Thanks to my friend Shinx for proofreading and Brittany for the encouragement!


Makoto's throat dried instantaneously. Yes, he buried his goldfish; yes, he's more superstitious than he'd care to admit. But even for him, this was ridiculous.

Haru paused after noticing the brunet's expression. "Makoto."

Green eyes squinted at the strip of paper, a shuddering breath puncturing the night.

Silent affection will forever go unnoticed.

. . .

Not long after Rin and Nitori left, Haru stood up and grabbed his knapsack. "Thanks for the food."

"Ah, Haru-chan, are you leaving already?" Nagisa frowned.

"There's a test tomorrow" was all the black-haired swimmer offered in explanation.

Makoto rose from the floor as well and stretched his back muscles. "I need to study as well, Nagisa. But thank you for having me over."

Gou- Kou?- wiped the crumbs off her skirt. "Should probably head back myself. It's getting kinda dark." She placed a cookie in each boy's hands. "I'll see you tomorrow at practice!" With that, she bowed and exited, ponytail bouncing in the evening wind.

"I should also take my exi-" Rei began, but was cut off by Nagisa wrapping himself around Rei's legs.

"No, Rei-chan! Stay and help me study! I could barely understand anything in math today…"

"Nagisa-kun…" Rei sighed, pushing up his glasses, but ultimately agreeing with a "very well- but no silliness!"

Makoto gave a small laugh at the younger boys' antics, but nearly tripped grabbing his stuff as Haru headed for the door. "Haru-chan, wait!"

Haru did stop on the front lawn, however, his expression was unreadable. "Drop the -chan."

A smile graced the brunet's lips. "Maybe."

The pair walked towards their houses, a comfortable silence settling in. "That was fun," Makoto said eventually. Haru just shrugs. "Nice to hang out with Rin and Nitori outside of the pool."

"Nitori is strange," Haru replied.

Makoto's grin faded somewhat. "How so?"

Another shrug. "I don't know him."

"That doesn't make him odd. It just means you need to spend more time with him. You felt the same way about Rei at first, remember?"

Makoto didn't get a verbal response, but he could tell Haru agreed by the way his shoulders relax. Those kind of reactions were easy for Makoto to analyze. In fact, there was only one thing he had difficulty deciphering.

Could Haru love?

It wasn't that Makoto doubted Haru's ability to care for something, take pleasure in it, express affection. There was no denying his… unique attraction towards water, and the adoration for mackerel wasn't to be glossed over, either. And he could clearly build relationships; his friends were proof of that.

Yet this was the same person who stayed behind when his family moved, had never shown interest in other students of either gender, was apathetic to the center. Maybe, Makoto thought, Haru simply couldn't love.

This was not a problem for himself. From a very young age, Makoto was acutely aware of his fondness for his best friend. He could even pinpoint the exact moment he realized- the day Haru quit swimming and his whole world shattered.

Now though, Haru was happy. Perhaps not outwardly so, but Makoto could tell. And so he was happy as well.

Makoto could also sense how stressed Haru was. The party- he lacked a better term- flustered the shorter boy. "You lied about the test, right? So you could go home and take a bath?"

Haru didn't answer at first, but after a minute, said "thanks for going along."

"No problem." They had reached the staircase- their place to part ways. The ocean's waves provided a soothing soundtrack. "Before you head home, though, do you mind sharing the fortune you got?"

Haru turned to face Makoto. "Oh. The cookies. Yeah, sure." He fished the treat from his bag.

Makoto took his own snack and unwrapped the crinkly plastic. He bit into the treat, making sure to grab the paper first.

"'It is always darkest before the dawn,'" Haru recited with a scoff. "You?"

Makoto didn't respond. He was too busy shaking.

. . .

"What does it say?" Haru asked, foot tapping.

"W-what? Oh!" Makoto blushed. "U-uh, 'meet y-your destiny with open arms.' Pretty silly, huh?"

Haru nodded. "See you tomorrow." He began to walk his route home.

"Wait!" Makoto yelled before he could even process his own actions.

Haru stopped walking but faced forward. Makoto took a shaky breath. "Haru, you know that I…"

It's now or never.

"You know that I like you, right?"

He shouted it more at the ground than at Haru, but the footsteps growing louder indicated he heard. "I know. I do too."

Makoto shook his head, laughing bitterly. Of course he didn't get it. "No, Haruka…" His voice suddenly dropped to a mouse's call. "I-I mean that I… I love you."

Silence. Not even the ocean interrupted. Then… a sigh. "I know, Makoto. I do too."

Makoto's head jerked up at lightspeed, desperate to meet Haru's eyes. But there was no Haru in his field of vision. Instead, a cool and sandpapery texture pressed itself to his jawline for a second. Makoto looked to his side and the teen pulling away from him.

"...I meant to do your cheek," Haru said quietly, a red dust over his face. "You're too damn tall."

Makoto laughed, drowning out the tide rolling in, and took Haru's hand, forgetting why he was nervous in the first place.

No wonder Rin had called fortune cookies stupid. They could never be right.


Haru is an absolute cupcake. Tomorrow, we have dorks and thugs. Awwwwwww yeah.