CHAPTER TWO

The sight of Rin, alive and breathing, huddled in those clean white sheets, made it feel as if a huge weight has been lifted off of Haruka's chest. It was comforting, to be able to see that smile on the shark's face, to know that he was at least alright in the physical sense.

He was sure that Makoto was feeling the same thing as well, judging by his reaction.

The brunette didn't waste a single moment as he flung himself at the older male; hugging him so tight, so desperately, that Haruka himself couldn't help but crack a small smile. Those two were hopelessly in love, that much was obvious, but Haruka somehow felt uneasy thinking about the aftermaths. Makoto being Makoto is obviously going to coddle the red-head to death, driven by love and guilt. He'd probably won't leave without double and triple checking that the red head would be fine all by himself.

But what about Rin?

Rin with his pride and stubbornness; would he accept Makoto's mothering and be overall clingy? Would he be dependent on Makoto's protection? Haru knew that the orca wouldn't mind it a single bit – the raven was sure that he'd be overjoyed at the thought of a dependent and needy Rin.

But the red-head had an odd way of thinking, and this was what confuses Haruka the most. There was a big possibility that Rin would also lock himself away again; distance himself from the world and just fall into his own personal hell hole. He'd weep, mope around and be overall emo and this was one of the possibilities that Haruka was hoping would not happen. It'd break Makoto's heart.

"Oi, Nanase."

Ah, this guy.

"What's gonna happen now, you think?"

Rin's closest friend from his Sano Elementary days, Yamazaki Sousuke. Quite the perfect guy, this one. There was once a time when Haruka was worried this guy would take Rin away from Makoto; he now understood Rin's jealousy towards his own relationship with said brunette.

"No idea," Haruka mumbled, shrugging as he folded his arms across his chest.

Which was, of course, a lie.

He had an idea.

He just didn't want to think about it.

There were times when Rin felt as if he were beneath the pole – the lowest of the low – and this was one of those times.

Seeing his lover scurry in and out of their shared bedroom to get things for him while he just laid there like some disabled person really made his body twitch. He was fine, for fuck's sake; a few bruises here and there won't kill him. He'd been through way much worse, especially back in the days when he was still in dear ol' Aussie. Rin had tried to convince his boyfriend that he was okay and could do everything by himself just fine; he had even gone and proven it to him by getting up earlier and fixing them both coffee.

But then of course, Makoto had thrown a panicked fit (which actually seemed kind of cute; not that he'd ever admit it out loud) and insisted on doing everything and Rin had no choice but to oblige when his lover gave him his infamous set of puppy eyes.

It turned out that Sousuke had given Haruka the wrong impression when he called said dolphin about Rin's condition; now everyone in their group of friends thought that he had gotten gang-raped by those guys in the alley. When in truth, Rin had succeeded into beating the crap out of them before managing to run away. His escape was, unfortunately, not a clean one and he had to suffer from the effects of the aphrodisiac that they had managed to inject into his arm.

And some bruises on his wrist, shoulder, neck and arms, but Rin guesses that they were nothing compared to the lust-induced state he was in when Sousuke found him.

Rin snorted.

Yeah, getting a late-night call from from your best friend only to find him bloody, bruised and dirty by some park and shaking with raw need wasn't something you could digest in ten seconds. The red head couldn't remember (and refuses to) the things he had most likely said and did to his friend, and wondered whether he had traumatized the poor guy. He must've at least tried to get his friend to grope him, that's for certain. God, if Rin was the one in his shoes, he wasn't sure he could've handled it. And yet, Sousuke had managed, even though Rin could swear he had done a few things worth landing him in a brothel.

"Here," Makoto smiled gently as he sat down beside him, a plate of rice and curry in one hand and a glass of water in the other, "I tried my best not to fuck this one up. It tastes decent, I swear."

Rin gave him a teasing look.

"If you fuck up rice and curry, I'm never letting you touch the stove again."

