A.N: I wrote this ages ago back when the last OVA for season one came out. It's still super cute, though, so I thought I'd share it with you.

VI.

"Makoto," Haruka said his name with a puzzled lift, "Back there, why'd you lie?" They were on there way home from the high school after practicing. Rin had been there, and somehow, Haruka had ended up being tickled.

Makoto stopped walking, giving Haruka a small smile. "What do you mean?"

"You said that the only time you heard me laugh was that school trip..." Haruka frowned at him as he ceased his walking, drawing his eyebrows together. "So why didn't you tell the others the truth?"

The brunet chuckled, shaking his head. "Because, all those other laughs were just for me. I was feeling a little selfish, I knew Rin would want to make you laugh again and, well, I wanted to hear it." He rubbed his neck nervously, an action that made Haruka sigh out of habit.

"You're ridiculous," he muttered, "If you want to hear me laugh, just say so." And with that, Haruka hurriedly resumed walking so Makoto wouldn't catch his blush.

The effort was in vain, because his younger friend was smiling from ear to ear with his own rosy cheeks.

V.

It was their first day of high school. Makoto was nervous, hurrying up the stairs to Haruka's bathroom to make sure he was ready. Unfortunately, the other boy was soaking as usual.

"Jeez, what am I going to do with you?" Makoto whined when his friend surfaced. He stood at the edge of the tub, holding out his hand with an exasperated smile. "Come on, Haru-chan."

Haruka pouted, taking his hand. "Drop the chan already."

Makoto hoisted him upwards, smile unwavering, until he saw that Haruka was wearing a swimsuit. In the bathtub.

"What the-?" Makoto spluttered, and suddenly, he lost his balance and fell forwards, landing in Haruka's bathtub and taking the other boy down with a loud SPLASH!

Silence, and then Makoto whined: "My uniform!" He sat up straight, water falling off his clothes and hair as he struggled to free his entangled rims from Haruka's- "Haru! Oh crap, are you okay?"

Makoto scrambled off his friend, a sinking feeling in his stomach when he saw his friend's shoulders shaking.

Suddenly, with a small shift in the water, Haruka looked up. And he laughed.

It had been years since Makoto had last heard that sound, and now, sitting less than a foot away from his friend while he made the happiest, cutest noise Makoto had ever heard, he stopped caring about his wet clothes. He felt himself grow warm, his mouth agape and his heart in his throat.

Haruka stopped laughing after about ten seconds, and then he smiled very faintly at Makoto. "You're an idiot."

Heart hammering away, Makoto could only stutter. "W-well you're wet! And the swimsuit surprised me..."

Haruka stood up, pulling Makoto with him. "You got taller, that's why you've been so clumsy lately." He peered up at his friend, pushing away a damp piece of Makoto's hair from his forehead. "Tripping over your big feet."

Makoto was blushing like crazy. They were too close, they were soaked, Haruka wasn't wearing a shirt.

"School," Makoto finally said, though it was rather hoarsely. "We'll be late for school."

"Don't care," Haruka said, his hands sliding along Makoto's shoulders. "I don't want to go."

Even Makoto's hormones were screaming for the opposite, he stepped out of the tub. "Come on, Haru. At least show up for one day." He hurried to the washing machine and drier downstairs, wondering if he had time to fix his clothes.

With a sigh, Haruka followed him.

IV.

"Haru, I'm scared." Makoto whimpered, pulling on his friend's sleeve. They were twelve years old, their class had decided to do a haunted house for the school's festival.

In the darkness of their classroom closet, Haruka and Makoto sat, dressed as skeletons, waiting to pop out and scare people. Makoto was shivering, and because it was such a cramped space. Haruka could feel him shaking.

"We're supposed to scare them," Haruka mumbled, trying to glare at his friend through the darkness. "Why're you freaking out?"

"The music! It's so creepy!" Makoto whined, and Haruka had to agree. They were playing one of those spooky tracks with the sound of creaking wood and wind chimes. Makoto had always hated those.

Haruka let out a huff, reaching through the darkness and finding Makoto's hand. He knew he liked holding onto things when he was scared, and he especially liked grabbing at Haruka himself. Not that the other boy minded, he found it kind of endearing.

"H-Haru," Makoto said, clutching tightly to his hand. "Thanks."

There was a scream from one of the students who'd entered the room. Makoto screamed with her, pouncing on Haruka and clinging to him like a koala bear.

When he finally calmed down, Haruka couldn't help it: he snickered.

That snicker soon became a full on laugh, and Makoto slowly laughed with him. He was calming down, thank goodness.

"Where'a the creepy giggling coming from?" A voice came from outside their hiding spot. "It's so freaky!"

