Haru was leaving the swim club after having finished working for the evening, when Coach Sasabe approached him.

"Yo, Haruka!" he said. Haru turned to nod his head at him. "I was just wondering how things were going with the middle school kids."

"Okay," he replied shortly.

"Good, good. Glad to hear," Sasabe said. "Say, Haru, you're a good cook, right?" Haru shrugged, eyebrows drawn together.

"I was wondering if you would help out at a relative's restaurant that's just across town," Sasabe continued. "Apparently, he just came back from this fancy cooking school in France, and needs someone who is easy to train and a good cook so that he can start up a restaurant."

"He's going to train me?" Haru asked, dubious.

"Yeah, he doesn't mind. Says that it's enough that he went to cooking school, that it's practically the same thing if he teaches you!" Sasabe laughed and clapped Haru on the shoulder. "I told him about you and he's interested. Think you can drop by tomorrow? I have the address on me."

Haru thought about it for a moment before shrugging. Move forward, Haru hears the words in his head. Move forward to reach Makoto. "Sure," he said.

"I quit teaching at the swim club," Haru said one weekend.

"What? Haru-chan, why?" Nagisa asked, eyes wide. Rei looked worried and Rin grunted something incoherent.

"I got a job as an apprentice chef," he said shortly after. Nagisa and Rei stared at each other wide eyed before they began shouting in a flurry of emotions.

"That's great Haruka-senpai!" Rei cried.

"This is so exciting, isn't it, Rin-chan?" Nagisa turned his head to look at Rin.

Rin glanced up at them before looking back down at his phone. "... Sure," he muttered.

"Aw, Rin-chan, be more excited!" Nagisa whined, shaking Rin's arm a little.

"I'm just tired," he states bluntly, unmoved. "I'm going to the washroom."

"I wonder why Rin-chan is so mad," Nagisa said after Rin got up. Rei shrugged and closed his eyes, as if thinking about it.

Haru hung his head. "It's my fault," he said quietly. He felt them looking at him. "He came back after you guys had left a few days ago and yelled at me for being selfish."

There was silence at the table, so Haru continued. "He was right, too. I should have been a better friend to you," he said. "I'm sorry."

Nagisa walked around the table and hugged Haru, and Rei rested his hand on Haru's arm. "We forgive you, Haru-chan," Nagisa said.

"We're just glad you're starting to move forward," Rei chimed in.

Nagisa and Rei got up to leave, saying that it would probably be best if Haru apologized to Rin alone. Rin came back and looked around the table. "Where'd those two go?" he asked.

"They had to leave early," Haru replied. He watched as Rin clicked his tongue.

"I guess I should go, too," Rin said, making to pick up his things.

"Wait, Rin," Haru called to him. Rin stopped what he was doing and looked at Haru with a cold gaze. "You were right before. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have treated you the way I did."

Rin looked at Haru, as if surprised by the sudden apology. He sat down. "I probably hurt you even while we were dating," Haru continued. "And even though it's late, I'm sorry."

Rin sighed as he scratched his head, at a loss for the right words. "I'm sorry, too," he said after a while. "I said some pretty harsh things when I got mad at you."

"Tell me," Haru said.

"What?"

"Tell me what made you so angry," he said.

Rin made a noise in his throat before looking up at the ceiling. "Do you know why I broke up with you?" he asked Haru quietly. Haru sat and waited, knowing Rin would tell him eventually. "While it's true that we broke mutally, I sort of had a feeling that there was a reason why you didn't want to go any further."

"And?" Haru asked when he saw the strange look on Rin's face.

"... and I began to have a suspicion of how you really felt when you started acting towards Makoto the way you did," Rin continued after a pause. "I really did like you, y'know. I'd have to be blind to not notice."

Haru looked down. He figured. He hadn't known how he had felt at the time, but he was sure that anyone close to him could tell. "I'm sorry, Rin," he said a moment later. He really had hurt Rin a lot, hadn't he?

"Stop apologizing," Rin sounded embarrassed, and Haru looked at him. "It's fine, I'm over it already. I'm glad you apologized, anyway." Haru gave him a thankful expression, and the two lapsed into a comfortable silence.

"... So," Rin said slowly. "When are you going to talk to Makoto?"

Haru felt himself stiffen. "I... I," he stuttered.

Rin rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Haru. You've made all this progress already, why can't you make the next step and just call the guy?" he said.

Haru looked down at the table, twiddling his thumbs. "I don't know where to start," he mumbled.

"Start by calling him," Rin answered.

"I can't," Haru said.

"Yes, you can," Rin commented back. "You can't avoid him forever, Haru."