The smile that Makoto threw back at him as a makeshift reply made his heart flutter in his chest. He knew he was lucky to have this mother hen as his boyfriend; knew how many guys and girls out there that'd be prepared to kill to have a guy like Makoto be theirs. Yeah sure, he does have some issues, especially in the cooking department, but all of that simply paled in comparison to the sweet, nurturing, understanding and loving side of him. Rin wondered if he could ever repay the guy in this lifetime.

Usually, taking a shower together wouldn't make Makoto's heart pound so much.

Usually.

They've been together for almost four years and were both quite used to each other's naked bodies. But seeing your lover's usually smooth skin now littered with bruises – bruises you didn't inflict, bruises that weren't of love but of violence – really made you fidget.

No, Makoto wasn't uncomfortable.

He just wasn't sure of what to do.

One side of him wanted to just cover those hurting bruises with loving marks of his own; he wanted to reclaim what was his. But one other side of him was just too scared to do anything that might make Rin run away again; or anything at all that would hurt said shark.

Makoto was also quite positive that his fidgeting showed; and it made him fidget all the more.

Endless cycle, that.

"Mako?"

Emerald orbs caught ruby ones and suddenly, Makoto wanted to cry. Rin's eyes... They seemed so... Empty. As empty as the day when they had first met back then in High school.

Makoto felt the guilt rushing back.

Why couldn't he protect the one thing he held dear the most? If only he had stayed home that night, if only he didn't go out drinking... No, better yet, he should have gone and run after him and apologize and drag him back home so he could be safe...

Damn, this was why Makoto hated quarrels so much.

"Oi, Mako," came Rin's voice, shaking him out of his reverie, and the brunette blinked.

"Y-yeah?"

Oh shit, his voice wavered. Rin raised an eyebrow over his shoulder, eyes clearly asking what the hell was wrong with him. Makoto felt like he wanted to disappear. He knew that his boyfriend knew it when he was lying or feeling uncomfortable, or any of the sort, and he knew that Rin would most likely feel responsible for any of Makoto's fidgeting. Especially now that they had just gone through Rin's assault-problem right after a heated fight; Makoto was just sure that Rin would overthink things. Gosh how he wished he could turn back time.

Rin had felt Makoto's eyes on him.

It was taking him in throughout the whole shower, watching the bruises one by one, and Rin suddenly felt very self-conscious about his appearance as he stared at himself in the mirror. His lower body was covered with the towel he had wrapped around his waist, of course, but he could still the hint of a dark bruise peeking from above his hipbones... Not to mention the teeth marks on his shoulder that was glaring back at him from the mirror.

Fuck, no wonder Mako was staring at him.

He must've been disgusted.

A small voice in the back of his mind told him that Makoto would forever love him even if he became a disabled wreck anyway, but that voice of reason was drowned by voices of insecurities and doubt.

Rin hadn't been completely honest when he told Sousuke his story.

There was a brief moment – one, small, very brief moment that actually made a huge difference – where Rin was caught off-guard and one of the guys had shoved a couple of fingers into him. And even though he knew that most of his reactions that time was under the influences of the drug, he couldn't help but recalling how good it had felt.

He had enjoyed the violation and he hated himself for it.

Scowling, Rin stepped out of the bathroom, leaving his boyfriend to wash off on his own.

I don't deserve a saint like him. He must've felt disgusted.

Why else had Makoto seemed so uncomfortable being with him in the shower anyway?

Rin was too alluring for his own good.

Makoto couldn't help but stare at that sexy, broad back that exposed itself to him as he stepped out of the bathroom, allowing his emerald orbs to feast at the sight. He could spot the faint trail of hickeys lining Rin's neck and shoulder. He could see the dark bruise by his lower back. He could see a faint bruise in the shape of a palm near Rin's hipbones too.

It was frustrating, this sense of uncertainty.

He so desperately wanted to reach out, cover those marks with his own; he wanted Rin to know to whom he belonged; he wanted Rin to never leave his side and just become his entirely so that nothing similar as this could-

"Mako, what the fuck?"

