(HAPPY BIRTHDAY FIC FOR @patriciaselina I KNOW YOU’RE WORKING HARD ON MATERIALITY FINALE BUT HEY LET ME DISTRACT YOU WITH MORE MAKORINS. i’m done it’s 2:53AM and i need sleep.)
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“R-Rin! Shouldn’t we, um, not go any higher?”
“Yes we should! You won’t be able to see anything from down there, Makoto!”
» “It’s not like we actually know what good kissing is like,” Rin replied easily, casually fiddling with the collar of Makoto’s sweater with his free hand, pausing before looking up, locking gazes with Makoto in a way that made the latter’s breath catch.
ao3 link - confusing makeouts/makoto feeling things/high speed!/shota makeouts
I wanted to write Haru being overwhelmed by how much he loved Makoto and also because of this post by mackerelmaru.
(I know I always uploaded fanfiction on my lebrewery blog but there are reasons.) Also I wrote this all in one seating because I’m so spontaneous. /flings
Also listened to Angela Aki’s This Love whilst writing.
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It was a different kind of pain.
The way Haru’s heart stops and expands then constricts, rendering him breathless, often came unexpectedly. It always caught him by surprise; it was like the sensation of being unable to breathe, sinking and drowning, feeling your lungs claw against your ribcage for oxygen, but no matter how much you open your mouth your body refuses to respire.
hey guys! i'm going to be uploading my fanfiction on my main blog since it's mostly fandom anyway, while this one will return to uploading original thingies (in other words being super dead).
"It's Nice To Meet You" [fanfiction/Free!/oneshot]
Summary: Rin wondered about the bubbly feeling welling inside his chest. It was similar to the one he had when he saw Makoto fidget and bite his lip whilst trying to decipher the English letters into sounds; fairly identical to the one he felt when Makoto wrapped his arms around him to pull him off Haru; just like the one he got when he heard Makoto giggle.
Warning: High Speed! age
Pairing: MakoRin (MakoRinHaru friendship)
AO3 LINK
A/N: I wrote this on a whim in the middle of school aka don't write oneshots on a whim in the middle of school. (This is a somewhat prequel to It's All About Communication but you don't have to have already read it before reading this.)
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“N…Ni…Naisu…Naisu t-to me…meeeet y-you…”
“Wrong! Do it again!”
“N-Naisu—“
“You’re not supposed to stress the syllables, Makoto! Control your enunciation!”
“E-Eh—“ Makoto blinked at Rin with wide, bewildered eyes before staring back at the English practice book Rin had shoved under his nose and moving his lips around the sound, “N…Nnnnn…Nai—“ Rin slapped his hand on the table again.
“Wrong!”
“Riiiinnnnn!” Makoto burst out, looking distressed and affronted. “Come on, I thought you were the one who was supposed to be practicing!”
Rin crossed his arms and stuck his nose in the air. “I got the pronunciation right! You’re completely butchering the words, Makoto,” He added with a broad grin, his lone sharp tooth flashing mischievously at the brunet.
“I’m not--!” Makoto protested feebly. He glanced helplessly over at Haru, who simply made a point of staring down at the sketch he had been working on as if to differentiate away from the commotion.
“Noisy,” Haru muttered and Rin laughed.
“C’mon, Makoto, it’s get the pronunciation right before the relay or it’s bad luck! Don’t curse our team, Tachibana!” Rin drummed his hands on the table, a gigantic grin on his face as he watched the taller boy squirm.
“C-Curse—“ Haru looked up from his sketch as Makoto stuttered.
“Oi. Now you’ve brought it up and made it an actual thing,” Haru said sharply, adjusting his seat a little – folding his legs rather than kneeling on the cushion, his pencil hovering over the sketch marks.
“Oh I did didn’t I,” Rin didn’t even try to look sheepish, instead immediately turning back to Makoto and slapping his hands decisively on the table. “Exactly why you need to get it right now, Makoto! C’mon, you can do it!”
Makoto flushed red. He normally wasn’t that easily embarrassed, even if he were put on the spot in class, but Rin’s insistence on him getting the English pronunciation right was flustering him.
He glanced over at Haru, but the black-haired boy had reverted his attention back at his sketching. Haru gave off the impression that he was deliberately ignoring the two, but there was a slight twitch in his lips as if he was amused but only refused to show it.
Two hands suddenly slapped on Makoto’s cheeks and Makoto found himself looking at Rin – who had leaned right up close, his eyes bright with laughter, and turned Makoto’s head to face him. “C’mon! It’s nice to meet you!”
Makoto had to hand it to Rin: It wasn’t like Makoto had heard a lot of proper English being spoken before, but Rin had played the CD given in the practice book earlier on, so Makoto had a pretty good idea how the sentence should sound, and Rin had a good grasp on it.
“I—It’s—N…Naaaiisssss…tomeetyouuu!!” Makoto blustered his way through the sentence. It wasn’t like it was significantly better than his earlier attempts but Rin looked satisfied.
“See? That’s it, Makoto,” Rin released Makoto and sat back down. “It’s just English! No big deal! You managed to not jeopardize our luck,” He added with another flash of a grin, playfully winking at Makoto.
Haru snorted discreetly and Makoto turned to him immediately, ready to protest just as the door opened.
“Mom!”
Makoto’s mother stood at the door, one hand tentatively on the doorknob, the other wiping over her apron. Her soft green eyes (just like Makoto, both Haru and Rin noted, though Haru was used to the similarity by now) creasing into an amused smile as she surveyed the boys. “I thought I heard some yelling. Are you having fun, dears?”
“It’s okay Auntie,” Haru spoke up before Makoto or Rin. “Rin is teaching Makoto English.” Makoto’s mother laughed a little.
“Is that so? Well I’m going back to the kitchen,” She stepped back, smiling indulgently at all three of them. Haru and Rin were over at Makoto’s place for a sleepover, and Rin’s loud outgoing way of speaking had resounded through the house like an energetic contrast (which was in by no ways unpleasant) to Haru’s curtness and Makoto’s mildness. “I’m making hamburgers for dinner.”
After a chorus of thank you and sorry for the inconvenience the door shut and Haru snorted again.
“That sound is starting to piss me off, Nanase,” Rin squinted at Haru. “Let’s hear you say it.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Annoying.”
“Hey!”
“Guys don’t—“ Makoto scrambled up just as Rin hurled himself off his side of the table and tackled Haru. The blue-eyed boy fell back with a soundless yelp, his sketchbook and pencil scattered to the side. Of course, Haru refused to go down without a fight, pushing Rin’s laughing face as they both rolled and tussled on the floor of Makoto’s bedroom like a pair of kittens.
Makoto jumped when they knocked against the side of his bed, but that didn’t seem to stop them. “Riinnn! Haaruu!” Makoto quickly lurched forward to wrap his arms around Rin’s abdomen, pulling him off Haru. To which he was fairly successful – Makoto was strong for his age, carrying an entire bucket of cement by himself when it should normally take two students – until Rin let out a cry of “I will not be stopped!” before pulling Makoto down with him onto Haru, who let out a sound of indignation. A foot jabbed against Makoto’s side and the brunet let out an involuntary giggle.
Rin stopped struggling. “Oh my god,” He breathed. Even Haru had stilled.
“W-What—“ Makoto looked up from where his face had been buried against Rin’s back when they tussled.
“Makoto you’re ticklish!” Rin laughed and dived. Makoto stifled a shriek when Rin and Haru tackled him, grabbing him by his waist and under his arm.
The three boys tussled and struggled and roughhoused all over the place. Makoto’s room was used to this sort of treatment – there were plenty of days in which the hyperactive twins was chased around, shrieking, by a Makoto pretending to be a dragon - but the three boys were definitely much bigger than the twins. Their feet repeatedly banged against the edge of the table, the bed and the closet, but it did not deter their laughing and yelling and wrestling in the least.
Eventually they stopped with Haru shoving the two boys off, jumping onto Makoto’s bed and scuttling to the far end. Both Makoto and Rin flopped onto the carpeted floor and breathed heavily.
Rin rolled over onto his stomach and glanced over at Makoto. The other boy had his eyes closed and was slowly catching his breath, his sweater rumpled and covered in the strands of dust from the carpet.
Makoto opened his eyes and glanced sideways at Rin, still breathing slowly. “Mmmm…Rin, what’s wrong?” He shifted a little but remained where he was.
“Uh,” Rin blinked. “Nothing.” Makoto looked flushed from all that roughhousing, his chest rising slowly at each breath. His green eyes also looked a little hazy, as if Makoto was trying to focus his attention on Rin while at the same time slowly recovering from the laughing fits Rin and Haru had induced on him.
Rin wondered about the bubbly feeling welling inside his chest. It was similar to the one he had when he saw Makoto fidget and bite his lip whilst trying to decipher the English letters into sounds; fairly identical to the one he felt when Makoto wrapped his arms around him to pull him off Haru; just like the one he got when he heard Makoto giggle.
Makoto was giving Rin a puzzled look, but on hearing Haru shuffle on his bed he pushed himself up. “Haru, what are you doing?”
Rin raised his head to look: Haru was lying flat on his stomach with his arms folded under his chin, looking at Rin judgmentally. Rin puffed his cheeks at Haru, feeling like he had been caught doing something very wrong by Haru’s sharp ocean-blue eyes (very different from Makoto’s mellow valley-green ones). Rin could’ve sworn the “I only swim Free” boy was pouting. Maybe scowling.
“I thought you were going to practice your English,” Haru finally said, though it was vague as to whom the reply was directed towards.
“Huh—oh yeah.” Rin got up and surveyed the table, which had been kicked a few inches from its original place during their wrestling.
“My dad should be home with Ren and Ran soon,” Makoto noted, still a little flushed, standing up and helping Haru up to his feet as well. Makoto’s father had taken the young twins out to the park to allow the older boys some peace by themselves. “The twins might want to play when they come back.”
Rin pulled the table back to its original place or somewhere around there. Haru carefully picked up his sketchbook and pencil. “Then let’s not waste time,” Rin picked up the English practice book with decision, a grin playing on his expression. “I’m not done with you yet, Makoto!” Makoto looked distressed in response to that.
“But why me?” Makoto sighed, settling down by the table. Haru watched them both intently.
“Because, Makoto, just because!” Rin answered vaguely and was rewarded with a sound on the borderlines of a laugh and a helpless squeak.
Haru grunted. “Just don’t be noisy.”
“You’re no help, Haru,” Makoto teased, to which Haru only just blew a wisp of hair off his face in response, tousled by the earlier tussle. “Well, shall we continue, Rin?”
Makoto looked at Rin with an amused smile, sending off another flutter of bubbles in Rin’s chest. His green eyes creased softly, just as his mother’s had done, and Rin blinked dumbly for a few seconds, acutely aware of Haru pointedly staring at him.
“Yeah--!” Rin blurted out before flipping through the pages of the practice book as a distraction. He coughed distractedly to regain his composure without presenting a new page to Makoto. “Say this! Do you want to be friends with me?”
As Makoto’s brow furrowed with confusion, his gaze darting at the translation of the presented question and at the written phonics, his mouth hesitantly trying to form the right sounds, Rin wondered if there was a way in English to tell your friend that he was good-looking and gave Rin butterflies.
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A/N: I wanted to write something in relation to It's All About Communication but set in High Speed! because young!MakoRin is never enough. So this happened. The MakoRin is pretty subtle in this one, I think.
