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If a person could see aura, Souya thinks his brother's would be a burning, fiery, red. A molten flame just daring you to get closer and scorch you whole.
Well, sometimes that is.
Sometimes being when he's gearing up for a fight or he happens to see someone he doesn't like (like being generous — hate being almost not enough), and someone being the Haitanis who just so happen to also be shopping in this mall.
Now he knows that famous saying of "once or twice is a coincidence", or is it only once? Something about an accident, coincidence and pattern? Whatever it is, the point is, running into them so many times consecutively has to be more than strange. In fact, Souya can vaguely remember reading something about 'an enemy in action', and looking between his brother and the Haitani duo…it's probably safe to say it applies here. Especially with how hard Nahoya stopped in his tracks at the sight of them.
Souya has half a mind to grab his brother's arm and continue walking in the opposite direction, maybe if they get far enough he can pretend he didn't see them and convince Nahoya that he imagined it. An underhanded move sure, Souya has never been one to gaslight but if it prevents a public brawl then its the lesser of two evils. Besides, he could call it even for all the times Nahoya has framed him for his wrongdoings as kids (even if he never truly got away with it most of the time).
Honestly, it's a pretty good plan. He could save both Haitanis from facing his brother's wrath and continue his day with the knowledge he didn't have to inform the gang that they may have a situation on their hands. Yeah…he should definitely carry it out before anything goes wrong, and you know not waste time thinking about the future that could be.
Yup, he definitely should have done so.
"Do you know how many places there are in Japan?" Nahoya asks, or rather snarls with barely concealed rage. Souya wishes he knew when his brother left his side and went face to face with the older Haitani, or, uh…as much as he could manage being many inches shorter. Nahoya being Nahoya, doesn't let this deter him of course. "Why are you always in the same place as me, you damn stalker!"
Ran, for all his laidback — and probably masochistic — nature, simply gives a lazy smile. Not at all concerned for the guy that hates his guts, Souya can practically hear what's going through his twin's head currently.
"Maybe we're just destined to meet like this." Replies Ran, gesturing the air vaguely. He didn't think it was possible for a grin to get more unnerving, but if there's one thing he's learned from the many encounters they've had with this infamous duo is that anything is possible. Like the way Rindou subtly steps out of Nahoya's line of sight, completely unnoticed.
"Maybe you're destined to DIE."
Ran chuckles at this, like Nahoya just told him a causal joke instead of to cease existing. "We're all destined to die, silly." He says, lightheartedly, waving his hand up and down to further accentuate his words.
Nahoya's eye twitches but he doesn't falter, his grin remains though its more bearing teeth than a smile, as he replies; "Not me. I have plans."
For a moment, Ran stands seemingly stunned. The oldest Haitani blinks, blinks again, then tilts his head quizzically. "You have plans to…what? Defy death?" He asks, before raising an eyebrow. "I know you're crazy and all but you can't surely believe you can defy death."
"Who the fuck are you calling crazy?" Nahoya all but growls.
"So there's this guy…" Ran sings, trailing off purposely, he twists the ends of his hair around his fingers. He makes a show of tilting his head back with the motion, smiling in what could only be guessed as 'dreamily'.
Only to narrowly dodge a punch to the face.
"Geez." Ran chuckles, stepping back. "And here I thought you liked the sound of people singing your praises." He teases, with a smirk that's just as annoying as his younger brother's. Souya can tell his brother's rage aura is growing stronger by the second. "Or are you jealous at the thought of there being someone else~?"
"I will knock your teeth out one by one until you stop talking." Nahoya seethes, jutting his finger into Ran's chest.
Said Haitani simply covers his mouth childishly, though the words that follow are anything but. "In public?"
In contrast, Nahoya answers completely seriously. "You think I care where we are?" And Souya knows, he does in fact not care where they are. If given the chance he would happily beat the absolute shit out of the taller male. Part of him thinks that Ran is fully playing on this knowledge. For what reason, however, he may never know.
"You dare devil~"
"I'll show you a daredevil."
Ah.
There he goes, squaring up at last. Souya is honestly surprised it took him this long to start preparing to duke it out. He can't tell if Ran has gained some new skills or if Nahoya has matured slightly.
That's a lie.
Ran must have gained some new skills to get away with not being chased immediately. That or Draken and Mikey must have finally gotten through to him to not cause trouble first. Either way, Souya sighs deeply; torn between stepping in before anything happens or mourning the lack of causal shopping they planned to do today.
"Yeah~?" Ran goads, smirk widening. For whatever reason, this guy leans closer. "Then how about we take this somewhere else?"
