NyxLied: Thank you! I think I might have lost a few incest-fearing readers with the whole 'they're brothers!' thing. They'll miss out on big news later if they stop here though.

Blue reminisce: Thank you so much, dear. :) Your happiness is important to me.

Abiding Angel: I'll PM you stuff about wedding planning (like are you hiring this summer and am I close enough to help out, LOL). For now, thanks so much! Makoto is loyal to both Haruka and Ácweorran respectively, but who is he more loyal to in the end in the big question.

Kami-Rin44: I always felt that before Rin came in, Nagisa was always on the side watching Haruka and Makoto and was kind of jealous of their close relationship. That's why with Rei he feels so happy because he has his own friend who he has a special thing with.

kyouno-aru: HAHAHA ANGST? YOU CALL THAT ANGST? THAT'S NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT I PLANNED FOR MAKOTO. There's a little bit of Makoto's past explained in his chapter, though. Just so that you know.

Anon-chan-san: Yup. It shall become more and more intense as it goes on.

Haruko: YOU ARE BACK YOU BEAUTIFUL PERSON. Yes, Makoto's past is heartbreaking in many ways. So about your theories... *ahem*... You are half-right and half-wrong, but I won't tell you which is right because I'm evil like that. :D Some parts of their childhood, I think, will come in in the next chapter. Not everything, but some. Also, another character may be introduced in the next, like, two-three chapters? GIMME MORE THEORIES THIS IS GOOD STUFF.

Tigernekootaku: Thank you so much! I'm glad that you like it! I was worried that some people may not like this sort of Makoto... T_T

I do not own Free! Iwatobi Swim Club or any of the characters in it.

So this chapter may be a bit shorter, in comparison to the others. I hope that you guys still like it. There's some humor and sexy times and a bit of angst, and then a shocking declaration. Bon appetit!

"So what does Rei think about all this?" Rin asked as they traversed back towards the Nanase manor. "Doesn't he feel resentful if he has to call you 'Master' all the time? He doesn't try to get revenge or anything, does he?"

"Sounds like you've been reading too many novels, Rin-chan!" Nagisa said cheerfully. "Such drama doesn't happen in everyday life!"

"You can stand to bother reading every once in a while," Rin muttered rebelliously.

"Rei-chan doesn't know."

"Huh?"

"Rei-chan doesn't know anything," Nagisa shrugged calmly. "About who his real father is and about our shared blood... Rei-chan doesn't have a clue."

"WHAT?!" Rin screeched. Haruka winced and gave Rin a light slap upside the head.

"Your voice is too loud. It hurts," he informed his redhead friend.

"Fuck you, Haru," was the instant reply. "Nagisa, why doesn't Rei know? Shouldn't you have told him? He deserves to at least know why he suddenly went from an Earl's son to a slave."

"Apparently Rei-chan only knows about the theft of his official papers. He just chalked it up to underground slave traders is all. Sakaguchi Ryousuke, I think his name was?"

"That weird guy with the mustache?" Rin frowned momentarily distracted. "Come to think of it, I heard that he's gone missing recently... Now wait a minute! Shouldn't your dad know who Rei is the moment Rei introduced himself as 'Ryuugazaki Rei'?!"

"Father didn't really take notice. Besides, Ryuugazaki isn't that uncommon of a Japanese last name."

"Your old man is fucking stupid! He should at least be a little suspicious!" Rin groaned and threw an arm around Haruka, leaning on him for support. "I can't take this. Apparently our Prime Minister is a fool and his son is a manipulative little sneak," he complained to his friend. Haruka, knowing little else of what to do, merely patted Rin on the head in the best comforting way he could muster. Rin rolled his eyes, but he appreciated the effort.

"Ahh, this topic is so boring! And Rin-chan is being a meanie!" Nagisa complained, latching himself onto Haruka's opposite side. "Haru-chan, you agree with me, don't you?"

"The hell!? Haru obviously agrees with me."

"No he doesn't! Besides, I'm his favorite!"

"I've known him longer than you!"

"But he likes me better than a certain angst-ridden, pointy teeth shark!"

