3.

"Haru-chan, Haru-chan! Can you see us? Are we coming in?" Haru sighed into his palm, squeezing his cup of freshly made coffee tightly with the other. Nagisa and Rei had been fuddling with the camera for about five minutes now, and he was getting relatively bored. The fact that it was ten and he had already had a long day of swimming practice probably didn't help matters.

"Yes, Nagisa." The blonde seemed unconvinced, leaning back from his spot on the floor and tugging at Rei's earlobe.

"Even Rei-chan and his dorky new haircut?"

"Nagisa-Kun!" Even through the computer screen Haru could see Rei's face turn three shades of red.

"Yes, even Rei's dorky new haircut." He put his coffee to his lips and blew the steam at the screen.

"Haruka-senpai!" Rei's mouth dropped open and he self-consciously slapped his hands over his ears. "Is-Is it really that bad?"

"No." Haru granted Rei a gentle smile. "It looks good." He wasn't lying, either. Though it was much shorter, cut to above his ears and blue locks trimmed to spikes, it had a mature look to it that made Rei appear older. Rei's eyes seemed to glow at his compliment.

"Thank you, Haruka-sempai!" Glad to see him happy, Haru took a sip of his drink.

"Ahh, Rei-chan..!" Nagisa whined, draping over the others shoulder. "You never look that happy when I compliment you!"

"And when exactly would that be, Nagisa-kun?" Rei asked pointedly, crossing his arms. "All you've done since I got this haircut was laugh at me!"

"Well…"

"You were the one who told me that I should get it done!" Nagisa's voice grew small, pressing his pointer fingers together. Rei huffed out his breath and looked to the side, which Haru was pretty sure Rei adopted from himself. He was kind of proud, to be honest.

"Because I thought you would look cute..." Nagisa paused as a blush started to form across his face. "And you do Rei-chan!" standing behind him now, he leaned over and pressed Rei's cheeks between his palms before standing on his tippy toes and putting them nose-to-nose. "You look very cute and adorable and handsome and very very beautiful so please don't be mad at meeeeee!" Rei's face was a deep maroon. Haru continued to slurp at his beverage.

"D-don't be ridiculous..." he stammered. Nagisa replied with a grin and a light kiss before doing some kind of tumble roll over Rei's shoulders and into his lap, landing with a thump that rocked the screen. Rei's eye twitched- it was his laptop after all- but said nothing against it, instead wrapping his arms around Nagisa.

"So Haru-chan!" called Nagisa, to which Haru didn't even bother to act like he hadn't seen anything. It wasn't like he wasn't used to this kind of behavior. Not when Nagisa and Rei had been dating for over three months now. It hadn't come as much as a surprise, really, when they had told himself and Makoto about the news. They had seen it coming for a long time. The fact that it had been Rei to confess, however, had been a nice plot twist they hadn't expected. Of course, he won the bet on the when and that was what really mattered. While Rin owed him a trip to the pool, Makoto was too much of a nice guy and had decided that betting on their friends relationship was indecent or something.

"Where the heck is Mako-chan?! It's Iwatobi date night! He is supposed to be here! I already set up the movie and everything!"

"He'll be late." Haru replied, setting his mug down to stretch. "We're supposed to start without him."

"What, why!?" Nagisa pouted, waving Rei's hand back and forth. "What's more important than this!?"

"He's with his girlfriend." It was totally silent for nearly 30 seconds, Haru just sitting quietly while Nagisa and Rei stared back at him with their jaws slowly falling down to big round 'O's. Then comprehension dawned on them both and suddenly they were trying to press their faces as close to the camera as possible as if they could somehow squeeze through it and be where Haru was.

"Makoto-sempai has a girlfriend!?"

"Mako-chan is dating someone!? Since when!? How!? Who!? What about-" and then Nagisa stopped, exchanging a look with Rei. Of course, Haru was coming to the realization that maybe he wasn't the person who should have shared this information with them. He probably should have said Makoto was with his geography group. Which, really, he was. Hiromi just happened to be part of it. Makoto did say they had a class together.

