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When Nagisa enthusiastically suggests checking out the haunted house until Rin gets off his maid cafe shift, Haru says he doesn’t care what they do and Rei is happy enough to go along with Nagisa’s idea, especially since there is nothing scary about the student-run exhibit aside from the complete lack of scientific basis behind things like ghosts and walking skeletons, informs them with a boisterous laugh.
No amount of Makoto’s pleading can sway the group from going somewhere else instead, and before he knows it, the four of them are being ushered into the classroom with a small group of other people.
Makoto holds tightly onto Haru’s shoulders as they walk into the darkened area, mist rolling over their feet and eerie music pounding from all over as soon as the door shuts behind them. The light, nervous chatter around them makes Makoto feel a little more at ease, and he tells himself over and over that this wouldn’t be so bad and that Samezuka really couldn’t have put together anything too horrifying, right? About halfway through, all they really see at that point are a few oddly placed tombstones, a handful of girls in witch’s outfits muttering spells to themselves, and some unenthusiastic zombies.
It was a mistake for Makoto to get so complacent. As they near the junction where the classroom leads to another, Makoto suddenly feels two tiny hands shoving at the small of his back, followed closely by Rei’s shout of, “Nagisa, don’t!”
Both Makoto and Haru stagger forward into the hall and the door slams close behind them. Makoto loses his grip of Haru’s shoulders for just a second and as he reaches frantically out in the dimness in front of him, something catches him by the wrist. It’s something cold and tight, and just as Makoto’s heart tries to thud right out of his chest, a face comes into view. It’s bone-white with large, gaping, bleeding eye sockets and a twisted, sharp-toothed grin. A low laugh rumbles from the dark-robed figure as it backs Makoto up against the dividers on either side of the narrow pathway.
His fist acts on its own just as an embarrassingly desperate scream of terror leaves his lips. The hard plastic of the mask easily cracks under Makoto’s powerful fist, but once he feels the strong, solid jaw beneath the mask, Makoto immediately realizes his mistake.
It’s entirely too late, of course, and his assailant is blown back by the force of his punch, slamming against the shut door and accidentally knocking down one of the dividers on his way down. There are a few terrified, confused shouts coming from the group ahead of them and within seconds the lights are being switched on, one by one.
Makoto only now begins to feel the hot pain blooming across his split knuckles, but that’s eclipsed entirely by the heavy guilt and humiliation in his chest once his eyes adjust and find his victim slumped against the door. The mask is on the floor a few feet away, practically shattered in half, and Makoto notes the jeans and sneakers poking out beneath the robe costume.
No. Oh no. Makoto recognizes him immediately. He’s not just any Samezuka student -
“What’s going - huh?” The door starts to open, shuffling Sousuke’s limp body out of the way, and Nagisa pokes his head out to get a look at what’s blocking the door. Then his eyes glance up at Makoto, whose face is colored all sorts of guilt and horror, and he easily connects the pieces. Nagisa does a terrible job of hiding how amused he is as he slides through the opening and leans down to take a good look at Sousuke’s face.
“Mako-chan, I didn’t know you could fight like this!” he exclaims as though this is something to be proud of.
“Nagisa, no, I - I didn’t mean -,” he stammers out, unsure of what to really say. It’s embarrassing enough that he’s too weak-hearted to enter these places, but the fact that he physically hurt someone out of fright is a new level for him, and he wishes he really did just stay outside.
“Yamazaki-kun?” Makoto kneels down and lightly slaps Sousuke’s cheeks in an attempt to wake him up, to no avail. He’s out cold, even as Nagisa giggles and pokes him in the cheek and neck.
By now, people have turned back and stand a few feet away, eyes wide as they mutter to themselves. Nagisa is still beside himself with quiet laughter, and Haru, truth be told, appears mildly pleased at the turn of events.
Suddenly, Makoto looks up and sees that Rei is being shoved through the door as well, and right behind him is Rin, still in his maid’s outfit.
“I saw Rei standing outside and - “ He stops mid sentence the moment his eyes land on his unconscious friend and for a moment Makoto is afraid Rin will get upset with him, but after another second of silent shock, Rin busts out laughing.
Makoto is even more mortified than before to see the redhead doubling over in his short skirt, hands wrapped around his sides and struggling to breathe each time he takes another look at Sousuke.
“Oh my - god, Mako-to, you knocked him out?” he forces out between his lapses of laughter. “Did he scare you that bad?”
“R-Rin, this isn’t funny!”
“Kind of is,” Haru murmurs.
“Haru!”
When Sousuke finally wakes up, his vision is swimming and there’s a remarkable throbbing coming from the right side of his face that makes it difficult to think straight. There’s something cold and hard that seems to be numbing his lips. He forces himself into a sitting position, the ice pack retreating at his movement, and he finally notices the person kneeling beside his cot.
“Yamazaki-kun! I’m sorry, really sorry for what I did!” the person almost shouts at him. Sousuke’s vision begins to focus and he finds the brown-haired member of Iwatobi staring at him with large, watery, green eyes.
“For what?” Sousuke mumbles. It damn hurts to talk. He reaches up and feels at the sensitive area of his jaw.
“Makoto fucking punched you in the face,” Rin hollers, putting a fist over his mouth to stifle his renewed laughter from where he’s leaning against the doorway. “You’ve been out for almost and hour and Makoto had to carry you to the infirmary.” Haru is quietly standing beside him, looking so smug that Sousuke thinks about giving him a nice sock to the jaw if it weren’t for his pounding headache.
“Rin!” Makoto protests. He turns again to Sousuke with a dozen more apologies pouring from his lips.
“You punched… agh, that’s right.” Sousuke faintly recalls the way he suddenly grabbed whoever it was to come in through the door, expecting at most a funny little shriek of terror from some kid - certainly not expecting the skittish, six foot tall, backstroke swimmer, captain of Iwatobi. With a really fucking good left hook.
“I should’ve taken the maid cafe offer,” Sousuke says grimly.
“Again, I’m really - “
“You can stop apologizing,” Sousuke huffs, shaking his head. He lies back down and blindly gropes out for the ice pack, instead latching onto Makoto’s warm, trembling hand. This time, thankfully, he doesn’t lash out, and Sousuke leads the hand back onto his sore jaw, albeit a little forcefully.
“I-I know, but - “
“You can make it up to me. By having lunch with me. You’re buying.”
“... Eh?” Makoto is speechless, this time the one caught off guard. From what he’s seen of Sousuke, he expected the taller, scowling guy to reprimand him or maybe even swear him out for what he’s done, not hold Makoto’s hand over his face and ask him to lunch. Not that it sounds like such a terrible offer, because Mako’s fast-beating heart actually skips at the prospect of sitting down one on one with the dark-haired, arguably very handsome boy.
Rin hangs his head in his hands, muttering ‘I already told him not to do this,’; Haru suddenly adopts this quietly murderous look; Nagisa nudges Rei sharply in the side, waggling his eyebrows knowingly; and Makoto - he’s even more red and panicked than moments before.
Although, honestly, Sousuke doesn’t look any better off. Despite how smoothly those words came, he’s glad the ice pack is in the way of the slight blush creeping across his own face.