Haru awoke with a start to a loud bang echoing through his house. He blinked and the the first thing he realized was that he was staring at a familiar chest.

"Mmm…?" Makoto was waking up too, and Haru felt his arms tighten around him before abruptly removing themselves. "Oh! Sorry Haru-chan…"

Haru wasn't so sorry and didn't really want to move away from the comforting warmth radiating from Makoto's body, but he knew that he should...

"HARU! Learn to answer the damn door, if not your phone!" The bedroom door slammed open and Rin stood in the opening. Rin, the apparent source of the noise that woke them.

"Oh, hey Rin!" Makoto greeted, rolling over and rubbing his eyes.

"What the hell am I interrupting?!" Rin said with a laugh.

"Huh? Oh, I slept over at Haru's and you woke us up!" Makoto sat up and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to smooth his cute, fluffy bed-head.

"I figured that part out! But… why are you in the same bed?" Rin crossed his arms, raised an eyebrow, and laughed again.

"We stayed up too late and were too tired to take out a futon. What's your point Rin?" Makoto crossed his arms and furrowed his brows. Haru saw Makoto's back muscles tighten beneath his shirt. He had borrowed it from Haru and it was a little too tight, which emphasized his broad shoulders, and each rolling movement of muscle beneath the fabric when he mo-

"My point is that you were basically cuddling when I walked in here! You guys don't even realize how gay you are!" Rin slapped his leg and laughed again. "You guys gotta watch that homo shit when you're out places!

Rin seemed to think he was being hilarious, according to the volume of his cackling. Makoto's shoulders were tense, so Haru sat up and laid a hand on his arm. Makoto turned his head and looked into his eyes.

"I'm not letting him get to me, I just wonder if maybe... I do act a little too close to you. I don't want people getting the wrong idea and causing you trouble. Maybe I should pay more attention to that."

Haru made a face. Who cares what people think?

"I don't care what people think, but what if they start treating you badly? Or you could, I dunno, have a girlfriend if I weren't so clingy?" Makoto looked sincerely distressed. Haru sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Makoto." They stared at each other for a moment, then Makoto smiled softly as his body relaxed.

"You're right."

"Oh my GOD. See, it's shit like that! You basically read each other all the goddamn time-which involves extended periods of eye contact by the way-and you share food, and walk and sit really close, and spend all your time-"

"Rin, we get it." Makoto cut him off. Haru looked up at him, a little surprised. He rarely spoke in such a firm tone.

"What? I'm just trying to help! You'll get made fun of if you keep going around acting like fags!"

Haru flinched at his word choice. And…and did they really seem that way? Did Rin and the others think they were weird? Was he being too obvious about how he felt about Makoto? What if he was the one causing Makoto trouble?

"Come on Haru-chan, let's go eat breakfast." Makoto stood up and brushed past Rin, headed toward the kitchen. Haru quickly followed, with Rin on his tail.

Haru made breakfast while Makoto went around the kitchen grabbing things to set the table. Rin sat down leaning his head in his hand and observed them.

"Seriously you guys look like you're fuckin' married." Rin smirked "Haru's the good housewife making making breakfast for the hubby."

Haru's hand tightened on the handle of his pan as he stared intently at the steam rising from it. He heard Makoto sigh from near the table. He hoped Rin would stop with the commentary soon. Makoto might start distancing himself or start noticing the unusual closeness which Haruka preferred.

"That looks good Haru-chan, though I don't see why everything has to have mackerel!" Haru jumped, not realizing Makoto had ended up right behind him while he was lost in thought.

"Sorry! I thought for sure you heard me approach! My build isn't exactly conducive to stealth!" Makoto giggled. Haru couldn't help a small smile too when Makoto mimed stomping.

Haru grabbed a pair of chopsticks and blew on a bite of food from the pan before holding it up to Makoto's mouth. Haru watched as he leaned in to try it, enjoying the little smile and the way the corners of his eyes crinkled.

"Don't worry, it's really tasty." Makoto said as he finished chewing.

"Holy shit. How do you not realize how romantic that was?! Haru, you just fed him!" Rin crowed, smacking the table. "You and your boyfriend need to get a room!"

"Rin, was there a reason you came here this morning?" Makoto's voice was strained again, though probably only noticeable to Haru.

"Yea I was trying to get Haru to come practice with me. Was hoping we could race, but I'll wait 'til you're done eating and whatever." Rin said, waving a hand in the air.

"Ah, if you want to do that I'll clean up after the breakfast, Haru." Haru gave a slight nod. He really wanted to swim, even though it was Rin who was making him want to escape into the blue silence more than usual right now.

