A/N: I filled my own prompt XD FYI, Makoto and Takao are voiced by Tattsun, Haru and Ryou are voiced by Zakki. MidoTaka and MakoHaru are my OTPs ;)
Some info:
-According to the KnB character bible, Sakurai's specialty is making bentou, and his interest (hobby) is drawing manga. He's the same height as Haru!
-Takao and Makoto are Scorpio, Haru and Midorima are Cancers. Scorpios and Cancers are said to be highly compatible.
-I can't believe Touou and Shutoku haven't had a match yet. Why.
That's all, let me know if you enjoyed the story :)
It happened often enough. One moment Haruka was right by his side, the next moment he was gone. Naturally, a water body was almost always involved. So Makoto's first thought was to retrace his steps to the large water fountain they had passed by earlier. Expectedly, he had caught blue eyes sparkling at the sight of it and instinctively grabbed hold of the other's hand before he could proceed to do anything that would get him arrested for public indecency.
Makoto had let go of Haru's hand to get a little kitten out of the way of the walking crowd. It was when returned his attention to Haru that he realized he had lost sight of him. He thought he might find Haru at the water fountain, but he couldn't find him there, or anywhere else. It was lucky that he insisted Haru bring his phone with him just in case they got separated—or so he had thought. At least he was right in assuming that there'd be a huge crowd at the newly opened plaza. But after texting Haru and calling him several times to no avail, Makoto started to panic.
It's half past noon and he has searched around for an hour now. He has tried calling Haru's landline but there was no answer either. Haru wouldn't head home without him, would he? Makoto looks around, downcast. His eyes light up when he spots familiar black hair amidst the crowd. "Haru..."
"Haru!" He shouts as he threads his way through the crowd.
"Ha—" He stops as he gets close enough to realize it isn't Haru.
Makoto sighs, clutching his phone. The outdoor shopping district is huge. Where can Haru be? Why isn't Haru answering his phone? What could have happened? Did Haru get lost? He couldn't have been arrested, right...? What if Haru has been kidnapped— Makoto shakes his head, snapping himself out of his ridiculous train of thoughts. He jumps as he feels his phone vibrate in his hand. Heaving a sigh of relief when he sees the caller ID, he answers the incoming call.
"H—Hello?"
"Haru!" His heart feels much lighter as he hears the other's voice over the phone. He wipes the perspiration from his forehead with the back of his hand. "Haru, where are you?"
" Ah... Umm..."
"Geez! You didn't pick up even though I called you so many times, I thought... "
"Sorry..."
"E—Eh?"
"Sorry!"
"H—Huh? I'm not angry at you, Haru... You don't have to—"
"I'm so sorry!"
"Haru? Are you okay? Did something happen? Is someone there?" Makoto feels his heart pounding frantically. Haru is acting weird and even sounds like he's scared. It's unusual for Haru to be spooked by anything. Is he being threatened?
"No..."
He sighs in relief. "Where are you, Haru? I'll come find you now. "
"Eh?!"
Makoto can't help but worry. Haru isn't being his usual composed self at all. He sounds anything but composed. "It's alright, Haru. Just tell me, umm... Is there any sort of landmark you see?"
"Statue... Iwatobi...-chan?"
"I'll be right there, okay?" Makoto recalls seeing sculptures of Iwatobi-chan and some other mascots which he didn't recognize earlier, though he didn't find Haru when he looked there before.
"Umm... Excuse me—" The line is cut off before Ryou can finish his sentence. He stares in horror at the phone in his hand which has just run out of battery power. "Sorry..." he whimpers.
Beep, beep, beep...
'Excuse me'? Who was Haru talking to? Makoto tries to call Haru, but he doesn't get through. "Haru..."He mutters under his breath, before starting to run in the direction where the other is.
Running past the shopping crowd, he arrives at the open square with the mascot statues, panting. It appears to be a popular rendezvous spot and attraction. More importantly, where is Haru? He looks around frantically, but the only person he sees at the Iwatobi-chan statue is a boy with wheat brown hair.
He is about to try calling Haru again when he spots the blue coloured phone in the boy's hand—the same one that Haru is using. It may be a mere coincidence, but there's no harm asking. Tentatively, he approaches the boy.