He wishes he could say what happened after that.
Truthfully, he watched the rest of the scene play out all whilst being too stunned to really take it in. Because somehow, Ran managed to convince his brother to follow him somewhere and somehow it didn't end with fists swinging. Yet, at least. Souya didn't even hear what Ran said, or where they were going. All he knows is Nahoya looks no happier than when he first saw them and Ran looks plenty smug.
Oh and that Nahoya didn't spare a second glance around his surroundings throughout the whole duration of their interaction. Leaving Souya to stand confused and slightly worried but not alone.
"Hey."
Souya finally turns to look at the dual haired man who managed to stand beside him without being noticed. He wears a similar expression to what Souya imagines he must currently look like, but smiles as their eyes meet.
"Hi."
This is familiar, at least. A sequence that has played out a good few times now that Souya feels less awkward about his response when Rindou's smile widens by that smidge of a fraction, and his chest feels that little bit warmer despite the cool breeze. Souya tries not to think about how genuine Rindou's smiles have become, how it seems like Rindou is happy to see him each time. It's not that he's not happy to see Rindou too, somewhere along the line he got less worried about abrupt endings to their meetings and more jittery at the thought of just hanging out with the man.
God.
When did he get to the point of being happy to see Rindou? When did his mind start racing through excuses just so he could spend at least 15 minutes alone with him?
When did things start to get tingly?
Souya can feel the warmth begin to spread up his neck, and if he's not careful it'll make its way to his cheeks. He swallows, pushing his thoughts back.
Focus.
There are more pressing things right now. Like the fact his brother is slowly getting further away and they happen to just be watching.
"Um." Souya begins, breaking their gaze. "What just happened?"
Rindou's eyes drift over to the pair in the distance, his shoulders raise in a large shrug that really conveys everything he needs to know. That being; "I honestly have no idea."
Rindou looks back over at him after a few seconds. "Do you wanna follow after them or make the most of this?" He nods between them, and Souya is once again left with a (not so) difficult decision.
He watches as his brother pushes Ran away from him in the distance, kicking a leg out for extra measure. Ran seems to laugh but doesn't test his luck any further. From here, Souya can't tell what kind of expression the older Haitani may be wearing. From here he can't make any guesses on what might be going through Ran's head.
Usually, it's fine. Usually, there are other people he can trust to be an eyewitness should anything happen — and hopefully intervene. This isn't the first time they've been alone together without any of the gang to keep an eye on Smiley, but its the first time since they've established something between each other. This time, instead of Rindou provoking his brother it's Ran and he still isn't sure on why.
Souya bites his lip, gnaws it gently between his teeth as he thinks.
"Is your brother going to do anything to mine?"
Rindou hums, bobbing his head noncommittally. "Depends on what you mean by 'anything'" He answers, not at all reassuring.
Souya thinks back to the days before all of this, back when they were younger and wilder. His mind flashes back to his twin brother in hospital. Who for all his strength and insanity still ended up victim to the Haitani's dirty tactics. One culprit currently walks alongside him, and the other…
The other has been so earnest the entire time since becoming reacquainted.
Sure, he's still very much the same guy who fought him back then. Sure, he's just as cheeky, smug, and kind of dorky with an equally teasing mean streak. But he's also the person that sends him stupid reels and videos at ridiculous times, the man who laughs at his own stupid comments or jokes, took him on a date and stares at him with a gaze that's so piercing Souya feels like he can't breathe sometimes.
The man who has hugged him close has whispered just how much he likes him.
Not once, but twice.
Each time leaving his heart racing in his chest and the blood rushing to his face at such an act of vulnerability.
Rindou calls him when Nahoya isn't around, texts him random updates about his day, and tries to be cool and nonchalant when expressing his fondness for simply having his attention. And for what its worth, it works most of the time, Souya has no idea how he does it.
Rindou asked for a chance, and damn has he delivered. He's come such a long way from the selfish teen he once was. Sometimes, Souya struggles to believe it is indeed the same person. He can only marvel at his growth. In more ways than one.
Which is why he feels somewhat guilty to be worried about the other half of the Haitani duo, when Ran hasn't even attempted to fight back with strength now. Not when he can get away with words backed by pettiness in a back and forth war of who can get underneath each others skin the most.
This isn't like their early delinquent days anymore, as childish as the whole situation seems sometimes.
"He'll be fine." Rindou says, breaking through the silence. He seems to sense Souya's inner conflict, which honestly makes him slightly more conflicted. Still, Souya appreciates the assurance regardless. "Ran doesn't have any messed up intentions in his head. I would know."
