About 10 days into studying and forced socialization, we decided some more gay was long overdue. So, enjoy.

We do not by any means own Free! If we did, MomoxPyunsuke would be canon (though it already kind of is...)

It Just Comes Naturally

From: Makoto Tachibana

You certainly seem to like water and aquatic stuff a lot :) Did you grow up in a fishing town or something?

Haru felt a little flutter in his stomach when he read the text message. He was pleasantly surprised at what had unfolded; not only had Makoto asked for his number, but he texted him straight after getting it. Conversation started awkwardly, but the two of them progressively grew more comfortable with questions and responding. Well, it was Makoto who mainly asked questions and Haru who responded, but Makoto didn't seem to mind. For every answer he received, he had another question to ask. Haru generally gave short and terse answers, but he slowly began to give slightly longer and more detailed texts, as he grew less nervous.

To: Makoto Tachibana

No, I've lived here in Tokyo my whole life.

The two of them had been texting back and forth for the past hour or so. Haru was surprised how easily the conversation had been flowing, with barely any awkward moments. Makoto seemed really comfortable with Haru, considering how they had only spoken in person twice. Haru was surprised and couldn't explain why he felt so free to respond and why he trusted Makoto so easily. It just felt… natural.

Haru's pulse went up when he felt his phone buzz.

From: Makoto Tachibana

Really? That's surprising. You seem much more suited for a little seaside town than Tokyo haha

Haru was about to type a response when his phone buzzed again.

From: Makoto Tachibana

Hey, my fingers are getting tired from typing so much haha do you mind if we continue the conversation over the phone? It'd be easier to say it instead of having to type it out

Haru's stomach clenched. He wanted to talk to Makoto, but over the phone…? He hated phone conversations and made a point to avoid them when possible. But with Makoto… His desire for whatever connection he had with Makoto seemed to trump his dislike. Hands shaking, he typed out a response.

To: Makoto Tachibana

Fine.

He set the phone down on his bedspread, breathing heavily. His eyes watched it apprehensively, waiting for it to ring, worrying about how he would answer and how to cover up his awkwardness. What do I say? he thought anxiously. What if I say something stupid? What if I say something relating to the arsons? What if I don't say anything at all? What if he thinks I'm boring? What if he decides he isn't interested in talking to me anymore? A thousand negative possibilities ran through his mind, growing in ridiculousness and implausibility. Haru shook his head. It's just a phone conversation, he told himself. The statement didn't make him feel any better.

The phone began to ring, Makoto Tachibana as the caller. Panicked, Haru was instantly filled with regret about saying fine to a phone conversation. Oh god. Hand trembling, he slowly reached for it, and took it in his hand. He stared at it for a moment, trying to calm his shaky breaths, before inhaling and pressing 'Answer'.

"Hello?" Haru said. He silently congratulated himself for keeping his voice relaxed and passive. You can do this.

"Hey, Haru-chan!" Makoto's cheerful voice responded, making the jitters in Haru's body worse.

"Don't call me -chan..." Haru mumbled, half meaning it.

Makoto laughed. "Of course," he said lightly, seeming to know that Haru didn't really mind. "So what were we talking about? Oh! I was surprised that you've lived here in Tokyo your whole life."

Haru held his breath, unsure of whether to respond or not. Or what to say if he did respond. The phone grew heavy in his shaking hands as he opened his mouth, and then closed it. There was an awkward pause as Haru frantically racked his brain for something to keep the conversation going.

But Makoto saved him and picked it up for him. "So where did your interest in water come from?" he asked, sounding truly intrigued.

"Oh, uh…" Haru said awkwardly. His palms grew sweaty. "I don't really know…" He trailed off, suddenly forgetting all the reasons why he liked water and the ocean, his mind horrifically blank. As seconds ticked by, Haru grew more mortified and desperate. Pull it together! He mentally punched himself.

Yet again, Makoto came to his rescue. "No, I get it," Makoto quickly interjected. "Sometimes there isn't a clear reason why you like something. You just do." Haru could picture him smiling understandingly. "It just comes naturally."

