Best friends~
What’s a soulmate? It’s like a best friend, but more. It’s the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else. It’s someone who makes you a better person. Actually, they don’t make you a better person, you do that yourself because they inspire you. A soul mate is someone who you carry with you forever. It’s the one person who knew you and accepted you and believed in you before anyone else did or when no one else would. And no matter what happens, you’ll always love them. Nothing can ever change that. Make sense?
Free & Free Eternal Summer: Makoto&Haruka’s relationship appreciation post.
All of this <3
For the free_69min prompt on Twitter!
The prompt was “matching clothes” and this popped into my mind before I could stop it…
Yeeeees Kris did Free! fanart life is complete!
Track 1: Haruka and Makoto on a Snow Day
Makoto: Today, Haru and I promised to go shopping in the neighbouring town… But Haru might still be in the bath tub, so I better go pick him up… Ah! Haru?
Haruka: …Makoto.
Makoto: Good morning! So you were already prepared! You’re very quick today! I thought you might still be in the bath tub.
Haruka: …I was still in there until a moment ago. But… It wasn’t enough… It’s still far from the water that I want to feel…
Makoto: Um… I don’t really get it but, Haru, even if it’s a warm bath, if you stay in there for too long in this time of the year you’ll catch a cold!
Haruka: I’m not that weak. Rather, I’d feel uncomfortable if I don’t soak in the bath tub.
Makoto: Haha! That’s very Haru like. But when it’s this cold, I just want to stay under a kotatsu…
Makoto: [ wind blows ]Ughh! It’s so c-cold… The wind is freezing… My ears hurt… Haru, they say that today is going to be the coldest day of the year…
Haruka: Is that so.
Makoto: Hmmm… I always think this, but… Haru, aren’t you cold wearing so little?
Haruka: Not particularly.
Makoto: I feel cold just looking at you! Geez… Unlike you, when I got up this morning I already felt freezing cold, so I wore lots of layers underneath my coat today…
Haruka: Aren’t you wearing too much today? You look a lot bigger than usual.
Makoto: Eh? Really?! Ah… Is it weird?
Haruka: Never mind that, let’s go, or we’ll miss the train.
Makoto: Ah! Wait for me Haru!Makoto: Uwah… The snow’s all piled up! Isn’t there a lot this year?
Haruka: Isn’t it the same as usual?
Makoto: Really? I always feel like it piles as high as it used to when we were small and played in it. Back then, it felt like we were about to be buried by it… Ehehe~
Haruka: What is it, all of a sudden?
Makoto: Hehe… No, I just remembered something from a long time ago and felt nostalgic… When the snow piled up, I’d go make an igloo with Haru…
Makoto: One time we made a huge igloo, then we stayed in there for a long time, didn’t we? We grabbed things from our house and put them into the igloo… And then [laughs], because it was so comfortable we fell asleep, and our mums worriedly came looking for us…
Haruka: Now that you mention, that did happen… And then the next day Makoto got stuck in bed with a fever.
Makoto: That’s right! That same day, Haru also had a fever too!
Haruka: I got better really quick…
Makoto: Even after we got better, didn’t we get banned from playing in the snow for a while? …But because I was worried the igloo would cave in, I went to check on it but got caught by mum…
Haruka: …You did something like that? You…
Makoto: I really liked that igloo! Because Haru made that igloo so beautifully, I thought it would be a waste if it caved in… Haru, didn’t you build a shelf inside? That was such a surprise!
Haruka: …It was so simple… And it was something I made as a kid, so it’s nothing impressive…
[ wind blows ]
Makoto: Uwaah!! So cold! The wind is freezing… My feet won’t move…
Haruka: [ sighs ]
Makoto: Haru!! You walk too fast! Wait for me!
Haruka: Only because you’re slow. Come on, hurry up.
Makoto: Ah, wait up!Makoto: Ughhh… It’s so cold.. My hands are freezing…
Haruka: Makoto, be quiet… We’re almost at the station, bear with it a little longer.
Makoto: But the ocean winds are so…! Hah… It really is particularly cold by the coast…
Haruka: You were the one who wanted to go shopping, so stop yelling “it’s so cold, it’s so cold” all the time.
