Fandom: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club

Pairing: established Makoto/Rin & Seijuurou/Gou, eventual Makoto/Rin/Haruka & Rei/Nagisa

Summary: "Haru again." Makoto replied, picking up his coffee and swirling the ice around before taking a sip. "If I didn't know any better and with y'know, being your boyfriend, then I'd say that someone has a crush." A story of a blossoming relationship between a young florist, his delivery boy boyfriend, and the cute blue-eyed baker across the street.

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or these characters!

Author's note at the end!

Part one

There was a strip of shops not far off from the town of Iwatobi that would generate a large amount of foot traffic and business. From small family owned shops, small restaurants and cafes, there was always something to do and see, to spend a day out regardless of rain or shine thanks to the overhead aunnings that would provide a good amount of shade and a cover for when the weather got on the wet side. A park was even down the way, close to the largest restaurant at the end of the line of shops, a family-themed restaurant, so that once people had finished their meal after a outing of shopping, they would typically all go there and relax and if they had children, watch them play and be happy. It was an ideal perfect spot if anyone needed a day to themselves or with friends or family, to let the worries of school or work slip away in the comforting retail atmosphere.

A small flower shop was nestled in the middle of everything, known for their excellent service and wide selection in such a small town. It was run by a young man, the blue haired and violet eyed owner named Rei Ryugazaki who loved nothing more than all things beautiful and wanted to share his arrangements and style with the town and someday, hopefully branch out. He had a close friend whom he befriended in his first year of university, and blossomed to be his co-worker and apprentice so to say. Makoto Tachibana, who learned well from Rei's teachings over the course of their friendship and lessons about the art of flower arrangements, and supported his friend and stuck by his side ever since their meeting in the literature club.

"A flower shop?" Makoto had asked, tilting his head to the side. Rei's heart sank upon seeing Makoto's expression, but sighed in relief once he saw the older brunette smile. "That's a great idea, Rei!"

Rei had his dream set from his high school years and it only increased when he decided to fulfill his dream, taking every business, management, and flower arrangement class he could and when he asked Makoto if he would like to help and work for him once the day had come, Makoto found himself taking a few arrangement classes himself. Thanks to his parents and his closest friends' support, Rei had gathered enough funds to be able to rent out his desired space in the line of shops to get started with his dream once he graduated, and things had been going smoothly ever since. The young owner was more than happy that once he had signed the lease, Makoto had agreed to work on the space; painting, putting in shelves, ordering the needed refrigerated glass cabinets for the bouquets, and more all while his business partner finished with his schooling. Makoto always double checked with Rei before deciding on anything, not wanting to jump on any action that might displease the owner, which made it easier on both of them because Rei already knew exactly what he wanted and how he wanted to make it look.

Rei had the thought about wanting to expand his business once it turned out to be more successful than he thought months after they had officially opened, and Makoto's suggestion of possibly having someone on-hand for deliveries, in came Makoto's boyfriend Rin Matsuoka to fill that position.

Makoto and Rin had started dating through Rin's younger sister, Gou. Rin was good friends with Seijuurou Mikoshiba, his sister's current boyfriend, and the younger Matsuoka was tired of her brother complaining about the lack of dateable people that he would come across. Gou knew Rei through school as well with being the same age, and would often come visit her good friend while he was working at his shop. That's how she met Makoto, and once they got talking one afternoon, Gou immediately thought that the brunette was perfect for her brother and arranged for the two to meet and were together ever since.

It was a pleasurable set-up; whomever would call or come by to make an order specifically other than getting something right then and there, Rin would go out to deliver it to the desired location once it was complete. Rin was grateful that Makoto had gotten him this job so that he would have something to do during the day and would be able to contribute to his and Makoto's rent and other bills, and Makoto was glad that Rin would have other things to do during the day other than go on his daily runs and then lounge around the apartment all day. The redhead would go all over town to deliver the beautiful bouquets and arrangements throughout the day whenever needed on foot or his small moped, and would sometimes pick up food for his boyfriend and boss as a surprise.

"After all, I am a delivery boy." He had said, placing lunch for the three of them on the back table, as he would do most days. "Plus it's no trouble at all."

