Epilogue

In the back of a car with you I stare into the sun

Another five years found Haruka sitting at the kitchen table opening a fat envelope. He pulled out several pictures of the wedding he and Makoto had attended earlier.

"I didn't know Sousuke's type was Kazumi," he muttered to himself as he saw the bride and groom. Kazumi had lessened her affinity for her makeup, and she made a rather stunning bride. Sousuke was a stoic and intimidating groom, but together they looked like a couple you would find in the front of a successful business magazine advertising powerful families.

Well, Sousuke's family business was being handed down to him, since he was the reason there were multiple branches and increased revenue of the Yamazaki Corporations. Many of the yakuza hadn't wanted to become yakuza in the first place, so they leapt at the chance of a fresh start with Sousuke's offer. They were highly loyal to Sousuke and full time employment wasn't bad for them. Some of them were even there at the wedding, a testament to how close they'd become to their boss.

"Mm, good morning Haru," came a sleepy voice. Two arms wrapped around him and a warm kiss was planted on his cheek. "Oh! You made mackerel again today, huh?"

"Pictures came in today," Haruka said, turning to Makoto and kissing him on the mouth. He noted that Makoto had sounded just a bit exasperated at the mackerel. That meant that he could hold out two more days before Haruka had to make something else.

"Wow, Kazu-chan looks so pretty!" Makoto laughed. "I'm so glad that she stopped putting as much makeup on. She called me on the night before the wedding and told me that she would only put on what was necessary."

"Makeup isn't necessary," Haruka scoffed." Makoto bumped his hip against Haruka's shoulder.

"Both you and I wore makeup on our wedding day!" Makoto chuckled. He sat across from Haruka and started eating his fish. "Oh, look, Rin crying in his best man's speech!"

"Let me see," Haruka said immediately. Makoto handed him the picture and Haruka pulled out his phone, taking his own picture and sending it to Rin.

"Haru! Don't be mean!" Makoto laughed. Haruka shrugged and set the photo aside for future use. Makoto gave him a wry smile over his teacup before handing him another one. "How about a non-blackmail picture?"

The picture was of Aiko, Rin and Aki's four-year-old daughter, throwing petals down the carpet before Kazumi entered the scene. Haruka remembered how Nitori had taken copious amounts of pictures of the little girl, who was his favorite because she was named after him as well as Aki.

Makoto handed him another one of Rin and Aki holding their one year old son up to the camera from their reserved table. All three of them had cheesy smiles on their face. Haruka looked at little Sousuke with a small smile. Contrary to his namesake, little Sousuke was an energetic little baby who gave a big, gummy smile on command. It was clear, however, that Sousuke was enamored with the boy and little Sousuke gave his little gummy grin whenever Sousuke was in the room.

There was a picture that Makoto was staring at for a full minute, so Haruka promptly leaned over and picked it up, curious as to what it might be. Makoto smiled and resumed eating his mackerel.

The picture was of Nagisa and Rei's adopted son holding up the pillow with the rings. Haruka looked for a moment and instantly saw why Makoto liked the picture. The boy looked like a perfect combination of Rei and Nagisa, because even though he had cheery blond hair and a cute, chubby face, his expression was pinched in a way that screamed "Rei." Haruka remembered, at the wedding, how little Kota had hated how the rings were not perfectly symmetrical and had struggled with tilting them this way and that until he nervously paraded down the carpet in perfect posture, not wanting to alter the rings one bit.

Kota was Makoto's secret favorite, because Kota was polite, but when it came down to something he absolutely adored (such as Makoto) he immediately abandoned all distant customs and indulged himself in it (such as eating chocolate or burying his face in Makoto's shoulder in a hug). Haruka had found himself a little jealous of the boy at first, because Makoto was his and Kota took up a great deal of his attention, but then Kota always got excited around Haruka and invited him constantly to his parents' house's pool.

So, perhaps, Kota was his favorite too.