Makoto: Nghh… Even so… But Haru was the one who said there was something he wanted to buy too! …Haru, could it be that you forced yourself to come along?
Haruka: …Not really. I didn’t say that.
Makoto: Thank goodness. Haru, aren’t you cold? Are you okay?
Haruka: [ sniffs ] I’m fine.
Makoto: If that’s the case, then… Haru!? Your lips are turning purple! And you’re shaking! As I thought, you’d be cold wearing so little!
Haruka: I’m not really— [ sneezes ]
Makoto: Geez… Even if you’re putting up a front, I can tell! Here, I’ll lend you some clothes! …Wear this, and wrap this around you…
Haruka: I’m fine, I don’t need it… Stop it, Makoto!
Makoto: There we go! You have to wear this and that like this…
Haruka: Makoto, I said that’s enough!
Makoto: And then this…
Haruka: I said I don’t need it! Makoto, how many layers were you wearing!?
Makoto: Come on, Haru, stop moving! I can’t wrap this properly if you don’t!
Haruka: Hey! Don’t wrap the scarf around me so messily! You’re going to… Bury my face…!
Makoto: And then tie a knot here…!
Haruka: My neck…!
Makoto: There! You should be a little warmer now…
Haruka: [ coughs ] Makoto, I can’t breathe… The scarf is too tight…!
Makoto: Eh? Uwah!?! Ah!! Sorry, I’ll loosen it right now!! …How about now?
Haruka: …Makoto… You’ve always had idiotic strength… So think a little before you do something…
Makoto: I said I’m sorry! Or rather… Isn’t it mean, saying something like idiotic strength!!
Haruka: No matter how you think about it, it’s idiotic strength. You rely on your physical strength in everything you do.
Makoto: Shut up, you!
Haruka: And your clothes are huge and heavy… It’s hard to walk in them… I’m giving them back.
Makoto: That won’t do, Haru! You’ll catch a cold! …Geez… Haru always looks fine at the beginning, but when you get halfway you’d feel cold… Listen to me and wear it!
Haruka:I’m saying I’m fine. [ sneezes ]
Makoto: You’re sneezing again… Not convincing at all! Come on, at least wear it to the station!
Haruka: …Even though I said I’m not cold…
Makoto: You look cold no matter what! …Gosh, lending you a coat and scarf is nothing.
Haruka: I prefer clothes that are easy to move in…
Makoto: Yes, yes.
Haruka: To begin with, Makoto, if you lent me so much, you’ll get cold. I’m giving them back, after all…
Makoto: Ehehe~ I’ll be alright! Didn’t I say I wore a lot today? So I’ll be fine. Thank you, Haru.
Haruka: …Only because I don’t want you yelling about it being cold again…
Makoto: Yes, yes! Hehe… Ah, Haru, the train’s nearly here! Let’s hurry!
Haruka: Yeah…(note: translations are done from japanese -> chinese -> english, so there may be small differences)
Man this is perfect after that last episode huh? *cries a bunch*
ok but ask yourself this about your otp
- which one hogs the blanket
- which one cuts the other’s hair
- which one makes coffee for the other every morning
- which one picks up the pizza
- which one likes their music on full volume
- which one complains about the crumbs on the bed
- which one is ticklish
- which one sings and which one plays the music
- which one proposes
AH THESE ARE SO FUN O.K.!
MakoHaru
- which one hogs the blanket: Mako tries his hardest not to but he’s so tall! Haru doesn’t mind, Mako’s shirt practically swallows him anyway.
- which one cuts the other’s hair: Mako cuts Haru’s hair, or at least tries to, but he has no idea what he’s doing. Sometimes Haru comes to school with uneven hair but he doesn’t mind at all, it’s just hair.
- which one makes coffee for the other every morning: Haru wakes up early and he makes coffee because Mako likes it. However, he brings it to him, instead of having Mako go into the kitchen to get it, because the smell of mackerel and coffee is just a weird combination to Mako (Haru doesn’t see what the big deal is).
- which one picks up the pizza: Mako. He’ll bring it home as a surprise (aka a night without mackerel… though he does get a second pizza so Haru can top it with fish and pineapple)
- which one likes their music on full volume: Mako’s gotten used to blasting music because he has loud siblings.
