Chapter Seven

A/N: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or have a lovely holiday season! xx

"Mako-chan, have you been listening to anything I've said?"

Makoto raises his head to look up at Nagisa upon hearing the break in his spiel about whatever newest gossip was floating around, momentarily interrupted from his mental argument. Nagisa looks mildly annoyed when he sees the sheepish smile spread on Makoto's lips.

"Sorry, I'm just tired," He excuses himself, knowing it is at least partially the truth. But even though he is exhausted, his brain keeps wandering back to Haruka. He is currently debating if he made up that entire interaction with him this morning, convincing himself that he is not crazy and he most certainly had a run in with Death himself and he's been shot back twenty-eight days in time to save Haruka Nanase from committing suicide.

With a subtle pinch to his side, he confirms that this is indeed reality, not just some strange dream. He isn't sure which would be worse, really.

Nagisa's teasing tone is evident as a smirk forms on his face. "Oh, were you up late, Mako-chan? With a special lady, perhaps~?" He croons, leaning in and bumping shoulders with Makoto as they walk to the cafeteria. Unfortunately for Makoto, the only class he and Haruka share is homeroom, meaning he isn't able to see Haruka until their lunch period. The moring has been spent with Makoto attempting to come up with something to say to him, but the anticipation has only tied his insides into tighter and tighter knots.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at Nagisa's suggestive question, he shakes his head dismissively. "No," He whispers, feeling slightly defensive, because he was with someone last night, but Nagisa didn't need to know that. "I was just out late with a friend, and then my homework took forever to finish."

"This is what happens when you take all honors classes, Mako-chan!" Nagisa whines. "You're a third year, you should be enjoying your last year of high school before you venture off into the world!"

As a second-year himself, Nagisa often marveled at the idea of being an upperclassman and made it a point to convince Makoto what an incredible opportunity he has. Makoto doesn't see the appeal himself; being a third-year just means dealing with advanced classes, entrance exams, and choosing a college, which comes with choosing a career. Makoto has no earthly idea what he wants to do with his life; he's not particularly good at any subject and he doesn't have any passions. The last time he was even involved in a club was his last year of middle school, where he was on the swim team. But even then, Makoto wasn't that spectacular at swimming, but he stayed for the sake of his friends. When he moved on to high school, he figured it would be best to focus on studying and homework, not tedious things such as swimming.

When Nagisa sees the cross look on Makoto's face, he sighs. "Come on, Mako-chan, allow yourself to have some fun once in a while. You should go to a party or something, meet some new people."

Makoto practically snorts at the absurd idea of going to a party. A comment is threatening to pass his lips - you must be stupid to think alcohol, social interaction, and I mix well - but he bites his lip to refrain from being rude. Instead, he politely declines the idea with his classic nervous smile.

"No, you'll have fun, I promise!" Nagisa insists. "This is perfect! You can come with Rei and me to Sousuke's christmas party next weekend!"

Makoto wrinkles his nose the moment Sousuke's name is spoken.

Sousuke Yamazaki, the golden boy of the school, is the lacrosse captain and had the entire student body wrapped around his finger. He is a major asshole and famous for his house parties, and he and Makoto haven't gotten along since middle school when they were partnered up for a science fair project on photosynthesis. The only cool thing about Sousuke is the fact he is openly dating Nagisa's swim club friend, Rin Matsuoka.

"I'm grounded, Nagisa," Makoto huffs out the best excuse he can think of before he looks into Nagisa's puppy-dog eyes and gets himself sucked into something he doesn't want to do, because there is no resisting Nagisa's pleading look. It's a truth in itself, anyway; there's no way his mother will let him out of her sight for non-school related reasons for the next two weeks.

"Sneak out," Nagisa suggests like it is the most reasonable solution in the world.

"Nagisa! I can't!" Makoto wails.

"Fine. Just tell your mom you're sleeping over at my house, and we're studying," Nagisa poses an alternate idea.

Makoto sees the determined glint in his eyes; there is no getting out of this one. Nagisa will continue to pester and wear him down until he gives in, and Makoto knows it. It's easier just to give up early - honestly, sometimes being friends with Nagisa is such a pain.

They are approaching the cafeteria now, and Nagisa pulls him into the lunch line so they can continue their conversation. He scans the crowd of students, seemingly looking for someone, and his eyes light up when he spots said person. "Rei-chan~!" He squeals, aggressively waving and jumping upon seeing his bookworm boyfriend at their usual table, flushing bright red as some students turn around and stare at him.

After grabbing Styrofoam lunch trays, Makoto tries not to cringe at the slop (he's pretty sure it's supposed to be mashed potatoes) that is placed on his tray. He is lucky enough to snatch up a safe-looking, prepackaged salad and half of a turkey and tomato sandwich.

Nagisa has looped his arm around Makoto's, prepared to drag Makoto to their usual table, but Makoto pulls himself away, glancing around for someone of his own.

