Rin Itoshi Fluff - Tumblr Posts
Today 4ever to last for eternity
Part 2 plsssssss
Your wish is my command <3
Part 1 l part 2
Today 4ever to last for eternity
part 2 : Infected Uprising.
Summary : You and Rin are the last students in whole the school after the apocalypse... The whole of Japan is infected with this deadly disease. You guys must not get infected before the cure is discovered.
Credits to the owners of the dividers and pictures! this fanfic style is from @chateaaa
You both stared outside the once peaceful and lively outside it was instead replace to a more chaotic environment. Everything about it seems to be a fever dream, a nightmare.
It looks so... disturbing
You gave an annoyed look while rin gave a disgusted expression, maybe it's because of the rotten lurking through the air.
"We must go, we might attract those creatures."
You agreed and started walking away from the school, rin followed then stopped walking with you. Grabbing your arm he started running towards the opposite direction.
You didn't understand so you tried to remove his grasp from your wrist.
"Rin what the fuck!?" You screamed but he didn't seem to care.
"If you wanna die be my guest" He replied once you kept on screaming.
Rin then pointed to something, your eyes widen from pure astonishment. A crowd of the creatures similar when you both were ambush, so your bsf had to sacrifice herself to let you guys escape.
But this time it was 2x bigger...
You genuinely don't wanna die (just yet), so you both started running for your lives. Afterall you didn't wanna die by getting eaten alive by those creatures.
As you both started running like your lives depended on it (literally). The faster you ran the more you could hear the creatures loud stomping towards your direction. But something felt off...
You observe more closely with the intent to figuring out what was off, something finally clicked. Their rotten faces it hadn't have an eyeball, even some figures... Their eyeballs was hanging by a string.
It seems like when they were previously human, the creatures must took pleasure by eating their faces off until they're eyes fall out.
Its sick...
Absolutely sick to picture it.
But nevermind that, if its true that they have no vision they must be driven by the sound Rin and you were making.
Picking up the paste, you both ran faster the only thing different was your guys goa. You assumed from his previous action that he was running to escape the zombies while you ran to seek shelter to hide from them. Basically the same thing.
But whenever you thought a building was perfect to wait until they left. It wasn't easy majority of the building were broken down to a plump, doors broken or had chain doors.
So you both kept running.
Even so you felt your legs weaken with every step you take. It was tiring running first thing after getting out of school.
"(reader) dont you dare give up now" Rin mumble as soon he noticed you slowing down.
You shouted back determined to not die.
"yessir!"
Despite your tries to keep running slower and slower, Rin gave a deep sigh and grab your wrist once again.
Dropping his back off he threw it at the creatures
With a swift move rin quickly carried you piggyback style and start dashing through the empty streets.
"Bitch be more quicker!"
"I aint no horse, maybe i should just sacrifice you to them" Rin replied as he kept running.
"I thought you were the best on your team, why the fuck are you so slow?" You mumble didn't notice that Rin managed to hear what you said.
He kept silent focusing on the fact to run away from the creatures, you still kept an eye from the crowd following you both.
You wanted to punch him to make him go faster, but first you have to find shelter.
So he kept running, carrying you.
Instead of being useless you used your eyes to scan the area. Taking notices to every building.
He was your legs while you were his eyes.
Bingo~!
The massive library was in the distance, the place where there might have some information on what is happening.
"Rin go to the left!" you screamed and he delievered.
You felt yourself almost fly away like a fairy from how fast he was running towards the building.
You underestimate him and his speed.
Before you knew it you both were already at the entrance of the building.
'That was quick.' you thought as rin opened the door with a slam.
Meanwhile he entrusted you to get anything to block the entrance, you found a piece of plank and secured it enough to make the job done.
The place was filled with endless bookshelves filled with various type of books made by different authors.
Now it was time to investigate how did Japan got infected.
It's been a few weeks...
You both secured the entrance and exit with defense since the crowd of creatures kept circling the whole town.
You were task by gathering food supplies from the abandon marketplaces, a few days ago the power was cut-off so you couldn't travel at night-time and risk going at day.
Rin meanwhile was in charge by reading as much English books as he can per day since you couldn't understand English well since Japanese was your strong suit.
And alternate it a bit every few days
You both took time talking to eachother everyday to keep your and his sanity.
One time around the 2 weeks mark Rin made a weapon made out of school supplies, it a ball like paper with sharp pencils serve as spikes attached to a ruler.
It was creative you give him that.
And was very useful if one of you both decided to get food or find anything that might serve a purpose.
But this day was your the unlucky but lucky at the same time
Another person had appread.
A gyaru-like boy with an actual weapon was fighting the creatures, you were amazed by the sear sight of the battle. With each slice of his whip the creatures were damaged.
Most fell once he hit their necks, but ignored that there was a whole new person you and rin could talk to.
Once a quarter of the crowd was killed he fled away.
Just your luck... He didn't notice you.
You went back to the building you and rin shared to share the great news.
But his reaction was quite unexpected, he was pissed but quickly told you that they might get all of the food supplies and go to another town.
Your heart sank since it would be true.
The town was almost deserted.
But at the bright side you might encounter him once again and lend him to the base to help you both find anything that might help.
Just keep your eyes peeled to find him once again...
Omg im so so sorry for this being so short but i promise next chapter will explain the origin of this apocalypse and the mysterious character (pretty sure y'all know it by now) This was so short omg i was gonna add more but another storm came AHHHH stay tuned!!!
Today 4ever to last for eternity
Part 2 plsssssss
Your wish is my command <3
Part 1 l part 2
Today 4ever to last for eternity
part 2 : Infected Uprising.
Summary : You and Rin are the last students in whole the school after the apocalypse... The whole of Japan is infected with this deadly disease. You guys must not get infected before the cure is discovered.
Credits to the owners of the dividers and pictures! this fanfic style is from @chateaaa
You both stared outside the once peaceful and lively outside it was instead replace to a more chaotic environment. Everything about it seems to be a fever dream, a nightmare.
It looks so... disturbing
You gave an annoyed look while rin gave a disgusted expression, maybe it's because of the rotten lurking through the air.
"We must go, we might attract those creatures."
You agreed and started walking away from the school, rin followed then stopped walking with you. Grabbing your arm he started running towards the opposite direction.
You didn't understand so you tried to remove his grasp from your wrist.
"Rin what the fuck!?" You screamed but he didn't seem to care.
"If you wanna die be my guest" He replied once you kept on screaming.
Rin then pointed to something, your eyes widen from pure astonishment. A crowd of the creatures similar when you both were ambush, so your bsf had to sacrifice herself to let you guys escape.
But this time it was 2x bigger...
You genuinely don't wanna die (just yet), so you both started running for your lives. Afterall you didn't wanna die by getting eaten alive by those creatures.
As you both started running like your lives depended on it (literally). The faster you ran the more you could hear the creatures loud stomping towards your direction. But something felt off...
You observe more closely with the intent to figuring out what was off, something finally clicked. Their rotten faces it hadn't have an eyeball, even some figures... Their eyeballs was hanging by a string.
It seems like when they were previously human, the creatures must took pleasure by eating their faces off until they're eyes fall out.
Its sick...
Absolutely sick to picture it.
But nevermind that, if its true that they have no vision they must be driven by the sound Rin and you were making.
Picking up the paste, you both ran faster the only thing different was your guys goa. You assumed from his previous action that he was running to escape the zombies while you ran to seek shelter to hide from them. Basically the same thing.
But whenever you thought a building was perfect to wait until they left. It wasn't easy majority of the building were broken down to a plump, doors broken or had chain doors.
So you both kept running.
Even so you felt your legs weaken with every step you take. It was tiring running first thing after getting out of school.
"(reader) dont you dare give up now" Rin mumble as soon he noticed you slowing down.
You shouted back determined to not die.
"yessir!"
Despite your tries to keep running slower and slower, Rin gave a deep sigh and grab your wrist once again.
Dropping his back off he threw it at the creatures
With a swift move rin quickly carried you piggyback style and start dashing through the empty streets.
"Bitch be more quicker!"
"I aint no horse, maybe i should just sacrifice you to them" Rin replied as he kept running.
"I thought you were the best on your team, why the fuck are you so slow?" You mumble didn't notice that Rin managed to hear what you said.
He kept silent focusing on the fact to run away from the creatures, you still kept an eye from the crowd following you both.
You wanted to punch him to make him go faster, but first you have to find shelter.
So he kept running, carrying you.
Instead of being useless you used your eyes to scan the area. Taking notices to every building.
He was your legs while you were his eyes.
Bingo~!
The massive library was in the distance, the place where there might have some information on what is happening.
"Rin go to the left!" you screamed and he delievered.
You felt yourself almost fly away like a fairy from how fast he was running towards the building.
You underestimate him and his speed.
Before you knew it you both were already at the entrance of the building.
'That was quick.' you thought as rin opened the door with a slam.
Meanwhile he entrusted you to get anything to block the entrance, you found a piece of plank and secured it enough to make the job done.
The place was filled with endless bookshelves filled with various type of books made by different authors.
Now it was time to investigate how did Japan got infected.
It's been a few weeks...
You both secured the entrance and exit with defense since the crowd of creatures kept circling the whole town.
You were task by gathering food supplies from the abandon marketplaces, a few days ago the power was cut-off so you couldn't travel at night-time and risk going at day.
Rin meanwhile was in charge by reading as much English books as he can per day since you couldn't understand English well since Japanese was your strong suit.
And alternate it a bit every few days
You both took time talking to eachother everyday to keep your and his sanity.
One time around the 2 weeks mark Rin made a weapon made out of school supplies, it a ball like paper with sharp pencils serve as spikes attached to a ruler.
It was creative you give him that.
And was very useful if one of you both decided to get food or find anything that might serve a purpose.
But this day was your the unlucky but lucky at the same time
Another person had appread.
A gyaru-like boy with an actual weapon was fighting the creatures, you were amazed by the sear sight of the battle. With each slice of his whip the creatures were damaged.
Most fell once he hit their necks, but ignored that there was a whole new person you and rin could talk to.
Once a quarter of the crowd was killed he fled away.
Just your luck... He didn't notice you.
You went back to the building you and rin shared to share the great news.
But his reaction was quite unexpected, he was pissed but quickly told you that they might get all of the food supplies and go to another town.
Your heart sank since it would be true.
The town was almost deserted.
But at the bright side you might encounter him once again and lend him to the base to help you both find anything that might help.
Just keep your eyes peeled to find him once again...
Omg im so so sorry for this being so short but i promise next chapter will explain the origin of this apocalypse and the mysterious character (pretty sure y'all know it by now) This was so short omg i was gonna add more but another storm came AHHHH stay tuned!!!
-small flu-
featured character ☆ itoshi rin
tag(s): fluff! ☆
divider @cafekitsune
Office AU!
༊*·˚
Ugh... A runny nose. Perhaps spring is the best season to get sick since the temperature is always going up and down. As a ray of sunshine peaks through your curtain, you squint your eyes in discomfort. You look next to you and saw that Rin had already left to go to work. Feeling extremely sore (what a nice way to wake up) and how uncomfortable the body ache was, you decide to just continue sleeping for an extra fifteen minutes or so. Not even fifteen minutes had been up but you had to wake up due to a sensation of where you just couldn't breath from your nose.
...Am I sick? you thought to yourself.
Being the smart person you are, you decide to take your temperature. The thermometer read "39.5°". Yikes, you really are sick. You head to the kitchen counter to pour yourself a glass of water. You then see a note, stuck onto the fridge with a cute, red strawberry magnet. The note read "Y/n, I'm off to work. I love you. -Rin". You could definitely feel your heartbeat getting a little faster by the second. You felt hungry, but had no appetite. You got a glass cup, filled it up with water and took some Advil. So now, you decide to just plop on the dark green colored sofa and wrap yourself in a soft white blanket whilst watching Queen of Tears. In the middle of episode four or five, your phone buzzes. You decide to see who was texting you, it turned out to be Rin.
༊*·˚
-rinnie❤️: Y/n, I'm on break right now.
-y/n: good work ( •̀ ω •́ )✧
-rinnie❤️: What are you doing right now?
-y/n: nothing much just watching queen of tears and found out that i have a small fever
-rinnie❤️: I'm leaving my office.
-y/n: wait why?
-rinnie❤️: My girlfriend is sick, do you expect me to act calm?
