Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rin’s been experiencing something between an art block and losing the will to live. He’s been sitting on the same wooden stool for over an hour, and his watch ticks impatiently on the table next to him. Rin stares at the assortment of carving tools spread around him with resentment, his eyes burn holes into them so deep it may set his table on fire. Frankly, he’d feel lucky if something like that happened. At least then he’d have an excuse to not have this fucking sculpture finished. 

Rin wanted to do something light and childlike, he wanted his sculpture to have a whimsical charm. His sketch had that, the smile, the bright eyes, the far-off gaze. His sketch was beautiful and captured what he envisioned perfectly, but he underestimated the process of turning ink into a clay being. He couldn’t get it right, the eyes were too dull, the features too sharp, and the smile felt forced. Rin’s art has always been a reflection of his mind. Whether it was his own portrayal of his calmest moment, expressed by a beach landscape in monotone blue, or be it the more complicated parts of his mind where the only way to get his emotions across was splashes of aggressive color, Rin has always been in his art. This is where his problem lies, Rin isn’t whimsical. He’s not happy and optimistic and he especially doesn’t stare off into space with a broad smile. He doesn’t emit that feeling of warmth and joy that he wants for his sculpture. Rin wouldn’t even describe himself as happy ninety percent of the time.

A smarter, less stubborn person would have given up. Any person who knows what their time is worth would have begun another project that fits their comfort zone. Any other sculptor would restart. Rin refuses to be like any other sculptor. He’s an original, one of a kind, he’s Itoshi-fucking-Rin and Itoshi Rin doesn’t let a little bit of joy magic and fun beat him into a corner. If Rin can’t find the buoyancy he needs within himself, he’ll find it in someone else. He already has an idea of who.

Sunshiny people attach themselves to Rin like parasites. For the first time ever, Rin thinks it’s a good thing. He has options now, a list is the most efficient way to go about things anyway. Rin’s first thought is Isagi, he has a certain determination and charm to him. Rin would capture that into a sculpture easily but Rin crosses him off the list anyway. Not only does he loathe the existence of Isagi Yoichi, but he knows him too well. He’s seen the cynicism in Isagi’s eyes one too many times. As well as Rin can capture his good side, he’ll also capture Isagi’s unfavorable personality. With Isagi out of the picture, good riddance honestly, Rin has a few options left. The next person is an easy no. He wants to limit contact with Bachira Meguru as much as physically possible. It’s better for his mental and physical health if he stays as far as possible from him. 

Bachira has a perfect personality for what Rin needs, as much as it hurts him to admit it. He’s charming, he’s social, and he lives life on the edge with an outlook on life that is so positive Rin thinks it’s a mental illness. Rin imagines his face on his sculpture and is filled with so much agony that the only way to relive it is to imagine punching that same sculpture. Rin doesn’t want to end up ruining his work like that so he crosses Bachira out. All the next people that come to mind are no’s as well. Nanase is cute but he’s already turned down similar offers in the past. Shidou would burn his entire block to the ground somehow. Reo’s pretty but he’s attractive in a way that’s too sophisticated for Rin's project, there’s a similar issue with Chigiri as well. 

Rin runs a rough hand across his face. He really doesn’t want to but he has to contact someone to ask for help. Rin glances at his unfinished project with a disfigured lump of clay as a face and sucks up his pride. He dials Bachira’s number. 

The conversation goes exactly how Rin thought it would. Bachira answers loudly, voice projecting into the phone so loudly that it hurts, and the moment Rin gets the words “I need some help” out of his mouth Bachira gasps dramatically. 

“Me? You want my help, Rin-chan? Why me?” 

Rin resists the temptation to hang up. It would be so easy but figuring out another way to fund a proper muse for his sculpture would be much more complicated. He prays his self-sacrifice will pay off in the end. He reluctantly explains his situation to Bachira. Rin leaves out as many details as possible because it’s guaranteed that Bachira will tell at least three other people and Rin doesn’t need the specific details of his sculptors-block situation floating around seven different friend groups.

“So, can you think of anyone?”

As soon as he’s done Bachira has come up with a solution, “So you just need someone cute to be your muse? Silly Rin-chan. Of course, I can think of someone. I’ll send Yo-chan right your way.”

“Anyone but Isagi,” Rin grits out.

“Nope! Not Yocchan, Yo-chan! You know, like, Hiorin? I’d never give up my Yocchan, I’m the only one who gets to sculpt his face.” Knowing Bachira has never sculpted a thing in his life, Rin does not want to know what that meant. 

“Who the hell is Hiorin?”

Bachira chuckles, “You’ll see silly. I promise he’s adorable and charming. He’s also in a real tight situation right now so if you can give him a place to stay for a while I’m sure he’d love to model for you.”

Rin mulls over that offer for a moment. He has an extra room in his house, he can support another person financially, and he is desperately in need of a model. Rin only has eleven weeks left which isn’t as much time as he’d like to have. Refining is a delicate task that he’d like to take his time on, it’s a tender process that requires attention to detail and trial and error. It’s a process he refuses to rush and if he wants to have the sculpture finished for the event, he needs to get the face done and posture tweaked as soon as possible.

“Let me see this Hiori person or whatever. Send me a decent photo of him and I’ll decide whether he’s worth my time or not.”

Bachira laughs, “Will do Rin-chan. Bye-bye!”

Rin hangs up the phone. Never in his 24 years of life has he ever thought he’d be putting his trust in Bachira like this. Bachira finds Isagi attractive, for lord's sake. Rin sighs and rests his head on the wooden desk, regretting his decision. 

Nothing that leaves Rin’s studio will ever be less than marvelous. One failure in his sea of success thus far in life shouldn’t mean anything. After producing hit after hit, selling art for millions a piece, he could probably take a break. If he fails to submit this piece there’s nothing anybody could do to him, but that would mean Sae would be right. 

Sae told Rin when he first started, “You can’t make a career off of art.” Rin knows that was just Sae speaking from a place of disappointment after one of his boyfriend's auctions didn’t go as they wanted. Sae got his reality check and decided that Rin needed one too, even if it would crush his dreams. Luckily Rin is stubborn and passionate, on top of that he’s skilled. While one sculpture's failure may be fine in most aspects of his life, Rin refuses to ever prove Sae right.

Only five minutes after Rin hangs up his call with Bachira, Rin’s phone buzzes again. The notification is an image sent from Bachira. For someone as easily distracted and busy as he is, Bachira works fast. Rin opens the notification and is shocked by what he sees. Rin had never met this guy before, he would remember such vibrant blue hair. The photos are well-taken meaning Bachira probably wasn’t the one who shot them. They’re all candid, the subject clearly doesn’t know they’re being taken as he stares off at something past the camera. He’s smiling and holding a mug of something. Rin scrolls through the abundance of photos, it’s way more than he needs but that only allows him to analyze the face further. His conclusion in the end: Hiori’s perfect. 

His features are delicate and soft, his face is full with smooth shaved skin that gives him a youthful look. Hiori’s eyes are bright cyan and large, almost abnormally so but the doey widness works with the rest of his features. His hair has a particularly long strand, Rin notices, and he feels a strong need to cut it. What seals the deal for Rin is his smile. It’s bright and inviting but not too large. It’s exactly what Rin needs to replicate in his sculpture. He closes the photos and types out a message to Bachira: How soon can you get him to me ?

Rin likes the reply: Tomorrow evening!!!

With that, Rin packs up his workshop, there's nothing more he can do about his sculpture until Hiori arrives.

Chapter Text

At exactly 6 pm Rin looks out his kitchen window and sees Bachira’s bright yellow Honda Accord pull into his driveway. He drops the dishes he was doing into the sink, they clatter loudly but not nearly as loud as the music coming from the sunshine-yellow car outside. Rin dries his hands and slips a pair of sneakers onto his feet so he doesn’t dirty them in the gravel.

Rin has been anticipating this meeting for the entire day. Rin’s first thoughts when he woke up were questions about Hiori. Was he as pretty as in the pictures? Was he quiet or would he end up obnoxious like Bachira? Would he be easy to get along with? Would he sit still for the sculptures? Did Bachira even tell him what he signed up for?

Before Rin even gets out the door Bachira is jumping out of the car with his arms out for a hug. He runs at Rin, full speed ahead into his chest, and nearly knocks him over with the force. Rin grunts and awkwardly accepts the affection, patting Bachira on the back. The embrace feels too long and Bachira's grip on him is too tight but Rin lets him express the surge of emotions he’s probably been feeling. As much as Rin refuses to say it, Bachira is his friend and Rin knows how much he probably misses being around him.

They are still wrapped in the odd hug when Isagi steps out of the driver's seat. Rin scoffs and Bachira finally pulls away. Isagi smiles at him, it’s obviously not genuine so Rin sticks up his middle finger in response. Isagi laughs at him and that only stands to piss Rin off more, he scowls as Isagi continues to approach him.

“Rin, it’s been a while,” Isagi says.

“There’s a reason for that,” Rin responds.