Rin's favorite place to go, mainly to pick up breakfast and snacks during the day, was the bakery located across the street. Rei and Makoto definitely agreed with the delivery boy, enjoying their freshly baked treats and coffee in the morning and even throughout the day on occasion. All the times that Rin had gone to fetch them their delectables and drinks, it was typically the same order: three iced coffees, and two doughnuts of their own favorites. Rin preferred a cinnamon glaze, Makoto favored chocolate, and Rei was one for the simplicity of custard-filled among trying other assorted flavors whenever they felt like mixing things up.

The bakery was mainly well-known for their doughnuts, but sold well with others like their muffins, crepes, and assortment of sweet and savory treats. It had been around longer than Rei's shop, the young business owner telling Makoto and Rin that he heard that it had been passed down the Hazuki line for generations and the current son, Nagisa, was now in charge. The blonde, about Rei's age, had hired his current head baker without any prior culinary schooling, and all the violet-eyed owner knew was that his family name was Nanase and he was the one who was making the intricate and out-of-the box doughnuts that they were putting out and would eat almost every single day. He had been hired on the spot once Nagisa had tried his green tea glaze along with a few other experimental flavors, knowing that with Nanase's help, the business would continue to be a success and everything would be perfect.

Nanase, also known as Haruka but preferred Haru, rarely wanted to be up front. While Nagisa frowned upon the idea , he didn't want to push his baker into something he disliked which in this case, was having to talk to people on a daily basis and keep up with the busy demand. He had managed to convince Haruka into at least being up front once a week, either in the morning or before closing when they weren't all that busy, and not being able to deny his boss' pleading and wide pink eyes, he agreed with a sigh. He had met the florist shop workers though, when the trio had all come in together to greet the new employee. Nagisa had introduced them one by one and Haruka had just shrugged and mumbled a 'nice to meet you'. Haruka did get along with Rei, seeing him every so often and managed to get through minimal small talk. Makoto would smile and talk to Haruka about either work things or his favorite, the stray cats that would show up at the park down the street and even though he would never admit it, Haruka always enjoyed listening to the tall brunette speak. And as for Rin...the redhead always seemed to get on his last nerve whenever they would meet and would always try to talk to him the least he could.

Nagisa and Rei had spoken months ago once business had picked up for the bespectacled florist, setting up weekly orders for fresh flowers to be delivered to be displayed in his shop to add more to the atmosphere and offered free coffee and the occasional treat whenever Rin would come by with said-order. Rei agreed, deciding on every three to four days, making sure that the flowers would always be fresh and would mix well with the scent of the bustling bakery. They had become friends when Nagisa had come over while Rei and Makoto were overlooking the installment of their glass cases, the blonde offering half a dozen treats and the promise that if they ever needed anything, he was just across the street and 'that's what friends are for, mister Ryugazaki!'. He would always greet Rin with a wide smile when he came through the door with his arms full with the flowers, eagerly taking them to replace the bouquets with coffee and payment for Rei.

It was one early morning that Rin came by before his shift to get a sweet breakfast for himself, Makoto, and Rei, that he saw that black-haired boy at the counter. He looked bored, almost, half-lidded blue eyes dull and bangs in his face, wiping down the marble counter and not even acknowledging Rin's presence even when the bell dinged when he opened and closed the door. Rin leaned against the counter, tapping his fingers on the cold marble and waited for the employee to greet him and ask for his order.

If Nagisa were here, I would already be walking out of here with my stuff..., Rin thought. This guy always gives me trouble.

Rin didn't exactly dislike Haruka. He just thought that he needed to work on his social skills and the way he acted irritated him sometimes. Plus he rarely even saw the young man, and all of their encounters ended with glares and huffs with irritation for both sides. Of course, Rin's big and overbearing personality was a big factor as well, because his own boyfriend and Rei got along with Haruka just fine, but when it came to himself, it was almost like an argument bubbling and waiting to happen.

Rin cleared his throat, watching Haruka glance up and back down at the cloth in his hand, expression not change one bit.

"Can I help you?" He spoke, and Rin raised an eyebrow.

"You do know I've been standing here for awhile now, right?" Rin narrowed his eyes. "We going to play this game again where you pretend like I don't exist?"

The young man simply shrugged, stopping to fold the slightly damp cloth and placing it next to the register. He bent down to wipe his hands on a clean and towel underneath the counter, coming back up to look at Rin, almost seeming as annoyed as the delivery boy.

"Are you going to get something or not?"

Is this guy serious?!