-y/n: awww rinnie 🥹 im thankful that you care for me but really, i can take care of myself read at 5:22 PM
-y/n: ...seriously its just a fever
read at 5:25 PM
-y/n: stop leaving me on read (►__◄)
read at 5:27 PM
༊*·˚
A few minutes later, you heard the door open and close, alongside with the sound of Rin's keys jingling. Rin quickly dropped his brown leather case on the ground and rushed to the living room, where you were wrapped up like a burrito. Rin gently pat your head and touches your forehead. "Y/n, are you sure you're okay?" he asked, looking extremely concerned. "Rinnie, really, I'm fine. It's just a small flu." "Did you eat anything?" "No." "Not even apples?" "No. I don't really have an appetite either. But I did take some medicine so I'm fine." it was at that moment, your stomach made a growling sound, which was obviously normal since you didn't eat for the whole day. Feeling a little flustered, you quickly hide under the blanket you wrapped yourself. A worried Rin didn't really know what to do after you swiftly hid. "...Do you want to eat anything?" you slowly rise up a little and uncovered yourself "Anything?" Rin nodded and your face lights up. "I want to eat strawberry cake..." "Sure. I'll go buy it now." as Rin was about to leave, you tugged his sleeve. "Hug..." you slightly opened your arms, a sign that you want to cuddle with him. Obviously, Rin couldn't say no to you. And so, the two of you cuddled for a few minutes. Then, Rin took his keys, kissed your cheek, and went to buy you that strawberry cake you wanted to eat.
༊*·˚
About twenty minutes or so, Rin came home. He placed the bag on the small wooden circular table in front of you. Your eyes lit up instantly as Rin opens the small box. Inside the box, it revealed two strawberry cakes, it looked light and fluffy, alongside with the generous amount of whipped cream spreaded all over the cake. He took two circular plates and two forks, one for you and the other for him. He then carefully transferred the two pieces of cake on the individual plates. The two of you enjoyed eating strawberry cake together, even if you weren't feeling that well. Just being with Rin is your number one source of happiness, nothing else.
༊*·˚
It's about almost midnight after the two of you finished eating cake, chatted for a long long time, and watched Princess Monoke together. Right after the movie, you quickly dozed off, leaning on Rin's shoulder. Rin smiled softly. He kissed your head and whispered "I love you, Y/n."
daily reminder that rin isn't real *sobs*
-fuyuko
©fuyukohasnocreativity do not copy, repost, or translate. likes and reblogs are accepted and appreciated!
-twins-
featured character ☆ itoshi rin (rin is over 18, so is reader.)
tag(s): fluff! ☆
divider @cafekitsune
just imagining rin as a father 🥹
Rin was in standing front of the two twins, Ritsu and Aya, whom were sitting together on their highchair and had just finished eating. The two probably played with their food, since their faces and small hands were covered in sweet mashed potato. You were in the kitchen, preparing to cut some fruits for your two beloved toddlers. Now, perhaps Rin was feeling a little jealous since Aya and Ritsu both said "Mama" first. Somehow, Aya started saying "Mama" first but sooner than later, Ritsu also started saying "Mama". Rin tried his best not to show it, but deep down, even you knew he was a little envious. Although you had tried to get the twins to say "Dada" they were far too stubborn and would often just speak gibberish.
"Mama!" Aya called out randomly. "Yes, baby?" you reply "Mamaaaa!" Aya screamed. Whilst Aya was screaming and laughing, Rin happened to get Ritsu's attention. "Say 'dada'" "Ma...ma" Ritsu proceeded to utter out. Rin sighed, then smiled. "No, say 'dada'." "Mama!" the two of them giggled. Ritsu was sticking out his two tiny hands in front of Rin, surely it was a sign of something. Rin's right hand approached towards Ritsu, and he happily held onto Rin's index finger tightly, with two of his small hands and smiled. Out of the blue, he started bursting into tears and wailed "Mamaaaaa!!" Rin tried his best to calm him down by grabbing a turquoise bunny and waving it towards Ritsu, he smiled again. Sure, it stopped his tears for a few minutes, until Aya started to whine and kick and cry, and of course, was soon joined by Ritsu once more. Rin was panicking, he had no idea how to calm them down and he knows the two of them absolutely hate pacifiers. After their hearing troubled wails, you quickly rushed to the dining table. The moment the twins saw you, they just stopped their tears in an instant. The expression on Rin's face was just in shock, it was a little funny.
You head back to the kitchen when the twins calmed down and gave them both a bowl with berries in it. Aya kept squashing the blueberries with her fingers, (perhaps she doesn't like them very much), and Ritsu just stared at her, laughing. Suddenly, Aya slowly looked up. She kept staring at Rin and finally uttered out a word. "Da...Da!" you looked at Rin with a smile, "She finally said it!" you exclaim and at the same time, clapping your hands together. A smile creeped up on Rin's face. "You said it!" At last, when the two of them finished their bowl of berries and after Aya squashing all of the blueberries, they were both tired and almost dozed off. You and Rin carried your adorable toddlers to their bed so they could sleep. Ritsu, who was still a little more awake than his sister, said one word; "Da."
༊*·˚
As soon as the two of you tucked them in, they were sleeping soundly. You hugged Rin tightly for a long period of time, and gave him a peck on the cheeks. "I love you, Rin." "I love you too." You and him both quickly fell asleep afterwards. \
omg, just imagining this had me giggling so much. anyways, i hope you enjoyed this short drabble.
-fuyuko
©fuyukohasnocreativity do not copy, repost, or translate. likes and reblogs are accepted and appreciated!
-small flu-
featured character ☆ itoshi rin
tag(s): fluff! ☆
divider @cafekitsune
Office AU!
༊*·˚
Ugh... A runny nose. Perhaps spring is the best season to get sick since the temperature is always going up and down. As a ray of sunshine peaks through your curtain, you squint your eyes in discomfort. You look next to you and saw that Rin had already left to go to work. Feeling extremely sore (what a nice way to wake up) and how uncomfortable the body ache was, you decide to just continue sleeping for an extra fifteen minutes or so. Not even fifteen minutes had been up but you had to wake up due to a sensation of where you just couldn't breath from your nose.
...Am I sick? you thought to yourself.
Being the smart person you are, you decide to take your temperature. The thermometer read "39.5°". Yikes, you really are sick. You head to the kitchen counter to pour yourself a glass of water. You then see a note, stuck onto the fridge with a cute, red strawberry magnet. The note read "Y/n, I'm off to work. I love you. -Rin". You could definitely feel your heartbeat getting a little faster by the second. You felt hungry, but had no appetite. You got a glass cup, filled it up with water and took some Advil. So now, you decide to just plop on the dark green colored sofa and wrap yourself in a soft white blanket whilst watching Queen of Tears. In the middle of episode four or five, your phone buzzes. You decide to see who was texting you, it turned out to be Rin.
༊*·˚
-rinnie❤️: Y/n, I'm on break right now.
-y/n: good work ( •̀ ω •́ )✧
-rinnie❤️: What are you doing right now?
-y/n: nothing much just watching queen of tears and found out that i have a small fever
-rinnie❤️: I'm leaving my office.
-y/n: wait why?
-rinnie❤️: My girlfriend is sick, do you expect me to act calm?
-y/n: awww rinnie 🥹 im thankful that you care for me but really, i can take care of myself read at 5:22 PM
-y/n: ...seriously its just a fever
read at 5:25 PM
-y/n: stop leaving me on read (►__◄)
read at 5:27 PM
༊*·˚
A few minutes later, you heard the door open and close, alongside with the sound of Rin's keys jingling. Rin quickly dropped his brown leather case on the ground and rushed to the living room, where you were wrapped up like a burrito. Rin gently pat your head and touches your forehead. "Y/n, are you sure you're okay?" he asked, looking extremely concerned. "Rinnie, really, I'm fine. It's just a small flu." "Did you eat anything?" "No." "Not even apples?" "No. I don't really have an appetite either. But I did take some medicine so I'm fine." it was at that moment, your stomach made a growling sound, which was obviously normal since you didn't eat for the whole day. Feeling a little flustered, you quickly hide under the blanket you wrapped yourself. A worried Rin didn't really know what to do after you swiftly hid. "...Do you want to eat anything?" you slowly rise up a little and uncovered yourself "Anything?" Rin nodded and your face lights up. "I want to eat strawberry cake..." "Sure. I'll go buy it now." as Rin was about to leave, you tugged his sleeve. "Hug..." you slightly opened your arms, a sign that you want to cuddle with him. Obviously, Rin couldn't say no to you. And so, the two of you cuddled for a few minutes. Then, Rin took his keys, kissed your cheek, and went to buy you that strawberry cake you wanted to eat.
༊*·˚
About twenty minutes or so, Rin came home. He placed the bag on the small wooden circular table in front of you. Your eyes lit up instantly as Rin opens the small box. Inside the box, it revealed two strawberry cakes, it looked light and fluffy, alongside with the generous amount of whipped cream spreaded all over the cake. He took two circular plates and two forks, one for you and the other for him. He then carefully transferred the two pieces of cake on the individual plates. The two of you enjoyed eating strawberry cake together, even if you weren't feeling that well. Just being with Rin is your number one source of happiness, nothing else.
༊*·˚
It's about almost midnight after the two of you finished eating cake, chatted for a long long time, and watched Princess Monoke together. Right after the movie, you quickly dozed off, leaning on Rin's shoulder. Rin smiled softly. He kissed your head and whispered "I love you, Y/n."
daily reminder that rin isn't real *sobs*
-fuyuko
©fuyukohasnocreativity do not copy, repost, or translate. likes and reblogs are accepted and appreciated!
-twins-
featured character ☆ itoshi rin (rin is over 18, so is reader.)
tag(s): fluff! ☆
divider @cafekitsune
just imagining rin as a father 🥹
Rin was in standing front of the two twins, Ritsu and Aya, whom were sitting together on their highchair and had just finished eating. The two probably played with their food, since their faces and small hands were covered in sweet mashed potato. You were in the kitchen, preparing to cut some fruits for your two beloved toddlers. Now, perhaps Rin was feeling a little jealous since Aya and Ritsu both said "Mama" first. Somehow, Aya started saying "Mama" first but sooner than later, Ritsu also started saying "Mama". Rin tried his best not to show it, but deep down, even you knew he was a little envious. Although you had tried to get the twins to say "Dada" they were far too stubborn and would often just speak gibberish.
"Mama!" Aya called out randomly. "Yes, baby?" you reply "Mamaaaa!" Aya screamed. Whilst Aya was screaming and laughing, Rin happened to get Ritsu's attention. "Say 'dada'" "Ma...ma" Ritsu proceeded to utter out. Rin sighed, then smiled. "No, say 'dada'." "Mama!" the two of them giggled. Ritsu was sticking out his two tiny hands in front of Rin, surely it was a sign of something. Rin's right hand approached towards Ritsu, and he happily held onto Rin's index finger tightly, with two of his small hands and smiled. Out of the blue, he started bursting into tears and wailed "Mamaaaaa!!" Rin tried his best to calm him down by grabbing a turquoise bunny and waving it towards Ritsu, he smiled again. Sure, it stopped his tears for a few minutes, until Aya started to whine and kick and cry, and of course, was soon joined by Ritsu once more. Rin was panicking, he had no idea how to calm them down and he knows the two of them absolutely hate pacifiers. After their hearing troubled wails, you quickly rushed to the dining table. The moment the twins saw you, they just stopped their tears in an instant. The expression on Rin's face was just in shock, it was a little funny.
You head back to the kitchen when the twins calmed down and gave them both a bowl with berries in it. Aya kept squashing the blueberries with her fingers, (perhaps she doesn't like them very much), and Ritsu just stared at her, laughing. Suddenly, Aya slowly looked up. She kept staring at Rin and finally uttered out a word. "Da...Da!" you looked at Rin with a smile, "She finally said it!" you exclaim and at the same time, clapping your hands together. A smile creeped up on Rin's face. "You said it!" At last, when the two of them finished their bowl of berries and after Aya squashing all of the blueberries, they were both tired and almost dozed off. You and Rin carried your adorable toddlers to their bed so they could sleep. Ritsu, who was still a little more awake than his sister, said one word; "Da."
༊*·˚
As soon as the two of you tucked them in, they were sleeping soundly. You hugged Rin tightly for a long period of time, and gave him a peck on the cheeks. "I love you, Rin." "I love you too." You and him both quickly fell asleep afterwards. \
omg, just imagining this had me giggling so much. anyways, i hope you enjoyed this short drabble.