Over Isagi’s shoulder, Rin sees the car door open. Cyan pops against the blend of red and purple in the sky, vibrant against the mute colors mixed in the distance. Bright blue eyes lock with Rin’s green ones and Rin all but shoves Isagi aside.

He holds out his hand, “Itoshi Rin.” He greets, keeping his eyes on Hiori.

Hiori is hesitant for a moment but he smiles and takes Rin's hand in his own, his grip is firm as he shakes Rin’s hand, “I’m Hiori Yo, nice to finally meet ya Rin.” He says with a very obvious Kansai accent. Rin hums in response occupied with his blatant staring. His gaze unlocks from Hiori’s to look across his face. He looks different from the photo, a little more mature, but still cute and exactly what Rin needs.

Bachira pops up beside Rin with Isagi in tow, “So?” Bachira asks, nearly vibrating with anticipation of the response. Rin makes him wait, staring at Hiori a moment longer. Hiori stares back, a curious look grazing his features.

“How much stuff do you have?” He asks instead of indulging in Bachira, “I’ll help you carry it in.” Bachira cheers dramatically and Isagi has to shove him back into the car to calm down.

“‘S not too much. Two suitcases, a box, and a bag.”

Rin nods and tells Isagi to open the trunk. To limit the number of trips to one, Isagi and Bachira help carry the stuff into the living room. Rin doesn’t want to invite them in, he was hoping the two of them would immediately get into the car and drive home but Isagi smells the tea and rice Rin made for himself and floats into the kitchen like a cartoon character. After driving however many miles to drop someone off for Rin, the least he can do is feed them even if that means he’s going to pray that their car crashes the moment they leave.

Against his will the four of them end up sitting around the table, everyone but him has a steaming plate in front of them.

“Whoa! Rin-chan, this is really good! I don’t think I’ve ever had your cooking before.” Bachira exclaims, moaning in happiness as he swallows his massive bite.

“Slow down or you’re gonna choke, dumbass. I can’t believe nothing about you has changed in the past seven years.” Rin scoffs.

Bachira speaks with a full mouth, “Nothing about you has changed either, Rin-chan. You’re still grumpy and lonely.” Bcahira swallows and turns to Hiori who sits quietly next to him, “Rin-chan was a big grump in art school too. If he tries to attack you in your sleep just call me or Yocchan and we’ll come get you right away.”

Rin kicks Bachira under the table, “Don’t say shit that will scare him away.”

Hiori covers his mouth to hide the laugh that’s escaping him. Rin looks away from Bachira to take in the sight, Hiori closes his eyes when he laughs. The sound is quiet and joyful like windchimes. Rin has never thought about people's laughs, but he really likes Hiori’s.

“Ya’ guys fight like kid siblings,” He says, still laughing, “yer worse than Otoya and Karasu.”

Rin raises a brow, he knows those names, “did you go to Blue Lock too? How did I not see you?”

Hiori shakes his head, “Nah, Karasu and I grew up in the same area and I dropped by the university every now and then to drive him home. Sometimes Toya and Yuki came with us so I know a few people.”

“Then how do you know these two,” Rin looks between Isagi and Bachira.

Hiori chuckles but this time it sounds nervous and sheepish. He scratches the back of his neck and stops looking at Rin even though they have been making relatively consistent eye contact. Rather than answering the question, Hiori says it’s a long story, Rin notices the change but keeps quiet. Aside from the fact that he doesn’t care much anyway, Rin isn’t one to pry. He doesn’t need to know every detail of Hiori’s life, as long as he gets his sculpture done he’s getting everything he needs from the man.

Throughout dinner Rin learns that Hiori is from Kyoto, a videogame designer, he’s two years older than Rin, an only child, and well-educated on visual arts. Rin knows he is well educated in the history of art and the most influential art throughout time, but Hiori’s knowledge is almost impressive, even to him. When Isagi asks about it Hiori only shrugs and says he’s done some research in his free time.

By the time Isagi and Bachira leave the sun has set completely casting a spell of darkness over both Rin and Bachira’s cars. Isagi and Bachira say their farewells which Rin replies to by closing the doors on their faces. Once they’re gone Rin goes to find Hiori who’s wandered off to his room, the door is open so Rin just leans in the doorway.

“Hey,” he says. Hiori jumps and flinches hard, holding a hand over his chest as he sucks in a breath.

“Geez, ya scared me.” He mumbles, “What’s up?”

“I’m making sure Bachira didn’t just kidnap you or anything. He did explain, right?”

Hiori nods, “Yeah, he said ya needed a model for a sculpture or somethin’.”

Rin hums and nods, “Yeah that’s just about it, I want to start as soon as possible. Have you ever modeled before?”

“Nope, but I've seen Yuki do it if that helps.” Good enough, Rin figures. It’s not like he needs top-tier photos or a fashion model. All Hiori really has to do is sit still for a while. “Are you sure that’s all you need though? I mean, I’m invading yer space. I can do other jobs and help around the house. All my work is online so I can shop, clean, pay rent–”

“No, all you have to do is model for me, nothing else.” Rin cuts him off. Before Hiori can respond Rin is turning his back to him and walking out. “Just be up by 11.” He yells over his shoulder to the man.

Chapter Text

Just as Rin requested Hiori wakes up and is completely ready for the day by 11. He finds Rin on the couch and tells him he’s ready to model whenever he is. By 11:10 Rin has led Hiori to his work studio in the basement. Rin flicks on the lights and hears Hiroi’s socks padding against the wooden floor as he trails behind. The curiosity is blatant on his face as he looks around at all the art supplies Rin has collected over the years. Rin can admit that it is a lot, at least a hundred canvases are lined up against the wall. Hiori’s eyes linger on something hung up on the far wall of the square room.

Hiori approaches the painting, inspecting it like something at a museum. Rin appreciates that he doesn’t get too close or try to touch it. One of his biggest peeves is people touching his art.

“Whoa, Rin-kun. The way you paint is so…” Hiori pauses, the description he needs catches on the tip of his tongue. Rin has an idea of what he wants to say.

“Old? Vintage?’

Hiori turns away from the painting to look at Rin, “Yeah.”

Rin nods, “Good, that's what I was going for. I hate contemporary art, it’s like people just stopped using their hearts. There’s no emotion and no story, it’s not creative. It’s all scams.”

Hiori tilts his head at him, “Well, ya know what they say. Everything is art.”

Rin huffs and pulls out his bag of sculpting supplies to set everything on the table, “I hate that saying.” He grumbles. Hiori gets the impression that Rin hates a lot of things. The sculptor disappears into a connected room and returns with something on a cart. It’s draped with large tan cloth, it’s shaped awkwardly because of what's underneath. Rin uncovers the sculpture gently, peeling back the overlapping cloth that, upon closer inspection, Hiori can see is damp.

When Rin is finished, Hiori is shocked, he knows Rin is good. He’s seen his paintings in museums and in auctions. He’s never had the chance to see one of his sculptures before. Human anatomy and posture is hard to replicate in any aspect of art but Hiori can’t help but feel that Rin has perfectly shaped this clay into a human body. He has to look down at the art as the person is in a sitting position, holding a handful of flowers in their palms. A small “whoa” falls past his lips. The only part of the sculpture left imperfect is the head. It has the shape of a person but no distinct crafted features.

Rin notices his gaze on the face, “That's why I need you, I couldn’t get the face right,” Rin explains. He pulls a stool out from under a table. He drags it along the ground to place it next to the sculpture then he pats the seat. Hiori takes the hint and sits down. Rin towers over him, shuffling around with some of the tools on the table. Hiori watches him for a moment, gets bored, and then gazes around the room. There are paintings hung on the wall, portraits, landscapes, still life, anything Hiori can think of really. No matter how beautiful all those paintings are, he can’t help but look back at the one that he saw on his way in.

The strokes of the brush are bold and obvious, there’s intentional unblended shading casting dark shadows. The painting shows a barn, which Hiori thinks is odd based on the information he’s gathered about Rin so far. In the center is a sheep, a single one, it’s a pop of white against the unsaturated barn.

Rin mumbles something that Hiori doesn’t quite catch, he looks at Rin who is holding something concerningly similar to a large pair of scissors. Rin tells Hiori to hold still which he does not do. Instinctually Hiori backs his face away from the metal tool. Rin furrows his brows behind glasses that Hiori did not see him put on. Rin’s free hand reaches out, cupping Hiori’s jaw, pulling him closer and stopping him from moving.

“I’m not gonna hurt you, just stay still.”

Rin’s hand is rough compared to Hiori’s skin and although his tone is annoyed he doesn’t squeeze his face. He simply holds Hiori still as he stares at him through thin lenses with a look of intense concentration. Cold metal gently presses into the skin on either side of his eyes as Rin measures the size of his face. When he finally backs up and leans toward his sculpture Hiori notices his heart is drumming in his chest. He presses his hand to his face to cool it down, he can tell he’s blushing a bright shade of red. He probably looks ridiculous. His suspicion is confirmed when Rin glances at him and snorts when they make eye contact. Hiori bites the inside of his lip and wills himself to calm down. He can hardly hear anything over his heart pounding with anxiety.