"I'll just have the usual." Rin reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet, and from the corner of his eye saw the Haruka not move an inch but instead, continue to stare at the redhead with annoyance plastered on his face. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Do you seriously expect me to know what your usual is?" He huffed. "You know that I'm usually in the back. You've seen me what, less than a dozen times and expect me to know?"

"Jeez, where's Nagisa-"

"Nagisa's coming in later today, I agreed to open and be up front and take care of the things in the back, like usual when that happens. I typically come in after he does, but coming in early does let me get started on making things ahead of schedule." Haruka was growing more impatient by the second. "And speaking of, it would be great if we could hurry this up because the extra dough to cover for the breakfast rush will be ready in a few minutes and it'd be nice to get to that."

Rin's eyebrow twitched, getting the exact amount needed for his order and put it down in front of the baker. "Two each of chocolate, cinnamon, and custard doughnuts and three iced coffees, Haruka. Remember that next time."

"Haru." He corrected and glared at Rin, placing the money in the register and going off to get the redhead's order completed as quickly as he could so that the next batch of pastries could be completed. Red eyes watched Haruka's movements, going from between the display case of fresh doughnuts and the coffee area, returning to face Rin in no time with the same annoyed expression.

"There."

"I never ask but I always wonder, if you make all of this, how long does it really take for it to get done?" Rin was actually curious, hands resting on the cardboard holding the cold drinks. "Because I come pretty early, regardless if you're here or not, and there's always a decent amount of stuff in the case ready to go and it's hard to believe that it's just leftovers, I don't think that's how Nagisa would handle things."

"We always make a smaller batch with premade dough the day before to satisfy the early customers like yourself. And no, it doesn't take all that long to do it. Nagisa or myself usually deal with the leftovers by the end of the day." Haruka crossed his arms. "Like I said, I have an entire batch waiting in the back so I can make enough to get us through the breakfast rush and then I have to work on the glazes and do other things, so. Plus, Makoto and Rei are probably waiting for you to show up..."

Shrugging and muttering a 'thanks', Rin took hold of the drinks and pink box decorated with a cute penguin and cursive lettering, balancing them in his hands as he walked out the door and across the street to his workplace. Resting the box on top of the cups, Rin managed to pull the door open and was hit by the familiar and comforting smell of flowers, letting the door close behind him and the bell alerting Makoto and Rei that he arrived.

"Breakfast, boys!" Rin set the things on the front counter, something that was only allowed during the morning (lunch or otherwise would have to go in the back in the employees-only small lounge which also counted as an office and storage, much to Rei's displeasure of it all with having little space but in the end made it all work), waiting for his green-eyed boyfriend to come into his view.

"Just a minute, Matsuoka!" Rei had called, followed by the sound of the automatic sprinklers for the multiple cases holding already-arranged flowers going off to give them their light morning shower.

Placing the clear straws in all three of the plastic cups, Rin took one for himself, taking small sips and continued to wait and listen to Makoto humming from the other room as he did his morning routine of inventory. The brunette had to make sure he knew what was coming in today, what orders needed to be filled and delivered or picked up at what time, and get the sales from the previous day for Rei to look over and put in their expense log. His heart leapt when Makoto came from the back room, smile on his face as he approached the redhead and kissed his forehead, flipping open the box and gently taking one of the chocolate pastries in his hands along with a napkin.

"You look extra grumpy this morning." Makoto teased, noticing the distant yet 'it's only eight in the morning yet I already almost punched someone' look. "Did Nagisa joke around again and put red pepper flakes along with the cinnamon in the glaze and then ask you to try it?"

"S'not that." Rin chewed on the straw, fingers tapping the sides. "Besides, he knows better not to do that again."

Makoto swallowed the bite that was in his mouth, licking the bit of chocolate from his lip. "Then was it Haru?" The way Rin's fingers clenched into the plastic was all Makoto needed to know. "Ah, so it was..."

"I don't see why Nagisa can put up with him. He seems like a pretty awful employee and people-person if you ask me."

"Don't you think that it could be the other way around, like how Haru can put up with Nagisa?" Makoto laughed, and Rin simply shrugged. "But, really. He knows a good employee when he sees one. And the proof is right here." The brunette handed his brooding boyfriend his cinnamon doughnut with a napkin and Rin took it with a grunt. "Haru isn't so bad once you get to know him, Rin."

"Would it kill him to smile once in awhile? I swear he has that frown permanently on his face and it's been months."

Rei came into the main area, raising an eyebrow at the topic of his employees conversation. "Haru again?"