And also MakoRinHaru friendship because I need this brot3 like I need to breathe. Also, if you've read It's All About Communication, Haru is similarly acutely aware of Rin's dokidoki feelings here but also comparably less willing to let Rin act on said dokidoki feelings because protective-over-best-friend instincts and all that.
(Psst there are parts of the oneshot that I realized could be read completely out of context.)
Rin did not see Makoto immediately when he stepped out into the open, cool night air. Rin had just stepped out of the shower when he received Makoto’s first email, and by the time the second email came around it was already fairly late.
Rin did not exactly want to imagine why Makoto needed to see him (and he got some vague-ass answer when he asked what was the matter), and some part of him would much rather not know, but he had pulled on his jacket and slipped into his shoes all the same.
It was quiet all around. Rin spotted the tall figure leaning against the brick wall of the building, looking slightly out of breath. “Makoto?”
“Rin!” Makoto straightened up immediately, looking at Rin with wide, bright eyes. His expression was a mixture of delight and apprehension and—something else.
“Fancy you showing up here,” Rin cocked his head to the side, smiling a little in spite of himself. “What’s wrong?”
“I—ah—“ Makoto fumbled with his jacket pocket and pulled out a book, just a little bigger than Makoto’s hand. The brunet took a moment to fully recover his breath before handing the book to Rin.
Rin took it and felt his heart stop.
Student’s English-Japanese Dictionary.
Surely, really, a dictionary wasn’t a reason for Rin to feel a sudden burst of dread and anticipation all at once.
There was a piece of paper stuck conspicuously between the pages of the dictionary. Rin wasn’t looking at Makoto, but he sensed that the taller boy was waiting for him to open the fair-sized dictionary where the paper was folded into.
When Rin opened the dictionary, he had to stifle a dry laugh. Makoto had assiduously written, in wobbly English, the words Rin had said to him (although some of them were misspelled), with careful translations on the side. Makoto was no great student when it came to English, but this perseverance would surely make a teacher proud.
Fucking Nanase, who said this isn’t embarrassing? Rin forced himself to look up and meet Makoto’s gaze, feeling a heated blush spread over his cheeks. “Makoto I—“
He didn’t get to say whatever he was going to say when he was suddenly enveloped in a tight hug.
“I love you too,” Makoto blurted out, his voice strained between laughter and embarrassment. “I’m in love with you too. And—and I think you’re gorgeous—no, absolutely beautiful, and I love the colour of your eyes because they are bright and strong and hold an amazing spark in them.”
Rin blinked dazedly. He could feel the hot thud-thud of Makoto’s heart beating against his chest (though Rin imagined that Makoto could feel the same with his heart).
“This is embarrassing,” Makoto whispered, hugging Rin even tighter and burying his face in the other boy’s shoulder. “I can see why you said everything in English.”
“I said it in English because I was afraid of what you would say back at me!” Rin responded hotly, his earlier stupor beginning to dissipate, slowly being replaced by a gradual spread of ecstasy in his chest. He was in between laughing and hitting Makoto, but Makoto was hugging him tightly and all Rin wanted to do was melt into his hold. “You don’t have that kind of worry, you big—dumb idiot—“
Makoto laughed. “Mmmm,” He murmured into Rin’s shoulder and Rin pressed his forehead against Makoto’s collarbone, a million insecurities dissolving all at once. Makoto was warm and big and soft and Rin felt safe in the embrace that was all he ever imagined—
Both of them jumped a little when something buzzed loudly in Rin’s pocket.
“Shit my phone—“ Rin pulled himself away from Makoto and snatched his phone out, feeling hot and cold as if he had just stepped out of a warm shower. He shoved the dictionary back at Makoto to hide his embarrassment before checking the blinking message on his phone.
A/N: I like to think Haru doesn't bother writing a title in his emails when he ever writes emails. I also like to think that this chapter flowed well (I went to dinner in the middle of writing this chapter so it took me a while to get back into the flow. Also my fingers are freezing).
When Makoto said 'outside the pool' he was talking about where Makoto+Nagisa+Haru were sneaking about in episode 1 and Haru started stripping. (Also I should write more cocky-and-loud-and-nerdy!Rin since I seem to keep writing him awkwardly in love.) Also go go check out this fanart a lovely person made for the fic <3
Thank you so much for reading!! And happy Valentine's Day!
It's All About Communication [fanfiction/Free!/chapter fic]
Summary: Makoto’s worst subject in school is English. Rin takes advantage of that.
Pairing: MakoRin (Makoto & Haru friendship)
AO3 LINK / PART ONE / PART TWO
A/N: This chapter is centred between Makoto and Haru because Makoto needs a little push. Enjoy!
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3: Dictionary
“Makoto.”
Although Haru’s voice was flat as ever, there was an edge of concern and certain firmness as he repeated, “Makoto.”
The brunet had a distracted look on his face the moment Haru answered the door. “Huh—Hm? Yes, Haru?” Makoto blinked dazedly at his best friend. Haru leaned back and snorted with vague annoyance.
“It’s late.” It wasn’t really. Haru stared at Makoto. Are you tired? Did something happen?
Thankfully, for all his distractedness, Makoto laughed slightly in response. “It’s fine. I was just, um, thinking.”
Haru looked unconvinced, but Makoto didn’t seem to look like he was going to elaborate, and Haru didn’t know what else he could do to prompt him. He let Makoto return to staring intently at his notebooks to work out some math problem that he had been discussing with Haru only just a few minutes ago.
Rin? Haru, of course, had no such priorities to return to his schoolwork (which he was nearly done anyways). He knew Makoto and Rin had gone to visit the cats Rin had been sheltering – it wasn’t exactly a secret that was kept from Haru, considering how Makoto openly chatted about it to him sometimes. (Haru had rejected invitations to join them in the past on account that it was too much effort to go that far as well as to third-wheel.)
Is it the English? Haru wondered if Rin said something else in English today. In the past days when Rin made his little veiled confessions, Makoto had looked nothing but confused for a while before making some light joke out of it and Haru had let it go. But today, with the evening blue settling in, Makoto looked nothing but distracted and fidgety.
(Haru wondered if he was partly to blame, since he was the one who suggested such a move, but dwelling on that was a waste of time.)
Makoto made some sounds of thought as he rolled his pen with his fingers before diligently writing on the lines of his notebook. The two boys had a few additional schoolbooks lying on the tatami floor that included their other homework and notes (Makoto had dropped by briefly back home before going to Haru’s place). Haru had made sure to close the doors to his porch (save for a small gap) to prevent any stray gusts of wind from taking their scraps of paper.
Haru shifted impatiently. “Makoto.”
“Haru?” Makoto looked up.
What’s wrong? “Rin said something.” A statement, with an underlying question.
Makoto hesitated. “How did you ever guess?” He laughed slightly, although he didn’t really expect an answer. Makoto had told Haru about Rin’s English remarks each time it happened, just to be lighthearted over his puzzlement, not knowing that Haru had suggested Rin to do so in the first place.
“Your English is horrible,” Haru stated matter-of-factly and felt gratified on hearing his best friend laugh again. Good, he wasn’t so stiff and awkward now. “So what did he say?”
“Well, I don’t know, obviously…” Makoto shifted, reaching into his back pocket and, to Haru’s surprise, pulled out a folded piece of paper. “I always thought it was a little funny, if but confusing, the earlier times Rin did that. Rin always had the most fluent English after all.” Haru nodded in agreement, waiting for Makoto to go on.
“But this time he looked so serious,” Makoto hesitated. “I…I don’t know. I think it’s important.”
Idiot. Haru ducked his head to rub his nose so Makoto couldn’t see his expression. And realization. Both you and Rin are idiots.
“What’s that?” Haru inquired, nodding towards the folded paper and Makoto made a sheepish smile, unfolding it before handing it to the serious-faced boy.
Haru wasn’t going to deny it: English may be the subject Makoto was hopelessly horrendous at, but he wasn’t half bad at diligently (maybe even painstakingly) writing down the English words Rin had said to him (not that Haru ever overheard, that would be ridiculous).
As Haru skimmed over the paper, he spotted easy English words like you, eyes, think, with their Japanese counterparts written carefully in the space underneath or above. At the bottom of the list, Haru recognized the four letters that Makoto clearly didn’t get.
Love.
“I don’t think I remembered all of them,” Makoto said quickly, furtively glancing at his hands and Haru. “I-I guess Rin’s enunciation was pretty good, though, for me to remember quite a bit.”
Haru paused and looked at Makoto. His lips were threatening to quirk into a smirk. “You really want to know.”
Makoto looked ready to respond with a flustered protest, but he stopped and nodded. “Y-Yeah. That last one I—didn’t have time to check but I think…I think…” He trailed off and looked down, scratching his cheek. Haru didn’t miss the daring look of flushed hope in Makoto’s face.
The brunet also looked mildly shame-faced, and Haru was going to have none of that.
“Haru?” Makoto looked up in surprise as Haru got up without making a sound.
“Wait.” Makoto stared as Haru disappeared up the stairs, leaving him wondering if he had upset his best friend. He blinked dumbly at the stairs before glancing at the piece of paper sitting innocuously on where Haru had left it.
It took a brief minute, in which Makoto heard some faint sounds of shuffling from up the stairs, before Haru came quietly plodding back down the stairs. Makoto watched Haru sit down before the blue-eyed boy unceremoniously shoved a small book at him.
“What are you doing Haru—“ Makoto stopped when he looked down at the cover.
It was an English-Japanese dictionary, only a little bigger than Makoto’s hand. He had a similar one earlier in the year but had lost it in an accident involving the twins and orange juice, and had not gotten around to getting a new one since he was more reliant on Japanese-English dictionaries anyway.
“Study up on your English,” There was the sound of a paper being flicked and Makoto saw Haru holding his piece of paper out between his forefinger and middle finger.
Makoto hesitated, and the thin line of Haru’s lips clamped together and he waved the paper once at Makoto, with just a tinge of impatience. I know you want to know, I know what you’re hoping to know. Quit stalling.
The paper was relieved of Haru’s grasp as Makoto reached over to carefully take it. Makoto blinked at his penciled words before glancing shyly at Haru, “You think I’m being a little silly, right?”
Haru huffed. “You and him both.” You’re better off finding it out yourself.
Makoto just laughed, settling a little better at the table as he laid the dictionary down over his math books and smoothened out the paper.
Haru watched him for a few seconds before getting up to make some tea, and maybe see if Makoto wants some animal crackers, since he figured it might take a while. Makoto was going to need time to not just figure out the right translations but also his own feelings.
Makoto will know how to do it. Makoto had always been the most open and easily communicative person among the three, but everyone will always need a little push.
It's All About Communication [fanfiction/Free!/chapter fic]
Summary: Makoto's worst subject in school is English. Rin takes advantage of that.
Pairing: MakoRin
AO3 LINK / PART ONE
A/N: I found myself writing into a block halfway through this chapter, and had to edit a lot, so I hope some parts didn't seem too off. Enjoy!
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2: Cats
If Haru’s definition of supporting Rin meant stifling a snigger and pointedly staring at him (when Makoto wasn’t looking) every time Rin made some pathetic attempt to make his comments at Makoto in English, Rin was going to deck him.
(Not that Rin was going to deny: saying it in English made Rin feel a hundred percent more confident than he should be.)
Long before Rin had the brilliant idea to take Haru’s advice, Rin had bumped into Makoto whilst going to feed the cats at the abandoned building. (It was maybe three months ago?)
And somewhere along the way, Rin had rescued two more cats and put them alongside with the first, and every now and then some other strays would show up out of curiousity and eventually habit.