And Makoto and Haruka found themselves laughing for the rest of the festival.

III.

Grandmother Nanase was telling them a story. It was Haruka's ninth birthday, and his patents were home for a change. Makoto was invited over, Haruka having no other real friends, and they were sitting in the living room munching on cake.

Makoto was especially distracted with how happy Haruka looked that day. It made his chest feel funny whenever Haruka smiled at his parents, or his grandma. He should smile like that all the time.

"...and that's when I decided never to wrestle a cat again!" Granny finished her story, and to Makoto's absolute shock- Haruka laughed.

Haruka Nanase, the most stoic, pokerfaced boy Makoto had ever met, laughed.

It made him feel like a thousand butterflies were loose in his stomach, and Makoto smiled giddily as he watched his best friend make the most beautiful sound he'd ever caught his eye and looked at him kind of nervously, "What?"

"You're laughing," Makoto said, his voice airy and proud. "I'm so glad."

"Why're you crying?" Haruka mumbled, awkwardly scooting over to wipe Makoto's drenched face. Huh, he really was crying.

"I don't know?" Makoto sniffled, giggling. "I'm just so happy!"

Granny shot them a grin, shaking her head at the young boys. "Honestly, you two. I've never seen kids so in love."

"Grandma!" Haruka hissed, but he coild never truly get mad with her. She and Makoto were the exceptions to his little bubble of irritation with the rest of humanity.

Makoto stopped crying when Haruka gave him more cake and smiled again.

II.

Haruka stared dumbly at the dolphin in his hand. Makoto had wanted the dolphin, too. He knew it, he knew Makoto didn't want the clownfish nearly as much as the dolphin.

So why was he the one holding it?

"Are you sure you're okay with me taking this?" Haruka murmured, as he and Makoto trailed after the Tachibana parents who were walking them back from their first swimming lesson.

Makoto smiled his warm, big smile. "I want you to have it, Haru-chan."

"Why?" Haruka pouted, he just couldn't understand. "Don't you want it?"

"I want Haru-chan to be happy more than I want the toy!" Makoto proclaimed loudly, and Haruka noted the small smile Ms. Tachibana shot her son.

"You... Don't make any sense." Haruka said with a sigh, and then he smiled at the toy in his hands. "You never do."

"Eh? What's that mean?" Makoto whined, but he was cut off by a foreign sound. A light, gigglish sound that he couldn't remember ever hearing.

Haruka Nanase was laughing at him.

Makoto's eyes widened, and he gaped like a fish. His parents are looking over their shoulders, just as incredulous at the idea of Haruka laughing as Makoto is.

It was the first he'd ever ever heard him laugh. And he loved it.

"Haru!" Makoto yelped, jumping onto his friend and locking him in a tight hug. Haruka keeps laughing into his shoulder, even though he's confused.

Without thinking, Makoto took his friend's chubby cheeks and planted a wet sloppy kiss on them, laughing like a maniac in his joy. Haruka went red, and he rolled his eyes.

"What're you doing, dummy?" He sighed, and Makoto hugged him tighter.

"Laugh again! Laugh again!"

But the only people who laughed during the rest of the walk were Makoto's chuckling parents at the two arguing boys behind them.

I.

"How old's yours?" Ms. Nanase asked her new neighbor, who was hunched over her garden and smiling at her in a breathless kind of way.

"Our little handful is almost three." Ms. Tachibana smiled, shaking her head. "I'm so glad we moved into a neighborhood with another kid, Makoto's very shy, so it might do him some good."

"Haruka has the same problem," Ms. Nanase laughed, "He's just like his father, stony and emotionless even as a baby."

"I hope they can get along!"

A few feet away from them, the children in question stared at each other. Makoto clutching his stuffed orca against his chest, and Haruka looking bored.

"Um... I'm M-Makoto!" The brunet stuttered, shyly hiding his face. "Who're you?"

"Haruka," the other boy responded, a little stiffly adding, "But call me Haru, my grandma calls me Haru."

"Haru...chan?" Makoto tried, perking up.

Haruka frowned "Haru."

"Haru-chan!" Makoto giggled, "It's girly just like mine!"

"You're weird," Haruka decided, and then, he giggled, too. "I like you."

Ms. Nanase and Tachibana watched their shy, quiet boys smile and giggle like normal children in shock.

"I'm glad you moved here." Ms. Nanase nodded, "Please visit with Makoto any time."

"Will do," Ms. Tachibana replied, still shocked their sons had hit it off that quickly. She didn't even notice the tears in her new neighbor's eyes because Haruka hadn't giggled at anybody since he was old even to speak in full sentences.

It was the first day they'd met, and although Makoto couldn't quite remember it, he was pretty sure Haru laughed.