Finally a new chapter! Sorry about the wait on this one! I am incredibly sorry if there are any mistakes as I edited this at three in the morning and hope it is satisfactory!

(Please insert disclaimer here, I'm too damn tired to copy and paste it.)

A brown polished oak table, a cup of hot green tea, a box of tissues, a bucket, a packet of Panadol and a plate of freshly cooked seasoned mackerel. Apparently, all of these elements would help one get better, but Rin very highly doubted this as he gave the mackerel a sickening look. Haruka had only been at the Matsuoka household for an hour or two, but the teen seemed to already be getting comfotable and making the home his own.

Rin's eyes shifted upwards to see Haruka standing in the kitchen, now sliding his own piece of mackerel onto a plate before putting the pan in the sink and running hot water over it. The teen was wearing one of Gou's pink aprons, clearly not caring about the feminine colour.

"…hey, Haru." Rin finally spoke up, his nose still blocked and stuffy. Haruka looked up after hearing his name, frowning at Rin's sour expression "Why are you giving me mackerel, wouldn't soup be better?"

Blue eyes narrowed as Haruka gave the redhead a slight glare "You made me eat what you wanted when I was sick, now you have to eat what I want."

"I made you eat the meat because it's unhealthy to eat nothing but mackerel!" Rin defended, distress clearly shown on his features.

"Well, obviously eating nothing but meat is unhealthy." Haruka argued "You're lucky I found some mackerel in the fridge."

The redhead made a chocked sound "I balance my diet! I don't eat nothing but meat!"

"All I ever see you eat is meat."

Rin wanted to argue back, but he realised Haruka was speaking the truth. His bento boxes were always filled with meat and Haru never came over for dinner, meaning he'd never seen Rin eat anything different.

The redhead looked back down at the mackerel in front of him, feeling relieved for having the bucket next to him. Since when did they have mackerel in the fridge anyway? Maybe Gou was trying out one of her weird food creations again, although most of them tasted unexpectedly good.

"Eat it." Haruka ordered, sitting at the polished oak table with his plate of mackerel and pink apron neatly folded on the bench behind him

Rin felt sweat drip from his brow, how could he possibly get out of this? It's not that he didn't like Haruka's mackerel, or mackerel in general, he actually loved the teen's cooking. It was just, at that moment, the fish looked very unsatisfying. He knew he should be eating, but he really didn't want to, he'd feel as though he'd throw it right back up.

"Uh, Haru," Rin started, giving the teen pleading eyes "I really don't feel well enough to eat."

"You need to eat or you won't get healthy, so eat."

Rin's hands slammed onto the table "What the hell Haru?! I said I don't feel well and you're going to make me eat this anyway? You have no idea how to look after someone, do you?!"

Haruka kept calm and composed while eating his own dish "You're arguing, you're yelling, I think you're well enough to eat. Also, I can look after someone, I just had no idea where anything was when trying to help you."

Rin felt a vain pop out of his forehead, trying to give Haruka the best death glare he could muster whilst snot dribbled from his nose. The raven haired teen glanced at the tissues, cheeks tinting red as Rin ripped one from the box and held it to his nose.

Surely there was some way out of eating the damn mackerel, surely…

A sly grin snuck up the redhead's lips as a light bulb switched. Whether the idea would work or not, he had no idea, but it was always worth a try.

"Hey, Haru," Rin crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, said teen giving him a curious look "I haven't seen you wearing that necklace I gave you."

Blue eyes widened as Haruka went a bright shade of red, brighter than Rin had ever seen him go.

"W-what kind of observation is that?" Haruka questioned, now looking away from the redhead.

Rin smirked, leaning forward to place his elbow on the table and a hand under his chin. He never expected a reaction like this.

"Well one notices when someone doesn't use the present they bought them, so isn't that a fair observation?"

Haruka huffed but still didn't make eye contact, wishing he could hide his red face from the grinning Rin. The teen was actually hoping Rin wouldn't notice, and even if he did, wouldn't ask about it. But of course, Rin being Rin, he would ask, and now Haruka had to think of what to say back.

