11.

Rin's words refused to sink in, no matter how hard Haru tried to understand them. It was impossible. He could recognize the words contextually, but the meaning was far beyond his abilities. It was as if reading a foreign language- he could announce the words out loud, even in perfect annunciation, but all that he could take from it was that it meant something. The intent was lost in some labyrinth of a maze with walls so tall they reached far beyond the sky. Haru couldn't even move, unable to persuade his feet to head towards unveiling the truth hidden in the depths of Rin's words.

Instead, Haru hid. Grabbing the edge of his blanket he covered himself, burying into his make-shift shield and attempted sanctuary. In here, he felt that maybe the outside world would stop and he wouldn't have to understand anymore. After all, it was easier to hide, to run away then to confront what was soon to blow down his door.

He was being a coward. Haru knew that more than anybody. He was afraid of Makoto, his best friend, of all people. The person that he loved. Surely he had the strength to stand up and fight, if it was towards him…

But Haru didn't. Because it was Makoto, he was spineless. Instead of pushing the fear out like he normally did, he was left consumed by it. All the worries, all the un-sures. They roamed free while Haru curled up in the corner of his mind, too terrified to move. There was no light anymore.

At the sudden sound of his apartment door colliding into the wall for the second time that day, Haru curled himself tighter into his bundle of blankets. His heart pounded faster than the footsteps that ran, thudding even more so when they came to a stop. There was a brisk, unrelenting silence that filled the air.

"Haru…" At Makoto's voice Haru twitched further into himself, cuddling his hands and the fabric that covered them tight against his lips. It felt wrong to avoid Makoto, almost as if he was betraying himself for doing so. But he lacked the strength to uncover himself in fear of what he might find. An indifferent Makoto. A regretful Makoto. A Makoto that did not love him.

"Haru." This time Makoto's voice was stronger, more resolved in calling out his name. Haru did his best to ignore him, even as his body felt a primal need to respond. Makoto… Makoto was calling for him…

That was when a warmness spread across Haru's shoulder.

In an instant Haru sprang to life and was pulling away from the touch as if it burned him, attempting to run, because how can the pain gnawing at your chest possibly be soothed by the person causing it? It was impossible- futile!

But Makoto didn't seem to believe so. The moment Haru started to move he kneeled one leg onto the bed and desperately grabbed at his shoulders, tearing the blanket away from his face as if he was suffocating underneath it. At the loss of his last sanctuary, Haru gave a whimper before using shaking fists to try to push away from the brunette's chest.

"Why are you fighting me!?" Makoto voice broke as he tried to pull Haru's fists into his hands and stop the resistance against himself. With Haru's current lack of strength he succeeded, grabbing both fists tightly and holding them above their heads, forcing Haru into an unsteady kneel.

"Because!" Haru refused to look up and so instead stared at the crumpled blanket between them, eyes wet as new tears began to form. He bit his lip hard to stop them. "I have to! I can't-"

"Are you really that afraid of what I came here to say?" Makoto tightened his grip. "Are you really that scared of me?" A palm that was always so gentle and kind was now holding on with shaking fingers. Any more pressure and Haru would have surely felt pain. It terrified him.

"…Yes." Haru breathed, looking up into green as a tear escaped down his cheek. All he found there was devastation.

Makoto looked at Haru with the gaze of absolute despair, his eyes, so usually filled to the brim with sunshine, now dark green and trembling before him. They were no longer wide and excitable, but instead heavy, weighed down into slits as Haru's words hit him in full force.

"H-Haru…" Meant to be strong, Makoto's voice came out in a barely-there whisper. "You know I'd… I would never…" With a choking noise Makoto abruptly stopped, words suddenly too hard for him to convey. Instead he lowered their hands so they laid between them, curling his fingers into Haru's fists and unraveling them with some effort, petting the back of Haru's hand with a gentle stroke of his thumb.

Quietly, Makoto began to cry. It wasn't like how it was with Haru. There wasn't any sobbing or choked breaths, or even an ugly sound. His tears were completely silent, gliding down his face like rain to a window in quite somber. There was no way to know where they stopped and where they began, just a steady stream to join in Haru's already created lake.

"I'm sorry Haru I just… I have to know." Makoto sniffed, rolling his eyes around like that would somehow stop his tears. "Is Haru-chan really in love with me?"