"Who are you looking for?" Nagisa asks when he notices Makoto's faraway look. Makoto's face turns to roses when his eyes land on the person he is looking for: Haruka is sitting alone in the corner of the cafeteria, curled over what looks like a notebook. Nagisa follows the direction of his gaze, his eyes landing on the boy. "Why are you looking at Nanase-kun?"

"W-what?" Makoto laughs nervously. "I- I wasn't-"

There is no use. Nagisa sees through his lie before he even finishes it. Shit.

Realization clicks in Nagisa's mind as his jaw slowly drops. "Wait, was he the one you were out with last night? The freak?"

Makoto's hands fly over his mouth. "Shh! Keep your voice down!" He begs, dragging Nagisa into a quiet corner of the cafeteria. When they were out of earshot of the uninterested student population, Makoto glared down at Nagisa. "He's not a freak, Nagisa."

"So you admit you were out with him, then?" Nagisa confirms coyly.

Knowing there is no point in lying, Makoto accepts his defeat.

After having fell asleep immediately after his mother's chew-out session and homework, Makoto hadn't had the time to craft a good enough lie for why exactly he was out last night, and who he happened to be with.

He sighs tiredly. Might as well get it over with.

"So, I was out by myself last night and I went to get a hot chocolate in this shop downtown and I must've fallen asleep because I was woken up by Haruka because he worked there and then we started talking and we walked home together because we live the same way and yeah," Makoto babbles, hoping if he rushed out the truth fast enough, Nagisa wouldn't catch it all.

"Why the hell would you talk to Haruka Nanase?" Nagisa whisper-shouts. "Unspoken rule of Iwatobi High School: no one talks to him."

"Well, it's a dumb rule," Makoto argues. "Haruka isn't that bad of a guy."

So maybe that was a tiny lie, because from what he can tell, Haruka Nanase is kind of a jerk. But Makoto knows there's something beyond the sky-high walls Haruka's built up around himself, some reason that has made him act the  way he does, and he is determined to break them down.

"Did he threaten you to say that?" Nagisa asks, and Makoto can't even tell if he's joking or not. He resists the urge to throw his mashed potatoes into Nagisa's face and forces himself to stay calm as he frowns.

"Just... Just shut up, Nagisa," Makoto mutters. Nagisa seems to be shocked by his sudden outburst, and Makoto takes it as his opportunity to brush by him and stomp away. He passes by his usual lunch table, but doesn't stop until he is standing in front of Haruka's empty table in the corner.

Makoto slams his tray down with such a force, Haruka whips his head up, looking at him with an expression of genuine surprise, lasting for a split second before it morphs into an irritated grimace. Makoto flops down into the seat just as loudly and huffs, tearing into the sandwich.

Haruka watches him as he starts to angrily chew his food, looking just the slightest bit amused.

"The cafeteria food is pretty bad, but I've never seen someone eat a sandwich so angrily," He comments with a sarcastic tone, yet there is an airy, teasing aura about him.

"Not in the mood," Makoto grunts in response, staring down at his lunch tray.

"What crawled up your ass and died?" Haruka demands snarkily.

"My friends are just..." Makoto trails off, not wanting to get on the topic. He sighs in frustration, shaking his head. "Nevermind. Just forget about it."

Haruka stares at him for a moment longer, curiously, as if to crack his code, before shaking his head a little bit and turning back to his notebook. Makoto eats his lunch while Haruka writes in the journal. After studying him for a few minutes of silence, Makoto realizes he is not writing, but drawing.

"What are you drawing?" Makoto dares to ask.

"None of your business," Haruka retorts immediately, which isn't surprising. He moves his hand to shield whatever he is working on, pulling the journal closer to him protectively. Rolling his eyes, Makoto continues to eat the sandwich, feeling a little bit better after he has some food in him. He's almost forgotten about the anger from what Nagisa said. Almost.

"So," Makoto starts awkwardly when he's in a slightly better mood, "Where were you this morning? I waited for you before school."

"Damn," Haruka coughs under his breath. "I thought you would've forgotten about it."

"I thought we made a deal."

Haruka doesn't stop doodling, but Makoto notices he clenches his pencil a little bit tighter, his knuckles paling. "I never agreed to meet you," He says after a moment.

Makoto doesn't want to admit he's right, but he figured his side of the verbal confirmation was enough to get Haruka to come. He flushed in anger and embarrassment, feeling incredibly stupid. I'm such an idiot, he thinks. Of course he wouldn't walk with me if given the chance.

Haruka sees his expression and something inside him softens. "I didn't think you were actually being serious," He adds quietly.

Anger morphs into surprise as Makoto sets his half-eaten sandwich down. "What?" He asks incredulously. "Of course I was. Why wouldn't I be? We're friends, after all."

"And why on earth would you think we're friends?" Haruka practically spits, the tone in his voice so toxic it makes Makoto want to shrink down in his seat. There was an intense look in his eyes that shows he isn't taking anything less than the truth for an answer.

"Because," Makoto draws out the word shakily, "You seem like a nice person."

