Chapter Text
"Rin-chan!" Meguru greeted as he made himself into Rin's room.
It wasn't night yet, in fact, it was the weekend. There sat Rin at his desk across the bed they lay on almost every night. He was on his computer, typing, stealing a glance at Meguru before turning back to face the screen.
"Assignment?" Meguru asked, plopping down on his stomach on the boy's bed. His chin cupped in his palms.
Rin shortly hummed, still not sparing a look at the older boy.
Meguru only grinned fondly, zoning out as his gaze danced across that broad shoulder. His yellow eyes slowly caught those small details of Rin's back. In the brighter light, his hair seemed greenish, almost black. He would stop typing once in a while to check his work above, take a sip of the mug of coffee he placed beside him and sometimes stretch his arms as they got sore.
Rin noticed these days that Meguru had completely stopped wearing his face mask around him. He would talk more during dinner, greeted Rin every morning, slid into his bed once in a while without a reason and drew random patterns on his back that he paid no mind to. Meguru was following Rin around just like the little puppy his neighbour owned.
The two of them only cuddled that one time.
Hours went by before evening would arrive, Meguru who had accidentally taken a nap on Rin's bed then woke up and decided to begin preparing dinner, assuring the boy that he should continue doing his work.
It was peaceful, Meguru could live like this every day.
Bachira Meguru wondered just when did Itoshi Rin become such a significant part of his life. Was it during his breakdown? The first time they watched a horror movie together? Or it was just simply when Rin stood by that door and Meguru didn't hesitate to let the boy in as he was swayed by the masterpiece before his honey-coloured eyes?
Meguru didn't know. He couldn't pinpoint when but what he did know was that he had fallen for Itoshi Rin, his unbelievably indifferent roommate that managed to make Meguru feel important. Another person in his life that managed to teach him to respect himself.
However, it got Meguru questioning. What could he even do with these feelings?
'What should I do with this?' Meguru questioned one evening as he stared at Rin's back when the male was putting on his shoe to go jogging.
'Will he even like me back?'
The thought of Rin rejecting Meguru's feelings somehow didn't scare him.
What scared Meguru, even more, was the thought of Rin possibly moving out once he knew of Meguru's feelings.
Like who the hell wanted to live under the same roof of someone that had a feeling for them and they didn't?
Meguru feared taking the risk.
He didn't want Rin to leave.
🦉🐝
Summer break came a few weeks after and Rin told Meguru he had to go home. The boy mentioned that he was forced to, along with some lines that indicate him being reluctant to meet 'his asshole of a brother' . Meguru watched as the boy packed some of his stuff and sent the boy to the entrance of the apartment before being left alone to stare at the living room, realising how empty his apartment felt in a second.
Was this how it would feel if Rin left? Meguru wondered as a bitter smile curved on his face. He solemnly strode back into his room.
Quiet. Too quiet.
Meguru concluded that if this was how it would possibly be then would rather let go if it meant to keep Itoshi Rin by his side.
After all, Meguru was sure Rin wouldn't feel the same.
"I can't keep up with you!"
"Sorry, Bachira… Higashi told me to not hang out with you."
"And can you please stop smiling⸺"
No, Rin wasn't like them. Meguru shook his head. With the time given, Meguru would figure out what to do.
He would figure out how to let go.
A few nights passed, and Meguru was still left alone to eat dinner alone in the lonely apartment. It took days before motivation hit him. He just suddenly dumped his plates from dinner into the sink and stomped his way to his room before sitting at his desk. He began to start his work, papers and pen in front of him as he powered on his PC, put on his headphones and grabbed his instruments from beside the wall.
Words written, words cancelled, the papers soon filled with unreadable scribbles that only Meguru understood. The tip of the ballpen waltzed against the surface of the once-blank paper, leaving trails of footprints behind portraying his feelings in the form of Meguru's own version of art: music.
The day was getting darker, starless sky failed to accompany the boy who was still by his desk, thoughts filled with countless words he wished to pour onto those papers before him which were every so often he crumpled in his grip and restarted writing. Some of them just didn't feel right, he needed to take this seriously.
