A/N: Look! I'm branching out in the fandoms that I write for! This is fic that I wrote in collaboration with Gillian (the lovely deckatalent on tumblr) who drew MakoGou art for this story. The drawing is linked on my profile, please go check it out!

Disclaimer: I can barely dog paddle, so if you seriously think that I own Free! I'm a little bit flattered that you think so highly of me.

First dates were always nerve-wracking.

Gou Matsuoka stared at her reflection in contemplative thought. The pink bikini she was very pretty, with small white polka-dots covering the top piece and ruffles on the bottoms that encircled her waist. It was modest enough that she felt comfortable going out in public in it, but at the same time it showed off her figure in a way she hoped that he would like. Her red hair was tied up in a simple ponytail, and she brushed some strands this way and that until everything looked in order. All in all, Gou thought that she looked decent enough. But something kept her holed up inside the beach locker room, despite the fact that she didn't have much of a reason to stay.

It was probably the fact that she knew that he was outside waiting for her. A boy that she had liked for a very long time was standing outside the locker room patiently waiting for her to walk come out, so he could take her by the hand and start their date. The thought made her stomach do anxious flips.

She'd been on dates before, sure. But this one was different. He was different.

…and he was probably out there wondering what was taking her so long. Gou sighed and grabbed her bag and her sundress. She'd be fine. It's not like he was a stranger.

After a final once-over of herself in the mirror, Gou began to walk out of the girls changing room. She was about to open the door when she heard a voice from the other side.

"Mako-chan! You look so pale! Are you alright?"

Nagisa? Gou's fingers stilled on the door handle. She awaited Makoto's response, but Nagisa seemed to interrupt him before he could respond.

"Oh! Today is your date with Gou-chan, isn't it?" There was a pause, where Gou assumed that Makoto must have confirmed what Nagisa said. "Ohhh! I see now. You must be nervous! Is she inside there right now? Are you waiting for her to come out?"

Makoto was nervous too? That struck her by surprise. He was so confident when he asked her out earlier this week. His smile was kind and warm, and he looked so excited to ask her to the beach. She would have never guess that he would be anxious about today as well.

"Nagisa!" Makoto said in a hushed tone. "Be quiet, or she might hear you! Kou will be out any minute! What are you doing here, anyway?"

Nagisa ignored Makoto's chastisement. "There's no need to be afraid, Mako-chan! Dates are easy, and Gou-chan likes you so much!"

A pause. "You think so?"

"Would you be here right now if she didn't?"

Gou smiled to herself. Nagisa was right, of course. Ever since she transferred to Iwatobi she'd had a crush on Makoto, but she never would have believed that the older boy would have liked her back. That's why she was so thrilled when he asked her on a date last Friday. It was almost as if he had somehow heard her silent wishes and acted upon them himself.

"I guess you're right, Nagisa," Makoto muttered quietly. Gou could just imagine the small smile he had on his face as he rubbed the back on his neck and closed his eyes. He always looked like that when he was sheepish. "You still didn't answer my question from before, though. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here with Rei-chan! And Rin-chan and Haru-chan said they were coming to the beach today too!" Gou sighed. It seemed like everyone had a beach date today. She hoped the other boys would leave them alone today. She and Makoto had enough teasing from Nagisa during the week leading up to today. Nagisa spoke up again. "Don't give me that look, Mako-chan! We didn't know that you were coming here for your date. You don't even like the ocean! Why would come here anyway?"

"Because I know that Kou loves the beach. I wanted her to have fun today, alright?"

Gou pursed her lips. Makoto chose the beach just for her? She had just figured that he must have overcome his childhood fear of the ocean long ago, and reasoned that the beach would be a scenic place for a date. Knowing now that Makoto was still afraid of the open water, she didn't know if she felt guilty that Makoto had chosen this location, or grateful that he had picked a place he disliked simply because he knew it made her happy. She was pondering how she should approach the topic when Makoto spoke again.

"Alright, Nagisa, you really have to go now. I don't want her to think that I asked you to come because I was nervous."

"I understand, Mako-chan! I'll leave you two love birds along now!" The blush on Makoto's face had to have been exquisite in that moment. She heard a loud smack, most likely Nagisa clapping his friend on the back. "Oh, and before I go, Rin-chan had a message for you!" Nagisa cleared his throat for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice was low and serious. "If you break my little sister's heart, I'll break your nose." Then his voice was back to being bubbly and obnoxious. "Bye, Mako-chan!"

Gou sighed and smiled. Her brother had been stupidly overprotective since he heard about Makoto liking her. She found the whole thing ridiculous, but it was endearing nonetheless.

Taking one more moment to straighten her swimsuit and sweep her bangs out her face, Gou put her hand back on the handle. She might have been nervous, but Nagisa's little pep-talk actually helped calm her nerves a bit. Before her cowardly nature could return, she pushed open the door and stepped out into the sunlight.

Makoto stood a few feet away from the locker rooms facing the water. One of his hands was running through his light brown hair while the other was nervously tapping his thigh.

"Makoto-sempai?"

He turned around quickly, looking surprised. "Kou!"

She smiled and stood beside him. "Did I keep you waiting long?"

Makoto smiled and shook his head. Upon seeing the happy grin he wore when he looked into her eyes, Gou could hardly remember why she was so nervous to begin with. Everything was going to be just fine.

A/N: Reminder to check out Gillian's art on my profile page! It's super cute!