Long time, no Makoharu.

I don't own Free!

Haru set his bag down in the locker room, immediately stripping his clothing down to just his swimsuit. It was Friday afternoon, and thankfully, time for swim practice. Haru gripped his clothes and bag and placed them into a locker, dropping them quickly as a pang shot up through his right hand. Clutching his wrist, he gritted his teeth, trying to wiggle the ache from his fingers. His sharp exhale echoed in the empty locker room.

Thursday's morning resurfaced in his mind, replaying when he and Makoto saw Nagisa in the hallway before classes. After a brief "good morning" from all, Nagisa's eyes widened.

"Eh, Haru-chan!" He gestured to Haru's hands. "What happened?!"

Haru stiffened, panicking. He glanced down at his hands, his knuckles chafed and blue with bruises. Makoto froze beside him. The fight with the mugger had been only the night before, and although it hadn't pained Haru in the moment, the damage showed itself the morning after with soreness and colors as violent as his actions. The second Makoto had seen them earlier that morning, he had stilled, paling with horror and guilt. Haru wanted to wipe the expression away, but a mere "It's fine" did little to clear Makoto's worry and shame. Though they didn't speak of it more, the two of them had a silent agreement to keep the moment with the mugger between just them. In some way, it felt too personal to share with Makoto's family or even Rei and Nagisa, although Haru couldn't put his finger on why.

"Uh." Haru swallowed thickly, awkwardly looking down and wringing his hands. "I tripped and fell last night."

It was a weak and flimsy explanation, and he knew it and Nagisa knew it, but to his immense surprise, the blond only blinked and nodded, accepting it. He jumped to another subject entirely, ranting about something relating Rei without another mention of Haru's hands. Haru was confused- since when did Nagisa not prod and push Haru to the extent of his patience? To let something slide by was fundamentally un-Nagisa. But he wasn't given much time to mull it over, as Nagisa ended his tirade and waved an exuberant goodbye as he rushed off to class, leaving Haru and Makoto alone in the hallway.

Back in the locker room, Haru observed his hand, trying to rub out the pain with the other. The bruises had changed from a blue to a deep eggplant, splotchier and uglier in just a day. His tendons flexed and tensed in the shadowy lighting, reacting to the sharp cramps traveling up from his wrist. After a minute, the pain subsided, and Haru shook out his hand, regaining a bit more mobility. He slammed the locker shut and slung his towel over his shoulder, moving to exit the room and head for the pool.

With a hand raised against the sun's blinding rays, Haru made his way to the bench alongside the pool. Makoto sat waiting for him, although he kept his head down as Haru dumped his towel onto the bench. Without turning his head, his eyes lightly grazed over Haru, and he said nothing.

"Oh, Haru-senpai!"

Haru turned around to see Kou running towards him, her long hair bobbing behind her and a clipboard in her arms. She stopped before them, pressing the clipboard to her chest.

"Oh, and Makoto-senpai," she amended, maroon eyes flickering down to Makoto before rising back to Haru. "I have something to ask."

"Oh." Haru nodded for her to proceed.

"Well," she began, adjusting the shoulder of her hoodie, "You guys remember Mikoshiba Seijuuro from Samezuka, right?"

"Mm-hm," Makoto confirmed.

Haru nodded.

"Well, he's on break from school right now, and he and I are going on one of those boat tours tomorrow night. Hana and Satomi were going to come with us, but they suddenly backed out today and left us with two extra tickets, and they're non-refundable. So, I was wondering if you guys wanted to come instead, since I never see you outside of school or practice."

Haru's mouth opened, a firm, automatic "no" brimming on his lips, when he remembered his deal with Rin. Unfortunately, this was the perfect opportunity to do some spy work on Kou, because so far Rin had been highly dissatisfied with his updates. A chance to be around Kou and Mikoshiba- Rin would murder him if he let it slip by. Dammit.

"Okay," he heard himself saying.

Makoto's eyebrows raised in surprise, before lowering with realization.

"Really?" Kou leaned forward and peered at him with sparkling eyes.

