Title: Operation: Matchmaker
Pairing: HaruGou (Haruka/Gou)
Rating: T
Warning(s): Some swearing, some innuendos, and a whole lot of silliness.
Summary: Rin hadn't realized his baby sister was so desirable. So, like any good brother would do, he takes it upon himself to save her from any potential heartbreak. 'Operation: Find Gou a Boyfriend' is underway. Oneshot. HaruGou, with a side of Rin being an adorkable loser.
Author's Note: I've had this idea for a while, but have only just recently been able to sit down and actually type it out. Turns out this damn thing had a life of its own and I just had to kind of go with it. On another note, Happy New Year! I know it's been forever and a half since I've updated on this site, but college is hella busy so chances to write something non-academic are few and far between. As an apology and a bit of a holiday treat, I wanted to release this silly little thing. I'd also like to update Room Set for Two once more before I am again called to the land of learning. Send a little prayer to the smut goddesses that my idea will turn out how I want it to.

Disclaimer: I do not own Free, the characters, the concept, yahda, yahda, yahda.

"Er, Rin-senpai? What are you doing?"

The redhead in question didn't move from his position, uncomfortably crouched behind a plethora of potted plants in the corner of the mall's food court. Binoculars hung loosely from his neck, a large plaid scarf that must have been purchased upon entry (the tag dangled carelessly from one end) concealing the bottom part of his jaw. Large sunglasses and an oversized hat from some alternative band comically finished of the look. Absently, Nitori compared him to an eccentric anime character from a show he had been watching recently.

"Shh, shh, shh!" A chorded limb firmly shot out, pulling down his subordinate by his collar until they were level under the foliage. "I don't want them to see me." Rin snarled, flashing sharp teeth as his finger accusingly straightened.

Following the pointed ligament, Nitori shuffled until his gazed was capture by a striking wave of ruby. All at once, everything fell together.

Gou was seated at one of the tables, giggling happily with someone as she unhurriedly made her way through a chocolate sundae. Seated at such an angle that made recognition impossible, the guy had an arm resting comfortably on the back of her chair as she leaned daintily against it. Shopping bags littered the area around the table, though a bright pink bag sporting the letters Sukiko's Secret caused Nitori's cheeks to color brightly and hint of his own brotherly protectiveness to bloom. The girl was dear to him like a sister, too, and he didn't want to know what she was doing at a lingerie store with some guy. Silently, he prayed that Rin wouldn't notice the bag. He doubted his captain would remain incognito much longer if he did.

Despite further inspection, all Nitori could make out was that the guy was clearly well built underneath that light blue hoodie. Though he couldn't help but feel overcome with a sense of familiarity…

"Gah," Rin spat, "What a pig."

"I don't know, but they look kind of happy," Nitori noted, hesitantly. Gou certainly didn't seem to be suffering, if that girlish grin was any tell. In fact, she seemed to be hopelessly smitten with the boy in front of her, and despite being unable to catch a clear glimpse of his face, the feelings appeared to be mutual.

"That's exactly what he wants us to think!" Rin wheeled around, glaring intensely from beneath the oversized glasses. "Then in a week she's going to spot him with some other girl and have her heart broken! He's a class a player. As her older brother, it is my duty to ensure nothing like that happens to her," Rin somberly accepted his task, dramatically holding a clenched fist to his chest.

Nitori blinked, his head tilting slightly to the side as he stared at his friend and senpai. He honestly had his doubts; based on body language alone anyone could see that the guy she was with was totally captivated by her.

"What exactly do you intend to do, Rin-senpai? She seems to like the guy a lot. I doubt she'd just forget about him, even if you threw someone else at her-"

Abruptly, Rin straightened, tearing the glasses from his face and gripping Nitori's shoulders securely. Intensely, Rin's eyes were focusing on his own, causing the younger counterpart to gulp under the pressure. "What did you just say?"

"Er," he stopped, thoroughly bemused, "wha…?"

"What did you say?!" the hands holding his shoulders shook him- in what must have been Rin's definition of- lightly.

"She really likes him?"

"No, after that!"

"I doubt she'd forget about him?"