-fuyuko
©fuyukohasnocreativity do not copy, repost, or translate. likes and reblogs are accepted and appreciated!
-making tanghulu-
featured character ☆ itoshi rin
tag(s): fluff! ☆
divider @cafekitsune
"Rinnieeee!!" you barge into Rin's room like a hyper ball of energy, whilst he's in the middle of changing clothes. The man looked so shocked. Too shocked. It felt like he could cry on the spot since this happened far too often. "...Y/n. How many times do I have to tell you to knock on the door before coming in." he says in a serious tone. "Sorryyy." you apologize, with a big smile on your face, perhaps a little too excited to tell him about what you want to do. "And I swear I'm not going to ask you if you would still love me if I was a worm." Rin had a confused expression on his face. "Okay...?" "I wanted to ask if we could make tanghulu!" Alright. That's enough. Now he's scared. The last time you two tried to make tanghulu, the smoke alarm went off, the sugar burned and sticked onto the pan. Rin tried to get rid of the burnt and dried sugar off the silver pan, but it wouldn't work unfortunately. So, he had to throw the pan away. "..." "Can we? Pretty please?" "Y/n, the last time we made tanghulu the smoke alarm went off, the sugar got burnt and it sticked onto the pan, the neighbors complained about how loud we were even though that was the smoke alarm." "Oh... Right..." you flashbacked to the incident that happened last month or so.
"And, before we started, you accidentally put salt instead of sugar in the pan." Rin had mentioned another mistake that you made, making you slightly flustered. "We don't talk about that..." Rin sighed. "We can make tanghulu, but just make sure to use a video and follow the measurements. Also, please don't eyeball it. And don't burn the sugar again." "Okay!" you reply in a cheerful tone. Rin smiled, he's happy whenever you're happy. You're basically his source of joy.
an extremely short drabble. also, i've never made tanghulu before but my friend told me she somehow burnt the sugar even though she followed precise measurements and videos so i'm scared lmao
-fuyuko
©fuyukohasnocreativity do not copy, repost, or translate. likes and reblogs are accepted and appreciated!
-making tanghulu-
featured character ☆ itoshi rin
tag(s): fluff! ☆
divider @cafekitsune
"Rinnieeee!!" you barge into Rin's room like a hyper ball of energy, whilst he's in the middle of changing clothes. The man looked so shocked. Too shocked. It felt like he could cry on the spot since this happened far too often. "...Y/n. How many times do I have to tell you to knock on the door before coming in." he says in a serious tone. "Sorryyy." you apologize, with a big smile on your face, perhaps a little too excited to tell him about what you want to do. "And I swear I'm not going to ask you if you would still love me if I was a worm." Rin had a confused expression on his face. "Okay...?" "I wanted to ask if we could make tanghulu!" Alright. That's enough. Now he's scared. The last time you two tried to make tanghulu, the smoke alarm went off, the sugar burned and sticked onto the pan. Rin tried to get rid of the burnt and dried sugar off the silver pan, but it wouldn't work unfortunately. So, he had to throw the pan away. "..." "Can we? Pretty please?" "Y/n, the last time we made tanghulu the smoke alarm went off, the sugar got burnt and it sticked onto the pan, the neighbors complained about how loud we were even though that was the smoke alarm." "Oh... Right..." you flashbacked to the incident that happened last month or so.
"And, before we started, you accidentally put salt instead of sugar in the pan." Rin had mentioned another mistake that you made, making you slightly flustered. "We don't talk about that..." Rin sighed. "We can make tanghulu, but just make sure to use a video and follow the measurements. Also, please don't eyeball it. And don't burn the sugar again." "Okay!" you reply in a cheerful tone. Rin smiled, he's happy whenever you're happy. You're basically his source of joy.
an extremely short drabble. also, i've never made tanghulu before but my friend told me she somehow burnt the sugar even though she followed precise measurements and videos so i'm scared lmao
-fuyuko
©fuyukohasnocreativity do not copy, repost, or translate. likes and reblogs are accepted and appreciated!
♡ cute things they do in a relationship! (pt 2!)
(pt 1 here!!)
things they do that makes your heart flutter <3
featuring ☆ isagi, bachira, chigiri, nagi, reo, rin, & sae
tag(s) ☆ fluff!
ISAGI would plan dates for the two of you, based on your interests/the stuff you like. the first thing he puts on top of his planner is 'make sure y/n has a blast!!'
BACHIRA would occasionally stare at you while the two of you are eating. whether it's at home or in public, and you notice it. "how come you keep staring?" "it's not my fault that you're just too beautiful."
CHIGIRI would give you headpats, anytime, anywhere. you finally came to the conclusion that this is one of the ways he shows affection towards you, since he doesn't give headpats to anyone else.
NAGI would snuggle with you while in bed. sometimes, he unconsiously does it in his sleep. and, you happily hug him back, nuzzling in the crook of his neck.
REO would cuddle with you for a really really long time. he says its for recharging from being away from you for a certain period of time.
RIN would carry stuff for you, even if it's not heavy. rin would randomly just take whatever you were carrying carry it from his shoulder.
SAE would intertwine fingers with you. sae would fill in the gaps in between your fingers with his, it's just something he enjoys.
a/n: hihi! this is a pt 2 for i had no idea what to do bc of my horrible writer's block + school :') ps i wrote this when i was at a library lmao
©hioriri/fuyukohasnocreativity do not copy, repost, or translate. likes and reblogs are accepted and appreciated!
♡ cute things they do in a relationship! (pt 2!)
(pt 1 here!!)
things they do that makes your heart flutter <3
featuring ☆ isagi, bachira, chigiri, nagi, reo, rin, & sae
tag(s) ☆ fluff!
ISAGI would plan dates for the two of you, based on your interests/the stuff you like. the first thing he puts on top of his planner is 'make sure y/n has a blast!!'
BACHIRA would occasionally stare at you while the two of you are eating. whether it's at home or in public, and you notice it. "how come you keep staring?" "it's not my fault that you're just too beautiful."
CHIGIRI would give you headpats, anytime, anywhere. you finally came to the conclusion that this is one of the ways he shows affection towards you, since he doesn't give headpats to anyone else.
NAGI would snuggle with you while in bed. sometimes, he unconsiously does it in his sleep. and, you happily hug him back, nuzzling in the crook of his neck.
REO would cuddle with you for a really really long time. he says its for recharging from being away from you for a certain period of time.
RIN would carry stuff for you, even if it's not heavy. rin would randomly just take whatever you were carrying carry it from his shoulder.
SAE would intertwine fingers with you. sae would fill in the gaps in between your fingers with his, it's just something he enjoys.
a/n: hihi! this is a pt 2 for i had no idea what to do bc of my horrible writer's block + school :') ps i wrote this when i was at a library lmao
©hioriri/fuyukohasnocreativity do not copy, repost, or translate. likes and reblogs are accepted and appreciated!
“what's this?” you ask, eyeing the carefully packed bag in your hands.
“it's that dress you were eyeing on our date.” rin says casually, scrolling away on his phone.
“the dress i was eyeing?,” your gaze trails off, rewinding your memories back to three days when you had your weekly date with rin. maybe it was after the movie ended, when you decided to look around the shops. you may have let your gaze linger on a particular dress for a mere seconds.
“rin, i glanced at it for like, two seconds.” you say.
“five,” he corrects, “you stared at it for five seconds.”
“okay, five, but you got me this based on that?” you question amusingly.
“i thought you wanted it, you don't like it?” he says tilting his head, a subtle frown stretching on his lips that doesn't go unnoticed by you.
“no, i do like it. but you don't have to get me everything i just look at.” you smile sweetly, bringing a hand to caress his cheeks and letting your fingers graze his lips.
“but you looked at it for five seconds.”
“....”
“i also got you that perfume you said smelled nice.”
“rin...”
© seimirii 2023 [ plagiarism is a violation of moral rights ! ]
rin as a super observant bf who gets u whatever your eyes linger on for more than a second (¯▿¯)
What's this? Affection...Do it again.
A/n: So like our precious bllk men. Talked with my bsf about these idiot and ugh got to writing.
Summery: how they react to affection. Do they return it?(gn!reader)
Pairings: Isagi, Rin, Reo, Bachira, Chigiri, Sae
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Isagi Yoichi
Isagi loves your affection. He adores it!! Would never stop you or push you away. He most likely like hugging you, because that's when you are the closest to him. His hand is usually around your shoulder or waist, especially if you are around his friends from blue lock. He loves running to you after a match, when you are in the front line of the audience, watching him. People around you are screaming. Like y'all are kissing in every photo of his matches. Forehead kisses are his to go for when you are in public. He loves when you run your hand through his hair whether that be in public or private. In general, he would return your affection right away, and he loves it.
Rin Itoshi
Rin likes your affection, but he doesn't show it. Okay, he may return it, but way more silently than you. He would brush his knee against yours when you are sitting, walk you from the paparazzi by putting his hand on your back, give you his water bottle to drink. He, most of the time, acts annoyed when you show too much affection, or when you ask to kiss him in public he'll say no, hoping you would ask again. In public tho, he would react a lot. Especially with the paparazzi around you. Overall, you are definitely the more affectionate one and he acts annoyed on it, but don't worry, he appreciates it a lot <33
Reo Mikage
Reo falls in love with you again everytime you show his affection to him in public. He is also most likely more affectionate than you, doesn't matter if in public or private. He'll jump on you the moment he sees you. He really loves your affection tho, especially if you aren't the one to show it a lot. Here, you'll have to be the one to return his. Nagi is telling you that you are gross, while you are wrapped around Reo. To the paparazzi? Oh ho. He's showing off, he is not hiding. Of course, if you feel uncomfortable with that, tell him. The last thing he wants is for you to be uncomfortable.
Bachira Meguru
Bachira... We'll he's Bachira. If he doesn't return your affection, there is not a person who would. Keeping that in mind, you two don't leave each others sides. Like two puppies in love (it kind of is). He will shower you with affection three times bigger than yours, but it was your fault for kissing him on the face. He isn't trying to purposely show you off in public, but he does in unintentionally! Or he is just all over you and people already know. If you don't return his affection, he will think you're mad at him :( please tell him that's not true
Chigiri Hyoma
Now this pretty princess, looooooves the attention you're giving him, like genuinely loves it. ESPECIALLY if you two are in public, because he can show how much his partner loves him!! Would he return the affection? Yes... eventually. Don't get me wrong okay? He will return it, but probably behind closet doors (yes i believe Chigiri can sometimes be not much of a PDA person) or he'll show it in his own way that is unfamiliar to others, but not to you, so only you could now. Still, he loves having you close all the time no matter what. In front of paparazzi? Quick! Pose! You gotta steal the light!
Sae Itoshi
Oh this bitch, where so i start with him. Does he like your affection? Hmmmm he tolerates it... I'm kidding, yes he likes it, he wouldn't be dating you otherwise. He just would never admit it even if it cost his life, but you know he does. But he isn't returning it in public at all. Like no freaking chance, especially if they are paparazzi. He gotta keep the reputation you know? In closed doors tho? If he's exhausted, clingy or you just ask him enough, yes he would. But you gotta be more pushy. (More passion, more energy)
© mariaace 2024 pls do not copy, translate, steal or claim any of my works!
@dazailoveschuuya
Stop why is this actually cute 😭
LOVE LANGUAGES - quality time warnings;; gn reader. both of u are downbad(🤢🤢) . u kiss also. 1.3k words
RIN ITOSHI isn’t the most affectionate person by nature, the extreme drive for his soccer carrier has left the man stranded the permanent aggravated expression that runs through the itoshi bloodline definitely doesn’t help
in all senses, rin itoshi is not the one you expect to appear at your door, 4 in the morning.
For a couple of minutes you just stare at eachother, him fully dressed and annoyingly awake; you in your pajamas and hardly aware at your presence on earth.
“It’s my birthday” is what he says simply. “Why are you not ready” Perhaps it’s just you, but the tone in his voice seems even more agitated than usual.
“Ready for what rin?” You can see the white fog of your breath as you exhale, you don’t want to be mean to the boy on his birthday but he really is challenging his chances
“You said we’d hang out at four. It’s already four thirty five and you aren’t even ready” His tone is harsh. Accusing. But in those teal eyes that had always resembled glaciers to you now look melted down, you can tell deep down the reason for his bother is different than your so called lack of punctuality.
You can tell he’s afraid you may have forgotten about a plan that meant so much to him. He’s afraid you may not even care about it, or him. He’s terrified to not mean half as much to one person he cares about.
