Work Text:
勤勉 - diligence
Makoto has a lot to do.
No, really.
When he walks into the house on Monday, it is less of a walk and more of a brisk jog. His arms are full of papers and his shoulder bag is bulging with notebooks and files and the laptop that he really should he more careful with.
He knew he shouldn't have moved to teaching second year high schoolers, but he missed the atmosphere and the camaraderie of Iwatobi High and somehow forgot he wasn't exactly prepared for a leap from kindergarten to where he is now. But he loves his students, and they think that Tachibana-sensei is an okay guy, so he's happy.
Except for that he's not, because he honestly has far too much work to do, and the first thing he sees when he walks into his house is Haru.
On the couch.
Haru on the couch, spread-eagle. Spread-eagle and naked.
Makoto is a fully-grown man. He doesn't whimper (much).
Instead he says, "not now, Haru, I've really got to grade these papers by tomorrow."
Makoto is trying desperately to set his things down and ignore his boyfriend's blank gaze that he knows is masking a deep-set frown. He's never been a great multitasker.
"Can't you do it later?" Haru has muffled his voice with a pillow over his face, and it isn't doing a damn thing to control Makoto's libido.
"I could do you later," he offers generously, because that truly is his best and final offer.
"Not good enough," he hears, and suddenly his lap is full of naked Haruka and it would be so wrong to put off these papers and his students in favor of a quickie.
He does it anyways.
寛大さ - charity
Ever since he was little, Makoto has sworn to look on other people with kindness and patience, no matter who they are or how they acted.
Haru has been attempting to teach him how stupid of a concept this is.
"Don't smile at her, Makoto."
He's genuinely confused at this. "Why not? What's wrong with smiling at her?"
Haruka is seemingly undecided between looking fond and being exasperated. He settles on a mixture. "She just ran into you and didn't apologize. Don't smile at people who are rude to you."
This seems a bit excessive to Makoto, and he thinks Haru is overreacting (really, he barely felt the girl), but he nods kindly and patiently. "Okay, Haru."
He'd love to say that the next time someone runs into him, he apologizes for being in their way and gives them a sunny smile, but he can't. However, he can say that he grumbles and uses his height to his advantage in a very uncharacteristic show of intimidation when they shoot him a dirty look.
Haru almost cheers.
貞操 - chastity
It's been days, almost a week, since they'd had sex. Makoto knows it's getting to Haru. He can tell by the way his boyfriend fidgets when he walks around shirtless. Normally he'd be getting appreciative glances.
Lately they've just been deeply betrayed looks.
It isn't his fault everything exploded and their schedules get them up early and leave them exhausted at night. Between Haru's young swimmers practicing extra for an upcoming meet and the end of the school year, there's been no time for sex.
That said, Makoto really should have seen this coming.
It isn't often these things happen, but Rin is infamous for throwing massive parties, and hell-bent on getting everyone to attend. It's just one more thing on the calendar, one more thing to ensure his sleeping patterns are shot to hell.
Makoto reluctantly peels out of his work clothes and pulls on his suit.
"Can't we just fuck right now?"
Blunt, as always. "No, we're going to be late. It's a long drive, Haru."
A long, silent drive, Makoto corrects inwardly. He didn't expect the pouting.
It isn't like he's not tired of his hand in the shower too, quick and bland, just for tension relief. He just thinks Haru could be a little more mature about it all.
Looking back, he's surprised Haruka lasted as long as he did, a whole hour, before shoving him into the closet.
Any protests he might have had are cut off when his boyfriend shoves a hand down his suit trousers.
"Shit, Haru-chan. Couldn't you have waited until we got home?" Makoto's voice is breathless, but he's exhilarated. The risk of being found is sky-high.
Makoto can't bring himself to care. His mind is short-circuiting as Haruka's mouth swallows him half-way, and the footsteps that falter outside the closet door don't faze either of them. (But Makoto's conscious enough to be glad when they don't fully stop.)
The closet is sort of a mess when they're both sated, so they tidy it up the best the can and hope to god that there's nothing white on their faces.
He decides, as he straightens his hopelessly wrinkled jacket, that Haru is no good for his sense of public decency.
He still doesn't care.
忍耐 - patience
It's really getting old.