- which one complains about the crumbs on the bed: They both do, it only happens when the siblings come in for video games and snacks.
- which one is ticklish: Haru, this is actually canon in one of the Free! shorts. Everyone knows it, too. He doesn’t understand what the big deal is.
- which one sings and which one plays the music: Haru does both and is surprisingly good at it. Mako happily listens and sometimes joins in (and is flustered the whole time)
- which one proposes: Mako does. Haru is surprised because he already thought they were married.
SouRin
- which one hogs the blanket: Rin. He denies it every time. Sousuke now brings two blankets to bed.
- which one cuts the other’s hair: Rin cuts Sousuke’s hair. Sousuke brings up cutting Rin’s hair and gets the best “fuck you” look in response. It makes him smile every time. Besides, Rin should know that he loves his hair, it’s so easy to grab onto in the middle of some rather… vigorous activities.
- which one makes coffee for the other every morning: Neither, they drink sports drinks and sometimes splurge on Cola.
- which one picks up the pizza: Rin, and he refuses to get the weird toppings Sousuke likes. Anchovies? Really?
- which one likes their music on full volume: Rin. Especially when he’s jogging, unless if Sousuke is jogging with him.
- which one complains about the crumbs on the bed: Sousuke. He’s a neat freak, moreso than Rin is. Nitori is amused since Rin gave him so much shit about his messy desk (see the Free! extra short)
- which one is ticklish: Sousuke. Rin is the only one who knows this, discovered it when they were kids, and now uses is as the dark secret he’ll reveal about Sousuke whenever Sousuke pisses him off over silly things.
- which one sings and which one plays the music: Rin sings and Sousuke plays the music. Rin also dances and the fandom thanks him for it.
- which one proposes:What happens is that they make it into a competition. What happens is a conversation that goes, “If I were to propose, I would do it like this.” So they each take turns coming up with grand proposal ideas until Sousuke gets on one knee and says, “If I were to propose, I’d do it right now.”
Reigisa
- which one hogs the blanket: You’d think it would be Nagisa, but it’s actually Rei! And he denies it. It’s scientifically impossible, because since Nagisa is smaller, he should logically have the most blanket, so there’s no way he would “hog” it, as you say.
- which one cuts the other’s hair: Neither. To Rei their hair is perfect.
- which one makes coffee for the other every morning: There is no coffee in the house, Nagisa is not allowed to be anywhere near coffee.
- which one picks up the pizza: Nagisa does for those late night study sessions. Rei is always impressed with his dedication to doing better on his tests now.
- which one likes their music on full volume: Nagisa does. It drives Rei nuts because how could you possibly enjoy the lyrics when they’re so loud? Studies show that optimal music listening is done at such and such volume, and honestly Nagisa blasts the volume so he can frustrate Rei into one of his long monologues, he loves the sound of his voice way more than the music.
- which one complains about the crumbs on the bed: Rei. Nagisa always feels the need to eat in bed and he doesn’t know why. Crumbs are not beautiful!
- which one is ticklish: Rei is. See, Nagisa used to be ticklish, but he has siblings who tickled him so much that he learned how to not respond to it. Rei, on the other hand, isn’t so lucky.
- which one sings and which one plays the music: They do it together, it’s a fun study break.
- which one proposes:Nagisa really wants to but he knows that Rei is planning some epic proposal, because he’s already found the ring. He doesn’t want to spoil Rei’s hard work, besides, he’s curious as to why Rei keeps watching flash mob marriage proposal videos on Youtube…
Sorry to bother you with this, but someone on my dash keeps talking how abusive Makoto is to Haru and I'm mostly confused and asking a second opinion on this matter?
AnonymousMakoto is my second favorite character in Free! I love him a lot, so I might be a little bias, so the most I could come up with has to do with the fact that Makoto can often be an enabler for Haru. He does and says (or doesn’t) a lot of things that he probably shouldn’t (or should) to keep Haru happy. This is obviously because he cares about Haru and wants to please him. I think many people are guilty of this whether the person be their friend, lover, family member, or whatever. The problem is that because Makoto holds back on saying things that need to be said to Haru, when he finally does say them, it ends up involving a lot of heightened emotions (like this past episode).
