Disclaimer: I do not own Free! Iwatobi Swim Club or any of its characters. If I did, the whole place would be filled with little MakoHaru running about.

Warning: Yaoi fanfiction. Semi-AU and partial crack (because I can't help it.) May contain spoilers for the anime, novel and Drama CD. Some scenes have been modified and may not follow canon. MPREG in this chapter.

Rating: M for this chapter

Pairing: Tachibana Makoto X Nanase Haruka

A/N: A big thanks for the reviews. Also, thank you Mai-chan and Guest for your reviews too. I'll try my best with the mpreg part of the story. :p. Also, about TOL, that isn't dead yet, but not exactly alive either. I'm reduced to writing plot notes instead of the actual story because the latest chapters of the manga aren't really that inspiring. T.T

As per votes, this chapter has been rewritten to the M version. Well, I say that, but don't expect something too graphic. It's still more hint-based instead of descriptive-based.

The scene is written between page breaks in bold. If it's not your cup of tea, scroll quickly till you've passed the second bolded page break.

To the story then…

To Makoto, With Love

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 2

As Haruka cooked dinner, he threw a side-glance at Makoto, who was playing with their pet kitten, Sora. Nearby, their pet goldfishes (Tuna and Mackerel) swam without a care in the world. Perhaps only in the Tachibana household could cat and fish actually co-exist so peacefully, having been totally influenced by their gentle owner. He didn't know how he too got pulled along Makoto's pace, since the brunette looked so undemanding and harmless. There were instances when Haruka had actually seen Makoto make others do whatever he wished for them to, with the victims being none the wiser since he phrased his requests so sweetly. Haruka himself was probably one of Makoto's unwitting targets, having been pulled into Makoto's pace from the brunette's confession, from the time he wanted to live under the same roof as Haruka, and from the time he managed to get Haruka to be registered under his family name. Granted, the last one may have been voluntary on Haruka's part, but it was all still according to Makoto's advantage. The green-eyed man was never one to impose his demands on Haruka, or force the shorter man to do something he didn't want to. He didn't force, but he did encourage Haruka to volunteer in a way.

Haruka couldn't help recalling that one episode on Animal World they once watched together, which happened to feature marine mammals. He remembered young Mako gesturing excitedly at the dolphins, pointing out that they swam just like Haru. Haru had chided him for it, saying that it was impossible for dolphins to swim like human beings, so Makoto should have said that Haru swam like the dolphins instead. Young Makoto nodded his head, beamed, and told him that he would do as he said.

When the show next covered a short documentary on killer whales, Makoto had been initially excited, but later cringed and hid behind Haru when the harmless looking giant devoured a baby seal without mercy.

Haruka thought that Makoto was like a killer whale. He was sociable and affectionate, had unrestrained strength when it came to swimming (and hugging Haruka), and was extremely loyal to mates and family members. Makoto was very loyal to him, and while Haruka was registered under Makoto's family name as an adopted sibling, he was pretty sure that loyalty was directed to a "mate" and not a sibling. That, and given the opportunity, the kind, innocent looking brunette did look like he might swallow his prey whole.

Speaking of swallow, in a way speaking Haruka really did get eaten. Before Haruka was officially registered under the same family name, Makoto made it a point to still keep a respectable distance from the shorter male, as they lived under the same roof, but remained in separate rooms. It frustrated Haruka to no end. For as long as he could remember, no matter how much Makoto took care of him, loved him and treasured him, Makoto was expressive over almost everything but the physical aspects of their relationship. Just when Haruka thought that the mood was good when they started kissing more frequently, Makoto would end up apologizing and backing off. Makoto was not one to pressure him, giving him complete and absolute freedom before they got together, and also even after they got together. The other male hardly touched him unless it was absolutely necessary and if it wasn't because the brunette stared (for more than 10 seconds) at no other person except him, there were times during their years together when Haruka wondered if Makoto didn't accidentally put him back into the friends' list. He eventually came to the conclusion that Makoto did, but perhaps treasured him a little too much and feared changes to their relationship had they crossed the line.