He won’t ever voice it. But somehow you know, or perhaps you hope that this is what he thinks; that he longs for you as much as you do for him.
It’s stupid really, how your heart fluttered at the sight of him in your door or how you can’t even bring yourself to be properly mad at him.
That’s cute and all but that doesn’t change the fact that you planned to sleep a good 2 more hours.
“Rin” you finally speak again “I meant 4 pm why would you think- How long have you even been awake for?”
A small oh leaves the strikers lips as he looks at you, dumbfounded. It appears that normally people don’t arrange meetings before dawn only occurring to him now.
With the new emotion in his face rin quite resembles a stray puppy, so much you suddenly get the urge to coddle him
“Well do you want to come inside? We can eat breakfast or something”
He trails behind you to kitchen, with how long you’ve two been friends rin knows the way as good as his own and it’s him who takes the lead on your small walk towards kitchen.
crack
The egg falls to the pan with a satisfying sound, normally you’d have gone with something easier like cereal but the mr sportsman seated in your kitchen now is determined to force his stupidly healthy diet onto you as much as he can.
Despite all his protests and attempts to help you have him sat near the table as you prepare everything. It’s half because it’s his special day and half because he’s a complete disaster in kitchen(perhaps more the later than first).
While doing so you’ve been rambling on and on about whatever comes to your mind to fill his silence, on small changes in your life, school, a show you liked, the cute cat you saw on the street yesterday… Perhaps with someone else this could feel like a monologue but it’s different with rin; maybe it’s the way how he always looks so concentrated on whatever you say, or the way he always remembers everything you’ve told to the smallest detail. Or maybe it’s just your feelings for him that make this enjoyable for you
Whatever it is, it’s how it goes between you two: you talk, and he listens. Aside from the cynical remarks here and there, talking isn’t his thing. Even if sometimes you wished it was, you wished that for once he’d be the one to talk, be the one to tell the words you never brought yourself to speak to him.
With a tap on your shoulder that caught you off guard, you almost hit the man on the face. And you probably would’ve if he didn’t caught your hand midair.
Maybe it’s because you were too caught upon telling whatever story you were on or maybe it was because the eerily quiet way rin moves for a man his size but you only notice how close he has gotten to you at this moment.
So you can almost feel the warmth emitting of his skin. So close you can hear his breath. And suddenly, you’re hyper aware of the way your very own heartbeat seems to quicken.
Perhaps it’s because it’s so early in the morning, but there’s something just so romantic about this moment; how close you two are, how the newly setting sunshine dances on his face.
You need serious help.
“Sorry did I bore you?” Once again, you’re the one to break the silence. Yes that must be it, he was just bored with you talking all the time. You should stop dreaming.
He blinks a few times, it’s evident he finds even the suggestion of such idea absurd “I enjoy listening to you (name), I thought you knew that” you hate yourself for it but even those simple words gives you such euphoria that it practically overwhelms you. Plus he still hasn’t let go of your wrist.
You have to leave before you do something seriously stupid. Like pour your heart out to rin itoshi
“That reminds me! I got something for your birthday,” You originally planned to give it to him much later, but you’re desperate and you need out “it’s upstairs if you’d let me go I can just run real quick and ge-”
“Don’t want it”
His grasp on your wrist is now much more firm, it contrasts the previous gentleness of his touch towards you. Rin has always treated you with fragility that it’s only now you realize how strong he actually is.
“I told you I don’t want you to buy me anything” his bright, teal eyes look more like a turquoise as the sun hits them, leaving you captivated by them even in this moment “But if you’re that insistent on giving me something then um…”
His newly found confidence starts to die down as he mutters the next bit “if you really want to gift me…you can give me something else” the last part is said in such low whisper that you’re sure you wouldn’t be able to hear it if weren’t for how close you two are right now. Maybe your eyes are playing a game to you right now but you can see red on his cheeks.
You must be dreaming. Or it’s that you aren’t fully awake right now and can’t think clearly, because there’s no way the rin itoshi is saying what you think he is
Fuck it, you’ve waited long enough
Your pull on him is harsher than you intended, your lips practically to crash to each other but neither of you seem to care. His body is warm against yours, and he tastes of mint.
You’re not sure how long have passed, maybe a few minutes, maybe an eternity. Or perhaps it was just a moment, shorter than one blink.
Before you can even process what just happened, you’re hit with another shock; he is smiling
rin itoshi is smiling. not a know it all “I said so”type of smirk. not a forced one.
But one that creeps bigger and bigger as he stares to you, mimicking the way red blossoms to his cheek. Yours probably aren’t much different right now either
At that moment one sentence slips out of your mouth;
“Happy birthday rin”
One of the best rin itoshi fluff I've ever read wow
wherever you are, wherever you may be — i. rin
soulmates (name au) + "i'm done waiting."
synopsis. itoshi rin meets you under a sky full of fireworks. he spends the next 6 years of his life trying to convince himself that he doesn't love you. you spend the next 6 years giving him every reason why he should.
wc. 12.4k (i need to close my eyes and sleep for a while)
notes. huge thank you to ellie (@hyomagiri) and mari (@saetoshi) for helping me with this 🥹 this fic actually put me through it and i'm so grateful to both of them for their support 💗
— for my beloved @ode2rin 💐 | event masterlist ✉️
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
2024
Every year on the seventh day of the seventh month, Itoshi Rin finds himself standing at the daunting entrance to his local shrine.
The tradition is completely beneath him—something childish that he grumbles about under his breath despite letting you drag him all the way out here with soft eyes watching your smile.
Tanabata is the festival of stars. Of love.
It is a story his mother used to whisper to him as they watched the night sky in awe, pretending that the galaxy was collapsing in on itself to allow for a romantic midnight rendezvous between two lovers.
It’s something far too sappy for his liking.
But the food is okay, he supposes, and it’s a good opportunity to get out of the house and spend time with you which he seldom has time to do now that he’s back in his training season.
There were too many things about it that he loathed: the screaming children that would bump into his legs; the way his ears would stay ringing for days after the festival ended; how you could always convince him to come as if you were some sort of hypnotic devil in disguise, and how thoroughly wounded his pride would be at that fact.
However, his least favourite part of the festival by far is writing down his wish for the year on a scrap piece of paper and hanging it around a bamboo tree. One, because he can never for the life of him think of anything meaningful to wish for. And two, because he isn’t sure he even believes in that sort of thing.
Rin is struggling again this year, pencil lightly scratching his temple as he thinks.
He’s painfully aware that he’s never put so much thought into this before, but you seemed so excited to come all the way here before heading to the festivities that he couldn’t possibly let you down.
His wish dawns on him then, something he wants to do before the next time he makes the climb all the way back up here 365 days from now.
“Hey,” your voice calls out quietly. “What did you wish for?”
“What did you wish for?” Rin quickly refutes.
You cast your narrowed eyes from the side, tilting your little slip of yellow paper away from him.
“Only if I get to see yours first.”
Normally, he would give in to you right away. His resolve when it comes to you is embarrassingly weak. But there’s no way for him to explain himself. No way he could show you the words he’s written lest he hurt his ego.
He stubbornly folds up the piece of paper and shoves your face away. All you do is laugh and he feels terribly warm.
“No peeking,” he tells you when you kiss across his fingertips.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
2018
A name appeared for Itoshi Rin when he turned thirteen years old.
He remembers the day well—it was hard to forget, anyway. As much as he wanted to focus on the burning of the name etching its way down his skin, he couldn’t. Not when he was blinking snow out of his lashes and watching his brother’s retreating back.
Rin likes to think that the universe fucks with him in any way that it can.
Maybe he had done something terrible in his past life and this was its karmic retribution, or maybe he was just unlucky.
What he does know is this: the name on his pinky only reminds him of all the things he ever lost.
Every syllable struck needles into his heart—a painful memory of crawling after the tracks of the wheels Sae left behind with his luggage until gravel and ice were stuck under his nails. Or worse, the clawing of his throat as they sat across from each other at dinner—the way he didn't even smile when Rin announced to his parents that his soulmate mark had appeared while his mother cried out in joy.
In fact, Sae didn’t talk to him for the rest of his visit. He remembers that hurt the most.
The name had haunted him for all the remaining years of his life—a forced memory that he wished he could forget. There came with it a feeling of loneliness that crushed him despite the proof on his pinky that there was another soul wandering the earth that would fix him.
He refused to believe it.
Only revenge would fix him. Only proving himself better would heal the cracks in his heart. Only beating Sae. Sae, Sae, Sae. His brother’s name had been repeated so many times that it was easy to ignore the other burning his skin.
In all those years he found it easy to cast aside his soulmate. To ignore it even if it hurt.
So he wonders why it’s so bad tonight.
He’s done everything he could think of: slathering cooling ointment down his finger to stop the searing, wrapping it in a cast to prevent himself from admiring it for too long, even tying a wish to a piece of bamboo hoping it would disappear.
A finger snaps in front of his face, drawing his attention to his teammates in front of him. Both look equally amused.
“You’re dreaming,” Isagi muses. “You’ve been spacing out all night. Is everything okay?”
“I’m fine,” Rin mutters, swatting his teammate’s hand away from him. He had been staring again, longingly eyeing the way the letters danced down his skin. “Just thinking.”
“About?”
“None of your business.”
“Yeesh, it’s not good to keep things bottled up, you know?”
“You’re annoying,” Rin glowers before it melts back into indifference. “I’m fine,” he reiterates.
Isagi seems unconvinced, as he usually is when Rin is being mysteriously vague about what’s on his mind. He and Bachira share a tentative glance before sighing and shaking their heads.
“Well… okay,” he finally yields. “We’re going to get some snacks before the fireworks start. If you’re going to sulk then at least stay put and do it here so we can find you again.”
“Yeah,” Rin grumbles, already making an escape plan. “Whatever. Will do.”
As soon as the boys are out of sight, he turns heel and hurries away. The crowd is driving him crazy and he needs somewhere quiet so he can stare at his hands until his eyes are dry.
He comes to a pond situated just outside of the festival grounds, deep water glimmering under the moon and the passing lanterns.
Plopping down on the bench, he hunches over onto his knees with his elbows and takes a deep breath. It instead comes shallow, as if someone has just punched him in the gut.
It’s then that he realizes he’s not alone.
Your yukata is muddy, fabric soaked and dripping at the sleeves though you don’t seem to care or even notice. You look frustrated for some reason, lip curled into a concentrated frown while you plunge your hands into the mud around the edge of the water.
Away from the crowds of people, he can hear the summer song of cicadas chirping all around. Your hands dip in and out of the water, quiet splashes filling the rest of the silence on top of the distant buzz of children laughing.
It’s just you and him. Something primal inside of him rages, pounding against his chest until it feels like he’s suffocating.
Run. Run. Run.
His legs jerk, urging him to stand up and leave, but he feels glued down to the bench—tethered where he sits and forced to watch you repeatedly sink your hands into the muddy waters.
No more than five minutes must pass as you both ignore each other, yet it feels like an eternity stretches by.
Finally, you pipe up.
“You’re scaring them,” you tell him plainly.
His head whips in your direction at your voice, soft and careful. His teal eyes narrow at you. “Huh?”
Your frown deepens, turning to look at him with your hands still submerged. “The frogs.”
“Come again?”
“Your vibes. It’s scaring the frogs away.”
His eye twitches.
“Ever consider that you’re just dogshit at catching them?”
“Excuse me?”
“And look at you, making a total mess of yourself. Don’t you care that you have to go home looking like that?” He presses, leering at you like an insect he’s about to crush under his heel. You simply stare at him, expression blank.
Huffing, you tear away from him and sink your hands beneath the mud. “No. I don’t.”
He watches in silence as you sift around for a moment before pulling your hands up, a smile slowly morphing into your face.
“I got one…” You breathe, looking more elated than he thinks you should. “I really caught one.”
“First time?” He quips sarcastically. A part of him wonders why he hasn’t gotten up and left you altogether yet.
“Cut me some slack,” you complain, eyeing him from the side again. You gently run a finger along the back of the frog, trying not to scare it away. “I haven’t done this in forever.”
“Clearly.”
You snort. “Yeah. Clearly.”
Rin looks at you quizzically, puzzled at your sudden change in demeanor. You seem… softer. Less agitated, at the very least. You’re gazing at the frog adoringly, as if it had somehow solved all of your problems and was dragging you into another world.
Any retort he had ready to shoot at you dies in his mouth. The anger rising in his chest extinguishes in the blink of an eye, and a deep hush settles over you as he watches in curiosity.
