I'm kinda getting mixed signals from all your reactions. I was expecting crying and emotional breakdowns. Seriously, I was laughing my ass off when I submitted the last chapter. *sighs* I'm such a sadist...
If you hate my OC already, good, that's what you're supposed to do.
If you hate me, well...*shrugs* I don't blame you. I did tear your heart out, stomped on it, threw it into the depths of hell, brought it back, and shoved it back in...like Sam Winchester's soul.
"What?"
"She's your fiancée, Haruka." Mrs. Nanase repeated, "You're marrying her April of next year."
Haruka just stared at his parents in disbelief, not knowing how to react.
"I know you have many questions, so I'll spare you the trouble." Mrs. Nanase said, "Your father and Manami's father have been business partners for many years. We arranged this marriage ever since you were born. It's to benefit both companies."
"And why did you think I was okay with this?"
His mother's stone cold gaze was fixed on him, glinting with authority which even intimidated him, "It doesn't matter if you're okay with this or not. You don't have a choice."
Haruka suddenly felt a feeling of sickness settling in his stomach. He just wanted to run and soak in the bath to calm himself.
"You have nine months before the wedding, so use that time to get to know each other."
He turns to the girl he's betrothed to. It seemed that her initial timidness has completely disappeared. "It's nice to finally meet you. You know, you're a lot cuter in person!" She said enthusiastically.
Haruka put on the best smile he could fake and nodded. "Can I call you Ruka-chan? I figured since we're engaged, we shouldn't be so formal with each other."
The dark-haired man threw up in his mouth a little. Now being called Haru-chan sounded like sweet music to his ears. He bowed his head a little to excuse himself. As soon as he left the room, he made a run for it to the bathroom. Somewhere, he could vaguely hear Manami ask, "Did I make him uncomfortable? Maybe I was being too forward."
"Give him some time to let this sink in. He'll warm up to you eventually."
He quickly stripped down to his swimsuit and submerged himself into the wet, welcoming warmth of his bathtub.
"Haru, are you okay, man?" Rin asked.
Haruka, who had his head buried in his arms, didn't answer. Nagisa lightly tapped him on the shoulder. Haruka slowly lifts his head up, looking up at the blond with groggy eyes.
Nagisa held a paper cup in front of him, "Hey, I know you don't like coffee, but you desperately need this."
"Do I really look that bad?" Haruka asked, taking the cup. He gulped most of the drink down. It was so strong, he swore he could see through time.
"Uh, yea, you do." Nagisa said. "Couldn't sleep?"
"I was in the bath until three in morning."
"I know you don't take that long sitting in the bathtub unless something's really bothering you." Rin said. "Did something happen with Makoto's parents?"
Haruka shook his head, "No, that's not it. His parents were very nice."
"So, what's bothering you?"
"My parents came home last night."
Nagisa's jaw dropped and Rin nearly choked on his coffee. "What?"
"You heard me."
"After all this time, why would they wanna come back now?" Nagisa asked.
There was suddenly a gasp, "Ruka-chan!"
Haruka made a groaning noise and hid his face in his hands.
"Ruka-chan? Well, that's a new one." Rin teases. "Kinda cute."
"Don't encourage her!"
Haruka watched as the girl made her way towards their table. "I didn't expect to run into you here." Manami said, taking a seat next to Haruka, "Are these your friends?"
"And who might you be?" Nagisa asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm Manami, Ruka-chan's fiancée."
...
...
...
"EHHHHHH?!"
Rin almost chokes on his drink again, "I'm sorry, come again?"
"We're engaged."
"How? Why?" Nagisa asked. Haruka could practically see the question marks floating around his head.
"Apparently arranged marriages are still a thing in this day and age." Haruka said, "Long story short, my dad and her dad are business partners and this marriage is to benefit the both of them. And before you ask, I can't back out because I absolutely have no say in this, both figuratively and literally."
That familiar ring was heard, signaling Makoto's arrival. Nagisa immediately went back to his usual cheery self, "Hey, good morning, Mako-chan!"
Makoto turns to where he heard Nagisa's voice calling from. "Good morning, everyone." He yawned as he rubbed the sleep out of his eye like a child would. Haruka felt his heart melt a little at how adorable Makoto was. He mentally slapped himself almost immediately for having those kind of thoughts. He has a fiancée now.
Manami didn't hesitate to greet Makoto as well, "Hello there!"
Makoto jumped at the new voice. "Umm...hello."
"I'm sorry, did I scare you?"
Makoto shook his head, "No, not at all. I'm just surprised, that's all."
"Well, I'm Manami. Nice to meet you err..." Manami's sentence trails off as she offered her hand to Makoto.
"Makoto."
Manami stares at her hand, waiting for him to return the handshake. She notices the white cane and looked up at Makoto. "Oh..."
Rin and Nagisa started snickering when she slowly pulled her hand back. "Every. Fucking. Time."
"I'm sorry. It's just...this is my first time meeting a blind person."