So when Makoto found out about this, he was more than enthusiastic to help Rin, and Rin had found himself spending extra time with Makoto. Watching him fawning over the cats and laughing gently. That kind of thing.
(It may or may not have been a reason why Rin found himself head over heels.)
“The calico really likes you, Rin,” Makoto chuckled lightly as said calico continuously rubbed its head against Rin’s knees. It was the second cat that Rin had rescued back then. Rin grunted.
“Yeah but I’ve got nothin’ on you and all the others that follow you everywhere each time you arrive,” Rin poked the calico on the nose, resisting the urge to smile hugely like an idiot when he heard Makoto’s appreciative laugh.
Makoto was rubbing the haunches of a big scruffy tabby – one of the wandering strays, currently eating the remains of the tuna Makoto and Rin had brought. “Do you think we should name them? It’s easier to refer to them that way.”
Rin pinched the bridge of his nose. “Hell no. That’s the first step to getting emotionally attached and I’m definitely not up for that,” Rin allowed himself to smirk. “You might even start stealing them away or something.”
“I wouldn’t!” Makoto looked mock offended for a split second before he turned to focus his attention on the tabby turning to nuzzle his hand. “And the names are just for reference.”
The two boys were sitting side-by-side, leaning against the wall. Makoto made cooing sounds at the tabby, gently scratching the purring tomcat under the chin. Rin was genuinely amazed at the way Makoto’s big clumsy-looking hands stroked the rough fur with utmost gentleness. It wasn’t much of a surprise why cats were naturally attracted to Makoto – he was a big ball of fluff himself.
As Rin watched, another cat came to join them and Makoto smiled brightly, his eyes crinkling like they always did when he smiled. His green eyes were always soft and patient, offering no pressure at all and reminding Rin of a summer valley.
(Come to think of it, maybe Rin had felt this way ever since they were kids.)
“Rin?”
Rin blinked to see Makoto had diverted his gaze from the cats and was looking at him with a hint of concern, “Rin, is something wrong?” Their shoulders brushed as Makoto leaned over and Rin felt a rush of electricity.
“Huh? No, I—“ Rin coughed before looking at Makoto again. “I just really love the colour of your eyes.”
The concern vanished and was replaced by surprise and confusion. “W-What?”
Rin dared himself to keep going, somehow spurred on by his general confidence in English and Makoto’s obvious inability to immediately understand. “They’re green and gentle and I think they’re the most beautiful things ever.”
“Rin—“ Makoto looked vaguely affronted, but more genuinely confused than anything. His brows were furrowed a little as if he was trying to use his scant knowledge in English to decipher what Rin was saying, but obviously to no avail. “You’re not making fun of me are you?”
He was pouting a little, like a clueless puppy, although it wasn’t deliberate. The way Makoto was tilting his head at Rin told him that Makoto didn’t really think Rin would go out of his way to make fun of him like that, but at the same time you wouldn’t really put it past Matsuoka Rin.
Now if only it were that simple.
“Rin?”
“Go figure it out yourself.”
“Huh?”
Acutely aware of how close Makoto was leaning in, Rin turned away to stroke the calico on the head. He was part apologetic, but also part romantic-sap. “I’m not making fun of you, don’t worry.”
It was fairly late when they left the cats. The abandoned building in which Rin had sheltered the cats was not too far from the Samezuka school grounds, but for Makoto he would have to go further since it took a train ride to get to Samezuka in the first place.
They walked in a comfortable silence for the most part, with Makoto occasionally pointing something out. Rin didn’t particularly mind, Makoto seemed to have let the earlier comments Rin had made slid by.
Makoto bumped Rin’s shoulder suddenly. “Rin, look at that.”
“What is it?” Rin glanced over at Makoto.
“Sunset.”
Rin looked up – and was greeted by a grand hue of reds, oranges, violets and blue. The sun had already been setting when they left, so what Rin could see now was the top of the sun slowly sinking over the edge of the far-off buildings, leaving behind a trail of clear colours.
“I bet if Rei was here he’d say that this was very beautiful,” Makoto was chuckling and Rin snorted.
“I bet he would.”
“If you were at Iwatobi Bay you’d see it more clearly,” Makoto went on. “Just on the horizon.”
The sun was slowly dipping away and Rin watched, transfixed. “Yeah, I can imagine. I think I can imagine the view.”
Rin wondered if he really minded if Makoto let go of his comments. Sure, the reason Rin deliberately said them in English was so that Makoto wouldn’t really know and Rin wouldn’t get embarrassed. (And, of course, Haru’s prompting.) And Rin was a sap, somehow finding himself speaking more eloquently in English than his first language when it came to how he felt.
And who was to say Makoto would really check? Perhaps Makoto didn’t even have the confidence to be able to decipher what Rin said clearly, and simply put everything aside as if it had never happened.
The sun had completely sunken away now, giving way the growing washes of violet and dark blue. Rin turned to look at his friend.
“Mako—“ Rin stopped to see Makoto already looking at him, his green eyes faint and mellow, washing over Rin like a cool balm.
Their gazes met and Makoto smiled. “You okay, Rin? You seem to be spacing out a lot.”
A blush was threatening to creep up Rin’s face. “No I…” I’m in love with you. You are absolutely gorgeous and I love it when you smile with your eyes. Your voice is calm and clear, your eyes are gorgeous too, soft and gentle just like it has always been. You’re so patient and endearing and light-hearted it’s ridiculous. God I’m in love with you.
“Hey Makoto?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you,” Rin looked at Makoto in the eye. “I’m in love with you.”
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A/N: Okay I lied, I think this will wind up being four chapters because what I'm anticipating for the third chapter seems better if there was a split. But fear not, whether there's one or two chapters left all will be completed and updated tomorrow on Valentine's Day.
Also the bit about Rin having found a cat before was from the (first? second?) drama CD, in the Nitori's Diary tracks.
It's All About Communication [fanfiction/Free!/chapter fic]
Summary: Makoto's worst subject in school is English. Rin takes advantage of that.
Pairing: MakoRin
AO3 LINK
A/N: Based off a prompt: Rin constantly tells Makoto his feelings in English because he's a sappy romantic and Makoto doesn't understand until he tries a little harder. (Because Makoto is hopeless in English.)
Three-shot fic; updated daily (it's 12:24AM 13/02 here but ignore that) until Valentine's.
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1: Crackers
“I think you’re gorgeous.”
Makoto stopped and checked himself, before glancing questioningly at Rin with puzzled smile. “What was that, Rin?”
They were in the middle of another joint practice. Makoto had just pulled himself out of the water after having done a couple of practice races with another backstroke swimmer from Samezuka. Rin had been watching on the side, unable to keep his eyes off the tall, well-muscled boy’s form and the way he laughed at the other swimmer’s joke as he ran a hand through his wet, olive-brown hair.
Rin met Makoto’s blank gaze. “Hm?”
“Just now,” Makoto tilted his head, his expression oblivious and his tone questioning. “I thought you said something?”
“Yeah I did,” Rin didn’t blink as he crossed his arms and leaned back on his heels. His gaze traveled across the pool area to idly rest on Nagisa pestering Ai about one thing or another. “I said I think you’re gorgeous.”
Rin didn’t need to look at Makoto to know he had a confused pout on his face when he responded, “Really? I don’t think I get it…”
It was common knowledge amongst the boys that English was Makoto’s worst subject in school. Rin just snorted and grinned. “That’s the whole point.”
“Eh?” Makoto made a noise of surprise that sounded like a squeak. He sounded vaguely affronted as well. “What’s that supposed to mean—“ A sharp bark coming from the other side of the pool interrupted him.
“Oi, Matsuoka!” Both Rin and Makoto looked up to see Seijuuro in the middle of a conversation with Rei and another one of the swimmers from Samezuka – Rin recognized him as one of the handful that swam Butterfly. “Stop flirting with Tachibana and come over here will you?”
Rin would’ve barked back something sarcastic if it weren’t for the fact that he knew his captain didn’t actually hear them talking. “Yeah, I’m coming! Catch y’later,” He added, giving Makoto a nod coupled with a half-smirk as he moved away.
Makoto laughed lightly because, bless his soul, he seemed to let it go as one of Rin’s (many) jokes. “Alright, Rin, you better go.” His green eyes diverted slightly and Rin saw Haru approaching with his light blue towel flopped over his damp hair.
Rin decided not to wait, instead waving a hand at the both of them as he headed towards the other side of the pool, leaving Makoto to his habitual fussing.
“Haru, are you done? You should—Huh? W-Why are you looking at me like that? Rin wasn’t actually flirting!”
Rin decidedly ignored the pointed looks of amusement Haru kept giving him for the rest of the joint practice.
A week before that.
If Rin had known Haru would make little effort to disguise his immense amusement, he would not have bothered to sought out the blue-eyed boy in the first place. Why Rin had chosen Haru to “pour his heart out” (so to speak), he did not know.
(Or, well, he did know, because Rin was in love with Tachibana Makoto and the water-obsessed front-crawler knew Makoto best. And said water-obsessed front-crawler was also his friend.)
Nonetheless, he was sitting on the tatami floor of Haru’s house with Haru sat opposite him, sharing a pack of animal crackers (Haru had refused to respond to Rin’s snubs about how they were for kids) between themselves.
“Do what you always do,” Haru said flatly, idly cracking an elephant-shaped cracker in half. “Spout out nonsense from your head without thinking twice.”
“I don’t spout nonsense from my head without thinking twice,” Rin snapped. He watched as Haru munched on the cracker pieces. Rin decided not to bother. “And this is—different. It’s not something I can just spout without thinking.”
Haru gave him a look. “It’s not like Makoto would laugh at you if you made a mistake.”
“It’s not that.” Haru’s brow raised by a fraction, still giving him a look.
Rin was not practiced in the art of reading Nanase Haruka’s expressions, but he could make a fairly good guess. Then what is?
“It’s…” Rin picked at a whale-shaped cracker, glaring at it as if it were to blame. “It’s actually saying it. Actually deciding to say it.” He glared at it some more.
Haru didn’t respond immediately, crunching on the crackers with utmost focus as if deliberately stretching the silence. Finally he exhaled.
“You say it or you don’t,” Haru said bluntly. Rin looked up to see him snapping another cracker in half. Don’t be so troublesome.
Rin resisted the urge to grind his teeth at Haru. There was no point explaining to the other boy that if Rin was to say it, Rin would have to get over his embarrassment, and if he didn’t say it, it might as well just eat him up inside.
Being in love was annoying like that.
Haru huffed a little. “Makoto’s worst subject is English you know. He’s horrible at it.”
“Yeah I know that,” Rin responded flatly, raising his eyebrows at him as if to question him why the sudden change of subject. Haru met his gaze and shrugged; Rin did not miss the glint in his blue eyes, however.
“Maybe you can say it in English then,” You’re good at it. Haru sifted through the crackers with a finger before picking up a cracker shaped like a fish (mackerel?). “Makoto can try to figure it out himself.”
“What?” Rin sat up and stared at Haru.
Haru, his gaze focused on the cracker, shrugged as he munched on the fish-shaped cracker’s predecessor. He didn’t seem like he wanted to try to advise Rin some more on how to express his feelings because god knows how much difficulty Haru already has with that when it came to the most simplest of thoughts.
“Haru?” Rin tried to prompt him, giving the other boy a nudge on the elbow. Haru grunted a little, meeting Rin’s gaze briefly before popping the fish-or-maybe-it-was-mackerel-shaped cracker into his mouth.
It lasted only for a split second, but Rin saw the fixated conviction in the blue irises and the suppressed smile.
