So this is my first foray into the world of Free! and I hope you guys like it. It's also the first bit of fanfiction that I've acutally finished. I don't know if I even like it or not, but at least it's done. I apologize if any of them seem a little OOC, but that stuff just comes with practice I s'pose. Shameless Sei/Mako fluff, the way I likes it. I didn't include any of the typical honorifics, nor the traditional name order because it felt weird and stilted when I tried them. If you're fans of them, I'm sorry. I'm not as up on Japanese culture as I could be, so any differences there are from my general lack of worldly experience. Oops.

DISCLAIMER: I am making no money off of this work, and the only things I own in this story are the plot points, the terrible writing and (sometimes) obscure allusions to things. Everything else belongs to their original creators and copyright holders. I just do this for the fun of it.

On A Night Like This

Seijuurou Mikoshiba was sitting at his desk, mindlessly watching videos on YouTube, alternating between finding the appropriate music mix to finish his assignments, or taking a "much-needed" break by finding fail compilations or watching kittens ride robot vacuum cleaners. Normally a studious individual, Seijuurou was finding it more difficult to actually focus on this, one of his final assignments as a Samezuka student. Not to mention the stresses of getting his swim team in order for the end-of-year exhibition as well as Nationals.

He sighed after the third video finished - this one had lightsabres attached to the vacuums - and looked back at the paper he was writing. It was padded at best, desperately seeking a way to increase his word count although his brain felt utterly taxed as it was. He leaned back in his chair as far as it would go, debating what drills he would give his team at their next practice. Even as he was formulating his regimen, his mind's eye was drawn towards not a swimmer from his own team, but from Iwatobi's, the school whose club he let practice in their pool in the off-season.

Samezuka's team had grown so accustomed to the Iwatobi presence that it didn't really matter to Seijuurou whether or not they still had joint practices or not. They seemed to be getting on just fine, even though they barely had a team roster. They were so close-knit that it was with a slight pang of envy that Seijuurou wished his team could be the same way. Even Rin, arguably the team's star swimmer (apart from himself, of course), looked like he longed to simply go swim with his old friends. He shook his head, knowing that their bond was created with time and shared experiences, not just through loyalty to their captain.

He lowered his head onto interlaced fingers, trying to think of what to do next, his thoughts still full of an Iwatobi swimmer and the colour green.

Sure, Gou was cute and all, and Seijuurou had been quite infatuated with her for a surprisingly long time, but he had never really thought of her as anything but cute. Makoto Tachibana, though, was an entirely different case. He had seen other guys in their swimming gear many a time, and even seen them out of it in the locker rooms too, and yet never once had is attention been drawn to them. He was interested in girls, after all, not guys. And yet, Tachibana in his ankle-length swim jammers, covering so much of that smooth, beautiful skin with his kind eyes and soft smile had Seijuurou's thoughts jumbled like nothing else. He didn't get it.

But Seijuurou wasn't a theoretical learner. He could sit and think about something all day, but only truly understand once a practical example was given to him that he could try himself. It was this sudden realization that made him realize what he had to do. He all but ran to his bedside table, unplugged his phone from the charger and typed frantically.

Hey Tachibana, it's Mikoshiba. What are you up to tomorrow night?

Makoto Tachibana was sitting at home, unwinding after he had read his two twin siblings their third bedtime story that night. They had been particularly demanding on that front, and surprisingly resistant to the idea of bedtime to begin with despite their usual routine of supper, finishing their homework, bath time, tooth-brushing and then settling into bed. Finally, after promising them more bedtime stories (resulting in them pushing bedtime rather late), Makoto managed to get the troublesome twosome into bed and asleep. Exhausted though he was, Makoto was happy to have finished his homework shortly after getting home, and having an evening to himself for once. No swim practice, no regimens to think up with Gou, no getting distracted at Samezuka's pool…

No, tonight he was just going to focus on relaxing on his bed with his favourite music playing through his headphones. His eclectic taste in music separated him somewhat from his other teammates. Gou and Nagisa were both into pop music because of the catchy hooks and easy-to-remember lyrics. Rei enjoyed classical music for its sheer beauty, considering other forms of music plebian and pedestrian compared to the scale and majesty of the best composers. Haru… didn't really listen to music. He was more content to listen to the sea than anything else. Makoto simply turned the volume up, getting lost in the ebb and flow of the song. Everybody likes what they like, after all.