And so, the boy continued until he passed out, head on the side of the paper, snoring softly.
🦉🐝
When Meguru was younger, way before junior high school, he was an energetic and bubbly kid. He had a personality that would get the aunties from his neighbourhood cooing at his sight and inviting him to come over to play with their kids. They all liked him. But Meguru was too much ⸺as the kids said⸺ they couldn't keep up with his relentless behaviour, with his cheery attitude and unique imagination.
"It's no fun playing with you, Bachira!" One of them had sulked during their playtime. "I don't get why my mum wants me to play with a weird kid like you."
"I couldn't keep up with you, ugh. And can't you stop smiling all the time, it feels weird!"
"Sorry, Bachira… Higashi told me to not hang out with you."
Day by day, the words seemed to get worse.
"Hey, hey. Doesn't Bachira kinda look like this character here? Haha!" The kid pointed to a weird-looking character in his comic book. "A weird monster!"
"Stop acting so friendly with me! I only played with you because my mum told me to pity you."
To sum it up, Meguru had been an outcast in his childhood days.
Things weren't easy. Meguru tried his best to go through it. One day, he couldn't hold it anymore that he had come home sobbing, asking his mother if he was truly weird. He asked if there was something wrong with him. His mother had only comforted him with words full of warmth as her arms wrapped around him.
"You're not weird, Meguru." was spoken with so much sincerity, the young boy couldn't afford to cry any harder and just fell asleep in his mother's arms.
The boy then somehow ended up developing a tendency to cover his face. Later on, when Meguru entered high school, he befriended Isagi Yoichi. And years passed, to this very moment indeed where Meguru was facing yet another matter he didn't see coming.
Itoshi Rin.
Well, more like Meguru's feeling was the problem here.
It had been more than a week since Rin left the apartment to go back to his house. Meguru was still busying himself in composing a song for his roommate, the plates from dinner would pile up till the next morning before Meguru would wash them and the laundry would sometimes be forgotten to be hung by the balcony.
But now, the song was finally finished.
Meguru just needed to finish recording the whole thing properly next before uploading it onto his channel as Honey-kun. That way he could let out his feelings without anyone needing to know that it was Bachira Meguru himself. It would give some sort of satisfaction and comfort for Meguru to know that there was a thin chance of Rin listening to the song without necessarily acknowledging the song was from Meguru himself.
Like a silly little silent confession.
It was pretty childish, Meguru knew it was. Yet it was the only solution Meguru could come up with.
Meguru shifted his body in the seat of his desk. His hand adjusted the mic in front of his mouth as the other one was clicking on multiple tabs on his PC. He cleared his throat softly, eyes staring at the lyrics he displayed on a minimised window on the screen.
It would take a while.
With a heave of a breath, as the tune faded in, Meguru parted his lips in anticipation. He started singing.
"...It's creepy to be liked
by everyone in this world
But I want to hold hands with you
in a classroom where we can't connect⸺"
But it would be worth it.
🦉🐝
"⸺One, two
“There are many people in this world who don't even know love”
One, two
“There are many people in this world who don't even know love”
Sympathy, envy, jealousy, resentment, black tears falling down
My ugly emotions burst out and become a snow-white bird
Non-breath, non-breath, non-breath, non-breath oblige
I love you⸺"
Light danced across the wall in front of Meguru, apparent in the dim room lit up by blue lights. He froze, his voice then stuck in his throat. He twisted his body to face the door ⸺
"R-Rin," Meguru stammered, the background track still playing on his headphone. His eyes widened, fingertips cold and his heart thumped faster upon the younger boy discovering him recording in the room.
Weeks and Rin had caught him.
"You're back?" Meguru turned his chair to face the boy, his headphone now placed in the middle of his desk. "Aren't you staying there for another week?" He averted his gaze away as he couldn't find it in him to look at Rin at the moment. A nervous smile was put on his face.
