Okay, y'all can rest easy, the drama's over with. Sorry to put you through that. As an apology have a whole crapton of fluffy. More serious notes at the end.
Also, I just want to say one thing: I've been struggling again recently. Dunno why. I think now that the drama's over I got bored? Either way, y'all can single-handedly attribute this chapter's finishing to the wonderful and talented Lavareef! If not for her review I wouldn't have had the surge of inspiration I did to finish this one in a decent way (it was looking pretty lame for a while)! You should go read her fics if you haven't already!

Chapter 24- Of Victory and Recoveries
It was a slow going, recovering from the emotional devastation Haru's parents had left in their wake. Though the threesome's devotion to each other hadn't changed, they were twice as cautious in public for fear of a backlash like Nanase Takao's.

But he was gone.

The rest of the Nanase family had left the day after the confrontation between father and son. The three teenagers hadn't known about it right away; Haru had been so wiped out from his outburst that he had crashed straightaway upon their return to the Matsuoka abode. Rin had pounced on his awake lover and Makoto gave in to the redhead's demands. They laid on the other half of the queen-sized sofa bed, just far enough to not jostle the softly breathing figure of Haru, and took the time for each other.

They pressed kisses to exposed flesh and skin displayed by roaming hands was re-examined by feather-light touches. It was gentleness combined with a burning urgency under their skin as they lay wrapped up in each other. Makoto could read the emotion in Rin's kisses and eager hands as easily as he could read Haru's eyes.

"What's got you upset?" He asked quietly as Rin set to nibbling on his collarbone.

"Nothing," Rin replied. His attention was focused on the bruise he was trying to make.

"Rin," Makoto whispered against crimson strands.

The redhead sighed and slowly relaxed, pressing a sincere kiss to Makoto's lips before glancing at the sleeping boy next to them. "...have you ever seen him mad? Well, b-before today?"

"No."

"Never?"

"Never. Come on, Rin, you really think Haru's the type to get mad? He probably just couldn't continue coping with all the tension and unhappiness and anger he's been struggling with for days. This is him showing he's not heartless. It all just boiled over and exploded out."

"It was impressive," Rin admitted, resting his head on the brunette's chest and letting the strong heartbeat soothe him. "I was actually kind of scared. More for him than of him, but..."

"I know."

"You think he'll be all right?"

"He needs a little time to relax. Let him sleep. He should be fine."

Rin reached out and held the black-haired boy's hand. "I hope so."

A door closed somewhere deeper in the house and suddenly a small ball of fluff scrambled over the back of the couch and scuttled over to Haru. Akiha sniffed the sleeping boy and after a second's pause to consider she wormed under the blankets and cuddled up underneath Haru's arm. Rin stretched a finger out to rub under her chin and the awake pair both smiled at the quiet purr the action earned him.

Then Gou popped her head over the edge of the couch. "Onii-chan! What are you doing in bed?! It's only nine o' clock!"

Rin shifted, propped his chin on Makoto's shoulder, and gave his sister the best blank look he could offer when he was half-conscious and half-hard.
"I'm tired."

She rolled her eyes. "Mom will be home soon. That means dinner!" Gou poked him in the nose and he snapped his teeth at her.

"We're going to pass tonight, Kou-chan. Haru needs to sleep and we're somewhat exhausted too."
Gou instantly turned soft and forgiving at the sound of Makoto's buttery voice, which made Rin scowl. Just because his lover was the epitome of a good big brother didn't mean he needed to use that charm on his little sister...

"Okay, Makoto-senpai. Umm... D-did everything go all right with Haruka-senpai's dad?"

Rin sighed and buried his nose in short cinnamon-colored hair. "Not as well as we could have hoped and yet just fine."

Gou snorted. "And what does that mean?"

"I don't know yet. And I don't wanna think of it right now. I wanna lay here with my boyfriend and enjoy him, you hear me?"

Suddenly the girl looked slightly ill. "...are those your clothes on the floor?"