Especially when it comes to other teams' captains. Makoto let out an exasperated groan, closing his eyes tight and trying to think of something – anything – that wasn't related to the Samezuka captain. He had even spoken with Haru about his whole infatuation with Mikoshiba a few weeks ago, with little headway being made.

"What if he finds out I like him? What if doesn't like me back and just laughs at me?"

"Think about it like water," began Haru unhelpfully.

"And how does water come into this?" asked Makoto wryly.

"Water is everything. If you dive in afraid of it, it will bare its fangs and attack mercilessly. However, if you face it unafraid and embrace it, you'll come out just fine." Haru's face was impassive as ever, but his eyes held a glimmer of hope for Makoto, wanting him to be happy either way. "Isn't it you that's always saying 'you like what you like'?"

Makoto had mulled over this conversation many a time in his mind, wondering about what Haru had said, or whether or not he was even remembering the conversation correctly. His words were just as inscrutable now as they were then, and weren't helping him now. Besides, it was getting late and he needed his rest. Or at least he needed it until he heard his phone buzz from his nightstand. He picked it up, slid it open and opened the new text message from a number he didn't recognize.

Hey Tachibana, it's Mikoshiba. What are you up to tomorrow night?

Makoto froze. How did Seijuurou get his number? Oh right. He probably got it from Rin, after all. He ran over all of the possible reasons the Samezuka captain would want to get a hold of him. Maybe he felt they ought to practice in their own pool now? Maybe he wanted to discuss training schedules for Nationals? Makoto had no idea, and tried to answer him vaguely enough without coming across as rude.

Nothing, why? Was there something you wanted to discuss?

Seijuurou was not about to admit that he was anxious to get a response from Makoto, but he was sitting bolt-upright in his desk chair winding his red hair through his fingers, looking to the world like a schoolgirl with a crush. He caught himself, willing himself to relax. The last thing he'd need would be for Rin to see him, and make fun of him for being lovesick. He also would never admit that as soon as his phone buzzed, he all but leapt to check the notifications.

Junk mail. Ugh.

He set his phone down reluctantly, hoping he had sent it to the right number. He'd asked Rin for it, and triple checked to make sure he'd had it entered correctly. But still, maybe he did send it to the wrong number. It was always a possibility. Rin had given him the third degree asking his captain why he would possibly need Makoto's phone number.

"Why do you need it? It's not like you're that close. Hell, you're not even on first-name basis with each other," said Rin.

"Well," said Seijuurou, grasping for anything. He hadn't really prepared for an inquisiton after all. "I need to discuss training regimens with him, compare strategies for Nationals and stuff." He hoped Rin would just take that at face value.

"Sure," said Rin, drawing out the word. "Strategies… Here, I'll give it to you, but…" He hesitated, clearly unsure of what to say and looking quite uncomfortable. "Be nice to him, OK? Fuck with him and you'll fuck with me." Seijuurou was touched by Rin's concern for his friend, and pleased to see that he would go so far for his happiness. That, and he was terrified of Rin feeling the need to step in. Seriously, what's up with those teeth?

He browsed through more videos on YouTube, aimlessly choosing one from his subscriptions to try and take his mind from waiting for Makoto's response. It's no use, he thought. He's probably asleep, or worse, ignoring me. I'd probably do the same thing in his position. He looked down at his phone, and noticed the little green notification light at the top was blinking. It must have gone off while he was daydreaming, he reflected. He seized the device, unlocked it and saw Makoto's response.

Nothing, why? Was there something you wanted to discuss?

It's now or never, Mikoshiba, he thought. He hammered out a response faster than he thought he could type on the small keys, and sent it before even proofreading it. He shut off the screen before he could think to regret his decision.

Not really, was just wondering if you'd like to hang out tomorrow night, grab a bite to eat and just get to know each other better.

Barely a minute passed before his attention was brought back to his phone. Makoto's message had arrived much more promptly than he expected, and was much different than he'd expected too.

Sure, sounds great! I'm free any time after 6:30 tomorrow. I'll meet you outside the pool building?