Eh?

"Oi, what are you doing?" Rin spoke up again, and Makoto suddenly realized that he wasn't standing by the bathroom door anymore.

Instead, here he was with his arms tightly wrapped around his lover, Rin's fresh-scented wine-red locks tickling his nose as he buried his face in the nape of his neck. A voice somewhere in the back of his mind was yelling at him to let go but Rin's scent was just too intoxicating for the orca.

Tightening his grip onto the older one's waist, Makoto started licking at the expanse of soft, sensitive skin, making sure to cover the fading marks made by those bastards. He sucked harshly, occasionally biting and drawing a bit of blood; he could hear Rin's mewling and soft moans coming from somewhere above him but he couldn't really care less as the task at hand was much much more important.

He was reclaiming what was his.

"Ahhn... Mhhn..."

And Rin shoved his fist in his mouth before even more of those embarrassing sounds could escape his lips.

What the hell is Makoto thinking?

One second Rin was standing in front of his closet looking for clothes, and the next thing he knew he was being pulled into a hug as his boyfriend assaulted his neck. Not that he was complaining though; having his back pressed so closely against Makoto's broad chest felt so familiar and comforting.

One would think that a person would forgo skinship until they had gotten over the shock of being sexually harassed; but not for Rin, no. He has gotten enough sexual harassment back then in Australia that his mind got over it pretty quickly.

No, what mattered most for Rin was acknowledgment.

He needed to know that he was still craved, needed, wanted by the person that mattered the most. He needed to know that Makoto still loved him, won't leave him, will help him get through all of this, didn't think of any less of him.

And the hold Makoto had on his body seemed to confirm all his needs. As the sucks on his neck became more and more aggressive, the hazier Rin's mind became, as well. Moving one hand from muffling his voice to keeping his weight onto the closet, Rin struggled to maneuver the other to reach back and find purchase in Makoto's dirty blonde locks.

"Ngh- Makoto-"

Oh God those hands.

Those big hands that he loved so much was moving now and Rin found himself struggling to breathe as his heart pounded in his ears. He could feel one of those large hands grip tightly onto his hips, securing his body against that strong, muscled body as the other moved up to the wide expanse of his chest.

"Fu- ck!"

Rin knew he probably sounded like a whore right now, what with all his moaning and mewling, but he really found himself not giving a single flying fuck because it felt so good as Makoto's fingers finally found one of his nipples and started playing with it, harshly.

Rin's grip tightened.

It was amazing how aggressive and rough Makoto could get once he was drawn in by Rin's pheromones; who would guess the always-gentle and thoughtful Tachibana Makoto loved biting to draw blood and digging nails into nipples?

"Ng- AH! M-Mako-"

Don't stop.

What the hell do you think you're doing, Tachibana?!

A small faint voice made itself known, but Makoto brushed it off.

Rin has just gone through sexual harassment!

The grip on his hair had tightened once again and Makoto dug a fingernail into Rin's nipple as he twisted it, feeling the arch of that beautiful body against his. He loved this feeling; the feeling of victory as he was finally able to take back what is rightfully his. He was erasing the marks those assholes had left on his Rin, and the fact that Rin was moaning above him fueled his lust all the more. Makoto bit down harder.

"M-Mako— Ngh!"

But then, that little voice of reason yelled out again from the back of his mind.

What if he's still traumatized?!

Makoto tch-ed. So what if he was? Rin was his boyfriend, wasn't he? Surely if there was one that could cure Rin of his trauma, it'd be no other than Makoto himself.

"Ahngg.."

Those mewls. Rin's mewls and soft moans; they sounded like music to his ears. And knowing that he was the one doing all this, knowing that Rin was like this because of him, it gave him a pleasant feeling of dominance, of power, of –

You're no different than those rapists.

Ah?

Makoto froze.

You're worse than they are.

The voice was quiet, cold, and faint, but it was enough to break through the haze of lust clouding his mind.

