Archive of Our Own

_______________________________

A knock sounded at the front door.

Makoto craned his neck over the armrest of the couch he lounged on, “Haru, are we expecting company?”

“Yeah, the guys are coming over to play a game,” Haru's voice drifted airily over his ears.

Huh. Would have been nice to have known that, Makoto sighed inwardly, glancing down at his phone to see that it was 10:00 P.M. At least tomorrow was Saturday, they didn't have school, or work, or any other pressing obligations.

Still, kind of a late start, he thought.

“What kind of game are we playing?” Makoto asked, adjusting himself to a sitting position.

Haru carefully avoided Mako's gaze as he calmly entered their living room from around the kitchen bar that separated the two rooms. The knocking began again, more persistent, so he moved toward the door, in favor of leaving his best friend wondering.

“Haru-chan, Mako-chan!” Nagisa pushed his way through the door as soon as it opened.

“Haruka-senpai, Makoto-senpai,” Rei smiled and inclined his head while removing his shoes before fully entering the small living space.

“Yo, Makoto, Haru,” came Rin's smooth voice, a grin on his face. He, too, moved through the entryway to join Rei and Nagisa on the other side of Makoto.

Just as Makoto expected Haru to shut the door, a hulking form stepped forth from the shadows, “Nanase, Tachibana.” Sousuke entered, also taking care to remove his shoes. Mako stood stunned. Sousuke was the last person he ever thought would step foot in his and Haru's small, two-bedroom apartment. From the look on his surly face, it was fair to assume Rin had dragged him along. Makoto tried to think of the last time he and Sousuke had even been in the same room together but he was coming up short.

“Uh, hello, everyone,” Makoto's statement sounded more of a question. The apparently planned event for this evening was bright and shiny news to him.

“Mako-chan, are you ready for this?!”

Taken aback, “Uh, ready for what?”

Nagisa's cheshire grin didn't leave his face, but he looked accusingly at Haru, “Haru-chaaan, you didn't tell him?”

“Tell me what?”

Rei looked surprised, “Haruka-senpai, you didn't make sure to mentally prepare Makoto-senpai for this?”

“Mentally prepare me for what?” Makoto pressed, now looking accusingly at Haru as well.

Haru stayed resolutely silent, but he shifted his weight delicately from foot to foot. Haru was visibly uneasy.

Oh, god, Makoto thought as he could feel dread creep up his spine. He looked each of them in the face, awaiting an answer.

Finally, Rin rolled his eyes and groaned, “We're going to play a game, a scary game, apparently, and Haru was supposed to make sure you were ready for this, because we're all supposed to be in this together.” He finished with glaring at Haru.

Haru had the good grace to look abashed, “It never came up.” He said, not meeting anyone's eyes.

“Nanase Haruka, what?!” Haru winced at the use of his full name. “What is- you can't just-,” Makoto was thoroughly flustered, he ran trembling fingers over his face. “You should have absolutely told me, at the very least, that we were having some sort of gathering!”

“Sorry,” Haru mumbled, more to himself.

Nagisa laughed at Makoto’s stressed expression, “Aw, now, now, Mako-chan, it’ll be fun!”

"Fun?! Fun for who, exactly? It sounds like torture!"

Nagisa hurried on, “It's not even a full game, it's a demo! It's actually called, 'P.T. Demo'!”

"Makoto-senpai, you need only remember that it’s just a game," Rei said.

"Demo, game, whatever, doesn't matter, it’s scary and I don’t want any part of it!" Makoto turned and bolted for his room.

"Mako-chan!! We need you in here! Please! The more people we have, the less scary it is!”

Makoto’s muffled voice could be heard through his hastily closed door, “No way, Nagisa, not this time!”

"But Mako-chaaannn!"

Haru stirred and stood straighter, “It’s fine, Nagisa, there’s still five of us, you know Makoto can’t handle anything frightening.” He had purposefully not told Makoto about this. Knowing how much Makoto hated being scared, he didn't want to place any pressure on the olive-haired man to participate.

Nagisa grumbled under his breath as he moved further into the living room and plopped himself on the L-shaped couch, facing the television. Rei followed, sitting next to him, then Haru, directly to Rei's right, and finally Rin and Sousuke, who sat at the juncture of the sectional couch, right before it curved out at a ninety degree angle.

"How bothersome," Sousuke sighed. Already this night had taken a disappointing turn, but he couldn't quite figure out why he felt that way.

"Let’s just get this over with, how scary can it be?" Rin asked.

A sly grin graced Nagisa’s lips and a mischievous glint shone in his pink eyes, “Oh, it’s not that scary, we’ll be fine.”

"Let’s get started," Haru said, taking the controller in his hands.

However, Nagisa hopped up again and turned all the lights off. “For extra fear,” he grinned, gaining him eye rolls from everyone seated on the couch. As he re-sat himself, Haru chose the fateful game, or rather, demo, that had already caused such a stir.

‘P.T. Demo’. A picture of a forest with a tree stump in the foreground that read ‘P.T.’ greeted them, and then the screen blackened.

The dark loading screen seemed to last forever, and the tension in the room was already rising.

"This is stupid," Sousuke mumbled.

Rin elbowed him softly, “Shh, loosen up, this’ll be fun!”

The loading symbol disappeared and text appeared.

Watch out. The gap in the door... it's a separate reality.

The only me is me. Are you sure the only you is you?

“Oh, fuck,” Rin said.

"This is really stupid,” Sousuke said again, a bit of an edge to his voice, now.

The screen went blank again, and then the first scene began.

"Roaches? That’s it? That’s not scary," Rei said with a cocky laugh.

"Oh, just you wait, this is nothing,” Nagisa whispered dramatically. Just as the words left his mouth, the door in the background opened slightly.

"Oooh goddamnit."

"Rin-Rin, shh, nothing has even happened yet!"

As the camera panned up, signaling the main character had stood, Haru moved the controls to look around the room.

"Don’t look behind you!" Rin half-yelled.

“Rin-Rin, SSSHHHH.”

"Shush me one more time, Hazuki, see what happens," he growled.

Sousuke jabbed Rin in the side with his elbow, “Oh, come now, this'll be fun, right?”

Rin growled under his breath, which earned him a deep chuckle from his friend.

Haru took it upon himself to walk through the open door.

