Chapter Text
Between the weather and the looming shadow of finals hanging over him, Makoto was not his usual cheerful and easygoing self. Then again, the fact that it was nearing three in the morning might have had something to do with it as well. He sighed while he leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms high above him and wincing a little when he heard a definite pop somewhere in his shoulders. How long had he been hunched over like this?
The library on campus was one that was open twenty-four hours to students so Makoto had been spending as much time as possible studying in a corner here instead of attempting to do so in his dorm room. While he got along with his roommate most of the time, their ideas of studying were rapidly different. Plus there was something about coming to the library that made it easier to study, perhaps he just felt smarter surrounded by all the books and articles that were packed in from floor to ceiling. Or perhaps it was because every other student looked like they would gladly be hit by a car in the school crosswalk so they wouldn’t have to take their finals so Makoto felt like they all silently understood each other.
He decided a little break would be a good idea and then he could finish up the chapter he’d been reviewing before going back to his room and catching a few hours of sleep before needing to be up in the morning. It wasn’t the healthiest of lifestyles, but it worked for him right now. Makoto reached up and took off his glasses, setting the black frames on the table as he pulled his phone out from his backpack. While he wasn’t expecting anything urgent at three in the morning, his cell had been on silent for a few hours so a few missed messages could have snuck through.
There were a few messages from Haru, Makoto smiled and shook his head as he best friend conveyed his frustration that his school’s pool had to be closed for some repairs this week so practice was unfortunately out of the water. Rin apparently promised they could go to one of the local fitness club’s pools later on, so Haru seemed happier in later messages. Makoto noticed he also had a missed voice mail from home, probably just Ren and Ran calling to tell him about something. He took the headphones he’d been wearing off of his ears and was prepared to dial his voice mail when he heard something.
Makoto jumped in his seat, already feeling a sick, sinking feeling in his stomach. The maintenance staff had come through hours ago, so it couldn’t be one of them. He also was positive that he had been the last one on this floor after the girl sitting at a table behind him suddenly pushed everything off the table, sighed, picked everything back up, and left muttering something about setting fire to her eyeballs around midnight. The few staff who worked the graveyard shift in the library didn’t come up to the third floor this late at night either. When he didn’t hear anything else, Makoto sighed in relief scolding himself, why was he getting so worked up? His mind was probably playing tricks on him-there it was again!
The young man tried in vain to scrunch up in his seat, but sore muscles and long limbs made that rather impossible. It couldn’t be....it wasn’t possibly....no. No. No. He wouldn’t even think it. The word would not even cross his mind. No. Of course trying NOT to think about the library potentially being haunted only made him think about the library being haunted more and that the ghost of some disgruntled student who had died from over exhaustion during finals week was coming to kill him. Before he could even think twice, Makoto quickly brought up a series of text messages and quickly typed out, ‘Please tell me our library isn’t haunted.’
To his surprised, a reply came within a minute, granted it sounded very confused. ‘Makoto, are you still at the library this late? Don’t you have class in the morning?’ He groaned at the lack of an answer to his question and typed back,
‘Yes! I’m still here and I think there’s a ghost here too!!!’
‘Oh.’
‘Oh???? Oh what????’
‘Now that you say that...I remember hearing stories about some murdered student haunting the third floor library at night. Apparently it really likes going after unsuspecting and stressed out students during finals. Especially if they’re tall.’
‘SOUSUKE!’
Of course Sousuke was little help in the matter, he was making the whole thing worse! It had been a bit of surprise to Makoto to number one, discover that he and the former swimmer attended the same college and were in a few classes together and that number two, Sousuke seemed to rather enjoy teasing and winding Makoto up. The two men had been hanging out quite frequently since the beginning of the year, but now Makoto was wishing he had never thought to ask Sousuke for help. He looked down as another series of messages came through.
‘The ghost also really like brunettes with green eyes. A swimmer’s physique is quite a plus too. I think someone said it also can tell when a person has a special bond with cats, the ghost loved cats. There are stories that say the ghost will wander around you for a little while, sizing you up and putting you on edge.’ Makoto couldn’t help but whimper a little as he read the text, unable to tear his eyes away from the message as he sat there, definitely feeling something watching him. ‘The ghost will appear behind you, wrap it’s arms around your shoulders, and will somehow know your name right before it...’ He waited, but Sousuke didn’t add more.
‘Before it what???’ Makoto took the bait ‘BEFORE IT WHAT???’ Then suddenly Makoto felt a pair of arms slip around his shoulders and a low but familiar voice whisper in his ear,
“Tachibana Makoto.”
He couldn’t help it. He screamed.
Makoto screamed and attempted to pull out of the arms holding him, the body the arms belonged to now seemed to be shaking with laughter. He lifted his hands to cover his, now fifty shades of red, face. Makoto was torn between turning around and smacking Sousuke or just letting himself stand there and stay held up by his arms, because he was sure that he would have been on the floor right now if it hadn’t of been for them. “Sousuke...” he finally managed to groan out after hearing the other man’s laughter die down and little and feeling his arms tighten around him.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” his body was still shaking with remnants of laughter while Makoto’s was slightly shaking with the after effects of the minor heart attack if felt as though he’d been given. “You just gave me the perfect opening.”
“Why...why are you here anyway?” The realization that Sousuke was in the library at the three in the morning as well suddenly hit him. The taller man did not have the same drive for studying that Makoto did and although they’d spent a lot of time studying together and Sousuke had stayed late with Makoto sometimes just for company, it was still weird.
In response, Sousuke tightened his hold again and put his chin down on Makoto’s shoulder so his mouth was right next to his ear again. This time Makoto felt himself shiver for a whole different reason. “I was coming to drag you and your super brain out of here, you’ve been here almost all evening. Did you even eat dinner?”
“I...I had a granola bar in my backpack-”
“Jeez! And you get on my case for not being healthy!” He felt one final squeeze before Sousuke let go, Makoto’s shoulders suddenly felt a lot colder. He turned around in confusion as he watching Sousuke close his textbook and notebook before shoving them in his backpack and zipping it up, shouldering it himself and handing Makoto his jacket. “Come on, you’re getting out of here and getting some real food. There’s a twenty-four hour diner not too far from here.”
Makoto tried to protest as he felt himself slip his arms through his jacket, “B-but I need to finished this chapter! My finals-” He was silenced with a hand over his mouth, Makoto’s eyes widened at the gesture.
“Will still be here after you’ve eaten, showered, and slept.” Sousuke finished for him, a note of finality in his tone that left no room for argument, not that Makoto had much effort to argue. “Come on, you’re always worrying about others, let someone else worry about you for a change.” It seemed as though Sousuke was constantly saying those words to Makoto, when he wasn’t getting enough sleep, when he was working too many hours, when he forgot to eat a meal or two. He was always there.
Makoto’s body seemed to agree with the ideas that Sousuke had presented, plus he was still slightly freaked out over the whole “ghost” incident that he wouldn’t have been able to go back to studying anyway, so he looked away with a shy smile and simply nodded as he followed Sousuke out of the library, not minding in the slightest when he felt the other man put his arm back around his shoulders as they walked.