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Isagi couldn't stop himself from zoning out. Or more appropriately, zoning in on Rin's face. It's a bad habit he's attained over the years. While Rin would be occupied with tasks around the house such as cooking, or while he'd be intently reading the labels on cans when they'd go grocery shopping, the world around him would go silent. The ground and ceiling dissipated and the noise around him would muffle till it was only the outline of Rin's figure in his field of view.
It was the way Rin's eyelashes, long and dark, fluttered with each blink. The creasing and fitting of Rin's shirts would betray the subtle outline of the muscle beneath, or sometimes his t-shirts would become disheveled, and his collar-bone would show, causing Isagi to go into momentary trances that he'd snap out of with a flushed face of embarrassment not even seconds later.
The worst part was, Isagi knew Rin's personality leaned more on the nasty and unpleasant side of the scale, but somehow, he liked that part of Rin.
Don't get him wrong, he wasn't masochistic. It had more to do with his occasional daydreams, daydreams that would plague his mind during random times of his day.
It was the idea that Rin's usual stoic and sneering expressions would turn soft upon seeing the person he cared for, loved,
the lucky bastard with the privilege of being Rin's only weakness.
Sometimes, Isagi would become full of himself, he would think that just maybe, he was that person to Rin. Isagi would get drunk off of every aspect of Rin that only he got to see, considering they were roommates. Itoshi Rin wasn't a very social person, the only connections he had being those from Blue Lock, his family, and... Isagi himself, his roommate.
The order of events in which they became roommates was complete coincidence and luck, Isagi was sure. They ended up receiving the same scholarships to the same university, which Isagi didn't realize till a few weeks before opening week when he moved into the dorm. There Rin was, paused like a deer in headlights with a cardboard box in his arms. It's a core memory to Isagi, one he remembers all too clearly. They hadn't seen each other in a bit, but the lingering fact in the air that time had passed & they'd both grown was obvious, if their extra height and defined features were anything to go by.
They got past the awkward stage surprisingly quick, with Rin's nostalgic, spiteful comments, and Isagi's snarky comebacks, a little game of youth, the way they provoked each other back to back with knowing, amused faces as they acted like the way they were in Blue Lock. That little game created soft atmospheres and that began to mess with Isagi's chest, giving him warm flutters that made it's way to his neck, cheeks, and the tips of his ears in the form of blush.
This went on for the rest of the year, and now, they've just started their second term together.
Isagi flicked the corner of the calendar page with his fingernail and flipped the page up, September 6th.
He sighed, leaning back in his chair and propping his feet on the coffee table in front. His fingers spun his pen around his thumb a couple times before he tossed the calendar on the tabletop.
"What should I do..." Isagi mumbled to himself, gazing up at the ceiling fan above. The god rays of the sun slipped through the cracks of the blinds, painting geometric shapes of sun on the walls as the sun began to rise.
He picked up his phone and opened his web browser. "Does he even celebrate his birthday?" Isagi thought about the type of person Rin was.
"..." Soft rustles of footsteps on carpet faded in. Isagi straightened his back and acted natural. "What are you doing up so early?" Rin's voice came from behind in, raspy and low having just woken up. "Hah..." He yawned, walking over to Isagi's place on the couch.
Isagi opened his mouth to respond, but it was quickly shut when he felt a hand graze his hair. Rin ruffled the locks, then began to walk away, as if he didn't just initiate contact with Isagi when he usually revolts at the mere topic of affectionate relationships with people. "I'll make scrambled eggs and toast." He said tiredly. without another word, he left the living room, leave Isagi with a confused beating heart.
"Rin?" He called out. There was no answer. "Rin! Hello?" What was that? He groaned. Deciding to follow after Rin, he stood up and went to the bathroom, where Rin was probably doing his usual wake-up routine.
He stood with his hip leaned against the doorway. "Well good morning to you too?" Isagi crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, desperately trying to keep cool while calming his heart that was in shambles; which, was a normal, day to day thing for him at this point
"Good morning." Rin said blankly, simply sparing Isagi a glance through the mirror as he began to brush his teeth.
"What a way to say good morning. A little uncommon for you, yeah?" Isagi prodded
The other's reply was a tired stare. Something warm in Isagi's chest erupted as he began to analyze Rin's tired statue, which wasn't anything new to him, as they both got ready in the mornings and got unready together in the night, but he seemed extra fatigued this morning.
He had his body leaned against the counter, using it as leverage while his eyes were gently shut as he brushed his teeth. Rin's hair was messy and especially soft having washed it the day before. Before Isagi's staring could border the line of strange, he took his gaze away. "I could make breakfast this time." He said simply. "You look tired. Get enough sleep last night?" Isagi slept pretty early last night. He wasn't sure how long Rin stayed up after him.
"Mn." The only response he got was a hum.
isagi squinted, looking closely at his face, specifically for potential bags underneath his eyelids. And there they were, that sign of sleep deprivation. He sighed. "Rin, you're lucky it's a weekend. finals are next week."
Rin slightly opened his eyes to peek at Isagi, then, he had the gall to roll his eyes. "Hey!" Isagi frowned. After a lapse of judgement, Isagi gave up. "Whatever. I'm making breakfast." He walked away, a faint spitting sound or presumably toothpaste being heard as he walked back to their combined kitchen living room.
