Chapter Text
Chapter 3
Several days had passed since Haruka had last seen Makoto and he didn’t know how much more he could endure before he gave in to all the chaos. With most of the part-timers taking off to prepare for the college entrance exams, Haruka and the other employees were forced to work at the restaurant every day in order to pick up their slack. It was incredibly frustrating. His shift hours kept fluctuating, and between that and his early morning art classes at the local college, he hadn’t any time to message Makoto back, let alone visit him.
There just never seemed to be an opportune time and the irony of his situation wasn’t lost on him. Especially after he had acknowledged the conveniences of living in small towns and how it had granted him the chance to meet Makoto again. But whatever luck he had stumbled upon wasn’t helping him now. Clearly, it was up to him to shape out his own opportunities, regardless of the constant hurdles his job and his college professors threw his way.
And he tried frantically to find other ways to work around those obstacles too, from rushing through his assignments to bartering with Chef Sasabe to let him leave early, but his plans always fell through.
So he waited, biding his time until the next opportunity would reveal itself. Though there were days that were especially hard. Like when Haruka would leave early in the morning and pass by the flower shop, wondering if Makoto had already started getting his siblings up and ready for school. Thinking about Makoto didn’t just end there either, as Haruka was constantly plagued by thoughts of the brunet throughout the day. Several pages of his sketchbook were filled with hurried drawings of Makoto and he’d caught himself numerous times doodling on spare napkins with his pen at work.
It seemed that no matter where he went or what he did, Makoto’s bright smile would follow along with him and so Haruka forced himself into his studies and his work. Anything really, if it meant that he could keep his hands and mind busy until he was able to find a solution.
~
After confirming the inventory with Chef Sasabe, Haruka emerged from the stockroom and spotted two familiar faces sitting at the table by the front, bay windows. Rei and Nagisa sat on the same side of the table, both still in their uniforms, and their study guides and books set out before them. The tea and cakes they had ordered in the meantime were pushed into the middle of the table, much to Nagisa’s apparent disappointment. Haruka suspected that Rei had insisted on waiting to eat or drink anything until they had reviewed a little more for their upcoming exams. Or, in Nagisa’s case, pretending to study while listlessly staring into space in order to get Rei to stop bugging him.
Oblivious to Nagisa’s antics, Rei continued droning on and the blond propped his head on his hand, nodding along dutifully for appearance’s sake. Though he appeared bored out of his mind, he didn’t voice any complaints. Even as his eyes rolled and his patience strained enough that he looked like he wanted to make a face. He kept glancing at the cakes too, as if he were debating on whether or not he could move fast enough to sneak a bite. But before Nagisa could give in to any sugar urges, his gaze strayed, and he spotted Haruka walking over to their table.
“Haru-chan, over here!” the blond exclaimed, immediately perking up and waving one of the menus around excitedly, reminding Haruka of a matador trying to entice a bored bull.
“Nagisa-kun, behave!” Rei scolded, but Nagisa continued to swat the menu around, almost knocking off his glasses. After several attempts, Rei finally managed to snatch the menu away and slide it across the table so it would be out of Nagisa’s reach. “You’re causing a disturbance. The management will force us to leave if you don’t pipe down,” he said, trying to shush the other with a finger poised in front of his mouth.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry! Haru-chan won’t let them kick us out,” Nagisa insisted, smiling sweetly even as he continued speaking at the same voice level, much to his boyfriend’s dismay.
Those two haven’t changed, Haruka mused, regarding them both as he crossed his arms over his chest. They’re as rowdy as ever. He turned his head and shifted his gaze to Nagisa. “Looks like you’re working hard,” he said, motioning toward the book with a jut of his chin.