"What, you want me to say it again!?" Haru tried to pull his hands away but Makoto wouldn't let go, holding on as if he would float out of his reach if he did. It was cruel of him, unbelievably cruel to expect him to say it all over again. "Didn't you hear it clearly the first time!?" Able to get his hands away with a frantic tug, Haru reached for what was closest to him and began pathetically smacking Makoto with a pillow.

Makoto easily grabbed it to a stop, Haru struggling to gain control of it.

"I-I did but..! Right here, right now! I need to know! I need to hear how you feel!"

As aggressively as he could Haru shoved the pillow into Makoto's chest and head-butted him, burying his face into the disarrayed pillow.

Why? Why was it like this? Did the world really want to see him die this much?

"Yes Makoto I love you!" Haru practically screamed, his throat burning. "I love you so much that everyday hurts and it feels like I can never breathe! God I fucking love you, Makoto! But," Haru attempted to breathe, but all it sounded like was a wheeze. "But I know you can't return it! I'm-I'm not stupid! So please-"

"Haru-"

"You have Hiromi-"

"Haru-!"

"I know where I'm not wanted-" The pillow was tossed away and blazing palms grasped both sides of his face, pulling Haru in a swift motion up to Makoto's level, nothing but a breath apart. His hands practically sizzled against the wetness of Haru's cheeks.

And then Makoto's lips pressed against his and the world ceased to exist.

It was small and chaste, soft with a gentle pressure that made Haru's head dizzy and his insides melt. His heart didn't just spark; it ignited. Every inch of him burned with an untamable fire, his soul lit with a bright flame. And yet he was frozen, taken completely off-guard by the fact that Makoto was kissing him.

Because Makoto feels the same.

Oh. Oh. Rin's words no longer seemed foreign. They seemed right. They seemed perfect. His doubt in the red-head was completely gone, all sense of betrayal fluttering to the wind as Makoto pulled him closer.

What he had imagined couldn't even compare to the reality. His lips were certainly soft, but there was a toughness to them too, strong just like the rest of him. And the heat of them; Makoto was a natural furnace but his lips burned the hottest, enflaming his cooler lips until they nearly burned at the same intensity.

But Haru had been right on one thing. His lips were home. Like this he felt completely safe, the threat of his fallen world no longer reaching him. As far as he was concerned, there was no other world.

Gently, like coaxing a baby bird, Makoto titled his head and began to move his lips, carefully deepening their press. Haru, sure of only his desire to keep this feeling in his heart alive, timidly moved his own.

He had no idea what he was doing- it was quite obvious from the start. But Makoto seemed okay with that. He took the lead with tender grace, moving their mouths together in a simple rhythm that Haru quickly caught onto, visibly shivering at Makoto's touch. Shyly he clutched at Makoto's shirt, unsure of what to do with his hands but still harvesting a desire to be touching Makoto.

When Makoto began to pull away, Haru yanked his shirt to bring him right back, cold air touching his lips for but a second before Makoto once again was kissed him. He couldn't let Makoto stop, not yet, not when he had been graced with a bit of heaven.

He didn't need the oxygen. He didn't need to breathe. All he needed was Makoto.

Makoto smiled into the kiss this time, rubbing at Haru's tear stains with his thumbs before sliding his fingers back into his hair, entangling them into the messy black void. Haru, unsure but eager, kissed at Makoto lovingly, enjoying the way Makoto's lips caressed against his own, how amazingly sweet they tasted and how sunny they now felt with a smile now adorning across his face.

He could have stayed as they were forever.

As their lips once again were torn apart Haru immediately felt a small sense of loss, though that sense quickly left him as Makoto bonked their noses together.

"Haru I love you. My feelings are the same. So please… don't say that you're not wanted. Don't take yourself away from me. I couldn't bear it if I lost you. I love you… I love you so much."

Makoto… loved him. It was the same. Their feelings were the same. Haru couldn't even fathom this thought, he mind frozen and thick like mud as he tried to grasp onto the situation. His heart had impossible rhythm, beating rapidly at one second but then stopping the next. It was too hard to grasp the meanings and connotations that could be behind Makoto saying these things to him, but there was one thing he could understand. Love. And that was really all he needed.

"O-okay." His voice thick with emotion, Haru reached up and wrapped his arms around Makoto's neck, burying his face into his best friend's cheek. "If you'll have me…"

"Not a day has gone by that I haven't wished to have you at my side." Makoto whispered, brushing Haru's hair back with careful fingers. Last minute tears fluttered down Makoto's face as he blinked."To have you say that you suddenly don't want to see me anymore… I thought my heart stopped beating. I could barely breathe…" Makoto pulled away slightly to look at him, and Haru could see the pain of his words reflected in Makoto's eyes. "What happened Haru? What suddenly changed?"