Don’t worry. I support you, but you’ve got to do it yourself.
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A/N: I'm bad at story flow guys, but I'm trying hard. The original prompt didn't include Haru, but who doesn't want our favourite front-crawler being the best friend that he is to these two dorks? Also because Haru would know best about the need for communication sometimes.
Don't ask me why animal crackers. Also I'm going to update one chapter per day until Valentine's Day (so three chapters; except it's 13/02, 12:10AM here right now ignore that).
Also I've lost the original/actual prompt, so if anyone can find it, do link it back to me!
Summary: Rin finds out about Makoto's near-drowning, and it's painful to think about the what ifs because that was the time when so many things were left unsaid, with so many harsh words slipped: what if they had lost Makoto, making Rin's last words to him dismissive and cruel.
Pairing: MakoRin
Warning: I wrote this at three in the morning. It may or may not had been a good idea.
AO3 LINK
A/N: I remember seeing a prompt somewhere a long time ago about what if Rin finds out about what had happened during the Iwatobi swim club's training camp, and he feels horrible because if Makoto had really (god forbid) died, his last words to him would have been calling him a loser (I rewatched the episodes a few more times and eventually settled on what Rin said in episode 3 during the joint practice - as you will see soon).
Enjoyyyyy. (I tried to make the summary work but I'm still not gettin' the oomph in it.)
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“Always treasure the people you care about the most. Talk to them as if it’s your last chance to do so. Never forget to tell them how much you love them.”
Rin remembered his mother sitting him and Gou down one day and telling them very seriously how important it was to let other people know how much you cared about them. It was a bit out of the blue – or maybe it wasn’t, since he and Gou had been a movie that may or may not had brought up the subject – but Rin never forgot those words.
When he thought of his mother’s sombre, loving face, he briefly wondered if she had been thinking about his dad during the conversation.
It explained the constant I-love-you’s that their mother never failed to deliver every morning since Rin and Gou were children; the phone-calls when Rin was in Australia (the earlier, happier months) in which their mother would say ‘I love you Rin, I’m proud of you’, to which Gou would follow-up with a chirpy ‘I love you onii-chan!’ and Rin would stifle an embarrassed grunt and say ‘Yeah, love y’all too’; lots and lots more similar comments from their mother and Gou even now in high school that were embarrassing, yet undeniably full of love and tenderness that Rin would always eventually link back to his mother’s talk.
It made sense: Life was unpredictable. Things happen. Nobody could say what comes after a minute and nothing should be taken for granted.
And though Rin never consciously mulled over his mother’s words that much, it sort of slipped into his sub-consciousness. Rin wanted his friends to know how much he cared and just how god damn important they were to him, to make up for all that lost time and misunderstandings, because life was unpredictable and nothing should be taken for granted.
And that was why Rin and Makoto found themselves leaning against the wall next to a vending machine, the night late and quiet, the faint whispers of the tide lapping onto the beach of Iwatobi Bay, both boys clutching a Pocari Sweat each in their hands.
Rin was gripping his can tightly, not having bothered to crack it open. “Why didn’t you guys—you tell me?”
He wasn’t looking at Makoto, who stood beside him, their shoulders only an inch or two apart. Even so, Rin could feel the solid, steady presence of the brunet that had always, always been a source of strength and foundation for people including Rin.
It was painful to imagine what if.
“I’m sorry, Rin.” And he sounded genuinely sorry too. Sorry for not telling you. Sorry for keeping you out of loop. Sorry that you had to find out at the most inopportune moments. Sorry I made you worry. Sorry you came out this late at night.
“I’m not asking for an apology,” Rin snapped and Makoto didn’t respond. Rin imagined him smiling patiently – it was an expression that Makoto made often, perhaps minus a tinge of sadness, when Haru was being stubborn or Nagisa was being melodramatic.
Rin didn’t let himself imagine what if.
“It’s just—“ Rin didn’t know how to explain why he was so angry. He was furious. “If anything had happened—back then—“
It was a lie to say that Rin was furious at Makoto. Sure, what Makoto had done during the summer’s training camp, out in the ocean, was reckless. But it wasn’t really that: so many things at that time were left unsaid between Rin and Haruka, Rin and Nagisa, Rin and Makoto. Harsh words were thrown at them that were simply unfair, and what if.
“It’s okay, Rin,” Makoto said, his voice soothing and calm. “I was okay after that.”
“It’s not okay—“ Rin wasn’t quite yelling, but his voice was raised, as if he wanted to make the point, as if Makoto didn’t get it. “You could’ve…anything could’ve…”
Rin remembered waking up in the middle of the night during that storm. He couldn’t sleep that night, having felt an uncomfortable wrench in his gut all throughout the evening. Rain had been pelting hard from the sky and clattering against the window like glass marbles.
(“It doesn’t have anything to do with me anymore…just go back to sleep…”)
Rin remembered when they were still kids, that time Haru drowned in the river. He was panicking as he and Makoto ran to the riverbank to haul Haru back out, but he felt most frightened when he saw Makoto shaking and listened to the taller boy calling Haru’s name over and over again.
(Rin had never seen anyone that terrified by something before. The sight had stuck deep in his heart, and now his body wouldn't work the way he thought it should.
Without saying anything more, Rin kept walking behind Makoto. If Makoto said that he didn't remember, then Rin wouldn't interfere. He didn't want to forcibly pry into things that Makoto didn't want to talk about. That was why he didn't intend to enquire any further; Even if I did ask, it wouldn't make much difference, he thought.)
It was painful to think of it like that but what if. Makoto was standing beside him right now, as present and unchanging as ever, but what if.
What if Makoto had drowned that night? What if Haru had pulled Makoto out of the water, only to realize he hadn’t managed to pull Makoto out of the ocean, not really? What if after that night, things turned out differently, perhaps for the worse?
Rin dared himself to use that word.
What if Makoto had died?
Rin didn’t want to think the last words he had said to Makoto back then.
“Rin.” Makoto’s voice seemed to resonate deep within Rin’s thoughts, bringing him back to the present. Unbidden, Rin looked up to see Makoto gazing at him quietly, concern apparent in his soft green eyes.
(“You guys are a waste of my time.”)
Rin suddenly felt sick.
“Oh god, Makoto—I’m terrible—“ Rin blurted out without thinking, pressing a palm hard against his forehead. “Shit I’m so sorry—I’m so, so so damn sorry—“
“E-Eh—?“ Makoto straightened up in surprise, his hands hovering uncertainly, his own can of Pocari Sweat already forgotten. “Rin, why…”
“I’m such an idiot—I never thought…I wasn’t thinking—!” At that last syllable, Rin felt a rush of heated emotions and lashed out, pushing himself off the wall and startling Makoto. His unopened can was flung hard at the ground. By some miracle it didn’t crack but instead bounced off the cold concrete, leaving a scratch against the ground, a dent on the can and an ache in Rin’s chest.
Far off, the sea crashed against the shore of Iwatobi Bay as the breeze picked up into a sharp gust of wind.
“Rin, I—“
“Don’t say another word.” Makoto flinched, though more out of surprise than anything, and Rin turned to grab the taller boy by the collar, pulling him into a rough, tight-locked hug.
Rin could feel Makoto jolt a little at the movement, confused and startled, but he didn’t let go, wrapping his arms around the brunet’s broad shoulders and burying his face into the striped shirt.
“I’m so damn sorry,” Rin wasn’t crying, but he felt his emotions well up against his throat all the same. His fingers closed into fists, clutching the shirt on Makoto’s back as if the next gust of wind was going to blow his friend away and into the darkness of the ocean. “I’m so so so glad—so thankful—that you’re here right now god damnit—“
Rin didn’t know how long they stood there, with Rin clutching onto Makoto without any short-term intention of letting him go and Makoto standing there stunned rigid with bewilderment. But when he felt Makoto’s exhale and those strong arms reaching up to wrap around him and reciprocate the hug, Rin felt a thousand agonizing thoughts scatter like fragile leaves when a child jumps into a pile. Makoto felt warm and gentle and solid and unwavering and what if.
“It’s okay, Rin,” Makoto dropped his head against Rin’s shoulder, sighing into the fabric of Rin’s hoodie, and Rin wondered if Makoto had been scared too, all this time, of the what ifs. “It’s okay, I’m not going anywhere now, you don’t have to say anything.”
“I have a lot of things I need to say,” Rin replied firmly, breathing in the ever-present tangy scent of chlorine and saltwater, of memories and warmth and softness. “And I’ll be damned if I don’t say them now because I’m not – never going to risk losing not just you, Makoto, but the chance to say just—just how much you mean to me, dumbass.”
Makoto laughed, sounding almost relieved when he heard the sharp, last minute addition of the profanity, and hugged Rin tighter. Rin could feel Makoto’s laugh vibrate in his chest and he found himself laughing as well, the tightness in his chest beginning to dissipate.
“I’m listening,” Makoto said softly as their laughter subsided and mingled with the whispers of the continuous tides. “I’m right here and I’m going to listen.”
A smile broke into Rin’s expression and he hugged Makoto even tighter.
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A/N: That bit in brackets ("Rin had never seen anyone that terrified...") was taken from sunnyskies' translation of High Speed!, by the way. I had also written a couple of scenes that were Rin finding out about the incident (i.e. Gou mentioning it in passing over a phone call, Nagisa letting it slip because Nagisa, etc etc) but then I couldn't seem to mesh things together so I winded up leaving that whole bit out in the end. Feel free to use your imagination!
So here y'go! I hope you liked this. This can be taken platonically or romantically if you wish; what happens next is totally up to your imagination. I maaaaay or may not have another Makorin (I seem to be more confident writing Makorin than Makoharu) oneshot brewing (hah, brew) in my head for Valentine's.
Hello all! You'll know me as brewcha or the writer of the makorin fic There's Something About Makoto.
Thank you very much for following me! I know a good number of my followers had accumulated due to the uploads of my fanfic, so I want to make a note here that I might write original fics and upload them every now and then. Fics that are based off my own original characters, some with appearances by some of my friend's original characters. (Don't worry, I don't write oc/canon fanfics, it's either just plain original stuff or complete fanworks.)
So if you are following me for my fanfiction, just bear that in mind! Don't worry, I have another Free! fanfic in the works but that will take a while, so please bear with me when you see some original oneshot of mine pop up on your dash. If you have xkit or tumblr saviour (or something like that) and want to blacklist it: I usually use the tag "Original" for my original written works. If you want me to make it more specific, I'd be more than happy to change that tag into something more unique.
I hope you understand and thank you for reading, and thank you very much for following me, I'm still very pleased with the number of people that liked TSAM!
There’s Something about Makoto [fanfiction/Free!/chapter fic]
Summary: There’s something about Makoto that Rin noticed and he doesn’t understand why he likes it so much.
Pairing: MakoRin
Warnings: High Speed! age
A/N: Final chapter! Thank you for keeping up with me! I enjoyed writing TSAM very much after such a long period of not writing fanfiction, and reading people's positive feedback had been awesome! Please enjoy! (More notes below)
AO3 / PART ONE / PART TWO / PART THREE / PART FOUR
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PART FIVE: And always remembered.
When Rin moved to Australia, it wasn’t so bad. His mother had been incredibly worried; unsure of how he could cope being in a foreign country by himself.
Rin had always known how to take care of himself from the word ‘go’.
Yet when Rin was in Australia, he wished there was someone who would ruffle his hair and praise him, who would ask him if he was all right, who would take him home when he needed it, who would take care of him when he was sick.