Rei whistled lowly, “Wow, this may not be scary, but these graphics are to die for!” He practically swooned, “Look how real everything appears!”

"It is impressive," Haru commented stoically as he progressed through the hallway, looking around. He stopped at a clock that was situated in a small alcove, the time displayed ‘23:59’. Then, a voice that sounded as if it came from a radio began to play, relaying what seemed to be a news story detailing a father committing a gruesome triple homicide (or, really, a quadruple, if you count the unborn child) against his own family.

“What the fuck,” Rin grabbed a pillow from the couch and brought it to his chest.

Haru pressed forward and continued down the hallway, moving the camera around to view different objects. There's a table located to the left, littered with trash, a picture of a man, a lamp, and a phone that's off the hook. A window is directly ahead, so Haru turns to the right to the only evident outlet.

Rin flinched, “Fuck, dude, don't turn so quickly!”

Nagisa giggled.

The radio voice kept talking about the murderous father's apparent insanity. “Chanting to himself?” Rei asked no one in particular.

“No, don't move, no more moving,” Rin said, clutching his pillow closer.

Haru tsk-ed and kept going, fully turning down the next hall. He looked to his right and saw a closed door; it wouldn't budge. Looking forward again, a chandelier could be seen swinging slightly in what looked to be an entryway. As he approached, the radio voice getting louder, he panned the camera upward. There seemed to be a second floor, much to Rin's chagrin.

They all seemed to collectively release a breath as nothing happened.

Unable to contain himself, “Just look at how amazing this looks! It's so real. It's... it's... beautiful!” Rei was almost sparkling.

“Ryugazaki, you are strange,” Sousuke said.

“No, but look,” he scooted forward on the couch and leaned toward the TV. “The care and time that went into making this, it's incredible!”

Laughing, “Rei-chan, you are weird.”

Rei bristled at the others' lack of appreciation. How could they not realize the perfection that they were witnessing?! He shot a glare at Nagisa.

Haru focused the camera now at the nook that a skinny side table was tucked into. He looked at a picture of a happily smiling couple, some keys, various other knick knacks, and then adjusted the camera on a radio.

“Well, we know where that voice is coming from,” Sousuke said.

Turning the main character around now, Haru tried to open the front door.

“Nope,” came Nagisa's oddly cheerful voice. He was enjoying this far too much.

With nowhere else to go, Haru headed toward some stairs that looked like they might lead to a basement.

“NO. Not down, we can't,” Rin whined.

Haru huffed, “There's nowhere else to go.” Onward, he marched.

“No, no, no, NO, fuck this shit,” Rin buried his face in his pillow as Haru opened the door. He peaked over just as the door closed behind them to reveal... the same hallway they started in.

“Oh.”

Haru spoke quietly, “So that's how it's going to be...”

“This is highly illogical,” Rei said, pushing his glasses up.

“Wait, is it different? Maybe the lighting?” Sousuke asked. Despite himself, he was now fully invested in the game. (He hadn't even wanted to come to this stupid event, but Rin had insisted, and now he found he actually gave a damn. How troublesome.)

Rei inched a bit closer still, “The clock, is it the same?”

“Yeah, it said 23:59 the last time,” Nagisa said, excitedly. “Make sure you guys pay attention to every little detail, it's all important!”

“Wait, have you played this already?!” Rin asked, accusation clear in his tone.

Nagisa looked to him, befuddled, “Well, yeah, Rin-chan.”

“What the hell, Nagisa, then why are we playing it?!”

Nagisa puffed up his cheeks defensively, “I played it with my sisters,” a hint of agitation in his voice. “But that's not nearly as fun as playing it with you guys! I knew it'd be a blast with my friends!” He grinned innocently, eyes closed.

No one could resist that look. No one. Rin only grunted in response and reluctantly took his eyes back to the TV.

“It's lighter in this area than before, isn't it?” Sousuke asked. “Look around more, Nanase, at the pictures, or whatever.”

“That picture is torn!” Rei gasped, his rear now hardly on the couch cushion at all. “Oh, there are bottles all over the floor! And a potted plant! How did we miss all of this before?”

“Was that picture even there before?” Sousuke questioned.

“Fuck, stop looking for shit, I can't-” Rin stopped short and curled himself inward.

Haru proceeded down the hall. As he turned the corner, Rin sucked in a breath, but nothing happened.

“That door's shut...” Haru trailed off.

“What door?” Rin questioned. “There wasn't a door there before, right?” A door was now closed, blocking off the downward sloping stares.

“There was, but the door was open,” Nagisa stage whispered.

Haru walked closer to the new door, “Well, definitely can't get through there.” He sighed and turned the camera back around. He explored the entryway again, but nothing. As he began to approach the door closest to the telephone, it suddenly began to shake. Everyone winced.

“OH FUCK!” Rin shouted, toppling backward into the couch, but springing forward again, clasping a hand to Haru's shoulder.

Nagisa was startled and squealed, “Rin-chaaan!”

Muffled laughter could be heard coming from behind Makoto's bedroom door, “Oi! Makoto! If you're listening, then you might as well be out here!” Rin called out in irritation.

“No way!” came Mako's suppressed voice.

Haru paused the game, not wanting to miss what came next because of all the shouting.

“Hazuki, you've played this before, why are you scared?”

Pouting, “Sou-chan, don't be mean.”

“Sou...chan?” Sousuke's voice faded, eyebrows disappearing into his dark hair.

“Seriously, Nagisa, this was your idea, you don't get to be scared, especially not after experiencing it before!” Rin reached an arm behind Haru and Rei to shove the smallest boy sideways.

“That's not fair! It's still scary! I'm only human, despite my saintlike appearance,” he huffed.

Rei snorted, “Uh huh, I'd like to see a saint say half the words that flow from your mouth.”

“Snorting is very unbecoming, Rei-chan,” Nagisa chattered smugly, waggling his finger in Rei's face, “and my mouth has contained fouler than unkind words,” Nagisa finished with a wink.

Spluttering and red-faced, “N—Nagisa-kun, hush!”

Bewildered, the other three on the couch stared at the blushing Rei and a beaming Nagisa.

“Uhh, let's keep going,” Rin said, breaking the awkward silence. Haru unpaused the game, and the door continued to rattle.

“Shit,” Rin brought his knees up, with his pillow nestled between his legs and chest. “Don't go toward it!”