Haru looked up at Rin, feeling the sting of tears that he was doing so well to avoid these past few days. "What if I really ruined everything?" Haru asked, pleading at Rin. "I really hurt him this time, Rin. What if I can't fix it?"

Rin's eyes clouded over with worry at Haru's words. He took a sip of his drink. "Well, they won't get fixed if you keep avoiding it," he said after a while. "I think you have to apologize in person, though."

Haru looked at him oddly. "What are you suggesting?" he asked.

"Go to Tokyo and apologize properly," Rin said in a matter-of-fact tone. "We know his dorm address, so you should drop by and apologize."

Haru stared at Rin dumbfounded before looking at the address. It was better than nothing.

Haru stepped off the train and looked around, bag slung over his shoulder, his heart beating nervously. He may only be staying for two days at most, but the ride over had made him tired, and he relished in being able to stretched his legs.

He managed to find the university, and looked around. More people than he had expected were coming and going out the gate, and he stood by the entrance, scanning the crowd.

He almost turned around when his eyes noticed brown hair just above everyone else, and Haru squinted before realizing it was Makoto. Haru felt a smile tug at his lips when he saw that Makoto looked okay, that he looked well. He felt so relieved.

He felt his legs shake as he slowly took a step towards him. Makoto was a distance away from him, so he wouldn't spot Haru in the crowd. Haru wondered if Makoto was mad at him, if he would forgive him. Haru thought about how he would apologize, hoping that Makoto would hug him and tell him that it was okay.

Haru watched Makoto talking to someone, the way he laughed at what they said. Haru felt his heart ache in a way that he hadn't felt in a long time. Right, Haru thought. I'm in love with him.

Haru opened his mouth to call to him when he heard "Makoto!" being shouted to the right of him. He froze in place when Makoto looked up in the direction of the shout, his smiling changing to one of pure joy, and Haru felt himself go numb.

He couldn't quite see her face, but her long, wavy hair was loose in the wind as she ran to Makoto, who opened his arms for her as she flung herself at him. Her momentum spun both of them and Makoto's laugh carried over to where Haru was standing. Haru swallowed, unable to look away from Makoto and the girl who was held tenderly, securely, in his arms.

Haru watched as Makoto leaned down to touch their foreheads together, murmuring something between them. The girl smiled up at him, before saying something that made Makoto laugh. Haru felt his throat tighten and his eyes were glued to them as he watched Makoto caress her jawline gently with his thumb, before tilting her head up for a kiss.

Haru slowly began to hyperventilate, leaning his back against the gate wall, still unable to tear his gaze away. The kiss they shared was so gentle and so intimate that even Haru felt like he was intruding on an incredibly private moment despite them kissing in a rather public place, although no one seemed to take note but him. Haru watched them break apart their kiss as Makoto threaded their hands together, fingers interlocked as they gazed at each other, before walking hand in hand, backs turned away from Haru.

Haru turned around and left.

"Haru! Are you okay?" Rin burst in through his bedroom door, finding Haru curled up on his bed, covers thrown over him.

Haru felt a dip in his bed as Rin sat down. "Oi, Haru," he said. "What happened?"

"I saw them together, Rin," Haru sobbed. He had cried as soon as he got home, and now he managed to stifle his cries, but his breathing was still irregular with hiccups and quiet sobs. "They looked so... so happy." They had looked happy. So happy. Makoto had looked so happy.

He looked so happy without Haru.

"Shh, hey, come here," Rin murmured gently to him. "Sit up, come on." Haru felt Rin pull the tops of his arms as he sat up, and he looked at Rin through puffed, red eyes as Rin regarded him with concern. "Are you okay?" he asked, though it looked like he knew the answer.

Haru's tears began to flow anew. "No, Rin," Haru sobbed, voice cracking at his cries. "No, I'm not." He was pulled into a hug.

"I love him, Rin," he cried as Rin petted his hair. "I miss him, so much."

Haru wailed against Rin's shoulder, cried about how he was sorry, though he didn't know what he was sorry for anymore. For himself? For Rin? For everything that he hadn't done and couldn't say?

Haru clung to Rin and sobbed loudly, letting out every emotion he had been holding on to for so long. He could never show those emotions to Makoto, now. Not when he was so happy without him. Not when he'd moved forward without him.

Haru felt tears on his shoulder and began to cry all over again, knowing full well that Rin was probably tearing up next to him, hurting for him. He didn't deserve Rin, didn't deserve his friendship, his trust, his sympathy.

But in this moment he was more than grateful for it. They stayed like that for a while, until Rin and Haru fell asleep, Rin still holding him, as if to hold him away from his pain.