His shoulders droop, not in disappointment but barely concealed relief. Were it years ago, Souya would never have felt the slightest bit reassured by those words. In fact his guard would be further up. Now, Rindou stands casually; relaxed. No hint of a lie despite how easily he could, if he wanted to.
Whatever Ran is up to is nothing threatening. Souya feels better about their figures slowly leaving their line of sight.
"If anything," Rindou starts, flicking his gaze over to them as well, "we should be worried for Ran. It seems your brother has every intention of getting rid of him."
Souya can't help the amused puff of air that escapes him, because "Yeah," he really is worrying about the wrong person. His brother has become the threat to be feared, or rather the only threat to be feared. His hatred for the Haitani's is nothing new, only amplified. "Some things don't change."
Rindou chuckles with a tiny shake of his head. "So?"
Souya blinks. "So what?"
Rindou rolls his eyes, he can tell there's no real annoyance behind the action. "Do you wanna follow them before we lose sight of them or….?"
Souya glances over his shoulder for what feels like the umpteenth time, by now they have long left their vision. It would actually be a case of catching up instead and yet…Souya finds he wouldn't mind letting Ran hold his brother's attention for a while. He lets his gaze find Rindou's once more. "You swear it'll be okay?"
It's a childish question, a silly request of a promise that makes Souya want to cringe internally because it's the kind of thing he'd be asking his brother with big, wide eyes, on days he was filled with anxiety.
But instead of laughing in his face, or dismissing him entirely, Rindou nods firmly. "I swear." He answers, eyes flickering above Souya's head briefly. "It's a matter of whether you trust in your brother that'll be okay."
Souya doesn't look back again, instead he breathes in deeply before letting it all go.
"Okay."
"Okay?"
Souya nods, allowing himself to put his remaining trust in the man before him.
"Let's make the most of it."
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This is easy.
He doesn't know what he was so hung up on and nervous about last time.
Sure, holding back grew increasingly difficult the longer he stood in front of a pretty boy in a skirt. And maybe if it were a different time, and a different person, he might have voiced that in hopes of swooning them. Sure, he was almost speechless because of that damn piece of fabric. Which is ridiculous because its a skirt, a simple one at that, and yet it had him so jumbled up and bothered that he got a taste of what being pathetically - absolutely - whipped felt like. A strong one mind you.
And sure his mind wandered to sappy, mushy stuff that he absolutely doesn't (does) want more of because that is not his style.
But he's got it all under control.
Not because he's had a drink.
Rindou isn't drunk. Nowhere near it actually. If there's one thing he knows, it's his limits. Which is why he can happily start drinking during the day and not be stumbling into the nearest trash can by early evening. Besides, he only poured less than half a glass before they left (and maybe carried a flask with him for any time Ran said something particularly stupid). It's enough for him to feel warm beneath his skin and thoughts to be a little looser but not fly out of his mouth without his approval. Things are much easier when your thoughts aren't going a mile a minute after all. It actually leaves room for him to show the sides to him he would usually portray behind a screen.
“Composure”, or whatever the hell he had convinced himself about, is for stuck up jerks that care more about self image.
Read: The past is in the past. He’s better now.
Totally, better.
Honestly, he's got this whole 'being himself' thing down to a T now. He's not quite sure when being himself required active thought before but that's neither here nor there. What matters is, if he's going to court Souya Kawata he's going to do it properly. He's got to fall for him for all he is after all. And if Souya is already this deep with him after all his fumbling to seem 'chill' and 'suave' then that has to count for something.
By letting go and letting his inner desires shine he thinks he’s become stronger. Mentally. Hopefully. He may be completely down bad but he’s not that fucking sappy….
So if he wants to hold Souya's hand he will.
Correction, he is.
His body having made the decision for him as they started walking further into the mall. No, Rindou didn't need to pretend like he hadn't missed the feeling of their hands clasped together all this time. No, his heart didn't do small twirls in his chest, and yes Souya's hand is still as small as he remembered (though slightly less rough…huh).
Despite not overthinking the action, Rindou's body and mind sure did react like he did. Not outwardly, of course. His poker face is much too good to let that slip. He did, however, slip both their hands into his coat pocket. Because unlike last time, Souya's hand was cold to the touch and the air around them did nothing to help.
Maybe it also gave him an excuse to pull the twin closer to his side.
And maybe he really likes the feeling of Souya practically leaning against him as they walk, but that's no one's business but his own. If he wants to express some of the thoughts that scream loudly in his head whenever Souya is around, then he will. If his racing mind and heart doesn't hold him back…
The point is, the whole 'self-image' problem has been dealt with. Mostly.