His phone pinged just as Makoto covered his face and sighed at the picture he'd picked up. Haruka checked his phone to see that Rin had messaged him back with a picture of his own.

Haruka was undressing and climbing into the crystal clear fountain while Makoto was heaving him back. Makoto could have stopped him in a second, but he was trying to be discrete. Nitori had, unfortunately, caught them and thought that they'd looked cute, so he'd snapped a picture.

Makoto flicked the same picture towards him and Haruka shrugged.

"I don't get why you're so embarrassed," he said. Makoto sighed and finished the last of his mackerel. He stood up and washed his plate, and Haruka spared a glance at his back before Makoto came back and sat down.

"When do you think we'll be able to adopt Kaede-chan?" Makoto asked quietly, tracing a picture of Kota smiling while holding an American flag. Sousuke and Kazumi had had their wedding in the same place that everyone else before them had: a large hall in New York, next to the Niagara Falls. Haruka hadn't wanted a big wedding, but that's what he'd gotten. It was fine, though, because it meant that Rin didn't make a fuss about them "breaking tradition," and he and Makoto had spent their wedding night hearing the water roar distantly and the rain fall outside their window.

It had been the best night of Haruka's life.

"Did you hear me?" Makoto chuckled. Haruka drew his thoughts from the gutter and met Makoto's laughing eyes. "You're thinking about sex, aren't you?"

"It's not too early," Haruka protested. Makoto shook his head and held up another picture to distract himself from Haruka.

"Oh, how cute!" he cooed. "This was when Ran and Ren were putting on a skating show with me." Haruka looked at the picture with a smile. Makoto had given the kids all rudimentary ice-skating lessons, but the kids had picked up on it fast and Aiko could even skate three circles around the rink by herself.

Makoto, Ran, and Ren were very good at it. Ran was even considering becoming a nationally recognized figure skater, and had her very own coach. Makoto was funding the venture, because while his parents were excited for Ran, they didn't have the funds to help her live the dream.

Since he'd taken over the Wildlife Conservatory after his boss had stepped down, Makoto had become increasingly busy and had earned a great deal of money. Haruka spied as his husband went back upstairs to put on his business suit. It was really too bad, because Haruka loved taking that suit off of Makoto more than he loved having Makoto put it on and go to work.

He sighed and stretched. He should really go and swim. After his record-breaking endeavor at the Menase race, Haruka had become Japan's most hopeful prospect. After a year of intense training, he'd gone to the Olympics. After two years of participating, he'd won a gold medal.

It was shocking, because no one had ever expected it. Rin had gotten a couple of silvers and a gold, but Haruka had furiously and stoically beaten even the Australians. It was as if he was a merman in the water, Makoto had said, because the moment he hit the water, it seemed to propel him forward and his frame had cut through the water like a hot knife through butter.

Not to mention his new protein diet had bulked him up. But Haruka still squeezed in mackerel any time he could get.

His career was winding down, however, as he grew closer and closer to 30. His name was a regular household one, as well as his face and his stoic demeanor. The fact that he was a gay swimmer also drove forward the gay movement in Japan (which had, admittedly, been a bunch of yaoi fans who had wanted to see hot guys like Tachibana Makoto and Nanase Haruka get married in Japan).

Haruka walked outside of their tiny house and began a brisk jog to the pool. He got about halfway before Makoto came up beside him, riding his bicycle.

"Haru, you forgot your lunch!" he called. Haruka stared at him for a moment before Makoto laughed breathlessly and stopped his bike.

"You're ruining your suit," Haruka said calmly. Makoto shrugged and gave him a grin.

"It's worth it," he replied, leaning in to give Haruka a soft kiss. He handed Haruka a big box. "This is your lunch and your snacks. There's also another pair of clothes and jammers. Make sure that you eat! I'll be contacting Salo-san!" Dave Salo was Haruka's coach for the 2028 Summer Olympics, held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and Seattle, Washington, USA. Haruka had been training with him for a long time, and Salo had high hopes for him. Haruka had not yet told Makoto that this would be his last Olympics, and that he was planning on buying a house in Iwatobi for the two of them to stay together. Makoto would still work, but he'd have to take a bullet train instead of bicycling to work every day.