"So, why aren't you wearing it?" The redhead asked, mostly to tease but also with a slight bit of curiosity. Rin could think of many reasons why Haruka wouldn't wear it, so he found it understandable for why Haruka didn't, but now he couldn't help wondering what the teen's response would be.

"Because…" Haruka began, fidgeting slightly "because it, uh…"

"Huh?" Rin had to lean in, Haruka's voice just above a whisper.

There was more fidgeting while Haruka began squirming in his chair, trying to avoid Rin's hard gaze. He couldn't think of an excuse, he was horrible at lying, he knew Rin would see right through him. Rin would probably be hurt if Haruka lied to him. His only chance would be if Gou burst through the door, but he knew that wouldn't happen. Haruka had no choice but to tell the truth.

"I haven't found the right time to wear it."

Rin's brow furrowed "The right time? What about on New Year's? Wasn't that the right time?"

Haruka shook his head "No…no it wasn't."

"Well then when is the right time?"

The room went silent, Haruka's hands clenched together and sweating. It felt so awkward to sit there with Rin's gaze hard on him. He had to answer now, he had to. Lying wasn't an option he could take, Rin would see right through him. He had to answer, he had to tell the truth, he had to….

"…your birthday's coming up soon, isn't it?"

Haruka broke both the silence and awkward atmosphere with that single question, Rin's eyes widening when hearing the teen's answer. Or did he really hear that? Maybe he was just delusional.

"Come again?"

"I was going to wear it on your birthday." Haruka confessed, his face a blushing mess.

Crimson eyes were blank, Haruka glancing up from behind dark hair to try and read his friend's expression, not being able to tell what Rin was thinking. The reason for this being Rin didn't know what to think, his birthday had completely slipped his mind. Right now it was near the end of January, his birthday being the second of February, so it was only a week or two away.

Rin tried to hide his small embarrassed blush as his heart jumped in happiness "A-and why were you going to wear it on my birthday?"

Haruka looked away, the redness now spreading to his ears. Very hesitantly, he answered "Because I thought it would make you happy."

Rin's heart was now going into spasms, his whole face tomato red. He quickly put a hand over his mouth in fear of blabbering something out and turned away from the other teen, both of them now trying to avoid each other's eyes.

"Shit, that's cute." Rin thought, his mind going haywire while what Haruka said repeated over and over in his head like a broken record. Haruka was going to wear the necklace to make him happy, but just thinking about him wearing it made Rin beyond happy, he was in a state of euphoria. If Rin actually did see Haruka wearing it on his birthday, without warning, he'd probably have turned into a gooey puddle of joy.

"You…are you purposely doing this to me?"

Haruka's brow furrowed when not understanding the question, turning towards Rin only to give wide eyes when seeing him leaning over the table. Without even a second to comprehend the situation, Rin placed his lips on Haruka's, making Haruka almost fall back in his chair.

It had been so long since they last kissed, and that just made it taste all the more sweeter. Haruka, however, refused to get lost in the sensation and quickly pushed the redhead back, making Rin give him a half shocked, half questioning look.

"Y-you're sick." Haruka quickly reminded him, this excuse not effecting Rin in the slightest.

"I caught it from you, which means you can't catch it again."

Haruka made a panicked expression as Rin leaned in once more, putting a hand on the redhead's chest to stop him.

"W-wait!" He pleaded, now leaning so far back in the chair its' front legs were hovering above the ground "Can you tell me what our relationship is?"

Rin's expression went blank, his eyes wide when being asked the question.

"Our relationship?"

The chair's two front legs were softly planted back on the ground, Rin leaning back to think about the question himself.

"You mean like…rivals? Or friends?"

"Rivals and friends don't kiss each other." the smaller teen explained, his cheeks heating up.

There was an awkward atmosphere around the two once more, Rin rubbing the back of his neck and frowning. It was a definitely an interesting question, but the answer would be even more interesting. Lovers could be a possible answer, but he still hadn't confessed to Haruka. In fact, he didn't even know if Haruka liked him in that way. For all Rin knew Haru just wanted a kissing buddy. If so, that meant their relationship could be fuck buddies…but they hadn't done anything as obscene as that (and Rin really didn't like the sound of it).