“Eheheh,” Nagisa giggled nervously, averting his eyes from Haruka’s bland stare. He had been caught. “Well, in order to get into the same college as Rei-chan, I have to! Though, he could have chosen a school with a higher acceptance rate,” he griped, huffing and swinging his arms around unhappily. “I’m wasting away my youth with all this studying.” Pursing his lips, he turned to confront his boyfriend and rubbed at the slightly discolored patches of skin under his eyes. “Look, Rei-chan, I’m getting bags!”
“It’s too late to change your mind at this point. You’ve already registered for the entrance exam and the fee is nonrefundable,” Rei reminded him, expression full of exasperation. He tapped the book in front of them expectantly. “If you review the material as I’ve advised, you’re guaranteed to pass.”
Nagisa groaned and slid his hands down his face. “I know. Guess there’s no helping it,” he sighed and nudged the book away from him like it was a detestable insect in favor of stealing a forkful of Rei’s desert. “The things I do for love…” he muttered as he took a large bite, ignoring his boyfriend’s indignant and flustered squawk of “Nagisa-kun! That’s, That’s-”
“Don’t be so upset. A little indirect kiss from sharing food is nothing compared to what we’ve already done.”
Rei gaped at him, looking completely scandalized but no matter how many times his mouth opened and closed, he couldn’t find anything to say and eventually dropped his head into his hands, hiding most of his face. “Isn’t Rei-chan cute?” Nagisa asked fondly, fighting off a laugh.
Really, these two. So bothersome. “You should be gentler with Rei,” Haruka warned, watching with mild curiosity as Rei’s ears promptly turned from pink to red. “If you keep teasing him like that he’ll blow a blood vessel.”
The slow stretch of Nagisa’s smirk made Haruka suspect his next words before the other boy leaned in slightly and said, “Nah, Rei-chan’s fine. His body’s plenty durable.” He waved his hand, seeming to pass off the notion, but his eyes glittered as if daring Haruka to ask just how durable Rei’s body really was.
But Haruka refused to take the bait, staring back at him impassively and Nagisa eventually shrugged, letting it go.
“I guess Haru-chan is too mature to get riled up by something like that,” he lamented, sighing as he leaned into his elbow on the table. He gave the fork one last lick before choosing to abandon it in favor of fiddling with a few stray napkins. “But maybe you’ll be interested in talking about this,” he suggested with a shrug. “Rei-chan and I went to that flower shop right by your house. I don’t know how you manage living next door to someone like that, because wow, he has one of the nicest bodies I’ve ever seen.”
“Nagisa-kun! He isn’t a piece of meat.” Rei frowned at him disapprovingly, finally feeling brave enough to reveal his face and enter the conversation again. “Tachibana-san’s value isn’t solely based on his appearance. He was very cordial and polite when he helped us pick out flowers for your mother the other day.”
“It’s true though. He has a rockin’ body,” Nagisa quipped back, grinning and wagging his finger without an ounce of shame. But he sobered a little, reached slowly over to clasp Rei’s hand, and said, “Though Rei-chan’s body is the best overall. Hands down!”
“You’re not off the hook, Nagisa-kun,” Rei reaffirmed, his stern voice at odds with the pleased smile he was fighting to keep off his face. He eventually conceded to it, however, when Nagisa refused to look away. “Don’t think that I don’t know what you’re doing. Flattery won’t get you on my good side and neither will it get you out of studying,” he insisted, his resolution dissolving with a sigh, and Haruka could see him closing his book anyway, slipping it carefully into his bag for now. The butterfly charms on the zippers of the bag jostled and swayed when he closed it, catching a few stray figments of light on their multicolored wings.
“Fiiiiiine,” Nagisa granted, though he wasn't at all concerned about Rei’s verbal warnings. He’d always gotten around his boyfriend’s ultimatums before and this time would be no different. “Rei-chan is right. He was nice. A complete charmer. Though he seemed too good to be true.” Then, he cast a look around the restaurant before he lowered his head, cupped a hand over his mouth and whispered, “Besides, you know what they say about guys like that.”
“Like what?” both Rei and Haruka asked at once, unconsciously lowering both their heads and tones of voices to match Nagisa’s.