For a moment, the universe goes quiet. He’s gotten so used to having everything on his mind all at once that the silence is almost unnerving.
He once believed that his world would end with an injury that never healed quite right, or when he was too old for any team to want him.
He once believed that his world would end when he could no longer imagine the feel of a ball between his palms.
He once believed that his world would end the day he couldn’t play football anymore—that the only thing that would ever kill him was if the chance of standing alongside his brother died with him.
But he was wrong.
Itoshi Rin’s world ends with the bellow of a firework.
In a few years, he would think of this stretch of a few seconds fondly. He would squeeze you a little tighter with his chin resting on your shoulder, staring up at a colourful sky. He would think it was poetic, in a way, that you were the one who painted his world in the same hues of shimmering gold.
Rin remembers, though, that only one thought had crossed his mind.
I’m so screwed.
He can see every fine detail of your face, illuminated in all the colours of the rainbow. And he can’t help but think you are the most beautiful person he’s ever seen. He can trace each intricate curve of your nose to your chin to the surprised parting of your lips; the way your lashes flutter as you blink rapidly, tensed from the sudden explosion.
The light fades faster than it appeared, yet it feels like a millennium has passed. The reverbing echo of the firework crackles across the sky, thundering in his ears so loud that he can feel it pounding in his chest.
(Or is that his heart? He can’t tell. He feels dizzy.)
Darkness envelops your bodies again, save for the dim glow of distant lanterns. Every part of you is seared into his memory, a floating image when he blinks.
The frog leaps from your hands back into the water, leaving nothing but ripples behind.
You stay there with your hands outstretched, looking lonely under the dark sky. Another one goes off above your heads, signalling the start of the display.
“There you are, Rin!” Bachira and Isagi come rushing over from the path, excited smiles and mirth bubbling in their laughs as they approach. “We thought you went home without us already!”
Rin slowly blinks out of his reverie. For a second, he glances in your direction again just to catch your eyes.
“I almost did,” he grumbles, forcing himself not to stare.
“Fireworks are starting!” Isagi yanks Rin to his feet and begins dragging him away before he can even protest.
Without turning around, he can feel the weight of your eyes in the back of his head. There’s an unfamiliar ache in his chest, and the name etched down his pinky burns infinitely hot.
Later at home, he stares at the spot where Sae used to sit back when he still came to Japan for anything other than to take a new passport photo.
“My soulmate’s name showed up,” he had mumbled that night to break the tense silence. It was strange that he still felt like he owed his brother that much—to make his visit as normal as possible despite having his heart carved open.
Sae only looked at him blankly, spoon halting just above his bowl. He was eerily still, quietly deciding how to react. Then,
“Good for you,” he said. And nothing more.
Rin squeezes his eyes shut and he feels warmth rolling down his cheeks. He quickly wipes the tears away, pretending as if they never existed.
He spends the rest of the night trying to forget your face.
(And the next year trying to recreate it in his dreams.)
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
2019
Rin makes it another 275 days before he finally remembers every piece of the puzzle that is your existence.
He saw you in his sleep. The back of your head, anyway.
You were sitting in his favourite café, at the table he claimed for himself right by the window. You ordered a coffee but let it sit for so long that the ice melted. Then, you wiped up the condensation rolling down the frosty glass with your finger.
Rin watched you from afar, observing you the way he wished he did last summer.
Maybe then he could have dived deep into the recesses of his brain to remember why exactly you struck him so. But there he was, stuck watching the back of your head as you gazed out the window.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Your fingers drummed mindlessly against the wooden table, reciting a rhythm just slightly louder than the pounding of his own heart.
“Can you leave me alone?” He finally called out, hoping it would stop your incessant beating.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“You’re annoying me,” he hissed. Annoying for disturbing his peace and quiet. Annoying for plaguing his dreams even after all these days.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“Seriously,” he grunted, standing up from his seat so fast that the chair scraped horribly against the wooden floor. Still, you didn’t pay him any mind, instead more interested in the faceless people walking by. “Knock it off!”
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
He bit the inside of his cheek in hesitation, the itch in the back of his mind ever present. “What’s your name?”
Silence.
You finally turned his way. Slowly. Agonizingly slow. And Rin was right—you were still so beautiful, 275 days later.
Grinning at him big and bright, you almost seemed to collapse in on yourself with joy. Like a star about to implode, or maybe more akin to a firework.
Either way, his breath was stolen from him.
You silently mouthed your name, making sure he saw every vowel and accentuated syllable. Warmth flooded him in every way—probably brought on by the racing of his heart.
It was impossible that his soulmate was someone like this. Someone whose smile looked like it could heal even the deepest wounds.
You grabbed his attention again with a big wave of the arms, and he watched in anticipation.
“You’re—”
Rin followed your mouth as you sounded out the words without a voice.
“—smiling!”
He reached up to run his fingers along his bottom lip. And you were right, he realized, as he traced it midway up his cheek.
(When did he start smiling?)
(Why?)
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Rin thinks about you just as much in the waking world as he does in his dreams.
It’s spring, though snow is still settled over the eaves of homes that he passes on the way to the grocery store. Apparently the winter cold is supposed to be especially long and bitter this year, permeating until mid-May.
He stares at his feet as they mark the virgin snow, decorating his sneakers white and making his feet cold.
Did you walk through the same snow this morning?
Then, when he’s going through the motion of smelling the bottom of pineapples at the store:
Do you like pineapple? What if you’re allergic?
(He shakes his head and puts them away. He suddenly isn’t craving it.)
His obsession with you has only intensified as the year has gone on. If you ever peered into his mind, he would receive a well-deserved slap across the face.
The soulmate mark engraved down his pinky has never bothered him so badly.
It’s like you’re constantly with him—a ghost haunting him, or perhaps more like a curse. Thinking about you takes up unnecessary space in his head. Space that should be dedicated to football, and football only.
He's about to go home so he can make a list outlining the ways he can forget about you.
(Ironic, he knows, but in all honesty he already exhausted all of his options from his first list.)
But then he comes to a stop outside of his favourite café. It looks the same, even has the same advertisements plastered in the window as the last time he was here.
He hesitates at the door, but when he walks in it smells the same. It's decorated the same. Not a single table is out of place.
He walks up to his regular spot, runs his fingers along the wood where he remembers you tapping in his dream.
There's no sign of your existence here.
Rin shakes his head in annoyance, cursing himself out in his head because he was stupid enough to think he would run into you here.
Then disappointment floods his body, like a dam had been released in his chest and it's flowing unstoppably to every piece of him.
(Wait, why is he disappointed? He really needs to take a nap.)
He runs his hand through his hair as a nervous reflex, simultaneously relieved and irritated that you're nowhere to be seen.
It takes him a minute to recollect himself, to realize that he probably looks like a crazy person just standing beside an empty table like a lost child who doesn't know where to go, and decides to just go home.
He pulls into the line to get a drink for his walk home when—
"Thanks!"
His heart drops.
You waltz out of the back, tying your apron around your waist as you exchange spots in the break room with one of your coworkers.
Rin is about to die, seriously. You must be new here, since he's been to this café more times than he can count and he's never seen you before. Or was it that he was specifically looking out for you this time?
Whatever the reason, he's dumbfounded.
“Hey,” your acknowledgment makes him freeze in his spot. “Frog guy?”
He looks at you stupidly, rubbing his eyes like a cartoon character as if he’s imagining you standing right in front of him.
His gaze drifts down to your name tag, fresh and newly printed with white marker. Signed at the end is a little flower, petals swirled into tiny hearts.
Your existence before him is undeniable.
"Um. Yeah," he sputters in disbelief.
"I..." You clear your throat, looking as bewildered as he feels. "I didn't think I'd see you again."
'You're my soulmate. Of course we'd run into each other,' he thinks to himself. Out loud, though:
"Yeah. Me neither."
The person behind him in line coughs quietly, impatiently tapping their foot. Rin takes the hint and quietly tells you what he wants. You lean in across the counter to hear him better, and his face grows warm.
Once you fill in the boxes on the cup, you place it down and move it to the side for someone to fill. It catches his eye immediately.
Itoshi Rin is scribbled neatly down the side of his cup.
“How did you...?”
You awkwardly shift in your spot, evidently embarrassed as you fiddle with the strings of your apron. Then, with your own hands.
“W-Well…”
His eyes dare to drop down to where your thumb is nervously slathering up and down the name on your pinky.
“Oh.”
"Sorry, I just figured—"
"It's fine," he interrupts. Your mouth snaps shut.
Tense silence stretches thin in the air, ready to shatter at any moment. But for some reason, he feels as though he's choking on nothing.
You fumble over the emptiness, quickly snatching up the cup to make his drink yourself after deciding it's too awkward to just stand there.
He watches you in a daze, half shaken and half in awe. Never in a million years would he have thought a dream would lead him back to you.
When you turn back around with a full cup, you look equally stunned.
“Itoshi—”
“Rin. It’s just Rin.”
You look at him in surprise, lashes fluttering rapidly as you let it sink in.
It's not your fault. You don't know that it's a sore spot that he just so happens to share the same last name with the person he despises most in the world.
It's not your fault that he has a quick temper and his voice raises slightly, enough to make you flinch back just a tiny bit.
And it's definitely not your fault that it stings so much—that he had expected you to speak to him as if you'd already known him for a lifetime and not as if you were just two strangers looking at each other from across a bar counter.
“O-Okay," you take a deep breath, cheeks puffed out and expression unreadable.
You slide the cup across the counter and he catches it in his hand.
He debates whether or not he should say more, like apologize for snapping at you. But then someone calls you by your name, and the way it rolls so beautifully off their tongue catches him off guard.
"Sorry. See you, Rin," you smile sweetly. Maybe a little awkwardly, a small step toward the one he dreamed about. And his heart is set in motion.
Rin decides that today won't be the day.
Another day, he'll be brave enough to crack a joke so dry that you try and scrub his name off your skin. And another day, he will ask for your number because, yeah, you might be the most alluring person he's ever met.
As he turns to take his leave after just staring at the spot you were standing in for a solid few seconds, he can hear some of the other baristas clamouring for you.
He doesn't want to look. Really, honestly, he doesn't.
But he does anyway.
It's just a quick glance over his shoulder—nothing more than a fleeting moment as he takes the chance to look at you one more time.
Those two seconds is all it takes for him to realize just how much trouble he's in.
You're laughing big and toothy, waving your hand in front of your face dismissively as your coworkers poke fun at how flustered you are. Then your hands are clasped over your stomach and you've doubled down a little in your awkward fit.
His heart has never beat so loud in his own ears.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Itoshi Rin used to smile just for the sake of smiling, once upon a time.
He had aunties who would pinch him by the cheek and fawn over him, cooing about how he looked just like his mother. How his face would cherub and the apples of his cheeks were bright red. Even when he grew out of his baby face, people would tell him how wonderful his smile was.
Sae rarely ever smiled, so it was something exclusive. He never felt like he was standing in his shadow. It was special—the kind of praise only one Itoshi would know.
Rin has forgotten how to smile like that.
He smiles to be polite to his family, if ever. Even then, it's not like he owes them that much. At some point, it became too much effort. And he had no reason to do it.
It was always a tiny thought bothering him in the back of his mind:
I'll never meet my soulmate if I'm always scowling like this.
He thought that was what he wanted, anyway. He wouldn't need to worry about running into his soulmate if no one ever looked his way. If everyone feared him enough not to spare him a second glance.
He doubts everything he ever thought as he sits on the edge of his bed staring at his desk.
It's lit up by a single lamp, shining down on his empty coffee cup like a spotlight opened up by the heavens themselves.
Your phone number is written just below his name.
Rin had almost tossed it into the trash without a second thought earlier in the day. He would have, if it weren't for the loose dog that blitzed by him and made him drop it.
Fate just loves to mess with him.
He picked it up and his thumb had stopped over the number. It was written so small, as if you had wanted him to miss it. Or perhaps you wanted to test destiny yourself—to see if the planets would align and he would discover your seven digits there for him to find.
And now he's home. He's been home, just looking. Contemplating. Stressing.
He migrates from the edge of the bed and settles into his desk chair. Then he gets up, moves back to the bed, and flops down. An endless cycle, back and forth, pushing and pulling.
Rin plops down onto his desk seat and sighs in frustration, ruffling his hair around before his forehead slams into the table.
Every part of his mind screams at him to stop. To toss the cup away and forget today ever happened. His head raises from his arms and he stares at the set of numbers illuminated on the paper, taunting him.