Rin cast a dumbfounded glance at the brunette's and his own clothes in a haphazard pile on the floor. "Uh, yeah?"

Gou backpedaled quickly, her whole face heating up until it was a shade to rival her hair. "Are you naked, Onii-chan?!"

Red eyes widened to comical proportions. "What?! No! No way! Not with you around! Still in underwear, sheesh, Gou. What kind of brother do you take me for?"

Haru grumbled in his sleep and hugged Akiha to his chest, curling up around her, as he went silent again.
"That's enough," Makoto said quietly. "Haru really needs to sleep now and I don't want to wake him up. Kou-chan, we'll pass on dinner."

Gou sighed and shrugged. "All right! Just remember to balance out your calories tomorrow to make up for tonight, Makoto-senpai. You too, Onii-chan."

Rin stuck his tongue out at her and nuzzled back in to Makoto's warmth. A few more searching kisses were exchanged before they separated and Makoto curved his body around Rin's. Rin's hand curled around their kitten's small body and they drifted off together.

The ear-splitting screech woke the whole Matsuoka household the next morning.

Rin shot upright, hair a mess but eyes alight with a promise of bloody murder, and before Haru could recover from being rudely jostled out of the redhead's arms a certain overprotective big brother had leapt over the back of the couch.

"Rin wait-!" Makoto called after the redhead charging down the hall.

"Gou! What's the matter? Gou?!"

"I'm in the bathroom, Onii-chan!" His sister called back, giggles distorting her voice. "I just had some unexpected company crash my bath."

Rin sagged and smacked his forehead against the nearest wall. "Akiha?"

Between her helpless giggles his sister managed to give an affirmative and Rin trudged back to his abandoned lovers. Makoto was grinning knowingly at his boyfriend but Haru was pouting and had to be persuaded to allow Rin back onto the sofa bed. It was the promise of being held by both that made him agree. The threesome coiled back up together, Haru securely caged between the pair, and one after the other they fell asleep again. Matsuoka Kimiko shuffled out of her bedroom- knocking once on the bathroom door and growling "Thanks for the wake-up, sweetie, that was better than my alarm clock,"- and into the kitchen. With a cup of coffee in hand she glanced over at the couch and smiled at the sight of Haruka clinging to her son and the protective arm their boyfriend had draped over them as they lay intertwined. Each boy's breathing had already deepened back to sleep's rhythm. Rin had wedged a foot between Makoto's calves and Makoto had apparently given in and curled his leg around the redhead's. Kimiko smiled and shook her head. Before heading back to her bedroom to prepare for work she stopped by the sofa and picked up her son's phone, disabling the alarm, and returned it to the coffee table. She almost turned away... but paused at the last moment and brushed crimson hair away from her son's sleeping face.
Rin mumbled something and buried his nose in Haruka's hair.

"Let your brother sleep," she chastised Gou as the girl crept toward the sofa with the threesome's damp kitten in her hands.
Gou laughed under her breath, wrapped the kitten in her towel, and headed back to her room.

Makoto groaned and dragged the blanket up. Another nudge against his shoulder made him grimace and he tried to duck his head under the blanket. He found he couldn't, though and his shoulder was nudged again.

"Oi. Tachibana."

The voice penetrated the blanket, then his ears, and finally registered in his brain as belonging to Mikoshiba Seijuurou. Makoto jerked awake under the covers and rolled over to blink blearily up at Samezuka's Captain.

"What's the matter, Miko-" a yawn- "shiba-san?"

"Phone for you," the redhead said softly.

Makoto focused with some effort on the phone Seijuurou was holding out to him and with a quiet thanks he took it.
"Hello? This is Tachibana Makoto, I can get Rin for y-"

"Makoto, sweetie!"

The brunette stared at Haru's shoulder. "...Mom? Why are you calling here?"

"I wanted to let you boys know that the Nanase family left this morning. Setsuna dropped the keys off early for you boys. Haru-chan can go home!"

