A/N: Happy birthday to Rei! He's not in this chapter but we love him nonetheless.

So this chapter is quite a bit shorter than the usual, because I've once again decided to split one chapter into two. When I finished the initial chapter 10, it was only 15k so nothing too outrageous for me, but when I proofread the whole chapter in one sitting, I actually got dizzy and my head ached a lot. If I already had that as the author who's familiar with the content, I figured that meant it was just too much. Since there were two main parts in the chapter, it was easy to split up anyway.

Because of this, the chapter count got higher again, but the 15 chapters I've planned out currently are still a rough estimate and we'll see where we end up once everything gets written.

I hope you enjoy! ^^

Two little noses were pressed up against the window, vaporising the glass with their heated breath. The fog contorted the scene that played off behind it, but four curious eyes could be made out peeking above the wooden frame as they supervised the dark street. Was it not for the brightly-lit room behind them, their presence would have been concealed and their ambush successful, but now, they were the first thing Haruka and Makoto saw when they arrived at the Tachibana residence.

Neither had wanted to burst their engagement-bubble that dyed everything in a rosy tinge and protected them from the jagged edges of reality, so they had prolonged their picnic as much as they could. When the last crumbs had vanished from the lunch boxes and the night truly broke through, Makoto was about to have his third cup of wine and Haruka determined it was best to quit while they were ahead and take their leave. Admittedly, Makoto could handle the alcohol better than predicted; he appeared to be as sober as he had earlier that evening, but Haruka wasn't about to push their luck. There was a time and a place for everything, and the time to see how many glasses of wine Makoto could sustain before he lost control was not then.

Thus, they'd packed up their belongings and trudged homeward, fingers interlocked as the crescent moon smiled down upon them. Makoto's house wasn't far from the town square, so Haruka soaked up every step of the way before their bubble was crudely popped by a pair of overzealous eleven-year-olds.

The instant they spotted Makoto and Haruka, the front door flung open and Ren and Ran sped outside to be the first to hear the news.

Upon their appearance, Makoto let his grip on Haruka's hand falter. He didn't want to confront his younger siblings with their relationship so directly and Haruka understood that, but his skin was left cold by the ghost of his touch even in the night's pleasantly warm air.

"And, and?" the twins pressed when they were in front of their big brother, small mouths agape and buzzing with anticipation, "What did you say?"

Makoto chuckled at their enthusiasm, and he switched the basket he was holding over to his other hand. "I said yes!" he revealed and flashed Ran and Ren the gold band that graced his finger.

"Yes!"

"Yay!"

The twins yelled out in unison, cheering loudly and sharing high fives as though this was the result they had hoped for. It brought a tiny smile to Haruka's lips.

They were the sole members of Makoto's family he hadn't asked for permission, so to know they were this ecstatic about their engagement was heartwarming. While he probably wouldn't let his siblings' opinion dictate his choice about whom he married or adored, Makoto would surely be disappointed if they didn't like his partner. In a way, their approval might've been the most important of all, so their reaction relieved Haruka immensely.

"Hey, Haru?" Ran called out, abruptly tugging Haruka from his thoughts as she peered up at him with large, mossy eyes that were identical to her mother's.

"Yes?"

"If you're a prince and Makoto marries you, does that mean Makoto will be a prince too?"

"Yes." Haruka's smile softened. 'Prince Makoto' had a nice ring to it, but he'd already known that much. The title had been resonating through his mind ever since Makoto told him his real name. Now, it felt so much more tangible; he could only become King Haruka if he had Prince Makoto by his side.

"So if my brother is a prince, does that mean I'm a princess?" Ran continued without missing a beat.

"And I'm a prince too?" Ren said with a loud gasp like the idea never crossed his mind before.

Those were the most urging questions Haruka had heard in a long time, yet their nature forced him to repress a snort. They sounded so hopeful, how could he possibly shatter that dream? "I think it does," he lied with a matter-of-factly nod.

"Yes!"

"Yay!"

Their pitchy voices bounced off the brick walls, echoes rippling throughout the quiet street. In addition to their cries of joy, they danced around each other in triumph, almost as if they were trying to summon another season of rain upon their land.