"Maybe I shouldn't have said anything…"

"No, Haru-chan you should have told us SOONER! Forget the movie-" the camera shook as Nagisa picked up the laptop and started pacing around the room, his pink eyes ablaze. "Tell us everything!"

"Nagisa-kun, if you drop my new laptop I swear to god-" Nagisa shushed Rei with a palm to his lips.

"Not now, Rei-chan, mommy and daddy are talking." Rei looked confounded. Haru was trying to think of exactly when he and Nagisa had conceived Rei. "Now come on Haru-Chan, spill!" The laptop was clattered onto the coffee table, an exasperated whine coming from Rei in response. Nagisa slammed his hands in front of it, attempting to look intimidating. Haru was pretty sure that was impossible.

"There's nothing to tell." Haru finally said after a moment. Nagisa waited for him to continue. Haru didn't.

"Haru-chan, do you NOT know the meaning of gossip? Give me moreeee."

"No." was Haru's curt reply. "Its Makoto's private life." And quite honestly, even if he felt comfortable sharing such private information, he really didn't want to talk about it, especially when just the thought about it messed with his body.

"Haru-channnnnnnn!" Nagisa whined. "Pleaseeeeee~?"

"If you want to know, ask him yourself when he gets here." Was his final reply, pulling away from the desk and taking his empty coffee mug to the kitchen sink.

"But we want to hear it from youuuu!" even across the room Nagisa's voice could be heard like he was right there.

"Why does it even matter, Nagisa?" Haru tried not to glare too hard as he dug into the fridge to pull out a bottle of water. He unscrewed the lid and drank nearly half of it before he returned back to the desk chair.

"Because Makoto will be biased, and we want to know the truth!" he nodded, and Rei nodded right along with him.

"It'd be best to hear it from an outside source." Rei said practically, and Haru guessed he could see their point.

"If I tell you, will you two finally drop it?" they nodded enthusiastically. Haru sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. Getting up at 5 this morning had been a bad idea. "She's… nice. And pretty. In track. Likes dogs." Trying to describe her now, Haru realized that it was really hard. It wasn't that he hadn't met her to know anything, because that was a lie. He had met Hiromi a handful of times now, sometimes when he was with Makoto and sometimes in switched roles. She and Makoto had been dating for three weeks now, ever since (and haru really wasn't sure who popped the question but he felt like it had been Makoto) they got back from their first date, which according to the excited orca on the phone that night had gone extremely well. Because of this, it was harder and harder to find Makoto without this girl.

What bothered Haru the most, however, was how nice Hiromi was to him, and how much her kindness kept pissing him off. The girl always tried to acknowledge him and get him to talk, whereas Haru never responded in sentences longer then they needed to be. Too much time in Hiromi presence drove him mad and made him want to jump into the nearest water source just to escape from her.

Haru knew he was being rude. This girl, who did nothing to him and was now an important person to Makoto, didn't disserve his scorn. But he couldn't help it. She made the blood under his skin burn hot, yet turned his skin to cold ice. It was driving him crazy. There was nothing he rather do then push this girl out of his life forever.

Haru knew he hated her, and the guilt was piling on top of him like bricks. She was Makoto's girlfriend. Thinking such things was not his right. He should at least give her a chance, let her prove her worth or something like that. But instead, he found himself wishing she would break up with him. It made him feel twice as guilty. He was wanting to sacrificing his best friend's happiness for something he didn't even disserve to have a say in, and it was an awful thing of him to even hope for. But he did. Everyday. Haru was sure he was the scum of earth.

"Where did they meet? How did this, like, even become a thing?" Nagias asked, laying his head on his arm as if he were some dog.

"School. They have a Geography class together." Haru started pulling off the wrapper on the water bottle. "I guess they got along really well and she ended up confessing to him. They went on a date and it went alright so Makoto asked her out."

"Makoto-sempai did?" Rei sounded befuddled, exchanging yet another glance with Nagisa. Haru was too busy tearing the wrapper into halves now to notice.

"Y-yeah." Haru paused for a minute so he could clear his throat. "I am assuming so, at least." He looked up back at the screen, pink and purple staring at him intensely. "He was pretty excited on the phone." It was silent except for the buzz from his computer and Haru hated it. Never had he wished for Nagisa's loud mouth more than now.