Finally, he exhales through his nose, sitting up straight and reaching for the cup to toss. His fingers delicately brush along your phone number.
“So dumb…” He huffs, eventually finding his phone instead and opening his contacts.
It’s nearly midnight. He tries to imagine your face as you wait by your phone for a message from him, that stupidly hopeful glimmer in your eyes, and he feels sick to his stomach as he sends it.
Rin: hey. it’s rin.
He throws his phone down on the desk again, screen down so he can’t cringe at himself. A few minutes pass in complete silence as he sulks.
He considers that you may have gone to bed already, or you were offended by the fact that he ignored your offer to connect all day and instantly blocked him. Maybe you thought he never saw your number at all.
Then his phone buzzes. His body moves on autopilot, snatching it up faster than he can realize what he’s doing. He’s halfway through the embarrassing thought that he just immediately read your message after you sent it as your text sinks in.
Unknown: hi! it’s great to hear from you ヾ(〃^∇^)ﾉ
Unknown: i was starting to think you were never gonna text lol
Rin: i wasn’t
He chews his lip for a moment before quickly following up:
Rin: but i changed my mind. just cause.
Unknown: hahaha got it got it. ‘just cause’ (˘◡˘)
Unknown: rin
Unknown: wait nvm
Unknown: whatever
Unknown: rin
Rin: what
Unknown: let’s get coffee ^ ^
He stares at the screen in disbelief, watching the typing bubble pop up and disappear again and again. He can imagine again what kind of smile you must have on your face right now, or maybe you look flustered, or maybe this all means nothing to you at all and this is your way of being polite.
Regardless of the reason, he eventually types out his response.
Rin: ok
Christ, he’s so tepid.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
2020
He comes to memorize every part of you, like how the sun kisses the horizon and the moon knows the tides.
Intimately, almost—if he didn’t overthink the way your touch lingered on him he could easily ignore the way it made his heart pound in his ears.
Rin learns the feeling of your fingers against his skin as you compress an ice pack to his knee. He knows your laugh—can pick apart sarcasm from genuine cheer unlike most other people he encounters. He’s never been good at reading people yet for some reason you’ve become an open book for him.
It’s not fair that you’ve ensnared him this way, that he can’t seem to run from you (because his favourite coffee is from your café and he can’t be bothered to find a new place). That he finds himself instinctively reaching over to his phone when he can’t sleep (he has to make sure his alarms are on, might as well text you goodnight while he’s at it). And you’ve become annoyingly comfortable (he doesn’t have an excuse for this one—your lap is just conveniently a very nice place to rest his head).
He must be an open book, too.
At some point he probably stopped trying to hide his growing feelings for you, though you either didn’t notice his sudden shift or you didn’t care.
Vulnerability has never been a part of Rin, even before Itoshi Sae ruined his life.
He despises how you so easily pry him apart, skinning him alive with your hand lathering down his chest as you laugh.
Still, he’s grown accustomed to your fingers stringing through his hair, to the way your head tilts when he explains football plays to you, to the obvious way you fluster when he attempts (poorly) at flirting with you.
He’s gotten especially fond of the way you meet him at the end of his practices with such sweet, wandering hands—pushing the hair stuck to his forehead from sweat away from his eyes; using a towel to wipe up his neck; the squeeze you give his palms as you examine them to see if there are any new cuts and bruises.
Usually, he’s the epitome of confidence in his plays. Today, however, his cheeks burn as you approach him with the same honeyed smile.
“My shots were shoddy,” he admits before you can even get a word out. You only raise a brow, hands faltering in front of you. “That was lame.”
“I think you’re good.”
“Good,” he frowns. “But not great?”
“The greatest,” you quickly correct yourself, smiling at his cravings for praise. You’re armed with a fresh towel like you always are, reaching up to clean his face as if it’s the only thing you were born to do.
He relishes in your gentle touch, peering at you through his lashes while you prattle on about how amazing he was even though he missed half of his shots.
You were so blindly supportive, it sickens him.
Not because he felt you were being disingenuous, but because he’s not deserving of your praise.
For the first time in a long time, it feels as though his soul is disconnected from his body. He used to walk the earth this way—uninterested in his surroundings and obsessed with only one thing.
Itoshi Sae. Itoshi Sae. Itoshi Sae.
Suddenly, he’s thirteen again and gasping for air; screaming into his pillow and trashing their shared awards until his mother comes rushing in to stop him. He’s alone in a field, abandoned and crushed.
It’s not like he’d never lost before, even in front of you. Loss was just a part of football as much as he hated it.
But your praise only makes his stomach turn, because he knows you mean it.
You truly do believe he’s the best, when really he’s been futile in his attempts to catch up with the big brother he admired so much as a kid.
“Stop,” he gently interrupts.
Rin tries to use his hair to hide the wetness of his eyes, with little success. You can see right through him, unfortunately. It’s a talent he wishes you didn’t have.
“Rin?” You say softly, reaching up to brush the hair out of the way. He doesn’t try and back up or swat your hand away, instead letting you see his miserable expression. You sigh quietly, looking more exasperated than surprised.
“Sorry,” he mutters halfheartedly.
You shake your head. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
Shame boils in his stomach at your reassurance. There is something to apologize for. Here you are, supporting him with all your heart, and all he can think about is his stupid brother. How he’ll never catch up. How he’ll never be good enough.
Doesn’t your kindness warrant his attention at the very least?
“Come on,” you tug at his hand. “Let’s get you a pick-me-up.”
Rin abides silently, body following yours off the field and onto the streets though his mind has floated off elsewhere.
He tries to count how many steps you take in between the field and the destination, but loses count somewhere around three hundred. Then he moves on to counting the hairs on the back of your head. He loses count at one hundred. Eventually, he gives up and opts for staring at your conjoined hands while he lags behind.
When you come to a halt, he nearly bumps into your back.
The ringing in his ears stops as he blinks at his surroundings. Waves crash against the shore of the sandbank, singing the song of the ocean. It had been so long since Rin walked down this stretch of the shore, he almost forgot what the sea looked like.
“Wait here,” you urge as you hold him by the shoulders then disappear around the corner.
He collapses at the wall separating land from sea, swinging his legs under the railings to sit comfortably as he remembers doing when he was a kid. His gym bag is abandoned behind him, cleats and all.
When you return, you shove a popsicle into his hand.
He’s confused at first, just looking absently at the packaging. It must be for a concerning amount of time, because you eventually pipe up.
“Do you need me to open it for you?”
Rin glares at you and your teasing smile. Carefully, he unpackages the treat and pops it in his mouth.
Sweetness melts over his tongue and he exhales sharply through his nose. You watch him in amusement with your own treat stuck in your mouth.
Silence engulfs you, eating Rin from the inside out until he feels ill. He holds his half-eaten popsicle in front of him, watching it melt down his hand.
You stare at him for a second before nudging him lightly with your elbow.
“I was being serious. You were really good. I can’t even imagine playing like you do.”
Rin’s stomach turns. The last thing he wants is your pity.
“You don’t have to be so nice,” he mumbles, resting his chin on the railing. “42 percent.”
“42 percent?” You echo, peering over the railing to get a better look at his face.
“The percent of shots I made today.”
“Come on,” you urge gently. “Aren’t you being too hard on yourself?”
“If I’m not hard on myself, I’ll never—” he stops, choking lightly on his spit. When you don’t interrupt, he shoves the popsicle back in his mouth. “Whatever. You wouldn't get it.”
It’s quiet again, save for the crashing of waves upon rock. Rin thinks for a moment that maybe he had gone too far, or that his little meltdown had freaked you out.
But when he finally dares to look at you again, you’re smiling.
“Maybe not,” you admit with a whisper. “But I do know this…” You reach over and cup his cheek with your free hand, thumb sweeping the expanse of his cheek soothingly. “There is no one—and I mean no one—who works harder than you do.”
He swallows thickly, subconsciously nudging his face a little further into your palm.
“You deserve to be a little kinder to yourself.”
The way his heart catches in his throat is strange. He can’t describe it. The warmth in his belly is foreign, but it’s pleasant.
For the first time in the year he’s gotten to know you, the thought crosses his mind:
I think I’m in love with you.
Rin’s mouth opens with the idea, but he forces it shut just as fast.
Fear grips his lungs and squeezes, stealing his air and forcing him to pull away from your touch.
“Okay,” he breathes in resignation.
You seem stunned by his sudden retreat, smile faltering ever so slightly. But you recover quickly, hugging yourself as you slouch over the railing.
Conversation moves on just like that. He appreciated that about you, too. He never had to dwell.
It feels nice, everything about this; to have his legs dangling over the edge of the cement, feet barely ghosting over the surface of the water; to have a popsicle melting between his teeth while he listens to you talk.
For some reason, it feels as though he’s reclaiming lost time, reliving a moment he thought he would never have again.
When he checks his popsicle stick, it tells him he’s a winner for the first time since he was thirteen.
(He finally allows himself to believe it when your knee gently knocks into his.)
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
2021
“Frog cotton candy?”
“Frog shaped cotton candy,” Rin corrects, peering around the giant fluff of candy to look at you quizzically.
“Yeah,” you giggle. “But why?”
He grumbles quietly, cheeks a soft shade of pink as he shoves the treat into your hands.
“I thought you’d like it. Nevermind,” he deadpans, turning around to toss it into the garbage.
Your laugh crescendos and he feels his heart squeeze with affection. When your hand stops him by the forearm, he thinks he might explode.
“It’s cute.”
You pick apart the floss ruthlessly with your fingers, and he watches almost in a trance—hypnotized by just your existence.
(When you finally pop the sugar into your mouth, he imagines it melting on his own tongue. The thought makes him unbearably warm and he forces it away.)
His fascination with you doesn't end there.
There's a certain charm to you that he can't understand—something that draws him in, tantalizing but terrifying at the same time.
He can't help the way he watches in a daze, the way you've ensnared all his attention and taken up the space in his mind.
Rin has never been good at being kind, but here he is.
Here he is, bringing you cotton candy because he thought it was stupid but cute.
Here he is, rolling up the sleeves of your yukata with a gentle scolding when you rush over to catch goldfish.
And here he is, letting you cling to his arm as if he's the only thing keeping you tethered to the earth.
He really, really hates it—how mushy you make his brain feel.
He's halfway through re-rolling your sleeves with a half-hearted scowl on his face when you stop him, hand pressed to his forearm.
“Listen, Rin.”
“Hm?” He leans down so that he can peer at your face hidden behind your almost nonexistent candy floss.
“I have to show you something.”
Rin stops dead in his tracks, raising a brow as he fully turns toward you. “What is it?”
“Can you close your eyes for me?”
His heart does a somersault in his chest. “You’re not doing anything weird, are you?”
“Who do you think I am?” You sputter.
He lets out a long sigh before complying, squeezing his eyes shut. After a long silence, he considers peeking a little bit.
That is, until he feels your breath gently fanning over his parted lips.
Nearly leaping back, he wills himself to stay grounded and slowly slides his hands up your arms until he gets to your shoulders. As he imagined, your body is impossibly close to his.
It takes every bit of concentration he has not to waver. If he really tries, he can focus on how your breath smells sweet of candy. How your hair blows softly with the summer breeze, tickling his cheeks. How you smell. How you breathe.
(Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. His heart is about to beat out of his chest. Is that okay?)
You tense up in his hold and suddenly you’re retreating from him, swiftly pulling out of his arms. Just as he’s about to ask you what happened, there’s a piece of candy shoved into his mouth.
“You wanted to try it, didn’t you?” You ask rather breathlessly. He opens his eyes, looking at you curiously.
Rin has never seen this expression on you before, lips pulled tight in embarrassment and pupils blown. You look more like a wild animal caught in a cage than someone who just made a move on him.
He gingerly takes the empty paper cone from your hands and folds it up, no longer able to meet your gaze lest he explode on the spot.
“Yeah,” he says softly, shuffling over to dump it into a bin. “Thanks.”
When he turns around to look at you again, his breath gets caught in his throat.
Why are you laughing?
You giggle into your palm, hiding your gleeful smile from him as you double over slightly.
“Your face is all red!” You holler.
He grunts in embarrassment, using the back of his hand to hide his own face. “Shut the hell up,” he spits.
“It’s almost like you wanted me to kiss you!”
“Oh my god, please drop it.”
“No way! I’ve never seen you look like that before!”
(‘Speak for yourself,’ he thinks.)