Haruka winked at Makoto, who smiled in appreciation and mouthed a silent 'thank you'. For now, there was no harm in letting them believe in that fantasy. Even if they'd never be a prince and a princess officially, they were to Haruka. He was sure the people of Iwatobi wouldn't mind to have an adorable set of twins like Ran and Ren as part of the royal family too, so who cared about the rules?

"Shall we continue this celebration inside?"

That warm voice tore Haruka's gaze away from Makoto's handsome features, and it wandered over to the doorstep of the house. There, his soon-to-be parents-in-law waited with smiles more subdued but no less loving.

"We wouldn't want the whole town to hear about their engagement before we did, right?" Mrs. Tachibana said, gently ushering her rowdy kids back inside so they wouldn't disturb the neighbours.

"Did you hear that, Mom?" Ran said, complying but not lowering the volume of her voice, "Haru says I'm a princess!"

"And I'm a prince!" Ren added, ever afraid to be left out.

"Yes, I heard. That's great!" she said with feigned amazement as she closed the door behind them. Her gaze drifted to the basket clasped between Makoto's fingers, or more specifically, to the flowers that stuck out of the half-open lid. "My, what a beautiful bouquet," she said in awe, genuine this time.

"Haru gave it to me," Makoto replied with a coy smile - as if the explanation was necessary. He put the basket on the floor and took the flowers out so he could show them to his family in their full glory.

"Beautiful," she repeated and she took a deep whiff of one of the hydrangeas. "And they smell so good too! Shall I put them in a vase?"

"If you will, thanks." Makoto handed the bouquet over to his mother, who brought them to the counter and filled up a vase she pulled out of one of the cupboards.

The flowers claimed their spot on the center of the table, their ribbon tied around the vase instead. Instantly, the room felt far more alive. It put the wilting dandelion that still adorned the windowsill to shame, but every piece of flora was valued equally in Haruka's eyes. They all did their job at painting even the coldest of spaces with a tinge of colour, at spreading warmth and happiness to every saddened soul. Though plants and flowers were an unneeded luxury, Haruka hoped a day would come where every house had at least one pot of singing peonies or thriving carnations.

Ren leaned on the table to study the hydrangeas and roses more closely, carefully brushing his finger over a petal to feel its softness. His twin usually loved flowers too, but her thoughts were still occupied with crowns and scepters.

"But wait," Ran said, connecting the faux dots in her head. "If I'm a princess and Makoto and Ren are princes, does that mean Mom and Dad are the king and queen?"

Her father laughed merrily at that flawless logic as he sat in his chair, but his wife smiled sheepishly.

"I don't think that's how it works, sweetie."

"Well, maybe it does," Mr. Tachibana objected, and there was nothing but mischief glimmering behind his frameless spectacles. "You have always been my queen."

"Dear-" Mrs. Tachibana tried, torn between scolding him for teasing their children and being flustered by his flirtatious comment, but her daughter cut her off before she could decide.

"Right?"

Though he hoped to become a real member of this family in the near future, this was a matter Haruka was not going to involve himself in. He glanced at Makoto, amusement playing at his lips, but instead of his usual smile, he was met with a serious look. Flowers, status, it was all nice, but there were more important things Makoto needed to address.

"Ran, Ren, listen," he said, raising his voice to drown out their ruckus, "You cannot tell anyone about this, okay? Not your friends, not your teacher, not even Mrs. Tamura."

"What?"

"Why not?" Ren asked with a frown, "If you and Haru are getting married, then everyone should know about it, right?"

"Not yet," Makoto said with a shake of his head. "Because Haru is a prince, it's not the same as when ordinary people like us get married. It has to be a secret for now, just like how I told you you couldn't let anyone know who Haru really is."

That was the first Haruka heard of this. Everywhere they went, Makoto introduced him as his friend from out of town, which wasn't a lie per se. But he hadn't even thought about how Ran and Ren experienced his visit. They seemed to be rather chatty, like they'd tell their tales to any ear that crossed their path, so they easily could have blown his cover. They were only children and couldn't be held accountable if they slipped up in their enthusiasm and spilled the truth about his identity like a mug of freshly-poured milk. But thankfully, they seemed to have taken their brother's words to heart.