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After the registration, they had both crossed a line, and the taller male seemed unsure if he could cross another. While he and Haruka had feelings for each other, he was still extremely shy when it came to the freestyle swimmer, and normally went along with Haruka's pace when it came to uncertain grounds in their relationship. Haruka, on the other hand, was waiting for Makoto to make the first move. He did try to encourage Makoto a little by moving close to him whenever they conversed, or put a hand on Makoto's arm or shoulder, or lie on his lap when they watched a show together. He liked how Makoto, just like water, did not restrict him, but he did rather wish for the brunette to be a little more assertive in their relationship.

The unresolved sexual tension between them wound tighter with each passing day, with Haruka teasing, and Makoto grabbing on to whatever remained of his self control. When Haruka stepped out of the bathroom one day with his usual swimming trunks missing, and only a towel in place (though barely), Makoto finally snapped as he held on to Haruka by the shoulders.

"Haruka…I'm sorry but…I…really want…to touch you…" The usual carefree tone was gone from Makoto's voice, only to be replaced with need instead. Seeing Haruka's expressionless face, Makoto seemed to get back some of his self control as he pushed Haruka away, holding him at arms' length instead. "Please, Haru. If you don't want this…please head to the public pool for at least an hour. It should be safe to come back after that. If it isn't, I'll be the one to go to the pool instead!"

"Makoto…" Haruka sighed, thinking that Makoto could sometimes be an idiot. He pulled Makoto's head down and kissed him, wrapping his arms around the taller man's neck. "Do whatever you like. It's fine if it's you." He knew that Makoto had been physically very attracted to him, but he really didn't think that he could hold back for that many years. Really, what took him so long to cave in? Makoto still looked like he was holding back, and Haruka gave him a slightly shy look (or at least, he deliberately gave him the same expression he gave to a fresh tub of water). "I want you to."

"Haru!" Makoto's last bit of restraint went up in smoke as he pounced on the smaller man. Haruka had the brief mental image of a killer whale pouncing on a dolphin.

His first time…definitely fueled his belief that Makoto was probably part killer whale. The brunette had a big heart, a big build…and was basically big in other areas too. That, and he had that ridiculous strength. As much as Makoto was trying to be gentle because he would never want to intentionally hurt Haruka, there was still quite a bit of pain involved.

Haruka was initially worried that, just like kisses, he had to be the one to initiate everything, because Makoto was just too darn shy to make the first move. He didn't seem to have to worry though, for Makoto, who had pent up way too long and who was not exactly holding himself back anymore, was only too eager to put his hands on him. He didn't think Makoto actually had it in him to strip him, and when he was bare for Makoto's viewing pleasure, the brunette stopped, stared at him, and turned a deep shade of red. That caused Haruka to look away and flush too. Being intimate was very, very awkward for two people who were so in tune with each other's minds that they could read each other like an open book, and Makoto tended to show it very clearly on his face. Haruka saw Makoto's intentions and wondered if he could actually survive the night. Makoto pulled his own shirt over his head and discarded it carelessly to the floor. He reached out and touched Haruka's face. 'Is this really all right, Haruka?' Makoto's unspoken question could be heard clearly. Haruka didn't say anything, but he kept his eyes trained on Makoto, who read his answer and smiled slightly.

The larger male decided to take up Haruka's invitation as he bent down and kissed him. Makoto was clumsy initially, eager to touch Haruka, but at the same time being at a slight loss of what he should be doing. Just like when Haruka first taught him to swim, he took this as a learning experience, even as his hands explored - feeling, searching, and memorising every part of Haruka's body. The dark-haired man reciprocated the action, as he too ran his hands along Makoto's form. They have seen each other fully naked before, mostly when they were children, and less when they grew up, but there were times when they took baths with Makoto's younger siblings, Haruka had caught sight of Makoto stark naked before the latter put on a towel to give himself some modesty. The memory was nothing compared to what he saw now though, once Makoto removed his own pants. He had not seen Makoto naked and excited before that day. Haruka swallowed, feeling suddenly nervous.

The next few minutes passed with mostly kisses, some heavy breathing, and a lot of permission asked on Makoto's part. Haruka, even when he was really feeling Makoto's touches, was not a very vocal person. He gave occasional gasps and a soft moan from time to time when he was driven close to the edge. Makoto asked him, repeatedly, either verbally or through their usual prolonged eye contact, all his "Could I…" and "Are you all right?" questions, to the point that Haruka silenced him with a kiss and groped him. The dark-haired man gave a soft hiss when Makoto prepared him, as he tried to get used to the unfamiliar feeling of fingers probing about within him. That, of course, prompted Makoto to check on his wellbeing again, to which Haruka stared at him and urged him to proceed.

