He reluctantly got up and decided to swallow back the grumpy words he had for his friend Nagisa is only trying to cheer me up. So he headed back inside in defeat, the blonde already returning to his position at the computer.
As he approached the set he realized that luckily it was one of the girls being photographed, and the dolphin boy was nowhere to be seen. Makoto let out a sigh of relief and told himself all he had to do was endure a little longer and he'd be free to return to the smelly protection of his cave.
He was so engrossed in fantasies of his habitat that he didn't notice the unfamiliarity of the voice that called his name, questioningly.
"Makoto?" He turned around humming and completely unprepared for what he found. Once again blue orbs were boring holes into his head and this time, they were much much too close.
Makoto couldn't hold back a choking sound as he stumbled to say "Y-yes?"
"It really is you" the dolphin boy said with a slight almost not-there-at-all smile "I thought it was you but you've really changed and you seemed to recognize me but you're really tall now"
What?... WhatWhatWhatWhat was all Makoto could think, what was happening? The dolphin boy was talking to him? He knew his name? He knew him? Who was he? Just who... and then... suddenly.
"HARUKA?!" His eyes shot open as the other nodded almost imperceptivity. This wasn't happening, the guy he had been ogling right now; the dolphin boy couldn't be the same water obssesed boy from his childhood. Nope, he was probably still sleeping and this was a dream induced by the sun roasting his brain cells.
"I thought you had recognized me" the other said almost accusingly "I haven't changed as much... I think" He added.
"Well, yeah... I mean no! I just never expected to run into you, in a photo shoot of all places... it's really bizarre" Makoto laughed nervously and reached for the back of his head to scratch his neck. At least he could make complete sentences now. The dolphin boy was Haru, he could speak to Haru... Right?
"Well I am a model" Haru stated unnecessarily and Makoto eyed him not knowing what to say... well, yeah didn't seem a very polite answer "what do you do?"
"Oh, I'm studying to become a teacher, I'm just here because my friend is the photographer's boyfriend and assistant, though he doesn't really assist as much as he just drives people nuts" He laughed as Haru eyed Nagisa and smirked, he definitely was familiar with the blonde. "I never pictured you as a model type" Makoto added to make conversation, apparently his old friend was still as taciturn as always "Not that you're bad or anything" he quickly said defensively "well... never pictured you doing anything really, only swimming" There, he was scratching his neck again, he probably looked like an idiot.
"I still swim, do you?"
"Not really, sometimes I swim with my brother and sister in the ocean when I go back home for the summer though" He hadn't thought about swimming in a long time, it used to be such a big part of his life and now... just like Haruka, it was a mere memory.
"I see, it's a shame... you were good" Haru said it without any expression on his face but Makoto couldn't help his heart skipping a beat; his hands had started to sweat again.
"Thanks, though I was never half as good as you... I continued on the team though, that's where I met Nagisa actually"
"So you met him after I left" Makoto thought he could hear a slight tone of accusation, but it was probably his imagination. There was a time when he had known what those small things meant, every look every twitch of a muscle, it meant something in Haru language and he used to be very fluent in it. It was almost like mind reading actually, it used to freak their classmates and entertain their parents.
He realized he never had that type of relationship with anyone ever again, it made him sad.
"Yeah, it was really good because I was really bummed out when you left, I cried for weeks it was like getting dumped" Makoto said laughing but haru's expressionless look and silence made him doubt his sense of humor. Images of him running after Haru's train and shouting his name suddenly filled his mind and he felt very aware of a bead of sweat coming down his forehead. God, that was a horrible memory.
"A...anyway so you live in the city or.." he had started to change topic, wanting to dispense the heavy aura that had settled, but he wasn't sure of what you are supposed to talk about with someone you were practically attached to for the first 9 years of your life and then never saw again. But someone called out to Haru instead; it was the red hair he had seen before.
"Haru we have to go!" The young woman waved her hand enthusiastically and turned to say her goodbyes after Haru nodded at her.
"I have another job, nice to see you" And with just a glance he left Makoto midsentence and turned around.
"Yeah... you too" he added but it came out in a whisper.
"Mako-chan Stop smoking!" Nagisa shouted with his hands placed on his hips, looking like a nagging mother "You really suck at it! You're supposed to take the smoke in! And you're grabbing it all wrong, you look pathetic!" he didn't sound like a mom though.
Makoto Had returned to his hideout after his utter failure at talking to Haruka for the first time in like a decade. He had imagined that moment so many times... whenever he saw a swimming pool or he visited the market and saw mackerel on the fish section. It was something playful like "what would happen if I ran into him, what kind of person would he be now?" he knew it was unlikely and yet... it HAD happened and he had screwed it up.
"I'm glad you worry about my health" Makoto said "It just... it makes me feel better"
"How? Does couching your lungs out remind you that you are an easily influenced person who takes the habits of their unsuitable partners?" Nagisa sighed. "Fine, I'll let it pass for now. So tell me where did you know Haruka from?" Nagisa's voice changed from annoyed to excited in a nanosecond.
"He was the friend who left before you joined the team, remember?" Makoto didn't really want to speak about it but he knew Nagisa wouldn't let it go.
"Wait, THAT Haru? From Iwatobi? The swimming genius Haru? The "I want to swim with you" Haru? Mako's sad puppy love story's Haru?" Makoto glared at him.
"...Yeah"
"That's great you finally got to see him again! Did you get his number? This is perfect!" Makoto glared at him some more.
"Would I be brooding if I had gotten his number? I suck at flirting you know I do! I made a fool of myself" Makoto took a drag and coughed a little, angry at the knowing smile his friend was giving him.
"Well that never stopped you before did it? Even when it was clear that you SHOULD have stopped for your own sake you still persisted, so why change modus operandi now?"
"Because it's never worked out?"
"Well maybe this time is the lucky one?"
"Whatever it's not like I'll randomly cross him in the street" Nor did he want to, it was just his luck to run into Haru when he was... like this. If it had been at some other moment in his life, he'd been able to speak normally, he'd been his old self but right now he was a mess.
"Well... he has another photo shoot with Rei next week" Nagisa winked at him "So I'll just have to make sure you correct your error!"