Haru blinked. "Yeah…" he said slowly. He was amazed at how easily Makoto picked up when he was uncomfortable and was able to turn it around. It was almost innate. Haru had never experienced someone or something that could simultaneously make him feel nervous and relaxed. He wasn't sure what to think. He couldn't see a reason why Makoto would take the time to ask him questions and comfort him… unless he liked Haru? A jolt went through Haru's body as he replayed Makoto's last statement in his head. He supposed that it could be applied not only to his love of water, but how he felt about Makoto, and how… perhaps… Makoto felt about him?

Makoto coughed awkwardly. "U-Um, anyways!" Haru could hear a slight jumpiness in his voice. Is Makoto nervous? He couldn't think of why Makoto would be nervous too in this situation. Makoto laughed, sounding like he was trying to shake off his discomfort. "So… I guess you like working at the fish market?"

"Yeah," Haru answered. "I like mackerel."

"Ah, that wasn't exactly what I meant…" Makoto chuckled. "I mean, I guess you'd have to like it, considering you have to sort through it every day."

"Mm," Haru grunted in agreeance.

"Does it not get boring?" Makoto continued.

"Not really," Haru said noncommittally. "It's kind of… peaceful, I guess."

Haru heard a light huff in his ear. "Hm, I can see that," Makoto mused, sounding thoughtful. "So how long have you been working there?"

"Oh," Haru said. "About four years, I think."

"Wow," replied Makoto. "That's a long time. I'm still surprised I never saw you there before. You and Kagari-san must be pretty close, then?"

"I guess." Haru shrugged, even though he knew Makoto couldn't see it. "It's not like we have time to spend talking."

"Yeah, I suppose not," Makoto agreed. "I'm pretty close with the other firemen at my station, considering I've been there for three years. But you kind of have to be close with-or at least trust-everyone who works there. We have to know everyone inside out, and be able to work as a team."

"Oh," Haru murmured. He couldn't think of anything interesting to say in response, but he guessed that Makoto would continue.

"I guess you could say I'm relatively good at understanding people," Makoto indeed continued. He paused. Haru wasn't sure where he was going. A moment ago he was talking about his job, but something in his voice suggested he was thinking something else. He took a deep breath in. "Haru… you don't like talking on the phone, do you?"

Haru's stomach dropped in surprise. "Uh…" He felt himself blushing in embarrassment. It was almost a little scary how well Makoto read him. "Not… really…" he admitted sheepishly.

Makoto let out a bubbly laugh. "It's fine," he chuckled soothingly. "I don't want to force you to do something you don't like, so we can go back to texting, if you'd prefer."

Haru exhaled in relief. "Yeah," he answered. A small smile played on his lips.

"Alright, I'll hang up," Makoto said. "Bye-"

"Wait!" Haru suddenly called out, his pulse racing.

"Huh?" Makoto questioned, and Haru could practically see his eyebrows raising.

"Um…" Haru began quietly, his blush increasing. He squirmed in discomfort. "I really did want to talk with you… I just don't really feel comfortable when talking on the phone…" He trailed off, feeling even more flustered and surprised at his outburst.

There was a brief silence on the other end before Makoto spoke again. "Thanks, Haru," he murmured softly.

"Huh?" Haru blurted, confused. "Why are you thanking me?"

"A-Ah, well, you did something you hated, f-for me," Makoto stammered. "I… I appreciate that."

"Oh," Haru breathed, his blood pounding in his ears. "It's not a big deal…" he grumbled, eliciting a chuckle from Makoto.

"It is to me…" Makoto said almost inaudibly, a little bit of shyness in his voice. He coughed loudly. "Well, bye then!"

"Bye," Haru repeated quietly, and a little beep from his phone told him that Makoto hung up.

Haru slowly pulled the phone away from his ear, sighing. He set it back down on his bed, his hands still shaking. He drew his knees to his chest, his arms wrapped around his calves as he watched his phone. Makoto's fine with me not liking to talk on the phone? he wondered to himself, memories of various people who scoffed at his fear and discomfort and told him to "just get over" flashing through his mind. Makoto didn't show any interest in wanting to help or change Haru and seemed to completely accept Haru's awkwardness.