Seijuurou's heart leapt, but he wasn't willing to admit that.

The next day saw Seijuurou wrapped in a flurry of activity that blessedly kept him from agonizing over meeting with Makoto that night. Between classes, lectures on prepping for finals and entrance exams, actually getting his team planning done, phone calls from his family (and Momo in particular), he was grateful for every distraction for once. His mind was Makoto-free, allowing him to actually get things done for a change.

His day went by quickly, too quickly it seemed. Before he knew it, he only had an hour before he was to meet Makoto at the pool and his heart kicked into overdrive. He swiped his palms on his uniform trousers and ran a hand through his hair. What am I supposed to wear? he agonized. I had to go and make this seem all casual, I should have had the nerve to ask him out properly! After all, it wasn't like Seijuurou was shy or anything. He'd never had any trouble asking girls out, or scheduling hang-outs with his friends, but Makoto didn't really fit into either of those categories.

He stripped out of his uniform, and set to rummaging around through his closet and dresser. Being made to wear a uniform had limited his need for a casual wardrobe of any sort, so Seijuurou was forced to make do with what he had, which wasn't much. He settled on a pair of black shorts with a faint check pattern and a blue polo that sat in bright contrast to his hair and brightened his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair again, satisfied with the way it was sitting, took a deep breath and checked the time on his phone. Alright, let's do this.

He left the dormitory, and headed down the footpath to the school's pool complex. He was walking deliberately slowly in an effort to calm his frayed nerves. He wiped his palms on his shorts again. It wouldn't be good to try and hold Makoto's hand and have his be sweaty. God, when did he become so self-conscious about this? He arrived at the pool complex too soon, as he couldn't see Makoto. He scanned the area, alert for any sign of the other boy, hoping to see his shiny brown hair above the sea of students nearby. He sighed, not seeing him anywhere and turned around. Sitting on a park bench facing the pool complex, Makoto was slouching down, hands in his pockets, wearing his headphones and a peaceful smile. His eyes were closed, and his head was bobbing gently to the music, and whistling along. The tune was high and sweet, making Seijuurou smile. Nerves and apprehension suddenly forgotten, Seijuurou went to him, with his goofy smile still playing on his face.

Makoto hated being late. It made him nervous if he was running late to school, or to an appointment or even to get home for dinner. In fact, his punctuality was something of a point of pride for him. He was reliable, dependable, and was never ever late.

Which is why he arrived at Samezuka almost half an hour before he was supposed to meet Seijuurou. At least, that's what he told himself as he was preparing to leave the house that evening while his parents were preparing supper. He'd told his parents he was meeting a friend from school and that he'd grab something while he was out. His mother simply smiled, happy that her son was enjoying his time beyond school, swimming and his brother and sister. His father asked if he'd need any extra pocket money, but Makoto assured him he'd be fine. He'd brought his headphones for the walk, which wasn't particularly long. Once he'd arrived at the pool building, he settled himself onto a bench and waited patiently for Seijuurou to arrive. He still had a few minutes so he turned his music up and closed his eyes, getting lost in the sound again.

Makoto couldn't deny that he'd been rather nervous all day, obsessing about whether or not he would mess everything up, or whether he was just hoping for more than what Seijuurou actually wanted. He had to admit that this meeting was likely swimming related, and that he just wanted to discuss things captain to captain. It wouldn't do to dwell on that, though, and Makoto would only know for sure once he actually met with Seijuurou anyway.

So in the meantime, he contented himself with sitting on his bench, playing his music and bobbing his head along with it. Before he knew it, he was whistling along with the song. He abruptly stopped, though, and opened his eyes to see Seijuurou standing before him, smiling widely. Makoto reddened. He's already laughing at me. He wished he could just go back to yesterday and not agree to this meeting in the first place. He was going to mess everything up. He stood up, pulling off his headphones and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Oh hey, Mikoshiba, I didn't see you there," he said by way of greeting. He could still feel the blush on his cheeks, and inwardly cringed a little. He's only here to discuss team matters, get yourself together!

