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It was a cold, dreary day. Rin walked through the streets of town, scuffing his shoes on the pavement as he went, occasionally kicking a rock along. If only he had actually paid attention to the news that morning before going out, or even looked up at the dark clouds above. Yukio was gonna kill him when he got back; he always found something to nitpick about. Rin kept staring at his shoes as he went, lost in thought about how he would explain this to his brother.
Suddenly, Rin thought he heard his name being called. He paid no attention to it at first, he figured it was someone else with a similar name. But…that voice sounded familiar…
Rin was always good at telling people’s voices apart, and that ability was only amplified when he became aware of his demonic powers. That voice he had heard sounded gruff, and yet something was different. Comforting, in a way.
Rin looked up when he heard his name again, closer this time. He knew that voice, he had heard it every day in class since he had started at the cram school.
“Suguro?” Rin asked, confused. He watched the familiar form of his classmate approach him. Rin hadn’t noticed, but he had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.
The rain started coming down harder. Rin reached into his bag, careful not to expose his papers to the elements, and pulled out the hair clip Bon had given him so long ago. He pulled his hair out of his eyes and pinned it back, just before Suguro arrived.
“Hey, dumbass, didn’t you see it was gonna rain? God, it’s like I’m always the one that ends up havin’ ta look after ya, Okumura,” Ryūji grumbled. Without looking up, he shoved the umbrella in Rin’s direction.
Rin grinned. “I didn’t notice! Thanks, Bon. You can be a real softie sometimes, you know that? You’re always so serious, it’s nice to see you lighten up once in a while!” He easily dodged the light punch to the arm.
“Don’t call me Bon! Anyways, I was just passin’ through, it’s not like I was keepin’ track of you or anything…” Ryūji turned his face away, blood rushing up to his face. Rin, of course, was oblivious to this and walked happily along with him.
“What were you doin’ in town, anyways?” Bon eventually asked, trying to hide his curiosity.
“Ah, that! I was just getting some ingredients for Ukobach, he said we were running short on some things. What about you?”
“N-nothing,” Suguro said, avoiding Rin’s question. The truth was, he had been out jogging and it looked like nobody was at the dorm Yukio and Rin were staying at, so he wanted to make sure Rin was doing alright. He didn’t know why, but he cared about Rin.
Rin cast a glance over at Ryūji. His gaze was locked in place on the ground ahead of them, not daring to look up. Rin thought he looked kinda cute like that.
They walked in silence as they approached the True Cross Academy campus. Finally, Rin spoke.
“Well, um, since we’re here I guess I’d better go to my dorm,” he said nervously. Why did the thought of leaving Bon make him so unhappy? Rin figured it was probably just because he didn’t want to get rained on even more. He started to move out from under the umbrella when Bon grabbed his wrist.
“Nuh-uh, I’m gonna take you to your dorm. And don’t even think about protesting, it’s still pourin’ out. You might catch a cold,” Suguro told him firmly. They looked into each other’s eyes for a brief moment, then Bon realized he was still holding onto Rin. He let go and kept walking, fighting the huge blush trying to make its way to the surface of his face. Rin felt warm, like a fire on a cold winter day. Ryūji distanced himself as best as possible while still staying under the umbrella, which is to say hardly at all. God, Rin made him feel so nervous. He hoped the halfling didn’t notice his heart beating out of his chest.
Rin walked along in silence, too absorbed in his own thoughts to notice how Bon was acting at the moment. Bon had grabbed his wrist…why did that make his heart race? He felt like he was on the verge of combustion and fought to keep his flames in check. For some reason that he couldn’t explain, he wanted to stay close to Bon. Rin stepped a tiny bit closer.
Suguro didn’t outwardly react when he felt Rin bump up against his arm, but inside he was panicking. Ryūji could usually stay calm and keep his composure without problem, but it all went out the window when Rin was involved. Shit, why did Rin keep getting closer? And why was he grinning like a total dork? Okay, so I think the fangs are badass, Bon thought to himself as he looked at Rin’s smile. And maybe his ears are kinda cute, and he’s a dumbass in the adorably lovable way. That doesn’t mean I like him!
Still, Bon could not deny the way Rin’s presence felt right to him, how he always lit up a room (literally and figuratively). Okay, so maybe I have a little, tiny, miniscule crush on the guy. Anyways, he probably doesn’t like me back, he clearly has a crush on Moriyama-san, Bon reasoned. For now, he would be content just being friends with him.
Rin struggled with his own dilemma. He had gotten crushes on a couple of guys before, and he certainly admired Shiemi, but nothing compared to how he felt about Ryūji. Sure, Bon was intimidating at first, but Rin liked that about him. He was levelheaded and incredibly loyal, and he was always there to watch out for Rin. When Yukio protected Rin, it was frustrating. Suguro, however, never made Rin feel like he was trapped, like a bird in a cage. With Bon, Rin felt free. He—
“Okumura!” Startled back to reality, Rin realized they had stopped walking.
“Sorry, must’ve zoned out! What were you saying?” Rin said with an awkward laugh.
“I asked you if ya wanted to wear my jacket. You’re shiverin’!”
“Ah, sure,” Rin said gratefully, now aware of the wind against his soaked clothes. Friends shared jackets, right? As Bon handed the umbrella to Rin, their hands brushed against each other and it felt like electricity shooting up Rin’s arm. He had never noticed how toned Bon’s biceps were, probably from all the workouts. Rin put the jacket on and took in the scent of it. It smelled just like Bon. Wait, why do I know what Bon smells like?!
“T-thanks Bon!” Rin stammered as his brain short-circuited. The butterflies in his stomach couldn’t be ignored anymore, he definitely had a thing for his friend.
“Whatever, it’s nothin’,” Ryūji muttered. “Let’s just hurry up.”
Rin was also pretty good at telling emotions, especially when he knew the person. Their scent changed slightly depending on what they were feeling, and Bon smelled nervous. This was a fairly uncommon one, the only other times he ever smelled like that was when they were up against a higher ranking demon. Unless…?
Rin decided to experiment. He bumped his hand against Suguro’s, hoping not to get a negative reaction. To his surprise, Ryūji’s hand caught Rin’s before he could pull away. They walked like this for a while, hand in hand, neither one of them daring to reposition in case the other let go.
They were at the dorm. It had seemed like only moments ago that they were entering the campus, and neither Ryūji nor Rin wanted to leave.
“I, uh, guess I should head in,” Rin started. It was clear he was disappointed about it. He started to turn away.
Bon made a split second decision. “Rin, wait!” He grabbed him by both arms and turned him around. “Okumura…I think I like you.” Maybe his feelings wouldn’t be reciprocated, but he had to try. The hand holding had to count for something, right? Besides, Bon wasn’t sure when he would have another opportunity for this.
“Oh! I mean, we’re friends so you don’t have to tell me!” Rin said, missing the point entirely.
“No, dumbass, I like you. As in, romantically. I totally get it if you don’t feel the same, I just…I needed to get that out in the open.” Bon looked at the ground, refusing to meet Rin’s eyes. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all, he thought to himself.
Rin reached up and lifted Ryūji’s chin. “Look at me,” he said. “I like you too. So, if you want to, we can try things out, see where they go.” He smiled. “Ryūji, will you be my boyfriend?”
In answer, Bon held Rin’s face in both hands and kissed him. The two of them stood in the rain, no longer caring if they got wet, the umbrella completely forgotten. All that mattered was each other in that moment, and it was perfect.