Chapter Text
He regrets coming here. The place is dark, crowded, and the smoke hanging in the air is suffocating. Haru raises his beer to his lips, taking a long drink. He’s going to need a hell of a lot more of these if he’s going to survive this evening; there are too many people, too many voices.
“Having fun yet?” Nagisa leans over into Haru’s space, rose-coloured eyes peering up at him. Haru looks away. Of course he isn’t having fun. Suddenly Nagisa jumps up from his seat, waving his arms in the air enthusiastically. “REIIII!!! Over here!”
Rei waves back and carefully picks his way around the other lounge patrons, giving Nagisa a kiss when he finally reaches them. “I’m sorry I’m late,” he says, draping his grey jacket on the back of an empty chair and nodding apologetically at Haru. “The sitter was having car trouble.”
Nagisa twists to look at him, a hint of concern in his expression. “But she made it, right? Everything’s good? Mamiko’s okay?”
Rei chuckles. “Mamiko’s fine. I wouldn’t come here if she wasn’t, would I? She was already asleep when I left.”
Nagisa smiles, satisfied, and pushes a purple drink in Rei’s direction. “I already ordered for you.” The two sit with their chairs close together, and Haru suspects they’re holding hands under the table. After ten years, their relationship is as strong as ever. Rei’s personality has grown warmer and more inviting over the years; he no longer hesitates to kiss Nagisa in public or hold his hand, and while Nagisa has settled down exponentially under the responsibility of parenthood, he still gazes at Rei with the same adoration in his eyes that was there when they were teenagers.
As irritating as the couple can be at times, constantly badgering him until he agrees to go out with them- at least once a month, because it’s good for you to get out, Haru-chan- Haru can’t help but acknowledge the tiny grain of jealousy in his chest when he watches them together. He finishes off his beer and orders another, letting his eyes wander around the room. A small stage at the far end, bar on the other, tables and chairs scattered liberally around the outer edges, and an open space in the middle that he supposes is meant for dancing.
“Why are we here?” Why couldn’t they just go to a normal bar? One that didn’t require advanced tickets to get into.
Nagisa smiles, checking the watch on Rei’s wrist. “There’s supposed to be a really cool new band playing here tonight. It’s gonna start soon.” He settles down with his head resting against Rei’s shoulder. Haru notices how tired he looks- how tired they both look, lately. It only reaffirms Haru’s desire never to have kids.
“Fags!” someone sneers. Haru hears cruel sniggering behind him, and turns to see a couple of inebriated guys at the table next to them. “I wonder which one of ‘em takes it,” one says loudly. “I bet it’s the blond lady-boy!” His friends seem to think he’s an absolute laugh riot. The background noise in the club continues, though some of the patrons closest to them have stopped to watch. Nagisa leans forward as if he’s about to say something, but Rei places a firm hand on his shoulder, standing up.
“That would be me, actually,” he says coldly, his mouth twisted in a disdainful frown. Haru doesn’t want to think about how he knows it’s a lie. Sometimes Haru forgets how tall Rei is, how intimidating he was in high-school, before Nagisa pestered him into joining the swim club, when he was that standoffish dick on the track team. It all comes back in a flash as Rei glares at the group of men over his glasses. Haru wonders vaguely if Rei even knows how to fight. Probably not. He can’t imagine Rei ever physically attacking somebody. Still, he certainly wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end if he ever decided to try it. The guy would probably win through sheer determination. Luckily, the homophobic drunkard seems to have similar thoughts racing through his mind as he takes in Rei’s fit body and hard countenance. He mumbles something to his friends, and the lot of them get up and move to a more distant table.
Nagisa, breaking out of his momentary shock, giggles and claps. “Wow, Rei! That was amazing! I didn’t know you had that in you.”
Rei releases a shaky breath, adjusting his glasses as he sits. “I was terrified it wouldn’t work. It seems that with humans, as in nature, males can often avoid a fight simply by making themselves look more intimidating than-” Nagisa shuts him up with a kiss. If they were in a more private location he’d probably crawl into his lap, but they aren’t, so he doesn’t. He does, however, whisper something into Rei’s ear that makes the taller man blush before getting up and trotting off in the direction of the men’s room. Haru can guess exactly what he’s up to.
“I’m sorry, Haruka-senpai,” Rei says, following suit. “We’ll be back soon.” After a few steps he turns back to Haru, apparently deciding that he needs to justify what’s about to happen in one of the club’s bathroom stalls, which he totally doesn’t. “It’s been over a week since we’ve had a chance like this. It’s only logical to take it.” And then he’s gone, thank god.
Haru is starting his third beer, his back to the stage, when the lights dim. He’s not listening when the band is introduced, he doesn’t care when they start playing. He takes a long swig, wondering if Rei and Nagisa would even notice if he just got up and left. He can’t, though; Nagisa paid for his ticket to get in and everything. And then he freezes as the singing starts. It’s higher than he expected, considering the music leading into it was pretty heavy rock. There’s a slight nasally quality to the singer’s voice that makes it instantly recognizable, despite the fact that the lyrics to the song are so angsty, the voice rawer and more angry than he’s ever heard it. Time stops for Haru as he turns to face the stage, taking in the singer’s broad body, his shaggy brown hair and slightly downturned eyes. He knows who it is before his eyes can even register what he’s seeing.
He’s so transfixed that he doesn’t notice when Rei and Nasgisa return, slipping calmly into their seats. Nagisa’s voice sounds like it’s coming from the other side of the room as he chatters away about something. “Haru-chan? Har- oh my god, is that Mako-chan?!”