“We have to,” said Haru without fuss.

The door that had previously been about to fly off its hinges with the force that was pushing against it from within, suddenly stilled. Haru crept ever closer.

“Don't go toward it, idiot!!”

“Do you want to take the sticks, Rin?” Haru asked, offering the controller.

Melting back into the couch, “No,” Rin almost squeaked.

“Alright, then.” Haru moved forward, but the door remained closed. He turned to retreat to the door at the end of the stairs, but they were still blocked off. Letting out an exasperated breath, he turned once more to head toward, what he guessed was, the bathroom door again.

“That's probably a bathroom, right?” he questioned the others, looking at Nagisa for a clear-cut answer.

“Yep, that's the bathroom, alright,” Nagisa nodded earnestly, glad his friends were picking up hints on their own.

Walking on, Haru approached the restroom door. It remained unwavering, though. He turned and glanced toward the stairs again, that door was still there, too. So he took the only route left, and headed to the clock.

“What a waste of time,” Sousuke mumbled. As they reached the clock again, the numbers glowed the same as before. “It's been way more than a minute since we've been in here. Why won't midnight come?”

Frustrated, Haru walked back toward the end door for the stairs.

“Fuck, dude, that door is open now,” Rin barely breathed out.

Cautiously, the heavy footfalls of the main character reverberated through Haru's small living room.

“Nanase, try looking up right now,” Sousuke said quietly, as Haru reached the entranceway again.

“No, no, don't!” For some reason, looking up at the balcony above made Rin exceedingly uneasy. Too late, though, as Haru panned upward.

“AAHHH!” Nagisa cried out.

Rin almost jumped out of his skin as he leapt, tucked and rolled as far into the couch as he could.

Both of them started laughing hysterically when they realized, once again, nothing had happened.
Panting heavily, his abs aching, “What. The. Fuck. Nagisa! Why did you scream?!”

Wiping tears from his eyes, Nagisa said shakily through frantic giggles, “Ha, Rin-Rin, I'm sorry! I thou-” his words cut out for more laughter. “I thought I saw something flash on the screen!”

Sousuke and Rei exhaled simultaneously, as Haru continued to stare intently at the screen, seemingly unwilling to move. Their laughter continued on, a natural combatant to overwhelming fear.

Having enough, Haru decided to move on, whether they paid attention or not. No matter how hard they were laughing, however, their eyes were inevitably drawn back toward the motion.

Through grudging chuckles, and clutching his stomach, Rin kept saying, “Okay, okay—haha, okay—oh shit,” he immediately sobered as he realized Haru was about to walk through the 'basement' door again. As the door opened, Nagisa grabbed onto Rei, causing him to grunt loudly at the unexpected touch, sparking Rin to yell out, “Shit, why?!”

The three of them then started guffawing, Nagisa and Rei leaning heavily on each other as Rin turned sideways on the couch, body curving to fit around Sousuke's backside. Teal met dark sky-blue, and the only two sane ones left rolled their eyes as a sign of solidarity.

“Okay, calm down,” Haru spoke. His quiet tone held enough authority that the three flopping about immediately straightened. Their gasping breaths quieting slowly as Haru froze the game's movement at the beginning of the first hallway.

“Alright, let's go,” Sousuke said, all determination. “Look, what's different,” they came upon the clock, “Same time, nothing seems to have changed he-”

“Sshhh! Listen, do you hear that?” Nagisa said, as banging could be heard.

Rin hunched forward, his feet back on the ground, “It's the bathroom door, we're not gonna go there!”

“We have to, it's the only way to the end,” Rei said.

“NO! DON'T turn around, dude!” Rin crowed, as the camera had suddenly zoomed behind them. Haru leveled him with his deadpan stare, “Look, I don't care what you do, just don't turn around!” Rin whined, looking every bit the part of a kicked puppy.

“Tch, I'll have to turn around at some point, there's no avoiding it with this limited map,” Haru said unemotionally. Continuing, “You don't want me to turn, and you don't want me to walk passed the bathroom door, so I should just stand here? Stupid...”

Rin glowered but stayed quiet. Progressing, as he turned the corner, Nagisa sucked in a breath.

“What is it, Nagisa-kun? You know something is about to happen, don't you?”

“Ah, to be honest, it all starts to run together after awhile... but yeah, something will happen soon,” Nagisa said, bringing his legs up to criss-cross under his small body.

“There are roaches crawling around the bathroom door,” Sousuke breathed, voice hardly audible to anyone but Rin.

Rin looked at his friend to see how intently he was focused on the TV screen. In spite of his nagging fear, he couldn't fight the happiness he felt because Sousuke had eventually agreed to join him. He knew that given the right opportunity, his Iwatobi friends and Sousuke would get along quite nicely. This was... an odd bonding experience, but apparently a very good one.

If only Makoto would come out to join us, Rin thought. He frowned slightly to himself, but decided to give his attention to the screen once more, as they still hadn't moved from observing the bathroom door.

Just then, Haru pressed the joystick forward. As soon as they had almost passed the bathroom door, a quick succession of knocks sounded, making Rin yell out. Quickly backing up, Haru focused again on the bathroom door.

“Don't dude, no!” Haru inched closer to the door, “Fuck me, NO, stop! Haru!” Rin half shouted, half cackled. Rei and Nagisa tittered along. Sousuke reeled Rin back in, with a firm hand to his shoulder.

Restroom door not budging, Haru stayed put for a moment. A muffled voice could be heard.

“Is... that someone crying?” Rin questioned, eyes narrowed toward the screen.

“Sounds like someone moaning,” stated Rei.

Nothing more seemed to happen, other than the otherworldly cries, so Haru persisted toward the downstairs door. As they passed through, everyone simultaneously exhaled as they were met with the first hallway.

“It's like a one way portal... or something,” Rei commented. He looked pensive for a moment, “'The gap in the door... it's a separate reality,'” he quoted. “However, this isn't a gap in the door, its just a door.”

“Just a mother, fucking door,” Rin scowled.

Sousuke chuckled at his friend, but added, “I think that quote's referring to the very first door we went through.”

Everyone quieted then, watching the screen seriously, but Haru didn't move. No one was willing to tell him to do so, not yet. They seemed to have all come to a silent agreement that this was the safest place. Of course, staying here meant no advancement.