“So what if I did?”
Your laughter halts as if it was swallowed into the pits of your stomach. Slowly unraveling to stand up straight, he sees another expression he’s never been able to imagine on you, but he can’t quite place it.
“Did what?” You murmur.
“Want you to kiss me.”
Your face is warm under the glow of lanterns, eyes shimmering with the overhead lights. Rin watches your mouth open and close repeatedly as you try and formulate some sort of response.
A firework explodes atop of you, and he wonders if it just saved you.
You seem jarred for only a moment more until you jolt, grabbing him roughly by the arm and giving him a pull.
“I just remembered,” you gasp. “I actually did have something to show you!”
Rin doesn’t get a word in before you’re dragging him along by the arm. With each boom of an explosion, your footsteps pick up, building into a full blown sprint out of the festival grounds and through the thicket.
You tug him along, guiding him by the hand through the winding path of trees and logs. His stamina is better than yours but you’re pushing up the hill despite your huffing and puffing—it makes him laugh with you.
When you break free of the forest, Rin’s eyes focus on a field of plush grass and buttercups.
You let go of his hand, flinging yourself forward and spinning on your heel to exaggerate how wide the opening is with your arms.
“Isn’t it great?” You shout over the fireworks. “Away from the crowd!”
He rushes up to you so that you can stop yelling, invading your personal space until you can hear him just at his normal volume.
“It’s perfect,” he tells you earnestly.
You grin up at him widely before pulling him along to the edge of the clearing. You plop down together, eyes glued to the sky as the fireworks rage on.
Rin only lasts a few seconds before his eyes drift to the side, trying to drink in your expression. It’s become a habit of his to try and imprint your very existence into his brain.
Against his better judgment, his hand creeps toward yours until your fingers are overlapped.
Thankfully, you don’t use the opportunity to tease him about it, instead shifting a little closer until you’re practically burrowed into his side. If it were anyone else, he would have shoved them away.
(When did he stop trying to push you away?)
When your pinkies slowly close together, he feels as if he can’t breathe properly.
Mark-to-mark, it’s as though he is full of all the love he’s ever felt for you from every life—past or future. Like there’s a love that exists within him that transcends lifetimes, if it were even possible.
If he were to peer into another dimension, would you still be together like this? Would you be plucking buttercups and mindlessly twirling them between your fingers? Would he be itching to envelop you in his arms just to devour you?
His thoughts cease when you take a deep breath.
“I used to come here alone,” you admit.
“No one took you?” He asks. Your gaze is piercing the night sky, never leaving the show. He can see the bloom of colours in them.
“Not since I was little, but I always loved it here.”
The question burns hot in Rin’s mind: even if it was a little lonely sometimes?
He remembers back to the night that he first saw you, with your hands dipping into the murky waters of a frog pond and an air of desolation surrounding you. Then he remembers how he couldn’t sleep that night. Not with the image of you crouching there alone burned into his memory.
“Did you know this festival is a celebration of love?” He suddenly asks.
Oh what the fuck? Oh, god. Why did he say that?
That was so lukewarm of him. So stupid. So pointless and lame.
He just wanted something to say to you, something that would make him stop thinking about how you might have been alone for all that time before you knew him.
The silence burns between you, tense and awkward until he starts stuttering out something else to fill the void. But then you look at him, slow and intrigued and so damn amused that he can feel heat rising to the tips of his ears.
“I had no idea.”
There’s a longing in your expression that tells a different story. A twitch of your pinky against his that gives away your blatant lie.
And, damnit. Here he is again, four years later under the same stars. Under the same fireworks. Only this time, he’s able to see your face even closer as it lights up a million different colours—teal like his eyes; rose like his cheeks; golden like the heart he’s tried so hard to protect.
Four years later and he still thinks you’re the most beautiful person he’s ever seen: pinkies interlocked, sheepish smile on your face, an undeniable shake in your voice that means you have more that you’re too nervous to say.
For a moment he considers finally letting go of all the things keeping him bolted and chained where he stands, swallowing the key to the cage surrounding his fragile, thumping heart. And for that fleeting second, he feels as though he’s the bravest man alive—that nothing could stop him even if you were to turn away and snub him out with the heel of your foot.
But how could he open his mouth and tell you anything when all he feels is the sick twisting of his stomach, the daunting glare of the older brother he adored so much, and the coldness of snow soaking his clothes as he sits in a field and cries?
There’s a burning, raging fire within him. Something primal and afraid and unchanging despite how much he wants to fall into your arms the way your shared etchings say he should.
It screams at him: run away. Run. Run. Run. This will only end in hurt.
He’s too fucked up. Too messed in the head and too quick to anger because he’s actually soft at heart, easy to betray—
“Rin.”
Your hand swiftly captures his face and he’s dragged unceremoniously out of his reverie.
Of course you would be able to pick out his turmoil by expression alone. By the droop of his lips into a frown—not the annoyed one he would flash his teammates, or the grimace he would scare children away with. The kind that’s sad and slow and timid, like an animal caught in a net.
“I’m really happy that we’re friends.”
“Friends?” He breathes, half confused and half incredulous.
Deep down he knows that it’s an attempt to comfort him without being too sappy. Maybe you can sense it somewhere in your soul that he would probably break down and sob if you were to make him feel any more vulnerable than he already is with you. It’s an effort to take away whatever guilt he feels and give him a chance to relax.
However, he can see a different tale in your eyes.
Loneliness as empty as the sky on a cloudy night. A yearning for more, for someone, for him, to fill the gap. I’m tired of waiting. That’s all he can read beneath the sea of colour exploding in your irises.
It only makes him feel worse, but he allows himself to be lied to anyway if only to feel the warmth of your skin against his just a bit longer.
“Yeah.”
Your pinky twitches again. He can feel the brush of your name against his, the grate of your matching soul marks. Your eyes tear away from his and are glued to the infinite sky above once more. To the stars you know are there but are covered by smoke and fire.
Rin only stares at you. He can’t focus on the explosions of fireworks anymore, not when you’re right in front of him looking so perfect. His summer treasure.
“Yeah?”
He knows he sounds dumb, repeating everything like an oaf who can’t fathom what’s being said. You giggle and it floors him.
“Just being able to stand here with you—” you glance at him again, only for a second. He can see the exhaustion in that moment, but he’s too selfish to pry. “—I think I’m the luckiest person alive.”
“Even if…” He swallows harshly. It feels like shrapnel cutting down his throat. “Even if I can’t be more?”
“Even so.”
There’s a pause and you open your mouth to say more, maybe to give him an ultimatum or to elaborate on your feelings, but then you’re interrupted by the end of the display.
Counteless fireworks explode above you in the finale. Rin can hear the awestruck gasps of families down the hill, the distant cries of children and the faint shutter of cameras filling the air.
He realizes then: he’s been smiling. His cheeks hurt from how big it’s gotten. And you’re smiling at him, too.
(The fireworks rage on, but in the end, all he can look at is you.)
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
2022
Falling in love with Itoshi Rin was one of the most foolish, most wonderful things that could have happened to you.
He was an enigma in and of itself, a mystery of a soulmate who was able to love you wholeheartedly and push you away at the same time.
There were nights where you would stay up wondering why he was your soulmate when it seemed like all he wanted to be was alone. Other times, you fell asleep smiling to yourself knowing that somewhere deep down you both belonged to each other.
The universe chose you. The universe chose him. It was indisputable, yet you still had doubts.
Tonight is one of those “foolish” nights. It seems as though you have been stood up.
For three hours you’ve waited in the same spot at the gates of the festival, watching families and couples pass by but never the one person you’d wait until the end of the world for. The sun has long since gone to sleep over the horizon and the streets are fully lit up with lanterns for the festivities.
6 pm. That was the time Rin promised he would meet you. In the past, he was always late but at least had the decency to tell you beforehand that you could go ahead without him. Only when you arrived and sat down to wait for him had he finally messaged you.
Rin: gonna be late. see you at 7.
7 pm. That was the rescheduled time. It was when you expected to see him walking up to you in his yukata that you begged him to wear this year, matching adoringly with yours. And at 7 pm you would tell him. You would tell him everything.
For months prior you had practiced almost pathetically so, recited and perfected your speech while staring at your reflection in a mirror. You’d written him a letter, too.
7 pm. You were finally going to thank Rin for everything. For accompanying you to such a silly festival even though you know he loathes it. For meeting you under the stars and the moon and the fireworks time and time again. For bringing life back into a childhood memory that you had long since hated.
7 pm. You were going to tell him thank you. You were going to tell him you loved him, just as it had been written in the stars many years before you were born.
It’s 9 pm, nearing 10 and the start of the fireworks show. He missed the entire night without explanation.
At 9:58 pm, just as you’re about to give up all hope, you finally come face to face with teal eyes and a stupidly handsome face sheen with sweat. It shouldn’t hurt so much, the way he looks at you so dismissively as if he hadn’t blown you off all night.
“Sorry,” he mutters disingenuously, attempting to brush past you without a second thought. “Let’s go, I’m thirsty.”
He has his gym bag slung over his shoulder and a windbreaker over his uniform. No sign of the yukata you had picked out for him to wear.
You don’t follow him, staring at his back in disbelief. When he realizes you aren’t trailing behind, he turns on his heel and raises a brow in question. “Are you coming?”
“I was waiting for you all night,” you tell him coldly. I was waiting for you all this time and you never showed up.
He swallows thickly, suddenly overcome by guilt because of your downcast expression. “I know. I lost track of time.”
“Lost track of time?” You scoff incredulously. Your mouth opens as if you have more to say, but you’re interrupted by a bang.
Rin’s eyes flutter closed. He can’t listen to this. He can’t watch.
He knows this all too well. He knew it all along.
The universe was wrong. Itoshi Rin was never cut out to be someone’s soulmate.
“We’re missing it…”
Your back is turned to him but all he can imagine is the terrible expression you must be making right now, twisted in sadness and anger. The worse image is a completely blank face—unfeeling and cold. He doesn’t even want to think about it.
Booms echo in the distance yet all he can focus on is the faint hum in his ears, the horrible churning in his stomach and the fog of guilt clouding his head.
“I’m sorry,” he says so quietly that he’s sure you can’t even hear him under the deep, bellowing explosions over the horizon.
He doesn’t remember the last time he apologized for anything like this. Being cold and aloof was just in his nature. Never before had he felt like it was necessary to be remorseful for the way he is—for how he was made to be.
The slight tremble of your shoulders and the way you use the back of your sleeves to wipe tears from your eyes force the words out of him before he can stop it. He tells you again,
“I’m sorry.”
He weakly attempts to grab you by the arms, holding you from behind so he can make you look at him. You jerk away fast as lightning, knocking him away as you swivel around to glare.
“Why didn’t you come?” You demand. There’s anger shaking in your voice. Rin doesn’t know how to respond to it, not when you’ve always been so understanding and kind. Perhaps he was too cruel for you if he was going to break you this way.
“I got caught up with—”
“With football, right?” You laugh bitterly, taking a generous step back. Hurt pours from every inch of your expression and all it does is make his heart ache.
“Stop,” he suddenly snaps. You flinch at his tone and shrink back, only adding to his guilt. He always had the worst temper. “Don’t be like this. You know it was important,” he explains, gentler this time. Softer, trying to coax you back over.
There’s a beat of complete silence, save for the hollowed explosions in the distance. Rin blinks at you a couple times before his frayed nerves finally calm again. And then he realizes something terrible.
The look in your eyes, the deflation of your shoulders—this is what utter defeat looks like. For a moment deja vu rushes through his blood, bringing him back to a time when he too felt as miserable as you.
Every year he’s had the opportunity to read your expression: I’m tired of waiting. But he always foolishly assumed you would still wait around for him forever. That your patience would be as infinite as the stars in the sky. That just because he had the privilege of having his name scrawled down your pinky, he would be guaranteed to have you.
It was disgustingly selfish.
Just as he opens his mouth to apologize again, you storm up to him and shove the piece of paper roughly into his chest. With the closed gap, he can clearly see the tears streaming down your face illuminated by warm lanterns.
“Just forget it.”
“Wait—” He catches your wrist as you push past him, stopping you in your tracks again despite your struggle to get away. “Come on, I said I’m sorry!”
“Rin,” you sniffle, voice breaking with just the syllable of his name. It makes him falter. “I’m tired.”
“But—”
“You can’t even spare me one night? Just this one night in the entire year?” You breathe, no longer trying to dance around the subject. “What is it with you? What are you so afraid of?”