"It's no problem, since you're kind enough to make breakfast." Makoto smiled that smile where he tilts his head and his eyes close and…Haru stared down at his cooking to hide his small blush.

"You homos just don't know how to turn it off do you?"

"Apparently, neither do you Rin." Makoto tossed back. Haru had to sneak a glance over at Makoto. He doesn't think he's heard him use that tone even when his little siblings were being difficult. Makoto was being awfully touchy, though that happened sometimes when he worried about Haru.

Rin apparently heard it too, because he shut up while they finished breakfast.

Makoto ended up coming along to swim with them so that Rin wouldn't have to "spend an hour fishing your boyfriend out of the pool."

As he watched Haru today, Makoto began to worry. Although Rin couldn't seem to tell, the gay jokes got to Haru every time. People thinking that about them must really make him uncomfortable. Makoto kept more distance from him while they swam, trying not to provoke more of it.

As Haru neared the end of the lane, Makoto would strike up a conversation with Nitori, who had joined them when they got to Samezuka, or be busy fixing his goggles. He didn't realize that it left Haru missing the hand that would pull him out of the water.

Despite his efforts, the gay jokes didn't stop all day and Makoto was becoming weary of ignoring them. He hoped Rin would get tired of it too-he didn't understand why Rin was so fixated on it today-because Haru was surfacing from the pool less and less as the day went on.

in the afternoon, more of Samezuka's swimmers started streaming in to practice in the pool as well. A couple of guys who hadn't met Makoto and Haruka asked Rin who the newcomers were.

Haru pulled himself out of the pool-trying to pretend he wasn't upset that Makoto wasn't there again-and shook out his hair.

"Ah, that's Nanase Haruka and that's Tachibana Makoto," RIn told the others, as he pointed at them. Haru walked over and stood close to Makoto's side. Rin smirked and elbowed one of the other swimmers lightly in the ribs. "Check it out, don't be surprised if you find those fags making out in the locker room or something!"

Rin cracked up at himself again. Makoto looked over to Haru to find him standing stock still and staring at the ground; in a way that was unusual even for him. Then Makoto caught a glimpse of the look in his eyes and a quiver of his chin.

He snapped.

"RIN!" Makoto whipped around and stalked toward the redhead in three swift strides. He stood in front of Rin, who leaned away reflexively. Makoto's hands were in fists at his sides and he seemed to tower over Rin. "That. Is. ENOUGH."

His voice echoed loudly in the room. Everyone stared with wide eyes, including Rin, whose mouth was agape and hands held up defensively.

Haru watched the muscles in Makoto's back and arms ripple. He was strong, and looked…intimidating. He had scared everyone in the room, especially Rin. Haru wasn't going to pretend he wasn't impressed, or a little, um, attracted…

"Do you not see that you are making Haru uncomfortable, or are you enjoying it?" Makoto's voice was nearly a growl like Haru had never heard before, but he was sure he was the only one who had heard the genuine concern for Haru in his voice.

"Or," Makoto continued in a tense whisper, "if you would like to continue, shall we discuss the especially tender voice you use toward your kouhai?"

Rin's eyes widened even further and his face immediately turned beet red. His eyes briefly flickered over Makoto's shoulders to the silver-haired boy whose blue eyes were wide and worried. Lucky for Rin, most of the team wasn't within close enough earshot for that part, but he wasn't so lucky with Ai and Haruka.

Realizing that Rin couldn't get a word out and was looking thoroughly intimidated and embarrassed, Haru walked quickly over to Makoto's side. He placed a hand on his shoulder. Makoto turned to look at Haruka, face still drawn into an angry expression that Haru had never seen before. He tried to ignore the spark that coursed through him seeing Makoto look so…serious? powerful? commanding?

"Makoto."

The anger immediately evaporated. He straightened up and took a step back from RIn. He stared at Haru a moment then turned back to Rin.

"Sorry Rin, I went overboard… I guess I kinda let it build up." RIn blinked and seemed to suddenly realize the defensive position he was in. He coughed and blushed again.

"Nah, it's fine." He tried to rescue his masculinity by standing straighter and crossing his arms. He turned his head away and waved a hand at him.

"I know you were just teasing, but Rin, seriously. Stop." Rin looked back with wide eyes again. Makoto smiled gently. "Please."

"Ah…Yeah, I was being an ass. Sorry." He glanced at both Makoto and Haruka then looked at the ground, turning pink again.

"Rin! Thank you." Makoto smiled widely and wrapped Rin up in a tight hug.

"Yeah, yeah! That's enough Makoto…" He laughed at Rin's embarrassed noises.

Haru smiled. He had to stifle a giggle when he looked around and saw everyone's confused expressions at seeing Makoto transform.