Eventually, Haru trudged on.

“The lighting is different,” Rei said in awe, obviously still captivated by the game's graphics and attention to detail.

“The lighting keeps changing slightly between loops,” Haru said.

Nagisa turned to look at his friends and grinned broadly, “I'm so proud of you guys!”

“Shut up, Nagisa,” Rin said through gritted teeth.

“Hush, Nagisa-kun,” Rei admonished at the same time.

Nothing could dampen the small ball of sunshine that was Nagisa, though, so he just sat back and enjoyed the ride while he could, smile still lingering on his face.

Stopping at the clock, the camera panned around to observe the pictures that hung on the wall.

“Wait, there's text on the screen!” Sousuke said, a shiver running down his spine as he read the words.

My voice, can you hear it?

The sign, can you read it?

I'll wait forever if you'll just come to me.

“Fuck, no, NO, nope, I'm done. Makoto, here I come, this shit sucks,” Rin made to stand but Sousuke's large hand once again found the redhead's shoulder and roughly pulled him back to the couch.

“No fucking way, you dragged me here, against my will, I'll be damned if you leave me out here like that.”

The glare and furrowed brows of Sousuke were forces to be reckoned with.

“Tch, I know, I know... ugh, fine,” Rin nearly sniveled and sat back down. Shifting to get comfortable again, he grimaced, “God, the ambient sounds in this game are maddening.”

It was true; Every little creak, knock, skitter, step, raindrop in the game... it was all completely immersive and extremely unsettling. The atmosphere back in Haru and Mako's living room had taken on a much darker feeling and all five young men were feeling jittery, although some showed it more than others.

Just as Haru was about to move again, the sound of door creaking open made all five of them jump. It wasn't until they saw a stream of light hit the TV monitor, that they realized Makoto had been the source of the disturbance.

“God damn it, Makoto, you cannot just go opening doors! Either join us, or stay put in your room!” Rin whimpered. Even as the words left his mouth, he knew they were unreasonable (this was Makoto's home, after all), but he was on edge. More than that, he was beside himself with fright.

Makoto shuffled in place uneasily, “I—I, well, um... I hate being scared, you all know that. But I...” he crossed his right arm to grasp at his left elbow. He seemed to be deep in thought, but then his mouth opened like a floodgate, “I couldn't resist reading up on this game and being in my room alone after just looking at screen shots a-and... and I don't want to be alone, but I can't do this, but my curiosity has gotten the better of me, and I want to know how it ends, but I can't an—and...” he paused and took a deep breath. “Maybe we could just play MK 8, instead?” He offered weakly. His rushed words brought a light red flush clear up to his ears.

I should have put headphones on, Makoto thought bitterly to himself as he looked at their slack-jawed expressions. Hindsight was 20/20, though, so he had unintentionally overheard everything that had occurred thus far.

As much as Makoto loathed being scared, once his interest was piqued in a story, scary or not, he struggled to fight his own (oftentimes sadistic) curiosity. In no small part was this due to his past experiences at slumber parties, when it was inevitable that everyone wanted to watch scary movies. He'd always be the last one up, suffering alone, cowering into his sleeping bag as the story unfolded before his terrified eyes. Many sleepless nights always followed his nights away from home, causing his mother to threaten banning him from partaking in them at all.

“Tachibana.”

Makoto was shaken out of his reverie by the sound of Sousuke's bass tones, the silky voice seemed to sink into Mako's skin. Sousuke couldn't quite meet his shadowed eyes, instead, focusing on the dust particles that danced in the beam of light that leaked from behind the tall backstroke swimmer.

Sousuke sighed, “Join us. It seems like you've been a part of this from the beginning, anyway, and there's strength in numbers.”

Thankful for his backlighting, Makoto's previously light flush, had turned into a full blown blush at the teal-eyed man's words.

Haru followed quickly, “Makoto, bring your computer, help us beat this.”

“Yeah, then you'll at least have a distraction, right?” Rin said. His confident voice and lop-sided grin were belied by his white-knuckled grip he held to his beloved pillow.

“Makoto-senpai, it's only a game.”

“Mako-chan, pleeease?” Nagisa thrust his bottom lip out and his eyes glittered.

Dropping his head, he turned back into his room, and could hear a collective groan from the group on the couch. However, he didn't shut his door. Instead, after a beat, he reemerged with his laptop in hand, rounded the couch and took the only available seat next to Sousuke.

“Yay, Mako-chan!” Nagisa cheered. “Oh, but you have to turn your light off!”

Makoto swallowed thickly, “Ah, haha, silly me.” He refrained from moving, though.

Sousuke glanced sideways at the apprehensive brunet, “I got it.” He stood and turned the light off in Makoto's room, but not before taking a quick look. Neat and tidy, he observed, though there were a few stray pieces of clothing on the floor. No one's perfect, he smiled slightly to himself.

As he came back around the couch, he stood to Makoto's right, “Scoot over, I'll sit here.”

Feeling the familiar burn at the tips of his ears, Makoto couldn't help the way his heart flipped at the simple gesture. Sliding himself closer to Rin, Sousuke took his previous spot on the side of the couch that protruded closer to the television, not looking anywhere else but at the screen. Rin and Haru exchanged questioning glances.

“Let's get going!” Nagisa breathed excitedly.

“Shiiit, I'm not ready,” Rin spread his legs ever so slightly so that his left touched Haru's and his right bumped into Makoto's.

Instinctively leaning into Rin's contact, Makoto missed the gaze Sousuke gave them as he observed the pair. The taller's leg lightly grazed Makoto's other knee then.

Thinking it was his fault for the 'accidental' interaction, Makoto looked sheepishly toward Sousuke, “Sorry.”

“You're fine,” Sousuke responded, promptly regretting his choice of words as he felt a blush grace the apple's of his cheeks. “I mean- uh, it's fine, don't worry about it.”

Heat crept up Makoto's chest, a feeling he knew all too well this night. Almost without thinking, he nudged his leg closer to Sousuke's.

It felt like his mouth had completely dried, as if it turned into a barren wasteland. Trying hard not to think about anything that was happening around him, Makoto opened his computer and pulled up the window that contained the P.T. walkthrough he'd been reading earlier. Hearing Nagisa's disgruntled puff of air, he dimmed the screen as much as he could.

