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“Haru! Haru, look! They’re so pretty, right, Haru?”
Haru tears his eyes away from the wide span of water beneath his fingertips to look at whatever Makoto wants to show him this time. He looks to his friend in question, turning his eyes upward when he notices Makoto doing the same. While his face stays in the same empty expression, he grows confused inside. What’s so special about the sky?
“What am I supposed to be looking at?” he voices his question.
Makoto’s wide smile appears at the edge of his vision. “The stars, Haru. Aren’t they nice?”
Haru takes a moment to turn Makoto’s words over in his head, wondering what’s so great about some dots in the sky. Not wanting to offend his friend, he simply replies with a mumble. A soft laugh makes him look at Makoto, causing a wide smile to cross the taller boy’s face.
“You don’t have to lie to make me feel better, Haru. Let me guess, you don’t think there’s anything special about them, right?” Haru automatically turns his head away, face turning into a pout at how easily he’s been read. “Stars are just some dots in the sky,” Makoto starts, “That’s what you’re thinking, right?” His eyes narrow; either he’s getting easier to read or Makoto’s getting better at reading him. “And, I suppose Haru is right in some sense. But,” there’s a pause, which makes Haru look back at him, somehow encouraging Makoto to continue, “I think that stars represent something meaningful. They’re breaks in the darkness, something like hope or love. They’re a guiding light when someone feels sad. What do you think, Haru?”
“Why are you telling me this?” Haru had just wanted to go swimming at the elementary school’s pool tonight, not get into a philosophical talk.
Makoto smiles a bit before reaching over and taking Haru’s hand in his, making the taciturn swimmer blush just the slightest. What’s Makoto thinking? They might be alone right now, but they stopped holding hands a few years ago. “Haru makes me feel happy again when I’m sad. You’re my guiding light. For me, I don’t need stars if I have Haru. And, if Haru isn’t here with me, then I don’t want any stars at all.”
The silence that follows as Haru tries to find a response to what his friend has told him only makes Makoto blush and look away. Just as he feels Makoto about to pull away completely, he tightens his hand to prevent just that, making the other boy look back at him. “Don’t just look away after saying such things.”
Makoto’s smile comes back before he nods his head in unspoken consent. As both boys turn to look back at the dots in the sky above them, Haru speaks.
“For me as well, Makoto is the only star I need.”
~
“Makoto, come here for a moment.”
Haru feels the water around him move as Makoto swims over to him. “What is it, Haru?”
“Look at the sky. Look at the stars.” Makoto’s eyes follow to where Haru points up to the vast expanse of darkness above them.
“Yeah,” Makoto’s voice takes on a soft tone, meaning he’s got that warm smile on his face. “They’re really amazing, aren’t they, Haru?”
Haru looks away from the constellations mapped out overhead to look at his friend. As expected, the taller swimmer has his signature smile on. “Makoto, do you remember, when we were kids, we said we’d be each other’s stars? And that we were the only stars that we’d ever need?”
Makoto, surprised with Haru’s mention of a group of memories that they really don’t discuss much, can barely let out a sound of affirmation to his friend’s question.
“Well, to me, you’re still the only star I need. And I hope I’m still the only star you need. But, I want you to have more,” because you deserve more, “and I want you to have all of these stars and so many more. But, Makoto,” he meets wide green eyes before continuing, thinking carefully over what he wants to say. “Stars are just balls of gas that give off light. They aren’t anything special unless you have someone to share their meaning with.”
Makoto stares at Haru in surprise. It isn’t often these days for Haru to show knowledge or interest of anything beyond water or swimming, so for him to even know this is…new. “Yeah, I agree, Haru.” He finally says, shooting his friend another smile, this one cheery and bright.
“Makoto,” Haru turns his whole body to face the other boy’s, grabbing onto his hands. “The stars, to me, are nothing without you. They’re meaningless without you, Makoto.” His lips feel like they’re stumbling over the words; Haru not used to being so emotional about something like stars. But, he realizes, this isn’t just about stars. This is about Makoto, and after the day before, after almost losing him, Haru doesn’t want Makoto to go unnoticed anymore. He doesn’t want to make him feel like he’s meaningless to Haru. Especially not when it’s quite the opposite.
“Haru?” The amount of emotion flooding from an otherwise emotionless person is overwhelming Makoto.
Blue eyes suddenly leave his when Haru turns his face away in embarrassment. “Do you understand what I mean,” Haru mutters, “Makoto?”
They’re meaningless without you; an almost reiteration of his words from the previous night. Makoto’s eyes widen at what Haru is implying, at his acknowledgement of what Makoto was implying, and his acceptance of it in the form of his own statement.
“Yeah,” Makoto’s smile is warm and soft again when Haru looks back at him. “Yeah, I understand, Haru.” He looks back at the darkened sky stretching out over their heads, basking in the glow of the stars and the knowledge that he is the one that gets to share them with Haru. Next to him, Makoto can see Haru turn to look at the stars as well, a small smile on his lips.
They’re hands stay intertwined.