He sighed in resignation. "Yeah."

"Yay! I'm so glad!" She smiled, exuberantly jumping on the balls of her feet. "I can give you the tickets after practice and let you know when and where to meet us."

"Great," Haru muttered unenthusiastically. His passiveness did nothing to deter Kou's excitement and she bounded away, returning to working through their training regimens with renewed enthusiasm.

In the newfound silence, Haru and Makoto stilled, ears filled with birds chirping in Kou's wake.

Haru tipped his chin down towards Makoto. "You're going, right?"

Makoto blinked and met his eyes, looking up through soft bangs. "Of course, Haru-chan," he replied, almost as if surprised Haru asked.

Haru turned his face to the rippling pool. "Drop the -chan," he muttered on instinct, stepping forward to dive into the pool. Makoto's light chuckle was drowned out by the wash of water crashing in Haru's ears as dove beneath the surface.

Practice went well, and Haru felt peaceful by the time the sun began to set. Though, his relief was short lived; Kou hardly waited a moment for him to dry off before handing him two ornately embroidered crisp linen tickets with characters written in glossy silver ink. Haru took them with careful hands as if they were expensive, delicate pieces of art, handing one to Makoto and keeping the other. As Kou proceeded to tell them to meet her and Mikoshiba by the docks at around seven, Haru's stomach rumbled with dread, cursing himself for getting dragged into Rin's ridiculous plan.

After changing back into their uniforms, Haru and Makoto walked home together like usual. It was thankfully quiet, with no muggers lurking behind corners, and the two of them exchanged light, brief conversation. Eventually, they went their separate ways once they made it to their houses, parting with a "see you tomorrow". Haru clambered up the steps, his house dark and ashy in comparison to the gleaming light bursting from the Tachibanas' windows. He opened the unlocked front door and stepped inside, kicking off his shoes and flicking on a light, and made his way back to his room. With a sigh, he flopped down on his bed, the mattress creaking slightly under his weight.

Though he tried his best to keep it back, the reality of what tomorrow evening held in store came crashing down on him, and he groaned. Pulling himself up to sitting, he reluctantly reached a hand into his pocket. It was his responsibility to tell Rin what was going on, unfortunately, and that meant he had to actively search out Rin. He pulled out his phone and opened up a new text, quickly typing out the details of the next day's events as concisely as possible, before sending to the contact Matsuoka Rin.

Barely a minute passed before his phone buzzed with a response, and kept buzzing with every individual text.

From: Matsuoka Rin

FUCKING

From: Matsuoka Rin

SHIT

From: Matsuoka Rin

okay

From: Matsuoka Rin

just show up like she told you

From: Matsuoka Rin

i have a plan

Free mackerel, Haru reminded himself, shutting his eyes and taking in a deep breath. It's for free mackerel.

The next day came faster than Haru could've been prepared for, and soon his house echoed with Makoto's voice calling out that they were going to be late if he didn't hurry. He found Makoto practically dragging him to the docks, chastising him with, "You were the one to agree to this in the first place." Haru had no defense lined up for himself, and let Makoto ramble and pull him along by his wrist. The scenery of early evening Iwatobi passed by his eyes and he tuned Makoto out, focusing on the sea inching closer and closer as they walked.

They arrived at the docks at eight after seven, which Haru thought was pretty good considering how he remained rooted in his house until the very last minute. Kou and Mikoshiba were waiting for them by one of the piers. Haru suddenly felt horribly underdressed in his jeans and button down; Kou wore a silky red dress with chiffon capped sleeves, and Mikoshiba wore a smart black blazer over a navy sweater. How fancy is this boat tour, anyways? he wondered, mind traveling to the glittery, suave ticket tucked into his pocket.