Was he really?

Of course you are you idiot. Forcing yourself upon him when you know he had just gone through sexual harassment? What kind of a boyfriend are you, exactly?

Ah.

Reality hit him.

Immediately, Makoto moved back as though he's been burned, breathing suddenly turning heavy as his eyes went wide. What in the world had he done? Oh God what had he done. His conscience was right; Rin had just gone through sexual harrassment and now Makoto was making him go through it all over again! All of that just because he couldn't hold himself back; all because he had to claim Rin back. How low could a person get? What kind of a boyfriend was he?!

"M-Mako?" Rin mumbled, a frown adorning his beautiful face as he turned around to face his lover, and that was when another surge of guilt flooded Makoto's chest.

Rin.

Oh God, Rin.

Emerald searched ruby and Makoto nearly smacked himself as he saw the fear and uncertainty filling Rin's beautiful eyes staring right back at him. The two of them had been together long enough for Makoto to immediately see that his boyfriend was trying to keep from overthinking, to keep from panicking-

Oh God.

Rin must be trying to reason out why Makoto had done all of that! He... He must be... God! Rin was such a romantic, he was hopeless enough to indulge the brunette in anything that he wanted, eventhough at the cost of his own discomfort; just as Makoto would forever always comply to Rin's wishes no matter how absurd.

But Makoto was used to giving, he was used to giving up what he wanted for the twins, he was used to prioritizing Haru's needs, he was used to prioritizing Rin as whole! Whereas the red-head was used to receiving. Rin never had to put his own needs aside for anybody except Gou (and now, maybe, Makoto) and he always got what he wanted.

For the red-head to actually put aside his own discomfort just to indulge Makoto's perverted wants-

You're the lowest of the low, Tachibana.

"Mako?" Rin mumbled, and the brunette watched as he hesitantly stepped forward and reached out to cup the taller one's face; but that was also when Makoto noticed the trembling of those nimble fingers. And then it hit him. Rin's voice was also trembling. It was, wasn't it?

"A-are you okay? Makoto?"

It was.

Oh God, it was. He must have been scared out of his mind-

"Makoto?" Rin repeated, now fully facing him, the fear in his eyes now overcome by worry. Makoto closed his eyes as he felt Rin's hand rest on his face; that wide palm cuppng his jaw as those long fingers covered his cheeks, with a gentle thumb stroking his face lovingly in an attempt to soothe.

Makoto felt guiltier by the minute.

Gritting his teeth, the brunette stepped back.

You really are no better than those rapists, Tachibana. Look at him. You were molesting him not even three minutes ago and yet he still worries about you. He loves you that much and all you can think about is your own possessiveness. Way to go, asshat.

Missing the shocked and nearly hurt look on the red head's face, Makoto stepped further away and shook his head in obvious regret.

"I'm sorry, Rin."

"Wh... What? Makoto – "

"I'm so sorry."

I don't deserve you.

Rejection was something that Rin was used to.

Rejection was something that he knew how to handle.

Or at least, that's what Rin thought.

"Rin, I'm sorry... Please hear me out," came Makoto's muffled apology from the other side, but Rin slammed his fist into the door beside him.

"Fuck off!"

The red head just didn't get it. Was Makoto really that disgusted with him?

Ever since that incident in the bedroom, Rin felt that something was odd but brushed it off, thinking that Makoto probably had a good reason for stopping so abruptly and apologizing so much. Makoto had probably felt guilty for taking the intiative so boldly, so soon, and Rin accepted that. He knew how much of a worrywart his boyfriend was, anyway.

It wasn't until that one time he hugged the taller one from behind that he realized something was really wrong; Makoto had tensed visibly in the embrace – and tensed even more as Rin kissed his shoulder in an attempt to soothe.

