5.

Of all the outfits Haru had ever found himself in while sitting on the train, none had ever made him feel as embarrassed as he felt now. This of course was including the several times he had ridden the train in nothing but his swimming suit. Sure it drew attention but it was something he had been comfortable in. The outfit he had on now just made him feel like a fish out of water. It didn't feel free. It felt uncomfortable. Restricting.

The dark skinny jeans weren't really the problem. No, Haru was used to wearing them since they were the only pant type that emphasized his slender legs and didn't make him feel like he was wearing clown pants. The shirt he wore, a zip-up hoodie with short sleeves that matched the color of his eyes, wasn't really a bother either. The shoes were the same pair he always wore. His hair was styled its normal way. There was nothing that screamed different. And yet he couldn't help but pull at his clothes awkwardly, the fabric itching from the inside out. With each passing second he was wishing for the normality of his tub.

Haru sighed, letting his head fall back as he stared at the ceiling. As for what brought him to this point, haru didn't even quite understand himself. It had been an impulse mostly to grab his phone in the dead of night and pull up Hiromi's number. His access to it had been everything short of voluntary, Hiromi snatching his phone right out of his hands and adding it without consent. Well, he guessed now that the action had its uses.

'I'll go.' Was all he texted her, finding the action taxing as he hit sent. Haru allowed his phone to drop into the sheets after that, covering his eyes with his forearm so he didn't have to look at the ceiling anymore. He had no reason he could put into words why he messaged her. He just felt like he had to be there. There were so many things that could go wrong on a night out to a club and he was sure that Makoto would find every single freaking one of them. Just like he did today. He should have seen that stoplight change, he should have he should have he should have-

Haru curled to his side, bringing his legs to his stomach. But as was Makoto's nature, he was oblivious where it mattered. In the adult world that they now lived in, that was enough to get him killed. He couldn't count on Hiromi to keep him safe. That's why he had to go. To make sure Makoto would come back.

The vibration of his phone startled him and Haru removed himself from his thoughts as he dove into his pocket and pulled it out. The blinking light told him he had a message and he swiped the screen to find one waiting from Makoto.

'Just left from picking up Zuki. We should be there in about 15 minutes.'

Haru lazily formed a reply saying he was almost at the train station. They would be there about 10 minutes before him, something of which Haru was glad for. He was pretty sure if he was the first to arrive he would end up leaving before they even showed.

An announcement overhead echoed the message he had just sent to Makoto, and as the train slid to a stop a little while later Haru plucked himself off of the bench with an inward groan of melancholy. It wasn't too late yet, he could always give Makoto a call and say he came down with a sudden migraine. If that wasn't enough he could add in clammy skin and the urge to vomit. With the amount of apprehension he was feeling it really wasn't that far off. He could stop this before anything even started.

Haru began to suck on his inner cheek, feeling a sudden sense of shame. When had he become so cowardly? It was unbecoming. Pathetic even. There was nothing about tonight that should be alarming. It was out of his comfort level for sure, but he would be fine, Haru knew he would be. Because Makoto was there. And Haru knew that as long as Makoto was by his side, he could do it.

Stepping off the train, Haru adjusted the hem of his shirt a bit before heading in the opposite direction of the station.

XxXxXxXx

The club they, well Hiromi really, had decided on was called "The Nest" and was located in one of the several downtowns of Tokyo, wedged beneath two other buildings of the same business. It was tall and wide, lit up like a Christmas tree in all its bright neon glory. As it was a street filled with bars and clubs, the entire road was littered with all kinds of people. The range was quite miraculous, the tip of the pinnacle being those who believed the brighter the better to those dressed in the blackest of shades like the shadows they emerged from. Of course there were people who dabbled in the middle of the spectrum as well. There were girls in short skirts with lots of cleavage hanging out, and guys with muscle shirts and tight pants that just couldn't be comfortable. Some people wore costumes. Others were dressed in very little. There were even a fair few who dressed modestly. Haru was surprised to find so many different characters in one place, and he had to admit it made him feel a little bit better about his outfit of choice.