A sudden banging on Haru's door snapped him out of his thoughts. "What?" he called out.

Nagisa poked his head in. "Haru-chan, I heard your voice in here a minute ago," he said, his brown eyes watching Haru questioningly. "Were you talking to someone?"

Haru recoiled slightly. "No," he scoffed, turning his face away. "You must be hearing things."

Nagisa raised his eyebrows. "You weren't talking to yourself, now were you?" he chimed teasingly. "I mean, the voices in my head aren't usually the best conversationalists…" Haru rolled his eyes as Nagisa continued laughing. "Well, I only ask because I've never heard you talking in your room before."

Haru sighed. "I wasn't talking, Nagisa," he said exasperatedly, hoping Nagisa would drop it.

"If you say so," Nagisa conceded, winking coyly before he slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Haru exhaled sharply, feeling a little glimmer of annoyance and anxiety. He absentmindedly stared at the door for a moment before his phone buzzed. The jitters from earlier returned and he glanced down and picked up his phone to read the text.

From: Makoto Tachibana

So to ask a completely unoriginal question, what kind of movies do you like? Haha :)

"What's with the damn coffee maker?" Rin huffed, banging the side of the machine with his fist. His balled up hand was quickly met with the calm touch of another. Cool teal eyes met Rin's fiery garnets and Rin bit his lip, not-so-silently cursing as he drew blood.

"Rin, let me," Sousuke said as he brushed a thumb over Rin's bottom lip, depositing the collected droplets of blood on a napkin and throwing it in the trash. "And you don't want black coffee, you don't like it." Rin shrugged his shoulders and let his face fall to the side, quickly covered by his hair.

"I was just going to have what you were having," Rin offered, gesturing at the faulty machine.

Sousuke remained silent as he pushed Rin aside, crossing the break-room table to the cappuccino machine where he punched in a few buttons before positioning a cardboard cup beneath the stream of frothy liquid. The aroma of french vanilla filled the air and moments later, Sousuke handed the steaming cup to Rin.

"Be careful, it's hot," Sousuke cautioned. Rin rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Rin took a hearty sip anyways, trying to hide his sharp discomfort as the coffee scorched his tongue.

A few minutes later, Sousuke had managed to fix the regular coffee maker and was sipping his own cup full of the drink. Rin crinkled his nose as he imagined the taste of black coffee in Sousuke's mouth-he had always hated it.

"So what are your thoughts on the dock fire?" Rin asked as Sousuke took a seat at the main table and began laying out stacks of paperwork. Rin noted several images of the serial arsonist's work resting in one of Sousuke's folders.

Sousuke sighed wearily and set his coffee on the table, away from the paperwork and images. He rubbed his eyes. Rin had noticed Sousuke working a lot later than usual, obsessing over any evidence given by the "serial arsonist", although what they were given was scant. Sousuke's eyes were more tired than usual, and it concerned Rin to see his friend so sucked into the case that he was having obvious emotional and physical responses.

"I don't know," Sousuke murmured, his voice low. "With the little evidence we have, we can't make a decision either way. It might be connected to the serial arsonist, but it might not."

"I'm not talking about evidence," Rin protested. "What do you think? Follow your instincts."

Sousuke's eyes met Rin's, desolate and uncertain. He blinked, and they suddenly became brighter and sharper. "It was by the serial arsonist," he said quietly, his voice and face showing his absolute conviction in his statement. But after he said it, his eyes again lost their spark and confidence, and he aimed them toward the window, away from Rin. "But I can't explain how I know that, and I can't prove it." He sighed again. "We're stuck. The damn arsonist has us running in circles, and they're laughing at us."

Rin shook his head. It was a never-ending battle-fire after fire, all the same, but never any evidence to prove it. The serial arson case itself wasn't particularly complicated in the least, considering arson was a fairly straightforward offense. They knew that there had been gasoline and matches involved, and someone at the scene to orchestrate them into the perfect fire. They knew from the very lack of evidence itself, that the culprit was careful to the point of being paranoid.

