The next morning Haru wakes up early, despite going to bed late. Makoto is still sound asleep on the futon beside his bed, so he tiptoes downstairs and starts to make breakfast. It's odd, making food for more than one person. He barely has enough plates and cutlery for the both of them. Luckily he only needs a frying pan to make his staple grilled mackerel breakfast, and he has plenty of mackerel in the fridge.
It's probably the smell of grilling fish that brings Makoto downstairs. He rubs his eyes with the back of his hand, blinking tiredly.
"Morning, Haru."
"Morning, Makoto." Haru removes the fish from the grill and sets a fillet onto each plate before garnishing it with daikon radish and soy sauce. "Breakfast's ready."
"That smells amazing!" Makoto says, sniffing the air. "Thank you, Haru."
Haru takes the plates over to his kotatsu and sets them down. "It's fine."
They sit down and say thanks for the meal before digging in. Haru eats silently, enjoying the flavour of the mackerel. Makoto hums and praises Haru again, mentioning how he can't cook at all and how he's jealous that Haru can cook so well between bites. Haru brushes off the praise, but his mood lightens just a tad from it.
They both clean their plates relatively quickly, so Makoto helps to wash the dishes whilst Haru puts them away, as a way of saying thanks. During all this, Haru can't help but think that feels natural to be with Makoto. As ordinary as his usual days in his house are, these moments shared with Makoto have made his house feel more like a home.
"I was thinking we could go fishing in town later, if you wanted," Haru says. He hasn't fished very much during his stay in Iwatobi, or even in his entire life at all. Still, with Makoto, it feels like it will be fun. There isn't any pressure for him to impress Makoto with elaborate plans for the day. Even something as simple as fishing will be enough.
"That sounds great!" Makoto says. "I've never been fishing before, but it sounds like fun."
Once they are ready, they take their fishing rods (one bought by Haru on impulse so he could catch more mackerel, the other one lent to him by Nagisa) and head to the sea. They also take a cooling box to keep the fish until they're ready to take them either to Haru's house or to Go Go Goro's!.
(Of course, it is pretty odd that Sasabe buys fish and insects so readily, but Haru doesn't question it. If it gains him a few extra bells, he won't question it.)
When they reach the sea, they bait their rods. Well, Haru does - Makoto sheepishly offers his to Haru. At first Haru thinks it's because he doesn't know how to bait a hook, but when he sees him turn away, eyes closed, he realises that Makoto just doesn't want to cause pain to the bait. Perhaps fishing wasn't the best plan for the day. In any case, Haru baits the fishing rods and they cast them into the sea, waiting patiently.
They fish in silence for about ten minutes before a fish finally pulls at Haru's bait. He steels his arms and reels the line in, struggling with the weight of the fish. He grits his teeth. This one might be a lost cause.
Just when he's about to give up, hands cover his own and apply extra strength to the fishing rod, pulling it with more force. Haru's hands freeze for a moment, but Makoto manages to help him pull the fish out of the sea. He moves back and eyes the floundering fish, but only after lingering for just a moment. Or perhaps Haru imagined that. He isn't sure. All he knows is that the warmth of Makoto's hands lingers on his skin, and that he's reluctant for the cold weather to take it away.
"Wow, you're amazing, Haru!" Makoto says, even though he did most of the work. "What kind is it?"
"Sea bass."
"Wow!"
After another few minutes, a fish pulls at Makoto's line and he tugs it out with less effort than Haru needed. Haru can't see Makoto's arms through his jacket sleeves, but he can only imagine that he has serious muscles to be able to fish that easily. Does he work out?
"What kind are you?" Makoto asks the fish, then wrinkles his nose at the smell. Haru takes the fish from Makoto and puts it into the cooler. Even if Makoto is attractive, it doesn't change his silly personality. Haru almost smiles.
"It's a sea bass."
"Another one? They must be pretty common."