'He heard. He definitely heard me sing.' Meguru's pupils shook. He never let anyone else hear him sing in person aside from his mother and Yoichi. Knowing that a part of him was scared if his music were to be criticised like his looks and personality.
'What does he think? Is he disappointed? No, no, no⸺'
"⸺chira. Bachira,"
"Huh?" Meguru snapped out of his thoughts. His eyes met Rin's and he felt grips around his forearms. He just realised Rin was standing before him at the moment.
Meguru squirmed away from Rin's grasp, his voice trembling as he intended to sort his desk and put away his equipment. "I⸺I'm sorry, haha . It was loud was it? I-I'm just going to stop now⸺"
"Bachira, you're crying."
"I-I am?" Meguru quickly shed his eyes and felt his palms dampen. "Oh, it's… I just don't have enough sleep. Uhh… "
"What's wrong with you?" Rin frowned, his hands gripping Meguru tighter and squeezing his forearms for a second. "I was just checking on you. What happened?" His eyes filled with frustration, somewhat sad as he didn't understand Meguru's emotions.
Meguru shook his head, his eyes involuntarily watered even more. "It's dumb, really. I just don't want you to hear me. I must've sound⸺"
"It was beautiful." Rin blurted, cutting the male off. "Your voice, it's beautiful." He stated once again.
Meguru silenced, not replying as he looked away with tears in his eyes. Rin was still trapping him in his seat, now squatting before the boy who still had worries flooding his thoughts. Meguru couldn't stand it any longer, he should probably tell Rin to get out of the room.
"...Honey-kun?"
Meguru shot his gaze towards the boy. Rin was staring behind Meguru, precisely his PC. And as Meguru followed Rin's gaze, he saw that Rin was looking at one of the tabs Meguru left open. It was the studio manager of Meguru's Honey-kun channel, very clear evidence that he was indeed the utaite himself.
"I'm not⸺"
"Bachira." Something in Rin's eyes was pleading Meguru to tell the truth, he seemed troubled as if the truth mattered to him.
"It's not me…" Meguru pursed his lips into a thin line. He felt Rin's hands loose around his forearms. Disappointment was apparent on his face at the moment and Meguru couldn't bear it. "It's really not me…" Meguru let out instead. His words would only be the truth if only he wasn't crying even harder.
"I-It's not me…"
Rin didn't move.
"Bachira," Rin spoke up instead. He took off one of his hands from Meguru's arm and then, fished through the back pocket of his pants. "Look here."
Meguru blinked through his tears and Rin faced his screen to Meguru. He was showing his account to the boy, a certain user that Meguru knew well.
"Y-You…"
"That's me." Rin firmly stated.
User 'R.', Meguru knew of them ⸺him⸺ quite well. He was fond of him. When Meguru first started his channel, the user was one of the few supporters he remembered the most.
'R.' would always leave simple comments and Meguru would often give him a heart to show his appreciation. He would leave comments like 'good song', 'nice', 'it's calming' but Meguru could recall one comment from him that left an impression on him the most: 'Thank you' .
It was the first comment he had gotten from the user. Meguru could easily remember him because of how memorable his unbelievably simple comments were. It was quite funny, Meguru remembered showing it to Yoichi too. However, it would be hard to spot the user these days as it would be flooded with comments from other users.
"You're Honey-kun…" Rin mumbled after a moment of silence. "...right?"
Meguru slowly nodded this time. Giving up.
"...Do you think I'm weird, Rin-chan?" Meguru then whispered in the moment of silence. "Am I weird?" He asked again.
"You are… ⸺ " Meguru felt something in him about to crack. " ⸺ But who the fuck cares? No one should have."
The smaller boy blinked up at the now-kneeling one.
"You are pretty weird," Rin huffed, looking away from the boy to Meguru's hands which were trembling on his lap. "You were laughing and all that rainbow-like shits , sticking to me like a slug yet the next moment you distanced yourself from others like a whole different person. You stood tall on your own yet you looked like you were about to crumble the next moment. You were loud and the next moment you wouldn't say a word. You are weird. Everyone is ."