He had to lean forward to read the words on his screen, causing his legs to push further outward. It may have been his overactive imagination, but he thought he heard Sousuke take a deep breath. Makoto was certain he'd have permanently pink cheeks after this night.

Begrudgingly, his eyes were drawn to the TV screen. Haru still navigating, he walked toward the stairs. Turning the corner, they all subconsciously leaned inward, squishing themselves around Haru. Makoto hardly able to contain his anxiety, suppressed a whimper. There was no strange occurrence, though, so they walked on.

Getting closer to the stairs, their access door swung shut slowly, eerily groaning on its hinges. Mako sucked in a sharp breath, murmuring silently, “Fuck, no.”

Sousuke, a bemused expression on his face, glanced at Makoto out the corner of his eye. He never thought he'd hear this quiet, beatific man say such a thing, and felt an acute thrill run through the pit of his stomach. It seemed no one else had heard what he had said, though, or else they weren't unfamiliar with Makoto's tendency to curse when under stress.

It could also be because Rin had let out a low groan simultaneously, “Shit, why are we doing this?” His voice carried more than Makoto's.

Interesting, Sousuke thought.

Haru stayed put, focused on the door that had just closed before him. They all heard another door squeak open, Haru turned the camera around.

“That's the bathroom!” Rei gasped. “The bathroom door just opened!”

“Thanks, Sherlock, we didn't realize,” Sousuke remarked snidely as he turned toward the other men on the couch.

Nagisa had looped an arm through Rei's. Rin huddled as close to Haru as possible, and Makoto had his face all but buried behind Rin's back, his long legs slipping behind Sousuke's bare feet as he leaned to blanket himself from the impending doom.

Resisting both the urge to pull Makoto toward him, and his own absurd jealousy, Sousuke slid his eyes back to the screen and chastised himself, What is there to be jealous of, stupid?

“Nanase, you have to move,” he bit out, sounding a little too bitter.

“Right,” Haru's quiet voice was audibly strained. He'd stopped moving as soon as they had turned to see the door open.

At a snail's pace, Haruka crept on, noting that besides himself and Sousuke, no one had both eyes directed toward the game.

“No! Don't! He shot that girl in the bathroom!” Rin said abruptly.

Rei added, “There's more roaches!”

Makoto gulped, “What girl?!”

“I thought you read up on this, Makoto-senpai?!” Rei spoke loudly, his voice a bit stifled as he tried to shimmy his way behind Nagisa.

“I thought you said this was just a game, Rei!” Makoto fired back with a shaky laugh, eyes meeting Rei's that were wide as saucers. Makoto's face was pale as he pulled himself from behind Rin, “ And I—well, I... I did some research, kind of, but I skimmed most of it. I told you the screenshots were scary enough as it was!”

Sousuke bent over a bit to look at Makoto's computer. Indeed, photos of a deranged, ghoulish lady's face could be seen pressed up close to the camera.

Looking up to the brunet, “Why would you actively search for this?”

Eyes cast downward at the black coffee table in front of the couch, Makoto spoke, almost choking on his own words, “I-I can't help it.”

“Tch, for not being able to deal with fear, you sure put yourself through a lot of unnecessary grief.”

Makoto sulked, “Yeah, well, it's a bad habit, I guess.”

“It'll be okay, Mako-chan, we're all here for you!” Nagisa's exuberance could not be tamed.

While all of this went on, no one realized how close Haru had moved to the newly opened door. Closer still, he ambled, finally the movement caught the others' eyes.

“No, Haru, wa-” Makoto's cry was too late, though, as Haru had zoomed in to look through the crack of the door.

Startlingly, an arm and pale, sneering, mangled face of a person could be seen as it reached to slam the door shut again. A flurry of movements happened at once, as all six men reacted with various shouts, swears, and barks of fright.

“The fuck was that?!” Rin said, breath uneven.

“Fuck me, oh my god, nooo,” Makoto hollered, his computer flew from his lap to the floor as he cringed backward.

His sudden exclamation must have broke everyone out of their momentary fear, as all eyes turned to him for a split second, before they heard the door blocking the stairs swing open again.

Nagisa, now beside himself in a fit of giggles, choked out, “Ha-Ma-Mako-chan! Haha, oh my god, what did you just say?!”

Makoto's face, now beet-red, was hidden behind his massive hands and he grumbled, “Nothing.”

Why am I doing this? he rebuked himself. Makoto was embarrassed, anxious, and unbelievably angry with himself. He knew this wasn't real, he knew he was perfectly safe, but he couldn't help the unmitigated fear that had already enveloped him, and he'd only been sitting there for a bare five minutes.

Almost as if he could read his thoughts, Sousuke leaned in and whispered, “Hey,” Makoto met his eyes, “You just witnessed the worst thing that has happened so far, it's okay to be scared.”

A shiver ran down his spine that had nothing to do with fright, “Ah, really? Th-thanks, Yamazaki-kun.” Realizing how close their faces were, Makoto pulled away bashfully.

Sousuke felt a small flash of heat in his stomach. Without speaking further, he picked Makoto's computer up from the floor and examined it. It didn't appear to have sustained any damage, so he placed it on the coffee table.

I guess no one has seen this side of Tachibana, yet, Sousuke's lip twitched, thinking of how lucky he was to be experiencing a new aspect of Makoto with everyone else that had known him for so long.

Haru hadn't moved since the door had brusquely shut in their faces.

“Haru-chan, time to move on!”

“I can't.”

“What do you mean you 'can't'?” Rin asked incredulously.

“I don't want to. Someone else take over,” he proffered the controller to no one in particular. No one accepted. “Nagisa, you already know what will happen, you control.”

“No way, Haru-chan, I can't!” Nagisa frantically waved his arms.

“Rei?”

Rei looked uneasy, “Um, n-no, that's okay, Haruka-senpai, I'm good.”

Throughout this exchange, a baby could be heard crying.

“This is the worst loop yet,” Rei gasped, clenching his and Nagisa's arms closer to himself.

Disgruntled now, Haru shoved the controller at Rin, “Hell no, Sousuke, you do it.” Snatching the controller from Haru, Rin placed it in Sousuke's face.

Sousuke, who was still rattled from his exchange with Makoto, grabbed the controller angrily, “Fine.”