Makoto is not wrong. In fact, the only type of fish they catch at all is the sea bass, and they catch five before they're finally tired of catching sea basses. For now they take them back to Haru's house and head off to the cafe for another day together with their friends.
A week later, Haru boards the bus once more. This time he's alone, without even Nagisa and Rei to keep him occupied, but luckily the bus is almost empty, and no one sits next to him. He can simply stare out of the window at the frosted landscape, soaking in the warmth of the bus and feeling thankful that he's not out in the crisp November air. The trees are almost completely bare now, with only a few dark leaves hanging on for dear life at the ends of their branches. The sky hangs in a low grey cloud, pressing down on the people below it without raging upon them. Other than that, of course, the weather is nice.
He heads straight for the cafe Makoto works in. It isn't too busy, with only a few customers around the shop, probably since most people are at school or work. There isn't a line either, so he goes straight to the counter.
"Hi!" the server says, smiling. "What can I get you?"
"Grilled mackerel."
"Any drinks with that?"
"Black coffee."
The server looks a little affronted by his abrupt manner, but she pastes her smile back on before Haru can feel too suspicious. "Okay! Just take a seat wherever you like, we'll get your food to you as soon as possible."
Haru thanks her before taking a seat at a small table in the corner of the establishment, pulling out a sketchpad and pencil from his bag to pass the time. After only a circle has been drawn, he hears a familiar voice speak to him.
"Hi, Haru!" Makoto says, smiling. He puts Haru's coffee on the table in front of him. "You're early."
On the day after Halloween, Makoto had invited Haru to go shopping in the city with him one day. Haru needs to get a phone for himself as well as a birthday present for Makoto, so he accepted. Not that he wouldn't have accepted otherwise.
"The bus got in early, and I was hungry." It's not a lie, besides, he wouldn't want to just mull around by himself for half an hour anyway.
"I see. Well, when I'm done I'll get my lunch and join you! I've got a bento in the staff room, so I'll just eat out here." Makoto smiles at him again and leaves, going back to the kitchen. As he leaves, Haru watches his broad, muscled back, the muscle movement visible under his shirt. It's an athlete's back, for sure. Haru wonders absentmindedly what sport Makoto does as he sketches a faint outline on the paper.
When Makoto returns after finishing work, Haru closes his sketchbook abruptly. Is it weird to draw your friend's back?
Admittedly, it's difficult to buy a birthday present for someone you've only known for a few months. It's even harder when the recipient of said present is standing right next to you.
"I really recommend this one," Makoto says, pointing at some game with a sci-fi cover in the electronics' shop. "It's really interesting but also challenging!"
Haru nods, examining the box more closely. If Makoto hadn't recommended it to him, he might have bought this for him. But obviously Makoto owns it already. Pity.
"And this one here, it's a really interesting game about-"
"Are there any games you haven't played?" Haru asks, interrupting Makoto.
Makoto pauses, then looks up in thought. "Well yeah, I don't play horror games very much, and I don't really have the money to get a lot of games."
Haru hums, putting the game back on the shelf before moving to the CDs. Most of them are pop singles with brightly coloured covers and songs that are constantly on the radio.
"Do you like this kind of music, Haru?" Makoto asks, gazing at the CDs. "I wouldn't have guessed."
"I don't."
Makoto makes an 'oh' sound. "I don't mind these songs, but they do get kind of annoying."
Turning to Makoto, Haru says, "What songs do you like?" It's not just for the present anymore. He's genuinely interested, considering Makoto is a musician.
"I actually prefer rock songs," Makoto laughs nervously.
Rock songs and Tachibana Makoto in the same sentence almost makes his head spin. Someone as warm and easily-startled as Makoto being into heavy, dark music is a little difficult to understand.
"I know it's hard to believe," Makoto says, seeing Haru's face. "But it's true! I really love rock songs. Actually, I've even written a couple."