Rin didn't try to hide his frustration.
"Do you think you're the only odd one here? I've seen people that are weirder than you and I honestly wouldn't give a damn about them. You even seemed to be the most normal of them all."
There was a gentle flick against Meguru's forehead, surprising him as he fluttered his tears away.
"I-I⸺"
Meguru started sobbing and he felt those hands flinched against his skin. Rin panicked inside, thinking that he somehow had worsened the situation.
"Ba⸺"
Meguru sobbed harder.
'I am weird.' Meguru thought as his hands furiously wiped the tears that were streaming down his face.
Rin did it again.
Somehow he just knew what to say.
Meguru had always been told that he was weird throughout his childhood days. His mother and Yoichi always comforted him that he wasn't and he tried to believe them. He wanted to feel better about himself, that he was fine but he knew that deep down he wasn't. Perhaps this was what he truly was waiting for, for so long.
Perhaps what Bachira Meguru needed was simply acceptance.
Not from Bachira Yuu, not from Isagi Yoichi or even Itoshi Rin and everyone around him.
Meguru needed to accept himself.
That he was too much, too loud, weird-looking, fatherless or whatever the fuck those people had mentioned.
"I know…" Meguru croaked. "I've always known ⸺ " He sniffed.
"They didn't like me. They didn't want to befriend me. I was too much. Too much. They were just forced to be with me ⸺ " A gasp was needed for the boy to breathe through his cries. "⸺I don't have a father. My family isn't happy like theirs⸺"
The crying one covered his face behind his hands only to weep harder. He shed his tears furiously as if he wasn't supposed to cry. As if he didn't deserve to.
"⸺But I like it. I like me . I like my family, just my mom and me, the way we are. I don't get why people can't⸺"
Slender fingers, they slowly pry Meguru's hands away from his face. He then felt the thick cotton textiles rubbing softly against his now-closed eyes, not just simply dabbing them as the boy did before.
"Because they can't," Rin simply replied. "It's just as simple as that. People that can, will be able to do so; people that can't, will be unable to." He stared into the boy's yellow eyes, surrounded by apparent red veins, moist with fresh tears.
"Your family, your look, your voice and yourself . What is right and wrong with them to others depends on themselves. It's uncontrollable. What you think of yourself, what you love about yourself is what matters first."
Meguru sealed his lips tightly, attempting to swallow his cries from the world. Rin let him cry in silence once again, just like the many nights before, every so often wiping the overflowing tears running down the boy's face without saying a word after.
"I was…" Meguru cleared his throat, voice hoarse from crying, after a very long moment of silence. "I was recording a song⸺about you." He admitted, hands then fisting the end of his shirt that was pooling around his hip. They shook by how strong he was gripping the fabric, knuckles pale.
A confused expression could be found on the younger's face the next second.
"I was planning… to post it and never show it to you," Meguru bit onto his lower lip and looked away, slow tears escaping the prison of his eyes. "I wasn't planning to tell you. I am a coward, I was scared that you would leave." His lips quivered, fingertips cold.
"Why?" Rin questioned. A glint of anticipation in his eyes. "Why, Bachira? Why ?"
"You're special to me," Meguru heaved out. "I like⸺ I love you."
The fingers that now settled on Meguru's arms curled ever so slightly.
"But why? You kept on thanking me for everything, but I did nothing. I never know what to do. Stop thanking me!" Rin was almost shaking as he squeezed Meguru's arms weakly. His voice was getting louder, wide eyes boring into Meguru's bright ones. "Just why am I special to you? Why do you like me ?..."
Rin's expression slipped for a moment. It was heartbreaking to Meguru to see how his eyes seemed to glint under the light, wavering as though wetness was pooling in his eyes. Yet the boy couldn't confirm it when the younger blinked the dampness away.
The hands slid down to embrace Meguru's cold hands in them, grip loose.
"I just do!" It was almost a scream, expressed in frustration greater than Rin's.