"Who are you calling angst-ridden?!"

"I didn't say your name, now did I?!"

Haruka was starting to get a headache from being stuck in between the two while they argued fiercely over his favor. What's worse, they had started tugging on him between their jabs at each other and Haruka felt like his arms would eventually be ripped off.

"We're known throughout Japan as the bestest ever friends! They call us Nagiharu!"

"What the hell is that?! Fine, I won't lose! Rinharu!"

"Nagiharu!"

"Rinharu!"

"Nagiharu!"

"Rinharu!"

"I think Reiharu sounds much more beautiful, actually," came an amused voice from behind.

"Is there no room for Makoharu in there, Master Haruka?" came an even more amused voice with a teasing lilt, causing shivers to wrack up Haruka's spine. Even though the word 'Makoharu' sounded ridiculous, when Makoto said it... it gave him a weird feeling, as if a million women around the country were screaming their approval.

Haruka shook his head and the screaming stopped. That was weird.

All three of the young masters turned to see their servants standing behind them, clearly amused. There was a dead leaf in Makoto's hair, indicating that he may have been lying down on the ground. Rei's hair was, in his own terms, 'beautifully perfect'.

"How the hell did you two get behind us?" Rin asked in confusion while Nagisa let go of Haruka in favor of launching himself towards Rei.

"Rei-chan!" Nagisa chirped happily. Rei allowed the embrace by lightly resting his hands on Nagisa's shoulders.

"What were you two doing?" Haruka couldn't help but ask, eyeing the leaf in Makoto's hair. "...Did you know that you have a leaf in your hair?"

"I do?" Makoto reached up with his large hands and ran through his brown hair with searching fingers. He located the leaf and pulled it away from his short locks. "Goodness. How did that get in there?" he expressed his mild surprise. He turned to his blue-haired friend who was currently trying to stop his master from climbing all over him. "Why didn't you tell me, Rei?"

"Master Nagisa, please refrain from putting your foot on my knee. I am not a tree," Rei managed to get a grip on the blonde's hips and forced him to put his feet on the ground. "Oh. I didn't notice. Honest," Rei glanced at Makoto innocently but he had a smile tugging on his lips. "It is almost the same color as Makoto-senpai's hair, anyway."

"That's tru – was that sarcasm just now?" Makoto pretended to sound offended.

"Of course not. I would never be sarcastic towards a senpai."

He and Makoto both chuckled as if enjoying an inside joke. Haruka felt immensely annoyed at the glasses-wearing servant all of a sudden. Apparently Nagisa shared his feelings, but on the opposite side of the spectrum.

"How cruel! Mako-chan is taking all of Rei-chan's attention away from me!" he yowled, pretending to throw a fit. He restarted his attempt to climb all over his servant by jumping and locking his legs around Rei's waist. His arms wrapped around Rei's neck and he nuzzled him affectionately on the neck. "Rei-chan should just pay attention to me!"

Rei looked like he was trying to refrain from rolling his eyes. Instead he merely sighed and put his hands on Nagisa's waist so that he wouldn't fall off. "How on earth am I going to turn you into a respectable Prime Minister," he muttered exasperatedly, but not without fondness.

"You don't," quipped Makoto, laughing. "But I'm impressed, Rei. You and Master Nagisa really are close."

"Of course!" Nagisa said with an impish grin. "But I'm sure that Mako-chan and Haru-chan, and Rin-chan and Ai-chan get along well too!"

"Ai and I are alright," Rin affirmed with a shrug. His arm was still around Haruka's shoulders. Makoto's green eyes drifted towards it momentarily and Haruka was seized by the sudden impulse to shake Rin off. But then Makoto's eyes drifted away and he merely smiled at Rin.

"That's good. Nitori seemed like a good person when I last saw him."

"Nitori Aiichirou? I know him. I believe I've saw him around before when I was still a member of the noble class," Rei mused. "Isn't he the short boy with light blue eyes, and a beauty mark on his face?"

"Underneath his right eye," Rin confirmed. "I hired him about a year ago. Picked him up more like. His last master mistreated him and I took him in."

