"Everyone who swims with you ends up suffering somehow, eh?"

Without even thinking, Makoto spun on his heels, eyes searching for his best friend. "Haru…"

The look on Haru's face was enough to make Makoto's blood boil. It wasn't often he was angry, and he couldn't name a time when he had ever been this angry before. His hands shook at his side as he turned back around, his green eyes narrowed. He took a step towards Hiyori, who glanced at him and dropped the smug smile that was gracing his lips. He took another step. And another. In one more step, he was nose-to-nose with Hiyori.

"Listen carefully, because I won't repeat myself." Makoto's voice was low and malice dripped off every syllable. "You do not ever-ever- talk to Haru like that again, got it?"

To his credit, Hiyori straightened his spine and tried to not look intimidated. "Are you saying I'm wrong?"

"Was I not clear enough?" Makoto thrust a finger into Hiyori's chest.

"Be clearer."

A twisted smile crept across his lips. He could hear Kisame mutter his name behind him, but it felt like there was an entire world between him and the others. It felt like he was on the other side of a canyon and nothing they did could reach him. It was just him and Hiyori standing on a small expanse of land-one that wasn't big enough for the two of them.

"Haru has never hurt anybody. The circumstances may have hurt Ikuya, or Rin, or anyone else you're speaking of, but guess what? Those circumstances hurt Haru, too. Why do you think he stopped swimming for awhile? It wasn't because he got sick of it, or because he stopped needing the water. It was because he was hurt and he needed to heal. So yes, I do disagree with you. And I ask you to kindly refrain from talking about things you know nothing about in the future."

Hiyori took a step back, closer to the edge. Makoto stood his ground.

"W-Well, Ikuya needed to heal, too!"

The reasonable side of Makoto was slowly seeping back in. He could feel his anger dissipating slightly at the thought of Ikuya hurting. Of course he was protective of Haru, but he was also Makoto and he cared about Ikuya and his pain, too. "I understand that," he said, his voice softer. "And I can see that you would do anything to help him heal. So how would you feel if I marched up to him and threw awful, untrue accusations at him and set him back all those years of healing?"

There was nothing left for Hiyori to say. Makoto had won and everyone knew it, but it didn't feel like an accomplishment. He could still see the pain in Haru's eyes and he knew that this was going to cause him a lot of sleepless nights. Silently, Hiyori bowed his head and slipped out of the pool hall and Makoto found himself alone on that expanse of land.

Slowly he turned back, his eyes seeking Haru the way they always did. Asahi and Kisumi stood off to the side, their mouths open in surprise. Haru stood, his back to the pool, eyes still wide and directed at Makoto. For the first time in ages, Makoto couldn't quite read the emotion that swirled within them.

"That was… amazing!" Asahi closed the gap between them, throwing an arm around Makoto's shoulders and allowing Makoto to release the breath he had been holding. "I didn't know you had that in you!"

Makoto let out a shaky laugh, glancing sideways at Asahi, "Neither did I."

A moment passed before Kisumi began gathering everyone's things, insisting that they start heading home. They began the trek back, Asahi babbling the whole way about what had happened. Kisumi chimed in on occasion but Makoto and Haru remained silent.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Kisumi and Asahi had taken a separate train, leaving Haru and Makoto to ride the train back alone. Normally Makoto would've switched trains along the way, but he didn't want to leave Haru alone. Not while he was still making that unreadable expression.

It wasn't unusual for them to be quiet, but the silence between them was usually comfortable. Today however, it felt strained and Makoto's nerves felt like livewires. He felt like he was slowly simmering from the inside out and he was bound to burst at any moment.

"Haru, are you-?" He asked as they reached Haru's apartment building.

"Makoto," Haru spun around and looked at him then, his eyes still unreadable. "Did you mean everything you said?"

A long moment passed where he searched Haru's expression. "Every word."

"It wasn't… my fault?"

Makoto reacted without thinking. He reached his hands out and grasped Haru's shoulders, his eyes boring into his best friend. "No, Haru! It was not your fault! I've been trying to tell you that for years. I know you were hurt by all the things that happened. But you didn't cause them."

This seemed to give Haru something to think about. He mulled it over as they walked up the steps to his apartment and he unlocked the door. He stepped aside as he opened the door, an unspoken invitation for Makoto to come inside and he obliged. He crossed the threshold and walked into the kitchen, grabbing two bottles of water out of the fridge. He handed one to Haru as he trailed into the kitchen.

"Haru, I'm sorry for going off like that. I know I shouldn't talk for you. But he said such awful, untrue things and I-"

Haru cut him off. "Thank you."

"What?"

"Thank you. For defending me."

"I- uh," Makoto wasn't sure how to respond. "You're welcome?"

"You were always there, helping me heal. But you didn't step on my toes. Hiyori-he seems to be making decisions for Ikuya, but you never did that to me. You gave me my space when I needed it and you were there when I couldn't be alone. And now, today, you did this for me. I'm-" Haru stopped, suddenly overwhelmed with the feelings in his own words.

They stood opposite each other, each with a bottle of water in their hands. Slowly, almost methodically, Makoto placed his water bottle gently on the counter next to him. He took a tentative step towards Haru and, when Haru didn't back away, he reached out and pulled Haru to his chest, wrapping his arms tight around his shoulders.

"I will always be here." Makoto said quietly into Haru's ear. "I will be whatever you need me to be."

"I need you to be with me." Haru said breathlessly.

"I am-OH," Makoto took a step back and surveyed Haru's face. Before he had a chance to register the expression there, Haru closed the distance between them. Their lips collided just as Haru's water bottle hit the ground at their feet.

"I need you to be with me," Haru repeated as he pulled a hair's breadth away.

"I'll always be here," Makoto repeated back, leaning in to kiss Haru again.

While he would never forgive Hiyori-and he was sure that he would never like him-Makoto made a mental note to thank him the next time he saw him.