"Everything, everything you do. They don't seem much to you but they meant everything to me! I fell for them. I feel like my heart is going to burst from how much I adore you. You are very special to me, I don't care if I'm not, in your eyes," Meguru shook his head, looking down to hide his face. The droplets from his eyes landed on hands that weren't his. "I was scared that you wouldn't feel the same, so I was planning to never tell you…But I just did it…"
"Bachira."
"I thought that I'll be fine if things stay as they were but I know I'll get greedy. In the end, I'll still wish for you to stay, for you to feel the same⸺"
"Bachira."
"Please don't leave. I promise I won't do anything anymore. I wouldn't even publish the song if you don't want me to⸺"
"Bachira," Rin called again. "Bachira, look at me." He cupped the boy's jaw, angling his head to force their eyes to meet. He had a troubled look, not knowing what to do.
So, Rin pressed his lips onto his.
Meguru's breath hitched, and his lips trembled against the other in that short moment. He later stared at the boy before him with widened eyes as Rin pulled away.
"Who says I wouldn't feel the same? That you aren't special to me?" Rin's gaze seemed like they were about to slip away. He closed his eyes, regaining his composure as Meguru swore his ears were shaded with the faintest visible hue of red. "I mean even if I don't I wouldn't move out," he muttered under his breath, looking away in shame.
"R-Really?" Meguru failed to not stutter, his breath shook as he took a deep breath.
Rin reluctantly nodded, still not meeting Meguru's gaze.
"But I'm⸺"
"Weird. So am I," Rin cut him off, seeming to be upset once again. He then stood up and Meguru feared the boy was leaving as he walked towards the exit.
That was until Rin flicked the lights off and walked back in Meguru's way. He said nothing, only pulling the boy off his seat and sliding his arms around the boy's torso and behind his knees. Rin effortlessly lifted Meguru towards the bed as if he weighed nothing.
Meguru drew in a sharp breath, shocked by the action. His gaze followed the younger boy as he took position beside Meguru like they always did in his bed. This time, however, he held the boy close once again. Not because Meguru was sad but because he felt just the same. And this time, Meguru was given the chance to stare properly at the boy's face.
"Since when?"
Rin only stared back, not getting the question.
"Since when did you feel the same⸺ Ack !"
"Don't ask," Rin muttered after gently flicking Meguru's forehead. "I just do. That's all you need to know."
A small smile finally formed on Meguru's face.
🦉🐝
Itoshi Rin. He lived a life others could only dream of. Born into the Itoshi household where the descendants all led a respectful life. He was adored by many others, the little young master who was also expected to bring glory and fame to the family.
But it wasn't that easy.
Sometimes, Rin wished to live a normal life. Where he didn't have to meet anyone's high expectations, his neighbours and business partners, who would always try to butter him up during the occasional dinners held by the Itoshi. His parents were fine, they put his happiness above all and were supportive of him but they were rarely there.
It was as though what they were doing were just things that a parent should do, they worked so hard that they forgot to be there. Something was always missing. They rarely fight, but they also rarely bond over silly things like the other families Rin had seen.
He then lost Sae as a brother.
The two were close, only having each other when their parents weren't there, to sustain their household. Sae being the eldest one had much more responsibility than Rin. Unlike Rin, he seemed to fit in this exposing and glamorous lifestyle as Rin struggled to catch up as well, being known as his little brother. He just had to because he was 'The Itoshi Sae little brother' . It felt like a responsibility that he had to carry. Many of their ideals clashed then leading to more issues, they drifted apart but neither of them tried to fix their relationship.
It was stressful.
All these little things were too much for a 15 years old boy who sometimes only wished to get a passing grade and play all day like some of those students he always saw being held back after school to manage the school garden as punishment. He wished to go home to parents that would be there to welcome him, then bicker with his families over silly things, get a long lecture about his imperfect grades and just have fun for once in a while. Yet, doing so without feeling guilty was something impossible indeed.
To be the so-called 'perfect' was tiring.
That one evening, Rin came across a post on social media. He barely used them, but decided to check the link that led him to the previewed video.