"When can we tell our friends, then?" Ran wondered, understanding but impatient.

Somehow, the fact she was forced to keep her mouth shut about something that excited her so made Haruka feel a bit guilty. The last thing he expected to happen when he came here was to involve two kids in their plight and censor their free spirits, and he wanted to make it up to them. After all, they hadn't asked for any of this; they were merely victims of circumstance.

"I… don't know yet," Makoto admitted with a sigh, plopping down in his chair like his legs couldn't support his weight any longer. "It depends on what Haruka's family will do. Things like this are a lot more complicated in royal families, especially when a commoner like me is involved."

"Wait," Ren said and all the colour drained from his face when he realised what their current situation actually entailed. "If you're going to marry Haru, will you go live with him in the palace, in Iwatobi?"

"Well, yes but-"

"So you're going to leave us?"

That blunt statement dipped in despair stabbed Makoto right in his soul and his eyes grew large. He didn't even get the chance to stumble a response before Ran spoke.

"What?" Her jaw dropped. The flame of fervor inside her pupils was doused instantly and her dreams crushed when reality struck her like lightning. "No! You wouldn't leave us, would you? You said you would never leave us!"

Within a split second, her light voice morphed from bewildered to furious. She sounded like pure thunder disrupting the calm heavens as she barked reproaches, and Haruka could see Makoto's heart shatter at the bile she spat at him, a concoction of anger and hurt. Tears sprang to her eyes to match the ones that burned in Ren's, but unlike his, it wasn't clear whether they were beckoned by grief or rage.

There was no denying it; Makoto had said he would never leave them and yet in less than twenty-four hours, he was setting foot in a coach to Iwatobi, unsure whether or not he would return.

With his effort in comforting his siblings, he ensnared himself in a sticky web and Haruka dearly wished he could have freed Makoto from it, that he could've aided him through this tough conversation. But even if he'd had his way with words, he shouldn't involve himself in this. Having grown up an only child, Makoto's bond with the twins was something he couldn't fathom. The opinion of an outsider had no place in something so personal, not when they could never understand it anyway.

"Ran, Ren," Makoto whimpered, and Haruka could almost hear his thick tears being swallowed so his siblings wouldn't see them fall. "I might be going with Haru, but that doesn't mean I'm leaving you. I love you way too much to leave you."

"But how can you go without leaving us?" Ren asked with an unsuccessful sniff: a single teardrop rolled over his chubby cheek, unable to stay at bay.

"Are we going with you?" Ran asked and her anger dissipated to make place for hope and confusion as she looked back at Haruka.

Although he wouldn't blame her if she had, Haruka was glad her disdain wasn't targeted at him, but rather at their circumstances. After all, he was the one stealing her brother away - which added another layer of guilt entirely - but he didn't mean to rip their family apart. Quite the opposite.

"We don't know yet," Makoto said - Haruka hated that he wasn't able to bid them more security. "Listen, as of right now, I don't know what's going to happen next. Tomorrow, I'll be going to Iwatobi with Haru and when we get there, we're going to have a talk with his parents. Until then, nothing is set in stone; we don't even know whether they'll accept me or not. But what I do know is that we will always be together, no matter what. If it's not in person, then forever in our hearts."

"But that's not enough," Ren protested and though he tried his hardest to bite it back, a small sob escaped his lips. "I need you here."

"Oh Ren," Makoto sighed, realising he hadn't worded that right, and he pulled his baby brother onto his lap to soothe him. "No matter what happens, even if I live in Iwatobi and you live in Sano, we'll definitely keep seeing each other. It won't be every day like it is now, but I promise I'll come back as often as I can because I need you too. Just like I need Ran, and Mom and Dad."

"Promise?" Ran said with a tiny pout, and when he saw it, Makoto lifted her onto his other knee.

