You guys are probably gonna hate me for this chapter. Just sayin'
Haruka and Makoto were on the way to Rin's house to pick him up, so that they could go swimming again. Seems normal enough. But when they got to Rin's doorstep, they heard some loud crashing noises, along with screeching that sounded a lot like Gou. Worried, Haruka fumbled with the spare key Rin had given him and swung the door open, narrowly dodging a vase that was flying at him.
"You clingy, possessive son of a bitch!" Gou screamed, throwing a ceramic coffee mug at her brother. "I'm twenty fucking years old, I shouldn't still be living with you!"
Rin ducked out of the way, letting the mug shatter on the wall, "So what, you're just gonna move in with some shady guy you barely even know?"
"He's not just 'some guy', he's your fucking swim team captain and we've known each other since high school, you ignorant fuck-ass!"
"Okay, but what about his brother? He's even worse!"
Gou rolled her eyes, "Shut the fuck up, you don't know jack shit about Momotaro!"
"Still, the answer is no!"
"Well, too fucking bad, I'm an adult and I don't need your goddamn approval!" With that, Gou stormed off to her room, slamming the door so loudly, the entire neighborhood could probably hear it.
"So, I take it we're not swimming today after all." Makoto said.
Rin looks over at the doorway, "How long have you two been there?"
"Long enough." Haruka replied.
"Gou-chan is usually such a sweet girl. I didn't know she could get so violent like that."
Rin laughed bitterly, "Matsuokas are known for their hot temper. It runs in the family."
"I'm gonna go make sure she's okay, if you don't mind."
"Her room is at the end of the hall, to your left."
"Thanks, Haru." Makoto makes his way towards Gou's room, running his hand along the wall as he walked down the hall. He feels up the door for a bit, then gently knocked on it. "Gou-chan?" He reaches towards the doorknob and slowly opened the door, walking towards the source of the soft sniffling noises. Then he suddenly felt his foot hit something and the next thing he knew, he was falling flat on his face. "Owww..."
Gou shot up from her bed, rushing to help Makoto up, "Sorry!"
"Was that a box?" Makoto asked.
"Yea. Packing." Gou replied, sitting Makoto onto her bed.
"So, moving in with your boyfriend, huh?"
"Yep. But too bad that idiot brother of mine can't understand the concept of me being perfectly capable of fending for myself." She said with an exasperated sigh, angrily shoving things into a box.
"I can see where he's coming from, though. I'm a big brother too, you know."
Gou shoots him a glare, "So you're agreeing with him, then?"
Makoto shrinks back in fear of her threatening aura, "Nononono, I didn't say that!"
"So what are you implying?" Gou asked, "Was it like this with your siblings?"
"Ehh...it involved lots of begging, crying, and arm-pulling." Makoto said with a laugh, "But I was kinda glad I left knowing that they'll miss me a lot. Back then, I was so thrilled whenever I felt them kick inside my mother's belly, but at the same time, I was extremely terrified. I wanted to be a good big brother, but I felt like I couldn't do much for them. I somehow made it work and now I can't remember a day when they aren't hanging from my arms." He pauses, taking a deep breath, "They just started middle school now, so it'll be a long time before they go out into the world, but when that happens, I'll be sure to see them off with a smile. I just wish I could do more for them before they go." A moment went by before Makoto snapped out his reverie. "Oh! I'm sorry. I came here to check on you and I just ended up bombarding you with my life story."
Gou giggled, shaking her head, "No, it's fine. You seem to have done a pretty good job with them, seeing how they adore you so much. I'm sure you've done a lot for them."
"Doesn't feel that way." Makoto said, "I'm sure it's the same with Rin."
Haruka paced back and forth across the room several times, carefully minding the pieces of shattered glass on the floor.
Rin stares at him from the couch, groaning in irritation, "If you're gonna say it, you might as well say it now."
"What?"
"You want to say 'I told you so', right?"
"No, not really." Haruka said, shaking his head, "You know, the tighter you hold on to her, the more she's gonna pull away, so if you let her go, it'll make things easier for the both of you."
"But, I just want to look out for her."