Biting his lip, Haru turned his head to the side and tightened his grip on Makoto's shirt. He couldn't bring himself to state the reason, the truth of it all weighing heavily upon his tongue.

"Noth-"

"Please don't say nothing." Makoto interrupted quietly, stroking the nape of Haru's neck with his thumb. It was a gentle touch, but Haru could feel the tension in his press. "I know that it's not true."

In that instant Haru realized that nothing in this moment would cause Makoto more pain than being lied to. He took a deep breath.

"Hiromi told me she didn't want me to see you anymore…"

"...what?" Makoto's response was breathless, slowly pulling away his fingers to hang back at his side as the rest of his body grew ridged.

"She… didn't think it was right of me to stick around with such strong feelings for you. She said it was in the best interest of all of us if I… left you alone." Haru's voice faded to nothing, releasing Makoto to place his hands in his lap. Even with Makoto here, offering actual proof that all of those words were completely wrong, Haru was still left with a sharp pain in his chest at the simple idea. If Rin hadn't interfered, If Nagisa and Rei hadn't agreed to help, he would be sitting here all alone without a home to return to.

"…When did she do this?" Makoto's jaw was unbelievably tight, making the words come out sharp and abrupt. Even without touch Haru could see him shaking, his knuckles turning white as he clutched his knees.

"This afternoon."

"Hiromi-chan made you cry." It was not a question, but a statement, one of which turned Makoto's eyes stone cold. "Hiromi-chan hurt you."

Haru looked at his hands, rubbing his thumb against a finger in unanswerable silence. Like searchlights he could feel Makoto's eyes on him, exploring each and every inch of skin with not even a hair forgotten.

"She had no right…" Makoto whispered, his voice thick. "No right to ask that of you."

Makoto was angry. Haru could feel it through the air, dangerous sparks practically flickering right off the brunette's skin even as he just kneeled there. It wasn't an often occurrence, rarely ever, but Haru knew well enough to be cautious when Makoto became this way. It wasn't so much his physical appearance that changed, but that his inner-self flashed electric.

Because of that, Haru could sense it the most. His lips became thin. His body grew hard. His eyes lost their usual brightness. But there was also this overall sense of gravity, as if the air around Makoto suddenly grew thicker and pulled the breathable oxygen right out of the room. The sensation was akin to that of a fierce beast, strong and overbearing in a way that made you want to run. It could make Makoto terrifying. Haru had never been on the opposing force of it. He had, however, been a witness when Makoto confronted a bully teasing his siblings.

"Makoto…" Haru reached over to grab one of his hands, hoping to somehow soothe him. "She wasn't- Hiromi was just trying to do what she thought was best. It wasn't her goal to upset me-"

"I don't care!" Makoto cried, face animated. He desperately held onto the hand Haru offered him with both his own, squeezing it tightly. "Her reasons don't matter to me! She hurt you Haru!"

"It was supposed to be for your best interest." Makoto laughed at Haru's words, sounding all but natural from the sheer force of it.

"My best interest? Haru, you are my best interest. If there is a life that I could never live without, it's yours. Without you, it's all meaningless." Haru swallowed hard.

"You've said that before." He looked at Makoto shyly through his bangs. "Back in Iwatobi about the relay."

"I meant it. About swimming, about the team. Even now, here in Tokyo. Everything feels meaningless when I don't have you here with me." Haru felt his cheeks grow pink, though a frown crossed his lips as a thought crossed his mind.

"Is that how Hiromi makes you feel?" Haru expect Makoto to pause, to stop and think about for at least a moment. Instead the response was instantaneous.

"No." Haru's heart swelled in his chest, thumping against his ribs in a peaceful drum. Having drowned in painful aches for weeks, the change in beat felt nothing short of sensational. He would have liked nothing more than to swim in the warmth forever.

"Hiromi-chan is sweet, and I do care about her. But Haru, it's only you that I love." Caught off-guard by the use of love once more, Haru could only blink as Makoto placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"A-are you sure?" He was stupid to question, stupid to bring it to attention, but as long as some doubt lay waiting in his stomach, he had half a mind to call this entire encounter a dream. Haru yearned for proof that showed Makoto's decision was his own and not just another fantasy.