"Mistreated?" Rei's eyes widened. "Really?"

"He's got a couple scars on his body. Some of them look like he's been punched with a hand wearing a ring. And he's got a lot of weird circular marks too..." he paused as he realized that everyone was staring at him. "What?"

"Rin-chan, is there a reason why you're so well acquainted with Ai-chan's body?"

"Why I'm – " Rin started to sputter incoherently. "You perverts! It's not anything like that! It's just that Ai is supposed to help me wash so of course he'd strip down too! Don't you do that?! Makoto! Rei!"

"I do," Rei nodded. "Though that's only because Master Nagisa always forces me into having a bath with him."

"You act so reluctant about it, Rei-chan!"

"There, you see!" Rin said hotly. "Makoto does too, right?"

"He doesn't."

"Eh?"

"Makoto doesn't," Haruka said shortly, eyes boring into Makoto's head. Makoto visibly flinched and scratched his cheek sheepishly.

"Well, I just don't feel comfortable..."

"We're all men here, Mako-chan," Nagisa pointed out.

"Well, four men and one almost-man."

"Hey!"

Haruka felt guilty at pointing fingers and decided to round on Rin. "I don't think Rin and Nitori really have anything special," he said calmly with deliberate maliciousness. "Rin has Yamazaki Sousuke after all."

"WHAT?!" Rin yelped. "Haru! Sou and I definitely don't have a thing going on! I've told you that before! I'm not into guys!"

"Sure."

"Fuck you, Haru! And Sou? SOU?! I'd rather date Ai than that guy!" Rin paused as he realized what he just said. Turning red, he quickly added, "Well, I mean, just saying. Sou is a good guy but he's too rough. Ai is definitely a better choice by far – "

"Master Rin," Makoto's mild voice injected some reason into his thoughts. "I think you had better stop before you dig your own grave."

Rin sulkily shut his mouth while both Rei and Nagisa roared with laughter. Something in Haruka could not resist thinking that the two supposed siblings looked fairly alike when they did that. Maybe it was the twinkle in their eye or the clearly mischievous glances they frequently shot at each other. But at the same time, Haruka could not think of the two as brothers. More like...

The thought invaded Haruka's mind before he could stop it and he quietly resolved to talk to Nagisa in private later that evening.

Unfortunately, later that evening, Haruka would be very distracted by a certain green-eyed servant.

.

.

.

Hands winded around his waist. A muscular body pressed against his. His own hands tangled in short brown locks.

Haruka gasped, breaking his lips away as Makoto attempted to put his hand literally down his pants. "We can't!" he hissed, trying to pull away. "Nagisa, Rei, and Rin are all waiting for us in the sitting room! They're waiting for us to come back!" he wished that he had not gone back to his own room to change into fresher clothes. Makoto had followed him, dutiful servant as he was. The moment the door had shut, Haruka found himself pressed down on his bed with a lustful servant over him.

"They can wait," Makoto's husky voice murmured into his ear. "I haven't been able to see or touch you all week. Please allow me to have my fill, Master Haruka," he nibbled lightly at the ear and smiled as he felt his master shudder beneath him. "If it isn't obvious, Master Haruka, I've missed you quite a bit."

"It's pretty damn obvious," Haruka muttered, kneeing the growing bulge in Makoto's trousers. The taller male winced slightly but was undeterred. His lips met Haruka's again and his master was silenced by an expert tongue. He trailed his mouth down his throat with open-mouthed kisses and listened with undisguised glee as Haruka's made little moans of pleasure. He slowly unbuttoned Haruka's shirt, one button at a time, and continued to kiss his way down. Haruka groaned and moved against the unforgiving mouth.

Makoto smiled against his skin and reached up with his hands to pinch lightly at erect nipples. Haruka bucked and moaned loudly before slapping his hands over his mouth. Makoto laughed lightly. He splayed his hands over Haruka's body, feeling his smooth skin. He slowly worked Haruka out of the shirt so that all he was wearing were his trousers.

