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“Good morning, Haru-chan!”
Haru looked up at the familiar greeting, keeping his face carefully impassive as he took in the closed eyes, titled head, gentle smile, and proffered hand. He took a moment to inhale deeply, pushing down the warm feeling low in his stomach before reaching up and grasping Makoto’s hand in a firm grip. Haru did his best not to focus on how well his hand fit in the larger one as he allowed himself to be pulled from the bath.
“No -chan.”
Water dripped down his body as he stood for a few long moments, letting himself linger with his hand still in Makoto’s, savoring the contact in an effort to satisfy his repressed desires before releasing his grip and moving to grab a towel. It was times like this that he was glad he had developed the odd habit of bathing in the morning in his jammers, or else he would surely never get to spend such precious moments with Makoto.
“Sorry, Haru.”
Haru refused to meet the gaze that was surely looking at him with laughing green eyes and a bright smile.
Makoto watched the seabird fly overhead, too far above to identify- not that he was very familiar with all the different species that made their homes in Iwatobi to begin with. His eyes followed the figure, watching it swoop and soar out over the ocean before he had to look away from the bright morning light glinting off the water.
As he averted his gaze it fell on Haru, as it often did. He made no effort to stop the twitch of his mouth into a small, fond smile as he watched his friend stare out at the ocean.
Haru always walked on the side closest to the sea. Makoto knew if asked Haru would say it was because he liked to be closer to the water, to watch the waves crest and break. Makoto also knew Haru did it in a small display of protectiveness over Makoto and his still present fear of the deep water- not that he would ever admit it.
His heart swelled with affection before he was forced to look away with a silent chuckle when Haru turned to him, shaking his head at Haru’s questioning look and continuing on with his story about Ren and Ran’s antics at breakfast.
Class was boring, as usual. Haru couldn’t bring himself to pay attention as their teacher droned on and on about verb conjugation; as usual.
His gaze wandered down to his notebook where he had been idly doodling, not really paying attention to the strokes of his pencil. His eyes narrowed as he recognized the familiar lines of large hands, broad backs, and gentle, smiling eyes. Haru chanced a glance over at Makoto, breathing a silent sigh of relief when he noticed his friend was concentrating on the lecture, as usual.
Makoto’s bottom lip was caught between his teeth, and he worried the pink skin, leaving behind light imprints that Haru found himself wanting to smooth out with his finger. Or something else.
As if sensing Haru’s gaze, Makoto’s eyes shifted his way, head tilting in question when his eyes met Haru’s. Haru quickly looked away, moving his hand up to cover the drawings. Maybe he should just look out the window instead of doodling.
But the reflection of brunet hair and curious green eyes met him in the glass before Makoto shook his head, a smile of fond exasperation on those bitten lips before he faced forward again, apparently content to allow Haru to stare out at the ocean view instead of scolding him to pay more attention in class; though Haru’s attention remained focused on Makoto’s reflected profile instead of the tempting sight of the sea.
As usual.
“Here, Haru-chan, my mom packed extra again,” Makoto said with a smile, holding out the blue wrapped bento box.
“...Thanks.”
Makoto hummed in reply, doing his best not to let his blush rise to the surface when Haru’s fingers brushed his own as he handed over the box.
He found himself once again glancing over at Haru periodically as they ate, watching Haru’s deft fingers bring chopsticks carrying rice and mackerel to his mouth, lips gliding along the smooth surface as he took each bite. Makoto wondered if it was weird to be jealous of eating utensils; it probably was.
He was just glad Haru still allowed Makoto to take care of him like this- bringing him lunch on top of making sure he got to school on time and did his homework (most of it anyway). Makoto knew Haru didn’t really need him, that he’d be fine on his own. But it made him warm all over to know that Haru wanted him around; even if it wasn’t in the exact same way as Makoto wanted to be wanted.
“...Tell your mom thanks,” Haru murmured as they all made their way off the roof, Gou berating Nagisa and Rei about their poor lunch choices ahead of them.
“Of course!” Makoto gave him the smile he reserved only for Haru, and felt an odd thrill when Haru turned his head away, ears tipped pink.
