The threesome split apart once inside- Makoto to find the subject of interest, Haru to cook, and Rin took off at a run for the convenience store down the hill because "Onii-chan you can't just keep feeding her human food!" and true, they hadn't bought any cat food for Akiha. Rin was already back in the house by the time Makoto found their kitten. And the brunette froze. Fear, strong and acidic, was raging through his veins.
It was four inches of water in the tub, he told himself. There was no way the kitten could drown herself.
But then, Haru wasn't supposed to nearly drown only a few inches from the riverbank, either. Makoto's worst fear rested on a few inches.
Hands shaking, a terrible remnant of then, he reached down and plucked the soaked feline from the tub.
She mewled pitifully but he didn't put her back. He found a towel and wrapped her in it, sat on the edge of the tub, and clutched her to his chest.
Water could kill humans and fish without a struggle: cats fit between those things.

"Mako? You still in here?" The redhead spotted the brunette- and the aftershocks of his trembling- and his breath hitched. A glance behind the taller boy told him all he needed to know. "Oh he didn't."

"Rin, it's okay, really-" Makoto croaked.

But the redhead leaned out of the bathroom and yelled for their boyfriend.

"Rin, she's fine, I'm fine-"

"You're white as a sheet, Mako," Rin interjected sharply. "And he needs to know he can't do that. Something really could happen."

Makoto shuddered.

Haruka appeared. He saw Makoto and paled. "I didn't think of..."

Rin yanked him into the room and slammed the door. "Yeah no shit."

"I'm sorry, Mako- I'm so sorry. I thought a couple of inches for her to play in while we were gone wouldn't hurt anything."

"I overreacted," Makoto admitted with a self-deprecating laugh that sounded utterly wrong coming from him. "And it kept her from the toilet paper?"

His lackluster attempt on humor was allowed to end the conversation. Haru went to his side and unplugged the tub to let it drain (Akiha mewed mournfully and cat and black-haired human watched the vanishing water with vastly similar expressions) then knelt next to his boyfriend and wrapped his arms around broad shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Makoto."

"It's all right, Haru."

"It is not all right! Haru, you can't just-"

"Haru-chaaaan!"

"Onii-chaaan!"

Rin blinked and cast a disparaging look over his shoulder. "-you can't do that again. Don't ever. Let's show off our baby and get this day over with so I can enjoy the last of my night with you two."

Even though her fur was still half-slicked down Akiha was a hit from the second she bounded into the living room with bright teal eyes. Gou squealed and (finally) peeled herself from Seijuurou's side to appeal to the Japanese Bobtail.
The kitten, suddenly timid in the presence of so many strangers, was extremely cautious in sniffing the redheaded girl's fingers while Gou waited with bated breath.
A pink tongue rasped over her fingertip and Gou squealed again. Carefully she scooped up Akiha and leaned back and into Seijuurou's side (evoking a venomous look from her brother) and cooed at the soft kitten.

"Onii-chan she really is just the cutest!" She giggled. Rin's eyes drifted from his giddy sister to her boyfriend and... And he relaxed, just slightly, because the look on Seijuurou's face was nothing less than complete adoration. The golden eyes that regard the top of his sister's head are filled with an untold fondness.

Seijuurou really isn't that bad, Rin reluctantly admitted to himself. And he seems to really care for Gou...

"Woooow, Haru-chan, Mako-chan, Rin-chan! This is the cutest kitten I've ever seen, I'm sure of it!"

Nagisa leaned toward the ball of splotched fur that Gou was holding and scratched their baby behind the ears. "Hi baby! I'm Nagisa! And that grumpy guy back there is Rei-chan." Rei spluttered but didn't say anything in his own defense. "And over there on his phone again," the excitable blonde moaned dramatically, "is Ai-chan! Let's be good friends, okay?"

"A-again with Ai-chan, Nagisa-kun?" The silver-haired boy whined. Then pale blue eyes lit up.
"Ahh, so cute! The stray you picked up before was nothing like this one, Rin-senpai!" Nitori crawled eagerly across the tatami and hesitantly petted the orange-spotted head of the threesome's kitten.

Rin sat heavily on the floor opposite his sister and Captain, regarding the group with one bored eye.

"Yeah, well, that one was a lot older and besides, it was pouring and it was hungry. Akiha's way too tiny to take care of herself-"

Gou squealed yet again, hugging the tiny body to her chest, and Rin smiled despite himself. "That's her name? How precious! A little autumn leaf!" She rubbed noses with the puffball and Akiha squirmed, trying to break free.

