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It was supposed to be a joke.
After all, no one could have mistaken the oversized wool sweater-- white, with pink hearts and adorned with pom-poms and sequins-- as an actual serious gift, to be taken seriously, that one might receive from one’s serious boyfriend for Valentine’s Day. Unless of course the recipient happens to be one Makoto Tachibana, in which case, he will show up for a date (actually more like a group outing, since Nagisa and Rei decided to invite themselves along and Haru’s not one to be left out of things, and Mikoshiba will use any excuse for a chaperoned outing with Gou [the only kind of date Rin will allow them]) wearing said hideous sweater as if it doesn’t defy every law of nature and fashion.
Mikoshiba is currently complimenting Makoto on the atrocious article of clothing (to Rin’s horror), and Rin uses the opportunity to snag Haru by his belt loop and lean in close to his ear.
“Why the hell did you let him wear that out of the house?” Rin snarls quietly.
Haru doesn’t even bat an eye. “He insisted.”
“Well you should have stopped him!”
“I tried.”
“Not hard enough apparently!” Rin practically yells. He casts a quick side-glance at Makoto and Mikoshiba, who are deep in conversation about whatever smiley overgrown swim team captains talk about. “He looks like an idiot! You should say something to him, seriously.”
“He’s your boyfriend,” Haru says.
“He’s your husband,” Rin retorts, and smirks to himself because, he actually quite likes that. Haru getting stuck with all the domestic squabbles and fretting and babying that Makoto is prone to, while Rin gets all the sex and… sex.
Haru gives him a very unamused glare. “You’re both idiots. You gave him the stupid thing.”
“As a joke!” Rin says desperately.
Haru just shrugs, and now they’re walking into the restaurant and everyone is most definitely staring at Makoto, no doubt hypnotized by the Sweater From Hell and when they sit down the waitress immediately starts to chat Makoto up and compliments the Sweater (“so festive!”) and Rin wants to die. He sinks impossibly low in his seat when he hears the words “Oh thank you, my boyfriend gave it to me!” and feels his ears turn the color of Mikoshiba’s hair. Nagisa’s eyes light up devilishly (he doesn’t even have to say a word for Rin to know he’s making fun of him) and Rei cringes in an all-too-understanding way. (Rin takes a moment to note that Nagisa’s own ensemble makes him look like he covered himself in glue and promptly wandered into a flamboyant 4-year-old’s closet, and he nods to Rei, silently appreciating the grudging solidarity they share. Brothers in second-hand embarrassment due to ridiculously dressed boyfriends.)
“Awww, Onii-chan, how sweet!” Gou coos, the sarcasm only obvious to Rin, who’s known her long enough to recognize it, and he kicks her shin under the table.
Makoto-- perfectly oblivious Makoto-- smiles brightly and squeezes Rin’s knee under the table, and asks, “So, what does everyone want to eat?”
~~~
After dinner, they all go for karaoke (Rin’s okay but not great, while Makoto is basically amazing, but not as good as Mikoshiba, who pretty much blows them all away. Rin has to admit it’s a good time, up until Nagisa and Rei start serenading each other more and more sappily, staring into each other’s eyes and declaring their undying love through song, until no one can stand to be in their presence for a minute longer), and it’s fairly late by the time they all go their separate ways.
Rin puts Gou into a cab with his own money, and sends her home alone, making sure Mikoshiba’s headed back to Samezuka, before he turns to Makoto.
“Your house?” he asks, one eyebrow raised in suggestion.
Makoto pulls him in close to his chest and Rin tries to ignore the scratchiness of the dreaded Sweater in favor of nibbling gently on Makoto’s neck. “My parents are home, and the twins’ll be all over us. Dorms?”
Rin groans and shakes his head. “It’s the asshole night guard working tonight, plus we kicked Nitori out twice this week already.”
“Beach?” Makoto asks, hands sliding down to Rin’s hips.
“No way,” Rin says. “First off, it’s fucking February, it’s freezing, and second, I had sand in my ass for a week last time.”