Tachibana Makoto singing rock songs is even harder to believe, but Haru doesn't say anything. As surprising as it is, Haru really doesn't know much about Makoto at all. And besides, he'd kind of like to see Makoto singing a rock song.
He moves over to the phone section without commenting. It's a wall filled with the latest models, all touch screen or slide-up phones at varying prices.
"Oh, you need a phone, don't you?" Makoto makes eye contact with the phones on the highest levels, whilst Haru struggles to see them. Makoto points to a simple slide model. "This is the one I've got, it's pretty good."
Haru makes a noise of agreement, reading the words beside the phone but not understanding the terminology. What on earth is a '3G'? Why does a phone need internet access and why are some of these things more expensive than furniture? He really does need to get up to date with this kind of thing.
"Is it good?" Haru asks Makoto. It isn't too expensive, and if Makoto's already got this model, then he could maybe help Haru get to grips with it. He doesn't want to ask Nagisa or Rei, both of whom don't know he hasn't got a mobile phone, and Rin would almost certainly just laugh at him. At least Makoto won't judge him for not knowing these things.
"It is! It has good storage and the battery lasts for a long time!"
Haru, defeated, takes Makoto's advice and buys the same model as him. It'll be useful for if he needs help, after all.
Outside the shop, they sit on a bench so they can unpack the phone. Haru holds the phone, flips it over in his hands, getting used to the cool metallic feel of it. It's light blue, adding to the coldness of it. Makoto searches through the box, explaining what each wire does and showing Haru how to set up his phone.
"Compared to a lot of the newer phones, this one's really easy to use," Makoto says, showing Haru his own green phone. He slides it open and presses a few buttons. "Can I see your phone for a minute?"
Haru hands it over and watches as Makoto taps a few keys on the new phone, then types something into his own phone. After a minute or so he returns it.
"Now I've got your number! I'll text you and you can save my number too, okay?"
Haru nods and lets Makoto type something on his phone. A few seconds later, his own phone pings. He slides it open. A notification has appeared, telling him he has a text from an unknown number. He opens the message.
「Hello! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ」
Haru looks over to Makoto, who smiles. "Now you can save my number too!"
It takes him a few minutes and some help from Makoto, but he eventually gets the number saved on his phone.
"Now we can keep in contact more easily." Makoto's eyes are smiling softly. "I'm really glad, Haru."
Haru doesn't say it, but he's glad, too.
It's a good thing Haru has a phone now, because Makoto is barely in Iwatobi anymore. Life without being able to speak to Makoto at all seems like it would be very dull, and it already feels like something is missing, even when Makoto's only 140 characters away.
「It's so busy here right now. I wish I could relax for a second! I get that exams are soon, but they're giving us too much work!」
Haru tries not to complain. University is important to Makoto, and if taking time to get through his work is the right thing for him, then staying in the city is the best idea. Besides, Haru remembers the stress of being in university. Even though he dropped out, the workload is impossible to forget. He can't imagine staying for a second year.
「don't stress yourself out.」
The words are carefully chosen, painstakingly entered with slow presses of each character. He's still getting used to texting, but the typing is the least of his worries.
「Thanks, Haru. I'll try not to!」
When he's not having text conversations with Makoto or real conversations with Nagisa and Rei, he paints. It keeps his boredom at bay, and besides, it's productive, since he's supposed to be an artist.
Haru's content with his life right now. His house is still small, even though his parents have already payed off his mortgage for him, but he doesn't mind. Nagisa and Rei are still as kind as ever, always happy to see him when he goes to the cafe. Living near the beach means he can still swim whenever he likes, though it's too cold right now, and he can easily go to the city to get art supplies when he runs out.
Still, he can't help but feel that something isn't quite right, like something is missing, or is going to happen. The feeling settles in his stomach and doesn't leave. He ignores it as much as he can, but it still remains.