The investigation had tried everything, looking for fingerprints, footprints, dropped belongings or strands of hair, but the flames usually consumed and destroyed any evidence that might have been left behind in the first place. Rin doubted that they could have found anything even without the hinderance of the flames, seeing how precise and thoughtful the fires were. The one thing that the department had to go on was the culprit's consistency.

For the past few weeks, Sousuke had been working on a plan to pinpoint where the arsonist might strike next, mapping out abandoned buildings around Tokyo and organizing them by the probability of the arsonist using them in their next attack. Sousuke listed them by owner and date built, constructed a possible path of the arsonist in relation of the buildings to past sites, and even made a chart of the material makeup of their foundations. He had even been growing confident that they would be able to stake-out the culprit in the next week or so, but that was before the dock fire occurred and threw everything off.

"The buildings were starting to make sense," Sousuke muttered, as if echoing Rin's own thoughts, "but the dock? It seems too… rash-out of character. The arsonist likes pattern-routine-and the dock fire was completely out of left field."

"Sousuke," Rin murmured, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, "you'll figure it out. Maybe they're getting scared and slipping up. Maybe it's the dock first, and next time it's a fingerprint."

Sousuke glanced at the hand on his shoulder for a second and promptly shrugged it off, standing up to look at all the paperwork and images sprawled over the table. Rin backed away, slightly hurt. He was not used to Sousuke being so cold. Even when the two argued, which was often, Sousuke was just aggressive. But this new passive-aggressiveness scared Rin. He could tell that Sousuke was beginning to think that this case was out of his depth and that he might not be able to solve it. Being the perfectionist and control-freak he was, Sousuke was slowly crumbling by witnessing his own uselessness.

Rin watched his friend's eyes manically search through the various files on the fires on the table, as if he could somehow get an answer by looking at them. Sousuke's arm reached out and picked up the image of the dock, charred and crumbly.

"Okay, serial arsonist." Sousuke's voice sounded it like was challenging the arsonist to a duel, completely forgetting about Rin being in the room. "You're crafty, I'll give you that. But do not underestimate me." His eyes glinted fiercely. "I will find out who you are, and you will be sent to jail."

He smiled, his grin sending cold shivers down Rin's spine.

Makoto was almost always smiling, so when his mother commented on how happy he had been lately, he was taken aback.

"You've noticed?" Makoto asked, eyes wide, to which his mother responded by chuckling and nodding her head.

"Of course," she replied matter-of-factly. "A mother always notices." She stepped forward and brushed the hair out of Makoto's eyes, resting her hand on his cheek. "You've been smiling with your eyes."

Makoto blushed as the corners of his mouth turned up in yet another smile, looking down at the floor. "You haven't smiled like that much since your father was diagnosed," his mother continued, a slight shadow falling over her face. She quickly blinked it off and regained her earlier warmth. "It's nice to see."

Letting his mother's hand drop from his face, Makoto turned back to the vegetables he had been chopping and dumping in a bowl. While he was certain many people would categorize his family as experts on brushing off unpleasant topics, Makoto didn't like to think of their actions that way. Instead, he thought of their persistent laughs and smiles as stemming from an underlying acceptance of the negativities that surrounded them. They didn't disregard dismal topics, but rather paid more attention to the brighter ones.

"So is it because of that boy you met at the fish market?" Mrs. Tachibana asked, suggestively raising an eyebrow. Makoto was glad that he was facing away from her when she asked, as her question immediately elicited another blush across his cheeks.

"Haru's just a friend," Makoto mumbled, all too aware of his unconvincing tone. "And he's twenty-four…" he added, recounting one of the things he had learned about Haru over their texts. He hoped that his mother wouldn't ask too many other questions about Haru, as not only did he not want to answer them, but he wouldn't have an answer to them anyways. Haru wasn't particularly expressive in his texts, and definitely not over the phone, so getting to know him wasn't the easiest. Makoto counted each little thing he learned as a small victory, as he had worked hard to get it. But with every small detail he managed to learn, it made him want to learn even more.

