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Maki knows Harua hates him.
And Maki likes that Harua hates him.
It's the way Harua looks at him, the way his tone changes when he speaks to him, the way he gets desperate and slicks back his perfectly combed hair, the way when they pass each other in the university hallways he puffs out his chest and raises his chin, or the way he quickens his pace before Maki can catch up.
It's these and other details that Maki is glad are exclusive to him.
It all started a few months ago when Maki took the last two pieces of peach dessert, Harua's favorite, in the cafeteria. He may have only taken one; he's not as big a fan of sweets as Harua, but it was the first time Harua really looked at him. It was a small moment, but it was enough for Maki.
And that look ignites a rush of adrenaline in his chest. There's something about the contemptuous way Harua looks at him that excites Maki just thinking about it. He likes to play pranks on him, but none cruel enough to hurt him, just enough to make his face turn as red as a tomato.
So adorable.
Maki knows this isn't forever. He realized it last week when Harua started ignoring him. Maki accidentally (it wasn't) brushed against his shoulder, hard enough to make him turn around. His blood was already racing, anticipating Harua's bitter reaction, but to his surprise, he didn't react. He simply looked him in the eye, let out a sigh of exhaustion, and walked on.
He was confused. He continued on his way, still confused.
Maybe he was going through something difficult that left him without the energy to fight him.
But Maki checked everything out, and everything seemed normal.
He saw him from afar (though I'd call it spying) talking to his friends, and his mood was cheerful as always.
He also accidentally (it wasn't) overheard a call with his mother in the library, and everything seemed fine.
His performance in class also seems to be the same.
Maybe it's him he decided to cut out of his life.
But Maki wasn't going to accept it.
His life is more interesting every time he bothers Harua and pretends it's the same for him, even if his friends think otherwise.
"Leave him alone," Nicholas once told him. "If this is how you flirt, you flirt like a five-year-old in kindergarten."
Of course, he would never admit that he liked Harua; it was simply interesting to have him on his radar. His days are cheerful.
But yesterday something happened that further confirmed his theory that she was ignoring him: Maki approached him and placed her hand on the top of his head, ruffling his hair.
He had done this four times already, and each time he had received a punch to the face and dozens of curse words, 90% of which he was 100% sure he had only used on Maki. But this time, Harua simply took his wrist and moved it away from his head. His hand was large and heavy, so Maki expected the movement to be abrupt, but Harua removed his hand so gently that he was surprised. Maki felt a slight disappointment.
"Now you're going to ignore me?" Harua stared at his laptop. Maki knew he was pretending to be focused and sat down in front of him, closing the computer. Harua didn't reply.
"This is only fun when we both play."
"Do you think this has been a game to me too?" There it was, his voice with a touch of displeasure and slightly raised. Maki's eyes were shining now; this was exactly what he wanted, but now he wanted more.
"Of course you are. You know what time I walk down the hall every day, and yet you're still there waiting for me to make the first move." Harua wasn't going to let Maki get away with it. "You don't own the hallway. I can come in whenever I want. I'm not going to be late for class waiting for you to go first."
"You can come in early too, but still, take your time. Admit it, you enjoy this too." Maki finishes with a flirty wink and a smile so lewd it makes you nauseous.
"I hate you."
Just what Maki wanted to hear. With a satisfied smile, he finally gets up from his chair, leaving Harua fuming with rage.
That's enough; that'll keep the flame alive.
He was about 20 meters away when Harua's voice stops him.
"Maki," he slowly turns and approaches the table.
"Yes, Ruru?"
"Don't call me that... Let's finish this once and for all. Do you know where Aoarashi Park is?"
"Why would I know?"
"Do you know or not?"
"Why should I go? I don't want our game to end."
"You're going to that park at 11 PM, and you'd better make sure no one finds out."
"Ooh, you get sexy when you give me orders. You should do it more often."
"Maus disappears from my sight."
He could have kept teasing him, but calling him by his last name made him even happier, so without saying a word, he walked away.
It was 11:12, and Maki waited impatiently on a swing in the park. He'd double-checked the map app three times for the correct address, but now he was getting desperate. Why wasn't he there? Had he changed his mind? Had he gotten the time or the place wrong?
No, he'd heard perfectly, and he was prepared to wait much longer.
Harua appeared at 11:30, wearing a black jacket and a gray shirt, his hair slicked back as if he hadn't put any effort into styling it.
So adorable. Maybe he looked like this every day when he woke up. Oh, how much he'd pay to see him like this every day.
"I thought you weren't coming."
"I was late on purpose."
"What?"
"Part of the game." Maki remained silent for a moment; his words had been used against him. Fucking happy
- Excellent move... so, what do you plan to do?
Harua hesitates, then approaches the swing that Maki is using. For the first time in a long time, they were at the same height, and of all the things Maki expected Harua to do, kissing him never crossed his mind.
The surprise was great. If this was a dream, Maki didn't want to wake up, so he pulled Harua's body close to his own, the movement a little rough, chest to chest. Harua gasps in surprise and pulls away, but Maki isn't ready to finish and guides his hand to Harua's neck for a second kiss. One with more contact, more saliva, and therefore softer and more slippery.
Maki sighs at the end of the kiss, and a kind of tremor runs through his body. Harua looks up, processing what just happened, and finally:
he pushes him away.
"What the hell are you doing?" This was a new level of irritation that Maki hadn't seen or provoked, and honestly, it scared him. Without wanting to fuel the anger, he replied gracelessly.
"You started it. Why are you yelling at me?" Harua backed away, and Maki got up from the swing.
Harua seemed to be having a meltdown, clutching his scalp too hard.
"It's all your fault, Taki. I knew this was a bad idea, and it turned out worse than I expected. ahh im going crazy"
"Taki? Why are you bringing that up?... Oh, I see." Harua looked at him with tears in his eyes, crouched on the sand with his knees drawn up to his chest.
"I told you, I wanted to end this once and for all."
"So Taki told you that if you kissed me, I would reject you and finally leave you alone?"
"That was the plan, but you ruined it."
"Hmm, no, I don't think so. It's not completely ruined." Harua looks at him, confused, trying to understand the other's words.
"What are you trying to do?"
"I think I should thank Taki because I think I've just found a new obsession."
"Oh my God, you're going to drive me crazy."
"No more than I already am for you."
"Inviting you here was the worst idea."
"Did you like it?"
"What?"
"The kisses?" Harua doesn't answer. Maki feels like he's in a dream, and Harua feels like he's in a nightmare.
"If I kiss you, will you stop bothering me?"
"That's a good offer, hmmm, let me think about it... I'll take it."
"You're an idiot."
"But you liked it."
"I don't know if this is attraction or what, but you live in my mind 24/7. You should at least pay me rent; it's exhausting."
"Will you pay to live in mine too?" Harua laughs, not a sarcastic laugh, a genuine one, and Maki likes this one better.
Maki extends his hand to Harua, who is still sitting on the sand, and he takes it. Once standing, though the distance between them due to the height difference remains, Maki extends his other hand and places both on Harua's head, this time not to mess up, but to tame the unruly hair that dances in the wind.
"And now what?"
"Just kiss me, idiot." Harua pulls Maki by his jacket and brings his lips close. He pretends to lean in but stops, and just as Maki is about to protest, Harua kisses him.
Well, after all, in this new stage, it seems the roles will be reversed. Now it will be Harua who drives Maki crazy.