#mikomako

When Sei finally manages to drag his eyes open, he finds himself slumped against the wall of the small 1DK he will now be calling home. He's surrounded by tall towers of cardboard and the sight has him groaning into his arm.

His limbs are still leaden from lugging all his worldly possessions up two flights of rickety stairs (with the help of a few friends who had been compensated for their trouble with beer and a frankly ungodly amount of pizza), and the pitter patter of rain against the window pane keeps him feeling drowsy and unable to summon his usual vigor.

He hadn't, in the end, managed to unpack a thing the night before as Rin and Sousuke had plied him with a reasonable amount of their reward beer in the name of housewarming...

Which begs the question of how exactly he's become tangled up in the Pokemon blanket he'd packed for his brother to use when staying over. Because he's pretty sure he hasn't touched the binliner that he'd stuffed it into the depths of since dumping it unceremoniously into the far corner of the room yesterday afternoon...

Sei flinches as a muscle in his neck spasms from the awkward way he'd fallen asleep in, and he abandons the train of thought in favour of reaching back to poke at the affected area with a wince. A quick glance at his phone tells him it's mid-morning already, which only really gives him the rest of today to finish unpacking and grab some groceries before he's due back into work tomorrow; he'd better get cracking.

He folds the blanket and sets it aside to hunt down the box hiding the coffee from him, and that's the last thought he gives it all.

--

The walk home from the train station after work is made shorter as he chatters to his mother about his day, the apartment and the fact that he still has a suitcase of clothes to unpack when all he feels like doing is collapsing on the sofa and maybe watching a mindless game show or two before crawling to bed. His mother's voice is tinny through his phone's speaker as she catches him up on which idols will be in tonight's episode and an update on his brother's high school escapades; she's badgering him about making an actual dinner before he slinks to the couch ("I will, I will," he assures her while pointedly looking away from the bag of take out in his hand) when he finally arrives home.

He bids her a quick farewell (hoping she can't detect the tiny white lie in his voice) before dumping his dinner in the kitchen to change into something more comfortable.

He undoes his tie on the way, unbuttoning his shirt sleeves as he shoulders through his bedroom door ready to dig through his suitcase for a pair of sweats and an old t-shirt. Only. He's pretty sure he'd left his suitcase open on his bed this morning in his rush to get ready for work (with his clothes spilling out after shuffling around in there to find a pair of matching socks).

Sei blinks and rubs his eyes just to be sure, but when he opens them again the suitcase is still standing closed and propped against the wall.

He ambles over and lifts it up; it feels like it's empty.

Brows crawling up his forehead, his eyes go over to his wardrobe. His wardrobe which should, by all rights, be empty.

Sei slides the door open to piles of neatly stacked clothing, the rack filled with hangers of jackets.

He stares, wondering briefly if he could possibly have started sleepwalking. Then the rumble of his stomach makes him remember that his dinner is quickly cooling in the kitchen and saves the thought for another time.

--

Sei watches the way Momo hugs his jar to his chest, suppressing a smile as he lets his brother into his apartment.

"So you don't think he's given up yet then?"

Momo looks up at him with soulful gold eyes, bottom lip sliding forward into a pout so familiar that Sei has to hold back from reaching over to pinch Momo's cheek.

"If I'd left Pyunsuke at the dorm senpai would probably leave his jar open outside and lock the window so he couldn't get back in!"

"It's okay, he'll be safe with us." Sei ruffles Momo's hair with a grin, honestly glad for the company (Pyunsuke included). He's definitely going to have an eventful weekend; his brother isn't one to sit still and stay quiet after all.

It's one thing to go out for drinks with colleagues after work - it isn't as though Sei's particularly lonely - but there's something about having the hustle and bustle that Momo brings with him wherever he goes that sets Sei at ease.

He cooks up their lunch, lights a candle to clear the air ("Mum would be so proud") and sets a DVD to play on his laptop as Momo snuggles into the couch.

It's once their movie has ended and Momo's squinting at the coffee table that they realise that something might be amiss.

"Onii-chan. I think Pyunsuke's jar might need a heavier lid or something because he is getting way too smart."