"No worries," said Seijuurou good-naturedly. "You looked pretty into it there, did I interrupt something? I hope you weren't waiting too long. And call me Seijuurou, by the way." He smiled again, the action lighting up his face. Makoto felt his blush deepen at the sudden familiarity, but felt his anxiety ebbing.

"Sure, but only if you'll call me Makoto," he replied, finally returning the smile. "Sorry, no, I wasn't waiting for long, I just like to be early is all." That was kinda dorky. "Alright, so what are we getting up to tonight? Did you want to discuss something with me on behalf of the team?"

"Oh no, nothing like that!" said Seijuurou hurriedly, hands held in front of him and looking somewhat flustered. His gaze dropped to Makoto's shoes. "I just wanted to, you know, get to you know you outside of the pool." Makoto laughed, looking past Seijuurou's shoulder at the entrance to the complex.

"I suppose we're in the right place, then. Right outside the pool," he said, laughing lightly. Seijuurou's honey-coloured eyes flashed back up to Makoto's, and he could feel his cheeks heating up again. Seijuurou hesistated a second, his mouth slightly open, then gave a short guffaw that set both of them to laughing at Makoto's half-baked joke. Makoto's heart swelled. Maybe this'll be something more after all, he reflected.

Seijuurou felt a little guilty about having interrupted Makoto's jam session on the bench, as it was so endearing to see him so relaxed, so free. The more he thought about it, free was the only word for it. He had no idea Makoto would be so uninhibited when he thought nobody could see him. He resolved to help Makoto feel that way all the time. At that moment, though, he was just happy to see Makoto had even turned up.

"So, uh," he started inarticulately, lost for small talk. "Did you make it over OK?" Great start, Mikoshiba. He mirrored Makoto in rubbing the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed at his poor attempt at conversation.

"Yeah, it was uneventful, I guess," said Makoto, toeing the ground with his shoe, looking slightly awkward. Seijuurou felt like he should say something, but what exactly?

"Uh, you look nice tonight," he offered, smiling again and feeling oddly out of sorts in only the way Makoto had ever made him feel. His stomach dropped when Makoto looked at him in shock. Wrong thing! Wrong thing to say! I should have known he wasn't interested, I…

"Wow, really? You think so?" Makoto's eyes were bright, surprise evident in their depths. Seijuurou puffed up a little, proud of himself. Definitely the right thing after all. He was thrilled that Makoto had responded with such a genuine reaction, and felt his smile widen into a full-on goofy grin as he watched the colour rise in Makoto's cheeks again. "Nobody's ever said that to me before," he ventured, shyly meeting Seijuurou's eyes. Now it was his turn to blush, reveling a little in Mako's indirect compliment. He regained his composure fairly quickly though.

"So, did you want to grab something to eat, or go do something else first? Maybe just go for a walk around town?" asked Seijuurou with his usual bravado.

"I think a walk would be perfect, I've been cooped up inside all day and I'm enjoying the fresh air too much not to be outside." Makoto beamed. He looked at Seijuurou in surprise as he offered his arm with a chivalrous, and entirely out-of-character "Shall we?". He then tipped Makoto a wink, which set the younger boy to laughing lightly, and to loop his arm through his, sending Seijuurou's heart into palpitations.

They walked through the town centre, along streets lined with shops, stopping every now and again when something caught their eye. They discussed everything from the weather, to swimming conditions, to predictions for the upcoming Nationals tournament. Smiling and laughing often, they both consummately comfortable in each other's presence, something neither thought would happen quite so quickly.

They touched on tastes in music, with Makoto talking animatedly about his new favourite artists, and Seijuurou surprising him by saying that he, too was just getting into them and couldn't stop listening to their new album. Watching Makoto talk about music brought forward the side of him that Seijuurou had gotten a glimpse of on the park bench at Samezuka, and he was hungry for more.

Makoto found out that Seijuurou was quite the movie buff, delivering unexpected quotations from films throughout the evening, some even in surprisingly good English, although Makoto admitted he had no idea what they meant, what with his English being mediocre at best. Seijuurou just smiled, and explained them with Makoto's attention focused solely on him, and he was delighted.