"And are you… okay with that?" Nagisa's question caught Haru off guard and several torn scraps fluttered from his hand.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Haru asked quietly. The look the two were giving unnerved him, and he found himself averting his eyes to the wall. His heart was suddenly pounding dramatically. He was convinced his body was becoming broken. He didn't understand this. He didn't understand this at all. Why were Nagisa and Rei looking at him like that? Why could he sense pity?

"uh- no reason!" Nagisa waved his hands in the air, making the limbs into an 'X'. "We just thought that, uh-"

"You might be feeling a little lonely." Rei finished for him. "Makoto-sempai must be so busy already and now with a girlfriend too…" Rei drowned off. Haru could see where it was headed without the actual words. Makoto would have less time with him.

"It's fine." Haru finally had enough sense to throw the mess he made into the garbage so it would stop sticking to his sweaty palms. "I'm fine."

"But Haru-chan-"

"Nagisa. Rei." Haru looked at them sternly. It was a look that said this subject ends now. They both looked away like he had just kicked them. Haru sighed, rummaging his hand through his hair. "I appreciate it, though. Your concern. I know you mean well. Thanks." Nagisa melted like butter as did the heavy atmosphere in the room, though his declaration of love for Haru sounded on deaf ears when Haru's phone vibrated with a message. His lip turned up just a crack as he read it.

Got done early so on my way! About 10 minutes! :)

"Makoto's on his way." He informed the other two, getting up and stretching. His back cracked soothingly.

"Yahoo!" Nagisa cheered, pounding a fist to the air. "I'll get the movie up and going!"

"It's not a scary one, right Nagisa-kun?" Rei asked nervously.

"I'm not dealing with that." Haru said seriously, giving Nagisa the look. He had had to deal with fradey-cat Makoto hours after any scary movie they ever watched, and while he wasn't going to scold makoto for fears he couldn't help, his neck sure did appreciate time off once and a while from nearly being strangled to death by an orca unaware of his own strength.

"You two are so boring." Nagisa puffed out his cheeks. "But no, Rei-chan it's not! I went with a spy movie this time!" Nagisa held his thumb and pointer finger up into a makeshift gun and aimed it right at Rei. "Bang, you're dead!" Rei looked rather unamused.

Haru just grunted his approval, abandoning the computer screen to head towards his bedroom. Because Iwatobi date nights always tended to take them into the late morning, they had decided that it was best to have the guest just spend the night. That being said, while Makoto had a big enough bed to hold them both, Haru did not. They had figured that out on the hard way when Makoto had rolled off the bed in his sleep, taking all the blankets with him and leaving Haru without one. Makoto woke up with a sore back. Haru had a cold for a week. Now they just slept in the living room on top of a heap of blankets. It was actually quite comfy. More roomy too.

With the blankets from his bed and two extra from the closet, Haru returned to the living room to find Nagisa and Rei smothering each other with pillows. He stared for probably ten seconds before he just shrugged and started to lay out the blankets for him and Makoto to sleep on. If they both ended up passing out then at least he could go to bed earlier. It was a win, really.

On his second trip to his room he changed into his pajamas, blue polka doted pants with a black sweatshirt (mostly because though he got cold easily, Makoto was a furnace so he was more than likely to take it off sometime through the night anyways), and grabbed his pillow and an extra. This time when he returned, Nagisa and Rei seemed to have abandoned their pillows and went straight to a tickling fight. Rei was winning, using his larger body to pin his blonde boyfriend with no sign of mercy. Haru had to wonder how they could be so full of energy. He was ready to crash. Of course, this caused him to pause and reevaluate his life choices because when the hell did he become such an old man? He blamed graduating. Haru dropped the pillows with a grunt.

"Rei-chan, Rei-chan stop I can't breathe!" Nagisa was begging, kicking his legs. "Haru-chan help!"

"No. Don't. Stop Rei." Haru deadpanned, smoothing out some of the folds in the blanket. "Let him go."