"I know you do, I know you've been there for her entire life, but she's an adult now. I'm sure she knows herself. Everyone going to go out into the world on their own eventually, Gou is no exception and she's going to do whatever she wants with her life whether you like it or not." Haruka explained, "If you're so worried about her getting hurt or something, have you seen her just now? Even I'm terrified."
Not saying anything, Rin gets off the couch and heads to Gou's room. Before he could knock, the door is slowly opened. "What do you want?" Gou demanded.
"Uh...I see you and Makoto had a nice long talk."
"Oh, it was nice and long alright." Gou laughed bitterly, "Now, you can tell me what you want or get out."
"Uhm...Do you need help with packing?"
"Funny, you were totally against me moving out a few minutes ago and now you want to help me pack?"
"You and Makoto aren't the only ones who had a nice long chat." Rin said. "Now, do you want me to help or not?"
"I would appreciate that, thank you." Gou replied, still a little skeptical.
"And Gou?"
"What?"
"Take care of yourself, okay?"
Gou laughed, rolling her eyes, "Don't worry, I will."
"By the way, Gou..." Makoto said. "Remind me to never piss you off."
"So, I heard Gou-chan moved out." Nagisa said, placing a mocha on the table in front of Makoto.
"Wow, news travels fast with you, huh?" Makoto replied, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm kinda worried about Rin-chan, though. I hope he's taking this well."
Haruka shrugged, "Eh, he'll get over it eventually."
"But I guess that's a good thing, because that means there's room for Ai-chan to move in~" The blond sang teasingly, glancing at the blushing grey-haired boy at the counter.
"Nagisa, leave the poor kid alone."
"Hazuki-kun, if you have time to tease me, then can you help me make all these drinks?" Aiichiro asked, gesturing to the ridiculously long line of customers.
"Ugh, not this shit again..." Nagisa groaned, reluctantly dragging his feet towards the counter.
"So, Haru, are you free this weekend?" Makoto asked, a bit nervous.
"I'm always free, why?"
"I promised my parents that I would visit them at least once a month, so do you wanna tag along this time around?"
"Why not?"
Makoto's face lit up in excitement, "Great! I've told my parents about you and they really want to meet you."
Haruka woke up bright and early Saturday morning. He usually didn't like primping himself up, because, well, that required effort. He didn't know why, but he felt the need to make himself look presentable.
'God, I'm acting like this is a date.'
Taking a minute to clear his head, he finally got dressed into something he was satisfied with and headed to the kitchen to make himself some breakfast (grilled mackerel, of course). Quickly taking the last few bites of his toast, he rushes out the door and down the stairs. He was sprinting so fast, everything around was a blur to him. Next thing he knew, he collided head-on with someone much bigger than him and fell onto the concrete with a thud.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Haruka picks his body off the ground, dusting himself off, "Calm down, it's just me."
"Eh? Haru?"
"How'd you know where I live?" Haruka asked.
"You live around here?"
"Yes, in fact, my house is right up the stairs."
Makoto laughed, "Funny, because my parents live right here."
Haruka looked over to the house nearby, remembering the new neighbors that had moved in months before he met Makoto. Because of his reserved nature, he never got around to come by and say hello. Now he felt pretty terrible about it.
"Well, I guess this saves me a trip to the train station."
"What are we waiting here for, then?" Makoto grabs Haruka by the arm, but hesitates before he could take another step, "Are you nervous?"
"How can you tell?"
"I don't know. It's just that feeling I get from you. I can kinda tell what you're thinking, you know?" Makoto explained, "Sounds a bit weird, I know."
"No, it's not weird at all. You're just really good at reading the mood."
"Don't worry, Haru. My family will love you, the twins especially." Makoto reassures.
Haruka stands behind Makoto at the doorstep, lightly tugging at his sleeve. Makoto feels the doorway for a bit until his hand found the doorbell. As soon as he pressed it, he could hear footsteps pounding loudly towards the front door. It slides open and Makoto is suddenly tackled by a little girl.
"Onii-chan!" She squealed with glee.
"Whaaaaat? Onii-chan's home?" Said another voice from inside the house. A boy ran out the door and joined in on the hug. "Onii-chan, you really are home. We missed you!"
"I missed you too, Ren, Ran." Makoto laughs, wrapping his arms around the twins, "Now, let's get you two inside."