"As sure as your eyes are blue." There was no hesitation nor lie in his eyes, the ice from before chipping away to show honeyed emeralds that only wished to prove his words.

Softly, his eyes lighting up like candles, Haru began to smile. It rolled like waves inside him and spread to all his parts, engulfing even the deepest part of himself with a delicate light. There was no weight, no sense of mass pulling him down and taking him back into the great abyss that he had been drowning in. He could finally float along and be free.

Haru no longer needed to be immersed in water to feel bliss. [1]

With that in mind he began to cry, not out of despair but for everything. He cried for all the pain he suffered for the past two months, all the rough times when he thought he could no longer keep going, and all the lies that he told not to just Makoto but also himself. He cried for the lost time for not knowing things sooner, and the missed opportunities his indifference had caused. But mostly he cried out of relief, knowing that he was not going to lose Makoto, that their feelings were the same. All this time, Makoto would have accepted his love. There had been no reason to be afraid. Haru cried for this most of all.

Makoto held him in quiet compassion, cradling him like a small child to his chest with gentle strokes to the back, his face pressed into the softness of Haru's hair. Every now and then he would press light kisses to Haru's forehead or to the top of his head, offering gentle noises in hope of giving comfort.

By the time he hiccupped to a stop, Haru could barely keep his eyes open from the sheer weight of his puffed lids.

"Do you need some water?" Makoto asked him, resting his hands on Haru's lower back. Though the answer would always undoubtedly be yes, Haru shook his head.

"Makoto, what are you going to do?" Though a rather broad question, Makoto didn't need any clarification to understand. Haru didn't expect he would need one.

"I'll break up with Hiromi-chan." At this point, Haru figured as much. He felt Makoto lean into his shoulder.

"I've ruined your relationship. I'm sorry, Makoto." Haru bit his lip, knowing that no matter how Makoto tried to swing it, he would always be the factor that broke them up.

"Haru, no." Makoto shook his head. "All you've done is hurt yourself trying to keep me and Hiromi-chan together. It's me who should be apologizing. I never should have started dating her in the first place. Not when I had feelings for you already."

So Makoto had had feelings for him before Hiromi? This made him as happy as it made him sad. Had he been as oblivious as Makoto had been to his own?

"Don't regret it." Haru slowly pulled away to look at him. "At least, I don't think you should. If… If it wasn't for Hiromi, I don't think I would have ever realized how I felt. Things would have just stayed the same. Even if it was painful… It was what I needed to know the truth."

"Haru-chan really is kind." Makoto brushed the hair sticking to his face with an affectionate gaze. "If you say so, then I won't. But that doesn't mean that I'm not mad at her for what she said to you. Nothing can make up for that. Is that okay?"

"Mmm." Haru nodded, finding his response more than acceptable.

"But," Makoto sighed, stretching his arms above both their heads. "I'm not going to worry about that right now. Everything can wait until tomorrow. My first and only concern tonight is you."

With a gentle slide Makoto separated himself from Haru, standing up and pushing his deranged hair out of his face. "What does Haru want? Some food maybe?"

His hollowed stomach echoed in answer, causing him to turn a bit pink despite Makoto being unable to hear it. From the anxiety the entire day had brought him, Haru hadn't been able to stomach even the idea of food. With that, as well as the energy spent on crying and trying to understand all that was going on, Haru was able to conclude the obvious quite easily: he was famished.

"I could eat." Haru answered, carefully maneuvering his way off the bed. He felt a bit wobbly as he stood, the after-effects of all his emotions making his legs feel like jelly. As he was now he probably couldn't carry a pile of books without tipping over.

"Do you want some mackerel?" Haru looked over at him with a bit of surprise, a very faint gleam in his eyes.

"I might have some squid if you'd rather have that…" He whispered quietly, not wanting to force the option directly onto him. Makoto just shook his head with a light smile, grabbing Haru's hand.

"Rin asked me to get some mackerel in you, remember?"

"Oh…" That's right. Makoto had been there when Rin had left. "So he was talking to you before he left." He felt a squeeze to his hand and looked at Makoto curiously.

"Rin loves you, Haru. He did all this because he wanted you to be happy. Don't be too angry with him. Nagisa and Rei too."

"I know." Haru offered a weak smile. "I'm not mad." At least, not anymore. "They were doing what they thought was best."