After hellos and how are yous, Kou and Mikoshiba led them up the pier to one of the docked boats. This one was a dazzling beacon of light and importance. Haru felt even more out of place as they cashed in their tickets to a well-groomed man wearing a tux and climbed aboard. The main room of the boat was surprisingly spacious and imperial, with arching cream stucco walls and a sparkling chandelier sending fluttery diamonds of light across the robust cedar floor. Tables with magnificently colorful spreads of hors d'oeuvres and drinks lay perpendicular to the opening leading out to the back deck, people filing in and milling about. Almost all of them looked at least twenty years older than Haru and the others, and all wore some form of evening wear. At least, even with the noticeable age gap, Kou and Mikoshiba were dressed accordingly. Haru and Makoto stuck out like sore thumbs in their jeans.

"Hey, let's go to the deck!" Kou suggested after a minute of absorbing the view. She grabbed Mikoshiba by the hand and brought him to the deck, Haru and Makoto deciding to follow suit.

Haru was immediately more at ease with the view of the ocean spreading out before him, stepping to the railing of the deck to gaze at the shimmering water below him. The twinkling lights lining the deck reflected like orbs in the water, dancing before Haru's eyes. Hands gripping the railing, he felt himself slowly leaning farther and farther forward, enraptured like usual by the waves, almost wanting to fall off and be freed from the confines of the boat. But as the railing dug deeper into his ribs the closer he leaned to the water, he suddenly felt a firm hand grasp his wrist, tethering him to the boat. He turned his face to see Makoto, who wore a exasperated, but amused expression that said, Don't you dare try to jump into the water.

Sighing, Haru peeled himself from the railing to return his weight to his own two legs. Makoto looked pleased at Haru's obedience, but refused to release Haru's wrist, knowing well that the minute he let his guard down, Haru would jump off the boat without another thought. Haru grumpily turned his face away, cursing his best friend's mind reading capabilities. Makoto only chuckled and shook his head.

To fit in with the boat's grand atmosphere, a string quartet sat right in the divide between the inside and the deck of the boat, playing what a violinist had announced was Brahms's Waltz Op. 39, No. 15. Haru let the sweeping, cheerful notes of the waltz flit through his mind, forgetting about his unimpressive attire and discomfort and merely stood there with Makoto beside him. The silence between them was pleasant and snug with the violins and the viola and the cello swirling around them, and they stood there for a few minutes, watching the land drift away into the distance.

Out of the corner of his eye, Haru caught a glimpse of Kou and Mikoshiba standing a few feet away along the railing, both aptly focused on him and Makoto. Mikoshiba narrowed his eyes in concentration.

"Are they…" Haru dimly heard him begin, before Kou stomped on his foot. "Ouch!" Mikoshiba curled into himself and gave Kou a dirty look, who turned away from Haru and Makoto like nothing had happened.

Huh? Haru frowned. Are we what? He glanced up to see if Makoto had noticed, but with his back facing Kou and Mikoshiba, Makoto remained oblivious. Instead, his eyes were focused out on the water, a peaceful look on his face. Disconcerted by Kou and Mikoshiba's strange moment, and acknowledging a sandpapery feeling of thirst at the back of his throat, Haru tugged Makoto away from the railing. Makoto yelped in surprise but nevertheless followed along as Haru brought him back to the inside of the boat. They passed by the string quartet, which was now playing another of Brahms's waltzes: the more somber, but equally elegant Op. 39, No. 3.

Once inside, Haru went straight for the clear pitcher of water sitting on one of the tables. Makoto stumbled behind him, releasing Haru's wrist so he could pour himself a glass. The back of Haru's neck burned with the gaze of the older guests on them, no doubt wondering what two teenage boys dressed casually in jeans were doing on such an impressive boat. Ignoring them, Haru lifted the cup to his mouth and gratefully drained the whole thing, his throat no longer like the Sahara Desert. They quickly lost the interest of their fellow guests, who went back to their chatting and sipping of wine.

Haru moved to discard his newly emptied glass with Makoto trailing behind him, but just as he placed it on a shining silver tray, he felt something thwack against the back of his neck and fall into the collar of his shirt. Brows furrowing in perplexion, he reached up to pick it out of his collar. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a chunk of cooked salmon.