Without hesitation, he moved down the stairs, but stopped to look down behind him. They hadn't observed the stairs themselves, yet. He heard Rin and Makoto suck in hurried breaths, both of them hunching together.

“Good, Sou-chan!” Just as Nagisa spoke, Sousuke pressed R3 to focus the camera near the bottom of the stairs, and brief, white text in a foreign language flashed across the screen.

“Fu-What was that?!” Rin asked as he hid behind Haru.

“It's a picture piece!” Nagisa said, exhilarated.

“To the torn picture from earlier?”

“Yes, Rei-chan!” Nagisa bear-hugged Rei, so proud of his observational skills.

Sousuke, hardly reacting, moved through the loop door. Straightaway they could hear sobbing, and subtle music that had all of their hairs standing on end. Wandering toward the clock, still at 23:59, Sousuke looked at the destroyed picture that was now a little more complete. Turning all around the small alcove, fighting his illogical urge to flee, he kept pressing R3, hoping to find more pieces to the puzzle. Nothing happened, though, until he finally turned to the tall, potted plant. More white, foreign text flashed on the screen, eliciting wheezes and yelps from the group.

Sousuke chuckled grimly, barely able to keep his discomfort at bay, the unending weeping ebbing on his nerves. He looked to the clock again, and then pressed R3, concentrating on the trash pieces down below, no white text, but the same red, scrambled image appeared on the screen, letting them know they'd found yet another piece.

Looking again at the defaced portrait, it was clear now that it was of a woman.

“That's all for this area,” Nagisa whispered, now almost desperately clinging to Rei.

“We have to complete the picture?” came Sousuke's gruff voice.

Nagisa nodded minimally. He realized no one acknowledged his marginal movement, and cleared his hoarse throat, “Ah, it's debatable, honestly, if you have to, or not, but the general consensus seems to be yes.”

“Helpful,” grunted Sousuke. Steadily moving onward, Sousuke nearly jumped when he felt Makoto's foot curl around his ankle, toes rubbing upward into Sousuke's sweatpants. His breath hitched as he willed himself not to look at the soft-eyed man next to him. Judging from Makoto's lack of response, Sousuke wasn't even sure the guy realized what he was doing. He paused just before turning the corner to the next hallway, heart pounding.

As he stood stalled, the crying continued. Everyone waited with bated breath, goosebumps arising on all their skin, yet two of them were lost in their own world, experiencing a shudder of a different kind.

“Sousuke, move!” Rin demanded. Oh, he detested being scared, nearly as much as Makoto, but the suspense was killing him.

Stunned from his shock of Makoto's touch, he quickly turned to face the next hallway.

“SHIT!” Makoto exclaimed.

Then everyone screamed, limbs flailing every which way. A tall, looming figure stood beneath the chandelier and Sousuke rapidly retreated back toward the clock. The breath was knocked out of him, almost making him yell out again, as Makoto tackled him down into the couch, concealing his face in Sousuke's broad back.

Frozen in place, no one dared move. Rei and Nagisa were wrapped around each other. Haru looked to the floor, clutching Rin who had hunched himself over in Haru's lap. Sousuke's eyes were closed as he gripped Makoto's left arm that snaked around his waist, the other boy's slightly smaller form spooned behind him. The unearthly cries and moans still sounded from the TV speakers, chilling them all to the bone.

“M-Mario Kart?” Rei suggested feebly.

“Mario Kart,” the rest said in unison.

Without hesitation, Haru reached across Rin and Makoto to wrench the controller from Sousuke's limp hand. He turned the PS4 off, switched from HDMI1 to HDMI2, turned the WiiU on with the gamepad, then everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Nagisa,” Rin said weakly. “Did you and your sisters finish that game?”

Nagisa shifted uncomfortably, untangling his limbs from Rei, “Well, I didn't... that, uh... that same scare is what made me quit.”

Rin sat up abruptly, and launched his protective pillow at Nagisa's head, “Idiot! Why would you make us go through this if you couldn't handle it yourself?!”

“It's a bonding experience!”

Haru held Rin back from lunging toward the blond. Nagisa, Rei, and Makoto all laughed tensely.

Sousuke was hyper aware of Makoto's breath on the back of his neck, all of his muscles going taut in response. His eyes remained tightly closed as he tried to burn this moment into his memory forever.

Having sensed the change in Sousuke, Makoto suddenly sat upright, face blazing.

“Sorry,” he murmured.

Sousuke opened his eyes to see Makoto's extended hand. Taking it gratefully, dutifully ignoring the hint of a spark that passed between their clasped hands, he allowed Makoto to pull him up into a sitting position. His face almost matched the pretty shade of Makoto's cherry-red cheeks.

They swiftly released their grip and avoided each other's eyes. Haru stood, stumbling passed Rei's long legs to flip the kitchen light switch on. The sudden flood of light had them all squinting.

As Haruka took his seat again, he started up Mario Kart 8, and they all left their fears behind them for the time being.
___________________

After many races, playful shoves, and angry words exchanged, the group slowly dwindled. Haru retired to his room, soon followed by Rin who had a futon waiting for him on Haru's floor. Then, Nagisa and Rei made themselves comfortable on the living room floor behind the couch with a bundle of blankets. None of them had felt at ease enough to make their treks home in the dark.

That left only Sousuke and Makoto, battling it out with other players online, into the wee hours of the night.

“Tachibana, I'm going to throttle you,” Sousuke growled as Makoto pummeled his kart with a red shell, surpassing him at the last moment for first place.

“Ah, Sou-chan, don't be that way,” Makoto laughed, mocking him with his best impression of Nagisa. “You should have held onto that green shell a bit longer.”

Sousuke let out a hiss of breath as he roughly bumped into Makoto, knocking him sideways. The other just giggled on.

“You're a bad loser, Yamazaki-kun.”

“Yeah, well, you're not exactly an elegant winner,” Sousuke complained. His voice must have been too loud, as they heard Rei or Nagisa stir in their sleep.

Makoto shushed him, making Sousuke roll his eyes. The action made him realize how tired his eyes were, though. He could feel them heavy with exhaustion. He looked at his phone for the time, “Wow, we should sleep, it's three in the morning.”

Makoto tensed at his words, “Yeah... yeah, you're right.”

The brunet made no effort to move, however. Sousuke turned to look at him, noting Makoto's queasy visage.

“Are you alright?”