"Makoto? Baby, is that you?" A woman peeks in from another room, her eyes lighting up as soon as she saw Makoto standing at the doorway. She immediately went over to him and pulled him onto a tight hug. "It's been a while. How have you been?"
"Still doing great, Mom." Makoto replied. "Where's Dad?"
"He's still at work, but he'll be home later today." She finally notices Haruka standing behind Makoto. "And you must be Haruka-kun, nice to meet you."
"Hello."
The confused twins tilt their heads in perfect sync. "Is he deaf?" The boy, Ren, asked.
"No, Haru can hear perfectly fine. He just can't speak." Makoto explained.
After letting that sink in for a bit, Ran left the room briefly and came back with a small whiteboard and a marker. "Here. In case you want to say something, you can write it down!" She said, holding out the items to Haruka.
Taking the board, Haruka quickly wrote, "Thank you."
They all sat in the living room while Makoto's mother provided tea and snacks, warning the twins not to eat too many before lunch. Haruka couldn't help but notice that Makoto looked a lot like his mother. They both had the same gentle look in their eyes and the same kind smile.
"So, are you Onii-chan's boyfriend?" Ran suddenly blurted out.
Makoto suddenly turned into a blushing, blubbering mess at the question. "Wh-what? No, of course not!"
"Hmm, what a shame." Mrs. Tachibana says in mock disappointment, casually sipping her tea.
"Mooooom!" Makoto hides his face in Haruka's shoulder as his family laughs in amusement. "Haru, please do something!"
"What? They're your family."
"Wooow, Onii-chan can understand Haru-chan?" Ren asked, seeming genuinely fascinated.
"Yeah! He used to talk to me with a speech aid on his phone, but he dropped it in the pool, so we resort to this." Makoto explained. "Reading sign language took me a few days to learn, though."
Ran suddenly grabs onto Haruka's arm. "Teach me sign language, Haru-chan!"
"Me too!" Ren added, clinging onto Haruka's other arm.
"Ren! Ran! Don't force Haru if he doesn't want to." Makoto scolded his siblings.
Haruka shrugged the twins off of him, shaking his head, "I don't mind."
"What did he say?" Mrs. Tachibana asked.
"He said he doesn't mind."
"Yay!" The twins shouted in unison.
Like Makoto, the twins caught on pretty quickly. Haruka only taught them a few basic things like common phrases and finger-spelling and the twins were so eager to learn. Though, it somehow ended with Ran painting his nails pale blue and hair clips placed messily in Makoto's hair.
Lunch was...eventful. The twins practically bombarded Haruka with questions and fought over food, which was settled when Makoto gave them a bit of his portion. Haruka couldn't help but envy Makoto a little bit. His grandmother was the only family he ever had and his parents weren't even in the picture. Makoto on the other hand, actually had a family who loved him and accepted him with open arms. He usually would get annoyed with all the racket, but here, it was actually kind of pleasant.
"Hey, hey, Haru-chan, let's watch a movie!" Ran said, clinging on to Haruka's arm again.
"Okay. What do you want to watch?"
"Hmm..." Ran taps her chin in thought. "How about Wolf Children?"
"Sure, whatever you want."
They made a little nest with pillows and blankets in the living room and sat inside it comfortably, wrapping extra blankets around themselves. The movie was surprisingly good, even Haruka had come to love it. Makoto, of course, only had the audio to go by, but he also had Haruka describe things to him whenever he needed it. By the end, Makoto was a sobbing mess.
"There, there, Onii-chan." Ran pats her older brother's back soothingly.
"You didn't tell me it was this heartwarming and emotional." Makoto said in between sniffles.
"It's just a movie."
"Be quiet, Ren, you cried like a baby the first time around!"
Ren pouted, "Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Okay, stop it, you two!" Makoto sighed, "Sorry, Haru, they're a little bit too energetic for you to handle, aren't they?"
Haruka shook his head, "No, not at all."
A little while after they've finished the movie, Makoto's father had come home. Like, the rest of Makoto's family, he had taken a liking to Haruka almost immediately. He also seemed to like teasing his eldest son about his love life, which made it all the more amusing for Haruka. Haruka didn't intend stay long, but Mrs. Tachibana insisted that he stay for dinner.