"I wasn't suggesting otherwise," his mother replied slyly, as if Makoto had fallen right into her trap. She giggled and took the bowl of chopped vegetables, now full, from Makoto and deposited the contents into a saucepan, hot and glistening with oil. She handed a wooden spoon to Makoto and gestured for him to stir as she called up to his siblings.

"Ren! Ran! It's time to set the table." A muffled response came and seconds later Makoto heard thudding down the staircase followed by his younger brother and sister tumbling into the kitchen.

"Hey! You stepped on my foot!" Ren exclaimed, elbowing his sister aside as he entered the kitchen.

"It's your fault you weren't watching where you were going," Ran responded, sticking out her lower lip in a pout. The Tachibana cat, disturbed by the disruption in the previously quiet kitchen, mewled in protest.

"See?" Ran continued, pointing at the cat. "Even Yato thinks you're clumsy."

"I'm not the one who stepped on somebody's foot!" Ren pointed out, crossing his arms.

"Now, now," Mrs. Tachibana said calmly, "let's not fight. Ren, you can start setting the table while Ran feeds the cat."

"But I wanted to-" the twins said simultaneously when their mother cut them off.

"No 'buts'. Get to work, and I'll let you have popsicles for dessert." Upon the suggestion of a later treat, the twins rushed off to complete their tasks, leaving Makoto and his mother laughing in the kitchen.

"Those vegetables look about done," Mrs. Tachibana observed before taking the saucepan from Makoto and spooning its contents into bowls which she and Makoto carried out to the table. Makoto knelt at the far end of the table, across from his mother, and waited patiently for Ren and Ran to finish their chores.

A few moments after sitting, Makoto felt a soft vibration in his pants pocket. He produced his phone from his pocket, smiling upon reading the message across the screen.

From: Haru-chan

Dolphins.

Makoto chuckled at the one-word response, recalling the question he had asked Haru earlier: What's your favorite animal? He wasn't surprised that dolphins were Haru's favorite animal, considering his love that bordered on obsession with anything having to do with water. Makoto was about to deposit his phone back in his pocket when an unexpected, second message came.

From: Haru-chan

Do you like dolphins?

Makoto hit "reply".

To: Haru-chan

Yes, I love dolphins.

Makoto had just hit "send" when his mother cleared her throat. Makoto quickly shoved his phone back into his pants and looked up bashfully. He knew his mother didn't like technology at the dinner table. It had never been much of an issue with Makoto himself, seeing as he usually didn't have many people to keep in touch with via text message, but ever since Ren and Ran had gotten smart phones for their thirteenth birthday, Mrs. Tachibana had laid down the law.

"Is that your new friend again?" Mrs. Tachibana asked, smirking. Makoto looked down at his lap, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Mako-chan has a new friend?" Ren and Ran asked simultaneously, re-entering the room with hands full of chopsticks and napkins. Makoto glanced desperately at his mother who simply crossed her arms, leaving Makoto to explain for himself.

"Um, yeah," he started, still rubbing circles on the back of his neck.

"Is he a firefighter too?" Ren asked eagerly.

Makoto laughed easing up a bit at the characteristic reply. "No, he works at the stand where I buy our mackerel. I only met him last week, though."

"Oh!" Ran interjected. "So is he a fisherman?"

"No," Makoto replied. "He just likes fish a lot." He laughed and reached a hand to ruffle Ran's hair, who shrank away, grumbling. "I think he likes fish even more than you guys."

"Are we going to meet him?" Ren asked excitedly, setting a pair of chopsticks down next to Makoto's plate.

"I don't know," Makoto said again, shaking his head. "Maybe you can meet him if you finish all your chores tonight without complaining," he teased, earning a laugh of approval from his mother.

"Now somebody who could get these two to do their chores without complaining is someone I'd like to meet," Mrs. Tachibana said, shaking a finger enthusiastically. Makoto laughed and the twins pouted before ending the conversation and digging into their dinner, the rest of his family thinking less and less of Haru with every bite.