"Rin-chan's rescued cats before?" Nagisa asked Nitori, his open expression all curiosity.

"Yep!" The silver-haired boy nodded excitedly. "It was raining really hard and so he brought it into an abandoned outbuilding and fed it some mackerel from dinner!"

Nagisa giggled. "Rin-chan's just a big softie!"

Nitori agreed wholeheartedly before he remembered Rin was sitting not five feet away and now glaring at him. "Err, sorry, Rin-senpai."

"Whatever," the redhead groaned.

"He's also a sappy romantic."

Rin whipped his head around and snarled "Haru!"

His boyfriend just smirked at him.

Akiha was over the moon when Nagisa unearthed a couple of cat toys he'd packed just for her. His neighbors had had a cat a couple of years ago and they'd had a box of its toys in their attic and had happily given them to their bubbly blonde neighbor.
Rin was falling asleep on Makoto's shoulder in the dying sunlight, Haru cradled in the brunette's arms and the pair watched their kitten bat a crinkly cellophane ball around the dining room and back. Nagisa, with impossibly happy giggles, kept picking up the ball and tossing it for Akiha again and again. Gou leaned against her boyfriend and her attention darted constantly between the excitable kitten and her brother's palpable contentment.
The redheaded girl suddenly regarded her brother.

"Hey, Onii-chan, why was Akiha wet earlier?"

Rin stirred and sat up, rubbing bleary red eyes. "Why was she-? Oh." He smirked and snapped his fingers. Ocean eyes found the redhead immediately and she ran over to the threesome, leaping willfully onto Haruka's lap. The black-haired boy jumped and he looked around in confusion until he realized the disturbance was the sweet-faced kitten on his leg.

"Hey, Akiha. What's wrong?"

Rin snorted. "I tried to get her attention but she went for you instead."

"Why did you need her?" Haru asked as he lifted the small kitten. Akiha peeped and wiggled in his hands but her claws never came out.

"Gou asked why she was wet when we brought her in here."

"Haruka-senpai, you didn't bring her into the pool at practice or something, did you? Cats don't exactly like water..."

Haru lifted an eyebrow. "Makoto?"

The brunette chuckled and stood. He vanished out into the garden and came back with a bucket. The remaining members of the swim teams watched Makoto calmly head up the stairs swinging the bucket. The pipes overhead rattled and suddenly Akiha started struggling in Haru's hold. Rin chuckled and leaned over, wrapping one arm around his lover and the other hand found the kitten.

"Calm down, Akiha, he'll back any moment now."

True to the redhead's word Makoto came down the stairs less than a minute later lugging a half-full bucket.

The kitten went absolutely wild and Haru dropped her.

Akiha bolted for the bucket and more than one uneducated hand grabbed at the tiny body but she evaded Nagisa and then Rei, springing into the air- and landing in the bucket with a surprisingly large splash for such a little thing. And totally soaking Rei, but that was just icing on the cake.
The orange-and-black splotched kitten mewled happily up at her pridefully smiling owners as the other people in the room (including the doused Rei) stared at the little beast in amazement.

"She- likes water?" Seijuurou ventured eventually, unable to take his eyes off the dripping kitten splashing in the bucket.

"Loves it," Haru replied, sticking a hand in the container to scratch a drenched chin.

Nagisa sat up quivering with joy. "Just like Haru-chan!"

"Our perfect pet," Rin agreed.

Gou watched as a fond smile flittered over her older brother's lips. She turned around and discreetly kissed a corner of Seijuurou's lips, grinning at the look of surprised affection she got in return.

"Hey, Sei, let's go ahead and head home, okay? It's getting late."

The others seemed to get the drift. They looked between themselves and Rei pulled an excuse about homework from nowhere and Nagisa claimed Rei was supposed to tutor him. Nitori, on his phone again, suddenly spoke up (trying and failing to hide a giddy flush) about meeting someone before Samezuka's curfew was enacted.

Rin regarded the flurry of excuses with due suspicion but when his sister winked and not-so-subtly gestured at his lovers he realized what she was doing was giving him the time he wanted.

"We'll go with you to the station."

The bucket is tossed out (to Akiha's distress but Haru caught Makoto in a deep apologetic kiss to show the gesture had been for the brunette's sake) and the doors to the outside world closed so their new family member can't escape.