Dinner was quite lively. The twins laughing and Mrs. Tachibana telling them not to play with their food. Makoto having a nice long chat with his father, catching up and everything and occasionally pulling Haruka into the conversation. It was almost overwhelming for Haruka, being used to eating alone in the silence of his home. But at the same time, he wishes it was like this all the time.
"Thank you for everything today." Haruka wrote on the whiteboard, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to say hello sooner."
"Not a problem. We assumed that you were just really shy, so we figured you wanted to be left alone." Mrs. Tachibana said, "You're welcome to come over anytime."
Haruka holds out the whiteboard and marker to Ran, intending to return it, but she gently pushed it to him, "You can have it, Haru-chan."
"Thank you, Ran." He ruffled the girl's hair gently and went ahead to do the same to Ren.
Makoto hugs his parents goodbye, "See you later, Mom, Dad." He turns to his siblings, "You two be good to Mom and Dad, okay?"
The twins both nodded simultaneously, "We will!"
It was getting really late when they left the house, only a streetlight illuminating the stairs.
"Your family is really nice." Haruka said, "They're fun to be around."
"See? I told you they would like you." Makoto replied, "They think of you as part of the family already."
"It's just...enjoying things with each other, making embarrassing jokes with each other, and eating together; I never had that and to experience that, I don't know what to think."
"Do you hate your parents for that?" Makoto asked.
"I don't hate them, but after they left me for all these years, I honestly don't want do anything with them anymore." Haruka explained, "I'm okay with that because you, Nagisa, Rin, and everyone, you're my family now."
Makoto smiled, "Then I should do my best to take care of you from now on."
"You get home safe, okay?"
"I will." Makoto said, "See you later, Haru."
Haruka stood on the steps just a bit longer, watching Makoto walk away until he disappeared from his sight. Sighing contently, he makes his way up the stairs to his house, noticing that the lights inside were on. He tilted his head in confusion. He was sure he turned the lights off before he left. Haruka slowly opens the door, also noting that it was unlocked. He eyed the three pairs of shoes place neatly at the doorway. Definitely weren't his. Fearing the worst case scenario, he grabbed his grandmother's bamboo cane and held it up defensively, cautiously making his way through his house. He slid the door to his living room open to find...
"Hello, Haruka."
Even if it's been a long while, he knew that cold monotonous voice immediately.
'Mom.'
"Put that thing down before you hurt someone, dear." Haruka's mother commanded, "Sit and join us for tea."
Haruka slid the door closed, leans the cane against the wall, and kneeled on one of the seat cushions, sitting opposite from his parents.
"What do you want?" He wrote on the whiteboard.
"We just wanted to check up on you, is that a problem?" Mrs. Nanase asked.
"Were you that busy for eight years that you couldn't come by and check on me sooner?" Haruka said, "There must be something you want from me."
His father sighed. "Well, you got us."
"So...?"
"Well, you turned 21 recently, so we decided that you were ready." Mrs. Nanase explained.
"Ready for what, exactly...?"
Mr. Nanase looks over at the door behind Haruka, "You may come in now."
The door slowly slid open, revealing a girl on the other side. She looked quite young, about Haruka's age, maybe younger. Her pale lilac eyes made contact with Haruka's vibrant azure ones as she fidgeted with her dark reddish-brown curls nervously.
"Who's the girl?"
"This is Manami Mizuno." Mr. Nanase said.
"She's your fiancee."
HA! YOU FUCKERS DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING, NOW DID YA?! YOU THOUGHT THIS WAS GONNA BE ALL WARM AND FLUFFY FEELINGS. SIKE! TIME FOR ANGST AND DRAMA MOTHERFUCKERSSSSS
Because whats a fanfic without plot twists, melodramatic Korean soap opera clichés, and shitty mary sue OCs? Shitty mary sue OC with a water related name, at that.
Also I'm jumping on the "Haru's parents are a bag of dicks" bandwagon.
I'm know I'm a terrible terrible person who breaks her fans' fragile hearts for kicks
But please don't send me death threats for this. Because the last time it happened to someone, it didn't end well ; u ;
Makoharu is still the endgame here, I PROMISE YOU. Just think of this as a catalyst to get the romance between them going, so you guys sit tight and watch the shitstorm unfold.
