Chapter Text
The Rin person continues to gapes mindlessly at Haru, and it's making him feel a little uncomfortable. He doesn't like being stared at so much. He shuffles slightly behind Makoto, putting his best friend as a big comforting wall between him and this strange guy.
Rin has really strange teeth for some reason. They're all jagged and sharp, like a shark's, and on full display since his mouth fell open to stare at Haru. He should probably go to a dentist and get that checked out. Shark teeth weren't normal, right?
Maybe he's not human. Haru didn't buy into monsters like Makoto did, but Grandmama did tell stories...
Haru shuffles a little bit more behind Makoto.
After closing and opening his mouth like a fish a couple of times, Rin seems to get a hold of himself. “Hey, Makoto...this is...this has gotta be some relative or something of Haru's, right? People don't just fucking shrink outta nowhere. Is it a little cousin? Where's Haru?”
“Um...” Makoto begins, and since he's not any better at telling lies since this morning, Haru knows that the truth is going to come out. “This is...”
Haru narrows his eyes. He doesn't really like the pushy tone in this new guy's voice. Pushy people were just one little step away from being bullies, because Makoto could never say no to anything.
Reaching out to pinch a bit of Makoto's pants between his fingers, Haru leans out from behind Makoto a little to glower at Rin. Big-Makoto or not, Haru's not gonna let anyone push his best friend around. “I'm Haru. Who are you, sharkteeth?”
“Sharktee...what!?” The redhead yelps at the same time Makoto pleads “Haru!!” in that strange half-shout, half-whisper it seems all adults can do. Haru scowls, moving back behind Makoto. Why is he being scolded? Rin was the pushy one! Haru hadn't said anything bad, it was true, he did have sharkteeth!
“Haru,” Makoto repeats, giving Haru a pleading look and he feels a little bad. Though he doesn't like this Rin guy so far, he doesn't want to make trouble for Makoto either. “Please don't cause a scene...”
“Makoto, you guys can't be fucking serious. This is reality, that can't be Haru! Is this some dumb joke? I bet Nagisa put you up to this. It seems like something he'd do. Seriously, who is this kid and where's Haru?” Sharkteeth – Haru feels he deserves the name – crosses his arms, frowning at Makoto. Haru feels his own frown deepen. He doesn't like it when people glare at Makoto.
Makoto's hands come up in his usual pacifying pose. “I...I know it's hard to believe, but it really is Haru! I found him like this this morning, it's like he's ten all over again. I don't know how, but I'm not lying, Rin. It's Haru.”
Sharkteeth clearly doesn't believe a word, as his eyes narrow and he takes a step forward, moving his arms to fist on his hips. He leans forward, lips pulling off those sharp teeth. “Makoto! Stop with the joke already! I'm not buying it!”
From his grip on Makoto's pants, Haru can feel him flinch just a bit. He recognizes the weak attempt at a smile on Makoto's face, the way his hands – still held up in pacification – wave a bit, the way he rocks back onto his heels just a little and pulls his shoulders down, just a little. All these signs add up to one conclusion – Makoto feels uncomfortable. Makoto is being bullied.
Haru likes Sharkteeth even less now.
However, while he doesn't know a lot of things about this weird future world, Haru does know how to deal with Makoto being bullied. It's something he's always done. Haru glares at the redhead, waiting for his chance. Makoto will give it to him, he knows.
Sure enough, Makoto backs up a step to instinctively give Sharkteeth some space, leaving more of a gap between them. Haru takes it, moving around Makoto's legs enough to pull back one of his own and send it into a kick that hits Sharkteeth squarely in the shin.
Sharkteeth yelps and hops back almost comically, pulling the injured leg up to hold and saying a lot of words Haru's mother would box his ears for. “Ow, shit, what the hell!”
Haru glares at Sharkteeth, ignoring Makoto's scandalized cry of his name and the big hands suddenly on his shoulders. It's for Makoto's own good. He makes sure to stare the redhead directly in the eyes, it always makes bullies uncomfortable. “Don't bully Makoto.”
Sharkteeth, still holding his leg, gapes at Haru like he did when they first met. “...What?”
“Don't bully Makoto.” Haru repeats to make sure his message is clear. He's not sure he likes this situation. Makoto had called this guy by his first name with no honorifics, he clearly knew him well, but he was a bully. What was future-him doing, to leave Makoto so open to bullies? He knows better, surely!