If he's truly gonna make this work then he's got to be fully authentic. Even if that means discovering new, kinda lame and truly embarrassing sides to himself in the process.
These moments are between him and Souya.
The world doesn't need to know the parts he doesn't boast about.
And frankly that's all the encouragement he needs.
٠࣪⭑
They're about ten minutes into looking around a clothing store when Rindou notices.
Souya has kept to his side the entire time, glancing over the items Rindou picks up and inspects briefly. He doesn't say much, doesn't voice any dislike for his choices and most notably: he doesn't pick up anything for himself. Rindou almost forgot he had a companion with him.
That being a complete lie.
Rindou has been attuned to Souya's presence this entire time, smoothing his thumb across the back of his palm every so often as he considers the options in front of him. Rindou knows Souya is quiet, nothing like his twin brother or their gang, but Rindou did suggest looking around as something for the both of them to partake in.
"Are you not gonna get anything?"
Souya looks up at him as he speaks, before skimming over the racks of clothes in front of them. "Smiley and I have similar fashion taste." He says, after a few seconds. "So we end up unintentionally coordinating or sharing clothes."
Rindou raises an eyebrow wondering where he's going with this.
"If I buy something, he'll expect me to buy something for him too." Souya explains. It's something of a valid reason. Scratch that, if that grinning demon was his brother he wouldn't want to buy clothes for him either. It's more than a valid reason.
Rindou hums. "And you don't wanna do that, huh?"
"Not if I have to carry it on my own." Souya shrugs. Rindou barely contains the chuckle that leaves him. Of all the reasons for not wanting to buy clothes for his brother, Rindou didn't think it would be that simple. Souya is by no means weak either.
"We both have two hands, you know?" He counters.
Souya looks up at him once more, a challenging gleam in his eyes. "You wanna carry stuff for Nahoya?"
Immediately, Rindou's face twists in disdain. "Hell no." He answers, just as fast. He doesn't say anything about the 'I told you so' expression written across Souya's face, nor does he think too long on the quiet laughs that follow. As much as it melts away that awful suggestion from his mind.
"But I'll carry stuff for you."
Souya pauses, going silent. Rindou would have taken it as a step too far if not for the way Souya tries to hide behind his hair. He leans forward to steal a glance but Souya speaks before he can think any further of it.
"It's okay."
It takes him a few seconds to realize where Souya is looking.
Their joint hands, now removed from his pocket to make walking around the store easier. It doesn't take him long to figure out that Souya would rather hold his hand than carry two loads of shopping. Rindou flashes back to the arcade and how they struggled feeding the machine their tickets with one hand purely because neither of them wanted to let go.
And if that doesn't make him instantly soft, then the way Souya gently squeezes his hand in return tops it off.
The small smile on his face goes unseen by the twin, but Rindou wouldn't have hid it away either way.
At some point, the fantasy comes to an end.
Or in less dramatic wording, both Rindou and Souya mutually let go of each other's hands to look around properly.
Rindou may like the simplicity of holding hands, more than he lets on, but he's not clingy. If anything, he's somewhat pleased to see Souya picking up clothes and contemplating them for himself. It feels as though he's finally relaxed into their shopping experience.
With the younger twin distracted, Rindou takes the chance to slowly slip away to an aisle he had seen earlier. It's not far and Rindou is certain that Souya would easily be able to see his head, over all the sections and people at the very least, if he wants to regroup. So he scours the shelves quickly once he arrives.
He spots it fairly easily. The thing was Souya staring at momentarily whilst he stood his ground beside Rindou. Rindou almost forgot about it in his mission to figure out why the twin wasn't also shopping, but with Souya being pickier with what he inspects and adds to a small pile in his arms — Rindou figures he could at least indulge him in something his brother wouldn't steal. A real gentleman, he knows.
He slips it beneath his own pile of clothes and heads back over to Souya just as he seems to notice his absence.
"Anything else you wanna look at?"
Souya shakes his head, just as expected the pile in his arms remains as small as when he left. Still, it's something, so Rindou leads the way to the check out thankful to see two free open cashiers.
Surprisingly, they both end up with one bag to carry by the end of it. Souya waits for him close by the door, none the wiser of his surprise gift, and Rindou tries not to smirk at the realization that their hand holding wouldn't be compromised by the bags. Instead, he offers his hand once they're next to each other again and Souya takes it with no hesitation. He doesn't look at him, but Rindou finds he's fine with that.