"Haru again." Makoto replied, picking up his coffee and swirling the ice around before taking a sip. "If I didn't know any better and with y'know, being your boyfriend, then I'd say that someone has a crush."

"I do not have a crush on...on that!" Rin's face reddened, scowling.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Makoto nudged Rin playfully as the redhead bit into the pastry. "But you have to admit, he is pretty cute." Rin sputtered, glaring at his giggling boyfriend. "That was one of the points that Nagisa told us when he hired Haru, wasn't it, Rei?"

"Fairly certain." Rei wiped his mouth with his napkin. "With the other perks being that he didn't mind coming in so early and had interesting flavor pairings to try to see if they could sell."

Makoto moved away from the main counter, drink in hand, looking out the large window across the street to try to peek into the pastry shop. Rin looked over, frowning, balling up the napkin in his hand and threw it at the florist. "Oi, come back here."

"Rin, shhh!" Makoto put his hand to the glass window in an attempt to see across the street better, in hopes that he could see Haruka if he was still at the front counter.

"It's not like he can hear us or anything!"

Wiping his forehead with his arm, Haruka sighed.

He surely wasn't used to going back and forth between the backroom to work on the pastries and glazes and the front to take care of orders and such. Taking care of customers was Nagisa's job, the young owner's personality perfect to make small talk while going back and forth between the large display case, the drinks, and back to the register. Thankfully Nagisa came back hours ago, before the lunch rush started, giving Haruka some last minute help with restocking the glass case from the breakfast crowd and helped with trying to make a batch of glaze that they could use as the base for the other needed glazes and could be put in the fridge to last through the week.

"Haru!" Nagisa poked his head in the back, pink eyes as big as ever, watching Haruka portion off the dough. "How'd things go this morning?"

"Fine. Busy as usual, but fine. I'm getting used to the rushes." Haruka only shrugged, wiping his hands on his blue apron. "That delivery boy gave me trouble again, though."

"Ah, that Matsuoka is a real charm, isn't he?" Nagisa leaned in the doorway. The rush had died down and the last pleased customer left, leaving a lull where no one was inside. "Makoto really has his hands full with that one. Rei, too."

"I'd say."

The bell on the door ringed again, signaling the bakery employees that someone had entered, and Nagisa smiled once he heard Makoto's familiar voice call out for the blonde. Haruka glanced up, seeing the short blonde back at the counter talking to Makoto who had placed a boquet on the counter, whom he's only seen a few times and talked to maybe twice briefly, and all those times including now, he was always smiling.

And it always made his heart do flips to see those gentle green eyes and that smile.

"Ah, sorry, Rin's out on a long delivery so I agreed to come instead. It's no trouble!"

"You're such an angel, Mako!"

Makoto laughed and his face reddened slightly, scratching the back of his neck and green eyes met with blue, and he waved shyly at the young baker. Haruka felt his face heat up and went back to his work, heart beating against his continued to listen to Makoto and Nagisa make small talk before they said their goodbyes, hearing the door open and shut once again. Haruka heard Nagisa step to his side, taking a lump of the portioned dough to help the young baker out, taking it to the machine so that they could make another batch of doughnuts.

"Hey, Haru." Nagisa spoke after awhile, still concentrated on the dough, as Haruka was.

"Hmmm?"

"Makoto apologized for Rin's behavior this morning."

Haruka's hands stopped, resting against the pile of dough. "...He did?"

Nagisa hummed in response. "He did."

He could feel his face heat up once again, and Haruka was glad that he was facing away from Nagisa. The fluttering in his chest returned once he thought of the kind and warming smile that Makoto had given him just mere minutes ago, which turned into a dull ache when Rin came back into the picture, since he was the one that Makoto's true affections were for.

Haruka Nanase, did indeed have a crush on someone that he couldn't have, with a boyfriend that he couldn't stand.

Author's note: and here's my next big project! I know, I know, I was the same way when writing this part because it's all words and backstory, but I promise it will get interesting! The inspiration for this actually came from seeing a picture from a Japanese Krispy Kreme advertisement with HARU in bold lettering, I quickly talked to senpai and therefore the outline was made and it was born! I'm really looking forward to working on this more, I was actually going to post this next week while I'm in Seattle for Sakuracon, but figured as I'm now printing out all the things I need and am at a computer, I figured that now was just as good! Just...ignore mistakes if there are any, I used my 'work late, edit late' tactics as usual ^^;