"No," his master involuntarily whimpered. "N-Nagisa and Rin are right downstairs. They might send Rei up if we take too long...!"

"I suppose I could make it quick."

"What do you mean you can make it quick – ungh!" he gasped out as Makoto suddenly pressed his mouth over Haruka's clothed erection. Throwing back his head and seeing stars, Haruka was struck absolutely speechless. "M-Makoto!"

He felt the hot air and moistness that just didn't touch his needy flesh and he writhed, trying to do something, anything, to get that mouth over his bare cock. His hands darted eagerly towards his own pants, popping off the button in favor over undoing it, and yanked them down, nearly punching Makoto in the face in the progress.

"Careful there, Master Haruka," his servant teased. "I almost lost a tooth."

"Be quiet," Haruka breathed. "Be quiet and just..." he left the sentence unfinished out of embarrassed modesty, but Makoto knew what he wanted. He always knew.

"Yes, my Master," he murmured, head dipping to swallow his willing Master whole.

Haruka gave a silent scream and bucked his hips, thrusting up roughly and almost causing Makoto to gag. Makoto held down his hips with strong hands and Haruka groaned, hands scrabbling to find something to hold on to while the room seemed to flip upside down. "Oh! Mm..." he gasped, back wrenching almost painfully. The heat, the pressure, the suction, oh gods, he couldn't last. Makoto hummed in his throat and Haruka nearly tore apart a nearby pillow at the vibration traveling from his cock, up his spine, to his pleasure-hazed brain.

All too soon it was over and through teary eyes he saw the bulge of Makoto's Adam apple bob up and down as he swallowed the young master's essence. Through hooded green eyes nearly hidden by damp bangs, Makoto gazed at him with a look that made him hot all over again.

"We really shouldn't be doing this right now," Makoto said mockingly.

"You're a jerk," was the breathless reply. Makoto found himself suddenly with his back against the mattress with Haruka straddling his middle.

"Growing a bit bold, are we Master Haruka?"

"Shut up," Haruka muttered. "I'm your master. You're supposed to obey me," he followed it up with a nip to a very well-defined collarbone. Makoto let out a soft, if slightly aroused, laugh. Haruka tried to unbutton his vest and shirt but Makoto stopped him.

"Good try," Makoto whispered. He gripped both of Haruka's hands in his own and pulled them away from his clothes. "But I'm afraid not today."

"Why?" Haruka momentarily stopped struggling and stared down at the brunette. "Why won't you?"

"You're bothered by what Master Nagisa said, aren't you?" Makoto sighed. "I'm sorry, Master Haruka, but I'm simply not comfortable with the idea of stripping down in front of you and showing you, well, everything."

"And yet you're completely fine with stripping me down and touching everything?" Haruka asked skeptically. Makoto shot him a sheepish grin.

"With all due respect, Master Haruka, it's hard to resist touching such flawless skin."

The young master could not turn any redder. "Idiot," he muttered. Makoto leaned up to give him another kiss. "But," Haruka quickly said, "that doesn't mean I can't touch yours."

Makoto raised an eyebrow. "You want to touch me?"

The previous statement was a lie; Haruka could turn redder. "I-I didn't mean..."

"Yes, you did," Makoto's honeyed words were dripping amusement. "... but I'm afraid this is one request that I am unwilling to fulfill, Master Haruka."

"Why?" Haruka finally exploded. "I... I like it when you touch me," he admitted, embarrassed beyond all belief. "I like it because it feels good and – " he stiffened slightly when he clearly felt Makoto's arousal pressing against his backside. Shuddering, he took a deep breath and kept talking. "But it doesn't feel fair. I'm always the only one. You told me last time that you'd take care of it yourself, but..." gathering up his courage, he shifted his weight to grind down on his servant's cock, making him jerk in surprise. "It feels... too one-sided."

"I appreciate your eagerness, Master Haruka," Makoto smiled gently. "I really do. I'm so glad that I came to work for you. You're such a kind master," he let go of one of Haruka's hands in favor of cupping his master's cheek. "But everyone has a secret they need to keep."

