Haruka was filling a pitcher with water for Makkou when Ikuya came home. He'd taken him for a run to blow off some steam from earlier, though it all came back when he heard Ikuya's voice calling out "I'm home," so meekly.
"Welcome home," Haruka called back to him. He took the pitcher outside and filled Makkou's bowl. The happy dog showed no signs of tiredness after their run; in fact, he seemed quite excited when Ikuya came out after Haruka.
"Hey, there," Ikuya said to Makkou, giving him a couple of scratches behind the ear.
Haruka looked away and poured the water into Makkou's bowl. "How did things go at practice?"
Turning his attention away from the dog, Ikuya waited for Haruka to finish his task, then pulled him in for a kiss. It was only a brief peck, but he had received the reaction he wanted- a blush from his partner. "It was fine." He shrugged. "We're still doing regular training right now. The pool is still closed until it gets warmer. For some reason, Asahi's bothering me more than usual… it's like, he's really upset I didn't tell him about us for some reason." Ikuya followed Haruka inside as he continued, "I mean, I didn't really tell anyone until today so why does he feel so hurt about it? I told you and my family, and then Makoto… well, he's practically family to you, right?"
Giving him a blank stare, Haruka waited for Ikuya to finish. Makoto has always been a friend and a neighbor… is that really how others viewed them? he wondered.
"Anyway, it seems like Natsu-nii told Nao-senpai, but I think that's fine," Ikuya went on. "Nao-senpai wouldn't go spreading it around or anything."
Haruka started dinner while Ikuya set the table. Tonight's recipe was one he had made before, and he was pretty confident about it. He wondered if his mother had chosen it on purpose, or by coincidence, but he hoped Ikuya would be impressed. He still wasn't sure why he wanted to hear his praises for his cooking, but he felt a certain sense of pride in his chest when Ikuya stood over his shoulder and watched.
At the table, Ikuya's praises were abundant. "Wow, this is good!" and "How long have you been cooking?" and "Everything is delicious!" were all said between mouthfuls.
Haruka responded the same as he had to everyone else who had ever made a big deal of it- brushing it off, generally- but he smiled as he did it, and he felt… good. He was used to cooking for himself, or reheating leftovers, and occasionally having to turn down Makoto's mother's well-intentioned offerings, so sharing this meal with Ikuya was special. He felt warm at the thought of having moments like this every night.
"I know I'm just getting settled in here," Ikuya said, helping Haruka carry the dishes into the kitchen. "But I think I might spend some time after school and after club with Natsu-nii. His graduation is coming up, and then I won't really get to see him that much, so I want to spend some time with him."
Nodding, Haruka began to wash the dishes, passing them off to Ikuya to dry them. "Will you be spending the night?"
Ikuya shook his head. "No. I won't stay over there again for a while. I might not always be back in time for dinner, though."
"Oh." Haruka shut off the water and passed the last plate to Ikuya. So, he might not get to cook for him again so soon after all. At least he knew Ikuya would still be sleeping with him. As he thought about it, Ikuya was already changing the subject, saying something about a bath. Haruka didn't quite catch it, but he figured it was something like a question about who should go first, so he offered the bath to Ikuya first.
"I'll go first, then," Ikuya agreed.
When Haruka's turn came, he finished cleaning himself quickly and slid into the water, allowing the warmth to seep into every part of him. His mind hadn't left Ikuya- though it had now wandered back to something from before, something that bothered him. He hadn't meant to say those words aloud, but they slipped from his mouth, and though they were well-received, they were not reciprocated. "I love you." He wanted to hear it returned. He could see it in Ikuya's eyes, he could feel it in the warm breath on the back of his neck at night, but he longed to hear those words said back to him. "I love you, too."
