30 day OTP challenge (souharu)

Day 23 Arguing

Makoto looked really down that morning, their walk to school was unusually quiet. Haru's tall friend was gazing at the ground intently, eyebrows stitched together in thought.

The ocean crashed on Haru's left, filling in for their silence, whispering in his ear that something was wrong. I know, but what? Haru asked it. Ask him. Right, he needed to ask.

"Makoto," He asked, "What's wrong?"

"Hm?" Makoto looked up, his kind green eyes were troubled. "Nothing." His eyes shifted to the right, and Haru knew he was lying. "Haru... do you think I'm not good enough for Rin? Am I holding him back?"

"Sosuke spoke to you." Haru stated, stepping in front of him to stop him.

"N-no, I just thought--" Makoto tried to amend.

"Stow it, Makoto, Sosuke's the only one who would make you think that." The ocean approved, "he's talked to me like that before."

A protective fire blazed in Makoto's eyes, "He did what?"

"Nothing, it was when we first met." Haru waved it off, "This is about what he told you."

Makoto paled.

"Let me guess, he said you were keeping Rin from his true potential, keeping him from completing his goals? Did he tell you Rin would never make it to the Olympics with you by his side?"

Makoto looked close to tears, it made Haru mad.

"I'm going to talk to him." He turned on his heel and continued their walk to school.

"No, Haru," Makoto tried to stop him, "I don't want to get in between you two."

"Get Rin out of the dorm," Haru didn't even look back at him, "If I'm with someone, they can't badmouth my friends."

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"Sosuke, we need to talk." Haru said as soon as the dorm's door was shut.

Sosuke turned to him, "what is it." Did he always look so intimidating like that, towering above him?

"About what you said to Makoto."

Something flashed in his eyes, "what about it?"

Haru pursed his lips, "It's not OK, Rin doesn't belong to you, he's human. You need to stop being so possessive and lay off. Makoto is sensitive, he could actually take it to heart and consider breaking up with Rin."

"For the better." Sosuke said, "I meant what I said, you know. I meant it when I said it to you and I meant it when I said it to him."

"Just because you're my boyfriend doesn't mean I'm letting this slide." Haru pressed,

"Haru, what do you want?"

Haru paused, what did he want? "Don't meddle with their relationship, Rin can decide for himself who drags him down."

"No he can't" Sosuke objected, "He never could, so I took care of it myself. I kept my rival in shape for him, he's too sensitive."

"That's what you don't understand," Haru wasn't getting through his thick skull, "You can't make decisions for him, as I've told you several times before."

"Watch me!" Sosuke lost his temper then, shoving Haru.

The raven stumbled, but caught himself, he wouldn't fall, not now. "Sosuke this isn't going to work if you start threatening my friends."

"Who said I'm threatening them? I'm just telling them what I think, Tachibana has to stay away from Rin, he's dragging him down."

"They're happy! Can't you take it for what it is?" Haru stormed forward, making Sosuke back up this time.

"What it is? What do they have? I don't see anything between them." He was getting loud, "What do you think this is, right here?!" Sosuke motioned between them.

Haru's eyes widened. "What?" He whispered, not wanting to know the answer.

"You were in the way of RIn," Sosuke sneered, "you dragged him down. What do you think this is, huh?" His voice steadily rose, "I got you out of the way, that's what it is."

Haru was frozen to the spot, dread settled in his stomach, he shook his head in dismay, and then he ran. Ran hard. Sosuke didn't call after him, no one did, no one came after him.

He ran home and burst into his room, stripping off his sweater and pants, and dove into his bed. curling up in the sheets. He brought his bare knees close, wanting the feel of his jammers but only feeling boxers. Was what he had with Sosuke, what he thought he had, was it a lie? It seemed like Sosuke was saying it was.

Haru didn't think sleep would come to him, but it did.