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Love wasn't a feeling that Rin Itoshi ever thought he would feel. As a child, he viewed it as gross. Whenever his parents or any close relatives kissed, he and Sae faked a gag before running off.
His view about love didn’t change much as a teenager. All his classmates were gushing about relationships while he focused on soccer. He had to surpass his brother. He had to be the best. Why should he care about love?
Rin knew he was a foolish teen, but still, he didn’t regret how he focused on his goal.
After all, it was this that helped him to meet his current boyfriend. From playing soccer together in Blue Lock to midnight calls playing random multiplayer horror games that they found to going to the cinema together.
Rin’s relationship with Hiori progressed slowly, almost naturally. He had become comfortable around the blue-haired boy. He didn’t feel as bothered when Hiori called him stupid nicknames or when he talked about his day. No. Rin even liked to hear Hiori’s voice.
One moment he felt confident, the other he was embarrassed as he imagined what kind of dates they would go on. Why did he fall for Hiori? Well, Hiori was kind, had a comfortable voice and they shared several interests. It was only a matter of time before Rin would fall for him.
For Hiori it had been the same. He wasn’t interested in romance. He maybe would have been, if he hadn’t been pressured by his parents to play soccer.
It was crazy to believe that what Hiori once hated so much, became the reason he met the person he loved. When Hiori first met Rin he tried not to make assumptions about his personality, but Rin was just as cold outside off the field as on the field.
The blue-haired boy once looked over Rin’s shoulder as the younger Itoshi scrolled through his recommended news on the phone. One of them had been about a popular horror game Hiori had wanted to play. By accident, he had said: “This is out already? Damn, I wanted to play it on release day”
He expected that Rin would maybe glare at him or tell him to go away. To both of their surprise, Rin answered: “Me too. Though I am sure it won’t be as good as the first part”
That day Hiori sat next to Rin as they talked about different horror game theories. Maybe Rin wasn’t as bad as Hiori first thought.
The first time Hiori had called Rin over discord, he felt a slight tightening in his chest. As if he was nervous despite not having a reason to be. After all, it had been Rin who had suggested that they would call while playing since the game chat was slow and had cost them several restarts on games.
“Hello?” was heard immediately after the typical call-joined sound that Discord provided. “I can hear you” Hiori replied, thanking himself for keeping his voice steady.
First, they only talked about the game they were playing before making jokes and opening up a bit more to the other. Both weren’t aware of the time that passed before both of them got blinded by the sunlight streaming into their rooms.
During their break from Blue Lock, they played games for four nights, always playing until the sun was rising again.
After the Blue Lock project, both of them got offers from professional clubs, earning their money with football. Life wasn’t bad. They played for rival clubs so they met often for practice matches and sometimes even outside of their “jobs” to eat something at a restaurant that opened recently.
Occasional smiles were shared, movie nights where they cuddled up for comfort and the morning coffee they drank whenever the movie nights lasted too long and transformed into a sleepover.
It became a routine that no one besides them knew about. It was normal. It was perfect in its own kind of way.
Rin became aware of the routine when he found a shirt that didn’t belong to him in his washing machine. Hiori must have left it somewhere and Rin must have washed it by accident. He didn’t know why but it made him smile.
Maybe this was the first moment that Rin was aware that he was in love with Hiori. It was followed by a moment of him just staring at the wall for a moment, realizing that his first crush happened at the age of 24 and the fact that his crush was the person that who was the only one he considered a close friend.
What the younger Itoshi didn’t know was that his crush felt the same way. Hiori caught himself wanting to go to a popular couples spot with Rin since the snacks had really good reviews. Hiori blushed as he noticed his faster-beating heart when he thought about going there with Rin.
Their relationship was going to change. Both of them were aware of that in their own way without knowing how the other felt. It caused a certain tension when they met up, that they wanted to get rid of. Because it wasn’t them. It wasn’t their usual comfort that they found in the other.
Confrontation wasn’t their strong suit so the awkwardness continued for weeks, with both feeling more insecure by the day.
They still had their usual routines, just with a bit more tension.
It was Rin who spoke up about it first. It was exactly two months after he realized his feelings and knowing how their relationship changed after that, he knew he couldn’t lose what they had. However, at the same time, Hiori deserved to know why Rin was acting the way he did.
“I am in love with you” he said, making Hiori choke on his morning coffee. Hiori stared at him wide-eyed, coffee dripping from his lips and slowly a reddish color adored the blue-haired boys cheeks
“WHY DO YOU CONFESS WHILE I DRINK?” Hiori yelled, standing before Rin who avoided eye-contact
“I wanted to tell you”
“Not while I drink!”
Hiori was lightly hitting Rin’s chest, making the younger Itoshi brother smile a bit
“You are an idiot!”
“I know”
Rin smiled gently, finally looking at Hiori who was still blushing.
“You really are! Have you considered that I feel the same?”
“Not really” Rin admitted, his brain being too slow to process the things that Hiori said.
His brain was also too slow to process that suddenly soft lips were on his. Hiori was pulling him down by the shirt as they kissed, making it easier for both of them.
Maybe having a crush wasn’t as bad as Rin thought