A Future With You (MakoHaru Week 2023)

Hello, friends! It’s been a while since the MakoHaru week ended, but I didn’t have the time to put all the fics together in a collection-post before, so here it is now. Here you can find all the fics that I wrote for the occasion along with a little description. You can also find the whole collection under the name “A Future With You (MakoHaru Week 2023)” over on AO3!

The rest of the fics are beneath the cut!

Nurture Till We Bloom

Author: DatHeetJoella Fandom: Free! Pairing: MakoHaru Rating: G Summary: Haruka recently moved to Stardew Valley after inheriting Blue Creek Farm from his late grandmother. As he learns the skills necessary to make the farm flourish, his relationships with the townspeople, specifically with a handsome neighbour called Makoto, grow with every festival he attends.

Previously a one-shot titled "Sweet Spring Seed".

Word count: 6,582 (total: 9,983) Chapter: 2/? Chapter Summary: Haruka's first season in Stardew Valley is over and, after encouragement from Makoto, his summer efforts are all focused around the Luau festival, where he's expected to add a quality ingredient to the communal potluck soup. But alas, things don't quite go the way Haruka planned.

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Chapter 2: Savoury Summer Soup

On the first day of summer, Haruka awoke with fresh resolve. His first season in Stardew Valley was over and even if he hadn’t quite restored Blue Creek to its former glory yet, there was no rush. His mental health had vastly improved since the start of spring, and that was all thanks to his reduced stress levels. Working to the beat of his own drum, stepping outside the farmhouse door right into nature, the satisfaction of continuing his grandmother’s legacy, everything contributed to his good mood and renewed outlook on life. But he couldn’t deny that his very first friend made living in the valley even more enjoyable.

Haruka reached up to his cheek, the phantom of Makoto’s kiss lingering on the skin beneath his fingertips. A little while had passed since the day they ate strawberries together on the porch, but that moment kept replaying in his head every time he closed his eyes, like it was a never-ending movie and Haruka couldn’t, wouldn’t leave the cinema. His stomach fluttered funnily whenever he thought back to it, amplified tenfold when he ran into Makoto around town and he smiled and waved at him. Haruka didn’t know what to do with these strange feelings, so he decided to push them down whenever they emerged and try to focus on the tasks at hand.

Read more on AO3!

You Make Everything Okay

Author: DatHeetJoella Fandom: Free! Pairing: MakoHaru Rating: M Summary: Unlike most people, Haruka wasn’t very eager to meet his soulmate. Half of the reason was his inexplicable infatuation with a stranger he saw on the train every morning, the other half was the words that were imprinted on his skin; the first words his soulmate would say to him. They were… ominous. When Haruka’s absent-mindedness got him into trouble, he had to deal with the unforeseen - but not at all unpleasant - consequences. Or, how getting involved in a car accident became the best thing that ever happened to Haruka.

Word count: 5,535 (total: 125,458) Chapter: 19/32 Chapter summary: After leaving the aquarium, Makoto has a few more surprises for Haruka up his sleeve.

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Chapter 19: A Gift Most Special

After they left the aquarium, Makoto took him to a nice family restaurant in the neighbourhood. Thankfully, they had a deluxe mackerel set and Haruka got to enjoy his favourite meal twice today, only having to cook it himself once. The way Makoto smiled as he pointed this out to him made Haruka wonder if he looked up the menu beforehand and chose this restaurant accordingly.

Whether it was on purpose or not didn’t matter. What mattered the most was that they had a great time and shared some tasty food.

Read more on AO3!

Across Every Universe (MakoHaru Week 2024)

Hello friends! MakoHaru week 2024 has officially ended, so here is the collection of the three fics I wrote for the occasion along with a little description. Alas I wasn't able to write a fic for every day of the week like I did last year, but I hope you enjoy these fics nonetheless.

You can find the whole collection under the name "Across Every Universe (MakoHaru Week 2024)" on AO3!

The Sweetest Treat

Author: DatHeetJoella Fandom: Free! Pairing: MakoHaru Rating: E Prompt: MakoHaru week 2024, day 7: reunion sex Word count: 4,296 Summary: With a busy time behind him and Haruka still away at a training camp, Makoto feels like he deserved a little treat after work. But before he can leave the swim club, he is surprised by an even better treat.

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Once the final class for the evening, his group of ten to twelve-year-olds, had waved goodbye and gone to the changing rooms, Makoto gathered the kickboards and pool noodles that lay scattered across the area. It had been a long day and he was the last of the instructors still at the pool, so he was eager to get everything cleaned up and head home.

Maybe he’d stop by the convenience store on his way back to the apartment and buy himself a little treat. He felt like he deserved it; he finally turned in the essay that had been weighing him down for weeks and picked up some extra shifts at the pool because his colleague, Kobayashi-kun, broke his tibia trying to do a kickflip on his girlfriend’s skateboard. Not to mention the fact that he had to face it all without Haruka, who’d been away for the last twelve days at a training camp in Nagoya and wouldn’t be coming back for at least a few more days. Haruka’s absence alone was reason enough for Makoto to pity himself and give in to his chocolate cravings.

Read more on AO3!

Just Like Mom Said

Author: DatHeetJoella Fandom: Free! Pairing: MakoHaru Rating: G Prompt: MakoHaru week 2024 day 4: recovery Word count: 6,486 Summary: When Nanase-san comes to Makoto with a dislocated shoulder, she says he'd be a perfect match for her son. Months later, when Makoto finally meets said son, he gets an inkling she might be right.