“Relax,” Rin says suddenly as he adjusts the rim of his glasses further up the bridge of his nose with the back of his hand.

Hiori’s trying, really, but the sudden weight of being the muse of a professional artist is finally dawning on him. His face is going to be on a sculpture, maybe in an auction, or even a museum. He’s sitting on a stool across from a guy he doesn’t even know, living with him, and working for him. Of course, he’s tense.

Once again Rin is in his space, tilting his head side to side, looking at something, though Hiori doesn’t know what as he refuses to make eye contact at such a proximity. He stares at the ceiling past Rin as the latter inspects his face. His job is more uncomfortable than he thought it would be and his face continues to get impossibly redder. It doesn’t help that Rin keeps glancing at him, making eye contact over the rim of his frames, as he crouches over his art.

The pounding of his heart and sweating aside, Hiori’s job is easy. So easy that he ends up bored within the first thirty minutes of their session. There’s only so much to stare at from where he’s sitting on a wooden stool. He’s convinced he knows every nook and cranny of the left half of the room. He tries to look at Rin’s progress a few times but his view is blocked each time. He regrets not bringing his phone, he wants to get it but Rin won’t let him turn his head let alone get up.

Eventually Rin stands and says they’re done for the day, Hiori has never been so thankful for anything in his life. He stretches as Rin puts everything away. Now that he can move, Hiori glances at the time, 12:15. He doesn’t usually start working until 1:30 so there’s time to kill. He looks at Rin who’s just finished washing clay off his hands.

“Hey, Rin-kun. I have an hour or so to kill before I have to work.” Hiori says and Rin looks at him, “Do ya want to do somethin’ with me?”

Rin raises a brow, “Like?”

Hiori scratches the back of his neck, he hasn’t thought that far ahead, “like..like a videogame?” Hiori asks, not quite sure what Rin’s interests are. Rin looks at him, judgmentally for a moment then he shrugs.

“Sure.”

Hiori smiles at him then turns to go upstairs first.

Chapter Text

Rin’s first impression of Hiori is that he’s a calm man. He’s a little fidgety but nowhere near Bachira’s level so Rin supposes he can deal with it. Before he follows Hiori up the stairs to ground level he looks over his sketch again. It’s pretty good for the first day, but getting it onto clay will be hard. Rin tucks the paper into the sleeve of a protective folder and goes upstairs. When he gets up there Rin can see that Hiori is already hooking something up to his TV.

“Is that an Xbox?” He asks, relaxing on the long couch facing the TV. 

Hiori smiles at him, “Yep. I’m alpha tesin’ a game. I’ve already run it so I’m sure there’s no bugs left and my partner tested it as well and says it's good, but ya can never check enough times.”

Hiori hands Rin a controller. “What kind of game is it?” He asks.

“Horror, suspense, and a bit of mystery.”

“How much horror?”

Hiori’s smile widens, “I let Karasu pilot my character and he had a nightmare that night. He came cryin’ to me like a baby.“ 

Rin snorts. From what Rin remembers about Karasu he was a whole lot of talk even though he’s smart and talented. Anytime he was in the same room as his friends he was poking fun at someone, Rin can’t really picture Hiori and Karasu in the same room let alone the same car. 

“For some reason, I can’t picture that,” Rin mumbles mostly to himself as Hiori gets everything connected. 

“He’d kill me for telling ya this but Karasu gets jumpscared easily. If he’s not expecting something it’s easy to get him shaken up,” Hiori snorts like it’s some kind of inside joke. 

“Well don’t expect me to come crying to you like that.”

Hiori giggles softly, “We’ll see. It gets pretty graphic.”

Rin rolls his eyes but finds out an hour later that Hiori isn’t lying. Rins has never seen so many people die in as little as an hour. There are jumpscares in the most random places and he has to be cautious each time he opens something or turns a corner. On top of that, the music is terrifying, it feels like something is going to come out and grab him from behind and he loves it. Rin gets so absorbed in the game that he doesn’t realize Hiori has gotten up and is creeping behind him. He feels something grab his shoulders and shake him. He tenses, his heart rate skyrockets, and swings before he even knows what he’s doing. The controller just barely misses Hiori’s face. 

Rin clutches his heart, “Jesus Christ.” he huffs. 

Hiori falls to the floor behind the couch, shaking with quiet laughter. Between gasps he manages to croak, “I’m so– sorry Rin but yer face,” he laughs even harder, “shoulda seen the way ya tensed. God that was better than scarin’ Yuki.”

Rin glares at Hiori silently as he continues to laugh. Even when his phone starts ringing and Rin answers it Hiori doesn’t stop laughing. 

“Sae,” Rin says, “What do you want?”

Sae hardly lets him finish his sentence, “ Ryusei and I are in town, we’ll be stopping by and staying at your place for a night or two.”

“What?”

“Have the guest room ready for us when we get there. It’ll probably be late at night when we get there.”

Rin sucks his teeth and can feel his blood getting hotter, “no, you’re not. You can’t just show up at my house whenever the hell you want—“

“Rin, can we not do this right now? I'm not asking you for a lot.”

“Get a fucking hotel,” he grits out between clenched teeth a little too loud. Hiori, who has settled down, tilts his head at him.

“Are ya okay Rin-kun?” He asks.

“Rin, who is that?” Sae asks as if he’s genuinely curious about Rin’s life.

“None of your business.”

Sae hums, getting the hint that Rin has no desire to elaborate and it isn’t worth pressing.

“It’s fine if you have company, just have the guest room for us. Ryusei and I will be there tomorrow evening. Goodnight.”

“What the hell, Sae you're not just going to—“ he’s cut off by the beeps signaling the call has ended. Rin throws down the phone onto the couch as if it's personally insulting him. He looks over at Hiori who’s staring at him and he’s slightly embarrassed by his childish reaction but not enough to apologize or anything.

Hiori holds up a hand like he wants to give physical reassurance but luckily he doesn't and just asks again, “Rin are ya alright?”

Rin huffs, “My brother and his fiancé are coming tomorrow and they want the guest room.”

“Oh,” Hiori says then he realizes what that means for him, “Oh. So I hafta leave.” 

Rin runs a hand over his face, already exhausted by the situation, “They’re only going to be here for two nights at most. I can get you a hotel or something for that time, don’t worry about moving all your stuff.”

“I can just take the couch.” Hiori offers, “ya don’t have to pay for it that way.”

Rin shakes his head, “No way. Sae and Shidou are a nightmare, especially Shidou. He’ll terrorize you if you’re not in a room with a lock on the door.”

“Ah, I guess I’ll take the hotel then. Are ya sure this won’t get in the way of your project?”

It will, most definitely, but that's fine with Rin as long as his brother and Shidou are out of the house in two days and Hiori never meets the people he’s unfortunate enough to call family. 

“It’s fine, we’ll just do longer sessions to make up for it.”

Hiori sighs at that, not pleased at the thought of sitting still for even longer than he had to earlier but he owes Rin so he keeps his mouth shut about it.

“Should I uh, go pack my things?” Hiori asks nervously, not sure what to do.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll make sure they leave all your things alone. In the morning I’ll help you pack what you need, we’ll do a session then you’ll leave.”

“Alrighy.”

Rin looks at the time and then swears, “I’m going to sleep. Try to be up by 9:30 so we can get you out long before Shidou and Sae arrive.”

Chapter Text

Hiori wakes up before 9:30, in fact, he’s up and walking around long before Rin leaves his room. He walks past Rin’s slightly ajar door and can see that he’s sleeping peacefully, the sun grazing over his features. Hiori contemplates for a moment, there’s no way the sun being in his eyes is pleasant and it will probably wake him up. He pushes the door open quietly and tries to be as quiet as possible as he slides the blackout curtains closed. Just before he does a photo frame catches the light, it's tipped over so he figures Rin knocked it over and didn't notice. He flips it up to reveal a photo of two kids, Hiori isn’t extremely familiar with the Itoshi family but he could never mistake those under lashes. It's a photo of Rin and his brother when they were kids. Rin acts like he hates Sae so Hiori finds it endearing that Rin keeps a photo of the two of them together. 

Rin stirs slightly so Hiori leaves the photo alone and closes the blinds, shutting the door behind him. He spends a little while on the couch, gets bored and starts to go through the fridge. A few minutes later he's aproned up and making breakfast for the two of them. He figures Rin would be okay with a breakfast sandwich. 

Just as he’s plating the food there’s a knock on the door, he huffs, slightly annoyed but rinses off his hands to go answer it. Rin still isn’t up and it's well past 9:30 but Hiori doesn’t want to disturb him. If it’s a package he’ll just sign off for him and tell Rin when he wakes up. He opens the door and is very shocked to see Rin's brother and who he assumes is Shidou if his memory serves correctly, standing at the door. 

All three of them seem caught off guard then Shidou looks him up and down and whistles, “Wouldya look at that? Little Rinrin got himself a housewife! Can you believe he didn’t tell us?”

Sae glares at Shidou then looks back at Hiori, “Is he here?”