As he started on the block, Haru didn't even have to begin searching for Makoto because the moment he made it in near vicinity of the club the brunette was already waving his hand over his head and ushering him over. He was pretty sure Hiromi must have dressed him because never in his life would Makoto be able to put together such a fitting ensemble. Clothed in an elbow-length emerald shirt, dark brown vest, and lightly tinted jeans, the fabric knew exactly where to hug. The vest emphasized his broad chest while the short length of his shirt left his forearms out for exhibit.

Next to him stood Hiromi, wearing a bright red dress and matching lipstick, chatting away with a girl Haru didn't recognize. The dress was modest for the most part, the collar hugging her neck and the sleeves to her shoulders. At her middle the hem dipped and hundreds of ruffles bounced out into a diamond shape between her thighs. It was definitely a dress made for dancing. Next to her jet black hair, pulled into a messy bun with framing strands, and ruby red lips, she looked like some exotic beauty pulled out of famous paintings. He figured the girl beside her must be Zuki.

The most striking part of his supposed date and the first thing he noticed was her hair. It was light pink, almost the color of faded salmon, and sat tied on her neck in a loose braid with little speckles of diamond buried beneath its faint locks. Despite being obviously dyed, it didn't look necessarily unnatural, the faint ivory of her skin almost making her look like porcelain. This was supported through her outfit, a gray knit sweater hanging off a single shoulder and dark purple skinny jeans drawing little attention in comparison to her hair. Beside each other Hiromi and Zuki were in distinct contrast in their colors and caused eyes to naturally gravitate towards their direction.

"Haru!" even across the mass of people he could still hear Makoto clearly. Relinquishing a curt wave to let him know he did in fact see him, Haru tiptoed around the mass of party-goers, stopping to apologize to a girl in a miniskirt after he accidently stepped on her foot, before making it to their location.

"Haruka-kun!" Hiromi was on him in seconds, grabbing Haru by the arm and closer to the circle. "You really came!" an overwhelming amount of floral perfume engulfed him and Haru turned his head to the side.

"I said I would." was his brisk reply, wishing she would just let go of his arm. He looked up at Makoto, who was smiling a docile ray of sunshine.

"You did, you did!" she hummed, obviously pleased. "And I won't let you regret it! Okay, Haruka-kun, I want to introduce you to the lovely Suzuki Anno! Zuki,-" and she reached across the air to grab her friend by the hand too- "This is Haruka Nanase! " Taking both of their hands now, Hiromi placed them in each other for a handshake and took a step backwards with a grin. He vaguely noticed that her eyes were the same shade as Makoto's.

"Its good to meet you, Nanase-kun!" Zuki took the lead, gripping his hand in abrupt tightness. "I've heard a lot about you!" A bit taken aback Haru just nodded. It would have been lying if he said the same thing, since he knew pretty much nothing about her, so he just said,

"It's a pleasure." Haru was in shock of how much of a grip this girl had and so when he finally got his hand back, he found himself quietly flexing his finger muscles as the four of them made towards the entrance of the club.

The one Hiromi had chosen was certainly… well, Haru expected something akin to noisy and troublesome, but he hadn't actually realized to what scale it would be at. The moment they paid for admittance and the doors were opened, they were deafened by loud, thunderous dubstep that had enough volume to ruffle his hair.

"It's so busy tonight!" Hiromi shouted, excited, as she threw her fingers up in a 'rock on' sign.

"Oh, Hiromi, lets go get drinks!" Zuki pushed forward next, latching onto the other girls shoulder and banging their heads together. "The line isn't too bad!"

"Okay!" Hiromi glanced back at them, and Haru could see that her eyes were already massive from the atmosphere. He never regretted forgetting Tylenol so much. "Did you boys want anything?" While Makoto shook his head and declined politely, Haru just mumbled out water.

"You boys are no fun!" she pouted, though still didn't push. "Go grab us some seats, then!" she directed them over to tables lit up in bright neon colors with a finger. To Haru they looked tacky, but he supposed it went with the aesthetic of the rest of the club. "We'll be right back." With a wink and a tug from Zuki, the girls disappeared into the flow of the crowd. Immediately Haru looked at Makoto, who looked about as awkward as he felt. Still, when he turned to return the gaze he offered a comforting smile.