It makes it easier to play off this sudden surge of warmth as the alcohol still lingering in his system.
☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆
"Enjoying that?"
His mouth is mid way around his spoon when the question comes. Souya pauses, suddenly faced with the choice of committing to the action or aborting last second. He commits, lest he look anymore stupid holding it up like this, and chooses to hum his agreement instead.
Rindou smirks, chin resting on his palm as he watches him from across the table. "I can tell." He teases and Souya wonders just how long he's been watching instead of eating his own ice cream. The thought makes him just a little more self-conscious.
Instead of giving him more fuel for teasing, Souya puts his spoon down in his bowl and lets his gaze pass over the ice cream cup in front of Rindou. "What have you got?" He asks, realizing he was much more focused on his own order to hear what the other man got.
Rindou's eyes drift from him down to his ice cream too. "Rum and raisin." He answers, using his mini wooden spoon to scoop up a small amount. "Here."
The spoon is presented to his mouth, rather than his hand, and those violet eyes are back on him. "It's a little strong." He warns, but his smirk is still there in all its annoying glory. He doesn't even bother hiding it as he waits expectantly. Souya holds his stare for a few seconds, watching as Rindou raises an eyebrow almost daringly. Not one to back down from a challenge, Souya leans forward and accepts the offer.
Rindou's laugh is instantaneous as the flavor hits his tongue. Now, he chooses to half cover his mouth as he chuckles taking his spoon back. "I told you."
Souya resists the urge to kick him from beneath the table, sparing his ankles by rolling his eyes instead. "It's fine." He mumbles, though he swallows a few more times in a futile attempt to be rid of the taste.
Rindou, the pretty bastard, simply snorts nodding his head in a way that clearly says he doesn't believe him at all. "Sure sure~" He jives. His eyes linger somewhere around his mouth, which has Souya's stomach flipping nervously.
"Come here." Rindou beckons, a simple crook of a finger that does more to Souya than he would ever like to admit. Even to himself.
Confused, and slightly nervous, Souya slowly inches forward in his seat; eyeing the man in front of him skeptically. Rindou in turn, rolls his eyes but reaches that same hand forward. "You got something on the sides of your mouth." He murmurs, and swipes a finger across his bottom lip.
Souya stills.
Or does a spontaneous reboot.
Either way, it takes a good moment for his mind to process the action and the feeling. By then, Rindou's hand has long retracted and Souya can only sit with his lips slightly ajar and a warm tint to his cheeks.
"Messy~" He croons, voice low and soft and oh my god.
His brain resets back to square one. Actually he's pretty sure it didn't even get the chance to make it back to welcome stage. Rindou has done some pretty bold things that has made his heart race before, namely in the storage room of the gym, but holy crap that may just be one of the most effortlessly hottest things he's done so far. And all he did was clean his mouth.
It's movie level cliche but fuck it worked.
Too well.
So well that Souya panics and picks up his spoon, not even caring to look what flavor he scoops up, and shoves in front of Rindou's mouth.
To say it surprises Rindou would be an understatement, Souya can see it clearly on his face, but he's way more concerned with putting as little attention to his own flaming face. Rindou leans back slightly, but the ice cream has already made a slight mess of his lips.
Souya has to pry his eyes away from them, lest the past minute or so replay in his mind. "Try it." He mumbles, holding the spoon as still as he can considering his heart is still thumping above what should be considered healthy.
He only lets his gaze drift back over to Rindou once he feels the spoon dip slightly, he thinks maybe he should have waited a few more seconds to do. Rindou isn't trying to be…alluring as he accepts the gesture, but Souya is very much attuned to his attractiveness now and he kind of wants to explode on the spot.
"It's sweet." Rindou says, once he swallows.
Souya barely hears him, not when he's still got the sweet treat painted over his lips like lipstick gone wrong. It's kinda funny, hilarious actually, to see someone like Rindou sit there opposite him with ice cream all over him completely unaware. It lessens the rigidness of his body, and distracts him from his internal flux of… well everything.
"Now you've got it all over your mouth." Souya points out.
Rindou's eyes drift down, despite the fact that no one can see their own mouth without some kind of reflection. He either realizes this immediately, or doesn't care for it much as he looks back to Souya. "Yeah?" He says, with something of a flat expression. "I wonder whose fault that is for shoving ice cream in my face."
Souya hums, "A mystery" he answers, shrugging 'innocently'. He goes back to feeding himself the rest of his ice cream before it can begin to melt any further.
Rindou leans forward a little more, determined to hold his attention. "And what are you gonna do about it?" He asks, voice low, inquisitive and…daring? There's a look in his eyes that confirms this, one that tells Souya he's expecting similar treatment.