Makoto has only been pulling Haru out of the bath since their first year of high school. He is a grown man now, one who should not need a reminder that work starts in an hour and you still need to eat and get dressed and it's a long way to the natatorium so come on, Haru-chan, get up out of the bath. And yet, the routine hasn't changed. There comes a point where even Makoto has had enough. So he just leaves.
He doesn't know what to expect when he gets home that night. A slightly ashamed part of him wouldn't be surprised to see Haruka still sitting in the tub, head tilted against the porcelain and eyes closed.
He isn't in the bath.
Makoto also cannot locate his boyfriend in the kitchen or in the bedroom. He isn't sure what to think. "Haru?" he calls, because really, he shouldn't have to look for one of the most dependable people on Earth. Haruka is nothing if not consistent. Makoto gives it two hours before he melts down in earnest.
Ninety-seven minutes later, Haru walks in the door.
"Oh, thank God," Makoto breathes, but he doesn't touch the black-haired man, because Haru looks like a grenade that someone pulled the pin on and left sitting like nothing was amiss.
"You didn't get me out of the bath."
Makoto's mouth opens and closes like a fish. That isn't what he expected to hear, not right off. "Um. No."
"Why not?"
"Because you're twenty-nine, Haru." This is a dangerous game Makoto is beginning, one where he gets righteously frustrated and Haru's anger builds quietly and explodes silently. "And I shouldn't have to come in every morning and remind you to get up and start moving. That's your job."
Makoto never raises his voice. (Almost never.)
Except, he realizes, it isn't Haru's job. It hasn't been since the first time Makoto grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the tub. He took the responsibility for himself, and he'd done a damn good job with it until this morning.
"I- I'm sorry. I'm being stupid."
Haru shrugs, but he isn't angry anymore. "Nah."
The kiss tastes like apology and long-suffering and it's all okay again.
禁酒 - temperance
Makoto won't be held responsible for the amount of cats in his house if Haru keeps literally feeding his habit like this.
He'd been trying to keep it down to one or two strays that wander into the house for food. It was a courtesy, because he isn't the only one who lives there and it seemed wrong to let all the neighborhood cats stroll around the house as they pleased. Except...
"Haru!" Six cats sit around a bowl in the kitchen, munching happily on the crunchy food. "Did you feed them?"
"Yes." Makoto's eyes blow wide because normally it's his job to feed the cats, and he keeps it down to a minimum, but now here's Haru, encouraging copious amounts of felines into their kitchen.
"So... You don't mind them?"
"No." He turns to leave, but not before Makoto catches the fond, indulgent look in his eyes. "I don't care how many animals are here at all."
That's an invitation if he's ever heard one.
By the next day, seventeen cats are spread over the house. Makoto almost bemoans that there aren't more strays for him to adopt. Haru doesn't look regretful in the least, which is good, because no way in hell is he giving up any of his cats.
He will not be blamed for this.
種類 - kindness
Makoto really hates violence. When you're a six foot tall, well-muscled teddy bear, you don't really have to hit people to make them flinch, even if you wanted to. Makoto never wants to.
("What did you call him?"
The man sneers, a pitiful excuse for a human being there to pick up his niece from practice. "A faggot. That's what he is. You're a fag too."
It doesn't even register that he's been insulted as well. One minute he's greeting Haru and the next Makoto's mind goes blank, the crude words swirling around him. There's barely seconds between the slur and Makoto's fist landing on the man's nose.)
So here's the thing: Makoto hates violence, but if you harass Nanase Haruka, he will make an exception.
謙虚 - humility
All he had done was what any decent human being would have done. That doesn't stop Haru from proudly pointing him out every time someone asks about it.
The fire wasn't large, but it started in the middle of the school and spread quickly. And while fire drills are nice in theory, they honestly don't prepare anybody for the real thing. Chaos ensued.
"And then he just shoved into a classroom and hauled the kids out of the window."
Makoto blushes and ducks his head as Haruka recounts the story. Again.
(He isn't as frightened of fire as he is of water, so it was easy. It wasn't a big deal.)
Nagisa cried when he heard, Rei beamed, Rin called him an idiot (a brave one, but still an idiot), and Haru kissed him and immediately made sure everyone knew that his boyfriend saved those students.
The story isn't as embarrassing the eighth time he hears it, Makoto supposes. And no one has to know that by the eleventh re-telling, his chest puffs up a little. Just a little.