"Haruuuuu-channnnnnnn!" Rei's ridiculous laugh was almost overpowering Nagisa's, obviously the power going straight to his head. Haru really couldn't blame him. Not when he was dating a guy like Nagisa.

"You started it, Nagisa-kun! Now reap what you sow!" If he hadn't been missing the two dorks, Haru probably would have been irritated by all the noise they were creating and had pressed mute by now. But the truth was he missed their rambunctious behavior and goofy nature. He just couldn't quite get signs of irritation to form on his face. Because Tokyo didn't have this. Tokyo didn't have Rei and Nagisa. It only had Makoto.

When Rei finally stopped torturing Nagisa, they were both left there panting for breath. Rei leaned on his elbow for support. Nagisa just laid there, looking like he had just been shot or something. When he finally did move, he stuck up a single finger to the air.

"I'll get you back for that, Rei-chan." It sounded a lot less threatening when half his voice was hoarse from laughing. "I swear this to you." Still, when Nagisa made a promise he meant it. Rei was in for a rough night. Poor guy. Haru would pray for him.

A nock at Haru's door stood as a distraction from Nagisa's looming threat, however, and he rose from his position to go and answer it. As usual, when he pulled the door open he was met with brilliant green and a bright smile.

"Hey, Haru!" Makoto panted, giving an enthusiastic wave along with his greeting. Over his shoulder hung a dufflebag, which no doubt held his things for the night.

"Did you run here?" Haru's eyes widened at him, stepping aside so Makoto could come in. The brunette itched his nose while Haru shut the door.

"I was excited!" he admitted, setting his dufflebag on the floor and taking off his shoes. "We haven't done this for a couple of weeks!"

"Mako-chan! Notice us!" Nagias seemed to have already gained back his energy, waving theatrically across the screen to get his attention. "Makkooo-Channn!" Makoto beamed in the direction of the computer, scampering like a puppy to its screen.

"Nagisa! Rei!" he titled his head to the left with a warm smile. "It's been a while!"

"Mako-channn!"

"Makoto-sempai!" They were all grinning like idiots and Haru couldn't help but join them with a soft smile of his own, making his own way to the computer. "We've missed you!"

"Mm!" Makoto nodded in agreement. "I've missed you both too." Nagisa pouted at the screen.

"You're way too busy, Mako-chan! We barely get to talk anymore! And Haru-chan says you have a girlfriend now too!" The hair on his arms instantly bristled, and Haru instinctively looked away before he could feel Makoto's eyes on him. And oh boy did he feel that gaze.

"Sorry. It slipped." Haru mumbled. Did he always have that water stain on ceiling?

"I, uh, y-yeah…!" Makoto stammered, and Haru could feel the embarrassment rolling off him without even looking at his direction. Would it kill Nagisa to have any sense of tact? This was obviously not the first conversation the brunette wanted to have with them. Haru was inclined to agree. "I do..." At least Rei seemed to understand where his boyfriend went wrong.

"Haruka-sempai says she was in track?" God, there were just so many damn stains. He really should get some cleaner for them. Hopefully the landlord was aware of it. Like hell he was going to be held responsible.

"Y-yeah." Makoto cleared his throat, his blush increasing with every second. "Hiromi-chan is a long-distance runner."

"So her name is Hiromi-chan!" Nagisa pointed dramatically, as if he just figured out some top secret.

"Sounds like a very lovely name." Rei nodded politely. Nagisa gave a thumbs up in approval.

"And here I was going to call her that prettygirlMakotometinGeography-chan!"

"How much did you tell them!?" Makoto rounded on Haru, who was taking a step back because god damn if he ever tells Nagisa anything ever again.

"I'm going to make some mackerel…"

"It's ELEVEN!" Makoto grabbed Haru by the wrist to stop him. Haru had never seen Makoto so frazzled before, not even when he was being yanked back from trying to swim in a fish tank their 2nd year cause apparently that wasn't allowed. The bright red of his cheeks, the sudden disarray of his hair. It made his heart pound savagely. The hand around his wrist was warm, way way too warm.

"Calm down, Mako-chan." Nagisa finally said with a laugh, which caused both of them to look over at the screen. "We're just poking fun." He gave one of his special, im totally serious and not fucking with you for once, smiles. "She sounds nice. Rei-chan and I are happy for you." Happy for you. Something caught in his throat and Haru had to swallow it down with force.