"Come on, let's get a table." The club was hopping, so to speak, and cutting through the horde of people quickly became a challenge. While the girls were small and nimble, Makoto was a giant in himself, constantly uttering apologies as he bumped into arms and broke up dancing couples. Haru was in complete opposite, the flow of the crowd acting much like water as it tried to drag him away. Halfway through he was grabbing onto the back of Makoto's shirt to keep them from separating.

"This is ridiculous." He muttered, relaxing slightly as Makoto's body parted a path much better than his had. Makoto laughed.

"Well, it is the weekend. Ah- Sorry!" Makoto lowered his head slightly to a guy decked out in tattoos with a green glass in his hand. "It's bound to be a bit busy." Haru had to disagree with that. A bit busy would have allowed them to walk casually over to their destination, not in the zig-zag motion they currently were using. If it wasn't for the bright color of her dress he probably wouldn't have even been able to pick out Hiromi at the bar, waving her hand high in the air to get the bartender's attention. It was like a gigantic sea of people, except instead of wanting to swim in it, he wanted to turn on his heels and leave.

When they finally made it to the tables on the far side of the club, they collapsed into the chairs of a neon orange one with sighs of relief.

"Phew, we made it!" Makoto smiled to the table, pushing his hair back with a hand. "Hiromi-Chan said it was a popular place, but I guess I didn't really realize what that meant until now. I don't think I've seen so many people packed together before!" Haru laid his cheek into his palm.

"I suppose." he replied, tapping his fingers on the table, completely ignoring the beat of the music overhead. Over by the tables it was a bit duller to make room for conversation, but it still thundered in his temple. Oh, how he wished he had brought the damn Tylenol.

"Haru, you are okay, right?" Surprised at the sudden gentle tone of his voice, which did not fit the atmosphere of the club at all, Haru looked up at him. "I know you said you changed your mind and decided to come, but I know you don't like this sort of thing. All of these people and the noise probably are making you uncomfortable and I worry-" Haru shut his eyes. Stupid Makoto, knowing him too well. Stupid Makoto, thinking of his wellbeing instead of himself. Stupid Makoto, not realizing he came to protect him, not for it to happen the other way around.

"Makoto." Haru cut him off with a piercing gaze. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be. Don't worry so much." What started out as a look of uncertainty turned into a soft face of appreciation, and Haru found his cheeks getting warm at the expression stretched across Makoto's face.

"Thanks, Haru." The smile Makoto offered was much rarer than any of his other smiles, which usually came with their own sun. This one was more delicate and genuine.

"Why are you thanking me, idiot?" Haru found an interest in a speck on the table. "I haven't done anything." Makoto just shook his head.

"No reason." He propped his chin up with his knuckle. "I just felt like saying it." They both were lying. They both knew this, too. Each of them could tell just by looking at one another, see it through a glance in the eye or change in body habits. But they did each other the favor of not calling it out, as was habit of them since middle school. There was no point in clarifying that Haru's reason for coming was Makoto, nor was there any point in knowing exactly why Makoto was showing gratitude. They knew, and for them that was enough. Words were a waste of breath when a look was all it took to understand.

"Mako-kun!" her voice became muffled in the music and the throng of people, but Hiromi's shout still reached them. In perfect sync Haru and Makoto turned their heads to see the girls approaching, both supporting glasses filled with a light pink liquid and an added glass of water in Zuki's case.

Standing up, Makoto waved them over and they slipped between what looked like the cast of Grease as they headed in their direction.

"That was fast." Makoto commented, pulling the chair beside him out so she could sit. Zuki took the other seat beside Haru.

"Well," Hiromi giggled, sipping from the straw of her drink. "As you know, I can be highly persuasive." She wiggled her eyebrows towards Zuki, who snorted into her drink.

"Let's just say you should be proud of your girlfriend and leave it at that, Makoto-kun." Zuki winked. "Oh, and Nanase-kun!" she slid over the other drink she held, the ice cubes clanking against the glass.

"Thanks." Haru said quietly, nodding his head to her. She smiled back, bringing her own straw to her lips.

"Aurgh, I really don't like it!" Zuki burst out.

"What, the drink?" Hiromi asked confused. "You were the one who recommended it to me, you know."