"God, no! Keep going!"

Helplessly, Nitori shook his head. "Something about throwing someone else at her…?"

"That's it!" Rin grinned, shooting to his feet in his excitement. The younger boy took note of all the odd looks being directed his way, one woman even pulled her daughter protectively to her side, yet apparently the redhead was content to just ignore them. "I just have to distract her with someone worthy of her time. It's full-proof!"

"Er, senpai? Senpai?" When Nitori finally succeeded in capturing the older boy's attention once more, he asked, "Do you even know who this guy is?"

His cheeks flushed as he defensively scoffed, "W-well, it can't be that hard to figure out."

Whirling around, Rin went to glance at the table when his face distorted in annoyance. "Where the hell did they go?!"

The table that had previously been vacated by the couple was now empty, cleaned off as if no one had been there to begin with. "Come on, we have to find them!"

Watching the eldest Matsuoka run off, Nitori sighed, resigning himself to whatever the captain had in store for them.

"Oh, boy…"

Something was off. All day the boys from the swim team were running around school, whipping through the hallways they usually travelled with a lazy prowl. He swore he caught sight of one of them ironing their uniform.

When Nitori tried to stop one of his classmates to get an answer, the only information he managed to collect was a hasty, "You'll see at practice!"

Heaving a sigh, Nitori signed it off as a potential group practice with their Iwatobi counterparts. Those always seemed to excite his teammates, the idea of decent competition bringing out everyone's enthusiasm. Stranger things have happened, after all.

When the clock finally announced it was time to gather at the pool, Nitori had nearly forgotten about the weird behavior. Until, that is, he saw something that made his mouth gape.

All of his teammates were lined up, in true military style, as Rin wandered back and forth amongst the ranks, clipboard at the ready. His gaze was sharp as he stared down at his subordinates, piercing them with an intensity that only a determined Rin could fully muster.

Just as he let out a tired sigh, Rin's head whipped over to face him. "Ah, perfect. Come over here, Ai."

Nitori raised his bowed head immediately, slightly surprised to have been called upon so abruptly, yet hiding his exasperation with a practiced ease. "Hai, senpai!"

He hurried obediently over. The clipboard that had been grasped gracelessly by Rin was shoved under his nose within moments; accompanied by a clipped, "Take notes."

Without question he took hold of the board, digging in his team jacket pocket for a writing utensil. Idly, he wondered, take notes for what, exactly?

Fortunately, he didn't have to ponder much longer. With a daunting cross of his arms and signature glare, Rin stood before his team. "I trust you know why I have gathered you here today," his booming voice echoed in the open space.

"Yes, sir," the team resoundingly responded in unison.

"Very good," Rin nodded, his short ponytail bobbing at the base of his neck. "I will be approaching all of you individually, so wait patiently until it's your turn. Now," Rin moved forward swiftly, landing directly in front of a brown haired butterfly specialist, Kisuki, who gulped under his captain's fierce stare. "What is your ideal date?"

Wait, what?

Despite Nitori's slacked jaw and furrowed brow, no one else seemed to be surprised by the question. Was this the surprise that had everyone so excited?! Was Rin… How… What in the world was going on…?

Kisuki raised his dark eyes as he uncertainly answered, "I-I guess going on a walk through the mountains then stopping to have a picnic, or-"

The poor third year was cut off by a merciless sneer.

"Disgusting. Next!"

Still lost, Nitori wandered behind his senpai as he stopped in front of another guy. This time, a sophomore named Rieko. The lavender haired man comparatively beamed with confidence, something Rin was easy able to pick up on. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "You. What did my sister wear for her elementary school graduation?"

Wait, his sister?

Rin's words from the food court echoed in his mind. Was this all some ploy to get Gou a 'proper' boyfriend?

The confidence decorating his suave features drained like the water in the outdoor pool during fall. "W-what?" he stuttered, unsure.

"You heard me. Answer the question."

The poor thing scratched his head, vacantly looking out at the water's reflection as he desperately thought back to his elementary school graduation.

Finally, he gave the inquisitive answer, "I guess a… dress?"