Sei glances down at the empty jar and indeed, the lid seems to be ajar. His brows crawl up his forehead as he confirms that the stag beetle isn't easily visible in the room... He feels like as a responsible adult he should probably be shaking his head and sighing... but honestly? It's kind of funny.

He lets out a snort of amusement which at least gets that tentative look off Momo's face before they settle on a strategy to comb the place for little Pyunsuke before he can get himself hurt.

They search high and low for a solid ten minutes before being able to claim any kind of progress; Momo lets out an excited squeak and when Sei glances over it's to see Pyunske zooming under his desk with surprising speed.

The thing about Sei's desk is, it's really just a normal table. And it's kind of short so his knees tend to knock on there a little when he actually deigns to use it. (Which he hasn't since his first month of residence, at which point any work had been moved to his couch and the desk had become more of a convenient surface to dump stuff.)

Momo's small enough to crawl under the table easily enough, and when he waves his hand backwards at Sei he hands over the jar and lid.

Pyunsuke's safely back in his jar and Momo whips around, grin wide in victory. Only, he manages to smack his head on the table as he does.

Sei would usually find this hilarious, and as he's setting Pyunsuke down again (they'll need to find some way to keep him in his jar overnight without covering his air holes) the corners of his mouth start to tug up into a teasing smile. Until he turns, that is.

Because the jolt of the table is enough to have the candle wobbling precariously in its holder and Sei's eyes widen in horror at the way it teeters over a pile of forgotten paperwork next to the curtains. Momo's still under the table, completely unaware as he scrunches his nose and holds his head where it smarts.

"Momo, the candle!"

Momo somehow manages to scoot out just as Sei's getting close enough to the table to try and snatch the paper away when-

-the candle, which had been about to tip over flame first onto Sei's bills, freezes mid-fall as though it's been caught.

Sei's pretty sure his jaw's dropped open by this point, his wide eyes staring at the tiny part of the candle's base still in contact with the table as the rest of it just hovers. Momo thankfully thinks to pick up the stack of paper that Sei had been going for.

Sei had thought that maybe the paper had been propping the candle up somehow; that that could be the only possible reason he hasn't had a smoke alarm go off just yet. But as Momo sets the paper down far from the flame, the candle seems to defy gravity to straighten into a safe standing position.

And then it scoots back slightly, as though in after thought, away from the curtains that had been so close to going up in flames.

"...You saw that too, right?"

Sei keeps his eyes on the candle just in case it decides to do any more acrobatics, but he catches the way Momo slumps as though his legs have given out from the corner of his eye.

"Onii-chan," he says, voice hushed in awe. "You never told me the place was haunted!"

A day ago - heck, an hour ago - Sei would've dismissed the very idea as ridiculous. But he can't exactly deny the strangeness of what he's just witnessed, and now that he's recounting the previous... incidents for Momo he finds it more difficult to explain away the irregularities.

Though weren't hauntings supposed to be incredibly unpleasant?

If there are any supernatural forces at work in Sei's little apartment then surely they'd already proven to be perfectly benign?

Momo hums at this line of thought.

"I think they're more likely to be a superhero cleaning fairy or something at this point... Though if they are a ghost we could make a Ouija board and ask them questions!"

Sei thinks he might hear an unfamiliar but terrified squeak at that; it's probably just his imagination but he steers Momo away from the idea in any case. Sei's not sure whether the suggestion is because Momo's been watching too many horror movies or not enough. (Because seriously, when do they ever end well?)

Momo starts to collect the dishes, content to chatter about his theories, each growing ever wilder before he moves onto the next.

Sei, after blowing the candle out, follows him into the kitchen with a shake of his head.

--

In the days following Momo's departure the apartment feels a little too quiet; a little too empty.

Sei fills the silence with the clinking of plates as he washes the dishes, the clack of the keys on his laptop keyboard and his own tuneless humming as he putters around finding chores to keep himself busy. He finds himself thinking of Momo's cleaning fairy theory and chuckles to himself as he drops down onto his couch with a bag of clean laundry to fold up.

"At this rate I'll be putting any resident cleaning fairies out of business..."

The curtains rustle in the breeze from the window, but as he picks up the first pair of boxers from the pile he wonders if the tinkling laughter he hears belongs to a guest of one of his neighbors.