What the…

"Oi!" a voice hissed, barely audible over the quartet and the murmur of voices. Haru whipped around to the source of the noise, finding the "STAFF ONLY" door behind him open just enough for him to catch a snippet of familiar maroon hair and eyes.

"Rin?" Makoto blurted.

"Shh!" Rin brought a finger to his lips, eyes nervously darting from side to side, but no one paid them any attention. Once sure the coast was clear, Rin silently motioned for them to follow.

Apprehension curdling in his stomach, Haru hesitantly stepped forward to the door with Makoto beside him, Rin moving aside to let them in and shutting the door after. They settled in the dingy room, laid out with replacement hors d'oeuvres. So that's where the salmon came from. Taking his eyes away from the fish, Haru finally got a good look at Rin. At first, Rin looked surprisingly put together with a tux and his hair tucked back into a ponytail, but the image was shattered by a gnarly orange-red mustache sat above his upper lip.

"Is that supposed to be a disguise?" Haru asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"Shut up!" Rin growled, flashing his razor-like teeth, although they didn't quite have the same effect with the caterpillar-like hair above them. "I had time and budget constraints, okay?!"

Clearly.

Makoto looked at Rin with a combination of concern and weariness. "Are you spying on Kou-chan?"

"No!" Rin answered automatically, his mustache falling off of half of his upper lip. "Well, kind of. Yes." He put his hands on his hips. "I just want to keep an eye on her. Whatever."

Makoto sighed, shaking his head. "How did you get back here?"

Rin fixed his mustache, looking away. "I may have snuck onto the boat by saying I was one of the servers…"

"Rin!"

"What? They have terrible security, anyways." Rin scoffed. "They didn't question me for a minute."

With the dead gerbil of a mustache glaring at him, Haru couldn't help but agree. "That is terrible security."

"Shut up," Rin snapped, brushing falling strands of hair back from his forehead. "It worked, didn't it? I'm here."

"I'm pretty sure Kou-chan will know it's you if she sees you," Makoto said, scratching the back of his head, his forehead creased with anxiety.

"That's why I'm back here, so I can watch from the shadows." Rin announced this grandly, like he was some great spy in an action movie, a cocky smirk on his mouth. "So you guys just act normally, because I'm not here, okay?"

Then why would you tell us you're here at all? Haru thought, disgruntled. It seemed less like Rin was simply watching out for his younger sister and more like he was putting on a dramatic production where he was the hero. If he really wanted to be invisible, he wouldn't have shown himself to Haru and Makoto and make them pretend they never saw him. Instead, he wanted them to know how sly his plot was. Rin is a drama queen.

"Fine," Haru huffed. "Just don't do anything stupid."

"I'm not Nagisa," Rin grumbled, folding his arms. "You don't have to fucking lecture me."

"Eh," Makoto chuckled nervously. "You guys…"

Haru and Rin glowered at each other for a moment, before Rin heaved a sigh and unfolded his arms. "Anyways." He grabbed them both by the shoulder and forcefully turned them to the door. "Now get out before they notice you're missing," he ordered, shoving them. They clumsily stumbled back out the door, shoulders smacking together as they squeezed through the too narrow doorway. Miraculously, no one paid them any attention. When they looked back, the door was shut, blocking Rin from sight.

Exasperated, Haru twisted his neck to look at Makoto. A small laugh fell from Makoto's mouth at Haru's expression of irritation. With a bemused, but apologetic smile, he took Haru's hand in his own. He lightly tugged Haru away from Rin and aggravation to the deck, his grip strong and warm. Haru tagged along behind until they reached the railing over the ocean. Makoto's smile brightened as he let go of Haru's hand and leaned forward to rest his forearms on the rail, his eyes looking out onto the water. After a breath, Haru turned to the ripples as well, settling with his shoulder pressed against Makoto's.

They stood there in silence, letting the warm sea air soak into their skin, the waning moon and the constellations shedding icy blue light on them. The quartet continued to play, drawn out and pizzicato notes floating over indistinct voices and calls of seagulls and whooshing ocean waves. Slowly, Haru forgot about Rin, his mind lulled into a peacefully blank canvas. A cool gust of air washed over him, the slightly loose sleeves of his button down ruffling with it. His forearm resting on the rail felt warm and cozy, with Makoto's curled wrist beside it.

