28 DAYS [MakoHaru]

twenty one → 12/18

Chapter Twenty-One: December 18th

In a more, shall he say, logical retrospect, Makoto should have expected something like this to happen.

Maybe it was his own idiocy, thinking that being dragged to a party with Nagisa Hazuki of all people would end up well; but the real problem were the drinks he drank last night.

He supposes this all part of the typical high school experience anyway; it would've been weird if he had gone through high school without blacking out at least once. Moreover, this hangover is definitely reminding him why he doesn't drink that often in the first place. He tries to recall the fuzzy events of last night as he sits up in bed, his head spinning like an uneven top.

How did I even get home anyway? Is the first thought in his head as he rubs his temples.

He finally convinces himself to get out of bed after sitting there for an inordinate amount of time, his eyes screwed shut; no way in hell is he going to risk opening his eyes, or he will surely experience a massive wave of nausea.

When he finds the strength to stand, the blankets fall off his body and expose him to the draft in his home. Why did I think it was a good idea to sleep in my boxers in the middle of December? He wonders, heading into his ensuite bathroom to turn on the shower. He hopes the hot water would clear his head and wake him up some.

As the water heats up, he turns around and stares at himself in the mirror. His hair, for a lack of a better word, is a disheveled disaster and there are dark circles under his eyes. The weirdest thing, however, is the marks of red and purple, peppered along his upper body. What the hell?

He's all out of towels, so he has to go back through his room to retrieve one from the hall closet. He heads back through his room, still freezing and sore. Reaching his arms above his head to relieve some of the tension in his body, Makoto stretches out his shoulder muscles and hears his joints pop. He is so sore... not to mention, he can't shake the eerie feeling something that he can't remember happened last night.

"Are you going to shower first?"

The voice is soft, tentative - maybe even a hint of embarrassment? - and frighteningly familiar. Makoto freezes upon hearing it, his body locking up in fear. Turning ever-so slowly, he sees a figure sitting up on his bed, staring at him shyly. When their eyes lock, Makoto is swimming in the most vibrant of blues.

Haruka...?

Makoto manages to even out his erratic breathing after a moment and sputters out a thoughtful noise. "Uh..." He stammers, frozen in place when he comes to the realization that there is a half-naked guy in his bed. He feels his face warm up, and he mentally curses himself for blushing. "I-I was just waiting for the water to heat up," He says in a quiet voice. "But I don't mind waiting if you'd like to use it first."

Haruka nods slowly, the guarded expression he wears returning to his face. The blankets slip off his body as he gets out of Makoto's bed, revealing long legs and a lot more skin than Makoto had initially expected to see.

He quickly takes back his earlier statement: there is a completely naked guy in his bed.

Makoto immediately turns away, forcing himself to stare at anything except the lean muscle on Haruka's body. He fixates his gaze on a trinket sitting on his bookshelf - a silver swimming trophy he won back in fifth grade - and listens to the sound of Haruka's footsteps as he rushes into his bathroom. The door clicks shut and Makoto breathes a sigh of relief.

The relief, however, only lasts the briefest of seconds when it opens again and Makoto tenses up upon hearing his voice. "Makoto?"

"Y-yeah?" He squeaks in surprise.