"I promise," Makoto vowed, and Ren wrapped his arms around his neck to bury his face in his shoulder. He offered Ran a sweet smile as he ruffled her hair, and though she wasn't completely satisfied by his answers, she seemed appeased for now.

"And," Mr. Tachibana said in an attempt to elevate their mood, "If Makoto is too busy to come, then maybe we can go visit him some time too."

At that, the twins' faces whipped up, spark ignited by wonder. "At the palace?"

"Yes," their father confirmed, "If Haruka is alright with that, of course."

"Haru!"

"Can we?"

Their irises were shining, like they already envisioned themselves strutting through the vast hallways in fancy suits and dresses, eating lavish meals and sleeping in an enormous bed all by themselves. When met with those faces, Haruka couldn't have refused even if he had wanted to.

"Of course," he said, and his lips curled up with a special kind of fondness he hadn't felt before, "You're always welcome."

"Yes!" the twins squealed, and their tear-stained cheeks and snotty noses were whisked away by huge grins.

"Now that that's settled," Mrs. Tachibana jumped in, "I think it's time for you to go to bed."

"But Mom-" the pleading began, but their mother was firm.

"It's already long past your bedtime. I said you could stay up until Makoto and Haruka came home, and if my eyes aren't fooling me, then they are here now. You have to get up early tomorrow for school."

"But we haven't even heard about their engagement yet!"

"Can't we skip school for once?"

"School is more important, you know that," Makoto chided, but his gaze didn't lose its softness. "We will tell you about our engagement tomorrow, alright?"

"But aren't you going to Iwatobi tomorrow?" Ren asked, always observant.

"Tomorrow evening," Haruka said as he crouched down to their level, "So we'll tell you after you get home from school. There's still some leftover cake, so we can celebrate then. How does that sound?"

"Great!" the twins chimed, and the promise of that delicious chocolate cake was enough persuasion for them to listen to their mother.

"And hey, we might be leaving tomorrow, but it won't be a goodbye, okay?" Makoto said with a gentle smile, "We'll see each other again very soon."

"Okay."

With that, Makoto pressed a kiss to each of their cheeks and hugged them tightly to his chest. "Goodnight, I love you."

"'Night."

"Love you too."

To his surprise, the twins gave Haruka a hug too once they'd hopped off Makoto's lap. He couldn't help but smile at how warm and welcoming they were towards him even though he'd shaken their little worlds down to the core. He gladly hugged them back. Although he never had a particular affinity towards children, Ran and Ren were quickly conquering a place in his heart.

"Remember," Makoto said as he lifted his finger to his mouth, "this is our secret."

Simultaneously, the twins locked their lips with an imaginary key and threw it over their shoulders. They could babble on and on for hours, but they were reliable kids. No promise was broken intentionally, and if they did happen to spark some hearsay by accident, then they could count on their parents to control the damage and write it off as a simple rumour.

With last wishes of sweet dreams, the twins left to get ready for bed and their parents followed suit to tuck them in.

Now they were alone, Makoto got up to make some tea and invited Haruka to sit down instead. He wanted to offer his help but if he did, he'd only get another version of Makoto's 'you're the guest' reasoning so he stayed put.

"It's a shame you already promised the cake to the twins," Makoto muttered as he put the kettle on the stove, "I could definitely go for another slice right now."

"Eat it if you want. I can make the twins another cake tomorrow," Haruka said, a smirk teasing his lips. "Consider it their part of the dowry."

Makoto chuckled. "I shouldn't. I've already had so much cake lately, it's not healthy." He patted his stomach as if it had expanded enormously, but Haruka saw no difference to how it had looked the first time he let his eyes feast upon his beautiful form.

"Gaining a couple of pounds will do you no harm," he said with a shrug. Whether Makoto was plump or lanky didn't matter, for he was gorgeous regardless of his size, but Haruka would be glad to see the imprints hunger left on his body disappear. If chocolate cake would accomplish that, then Haruka would gladly bake him one every day.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Makoto hit his palm with his fist. "We have the goat cheese I told you about. We can eat some of that now."