People in Australia were nice, but Rin always remembered a tall brunet boy with the most gentle green eyes and softest smiles.
---
Rin opened his eyes.
For a moment he couldn’t remember where he was, but a foot kicking lightly at his waist made him sigh.
Rin rolled over and sat up, shoving Nagisa to where Rei was sleeping. The blonde made some sleepy, muffled protest but didn’t wake up, instead flopping over on the blunette’s sleeping form.
For some odd reason Rin couldn’t properly go to sleep. It wouldn’t make sense because he, Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa and Rei had stayed up all night having some movie marathon and playing video games using Makoto’s game console that Makoto brought from his house for the occasion.
Basically being really dumb but also having fun at the same time.
Rin rubbed the back of his head and surveyed the sleeping forms that crowded Haruka’s living room. Nagisa was flopped over Rei, Rei didn’t seem to be bothered by it, Haruka was sleeping on his side in the corner and…
“Rin? You’re awake?”
A hushed voice made Rin look up and turn to see Makoto sitting away a little and facing the outside with one of the cushions in his lap, though he had turned around a little to look at Rin.
Rin, not wanting to wake the others up, just shook his head and got up, carefully treading over Nagisa and Rei to where Makoto was.
I thought I was really tired. Rin stretched his arms above his head, now that he had more space. Makoto was still looking at him, his green eyes clear and questioning. Rin moved over to sit down beside him.
“I was a dumb kid back then.”
“Eh?” Makoto sounded surprised, though he kept his voice low so as to not wake the others. “Why all of a sudden?”
“Just a thought, s’all,” Rin rubbed the back of his neck, crossing his legs and leaning his weight against his arms as he placed them behind himself.
“Not too dumb,” Makoto remarked, patting the cushion, which Rin realized on closer inspection, was one of Nagisa’s many gigantic penguin plushies. “Less teeth, of course.” Rin laughed at that.
“You saying crap about my teeth?” Rin nudged Makoto’s knee with a foot and the six-feet-tall boy laughed softly. Rin would never understand how someone so large and tall could make that kind of gentle sound.
“So why are you awake?” Rin shrugged a shoulder at Makoto. “Sitting here and holding that monstrosity Nagisa brought.” He nodded at the penguin.
Makoto laughed again. “It’s not a monstrosity. It’s kind of cute, actually.”
“Uh huh.”
“I’m serious!” Makoto glanced at Rin’s genuinely skeptical gaze and subsided into another soft laugh.
“Well I’m awake because I’m suddenly hit by the thought of how dumb of a kid I was back then,” Rin shrugged again. “What about you?”
Makoto hummed. “It’s funny, because I was remembering something from back when I was younger, but couldn’t figure out what.”
“How does that even work?”
“I don’t know but…”
“Mako-chan? Rin-chan?”
Ah, whoops.
Both boys turned around at the same time to see Nagisa hovering nearby, his hair in a mess while he rubbed his eyes sleepily.
“Sorry, Nagisa, did we wake you?” Makoto’s voice was soft and apologetic.
“No not really…” Nagisa yawned. “I just needed the bathroom and heard RinRin saying how he was a dumb kid.” He giggled sleepily. Rin scowled.
“Oi.”
“Sorry, sorry,” Nagisa giggled again and shuffled over. “But, ne, Mako-chan, Rin-chan, I was remembering something too.”
Makoto laughed as Nagisa flopped over his back, his arms hanging over Makoto’s shoulders. “Remembered what? Ow, Nagisa, you bumped your head against mine.”
“Sorry, Mako-chan~” Rin watched the blonde roll lazily back onto the ground and proceeded to lie there. Rin poked him in the stomach and said blonde yelped.
“Rin-chan!” Nagisa pouted and rolled onto his stomach.
“What were you remembering, Nagisa? From when you were younger as well?” Makoto interjected before Rin could decide whether or not to sit on the younger boy.
“Something like that,” Nagisa nodded, rubbing his eyes again. “Back in the old swim club. Rin-chan asked me a question about Mako-chan.”
A question?
…Oh shit not that dumb question.
“Uh Nagisa—“
“He asked me,” Nagisa giggled, ignoring Rin’s attempt to interrupt. “Something about Mako-chan always fussing over Haru-chan, and I said you’re like a mom, but Rin-chan said that wouldn’t make sense.” Makoto was blinking at Nagisa with genuine curiousity and surprise.
“I didn’t—“
“Shhhhhh, Rin-chan, don’t interrupt,” Nagisa’s hand flapped sleepily in Rin’s direction. “And, and then, Mako-chan came over and Rin-chan covered my mouth, and Mako-chan was gonna go check on Haru-chan but then he did this—“ To Rin’s horror, Nagisa lurched up and flopped over Rin’s back and proceeded to ruffle Rin’s hair.
“Hey!”
“Nagisa!” Makoto chided softly, though he was laughing a little. He reached over to put a hand on Nagisa’s shoulder, effectively peeling the blonde off Rin’s back. “You’ll wake everyone else. And did I really do that?”
“Definitely!” Nagisa nodded. “And Rin-chan was like,” He stopped, cleared his throat and did his best imitation of Rin’s voice. “’Do that again, Tachibana.’”
“I did not!” Rin instantly denied, aiming a swat at Nagisa, who instantly dodged despite his grogginess. “And I didn’t sound like that, damn it, when I was a kid!”
“I forget nothing!” Nagisa declared, stumbling to his feet and flashing a thumbs-up at Rin and Makoto. “It happened! It was so funny—“
“Um, Nagisa?” Makoto suddenly spoke up before Nagisa could go on. “Didn’t you say you needed the bathroom?” Nagisa blinked.
“Oh right,” Nagisa shook his head. “Nature is waiting to be answered!” He declared in a loud, though sleepy, whisper before turning and heading for the bathroom. Or the general direction of it anyway.
Rin waited for the sound of a door closing before sighing loudly and rubbing his face, ignoring the warmth that was spreading over his cheeks. “I swear to god…”
Makoto laughed. “Did that really happen?” Rin blushed in spite of himself.
“I ‘unno,” Rin muttered, even though he remembered it clearly now thanks to Nagisa, as well as everything that came after.
He was such a dumb kid.
Makoto shook his head and smiled. “Well that wasn’t what I was trying to recall, but it might explain a lot of things.”
Rin rubbed his nose and stared at the floor. “What things?”
Makoto didn’t answer straightaway. Rin shifted awkwardly for a while before turned to look at Makoto.
Rin felt his stomach flip.
He hasn’t changed was the thought that ran through Rin’s mind when he saw Makoto’s expression. Makoto’s head was tilted slightly, his green gaze soft and gentle, his smile soft and sweet.
Except, if Rin remembered correctly, back then Makoto’s eyes had been unquestionably open-booked. It was always either concerned, happy, amused, disappointed, or something along those lines.
Rin wondered if he was imagining the coyness in the way Makoto was looking at him right now.
“Ma…” Rin stopped and coughed, feeling all too warm all of a sudden. “Makoto?”
The sound of a toilet flushing broke through the moment and Makoto blinked. It was gone. Rin wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed. “Hm? Ah, we should get back to sleep or we’ll be too tired tomorrow morning.”
Rin nodded, a little too rapidly, looking away. “Right.” He was vaguely aware of Makoto getting up and stretching. Something soft dropped onto Rin’s lap and when he blinked he realized it was the penguin plushie that Makoto had been holding absentmindedly. Rin looked up.
“Go to sleep soon, okay?” Makoto was doing that thing where he smiled and tilted his head, making Rin blush again.
“Of course, yeah, don’t worry dude,” Rin mumbled, looking away again and rubbing the back of his neck. He didn’t see Makoto smile.
“Alright then,” As Makoto walked passed him; Rin felt the taller boy’s hand ruffle his hair softly.
“Good night, Rin.”
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A/N: WHOOOO. And that's a wrap! I'm a bit sad to end it here but this was basically how I had planned the whole thing. I'm definitely planning to write more fanfiction however, and more MakoRin, and more High Speed! fluff (because I can't get enough of that). I already have a few ideas brewing so keep your eyes open for those!
Anyhow, thank you for reading this far! See you next water time!
God, I just love your fanfic "There's Something about Makoto" is just so cute! It makes me almost cry! Love all the feelings, I would like to give you a good review but my english is really bad. Cheers for you and your fantastic writing!
Ahahjbdshjsd I’m so glad you like it! I hope you didn’t cry, because that wouldn’t have been my intention at all (but I’m so pleased to know that you love it that much) ; v ; <333 Thank you so much, this made my day!
I just hope you never stop writing fic "There something about Makoto", i love High Speed theme, and MakoRin inside is so fluffy and warm, thank you for writing. I'm waiting for next chapter <3
Hehehehe you have no idea how pleased I am to here that! //// I’m so glad you like it (and that so many people liked it) since I hadn’t written proper fanfiction in so long, I was kind of afraid I’d write some things wrong or make characters inconsistent, so I’m really glad you liked it (and you told me that you liked it teehee). TSAM is planned for only 5 chapters, sadly, but I’m definitely planning to write some more MakoRin+HighSpeed! fluff for sure, so rest assured! ;D
Thanks for sticking, and the next chapter won’t be too long of a wait! <3
There’s Something about Makoto [fanfiction/Free!/chapter fic]
Summary: There’s something about Makoto that Rin noticed and he doesn’t understand why he likes it so much.
Pairing: MakoRin
Warnings: High Speed! age
A/N: Penultimate chapter, whoop whoop! I kind of winged through the last bits of this part a little...so I hope it turned out alright. My fanfic writing groove has certainly gotten rusty after so long so thanks for sticking with me so far!
AO3 / PART ONE / PART TWO / PART THREE
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PART FOUR: And it was something Rin missed
Rin knew his Pops, back then, would sometimes leave work early, or even take an entire day off when their mother got sick, and the other way round as well (though that was rare).
Rin was not unfamiliar with the warm fragrance of ginger tea and chicken soup, sometimes congee, because he would always insist on caring whenever his mother, or Gou, got sick. Not that he never got sick, but nowadays his mother was always so busy he made sure to never burden her. After all, his Pops rarely ever got sick.
---
So Rin would admit it. He wouldn’t mind admitting it right now.
Going swimming yesterday was a terrible idea.
When he got home yesterday, his mother and Gou were already home and he wouldn’t stop sneezing. Rin was pretty sure he nearly dozed off during dinner and after taking a bath he flopped straight down onto bed.
Needless to say he woke up this morning with a fever and an onslaught of sneezes.
His mother took the morning off work to take him to see the doctor, and after making him lunch she had to go to work (he wasn’t hungry at that time so she left it on the stove). Rin almost felt guilty for keeping her in the first place, but he felt vaguely comforted at the same time.
It was 2:45PM and all Rin had been doing all day was plodding around the house, watching TV, sleeping between intervals and taking his medicine when he ought to.
He felt kind of lonely.
.
.
.
At 4:21PM, the doorbell ringing interrupted Rin’s doze. He hadn’t even realized he was dozing in bed with a magazine (that he stole from Gou’s room because he was that bored) but nevertheless kind of wanted to ignore the doorbell anyway.
Not that it mattered, because Gou had came home 20 minutes earlier (she had gone out with some of her classmates when school let out just to give Rin some extra peace and quiet) and she was now clattering down the stairs to answer the door.
Rin heard the click of the front door opening.
“Oh! Come in! Big brother is upstairs in his room.”
Whoever it was, Rin burrowed underneath his blankets and didn’t catch the reply to Gou’s greeting.