"I mean, Eisenstein was a cinematic genius. You didn't watch The Battleship Potemkin for the story. One of the title cards in between shots just said "The Boiling Soup". But his photography technics were pioneering. With the Odessa steps sequence, the man invented the montage! The montage, Mako! What would 80s movies be without them?" He was gesturing wildly, sending Makoto into fits of laughter, which ended rather abruptly as Makoto realized which name he had used. At the silence, Seijuurou grew a little worried. "Is something wrong?"

Makoto smiled a private smile, and shook his head. "No, you just called me Mako is all. Nagisa's the only one who calls me Mako, but he calls everyone by nicknames. When you say it, though, it doesn't sound geeky or childish. I like it, Sei." Hearing his name shortened sparked a growing warmth in the pit of Seijuurou's stomach, and set his heart fluttering. A wide grin appeared on his face like the sun rising, and Makoto smiled back, surprising Seijuurou by taking his hand and lacing his own fingers into it. Seijuurou promptly turned as red as his hair.

"We'd make quite the dynamic duo, you know," mused Makoto out loud, hand clasped in Seijuurou's as they walked further down the street towards the beach. He looked over at Seijuurou, who was still rather red in the face, to see him look off towards the sea.

"In, uh, in what way?" he stammered.

"You know, if you should ever make movies, I would hope to be your music supervisor, or composer if I should ever try and write something or something," Makoto elaborated. "Another Mikoshiba-Tachibana masterpiece!" He made a grandiose gesture with his free hand. "You've got to admit that'd look pretty great as a newspaper headline," he joked. "Although you'd deserve all the credit, having made the movie and all," he finished.

"You know, now that you mention it, the music really is the centerpiece of a lot of movies. I've seen a lot of truly mediocre movies that were saved by their soundtracks," reflected Seijuurou. "Back here in the real world, though, I'm still having to think about universities and planning other parts of my future before I can think of ambitious projects like that," he said with a small smile at Makoto. His heart felt like it was swelling every time Seijuurou looked at him like that. His eyes were warm as liquid honey in the evening sunset, the light setting his hair aflame. Makoto loved the passion in his expression, it was the same look he had when he was coaching his swimming team.

"Where were you thinking of going?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"I think I've actually decided to stay nearby; rent is cheaper around here than moving to a big city, and with the swimming scholarships I'm eligible for, I can make things work a lot easier for myself," said Seijuurou, shrugging a little. Makoto understood that. He'd never been away from his family for more than a couple of days at the longest, and while he was away his main thought was to get back to them. He couldn't fathom the idea of moving across the country for university.

"Good," said Makoto, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically bold as they arrived on the shore. "If you're gonna stay around here, that makes the proposition of our second date much simpler." Where did that come from? He blushed immediately after saying that, and clapping a hand over his mouth and looking away. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that!" His stomach twisted itself into a knot, thinking about how Seijuurou was obviously not going to be interested in someone so carelessly forward. It came as a bit of a shock when he realized Seijuurou wasn't pulling his hand from his, but was squeezing it tighter.

"I'm personally hoping for more than two," he said, leaning into Makoto and capturing his lips with his own, surprising him more than anything else. Makoto's eyes fluttered shut as his heart threatened to stop, nearly positive that Seijuurou could hear it from where he was, even over the noise of the sea. This is the happiest I think I've ever been, thought Makoto as he deepened the kiss. No, I know this is the happiest I've ever been.

"Sorry, I know this isn't exactly first-date material," started Seijuurou sheepishly.

"Don't even worry about it," interrupted Makoto firmly. "Besides, first dates are all about who you're with, not about what you do. You don't need to try and impress me," he stated. "You do that already." He blushed the most fetching shade of pink. The flutters in Seijuurou's stomach kicked up another notch.

They were at a simple fast-food place, sitting at their table after getting their order. Seijuurou had been craving junk food, and as they walked past he couldn't resist. He pitched the idea of grabbing something to eat there, feeling a little guilty suggesting something rather unhealthy considering both of their training schedules. However, when he had broached the subject to Makoto, he'd been eager to agree.

"You have no idea how much I've been wanting to just pig out, but Gou's been on us about our diets lately. Not that Nagisa pays any attention to her anyway," he'd said, looking through the restaurant window happily. Seijuurou was thinking about his contented expression upon digging in, marveling at how open Makoto was with his feelings. And Seijuurou was glad to be the one to be the one they were directed to. He doubted he'd ever get tired of those placid green eyes, the kind, soft smiles he shared with everyone; the small, ironic ones he was seeing that night.