He distracts himself by focusing on other things, like what to get for Makoto's birthday, and what he should draw next. Makoto's music is still good, but his flow of inspiration has paused. He wonders if it's because Makoto hasn't been in Iwatobi as often, or maybe because of the monotony that Haru's life has taken on. Maybe that's why he can't think of a present for Makoto's birthday.
Of course, Makoto's birthday arrives sooner than he is prepared for, and he ends up unsure about the present he has for Makoto. But he can't change it now - all he can do is hope Makoto likes it.
They throw a party for Makoto, who luckily is able to come into Iwatobi on the Saturday before his birthday. When he arrives, party poppers blast streamers into the air as they wish him happy birthday. It takes a few moments for him to recover, but he smiles nonetheless, first at Nagisa, then Rei, then Rin, and finally at Haru.
"You guys…!"
Nagisa bounces forward, capturing Makoto's attention. "So, you like it? This took a long time to organise, so you'd better like it!"
"I don't think I've got any air left in my lungs, considering how many balloons I had to blow up." Rei wipes imaginary sweat from his brow, then smiles at Makoto. "It was worth it, though."
"Ai-chan even baked a cake!" Nagisa says, referring to the grey-haired boy from the Bug Off and the Scavenger Hunt. He works at the bakery near Goro's!.
Makoto scratches his cheek. "You guys really didn't need to go to all of this trouble-"
"Of course we did!" Nagisa says. He pretends to look upset, but it's clear he's jesting. "You're our friend, Mako-chan, and you need to remember that! Besides, with everything you've done for the cafe, we couldn't let something like this pass."
"Nagisa…"
"Come on, we're not here to get all mushy, are we?" Rin says with a grin, interrupting the moment. "Let's eat some cake!"
Laughing, Makoto follows Rin to the bar. Even though Makoto's not been in Iwatobi much recently, apparently he and Rin sometimes meet in the city, since Rin goes there for swimming. They laugh and joke together, talking as though they've been friends for years. Something burns in Haru's chest.
The bar is laden with party foods, even though there aren't many of them there at all, and there won't be many more later on. Nagisa assured Haru earlier, however, that he'd be able to eat everything that was left behind. The centrepiece of the display is the birthday cake, a simple chocolate cake with a happy birthday message across the top in white icing. It's not much, but Makoto's face lights up at the sight of it.
"This looks so nice!" He turns to Nagisa. "Please, tell your friend I said thanks. The cake looks amazing."
"Of course!" Nagisa grins, then takes out some candles and starts putting them onto the cake. "We've got to do this properly, though! Rei-chan, where's the lighter?"
Rei passes the lighter to Nagisa and a minute later the cake is illuminated by seven candles spread across the cake. It makes it look a little nicer, but it's still a simple cake, in Haru's opinion.
"Make a wish, Mako-chan!"
Makoto looks at Nagisa as though to ask, 'am I not a little old for this?', but he obliges and blows out the candles in a single breath. The rest of them cheer and congratulate him.
This kind of celebration makes Haru wonder why things are like this. It's always awkward to be the one blowing out the candles whilst everyone cheers - isn't a birthday just a celebration of being older? It isn't that big of a deal for Haru, to be honest. But when he hears his friends' laughter, sees Nagisa's enthusiasm and the effort put into the cake and the party and the joy on Makoto's face, he pushes his cynicism to the side. If this makes his friends happy, that's reason enough to celebrate.
Nagisa grabs a knife and gives it to Makoto, who cuts the cake into eight slices. A few minutes later, everyone has a slice and is chatting in various parts of the Cafe. Makoto and Rin sit on chairs at the bar, talking about rock music, whilst Nagisa and Rei sit at the table nearest to the stage, talking about something Haru can't hear. Haru just sits on his usual chair, listening to Rin and Makoto's conversation as he eats his cake. As much as he dislikes overly sweet foods, the cake isn't too bad.