"Hey, don't feel too bad. This kind of thing happens all the time, so don't worry about it." Makoto said with a laugh. "Got any questions?"
"Is the thing about seeing in your dreams true?" Manami asked.
"Well, dreams are based on things you've seen in real life, right? I was born blind, so I don't know what things look like, so I have nothing to base my dreams off of. So, no, I don't see in my dreams."
Manami nods slowly, "Okay, can I one more question? It might be a bit rude, though."
"I don't get offended that easily, so ask away."
"If you were given the chance to see through, like, surgery or something, would you?"
"Now, that's a bit of hard one. I'd have to start learning how things look like. I'd have to start remembering faces. Hell, I'll have to learn what colors are. Why are there so many? How do you keep track of them all?" Makoto explained, "I guess I have mixed feelings about that."
"Ah, I see." Manami said. "Well, it was nice meeting you, everyone."
"Yea, you too. It's nice to meet a relative of Haru's." Makoto replied.
"Uhm, I'm his fiancée, actually."
"Oh..." Makoto looked shocked for a bit, but put on his usual soft smile not long after, "Well in that case, congratulations to you both."
"Thank you." the girl giggled, turning to Haruka, "Ruka-chan, do you think you can show me around? If it's not a bother for you, I mean."
Haruka hesitates and contemplates his options. Playing tour guide for Manami would require a lot more effort than he would've liked, plus there's the communication issue. But he wasn't in the mood to sit through a lecture from his parents if she had gotten lost somewhere in the city. So in the end, he just slowly nodded in response.
Manami's face lit up instantly, "Great!" She grabbed Haruka by the arm and pulled him up. "See you guys later!"
"You two have fun, now." Rin said, flashing the pair a toothy grin.
Manami gave them a small wave as she left the coffee shop with Haruka
As soon as they were out of sight, Rin's mood did a complete one-eighty.
He banged his fist on the table loudly, scaring the crap out of both Nagisa and Makoto. Thankfully, it was still early, so no one was around to hear Rin's outburst. "I can't fucking believe this shit! They fucking abandoned Haru because they just couldn't take the fact that he suddenly has a disability then they just waltz back into his life and force an arranged marriage on him because it's to their advantage? Am I the only one who sees how shady this is?"
"Yea, it's pretty fucked up." Nagisa agreed.
"That's all you gotta say about this?"
"Trust me, I'm just as angry about this whole thing as you are." Nagisa replied, "But to be completely honest with you, I think Manami-chan's a nice girl."
"Oh my god, Nagisa, did you see him? He looked like he wanted to die as soon as she showed up." He turns to Makoto, "Right, Makoto?"
"He only just met her last night. If he comes to like her and wants to marry her, then we should be happy for him, right?" Makoto said, "Besides, we aren't a position to decide these kind of things for him."
"Well, neither are his parents." Nagisa added.
Makoto sighed, "Even so, what can you do about it?"
Weeks passed after that. Makoto and Haruka still picked each other up from classes and went on little outings as usual, but now with the addition of Manami. It wasn't like Makoto harbored any resentment towards her. No, he actually got along with her quite well.
It was just another one of those days. Manami was picking Haruka up from his art classes and Makoto went to the coffee shop to wait for them, so they could go swimming together.
As soon as he came in, a voice greets him with, "Hello, what would you like toda-Makoto?!" Definitely doesn't sound like Nagisa.
"I'm sorry, but who are you?"
"Kisumi."
"What? Why would I kiss you if I don't know who you are?"
The pink-haired man rolled his violet eyes, "Not that, Genius. Ki-su-mi. As in Kisumi Shigino?"
That name may have rang a bell. Makoto thinks for a moment before it hit him. "Oh my god, no way! It's been so long, Kisumi! That last time I saw you was when we graduated from middle school."
"And I was beginning to think you forgot about me. I'm hurt, Makoto."
Makoto laughs, "So, how've you been?"
"The university here offered me a scholarship to cover part of the tuition if I agreed to join their basketball team, so I just took up a job here to pay for all the rest." Kisumi explained, "How 'bout you?"
"I'm studying literature and I've taken up swimming again."
"Yea, I can tell." Kisumi said, "And you've gotten really tall too. That growth spurt of yours is ridiculous, I swear to god."
"Really? That's what everyone keeps telling me."
The soft ringing of the bell was heard as the door flew open. Manami walks in with a huge grin on her face, dragging Haruka by the arm behind her. "Makoto-kun!"
Haruka shrugs Manami off of him and takes Makoto's hands into his, "Did we make you wait long?"
"Oh no, not at all." Makoto said, shaking his head, "By the way, Haru, Manami, this is my old friend, Kisumi."
Kisumi smiled as he gives the pair a small wave. "Hey."
"Nice to meet you, Kisumi-kun." Manami said, letting out a small giggle, "Though it's kinda funny that your name sounds like 'kiss me'."