(The sound sends a spark of warmth through Sei's veins, and he can't help but hope that if does, that they are invited over more often.)

--

Over the weeks following, life goes on much on the way it always has. Sei goes to work, comes home, and tries his hand at making a decent meal when he can muster the will to.

He still finds the odd chore completed before he gets the chance to get around to doing it himself; dishes from dinner cleaned and drying after he's left them to soak in the sink, finding items he's misplaced sitting innocently on the coffee table after giving up on ever seeing then again...

Sei starts to catch the occasional flicker at the very edge of his vision; a sparkle of lively green, a soft looking tuft of brown. Surely he must be imagining the slight quirk of smiling lips he catches reflecting back at him from the window.

He thinks back to Momo's visit, and while Sei would never seriously consider his brothers Ouija board idea, he wonders if he can maybe thank his helper another way.

He leaves a simple but unmissable note on the coffee table before he goes to bed:

"I really can't thank you enough for how much you've been helping me. I don't think I've even introduced myself to you properly even after so long. Which is pretty rude since I guess you've been living here longer than me and I just kind of barged in. But hi, as you probably know by now I'm Mikoshiba Seijuurou. Can I ask your name, roomie?"

Truthfully it feels a little silly, but he's still optimistic. Sei leaves a pen beside the note, which has plenty of space left on it for a response to be written if his unexpected room mate feels inclined to reply.

They do not feel inclined to for the first couple of days.

Sei first think much of it when he first gets back from work and the pen doesn't seem to have moved at all; it's not like his mysterious helper makes their presence known every day, and Sei makes sure not to leave chores undone as much as possible.

Human or not, Sei does not want to take them for granted.

He shrugs and goes about the rest of his evening, thinking that maybe he'll have a name for them tomorrow instead.

The pen is still in exactly the same place the next day after work, and although it makes Sei pull a face, he tells himself to be patient. He can't really dwell on it since he has a presentation to prepare for work the next day, and his evening passes far too quickly as he goes through his cue cards.

He lays out his suit that night to ensure he won't run late, but can't find his lucky tie for the life of him. He turns his wardrobe upside down trying to find it and has pretty much given up when he gets up to grab a glass of water from the kitchen. As he sinks down onto the couch to rack his brains for where else the damn thing could be hidden, he looks up to find the very tie he's been looking for folded neatly on the coffee table.

Sei sags back into the sofa. "Thank you," he says with feeling.

It's not until he's in bed that he remembers his note, and his heart sinks a little at the realisation that it seems like it's just being ignored.

He lets out a soft groan before his eyelids flutter, finally allowing him to sink into sleep.

--

Sei collapses face first onto his bed when he gets in.

The presentation had gone well and his senpai had taken him out for a drink or three to celebrate the success.

He isn't drunk, but there's a pleasant buzz in his mind that has him grinning mindlessly into his duvet. Still, he manages to drag himself upright, rolling up his shirt sleeves and feeling around to loosen his (already discarded) tie before making his way over to the kitchen for a glass of water and some painkillers to stave off the possibility of a hangover.

It's on his way back that he sees the note again. Except that when he squints, he can see that the space he'd left blank... Is no longer blank.

"My name is Makoto. Thank you for not being scared."

"Makoto," he says to himself softly. "Nice."

He falls asleep right there on the sofa; he has exactly zero awareness of his surroundings when, a few hours later, he finds himself swaddled in Momo's Pokemon blanket once again. There's a faint sensation of fingers brushing hair away from his forehead, and when Sei's eyes flutter open he sees the faint silhouette of the hand's owner hovering over him.

"Makoto..?"

The fingers thread through Sei's hair, running through the silky strands softly with a low hum.

"You should get some rest."

In Makoto's gentle lilt the order sounds more like a suggestion, and Sei frowns. It's becoming increasingly difficult to keep his eyes pried open, but-

Sei's protest is cut off before he can even start to make it, when Makoto interrupts, sounding a little more firm. "You should really get to bed. But even if you stay here you should sleep." There's a moment of quiet hesitation that Sei almost misses in his drowsiness, but Makoto shrugs it away. "I'll still be here in the morning. So. We'll talk then. I promise."

The crease that had been forming on Sei's brow smoothes, and Sei sighs into the sofa's cushions. "I'll hold you to that."

Then he allows Makoto's soothing touch to send him back into slumber.

~Hollyrose~

Notes:

This took waaay longer to finish than it should have, and even then the ending's a bit rushed ^^' Oh well.

I was actually unpacking my own stuff when I started writing this so it miiight have been suggested that a helpful unpacking ghost friend was just wishful thinking on my part - and I wouldn't say that's inaccurate either XD

Makoto Tachibana thought that his life was ordinary. But, it was a good kind of ordinary. Every day he went through the same routine where he would wake up to prepare for work and then come home to unwind before going to bed to start over. That was Makoto's routune for roughly two years and as simple as it could get but Makoto didn't mind whatsoever. He still made time to spend with his friends either after work or on his days off, go shopping, and making time to spend by himself but Makoto definitely thought that he was perfectly happy and didn't need any constant excitement to make his life more interesting. He didn't mind that he stayed in his hometown; after high school and taking several college courses in the big city he returned to start a new chapter in his life with a new job alongside his best friend. The new scenic change was nice after all those years he grew up next to the ocean and it made Makoto think that he definitely needed to travel more in his lifetime, but as for now he was back after more experiences under his hypothetical belt and was ready to carry on his life.

"I definitely could've seen you still in Tokyo." Nagisa had said when the group had met for drinks. "You're like...one big, cuddly amazing package that can do everything and anything and yet you came back here!"

The brunette in question only laughed and shrugged slightly. "Don't get me wrong, Tokyo was great for a little while. But something just...didn't feel right to me if I chose to stay there. But I'm perfectly happy being back in Iwatobi."

Rin had his duty as a police officer, Rei worked as a scientist and Nagisa was planted firmly at Rei's side as his assistant, and Makoto worked alongside Haruka in the small restaurant that he had helped to open a bit over a year ago. Makoto felt as if his and Haruka's stories of things such as if a small fire had started and Haruka was on point to get it out or if a customer was either unreasonable or radiating all of the kindness in the world was just as good as hearing Rin's stories of pursuit and law and Rei and Nagisa's of scientific feats (or in Nagisa's case, "Rei mixed these two things together and it did a thing!"). ----- As soon as Makoto returned to his apartment in the late afternoon on a crisp fall day, he felt as if something was...definitely off. Different when he left hours ago. His close friend Rin had texted him as he left to run errands for Haruka on his day off and since he already had his own things to get during the day, he told his best friend and boss that it would be no problem stopping by the farmer's market and to stop by the restaurant to drop off what Haruka had asked for. Makoto should've been concerned, or even curious, with Rin asking if he could stop by and hang around for awhile and that he also had something he needed to drop off. The redhead had a spare key (both he and Haruka did; Makoto made spares the day of getting his own) so he could let himself in and lock up if he chose to leave before Makoto got back, but he mostly stayed around a bit after Makoto returned.

He looked to see Rin's sneakers crooked by the inside welcome mat and then to his couch, expecting Rin to be laying there but to his surprise, he wasn't there. Or sitting at the table, or in the kitchen, and Rin would never go into Makoto's bedroom ("I know my boundaries, Makoto."), until green eyes saw the dim light coming from the bathroom. Makoto's nose crinkled when an unfamiliar musk reached his senses and he wondered if Rin was messing with different colognes again and that he had to tell his friend that this one was not for him at all.

"Rin?" Makoto called, kicking off his own shoes and moving to the table to put his keys, wallet, and several bags down all while keeping an eye on the light in the hall.

"Y-Yeah?"

"Is everything okay?"

"'Course it is-!" Rin paused, and Makoto raised an eyebrow when he heard him speak again but in a hushed hiss and the quick pull of what sounded to be his shower curtain. "A-okay in here!"

Once Makoto made sure that his perishables were put away he stepped towards his bathroom, the musk smell getting stronger and more quiet words coming from Rin with a few splashes of water. 

