an idol, Haru?" Makoto suddenly asked one day.

Haruka stopped what he was doing for a moment and looked up at Makoto with a raised eyebrow. They had been studying together in one of the empty rooms, although Makoto had been distracted the hour or so. It wasn't typical for his friend to be caught up in other things when they were studying, especially while they were working on homework. And over something as...strange as idols...Haruka then gave a slow shake of his head before flickering his eyes back down to his had no idea what to say. What did one say when asked such a sudden and strange question?

"I mean, it looks like it would be kind of interesting, right? You can sing, really sing, compared to the other idols out there. Not to mention, you are pretty good-looking. You'd get a lot of fans," Makoto trailed off, a faint smile on his face as he continued staring out the window.

"Where is this coming from, Makoto?" Haruka closed his book at this point, putting away his homework. "You're aware that I don't like singing in front of a bunch of people. Not to mention, the idol industry is kind of...bland."

Makoto gave a hum in agreement, gazing out the window. "Yeah, I know. But...don't you think it'd still be cool to look out a window and see a poster of yourself on a building? Or watch TV and see yourself on one of those variety shows? To be able to have a group of friends that you perform with everyday?"

There was something in Makoto's tone that made Haruka hesitate. Something told him that his friend wasn't just thinking out loud because he could. Something that told him that Makoto wasn't just talking for the sake of talking. He was getting to something, and Haruka wasn't sure if he would end up liking it or not. It was the same tone that Makoto used whenever he was planning something. His friend was pretty transparent in that regard.

Glancing out the window himself, Haruka looked across the street, to where there was a music shop. There, hanging up in the window, was a poster of some male idol. His eyebrows furrowed and a frown came to his face. Male idols weren't as common to come across as girl idols, and it did make Haruka wonder why. The schoolgirl's that he passed by in the halls always seemed to be interested in the attractive male celebrities, talking about the latest gossip in the news. The ones already in the industry seemed to be doing well, if the sudden influx of Korean boy bands said anything.

Shrugging his shoulder,s Haruka glanced back at Makoto. "I've never really thought about it," Haruka said simply.

His friend locked eyes with him, twinkle present in his eyes. Makoto was planning something, alright. What it was that he was thinking about though, he had no idea.

Haruka and Makoto walked alongside each other as they left school, walking across the campus in silence. Birds were tweeting around them, filling in the empty space. There were a few students who were hanging behind, although there weren't that many. As they made their way out off the campus, Haruka suddenly found his wrist being grabbed before he was dragged across the street. Eyes widening in surprise, Haruka stared at the back of Makoto's head.

"Makoto? What are you-" Haruka found himself cut off suddenly when they slowed to a stop in front of the music shop across from the school.

The same poster that Haruka had been look at earlier was still there, only now, he saw the full extent of the poster. From his vantage point in the school, he hadn't seen the text, but now, he would read Sprawled in bold font, the poster read: "Calling all potential male idols! Auditions for I~S's new idol group, Free!dom! Can you sing? Can you dance? Do you have a great personality? Then come try out at the I~S headquarters in Toyko starting August 10th. Applications can be printed from online."

"Free!dom...?" Haruka muttered to himself curiously.

Makoto moved beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "So, what do you think?" he asked.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Haruka looked at his friend. He was slightly confused by what his friend meant. There wasn't really anything of interest that stuck out to him. It was just an advertisement for a new idol group-

...Which bought Haruka's thoughts immediately back to the moment just an hour ago, where Makoto just so happened to ask him his opinion on being an idol. Warning bells went off in Haruka's head at that thought and he looked over at Makoto with a raised eyebrow.

"...Are you trying to get me to try out?" Haruka asked suddenly, an accusatory tone in his voice.

A faint flush of embarrassment came over Makoto's cheeks the moment he said that, and Haruka knew that he hit the nail right on the head. Sighing loudly, he turned towards his friend. "Makoto-"

Holding his hands up in surrender, Makoto halted Haruka in his tracks. "Now Haru, just hear me out. I think that this would be a great opportunity for you. I mean, you are a great singer! And I know that you've been looking into debuting in the music industry...This would be a great opportunity for you to break into the industry," Makoto confessed softly.

Falling silent, Haruka looked at his friend closely. He knew that Makoto always had his best interests in mind, even if he was a bit...weird about it. And sure, Makoto always seemed to try to get him to follow his interest in music, signing him up for choirs or sending him practice videos. If would say that Makoto was more invested in this than he was.

"You do know that the idol industry is a completely different beast compared to solo singers," Haruka pointed out.

Makoto nodded his head and glanced back at the poster, thoughtful expression on his face. "Yeah, I know. But I still think it'd be a good start."