"Yea, I get that a lot. It's kinda awkward introducing myself to people." Kisumi laughs sheepishly. He directs his gaze towards Haruka, who was just staring off into space, seemingly uninterested. "I take it that Haru-chan's not really the social type."
Haruka shoots Kisumi a glare at the sound of that god-awful nickname. The pink-haired man flinches at Haruka's threatening gaze and held up his hands in self defense, "And I also take it that you don't like being called Haru-chan either..."
"Well, it was nice seeing you, Kisumi." Makoto said.
"Yea, you too." Kisumi replied, "and it was nice to meet your friends."
Manami clings onto Haruka's arm once more, "Come on, Ruka-chan! You promised you would teach me how to swim, remember?" She proceeds to drag him out the door.
Kisumi spares a glance at Makoto for a second, "Hey, you okay?"
"Yea, I'm totally fine; why do you ask?"
"Because you looked kinda...you know what? Never mind." Kisumi said, "You all have fun now."
"Makoto-kun, are you coming?" Manami calls impatiently.
"Okay, okay." Makoto waves Kisumi goodbye, "See you later, Kisumi."
Makoto quietly floats on the surface of the water. Not too far away, Haruka was trying to coax Manami into learning how to at least float in the water, but she kept clinging on to him like her life depended on it. Sensing their distress, Makoto swims over to them.
"Need some help?" He asked.
"Yes, please." Manami squeaked.
"Manami-chan, the pool isn't really that deep; you can just stand in it."
Manami slowly lets her feet touch the bottom of the pool as she loosens her grip on Haruka. "Well, that wasn't too hard."
"If you prefer keeping your head above the water, then just float on your back." Makoto said. "Haru, can you hold on to her hands and have her lean back?"
Haruka nods and follows Makoto's instructions. Manami whimpers nervously as she slowly leaned back into the water. Haruka rolled his eyes and gave her a look that said 'stop being a baby' and it silenced her almost immediately.
"Let her get used to kicking and then go from there, got it?"
"Thanks, Makoto-kun."
Makoto smiles, "Glad to be of help."
After about four pain-staking hours, Haruka finally manages to get Manami to swim without his help, which the latter excitedly exclaimed "I can swim!"
"Good for you, Manami-chan." Makoto said, chuckling, "I trust that Haru taught you well."
Manami nodded, "Yep!" She jumps towards Haruka, enveloping him in a tight hug, "Thank you so much, Ruka-chan!"
Makoto feels for the wall of the pool and lifts himself out, "The pool's gonna close soon, so we better get going."
Manami follows suit and held out her hand toward Haruka. Haruka hesitates for a moment, glancing over at Makoto, who was already making his way towards to the locker room. Sighing, he slowly inches his hand towards her's and lets her grip it rightly, pulling him out of the pool.
"Manami seems pretty happy to be around you." Makoto commented as they dried themselves off and got dressed.
"Yea, I know. She makes it pretty damn obvious."
"You should give her a chance, Haru."
"What makes you say that?" Haruka asked.
"Well, she's your fiancée." Makoto said, "You're going to spend the rest of your life with her."
Haruka couldn't help but shudder a little when he heard Makoto say that. He knew he was going to hear that from everyone, but for some reason, he didn't like it when came from Makoto, out of all people.
"Just know that I'm happy for you, Haru."
Haruka knew Makoto well enough to know when he was faking that smile. He could tell his voice was wavering a bit as he said that. He didn't know how to respond to that.
"I'll be sure to invite you to the wedding, then."
Makoto laughs, "I'm looking forward to it."
Haruka feels his stomach churn a little. He knows he done fucked up. Badly.
Manami was waiting outside the building. Her face lit up when she saw Haruka. "Uhm, Makoto-kun, Ruka-chan and I planned to go out for dinner, so are you with going home by yourself?"
"Yea, absolutely!" Makoto replied, "You two go ahead and have fun."
He could sense Haruka's worry, "I'll be fine, Haru. Don't let me stop you."
"See you later, then."
"Yea, you too." Makoto said as he waved them goodbye, "Have fun!"
He begins walking in the opposite direction towards his apartment. He doesn't remember it being unsettlingly quiet on the way. When he got home, he remembers the leftovers Haruka had kept in the fridge, but he wasn't hungry for some reason. So he decided to skip dinner for tonight. He went ahead with his usual bedtime routine. Makoto didn't bother with drying off properly after his shower and plopped onto his bed, tired. He feels for the orca plushie Haruka had given him, holding it close.
'I should be happy for Haru, so why...'
He buries his face into the plushie as he felt hot tears begin to well up in his eyes.
'Why do I feel so uneasy?'
Do you ever just finish writing something and look back on it like, "what the actual fuck?" because that is exactly how I'm feeling right now. On the bright side, I decided to include everyone's favorite bubblegum bitch.
I just realized that whenever Makoto meets someone new, they always try to handshake and they finally realize he's blind when he leaves them hanging. I accidentally made a running gag in this story.
I didn't really think Manami through, didn't i?
OCs are hard, which is why I don't bother with them much tbh :/