'Honey-kun' was one of the trending utaite these days. He heard the students from the next class talking about the utaite, hearing the singer was rumoured to be a high schooler just like them. One of the utaite's random posts on his social media apparently was a park in the town. It wasn't that far too.
Having his headphone already connected to the phone, Rin randomly tapped on a video the utaite last uploaded as he found the title drawing him in.
2 days ago, 'Hated by life itself' .
🦉🐝
"Your song," Rin mumbled after a very long moment of silence, his lips moving against Meguru's forehead. "The one you uploaded the year you first started your channel. 'Hated by Life Itself' ."
Rin felt the boy squirm slightly as if trying to stare up at him.
" "Don’t say you want to die
Live on without giving up!”
...How foolish it is to say songs with lyrics like that are correct
In truth, I couldn’t care a bit if I died, but I’d be pretty sad if the people around me did
I suppose it’s some kind of ego; that goes “because I just wouldn’t like it" "
"When I first heard it, I immediately fell in love with the song." Rin sighed, admitting after rephrasing the lyrics from the song. "I know it sounds silly. But I just found it at the right time. I needed it."
Meguru tensed up in Rin's embrace.
'Hated by Life Itself', Meguru remembered it being the first ever song he composed after only posting covers as debut on his channel.
It was a song Meguru held dearly to himself, being a piece he made during the time his mind was clouded with the usual negative thoughts when he was still rejecting himself. When he couldn't scream and cry anymore he decided to pour it into his music instead, that way people would still have to listen to Meguru even when they didn't intend to. That way he felt heard.
"Thank you," Rin exhaled after a moment, full of sincerity.
Meguru's fingers curled around the front of Rin's shirt, shaking slightly. The thought that his song could mean just as much as it meant to him to somebody else was something he never expected to be possible. A part of him was glad that he never gave up on his passion. That he continue to strive in a world where he was simply labelled as weird for who he was.
"I love you," Meguru whispered. This time without anything holding him back. "I love you, I love you, I love you. Stay with me, don't leave. I don't think I can handle the thought of you leaving. Stay with me until you don't want me anymore." He begged quietly, voice getting smaller and smaller with his body attempting to curl further into the other's embrace.
"...I love you too," Rin replied, knowing that it wouldn't harm him to be honest with the boy. "I'll stay. I won't leave. I'll always want you," he simply stated. It was just as simple as that, he would stay; he wouldn't leave, never.
"...You mentioned that the song earlier has something to do with me."
"Yeah." Meguru hummed.
"It makes me happy. A song about me, about you. Us," Rin held Meguru tighter as if he didn't want the boy to see his flustered face at the moment. "You told me I'm special to you. You really made me think so. To be a part of your world, of something you love, to be loved by you. They make me happy."
Rin felt Meguru grin against the spaces between his neck and collarbone.
"I'll finish the recording soon. I'll show it to you," Meguru moved his arms around the bigger boy, drawing patterns on his back that he couldn't see. "You'll be the first to hear it."
'Rin' was what the pattern the younger boy figured written on his back.
"Sounds good," Rin began to run his hair through Meguru's hair. He pulled away a few seconds after and stared into those yellow eyes reflecting the light pollution from outside the 5th-floor apartment.
The pool of sunflowers in Meguru's eyes seemed to lure the other closer, Rin leaned in to capture the boy's lips with his. Rin was hesitating as he began moving his lips against Meguru. He wasn't an expert. He wondered if what he was doing was right and as shame was about to consume him, Meguru clung to him harder instead.
The older boy didn't care, he only pulled them closer to each other ⸺as if it was possible for Rin to vanish into thin air any second then⸺ parting his lips in the process as he urged Rin further with his tongue sweeping across the boy's bottom lip provokingly. The feeling of want and longing laid bare to the younger one as the other refused to stop.
Rin regained control of himself, gestures relaxed with his hands moving to grip the sides of Meguru's jaw, tilting the boy's head to a better angle. His thumbs stroked Meguru's earlobe and the boy couldn't help but let out a slight whimper when he felt the younger's tongue slipping between his lips several times.