“You didn’t hear a word of that lecture did you?”
Haru glanced up from his sketch of a dolphin swimming around an orca, finding Makoto staring at him with a soft frown. He didn’t like it when Makoto frowned. It felt wrong.
“Mm.”
“Haru~”
Haru rolled his eyes, glancing away.
“You can borrow my notes later I guess. If you want.”
Haru looked back in surprise. Usually Makoto’s notes came with a prerequisite lecture on grades and attention spans, but there he was, just offering them up without strings.
“Oh, don’t be so surprised. You know I’d give in anyway,” Makoto teased, even though the statement was more disparaging towards himself than Haru.
“Come over. After school,” Haru demanded suddenly. At Makoto’s wide eyed surprise he decided to clarify before before his cheeks betrayed him. “For the notes, I mean. And… I guess we can study for the literature test.”
“Really?!”
Haru scoffed softly. Makoto didn’t need to sound that surprised about Haru agreeing to do schoolwork. Though maybe he was just excited that Haru had agreed to study for Makoto’s best subject with him, which would mean hours of Makoto excitedly explaining details Haru couldn’t care less about. But it would also mean hours of Makoto close by his side, legs pressed together underneath the table, arms sometimes brushing, Makoto’s face close to his when he sometimes leaned over to point out something particularly important. Really, Haru was the one who should be excited- not that he’d ever let on.
“Ah! We’re gonna be late for practice if we don’t hurry, Haru-chan!”
Makoto’s cry broke him from his reverie and he quickly swept everything into his bag, speed walking out of the classroom, eager to get to the pool, Makoto hot on his heels.
“Wait up, Haru!”
Makoto jumped in surprise as he stood up from placing his clothes in his cubby, finding Haru standing there behind him.
“Haru! I thought you were already in the pool?”
Haru glanced to the side, looking oddly uncomfortable. “I was waiting for you.”
“Eh? For me? How come?” Makoto was genuinely confused. Usually Haru barely made it to the club room before he was stripping out of his uniform and making a dive into the pool. Why would he suddenly wait for Makoto, who was slower than both Nagisa and Rei because of the club duties he had to deal with before heading to the pool? “Did you need something?”
Haru stared at him for a long moment, eyes strangely unreadable before he spoke. “You need to spend more time with the water.
Makoto’s eyes went wide, unsure how to take that statement. “Ah... Okay?”
Haru huffed, clearly frustrated Makoto wasn’t getting what he was saying. “You do too much on your own. Let us help so you can spend more time swimming. With... us.”
Makoto was sure he was blushing. “Haru…”
“Come on,” Haru grunted, ducking his head and refusing to meet Makoto’s eyes as he grabbed Makoto’s hand and pulled him from the club room towards the pool.
He couldn’t help the wide grin that broke out on his face as he let Haru practically drag him across the deck. Haru caring about him, wanting to swim with him made him feel light and warm.
“Time to go, Haru-chan.”
Haru panted as he glanced up from the water, seeing Makoto’s head-tilted smile and extended hand for the second time that day. He found himself looking forward to that warm hand, that comforting grip more and more each day; as much as being in the water itself. Haru reached up and clasped his fingers around Makoto’s, taking note of the orange tone of the sky as he let Makoto pull him from the pool. It seemed like Makoto had allowed him extra time in the water, and it made his chest ache.
He let the nickname pass, instead taking the towel Makoto held out next as their hands detached, much to Haru’s disappointment.
Makoto was still smiling that gentle smile and Haru had to cover his head with the towel under the guise of drying his hair to conceal his rising blush. His changing feelings for his best friend were starting to become a problem.
Yet he couldn’t bring himself to wish for them to disappear.
It was difficult to keep up the continuous flow of one sided conversation lately for Makoto- especially when Haru had his lips wrapped around the blue ice like he did currently; at least without stuttering like an idiot. But Makoto persevered, having years of practice at ignoring the way his heart beat faster in Haru’s presence, how his palms started to sweat when Haru gave him a long, indecipherable looks from behind dark lashes, and the blushes that threatened to overwhelm his entire body in shades of red whenever he accidentally- or not so much- brushed against Haru.