"Thanks, guys." Makoto smiled, calming down a bit. He gently released Haru, the heat from his palms tingling away slowly. "I'm sure you guys would like her." Nagisa, however, waved this remark away like it was unimportant.

"More importantly, Mako-chan. Do you have a picture? We have to know what she looks like!" apparently that face was just meant to be red tonight.

"I uh, yeah. I'll show you." It was at this point as Makoto dug into his pocket that Haru really did head to the kitchen to make some mackerel. He tried to use the sizzle of the pan to tone out all the information he already knew. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't tone his voice out because Makoto's voice was the only voice he couldn't tone out. So he just listened as Makoto told them how pretty and cute and smart and athletic and amazing and funny she was. How every time she sneezed her nose crinkled in such a perfect way and that since she was tall she was the perfect height for him and their hands fit together like broken puzzle pieces which was nice because he always thought his hand was way too big for things like that. She was his first date, first girlfriend, first kiss, first everything. He was having fun. He was happy. He was making Haru want to throw the frying pan at his head because something wasn't right. Something had to be wrong with the way he felt inside.

Haru eventually rejoined them, but only after all talk of Hiromi had long since passed and Makoto was changed into his own pajamas, green polka-dot bottoms, a t-shirt, and glasses making up the ensemble. The matching PJs was Nagisa's idea of course, the two on the other side sporting pink and purple respectively. It was supposed to strengthen their bond over the distance or something, though Haru thought it just made them look like a bunch of dorks.

"So you did end up making some…" Makoto sighed, chuckling in the end as Haru sat down beside him. Instead of on the desk, the laptop was now parked in front of them on the floor.

"Want one?" Haru offered, picking up a piece with his chopsticks and holding it out for him. Part of him thought Makoto would refuse, and it looked like he would for a moment, but then he opened his mouth up with an 'ah' noise and Haru gently placed the cooked fish inside. He waited for Makoto to chew for a moment, taking in with satisfaction that yes, his cooking could still make Makoto's eyes light up, before he took a bite for himself.

"No Fair, I want to be fed Haru-Chan's cooking too!" Nagisa whined, pulling at Rei's cheeks from his lap. "Rei-chan, go make me something."

"No! We already bought popcorn."

"Oh yeah I forgot!" Nagisa's eye lit up and he crawled on all fours and out of sight of the camera. There was enough time for Rei to groan into his palm before Nagisa returned, seating himself squarely in Rei's lap like before. The only difference now was that sitting between Nagisa's legs was a large tub of popped popcorn. It had to at least be a foot and a half tall and saturated in butter from the way it looked on the screen.

"That looks so unhealthy, Nagisa." Makoto cringed, wondering for the millionth time how Nagisa never seemed to get any bigger despite how much junk food he ate.

"Uh, duh Mako-Chan, that's the point." Nagisa unscrewed the lid happily and grabbed a couple pieces. "It's good for the soul!"

"Yeah, when you're dead ten years earlier because of heart failure." a piece of popcorn hit Rei in the glasses.

"That was dark, Rei-Chan."

"Just start the movie, Nagisa-kun."

"Mworkay!" It was a face full of popcorn that Nagisa answered with, and at the site of his greasy fingers Rei seemed to think better of it and grabbed his wrist.

"Never mind I can do it…" to which Nagisa just shrugged and leaned back into Rei's chest as he fumbled with the computer. As the screen in front of them changed to Rei and Nagisa's, Makoto turned to Haru with a worried look.

"It's not a scary one, right?" Haru shook his head, stifling his first yawn of the night.

"No. Nagisa said it was a spy movie." Makoto looked relieved.

"Thank god… I still can't forget that last one…"

"Makoto it was Lord of the Rings…"

"That spider was huge, okay!" Though they couldn't see them, Nagisa's snickering could be heard through the screen. "Shut up, Nagisa!" Really, it was their own fault in letting Nagisa pick the movies in the first place. But Haru didn't particularly care, Rei had bad movie taste, and everything Makoto tended to pick was a kid's movie.

