"I'm so excited!" Nagisa exclaimed as they walked to the front entrance way of the mall. "It's been a while since we've seen him, right, Rei-chan?"

Rei looked down at the blond who was clinging to his sleeve with affection. "He must have been busy, Nagisa-kun," he said as they continued down the sidewalk. "He didn't even manage to come home all these years after all. His family always went to visit him in Tokyo."

Haru watched their close, almost intimate way they interacted with each other and wondered briefly if they had discussed their relationship, or if they had just drifted closer and closer unconsciously. They had agreed to meet Makoto at the entrance and all four of them were walking together.

Haru could feel his palms sweating. It had been five years since all of them were together, he couldn't help but feel nervous, especially with how his feelings would still erupt in his stomach and make his heart beat irregular when he thought of Makoto. He swallowed and tried to cover up his sudden burst of nausea that came with his nerves.

"Haru, we're going to see Makoto, not to secretly assassinate you," Rin startled Haru out of his thoughts as he watched him with a smirk. "Lighten up."

"Shut up," Haru looked away as he muttered, trying to hide the blush that he knew was blooming on his cheeks. Nagisa giggled at him with affection, and Rei looked at him fondly. Haru took a deep breath and tried to relax, but he could feel his clammy palms begin to shake the closer they got to the agreed meeting spot.

The group looked around, trying to spot Makoto in the afternoon crowd of idle mall-goers. "I don't see him," Nagisa said as he used his hand to try to block out the glare of the sun. Haru squinted against the light as he searched for that familiar but not familiar figure.

They had been standing there searching for ten minutes when Rin clicked his tongue. "Are you sure he's even here Nagisa?" he sighed as he scratched his head.

Nagisa pouted up at Rin. "Yes, I'm sure. He texted me saying he was waiting by the benches in the front," he replied as he opened the message to show Rin. Rin grumbled as he strained his neck.

Rei pointed at a group of girls standing around a bench as he tapped Nagisa on the shoulder. "Ah, Nagisa-kun?" he asked with uncertainty. Everyone turned to look at where Rei was pointing. "Is that Makoto-san in the middle of that group?"

Haru could feel his expression darken as he watched the scene unfold before him. Makoto looked devastating in his shirt, the two top buttons open, sleeves rolled up to mid forearm that accentuated his muscles there. He was wearing his glasses and he was looking mildly exasperated but in good nature at the group of girls that were obviously trying to get him to accompany them around the mall.

Rin chuckled next to him. "What did I say? Total heart breaker," he whispered to Haru, and he had to fight not to turn his scowl towards Rin. The group made their way towards him, starting to pick up the conversation between him and the group surrounding him.

"Sorry, no. I'm waiting for friends," he laughed as he tried to wave them off, leaning back on his palms. The girls cooed around him, and Haru could practically feel his veins pop in his clenched fists.

"Aw, but you've been sitting here for ten minutes, haven't you? Come on, you'll have fun with us! We'll take care of you," one girl pouted as she sat down next to him, pressing her body into his arm as she looked up at him through fluttered lashes. Haru could hear his friends giggle behind him at the conspiracy.

Haru watched the girl's body language as she continued to press into Makoto's side, making it very clear exactly how interested she was. Haru wanted Makoto to move away from her, to jump up and run away, but he was too kind for that. Instead he laughed at her before he stood up, moving out of the group around him. He put his hands in his pockets as he smiled at the group of girls who were eyeing him with ravenous expressions.

"I really am waiting for friends, you know. It's been a while since I've seen them," he replied to them as he looked down at the girls. They all looked up at him with adoring expressions, and Haru wondered briefly what it would be like to openly show emotion to Makoto like that.

"Makoto," he called out, and Makoto turned around wide eyed to face Haru and the group. Haru stared at him as blankly as he could while his friends waved at him.

"I have to go now, it was nice meeting you all," Makoto said politely as he walked away from the girls. He tried to walk to them as confidently as he could, but Haru was picking up on the girls' conversation, and he could see the blush slowly make its way up Makoto's neck.

"His name is Makoto! That's so cute," one girl whispered as her friend giggled.

"It's a cute name for a cute boy with a cute butt," one of the more confident girls said a bit louder so that it was definitely heard by Haru and everyone else there. The group of girls giggled and hummed in agreement. Haru looked up at Makoto, who had stopped in front of his friends, covering his mouth to hid his blush as he stared at them with wide, embarrassed, amused eyes.

Rin choked on his laughter while Nagisa grinned from ear to ear. Rei coughed, clearly embarrassed by the confident display of bodily appreciation towards Makoto. "It's been a while, Makoto-san," Rei said.

Makoto moved his hand to smile at his friends, ears still a little pink since the girls were still looking at him from behind. "It's nice to see you all. Err, sorry about... well... whatever that was," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. Rin arched an amused eyebrow as he tilted his head to peak at the girls who were still there, stares drilling into Makoto from behind. It was obvious exactly what part of him they were staring at. "Let's go," he coughed, making it obvious he could feel the stares. Haru glared at them as they began to walk away.

"You always get reactions like that when you go out, Makoto?" Rin asked as they began to walk around the mall.

Makoto let out a breathy, nervous laugh. "Ah, well... sometimes?" he sounded unsure of how to respond to the question. Rin snickered next to him. "At first I thought that it was Hakune that was getting all the attention, but I guess... it wasn't just her." Rin managed to sound sinister as he continued to laugh at Makoto's embarrassment.

Haru arched his eyebrow up at Makoto. Hakune, he thought, realizing that was probably the name of his girlfriend. He bit the inside of his cheek to avoid showing too much emotion at hearing Makoto say her name so casually.