"Mmm." Makoto nodded, starting to lead him out of the bedroom and into the rest of the apartment. "Because of them I now know how Haru feels about me. I almost feel as if I should be thanking them."

Haru felt the same. They were all meddlesome in a way that was almost maddening, but he would be nowhere without them. Rin, and Nagisa and Rei too, they all saved him.

"Makoto, can you get a new box of rice from the shelf up there?" Arriving in the kitchen, Haru regretfully let go of Makoto's hand to reach for a pan to cook the fish in. "Some tall idiot decided to put all my groceries on the high shelf."

"Wait no Haru, I'm supposed to cook for you!" Makoto looked most upset, pouting his cheeks in puffs as Haru reached to turn the stove on.

"You touch this pan and I fry you instead." With a stern gaze, or at least with the strictest expression he could muster in his condition, Haru pointed the frying pan at him. "I appreciate it." He added. "But I won't let you cook on my stove until hell freezes over."

Chuckling, Makoto held up his hands in submission.

"Alright, I'll stay away. You wanted rice, you said? Should I also grab the mackerel out from the fridge?"

"Yeah." Makoto did as he asked, setting all the ingredients Haru required next to him on the counter, as well as with a bottle of water that he hadn't asked for.

"You should drink some of this." The brunette tapped the cap thrice, calling attention to it. "Your body can't be used to losing so much water." Haru wasn't sure if his words were all out of concern or if Makoto was poking a little fun at how much of his life revolved around water, but he nodded to the request anyways.

"Okay."

"Good boy." Makoto reached over to pat him on the head, then leaning in to kiss the side of his neck with a small peck.

"W-what am I, a dog?" Haru tried to use words to distract from the fact that he totally had jumped at the contact, already forgetting that Makoto could (and would!) do that now. Makoto, of course, was not fooled, and just laughed instead.

"Did I startle you?"

"…no." God if that wasn't the most pathetic-sounding lie he had ever given in his life.

"Hmm." Makoto hummed, still smiling. "I won't distract you anymore, don't worry. Let me know if you need help." Watching Makoto walk away towards the living room, Haru gave a small sigh of relief.

It wasn't that he didn't enjoy the contact, because he most definitely did, but it was just that his heart wasn't ready yet. His body was still trying to adjust to the fact that things were different now. A good different. An amazing different. To expect himself to go from utter defeat to a heavenized dream in less than an hour and to be totally accepting of it would be like expecting an infant to know how to walk without instruction. He knew it would take adjustment- he hoped that Makoto understood that too.

"Hey Haru, why is your backpack all over the floor?" Looking up from his train of thought, Haru noticed Makoto leaning down to pick up the contents splattered all over the carpet.

"I couldn't find my phone earlier. I just kind of threw it all over the ground and left it there." Makoto held up something in response.

"I think I stepped on one of your notebooks." He grimaced. Even from here Haru could see a dirty print of Makoto's shoe on the cover of his English notes. Haru shrugged in response, looking back at his cooking fish.

"Its just English. I couldn't care less."

"You really should take your studies more seriously." Makoto sighed, pulling everything into a pile and sliding it back into Haru's bag. He stood back up, only to right away reach into his pockets. "Oh, hey, Nagisa is calling me." Haru's grip on the pan in front of him tightened considerably.

"Mako-chan!" Nagisa's blubbering could be heard in a snotty sob, even from where Haru stood at the stove the minute Makoto pressed talk and held the phone against his ear. He wasn't even crying coherent sentences. The only words Haru could get out of it where 'talking', 'hate', and 'sorry'.

"Nagisa calm down!" Makoto tried to shush him, glancing at Haru for some help. Of course, Haru had none to give. "I can't understand you. Go blow your nose."

Haru stirred the rice.

"Okay, that's better." Walking and talking, Makoto made his way over to where Haru stood. "It's fine. No, Haru is not off crying in a ditch somewhere. Yes, I'm with him. Yes, we worked it all out. Things are okay now. No, he doesn't hate you. Nagi- Nagisa! I'm going to give him the phone and you can see for yourself." Makoto handed the phone to Haru who already had his palm outstretched.

"Nagisa."

"HARU-CHAN IM SORRY!" His eardrums throbbing, Haru immediately held the phone away at arm's length until he was done. "I'm so so so so so so so so sorry!"

"Nagisa, calm down. I'm not mad at you."