The only possible answer left would be friends with benefits, but that didn't sound right either. Maybe they were just closer than normal friends? Were they even still considered friends? Was Haruka even thinking about this in a romantic way?

"Uh…friends with benefits?" Rin weakly suggested, making Haruka's face go redder still and shake his head.

"I thought of that too but it doesn't seem right."

Rin sighed and leaned back "Yeah, I know what you mean."

The two sat in silence, crimson eyes wondering to the mackerel in front of him as he tried to find an answer. His thoughts and the silence were abruptly interrupted, however, as Haruka spoke.

"I think this would be a lot easier to figure out if you told me the reason for why you're kissing me."

Rin went speechless, his eyes wider than saucers. There was no way he could answer that question, and if he did it would basically be confessing. He knew he had to say something, so with his mind on the edge of a meltdown he chocked out a few words.

"What do you mean? You're the one that kissed me all those times!"

Haruka's throat went dry, his eyes now as wide as Rin's.

"I-I only kissed you twice!" he argued "Which was the first time at my house and then after I finished work near the beach! You kissed me at the Christmas party and just now!"

"Why are you keeping track of it?!"

"How could I not?!"

"W-well…!" Rin began searching for words, his head burning "Well, uh…" He started swaying back and forth, his vision going fuzzy. He hadn't taken his medicine yet, and shouting just made his head throb. It almost felt as if he was…floating. It made him feel bubbly and light, like he was swimming through crystal water. Rin let out a small giggle, Haruka giving the redhead a concerned look.

"Rin, are you okay?" He questioned, watching the redhead sway.

Said teen didn't answer, but instead giggled out "Haru, there are three of you." Before falling to the ground.

Haruka noticed Rin falling but couldn't act fast enough, wincing when hearing the large thump of the teen's body hitting the wooden floor. A chair was knocked down as Haru scrambled over to him, putting a hand on his forehead to feel it was hotter than when he arrived.

A wave of heat had hit Rin, and the reason for that would be Haruka stressing him out and making him think. Haruka knew Rin should've been in bed, which is why he only brought him out to eat. Instead, the two got into an argument and now Rin had collapsed from exhaustion.

Could he ever do anything right?

Blue eyes darted around the room, Haruka wondering what to do. He couldn't carry Rin without hurting him, but he also couldn't leave the teen on the floor. Would calling an ambulance be too much? What about 911? Would Rin's mother panic if he called? Although the one panicking the most would still be Haruka, Rin could be dying in his arms and he'd have no idea.

Surely there was something, anything he could do.

"Hello?" Someone called from the door, Haruka turning when hearing the familiar voice.

It was a tall brunette teen, along with Rei, Nagisa and Gou behind him. Although Haruka payed no attention to the others, as right now the brunette looked like his saviour.

"Makoto!" Haruka rejoiced, a relieved smile on his face.

Makoto would know what to do, Makoto always knew what to do.

"Haru!" Makoto exclaimed, quickly running over to the two and kneeling down. "What happened?"

Haruka kept looking down at Rin then back up at Makoto, his eyes switching from person to person in a panic as he tried to explain, but couldn't seem to get the right words out.

"Rin he...and then he…! But I tried to…and he just-!"

Large hands placed themselves on Haruka's shoulders, the teen looking up into comforting, emerald green eyes.

"It's okay, Haru, don't panic." Makoto reassured, his voice calming "I'm sure Rin's okay, we'll just carry him to bed where he can rest."

Haruka nodded, thankful the brunette was here. Gou made a B line straight to her brother once the two were done talking, checking his temperature and having to wipe her hands on her clothes from the amount of sweat Rin was producing.

"I'll go get a wet cloth, you four take him into his room." She commanded, the four boys nodding in unison before both Makoto and Haruka picked the redhead up and slung either arm over their shoulder. Rei and Nagisa walked ahead to open the door to the teen's room, meanwhile Rin was muttering something no one could make out. Although Haruka could swear he heard something about mackerel.

"Well he got out of eating it." Haruka thought in annoyance.