“Big brother!” Gou knocked on the door and came in anyway. “One of your friends is here to see you! Do you need anything?” The question was directed away from Rin.
“Ah I’m fine. Thanks, Gou-chan.”
Hold up.
“It’s Kou! Well, I’ll be in my room, big brother!” And with that, the door closed.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Rin threw back his covers and sat up to see Makoto standing, albeit a little awkwardly, in his room.
Bright green eyes blinked at Rin. “Hi, Matsuoka-kun,” Makoto smiled.
Rin opened his mouth to say something but no words came out, mostly due to surprise. What was he doing here?
Makoto tilted his head. “Ah…sorry if I interrupted your sleep…”
“Don’t apologize,” Rin shook his head and rubbed his face. His temperature hadn’t really gone down, so his face was still warm. “Why’re you here? I mean, totally cool, but isn’t there swimming practice?”
“Oh yeah,” Makoto laughed. “I thought I’d visit you, that’s all, just to see how you were doing. You didn’t look that well yesterday.”
He was glancing around. It reminded Rin of a puppy in a new set of surroundings.
“Uh…you can sit if you want,” Rin slid off his bed, acutely aware of his pajama set with shark prints. “It’s kiiiiinda messy in here…”
“It’s fine,” Makoto put down his backpack and sat down. “Zaki-chan told me to send you her well wishes. Haru is hoping you’d get well soon.”
“Nanase?” Rin didn’t mean to sound so disbelieving.
“Uh huh,” Makoto shifted a little and smiled. “He didn’t say it, but I could tell.”
“I guess if you put it like that, I can believe you,” Rin couldn’t help but laugh. He still felt acutely embarrassed because Makoto is here???? But at the same time, he could really do with the company. So long as he didn’t sneeze in the brunet’s face.
Makoto was unzipping his backpack. “Before I forget, are you hungry, Matsuoka-kun?”
“Well, uh…” The last thing Rin ate was the lunch his mother had made earlier in the day. He hadn’t eaten much else, too bored and sick to be hungry.
Before he could reply, though, Makoto had pulled out a large thermos from his backpack and handed it to Rin.
“Oh. What’s this?” Rin rubbed his nose. The wide flask felt warm.
“In case you were hungry,” Makoto smiled. “I told my mom I was going to visit you and she made some things.” He turned back to his backpack and pulled out another thermos, the smaller kind that Rin recognized as the ones that usually contained a beverage.
Rin felt self-conscious.
“Your mom’s nice,” was all Rin managed to muster. Makoto’s smile was gentle, his green eyes sloped down at the sides. Rin wondered absentmindedly if Makoto’s mom had a similar smile.
Flushing, Rin ducked his head and focused on fiddling with the thermos lid, opening it before doing the same with the inner cover.
A warm, delicious smell made Rin’s stomach growl.
Really loudly.
“I take that Matsuoka-kun is pretty hungry,” Makoto was tilting his head and smiling in amusement, and Rin flushed bright red.
He grinned awkwardly. “It smells nice! That’s probably it…” Somewhere along the way Makoto had proffered a spoon that probably came with the thermos, and Rin picked it up at his stomach’s bidding. “You…uh…don’t mind if I…?”
“Not at all,” Makoto chuckled. “You don’t mind if I stayed?”
“Not at all.” This time, Rin grinned with genuine cheerfulness at the other boy.
He felt gratified when Makoto beamed back at him.
.
.
.
The bigger thermos had contained hot and freshly made congee, and Rin found himself praising Makoto’s mother over and over again in his head as he ate. Not that his own mother didn’t make good food, but there was a certain feeling of homeliness that made Makoto’s mother’s cooking better.
The other thermos, turned out, was ginger tea that Makoto’s mother had brewed. Makoto had insisted Rin take a cup, at least, before saving the rest for later. And asides from the two flasks, Makoto had also been carrying Rin’s homework for him and Rin vaguely remembered himself babbling something dumb when Makoto handed it to him.
It was so obvious that Tachibana Makoto cared.
It was 5:54PM, and Makoto was laughing at some funny anecdote Rin had told him. A little while earlier, the both of them had gone down to the kitchen to wash the thermos (Rin had insisted, and Makoto didn’t want Rin to do it in his ill state). The entire time both had chattered nonstop.
“…so the papers just flew and the look on his face was the best!” Rin finished, grinning as Makoto dissolved into another fit of laughter.
“You’re terrible, Matsuoka-kun,” Makoto’s laugh slowed to a giggle. “I’m terrible. I shouldn’t be laughing about that kind of thing.”
Rin just grinned, rubbing his nose. “But you laughed anyways. You laugh so easily, Tachibana.”
“Mhm, just a little,” Makoto smiled.
Rin sighed with some content and sat back down on the floor. He had forgotten that he was still in his shark-printed pajamas. “I wonder how the others are doing at the swim club.”
Makoto hummed a little and glanced at the clock, his green eyes blinking wide in surprise when he noticed the time. “Not much, I think. I wonder how Haru-chan is coping.”
Rin didn’t know why he felt an uncomfortable twinge. “Nanase’s not a baby.”
Makoto glanced at him with plain surprise before eyes did that downturned thing again as he smiled. “I guess not.”
Great. Now Rin felt guilty. He folded his arms on the table and laid his head on it sideways. “Yeah, well, I get to be a bit of a baby too.”
He couldn’t see the expression on Makoto’s face, but he felt a fizzle of warmth when he heard the brunet’s light chuckle. “I guess you’re right.” And they lapsed into a silence.
Come to think of it, Rin felt a little tired. They had been doing nothing but laughing and joking and chatting (and for Rin it included eating). His stomach felt full and he was warm…still warm like he was this morning, but there was an additional kind of warmth. Something only Makoto’s soft green eyes, patient smile and caring tone can induce.
“Matsuoka-kun, are you tired? Maybe you should rest?”
Before Rin could lift his head to respond, Makoto had shuffled into his view and was leaning over. A cool, gentle hand had brushed aside his messy bangs and was pressing lightly against his forehead.
Oh my god.
“You’re still pretty warm, Matsuoka-kun,” Makoto’s eyes were darkened with worry. As if on complete cue, Rin sniffled. “Oh, you should rest. I shouldn’t have kept you talking just now.”
“No!” Rin sat up and Makoto blinked at him in surprise, reminding Rin of a deer he saw once on a documentary. “I mean…I didn’t mind the talking! I’m just tired. Y’know, when you’ve eaten and your belly is all warm and you feel all fuzzy…” What the hell was he babbling on about?
But Makoto didn’t seem to mind, the light green returning back to his eyes. “I suppose…but really, Matsuoka-kun, you should rest, you’re still sick after all.”
The concern in Makoto’s voice made Rin want to roll on the floor. Instead, he buried his face in his arms again.
“You’re not my…” Nagisa’s high-pitched voice rang in Rin’s head and he furrowed his brows. “…You’re not my dad, Tachibana.”
“Eh?” Makoto sounded surprised, but then his voice softened again. “Of course not. But I’m your friend, Matsuoka-kun. Friends can take care of you, right?”
Was this the kind of stuff Makoto said to Haruka? Rin was seriously questioning Haruka’s supposedly indifferent attitude towards Makoto (and Rin would swear that his rival even sometimes looked annoyed at Makoto’s insistence, but Rin didn’t know Haruka like Makoto did).
Rin mumbled some sort of response and Makoto laughed softly. “Come on, Matsuoka-kun, you can’t sleep here.” A hand was tugging at his sleeve.
Somehow, with Makoto’s insistence, Rin winded up back in his bed with the covers pulled over him. And though Rin hadn’t asked him, Makoto had decided to tidy up Rin’s room, putting away the things that were lying on the floor, occasionally asking Rin where one thing ought to go.
Rin suddenly felt jealous of Haruka. But it felt like an ugly feeling so he ignored it, instead focusing his attention (though it was starting to wane as his eyes threatened to close repeatedly) on Makoto as he chattered softly and moved around the room. It was 6:10PM.
“I think I’m done,” Makoto finally said, patting his hands on his shorts and glancing around before his gaze settled on Rin. Rin compared the fluttery feeling to a butterfly deciding to land on his nose. “It’s starting to get late…I should go. Matsuoka-kun?”
“Don’t—I mean…” Rin was thinking straight, his mind ready to drift off to sleep. He nearly said don’t go. He closed his eyes. “…Hey, Tachibana?”
“Hm?” Rin couldn’t see Makoto but he could imagine the latter tilting his head.
“Can you…do that thing again…?”
“Eh? What thing?”
“Pat…pat my head…”
Rin heard Makoto chuckle, though it was laced with surprise as well. “Pat your…head? Wouldn’t that…wouldn’t that disturb you, Matsuoka-kun?”
Of course it won’t. Rin kept his eyes closed, snuggling a little bit more under his covers. He couldn’t understand why he’d ask such a ridiculous request yet he’s too sleepy and tired to care. ‘Cause I like it.
Makoto didn’t press Rin, but a couple of moments later Rin heard someone shuffle closer and kneel down beside his bed. Another moment later and the same cool, gentle hand from earlier on was slowly, a little tentatively, patting his hair down. “Like…like that, Matsuoka-kun?”
“Mhmhm.” Rin’s face flushed hot and he hoped the other would excuse it as his fever. He felt like a baby and normally he hated feeling like a baby but he actually kind of wanted to feel like one at that moment.
Rin hadn’t felt like that for a while.
Makoto was humming to himself absentmindedly, the hand continuously patting Rin’s head until the patting became more like petting and eventually the petting began to make soothing strokes on Rin’s head.
God. Makoto could be a dad or a mom or a big brother or a friend and it didn’t even matter to Rin right now because he was beginning to doze off and he liked this so much.
“Matsuoka-kun, are you asleep?” The hand didn’t stop.
As Rin drifted off to a proper slumber, he vaguely felt the hand eventually stopping and someone tucking the covers over him properly. The soft padding of fading footsteps, the picking up of a bag, the door opening.
“Get better soon, Matsuoka-kun.”
The door closed.
————————————
A/N: Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed! Next chapter shouldn't be too long! (It would be set in present day, but don't hope for too much...)
There's Something about Makoto [fanfiction/Free!/chapter fic]
Summary: There's something about Makoto that Rin noticed and he doesn't understand why he likes it so much.
Pairing: MakoRin
Warnings: High Speed! age
A/N: The fic has actually been updated for a couple of days now on AO3, I just sort of forgot to update on tumblr whoops. Anyway, chapter 3! After a while I think it stops being about Makoto seeming like a mommy/daddy and more of just Makoto being the sweet&caring Makoto and Rin just gets lots of dokis.
AO3 / PART ONE / PART TWO
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PART THREE: Was incredibly caring
But other than those days, Rin would go home from school by himself, or with Gou depending on their schedules – whether or not Rin had swim club, whether Gou was going with her friends.
Not that he didn’t like walking home on the 11 Bus (strictly speaking, his legs), but he did remember an instance when he was in maybe first or second grade, when his father spontaneously picked him up from school on his big bicycle to go to the seaside, the wind whipping their hair and carrying their laughter.
---
Rin sneezed for the third time during lunchtime on Monday. Makoto looked at him in surprise and a degree of concern while Haruka furrowed his brows at him, his chopsticks interrupted from picking up a piece of mackerel.
“Are you cold, Matsuoka-kun?” Rin accepted the pack of tissues offered to him from Makoto.
“--ish,” Rin sniffled, taking a piece of tissue out and shamelessly blowing his nose. Aki, who sat opposite him, giggled softly.
“It’s been a little chilly,” Aki offered. “My neighbor caught a cold yesterday.”