When Makoto obliged, Haruka's mouth fell open in what seemed to be either a silent scream or a gasp. He had somewhat braced himself when Makoto dropped his pants, but… it still hurt.

"Are you all right, Haruka?" Makoto asked, concerned when he heard Haruka give a moan of discomfort. His brow knitted further at seeing tears leak from the other man's eyes.

"I'll be fine. Just… give me a moment." Haruka tried to get used to Makoto's presence in his most intimate sanctuary. The pain stemmed from both their inexperience…and Makoto's size, but otherwise the brunette was making up for it by trying his best to be considerate of his partner. As much as he half-wanted Makoto to pull out, and for himself to curl up into a ball (or fling himself into a pool of water and let the water, his love, soothe him), he knew that if they stopped now, it would only be one step forward and two steps back, as he was pretty sure Makoto would get upset over hurting him, and he'd end up not touching him for a while.

Makoto explored Haruka's body with his hands in an attempt to distract the darker-haired male from the pain. He stilled, and only moved when Haruka gave him a minute nod against his neck. Haruka, for his part, clung to the brunette and bit hard on his shoulder when Makoto started moving again. Makoto watched him, observing Haruka's reactions closely. He figured quite quickly just where Haruka's sensitive spots were even though the dark-haired man didn't make much sound. Haruka found it difficult to hold back his voice when Makoto repeatedly attacked the same spots, and he muffled his voice against Makoto's shoulder, though he was pretty sure his gasps were perfectly audible to Makoto's ears. The sensations built up from their intercourse became a little overwhelming for Haruka as the idea that he was intimately connected with Makoto, fully accepting the brunette and feeling the man move within him made him cry out softly when he couldn't fight against the waves of pleasure coiling within his gut. The sensations reached a peak, and he felt Makoto shudder above him, calling out his name before an odd sort of wet warmth filled him. Haruka followed him shortly, gasping out the brunette's name even as his vision turned white. He slumped back against his pillow, passed out from exhaustion when it was over, and slipped off to dreamland. He vaguely thought that Makoto was calling his name worriedly, but he was too tired to actually notice.

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When Haruka woke up, he found himself staring at Makoto's chest as the brunette seemed to have hugged Haruka to himself in his sleep. It was strange, actually. They've been together for so long, and he had seen Makoto topless so many times, had been familiar with that large, muscular frame without thinking much about it. The night before was the first time he actually touched Makoto in the romantic sense, mapped out his muscular arms and torso and actually seeing Makoto not as a childhood friend, but as a life partner. As Haruka placed a hand against Makoto's well-muscled chest (and feeling his steady heartbeat beneath), it struck him that the person he was bound to was a man in every sense of the word. Really, thinking back of how small and innocent looking Makoto used to be as a child, shaking and clinging to Haru every time they saw something potentially creepy, he mused that the passing of time was scary indeed, though time really did justice to Makoto's growth.

Makoto would never return to being a child. In fact, Haruka thought with a little smugness that he might have just gotten Makoto's first. Or at least…he was hoping that he was the first. This was Makoto he was talking about, the guy who would rather remain celibate for years than leave his side. He would not forgive Makoto if he dared to be intimate with another person aside from himself past this point.

Makoto returned to being Makoto after he woke up, panicking and trying to care for Haruka since he hurt him. "What have I done?! Oh, Haru! Are you all right? Do you need me to fetch you anything? Uwaa! There's blood! I made you bleed?!" Makoto yelped. Haruka merely glared at him, partially because it was totally Makoto's fault that he was in pain and couldn't move his lower body, and partially because Makoto's panicking was making it hard for him to go back to sleep.

"Just let me rest…also, do inform the boss that I'm calling in sick today." Haruka mumbled, turning away from Makoto. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt a little shy facing Makoto after the previous night. It wasn't like this was the first time they woke up next to each other, since they had frequent sleepovers. This was their first "morning after" though, and he didn't know how to deal with the idea that their relationship had moved away from them being childhood friends, a comfort zone for Haruka, to something else. The larger man whined, but Haruka ignored him because he totally didn't want Makoto to read his mind right now. He didn't know when he slipped off again, but when he next woke up, he found that Makoto had already tended to him and cleaned him up, going so much as to change the sheets too. It was a wonder that Haruka slept through all that.