"But Haru-chan!" Nagisa sniffed, and Haru could practically hear the snot dripping down the blonde's nose. "You looked so upset and it was all because of us- we just threw you out there without any concern of your feelings! Oh god you must hate us…"

"I don't hate you, Nagisa." Haru told him honestly. "I'll admit it, you scared the shit out of me. I thought I might actually die from all the things I felt. But Makoto came and... well, managed to put me back together. If nothing else I should be thanking you for getting me here. I wouldn't have been able to do it without the three of you."

"Haru-chan…!" The rest that he spoke was incomprehensible, but Haru gave a small smile anyways. He was rather well trained in Nagisa speak to get the gist of it.

"Yes, yes. I care about you too. I'm going to give you back to Makoto now, okay?"

"O-okay." Haru handed Makoto his phone back, giving most of his attention back the their meal while still keeping an ear on the conversation Makoto was having behind him.

"See Nagisa? I told you. Yeah. Yeah. Y-yeah." Whatever Nagisa said next then turned Makoto's face bright red. "N-Nagisa! No, don't ask it again!" Haru could hear the tinkle of laughter on the other side of the line. "Look I have to go. Haru said dinner is almost ready." Liar. "Yes, I'll let him know to call you. Yes. Oh my god Nagisa you're killing me!" Makoto abruptly hung up the line.

"Something wrong?" Haru couldn't help but smirk a little.

"N-nothing at all." Makoto still hadn't bounced back from his overall blush, looking in all directions that weren't Haru. "So uh, what do we still need? Plates?"

"Up there." Haru pointed, watching him curiously. "You sure you're okay?" Makoto paused from reaching up, looking at him with eyes that went from hectic to gentle.

"Yeah. I'm good. More than good, actually." Haru curled his toes, each tingling from his gaze. "I don't think I've ever been this happy."

It was kind of funny. Haru could have said the same.

XxXxXxXxXx

It went without being said that Makoto was going to spend the night. Haru didn't have to ask, Makoto didn't have to tell. They ate their meal like they always did, sitting across from one another with minimal discussion taking up the air. There was, of course, a little bit of difference. When they made eye contact, they sung. When one of them wasn't looking, they admired. And sitting right in the middle of the table was their hands, laying right next to each other with their pinkies interlocked. The desire to touch wasn't stifling- they could have managed without any at all- but it was there, and instead of ignoring it they did it in the most comfortable way possible. By a simple touch.

When dinner was done Haru left for a bath as Makoto offered to do the dishes. Sitting there in the tub he found that his need to be in the water decreased exponentially. He still loved it- the way it cooled his skin, hugged him in all its gentle ways and gave him an overall sense of tranquility and security.

But he wanted to be with Makoto.

For the first time in maybe all of his life, he could have cared less if he sat in the water another minute. It wasn't an act of betrayal for him to leave the water prematurely. It just meant that he had finally, in his young 19 years, found something that he loved more than his greatest treasure. The water was more than accepting on giving him away.

That was why he was able to be gone only 15 minutes. That was why he didn't even allow the skin on his palms to prune. That was why he, Haruka Nanase, could smile even as he drained the tub. [2]

"Wow that was quick." Makoto peered over the couch from where he sat as Haru returned, the TV playing on low in front of him. All he could see was a cartoon cat and duck talking on the screen. Haru shrugged as he ran the towel through his hair, his pajama pants hanging loosely off his legs.

"I didn't need that much time. What are you watching, anyways?"

"Oh, it's this show I used to watch with Ren and Ran back home. It's about a brother and sister getting into whacky adventures together." Makoto patted the couch for Haru to come sit, to which Haru quickly complied to.

"How can they be siblings? They aren't even the same species."

"They have different parents." Makoto informed him brightly. "See, that's the mom and the dad should be coming home… right about now! I've seen this episode before."

"How often did you watch this show?" Haru raised an eyebrow at him.

"They watched it religiously." Sighing, Makoto leaned back. "Sometimes I wake up and the theme song will be stuck in my head… We can watch something else, if you'd like."'

"No, this is fine." Haru shook his head. He didn't really care for TV anyways. He only took it from home because his parents told him to. "It reminds you of your siblings, doesn't it?" With a warm smile, Makoto reached over to grab his hand.

"Yeah. It does."