Rin snorted derisively. "That was vague." Looking over his shoulder, he barked at the silver haired boy behind him, "Are you getting this?"

Correcting his posture in surprise from the sudden attention throw his way, Nitori nodded repeatedly, "Hai!"

"Hn, good. Moving on."

The rest of the afternoon passed in a similar fashion, making their way amongst the rank of members as Rin threw impossible questions their way. Regardless of how impressively the query was answered, none of the responses lived up to Rin's expectations. Eventually they had spoken with all the members, bar Momo. Rin had just flat out skipped him, much to the boy's chagrin.

After the rest of the team made their exit, Nitori handed over the clipboard to the captain, who tossed it aside carelessly.

"That was useless. None of them were good enough for her," Rin sighed.

Clenching his fists together, Nitori protested, "I'm sure there's someone out there for her, senpai! We just have to keep looking!"

Rin raised an eyebrow at his younger counterpart's determination. Just as he opened his mouth to respond, another cut him off.

"Someone for whom?"

Sosuke was grinning lightly at his friend's obvious distress. To Nitori's confusion, he was still dress in the school uniform.

Rin grunted. "The hell were you?"

"Doctor's appointment. You look terrible," he grabbed water from atop the office's mini fridge, throwing another to the captain, who caught it effortlessly.

Seeing Rin's lack of motivation, Nitori decided to enlighten Sosuke to the situation. Figuring the short version would suffice, he explained, "Rin-senpai saw Gou-chan on a date at the mall, so he decided to get her a boyfriend that he would approve of."

Sosuke's teal eyes brightened, his eyes growing interested at the newly discovered report. "You should have said something. I would be happy to take Gou out." Sosuke sent his friend a charismatic smile as he indicated his assurances.

Rin's eyes narrowed. It was the very same smile that had always sent girl's heart's racing out their chests through their youth, and even now. The gleam in his eye was too bright, too eager, causing suspicion to grow in the pit of his stomach. Something about the tone coupled with the expression revealed his friend was slightly too interested in the disclosure.

"No way in hell."

It was his last hope. He had done a thorough background check of nearly every guy in his school, and when that failed, went and scouted at any local hangout. He even toyed briefly with asking Nitori, but figured the kid would feel much too awkward to see her in that sort of light. Regardless, when he asked, Nitori could barely string together a proper sentence. Gou was skilled at dealing with just about anyone, but he wanted her to feel completely and totally at ease. (But not too at ease, lest she get the urge to do some activities that would cause their father to turn in his grave.)

So, exactly one week after that fateful mall meeting, Rin cancelled practice, instead, electing to make a field trip to a certain swim team.

When he opened the gate to the pool, Rin had to smile at the familiar dynamic. Haru was (surprise, surprise) already swimming, while Makoto directed the others with the plan for the day. Gou stood off to the side, animatedly talking numbers with Ama-sensei. When she caught sight of him, she rushed over and gave him a brief hug. The others followed quickly after, Nagisa throwing out an excited, "Rin-chan!" as they made their way to greet their visitor. Haru offered him a nod from the pool, before returning to lazily floating in the chlorinated water.

"Onii-chan, what are you doing here?" Gou inquired with a tilt of her head.

He gave her a small turn of his lips. Casually his eyes slide to his target.

"Actually," he started sheepishly, "I came to ask you something."

"Me?" Makoto, surprised, began to rub the back of his neck in a characteristically sheepish manner. "What about?"

Catching the hint, the others left the two to their business. When the group was out of earshot- Nagisa had to be pulled away by a reprimanding Rei- Rin took a deep breath. He had spent all night thinking of the best way to approach this, and after much deliberation, decided to just go with his gut. Meeting his friend's earnest emerald eyes, Rin steadied himself.

"I want you to date my sister."

He blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

"Wh-what?!"

Makoto nearly fell backwards, as if Rin had socked him. Verbally, he supposed he did. In hindsight, that might have been a bit out of the blue for anyone not experiencing the turmoil of his week.

Patiently, Rin reiterated, "I want you to date my sister. Gou."