The story in which Makoto acquired it had piqued his curiosity, but as his eyes landed on the kettle simmering on the stove, he hesitated. "Goat cheese and tea? That doesn't sound like a great combination."

"Everything is a great combination when it's all you have."

These mundane chats with Makoto never failed to punch him in the gut when he least expected them to. There was no malice or offense in Makoto's voice, he was simply stating a fact, yet to Haruka, it was a slap in the face of his ignorance. While he always felt like he could be himself around him, this was a sign he should think twice about what he said. The last thing he wanted was for Makoto to regard him as ungrateful or inconsiderate.

He used to think he was different from the snobbish noblemen and women surrounding him, but when met with someone as humble as Makoto, he realised how out of touch with the common folk he truly was.

Embarrassed, he was about to stutter an apology, but Makoto continued as if nothing had happened.

"Oh, but there's still some wine left, right?" he said, "Isn't that a thing, cheese and wine?"

It was but usually, the type of wine was selected based on what complemented the cheese. But there was no way he was going to say that now. While he was sure the wine he brought would be a more suitable partner to the goat cheese than tea regardless of what kind it was, it would surely taste like vinegar if he drank it now.

"Unless you were saving the wine for something else?"

"No, it's fine. But I've already drunk way too much wine tonight, and so have you," he quipped, yet he got up from his chair all the same. "Your parents might like some, though."

"Is that their part of the dowry?" Makoto shot back as Haruka rummaged through one of the baskets sat abandoned on the wooden floor next to the coat rack.

"Please." He bit his bottom lip to keep himself from grinning - when did Makoto get so witty? "You're worth more than half a bottle of cheap wine." When he realised how tactless that sounded, he quickly corrected, "Relatively cheap."

His worries were unnecessary, for Makoto didn't seem to be bothered in the slightest. "Anyway, if you don't want tea, then we also have water and milk, and I think some orange juice as well. I'm not sure if those are better combinations with goat cheese, though."

"Tea is fine," Haruka said as he put the bottle on the table. "While the water is boiling, shall I cut the cheese? You know how your last escapade with a knife ended."

"Are you going to keep reminding me of that forever?"

"Absolutely."

A chuckle rumbled through Makoto's chest and Haruka had to suppress a grin too, but Makoto wouldn't go down that easily. "I made us sandwiches the other day without injuring myself," he defended, though he laid out the cheese on a cutting board all the same.

"So you have a success rate of 50%?" Haruka questioned, raising an eyebrow as he accepted the knife.

A brief pause followed as Makoto pondered about a good comeback. "Alright, you win," he gave in with a sigh of defeat. "Just be careful. My clumsiness might've rubbed off on you."

"I think I'll be fine," Haruka said as he sank the knife into the cheese and cut off a small slice. "I've cooked the same food twice and maintained my 100% success rate."

"Fair enough."

Now he had claimed that Haruka had to be extra cautious; if he did cut himself, Makoto would taunt him about it for the rest of his life. But he worked with precision and concentration as he diced the cheese in bite-sized pieces, kept the blade a safe distance from his skin. He only cut up a small sliver of the cheese, though; the rest of the cheese could be used as a component for an entire meal rather than wasted on a second dessert.

"Is this enough?" he asked nonetheless.

Makoto glanced at the board before he nodded. "We can always cut some more later if we want to."

With that, Haruka carried the board to the table right as Makoto's parents entered the room.

"What's this?" Mrs. Tachibana asked when she saw the cheese platter and the wine bottle.

"Some cheese the Natsumes gave me," Makoto called over his shoulder, "I helped them catch a goat that broke free and they gave me a block of cheese as a thanks. I figured we could eat some of it now. Do you want wine or tea with it?"

"Wine?" Makoto's parents questioned in unison, and it surprised Haruka that that was the part they found unusual enough to comment on.

"We had some left over from dinner," he explained, and it was the first time he was talking to both of Makoto's parents that his shoulders relaxed and he didn't hold his breath, "It's yours if you want it."

"Oh, that's very sweet of you, but we don't really drink alcohol," Mrs. Tachibana said, but her husband didn't share her viewpoint.