Hiori sputters a bit, still unsure what to do. Rin clearly didn’t want him to talk to them the night before. Still, he can’t just leave them outside., “uhm, come in.” He moves out of the way for the two of them to enter. They rest their duffle bags on the floor next to the couch and sit down. It’s awkwardly quiet for Hiori, Shidou seems content with watching the TV, arm around Sae’s neck and engagement ring glittering in the light, and Sae seems completely indifferent.

Small talk with Shidou is easy, at least and they have a decent conversation going by the time Rin comes out of his room. 

He walks into the living room dressed in only boxers and a t-shirt and his hair is a complete mess. He freezes when he sees Sae, Shidou, and Hiori, and the latter can’t help but laugh at how much of a mess he looks. Shidou follows suit, barking out laughs and taunts and Rin gets increasingly more annoyed. 

“What the hell are you doing here,” he half mumbles, looking right at Sae.

“I can’t see my little brother? You don’t talk to us, Rin, so we came to check on you,” Sae looks over at Hiori eyes judging and sharp, all he can do is smile awkwardly, “It seems you’re doing just fine though. Would have been nice to know you were seeing someone.”

Rin rolls his eyes, “I’m not. He's just working with me, it’s none of your concern regardless I don’t see why–” he cuts himself off and runs a hand through his hair and directs his attention to Hiori alone, “I’ll start looking for a hotel for you now.”

Rin stays in the kitchen to eat and look up the hotel while Hiori does his best to entertain Shidou and Sae in the living room. He asked Rin if he should change sheets on the bed and start getting things together since Rins family came earlier but Rin just waved him off. 

Hiori sighs, slightly relieved when Shidou finished the conversation in favor of through his phone, Hiori notices the design on the case looks a lot like sperm cells but he decides against saying anything about it. He sneaks off to check on Rin who’s been in the kitchen for much longer than it takes to eat and find a hotel.

“Are ya okay Rin?” He asks when he sees the man leaning into the palms of his hands looking particularly stressed. 

“I’m fine,” he grunts despite staring at the screen of his computer with a clearly stressed face. 

Curious, Hiori peeks over his shoulder to look at what's stressing him out so much. He has a tab open to hotel prices close by, the prices next to each one are surprisingly high.

“Oh so this is what’s got ya pullin’ out your hair. Geez, those prices are high, makes sense cuz ya live in a nice area.”

Rin huffs, “I know, and they’re all a bit too far.  It’s probably because of that damn amusement park.”

“You don’t have to pay for me y’know. I could just–”

“No. don’t worry about it, I'll just kick Sae and Shidou out. I need an excuse for them to leave anyway.”

Hiori opens his mouth to tell Rin that he shouldn’t just kick his family out but bites his tongue. He doesn’t know the situation, only the bits and pieces he’s heard from people who went to school with him, and he knows how it feels to have people poke into family business. He waits in the kitchen, running his thumb over a chip in the island counter as he waits for Rin to return. 

They’re loud in the living room, well Rin is loud. He's not quite yelling but his words are stern and laced with frustration. It reminds Hiori of the way his parents fought over him. Stern, unwavering, opinions clashing in interest like two colliding tsunamis. Hiori has always been in the middle of it, tugged left and right and always forced to choose between two things he never wanted in the first place. In the end he's faced with two unhappy people, him and whichever parent he didn't side with. The thought of his parents brings back a drowning feeling that he's never been able to name properly. The air around him feels thick until all the sound around him drowns out into a hollow swish. He only snaps out of it when he hears Rin, voice at it's usual deep uninterested level, right next to him. It's relieving.

“We're not going to worry about a hotel,” Rin tells him.

Hiori tries to smile at him, still shaken up, “Oh, ya managed to get rid of them?” 

Rins scoffs and rolls his eyes, “No. I'll put them in the guest room and move all your important stuff into my room. They aren't thieves but I don't trust Shidou at all.” 

“No, it’s okay, I don't wanna take up your space.” Hiori tries to stop him.

“Well it's going to be your space for two days so it doesn't matter to me.”

Hiori looks at Rin confused, “What? Well ya can't just stay on the couch. Keep your room, I'll be okay.” 

“No, you’ll stay in my room and I'll sleep on the couch. It’ll only be for a little.”

Hiori sighs, he didn’t take Rin for the kind of person who cares enough to let someone sleep in his bed.

“No Rin, I ain't gonna sleep in your bed while you’re uncomfortable on the couch. It’s your house.”

Rin gives him a slightly annoyed look as he gets tired of the argument, “You’re right, it is my house. Which is why I'm telling you that you’re going to sleep in my room.” He starts to walk away. In the end Hiori gives up and helps Rin move things into his room. Shidou offers to help but Rin promptly kicks him in the gut. Throughout the entire day, Sae is staring at Hiori with an indecipherable look. Mad? Annoyed? Confused? Possibilities run through his head but Hiroi doesn’t know nearly enough about Sae to decide what it is. He does his best to ignore it, he’s kind to Sae all day and (as deadpan as he is) Sae doesn’t snap at him. By the time dinner rolls around, which Hiori starts making before even asking Rin if it’s okay, Sae hasn’t stopped staring at him. He’s hardly said a word and it’s off-putting, even more so because Hiori is very used to being liked by people. 

Out of the blue during dinner, which they all eat together (despite Rin’s grumbles and complaints), Sae says out of the blue, “You’re not dating?”

Rin glares at him, “No.”

Sae’s look is calculating, “He acts like a housewife.”

Hiori tries to keep quiet but mumbles to himself, “I ain't a housewife.” Shidou hears him and laughs loudly.

Rin slams down the cup he was drinking from, “Shut the fuck up or leave and take your dog with you.”

“Hey, I didn't even say anything this time,” Shidou pouts.

“You’re so aggressive Rin. I’m making conversation, you could at least try.”

“Why are you still talking to me?”

“Don’t be a bitch.”

Rin grits his teeth, “Tepid.” He then stomps to his room. Hiori watches the exchange and sighs as Rin walks away. He doesn’t have to chase after him, Rin doesn’t need him to and more than likely doesn't want him to. They’re not really friends (and from what he knows about Rin they might never get to that point) but still, Hiori can’t help but feel concerned and guilty for this. He looks between Sae and Shidou who seem to be having a very intense conversation through some sort of telepathy. Hiori contemplates whether he should just start to clean up or go check on his housemate.  He feels that a tiny bit of this is his fault so he gets up and follows Rin to his room. 

He stalls for a moment outside of the door before he knocks and waits for a response.

Chapter Text

Rin slams his door, immediately pulling supplies out of a box he keeps in his room. He ignores the paints and goes for a heavy graphite pencil and large thick paper. He likes the feeling of it in his hand but he doesn’t dwell on that, he’d much rather think about the anger. Sae and Shidou, he hates them both and everytime he begins to forget why they show up to remind him. Rin scribbles on the paper, sharp emotional movements that may or may not come together by the time he’s finished. It doesn’t matter to him though, he doesn’t sell this art and it’s not his main focus at the moment. He has a sculpture to get done and Sae is in the way. 

The anger flashes in waves, too much pressure here, not enough there and Rin is completely fine with it. He’s getting it all out the way he needs to. It’s this or punching his “family” in their stupid fucking faces. Rin stabs his pencil into the paper, it snaps clean in half and his hand hits the table hard enough to break a nail off. He hisses in pain and watches a fat bead of blood drip onto the paper. Before he can move to take care of it there’s a knock on the door.

He waits for a second, debating what to do first but eventually he just says, “Fuck off.”

Hiori very mistakenly takes that as an invitation into the room, “Rin are ya alright?”

Rin looks over his shoulder at him, “I’m fine go away,” he says as he looks around the room for somewhere he might keep a bandaid. 

Hiori doesn’t buy it and comes up to his side, peeking over his shoulder, “Whoa!” He says, looking at the drawing Rin had been working on.  His eyes fall to the splotches of red on it then move to where Rin is cradling his hand. 

“Geeze Rin, why didn't ya tell me you were bleeding?” He asks, taking Rins hand into his own. Warm blood smears across the palm of his hand, Rin tries to rip his hand back but Hiori keeps his grip firm.

“Let go, you're getting blood all over your hand.”

Hiori sighs and uses his free hand to rummage through one of the bags they moved over to Rin’s room earlier. “Can it, Rin. Just let me help ya.” He pulls out a clear bag with first aid supplies in it, opens an alcohol wipe with his teeth and starts to clean the wound.

Rin surprises himself with the way he actually stays quiet. He watches as Hiori gently cleans off the cut, holding his hand gently and focusing on what he’s doing. Rin can’t remember the last time someone else has been this gentle with him, not that he’d let them. The only time he lets anyone get near his is if its Bachira (who forces his way through Rins barriers no matter what) or Shidou during a fistfight. He’s been living on his own for years so realistically he could do this himself but it feels nice to let Hiori do it. It’s warm and comfortable. He likes it and at the same time it feels disgusting. 

“See that wasn’t so bad,” Hiori mocks him as he puts his things back into his bag. 