Makoto left for work, and Haruka took that chance to sink into their bathtub which was filled with soothing, warm water. Water really was his first love after all. He was sore, but after soaking for a few hours he felt a lot better. He took the time in the tub to really reflect his feelings on Makoto. He loved Makoto, but sometimes he still saw Makoto as the childhood friend he always had. It was one of the slight disadvantages of being friends for so long that he was desensitized to a lot of things Makoto did for him. It took him a while to realize that his feelings for Makoto had changed from that of friends to love, but even then, he needed to catch up to the idea of them being romantic partners. However…the extent of their relationship was different now. Makoto has done things to him regular childhood friends didn't. Haruka had allowed him to, allowed Makoto to take him completely. He thought he knew Makoto well enough, what with them being together from when they were very young, but he had seen expressions on Makoto's face that he had never seen before in his life, and didn't expect Makoto to be capable of making them. Makoto's seductive tone when he called Haruka's name, Makoto's flushed face, Makoto closing his eyes and gasping when he…

Haruka's face heated at the memory, and he dunked his head back in the water. The water didn't do much to calm his rapidly beating heart though. Haruka wasn't too sure why, but he was filled with the longing to see Makoto again soon. He missed him already.

XXX

When Makoto returned from work, he spoilt Haruka rotten and fussed over him, trying to take care of him, or in Makoto's words, he wanted to take responsibility for hurting him. Haruka reassured him that he was fine, kissed him, and got eaten again. They lay in bed together after that, entwining their fingers and listening to each other's heartbeats. Makoto talked about work, and about his students' reactions to suspicious looking marks on his body. The manager had ordered him to put a full diving suit before training the students because of that. Haruka didn't say anything, but Makoto stared at him, chuckled, and reassured him that he could go back to being in the water soon. "For now, could I be a substitute for water?" Makoto asked with a slightly cunning glint in his eyes. Their first time definitely changed the way they interacted with each other. Back then, Makoto would use a certain gentle tone only when talking to Haruka, but the topics were safe and chaste. Now, he'd use that same tone, but he was finally bold enough to flirt with Haruka.

To Haruka's relief, Makoto was also finally being more possessive of him. Makoto's temperament didn't change much, as he still treated everyone fairly, but if any of the girls so much as went near Haruka, or stood too close to Haruka's liking, Makoto would be there in a flash, providing a wall of muscle against them. Makoto continued smiling at everybody, but Haruka once stared at him when the brunette didn't think he was looking, read his expression, and had trouble hiding a smile after that. Makoto didn't want to share him with anybody, and his face was practically screaming to Haruka's well trained eyes.

Over time, Haruka learnt that he had to choose between his two loves. If he wanted to swim, he had to keep Makoto away at arm's length. If he allowed Makoto to make love to him, he had to forfeit swimming the next day because he doubted he could even walk straight, let alone swim. The darn orca-like brunette got better the more times they were intimate, but he could almost never control that ridiculous strength of his. Instead, it was Haruka who grew used to the abuse as he got excited whenever Makoto was passionate towards him. He rather liked seeing the usually meek brunette lose control, or the way the larger man called his name in his ear, whispering "Haru-chan." if he was being a tease, or "Haruka" if he was being loving. Makoto once teased Haruka that the latter seemed to like it when Makoto was a little rough on him, as he noticed that Haruka's gasps and pants were slightly louder and more frequent than if he had been gentler. Haruka bit him in retaliation, but otherwise did not refute his statement.

Coming back to their happily married life together (or as married as they could get without going through an actual ceremony yet), with a kitten to complete the family, Haruka was about to set the table when he felt strong arms wrap themselves around his waist. "Haru…" Makoto's gentle voice could be heard next to his ear. No matter how many years they have spent in each other's company, and no matter how they both physically change, Makoto would always be a big ball of fluff towards him. The brunette continued smiling at him, but didn't say anything as he hugged him from behind.

"What is it, Makoto?" He asked, leaning back a little against a strong chest.

Makoto shook his head slightly. "Nothing. I just want to cuddle."