"But honey, you're a queen so you should drink like one," he claimed, but before she had the chance to chastise him he said, "Besides, we have something to toast on!"

"We can toast with tea too," she thought "You can have wine if you like, but I prefer a warm cup of tea."

"I'd like to try some, yes. It's been ages since I last had wine. I believe it was on our wedding day," he recalled, and his wife snorted in recollection.

"Indeed, and you already didn't enjoy it back then."

"Nonsense!"

As requested, Makoto brought over an empty cup along with the tea and placed it in front of his dad. His mother rolled her eyes at her husband's persistence but didn't argue it further.

Yet when Haruka began to pour the wine, Mr. Tachibana halted him before half the cup was filled, like he had come to regret his boastful attitude the moment the drink materialised in front of him. He couldn't back down now, so he took a big swig of it. The instant the flavour spread through his mouth, he winced and coughed heavily.

"This is… a bit stronger than I remember."

"I told you so," Mrs. Tachibana said with a blank stare, but her husband was no quitter.

"I didn't say I didn't like it," he rebutted as he took another sip, and before he could erupt into another coughing fit, he quickly washed it down with a piece of cheese.

Though Mr. Tachibana's antics were amusing, Haruka decided to forgo the pleasantries. There was a lot they needed to discuss and he'd rather not postpone the inevitable. Like with his proposal to Makoto, he wanted to give the Tachibanas as much time as he could to process what he was about to tell them.

"I'm going to cut to the chase right away," he started and he wrapped his hands around his mug to ground himself, feeling the soothing warmth of the tea transfer to his palms. "We need to talk about your housing situation."

His formality caught Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana off guard and his words appeared to puzzle them; despite their poverty, they had been able to retain the roof over their heads up until now. Rather than leaving them to decipher what he meant, Haruka clarified.

"If everything goes smoothly, Makoto will be moving to Iwatobi. I can imagine that you'd miss him greatly, and that would be mutual, of course." He could feel his voice slipping into his strict, ceremonial tone and forced himself to loosen up. This was no official meeting with a czar of a neighbouring realm, and he shouldn't approach it as such. "I didn't want to say this in front of Ran and Ren before I discussed it with you, but if you want, you're welcome to move into the palace along with us, as a family."

Deafening silence followed, like he dropped a bomb onto the dinner table. Makoto's parents shared some looks, for they couldn't believe their ears and had to confirm they both heard him correctly. This was a lot for them to take in, therefore Haruka elaborated to give them a more concrete vision of what they could be diving into.

"A wing of the palace can be cleared out for you, so you'll all have your own bed and bathrooms. And if you want, I can even arrange for there to be a family room with a kitchen, so you'll have your own space within the palace, with or without servants."

The word 'palace' had already taken them by surprise, but Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana's eyes nearly rolled out of their sockets at the mention of servants. It was not a light change, moving from a teeny house in the middle of a bustling town to a luxurious castle where their every desire was at their fingertips. But before they had the chance to think about it, Haruka presented them with their second option, figuring he better lay out all the cards before they deliberated.

"If you wish to be close to Makoto, but don't want to live in the palace, we can arrange a house for you in a nearby city or village, wherever you'd like. You can continue your business there, or you can get an education to start a new job or business. If you don't want to do any of that and have an early retirement, that's fine too," Haruka said with a reassuring nod. Makoto's parents had worked themselves to the bone for over thirty years, so he could imagine that they wanted to spend the remaining half of their lives revelling in everything they had missed out on.

"Haruka," Mrs. Tachibana gasped, her mouth hanging agape as the world of opportunity opened up to her. That was all she said, like her vocabulary had been wiped clean and her vocal cords shrivelled up, and her husband was just as speechless.

"If you don't want to move to Iwatobi, then I understand that," Makoto said with a small smile, "I'd love to have you all so close, but I don't want you to feel obligated to move to a different kingdom for me."

"If you want to stay here in Sano, we'll try our best to visit you as often as we can, and you're welcome to come visit us anytime, too," Haruka added. Even if Makoto had already said that earlier, he didn't want there to be any misconceptions about it. "Regardless of what you decide to do, you will get all the financial support you need. The choice is yours."