Rin rolls his eyes and rubs his thumb over the bandage that Hiori wrapped around his finger. He can sculpt just fine with it

 “Meet me downstairs for a session, don’t let Shidou and Sae down there.”

Hiori jokingly solutes to him, “aye-yai captain.”

Chapter Text

Hiori very quickly notices that Rin uses art as an outlet for his pent up emotion. It’s written all over his face as he fights with the clay, forcing it into shapes as if it’s personally offended him. Hiori may or may not find it slightly humorous but he refrains from laughing at him. Rin is in a zone again, focusing between the sculpture and small details on his face and nothing else. He doesn’t seem to hear Shidou being loud upstairs which is honestly for the better. They pass the regular time they’re meant to be doing the session for but Hiori doesn’t stop Rin because he looks so focused and peaceful compared to the tension on his face during dinner. 

Eventually Hiori checks the time on his phone (which he remembered to bring this time) and sees that it's getting pretty late. Rin will be annoyed if his schedule gets messed up so Hiori lets him know and waits as Rin packs up his work.

Luckily, Sae and Shidou have closed themselves off into their room already so there’s no way for Rin to run into them. The dishes are done and cleaned up when they get upstairs so Rin is able to immediately get ready for bed.

Hiori helps him move blankets from Rins room to the couch only to run into him on the way out there. He peeks around the thick blanket in his arms to see what made Rin stop.

“What the fuck?” the man whispers, dropping the pillow he was holding. Hiori traces his gaze to the couch where there is an entire cushion missing from it. Hiori almost laughs, there’s a note in its place with a messy handwriting and what he assumes is Shidou’s signature on the bottom.

“That fucking roach, I swear to God I’ll kill him one of these days,” Rin grits out from between clenched teeth. Hiori sighs, just when Rin had relaxed Shidou had to go and do whatever he did.

“Well you can’t sleep here now,” Hiori points out.

“I know.” 

“Ya know I don’t mind sleeping on the floor,” he offers.

Rin shakes his head and he picks up his pillow, “I don’t have a mat for you to sleep on.”

“Oh.” 

They share a look, “or, we could just share the bed?” He’s hesitant to suggest it and Rin looks like he’s going to bite his head off saying it but they both know it's the only logical option they have left.

Rin groans, “fine, we’ll share. If you snore I’m kicking you out of my fucking house.” 

Hiori laughs, “yeah I thought so.”

It’s awkward for the first minute when they climb into the bed. Rin very stubbornly stays dangerously close to the edge. Hiori points it out and is met with nothing but grumbles. Eventually he gives up, flicking off the light and getting comfortable in the bed. A few minutes later, just as he’s drifting off to sleep, Rin moves and he can feel the dip of his weight getting closer. Hiori sighs and goes back to sleep.

Chapter Text

Rin can’t remember the last time he fell asleep next to another person. It was probably back when he was still close to Sae. Back when he was a kid, he would run to his older brother's bed for protection from storms and the monsters he thought were under the bed. Those days are long gone and embarrassing to think about. He cringes thinking about how reliant he was on a person who never did anything but pray on his downfall. After Sae left him, any type of affection felt disgusting. He didn’t want people near him because the expectation that they were going to leave was already set. 

He doesn't think about it when he rolls over in the bed and ends up closer to Hiori. He freezes, luckily the boy is already asleep. Rin wants to feel repulsed by their proximity, he should, he’s sharing a bed with someone who’s basically a stranger but he doesn’t feel anything like disgust.

Despite himself, Rin gets closer to Hiori, close enough to feel the heat radiating off him. It’s gentle and weird, his body is warmer than his hands were when he was treating Rins bleeding finger. Rin finds himself liking it, after the years he’s spent surrounded by clay and paint and nothing warm aside from the oven, being close to someone is nice. Being close to Hiori is nice. He’s almost tricking himself into thinking they’re friends or something like that. Rin doesn’t have friends, he’s pushed anyone like that away a long time ago. Bachira, maybe, but he pointedly keeps him at an arm's distance as much as he can.  Rin doesn’t even know what he would do with a friend. Do they share beds like he and Hiori are doing? 

It almost hurts that he doesn’t know.

In the morning Hiori wakes up first, shaken up from a nightmare. He notices that he’s warmer than usual even despite the cold sweat from the fear of his own imagination. Hiori’s mouth is dry so he tries to get out of bed to get water and finds it difficult. Rin’s arm is heavy around his waist, holding him close. In his own grogginess he hardly notices, rolling over to press his face into Rin's chest and hide from the cold air around them. It’s not until he feels Rin’s heartbeat steady against his cheek that he realizes that he’s cuddling with Rin.

Rin is warm and he smells nice, Hiori observes. Whatever spray he uses is relaxing, a gentle blend of herbs but it’s also sharp just like him. Hiori relaxes into it, coming down from the panic he felt when he woke up. He stays there for a few minutes, would Rin probably kill him over this? Sure, but he’s asleep and it’s also his own fault. Rin came to his side of the bed throughout the night so Hiori can’t be to blame if he wakes up. 

Luckily enough Rin doesn’t, Hiori slips out of the bed before Rin’s alarm goes off and he continues the day as normal, greeting Sae in the living room once he’s freshened up. The next two days are the same. Aside from the arguing and nearly physical fights there’s something Hiori likes about living with Rin. Maybe it's the pure artistry of his house, the way everything comes together in a beautiful way. Unlike when he lived with his parents there was clearly no fighting over the decor. The home is just empty enough for him to fill in the gaps, he feels like he fits.. Or maybe it's the way the arguing doesn’t hurt him. He never feels caught up in the middle of it, the fights are never about him. He’s in the middle of the tension between fighting siblings but he’s never been the reason they’ve fought. They never even seem to see him when they argue and in a twisted way he likes it. This is how families should fight. 

Hiori is dozing off, lost in thought after fixing a particularly stressful bug in a program, when he feels an arm swing over his shoulder.

Shidou’s voice is loud in his ear, “Heyy Hiori~” he sings as he takes the seat next to the boy. They haven't talked much if at all since Shidou and Sae have gotten here so he’s rightfully confused. “I’ve been here for so many days and I feel like I don’t know ya at all.”

“I could say the same,” he responds politely. He isn't quite sure why Shidou waited until the last day they would be in Rin's house together to pay attention to him. They’ve had plenty of opportunities to have conversations and they just haven't. Most of what Shidou says goes in one ear and out the other anyway.

“You’re always busy on your computer, are you a writer or something?”

Hiori laughs nervously as Shidou leans into his space, “uh no, I’m actually a computer and game programmer so all my work is online. I also game and stream but I’m taking a break from that for a while, besides that I work for Rin as ya know.”

Shidou hums, leaning into the palm of his hand with a mischievous glint in his eye, “how’s working for a world-class artist? Is he paying you well?”

“I actually enjoy working with him,” Hiori admits, “he isn’t paying me with money though.”

Shidou’s eyebrows shoot up and he smirks, “not with money huh? Then how is he paying you? 

“Not the way yer thinking’, his payment is letting me stay here with him.”

“Really? Because I went to check on you and Rin last night and you two seemed real cuddly,” Shidou teases.

Hiori’s face heats up. His one comfort was the fact that nobody but him would know, now that he’s caught he doesn’t have an excuse and isn't sure what to say. The embarrassment makes him choke on his words, luckily Shidou doesn’t give him a chance to explain anyway. 

He spins in his chair, turning to leave but not before Shidou grins at him and says, “If you really want to be with Rinny I think you’d be great for him, good luck getting through Sae-chan though.” Hiori knows what he means by that but he's going to pretend like he doesn’t, he’s going to pretend like he’s not thinking about it and he’s going to pretend he doesn’t see the way Rin falters slightly as he walks past and catches their conversation.

Shidou is going to die, Rin is going to kill him. He slows a bit as he walks past Shidou and Hiori talking. As always Shidou is loud so he was bound to hear him regardless and either way it's his house so it can’t be considered eavesdropping. He doesn’t know why he listens to what Shidou said and he especially doesn’t know why he cares. All Shidou ever does is aimlessly talk with no idea what's leaving his mouth. Still, a small part of Rin lights up at the fact that he thinks Rin and Hiori are good for each other. The childish part of him has ached for that approval regardless of where it comes from.

He tries to shake it off, knowing Shidou it was a joke, something he said to rile Hiori up before he leaves. Maybe he was even trying to scare Hiori off so Rin would fail at the project he was working on because that’s such a Shiodu thing to do. He probably expects Rin to jump out and attack him which he wants to but he's not going to because that would support the idea that Rin cares and he doesn't . Hiori is here on business, not to be company for Rin. They’re only living together for long enough to finish the statue then whatever misconception that Hiori means anything to Rin can end. After he’s gone he’ll never think about how warm he is when they’re sleeping together, or how nice it feels to have another person cook for him, or how relaxing it is to wake up and know someones going to be there, or how right it feels when Hiori is watching him sculpt. He will not be thinking about the way Hiori’s laugh makes a part of Rin bloom with warmth. He won’t think of the way Hiori makes him feel somewhat happy. 

Rin’s thinking about it now though and his face blooms with warmth. He speeds up his walk and closes himself in his room, his and Hiori’ s room for the past few days, leaving those disgusting thoughts and weird aching in his chest outside the door.

Chapter Text

Sae and Shidou are finally gone, after way too long. Rin has never been happier to help two people pack up then slam the door behind them. Internally he jumps in joy, screams and hollers. He's in such a good mood that he asks Hiori if he wants to do something together, that is not an excuse to be around him. Rin just needs to get out of the house and now that he’s gotten back on schedule with the sculpture they can afford to go out together. Besides, Rin can tell Hiori has felt cooped up in the house, not having his own car and for some reason not asking Rin to drive him anywhere.  

“Let’s go to the store, we can spend the day in the city,” Rin suggests, though it comes out as more of a demand. Hiori smiles at him, bright and blinding in a way that makes Rin want to run for cover because he likes it way too much.

“Really? Sure if ya want,” Hiori closes his laptop, “don’t ya want to work on the sculpture?”

Rin waves a hand at him, “Don’t worry about that. I have more than enough time to get that done, just start planning what you’d like to do.” For the next hour or so that’s what they do, Hiori comes up with ideas of fun things to do since Rin can’t be trusted with that task and Rin writes a list of the things they need to buy while they’re out. They come together to finalize plans.

“You want to go to an art convention? You see my art all the time, everything there sucks,” Rin grumbles as Hiori tells him what he came up with.

“It's not all that bad, ya might get inspiration who knows!”

Rin sucks his teeth, “No way in hell am I getting inspiration from some lukewarm amateurs.”

Hiori sighs, “We don’t even gotta stay long, I just really like them, maybe we can get some cool stuff while we’re there.”

Rin argues back that there’s nothing cool that could possibly get from a place like that but Hiori asks him if he’s ever even gone to one and that just about secures Hiori’s win. Rin hasn’t actually gone to an art convention since he was a teenager and just starting out his career. All he can really remember from them is that they are cramped, loud, and definitely not worth his time. 

Hiori leans forward in the stool he was sitting in and rests a hand on Rin’s knee. He tenses and jolts as his skin blooms hot where it's touched. Hiori hasn’t ever touched him aside from when they shared a bed. It burns like lava has been poured on him but at the same time it's relaxing.

Then, Hiori looks at him with pleading eyes and asks again if they can go and Rin is so shocked by the physical reaction that his chest has that he just says yes. That's how they end up in the car two hours later, bags of household items and art supplies Rin spontaneously bought in the back with Hiori riding shotgun. Hiori, regrettable, gets control of the aux he ends up playing songs Rin doesn’t know at all but Hiori is singing along and Rin can’t help but glance over at him from time to time. The stupid sun is in his face making part of his hair so bright it seems white and highlighting the softness of his features. As the trees and houses blur behind him Rin can’t help but notice how unreal he looks. He’s beautiful like something straight out of a painting. It’s a miracle he hasn’t crashed the car with the way he's staring. Hiori turns to catch him looking and laughs when Rin’s head jerks forward.

Rin is getting tired of the stupid pounding in his chest, distracting him so he speeds up until they finally get to the art convention. 

His hesitancy to go is justified when they step inside, there's a lot of people and too many booths for the small space. He does in fact turn to leave but Hiori loops an arm in his.

“Nuh uh Rin, ya said you’d stay for a bit.”

“That was before I saw how ridiculous it is in here, “ he counters but he doesn’t try to pull away again. They continue into the convention and Rin allows himself to get dragged around for another hour. It's possible the only thing getting him through it is the way Hiori absolutely glows when he sees something he likes. Rin finds out very quickly that Hiori adores sheep and, unfortunately for him, there's an entire booth dedicated to them. 

He noticed it before, the way Hiori’s eyes were always drawn to the painting of a sheep Rin did long ago. It’s one of his favorites as well for another reason but even then as he watches the boy pick through the numerous sheep themed trinkets he debates giving his own painting to him. Rin shakes the thought away, he never for any reason gave away his art for free. Hiori will not be an exemption, as tempting as it is.

After an exhausting hour (or likely more) of running from booth to booth and buying things that aren't needed because they’re “too cool to give up” Rin is finally able to drag Hiori back to the car. He shows Rin the things he got as if he wasn't right there when they got them but Rin doesn’t complain because it's better than being in the convention with people yelling over each other and making his skin crawl when they brush up against him. That has to be one of the things he hates the most and yet Hiori taps his shoulder and it doesn’t feel uncomfortable.

“Are ya alright Rin?” 

He blows out a silent breath, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Hiori leaves a moment of silence then says, “So where to next?”

Rin gives him a confused look,”Home?”

Hiori looks just as confused as he does, “What? Isn’t there something you want to do today?”

“Yeah, I want to go home.”

Hiori frowns at him, “aw c’mon. There’s gotta be something, it’s your first time out in days.”

Rin shrugs as he pulls out of the parking lot, “not really, I don’t like going out much.”

Hiori sighs as if Rin is the one being annoying and makes a face like he’s thinking, “ Okay, how about we do something fun at home?” 

“Like what?” 

“Like a movie, ya like horror right? I’ve heard good things about the Shining.”

Rin can’t help the way he sounds suddenly interested, “You want to watch the Shining?”

Hiori smiles at him, “Yeah! I think it’ll be fun to watch with you.”

Rin chews on the inside of his cheek and ignores how Hiori wants to watch it with him specifically. 

He sighs, “Alright then. We can watch it tonight.”

Chapter Text

They go a little overboard with the snacks, a large bowl of popcorn surrounded by multiple bags and boxes of candy sits in the middle of the table and Rin walks into the living room with a liter of tea and another bottle of Sprite. He makes a comment about getting fat and Hiori laughs like he’s never heard anything funnier. Rin cracks the smallest smile as he listens to him laugh but erases it as quickly as he can, scolding himself for doing stupid shit like smiling. 

They settle together on the couch, even though there’s more than enough space for the two of them Rin finds himself on the cushion right next to Hiori so we can share the blanket he tells himself. He’s just as warm as Rin remembers from sleeping next to him. He ignores the slight pinch of longing in his chest in favor of watching the movie. By the grace of god, Hiori isn’t a chatty movie watcher but it's also a curse because he's so focused on the movie which allows Rin to be completely focused on him without getting caught. 

Rin can feel Hiori’s arm graze him under the covers and a part of him is itching to press closer so after a whole minute of debating he inches his leg closer to Hioris and freezes, waiting to see if he notices.

Hiori turns to him and grins around a marshmallow he just shoved into his mouth. He looks stupid as he quickly chews and swallows to ask, “Are ya scared already Rin?”

Rin stares at him for a moment, no he’s not scared. He’s seen The Shining a hundred times and could probably recite the next few minutes line for line if he wanted to, but saying that would prompt him to need another excuse for shifting closer to Hiori and he doesn’t have that. Instead, he reluctantly nods.

“Who’d have thought? The famous Itoshi Rin getting scared of a movie,” he giggles but he presses himself closer to Rin and readjusts the blanket over them. 

“Shut the hell up,” Rin mumbles but he relaxes into the touch. 

Rin starts to doze off first, probably because Hiori is so sugared up that he couldn’t sleep even if he wanted to. They follow up The Shining with Ready Player One, Rin can feel how Hiori also starts to work off the sugar high he’s on. Now that he’s not moving anymore Rin allows his head to drop onto his shoulder, too tired to think much about it. 

After 20 minutes of silence and Rin fighting the sleep creeping up on him Hiori moves so his knees are drawn up to his chest. He's still for another minute then he calls Rin’s name gently. A heavy pause set between them then Rin responds.

“What?”  

“Thank you,” Hiori says slowly.

Rin sits up and looks at him with a half-annoyed, half-confused stare. He can only make out the side of Hiori’s face with the TV being the light source and his eyes being unadjusted. 

“What the hell are you talking about,” he mumbles, wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

“For takin’ me in on such a short notice. Ya kinda saved me so I wanted to thank ya properly.”

He glances at the time, “Hiori it’s 11 at night, why are you thinking about that?”

The boy shrugs, “got a text from my mum.”

“And what does your mom have to do with this?”

Hiori gives him a blank stare, and then he looks away at the TV. Rin is well enough adjusted to the light to notice the way his eyes go dark and empty, like a still ocean on a starless night. He looks depressed.

“Of course, Bachira didn’t tell ya anything. Well, I guess I should tell ya if we’re gonna live together.”

Rin sits up fully, realizing that this conversation is probably important and, as nonsocial as he is, Rin isn’t heartless. And maybe he’s a little curious. 

Hiori sighs like he’s bracing himself for the conversation ahead, “My parents are insanely controlling, since I was a kid they’ve been over my shoulder forcing me to do things because they want me to be as successful as them. Academics is super important to them because they want me to be some hot-shot engineer like Elon Musk or somethin’ and they disagree on the ways to teach me all the time. They’re like two dogs goin back and forth between a chew toy. They decided if I can’t meet their standard they’re gonna divorce,” he curls in on himself further. Rin keeps quiet; he isn't sure what he’s supposed to do. He’s clueless when it comes to comforting people. He’s never really had to do it and there’s definitely nobody who’s been doing it for him.