Makoto smiled- yawned widely- but smiled. "That's wonderful! We'll be back later then. For now..." He yawned again and Rin's leg shifted around his. "For now we're probably going to rest for a little longer."

"Sounds like a good idea, from what I can hear! You sound exhausted, sweetheart."

"Yesterday was... eventful." He mumbled. "We're kind of all exhausted. Sorry, Mama."

She laughed. "That's just fine, my dear. We'll see you this afternoon!"

"Yeah, Mom, sound great. Good night."
He hung up on her light-hearted giggle without realizing his error and set the phone on the coffee table, snuggling back under the covers and staring straight into half-lidded scarlet eyes.

"Tha wuzz yur mom?" Rin slurred, trying to narrow his eyes in an effort to look like he was concentrating but instead managing to appear sleepier.

"Yeah," Makoto sighed and nuzzled Haru's shoulder. The black-haired boy smelled reassuringly like chlorine and fish. "Haru's parents left. The keys are-" he yawned- "at my house for later. Can we go back to sleep first?"

Rin chuckled. "I won't fight you on that."

"So I can go home tonight?" Haru whispered softly.

Makoto and Rin both jumped, startled to realize their boyfriend was awake, but then Makoto began to leave butterfly kisses across Haru's back and Rin gently traced the dark circles under the oldest's newly opened eyes.

"Yeah. We'll go home tonight."

Haru smiled but his eyelids were already drooping again and embraced by the pair he felt secure enough to sigh and drift off again.

Makoto was the last to wake up this time, Akiha draped around his neck like a white-hot scarf, and he only woke because Rin was perched- knees to his chest- on the arm of the couch munching on a piece of toast and flipping channels on the television.

"What time issit?" The brunette groaned.

"Hey cutie. Almost eleven. You have to work today, yeah?"

Makoto groaned again, this time in unhappy exasperation, and rubbed his eyes. "I do. At one."

"You'll be cutting it close if you don't get up soon then, Mako."

"I realize that," he sighed.

The brunette grumbled a moment later when something poked him in the nose. Then again. Then again. And on the fourth he snapped at the offending object and got a mouthful of buttered toast.

"Hey!" The redhead whined through a laugh.

"Your own fault," Makoto said. "Can you take the cat?"
Rin kept the toast between sharp teeth and reached over, slipping his fingers between Akiha and Makoto's throat and lifting. The Bobtail squeaked pitifully upon being roused from her spot but the moment Rin settled her in his lap she curled back up with a noisy purr.

"You tiny traitor," Makoto laughed as he slipped out of the blanket.

He knew for a fact that red eyes were staring at him and he took his time stretching out his back, sighing once he felt that pleased little shudder race down his spine. A quiet growl came from the general direction of the couch and with a low chuckle Makoto headed off to the bathroom.

"Gou left with the Captain, so you don't need clothes! You can totally and absolutely come back naked!"

"Oh hush, Rinrin."

Haru was still relaxing in the tub when Makoto wandered in and he went immediately to his lover's side. Blue eyes cracked open and Haruka offered him a tiny smile before he closed his eyes again and leaned his head back. The brunette feathered a touch down the pale throat and leaned in to kiss soft lips.

"Makoto?" The black-haired teen asked softly.

"How are you?" The younger said.
Sapphire met emerald and they held each other's gaze for a long moment.

"I see," Makoto hummed. "So long as you're sure."

"Mmm."

"Well then, I'm going to take a shower."

As he wandered over to the showerhead, stripping what few layers he wore off, Haru watched the brunette closely. When the younger carefully folded and set his own clothes atop Haru's in the basket he paused to look at them.
"No swimsuit?" He teased before sliding his boxers off.

Haruka sighed and splashed at the bathwater a little fitfully. "...they threw out all but three of my swimsuits. None of the remaining ones fit just right anymore. And since there's only three... No point in wearing them if we're not going anywhere with water."