"No, not that!" Zuki pointed a sudden finger at Haru, who had just started to raise the glass to his lips. He paused. "No matter how it looks, calling you Nanase-kun is so formal and stupid. I won't do it! We're not in high school anymore, formalities are lame! Haruka-kun sounds so much better- no wait!" she snapped her fingers, pointing at Makoto now. "What do you call him, 'Haru'? Haru-kun! Yes! That's what I'll call you! And you should just call me Zuki, kay?" Haru stared at her, eyes wide. Makoto looked rather bewildered. As for Hiromi, she was wiping her eyes in laughter.

"Zuki, then." Haru said after a moment's pause, glancing towards her. Zuki's eyes lit up as he actually complied. Haru just figured it was the path of least resistance.

"Woo!" she cheered to the ceiling, raising her glass before taking another sip of it. "It's a lot more fun this way, neh?" Haru didn't respond, instead pressing the rim of his glass to his lips so finally he could drink some of his water.

"Are you sure you don't want some, Mako-kun?" Hiromi asked, scooting her chair closer and offering him her glass. It was half empty already. "It's pretty yummy!"

"Mmm, I'm okay, Hiromi-chan." Makoto shook his head. "You enjoy it!"

"Always a gentleman." Hiromi smiled, pulling Makoto closer to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Oh well, more for us!" stretching her arm across the table she met Zuki's glass with a loud clank.

"You bet!" together they tossed their straws and downed the rest of the pink drink in a fit of giggles.

Haru found in a little bit over an hour that Hiromi and Zuki were not exaggerating when it came to drinks. While he and Makoto shared a single glass of water, each of them had two empty glasses at their sides. Amidst all this was girl gossip, something that Haru quickly realized was about as interesting as a rock, that mostly consisted of Hiromi and Zuki discussing who was hooking up while Makoto offered his own inputs here and there. Haru sat at the side in his own silence, choosing whether or not the information was important enough to listen to. Usually when he tried to care he discovered it was a waste of effort anyways, but he decided to give Makoto the benefit of the doubt since the orca himself seemed to be enjoying the chatter. He personally had never been one for small talk.

When she came back with her third glass in hand, Zuki finally turned her attention to Haru, giving him a curious smile.

"Hmm, so are you really as amazing of a swimmer as these two claim?" she asked, gesturing to the two on the other side. Currently Hiromi was whispering into Makoto's ear and they were paying little to no attention to them. Haru shrugged.

"I'm okay, I suppose."

"You suppose?" she giggled, though Haru didn't really understand what was so funny. "Aren't you trying to go pro?"

"Yeah."

"Then I would classify you as pretty damn good." When exactly had Zuki moved her chair so close? Without his notice, she had moved close enough so her knees were nearly grazing his thigh. He fought the urge to back away. "What do you swim?"

"I only swim free."

"Eh? But aren't there like five other strokes? How can you only swim one?" There were only three, but Haru decided it was best not to correct her.

"They don't feel the same."

"Feel the same. Hmm." Zuki looked at him for a moment before she burst out laughing, clutching her stomach like he had said something hilarious. He couldn't help but narrow his eyes, finding nothing funny nor inaccurate about his statement. "You really are interesting, Haru-kun!"

"Don't make fun of him, Zuki!" Hiromi butted in, standing up as she did so. "You can barely swim the doggy paddle."

"I'm not, I'm not!" Zuki waved her comment away, grinning. "I think it's cool you believe in something so much." She rested her chin in her palm, looking at Haru. "I don't think I could ever do that."

"Haru loves the water more than anything." Makoto smiled, and Haru couldn't help but locking eyes with the gleam of green. "He knows it better than anybody. I don't think there's a person in the world who could compete with that." It was a compliment, a high compliment where Haru was concerned, and he found himself burying into his water glass to keep his gaze focused on something else as his heart pounded inside. Stupid Makoto.

"Where are you two going?" Zuki asked, watching as Hiromi pulled Makoto up to his feet.

"Dancing, of course! That's why we came here!" she wobbled on her first step to the dance floor but steadied herself. "We're heading out first. We'll catch you two later, okay?"

"Bye-bye." Zuki grinned, waving.