"Haru?" He looked up at Makoto, where he sat next to him on their train home, to find him with a worried expression. "I…I'm really sorry about how I blew up earlier. I probably looked really crazy, but I was just bottling up how angry I was every time he made you uncomfortable and it just exploded the last time with his horrible choice of words and seeing your expression was just-"

"Makoto" Haru interrupted his rambling. "I know you were protecting me. Calm down. Actually…it was impressive."

"What do you-it wasn't-I don't-I was just-" Makoto stuttered, cheeks burning, before being cut off again.

"Rin's face was really funny." Haru smirked.

Makoto's shoulders loosened and he allowed himself a smile and a giggle train stopped and they hopped off to begin the walk home.

"Yeah, for someone with so much bravado and such menacing teeth he sure did look…"

"Scared?" Haru supplied. Makoto laughed, then looked down and kicked a stone which skittered lightly across the pavement.

"…Yeah. Though, I don't think I really like being…'scary'…"

"I was surprised. I didn't know you had it in you."

"Yeah, I guess you just draw out a really protective side of me. " Makoto glanced at Haru but turned away quickly when he found him looking back. "O-or Rin draws out a really angry side of me! Haha!"

When they got back to Haru's house they started working on their homework together on the floor of Haru's bedroom. He looked up when he heard a huff. Sitting across from him, Makoto's eyebrows were furrowed and he was biting his pencil while staring intently at the page in front of him.

"English?"

"Mm? Oh, yeah. That obvious?" He smiled and set down his pencil, sighing. Haru wondered how he could go from so intimidating earlier to so cute now. Haruka rolled over and laid down with the back of his head in Makoto's lap, pushing some of Makoto's papers out of his way. He went back to reading his textbook, but he could feel Makoto watching him and saw his nervous body language in his periphery.

"What's wrong now?" Haru set his book aside and tilted his head back to look up at Makoto. When he blushed and looked away, Haru got worried.

"Um…It's just, after today I feel like…I might be being selfish with our…closeness. Like with things like this." He motioned to Haru's head in his lap.

"…Huh?" Haru did not understand. It was definitely Haru who had moved himself to be closer. He was the one using Makoto's caring to his own advantage, allowing them to be more intimate than maybe friends should be.

"Because I…I want to be close to you. I want to hold you, and now I think it's definitely wrong of me when you don't realize I want to be more than friends." Makoto's words came out in a rush, and he had his face in his hands. He couldn't see Haru's mouth hanging open. "Please don't hate me. I'll keep more of a distance, just please stay my friend. Don't leave me without you…"

"At least look at me when you say stuff like that…" Haru murmured. Makoto slowly removed his hands and apologized, even though his eyes were still closed.

Haru stared up at his face and noticed the tears starting to leak from the corners of his eyes, and the slight quivering of his lips. He made a decision, and reached up to grab the back of Makoto's head and roughly yank it down so it was less than an inch from his own face.

Makoto's eyes popped open wide. Haruka began to thread his fingers into Makoto's hair.

"Was it wrong of me then," he began, slowly and quietly. Seductively, if you were to ask Makoto "that all I could think earlier, when you stood up to Rin, was how sexy it was?"

Haru lowered his eyelids and bit his lip. He smiled when he saw Makoto's pupils dilate and heard his breath catch. He released Makoto's head and got up on his knees slowly, moving to sit in Makoto's lap with his legs wrapped around his waist.

"H-Haru?" His arms wrapped around Makoto's neck and drew them closer again until their foreheads touched.

"Makoto…" As his name blew in a warm breath over his lips, Makoto snapped for the second time that day, but in a completely different way.

He closed the distance between them and kissed Haru with all the longing he'd built up until now. A hand at the small of Haru's back kept them pressed tightly together and the other roamed the muscles of Haru's back…his sides…his thigh.

Haru's breath hitched and he dug his fingers into Makoto's back. Makoto's nails scratched up the inside of his thigh.

"I love you!" Haru gasped out against soft lips.

Makoto froze. Haru was disappointed when the hand moved from the inside of his leg, but instead it rested against Haru's cheek. They looked into each other's eyes.

"Haru…" Makoto looked like he was going to cry again. "I love you."

They simply looked at each other for a moment. He blinked in surprise when Makoto smiled and wiped a tear from Haru's face. Haru blushed and dropped his forehead onto Makoto's shoulder.

"I love cute Makoto and everything, but… can I have sexy Makoto back?" He punctuated his sentence with a short lick to Makoto's neck.

Don't worry, precious Ai-chan gave senpai a good talk about his offensive language later! I didn't like using it myself, but I didn't think Makoto would snap at anything less than really offensive.