Souya once again holds his stare, allows him to think he may return the gesture like it didn't just leave him frazzled. Then, with one last glance at his lips, Souya answers:
"Watch you walk around with ice cream on your face."
Rindou deadpans.
Souya has to suck in his lips to hold in his laughter.
His shoulders shake and his smile widens, and somewhere in the back of his mind his pictures the Grinch's stupid smile. That has muffled giggles escaping him.
Rindou shakes his head, eyes rolling for the umpteenth time, but there's a small smile of fond exasperation on his face. "You're lucky you're cute."
Souya's giggles tamper off as those words catch up to him, he coughs quietly to clear his throat and shifts in his seat. "I'm cute…?"
Rindou stares at him flatly once again, or some mix of 'done' and 'disbelief' that blend into one. "Souya." He starts, sitting up fully. "You're not gonna sit there and tell me that you don't think you're cute."
Souya can feel his neck and cheeks, which were actually cooling down, heat back up again. He plays with the spoon in his ice cream. "I'm not narcissistic." He murmurs.
"It's not narcissistic to admit the truth." Rindou counters, adamantly.
Souya does his best not to think about how strongly Rindou is arguing this point. He's heard all kinds of things about himself growing up, cute rarely being one of them. Yet here Rindou sits, downright offended that he hasn't accepted something he deems an obvious fact. It's not the first time Rindou has called him such but it gets no easier to sink in.
Souya swallows, huffs, and decides to turn it back around. "Then what are you?"
Rindou raises an eyebrow. "Oh, so you want me to be narcissistic instead?" He asks, wryly. "Why don't you tell me what I am?"
Souya snorts, shaking his head. "And feed your ego?" He retorts. Rindou's mouth parts slightly, somewhat taken back and somewhat amused. He looks up as if to compose himself, before leaning back in his seat.
"You're a little shit."
Souya breathes a laugh. "So you keep saying." He answers and continues to swirl what's left of his ice cream.
A light silence washes over them.
It's only after a minute or so of said silence that Souya spares him another glance. Rindou finishes off his cup of ice cream quietly, his expression neutral but Souya can't help but worry he got the wrong idea. It was sarcastic sure, if anything Rindou insulting him is worse, but Rindou has been open in his attraction for him the whole time since asking for a chance. Souya…Souya has accepted it all with quiet contentment and hoped his actions were enough to show interest.
Is it enough?
Souya bites his tongue in thought.
"You do…" He pauses, gaining Rindou's attention once again. "know you're attractive right…?" Now that the question has left his mouth he realizes how stupid it sounds. Especially with the way Rindou's lips curl up and a soft chuckle leaves his mouth, because of course Rindou knows he's attractive. This guy was so full of himself all throughout his teenage years, Souya would guess that he's only got a vague idea of what it means to be humble. Why did he even worry about it when Rindou does indeed have an ego?
"Now I do~" Rindou answers, smugly, and Souya kinda wants to shove his ridiculously handsome face out of sight.
Instead, he exaggeratedly rolls his eyes kicking a foot out. "Shut up. You always knew." He accuses. It brings him some joy when Rindou lets out a quiet squawk moving his leg away.
Regardless, Rindou's smug smile remains. "It means more to hear it from your mouth."
Souya really needs him to shut up because his face has been awfully flushed for being in an Ice cream shop and he's getting worried it might stay that way forever. Rindou says it so coquettishly and yet Souya knows he means every word of it, and that's what does it for him.
He looks away. "You're a dork."
"An attractive one." Rindou hums.
Souya tries to kick him again, but Rindou has long moved his feet from his attack range. He can only huff in resignation. "Whatever." He mumbles.
As his eyes drift to the window, a sudden thought catches up to him.
"Have you heard from your brother?"
Rindou nods. "Yup." He says, casually. "Still alive." He clarifies like it's nothing that was particularly worrying. "Don't worry, your brother hasn't returned to hell yet either." Rindou adds, with a wave of his hand. It's not reassuring, nor is it nice, Rindou almost sounds disappointed.
"He's…" Souya trails off, wracking his brain for the right words to defend his twin.
"Not that bad?" Rindou interjects, face flat.
Souya knows that he's waiting for him to agree to something only he would say. So, Souya shakes his head. "He's okay when we're at home." He says instead, because that much is true. Nahoya is at his least chaotic when they're home, if you exclude the messages he sends in the group chat.