Sitting on the edge of the bed, his eyes locked on those of Ikuya, who stood before him, Haruka wondered, if he were to say it again now, would Ikuya say it back? He swallowed; the words were like pills caught in his throat- hard and suffocating. Unable to make the words come out- and unsure why they came out on their own just fine but wouldn't come out when he wanted them to- Haruka could only stay and close his eyes as Ikuya leaned in to kiss him, his hands holding either side of Haruka's face. His lips moved of their own accord in response to Ikuya's, refusing to yield to his desire to speak.
Pulling away, his eyes half-lidded, Ikuya ran a thumb over Haruka's cheek. "What's wrong?" he whispered.
Slowly, Haruka opened his eyes. His gaze wandered from Ikuya's lips to his eyes, such a dark orange in the shadow of his hair that when the light caught them they glistened like embers. His breath hitched in his throat and he swallowed it down, his lips only parting to say, "Nothing." He knew it was a lie, but he couldn't make the words come out to express his feelings, so he gently tugged Ikuya's shirt until his boyfriend closed the gap for another kiss. His lips tingled and his body felt warm as he pulled Ikuya closer to him, nearly pulling him down on top of him.
Just as Ikuya had said, his time in the after-school hours was spent with his older brother. The first night, he made an effort to be home for dinner, even though Haruka told him he didn't have to worry about it. The next night after that, he was out during dinner time, returning while Haruka was in the bath. After several rotations of this, Haruka began to feel a void on the nights when he was alone. The reasoning perplexed him as much as his previous desire to be praised for his cooking.
"I'll be home late tonight," Ikuya said, giving Haruka's hand a quick touch before he turned to go to swim practice- rather, weight lifting. An unfortunate truth made it difficult for them to carry on privately as before- spring was coming, and the students who had kept bundled up inside all winter were flocking out to greet it.
As Haruka looked around him, he could see some girls whispering. He was fairly sure at least a few people from their year had them figured out now, though no one seemed particularly interested in creating a fuss over it. It was a relief, he thought, since they would be stuck there for another two years with these people. If they could accept it, or at least be willing to overlook it, then it would be much easier for both of them.
Haruka knew swim practice was over when he heard the twins clamoring out to greet their brother. He wasn't sure if it was because he would otherwise be alone, or if it was because they were really that lively, but he felt compelled to step outside and see his neighbors. While he was slipping on his shoes, his mind wandered to what Ikuya might be doing out with Natsuya right now.
"Onii-chan, look!" Ren said excitedly, pointing to Haruka. "Haru-chan!"
"Haru-chan!" Ran echoed, bounding over to him. Her eyes lit up and her hands balled into excited fists. "Come stay for dinner!"
"I'm fine," Haruka replied. "I have my own dinner."
"Aww," Ren whined, dragging his older brother behind him. "Haru-nii hasn't come to play in so long!" His eyes began to well up and he squeezed Makoto's hand.
"C'mon, Haru," Makoto invited. "At least come over for a little while."
With a nod, Haruka allowed himself to be pulled by both twins into the house. He still saw Makoto every day because of school, but it was true that he hadn't been spending much time with the twins. Sometimes, he wasn't sure Ren and Ran understood that they're not actually related.
As they began to settle in for some video games, Ren tugged on Makoto's shirt. "How come Haru-chan never brings over the other boy?" he asked.
"Haru-chan, did someone move into your house?" Ran asked.
"Yes," Haruka replied. He let Ran settle into his lap, her twin brother situating himself in Makoto's.
"How come he never comes over to play?" Ren wondered.
"Now, now," Makoto said, "Ikuya's been through a lot recently and he needs some time to get settled in. I'm sure he'll come over to visit when he's ready." His attempts to end the discussion were about as successful as his attempts to beat Haruka, who already had him lapped in the racing game.
"Onii-chan," Ran gasped, "you know him?"
"They're classmates," Haruka replied. "And they're both in the swimming club."
"How does Haru-chan know him, then?" Ren asked.
Haruka's fingers fumbled and he nearly dropped the controller, surrendering the lead to Makoto. "From swimming club."