The minutes easily slid by as they leaned against the rail, the boat forming its path in the dark blue water, with hide nor hair of Rin. Everything was calm and pleasant, and Haru almost was enjoying the boat ride with the presence of Makoto to his side. He was relieved; it'd been so long that he'd felt this comfortable with Makoto in the past few weeks. He'd been so worried they'd been growing apart, but listening to his own breaths over the strings and ocean, he felt their connection as strong as ever. They didn't need to do anything- they could just be.

Eventually, the boat was near completing its travels, the lit shore approaching. From behind Haru came a light, feminine giggling. Makoto shifted, making eye contact with Haru before turning to face the noise. Haru turned as well and met the image of Kou and Mikoshiba dancing to whatever waltz the quartet was on, swaying with beat. A broad smile was on Kou's face, and it grew as Mikoshiba leaned down and kissed her on the lips. Haru stilled, awkwardly feeling like an audience member, and cast his eyes away respectfully. To his side, he sensed Makoto shifting with discomfort as well.

Out of nowhere, a primal howl burst out from the indoors of the boat, slicing into Haru's eardrums and making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Kou and Mikoshiba broke apart, whipping their heads to the direction of the sound. From within, the yell continued, and suddenly, a whole gleaming silver fish came flying across the deck, hitting Mikoshiba square in the face with a loud smack. It clattered to the wood paneled deck, leaving a bright red mark on Mikoshiba's startled face.

"OI!" A figure stepped out, silhouetted by the golden lights from inside. Even from fifteen feet away, Haru could see sharp teeth glistening in the faint nighttime light.

"Onii-chan?!" Kou squeaked, blushing and guiltily stepping away from Mikoshiba. "What are you doing here?!"

"M-Matsuoka?" Mikoshiba gulped, his eyes wide and fearful. He stiffened and stood like a stone gargoyle.

A low growl escaped Rin's grimace, his gross mustache askew and hanging from half of his lip. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" he boomed, magenta eyes crackling and sizzling with electricity.

Unfortunately, the scene had drawn out audience members other than Haru and Makoto. Stunned guests stared at them, champagne glasses and hors d'oeuvres frozen near agape mouths. Rin didn't notice the horrified and disgusted looks he was receiving, which was probably for the best. Haru sighed tiredly as Makoto groaned quietly and buried his face in his hands, his elbow resting on Haru's shoulder.

Everything went down the drain after that- it quickly morphed to an incoherent shouting match between Rin and Kou with Mikoshiba lurking beside them, terrified and awed. Haru and Makoto stood a good distance away, out of the line of fire, pretending they didn't know them. Quickly, a manager and other assistants showed up to break up the scene, though they probably would have left them alone had they known that they would be dealing with the Matsuoka siblings. As their voices grew in volume and fury, Haru reminded himself never to anger both of them at once.

Luckily, the boat was now resting at the pier, and Haru saw his opportunity, grabbing Makoto by the hand to escape. Makoto was reluctant only for a moment, protesting they stay and help until he heard Rin yell "FIGHT ME!" at some unsuspecting server. With an exhausted sigh, he gave up and let Haru pull him away.

In the chaos, they slipped away unseen, practically running across the docks until they made it to the main road. They stopped, now hidden from view by a cluster of trees, panting. After a moment of quiet, Makoto grinned at Haru and began to laugh, his light voice carrying across the road. Haru allowed himself a smile at the trainwreck they'd just experienced, buoyed by the warmth in Makoto's laugh. Slowly, Makoto drizzled back into calm silence, a little bit of humor lingering in his upturned lips.

"Let's go home," he suggested, dropping Haru's hand and taking a step forward.

Haru dipped his head, a smidgen disappointed Makoto's callouses were no longer pressed against his palm. "Yeah."