"Excuse me..."
"Eep! I'm sorry!" The boy starts to bow and apologise profusely.
Makoto's eyes widen. It isn't possible, but the boy has Haru's voice. Only it has a softer tone, it's more high-pitched, and it isn't Haru. That means...
"Umm... You were the one speaking to me on the phone just now?"
"Ah! I'm so sorry!" He continues apologising as he hands over Haru's phone.
"No, no!" Makoto waves his hand in what he hopes is a gesture to assure him. "You don't have to apologise. You didn't do anything wrong... In fact, I need to thank you returning my friend's phone."
"Eh?"
Makoto smiles as he meets the other's large brown eyes. They remind him of a nervous little puppy. "Actually... I may need your help."
The boy seems to calm down as he returns a shy smile. "Are you... Are you looking for someone?"
"Yes," Makoto scratches his neck. "The truth is, I got separated from my friend and I don't know where he is. Have you seen him?" Makoto shows him a picture of Haru and himself on his phone—the only pictures of Haru he has with him right now.
"No... I'm s—"
"A—Ah, it's okay..." Makoto assures him because he looks like he's going to start apologising again. "Is this where you found his phone?"
"No... It's at... Ah, I can take you there, if you want..." He looks up at Makoto timidly. Makoto notes that he's about the same height as Haru.
"That'd be great!" Makoto gratefully accepts the offer. "Thank you, umm... How should I call you?"
"Sakurai... Sakurai Ryou."
"Thank you, Sakurai-san. I'm Makoto. Tachibana Makoto."
"Tachibana-san..."
"Ah... 'Makoto' is fine." It feels uncomfortable to have such a familiar voice address him like a stranger.
"Makoto... You can call me Ryou, iーif you want..."
Makoto smiles, nodding in response. He almost thinks it's Haru he hears. Makoto looks worriedly at Haru's phone in his hand. Where can Haru be? His thoughts are interrupted by a loud growl. He blushes as he realizes it came from his stomach. He hasn't eaten anything since spending the whole time looking for Haru.
"Makoto...-san." He adds softly. "Would you like something to eat?" Ryou looks up at him expectantly, holding up a lunchbox that he has taken out from the paper bag he's been carrying.
Haru... That's right,Haru made them lunchboxes for this little outing too...
"Makoto?"
Makoto blinks. He looks at the offered bentou. Smiling, he accepts. "Okay."
For some reason, he finds it hard to reject the boy in front of him.
"...Did you make this yourself, Ryou?"
"Yes..." The boy smiles, looking confident for a change.
"This is amazing! Can I really have it?"
Ryou nods in response, blushing at the compliment.
Makoto thanks him, beaming. "I could never make something like this! Haru, though..." He looks down at the bentou consisting of artistically decorated rice with crayfish, tempura shrimp, octopus sausages and a variety of side dishes. Makoto is genuinely impressed, but he suddenly misses mackerel.
Haru is glad that the crowd has finally dispersed. Is it lunchtime already? The bentou... He sighs, blowing bubbles in the water. The water isn't doing much to soothe his irritation. In fact, it was what got him into this mess in the first place.
He recalls being halfway through stripping off his clothes when he sensed something missing. He stopped, turned around. "...Makoto?" He frowned when he realized that the other was nowhere to be found.
He doesn't think about why he was expecting Makoto to be there to stop him, or why he had felt annoyed when he wasn't. Deciding against entering the water, he had turned back to look for Makoto. The place was suddenly too big and crowded for his liking and it only added to his annoyance.
Just when he felt thankful for once that Makoto had made him bring his phone, he realised he had dropped it and he doesn't know where. He then decided he needed the water and now here he is, soaking himself in the water fountain, not caring about the looks he's been getting from passerbys. Well, if it stirs up enough commotion, Makoto's attention might be directed here anyway.
But as it turns out, most of the people simply walk away soon after. He currently feels lost, even though he isn't. He's separated from Makoto and can't seem to find him anywhere. Okay, so maybe he is lost. He has contemplated simply heading home, but he doesn't want to leave without Makoto. He sighs. Maybe he should have gone through with the option of borrowing a phone from someone else after all. He doesn't know who he should ask, though. Where have all the public phones gone anyway? He must be really worried by now. Idiot Makoto...