"H-hey, Ren, Ran, after we finish this race, how about we play Go Fish together, hm?" Makoto suggested abruptly.
"Yaay!" the two cheered in unison.
After the twins left to go find their cards, Haruka said without moving his eyes from the TV, "Thanks."
Beside him, Makoto smiled. "Maybe this weekend I'll invite you and Ikuya over to spend the night," he suggested. "Then maybe those two will get over the novelty of it all."
"Doubt it," Haruka shrugged. "They'll probably just end up asking more questions."
"That's true," Makoto chuckled. "Still, it might be a nice change of pace." After a few moments, Makoto lost the race, and his expression turned to worry as he turned to face Haruka. "Haru, I've been meaning to ask you for a few days now, is everything alright?"
He should be used to his friend's perception by now, but Haruka was still startled by the sudden question. "Yeah," he replied, though he couldn't look him in the eye as he said it.
"You look like something's been bothering you."
Haruka sighed. Maybe, if it was Makoto, it would be alright. "Does Ikuya love me?" he wondered aloud.
It took a moment for Makoto to register the meaning of the question. "Do you love him?" he asked back.
Haruka gave a slight nod.
"Have you told him so?"
"Yeah."
"What did he say in return?"
Shaking his head, Haruka sighed again. "He said that it gave him courage," he replied quietly, "but then he didn't say how he felt in return."
"I see," Makoto mumbled. Before he could offer any well-intentioned advice, his siblings were clambering back into the room with Go Fish cards in their hands.
After somewhat begrudgingly accepting an invitation to stay for dinner, which he did only because the twins begged him to, Haruka said goodnight to the Tachibana family and returned home. He wasn't surprised that Ikuya was still out; after all, he had said he'd be late.
Deciding not to wait, Haruka went ahead and took a long, relaxing soak in the tub. While he was beginning to consider the idea of getting out, he heard his mother come home. He could tell it was her by the sound of her footsteps. Realizing he hadn't yet heard Ikuya come in, he began to worry about him catching the last train back.
Haruka half-heartedly removed himself from the tub and began to dry himself. What time was it, anyway? He couldn't rely on his mother coming home on time every night, so he couldn't be sure it wasn't later than he thought. What would he do if Ikuya already missed the last train? He couldn't let him stay at his house, not with his father. Even if he did decide that, he could at least call to tell him so.
Just as Haruka was going downstairs to listen for the phone, he heard the door open.
"I'm home," Ikuya called wearily into the house.
"My, you're back late tonight, Ikuya-kun," Haruka's mother commented. She didn't pay it much mind before walking away and announcing that she was using the bath next.
"Welcome back," Haruka muttered. He realized he was frowning and looked away.
"What's wrong?" Ikuya asked. He stepped closer to Haruka and puckered his lips for a welcome home kiss. When he didn't receive one, he stepped back and pouted. "What did I do?"
"Nothing," Haruka mumbled. It was his own worrying that made him frown this way. Ikuya had warned him he'd be late, and he was late. He had no reason to be upset. And yet he couldn't help but feel bothered by it. "I was wondering if you'd made the last train." Casting aside his worries, Haruka leaned in and gave his boyfriend a welcome home kiss.
Ikuya smirked. "Were you getting lonely?" he asked, taking Haruka by the hand and drawing closer to him.
With a blush, Haruka looked away. Taking advantage of already having Ikuya's hand, he led him upstairs. "You can wait up for the bath if you want," he said, "but come up and give me a goodnight kiss. I'm going to bed."
Ikuya followed without complaint. When they reached the bedroom, he did indeed give Haruka his goodnight kiss, followed by another, and another, and another, before Haruka had to push him away to catch his breath.
"Sorry," Ikuya mumbled. "I got a little over-zealous."
"It's fine," Haruka muttered in reply. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy it. The problem was, he enjoyed it a little too much. "Goodnight."