Makoto paused, gaping at his lover, and then his hands clenched at his sides. The boiling pit in his stomach- the coil of incandescent rage he'd been harboring for days- bubbled and threatened to overflow. It wasn't the first time; he'd been grappling with the anger since the evening Nanase Takao stumbled upon them. If it was one thing Tachibana Makoto could not understand or abide it was blameless and pointless hate. And throwing away his son's swimsuits- a symbol of the one activity he loved more than virtually any other- was a disgusting attestant to how bigoted and hateful the man could be.

"What's the matter?" The black-haired boy asked over the sound of water sloshing in the tub.

Makoto took three deep breaths. "...nothing, Haru-chan."

When he wandered back to the showerhead and pulled out the stool he realized Haruka had crossed his arms on the rim of the bath and sharp blue eyes were drilling into his side determined to get answers.
"Makoto."

"Drop it," he commanded.
Sapphire eyes widened at the unusual sharpness in his lover's tone. The black-haired boy reached out and gripped Makoto's forearm, searching his best friend's eyes, and after a moment the brunette relented. He heaved a sigh and met the older boy's eyes.
Haru's stare pierced his heart and continued to dig down, probing his every depth, turning him inside out and leaving him feeling drained but somehow relieved.

And the black-haired boy smirked and squeezed his lover's arm. "I love that about you two. You'll protect me until the bitter end and you've no idea how happy that makes me."

Makoto smiled back. "Don't I?"

And Haruka remembered their telepathy had always worked both ways.

Makoto's lovers saw him off with kiss after kiss, trying to beat each other out for the last one, squabbling about the winner until Makoto rolled his eyes and grabbed them by the neck to kiss them both, an awkward meeting of the mouths that lasted all of three seconds before he winked and left them behind.

Rin and Haru blinked dumbly at his retreating back then at each other. With a sharky grin Rin pulled Haru in for a messy kiss- teeth nipping and tongues swiping at each other- and suddenly they were shoved roughly apart by a smaller body.
"Onii-chan! You're gonna make me late to meet Sei!"

Rin spluttered, confused, and caught the back of his sister's coat as she bounced past them.
"Hey hey hey! I thought you'd already left!"

She wormed out of his hold and pivoted on her heel, fists propped on her hips. "Mom wanted me to stay until you guys left. So Sei went ahead. Since you're going out, so am I. So stop with the kissing and get your butts to Haru-nii-chan's house!"

Rin looked like someone had smacked him over the head and Haru muffled a snicker behind his hand, tugging the dumbfounded redhead into the house after him.

"Should we bring Akiha?" Rin mused, tickling the kitten's belly until she meowed sharply and started attacking his hand.

"Why wouldn't we?"

"Who's gonna carry her and our crap?"

Gou lit up. "I'll take Aki-chan!"

Rin leaned around the couch with a narrow glare. "What happened to your date with Mikoshiba?"

"Sei will understand! I'll just text him real quick and then we can-" she continued to mutter to herself as she wandered into the kitchen and Rin groaned, smacking his forehead into the couch's arm.

"Why is everyone so obsessed with our kitten?"

"Because she's cute. You have good taste," Haru added with a pleased little smirk.

Rin snorted. "Stop being so smug. How many times do I have to admit your idea to ask Makoto if he was all right with being with both of us was the best thing to ever happen to us?"

"A lot more than you have," Haru shot back.

Rin rolled his eyes and huffed and turned back to his packing. After a moment though his head snapped up.
"Hey. What did you and Mako talk about in the bathroom?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, don't play dumb. You don't think I can tell? You were both more relaxed when you left there. Wait... oh so help me if you screwed each other in my mom's house's bathroom without inviting me-!"

"We didn't. Fuck I mean. We just... had to... talk."

Rin sighed. "And by 'talk' you mean stare at each other?"
The mild glare he got was answer enough. The redhead laughed and shook his head. "Figures. Anyway, I'm glad. You were still upset and he was still pissed. He didn't even realize, did he? Geez, neither of you know what anger even is, do you?"