Something flops into the water out of nowhere, and Haru casually picks it up. It's a dolphin.
"...Oops."
"Takao."
"It's fine, it's fine! I'll go get it."
Haru's ears perk. Makoto? He emerges from the water, only to come face-to-face with a pair of shocked silvery blue eyes. They blink at him once before narrowing into upturned slits.
"Yo!" The boy smiles at him cheerily.
"What..." His green-haired bespectacled companion eyes Haru warily. "What are you doing in there?" He inquires, pushing his glasses up.
"Pffttt! You're being too serious, Shin-chan! You should be thanking him for retrieving your lucky item for you! Look!" He gestures to the little plastic dolphin in Haru's hand.
Haru takes one glance at it before handing it to him.
"Hey, thanks!"
Haru notes that the boy's voice sounds a lot like Makoto's and grimaces.
"Huh? Is there something wrong?"
"..."
"We might be able to help!" He prompts.
Haru hesitates, but since he plans on asking for help anyway... "I'm looking for someone."
"In here?" He asks, amused.
Haru narrows his eyes.
"I'm just kidding! So you got separated from your friend or something?"
"...Yeah." Haru tries not to turn his face away. "...I dropped my phone." He adds, because that's the whole purpose of this conversation.
"Ah, you can borrow mine!" He offers readily.
"As a matter of fact, shouldn't you get out of there first?" The taller guy offers, giving him a disapproving look.
"Shin-chan's right. You don't want to catch a cold, huh?" The black-haired boy reaches out his hand, smiling.
Haru's eyes widen at the familiarity of the action. Before he can stop himself, he has accepted the other's hand.
The boy blinks, eyeing Haru's swimsuit curiously. "Were you swimming?"
"...Not really." Haru replies simply as he gets dressed.
"I'm Takao Kazunari. Just call me Takao!" He grins. "And this is Shin-chan." Takao gestures to his tall green-haired companion, who coughs.
"It's Midorima Shintarou nanodayo."
"Oh yeah, you might have heard of him." Takao looks at him expectantly, which reminds Haru that he hasn't given them his name yet.
"...Nanase." He pauses before saying. He doesn't know why an introduction is necessary, but he figures he should return the courtesy. Makoto would chastise him for not doing so, if he were here... Haru isn't really comfortable with giving his full name to some strangers, though.
"Nanase, huh? Nice to meet you! Here you go!" Takao smiles as he hands Haru his phone. Haru can't help but turn away as he mumbles a 'thank you'.
Haru doesn't really bother memorising phone numbers since they're saved in his phone's contact list anyway. Then again, he doesn't even have that many contacts. In the first place, he seldom even uses his phone. Makoto's is one of the few contact numbers he knows and remembers, if not the only one. He dials Makoto's phone number and waits for the call to connect. It doesn't.
Haru frowns, trying again.
"Is there something wrong?"
Haru meets Takao's prying gaze and looks away.
"Don't be a busybody, Takao."
"Hmm~ I'm only trying to help. Besides, Shin-chan, don't you think this is some kind of fate? He even found your lucky item for us!"
"Hmph. It's only because Oha Asa said I should try walking near a water fountain or pool today that I'm here. And you were the one who dropped my lucky item in there. Oi, stop playing around with it!"
Takao ignores him and continues to twirl the little dolphin around his fingers. "Cancer has one of the worst lucks today, huh?"
Haru's eyes twitch a little at that. He isn't usually interested in things like horoscopes, but he at least knows his own zodiac sign. And if he remembers correctly, Makoto's is—
Takao smirks. "It also said that Scorpios should try to stay as close as possible to their partners, Shin-chan. You don't have to worry because I'll stay close and make sure nothing bad happens to you today, see~" As he says that he hooks Midorima's arm with his own and playfully leans his head on the other's shoulder.
"...Stop spouting nonsense, Takao. I have my lucky item to ensure that." Midorima averts his gaze but doesn't try to shrug Takao off.
"Huh, if you say so~"
"As usual our Ace-sama is such a tsundere~" Takao teases before releasing Midorima's arm and turning his attention back to Haru. Haru hopes Takao doesn't notice him fidgeting.
"Still can't get through, huh?" Takao peers over his shoulder.