"Haru," Makoto started, and Haru could hear it, the waver in his voice, the uncertainty of leaving him alone in such a place. He looked as if he had just been told to leave his puppy in the rain. Haru was sure that if Makoto continued to talk he would try to argue to stay at the table, or at least convince Hiromi to bring him out there with him. That's what Haru wanted the least.

"Have fun." Fast and blunt, Haru stopped him before he could even begin. "Don't step on too many feet. Remember, 1-2-3." He let out a smirk, then, because a part of him kind of hoped Makoto would.

"Haru!" Makoto whined while the girls looked at him with curious gazes.

"What is he talking about?" Hiromi prodded, hanging on his arm.

"N-Nothing." He stammered, and they left the table like that, sucked into the stream of dancers as soon as they approached. Haru watched them go, his smirk falling quickly when the two came to a stop and Hiromi grabbed his hands to dance. They started off with a quick pace, Hiromi twirling and bouncing around him, the dress like a ring of fire within the crowd. Makoto was better than he had previously given him credit for, moving in beat enough to match her ever-moving form. He had to admit they complimented each other, a flickering flame prancing around a steady earth. While one always moved, the other acted as a pillar to bring them back.

"Heh. Hiromi is really going all out tonight." Zuki grinned, bringing her glass to her lips only to pout when she found it empty. "I haven't seen her dance like this in ages." Haru glanced over at Zuki for a minute, only to return his gaze back onto the couple. "She must really like Makoto-kun." With sudden difficulty, Haru swallowed, working past a lump he hadn't realized was stuck in his throat.

"Probably." He managed, watching as Makoto and Hiromi came together as the song overhead ended. He watched, too, as Hiromi reached up and pulled him down by his neck for a kiss. Hands weaved into his hair and Makoto pulled her closer. They were tightly pressed just like Haru had warned, but his concern seemed to have been unwarranted. From where he sat, Makoto looked to be perfectly fine. Even as the music started back up they didn't separate. Haru wondered if it really was possibly for a stomach to drop or if it truly was just a metaphor.

"Hmm…" Zuki thoughtfully sighed, watching the same scene. "Come on, Haru-kun. It's stupid to just sit here and watch. Let's dance too!" Reaching under the table abruptly she grabbed Haru by the wrist and tugged, forcibly taking him away from his comfortable chair and out onto the dance floor packed with sweating bodies and lack of personal space. "Sitting at the table is boring! This is where the party is!" Zuki grinned, though Haru had no inclination to agree with her. But at least here, somewhere off to the far right, he didn't have to watch Hiromi and Makoto dance anymore. "Now let's dance!"

To concur her own order, her body began moving to the pulsing rhythm overhead, arms swaying, hips twisting, and all of her bouncing. Haru watched her, slightly impressed, at her ability to keep with the beat, and allowed himself to at least sway to the music, if nothing else to keep people from staring at his stagnant form.

"No, Haru-kun, that is not dancing!" she complained, the alcohol in her body making her words slur just a little. "You look like your about to start singing kumbiyah or something." She grabbed hold of his hands. "Like this!" and Zuki started pulling and pushing his arms back and forth, bringing them close to the ground before going back to full height.

"I feel stupid." Haru deadpanned, which she burst out laughing to.

"So!? That's how it's supposed to feel, we're dancing!" Smiling, Zuki twisted her body to the beat as she raised their arms up and down, bringing them closer before spreading them far apart.

"Isn't this what children do?" Haru continued to prod, finding himself rather reminiscent of one of Makoto's birthday parties when they were in middle school. It also featured pin the tail on the donkey and limbo. Zuki rolled her eyes and huffed out a breath.

"Fine! Then let's be adults." Before Haru had enough time to even think about what she could mean by that, she was pulling him by both hands infinitely closer to the point she released his arms entirely and pressed her body right against his, her leg between his thighs, hands clutching his lower back. "How that? Adult enough for you?" Zuki slowly started to slide her hands down his back and rested them on his ass.

Jolted with surprise, his heart suddenly was threatening to break out of his ribcage as his entire body stung as if his foot had fallen asleep and was slowly waking up. With each passing second he could feel his cheeks grow redder from embarrassment.

"I didn't say the dancing was bad." He mumbled, grabbing her by the shoulders in order to try and create some distance between them.