Three steps outside the door the fiery-haired Captain leaned down and kissed his girlfriend.
Four steps and Rin slammed Mikoshiba into the wall of Haru's house. The older teen stared at him for a moment, clearly caught off guard, and then golden eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

"If you know what's good for you, Matsuoka, you'll let go now."

"Onii-chan!" Gou shrieked, rushing forward to grab her brother's arm. "Leave him alone! Onii-chan, please! Just stop it!"

"Rin!" Haru barked, just as startled.

Makoto took a step forward, ready to pull the pair apart if they started to fight, but then he paused. He examined. And he calmly let his hands fall back to his sides.
Red eyes narrowed right back at vibrant honey, the corner of Rin's lip drawing back over sharp teeth, a clear threat.

"Not until I tell him exactly what Makoto told me when I started seeing Haru."

Though the black-haired boy's brow furrowed Makoto just smiled his usual easy smile.

Rin leaned in, wicked teeth glinting, and said in a perfect low predatory tone: "So help me, Mikoshiba, if you're not serious about this and you hurt my baby sister... I'll tear you apart, Captain. She's my family, and I won't see her hurt, Seijuurou, I really will not."

After a tense beat of silence a smirk slowly grew on the taller redhead's lips.

Rin didn't seem too surprised by the cocky surety in the Samezuka student's expression. He just looked up and held Mikoshiba's gaze.

"Am I understood?"

The older boy winked. "One-hundred percent."

"Good." Rin calmly released the elder and turned on his heel.

Makoto welcomed him back with a soft hum and a kiss as Gou started fussing over her boyfriend.

"Way to turn my own words against someone else."

"A big brother knows."

Haru looked shell-shocked. "You said that to Rin..?" And comprehension trickled into his eyes. "Is this why you were fighting?"

He sounded incredulous and hurt, and Rin waved the others away, taking his lovers aside.

"It is." Rin admitted quietly.

Haru's hands clenched tight at his sides. "But all I ever wanted was the two of you!"

"I know, Haru, I know that now. But this was before I knew how you felt. Before I knew how I felt."

"We were butting heads over how we felt about you. And we should've just talked to each other," Makoto sighed. He wrapped an arm around Haru's waist and pulled him close, burying his nose in the crook of the younger's neck. Rin ran a hand through his hair.

"I wish we had earlier. I didn't know how much I needed you- both of you."

He hooked an arm around them both and held them tight but it was easy to realize something was missing.
The black-haired boy refused to touch either of his lovers. He was shaking with quiet fury.

"All that time-" he growled.

"Haru-" Rin and Makoto chorused.

He shook them off and glared between the two with betrayal in blue eyes.

"We'll talk about this tonight," he finished.

The walk to the station was awkward. Everyone could tell Haru was furious. Even if his expression hadn't changed from its usual impassivity there was a cobalt fire in his eyes and the easy camaraderie between himself and his lovers was broken.
Rin and Makoto walked together a little apart, hand in hand, and they both looked completely ashamed.
Still all three managed some semblance of normalcy as they told their friends good night.
When Rin started to follow Mikoshiba and Nitori (to his classmates' surprise) Haru's voice cracked out like a whip.

"Rin. Where are you going?"

The redhead heaved a sigh. "Haru, I don't- I don't want to fight. I'd rather just go back to the dorms-"

"No, you're going to stay."

The redhead snapped and whirled back on the black-haired boy, teeth bared and eyes narrowed, but blue eyes stared back evenly.

"Stay." Haru demanded.

His red gaze thinned but Makoto stepped between them. "Rin, please. We really do need to talk about this. Running away again won't solve anything."

Rin bristled at the faint mention of his previous running- Australia still prods at him as both mistake and boon- but his shoulders slump and he gives in.

He doesn't move from his spot however. He returned Gou's hug and glowered at Mikoshiba, agreed absentmindedly with Nitori about something to do with school, dealt with Nagisa's gleeful farewell tackle, and nodded at Rei.
And once the last train pulled away from the station and left the threesome alone, Haru turned away.

"Let's go home."

The walk back to Haru's home sent chills up Rin's spine because with his lovers nothing was supposed to be uncomfortable. He was supposed to be safe and happy with them. Not uneasy and edgy. It was making him physically ill. Sickness clawed at his gut. He just knew today would be a bad day...
He slipped his shoes off in the entryway and started to walk aimlessly away, to find their kitten maybe, anything to get his mind off the numbing sadness sitting on his chest.

God, don't leave me.

He barely registered the hand around his wrist holding him in place until the concerned voice broke through his reverie.