"Woah," Mr. Tachibana mumbled under his breath as he rubbed his fingers over his temples to absorb this mesh of information.

"We've never really thought about moving to Iwatobi before and well, we're going to have to think about it," Mrs. Tachibana said, and she looked a bit apprehensive as she stirred her tea. "If it was just us, the choice wouldn't be too hard, but we have to think about what's best for Ran and Ren, too."

"Of course, you can think about it for as long as you'd like," Haruka said, "But if you eventually decide to move to Iwatobi, I can assign them the best tutors in the realm. Or, if you'd rather have them in an environment where they're surrounded by other children, then we'll select the best school to enroll them in. I know education isn't everything, but I'll do my best to make sure their needs are met as much as possible."

"They would have to leave their friends and our hometown behind and that would be hard for them, but it sounded to me like they'd be happy to live in the palace, to be treated like royalty," Makoto said with a fond huff.

"They were, but believe me, their awe will wear off eventually," Haruka said and he gnawed on the inside of his cheek as he tried to find the right words. "Don't get me wrong, I'm very fortunate to have all that I have, but living in a palace can be rather isolating. There aren't any children their age and it's not like we can play with them all the time, so they'd be by themselves for a large portion of the day. I can vouch for the fact that no amount of toys can fill up an empty room, and they can't exactly invite their friends over whenever they want either. I'm afraid they'd get lonely after a while, that they'll become homesick to the life they used to lead and regret coming along."

Admittedly, that wasn't the best way to try to convince Makoto's parents to come with them, but it was the truth that had to be spoken. He wanted to have them closeby for Makoto's sake, but not at the cost of their happiness.

"But I can't be the judge of that. They're your children, and you know what's best for them. You can take your time to think about it, and we'll respect whatever decision you make."

"Thank you, Haruka," Mr. Tachibana said, "We'll weigh down our options and see what's best for us as a family. We'll let you know as soon as we reach a decision."

A tiny smile stretched Haruka's cheeks and he nodded in response, but he had to disclaim. "But, you have to keep in mind that I can't guarantee anything yet. I'll do whatever I can, but there's a real risk that even if you decide to move to Iwatobi, our plans will be thwarted by my parents and you'll ultimately have to stay here. But if I can get them to agree to our marriage, then everything else will be an easy feat, including this."

"We're aware of that, but…" Mrs. Tachibana trailed off as she furrowed her thick eyebrows, and she seemed hesitant to ask it, but this too, was something that had to be discussed. "What will you do if your parents don't agree to your marriage?"

It was a very reasonable question, one Makoto had asked him too, yet its recurrence made him nervous nonetheless. He didn't want to think about what would happen if his parents opposed to his relationship with Makoto - the prospect terrified him - but it was a possible outcome he couldn't ignore. If it got to that point, he had to face the repercussions.

"Then I'll resign my title and leave Iwatobi," he stated, glancing over to Makoto for moral support. "If you're willing to have me here, then I'll do everything I can to contribute to your household."

"Of course, you're always welcome here!" Mrs. Tachibana assured, and her husband nodded vigorously in concurrence. "But…"

"With all due respect, Haruka," Mr. Tachibana continued from where his wife left off, "Have you truly thought about what that would mean? You'd be trading in everything you have for little to nothing- well, not nothing, but you know what I mean!" he defended when Makoto raised a sceptical eyebrow at his poor word-choice. "Are you sure this is something you want, that this would make you happy?"

"No," Haruka confessed. His heart hammered against his ribcage and his tongue fought to keep his feelings inside, but no matter how much he struggled to, he had to speak them aloud. "But I do know that following the plan my parents mapped out for me at birth will make me very unhappy. To be frank, I'd rather risk everything I have and lose it all than spend the rest of my life dwelling on the what-ifs and regretting that I didn't take the leap."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Makoto said as he covered his hands with his and bid him an encouraging smile. "For now, we're going to do everything we can to get your parents' approval."

Naturally, Haruka's smile widened.