Then again, Makoto could also work from home. They'd talked about it, and while Makoto was reluctant to do so, his coworkers were urging him to relax and stop trying to take care of everyone. His pay would go down a bit, but not considerably, and that was Makoto's own choosing.

Haruka hoped that his admission would be the tipping point that convinced Makoto to give in and work from home, checking on the Conservatory twice a week instead of heading over there and working on his computer, doing everyone else's jobs. Nagisa and Rei, whose company merged with Makoto's such that it became a Wildlife Conservatory and Research Organization, complained that Makoto worked too hard and needed to be with Haruka more often. Haruka couldn't say that he disagreed.

After swimming, Salo had said that he was in his peak condition and that he needed to keep it up for the games. Haruka had won 5th place in the 100m free in the 2026 Summer Olympics, but had won gold in the 200m, which was his specialty. Makoto had cried hard, as if this was the first time Haruka had won a medal. But then, Makoto's happiness was like a breath of fresh air every time. He got so emotional and happy that Haruka found his motivation to be centered on Makoto's reaction.

He had to stop by a certain place before he could get home, and so he spent a few minutes there before leaving. His heart thumped in his chest. If Makoto knew where he was, he'd get really, really excited. As it was, Haruka struggled to keep his composure, which was not usually a struggle for him.

Needless to say, he was eager to get home. He usually got home before Makoto and cooked him dinner, but today, Makoto would be home early because it was Friday, and he was always home early. As much as Haruka loved cooking dinner for Makoto, he loved it when Makoto was home to greet him even more.

He opened the door to find Makoto already in his pajamas, even though it was only 5:00.

"Welcome home, Haruka," he said happily. "I was just looking over these pictures. Who knew that Rin could be so cute?" Haruka walked over to him, kissing him soundly on the mouth. He pulled away before Makoto could escalate it, because he knew that if that happened they both weren't going to get out of bed until the weekend was over.

"When is Rin ever 'cute'?" he asked instead, scraping his nails gently across the nape of Makoto's neck.

"Mm, look at him," Makoto said, disoriented. He motioned to seven pictures, each of them having Rin in it. "These three are from when Aki told him that she was pregnant again."

"She's pregnant?" Haruka asked, surprised. Makoto raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you remember? I was telling you how Ran was invited to the baby shower the other day."

"I don't."

"Well, serves you right. You were in the fountain by then," Makoto chuckled. Haruka surveyed the picture. The first was of Rin and Aki sitting together and chatting, but the second was where she whispered in his ear and he turned a bright, dark red. The third picture was of Aki smiling at the camera and pointing to her belly as Rin clutched little Sousuke and stared at her with excitement and love, but mostly incredulity.

Then, Haruka turned to the next four pictures. Gou had approached Aki and was chatting with her excitedly. At the next moment, Rin's face was agape with fury. The third picture had him interrogating a laughing Gou, while the fourth picture showed him going after Seijuro, who was running away rapidly.

"Gou's pregnant, too?" Haruka deduced. Makoto smiled and nodded. Haruka took a chair next to him and pushed so that he was closer to Makoto. Makoto leaned his head on Haruka's shoulder.

"It's a good thing these happened after the wedding," he remarked. "Or else Rin wouldn't have been able to say the vows without an outburst." He held up the portrait of Sousuke and Kazumi kissing with Rin smiling in the background. It had been an excellent shot, as were most of Nitori's photos. Haruka could see why Nitori was somewhat successful with his random photo venture.

"Hmph," he suddenly said, plucking a photo from the pile and tossing it towards the trash.

"Haru!" Makoto protested, getting up and picking up the photo. "Oh, this was when I danced with Rin. It's no big deal, Haru, honestly. I was Kazu-chan's 'maid of honor,' remember?"