“He’s that type. Think about it. He has an attractive face, the impressive build, and then there’s the whole tragic backstory. He’s obviously a heartbreaker!” he concluded with a quick snap of his fingers. “Have you seen his flower shop lately? It’s swarming with girls and I’ll bet both of you a week’s worth of melon bread that the flowers aren’t the only things getting pollinated,” he declared, winking sassily, but the other boys just gave him a dim look, both unimpressed.
“You’re putting a lot of faith into the baseless rumors swarming around,” Haruka said, recalling the second time he had met Makoto. The brunet had been impressive with his physical feats- bounding up the stairs and carrying the large grocery bags as if they weighed nothing- but when they were alone, standing together in the doorway of Haruka’s house, Makoto had only been a shy and flustered mess. Helpful and sincere. Not once did Haruka ever suspect him of being dishonest.
“None of what you’re saying is possible,” he asserted, voice firm as he shook his head. He was about to say more, but then decisively bit his tongue. “He’s not like that at all,” he said, finally.
The other two were thrown off balance by his sudden reaction and their eyes widened as they quieted, understanding that his tone left no room for argument.
“How would you know that, Haruka-sempai?” Rei asked curiously, briefly exchanging a look with Nagisa. “While Nagisa-kun’s assumptions are rash, he does have a point. Tachibana-san is new to Iwatobi. He hasn’t established any credibility yet.”
“I’ve met him a few times,” Haruka admitted, choosing to omit that he’d really only seen the brunet twice, and the first time he hadn’t really talked so much as fled. They didn't need to know about that. “I would have noticed if he had any ulterior motives or not.”
“That’s true,” Rei mused, glancing over to Nagisa. “Haruka-sempai isn’t one to pass judgments lightly,” he pointed out reasonably.
“So maybe he isn’t that bad after all,” Nagisa agreed with a quick shrug, though he seemed reluctant to admit it. He slanted a glimpse at Haruka, studying his stoic profile for a moment before continuing casually, “But based on what we saw the other day, I can guarantee you that he won’t stand his own against all those admirers for long. If those girls haven’t gotten their hands on him yet, then they will eventually. It’s just a matter of time.”
Haruka frowned, staring ahead as he considered Nagisa’s words. He could tell that the blond wasn’t just indulging in the small town gossip now. Truth resonated with everything he said, and it washed over Haruka, distressing him enough that he had to cross his arms over his chest to prevent himself from commenting further. The last thing he wanted was for them to become suspicious. If they did, he'd never escape their questioning and he'd have even more to deal with.
So he stood there, his jaw tense as he vaguely listened to Rei and Nagisa continue to chat. The subject of Makoto trailed off into something else, but whatever it was, he couldn’t be sure. He was still too preoccupied. His thoughts were a mess, all the doubts and frustrations he had felt up until now were stacking up against each other, leaving him to sort through it all on his own.
But compared to that, this new problem seemed more substantial, and now that he was forced to face it head-on, Haruka wasn’t sure what he could do in his current situation to fix it.
~
Later that day, when he was helping bring out a large food order, Haruka spotted the same teenage schoolgirls from the week prior. They were sitting back in their designated corner again, giggling and shoving at each other. He spared them a disinterested glance, wondering how students could be so carefree so close to exam time, but then he stopped when he noticed that some of the girls had individually wrapped flowers peeking out from their bags.
Without thinking, Haruka grabbed the nearest washcloth he could find and did a quick scan of the tables in their area. He spotted one close to theirs that hadn’t been bussed yet, and he took his time wiping it down, listening intently for any mention of Makoto.
Haruka wasn’t disappointed. He only had to wait a few seconds before he heard two of the girls bragging about how they’d found out Makoto liked chocolate. They’d brought him some today, along with their heartfelt love letters, and while he had gently rejected them, Makoto also gave them each a flower as a consolation.