"...n. Rin. Rin!"

The redhead jolted out of his depressed thoughts.

"Rin, we're never leaving! Couples fight, of course we're going to-"

But Makoto's reassurances weren't the ones he wanted to hear.

"Rin." The voice stirred something in him and lifted his lackluster gaze.

He sucked in a startled breath because that wasn't anger in Haru's eyes. It was heat and wanting and a curl of desire pooled in Rin's belly.

"You have a lot of time to make up for, the both of you." Haru said stonily.

Both Rin and Makoto regarded this new development with startled wonder. "H-Haru..?"

"We don't have much time. I'll feed Akiha. You two go get ready. You owe me a lot. All that time we could have been together..." He whispered softly as he walked away. "You and your pride."

The night passed in a blur of touches and shared breath and bodies.

Rin was gone when they woke in the morning.
Haru stared at the empty space with a feeling akin to having his arm cut off. Something significant was missing and he ached for it. He closed his eyes and wished for the redhead to be in the bed when he opened them again... but of course the expanse of sheets and mattress remained cold and unfilled.
A buzz caught his attention and he jumped. A tiny kitten head popped over the opposite edge of Rin's pillow and its pupils dilated until he couldn't see the ocean color of Akiha's eyes for the deep black. She sprang and batted at whatever was buzzing on Rin's pillow and irrational fear made Haru sit up and he reached out for whatever it was, sincerely hoping it wasn't anything that could harm him.
His fingers closed around a smooth plastic shell.
His phone?
He grabbed it and their kitten and rolled over to face Makoto.

'Two new messages from Rin.'

Confused, he opened them.

Makoto was drawn up to consciousness by the sweet sound of Haruka's laughter. Green eyes blinked blearily open and focused with some difficulty on the black-haired boy.

"H-Haru?" He yawned. "What's going on?"

"I missed Rin," Haru responded past his dying chuckles. "And then my phone rang."

For the first time Makoto noticed the blue mobile clutched to his lover's chest. "Who was..?"

Haru showed him the first text.

'Oi. Get your asses up. It's late.'

Makoto breathed a laugh. "He's good, isn't he?"

Haru switched to the second he'd received and showed it to his boyfriend too.

'Good morning. Love you both.'

The pair of lovers go about their typical morning routine with a steadfast simplicity. Haru bathed and Makoto prepared their lunches. Haru cooked mackerel while Makoto showered. And they headed down the winding stairs with hands clasped together.
They stopped at the Tachibana household- Makoto's father was on his way out the door when he saw them and greeted them exactly the same- because Haru was virtually his own child by now too- as he went to the garage. They let themselves in and were quickly greeted- Haru by the excitable twins and Makoto by his mother- until Haru shook off the twins and shooed them out the door for school.
Makoto took a seat at the table and Haru disappeared off to the brunette's room.

"No Rin today, sweetie?" She asked, scanning the doorway like she thought the redhead was just late.

"He had to go back to his own school and dormitories," her son said quietly, a frown line appearing on his brow.

"And you miss him?" The brown-haired woman stated knowingly.

Makoto smiled slightly at his mother. "I always miss him when he's not around."

"It's not right when he's gone," Haru added wistfully as he returned with arms laden with books.

Tachibana Megumi knew about her son's relationship choices and as long as he was happy she would be happy with his decision. Besides, her son and Haruka had always been strangely close. She hadn't predicted Rin but it changed nothing; they all loved equally.

"Well I'm sure he misses you too!"

Makoto hefted his newly filled bag onto his shoulder and grinned. "We already got a reminder of that this morning."

Haru's lips quirked up happily. "He sent us a few texts to wake us up."

"Maybe you should return the sentiment." Tachibana-san said blithely as she handed over a pair of wrapped boxes.

Makoto blinked at the lunches. "Ah, okaa-san, I already made our lunches-"

The older woman cocked her head and smiled. "You never know if you might be hungrier than you thought. Here, boys."

Tachibana Megumi also had an iron will and the pair knew better by now than to argue with her. They took the wrapped bento with quiet thanks.

She waved them off with the broad grin Makoto had inherited.

"Goodbye, boys! Have a good day at school!"

Setting out his books for his first class Rin felt his phone buzz in his pocket and with a small, hidden quirk of the lips he pulled it out.
It was from Makoto, and it was a picture.
They were both smiling at the camera, for once, and Haru's soft smile made his heart ache. In the best way.

'Love you too.'