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At exactly 9:57 a.m., all was peaceful in the Itoshi household.
Except for Rin.
Who was screaming bloody murder.
“I’M NOT GOING, NII-CHAN! I’D RATHER FACE A TIGER THAN THAT NEEDLE!!”
Sae, all of 12 years old and absolutely done with this nonsense, stood in the hallway with a firm grip on Rin’s ankle. The younger Itoshi was sprawled dramatically on the floor of his room, fingers clawed into the carpet like he was holding on for dear life.
“You’re not going to die,” Sae grunted, trying to yank him free. “It’s just a flu shot. Literally everyone gets it.”
“EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO SUFFER!” Rin wailed, kicking violently. “You said it was tomorrow!”
“I lied,” Sae said flatly. “And now I regret telling you at all.”
Rin gasped in betrayal. “HOW DARE YOU?! YOU BROKE THE SACRED BROTHER CODE!”
“You cried during Finding Nemo. You don’t get to talk about codes.”
Sae gave a mighty pull and successfully dragged Rin out of his room. But Rin, being both small and extremely dramatic, used the momentum to wrap himself around the hallway banister like a sea otter defending its rock.
“I'm ten years old! I know my rights! You can’t make me go!”
“You’re not a hostage, you’re a patient,” Sae said, tugging again.
“Exactly! I’m being patient—with the system!”
Sae blinked. “…What does that even mean?”
“It means I hate you!”
“I’ll tell Mom you said that.”
“I LOVE YOU, NII-CHAN, PLEASE SPARE ME!”
Fed up, Sae walked behind Rin, unlatched his arms from the banister, and threw him over his shoulder like a sack of rice. Rin shrieked the whole way to the front door, flailing his limbs in the air.
“PUT ME DOWN!”
“No.”
“THIS IS ILLEGAL.”
“You’re ten.”
“I’M EMOTIONALLY OLDER.”
“You’re mentally five.”
Rin gasped. “Nii-chan, how dare you say that to a dying man.”
“You’re not dying. You’re going to the clinic.”
“Same thing!”
And by a swift movement, Rin sprints to his room.
“…Rin,” he called, voice steady. “We have to go.”
No answer.
He sighed. “You’ve been in there since morning. The appointment’s in fifteen minutes.”
A soft click came from inside. The sound of a lock.
Sae blinked. “…Seriously?”
“I’m not going,” Rin’s voice came through the door—flat, stubborn, and small.
“You have to.”
“I don’t care.”
Sae exhaled slowly, trying to keep calm. “It’s just a shot. It'll be over in ten seconds.”
“That’s not the point.”
A pause.
Sae leaned his forehead against the door. “…Is it the needle?”
“…Shut up.”
So it was.
Sae’s voice lowered, quieter now. “You’ve had injections before.”
“That doesn’t make it better,” Rin muttered. “I hate it. I don’t want to go.”
Sae stayed there for a second before quietly saying, “Mom’s waiting. We’ll be late.”
There was a beat of silence.
Then the sound of furniture sliding.
The door opened slowly.
Rin stood there, hoodie half-zipped, face blank but tense. He wasn’t crying—but his eyes were cloudy. He looked down, avoiding Sae’s gaze.
“…Don’t look at me.”
Sae didn’t say anything. Just ruffled his hair gently.
“I’m not laughing,” he said. “Come on.”
The clinic smelled like alcohol wipes and doom.
Rin sat in the waiting chair, hunched like a grumpy shrimp. His blanket had been confiscated at the entrance by a nurse who said, very politely, “We can’t let patients smother themselves.”
He clutched a lollipop Sae bribed him with ("It’s for after the shot, not before," Sae had clarified), but Rin was currently gnawing it like a final meal.
“They’re calling your number,” Sae said, standing.
“No, they’re calling your number. I’m just here for moral support.”
“You are the number.”
“No, I’m a human being. With rights.”
Sae grabbed the back of Rin’s hoodie like he was lifting a particularly whiny cat and practically carried him into the room.
Inside, the nurse smiled warmly. “Which one of you is Rin-chan?”
Rin shrunk behind Sae. “He is.”
Sae stepped aside and pointed. “That’s Rin. He’s ten. He’s a baby.”
“I’M NOT A—” Rin started, but the sight of the needle tray turned his voice into a whisper-squeak. “—I'm not a baby…”
He backed into the wall. Then tried to merge with it. Sae rolled his eyes.
“Hold still.”
The nurse smiled kindly. “Just a little sting, okay? You’re very brave.”
Rin didn’t respond. He was already gripping the exam table, eyes locked on the wall. His legs swung nervously.
“It’s fine,” Sae said from the corner, leaning against the wall.
Rin glared. “Don’t watch me.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“Stop talking like I’m weak!”
“I never said you were.”
The needle came.
And the second it went in—
“AAAH—OW!” Rin yelped, eyes watering instantly. “It hurts—IT HURTS!”
“It’s done,” the nurse said quickly, trying to soothe him.
But Rin clenched his teeth, lip trembling. A tear rolled down his cheek, and he quickly wiped it with his sleeve.
“I didn’t cry,” he whispered.
“You’re literally crying,” Sae pointed out.
“I SAID I DIDN’T CRY!”
Later, on the walk home…
Rin shuffled beside Sae, quietly chewing his lollipop and holding his arm like it was a war wound. For once, he wasn’t talking.