“Tachibana-san is so kind,” one of the girls boasted, her high-spirited enthusiasm prompting similar reactions from her friends. “Even though he turned me down, I’m going to confess again after I graduate!” she declared, earning a few well-wishes as well as a few snarky comments about how she’d have competition next time for sure.
Before Haruka realized it, his hands were moving on their own, squeezing the washcloth tight enough to wring it out. Most of the water had splattered back onto the table, easily accessible, but a few stray drops had also managed to hit the floor. Haruka grunted irritably, bending down on one knee to quickly wipe it up. He could feel the girl’s eyes on him when he stood, measuring him; and he bit back a grimace as he stalked past them, blocking out their hushed, appreciative whispers. Nagisa’s earlier words flashed in his mind then and Haruka decided that going forward, he’d have to seriously rely on his friend’s observations.
He didn’t have long to wallow in his annoyance, however. As soon as Haruka stepped back into the kitchen, one of the other apprentice chefs shoved a worn, cardboard box full of fruit into his hands. “Nanase, I need a favor. Could you bring these to Chef Sasabe? He wants to use them as a substitution for one of the desserts tonight,” the boy, Narikawa, said. He was shivering a little as he spoke, indicating that he’d just pulled the box out from one of the coolers.
“Pomegranates?” Haruka asked, lifting up the box so that he could see properly through the holes. He didn’t remember Sasabe using them in the restaurant before.
Narikawa nodded, rubbing quickly at his arms as he lolled comfortably against a nearby utility cart. “It’s one of those food fads going on right now,” he said. “Hold on, I think I saw him put it here…” he trailed off, turning and rifling through the cabinet overhead. He pulled out a large, full notebook and flipped through it until he found a reference note for the ordered pomegranates. Balancing the notebook, he held it open and pointed to a picture clipped onto the order form that showed a pomegranate sliced open, its juicy, orb-like seeds on full display. “They’re a pain to clean, but Sasabe plans to cover the seeds in chocolate. Like we do with cherries,” he explained, planting a hand onto the utility cart so that he could shove the notebook back into the cabinet.
At that, Haruka paused, his head snapping up to stare intently at the other boy. Chocolate. That’s right, he remembered the girls mentioning that Makoto liked chocolate.
“You said Sasabe planned to use these for tonight?” Haruka inquired absently, slowly shifting his attention back to the box.
“Yes, that’s what I heard,” Narikawa confirmed. He was already turning away to return to his own side work as he added, “It’s a simple recipe though. He’ll probably only need one apprentice to help with the cleaning and the arrangement. I don’t think he’s decided on anyone yet.”
Haruka nodded distractedly, his mind now focused on something else as he hiked the box up higher in his arms. He backtracked around the other side of the kitchen, avoiding bumping into the other employees, and walked down the length of the cook line until he reached the two, tall metal doors that marked off the prep room.
He shouldered one of the doors open and carried the box to one of the nearest compartment sinks. He set up the box, and after rinsing the fruit off, began to slice them open. He spooned out the seeds, the amount of fruit making it easy to fill up several storage containers and left them in the miniature cooler. Finished with his task, Haruka cleaned off his work area and returned to the kitchen, stopping for a moment when he spotted the updated shift schedule hanging off the utility cart. He browsed the list and pulled the pen from the clipboard to jot his name down in one of the open slots.
Chef Sasabe would probably be surprised that he volunteered to help, since Haruka didn’t usually dabble in desserts as compared to the restaurant’s seafood dishes, but Haruka didn’t want to let this chance pass him by. He had been wondering how to proceed upon meeting Makoto again, and he was sure now that the pomegranates would be just the thing. He’d return the favor, and maybe, when he was finally reunited with Makoto, he’d manage to leave with more than just the flower shop owner’s gratitude.
It didn’t matter how many delusional girls flocked to Makoto’s shop daily. As far as Haruka was concerned, they could come all they liked, because the next time he saw Makoto, he’d claim him for sure.