"I'll wait in bed with you 'til your mom gets out of the bath," Ikuya offered.
Not wanting to refuse, Haruka climbed into bed and allowed Ikuya to lie on top of the covers beside him. "Why were you back so late today, anyway?" he wondered.
"Because," Ikuya replied sadly, "Natsu-nii has to focus on studying after today, so I won't be able to see him as much."
"Oh." Haruka would be lying if he said he wasn't relieved to have more of Ikuya's time to himself again, but he knew how close he'd always been with his brother and sympathized with his sadness. "Does that mean you're not staying out tomorrow?"
"Yeah," Ikuya sighed. "Natsu-nii and Nao-senpai won't even be at club anymore."
Rolling onto his side, Haruka faced Ikuya. He wasn't really sure about it, but maybe it would give him a chance to properly express himself and get Ikuya to admit his true feelings to him. "Tomorrow, do you… want to go on a date?"
"A date?" Ikuya repeated. The dim light from the hall was enough to illuminate his blushing cheeks. "O-of course! I'd… I'd really like that."
Just as Ikuya was about to ask what Haruka had in mind, the bathroom door opened, and his chance to get cleaned up before bed was calling him. Satisfied that he would find out tomorrow, he gave Haruka a quick kiss before slipping out of the room.
Oddly, it didn't take much convincing to get Ikuya to agree to skip club activities for their date. Unfortunately, they were, however, overheard by Asahi, who was less easy to convince.
"This is important muscle training!" Asahi emphasized loudly. "As group leader, I won't tolerate skipping for such reasons!"
"Oh, come on!" Ikuya argued. "I never skip unless it's important!"
Haruka wrapped an arm around his bento before someone knocked into it and spilled his lunch.
Lowering his voice, Asahi whispered harshly, "Is going on a date with Haru really that important?!"
"Yes, it is!" Ikuya hissed back. "I'll come to practice tomorrow, I promise, alright?"
Glaring between the two of them, Asahi crossed his arms. "Alright, as long as it's just this once."
"S-s-so, uh, Haru," Kisumi stuttered, "y-you and Ikuya, it's really true then?"
Haruka took a drink of water before responding. "It is." He thought Kisumi knew already, but maybe he hadn't been sure until now.
"Huh." Kisumi looked at Ikuya, who had returned to his lunch. "I guess that makes sense."
"Makes sense?" Ikuya asked.
"Well," Kisumi shrugged. "Everyone knows by now you have someone's name on your arm. And you've been spending a lot of lunch times with Haru, not to mention you're coming to school together now. It all just kind of fits."
"Well, whether it fits or not, in a few months everyone will know," Ikuya responded softly. "Once we start summer uniforms."
Haruka put down his chopsticks and looked at him for a moment. He feared that his soft tone of voice came from fear, but the subtle smile that he found spreading over his lips looked like something else. Relief, perhaps? He wasn't sure. He looked away before he could figure it out; Ikuya had noticed he was staring and blushed.
"Don't they make stuff for that?" Kisumi asked. "Like make-up or something?"
"They do," Ikuya replied, "but I'm not allowed to use it."
"Not allowed?"
Haruka wondered if he should step in and change the subject before the conversation became unpleasant (not that he was particularly enjoying the topic anyway). He didn't want to be reminded that Ikuya living with him was contingent on rules set forth by that man. He didn't feel it was necessary for Kisumi to know the details, and he didn't want to put Ikuya in the situation of having to either explain or deflect.
"It's a long story," Haruka said, cutting off Ikuya before he could speak. "Anyway, Ikuya, Makoto has been talking about having us over for a sleepover sometime soon. His little brother and sister are excited to meet you."
"Oh, really?" Ikuya asked shyly. He gave Haruka an appreciative look. "I guess they must be curious since I live with you now."
Glancing across at Kisumi, Haruka noticed his jaw hanging open, and he was thankful that he closed his mouth and collected himself without asking questions.