Once finally placing Rin in bed, Nagisa ran out to help Gou while Rei went with him. Makoto, Haruka and Rin now being the only ones left in the room.

The redhead lay uncomfortably in his bed, Haruka sitting next to him with concerned eyes. Rin's breaths were heavy while his clothes were soaked in sweat. All Haruka wanted to do was look after the teen, make him feel better, but he couldn't even do that. and now he looked even worse.

Meanwhile, Makoto stood over the two of them with a menacing look in his deep, green eyes. He admitted to feeling a slight bit concerned for Rin, but every time he saw a flash of worry in crystal blue eyes the feeling was gone and instead replaced with anger and rage. Even though Rin was lying in bed, unmoving and silent, Haruka was only paying attention to him. It was only Rin that caught his attention, Rin that made blue eyes light up. It was only ever Rin, Rin, Rin.

Makoto wanted Haruka's beautiful eyes to shine at him, look at him, once. Just once.

"Makoto," Haruka spoke, said teen looking up when being disturbed from his thoughts "thank you. I had no idea what to do, I was really panicking."

Green orbs glistened as Makoto stared at Haruka, noticing the flash that crossed ocean blue when being thanked, and he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time.

Victory.

Sure, Rin might effect Haruka in ways Makoto never could, but Haruka needs Makoto and vice versa. They've been together for so long, friends for such a long time, that being separated from each others is something neither of them could even imagine.

Makoto is Haruka's ideal partner, he was everything Rin couldn't be, which was all Haruka needed. It made the brunette realise just how much Haruka had to see who really belonged with him, how Makoto belonged with him.

"No problem, Haru." Makoto smiled, his usual angelic smile.

"I would do anything for you."

…

Once Rin's mother had come home the four teens left. It was almost ten o'clock when they did leave, and on that night Haruka had a strange dream.

In his dream he was holding two orbs, one was emerald whilst the other was a deep crimson. They both weighed the same, were both the same size, and both had a magnificent light. However, no matter how similar they looked, there were still some plain sighted differences in their features.

The red orb had such a pretty colour, but the outside was cracked and warn. It was dusty and chipped, looking as if someone had given it a rough treatment before being placed in Haruka's hand.

The emerald orb shined and glistened, clearly polished and well looked after. Its' outside was smooth and it seemed brand new. The better choice obviously being the emerald orb.

However, fingers clenched at the crimson orb as Haruka struggled to place it down. He knew the emerald orb was clearly the right decision, that the red orb was just something to be thrown away and not waste his time with. But it had this hypnotic glow to it, a glow Haruka found impossible to ignore.

There was clear beauty in the crimson orb, a beauty Haruka wanted to release. It may have cracks in it, it may be chipped and dusty, but that was something he could fix. It would take a while to mend as he'd have to do it by hand, slowly, one fault by one. But he found himself not caring about that, as he would take as long as he needed to make the crimson orb shine.

So, with his careful decision, he let the emerald orb slip from his fingers. Some would see it as an odd decision since the emerald orb wouldn't take any of his time or effort, but the hypnotic crimson orb just needed a little affection.

Then the dust would be dusted, the cracks would be mended, and the chips would be filled. Finally revealing the true glow the crimson orb had to offer.

Not only that, but the emerald orb felt almost...fake.

When awaking from this dream Haruka felt restless, dark bags hanging under his eyes as he lay snug under the covers. For whatever strange reason the dream with the two orbs reminded him of the dream with the red string, except less disturbing and without a cold chill.

Like the red string dream, Haruka had no idea what it meant. He thought of calling his mother about it, maybe even talking to Makoto, but for all he knew it could mean nothing. There was no point in telling anyone something so pointless.

With a heavy sigh and jumbled thoughts, blue eyes slowly closed. He knew Makoto would come over and try making him get up, but school was something he could afford to miss out on. Haruka didn't feel like dealing with the world today.

I'll admit my favourite part to any chapter is writing those metaphor things, so I'm sorry if you don't understand them or if I drag them on for too long. But hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter anyway and hopefully the next one won't take so long to come out!

Thanks for reading!