After another few attempts of simple skinship that resulted in obvious avoidance, the red head finally gave up. Rin had already stopped trying to get anything out of the brunette; he had stopped giving him surprise hugs, stopped teasing him, stopped nibbling or kissing his neck, he didn't even ask for good morning kisses! He didn't know what was going on and he hated to be left in the dark; but he also knew that asking the taller one for answers wouldn't bring much, either. The guy avoided confrontation like the plague and Rin just had to accept that Makoto would probably make it up to him somehow, and that he'd notice it when Makoto was back to normal.

What hurt the most, though, was what had happened this afternoon, and it put the last straw on Rin's thinning patience. It was just a simple nuzzling of Makoto's neck when they were huddled up on the couch while watching some random late night show and then suddenly, Makoto twitched. The guy fucking twitched just because Rin had nuzzled his neck!

I mean, what the actual fucking fuck?!

Rin swore he had never felt this hurt before.

Not when he was bullied in Australia, not when he couldn't beat Haruka, not even when his father died. This... This was a more complex type of hurt. There were too many emotions going rampage inside him at the same time, too many thoughts passing through his mind, too many sweet memories of him and Makoto that simply made the situation even more bitter.

Knowing that you weren't wanted by someone you needed simply... stung.

And it stung like one hell of a motherfucker.

Somehow, Sousuke couldn't say he was surprised when Rin suddenly said he wanted to go home with him.

The two had met on their usual jogging route, and they did their normal routine as usual until they had reached the end of their track and the red-head had suddenly voiced out his wish. Sousuke had a knack for being spot-on when it came to predicting situations – either he was a descendant of Merlin or he was simply very logically skilled – and the only thing that surprised him was how soon it actually happened.

It's only been two weeks since Tachibana had taken Rin home, after all.

"Tachibana might get worried, you know. You should give him a call," the brunette suggested as he handed over the cup of tea, and was met with glaring red eyes.

"He doesn't even fucking care," came the response, and Sousuke shrugged as he took the opposite seat.

"I thought Tachibana was incapable of cruelty?"

"Oh he is," Rin mumbled sarcastically, rolling his eyes, "Just … In a different way."

"How so?"

The question earned him another glare.

"Forget it."

Ah, how predictable. Typical Rin, really, to make assumptions about something and jump to illogical conclusions, and to then defensively refuse to think it through when people offered him facts that said otherwise. He was stubborn like that, and it was honestly a bit troublesome. Sousuke had to use a roundabout way for this one problem.

The brunette set his cup down on the table and moved to sit beside the sulking young man.

"Did you ask him?"

"About?"

"How he feels about all this."

A snort was his reply this time, instead of a glare.

"What?"

"That mother hen would never tell me the truth. Four years and he still tries to spare my dignity," Rin mumbled, setting his cup down also before leaning back into the seat, mumbling into the air, "Lying won't do it justice, asshat."

Sousuke was sure that last part wasn't meant for him. He moved to prop his elbow onto the leaning.

"Then tell him you want the truth."

"Psh. As if it were that easy."

"Why wouldn't it be?"

Rin avoided his gaze.

Typical.

"Rin," he pressed on, and the redhead took a shaky breath. Sousuke patiently waited, and moved to get his tea cup so as to not stare and make his childhood friend even more uncomfortable. It was just like that time where the shark had opened up to him about being irrationally attracted to the captain of the Iwatobi swim team; only this time the sitatuations were a bit gloomier. Rin had to be eased into talking; he had to feel comfortable first. Sousuke really wondered why the older one couldn't feel comfortable enough around his own boyfriend to actually go and have a heart-to-heart talk; but then again, maybe that was the difference between having a best friend and a boyfriend.

"... What if it's just an obligation?" Rin spoke up from beside him, and Sousuke raised his brows.

"What is?"

"Me," the older one mumbled, "What if I'm an obligation. Just... a boyfriend."

"...Ah."

Now he got it.