"A secret? What secret?" Haruka demanded. "What is it that you need to keep from me, Makoto? I – " he took a deep breath. "... Tell me? Please?"

Makoto exhaled. Hearing someone of nobility saying 'please' to a slave was a rare and monumental event. "Master Haruka..." he set his jaw determinedly and flipped them over so that Haruka was once again pressed onto the bed. "Very well," he said softly, standing up. "But you must promise never to tell others."

"I promise," Haruka assured, sitting straight up. He watched as Makoto swiftly removed his vest, leaving only his white button-up shirt. He held his breath as Makoto undid the first two buttons and pulled the fabric to the side. His eyes widened and he slowly stood up as he saw something that he didn't expect.

Scars, large and small and of all types. He could see long jagged ones, small cylindrical ones, and ones left from burns. On the small expanse of Makoto's pectoral, he could see a thousand painful stories. Unexpectedly he found his eyes watering in sympathy as he stepped forward to dip his head and press his lips against the largest scar which looked like it came from a knife.

"Who did this to you?" he whispered.

"It was the will of some of my previous masters," Makoto stepped back and proceeded to re-button his shirt. "The lady of house had a particularly sadistic love for her servants. Particularly those who disobeyed her or cried too often as I did," he gave an offhanded laugh. "I quite owe it to the Master for getting me out of there," he chuckled.

Haruka found himself mentally thanking his father. "... Do they hurt?"

"Not anymore," Makoto smiled at him over his shoulder. "The pain went away after I came here and found you."

"Makoto – "

"Master Haruka?"

"Mm?"

A brief, chaste kiss. "I love you."

All breath escaped Haruka's lungs as he froze in place. Makoto chuckled at the look on his face as he straightened his clothing and made to leave the room. "I shall make a stop by the kitchens to fetch us dinner to eat in the sitting room. Please do not take too long, Master Haruka. Master Nagisa and Master Rin are still waiting for your return."

Wordlessly, Haruka sank back down on to the bed, suddenly having lost feeling from everything below his knees. Makoto's words rang through his head over and over again. "I love you. I love you. I love you."

Haruka, shocked beyond belief and weak-kneed, found himself beginning to smile.

.

.

.

Just outside of the room, Makoto ran into Rei who had clearly been listening in. He curled his lips at him amusedly. "Eavesdropping, Rei?"

"Master Nagisa sent me to come get you. But it seemed rude to... interrupt," Rei coughed. "I'm surprised at you, Makoto-senpai. I didn't think that you would make such a bold move on a product."

"Perhaps I'm merely speeding up the process," Makoto smiled. "I don't tend to bring my real feelings into my work, Rei. Now, let's go. We need to attend to our other two products."

Makoto walked away down the hall and Rei snorted, leaning against the wall and pushing up his glasses. "Feelings?" he muttered. "The Makoto-senpai I had met a year ago had already thrown away all of his feelings after he entered the organization."

With an exasperated sigh, he cast one final glance at Haruka's bedroom door before following Makoto down the hall.

Even further down the hall, a man with golden earrings and a wavy knife in a sheath uncrossed his arms and sighed as well before going to report this troubling piece of news to his superior.

The 'I love you' may have been a bit fast but hell, Makoto can be surprisingly direct at times, especially since in here he keeps a lot of secrets and tells lies.

I know that nothing has really been said about Yamazaki Sousuke yet, except that he's taller than Makoto and has a bit of a tough guy. A lot of people describe him as an 'Angry Makoto'. I suppose Sousuke is to Rin as Makoto is to Haruka.

Also, I bet that Rin calls him 'Sou' because Rin seems to have the habit of shortening names that can be shortened into other names. 'Haru' and 'Ai' are perfectly legitimate names in Japanese. 'Sou' is also legitimate so I figured Rin must call him Sou if they're so close. I could be wrong.

So I need some opinions about doing an omake for Haruka's birthday. Any ideas or thoughts that you guys might want to put in, either review or PM me. Sexy time is also allowed, though due to the plot I won't make them go all the way.

So yeah, put in your two cents and I'll see if I can work it in.