Haruka wondered why Makoto bothered to pick up useless photos when there were perfectly good ones to compensate. He stared at one where Nagisa was feeding Rei, who was somewhat embarrassed since Nagisa's sisters were watching and squealing at their cuteness. Another photo showed both Rei and Nagisa offering pieces of cake to Kota, who looked thrilled at the attention.

"Oh, Haru, look."

The picture Makoto had picked up apparently had three partners. While the first showed Rin and Makoto dancing, the second showed Haruka intercepting the dance and taking over. Aki was smiling sneakily and waiting in the sidelines for Haruka to intercept, so that in the third picture, Rin was dancing with her and Haruka was sticking his tongue out at the two of them (Makoto was trying to placate Haruka). The fourth picture was one of just Haruka and Makoto, blushing a little bit and looking into each other's eyes.

Makoto returned to his spot, nuzzling Haruka's shoulder and kissing it once. They both stared at the picture, which had been blown up for them courtesy of Nitori.

"We should pay him extra," Haruka said. "Have him make copies."

"Why?" Makoto laughed. "Who would we give it to?"

Haruka nuzzled into his hair, smelling the delicious shampoo he'd bought.

"Ran? Ren? Okaa-san and Otou-san?" Haruka murmured. He felt Makoto smile against his shoulder. He loved it when Haruka referred to his parents as his own. "I want to see it everywhere we go."

"Mmm," Makoto replied. He traced Haruka's face, where there was a barely visible, gentle smile. "I do like this picture."

Haruka was busy staring at Makoto's bright ears and loving smile. His green, green eyes were trained on Haruka alone. And, since the picture was turned so that Makoto was slightly turned away from the camera, Haruka got a perfect view of his round butt covered in a professional suit. He had a thing for Makoto in suits.

For a moment, he wondered if he thought of sex too often. But then he disregarded it. He was married. He could think of sex all he wanted.

"Ah, here's the last picture."

Haruka turned to see everyone smiling in a panoramic picture, where Sousuke and Kazumi's families were surrounding them and their friends took the center stage. Kota, Aiko, and little Sousuke sat together and were grinning happily at each other while Ran and Ren were beside them, trying to coax them into looking at the camera. Nitori was in the picture, grinning broadly in between Aki and Kisumi. Aki was making a peace sign at the camera while her other hand was presumably on her belly. Rin was standing between Sousuke and Aki, arms wrapped around both of them and smiling his traditional sharp-toothed grin.

Kazumi had Gou and Seijuro on her side, with Momotarou giving the biggest grin Haruka had seen any Japanese give in their lives. Asahi was near them as well, and even Amakata was standing next to Gou and placing a hand gently on her shoulder. Rei and Nagisa were in front of them, holding each other's hands. Nagisa was holding a hand up exuberantly while Rei stood stiffly and gave a small smile that spoke volumes.

Haruka looked around a bit, but then found him and Makoto on the very side of the picture. Makoto was smiling at the camera with an arm wrapped around Haruka's waist. Haruka, however, was disregarding the camera entirely and looking at Makoto's profile. He had leaned in to give Makoto a kiss right as the camera had taken the picture, and the result was rather beautiful.

He looked at the rest of the picture and sighed. Makoto smiled at him.

"Don't worry, we'll visit them soon," he promised. "Rin and Aki are hosting the Christmas party this year, remember?" Haruka nodded, but he couldn't help but miss them all. Even though he was introverted and inadvertently whisked Makoto away to a quiet house near the city, but not quite in it, he still missed seeing his friends. But in doses. He wasn't about to move anywhere near any of them.

A glance at the clock told Haruka that it was time to cook dinner. He nuzzled Makoto's hair once more before going into the kitchen and frying up some mackerel. As the fish popped and sizzled, he heard Makoto hum and the distinct sound of a broom sweeping the ground. It reminded him of the days when Makoto had come home and Haruka had worn nothing but his blue apron, preparing food for Makoto and acting like it was an ordinary day until Makoto hauled him off to the bedroom.