Rin ducked his head, focusing on his lunch, to avoid Makoto’s obvious (but not surprising) concern. “I didn’t get enough sleep last night,” Rin responded. “But I’m okay.”
Makoto hummed a little and nodded, though he didn’t look convinced, while Haruka frowned at Rin some more. The sharp blue eyes were making Rin squirm in his seat a little.
“What, Nanase?” Though they had been in the same classes and swam together for quite a while, Rin still sometimes found Haruka’s judgmental and unreadable gaze slightly unnerving.
Haruka pursed his lips and for a second Rin thought he was just going to look away sharply and not say anything, as he often did.
“You can’t swim if you’re sick.”
“Oh? Worried, are you, Nanase?” Haruka narrowed his eyes in response. To Rin’s amusement and triumph, the dark-haired boy turned back to his lunch and chomped at a piece of mackerel.
Makoto chuckled lightly. Rin was starting to feel like he could barely get enough of that soft sound. “Haru-chan, don’t be so rude,” (Rin guessed Makoto was doing that weird mind-reading thing on Haruka again.) He ignored Haruka’s muttered complaint at the honourific and instead looked at Rin. “But he’s right, swimming might just make it worse.”
“I’m fine, I’m fine!” Rin insisted, waving a hand. “I’m not even sick.”
“Are you sure?” Aki inquired, shutting her lunch box.
“Totally sure. Very sure.” Both Aki and Makoto smiled in amusement at Rin, to which he responded by making an exaggerated grimace at them before picking up his lunch box and cramming the rice into his mouth. He barely noticed Aki getting up to join some other girls in the classroom, suppressing a grin from bursting on his face when he remembers Makoto’s concerned gaze.
Later on, he saw it again as they made for the school gates as the shrill bell rang, indicating the end of the school day.
“Are you still sure, Matsuoka-kun?” Makoto quickly caught up to Rin before the latter could sprint off as he usually did. “You sneezed quite a few times during the last period.”
“Ahhhh, I’m fine, Tachibana!” Rin brushed Makoto off, flashing his teeth in a confident grin. “Nothing can prevent this strong shark from swimming! You don’t see anything stopping Nanase from that, do you?” Except for you, ‘cause you care a lot.
“Well—“
Rin waved a hand. If he caught those concerned green eyes fixated on him again he might just burn up. “I’ll be fine! I’ll see you later!”
.
.
.
Maybe it wasn’t the best of ideas, but Rin wasn’t going to say it.
Nope.
Except he just felt a little more tired than usual. Which was ridiculous because after swimming he always felt energized, and Olympic swimmers don’t want to flop down on the ground after swimming practice!
Let’s just say Rin had already used up the pack of tissues Makoto had given him earlier that day. And the one Aki offered to him during a brief break.
Rin stepped out of the swim club building and sighed. The jog home suddenly felt very daunting and it wearied him.
“Matsuoka-kun?”
Rin turned to see Makoto jogging up to him. Haruka (or Nagisa for that matter) was nowhere to be seen.
“Before you ask Tachibana,” Rin held up a hand. “I’m fine!”
Makoto blinked and Rin wondered if he imagined the slight reproachful look in the green eyes. “You don’t look very well, Matsuoka-kun.”
Rin opened his mouth to protest. Then he huffed through his nose – or tried to – and glanced to the side. “I don’t feel very well.”
“Ah...I didn’t think you would say it, Matsuoka-kun,” Makoto sounded surprised and amused, which made Rin huff some more. “Maybe you shouldn’t jog home today.”
From over Makoto’s shoulder, Haruka was trailing out of the entrance with Nagisa hopping after him excitedly. Rin debated in his head.
“…Guess not.”
He actually felt a little better in directly making the decision.
Makoto smiled. “I can give you a ride to the train station on my bike.”
“Eh? Your bike?” Rin realized belatedly that Makoto hadn’t shown up during their usual jog to the swim club. He remembered Haruka’s mutters about fish and a dress but Rin had been too busy sneezing to actually pay attention. He almost felt guilty for it.
“Yeah,” Makoto tilted his head. “I had to run a couple of sudden errands for my mom before swimming practice, and I needed the bike for that.” Soft laughter.
“Oh.” Rin’s attention was diverted again as he caught a flash of yellow.
“See you tomorrow Mako-chan! Rin-chan!” Nagisa was waving wildly at them as he jogged off. Haruka had already made some distance.
Rin wondered if Makoto felt anything about Haruka leaving without saying a single word of goodbye – never mind Rin because they were rivals – and then pushed the thought of way.
If Makoto was aware of what Rin was thinking, he didn’t show it. He had smiled and waved Nagisa goodbye, his gaze lingering briefly as he watched Haruka’s back. Then he looked at Rin directly again. “Well?”
“Huh? Well uh…” Rin somehow felt like he wouldn’t mind the reprieve from walking all the way to the train station, but he wasn’t quite sure how to say it. Makoto’s concerned and non-judgmental gaze continued to wash over him.
Rin scratched his cheek, making some awkward lopsided grin and nodded.
Makoto smiled.
.
.
.
The breeze felt nice against the back of Rin’s neck as he sat on the back of Makoto’s bicycle, facing backwards, with Makoto pedaling easily along the side of lanes. The route Makoto was taking didn’t lead to any seaside roads, but they had just pedaled past the river earlier on and Rin felt just as satisfied.
There wasn’t much talking, what with Makoto cycling and Rin just feeling vaguely wistful. Yet Rin found he enjoyed the bike ride more than anything during the entire day.
“There we go.”
The bicycle made a shrill, squeaking noise as Makoto pulled the brake, putting down his foot to steady the bike as it slowed down.
“Ah right.”
Rin hopped off the bike, swinging his legs a little one at a time. Makoto steadied the bike and smiled at Rin.
“You’ll be alright, Matsuoka-kun?” Rin felt warmed by Makoto’s gaze and genuine tone.
He grinned just so he could match Makoto’s lightheartedness. “Yeah, probably! I probably just need to rest up.”
“Okay then,” Makoto adjusted the bicycle a little before reaching over and nonchalantly patting Rin on the head. “Get well soon.”
Rin didn’t quite remember the proper response he gave to Makoto afterwards as he got on the train a little later. He just remembered babbling something about the train will be arriving soon, and Makoto waving, a “get plenty of rest!” and the sunset against the brunet’s back.
————————————
A/N: Methinks y'all can expect a bit more fluff (kind of?) and a longer chapter next.
There's Something About Makoto... [fanfiction/Free!/chapter fic]
Summary: ...that Rin noticed and he doesn't understand why he likes it so much.
Pairing: MakoRin
Warnings: High Speed! age
A/N: So pleased by how many people like it! Which reminds me to tell y'all to check out this adorable comic that someone drew based on the first chapter! Also each chapter begins with a sort of Rin introspection (if you can call it that); nothing special, I just thought it's an interesting format to use. Hope you enjoy!
AO3 / PART ONE
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PART TWO: That perhaps Makoto
Rin liked looking after Gou even though they really were just one year apart. He liked taking her out to get ice cream when they both go down to the convenience store to run an errand. He liked on certain weekdays when there was no swim club to worry about he’d walk home with her. He liked washing dishes with her and chiding her when she does something wrong and she huffs at him and they sort of get into a typical bicker.
Some other boys he knew would often complain about some thing their little sister did. Even other girls with their little siblings. Rin, of course, had his moments because Gou can be a little too headstrong, but at the end he just ends up declaring that whatever ‘problem’ he had was no problem at all. He was a big brother, after all.
He just liked being a big brother to Gou.
---
It was another convenience store errand. Rin grinned broadly and bashfully, as he always did, as the friendly lady at the counter gushed over how responsible he was since she had seen him run similar errands quite a few times in the past before.
Unwrapping a watermelon popsicle (the lady had given it to him for free) whilst hefting his backpack containing a carton of milk and some biscuits back up on his back, Rin stepped out of the Mart and glanced up at the sky.
It was a Saturday and the sun wasn’t quite setting yet: he could afford to take a (long) detour to the park.
“Ren! Ran! Don’t push each other or you’ll fall!”
Rin, munching halfway through the popsicle, paused and glanced around. He was approaching past a playground – not without a number of kids squealing, playing tag around the slides and precariously hanging off the monkey bars – when he heard a voice that ought to belong to a certain olive-haired, broad-shouldered boy.
“Hey, Tachibana.” Said olive-haired broad-shouldered boy blinked and whirled around in surprise. His expression swiftly softened into a smile of recognition when he saw Rin.
“Hi, Matsuoka-kun! What a coincidence,” Makoto eyed Rin’s backpack and the popsicle. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I was running an errand,” Rin explained, gnawing down at the popsicle before grinning slightly. “Nor I you, actually. You’re too big for the slides, aren’t you? Eh, Tachibana?” He poked Makoto on the shoulder and received a laugh in response.
“I’m just watching after the twins!” Rin remembered that ‘the twins’ meant Makoto’s younger siblings who were in kindergarten. “They wanted to come out to the park here and parents were preoccupied, so I offered to take them.”
Rin nodded, his eyes automatically surveying the noisy bunch. He hasn’t actually met Makoto’s siblings before and felt curious, since the other boy often spoke of them fondly.
“Where are---?”
“Big brother!”
As if completely on cue, two small figures cannonballed into Makoto with a force that could completely put Hazuki Nagisa’s affectionate tackles to shame. Much credit could be given to Tachibana Makoto as he only staggered a little and laughed, whilst Rin was sure he himself would have been laid flat on the ground.
“Who are you talking to, big brother?”
“Can we meet him, big brother?”
Makoto laughed as he nudged the two tiny figures off his knees (for, Rin would swear, they were literally clinging onto said knees).
“Ren, Ran, this is Rin Matsuoka. Matsuoka-kun, Ren and Ran.”
Two pairs of bright eyes turned up towards Rin. Rin grinned at them, flashing his own pointy tooth.
“Yo! I’m Rin Matsuoka. I have a girly name but I’m obviously a guy.” Makoto laughed softly at the familiar introduction, which made Rin flush. (The introduction came out of habit than anything, but Rin liked the increase in friendliness in the twins’ eyes at the notion of a boy with a feminine name.)
“Like Haru-chan and big brother?” Ren nudged Makoto.
“Sounds cool!” Ran decided, already latching onto Rin’s knee.
“Matsu…Matsuoka…aaaahhhh…big brother talks about you sometimes! Like you swim really fast and good!” Rin’s grin widened in spite of himself.
“So you talk about me, huh, Tachibana?” Rin laughed. “Oh yeah, I swim really fast and good.” To be an Olympic swimmer…
“Better than Haru-chan?” Ren was latching onto Rin’s other knee now, despite Makoto’s protests.
Rin puffed, “Not yet.” Makoto chuckled slightly, which made Rin flush again.
Ren and Ran seemed satisfied with the answer, though they did not release their grip on Rin. Rin let them, though he figured he was only managing to stay upright was because he hadn’t put his knees to use yet. If he did, he would surely buckle and fall, and then get flocked and eaten by the screaming cannon ballers from the slides.
“Come on, Ren, Ran, don’t cling on Matsuoka-kun like that.” As if having read Rin’s mind (Rin wouldn’t put past that notion, having seen Makoto with Haruka), Makoto chided the twins again.
“But I wanna!” Ran whined, puffing out her cheeks. “Rin-chan has a popsicle!”
Oh? Rin had nearly forgotten about his watermelon popsicle. It was dripping slightly down its surface, to which Rin saved by quickly swiping his tongue over the melting droplets. It was nearly finished anyway, so he decided to just gnaw on the rest. “Oops, finished.”