"Not many idols who come from groups get to become solo artists," Haruka added.

"I know," Makoto responded.

"I'd have creepy fans following me, asking for my baby and my hand in marriage." A smirk played at the edges of Haruka's mouth.

Makoto chuckled and shook his head in amusement. "I'm pretty sure that only happens in movies, Haru."

"...I wouldn't be able to be around you as much," Haruka said softly, causing the both of them to fall silent.

Makoto sobered up quickly before giving a smile to his friend. "I'll always be there for you Haru. No matter what. I don't care if you're an idol or a solo singer, I'll always be behind you." He placed a comforting hand on Haruka's shoulder before pulling him into a tight hug. A soft grunt left the other male's mouth and he blinked for a moment before he relaxed in Makoto's grip, hugging him back. A faint smile came to both males' faces before they separated from each other, stuffing their hands into their pockets.

Haruka glanced back at the poster before a contemplative look came over his face. He glanced back at Makoto before looking back at the poster. He hummed softly before tilting his head. "...You should try out too."

"What?!" Makoto asked incredulously.

Smirking slightly, Haruka directed his full attention to his friend. "I said, you should try out too."

"I know what you said, b-but...I...I can't sing. Or dance," Makoto pointed out in embarrassment. "Isn't that the point of trying out for an idol group? Having the talent to sing and dance?"

Haruka just shrugged his shoulders. "It's not like most idols can sing anyway. If you look good and have an appealing personality, people like you. You have a personality that most people love."

The flush on Makoto's cheeks deepened and he shook his head quickly. "No I don't-"

An unamused look came to Haruka's face in an instant. "Don't even start, Makoto. You saw how the girls at our school were clambering for your attention during Valentine's Day. Girls and guys stop in the hall to look at you. Not to mention, you've gotten tons of confessions in our time in school. You might not realize it, but people like you. You're kind-hearted and that's attractive to a lot of people." Haruka left it at that, face becoming serious in an instant.

"I honestly don't want to enter the idol industry without someone I know. If you want me to try out, then I want you to try out."

Silence floated around the two males, both of them staring at each other. Makoto's face was shocked while Haruka's face was calm and calculating. There was a faint tension entering the atmosphere, mainly coming from Makoto's end. It wasn't often that his friend was insecure about anything, but he knew that the brunette had his moments. Makoto always placed Haruka on a pedestal when it came to singing while bringing down his own abilities.

Makoto wasn't actually as bad as he made himself out to be. He's heard his friend sing before, usually when Makoto thought he wasn't listening. He had a pleasant voice to listen to. Sure, it wasn't the best singing in the world, but he could carry a note.

"Just try out with me, Makoto. We have nothing to lose, right?" Haruka asked, smiling lopsidedly.

Makoto stared at him for a moment before chuckling, nodding his head in agreement. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. We've got nothing to lose."

They had approximately three months to prepare for the audition and to save up for the trip. Neither of them had steady jobs, although Makoto did do odd jobs for his neighbors occasionally. Haruka was able to find some ads in the paper for small jobs that needed to be done. It was only small amounts here and there, but it was better than nothing.

However, it wasn't the money that ended up giving the most stress, but the practice itself. Neither of them had any idea what went on during an audition other than singing. Both of them looked up audition videos on the internet, but weren't able to find much other than girl group auditions. They had no idea if it was the same, but they had nothing else to work with. And the forums dedicated to idols didn't really offer much else either. It was more speculation than anything else.

So, Haruka and Makoto just spent a couple hours each day just practicing their singing and dancing. They would copy and learn the dances to popular songs and practicing singing techniques that Haruka had learned during his life.

Before either of them knew it, the day of the audition was upon them and both males were on a train headed to Tokyo. Haruka and Makoto were clutching onto the applications, their nerves starting to get to them. However, both were able to contain some of their nervousness. As the train raced down the railway and the skyline for Tokyo came into view, both their hearts leaped into their throats.

"This is it, Haru," Makoto whispered as the train pulled into the station.

Haruka hummed in agreement, determined look in his eyes. He had had no idea that he would end up being so serious about the notion of becoming a male idol, but over the months, the time practicing alongside Makoto opened his eyes a bit. While he still would have preferred to try out at a major music company, starting off small was probably the best way to get his foot in the door. He had no idea if he would even end up being picked to be in the group, but he would try his best regardless.

Taking a deep breath, Haruka watched as the train door opened up and took his first footsteps into Tokyo, and towards his dream.

A/N: So, this was just a little introduction. I'm probably going to be following my prompts for the most part, adding things as I go along. Yeah c: