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Haru’s phone buzzes so he flips it open.
“Yuki and Manabe are running late,” he reads out. He chooses not to read out the rest of the message in which Yuki explains at length exactly why they are late (something involving Manabe and falling into a pond doing something ‘stupid’; Yuki’s words), but does resolve to press for more details once they arrive.
Kyou sighs. “So we’ve just gotta wait here for them, huh…?”
Tohru smiles. “I don’t mind! It’ll be a little disappointing to spend less time with Sohma-kun, but I’m never unhappy when I have so many friends with me, here!”
“That’s right!” Momiji agrees, pulling in for a hug. Haru has to admit that his clinginess comes across quite a bit differently now that he’s had his growth spurt; perhaps Kyou agrees, because his eyebrow is rapidly beginning to twitch.
Beside him, Rin hums a little. “Right – Manabe. What’s his relation to Yuki, again?”
“His boyfriend,” Haru explains.
“Ah, right.” Rin nods. “I remember now.”
Kyou and Tohru are staring at them for some reason. Haru raises an eyebrow.
Tohru cracks first, going very red and waving her hands all about. “His b-b-b-b-!! Wh-when did that happen?! I never-! He didn’t-!”
“I sure as hell never got the memo, either!” Kyou shouts, wide-eyed. “Not that I give a shit, but-!”
“I don’t think he’s told anyone,” Haru reassures.
“So…!” Tohru’s gaze bounces between Rin and Haru, rapid-fire. “D-did you happen to overhear, or, did Manabe-kun say something, or, or…!”
“Nah,” Haru says with a shrug.
“I think it’s just obvious?” Rin adds. “From what I’ve heard, anyway.”
“Obvious…?!” Tohru repeats, looking faint.
“Well, they’re living together, and they do everything together, and whenever they hang out they’re extremely touchy with one another.”
Kyou sighs, obviously irritated. “They live in a dorm! Are you kidding me, trying to play that as meaning something?! Hell, he and I and Tohru all lived together for years!”
Tohru still looks dizzy. “I-I never considered it…” She stares into nothing, cheeks faintly pink. “I never even would have thought about it…”
“Plus!” Kyou adds, pointing directly at Haru, heedless of the potential Dark-side provocation. “Did he ever said he was-?! The he-?!”
Rin stares at him stoically. “That he what?”
“You know what I mean…!”
Haru and Rin share a glance. Heterosexuals, right?
“I know,” Haru says simply.
Kyou flushes even redder.
“Oh…!” Tohru says, eyes going even wider.
Rin snorts a little, crossing her arms. “This is pretty fun, actually. We should all do this more often.”
It’s then, finally, that the sound of footsteps rapidly approaches them.
“I’m so sorry we’re late, Honda-san…!”
Yuki bows, clearly sincerely apologetic.
“That’s right!” Manabe adds, much less out of breath or concerned. “My bad!”
Yuki jabs a thumb into his side and he squawks. “You should properly apologise to Honda-san, given that it’s entirely your fault we’ve kept her waiting at all.”
(Should Haru mention that Tohru isn’t the only person here? Well, whatever. She’s like that for all of them.)
Manabe laughs, bending his back in an exaggeratedly deep bow. “Begging your forgiveness, your most imperial princess! This poor squire was waylaid by bandits on his journey!”
“Unbelievable.” Yuki fumes, eyes scarily narrow.
“I-it’s really okay, Sohma-kun!” Tohru finally breaks through, waving her hands about in well-practiced de-escalation. (Her face is still tellingly on the redder side.) “Um, I’m really not mad at all! I’m just glad you’re here, now…! The both of you…”
Yuki turns to her with an instantly charming smile. “Thank you, Honda-san. Your kindness is always appreciated, however much it is wasted on this mannerless beast.”
“Yun-yun…!” Kakeru whines, slumping over Yuki’s shoulders and hugging him from behind. Everyone else in the vicinity jumps, on instinct; Manabe may very obviously not be female, but the curse hasn’t been broken long enough that unexpected hugs from outsiders don’t immediately send a spark of panic among the Sohmas.
Yuki doesn’t jump at all. In fact, he takes Kakeru’s weight with practised grace, as though his has happened so many times he was already expecting it before it even happened.
Manabe continues: “You’re so mean to me again! Didn’t I apologise, just like you said…? I always do everything you tell me to, just like a good boy…!”
“Are you kidding…?” Yuki grimaces, but still does not make the slightest movement towards pulling away. Instead, if anything, he presses further back, angling his head to see Manabe better. “You never listen to a word I say. That’s how we ended up in this whole mess.”
Manabe pouts, chin resting firmly on Yuki’s shoulder. His eyes are wide and distinctly puppy-dog-ish.
After a moment, Yuki sighs. “Fine. Your apology is accepted. But you’d better not cause trouble for anyone else here today, okay?”
“Yay!” Manabe grins, squeezing his hold on Yuki. “Geez, it’s so cold out here! I might just have to keep my arms around you, okay, Yun-yun?”
“Maybe you wouldn’t be cold if you hadn’t fallen into a pond…” Yuki grumbles, absent-mindedly tucking his hands under Kakeru’s arms to keep them warm as well.
At that point, he seems to remember that there are other people present again.
“Oh… sorry.” Yuki ducks his head a little, ears red. “I guess I’ve – gotten used to arguing with him lately, so…”
Haru risks a glance at Kyou. He is, with great determination, not meeting Haru’s eyes.
Tohru, on the other hand, looks as though she’s been graced by the Virgin Mary herself.
“Sohma-kun… Manabe-kun…!” She clasps her hands together, gazing adoringly. “I-I’m so happy that you two were able to come with us today…!”
Yuki raises an eyebrow just a little. “Yes, of course, Honda-san! I’m always grateful for chances to spend time with you.”
“A-and please don’t feel like you need to hold back at all on my account!” Tohru continues, very seriously. “Um, even if there are things you think I might not understand, or aren’t ready to tell me all about yet – I want you to feel free to be who you are, and love too the very depths of your heart…!”
She starts to sniffle. Manabe cocks his head to one side dubiously.
“Er…” Yuki says, clearly uncertain. “All right…?”
And then Manabe laughs.
“Dude!” He grins, almost ecstatic, and pulls back enough to poke Yuki’s back. “She totally thinks we’re together!”
Yuki’s expression rapidly switches from confusion to shock to sheer, unadulterated mortification.
Haru hums a little. “Aren’t you?”
Manabe’s grin is a little manic. “Nope!”
Yuki is no longer meeting anyone’s eyes. With great awkwardness, he attempts to extricate himself from Manabe’s arms, aided in no way whatsoever by Manabe himself, who tries to cling closer to Yuki with sheer, boyish delight.
“...um,” Yuki says softly. “Honda-san…”
“I-I-I…!” Tohru stammers, heart almost visible in her throat. “You, I… I’m so sorry…!”
While she continues to attempt apologies and Yuki awkwardly reassures her – all while Manabe adamantly refuses to let go of Yuki’s waist, offering cooing words about how sweet it is that she noticed just how close they are so that they might as well be dating anyway – Rin turns to Haru.
“So… not boyfriend. Just stupid,” she translates.
Haru shrugs. “That was my next guess, anyway.”
(For the rest of the meet-up, Yuki studiously avoids any extra bodily contact with Manabe beyond the norm. He totally forgets by the end of it, though, and they leave for their dorm room with Kakeru’s arm around Yuki’s slim, warm shoulders.)