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For as long as he could remember, Makoto had wanted to help people. As a child, he’d be the first to jump up to assist his mother with his newborn siblings or to run to the freezer for a pack of ice when his dad hammered his thumb trying to put their cribs together. He always dreamt of being a doctor; what better way to help people than to treat their illnesses and make their pain go away? But when he got older and found he couldn’t stomach the sight of blood, needles freaked him out, and he didn’t dare look at open wounds, he realised that that career path wasn’t in the cards for him.

When sharing these concerns with his school counsellor, she pointed him towards an option that ensured his dreams were still viable, but without all the scary parts: being a physical therapist. Then, people would come to him with injuries or chronic pain and he would help them recover, or at least, give them the tools they needed to make their conditions more manageable in their daily lives. No blood, needles, or open wounds, but joints and muscles that were all safely tucked away inside the patient’s skin; there would be post-surgical scars, but that was nothing Makoto couldn’t handle.

From then on, being a physical therapist was the goal he’d set his sights on, the one he’d been working towards for the past decade.

Read more on AO3!

Sweet Spring Seed

Author: DatHeetJoella Fandom: Free! Pairing: Free! Rating: G Prompt: MakoHaru week 2024 spring equinox special prompt: strawberries & cream Word count: 3,401 Summary: Haruka recently moved to Stardew Valley to take over Blue Creek Farm, which was left to him by his late grandmother, and he hasn't met many of the townspeople yet. When attending the anual Egg Festival, Haruka might make his very first friend.

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After he finished watering the last of his potato plants, Haruka put down his watering can and wiped the light sheen of sweat off his brow bone. He was slowly getting used to the farm life, but his arms hadn’t quite gotten used to the weight of the watering can yet. Once he made enough gold, he was going to invest in some sprinklers.

It had been a few weeks since he moved to Stardew Valley and took over Blue Creek farm, which he inherited from his late grandmother. The corporate life in the city had never been the right fit for him, but Haruka was a creature of habit so he usually took the road of the least resistance. Packing up everything he had and starting over in a new place had been a daunting prospect. He’d loved the summers he spent at his grandmother’s picturesque farm when he was little, but Haruka despised change and therefore, hadn’t taken any steps to take over until years after she passed. Not until he felt like he’d claw his eyes out if he spent another minute at his monotonous desk job.

Read more on AO3!

You Make Everything Okay

Author: DatHeetJoella Fandom: Free! Pairing: MakoHaru Rating: M Summary: Unlike most people, Haruka wasn’t very eager to meet his soulmate. Half of the reason was his inexplicable infatuation with a stranger he saw on the train every morning, the other half was the words that were imprinted on his skin; the first words his soulmate would say to him. They were… ominous.

When Haruka’s absent-mindedness got him into trouble, he had to deal with the unforeseen - but not at all unpleasant - consequences. Or, how getting involved in a car accident became the best thing that ever happened to Haruka.

Word count: 7,621 (total: 119,923) Chapter: 18/32 Chapter summary: After spending the night in Makoto’s bed, Haruka awakes to an unpleasant surprise.

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Chapter 18: Dolphin and Orca

An odd scent roused Haruka from his slumber. Through hazy eyes, he looked around himself, making out the big bed beneath him and the curtains of his parents’ room. That was right, he fell asleep here last night, next to Makoto. But now, Makoto was gone.

With a frown, Haruka pushed himself upright and scanned the whole room for any sign of him, but he wasn’t here. The door was left open ever so slightly, so he must’ve gotten up before Haruka for once. How strange.

What was also strange was that the odd scent was growing stronger. As if on cue, a loud banging followed by a shrill beeping sound reverberated through the room and instantly activated Haruka’s brain. The fire alarm. Makoto.

Read more on AO3!

Ahh thank you so much! That means so much to me, you have no idea. I definitely have considered it before and it's funny you ask this now, because I actually resolved to try and write my first original novel this year. I haven't started writing yet because I'm still in the stage of developing my characters (which is the only aspect about writing an original story which I've never done before and it's daunting haha) but once I get everything figured out, I'll start writing it.

Honestly, the publishing industry is super tough so publishing a novel is a very far off dream, but you miss every shot you don't take and I have nothing to lose, so who knows what the future holds!

Thank you for your kind words and I hope you'll have a wonderful day/night too!

You Make Everything Okay

Author: DatHeetJoella Fandom: Free! Pairing: MakoHaru Rating: M Summary: Unlike most people, Haruka wasn’t very eager to meet his soulmate. Half of the reason was his inexplicable infatuation with a stranger he saw on the train every morning, the other half was the words that were imprinted on his skin; the first words his soulmate would say to him. They were… ominous.

When Haruka’s absent-mindedness got him into trouble, he had to deal with the unforeseen - but not at all unpleasant - consequences. Or, how getting involved in a car accident became the best thing that ever happened to Haruka.

Word count: 6,871 (total: 112,302) Chapter: 17/32 Chapter summary: During the time they spend together, Haruka and Makoto grow closer and closer.

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Chapter 17: Snapshots

With every day that passed, Haruka got more and more used to living with Makoto. Walking to what used to be his parents’ room, waking Makoto up and having breakfast together was an easy, natural routine. After all the cups of tea and shared baths and conversations over the dinner table, the unfathomable concept that the mysterious boy on the train was his soulmate didn’t seem so unfathomable anymore.

Soon, Haruka could barely remember the time before they met; it was like he’d known Makoto all his life. Like he had always moaned his compliments about Haruka’s cooking and offered bites of his food to him as they wandered through the city. Always sat beside him on the couch for TV shows Haruka didn’t care about but watched nonetheless. Always washed Haruka’s back and dried his hair because Makoto knew he couldn’t be bothered to do it himself. Like he’d always been by his side, his very best friend.

Read more on AO3!