Maybe he's taking a shower...but then why isn't the water running..., Makoto thought as he crept closer. Taking a deep breath and extending his closed fist to knock at the wooden doorframe, Makoto closed his eyes and took a step inside of his bathroom to where Rin surely had to be.

"I don't know what you might've gotten into because to be honest you reek Rin, but if you thought I would have said no if you wanted to use my bathroom for a bath or whatever-"

"Who's he?"

The deep voice, obviously not Rin, made Makoto's eyes open immediately. Rin was sitting on the toilet, hands rubbing at his face and temples in defeat and obviously not the one who was in his bathtub. But a deep orange...tail, draped over the porcelain edge, and then at the built upper torso with a face framed by bright red hair and golden eyes looking right back at him with more curiosity than shock and holding his bottle of shampoo close to his nose.

"Rin, who...what?"

Rin got up from his seat to put his hand on Makoto's shoulder, dragging the brunette out of the room and into the hall near Makoto's bedroom and leaned against the wall. He sighed, trying to collect his thoughts and Makoto's eyes kept on drifting to the bathroom whenever he heard the water move around in the tub.

"I was on the beach this morning, taking a run before I had to get to work. Once I got near the docks I heard this...splashing around, too big to be a fish or even a bird and too early to be a kid playing but as soon as I heard grunting I had to go check it out, right?" Rin exhaled and ran a hand to push strands of his hair back. "And I swear as soon as I saw him I did exactly what you did."

"But why is he in my bathroom, Rin?!"

"I'm getting to that! Once he noticed I was there he stopped trashing around a bit and I noticed that his hands and up to his elbows were covered in blood-" At the mention Makoto's face paled and Rin kicked Makoto's foot. "Anyways, blood, yeah. I saw his tail had a gash on it and I...part of me didn't just want to leave him there for anyone else to find and he needed help and your place is closer than mine from where he was...which is why soon I should get to the washer downstairs to make sure that none of your building neighbors sees my jacket." Even with Makoto's mouth hanging open, Rin took it as his chance to explain more. "Look, if I would have told you straight up that I had a mer...fish person, that was hurt, you would have thought I had taken something from the evidence lockup at work!"

Makoto bit his lip and sighed, unable to keep his fingers still and arms in one place and rubbed everything from his forearm, upper thigh, and finally resting on the back of his neck. "But...what are you going to do with him? How'd you even get him here?"

"You've gotten fish for Haru, right?" Makoto nodded. "Those big ones you get time to time? He's like a hundred of those and carrying him while trying to walk in the sand I deserve some kind of medal."

"Rin..."

"I know, I know. Just...for a little while, Makoto? Less than a week, or however long it takes for his tail...thing to get better."

"Why can't you take him to your apartment, though?"

"Yeah, because I totally think that Ai would appreciate me bringing home a mer-fish-man that I found helpless on the beach, yeah?"

"...You promise? Until he gets better and then you'll take care of it?"

"I owe you big time, I swear!" Rin sighed in relief.

~*~*~*~

"You're really on call tomorrow night?"

Makoto nodded, swallowing the mouthful of water he had and putt the glass back on the table with a sigh. Tomorrow was new year's eve, and Nagisa was making sure that his list of guests for the party he was throwing were able to attend and had asked Makoto to meet him when the young fireman went on his lunchbreak. So far the blonde was successful and everyone was able to come, but when it came to Makoto, Nagisa wanted to even go to his boss to get Makoto off duty so he could enjoy bringing in the new year with his friends.

"I would have been able to go but we've been short handed lately." Makoto pursed his lips in a slight pout. "And besides, you know how it is. Lots of people are going to be drinking and we gotta be ready for, well, anything."

"Awh, everyone's going to be there and it won't be the same without you! Even Rin and Sousuke managed to get off!" Nagisa's arms swung side to side, mouth set to a wide frown. "Maybe we should just-"

Makoto knew exactly what Nagisa was going to say. "No trying to throw the party at the station, Nagisa. I think my boss is still mad from when you tried to do that last year. He's still finding glitter in one of the trucks!"

He groaned and laid his arms across the small table. "Does Sei even know that you gotta work? He said that even he was gonna come!"

"Seijuurou knows..." Makoto sighed again. "I mean, maybe I'll get off earlier than I think so I can enjoy some of it, but..."