On their way back through the dim spiraling streets, Makoto lightheartedly talked and joked about Rin while Haru listened. He continued as they passed buildings and houses, growing in vibrancy, and Haru was satisfied to just listen to him and walk leisurely. As Makoto attempted mimicking Rin's deeper, more threatening voice (and failed), a breeze rushed past, tousling his light brown hair. Makoto blinked with surprise at the force of the gust, his bangs sticking out in a way that made him look like a scruffy puppy. A clumsy, six-foot, overgrown puppy.

Makoto's eyes darted to the side, his whole face lighting up as something caught his attention. "Eh, look, Haru-chan!" he exclaimed, pointing to the corner of a dark grocery store.

Haru squinted in the direction of Makoto's finger, but he couldn't make anything out in the dusky lighting. Makoto barely waited a moment before excitedly scurrying over to the grocery, Haru grumbling and rolling his eyes as he followed a step behind. Finally, he caught a flash of reflective eyes in the shadows, and he huffed in amusement. Of course.

"Look at you!" Makoto cooed, kneeling down and extending a hand out to an orange tabby cat with lime green eyes. The cat approached him cautiously, sniffing his fingers for a moment before deeming him trustworthy and letting him scratch behind its ears.

Haru came down to his knees beside Makoto, looking at Makoto's outstretched hand. Makoto quickly gained the cat's trust, and soon a rumbling purr came from its throat as he stroked and scratched. Sighing, Haru lifted his eyes from the cat to Makoto. Warm green eyes were affectionate towards his new friend, a soft, caring smile on pink lips. When the cat nuzzled its head against the underside of his forearm, Makoto giggled, his eyes squeezing shut in delight.

Watching Makoto, Haru almost laughed. Even with an entire lifetime of petting cats under his belt, Makoto's enthusiasm never faltered if there was a cat within a five mile radius. A fond smile spread across Haru's face, the innocent joy radiating from Makoto seeping over to him. He was content with watching Makoto with the cat for years. The longer he stared, the more heat built up in his blood, pumping through his veins and coursing through his whole body. His stomach swooped with a jolt, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his fingers trembling, yet again. They brought out a dim prickle of annoyance, but he was too entranced by Makoto and the cat to commit to the annoyance.

"Hm?" Makoto realized Haru's eyes were upon him, and turned to look at him. Tilting his head, he lifted his hand from the cat and rested it on his knee. "Haru?"

With Makoto's eyes focused directly on him, Haru pulse quickened. Normally, Makoto wouldn't have asked, but something in Haru's expression must have conveyed something different than usual, and emeralds widened in curiosity, awaiting a response. Blinking, Haru froze, trying to ignore the churning in the pit of his stomach. His mouth fell open, words swelling in the back of his throat, threatening to spill out, but he was too fast for them and clamped his mouth shut. He turned his gaze away, letting his midnight bangs shield his too expressive eyes.

"Nothing."

Makoto blinked, looking concerned and confused. "Okay," he said quietly, refusing to tear his eyes away from Haru until a mewl from the cat stole his attention.

While Makoto resumed playing with the cat, Haru's ears rang painfully and his mind swirled. Hands clenched into shaky fists, eyes dizzily burrowed holes down into the gray pavement. His unsaid words hovered at the back of his throat.

I love you.

Oh.

Oh no.

A/N:

Damn, it's almost been two months since I updated this. Hopefully this makes up for my lapse in consistency. We have a revelation, hallelujah!

I was really in a Brahms mood when I wrote this, heh. I highly recommend listening to both waltz Op. 39 No. 15 and waltz Op. 39 No. 3, because they really set the mood for the boat scene and they are both beautiful pieces of music. The CHILLS. Brahms's work overall is just really good, so definitely give him a listen.

Can you tell how much I love the "Rin the overprotective brother/drama queen" tropes? Poor soul, he suffers so much. I'm also trash for Makoto with cats. He's actually me when I see a cat. The orange tabby may be based off of the cat I spent ten minutes petting outside my dorm last week...

Well, all I can say is I am now very excited for future chapters ohohohoho. Farewell for now, and happy holidays!