The sizzling of the eggs cooking on hot cooking oil made him feel calm. Not until a certain someone finished tidying themselves up.
To say isagi was stupid, would not be an over exaggeration. And Rin does not feel bad thinking that, as time and time again, he's awed at the unbearable amount of times Isagi had evaded situations in which Rin had put them in on purpose.
For example: It is not coincidence that their schedules are so aligned, nor is the casual moments of forced proximity. Rin had purposely manipulated events to play out in a certain way. At first, Rin was disappointed. It was irritating, Isagi constant, innovative ways of evasion. But it's not like Rin would ever cease this little game of his. It was fun. After all, he got something out of each interaction they had; a flustered, bashful Isagi.
Just like now, with his hands casually wrapped around Isagi's waist. And his mind focused on the reddening of the tips of Isagi's ears. And the subtle shake in Isagi's smooth voice. Rin couldn't see Isagi's face, only the top of his hair and it's patterns, akin to a blueberry. But despite not being able to see his face,
Isagi's body language told him more than enough.
His phone, which was left on the counter unlocked, also told him more than enough. And the paper sticking out of his pocket, enough so that you could read the writing.
"Are you stupid?" Rin asked.
He got a gentle shove from Isagi, one that he didn't mean, that Rin thought was affectionately cute. "Calling me stupid this early in the morning? Almost broke your record..." Isagi joked while he put the finished scrambled eggs onto a separate plate. "What exactly am I stupid for exactly?" He eyed Rin's hand placement, but didn't do anything about it, as if he didn't want to do anything about it.
Rin sighed. Hard. He removed his hands from Isagi waist, noticing the way Isagi's body slightly leaned back, as if wanting to keep his hands.
He pulled out Isagi's phone from his pocket, still unlocked. "Turning off auto lock on your phone? Really?"
Rin watched in delight as Isagi's expression turn to despair, and his cheeks turn red this time from embarrassment. "Why do you have that!?" He cried. "Oh my god, wait first of all, it's a glitch, give that back!" Isagi had turned around and snatched his phone right out of his hands.
"Have anything to say for yourself?" Rin said in a tone that of an investigator catching a criminal red-handed.
Isagi mocked him with a betrayed glare. "Well, the cat isn't exactly in the bag right now, is it?"
Amused, Rin took a step toward Isagi, and pulled him forward by the waist. "It was cute." He leaned in.
The other's eyes widened astronomically. "Wait, wait, wait!"
And suddenly, Rin had pecked Isagi's cheek with his very own lips. Isagi stumbled against the counter, luckily not against the stove. He hit the wooden cabinets with a thud and slid down. "Ouch..." Isagi rubbed his head and looked up. "What the fuck?"
It seemed like isagi's head of clockwork was beginning to operate. The puzzle pieces were connecting. Then it paused.
"What was that?" He asked incrediously.
"Remember when I called you stupid?" Rin stared back at him, unimpressed. He sighed, and knelt down, opting to rub the spot Isagi had injured. "Sorry."
"And now you're apologizing?" Isagi went agape. "Are you going to kill yourself? Oh my god. Don't kill yourself. Rin."
Rin interrupted. "Stop that." He narrowed his eyes.
"My bad." Isagi apologized, which then Rin shook his head in response, and stopped to stare at Isagi, eyes roaming his features despite those blue eyes staring back, confused. "Umm..." He mumbled.
Rin decided that, it was time to end the game.
"I like you."
Isagi, being the very eloquent guy he was, made a strange, garbled attempt at words.
"...Thanks?" Rin raised an eyebrow
He then grinned when Isagi brought his hands to his face. "I'm going to fucking kill you." The voice was muffled through his hands
Rin took Isagi's hands apart to reveal his expression. "Okay." He said quietly. "Could you at least let me do one more thing before my birthday?"
Isagi huffed, avoiding eye contact. "Yeah." His voice was soft.
At this moment they felt like they could feel each other's heartbeats on this kitchen floor. Their body heat radiated off of each other, and they were getting way too close to each other. And then, suddenly Rin's lips were against Isagi's. Isagi, who's eyes were shut; his eyes were now wide open. He was met face to face with Rin, faces and body closer than they ever were before, if you exclude accidental tussles on the football field. After a moment, he began to accept the embrace, along with the loud, fast beating of his heart.
They looked into each other's eyes. And Rin could practically see the obliviousness becoming understanding, and the understanding becoming mutual. Isagi now understood the game that Rin was playing, the game that he had been toying Isagi with for however long he was.
When they pulled apart for air, they exchanged a brief but intense look before resuming a dance between tongue and mouth.
Somewhere in the middle, Isagi opened his eyes to peer at Rin, who had his eyes open the entire time, staring Isagi down.
Isagi grinned before placing his palm flat against Rin's chest and pushing him away. "I can play that game too, Rin."
Rin lightly scowled. "Oh yeah?" He watched as Isagi stood up and got up in his personal space. "Is this a competition now?"
"You have a problem with it?" Isagi said as Rin then suddenly swept him off his feet, picking him up bridal style.
"Not really. Thanks for this early Birthday gift."