"But it won't be all of it! You won't even be there to smooch-"

"N-Nagisa!"

Once Nagisa saw Makoto's pink cheeks and hands raised in the 'please oh god either stop talking or lower your voice' position, he paused to reconfigure his sentence. "Whatever, you won't be there to smooch your man at midnight!"

Calloused fingers rubbed at his temples and Makoto knew that at if he continued at this rate that it was only a waste. Nagisa would just go and go, and when Makoto would think that he was safe and the blonde had given up, he would just come right back at full force yet again. Makoto would love to go, he really would, considering that it was nice celebrating things with his close friends, and boyfriend, and that Nagisa was one to throw some of the best parties Makoto had ever went to. But he wasn't lying when he told Nagisa that his hours were how they were because of being understaffed; a lot of his coworkers had to suffer the same fate of being on-call, almost all of them at that.

"How about we all have breakfast together the morning after, does that sound good enough?" Makoto gave his friend a reassuring smile. "It may not be as good as a party, but everyone will be there!"

Nagisa gave a weak groan and looked directly into Makoto's eyes.

"...Then you better pick a good place, Mako."

"Haru's?"

Makoto stared at Nagisa, smile unchanging, until he finally gave a smile of his own and nodded.

"Yeah."

The next morning, Seijuurou was reluctant to allow Makoto to leave their bed, wanting all of the new year's eve time with Makoto before he had to leave for work later in the day.

"Baaaaabe..." He whined and held onto Makoto's arm, entire body still heavy with sleep and the bedhead to definitely prove it. "Don't gooooo tonight, call in sick instead..."

Makoto, still equally as tired as Seijuurou, only gave in to Seijuurou's whining and grasp. "But everyone saw me yesterday and they know I'm perfectly fine."

"Say that you ate something bad. Or I could just bring you to the station and handcuff you in a cell and never let your leave untl after midnight."

With a grunt Makoto rolled onto his side and breathed out when strong, warm arms wrapped around him the bext they could, head nuzzling into Seijuurou's collarbone. "I don't think there's anything I can do...m' sorry..."

"It's not faaaaair..."

Makoto couldn't help the smile that spread on his face. "You know, you sound exactly like how Nagisa did the other day when Rei told him that I can't be there."

"I'll hide all your clothes...and fill your boots with water and put them in the freezer..."

"Sei..." Makoto whined.

By the time that Makoto had to leave to the station, he had eaten dinner with Seijuurou and already dealing with Nagisa's barrage of texts that were sure to continue through the night. Once he was dressed and ready to go, keys in hand and everything, Seijuurou was there at the door with Makoto's warm cheeks caressed in his hands as he kissed the brunette. After several moments Makoto had to finally coax Seijuurou with the warnings that he was going to be late for the redhead to stop.

"I'll keep you posted if anything worthwhile happens, alright? Keep your cell with you."

Makoto sighed as a final kiss was placed to the side of his head and he nodded. "I will..."

There Makoto sat; TV set to the news, can of soda in one hand and phone in the other. Like Seijuurou said he had been texting Makoto giving updates what had been going on and it only made Makoto wish that he was there at Nagisa and Rei's. In the span of the party starting two hours ago apparently the amount of alcohol had been halved due to drinking games being the initial start of the party and then Rin insisted that "since everyone was on the way to being heavily buzzed that Nagisa would bring out his copy of Monopoly" because it would be "more fun as people got more and more drunk as the night progressed". And Rin was more than right.

Haru really wanted to trade in his shirt for a property?

Yeah. His fingers were already unbuttoning as he kept on saying over and over that 'it's a good trade just do it!'.

All throughout the game Seijuurou gave Makoto a play-by-play of what was happening, who was losing (Rei, and badly at that), and that someone was one glass of whiskey away from throwing the gameboard and possibly someone into the lit fireplace (a close tie between Rin and Gou), and once that the chaos calmed down once everyone agreed that there would be no winners and that no one getting hurt was more important the common consensus was that everyone wished that Makoto was there to enjoy the fun. After all, Makoto tended to be the peace keeper in these kinds of situations. Nagisa even joked that whomever was having a party that he be hired and paid since he's been doing it for years, and a damn good job at it, but each time Makoto just laughed and turned the strange offer down.