Hiori sighs again then stretches as if he isn’t bothered but there's a quiver to his voice when he speaks this time, “I ran away from home a little while ago and ghosted them. Pretty pathetic for a full adult to be running away huh?” 

He turns to Rin with a sad smile. Rin shrugs, “Not really.” 

Hiori hums, “Well, they’re probably lookin for me now. Mum's been blowin’ up my phone on and off for a while.”

“Why not just tell them you don't want anything to do with them,” Rin suggests, it's what he would do. It's what he did .  

Hiori laughs but it sounds empty, “I think they’d kill me for real. They’ve already resorted ta hittin me so who knows what they’ll do if I tell them I'm giving up.” He puts his head down on his knees, “I think I’m just gonna go back. Man, I wanted to be an artist so bad.”

Rin stares at Hiori’s hunched-over posture for a moment, there’s a lot to unpack. 

“They hit you and you want to go back?”

He doesn’t look up, “I don’t want to, but it feels like I have to, ya know?”

 Rins brows draw together as he speaks, “Hiori, you're an adult, a successful one at that. Cut off contact.” 

When he looks up this time there are tears glinting in his eyes, his voice breaks as he forces the words out, “ I want to, I do, but they’re all I got. All I want is for them to see me as their son. I guess I'm just caught up on some dream that I can be a part of a happy family.” Hiori sniffles and wipes away his tears quickly. Rin feels useless sitting there like a statue not sure what to do. He’s itching to help but he just can't move. “Besides, after this, I have nowhere to go.”

“You can stay here as long as you want,” Rin says quickly, a little too desperate to make the offer. Hiori looks at him and something in his eyes gives Rin hope that he’ll say yes and be just as excited by the thought of him staying as Rin is. Rin ignores the way his heart drops when Hiori shakes his head.

“I can't take up yer space more than I already am.” Hiori winces at the quiver in his voice, “The only reason I’m here anyway is because ya have a project to finish. I don’t mind helpin’ ya but I don't wanna be dead weight.” Rin’s mouth opens to correct him. Just say you want him to stick around.

“You won't be dead weight, you can stay,” Rin urges as subtly as he can. I want you to stay. Please stay. Rin dares to inch a little closer, pressing fully against Hiori’s side, and brings his head to his chest, stroking his hand through soft bright hair. His heart is hammering against his chest as if it’s trying to escape the confines of his body. He can only pray that Hiori doesn't notice it and ask why because Rin cannot answer that. Explaining the beating of his heart would mean explaining so many other unexplainable things that Rin feels. 

Hiori relaxes against him, still sniffling and exhaling shaky breaths. Rin keeps holding him close, it feels so perfect, the way Hiori fits against him just right. He snaps into place against Rin like the final piece in a puzzle just like he has with everything else since he got to Rin house. He feels like the final stroke on a painting, Rin’s half-complete house feels a little more like a home with him around. The emptiness he ignored for so long feels a little more full. Rin can feel Hiori’s breath even out and maybe for a moment he hopes this never ends. 

Chapter Text

In the morning Hiori manages to act like nothing ever happened so Rin has no clue what the hell is wrong with him. He watches Hiori too closely, eyes studying his features over and over again like he’s seeing him for the first time ever. He’ll blame his artistic eye for it. No other reason for him to be staring at Hiori so intently then think something as stupid as the word pretty . Words like that are meant to describe art. His art. Not a person, not Hiori . However, it’s not like it isn't a universal truth. Hiori is pretty, it's the same as calling Leonardo da Vinci an artist. It's a simple fact. 

He’s just worried, that's it. After listening to someone admit that they have controlling and abusive parents, how could Rin not be worried? In a few days Rin will be finished with his project and he’ll be letting Hiori go. Who knows where he could end up? So yeah, Rin is just worried.

“If yer worried about me you don’t have ta be,” Hiori says after taking a bite of the bagel Rin made. It’s like he read his mind, or maybe Rin is just that obvious with the way he feels. God, he hopes he’s not that obvious with the way he feels. 

Rin sucks his teeth, “I’m not worried. You’re old enough to take care of yourself.”

“Yup, and that's why ya should stop worryin' so much.”

Rin rips a bite from his own bagel, focusing on that and not the slight redness around Hiori’s eyes from crying the night before. Not on the hot anger he feels towards Hiori’s parents for being assholes. 

Hiori sighs and walks around the counter and throws an arm around Rin’s shoulder, pulling him close in the kind of half hug they teach you to do with girls in middle school. Rin feels stiff and frozen in place as his heart drums harder. Hiori turns to smile at him, which in it’s self does things to Rin that make him want t0 bury his head into the ground like an ostrich, but this time Hiori’s nose is hardly a hair away from his own. He’s so fucking close and he looks so picturesque and his lips look soft even though they’re tugged into a bright smile. Briefly, Rin wonders what they would feel like on his own and the thought sends a shock through his body that makes everything in him stop. Kiss him? Like what people with crushes do? But Rin doesn’t… Rin’s never had a crush. He’s above petty, immature shit like that and he’s 24 for fucks sake. 24-year-olds don’t get crushes, they fall in… oh. 

Oh, what the fuck.

Love is the reason his heart keeps beating out of his chest when Hiori gets near him and why every rational part of his brain just seems to be off when he’s around.  Is that why, after so many years of peaceful solitude there’s nothing he wants more that Hiori's company? He glances up at Hiori’s eyes, bright blue like the sky and so full of life despite the things he’s been through. Hiori is everything Rin isn’t; warm, kind, patient, adorable . 

It feels like he’s been thrown into a furnace and suddenly Hiori being so close is too much. Rin shrugs him off and nearly trips over his own feet as he stands up. He covers his face with a hand, there’s no way he isn’t glowing red and he will not let Hiori see it. The man says something, calls after him maybe tells him to come back but whatever it is it doesn’t matter. For now, he has to get away. He stomps off to his room and leans against the closed door. Paint. He wants to paint something, make art out of these stupid feelings then burn it to the fucking ground but that won't work. Where he knows nothing about love he does know there’s no way he’s going to get rid of it so easily. Fuck. What is he supposed to do now? The only way he can think to get rid of his feelings is to cut off the source but that would mean getting rid of Hiori and he really does not want to do that. It was so easy with Sae and Shidou because they hurt him but Hiori’s done nothing wrong. Rin slides down the door, head in his hands as he just tries to organize a thought. 

Hiori knocks on the door, a gentle tone muffled through the wood, “Rin, are ya alright?”

“Yeah,” he lies. What is he supposed to say? No actually, I just fell in love with you.

“Are ya sure? You’re not feeling sick or anythin' are–”

“Shut up,” he snaps before he can check his own tone. He feels a bit bad for it but Rin doesn’t know what to do with love, he’s gotten so used to the fiery rage inside him. It’s all he’s ever known. 

Hiori says nothing for a moment then says, “Sorry.” Rin listens to him walk away from the room and when the door to the guest room closes Rin slams his fist into the floor. 

Rin feels tense for the rest of the day. When Hiori looks over at him Rin simply stares out the window, focusing on the rain falling onto the trees outside the window and acting like Hiori’s gaze on him doesn’t make him hot. 

Hiori tries a few times to get his attention calling out his name with a concerned tone but sighing and backing down when Rin glares at him. It’s so hard to ignore him. To pretend that he doesn’t like that Hiori is actually feeling concern for him. To act like he doesn’t want to just pull Hiori into his space and keep him there. He can tell Hiori is tired of being ignored after only a few hours. 

Rin goes down to the basement to hide for a while. He tries to get everything out onto the canvas’ he has lined up but every splatter of paint on each white surface looks like Hiori. He spaces out for a bit, music blasting in his ears and just ignoring everything. After two hours when his short playlist ends, he backs away from the painting to see Hiori there, smiling back at him and holding a small sheep in his lap. It’s not the real thing but it's beautiful nonetheless. He reaches out to it with paint-streaked fingers. He understands why people want to touch art so badly, some things are just so compelling that they pull you in. 

“Rin?” Someone says. Rin rips his headphones off and spins to turn to the sound. Hiori is in the doorway, leaning on the frame like he’s scared to enter the room in case Rin snaps at him again and Rin justifies that fear. 

He’s embarrassed, he’s confused and he doesn’t even think about it before he’s screaming at Hiori. He doesn’t even hear the words leaving his mouth, if he did he wouldn’t be saying them.

“GET OUT,” he screams as he feels hot emotions boil and bubble in his stomach. Hiori flinches but steps into the room, hands out like he plans to calm Rin which only escalates him further.

“Rin, c’mon–” Hiori starts. 

It’s now or never that he gets rid of Hiori, while he's angry, while he’s not thinking about pesky things like love.

“GET OUT OF MY FUCKING HOUSE, I DON’T WANT YOU HERE ANYMORE.”

