Chapter Text
“THE ECHO OF THE TOUCH THAT NEVER HAPPENED”
POV: Rin
The locker room fell silent so quickly that Rin almost doubted Shidou had actually been there a second before.
The door was still rattling, creaking slightly.
Rin ran a hand through his hair, wiping away the water that still trickled down his neck.
But the truth is, he was trying to extinguish the warm sensation on his neck—the one Shidou had left just by getting too close.
Damn it.
He closed his eyes for a second.
That had been… what, exactly?
Shidou wasn't subtle.
He never had been.
And yet, today, it had been different.
It had been too real, almost too sincere, as if Shidou were fighting against something.
And that, Rin hated to admit, made everything even more dangerous.
Rin leaned his back against the locker, letting his head fall slightly back.
His face was hot.
Great.
Wonderful.
Exactly what he needed: to be affected by the most chaotic and inconvenient player on PXG.
He took a deep breath, trying to remind himself why he hated Shidou:
Because Shidou was loud.
Because Shidou was unpredictable.
Because Shidou was intense.
But the real problem?
The problem was that instant when Shidou had gotten so close that Rin felt his breath on his skin.
And Rin didn't back away.
He should have backed away.
But he didn't.
The words came rushing back into his head:
"You."
Rin squeezed his eyes shut, too angry at his own body for reacting.
He always thought Shidou only wanted chaos, destruction, screaming, shock.
But today… today he saw something different in his expression.
Something Rin knew all too well.
Obsession.
And that left his throat dry.
Because Rin knew, even if he never said it aloud:
Some types of obsession were dangerous.
Especially when they were about him.
Rin pulled the towel away, wiping away the sweat that wasn't even there, trying to push away the thought—or the desire—that was beginning to form.
Damn it.
He took a deep breath and muttered to himself:
— Idiot…
But he no longer knew if he was talking about Shidou…
or himself.
“TO AVOID TOUCHING, I NEED TO RUN AWAY”
POV: Shidou
Shidou only stopped walking when he was already at the exit of the locker room.
He leaned against the wall, resting both hands on his head, breathing too deeply.
He felt his own heart beating as if it were trying to escape his chest.
— Shit… — he whispered, almost voiceless.
He shouldn't have said that.
He shouldn't have gotten so close.
He shouldn't have let it slip like that.
But when Rin had looked at him—really looked—something inside him had ripped control from his hands.
And now he was paying the price.
Shidou lightly banged his head against the wall, as if trying to gather his thoughts.
"You."
He repeated the word in a low voice, almost mocking himself.
Just remembering Rin blinking, surprised—he felt a shiver run down his spine.
Rin was irritating.
Cold.
Indecipherable.
But precisely because of that…
Shidou pressed his fingers against the wall, his veins bulging.
He wanted to break it.
He wanted to see Rin react to him.
He wanted to see Rin lose control because of him, only him.
But for some reason he didn't understand, it wasn't like with the others.
With Rin…
with Rin he didn't want to destroy.
He wanted to provoke.
Challenge.
Corrupt.
But touch?
Only if Rin let him.
And that drove Shidou completely insane.
He huffed, annoyed with his own body for trembling.
Yes. Trembling.
Ridiculous.
"I'm screwed," he murmured, chuckling softly at himself, but it was a broken, almost incredulous laugh.
He leaned his forehead against the wall, taking a deep breath.
He thought about Rin's gaze.
His coldness.
The way he didn't back down.
The silence laden with meaning.
And that's when Shidou understood the real problem:
He hadn't run away from Rin.
He had run away from himself.
Because if he had stayed…
if he had stayed one more second…
Shidou would have touched him.
And Rin…
Rin would have let him.
And he wasn't prepared for what that would mean.
Not at all.