A deep sigh comes from behind him, and the hands on his shoulders tighten. “Haru...! Rin's not a bully, he's our friend. Well, mine and yours in the future. He wasn't bullying me. Say sorry for kicking him, that wasn't very nice.” Haru looks up at Makoto in bewilderment. Makoto was uncomfortable, why was he defending this guy? Haru doesn't understand as Makoto moves his attention to Rin, smiling weakly again. “I'm really sorry, Rin. When we were little Haru kicked anyone who was bullying me, he didn't grow out of it until middle school.”
The redhead grimaces, but sighs and puts his leg down after giving it a last rub. “Whatever. I don't know what your prank is with toting around a little demon kid claiming to be Haru, but I guess I'll get to hear all about it from Nagisa on Monday. I need to catch the train back to Samezuka. See you next practice?”
“Yeah, see you. Sorry again, Rin!” Makoto waves as Sharkteeth backs off, returning it lazily over his shoulder as he turns and starts walking off. Haru's mildly glad he's gone, but something Makoto said to the guy catches in his head. 'He didn't grow out of it until middle school'.
Haru doesn't understand. Surely you don't just grow out of defending your best friend from bullies, do you? It'd make sense if future-him stopped because Makoto grew big and didn't need him to anymore, but from the way he just acted it was obvious that big-Makoto did need bully protection. It didn't matter how big he was if he just rolled over like that. Maybe it had stopped because he looked too big – bullies were dumb, after all, and easily duped, so they might stop if Makoto looked too big and strong to bully, even if he was as meek and gentle as ever.
But Makoto hadn't said that. He'd said that future-Haru had stopped. That he'd grown out of it.
It bothers Haru. When did his future self stop caring that Makoto needed protection?
A deep sigh pulls him out of his thoughts, and he glances up. Makoto is rubbing at his face with one hand. “That could have gone better...maybe it's good he thinks it's a prank. If this spreads all over town...”
Sighing again, Makoto pulls his hand off his face and looks down at Haru, frowning slightly as he crouches slightly to come face-level with him. “Haru-chan, I know you just wanted to protect me, but you can't just kick people. It's dangerous and rude! I'll be fine, so please don't kick anyone!”
Haru frowns, and turns his head to the side, not wanting to acknowledge his words.
He still doesn't get it. What happened? Why isn't Makoto upset by Sharkteeth? Why doesn't his older self protect Makoto anymore? What's going to happen in middle school that makes him not protect his friend even when he needs it?
Haru's liking this future world less and less. Nothing makes sense anymore.
Yet another sigh huffs from Makoto, and he straightens out. Suddenly a hand is ruffling Haru's hair, like earlier today. “Thank you for protecting me Haru, but I really don't need it, okay?” Makoto smiles slightly. Haru watches out of the corner of his eyes to make sure it looks real.
“To be honest, I should probably punish you by not taking you swimming...” Haru's head whips around so fast his neck hurts a little and he's staring up at Makoto with pleading eyes. Oh no, oh no, stupid Sharkteeth, it's all his stupid fault for bullying Makoto and making Haru kick him and making Makoto disappointed! He needs to go swimming! Maybe things will make sense in the water, and they're so close...!
Makoto laughs, covering his mouth with one hand to slightly muffle the soft sound. “Aha, maybe Rin's right, maybe I spoil you too much, but...no, we'll go swimming, okay Haru-chan? Just promise me you won't kick anyone else, okay?”
Haru nods energetically. That's a small price to pay to be able to swim – after all he only said not to kick people. There are other ways to fend off bullies than kicks.
Makoto smiles and holds out his hand for Haru to take. “All right, let's get to that beach, okay?”
Haru wraps his smaller hand around Makoto's warm palm and they continue walking. Haru makes it a point to walk closer to Makoto's leg and glower at anyone who looks even slightly shady. Makoto sighs in fond exasperation, but he doesn't tell him to stop. It's very different from other times they've walked after encountering something that made Makoto upset. Those times were full of Makoto clinging to Haru's hand, following behind him like a shaky shadow, with a tiny, teary smile in gratitude for Haru saving him.
Haru purses his lips as they walk, fingers gripping tighter around Makoto's hand. Makoto looks down at him, but Haru pretends not to notice. He's thinking.
Really, how did things change so much?