Haru doesn't mind just listening in. He's always been a much better listener than he is a speaker, so he doesn't mind not contributing to his friends' conversation. It allows his mind to wander. He wonders how Makoto and Rin get along so well. If Makoto will like his present. What everyone else got Makoto. Surely everyone else's gifts are better. Haru drags his mind back to the present.
Before his mind can roam once more, Nagisa stands. "It's present time!"
"What?" Makoto says, watching Nagisa as he rushes to the bar and ducks behind it. "You didn't need to get me anything-"
"Nonsense!" Nagisa says, bringing out a small wrapped box. "For you, Mako-chan!"
"Ah, thank you, Nagisa." Makoto takes the present. Without complaining, he carefully opens the gift wrap, revealing a black, rectangular box. There are no words on it. "Nagisa…?"
"Open it!"
Makoto gives Nagisa a final look of apprehension before opening the box. Inside on the cushion is an orange wrist watch. It has a chunky but modern design, looking a little expensive for the budget Nagisa surely has. Makoto's eyes widen. "Wow, this is so nice! It looks expensive, though-"
"Price doesn't matter, Mako-chan!" Nagisa leans over the bar. "Do you like it?"
"Of course! It's beautiful. Thank you, Nagisa." His smile is sincere as he takes the watch from the box and fastens it to his wrist. Luckily the watch already has a working battery and is set to the right time.
Next, Rin hands over an envelope containing a greetings card and a gift card for a music store. Makoto seems just as pleased with it as the watch, and Haru inwardly curses himself for not thinking of a gift like that. Compared to Rin's gift, Haru's looks cheap and unthoughtful. At least with a gift card Makoto can get something he likes. Haru's gift is going to look horrible in comparison. But he can't lie and say he hasn't brought a gift with him. Seeing Makoto's face fall at that would ruin him. Besides, Makoto's probably already noticed the bag by Haru's chair. He can't lie about it.
Rei gives Makoto a year-long diary for the next year, embossed with a picture of a kitten. "You said you like cats, and you'll probably need a diary next year, since university is hard work." Rei pushes up his glasses, pleased with his gift choice.
Makoto smiles. "You're right! Thank you, Rei."
It's the moment of truth. Haru takes the large, rectangular package from his bag and hands it to Makoto, conscious of the eyes resting on the package. "Sorry it's not much," he mumbles.
"Not much?" Rin mutters, taking in the size of it. Haru ignores him, too worried about Makoto's reaction.
"This looks like a lot," Makoto says, turning it over in his hands. "Can I open it?"
Haru nods, unable to speak. He watches those calloused hands tear the paper away, revealing the canvas underneath. Makoto's breath hitches audibly.
It's a painting. Haru couldn't think of anything else to give Makoto, so he painted for him. It's inspired by another of Makoto's songs, a warm but sad song about two friends travelling through the woods together. The green trees are rooted in the canvas, reaching upwards and letting spots of light flow through the gaps in the leaves. The figures are mere silhouettes, tiny compared to the nature around them. His eyes trace every shape and colour of the painting, still finding things he isn't happy with. Not wanting to look at it any longer, he looks up at Makoto.
Makoto's eyes are wide with wonder, his mouth agape. He traces a finger lightly over the art, not noticing how Rin, Nagisa, and Rei try to look over his shoulders at the painting.
After a minute, Makoto looks up at Haru. His eyes shine, filled with an emotion Haru has seen before but can't put his finger on, an expression his heart pauses at.
"Haru…"
He waits for the inevitable, but he doesn't know what the inevitable is any more. All he knows is the brightness of Makoto's eyes which almost match the forest life he holds in his hands. He could never convey that feeling on the canvas, although he'll try to later.
"This is amazing," Makoto says after a pause. "Thank you so much."
Haru feels light. He bites his lip, trying to ignore the warmth in his cheeks. "It's nothing."
He resists smiling until he reaches home later that evening and thinks back on Makoto's reaction. Only then does he smile.