"He knew he was angry. But... I don't like it when he's angry. Makoto doesn't..."

"He doesn't project his anger. He lets it eat at him until it festers and turns poisonous." Rin nodded self-assuredly. "He's that type."

"It makes his eyes dark. I don't like it."

"But he's better now. Not much we can do anyway. Your dad's already gone."

The black-haired boy made a bitter note of assent and despite the quick concerned look Rin flicked at him he seemed calm.

"Come on, let's just get back home. Sooner the better."

The Tachibanas were happy to see them again, showering the pair with adoration and words of affection.

"It's been a while, boys." Tachibana Nobuo exclaimed upon opening the door to them. "Ah, and the pretty Kou-san."

Gou bowed deeply, blushing slightly at the compliment. "G-good afternoon, Tachibana-san. Nice to see you again!"

"Can Akiha come in, sir?" Her brother piped up.

"Of course, of course. The twins are at a friend's house for a sleepover. They won't be back until tomorrow."

A toothy grin flashed across Rin's face. "Well we'll have to come back down tomorrow to play then."

Megumi approached and pulled the redhead into a hug. "Please do! They've missed you and their big brother so."

Rin blushed red to the tips of his ears at the unexpected embrace but Mrs. Tachibana enfolded Haruka in her arms a moment later and he seemed much more at home with the hug than Rin had been.
"I missed you, Auntie."

She pulled back, cupping the black-haired boy's face in her hands. "I missed you, too, Haru-chan. Rin-kun." Rin looked away but he was pouting ever-so-slightly; Mrs. Tachibana, well versed in children's expressions, beamed and corrected herself. "Rin-chan."
A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

After taking afternoon tea with the Tachibanas Gou wandered up to Haru's house with her brother and the house's owner. She stayed only long enough to drop off the kitten- who seemed more than elated to be back in the familiar environment- and then left with a quick kiss to both boys' cheeks.
Akiha was quick to reclaim her toys and catbox (to Rin's very verbal complaint) and then she was content to tear around the house. The boys tromped up the stairs with their boxes of stuff and started in on unpacking their bedroom materials.
Partway through the unpacking Rin sighed heavily. When Haru glanced at his lover the redhead was regarding the bed.

"Oh, god, I know I'm awful but I kinda want to have a victory fuck of some sort on the bed..."

Haru blinked, glancing at the bed- rigidly made, not at all like they would leave it first thing in the mornings- and then glancing at Rin who'd turned to putting away things in the closet.

Rin grunted at the first hard tug to his shirt. "What's the matter?" He asked without looking away.

"Why not?"

Confused, he looked at the black-haired boy. "Why not wha- oh."
Blue eyes sparkled and shimmered, Haru side-eying him nervously.

"...wait you seriously want to?"

Haru glared at the neatly- perfectly- made bed. "It's not ours right now. We have to take it back."

Rin dissected his boyfriend's petulant (yet slightly angry) expression and felt a smirk curl the corners of his lips. "If you say so."

Without looking Haru twisted and one powerful yank later Rin found himself bouncing onto the bed.
"Oi! What the hell-?"

The oldest was smiling vindictively at the sheets mussed by the redhead. "Better."

Haru joined his lover on the bed, languidly flopping atop the redhead, and then Rin brought their mouths together and Haru stopped caring about time.

{Chapter Two of the 30-Day takes place here!}

Okay so some notes. As a precaution, I'm going to warn you that updates will probably be once a week, maybe less. I've never had a schedule; these are written as the inspiration comes to me and if I run out of inspiration, there will naturally be corresponding gaps in updates. I feel bad, because I used to update so regularly, but that was when I had a dozen ideas all over the place and was quick and eager to write them all out. Plus all the viewership was... amazing. These days my enthusiasm seems to be waning and that's a problem (I have so much fun stuff planned for later and I want to get there faster but can't because pacing haha). Anyway, just a warning!
Also (shameless advertising) I do seem to write faster with encouragement, so leave as many reviews as you please~!