As they continued to talk about everything and nothing, Seijuurou simply became more and more enthralled with the boy in front of him. He'd never connected with anyone on this deep a level before, so completely. He felt like he was being unraveled and bound tight at the same time, and it wasn't an unpleasant idea. He felt more exposed to Makoto than he had in his whole life up to this moment, but he also felt more secure than ever in who he was and in what he wanted from his life. What he wanted was Makoto.

"You up for some ice cream? My treat," he offered, and Makoto accepted to his delight. They left the restaurant, desserts in hand, each offering the other bites of their respective treats, both in different flavours.

"Holy crap, Mako," said Seijuurou after trying a little of the other's ice cream from Makoto's spoon. "I don't know how they managed to put so much chocolate in! I've never had to chew ice cream like that before."

Makoto smiled. "It's like you think I've never done this before," he said playfully. "You need to try these things in order to know what you'll wind up liking."

"I s'pose that even if it's a little weird, you like what you like in the end. Nobody can take that away from you," said Seijuurou, winking at Makoto, who smiled that private little smile again that drove him crazy. Makoto looked at his watch, and sighed.

"Sorry to be such a killjoy Sei, but I need to get home soon," said Makoto, eyes downcast and looking guilty. Seijuurou would have been lying if he said he wasn't disappointed, but understood and nodded. He himself had a curfew to respect, and upon checking the time he figured he'd have ample time to finish the evening on a high note.

"Please let me walk you home, though," he said, taking Makoto's hand in his, which was slightly sticky from ice cream runoff, but he didn't mind. As they finished the short trip back to Makoto's house, he paused under a streetlight and watched the fireflies dance in the bushes for a moment. He took a deep breath, and exhaled shakily.

"Look, Mako. I'm gonna level with you," he said, his tone serious. Makoto's eyes widened in alarm. "No, nothing bad, I promise!" he said hastily, taking Makoto's other hand in his. "Nothing bad at all, but it's something I think you should know." He took another deep breath.

"I've been hoping for us to get to know each other better for a long time, and had dreamed of the perfect first date. And I got it. A night like this is the thing people dream about having all throughout their lives, and it's thanks to you that I got to have it tonight. I feel like we were meant to have met, and if it's not too forward, I think you're a person I was born to know. I'm lucky for just even having tonight," said Seijuurou, his words ringing with conviction. "And I know I was beating around the bush to ask you out, so now, Makoto Tachibana, I'm asking if you'll go out with me for a second date, and a third, and however many more it'll take for you to call me yours. If you'll have me, of course," he added, suddenly feeling modest.

Makoto surprised him yet again by covering his mouth with his own. Seijuurou caught a glimpse of amused green eyes just before his own closed and deepened the kiss. His body was on fire as he felt Makoto's hands slip from his, and his arms curl around his waist, pulling him in closer. Seijuurou's hand went to Makoto's face, while the other pressed into the small of his back, furthering the contact. When they broke apart, Makoto's face was flushed, but his eyes were on fire.

"I loved the speech, Sei, but I guess you wouldn't have known that you had me from that first text message you sent last night."

Seujuurou practically floated into the Samezuka dorms minutes before curfew. As he went down the hall to his own room, Rin caught a glimpse of him from the corner of his eye through his open door, and followed him out into the hallway. He'd never seen him this happy since he'd known him, and it was kind of nice. Sure, the looks he gave Gou were akin to those a puppy would give a new toy, but this was different.

"Mikoshiba."

"Yeah?"

"Remember what I said I'd do if you hurt him."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Night, Matsuoka!"

Rin was relieved he was no longer interested in his sibling, but was surprised to realize that what he felt for Makoto wasn't really that different either. And God help Mikoshiba if he does anything to him.

The end.

Welp, I wrote that on a whim late last night and this afternoon, and figured I might as well post it. Hope you enjoyed it! Seijuurou and Makoto are quickly becoming my OTP in the fandom, and I'm sorry if I did them any disservice. Let me know if you liked it though!

Yours,

Shawn Bassett.