"In that case, we'll keep our fingers crossed," Mr. Tachibana said with a grin and he popped another dice of cheese into his mouth.

"Thanks," Makoto said sincerely, his eyes falling shut with a habitual head-tilt, "Now, let's enjoy our last night before we leave."

"I'll drink to that!"

"Oh but Makoto, you can't go to Iwatobi like that!" his mother blurted, startling everyone at the table.

"What? What do you mean?" Makoto asked with a frown.

"Your clothes! You can't meet with a king and queen looking like that, you have to look your very best!"

"This is my very best. I don't have much else, you know that."

"Then we have to get you something else!" she insisted as she leapt from her chair.

"What, right now?!"

"Of course! You're leaving tomorrow, aren't you?"

"But we can't go bother the Matsuokas at this hour!"

"Nonsense! Miyako is a night owl, and considering Sousuke is still there, I'm sure they're all awake."

Sousuke. Haruka had completely forgotten about his guard's existence.

Since they were practically the same size, Haruka could order him to lend Makoto some clothes, but he didn't want to do that. Makoto had already borrowed Kisumi's suits for a while, and he deserved to have some nice ones for himself. Ones he didn't have to ask anyone for, ones tailored to fit his body and no one else's.

The protests were forming on Makoto's lips, but Haruka cut him off. "Your mother is right. My parents are very sensitive to things like appearance and personal hygiene. Different clothes will increase our chances, even by just a little."

In his humble opinion, Makoto always looked his very best regardless of his garbs, but he knew his parents wouldn't share that opinion. They were materialistic and judgemental, and even if Makoto wouldn't be the one doing the talking, he was sure his parents would be swayed more easily if Makoto's looks were up to their standards: neat and representable, like a prince.

Makoto's mouth hung open in an onset of resistance, but the unwavering gazes directed at him made him sigh. "Alright. But what about Ran and Ren?"

"I'll stay with them," his father said, "I don't know anything about fashion anyway, and besides, I still have some unfinished business I need to attend to." He took another bite of cheese and chewed fervently.

Now that was out of the way, there was one more thing before they could go. Although the Tachibanas seemed to be on good terms with the Matsuokas, it was still rude to stop by their shop at this time of night, unannounced and unexpected. That was not to mention all the last-minute work they would be doused in. The least Haruka could do was bring a gift.

He glanced around the room to see if there was anything suited to be a present. He couldn't give them the block of cheese - or what remained of it - as that was a reward Makoto had worked for and something the Tachibanas could utilise themselves, and he certainly wasn't about to hand out Makoto's engagement bouquet, for it held too much meaning. That only left the bottle of wine; while half a bottle wasn't much, it was better than nothing and Mr. Tachibana probably had his fill of it already.

Nevertheless, he asked, "Do you want some more wine, sir?"

"No no, I've had plenty, thank you," Mr. Tachibana said with another cough of attempted nonchalance. "You can have the rest."

"Thank you." He grabbed the bottleneck as he got to his feet. "I thought I could bring it along, as a gesture of gratitude."

"Oh, Miyako loves wine so this will be a treat for her." Mrs. Tachibana clasped her hands together in delight. "Now then, let's make haste."

"Try not to stay out too late," her husband said as she leaned down to peck his cheek.

"I'll try. I'm not sure how long it will take, so don't wait up for me."

"Alright. Have fun!"

With muttered goodnights and a last wave over their shoulders, they closed the door behind them and began their journey to Matsuoka's Fitted Garments.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!

The next chapter should be out on Rin's birthday (February 2nd). It might seem like a long wait considering the chapter's already fully written, but the end of the year's a busy time for everyone and I hope that, with this headstart, I can stay on track to finish this fic in 2020; I can't promise anything yet, but that's my goal. Besides, if there's any chapter fit to be posted on Rin's birthday, it's the next one.

In the meanwhile, you can follow me on Twitter and Tumblr DatHeetJoella for more MakoHaru content in-between fic updates. I often share snippets and other stuff regarding my fics on there, as well as other MakoHaru things.

For now, I wish you all an amazing end of the year. Happy holidays and I hope to see you again in 2020! :)