If he had been as observant as he usually was, Rin would have noticed the green eyes that keep nervously darting over his shoulder. He would have seen Haru finally get out of the water and accept the towel that was affectionately handed to him by the girl in question. He would have turned around and saw the couple standing much too close to be considered platonic, as they debated what it was the two of them were discussing. He would have seen Haru make some comment that caused Gou to hit him softly on his arm, a flirtatiously offended expression adorably featured. Unfortunately for Rin, he was too busy furthering his explanation to pay attention to these little details.

"You should think of it as a compliment, really," Rin rattled on. "I interviewed my whole swim team and over half of Samezuka Academy, but you were the only guy I could think of that was worthy of her. You're a nice person, and I know you would treat her with nothing but respect and care and dignity and everything else she deserves-"

"Rin, that's," Makoto cut him off, hands held defensively out in front of him, "Gosh, that's really nice of you, Rin, but I don't think that's the best idea."

He scowled at this. In every scenario he had managed to conjure up in his mind, never once did he consider Makoto might not be all for the idea. He was offering him the chance of a lifetime, here!

"What?" he snapped harshing, causing the taller boy to flinch, "is she not good enough for you, or something?"

Expressive eyes widened comically, and his head was quickly shaken back and forth. "No, no, that's not it at all! Gou-chan is great and all, but-"

"Then what's the problem?"

Stealing another glance at the pair, Makoto took processed the warning in his best friend's usually steely gaze. Gou had stuck her lip out and widened her eyes, subtly pleading. Idly, he debated the best way to approach this situation, when a heavy sigh stole his attention.

"Look," Rin compromised, "all I'm asking is for one date. Take her out one time and I'll never ask you for anything again. Okay?"

Wearily, his gaze trailed between the two once more, before finally muttering a, "Okay. One date."

Idly, Makoto pondered what was worse: the hopeful grin Rin was now sporting, the hoot of laughter courtesy of Nagisa, or Rei throwing around what he assumed to be percentages of this situation ending very, very badly.

Honestly, the things he does for those two.

The date was simple enough, Rin supposed. Makoto had picked Gou up at their house, and after a carefully calculated time, Rin carefully began his duty of following behind. They walked along the beach, Makoto purchased ice cream, and now they were heading towards a small café that was known for their assortment of sweets. It also had a lovely view of the ocean, if he remembered correctly.

Overall, Rin was satisfied. Makoto was the perfect gentleman, opening doors for her, offering to carry her bag, and performing a plethora of other chivalrous gestures that Gou seemed to appreciate, as well. He carried on an easy conversation most of the day without standing too close. He didn't touch her at all, really. It was almost as if they were… friends. And a platonic love life was just fine, as far as Rin was concerned.

Rin grabbed a table close by, and swiftly picked up a menu to hide his face. It wasn't until the two had ordered that Rin felt a disturbance at the table. A chair scratched noisily against the brick as it was aggressively pulled out, and Haru gracelessly plopped down into it.

Surprised, Rin had to do a double take. Not only had Haru recognized him through his brilliant disguise, a similar one to that of the mall fiasco, but also he seemed to be in a notably poorer mood than normal. He was slouched in his seat, arms crossed, glaring grumpily at a crack in the wall.

Figuring it wouldn't matter if they caught sight of both of them, Rin removed the oversized sunglasses and unwrapped his scarf, tossing it carelessly on the table.

"What's up with you?" he asked, eying his friend wearily.

A small sound of distain was all the reply he got, and really, it was unlikely any more than that would be given to him. So instead, Rin was left alone to his thoughts, which for the first time in a week didn't center on his sister's choice in partners.

It was rare for Haru to leave his house, unless someone forcefully dragged him along. It was even more rare for him to agree to visit such a populated place. What was he even doing here? What could have possibly been appealing enough to drag him out of his home and half way across town?

Rin was pulled from his train of idle thought by a boisterous laugh to his left. Gou was giggling heavily at something Makoto said, as he laughed boyishly to her left. Feeling oddly accomplished, Rin gave a proud smile, until he noticed an almost dangerous aura coming from the other side of the table. Haru's expression had darkened considerably, his obvious displeasure becoming almost palpable. Honestly, Rin was surprised that the potted plant, which was on the receiving end of his merciless glare, hadn't spontaneously combusted. 'If looks could kill' was damn right.