Somehow they ended up watching it for quite a while. Maybe it was the snarky nature of the cat-boy or the fun-loving nature of the girl-duck that kept them intrigued with their opposite personalities. Maybe it was the fact that they were friends with an emotional boy-shark that had to be Rin's spirit animal, it just had to be dammit. There was even an episode dedicated to him aspiring to swim in the Olympics for gods sake. But maybe it was just because it was nice to sit there and just… be.

No expectations, no crash from reality, not even a fear or a doubt to ruin the time. Further and further away, the idea that their friendship would be tainted was becoming dust in the wind.

Rin did end up calling some time later, offering his apologies just as Nagisa had done. Haru was quick to shutting him up, deciding to explain all that happened once the red-head left. He felt as if he owed Rin at least that much. A couple of heartfelt back-and-forths then transpired after he finished, Rin even calling Makoto an asshat for making things so complicated once Haru put him on speakerphone.

By the time Rin gave them a final 'I'm happy for you idiots' and hung up, Haru was pretty much dead on his feet. With Makoto's suggestion of sleep, they both took equal part in turning things off, heading towards Haru's bedroom.

"What do you want to wear to bed?" Haru asked him, bending to dig in his bottom drawer.

"I don't think you have anything that will fit me…" Makoto chuckled. "I'll just sleep in this."

"Nonsense." Haru leaned to the side so Makoto could see the drawer better. He had several of Makoto's shirts, plus a couple of bottoms that would easily fit him. "What do you want?"

"Why do you have so many of my clothes?" Makoto laughed, his amusement reaching all the way to his eyes.

"I… like to sleep in them." Embarrassed from actually admitting it, Haru looked off to the side. To be fair, Makoto left a couple of them here himself. The orange and white shirt? Yeah okay he stole that a little bit ago. It was his favorite and he couldn't resist. Haru flung some clothes in Makoto's general direction, standing up with an overbearing cover of red on his face.

"God, Haru that is…" Makoto hid his mouth with his hand, catching the clothes in the other. "Freaking adorable." With a gentle tug Makoto pulled him over by the arm, kissing him on the temple.

"I just… they're nice and airy okay!"

"Hmm." Makoto smiled into his forehead.

"G-Get changed!" Embarrassed beyond belief, Haru gave him a light shove and walked over to the bed and fussed with the sheets. He cleared his throat before speaking again. "How did you want to sleep? We could lay on the floor or go back to the living room."

"The bed should be fine." Makoto was already in his change of pants and yanking off his old shirt.

"But we don't fit on it very well…" Haru lamely flopped the blankets up to catch some air in it before they glided down slowly.

"I think we will this time."

"I don't see how…" Fully changed now, Makoto walked over and bent around Haru, adjusting the sheets and pillows carefully before holding the comforter up.

"Just trust me. Go ahead and crawl in." Looking at Makoto doubtfully, Haru sighed and did as his best friend asked, making sure to scooch all the way towards the wall. Before Makoto joined him, he went back to turn off the lights.

Immersed suddenly in darkness, Haru could only feel Makoto return to him, taking note of the shuffle of the blankets and indent of the bed.

"This is just like before." Haru pouted, looking at his shadow. "You're going to fall off in the night, Makot-Oh!"

Alarmed as hands suddenly snaked around his waist, Haru physically jumped as Makoto attempted to pull him close, curling him against his side and laying him in the crook of Makoto's elbow. He could feel the beat of Makoto's heartbeat under his palm, his breath tickling the top of his head.

Oh.

Like this, there was definitely room for the two of them.

"Did I surprise you again?" Makoto snickered, squeezing his waist into a more comfortable hold. Haru pressed his nose into Makoto's chest.

"Shut up."

"I think like this we will be okay." Was it just him, or did Makoto almost sound proud of himself? Well, whatever. Despite the initial shock factor, Haru found the position growing increasingly comfortable, curling his legs in so one of them slid in between Makoto's.

"Hey… Makoto?" He asked shyly.

"Yes?"

"Can I… kiss you?" There was a pause.

"Haru, you don't have to ask. Kiss me all you like." Taken aback from his words, Haru took a moment before he moved, crawling up the rest of Makoto's torso before he was sure that their heads were level. Though dark, he could still see the intensity of the green.

Haru gave nothing more than a light nudge with his lips, a kiss so G that even a little kid could do it, but to him it meant so much. He had something that he never thought he would have. A chance to be with Makoto. A soft kiss, a rough kiss, either of them would have meant the same. All he wanted to do was convey a simple message.

"Makoto, I love you."

"I love you too, Haru."