❛ ‧˚ ONLY YOU — itoshi rin.
contents ⨾ [1.4k wc] fluff !! gn!reader, friends to (implied) lovers, jealous!rin yehehe, mutual pining? rin is horrendously down bad, [l/n = last name]
you come to two different revelations in one same night— the bane of your existence and the boy you love, they both echo the same name, proudly and sweetly: itoshi rin.
it has never been easy to read rin. his expressions being rarely... expressive, his words no more than incoherent grumbles most of the time. the subtlety of his gestures almost unnoticeable to most — it’s an art of observing and learning. but you get used to it over time, being his best friend for as long as you can remember — his presence bleeds in your life and whether you like it or not ( you like it for the most part ) — itoshi rin exists in everything you know.
however, tonight he's making it a point to be uncharacteristically expressive of every small detail, and so hell-bent on making it your problem too.
for the past fifteen minutes, since the guy from your class that's been trying his best to shoot his shot — rin can tell, by the way — came to talk to you, rin seems to be vaguely conscious of his surroundings.
you're not sure if there's a history of a personal grudge, but you immediately took notice of the way rin’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, nose scrunching in disgust the second some guy (your classmate) came to talk to you. you don't know if rin noticed that you see him, you don't think he cares either.
the moment your classmate is hinting at the start of a conversation with you — rin talks over him. which, reasonably so, makes you turn to him and look him up and down in pure disbelief because itoshi rin isn't known for being a talker, much less a loud one at that. yet right now, it's almost like he's purposefully trying to be as loud as possible.
the guy starts with a friendly hello and something else which you don't really hear because rin’s voice is ringing in your ears — “pretty nice weather, don't you think?” he says. you cringe — it's past 8 pm and criminally hot in this city.
you choose to ignore him here, not in favour of talking to your classmate, but simply because you do not know what to say to that.
your classmate clears his throat and asks you about your private lessons, and as you're trying to reply, rin beats you to it. “classes ended, if you couldn't tell. we're on our way home.”
rin answers for you, and you shoot him a look. a curt nod with a sly smirk is his way of saying, “i know you don't like it when i speak for you, but i do not care.”
the guy laughs nervously, one you'd call awkward if it wasn't for the way he's slowly backing away from rin. you don't blame him, you know a thing or two about being glared at by rin and it's not really a pleasant thing to be subjected to. you feel bad for your classmate.
“so, y/n—” your classmate tries again and rin coughs loudly. you smack his arm, he ignores you. “that’s l/n to you,” he declares.
“rin! shut up for a minute!” you’re saving all the insults for later.
rin ignores you, again, with a huff. you turn your attention back to your classmate, muttering a low apology about how he's always like this and it's nothing personal — your classmate stands rigidly, awkwardly playing with the straps of his bag before speaking again, “right, l/n — i wanted to tell you something. uh, in private, if that's okay.”
“no, it's not.” rin answers in less than a second. you rub the bridge of your nose with your fingers, sighing defeatedly. rin decides it's his cue to continue, “they’re not going anywhere i can’t follow. whatever you say to them, I'm here to listen.”
it's less of a request and more of a warning — you picture him standing behind you in all his untouched glory, with his signature and perpetual scowl. it's no wonder your classmate stutters as he hesitantly mutters a low, “okay.”
“uh, i like you! — i have for a while, a long while! i wanted to properly ask you out —”
rin had known this was coming — unlike you, who's taken aback and most definitely not swayed by this confession — he clicks his tongue. rin is quick on his feet, stepping in front of you and even quicker with his mouth as he speaks, “we’re done here. f*ck off you lukewarm f*ckhead, they're not interested.”
the sudden vulgarity of his words leaves no one surprised — you're not given any chance to react as rin once again takes the initiative for you.
in seconds rin is grasping your wrist — firm and protective, and making you walk away with him. you stumble a little on your steps trying to keep up with him, the confession of your classmate completely erasing from your mind as you can only focus on the harsh knit between rin’s eyebrows, his unintelligible grumbles that you can't really make sense of. he spares you a glance across the corner of his eye, and you realise you have never seen him this worked up before, maybe save for the times he's on the pitch.
once your classmate is fairly far from his sights, rin lets you go — more like you yank your wrist free.
“rin, what the f*ck? what's wrong with you?” you've come back to your senses, the absurdity of the situation playing in your mind again and again.
“you were gonna reject him anyway, i saved us some time.” he states dryly.
“how do you know that?” you find it hard to ignore the way his brows furrow even more at your words, he parts his lips to say something but stops midway when you talk again, “you’ve been acting strange, and i honestly don't know why but can you stop? we're not eight anymore, rin. stop butting in my life like that!”
rin looks at you with a sort of hurt flashing in his eyes — one you know you are the cause of but don't know really why. it's a bittersweet one— aching with an unrequited love. you know because it's the same gaze you've held for him for as long as you can remember. it feels sort of like a joke, that he's acting so uncharacteristic because of a confession from a random classmate — not when rin is nothing more than just your best friend. the label you've been limited to all your life.
rin takes a few moments to speak again, he takes a step closer and when you try to step back out of instinct — he holds your hand, much gently and tenderly than before.
”if you hate it that much, you can do it too.”
“what?”
“if you don't like me meddling in your life,” he repeats, this time much louder and bolder — just like the crimson blooming on his cheeks, “then you can butt in mine too, i won't stop you.”
“I— huh? ” you're dumbstruck.
rin sighs, defeated — closing his eyes to collect his thoughts and possibly help the maroon dusting his cheeks to not extend to his ears as well, “you’re the only one I look at. everyone can see that, even that f*ckface isagi. everyone except you. i only see you. i want it to always be you,” rin pauses here, letting the words scorch his lips until they taste like a confession of his own— “so can you please only look at me too?”
this is where rin looks at you, and you feel seen. you feel like the only thing he can see, the only thing that's ever on his mind. suddenly the weight of his words settles in your chest, your heart picks up it's rhythm then. “why — why didn't you just say that...” you manage to blurt out, as clearly as you could. the shades of strawberries settling in your cheeks as well — gaze resting anywhere but him. rin sees that, and decides he doesn't like it. he gives a gentle tug to your hand — “eyes on me,” he says. it doesn't really help, but something tells you rin won't take no for an answer here.
“you,” you say, your finger poking the expanse of his chest — right where his heart lies, “it's always you. everything always leads me back to you. god, i really wish you said that all before.”
rin’s heart stalls and stutters like a car engine out of gasoline, renewing seconds later with a vigorous pump. heck, you literally made his heart stop and then come back to life with a newfound exhilaration.
“i’m saying it now,” he says, dragging the syllables; lowly and lovely, “i like you, only you.”
this is how you come to two different revelations in one same night. the boy you truly love, one you've loved for as long as you've known what it was. and the boy you'd call the bane of your existence, because it's ridiculous how he's always on your mind — determined to make his presence known one way or another. the boy who looks at you like he never wants to look away, the one who's asking you to look at him too, it echoes the same name, proudly and sweetly: itoshi rin.
you think it's starting to sound like something of yours to keep.
© yuquinzel2023 [ plagiarism is a violation of moral rights ! ]
he makes me actually crazy