Haruka snorts with laughter, the kind of patronizing laughter that makes you feel terrible inside. And terrible he feels when he knows Haruka knows he isn't a nice person at all; it's almost as if Haruka is a jerk on purpose.

"Yeah," Haruka shakes his head. "Right."

"Hey, you woke me up after I fell asleep in that seafood restaurant, right?" Makoto offers, trying to forget the way his heart is pounding erratically against his chest. "That was kind of you. Not to mention you shared your headphones with me on the train."

"I did do that," Haruka says quietly. "Don't ever expect it again."

Makoto chuckles upon hearing that. That is probably true, judging that ninety percent of Haruka just seemed to be a bundle of negativity. He is about to respond when Haruka opens his mouth again. "But that doesn't change the fact you've never talked or even looked at me before last night. So why the sudden change?"

Makoto is starting to get sick of Haruka's no-nonsense, asshole attitude. Can't he just be given the benefit of the doubt? He decides not to take the negativity personally, mentally rolling his eyes as he cracks open the lid of his salad container.

"I don't have to have a reason to be nice," He finally says, focusing on pouring the packet of Caesar dressing over the limp salad. "Maybe the real problem is you. Why are you so opposed to having friends?"

"Maybe because you're an ignorant goody two shoes whose life is so perfect he couldn't possibly understand a damn about anything," Haruka hisses. "That, Makoto Tachibana, is why I am so opposed to being friends with you."

"Okay," Makoto laughs, resting one arm on the cafeteria table so he can press his fingers into his temple. He cracks a smile at Haruka, but it is one filled with so much malice even Haruka is slightly taken aback. "First of all, don't act like you know anything about me or my life. My grades are far from perfect, the only reason why I have the friends I do is because they feel sorry for me, and I'm far from ignorant."

Where had that come from? Makoto thinks, surprised in himself.

"Oh, really?" Haruka raises an eyebrow, unfazed by Makoto's outburst. When he nods, Haruka clicks his tongue dismissively. "I don't believe you."

"What gives you the right to act like you're so sure about yourself?" Makoto folds his arms across his chest. "You don't even know me."

"You don't know me either, Makoto."

This is when Makoto realizes both he and Haruka have leaned in close across the table, furiously glaring at each other in a heated staring contest. If he looks down, he can see the faintest of freckles brushed against the bridge of his nose. He would've thought it was cute if it isn't for the fact Haruka looks like he wants to slap him.

Maybe Makoto is the type to typically back down, but not this time. No. He can appreciate a good challenge from time to time.

I'm not going to give up on you, Haruka.

Makoto's cheeks threaten to color from the proximity (but he'd like to think he is just passionate about this) and his voice becomes hushed, like he is afraid of what he is about to say (or maybe he's simply terrified of the response he knows he is going to get). "Can't you just give me a chance?"

Haruka studies Makoto carefully, taking in every detail of his face, trying to determine if he's telling the truth or not. His eyes narrow judgmentally before they close completely and he sighs, his head dropping into his hands.

"Fine," He huffs, his voice muffled by his palms. "But only because you're do damn persistent, I know you won't stop until you get a yes."

Immense relief washes over Makoto, and he grins so widely he feels like his face is going to break. "You're right," He agrees amiably, his voice practically singing the words.

The lunch bell rings, promptly ending the conversation, and Haruka packs away his journal, a worn, leather-bound book, into his backpack. He makes a move to leave when Makoto grabs his wrist, stopping him before he can walk away.

"Can we hang out later?" He asks hopefully.

"Don't push your luck, Makoto," Haruka grumbles irritably, his hair falling in his eyes when he turns his head away.

"Come on! It'll be fun," Makoto whines. "Friends are supposed to hang out, aren't they?"

"I wouldn't exactly know that, would I?" Haruka bites back sarcastically.

"I thought you said you'd give it a chance," Makoto reminds him, his grip tightening on Haruka's wrist. Haruka grimaces at the pressure, trying to yank his hand away, but Makoto's grasp is too tight. His eyes cast down to the 28 on Makoto's hand but he doesn't say anything. "I can show you what friendship is all about."

"This better not be a waste of my time," Haruka mutters under his breath.

Makoto takes it as an acceptance, knowing that's as close to a yes as he will get, at least for now. "Great!" He grins. Success! He cheers himself on, giving himself a mental pat on the back. "I'll see you after school!"

Makoto gives Haruka a cheerful wave before taking his lunch trash to the garbage bins and heading out of the cafeteria. He is halfway down the hall when the realization dawns upon him that Haruka actually agreed to hang out with him after school, and a wide grin spreads across his face.

Only one day has passed, and yet Makoto has already gotten Haruka to agree to be friends and they're spending time together outside of school. This doesn't stop the future from scaring him forever; the battle has only just begun.

He has no idea what the next twenty-eight days hold, but this new hope has sparked determination inside of him.

I can do this, he tells himself. Death did not make a mistake by choosing me to save Haruka Nanase.