Rin was being insecure, and he was afraid of being rejected by the guy he loved. Sousuke knew how fed up the man was with rejection and the like. Rin was afraid that Tachibana merely took care of him because the other felt like he had to; that it was his responsibility as a boyfriend, and not because he loved Rin. Sousuke could see the logic in that – seeing how gentle-natured the red-head's boyfriend was – but then again Rin did have a tendency to be paranoid and over-think many things.

"Why would he?" he reasoned, "He loves you a lot, that much was obvious when he picked you up last time," and this time, he somehow noticed Rin's expression soften.

"Psh. Why would he not? Wouldn't be surprised if he did; it's not the first time anyway. He's used to doing things because he has to, not because he wants to. Why would I be an exception?"

Sousuke tried his best to hold his face from cracking a smile. His best friend was so in love, wasn't he?

"You're his boyfriend, aren't you?"

"Yeah, only for so long. I bet he'll dump me in the future for a nice girl."

Sousuke blinked at that, and inwardly facepalmed himself. He had forgotten how much Rin's insecurities could affect his self-esteem and optimism. It fueled him to overthink things even more, and made him oversee the obvious simple things that were simply there. Maybe that's what Sousuke was there for, to put Rin's thoughts back on track.

"Would you?" he asked after a moment of silence, and finally, finally, Rin turned to meet his eyes, a frown adorning that admittedly feminine-like face. His ruby eyes were searching Sousuke's own teal ones in confusion at his statement.

"... Would I what?"

"Dump him in the future for a nice girl."

A blush as red as his hair colored Rin's face as he straightened up in his seat, sputtering,"Of course not! Why in the world would you ask that?!"

"Well, people usually accuse others of something they have often thought about doing," Sousuke shrugged, "Or often wished of happening. Do you want him to leave you?"

"Sousuke!"

The brunette raised both his hands as a sign of peace as Rin let out a scowl.

"Hey, just saying. If you keep thinking about something too much, it'll most likely happen."

"But he – "

"He loves you. And if you love him, you wouldn't have so much doubt-"

And Sousuke was cut off as Rin suddenly growled, angry tears threatening to spill, voice low and threatening. He got up to his feet, fists balled at his side, and the brunette just knew that he had struck a nerve. And, while most people would actually be afraid of this, Sousuke saw this as a good sign. An angry Rin meant an honest Rin, and Sousuke could finally get to the bottom of the problem without any more beating around the bush. Besides, there's nothing the red-head dished out that he couldn't handle anyway.

He steeled himself for the older one's outbursts.

"He rejected me damn it! He refused all of my advances, no matter how small!" Rin took a step forward towards him, with a few tears managing to escape, "He even hesitates to cuddle or even get into the same shower with me! What am I supposed to think, Sousuke, what?!" and the brunette couldn't help but frown as his friend pulled him up by the collar and glared at him with tear-filled eyes.

Ah. So that's what this is all about.

"Rin..."

"He's disgusted with me, I know it! I'm disgusted with me! I- "

And as the grip on his shirt slackened, Sousuke slowly tried to gather that sob-racked body into a hug. Rin was crying freely now, a dark spot forming on the front of Sousuke's shirt as the red-head clung to him as if he were his last life line. The whale sighed. This was another one of those simple misunderstandings just because the two of them suck at getting their points across. You'd think they'd get along better after four years of dating, but some things just don't change, probably.

Yeah, like Rin's insecurities.

Sousuke combed his fingers through the soft wine-red strands. He understood where the problem was now. He might not be close to the other brunette, but he can sure read his actions and find reason behind them. All the stories that Rin told him about their relationship helped a lot, too.

"Rin... Tachibana is a fragile soul, yes?"

A shaky nod came from below him, and the grip on his shirt tightened.

"He feels the hurt of others, yes?"

Another nod.

"And he likes to take the blame for things that he can't control too, yes?"

Now only silence answered him, but Sousuke knew Rin was listening.

"Has it ever occurred to you, Rin, that maybe, just maybe, Tachibana is so much more affected by this than you are?"

Because the guilt of being unable to protect the one you love is similar to all who've gone through it.