The other man was so frank it was embarrassing sometimes. Haruka gently shrugged his mate's arms off (more to hide his own embarrassment than to spite Makoto, actually), and bent down to reach for dishes placed in the lower cabinet. "Cuddling can come later. Help me set up the table."

The good natured brunette nodded. "All right, Haru." He walked over to one of the drawers and began taking out utensils for both of them.

Haruka got back to his feet, and that was when he felt that something was off, as his eyes turned dark for a moment. His hold loosened on the plates, and they went crashing to the floor.

"Haru!" Makoto was by his side in a moment. The larger man was quick to wrap his arms around his slighter mate, steadying him. "Are you all right?"

Haruka waited until the room stopped spinning before he nodded. "I'm fine. I think I just need to rest a little earlier today. I might have overdone it with the work on training the dolphins yesterday."

Makoto sighed and lifted Haruka easily into his arms. When they first started living together, Haruka protested a lot because he was pretty sure he was capable of walking on his own. After a lot of fruitless attempts of getting Makoto to stop mothering him, and after being on the receiving end of his mate's kicked puppy look once too many times, he gave up and let Makoto be, since it made the latter happy. "Maybe you should lie down a little. I'll get dinner ready."

"Look who's talking. I don't want you trekking blood all over the floor." Haruka glared down at the once clean floorboards.

Makoto looked down, kept silent for a while, and eventually spoke up again. "Oh. I cut my foot."

"Of course you did! I just broke two plates and you walked all over them to get me!" Haruka snapped. He blinked when Makoto set him on the couch and started inspecting his feet. "I'm not hurt. You'd better get yourself looked at instead." Despite Makoto's protests, he got to his feet and went to fetch the first-aid kit. "Sit here, Makoto." It wasn't exactly said fiercely, but he knew that anything he said was taken to be nearly at the same level of a command by the brunette. Makoto plopped immediately onto the spot he vacated moments ago and looked up at him with wide, questioning eyes.

Haruka tended to his injuries, his brow knitting a little at seeing the cut. He cleaned the wound, applied iodine and bandaged it. It was a good thing both of them had experience with first aid since sports related injuries did come by once in a while. Once he was done, he looked up only to see Makoto beaming at him. "…what?"

If Makoto had a tail, he was pretty sure it would have been wagging like crazy as Makoto shook his head. "Nope. Nothing much. It's just nice having you take care of me."

Haruka gave him a blank stare. "How long have we been together already? Don't I take care of you all the time?" Though he was pretty sure it was nothing compared to how much Makoto did the same.

Makoto stood up, seemingly unaffected by his foot. "Well then, Haru. Like I said, you're getting some rest first before dinner. Leave cleanup to me." He threw the smaller male over a shoulder and carted him off to the bedroom. Haruka sighed and wondered if Makoto would ever get rid of that habit. He probably wouldn't.

When Haruka next went downstairs, the table was set and the floor was sparkling clean, as promised. They had their dinner and engaged in a simple conversation of mackerel and pool and dolphins, and when they retired for the night, Makoto had him bundled warmly and tucked under the covers before wrapping his arms around Haruka, cuddling him. Well, getting spoilt rotten without having to ask for it was one of the plus points of living under the same roof as Makoto. Haruka hid a contented smile as he listened to Makoto's soft breathing beside him. Snuggling up to the other man, he closed his eyes and followed the other into dreamland.

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He was glad for the break, as the aquarium had a show coming up, and all volunteers had their hands tied down with training their aquatic friends. Makoto was talking to Gou, who was here to make sure the animals didn't overwork themselves, and of course to ogle at all the divers and their fabulous muscles. Really, even after all these years, she still had a muscle fetish.

The brunette eventually headed off to his main job at the pool instead, though not before fussing over Haruka and asking if he could handle being at the aquarium all alone (actually, alone by Makoto's standards excluded the more than 30-member staff all around them, like they didn't exist in his eyes.) Haruka reassured him that he could, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and chased him away when he wanted to stay.

The freestyle swimmer walked over to Gou, who was looking at one of the dolphins. "Ah, I don't think Mari-chan here can perform. We'll have to pull her out and get a replacement."

"Why? What's wrong? Is there something wrong with her fin?" Haruka asked. He personally trained all of them (by swimming in their aquarium and totally beating them at speed and grace), and he hadn't seen anything wrong with them so far.