Haru lowers his gaze, clutching onto the paper bag where he has packed the lunchboxes he had made for Makoto and himself.
"Ah, how about we help you look? I can take you around in that if you want!" He gestures to a trailer attached to a bicycle.
"Oi, Takao."
"Don't be stingy, Shin-chan!"
"...It's not necessary." Haru replies. What kind of a means of transport is that anyway?
"It's fine, it's fine! We said we would help you, right? Just get on, Nanase-san~!"
Haru is pushed towards the vehicle despite his protests, and he almost flinches at the way the familiar voice addresses his name.
"...Haruka." He blurts out before he can stop himself.
"What?"
"It's Nanase Haruka."
Takao pauses, and suddenly laughs. "Pffftt! It's a girl's name!"
Haru glares at him. What's so funny?
"Sorry, sorry!" Takao continues giggling, clutching his stomach.
Haru sighs. He wonders why he even thought for a second that he could trust the guy. Other than his voice, Takao isn't like Makoto at all. He suddenly feels himself being pushed onto the cart, and is joined by Midorima.
"Just sit tight, Haru-chan!"
"I told you to lay off the... –chan..." Haru blushes when he realises how he has replied out of habit. He turns away as Takao glances at him curiously.
"Oh my god!" Takao grins as he starts pedaling. "You remind me so much of Shin-chan! Pfft!"
"Shut up, Takao." Midorima reprimands, but Takao completely ignores him.
"Hey, Haru-chan, I think there's a popular rendezvous location here, so why don't we see if we can find your friend there?"
"...Yeah." Haru feels at ease with his new companions somehow.
Takao is a chatterbox, asking him about various random things on the way. It's a little annoying, but Haru doesn't mind his voice at all.
"Speaking of which, Haru-chan, what's your astrology sign?"
"Cancer."
"Eh~ Maybe that would explain why I feel such an affinity towards you!"
Midorima turns away, unimpressed.
"Right? Shin-chan~?"
"...Hmph."
Haru doesn't fail to notice the little smile on Midorima's face. For some reason, it makes him miss his own Scorpio...
The place Takao takes him to is a crowded square. Haru looks on disinterestedly at the people posing and taking pictures with the stone sculptures. The only one he can recognise is Iwatobi-chan.
"See your friend anywhere, Haru-chan?"
Haru isn't really expecting anything. He's about to say 'no' and thank Takao for his help when he spots familiar olive hair at a bench near the Iwatobi-chan statue.
He doesn't know what expression he's making for Takao to grin and immediately start speeding towards the direction he's looking.
They screech to a halt right in front of Makoto. Makoto's eyes widen in surprise.
"Haru!" He stands up as soon as he spots Haru, and Haru does the same.
Worry leaves his green eyes as they meet blue gaze. Makoto takes Haru's hands in his, holding onto them tightly. There are questions that Makoto wants to ask, but for now he doesn't.
Haru resists the urge to pounce himself on Makoto. He can't explain the overwhelming sense of warmth and relief filling his chest the moment he sees the other's face. Though, he's also thankful that Makoto hasn't started nagging at him yet.
"Haru... I'm so glad you're alright..." Makoto lifts one of his hands to place on Haru's cheek.
Makoto must have imagined awful things happening to him and worried unnecessarily. Haru wants to apologise, but he doesn't.
"...Idiot." Instead, Haru leans into the touch, placing his hand over Makoto's.
Makoto's smile widens, and Haru tries not to avert his gaze as he feels himself blushing, reciprocating with a small smile.
"U—Umm... Excuse me..."
Haru is snapped out of his momentary trance as he hears a voice that sounds strangely familiar. He looks to the source, at the bentou in the other's hands and at the half-eaten bentou placed next to him on the bench. Haru narrows his eyes.
"S—Sorry!" Ryou apologises in a squeak, shuddering.
"A—Ah, Haru, you scared him!" Makoto looks at Ryou apologetically. "Sorry, Ryou..."
Haru turns away, pouting. Makoto sighs.
"Pfft! He really reminds me of you, Shin-chan!" Takao can't contain his amusement any longer and starts laughing.
"Shut up, Takao."
"Ah, you're the ones who helped Haru? Thank you so much!" Makoto smiles, thanking the pair.