You're lucky babe, I've already told Nagisa that if he ran out to come see you I'd take his baby turtle for myself. Are you sure you're fine? I can always step out, I haven't had all that much to drink myself and I'd be there in a little while.

Makoto smiled at Seijuurou's words, knowing that the redhead truly meant it when he said that he missed him.

I'd be worried if you came out regardless of how much you've had to drink. Anything can happen especially since it's a time where lots of other people have been drinking and I don't want you nice and safe and ready to cuddle with when I get there. Okay?

Aye aye! Hopefully see you soon, then?

Maybe when Tadashi comes in I'll see if I can pull some strings?

My lips will be at the ready!

It was twenty til midnight, and Makoto's foot was constantly tapping at the floor.

He knew that it was hopeless at this point if he were to get something arranged that he'd make it to Nagisa's by midnight even though it would be ideal to get there sooner. Makoto leaned back and sunk into the couch, picturing easily that everyone was getting ready for the ball to drop and to celebrate bringing in the new year.

All without him there. But Makoto was still in mind, which was better than nothing.

Makoto checked his phone again, looking back at all the pictures that Seijuurou had sent him over the course of the evening. Seijuurou managed to get singles of everyone or in pairs and then their group engaged in hectic Monopoly and Makoto planned to save all of them. The one that made him laugh the most was definitely Haruka and Rin downing their glasses of whatever they were drinking while Nagisa was between them cheering for the victor and Rei looking sick off to the side, and also one of Momo and Seijuurou tucking Nitori into the couch since he had fallen asleep ("But we're gonna wake him up so he can celebrate once it hits midnight, don't worry! He wanted us to!") and Seijuurou even sneaked one of Sousuke and Gou under the kitchen table thinking that they were well-hidden from the blockade of chairs and fabric of the table runner...and that Sousuke's lower half was completely sticking out. He wasn't there, but to Makoto it made him happy to see all of his close friends and significant other having fun and that was important to him. He would get off soon, get to Nagisa's and enjoy the unwinding feel of what seemed to be a great party, go home with Seijuurou, and wake up in a few hours to enjoy breakfast with everyone bringing in the first morning of the new year.

Now it was five minutes til and Makoto could easily hear people gathering outside, excited for the area's display of it hitting midnight: fireworks. The brunette sighed and somewhat wished that he told Seijuurou to come anyways. Being alone when kissing someone at being with them at midnight was such an accepted and known tradition and it was just several short train stops away from the redhead that was missing Makoto as much as Makoto was missing Seijuurou. Once Makoto's head fell onto the side of the couch and green eyes drooped half shut to lazily watch and listen as the reporter on TV was chattering away, a cough echoed through the room.

"Look at you getting all cozy...you better not be falling asleep!"

In an instant Makoto sat right up, whipping his head to the right to see no one other than Seijuurou leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed and grin on his face.

"I know, you told me not to come but I didn't want to be without you, you know?" Seijuurou made his way to the couch to sit next to Makoto and take the fireman's hands in his, thumb smoothing over the top of Makoto's hand. "I told Nagisa I'd come right back with you and then we can go home whenever you get tired."

"You're wonderful, you know that?"

Golden eyes rolled and Seijuurou laughed trying to cover for the blush spreading on his cheeks. "I've been told that a few times..."

One minute left!

The chanting coming from the TV made the couple glance at the screen and then back at each other, shy eyes, smiles, and red cheeks present on both their faces as the countdown continued. Of course, they had kissed thousands of times before, but sharing this one, at the same time as hundreds of thousands of others to bring in the new year with the person they loved and Seijuurou making it so that they could be together, Makoto thought that if something were to happen and he had to get going for his job right after the kiss had happened, or even before, it would be perfectly fine for him.

Thirty!

Twenty nine!

A warm hand moved to cup Makoto's warm cheek and Makoto eased against the touch, lacing his fingers with Seijuurou's spare hand that was still on his own.

Ten!

Nine!

"Hey, Mako?"

"Yeah?"

Seven!

"I really love you."