“Not fair!” Ren pouted. “I want a popsicle too.”
“Me too! Ne ne, big brother, can we have popsicles?” Ran jumped off Rin and transferred her latch back on Makoto, Ren following suit. Rin laughed at Makoto’s resigned sigh.
“I want a popsicle! I want a melon pop soda popsicle!”
“There’s no such flavour!”
“Yes there is! I saw it myself!”
“No there isn’t, you’re lying!”
“I’m not lying!”
“Alright, enough, you guys,” Makoto sighed again. Rin couldn’t help but find Makoto’s soft chiding very characteristic of him. “If you two are going to keep arguing, neither one of you will get popsicles.”
Ren and Ran whined a little in protest but Makoto, for all his soft chiding and softness in general really, frowned disapprovingly. Rin felt vaguely wistful.
“Okay, big brother,” Ran finally relented, huffing in Ren’s direction. “We’ll play nice.”
Makoto’s smile was instantaneous. Rin thought that if he were Makoto’s little sibling, the smile would have been more than enough reward, even without popsicles. “Good. Now apologize to Matsuoka-kun for making such a fuss.”
“Huh? They don’t have t—“ The two pairs of bright eyes turned up towards Rin again before he could brush it off.
“Sorry, Rin-chan!” “I’m sorry, Rin-chan!”
Well. “Ah no problem you two.” Rin just grinned at them, feeling slightly warmed by Makoto’s consideration. He watched as Makoto gave his approval at the twins’ apology and Rin vaguely heard him shoo them off to go back to playing on the playground, savouring the last tastes of the watermelon popsicle even though the “watermelony” taste had faded off long ago.
“Sorry about that, Matsuoka-kun.” Makoto’s apologetic chuckle broke through Rin’s thoughts.
Rin bit onto the popsicle stick a little, shoving his free hand into the pocket of his green jacket. “Naw, it’s okay. They’re kinda cute. Like Gou but…times two.”
“Really? They weren’t too much trouble?”
“You handled them pretty well.”
“Did I really?” Makoto was impossibly modest. “Well…”
He’s probably like a dad! “You’d probably make a really good dad or something.” Rin continued to bite the stick absentmindedly.
Makoto paused and tilted his surprised (and puzzled) green eyes at Rin. “Hm?”
Ah shoot! If Rin had sharper teeth, or more than just one sharp tooth, he would’ve broken the stick into two out of sheer embarrassment. “Nothing!” He flushed pink and shook his head, grinning in embarrassment and babbling madly. “I wasn’t thinking! I mean like, hypothetically speaking, ‘cause we’re still in elementary school and…” He trailed away as Makoto chuckled in amusement.
“Nah, I’m not sure if I’d make a pretty good dad. Haru says I spoil them too much, not that he’s any different.” Makoto commented mildly, turning to glance at the playground. He sounded vaguely amused as if remembering the conversation, and Rin didn’t know why he frowned.
“Nanase’s good at swimming but not with kids probably.”
“Hm?”
Stop muttering! “Ah! Er...ah…nothing…I should, uh,” Rin coughed a little. “Y’know, go.”
“Oh so fast?” Makoto blinked at Rin. Rin wondered if he was imagining a slight disappointment in those green puppy-like eyes.
“Yeah! I’ve been out for a while anyway!” Rin nodded, rubbing the back of his head. “See you on Monday?” He made ready to sprint off before he spouted any more nonsense. Uncool, totally uncool.
“Of course,” Makoto’s face creased into a smile. “See you on Monday.”
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A/N: Aaaaand I hope you like it! The entire fic has very vague fluff, mainly just Rin having the dokis and Makoto being his sweet self, but it's still cute (I hope)!
There's Something About Makoto... [fanfiction/Free!/chapter fic]
Summary: ...that Rin noticed and he doesn't understand why he likes it so much.
Pairing: MakoRin
Warnings: High Speed! age
A/N: First fanfiction on this blog whooo! I haven't written fanfiction in AGES so bear with me please! This is a de-anon from the kink meme:
"Rin lost his dad at young age, and tends to look for a fatherly figure in his love interests. Makoto fits the bill.
I don't want a "call me daddy" type of fanfiction, more like Rin wanting to get Makoto to do stuff like ruffle his hair and tell him "good job", tell him off when he's being an ass, and take care of him when he's down/sick, without really knowing why himself. High-Speed age or current doesn't matter, but only sex if they're old enough to have it please."
Fic is also uploaded on AO3 / On the kink meme
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PART ONE: In which Rin notices
Rin had always known how to take care of himself from the word ‘go’.
His mother was often busy with work and he had a little sister (though, really, Gou was so headstrong that she always tried to do things herself no matter how many times Rin insisted on looking after her). You can kind of say Rin made sure that he could take care of himself, so that he could take care his mother and sister too.
That’s what his dad would do, right? Rin was determined not to disappoint his Pops. In his place, he had to be the ‘man of the house’! He had to be tough and strong and look after himself and everyone as well.
---
“Does Tachibana do that all the time?”
Nagisa blinked.
“Do what, RinRin?” Rin felt himself warm up in the face at the nickname.
“I said don’t call me that!” Rin huffed, to which the blonde only responded with a giggle. Rin busied himself with folding his towel and fitting it into his bag, puffing indignantly as he always did each time the girly nickname popped up. Nagisa hopped over.
“So what do you mean by does Mako-chan do ‘that’ all the time? Do what?”
Rin lifted his gaze then nodded past Nagisa’s shoulder. “That.”
Practice at the swimming club was over, and most of the other boys had by then taken their things, shut their lockers and headed out to be picked up by some family member or head off home. Naturally, of course, Rin always lingered by the pool to squeeze in some extra laps (Nagisa often liked to watch with awestruck glee) before finally hitting the showers.
Though Rin may be one of the last boys to leave the pool, he certainly was not the last last.
“You can’t stay in the pool for too long, Haru-chan. They need to clean up, you know.” Makoto was following Haruka into the locker rooms. The taller brunette boy was already cleaned up and dry in his clothes and jersey, and Rin had seen him murmuring worriedly to himself after his shower before going back out to find the dark-haired boy.
Haruka grunted something in reply (Probably something like “drop the ‘chan’ already”, Rin thought), his hair dripping over his eyes as he reached into his locker. As Rin and Nagisa watched, his arm stopped short and his frown seemed to widen. (Or deepen? Rin briefly wondered.)
Makoto, of course, knew instantly what issue had suddenly plagued upon the blue-eyed boy (Rin could hardly expect anything less). “Haru-chan, did you forget your towel? Here, I brought an extra.”
Haruka took the towel without hesitation, draping it over his arm. When he spoke, Rin could actually hear him: “Drop the ‘chan’ already.” He ignored the nakedly staring gazes of both Rin and Nagisa as he passed them to head for the showers.
When Rin glanced over, Makoto was laughing softly. “I’ll wait for you here, Haru.”
As if it was the intermission of a performance and he was aching to speak the entire time, Nagisa whirled around to face Rin again. “So what did you mean by ‘that’?”
“That!” Rin, who had been watching the entire exchange with a scrutinizing expression, stopped himself from shouting. “Y’know…Tachibana is always fussing over Nanase, like he couldn’t take care of himself or something.” He pointedly lowered his voice (he wouldn’t put it past Nagisa to announce to the entire world what they were talking about without actually doing so).
“Oh that?” Nagisa lowered his voice as well, though it sounded more like a stage whisper. “Mako-chan does that all the time! It’s like he’s Haru-chan’s second-mom! Isn’t it cute?”
Rin frowned despite Nagisa’s giggles. “That doesn’t make sense. He can’t be Nanase’s mom,” Rin said logically as he zipped his bag shut and slung it over his shoulder.
“Oh,” Nagisa blinked, looking thoughtful. “You’re right. He can’t be Haru-chan’s mom because Haru-chan already has a mom…”
“What are you talking about?” Rin and Nagisa nearly jumped when they heard Makoto’s voice. The taller boy had walked up to them without them knowing, his head tilted and his droopy green eyes blinking with curiousity. (Though, as Rin observed, it didn’t seem like he had heard anything but the tail end of the conversation.)
“Rin-chan was just asking me about Ma----umffff!” Nagisa’s voice turned into a muffled shriek (or giggle? Rin would never know) as Rin clamped his hand over the boy’s (loud) mouth.
Makoto laughed, seemingly unaware of what Nagisa was really trying to say, or Rin’s embarrassingly red face. “You two look like you’re having fun. Ah, don’t let me stop you, I should go check on Haru…”
“Why?” Rin couldn’t help but blurt out the question. Makoto’s eyes blinked at him in surprise.
“Huh? Oh. He’s just been in there for quite a while already. If he lets himself get soaked for too long, it’s not good for his skin after all.”
It’s like he’s Haru-chan’s second-mom! Rin couldn’t help but wonder whether it was because of Nagisa’s bright eyes fixated on him or simply a ring of a memory that made those words resonate louder in his mind.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Makoto said cheerfully. “Oh, and good job today, Matsuoka-kun!” As he passed them, Rin felt the taller boy’s hand ruffle his hair and he found himself spluttering in surprise.
Instead of a “what?” or a “thanks Tachibana!” like a normal person would, Rin found himself blurting out something completely different at the back of the tall, wide-shouldered boy:
“Do that again, Tachibana.”
Uh.
“Huh?” Makoto paused and glanced at him in surprise. Rin could feel Nagisa dissipate into a fit of giggles under his hand.
Uuuuhhhhhh.
“Nothing!” Rin spluttered. Was it the steam in the locker room coming from the shower that made his face all hot all of a sudden? “Nothing---ah…uh…hahaha…go check on Nanase!”
Makoto blinked, before smiling faintly (a little puzzled) and continuing on his way with another “I’ll see you tomorrow!”
Rin just stared, his hair still a little tousled.
“…”
“…”
“—AHHHH DID YOU LICK ME?!”
“I had to or RinRin could’ve suffocated me!”
Rin snapped out of his daze with a sharp shake of his head, puffing at a stray strand of hair in his face. He snatched his bag – which had slid off during the conversation – back up his shoulder and marched out of the locker room and the club building.
“I got it!”
Undeterred, Nagisa was charging right after Rin with his own bag hastily slung over his shoulder.
“RinRin, I got it!”
“Stop calling me that!” Rin huffed, kneeling down to tie his sneakers properly. Nagisa huffed back with an extra pout, as if mimicking him.
“Listen to me, Rin-chan! I got it!”
“Got what?” Nagisa was dancing some random improvised jig on the spot and Rin was partially worried he might suddenly absorb a bunch of energy and blast off into the sky.
Nagisa grinned and snapped his fingers. “Well Mako-chan can’t be Haru-chan’s mom, obviously, because he’s a guy! A boy!”
Rin stared at him. Nagisa seemed to take that as if the older boy didn’t get it.
“You know…a boy…like Mako-chan has a—“
“I know that!” Rin sighed loudly, for effect. Gosh, he was warming up a lot today. “What is your point?” Nagisa blinked at him rapidly, radiating innocence.
“I was gonna say, well, Mako-chan isn’t like a mom, then he’s probably like a dad!”
Oh.
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A/N: I anticipate about 5 parts/chapters for this fic, unless some special idea pops up. I haven't written proper fanfiction in a long while so bear with me for any inconsistencies or OOCness. I've proofread this a few times so if I missed any grammar/spelling mistakes, I'm very sorry! o<--<