It was Saturday morning. Haru sat on the couch, watching a television documentary, Rei and Nagisa to his sides. Nagisa was using Haru as a pillow, which he hated, but it happened so often that he resigned himself to his doom. He felt a buzz from his phone, and awkwardly wriggled his arm out from underneath Nagisa to pull it out. His stomach fluttered slightly as he saw the sender.

From: Makoto Tachibana

Are you free at noon today?

Haru bit his lip, a warmth rushing through him. He hadn't told his roommates about Makoto, and he was indefinitely postponing it. Haru didn't know if Makoto had any memory of him from the apartment fire, but he figured that seeing the two guys who were responsible for the fire and had argued drunkenly on the sidewalk outside might strike a chord.

"Makoto Tachibana?" Haru heard Rei read out, snapping him out of his reverie. He quickly locked his phone and shoved it in his pocket.

Nagisa sat up and looked at Haru. "Ooh, does Haru-chan have a girlfriend?" he asked teasingly, batting his eyelashes.

Haru balked. "It's not a girlfriend," he said, trying to avoid the subject.

"Come to think of it, you have been spending a lot more time on your phone," Rei said thoughtfully, as if calculating the hours of Haru's phone usage in his head. "I never really saw you use it that much before."

Haru unwittingly blushed in embarrassment as Nagisa began to chant, "Haru-chan has a girlfriend! Haru-chan has a girlfriend!"

"I told you, it's not a girlfriend," he protested. "It's a… friend. He just happens to have a girly name too."

Nagisa stopped chanting and turned to Haru with delight. "A fellow girly-named guy?" he exclaimed. "Well now you have to introduce him to us!"

Haru looked at him in horror, now wishing that he had left them believing it was a girlfriend.

"I agree with Nagisa," Rei said diplomatically. "I, for one, would like to see proof that you have friends other than Nagisa and myself."

Haru tried to say something in his defense, but nothing came to mind. It was true- he had no friends other than Rei and Nagisa, and hadn't really ever had friends other than them. Until Makoto…

"Text him back and tell him to come visit," Nagisa suggested. "I won't be able to sleep tonight without meeting your mysterious 'friend'."

"Yeah, I'm here all day," Rei added. "I don't want to be stuck with Nagisa the whole time."

"Hey!"

In defeat, Haru pulled back out his phone, opening up a new text message.

To: Makoto Tachibana

I'm free.

He sent it, and sighed, typing a new message.

To: Makoto Tachibana

My roommates want to meet you. They have girly names too.

To Haru, this seemed like a sufficient enough explanation. After only two minutes, his phone buzzed.

"That was quick!" Nagisa chimed.

Both Rei and Nagisa leaned over Haru to read Makoto's reply. Do they have no concept of privacy? Haru thought miserably.

From: Makoto Tachibana

Hey, I'm always down for meeting fellow girly-named guys. Maybe we should start a club!

The phone buzzed again.

From: Makoto Tachibana

When and where is this meeting?

"Here, in two hours," Nagisa declared.

Rei turned to Nagisa, a bemused expression on his face. "Isn't this Haru's friend?" he joked. "I don't think you're supposed to take control of the situation here, Nagisa."

"You know we can't leave this up to Haru alone," Nagisa quipped, winking playfully at Haru. "He has no concept of time or planning."

Haru typed out a message describing where the apartment was, making it as vague as possible, hoping that Makoto would get lost trying to find it.

But two hours passed and to Haru's dismay, Makoto did not get lost. The three of them were still on the couch, Haru and Nagisa still watching the television while Rei did some of his work, having complained about television hurting his brain, when the door buzzed.

Nagisa immediately sprang up, and ran to the door, hollering, "I'll get it!"

Haru sank back into the couch, hoping it would swallow him up so he wouldn't have to be present for this encounter.

Rei got up and headed after Nagisa. "I'll greet him too, otherwise he'll want to bolt after just meeting Nagisa."

Haru heard the door open. "Hello!" Makoto's voice hit Haru's ear, making him feel jittery all over.

"You're very tall," Nagisa said, bypassing any polite greeting.