"Oi," he nudged the guy with his foot under the table, "I don't know what that plant ever did to you, but with that look, you're going to give children nightmares."

Haru's eyes fluidly slipped away, as they always did when he elected to ignore a statement he wasn't a fan of. Fortunately for Rin, the boy's look had lightened from purely demonic to pouting tween. However, when he noticed where his friend's attention was located, Rin couldn't restrain the single eyebrow from pushing up his forehead.

"What, are you mad Makoto's on a date, or something?"

Haru blinked. "That's actually not too far from the truth."

The comment was meant to be a lighthearted jest, but Haru's response threw him for a loop. Was Haru jealous that Makoto was going out with his sister?!

"What the hell, man, I was kidding!" Rin exclaimed, nearly falling back in his chair.

Haru simply shrugged, as he turned once again towards the duo.

"You asked," he grumbled, almost to himself.

In his reeling state, Rin nearly missed Makoto and Gou rising from their seats, and Haru following right behind. Just as they were turning to leave, Gou's boot caught on the edge of the smoky steel seat, causing her to let out a squeal as she lost her footing.

"Gou!" Rin yelled, hurrying over to her side.

He reached out to catch her, hoping to limit any possible injuries, only to see another figure beat him to it.

Haru was firmly holding her against him; one arm wrapped protectively around her slim waist while the other firmly cradled her wrist. Seeing the muscled chest, Gou flushed, looking up to meet a familiar pair of cobalt eyes.

She smiled sweetly and apologetically at the boy, as she spoke, "Thank you, Haruka-senpai."

Haru frowned, reprimanding, "You need to be careful." The obvious worry in his eyes counteracted any of the stiffness of the statement, betraying how concerned he really was for the girl still held protectively in his grasp.

Rin looked between the two, completely deadpanned, unsure of what to make of the strange occurrence. Makoto was smiling off to the side, as if this wasn't a total anomaly and his date wasn't currently in the arms of another man. Haru, who normally went out of his way to avoid any type of physical contact, seemed completely at ease with the entire thing. Gou, aside from appearing slightly flushed in embarrassment, didn't project even a slight sign of discomfort, like it wasn't the first time Haru had been so close.

It was too weird.

"Someone mind telling me what the hell is going on here?"

Gou's eyes widened and after silently communicating something to Haru- seriously, what the hell- moved away to confront her neglected brother.

"Onii-chan, there's something we've been meaning to tell you," Gou determinedly met his strong ruby gaze with one of her own. "I think it's really sweet that you care so much about my happiness, and oddly enough, I really appreciate your unique way of showing it. But, you need to known. Haruka-senpai and I are dating."

Rin didn't react. His expression remained as blank as when Haru first saved her. Taking it as a positive, Gou elected to keep going. Better to babble aimlessly than stand in awkward silence.

"It's been nearly six months now. We were going to tell you, but we just couldn't seem to get the timing right, and with the upcoming relay things just kind of got out of hand. Really, though, it's a good thing this happened. Honestly-"

"You're dating fish boy?!"

Ah, there's the reaction they had been expecting.

Gou scowled, defensively arguing, "Onii-chan, that's mean! Don't call him that!"

Rin's eyes widened as his rage inflated. "Gou. His sexuality is water."

Stepping forward until they were nose to nose, Gou yelled, "Take that back! You don't know the first thing about our relationship! If you did, you would definitely not be saying that!"

It took a moment for the implications of her remark to fall together in the elder Matsuoka's mind, but when it did, it was as if a dark cloud was suddenly hanging over the group. Calmly, Rin turned his attention to his childhood friend; giving him the most chilling glare he had ever had the displeasure of witnessing.

"Haru?"

"Yeah?"

"Run."

Random note, this ended up being 15 pages, which is funny since it's the first day of 2015. Ha, what a coincidence. Anyway, I had way, way too much fun writing this. I hope you had just as much fun reading it! I'd love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to throw a review my way. Happy New Year, lovelies :)