Gou shook her head. "No. Mari-chan is carrying young. You can see how her abdominal area here is swelling." She instructed the dolphin to roll over, so that its abdominal area faced them. To Haruka, it did look like the dolphin was heavily pregnant. Gently, Gou ran a hand along it, guiding Haruka to do the same. The dark-haired man followed suit, though a little awkwardly. "It might be a good idea not to stress her out during this period."

"I see." He patted the dolphin on the head. "So you're going to be a mother soon, Mari. Isn't that good?"

"Mm…I really can't get enough of it…!" Gou squealed, causing Haruka to look up.

"You can't get enough of my dolphins getting pregnant?" Haruka demanded, not sounding amused in the slightest.

Gou looked at him and placed a hand on her hip. "I don't mean the dolphins, Haruka-senpai. I meant them!" She pointed at a group of men who have just left the changing room, and were mostly topless. "Ah…the sight of muscles…how wonderful! I'm glad I got the owner of the place to only recruit men who are buff and good looking."

"What kind of a strange job requirement is that? Also, why would the owner be listening to you? Muscles aren't everything. There is nothing attractive about them." Haruka said bluntly.

Gou turned to him. "Oho? You feel that way, do you? And what about Makoto-senpai's muscles? I'm pretty sure you have no complaints about them."

"Makoto's is just…Makoto's." Haruka looked away, though his face did turn a little pink. "And can you stop it with the talk of muscles."

"No I will not! Speaking of those, what happened to you, Haruka-senpai! What happened to your abs?" She pointed at his stomach, which was exposed as he didn't zip up his jacket.

"What are you talking about?" He frowned, though he found her inches away from him the next moment.

"Your muscle mass is different! The density, the look, the feel…it's changed! In fact, aren't you putting on a little too much weight here?" She reached out and ran a hand along his abdominal area, and he quickly flinched away.

"I find your fascination towards muscles scary, Gou. Also, don't touch me so casually." He was not a sociable person in the first place, and even if, say, it were Nagisa glomping him, he'd protest and feel uncomfortable. Makoto's touches were the only ones he could deal with. Haruka zipped up his jacket, inwardly glad that his partner wasn't around to see him get felt up.

"Ah sorry. I guess my adrenaline's still charged up from dealing with the dolphins that I saw you as one of them for a moment." She stared at her hand. "That feeling…" She turned to him with her eyes serious. "Sorry, Haruka-senpai but…could I feel your abdominal area again?"

"I told you…" Before he could protest, she grabbed his hand and led him off to her personal clinic.

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"I'm home." Makoto called out as he took off his shoes and headed to the living room. It had been a tiring day, as he was swarmed by his students who had less interest in learning to swim and more interest in chatting him up. By now, he was pretty sure Haruka was already home. He'd be preparing dinner around this time, and with any luck he could probably see his darling in an apron. "Haru?" He called out for the black-haired man.

Haruka wasn't cooking for a change. Instead, Makoto found him drawing quietly in their bedroom, with a pillow propped up behind his back and a cup of tea on their bedside table, within his reach. He looked up when Makoto closed the door behind him and walked into the room. "Ah, sorry, Makoto. I didn't hear you return." He set the drawing board aside and got to his feet, walking over to allow the taller man to give him his usual "I'm home" kiss.

Makoto ran his fingers through his beloved's hair and smiled. "It's fine. Something on your mind? You tend to draw when you're in deep thought." He threw a look at the artwork. "Two dolphins? Oh, one of them is smaller. A baby dolphin?"

"Mari is pregnant. I had to take her out of the show. Also, not a baby dolphin. A calf." Haruka told the brunette.

Makoto's eyes widened. He gave a happy laugh. "That's nice. I can't wait to see the dolphin calf!" The larger man was always weak to cute, small animals. He chuckled and walked over to the cupboard to get some casual clothes to change into. "Have you eaten, Haru? Would you like to go out to get something to eat?"

"Makoto." Haruka began again. Makoto responded with a curious "hm?" The dark haired man turned to the brunette, who was both dressing and watching him at the same time. "I'm pregnant."

Makoto's smile remained frozen on his face, as did his hands, which were still in the process of pulling up his pants. Haruka could see that he was having difficulty processing that in his mind.

"You mean Mari is pregnant?" Makoto finally asked, as he unfroze and dressed himself

Haruka walked over to the brunette's side. "She is. I am too."