"How is Haku-chan doing, Mako-chan?" Nagisa asked carefully, flashing a glance in Haru's direction before looking up at Makoto intently.

"She's doing well," came his reply as his eyes clouded over a little with nostalgia and fondness. "She works at a company in America right now, so we exchange e-mails every so often."

Rei furrowed his eyebrows for a fraction of a second before going back to looking composed. "You must miss her, Makoto-san," he said softly.

Haru watched Makoto's expression melt into bittersweet fondness as he stared ahead. "Of course I do. She's important to me, after all," he replied quietly. Haru turned away from his friends as they walked in silence. He knew he would hear about his girlfriend, it didn't mean he was ready for it.

He wasn't ready to hear about how important she was to Makoto, or how much he missed her.

The group began to notice, as they walked through the mall and stopped to look at shops, that people would double take as they passed them. Nagisa noticed it first, when he watched a pair of boys eye Makoto, before turning around to stare at his back when they passed him.

Rei noticed when he heard whispered comments on Makoto's figure, easily noticed by the clothes that fit him so well.

Rin noticed when girls came up to him and asked about his friend in the glasses, the tall one, with the great butt. Rin looked at Makoto's butt to confirm if it was in fact great.

Haru didn't need to notice any of it, he could feel people staring at Makoto as they continued to walk around the mall, catching up and talking. He stood close to Makoto, and eyed anyone that were staring at them with as much anger as he could muster.

"God, Makoto, can you put a lid on the pheromones, please?" Rin joked when they sat down for lunch. Haru watched as Makoto tried to choke down a cough that was startled out of him as he sipped his drink.

"What? I'm sorry?" his voice was a little higher than normal as he looked at Rin with bewildered amusement.

"You have been blatantly checked out by a number of people since we've gotten here," he points out to him. Makoto lets out a nervous laugh, although he sounds amused by Rin's observation.

"Was Haku-chan ever jealous of the attention you got?" Nagisa asked as he sat down, stuffing his face with burger and fries.

Makoto swallowed his food before shaking his head. "If anything she was proud and found it amusing," he replied with a raised eyebrow. "She got similar attention, after all."

"Really?" Rei asked. "Hakune wasn't uncomfortable with it?"

Makoto shrugged. "No, she said it was funny and that she trusted me. She knew I wasn't going to do anything anyway," he replied.

"You have a really nice girlfriend, Mako-chan," Nagisa replied as he glanced at Haru, who was trying very hard to not show any signs of breaking.

Makoto blinked before letting out a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I.. uh," he began, trying to find the words. Haru watched Makoto, feeling dread pool at the pit of his stomach.

She's actually my fiancée.

Haru felt panic creep through his arms as it made his palms sweat. That's why he was acting the way he was right now. She's not just my girlfriend, she's actually my fiancée. Haru didn't want to hear it. He didn't need to hear it. Not when he'd just begun to reconnect with Makoto. No, please, Haru didn't want-

"We actually broke up a while ago," came Makoto's reply. The table was stunned into silence, and Haru stared ahead of him, at nothing, shocked.

"What? Mako-chan!" Nagisa sounded shocked, although he did look at Haru briefly at the news. Haru glanced up at Makoto, trying to weigh how to react to the situation, unsure if he should feel happiness.

"You seemed really happy with Hakune, Makoto," Rin remarked. "What happened?"

"Hm? Oh, no, no. We didn't break up because of anything bad," Makoto began, realizing the concern that was radiating from his friends. "She got a scholarship from a school in America, and we both agreed that it would be hard on both of us if we tried to keep up our relationship."

"Makoto-san," Rei sounded sad for Makoto when he heard the story.

"It's fine you guys, really," Makoto laughed gently at everyone's concerned expressions. "She's still a good friend. Probably one of the best friends I've ever had."

Best friend, Haru thought. He briefly wondered if Makoto still thought of him as a best friend.

"Did it hurt?" Rin asked quietly. A heavy silence settled above the group while they waited for Makoto's answer.

"Of course it did. She was my first long-term relationship," Makoto sighed, eyes distant. "Even before that, she was one of the first people I got close to in university. I didn't want to lose her over something like us breaking up."

He looked around the table before smiling. "It's fine you guys, I still talk to her. We were good friends before we started dating. Something small wasn't going to ruin us like that."

"Haru, you should jump him," Rin said to him as they wash their hands in the washroom.

"Rin, just stop," Haru felt his exasperation seeping through his voice.

"Haru," Rin started again, ignoring the glare that Haru shot him. "He broke up with his girlfriend a while ago. You have literally been presented with the perfect opportunity to tell him you'd be more than happy to jump him, so why not?"

Haru bit his lip, and Rin lost his ability to tease and joke at the situation. "I wouldn't feel right doing it that way," Haru murmured quietly as Rin looked at him. "I... I didn't do it right when I confessed last time. I just went in blindly. I want... I want to do a better job of treasuring him first."

Rin blinked owlishly at Haru, surprised by the response. "Then," he began. "Be there for Makoto like how he was for you."

It was Haru's turn to blink at Rin. "He gave you a lot without expecting anything back, right?" Rin asked, watching Haru nod. "Then be there for him, the same way he was for you."

Haru looked at Rin before allowing a smile to pull at the corners of his mouth. "Thanks, Rin," he replied.

Haru and Rin walked out of the washroom to the others, who were waiting.

Haru promised himself that he would wait to confess. He was going to treasure Makoto more.

The way he was sure Makoto always treasured his friends.