So he continued on, rambling about this and that, video games, swim practice, homework, until Haru surprisingly interrupted his mostly rhetorical pondering about where the neighborhood strays slept at night.
“Some of them sleep on my back porch.”
Makoto was stunned into silence for a moment before he could answer. “O-oh? Really?”
“Mm. I see that white one you play with on the stairs a lot especially.”
“Ah, I’m glad! I mean, that she has somewhere safe to sleep. I can’t imagine anywhere safer than Haru’s.” Makoto’s eyes widened as he realized the possible implications behind his statement- the completely true ones, if he was being honest- but Haru just gave a small smile before falling silent again, gaze drifting back to the ocean.
Makoto took that as his cue to resume talking, deciding on the safe topic of Nagisa’s latest prank on Rei.
He continued to watch Haru watch the ocean though, heart feeling full as he realized Haru really did pay attention to all his chatter when they walked together; especially since he knew that was generally not the case with most people.
His smile didn’t leave his lips the entire rest of the walk home.
Haru didn’t know how something that made him feel so good could also be so torturous. Makoto’s thigh was currently pressed flush against his, their shoulders brushing as Makoto leaned over Haru in order to look over Haru’s notes. They were so close, Haru could see the flecks of gold in Makoto’s green eyes, the smattering of freckles across his nose from all the sun he got due to his favored stroke, the slight pink tint on the tip of his ear. They were close enough that if Haru just leaned forward a little, tipped his head just right, he could-
“Ah, here’s your mistake, Haru. Do you see?”
Haru had to blink to refocus on the present and not the thoughts in his head, eyes tearing away from Makoto’s lips to look at the paper Makoto was pointing at. He nodded dumbly, not actually seeing whatever Makoto was talking about.
“Haru,” Makoto chastised, clearly not buying it. “Here, let me…”
Makoto shifted even closer, and Haru wasn’t even sure how that was possible, but then he was too busy trying not to spontaneously combust to think too hard about the logistics of it all.
“Let’s work on math instead,” Haru blurted in an effort to save himself.
“Eh?! Math? Haru-chan no, please! Not math!” Makoto pleaded, turning to look at him with wide desperate eyes before he dropped his head to hide it against Haru’s shoulder.
The action caused Haru to jolt in surprise, though the contact made a heady warmth spread outwards, running deliriously through his body, making him suddenly feel bold. “English?” Haru offered instead, not bothering to hide his smirk as Makoto whined in further protest.
Yes, this was surely torture. Sweet, sweet torture.
“Maybe we can try the English assignment again tomorrow,” Makoto said with a heavy sigh as he slipped on his shoes before picking up his backpack.
Haru made a displeased sound, though it held a note of resignation Makoto couldn’t help but chuckle at.
“Maybe we can ask Rin for help,” he offered, though Haru didn’t seem very pleased with the suggestion, giving him a distasteful frown. “He’s not that bad of a tutor, Haru.”
Haru’s deadpan expression told Makoto quite clearly his opinion on that subject.
“Well anyway, I should get going. Thanks for dinner, Haru!” Makoto shot him a smile as he opened the door. He stopped short, however, when Haru’s hand reached out, gripping his arm. “Eh? Haru?”
Another one of the increasingly frequent unreadable expressions was on Haru’s face again. It was beginning to worry Makoto, how difficult it was becoming to read Haru sometimes when it was usually like second nature for him. But he supposed Haru was entitled to his secrets too. It would be pretty hypocritical of him to think otherwise, considering the enormous one he himself was keeping from Haru…
“...See you in the morning?” Haru asked after a long silence, though Makoto got the feeling that wasn’t what Haru really wanted to say. He wondered what it really was briefly before pushing that thought to the back of his mind.
“Of course. Good night, Haru-chan.” Makoto gave him a soft smile, making sure to keep the disappointment and longing off his face when Haru’s hand dropped.
“...Night, Makoto.”
Makoto turned to leave again, wondering if it would ever stop being so hard to say goodbye.