"Rin-chan…" Meguru gasped into the kiss.
Rin was about to part away but Meguru pulled him in once again, chasing his lips again to hold onto the ecstasy longer. This time it was messier than before. Meguru's hands found their way into Rin's hair, his mouth parted every so often to let the younger boy dominate him. Every so often, Meguru would catch the boy's lips between his, hands tugging the silky strands of the said boy in between his fingers, eliciting a low groan in Rin's throat. Their legs tangled under the blanket draped on their lower half as Rin's arms found their way into Meguru's shirt, circling the small waist with his fingertip grazing the now-warm bare skin.
They only parted away when Meguru realised he needed to breathe properly.
One last kiss was given at the corner of Meguru's lips and he did the same to the other. Rin settled to press their forehead together, eyes closed as they basked in the afterglow of their short make-out session. Their panting breath mingled in the air, lips swollen and wet.
"...Are we boyfriends now?"
"Bachira, what the fuck is that question?"
"I don't know. Just asking!"
"We are. What else?"
"Oh…" Meguru's shoulders drew closer to his ears, shivers running down his spine. "We are." He grinned from ear to ear, cheeks flushed from the heat and thrill.
"I feel happy…" A sniffle followed behind.
"Maybe I should start learning a bit of music too," Rin mumbled, wiping the little tears that formed at the corners of Meguru's eyes and later feeling Meguru's hands sliding around his torso. "I want to see the world you see too."
"It's not that beautiful," Meguru joked and laughed when he saw Rin's unamused face. "But it is now! Even more with you." He stopped playing, staring into those teal eyes sincerely.
Something in Rin's eyes twinkled.
"I'm sure you'll do well. You're smart. I want to see your world too, but I don't think I have a talent for that. Business. Maybe you can teach me soccer instead."
Rin hummed, "Sounds like a plan."
The boy then started drawing patterns of the bare skin of Meguru's waist as his shirt had ridden up to below his ribcage. It had him smiling a bit, the boy's habit was catching up to him.
"Dinner?" Meguru mumbled after a long moment.
"Dinner," Rin replied with a small smile.
It had been a while since they last ate together.
🦉🐝
"You're not weird, Meguru. Like art, everybody has their own patterns, their own motives. Yours are just as special as theirs. It's okay if they can't see your colours, it's okay if they can't understand them. For you to know your own colours and accept them is great enough."
'It's okay, mom.' Meguru thought, recalling his mother's words. 'I am weird.' He stared at Rin from where he was cutting the vegetables, who stood by the stove, stirring the curry.
'I see my colours now. He sees it too. And he accepts me the way I am. He tells me that it's fine that I am coloured like this. He says he too has his own colours.'
Meguru watched the little gestures Rin did while cooking. Tapping his fingertips against the counter, shifting his weight between his feet, a frown when he was stirring the curry, a little smile he didn't notice he was showing on his face.
'I can see them. I like them.'
Meguru stepped closer to the boy and poked his waist, grinning sheepishly.
"What? Have you finished cutting?" Rin asked, glaring slightly at the boy.
"Not yet! What's with the glare, Rin-chan?" Meguru pouted, his eyes gleaming under the lights.
A gentle flick to his forehead.
"Dummy, we have to start eating soon. It's getting late."
"Yes, sir!" Meguru stole a kiss on the boy's lips before running back to the dining table. "Oh, I'm sleeping with you tonight!" He added casually, staring at Rin's back and noticing the familiar red hues on his ears.
Rin grumbled, stirring the curry harder. "Whatever. You never asked anyway."
"We're cuddling!"
"Hmm."
Meguru giggled when Rin froze for a moment. His shoulders then lowered as he took a moment to stare tenderly at the boy.
Rin didn't try to fix Meguru. He never did. He stood there and let Meguru help himself. And that was exactly what Meguru loved about him. One of the reasons why.
'And I love him the way he is too.'