Being put in the spotlight never bothered Rin before. It was easy enough to ignore when all his life he was watched carefully. But it’s different with you; you’re the only one looking at him in this moment yet it feels like the weight of a million pairs of eyes at once.
An answer comes quickly to his mind, almost natural. He knows exactly what’s wrong with him.
He’s afraid of being left behind again. Of being hurt. Rin is terrified of love and being loved because he’s too pathetically fragile.
The pieces of his heart are clumsily glued together and he’s scared that even the smallest turbulence would send it shattering into a billion shards again. He doesn’t know how to put himself back together properly anymore.
Itoshi Sae permanently fucked him up.
Though they were on slightly better terms now, the scars would always haunt him. The simple solution is to shut everyone else out, to protect the weak heart he harbours.
If he told you that, would you understand? Or would you try and claw his name off your skin?
You take his silence as an answer and pry away from him again, holding yourself protectively—guarding yourself from the catastrophe that follows Rin wherever he goes.
“Goodbye, Rin.”
He doesn’t watch you go.
The nearest bench becomes his temporary home. He could do hundreds of plays in a football game and never tire, but for some reason your disdain has sucked every ounce of energy from his body.
It doesn’t register that he’s still holding the paper you forced into his hands until it crinkles in his hold. He slowly unfolds it revealing ink sloppily smeared across the page.
And then he reads it. Again. And again. And again, until it’s shaking in his hold. Until the dull ache in his heart feels like the pierce of a knife.
Rin doesn’t know what to do anymore. He’s always had one clear goal for his entire life, but now everything is all muddled. Messy, like everything else he touches.
He turns everything into a disaster.
Does he chase after you and risk having his fragile heart broken all over again? Does he risk being left behind or does he close off the gate for that option entirely? He could sit in his cowardice and never change, preserving his heart forever in this moment of time; a polaroid in the slideshow of his mortality.
There’s a familiarity to this all. Perhaps he had lived through this decision a million lives before this. Maybe he would live through it again an infinite amount of times, so long as it was your name etched into his skin.
Was he as messed up in this life as he was in every other?
If he had ruined everything in this life, if he made the wrong choice and drove you away in hatred until you drew your last breath, then maybe he could make it all up to you in the next one.
Or, if that were the case, maybe he was born into this world only to love you—to make up for the millenia where he ran away.
Rin’s legs have never moved so fast. Not in football. Not even from his brother. If you were the light at the end of the tunnel then he would keep chasing you forever, he thinks. Until his wounded heart gave out.
Of all the stupid decisions he’s made in his life, have any of them amounted to anything? He’s going to give it one last try. One more chance to prove to himself that not everything he touches burns to ashes.
“Wait!”
You visibly startle, eyes wide as you turn to see Rin dashing toward you. He doesn’t give you even a moment to ask questions, to wonder why he’s coming back to break your heart again.
You’re engulfed in a hug faster than you can blink, stumbling back from the force of his body colliding with yours until your sandals get kicked off your feet.
“Rin?” You murmur his name in disbelief, breathless even though you weren’t the one sprinting down the road.
“Just give me one more chance,” he stammers out. You can feel the rapid rise and fall of his shoulders as he holds you and fights for air simultaneously. Your hands twitch at your sides but you remain lifeless in his arms.
He tries again: “Let me prove it to you. Let me prove that it wasn’t some freak accident that led me to you. That my name on your skin is meant to be there.”
“Don’t do this,” you tell him quietly, lips brushing against his ear as you speak. “I don’t want to be loved and feared at the same time.”
“But…” Rin squeezes your body against his, almost desperately. Clinging to what he has ruined. “For once in my life, I want something more.”
I don’t want to be alone anymore.
You hesitantly shift, hands slowly trailing up his back until your body is curling against his. He can trace the outline of your body against his, like a puzzle piece that he was missing slotted perfectly in his grasp.
“I thought my soulmate would only slow me down and break me. I was wrong. I know that now.”
He slowly rocks your bodies back and forth. You pull away until your eyes meet his, red with tears. It’s the messiest he has ever seen you, but his heart refuses to be still. It aches.
Beautiful. It’s the only word he can describe you with. It didn’t matter if you were lit up under the wondrous sky, or handing him coffee in a crowded café, or sobbing in his arms.
You would only ever be his infinitely beautiful soulmate.
It’s the only constant he would have in this life and every other, even if you were to break his heart. It would be the single greatest achievement in his time, above football, above any of his petty competitions—that your name is etched down his pinky.
It scares him. It thrills him.
With the distant roar of fireworks, he kisses you. And you allow him, hiccuping against his lips as you cry.
You stay like that for a long time, listening to the hollow shockwaves of fireworks exploding miles away. He’s the first to draw back, raking in shallow breaths. You chase him, finding solace against his lips once more but not fully indulging him with another kiss.
“Do you fear me?” You whisper into his mouth.
“More than anything,” he tells you.
“Do you love me?”
After a moment of contemplation, he answers,
“More than anything.”
You nod slowly, awkwardly pulling away from him and taking a step back. It’s your first kiss and you don’t know where you’re supposed to look anymore. Rin stops your nervous shifting with his hand swooping under your chin.
“One year. I promise.” You look at him in confusion, so he continues. “Next year, when the season and my contract are over, I’ll meet you there. At the pond.”
You seem skeptical still, with your brows knitted together and a lost haze in your eyes. He raises his pinky, the one with your name forever grafted into the skin, and offers it to you.
“I pinky promise.”
It’s so ridiculous, wearing his heart on his sleeve with something he learned about on playgrounds when he was a child. A pinky promise shouldn’t mean any more than the words he has already spoken. But for some reason, your eyes light up.
He feels nothing but relief when your pinkies lock together.
“Okay,” you breathe.
“You’ll wait for me?”
“Rin.” His name leaves you in a breathless laugh that makes his world spin. It sounds so tired yet so sweet. “I’ve been waiting all my life.”
“I’m sorry,” he says once more for good measure. You nod. A wordless acceptance.
Itoshi Rin is your soulmate. It’s not like that fact will ever change no matter the time, no matter the distance.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
2023
Fate is a funny thing. Soulmates are a funny thing.
The universe threw Rin curveball after curveball, beating him down until he was nothing but a husk heavenly built for one purpose only: beat Sae. Beat Itoshi Sae.
There were times when he would lay awake at night wondering why he was given this life, why he was thrust into hardship and hurt and betrayal. How could something so perfect, something so all-knowing, be so cruel?
For as long as the name had been grafted into his skin, he resented the idea of a soulmate.
He hated the idea that only one person in the world would be his eternal weakness. That one day, one person would hold every piece of his soul in their hands. Even then, his soulmate was the other half of him—his salvation. His downfall.
They would know every inch of his skin. Every bleeding wound of his heart. Every bruise and scar along his legs from cleats and nails and gravel. Having a soulmate meant having every part of him exposed, to be judged and worshiped at the same time.
At your hands, though, he’s certain this is what he was born for—to spend the rest of his days by your side even if you were doing something as mundane as catching frogs together.
“You’re scaring them,” you hiss quietly.
Your fingers sink into the pond and Rin watches your reflections ripple as water fills your palms. Your faces contort and meld into one being. In some ways, it’s a familiar feeling—to have been intertwined with you since his very conception.
“You’re terrible at this.”
“It’s your fault!”
“Right,” he deadpans. “You haven’t caught a single one all night.”
“You were late,” you remind him with a huff, cheeks inflated. “Before you got here I was catching frogs all night. Coincidence?”
Rin makes another noise, something akin to a snort. But he doesn’t acknowledge your statement, instead reaching over to gingerly roll the sleeves of your yukata up to your elbows.
“Are you always so sloppy? Your sleeves are getting all wet.”
You glare at him from the side, delivering a deadly warning. “Are you always such a pain in the ass?”
“I get it, I get it. I said I was sorry for being late. Nii-chan really wanted to try that new ice cream place downtown.”
Your gaze drifts to him in the shimmering reflection, watching his smile soften at the mention of his big brother. It was wonderful that they were trying to patch things up.
Sae had decided to come home after all, promising Rin that they would play together again once they both took a well deserved break.
You could tell that Rin was trying his best not to make a big deal out of it, but the way he cried into your shoulder later that night said it all.
“I feel bad having you come all the way out here just to see me. Your brother is back in Japan isn’t he?”
“Yeah. And he wants to meet you.”
You nearly fall over. “What?”
“Please don’t look so starstruck about that. I feel sick.”
Laughing, you recentre yourself, sitting back on your heels with your hands on your knees. “Sorry, sorry! It’s not that…”
Rin raises a brow. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“It’s just—” you fumble, cheeks burning hot at the idea of being introduced to Rin’s family after all these years. Formally, as his partner. His soulmate. The name they had all known since he was thirteen. “What would I even say to him?”
He looks at you in bewilderment. Then, he snickers, only laughing harder when you smack his arm.
“Don’t worry about that,” he assures, reaching out to pat the top of your head. “Just be yourself. My family will love you.”
“Thank you,” you whisper, studying your reflections in the water with a soft smile. You’re staring right back at yourself, but Rin is only looking at you.
“I haven’t done anything special.”
“You lit up my world,” you laugh, turning back up to look at him properly. You make a mini explosion with your hands. “Boom! Like that. A firework.”
“You’re too corny,” he murmurs in embarrassment, turning his head away to hide his flushed face. “Can’t you explain it like a normal person?”
“No can do,” you tell him, voice gentler this time. After a pause, you shuffle your sandals around in the mud and take a deep breath. “If you want me to be totally serious…”
You lunge over and tackle him into your arms. He nearly loses his balance holding the both of you upright, stumbling back on his heels before he catches your waist. You don’t seem to share the sentiment of staying pristine, knees digging into the dirt as you squeeze him tighter.
Rin feels his heart catch in his throat the same way you’ve made it for the last six years.
“Thank you. For letting me love you. For being my soulmate.”
His hand is automatically in your hair, scratching your scalp as he smiles into your shoulder.
“I’m sure I gave you nothing but a hard time,” he grumbles.
“But I still love you.”
“Even though you had to wait?”
“Even so.”
“And that I’m a pain in the ass?”
“Even then, I do.”
Rin burrows himself into your neck, hiding his face again. It does a poor job at masking the kind of expression he’s making, though, considering how warm his skin is.
“What if I’m not good enough?”
He feels terrible—guilty that he needs to keep having this conversation with you. But you always comfort him the same way. He hopes you always will.
Drawing his head up with your muddy hands, you dirty his cheeks just to get a glimpse of him. You murmur a half-hearted sorry for making a mess.
Then you’re kissing him.
“I’ll be here to remind you how much I cherish you.”
You nip his bottom lip and he opens wider. You whisper into his mouth,
“And how happy I am that Itoshi Rin was born into this world.”
Itoshi Rin, broken. He who thought that he could never be put back together.
Itoshi Rin, vengeful. He who believed the only happiness that existed for him in this world was to surpass his brother.
Itoshi Rin, who did not believe in his soulmate while staring right at them. And Itoshi Rin, who finally allowed himself to love you wholly, completely, as it was written in the stars.
“I love you,” he says, as if just those three words could encapsulate everything he feels for you.
“Always?” You giggle. He rolls his eyes.
“Wherever you are, and wherever you may be, I will.”
You kiss him one more time for good measure.
“That was corny.”
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
2024
“No peeking.”
Rin folds up his piece of paper and hangs it from the bamboo tree. You’re tugging him along before he can even properly check to see if it’s been secured.
“Come on, I don’t want to miss the fireworks!”
He wouldn’t miss them for the world. You’ve always looked the most beautiful under the brightened summer sky.
The wish he scribbled down blows softly in the breeze as both of you rush by, back to the festival where it all began.
7 July 2024. I wish I had the words to tell you how much I love you.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
extra notes. hi! if you made it this far, i'd like to give you the warmest most grateful thank you ever ( ´ ω `)
so, here it is. i've been working on this since last september-ish... for some people that amount of time is not much, but genuinely, i've never devoted so much attention and time to one single fic and i hope i did this one justice. rin has always been a guilty pleasure of mine to write for. i hope this man stays far far away from me until i can stomach even looking at his name again LOL ‾́ ◡ ‾́
also i finally admitted defeat and took out all my pictures and dividers because tumblr was fighting my posts that had any. so... sorry the formatting looks like this
additional tags: @jenoutof10 @hanrinz @itoshiexx lol hi guys it made it out of the drafts i hope you like it