Flinching back to reality, Makoto said hurriedly, “Oh! Yeah, no, I'm fine. Will you be okay on the couch? We have plenty of extra blankets,” he finished with a small, masked smile. Standing to retrieve said blankets, he was pulled back down gently by a steady hand.

Hesitantly, Sousuke reached up to grab his chin and forced him to look him in the face, “Are you really okay? Are you still scared?”

Warmth spread through Makoto at Sousuke's touch and whispered words. Casting emerald eyes down, he spoke timidly, “I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. I'll be okay, though, nothing I haven't dealt with before.” He finished in trepidation with another careful smile as he lifted heavy-lidded eyes to meet darkened turquoise.

How easily he brushed off his own needs, his own weaknesses, how easily he placed that mask of careless cheer... it made Sousuke's heart ache. So badly he wanted to wrap this man up in his arms, this man that was nearly as sizable as he was.

Instead, he asked, “How about I sleep on your floor, is that okay?”

Makoto's eyes widened, “Yamazaki-ku—“

“Sousuke.”

“S-Sousuke,” Makoto swallowed with difficulty, “thank you, but you don't have to, I don't want to be a bother. The couch is much more comfortable than my floor.”

“Then I'll share the bed with you.”

His words hung in the air heavily, swirling around them, making both parties dizzy. They'd flown from his mouth fluidly, without hesitation, without thinking. Now, though, as he really thought about what he'd just said, he removed his hand from Makoto's face and angled his body away from the other.

“I mean, uh, sorry, I just-”

Soft, full lips brushing his burning cheek stopped him short. Stunned, he glanced at Makoto.

“If that's okay with you, I wouldn't mind,” those adorable, droopy eyes were shining brightly back at him. His heart gave a painful thud.

“Oh,” he replied stupidly. Wanting desperately to drive his forehead into the coffee table, he cleared his throat, stuttering out, “Oh, okay, well, yeah. Great.”

Makoto was kind enough to stifle any laughter. Standing slowly, he walked passed Sousuke to turn the kitchen light off, then back to turn the game system and television off. Grabbing hold of Sousuke's hand, he hoisted him off the couch with little effort. Haru and Makoto were lucky enough to have an apartment on the outside wall of the building, so the window and clear night sky allowed them to make their way to his room without stomping all over Nagisa or Rei.

Once inside, Makoto dropped his hand to shut the door. He hadn't even realized they'd still been connected, he'd been so dazed from Makoto's easy acceptance to his offer of sharing a bed.

Feet lightly padding across the carpeted floor, Makoto turned his bedside lamp on. Nervous tension permeated throughout the small room as soon as they could see each other clearly.

Makoto shuffled his weight from one foot to the other as he crossed his arms over his wide chest. “Um, the bathroom is there if you want to make yourself more comfortable,” he gestured to one of two closed doors. “I've got a spare toothbrush for you, if you'd like.”

“You're very generous, and far too caring, you know.”

Chuckling softly, “Bad habit, I guess,” he echoed his words from earlier that night with a sweet smile.

Sousuke's heart fluttered and despite himself, his lips quirked upward, “Take care of yourself first, for once, will you? I'll wait.”

The shock that flitted over Makoto's features had Sousuke genuinely smiling. Someone should take care of you, too, you idiot, he thought, surprising himself. What's gotten into me?!

Touched, Makoto's eyes brimmed. He blinked rapidly a few times and averted his gaze to his nightstand, “You should smile more. It's nice. It suits you well.”

The change of subject had Sousuke in a stupor. Why? Why does Makoto affect him this way? It's as if his brain had turned to mush and drained down his spinal cord, releasing warmth and a multitude of other, unnamed feelings coursing through his nerves.

Clearly, they weren't getting anywhere with this, so he moved closer to Makoto to latch onto his hand and escorted him into the bathroom, “Guess we'll just do this together, then.” He easily located the light and faced Makoto. They were much too close.

The air in the room was energized. They stared at one another a little too long, before Makoto broke the trance. He reached for and rummaged around in a drawer.

“Ah, here it is!” he handed an unopened toothbrush to Sousuke.

Voice coming out huskier than he'd anticipated, “Thank you, Makoto.” Their hands brushed with the exchange, shooting a current through both of their arms.

Their eyes were locked, he coughed lightly, but his voice still sounded deeper to his own ears, “You're welcome, Sousuke.”

Mako had to stop himself from shuddering. Had to stop himself from reacting to the sound of Sousuke's voice. Had to stop himself from diving for the other man's face. Had to stop himself from acting rashly, because what if this was all just in his head? Stupid, he knew it wasn't, it'd been happening all night, but he had to just... stop himself.

Once again, he broke their staring match. He snatched up his own toothbrush and the toothpaste, squeezing a bit on the bristles, then set the tube down on the counter for Sousuke to grab, not wanting to risk touching him again. He didn't know how much longer he could control himself. God, how are we supposed to sleep in the same bed?

As they brushed their teeth, neither one made any effort for further eye contact. They took turns rinsing their mouths, and then Makoto excused himself to his room, allowing Sousuke time to relieve himself in private, saying he'd do the same once Sousuke was done.

Alone, finally, Sousuke eyed himself in the mirror, wondering just what the fuck was going on. Was Makoto not feeling the same things he was? That goddamn electricity that their bodies created with the simplest touch? Hadn't he just kissed his cheek? Almost unbearably frustrated, he did his business and washed his hands, willing himself not to think of what was (or was not) to come. Exiting the restroom, he found Makoto perched on the edge of his bed, dressed in an overly large white v-neck and dark blue pajama bottoms.

“Your turn,” he said, trying hard to not have any identifiable inflection in his tone of voice. He didn't want to make Makoto uncomfortable, and he definitely didn't want him to feel like he'd done something wrong.

Makoto gave him a sort of half-hearted smile, as he stood gracefully and walked passed him, again, being careful not to make any bodily contact.

The door shut behind him, Makoto let out a muffled groan as he leant his back against it. Damn was this difficult. He hadn't felt this affected by anyone in his entire life. He'd never expected to feel this way toward Sousuke. Why now? Would this have happened if they'd interacted more when they were younger? It has to just be hormones, right? It had been awhile since he'd been with anyone, after all. He sighed and hurriedly went about the rest of his nighttime bathroom routine. Lastly, he washed his hands and face, willing the deep red of his cheeks to disappear before reentering his room.