So if you consider enabling as abusive, then maybe that’s why people are saying that Makoto is abusive to Haru . In that aspect, I can see why someone would say it. However, their argument from the past episode clearly shows that Makoto truly cares about Haru and wants him to have a purpose in life (whether it’s swimming or something else). To me, Makoto seems like one of those people who won’t really say anything because he believes people have to be themselves and learn from their own experiences. So when he does actually speak up, it’s probably something that someone should actually take the time to consider (I’m like that, too).
Makoto is not without flaws, and he could stand for a few behavioral changes when it comes to Haru, but he’s not a bad guy. I’m not excusing his enabling behavior, but there are other characters (whom I also love) who could be considered abusive toward Haru as well.
But yeah, I don’t know what the people on your dash are saying, so this is just my opinion.
To add, I thought it was interesting when Haru was like, “You’re always worried about other people, what about yourself?” Because that is something Mako does, a lot. You can see it throughout the series. When they were kids they both reached for the dolphin toy, Mako let Haru have it. Mako suggested going to the swim club, when Haru said no, Mako wasn’t going to go at all. In first season everyone wanted to train in the ocean, and even if Mako was terrified, he brushed it off and went along with it (and Haru even asked if he’d be o.k., he said it was fine). Even when he raced against Haru this season and cried, he brushed it off with a smile, and told Nagisa (not Haru) that maybe he was jealous of Rin. Rin, who goes after what he wants, and just flat out says what he wants. He has a problem with Haru stopping in the middle of his race? He’ll tell him. He wants Haru to get out of this slump? Let’s go to Australia.
Mako is too nice. He’s that friend who agrees with everything, and as great as that may seem, it’s not. You start to wonder what your friend actually likes. If you have a friend who says yes to everything because you like it, you wonder… well, what do you want? "Whatever you want.“
And you can tell Mako was trying to speak up. "Why were you here?” "I spoke with Ama-chan about-“ "Oh.” “Y-yeah.” And, “Haru, I want to talk about graduation plans.” “Not interested.” “No wait-” So finally, it turned into, “Listen to me!”
Here’s the thing, though. Haru’s not a bad guy and neither is Mako. They’re just friends, really really good friends, since childhood. And this is the first instance where they really have conflict (from what we’ve seen). This conflict has been building up since the first episode. "What are your plans for the future?“ This has been stewing in the background and they’ve said nothing to each other. Honestly, this is something that friends do sometimes. They don’t want to touch the heavy stuff, so it builds and builds until it finally explodes. Sometimes, with the people you’ve had in your life forever, that’s what happens. You don’t want to bring up things that may damage the relationship, so you keep it to yourself. But, eventually, it needs to be said.
Unfortunately, since it’s been brewing for so long, it came out as yelling. If you look at what they said to each other, it’s needed to be said between them, for a long time. Mako is an enabler, he does worry about others before himself. But since it’s been brewing it came out as, "Stop putting your nose in other people’s business!” And Haru is bothered by things and does need to focus, which came out as, “We love you can’t you see that?!”
Honestly, the episode was a pretty real depiction of friendship (and love, if you see MakoHaru that way). When heavy subjects are pushed aside in favor of keeping the person you love happy, when those subjects come up they explode.
“That is when I remembered how it felt to swim in the same lane together, how it felt when everyone was waiting at the finish line. It made me just as happy!”
“Where I swim and who I swim for… I’m free to decide that for myself! And I’m saying I’m fine with the way things are!”Free! Parallel: 01x09 & 02x11
Damnit :(
I still can’t stop talking about this
Like nationals are next week and Rin’s like, “get up let’s go!” It’s like a romantic comedy! Someone needs to make that trailer now fuck…
When he thought love was over… *insert Haru and Mako fight*
… there was an answer… in the land down under *insert Rin taking him to Australia complete with catchy music and shots of Australia*
But is there still time to fix what was broken? *Rin shows Haru the message from Mako, I bet that happens in the next ep.*
Can what was lost ever truly be returned? *dramatic shots of nationals, Iwatobi boys, and Haru approaching them*
SWIM FOR LOVE! Rated PG. *end trailer with Haru being like, “Makoto… there’s something I need to say.”*
*insert a drop of water at the end cuz classy*
(unrated version titled: Friend Fixer Rin)