Five!

Four!

Three!

"I love you, too."

One!

Surrounded by the loud cheers of people, music and various celebratory chimes and the pop and boom of fireworks Seijuurou and Makoto leaned forward, lips pressing together. They exchanged several soft pecs before breaking apart and breathing out and Seijuurou pressed more kisses on the brunette's nose and cheek.

"Now we wait?" Seijuurou asked.

"Mhmm. For at least another half hour."

"So..." The redhead pulled Makoto forward so that he could rest against his chest, fingers running through Makoto's hair and humming. "What does a fine-ass fireman do when he's on call but it's this late and everyone else is out having fun?"

"There's always the air hockey table...and Kuji has some booze stashed somewhere I think if you're interested." Makoto sighed. "I'm still on duty so I can't drink."

"...whenever I score or you score I'll do a shot for the both of us?"

"You know, seeing the big bad police chief wasted and trying to play air hockey while his boyfriend completely crushes him? You're on, Mikoshiba." Makoto rolled off the couch pulling Seijuurou with him and to his feet and yelped when a hand came down hard on his ass and squeezed after.

"You're so confident, babe."

---

He's not even exaggerating.  They had stumbled out into the fresh snow around ten that morning, intending on making snowmen and snow angels and having a snow ball fight before wandering back into the house and curling up in front of the tv.  Instead they had gotten stuck on the very first thing because Rei wanted it to be perfect and beautiful.  Makoto had simply smiled and given him a kiss on the cheek before wandering over to play with the neighbor's kids who had flown out sometime around eleven.  Seijuro had attempted to help Rei, only to be scowled at after this fifth attempt at a snowball big enough to be the base of the snowman had wound up magically rolling into Rei's leg and knocking him into the snow.  He had been banished to the bench to watch.

Granted he had managed to get some great pictures of Makoto playing with the kids and a couple nice ones of Rei frowning down at a snowball.  Some boring selfies he took because he had to prove to his siblings that yes he did go out in public wearing the ridiculous hat they bought him as a gag gift and he made sure to tell everyone his baby brother and sister picked it out for him, a fact they both deny and Momo even has the gall to tell him he looks like a dork.  But that was about it.

Makoto settles next to him on the bench and looks to the sky, watching the snow fall, with a smile when Seijuro drops an arm around his shoulder and tugs him close. 

He kisses Makoto's temple and mumbles,  "I am going to tackle his adorable ass into that snowbank, kiss him senseless, and then drag him home."

"Seijuro."

"Makoto."

"No."

"Yes," Seijuro laughs when Makoto glares at him.  "What are you going to do to stop me?"

The kiss Makoto pulls him into definitely has him forgetting about Rei for the moment.  It's warm and soft and tastes like the caramel flavoring Makoto had them put in his own hot chocolate and the extra vanilla from Seijuro's.  He has the fingers of the hand not holding his hot chocolate tangled in Makoto's scarf and he can feel Makoto's gloved fingers, warm from carrying the cups back, against his neck.  He's focused on the warmth spreading from his lips through his cheeks when he's startled away from Makoto by the solid thump of a snowball connecting with his shoulder. 

A second one splats into his chest as he turns with a glare to spot Rei sitting on the giant ball of snow meant to be the base of his snowman casually smoothing the edges of a perfectly round snowball.  He has two more in his lap, equally smooth and round, and he smiles when he sees he has Seijuro's attention.

"Makoto," Seijuro says as he stands and brushes snow from his jacket, eyes never leaving Rei's, "hold my hot chocolate."

Makoto watches on in amusement as Seijuro and Rei have themselves a snowball fight that only ends when Seijuro gets close enough to hook and arm around Rei's waist and Rei, probably sensing that Seijuro was planning to dump him into the snowbank beside them, twists and pushes against him sending both of them tumbling into the snow with laughter drifting over to Makoto.

Really Makoto should have expected it.  He should have known that the moment he hovered over them with an indulgent smile and fond shake of his head as he held out his hand to pull whoever grabbed it first out of the snow that he would wind up in there too.

But with Seijuro pressing kisses to his cheek and Rei pressing his cold nose against Makoto's neck he can't really find it in himself to mind.