Autumn was hitting the city hard lately, and the wind was just so fierce that he couldn't even enjoy getting soaked in the rain anymore.

Haruka really wished that the weather wasn't this cold. Not to mention that the constant rattling of the rain hitting the roof was becoming a huge distraction. Haru still had to ink several pages that his senpai had given him before getting back on writing that assignment on the healing powers of water.

It was fascinating really, the things that water could do.

It was calm and went with the flow, but when in massive amounts could even be more powerful than any other element! It had healing powers, it had destructive powers, it had nurturing powers, and most of all, water was –

"... Haru!"

Sigh.

"Haruuuu. Were you even listening?" Makoto whined from beside him, and Haruka calmly continued his inking as his best friend threw him a pout, reminding Haru of the image of a kicked puppy.

"... You basically don't know what to do with Rin," he answered flatly, eyes still focused onto the paper in front of him.

Beside him, his best friend sighed knowingly and slumped onto the table.

"So you haven't been paying attention."

Yes I have, was the indignant look that Haru shot back at the brunette, and the gentle sad smile that slowly crept unto Mako's face suddenly made him feel guilty for some unknown reason.

"Sorry," the brunette apologized, "My rantings have been keeping you from work, huh? It's just that... I don't know what he's thinking. I can't read him and I'm scared of doing anything wrong."

Haruka tilted his head. Well that's stupid.

"But you've never been wrong before."

"Yes I have! I- I did a lot of things that he didn't like, and-"

At this point, the dolphin really was starting to get annoyed with Makoto's insecurities. Most of them don't even make sense. Well, to him anyway. Rin was as obvious as an open book, and he was just so simple that it was nearly impossible to read the guy wrong. Not to mention that he'd be easy to persuade once you got on his good side, no matter how grumpy he pretended he was. Sighing, Haru abandoned his stack of papers and turned to fully face his life-long friend.

"Rin likes almost everything you do," Haruka deadpanned, watching his best friend splutter for a response.

"Well, yeah, but-"

Haru raised a hand.

"He loves you, Makoto. Just do whatever you usually do. It's not as if he had minded before."

"But that's exactly it, Haru! He spoils me too much! He... He had always saw me as a person he had to spoil because I was spoiling everyone else, and he just – I don't want him to do things he doesn't want just because of me!"

The raven blinked.

God, Makoto and Rin can be so alike sometimes.

"If he agrees to it, I can hardly see the part where he doesn't want to do it," the dolphin retorted dryly, "Aren't you doing the same for him too? You usually don't agree to half of whatever antics he sums up, but you go and do it anyway," Haru accused with a raise of an eyebrow and Makoto wailed.

"But I – "

"Look, just do whatever you want. Rin likes being dominated, remember?"

Rin obviously hated it whenever the orca was too selfless, even if for the shark's own benefits. He seemed to like Makoto's dominating side a lot – or maybe too much, since he seemed to always try and piss the taller one off just to see said brunette's reaction. It happened one too many times to not get noticed and Haruka wondered whether his best friend really was that dense.

Which brings up another topic, actually; aren't there better ways to see Makoto's reactions besides pissing him off? A pissed off orca is actually quite scary – Haruka's been on the receiving end a few times, after all these years – and it's a wonder why the shark loves that reaction the most.

Huh.

Maybe Haru was right all along and Rin actually is a masochist.

"Since when?" Makoto blurted out, confused, shaking Haru out of his train of thoughts. Said raven merely shook his head before returning to his inking, ignoring his best friend's demands for explanations. Yeah, Mako really was that dense.

It was a wonder how Makoto managed to feed himself, sometimes.

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's Note :
God I am so lazy, it's so obvious in the way I write.
Yeah, so originally, I planned this to have three chapters...
But I ended up writing FOUR.

As usual, the next chapter is already done, and will be uploaded once I hit 15 reviews.
Please tell me where I did well and which parts were a bit off!
Your reviews improve my writing :D

Thanks guys!