"Hmm~? Now you notice us!" Takao teases, which makes Makoto blush.
"Takao."
"Sorry, sorry! Actually, don't worry about it! Haru-chan did us a huge favor too!" Takao puts an arm around Haru, which makes the latter narrow his eyes.
"Haru...-chan?" Makoto glances at Haru, who refuses to meet his gaze. Makoto can't help but chuckle at the sight.
"Yeah! He helped retrieve Shin-chan's lucky item from that big water fountain!"
"Water fountain? Haru, you didn't..."
"Ahhh~ There was a person in there. I was so surprised!"
Haru meets Makoto's gaze for a second before averting his. Haruuu...! Makoto sighs. He will have to chastise him for that later.
"Umm... Excuse me..." Ryou interrupts the conversation timidly for the second time.
"Oh yeah! This is Ryou. He found your phone, Haru." Makoto hands the phone back to Haru, who simply blinks at it.
"Ryou, this is Haru."
"H—Hello, Haru-san."
Haru acknowledges him with a nod.
"Oh? You look familiar..." Takao places a hand to his chin as he moves to look at Ryou. "Aren't you from..." He grins. "Never mind! I'm Takao, and this is Midorima!"
Ryou glances at the green-haired teen and tenses.
"You can call me Makoto." Makoto introduces himself, smiling.
"Right. You must be Haru-chan's boyfriend. Nice to meet you!"
"U—Umm..." Makoto stutters, looking to Haru for help.
Takao slaps Makoto's shoulder, trying to suppress a laughter at his reaction. "Hey! I'm just kidding!"
Haru narrows his eyes at that, stepping closer to Makoto defensively.
"Pff..." Takao coughs to stop himself before he starts laughing again. "Haa~ I'm actually pretty hungry after riding that around all day..." He eyes the rear cart. "What do you say about having lunch together somewhere?"
He looks around, waiting for an opinion.
Ryou speaks up first. "Umm... Excuse me...If you're hungry, would you like...?" He offers him two lunchboxes.
"Oh? Is it really okay?" He grins, already reaching out to accept his lunch. Ryou nods.
"Wow! Thanks so much! What do you say, Shin-chan?"
"Don't ask me when you've already taken them!"
"Woah!" Takao exclaims as he opens up the lunchbox.
Makoto smiles. "Ryou is really amazing, huh? Not only does it look good, it tastes great too!" He contributes, which makes Haru glare at Ryou.
"...Makoto." Haru removes two lunchboxes from his paper bag and presents it to Makoto.
"Un. Let's eat too, Haru."
"Well then..."
"Itadakimasu!" They chorus as they begin their meal.
"Say," Takao starts as he swallows a mouthful of rice. "Do you usually bring a stack of lunchboxes with you when you're out shopping?"
"Ah, I'm meeting my friends later... They kind of eat a lot, so I always have to make extra." Ryou explains.
"Mmm. I see." Takao wonders how tiring it is to be in charge of making lunch for an entire team of basketball players.
"Haru, would you like some of these?" Makoto offers some of his half-eaten bentou that he has accepted from Ryou earlier.
"...Okay."
"It's delicious, right?"
Haru looks at his own bentou. Idiot Makoto...
"...Makoto."
"Hmm?"
He averts his gaze as he meets Makoto's questioning ones. Makoto's expression softens knowingly.
" I still like Haru's bentou the best, though." It's the truth, and it makes Haru smile. This time, it's Ryou's turn to pout.
"That was so smooth." Takao leans over to whisper in Makoto's ear when Haru isn't looking. Makoto blinks, confused.
"Give me some tips later, yeah?" He asks out loud, directing a wink towards Makoto before returning his attention to Midorima.
"Shin-chan~ Give me some of that!"
"No!"
"Haru, don't move." Makoto moves his hand over Haru's mouth, and removes a grain of rice from its corner. "There."
"...Makoto too." Haru leans over and licks the sauce from the corner of Makoto's mouth.
"Haruuu!" Makoto exclaims, feeling the heat rise up his cheeks.
Ryou observes their interactions with piqued interest. That night, he has more than enough inspirations for his new doujinshi.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! It's my first time writing a crossover... I hope this was okay!