"Oh my god, you're blushing!" she laughed, allowing herself to be backed up.

"I am not."

"You so are, oh my god, that's adorable!" she giggled, reaching up to grab his cheeks, though he swatted the hand away before she even got a chance. "You really are new at this, aren't you?" Haru answered with silence, fixating his gaze on the couple beside them, grinding so hard he was sure they would wake up with rashes tomorrow. "Don't worry." Zuki smiled, biting her lip as she placed flat hands on his chest. "I don't mind. I find it…" she clenched her fingers like claws. "…endearing."

Overhead the song came to an end as Haru stared quietly at her, the room filling with whistles and shouts as they all waited for the next one to start up. She looked back with intensity, eyes fierce and bright like fire. But they weren't warm, as they should have been, like the other bright eyes of green he knew. No, they chilled him. He could feel it in his spine up to his neck where hairs stood on end. Green eyes were supposed to be kind and gentle and safe. He should be able to see stars and feel the sun. Her eyes were frauds. They did none of these things.

"We should probably go find the others." Haru finally spoke, taking a step back. Zuki tutted.

"Eh-eh-eh, Haru-kun." She scolded, following his step and running her hands up to his neck before bringing them back down. "I don't want to go back yet. I like this alone time with you. Besides, do you really want to go back and watch Hiromi make out with Makoto-kun again?" she stuck out her tongue in disgust. Haru sighed because he already knew his answer.

"No."

"So let's dance more." She murmured. As if at Zuki's beck and call, the music returned, this time pumping in beats a bit slower than earlier. This must have been what they called a 'slow song' for a club. "Like the adults we are."

He wasn't exactly sure what made him agree. Perhaps it was atmosphere of the club, or the amount of effort it probably would have taken to convince Zuki to go back to the table. It was most likely, in reality, the apprehension he felt towards going back to Makoto and Hiromi, who may or may not be still breathing souly through the oxygen in each other's mouths. Regardless of what the truth was, Haru slowly nodded to Zuki.

"Okay."

"Okay, he says." She smiled, bringing their bodies into a slow sway around the dance floor. It looked a bit odd with the beat currently running through the air, but Haru wasn't exactly in the mood to care how it looked either. "You really are a man of few words. But I suppose it is part of your charm. Still, you could work a bit harder to flatter a girl. 'I would love to dance with you until the sun rises in the morning' yeah, something corny like that would be great." Towards that, Haru couldn't help but scoff. "I agree, it would ruin your image."

"My image." He repeated.

"Yes. You kind of have a mysterious, cool persona going on." Haru hmphed at that. "We can't ruin that, now can we?" She dusted air off from his shoulder. "Big blue eyes, a stoic expression. You could give a girl shivers just by looking at you. And to top it off you're an athlete!" Zuki laughed to the air. "I'm surprised some girl hasn't scooped you up yet." Haru found himself shuffling his weight back and forth on his feet, unsure of what to say for the umpteenth time that night. This movement must have come to a surprise to Zuki because the moment he moved his feet she lost her balance and came tumbling into him.

With genuine concern, Haru wrapped an arm around Zuki to hold her steady, wondering if the alcohol had impaired her more than he had previously thought. She looked up at him, practically using his body for support, before a mischievous look spread over her face. An uneasy feeling rapidly built inside him, twisting his stomach into knots he thought should be familiar, but weren't. The music was suddenly louder. His temple was pounding. Was her perfume always this strong?

He was sure he could count her eyelashes.

His head hurt. Why hadn't he brought Tylenol? He should have brought Tylenol. The lights were killing him.

Makoto. Where was Makoto?

Right. He was with his girlfriend.

Stupid Makoto, leaving him alone. Even if he had said it was fine, even if that's exactly what he had said, it really wasn't. Because this was Makoto, gentle and kind and oblivious. He would find a way to get into trouble.

Haru was positive of this.

"You know, you're very pretty, Haru." Zuki whispered to him, her eyelids becoming heavy. "Almost like a girl. I don't know why but," she leaned in closer with green eyes that lacked warmth and a smile that spoke nothing of a sun. "I find it incredibly attractive." In a suddenly aggressive pull, Haru found Zuki's lips on his.