28 DAYS [MakoHaru]

five → 12/06

Chapter Five

"Hey! Come on, you need to wake up! Hey!"

Makoto jolts awake, his heart racing at with adrenaline. He looks around at his surroundings, seeing who was shouting at him, and why they woke him up so suddenly. Makoto realizes he is still in the seafood restaurant, slumped over the booth on the back. Once he realizes where he is, he immediately notices two strange things:

One, he is wearing a green cardigan over a striped blue shirt and khaki pants, which is strangely similar to something he distinctly remembers wearing a month ago.

Two, he is currently face-to-face with a boy he was pretty sure was supposed to be dead.

There is a reasonable explanation for all of this insanity, Makoto thinks. Clearly, he must be having a very fucked up dream, because he is staring into the cold blue eyes of Haruka Nanase, the boy who died, who is regarding him with an impatient expression.

But it is an impatient expression that is one-hundred percent alive, and it sends Makoto's head spinning.

This is all too much to process.

Haruka is standing, breathing, living in front of him, and it feels like he was just at his funeral two seconds ago.

"Uhh," Makoto stammers as he averts his eyes, running his hand through his hair self-consciously, knowing full-well Haruka is still glaring at him, an unpleasant frown on his face. "I-I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm here-"

"I don't really care," Haruka interrupts him. "But we're closed. You need to go."

"What are you doing here?" Makoto blurts out against his better judgment.

Haruka's scowl deepens. "Me?" He questions sarcastically, his hand closing into a tight fist around a towel Makoto just now notices he is holding. "I happen to work here."

"O-oh. Sorry."

"Whatever. Just get out."

Makoto is slightly taken aback by the way Haruka snaps at him so quickly. Sure, he wasn't exactly expecting a warm welcome from the boy, but he doesn't understand why it hurts so much that he seems so angry at him.

"Jeez, I was just trying to apologize. There's no need to be so rude," Makoto mutters under his breath.

The harshness of Makoto's words have an affect on Haruka that he wasn't expecting. The look that crossed his face mirrored an expression he would have if Makoto had just slapped him across the face. His eyes narrow almost challengingly.

"Has it ever occurred to you that I don't want people to be nice to me? That maybe I want to be left alone?" He hisses in response, his stance wavering slightly.

That didn't make much sense to Makoto. Perhaps he is just blessed to have grown up surrounded by caring friends and family, against all odds. Maybe Haruka doesn't know what that's like, but that doesn't mean he should shut it out so quickly.

"But why?" Makoto questions.

And it was a serious question. What had happened in Haruka's life to make him think it would just be easier to face the world on his own?

"None of your damn business, that's why."

"That's not an answer," Makoto frowns.

"Who says I have to give you a real one?"

"Me."

"Well, why do you care so damn much?"

Because I don't want you to kill yourself, that's why.