Sae glanced at him. “You okay?”
“…Yeah.”
Rin’s voice was soft, almost shy. “I know I acted stupid.”
Sae slowed his pace a little. “You were scared. It’s not stupid.”
Rin looked down at his shoes. “…I hate that I still freak out like a little kid.”
“You are a little kid.”
He frowned. “Nii-chan.”
“But even if you were older,” Sae added, “It’s okay to be scared. Being scared doesn’t make you weak.”
Rin was quiet again.
Then, “You’re not gonna tell anyone, right?”
Sae gave him a sideways look. “No promises.”
“Nii-chaaaan!”
“…Fine. I won’t tell anyone,” Sae said with a smirk. “But only because you survived the Deadly Flu Needle and lived to tell the tale.”
Rin puffed his chest. “I did survive. I was very brave. I yelled on purpose. For dramatic effect.”
“Sure, buddy.”
They walked a bit further, side by side, with the sun warm on their backs.
“…Nii-chan?” Rin mumbled, still looking down.
“Yeah?”
“…Thanks for dragging me.”
Sae grinned. “Anytime.”
Rin now 16 years old. During two weeks of vacation after U-20 games. He decided to have some food outside before went home.
Later that afternoon, Rin found himself outside of the store, trying to keep the stray cat from sneaking off with his lunch. It had always been his worst fear—having the cat take more than a little nibble.
A few moments later, the cat hissed.
“C’mon, I’m just trying to share, you little—” Rin began, but before he could finish his sentence, the cat swiped at him with sharp claws, leaving a deep scratch along his forearm.
Rin gasped. “Ow! What the hell—”
He held his arm, wincing as it stung. “Stupid—” His face went pale. “Oh no, I’m going to get rabies or something. I need to wash it… I need to…—”
But then he froze, realizing something.
“The shot.”
At home-- a little later
Rin had his arm wrapped in a towel, still processing the fact that he'd been scratched by a cat.
“Mom,” he called, his voice uncharacteristically small. “I think I need a shot for this, right?”
She glanced at him over her shoulder, already knowing what was coming. “Yeah, we should go to the clinic.”
“No,” Rin said quickly, shaking his head. “No, no shot. I can handle this. I’m fine.”
Sae, who had been lounging nearby, looked up from his phone with a knowing smirk. “You’re really gonna try and dodge this one?”
“Shut up,” Rin growled. “I don’t need it. Just—tell Mom I’m fine.”
“Rin,” his mom warned.
Rin crossed his arms. “I can just drink something. Or,…I can just eat oranges. Lots of oranges. Vitamin C.”
Sae stood up and stretched. “You’re still afraid of shots? After all this time?”
Rin froze. He glared at Sae, eyes narrowing. “I’m not afraid. It’s just… stupid.”
His brother walked over, smirking. “Really? 'Cause last time, you screamed like a baby.”
“I did NOT scream!”
“Really?” Sae teased, grinning. “You definitely cried, though.”
“I was ten!” Rin shot back, feeling that familiar panic flare up. “I’m not a kid anymore!”
“Except you’re still terrified of needles.”
“I am NOT terrified!”
“You’re making it worse by shouting,” Sae said, walking toward the door. “Come on. I’m going with you this time. You’re going, whether you like it or not.”
At the Clinic
Rin, now fully aware of what was coming, sat stiffly in the waiting room, his face pale as he stared at the clinic door like it might eat him.
Sae glanced over at him, leaning against the wall with that irritatingly calm expression. “You really gonna do this again?”
“I don’t want to,” Rin muttered, clutching his arm. “I mean, what if it hurts?”
“...It’s a shot.”
“I know it’s just a shot,” Rin hissed. “But I know it’s not just that.”
Sae looked at him, arms crossed. “So... you’re still scared of a little pain?”
Rin didn’t respond, but his fingers were twitching nervously at his side.
When the nurse called his name, Rin’s face immediately scrunched in horror. “I’m not going.”
“Yes, you are,” Sae said flatly.
Rin shot him a glare. “I’m not going.”
Sae’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not backing out now, Rin.”
Before Rin could react, Sae grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him up to his feet with surprising force.
“Hey! Let go! I don’t want to do this!” Rin yelped, pulling against Sae’s grip, but Sae was much stronger.
“Too bad. You’re getting that shot,” Sae said, his voice steady, almost too calm.
“THIS IS ANIMAL ABUSE!” Rin wailed, trying to pull away, but Sae kept dragging him through the clinic hall, unbothered by his dramatic protests.
The nurse was already preparing the syringe when they entered the room.
Rin’s eyes went wide. His heart pounded in his chest. “I’m not doing it.”
“I said you are,” Sae said, almost too seriously, already holding Rin still in his arms.
“No! NO! NII-CHAAAAAN!” Rin screamed, panic and frustration rising to the surface.
“It’s just a shot, Rin,” Sae said, watching him squirm. “Stop acting like it’s the end of the world.”
“I HATE YOU!”
The nurse injected the needle with smooth precision.
He yelped as it went in, but this time, he didn’t scream. His face went red with shame, even though his eyes watered.
Sae watched, not even flinching. “See? Not so bad.”
Rin squeezed his eyes shut, tears threatening to spill. “I hate you,” he muttered again, trying to act tough despite the burning shame.