Makoto's warm laugh filled the apartment. "Yeah, I've heard that before," he said, politely going along with Nagisa's complete lack of common decency. "I'm assuming you're one of Haru's roommates?" Despite the cloud of doom hanging over Haru, he cracked a small smile hearing Makoto say his name.

"Yes, please ignore him," Rei said, audibly shoving an indignant Nagisa out of the way. "I'm Rei, and this social travesty is Nagisa."

"It's nice to meet you both!" Makoto said, sounding amused with their antics. "I'm Makoto."

"We know," said Rei and Nagisa in unison.

"Oh?" Makoto had a of tone surprise. "D-Did Haru tell you about me, then?"

"Well..." Rei said slowly. "Not exactly."

Nagisa shushed Rei before he could continue. "Come in!" he said to Makoto welcomingly. "Haru-chan's lurking in here." His voice got sharper. "At least I say hello to guests, unlike Haru!"

Haru heard their footsteps get closer to the couch. "There he is!" Nagisa said triumphantly, dragging a bemused Makoto behind him.

"Haru!" Makoto said cheerfully, smiling warmly. Nagisa released the death grip on his arm, allowing Makoto to move closer to Haru. He sat down on the couch, maybe half a foot away from Haru. Their eyes met, and Haru's internal dungeon of terror began to lessen, and a cozy, soft feeling settled in his chest.

The moment was abruptly killed by Nagisa jumping in and sitting smack in between the two of them. He turned his back to Haru, looking at Makoto's face eagerly. Haru sighed, and tried to shift away from Nagisa, but Nagisa took up a ridiculously large amount of space on the couch for such a petite person.

"So, Makoto," Nagisa said, taking on a more serious tone. "How did you manage to meet Haru-chan?"

"Yes, I was wondering that too," Rei concurred. He sat down in the armchair opposite the couch. "Haru spends so much time avoiding the human masses that he has difficulty telling people his own name, let alone making friends."

Haru jaw twitched in irritation. A jovial laugh burst out of Makoto's mouth, and looked at Haru with a bemused expression, causing a flutter in Haru's stomach. "Well, we met at the fish market."

"I thought Kagari-san kept him permanently locked up in the back," Nagisa pondered, scratching his chin. "What a cosmic occurrence that you managed to see the elusive Haru!" Rei scoffed and rolled his eyes. Nagisa shifted his seat, now almost sitting on Makoto's lap. "So what do you do, Makoto?"

Nagisa began flinging question after question at the slightly uncomfortable Makoto, who despite having his entire life probed and dissected, somehow maintained an amiable facial expression. Haru was surprised at how willing Makoto was to share personal details to Rei and Nagisa. Although, Haru already knew most of what Makoto was saying, despite only having had interactions with him for such a short amount of time.

Nagisa suddenly asked, "What kind of shampoo do you use?"

"I did observe how shiny your hair was," Rei interjected, standing up from his chair. He strode over to Makoto, and reached out his hand to pluck a lock of hair. Rei leaned in and sniffed it analytically. "It has a refreshing scent as well. I'm picking up jojoba and shea… maybe a bit of argan oil?" He paused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "I'm estimating that it's either Pantene or Herbal Essences?"

Makoto looked to Haru for help, a strained smile on his face, but Haru had been enveloped by the couch. "Uh," he said awkwardly. "I don't really know, I just buy whatever."

"Wait, I want to smell Mako-chan's hair too!" Nagisa exclaimed, lurching forward lean on Makoto chest so he could reach his hair. The discomfort in Makoto's eyes pleaded to Haru, Help me.

Makoto was too polite to announce that he had enough, but Haru's tolerance had reached its limit. Finally coming out from the cavern of the couch, he got up and turned to his roommates sternly. "That's enough," he said strongly.

Rei and Nagisa froze, recognizing the tone in Haru's in voice as the cue to quit it. Nagisa disappointedly slid off of Makoto, who breathed a sigh of relief. His jade eyes silently thanked Haru's blue ones.