Okay, he thought to himself. I think I'm thinking about this more than I should be.

Once the fish was done and seasoned, Haruka added some leftover rice and finished the meal with some green curry on the side. He set the two steaming plates on the table just as Makoto's nose caused him to drop the broom and head over. They ate while chatting about their day. Makoto told him that, once again, the number of Monterrey Spanish mackerel had decreased and the chub mackerel had nearly come back to their original numbers. He happily chewed on the mackerel that Haruka had served and said that the predators that hunted the chub mackerel were beginning to come back as well, and the ecosystem was returning to how it was. The fishermen, however, were somewhat upset over the loss of profit. Haruka, who had given up the profession, shrugged and frankly responded that they could deal with it. He loved his mackerel.

"Have you talked to your parents?" Makoto said quietly. Haruka nodded.

"I talked to them last month. They are happy for me," he sighed. "My father is still quiet, but he sometimes mentions my medals."

"Tch," Makoto tsked. Haruka covered his hand with his own.

"Don't be mad," Haruka chided.

"I can't forgive them," Makoto said coldly, his eyes hard. "Not after all they did to you."

"I'm not asking for you to forgive them," Haruka replied. "But don't let them ruin our evening."

Makoto looked at him for a couple of seconds before sighing and smiling. "You're right, as always Haru-chan," he said with a smile. "I have such a perfect house with a perfect husband. I don't need to worry about them."

"Drop the chan," Haruka said good-naturedly.

After dinner, Makoto washed the dishes and placed them on the rack with his frilly pink apron. Unlike Haruka, Makoto was rather conservative with what they did in the bedroom, so the times when he put himself on display were few and far between. He always did so at Haruka's urging, however, and seeing Makoto put himself on display or wear a costume while sporting the largest blush Haruka had ever seen was so…

He needed to stop now. The good news that was burning in his pocket was forcing his body to get ready for celebratory sex. It wasn't time yet!

Haruka gathered up all the pictures and placed them back into the envelope. He placed the fat envelope on the bookshelf so that Makoto could arrange the photos into the photo album as he so chose. Haruka, however, kept the photo of the two of them dancing and put it into the best picture frame he could find in the house. After that, he hung it in their bedroom and admired his handiwork.

"Aren't you going to get into your pajamas?" Makoto yawned. "It's getting late." Haruka turned and saw that the clock read 10.

"We don't have work tomorrow," he replied. Makoto rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but some of us aren't used to staying up late," he retorted. "Especially since they have to catch the 8:00 train every morning."

Haruka grabbed him and buried his face into his neck, kissing the sensitive skin.

"I have an idea to keep you awake."

"Mm, let me hear it."

Haruka squeezed Makoto's warm body to him. "You smell nice."

"I'm trying out a new brand. I'm glad you like it," Makoto chuckled. "Haruka…" he sighed, leaning in.

What Makoto's lips met was a bright yellow piece of paper.

"Mmf?" he said adorably. "What's this, Haru?"

"Something to wake you up," Haruka replied, blushing a bit and looking away. Makoto felt his excitement and his own heart started thumping.

"Oh? W-what is it?" Makoto asked. His green eyes appraised the paper before hesitantly picking it up and unfolding it. "Haru, you're acting str—"

His words died as he continued reading the paper. Haruka looked at him intensely, noting every hitch in his breath and ever fraction of an inch that his eyes widened.

"…No…no way," Makoto squeaked. "No…oh my god Haru…" Haruka bit the inside of his cheek to keep his smile at bay, but when Makoto looked up at him with his broad grin and his shining tears, he let out a happy smile.

Makoto lurched up and hugged him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder and kissing his face all over. He laughed and showed all the emotions Haruka was feeling at an intensity Haruka loved.

The paper fluttered down with a picture of a smiling baby girl on it. Printed on the top of the paper were large, capital letters spelling "ADOPTION APPROVED."