Makoto's brain seemed to try to process that information again, short circuited, and the brunette was left spluttering. "What- I mean how- I mean, are you all right?" As usual, his immediate concern for Haruka's wellbeing won out over all his confusion.

Haruka blinked. "Of course I'm all right."

That brought back the confusion. "Wait, what am I saying… of course you're all right, you're not sick, you said you're… are you sure you are…I mean…you're a guy… You're not one to joke about something like that…"

"Calm down, Makoto. Yes, I'm sure. Gou had her suspicions and gave me a checkup…"

"Gou's a vet! Not a doctor for people!" Makoto yelped.

"…and I confirmed it with Rei." He paused for a moment. "I think he passed out for a while before I could finally get some answers for him. Here, he gave me a health certificate after the checkup" The black-haired man passed said cert to Makoto, who glanced through it quickly, then went stiff from shock. The piece of paper slipped out of Makoto's slack fingers and went fluttering to the floor. Haruka blinked at him coolly. "What's wrong?"

Makoto turned to him. There were so many different, conflicting thoughts going on in his head that Haruka was having trouble reading his mind. "How are you so calm about this? I mean, how did you get pregnant in the first place?" Makoto demanded. From his agitation, Haruka could only guess that the brunette was worried for his health.

Haruka frowned a little, seemingly trying to recall. "…we had intercourse in the pool?" He smiled a little, obviously fond of the memory.

Makoto turned slightly red. The pool was definitely an interesting memory indeed. He didn't think Haruka could actually become that loud when he was in the water. Makoto could only deduce that water made Haruka more sensitive, or at least lower his inhibitions against intimate touches. He shook the thought out of his head and went back to addressing the matter at hand. "Yes, but I mean…you don't have the…ability to get pregnant…"

"From the ultrasound Rei gave me, apparently I do. It's too troublesome to think about it though. It has nothing to do with swimming, and as long as I still get to feel the water, I do not see how this is a problem." He frowned at Makoto again. "…you do not want this?"

"Wha-? Of course I do! Just…let me sort my thoughts out a bit…" Makoto made Haruka sit down and plopped down onto the spot next to him, even as he took the shorter man's hand and held on. He took in a few deep breaths. "You're pregnant…we're both not sure of how it happened, but you're pregnant…" He repeated it and ran it through his head a few times, at least until the idea sank in. "You're pregnant with my baby…I'm going to be a father…!" His green eyes widened with realisation, and he turned to Haru with slight blushes on his cheeks and a wide smile on his face. "Oh, Haru!" He threw his arms around the smaller man and hugged his mate tightly.

Haruka sighed. "Now that's more like the Makoto I know. Really…your reaction to this is slow… Also, you're crushing me, Makoto." Makoto gave a yelp and quickly let him go. The brunette's hand went to Haruka's stomach, hesitated for a moment, then felt it. "I'm not sure if I can feel any…oh…wait…it does feel different from your usual muscles…and your body will continue to change as time goes by…" He thought of something else and became serious again, even as he held Haruka's shoulders. "Are you sure this is fine on your body? You blacked out on a number of occasions, and I'm not sure if your body can handle this pregnancy."

"Makoto…stop worrying about me like that. I'm fine, and even if I'm not, I'll do something about it. I want to have this child." He placed a hand on his own stomach. "Rei let me hear this child's heartbeat earlier. It is strong."

"Haru…" Makoto placed his hand on top of Haru's, so that both of them were now touching the place where their child resided. "I understand. I'll take care of both of you. We'll go for your checkups together." He gave a weak smile. "Haru, you really don't change though, still as calm as always."

Haruka didn't say anything as he leaned against Makoto's shoulder. He had had the advantage of having a few hours more than Makoto did to get used to the news. He didn't point it out though.

To be continued…

A/N: And that looks like a good place to cut off the chapter. *evil grin*. It will be mentioned in the next chapter as to how Haru-chan got pregnant in the first place, but in the meantime, feel free to make guesses. Try to think of the crackiest scenario to get it right though, because it's not really your…er…conventional answer. Do try to guess how it happened in your review. I'll mention in the next chapter just how many got it correct.

If you're going to make a guess, write it in your review as something like this.

e.g: Blame the excessive video gaming between them.

Please Read and Review. No Flames Please.

-Gwyn