As the screen in front of them turned black with the movies intro, Haru decided it was a good time to discard his now empty plate in the sink and shut off all the lights. Halfway back he decided against it, however, and switched a small lamp in the corner on. The small light added an ambiance he quite liked. Haru reseated himself with a content smile, sitting a bit closer to Makoto and nudging the laptop over with his toe so it was more center between them.

The movie was, as Haru had predicted, not one that would gain his undivided attention. In fact, as the action started to peak he became instead more focused with the time on the clock, telling him over and over that, yes, he had been up for nearly 19 hours now and damn was he tired. He was becoming more aware of it now that he had actually allowed himself time to sit down and relax. Makoto seemed to be realizing it too, what with Haru yawning every five minutes.

"Tired?" he whispered, quiet enough so that he wouldn't disturb the movie playing.

"Mm." Haru hadn't really been aware of it, but sometime in the past hour he had learned his body into Makoto for some support to keep it from crumpling to the floor. "Up since 5…" he mumbled. Makoto's shoulder was a perfect height for a pillow and it took very little effort for Haru to let his head fall, its comfort giving his neck instant relief. It was firm, but warm and soft and so very comfortable.

"You can go to bed, if you'd like." Makoto said gently. Haru shook his head just a smidge, watching some spy stab a guy before closing his eyes.

"No. Comfy." Haru nuzzled his nose into the fabric, earning a smile from Makoto as a result.

"Okay." Warm. It was the only single thought Haru had as he felt Makoto lightly pat his head affectionately, their sides naturally forming and accepting one another as his body started to relax completely. The warmth wasn't limited to the outside, but bloomed inside him too, drizzling like liquid butter and dripping into every nook and cranny of his being. It was as comforting as water felt, and just as accepting. Haru wanted to swim in the feeling, become one with it. He would take all that it offered without resistance. It was perfect and without fault. This Haru was sure of. Makoto's warmth.

It was mere minutes before Haru was out cold, his mouth lightly opening and breathing soundly as his cheek accepted the bulge of Makoto's shoulder without complaint. Makoto had always known that Haru had long, thick lashes, but in the position he sat in now he could admire them at their fullest. They were delicate, like most of his features, and had a way of masking the brilliant blue of his eyes in a perfect array of black that made them piercing. Even now as they lay still Makoto could still picture the light flutter they will make when Haru wakes, how they will dance across his soft skin in a graceful way, just like the way Haru always moves. Makoto knows he is right because he has seen it so many times. Just like he knows that when Haru wakes, he will unknowingly use the edge of his palm to wipe the sleep out of his eyes. How he knows that no matter which way he sleeps Haru is always guaranteed to wake up with disheveled hair sticking out in an aggressive fashion. And how he always knows that Haru will sleep exactly like a cat, his body curled up to his nose and blankets so deeply entwined around him like his own private sanctuary from the world. Makoto sees it all because there isn't a moment that he doesn't see Haru. There hasn't been a single moment in his life that he has ever thought Haru wasn't worth his time. Not when he was so beautiful and perfect and pure. Not when he loved him.

Any interest in the film evaporated instantly, and Makoto found his eyes trained on Haru and taking in all of him like updating his memory. It had been but a week of separation, but without Haru at his side it felt like an eternity. He took in his smooth cheeks and caressing nose and relaxed eyebrows and gentle breathing and soft hair and delicate lips and allowed his heart to thump like it always did when his gaze fell upon his best friend. Right now he didn't have to hide how his eyes flooded with longing of what never could be. He could freely soak up how happy he felt that he had Haru laying on him, allowing himself to become vulnerable in the presence of Makoto. The contact was sparkling and maximized his heart with a blazing warmth so particular to Haru and Haru alone that he could immediately tell the difference between anybody else. Nobody could do it like Haru could.

"Oi, Mako-Chan!" so wrapped up on his thoughts, Makoto jumped at the sound of Nagisa's voice. The motion sent Makoto swearing under his breath and seconds later Haru was tumbling down from his shoulder, sliding down his chest, and eventually landing in his lap. Makoto sat there frozen, barely even allowing himself to breathe and utterly ignored giving Nagisa any type of response. Haru began shifting, curling his legs in tighter and nestling his face into Makoto's thigh before letting his arms stretch out and suddenly becoming completely still. Makoto breathed. Nagisa whined his name again.