It feels like time stops, Rin’s heart certainly does and it looks like Hiori’s does too. Rin can see the exact moment something inside Hiori shatters and he runs up the stairs. It feels wrong, all of it feels so wrong. Getting rid of people has always worked before so why does it hurt so bad now? Why does it feel like Rin just went and destroyed a part of himself? He huffs panting as he tries to catch his breath but he just can’t. He can hear the heavy thumps of Hiori running upstairs and the heavy slam of the front door. That's the moment Rin remembers it’s pouring outside and he just kicked Hiori out in all of that. The poor guy doesn’t know his way around Rin’s neighborhood either since they hardly go out. 

He almost trips as he breaks out into his own sprint. Why the fuck would he do that? There’s finally someone he cares about and he does and fucks it up. Rin grabs a jacket and an umbrella from the closet before running out into the rain, not even thinking about which direction he goes, he’ll look all night if he has to. He doesn’t know how long he’s looking but he knows his heart is threatening to jump out of his chest the whole time. Not in the way, Hiori makes it, it genuinely hurts. He’s scared. Scared he’s lost Hiori forever or maybe he got hurt or worse, some human trafficker picked him up. Rin’s so absorbed in the horror stories his mind is making up that he almost misses the pop of cyan next to a darkened store window. 

He skids to a stop sighing in relief and walking back to hold the umbrella over Hiori’s head. The boy looks up, red-rimmed puffy eyes meet Rin’s and immediately he feels guilt washing over him.

“I-I’m sorry,” He starts but Hiori cuts him off. 

“Shut yer trap, I don’t wanna hear it.”

Rin jolts then sighs, shrugging off his coat and placing it over Hiori’s shoulders. The man doesn’t even look at him, just stares at the wet concrete with a focused glare.

“I’m serious, let's go back at least.” 

Hiori side eyes him, “No. If ya don’t want me in yer house then I won’t bother ya anymore.”

Rin grabs his arm, trying to tug him into a stand, “I’m serious Hiori, it’s freezing and wet out here. Let’s go back, we can talk there.”

Hiori continues to refuse to stand. 

Rin sucks his teeth and pulls harder, “Why are you being so fucking stubborn?”

Hiori yanks his arm back, scratching Rin across the face in the process., “Because ya made me feel so loved. Ya gave me a place to stay and ya held me and nobody’s ever done all that for me before. Ya made me think ya cared.”

Rin is slow to respond, “I do.” He argues.

Hiori’s gaze is ice cold and he looks so hurt, “Do ya? Because right after all that ya kicked me out of yer fucking house. Do ya know how confused I was?”

Rin can’t meet his eye, he kicks at a rock and then slumps down to sit next to Hiori.

“I know I just– I know I fucked up but I was just–”

Hiori rolls his eyes, not buying whatever Rin has to say next, “Just what Rin?”

The words catch in his throat, he doesn’t know what he’s going to say. Even if he did, nothing is leaving his mouth. He lets out a frustrated grunt. Fine, if he can’t say it he’ll just–

Rin holds the back of Hiori’s head, turning it towards his own and before he can think about it he presses Hiori’s lips to his own. The patter of the rain fades away and the butterflies in his stomach compete with the burning feeling in his chest. After a second of nothing he wants to melt into the gravel or just fucking die but a hand squeezes his arm. 

Hiori pulls away first, his mouth opens and closes then opens and closes again like a fish out of water. Rin burns with embarrassment as all he can do is wait. Eventually, Hiori squeaks out a confused “huh?” which doesn’t help the situation at all. 

Rin exhales, stares, and picks at the sidewalk, “I like you,” he grumbles like he’s mad about it, “I got embarrassed when you saw me painting you. I was just.. yeah.”

“Huh?” Hiori says louder and a second later, “Oh. Oh! Geeze Rin, yer a mess.” 

Rin sighs, “Yeah.” Then Hiori bursts out laughing, clutching his stomach and it sounds like a meadow somehow. Bright and pretty and soothing in a way Rin can’t quite place. 

“Ya shoulda just said that Rin, what were ya gonna do if I ran out and got hit by a car or somethin'?”

“Shut up, I don’t want to think about that,” He mumbles as he stands up, “Can we go back now? It’s cold.”

Hiori smiles, radiant against the washed-out greys the overcast clouds left the block in. Rin reaches out a hand and Hiori takes it.

A minute into their walk back Hiori bumps him on the shoulder, “I like ya too y’know. But we’ve gotta do some reshaping on the way you express those kinds of emotions.”

Rin bites the inside of his cheek. It’s true. “Shut the hell up.”

Chapter Text

“That painting ya had hanging on the wall in the basement,” Hiori recalls as he steps out of the warm car into the chilly autumn air, “This is it?” He’s not even sure why he thinks he needs to ask. He can tell from the placement and color of the barn alone, Rin captured the place’s essence perfectly.

Rin steps out of the driver's side, taking Hiori’s hand in his own, “Yeah, I used to live over there.” He points over a hill where tiny square houses peek out. Rin takes them into the old barn, worn down from time and rusted from the salty air the nearby beach blows over. Hiori can smell it from where they are. The faint saltiness fills the air, he can almost taste it even though they’re not even close. 

The inside of the barn is bigger than it looks, lit by the natural light the large windows allow inside. He runs his fingertips over the door to what he assumes is a stable although there are no horses inside. The vast space feels empty without the animals even though Hiori has no clue what it would even look like with the animals inside. 

It's clear to Hiori that the place wasn’t abandoned at random as it’s clean aside from the unpreventable spiderwebs and dust. It must have been well cared for before the owners left. He distantly wonders how much time Rin spent in here. If he was the one to clean it or if he was familiar with the animals it once held. 

Hiori curiously dusts off a metal plate on one of the stable doors and reads out the English word on it. 

“Destroyer?” He reads, turning to Rin with a skeptical look, “This one was yer's wasn’t it?”

Rin sucks his teeth, looking out the window as he tries to explain himself, “She wasn’t mine , I just got to name her.”  

“And so ya named her Destroyer. That’s so like ya Rin.”

Rin grabs his arm, pulling him further through the barn, “let's just move on.”

Hiori laughs at him, bright and glittery in a way that, even four years later, makes his heart flutter. Rin tugs Hiori out the other side of the barn into a grassy fenced-off area. 

Nostalgia tugs at Hiori’s chest even though he’s never been here before. When he turns to the barn he can tell he’s exactly where Rin must’ve been when he made the painting of the barn. He looks up at the top of the barn, taking in the golden glow the sun casts over it. The only thing missing from it is the tiny sheep, jumping around and full of energy. He smiles to himself a bit, not for any reason just because he can. Because he’s here in this place that must have been special enough to Rin that he’d paint it and never sell that painting. 

Rin steps around him and Hiori pays no attention to it until Rin clears his throat, seeking his attention. Hiori turns to him, confused when Rin isn’t right there rather he’s… he’s kneeling down on one knee holding a small palm-sized box in his hand.

Hiori’s heart stops then Rin’s mouth opens and it kicks back to a start a bit too fast and a bit too hard. A gust of wind grazes over them, tussling Rin’s hair until he has to run a hand through it to fix it. 

“Yo,” Rin says, he rarely does even though they’re dating unless it’s extremely important and Hiori supposes this is.

“There’s nobody in the world that I care about more than you, I appreciate my time with you more than anything. You’re my muse and the reason I am where I am now, so,” Rin swallows hard, breaking the eye contact he’d been competing with himself to keep going during his short speech. He pops open the box, “Will you marry me?”

Hiori always imagined that in a moment like this, he’d be calm enough to answer right away. He’s always been good under pressure but all the emotions are a lot for even him to work through. He must look dumb standing there with his mouth hung open for a full second as the gears in his head start turning again. 

“Yes!” He says, a bit too loudly and a bit too enthusiastic as he throws himself into Rin. Knocking them both onto the grass. 

“Careful, I’ll lose the rin–” Hiori cuts him off to capture Rin’s lips on his own. They’re warm and soft and the way Rin moves them against his makes Hiori feel like they're a well-oiled machine. Built perfectly for each other despite how different they could have been. Despite all the things that could have happened that would have led them to other places, other people. Hiori wraps his arms around Rin’s neck, not letting him move from the ground as Hiori grins into the kiss. 

This is home for him. Rin touching him and looking at him with his beautiful teal eyes, brightened by the sun and almost shimmering in the light. Hiori wouldn’t want to be literally anywhere else. 

He backs up enough to let Rin sit up and take his hand, slipping the silvery band onto the proper finger. He stares at it for a moment, smiling so hard it hurts.

“I love ya Rin,” He says, unprompted.

Rin’s lips quirk up ever so slightly in his own cute little smile. A beautiful contrast to his naturally annoyed expression.

“I love you too, Yo.” 

BONUS:

Hiori lies back on the grass with his hands tucked under his head, he turns to Rin whose position mirrors his own as the man gazes up at the stars. He moves some stray napkins left over from their picnic so he can roll over and face Rin.

“Rin, can we get married here?”

Rin turns to him, reaching out a hand to brush his longer strand of hair out of his face, “Of course.”