"Sureee…." Rindou drawls, not at all believing him. Which is valid honestly. He checks his phone briefly, before looking over at him and his bowl. "Are you finished? We should hit the pet store before your brother notices you're missing."
Souya nods, deciding not to check his phone just yet. If Ran is alive, and Nahoya hasn't done anything that requires police intervention, he can at least make the most of what time they have left together — and not take offence to the fact he's basically been forgotten by his own flesh and blood.
With that, they both stand and collect their belongings before heading towards the door with a call of 'Thank you' to the shop employee. As Rindou opens the door for him to exit first, again, Souya can't help but think to himself:
'What a man of many sides'
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"What sort of things do you need for the guinea pig?"
Rindou looks around the store completely lost. He couldn't feel more out of place if he tried, whether the animals and toys are cute or not.
"I have no idea." He admits, running a hand through his hair. "Ran came out with some sort of action plan to enrich its life, but i'm pretty sure he doesn't know what it needs either."
Part of him doesn't know if it's better that he's here without Ran or if he should have let his brother fumble around in here instead. After all, it was Ran's idiotic idea to buy the guinea pig and that idiotic idea that lead to him being dragged out of the house today. How they've managed to keep the guinea pig content and alive thus far is well and truly beyond him.
"I heard that they need to socialise a lot." Souya says, thoughtfully. "So it's better to have a pair."
Rindou's shoulders slump at the idea of another guinea pig to watch over. Pets have never really been on his radar, even as kids. Their disjointed family life made it difficult to wish for another living being to look after. Frankly, Rindou would have been fine to live his life without a pet. But no. His brother just had to fall for Smiley's bait and counter his mocking with an animal too.
"Great." He groans. "If I suggest that to him he'll think I want to name it after you."
Which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, more so something of teasing material from just about everybody he knows. Rindou likes Souya, a lot, but he's not about to follow after his brother in this regard.
"Did he really name it Smiley?" Souya asks, looking up at him from where his eyes had wandered around the store.
"Worse." Rindou sighs. "He took inspiration from your lizard's full name."
Souya blinks, then tilts his head in curiosity. That in itself is adorable as fuck but Rindou tries not to get distracted by it. "I'm not even gonna say it." He says, internally cringing at the stupid name Ran forced on the poor animal.
"So what do you call it?" Souya asks instead.
"Who says I call it anything?" Rindou retorts.
Souya stares at him blankly. "So you don't acknowledge it?"
"I do."
After a few more seconds of seemingly getting nowhere, Souya sighs. "I don't call our lizard by Run Ran unless I need to." He admits, surprising Rindou.
"You don't?"
"I won't tell you if you won't tell me though." He says. Rindou watches in real time as a small, impish smile tugs at his lips. It's tiny, his eyes say it all really, but Rindou can see it.
So he's in one of those moods.
"Is it your goal to be the biggest menace today?" Rindou asks, both amused and somehow completely over it.
Souya hums, tilting his head in a half 'meh' motion. "Maybe." He answers, then stares up at him expectantly. This guys thinks he's so easy, that he can win just by pressing his buttons lightly.
Well, he's completely right and Rindou hates that he's so okay with it.
(He doesn't).
(He'd let Souya get away with this and so much more but that's between him and god).
Rindou sighs, accepting his fate. "I call it puff." He says, quietly because he's not going to announce it to any prying ears. "Because it looks like a puffball."
"That's…"
He hears the giggle in his voice, then another, until it becomes clear he's holding it in by the shaking of his shoulders beside him. Rindou doesn't know why this of all things embarrasses him but he finds himself pointedly staring past the twin fighting back a pout frown. "Yeah laugh it up."
"No it's cute." Souya says, quickly. He paws at Rindou's arm until the taller man turns to meets his eyes. "It's really cute." What's cute is what is standing beside him right now, no trace of judgement or anger like his nickname suggests. Only a reassuring smile and soft eyes that remind Rindou exactly why he's so horrifically whipped for him.
"Whatever." Rindou scoffs - near stammers- but doesn't shrug him off. "What do you call your lizard?"
Souya goes quiet for a second and Rindou has to wonder if its just as embarrassing as his name for the guinea pig. Eventually, Souya speaks up — or quietly, as he says: "Blep."
"Blep?"
"Because he always sticks his tongue out when he sees me." Souya explains and ducks his head once again obscuring Rindou's view with his hair.
Rindou can't help but snicker, not because of his sudden shyness but because they both had simple and direct reasons for the names they chose, and honestly that makes him feel a whole lot better. "Makes sense."
Souya lets go of his arm in favor of looking around the store again, and as disappointed as Rindou is - he's glad Souya doesn't see said disappointment.