Opening the door, he was greeted by a shirtless Sousuke, sitting much like he had been earlier at the edge of his bed. His heart palpitated wildly, and he reached up to nervously push his dampened hair out of his eyes. This time, he knew he didn't imagine the way Sousuke's pupils dilated.

“I didn't know which side to take,” Sousuke's deep, soothing voice shot fire to his belly.

He couldn't stand it anymore. He walked slowly, almost prowling, to where Sousuke sat, pulling his shirt over his head. He spoke quietly, his voice gravelly, “I don't think it's going to matter.”

The flash of desire in those turquoise depths nearly had him spiraling out of control. Sousuke replied, voice low, dangerous, “Why are you holding back?”

Makoto was undone.

Their lips met hungrily, hands flitting, flying, and teasing against muscled skin. Makoto pushed Sousuke back onto his queen-sized bed and crawled over him, demanding more.

His hands on either side of his head, knees straddling his thighs, he was purposefully hovering just above Sousuke's body. It was driving Sousuke mad. He wanted to feel him, all of him, right now. Attempting to arch into him, Makoto moved a hand to grip his hip, forcing his lower body back down onto the soft bed.

Growling, Sousuke bit at Makoto's lower lip and sucked, earning him a hiss and a guttural moan from the brunet.

Makoto pulled back and smirked down at him. “Have some patience,” he teased, leaning down to lick languidly at Sousuke's neck.

“I've been patient, all night, Tachibana,” he all but snarled, trying to reach for the back of his head, but Makoto pinned his hand to the pillow beneath him.

“Tachibana? What happened to calling me Makoto?” his hot breath fanned over Sousuke's ear, sending infuriatingly pleasurable shivers down his spine.

“That was before I knew you were such a tease,” Sousuke breathed out restlessly, as just then Makoto had allowed the barest hint of contact at their chests. “What happened to that sweet, frightened kitten from the living room?”

Makoto laughed quietly, pulling himself up again to look into Sousuke's eyes, “You've awoken something in me, it seems. I don't have to be scared with you, Sousuke.”

Those words snapped something in him. He couldn't take it anymore. Tangling his legs in Makoto's and using his free arm, he flipped them so that he was on top. His previously pinned hand now clutching Makoto's to the bed below them.

That sweet gasp that left those perfect, angelic lips was exquisite music to his ears. He had half a mind to tease Makoto, he surely deserved it, but he was ravenous. Too far gone to hold himself back anymore. He ground his hips down into Makoto's. He relished in the way those green eyes closed, the way that beautiful face turned to the side to nuzzle wantonly into the pillow, the way those wonderfully muscled hips bucked up into his.

Leaning down, he nibbled and sucked at Makoto's neck, working his way slowly but purposefully from side to side, up and down, from his collarbones, to his ears, to his lips, and back down to his neck again. Little marks were already visible upon Makoto's tanned skin. He kept a steady rhythm with his grinding hips.

“Mmm, Sousuke.”

Makoto's low whine had him positively drowning in his own need, and he crashed his lips back down to his, lips parting and tongues battling for control.

Turning his head to the side, Makoto said more persistently, “Sousuke... please.”

God, Sousuke could have exploded right there and then. “Please what? Tell me what you want, Makoto,” he said playfully, as he bent to catch one of Makoto's nipples in his mouth.

Makoto arched into him. “Oh, you're going to tease me now?” he asked breathlessly, the barest hint of amusement in his voice. He couldn't keep talking, though, as Sousuke dragged his skillful tongue across his chest to tend to his other nipple, eliciting a gasp.

Sousuke smirked, taking great care to memorize every facial expression and every tiny noise Makoto made in response to him and his actions.

Makoto's eyes fluttered open as Sousuke released his nipple and placed wet, open-mouthed kisses up his chest. The fierce look in Makoto's eyes was mesmerizing. How had he gotten so lucky as to see this side of the usually gentle giant? To see the kitten replaced by a ferocious lion?

“Pants. Off.” Makoto bit out hoarsely.

Who knew Tachibana Makoto was a tease and exceptionally demanding in the bedroom?

More than happy to oblige, Sousuke easily removed his loose sweatpants, kicking them carelessly to the floor. He shifted to lie on his side, allowing Makoto space to remove his pajama bottoms and both pairs of eyes were instantly drawn to the other's crotch. A short moment of silence passed before they both started laughing, as they had on matching red boxer briefs.

Makoto nuzzled his forehead into Sousuke's, full of mirth. Then, his eyes flew open.

The sharp realization of how blissful he felt in this moment hit him like a tidal wave. It was staggering, overwhelming. He looked to Sousuke and saw his own feelings reflecting back at him in those handsome, blue pools. A moment of silent wonder passed between them, as they stared, breaths labored.

Makoto shakily reached a hand to gingerly cup the other's cheek and whispered, “Where have you been?”

Sousuke's eyes widened minimally, and all at once, their earlier frenzy was forgotten. Leaning forward, he gave the faintest brush of his lips over Makoto's, both pairs of eyes remaining open as they studied each other.

“I...” he trailed off. He couldn't find the words. Nothing he could think of could do his turbulent emotions justice. How right this felt, how perfect it felt to be in Makoto's arms, in Makoto's bed. Makoto... what did Sousuke even know about him? Flicking his eyes back and forth between Makoto's, he tried hard to remember all that Rin had told him about his Iwatobi friends. He could kick himself for not paying closer attention to Rin's ramblings. Somehow, though, he knew none of that mattered, and that thought both confused and terrified him.

Sousuke's musings were cut short as Makoto gave him a soft smile and ran his fingers through jet-black hair. Slowly, he pressed his lips against Sousuke's, the hand tangled in his hair moved down to rest at the nape of his neck. Every touch stoked the slowly burning embers deep within them.

Quivering, Sousuke released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. All his worries vanished. A small smile lit up his face, and his voice was hoarse as he spoke almost without thinking, letting his heart take over, “It took me awhile, but I finally found you again.”

Green eyes shone with unshed tears, Makoto laughed quietly, “Sousuke... we're home, huh?”

“Yeah,” he breathed, kissing Mako's forehead. “I missed you.”

Makoto hummed and twined his legs with Sousuke's, “I know, I missed you, too.”