Makoto laughs, then leans down and kisses Rin thoroughly. Rin lets him slip his tongue between his lips, and he ends up with two fistfuls of the stupid goddamn Sweater. Makoto sucks on Rin’s lower lip and runs his fingers teasingly inside the waistband of Rin’s pants, unwittingly causing the accidental ripping off of two pom-poms and several small chunks of glitter. “Right here?” Rin says breathlessly against Makoto’s mouth. “On the bus stop bench?”
Makoto laughs again and takes Rin’s hand. “Come on,” he says. “We’ll go to Haru’s.”
“What?!” Rin says, sort of horrified. “But Haru will be at Haru’s.”
“It’s fine, we’ll stay in the living room, I’ll text him and tell him to wear headphones to bed.”
Rin rolls his eyes. “Ugh, you two need some boundaries.”
“There’ll be no less than three walls between us and him, those are literal boundaries.”
“Ugh, I don’t know. It’s still weird.”
Makoto frowns, which Rin hates, since it always makes him look like a kicked puppy. “You don’t want to?” He pulls Rin closer again and leans down to plant feather-light kisses just behind his ear, making Rin’s eyes flutter closed and his knees feel slightly gelatinous.
Rin lets out a frustrated sigh. “How the hell are you actually successfully seducing me while wearing that fucking sweater?”
Makoto makes an affronted sound. “You gave me this sweater!” he laughs.
“Yeah, about that…” Rin says, rubbing the back of his neck. “You know it was like, a joke gift, right? As in, good for a laugh, not meant to be worn in fucking public, in front of all our friends?”
Makoto’s face falls and he looks at the ground. There’s a long pause and Rin’s sure he hurt Makoto’s feelings, and shit, he’s such an asshole, he should have just kept his stupid mouth shut. Yeah, the sweater is awful but a sad and hurt Makoto is about four hundred times worse.
“I know,” Makoto finally says, looking up and flashing a wicked grin that Rin is pretty sure is reserved only for him. He can’t decide whether he loves or hates it. “I knew it was a joke, I only wore it to embarrass you.”
Rin’s jaw drops open. “What the hell. Why would you do that?”
Makoto shrugs, his mouth contorting a bit; he’s obviously trying not to laugh. “You get embarrassed so easily, it’s adorable! Your ears turn all red and you get all slouchy, it’s so cute, I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it-- ow!”
Makoto rubs his arm where Rin punched it, still swallowing his laughter.
“You are such a little shit, I don’t know how you convinced everyone that you’re the nice one, you’re worse than Nagisa,” Rin grumbles.
“Yeah but you love me,” Makoto says, pulling on Rin’s hand. “Come on, let’s go to Haru’s.”
Rin shakes him off. “No way, I’m revoking all privileges until you take off that fucking sweater, I can’t even look at you right now without wanting to punch you, much less be convinced to go desecrate Haru’s living room.”
Makoto grabs both of Rin’s hands and laces their fingers together, then leans in, letting his lips brush Rin’s earlobe. “If you come to Haru’s I’ll wear the present that I got for you.”
Rin bites his lip and lowers his head, blushing furiously. Makoto notices and leans back a little. “What, what’s wrong?” he asks. “You don’t want me to?”
Rin shakes his head and won’t meet Makoto’s eye. “No it’s not that, I just. I, uh.”
“What?” Makoto asks again, looking concerned but also vaguely amused.
“I’m, uh. Already wearing them,” Rin says quickly, then looks up at Makoto for a reaction.
Makoto’s eyes widen to the size of tea saucers before looking downward at Rin’s pants, and he tugs at the waistband with two fingers, exposing what’s underneath. Rin watches Makoto’s face as he catches a glimpse of black lace and tiny pink bows (not nearly as ostentatious as the dreaded Sweater but would cause a good deal more embarrassment for Rin if their friends saw him donning this particular article) and can’t help the fluttering feeling in his stomach he always gets when Makoto looks at him the way he is now, sort of predatory, like he wants to take Rin apart and claim every piece of him.
“So…?” Rin says, feeling triumphant about Makoto’s reaction.
“We’re going to Haru’s, now,” Makoto says with a tone of finality, and half drags Rin away from the bus stop and around the corner to a busier street where he promptly hails them a cab.