Makoto coughed and smiled again. "So," he said, attempting to alleviate the awkward tension. "I stopped by the market on the way here and bought some food for lunch, if you guys are interested."

The mood in the room immediately lightened. "That was very considerate of you," Rei said, pushing up his glasses.

Makoto began rustling through the bags of food. "Did you get-" Haru began.

"Yes, I got mackerel, Haru," Makoto answered, promptly handing Haru the package of mackerel.

Rei and Nagisa looked at each other with raised eyebrows. "How do you know so much about Haru-chan already?" Nagisa complained, pouting. "It took two years for him to say anything to me other than 'Don't call me -chan'."

Makoto looked surprised. "Oh, I didn't realize…" He turned his head slightly, looking at Haru from the side of his eye. There was an indefinable look in his eyes that seared into Haru, making his pulse quicken. After a pause, Haru quickly turned and walked to the kitchen, opening up the package of mackerel.

The four of them set up a pick-and-choose kind of meal, growing closer and less awkward as they ate. The conversation didn't falter, mostly thanks to Nagisa. Haru noticed Makoto glancing at him from time to time, and purposely dipped his head, focusing on his eyes on his food so Makoto wouldn't see his blush.

After they finished eating, Haru picked up his dish and brought it to the sink. He turned the faucet on and began washing the dish out, when he felt someone come up behind him.

"I can get that for you," Makoto said, gently wrapping his hand around the dish, his fingers brushing up against Haru's.

Haru blinked in surprise. "Are you sure?" he asked, his heart thumping wildly.

"Yeah, it's just a dish," Makoto said lightly, their hands still touching.

Haru paused for a moment, then let his hand drop. He turned and found himself facing Makoto's chest. He stared for a moment at the muscular pecs, visible through a dark green t-shirt, his mind going blank. After a moment he realized what he was doing and blushed, awkwardly wriggling out from in front of Makoto.

After finishing the dishes, Makoto dried his hands with a wash cloth and walked to where Haru had sat down. He leaned in toward Haru. "Do you want to go for a walk?" he murmured, out of earshot of Rei and Nagisa. Haru whipped his head toward the taller man. Their faces were close enough that Haru could see a couple of freckles on the bridge of Makoto's nose. He could feel a slight huff on his face from Makoto's breath. Eyes wide, he gave a quick nod.

The two of them somehow managed to vacate the apartment without Rei or Nagisa noticing. It was a pleasant day outside, warm and sunny. A slight breeze ruffled Makoto's hair, who closed his eyes and sighed contently, tilting his face toward the sun. Haru watched him, admiring how peaceful and beautiful he looked in the sunlight.

Beautiful? Haru jolted himself out of his thoughts. Did I just call him beautiful?

Makoto opened his eyes and turned his face towards Haru. His gem-like eyes almost looked like they contained the sun itself. They grew warmer as he smiled, burning into Haru's skull. Haru suddenly felt Makoto's hand brush up against his again, but this time, he grabbed Haru's hand and gently squeezed it. The recurring blush again made an appearance on Haru's face, but this time he didn't look away. He squeezed back.

"Come on, let's go," Makoto said, a playful smile on his face. He led Haru down the street, hand-in-hand.

A/N:

(EDIT- forgot MufasasPride's note): Ohohoho we finally reach the hair sniffing! The inspiration for the weird and the creepy just flows the minute Rei and Nagisa are in a scene. It actually works for writers block though. No ideas? Just add Rei and Nagisa! (this could be an infomercial wait someone give me a patent)

So this chapter is kind of long, but the way things worked out with the rest of our sections sort of required a filler/transition/cram-it-in chapter, and this is it. Also, considering my whole almost passing out fiasco of the day (formaldehyde is NASTY shit), the editing isn't quite what it could have been but... *sigh*

Yeah and I started a new fic... Based on awkward cafeteria encounters of my own... So if you want to read about bagels... Yeah there's really no glamorous way to put it but I HAVE THE FIRST CHAPTER UP. Lol and thanks for follows/favs/reviews/all that jazz on our baby (no joke it's our world) haha but yeah peace out.