"We should probably get as much as we can right now, though." Souya says, "I get the feeling my big bro is gonna start looking for me soon."
Rindou shakes his head, "You and your weird twin senses." He comments. He'll never be able to wrap his mind around how Souya just knows when Smiley is about to be on his case.
Souya glances over his shoulder at him, rolling his eyes. "Don't diss it when it saves you."
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"Sou"
They're nearing the point they first met up, earlier in the day, when Rindou speaks up from…behind him? Souya was pretty sure the man had been walking beside him since they left the pet shop. The downside of stopping at another store meant their hands are now pretty much full and they'd just have to trust that the other is keeping up. Souya slows down at the realization.
"Wait a minute." Rindou says, coming to a stop at his side.
Souya turns to face him fully, about to ask if everything is okay, when Rindou elaborates. "I have something for you."
He looks between the bags in his arms, thoroughly confused at how he could have something for him when they've spent the entire day together.
"For me?" He echoes.
Rindou holds out the smallest bag in his possession. "Here."
Souya accepts it slowly, peering up at him quizzically as he does, before putting down one of his own bags so he can look into this surprise gift properly.
Rindou is silent as he does, standing completely still as Souya reaches into the bag and pulls out a jumper. The same jumper he was eyeing in one of the clothing stores they stopped in earlier. Incredibly soft and mostly simple par the adorable penguin in the left hand top pocket that had initially caught his eye.
Souya is sure he wasn't staring that long at it, and he's fairly certain that Rindou had been preoccupied with his own shopping to really notice his attention being elsewhere. So how…
"I can take it back if you don't like it."
Souya's head snaps up at those words, realizing just how long he had gone without saying anything upon receiving the gift. He holds it close, not masking his shock (or adoration for it) as he looks up at Rindou's awkward stance. "No." He says. "I like it."
Rindou seems to relax slightly, pleased by his response and Souya thinks he's got to be taking the man for granted now because compared to all these gifts; Souya has only given him a seal keychain in return.
He looks down at the jumper again, brushing his fingers over it as he asks, "when did you…"
"When you were busy looking at other clothes" Rindou answers, easily. The fact he went out of his way to go back, find it, and buy it for him all without him knowing is what really tops it off for Souya.
The cherry on the biggest metaphorical cake there is.
He puts the jumper back in the bag with as much care as he can, and lets the bag join his other one on the ground beside him. Before Rindou can think anything of it, or say anything else, Souya is surging forward and wrapping his arms around his middle in a hug that barely sways the other man.
For a few seconds Rindou is tense, probably caught off guard, but likewise he gives no time for Souya to overthink it for he's wrapping his arms around him in return. Souya can feel the way he rests his chin on top of his hair, holding him close in that same way that has his heart kick up speed and the blood in his veins tingle pleasantly.
Souya has no idea when these feelings got so strong, and loud within him, only that they're here and reacting to every little thing Rindou Haitani throws his way.
And Souya thinks….he's more than okay with it.
"Thank you."
Rindou shifts, Souya can't tell if its his cheek or something else that presses against the top of his head now but he can feel the rumble of Rindou's chest as he mumbles back a quiet "yeah".
Pulling back from the hug comes with great reluctance yet the smile he sees on Rindou's face — so full of something too large to even think about at this stage — is worth it when it continues to keep him just as warm.
"We should probably-"
Souya is mid way through picking his bags back up when Rindou pauses mid sentence. He looks up in confusion, only to see a look that can only be described as 'absolutely fucked' written all over his face.
"Oh shit."
That's all Souya needs to hear for him to realize the very thing they've been trying to prevent has just occured. Turning around he spots his twin brother come to a jogging stop in front of them, followed by Ran who slowed to a walk much earlier on.
Souya tenses, stands completely still as though his brother won't see him if he doesn't bring attention to himself. Nahoya's panting but he doesn't explode with profanities or threats like he would normally do upon seeing Rindou, instead he stares deep into his soul.
Souya doesn't have to look to know Rindou shuddered.
He's about to open his mouth and pray something comes out that can save their asses, when Nahoya simply grabs his arm. He tugs him along, pushing past Ran without a second glance.
Shocked is an understatement, Souya's so baffled at the lack of reaction that he can only let himself be dragged away dumbly like a child caught by their parent in a place they shouldn't be. Grip never faltering.
All the while his mind struggles to comprehend whether this is a positive development or a threat lying in wait.
Maybe it's a dream that'll slap him in the face when he wakes up.
Souya doesn't know which reality he'd prefer.