"What!?" he snapped, glaring at the screen. He realized vaguely that there was some ending monologue going on.

"Oh, it's not frozen." Nagisa chirped happily. If he heard Makoto's agitated tone he didn't show it. "You guys got really quiet so I wasn't sure."

"No, we're here." Makoto yawned, subconsciously laying his hand down on Haru's back. When he realized it he immediately withdrew, only to find himself replacing it with a second thought. It felt nice, even if it was just sitting there. "Mostly." A bomb went off on the screen and the credits then flashed.

"Whatttttt?" Nagisa protested. "Now I have to wait to see what happens!" Makoto could hear thumping that must have been Nagisa pounding his feet on the ground. His assumption was proven correct when the screen minimized and Rei put the camera back to the way it started, Nagisa laying on the floor staring at the ceiling in what was probably horror. Makoto couldn't help but wonder why there was popcorn all over the floor. He decided it might be best not to ask.

"That was an interesting movie, Nagisa." It wasn't exactly a great compliment to the choice, though to be fair Makoto had paid attention to about ¾ of it. "Lots of fire and stuff."

"I know wasn't it- Is Haru-Chan asleep!?" Nagisa shouted, leaning forward to adjust the screen, his face showing a mixture of adoration and distrust.

"Nagisa-kun, keep your voice down!" shushed Rei, pulling at Nagisa's cheek while Makoto put a finger to his lips. "Haruka-sempai is sleeping!" The way he said it, it made it sound like Nagisa had kicked a puppy or something. Nagisa's reaction was akin to just such a situation.

"Sorry!" he said much more softly. "That's no fair, though, Haru-chan… We barely got to spend any time together!"

"Haru has had a busy schedule this week. It's best if we let him sleep." Makoto reasoned, smiling sympathetically towards Nagisa. He understood the feeling.

"Yeah…" Still, Nagisa didn't look too happy about it, watching Haru sleeping peacefully on Makoto's lap before glancing at Rei. He grabbed his hand. "Hey, Mako-Chan?"

"Hmm?" he noticed a couple of hairs that had fallen into Haru's eyes and found himself reaching over to brush them away with a light touch.

"Are you really okay with how things are?" The question snapped his head up in one swift movement, eyes now trained on Nagisa's. He didn't ask for any elaboration because he understood the question without it.

"I have to be, don't I?" he asked quietly. "There's nothing else I can do."

"But I'm sure Ha-" Makoto shook his head, finding comfort in brushing Haru's hair back with his fingertips, soft and like solidized water in its most tranquilized state.

"I told you before- all three of you." He looked at Rei now too. "I don't want to ruin what I have with Haru over this. I cherish his friendship too much for me to make another mistake."

"I don't think it's a mistake though!" Nagisa pushed. "Mako-chan, you love Haru-chan more than anything!"

"Yeah. I do." He admitted with a sad smile, not even trying to lie.

"Then why a girlfriend, Makoto-sempai?" Rei asked softly, trying to mask that he was just as upset over this as Nagisa was.

"Because I can't do this anymore. It's too much. I can't continue on pretending that I don't love him when I do, and it's not fair of me to expect Haru to feel the same way as me when it's been made clear that he doesn't. But it's also not fair for me to have to devote myself to something that will never happen. I want what you two and Rin have. I want a relationship. Someone to kiss and hold and love forever. Someone who will make all the bad things go away when life gets tough. I deserve that, don't I? Haru can't give me that, no matter how much I wish he could. But Hiromi-Chan might be able to. Other girls might be able to.

"So I have to move on, because otherwise I will never be able to get over him and continue on with my life. If I don't at least try to change… How would I be able to forgive myself?" Makoto paused, looking down at Haru. "I don't think Haru would forgive me either."

"Mako-chan, he loves you-"

"But not in the way I love him." Makoto finished for him. "And nothing I will ever do will change that."