Work Text:
(I Wanna Know) They Say It's As Sweet As Candy
(I Wanna Know) They Say It's Like Flying In The Sky
(I Wanna Know, Know, Know, Know, What Is Love?)
What Does Love Feel Like?
(I Wanna Know) They Say You Smile All Day Long
(I Wanna Know) They Say The Whole World Looks Beautiful
(I Wanna Know, Know, Know, Know, What Is Love?)
Will Love Come To Me Someday Too?
Rin Scratches His Head. He Looks Down At His Phone. He Texted Isagi, Asking Him To Meet At The Cafeteria For Lunch Because He Wants To Talk. He Lets Out A Sigh And Someone Plops In The Chair In front Of Him. He Looks Up And It's Isagi.
Isagi Slides Him A Bottle Of Tea, "So What's Up?" He Asks, Sipping His Own Tea. Rin Holds The Bottle In His Hand, Tapping It With His Finger, Somewhat Nervously, "How Did You Know You Where In Love?" He Questions, Looking At His Hands. Isagi Looks Sort Of Taken Aback, "With Meguru? Uh.. Well My Heart Would Feel Weird Around Him, I Always Felt Hotter Or Got Flustered, And I Would Always Want To Kiss Or Hold Him. Why Though?" He Says Curiously.
Rin Shrugs. The Sprout Looks At Him For A Second Before His Eyes Go Wide, "Oh My God! Rin, Are You In Love!?" He Gasps. Rin Snaps His Head Up And Glares At Isagi, Blushing Slightly, "Shut Up. I'm Not." He Says Stubbornly. Isagi Smiles, "You Totally Are! Tell Me Who!" He Insists.
Rin Grits His Teeth, "There's No One. I Was Just Curious." He Says Assertively. Isagi Laughs, "Seriously Man. You Should Let The Person Know." He Says While Jumping Up And Walking Away. Rin Huffs, "I'm Not In Love With Anyone." He Mumbles, Finally Opening His Own Tea And Sipping It.
🐑🦉
Reo Is Someone Rin Has Hardly Interacted With. Even So, He Wanted To Ask About How He Knew About His Love For Nagi.
He Finds Reo Outside On The Soccer Field, His Usual After School Spot, And Walks Up To Him. Reo Spots Him And Stops The Ball, "Rin-kun? You Come To Play?" He Asks. Rin Shakes His Head, "Mikage, I Have A Question About You And Nagi." Reo Pats The Grass Next To Him And Rin Sits, "Call Me Reo, Please. And Ask Away." He Says Politely.
Rin Fidgets With His Fingers, "How Did You Know You Loved Nagi?" It Was Basically The Same Question He Asked Isagi. Reo Shrugs, "I Don't Know. I Mean, When I First Saw Him On The Stairs–Not That I Realized It Then–It Was Love At First Sight. We Spent A lot Of Time Together And I Realized I Showed All The Signs Of Love. Everyone Thought We Were Gay Before Too, Which I Guess Contributed To My Awakening." He Lets A Much More Loving Smile Stretch Across His Face.
Rin Nods. He Doesn't Know How Much It Helps Him, But He's Thankful Anyways. Reo Looks At Him Curiously, "Why Do You Ask? Are You Looking For Someone?" He Asks Inquisitivly.
Rin Doesn't Know How Much To Trust Reo. More Than Isagi That's For Sure...
He Simply Shrugs, "I Don't Know. I'm Trying To Figure It Out. Thanks For Your Help, Reo." He Stands Up And Bows In Thanks. Reo Nods And Waves, "Good Luck Bro." He Bids Goodbye. Rin Nods And Walks Away.
Isagi Squints At The Wall In Front Of Him. He May Or May Not Have Been Eavesdropping On Them. Why Would Rin Trust Reo More Than Him? Why!? He Could Totally Set Rin Up With Whoever He's Crushing On!
Isagi Walks Off. He Won't Give Up Till He Figures Out Who Rin Likes!
🌨🌅
Having Little Luck At School, He Thinks Maybe His Brother Will Have Better Advice. I Mean, Hes Gotta Know Something If He Has A Boyfriend.. Right?
Rin Knocks On The Door To Saes Room. He Stands Awkwardly. Him And Sae Hardly Talk, When They Do, It's Pretty Uncomfortable.
The Door Opens With A Grunt From Sae, "What?" He Asks Hardly. Rin Raises And Lowers His Calfs "I Need Advice. How Did You Know You Loved Shidou?" He Looks At Sae, Waiting For An Answer.
Sae Looks At him Like He's Stupid "You Don't Know Your Own Feelings?" He Sound Slightly In Disbelief. Rin Glares "I Do, I Just Don't Know This Feeling. So Are You Going To Be A Good Brother For Once And Help Me?" He Complains.
Sae Crosses His Arm And Leans Against The Doorframe, "First, I Felt An Immediate Reaction With Ryuusei. Nothing I Had Ever Really Had Before. Then, I Started To Think He Wasn't As Lukewarm. Maybe Hot Even. Next, I Found Myself Spending Time With Him And Not Being Annoying By It. And Finally, We Had A Moment And I Felt My Heart Flutter. We Kissed That Day And I Realized I Liked Him." He Counts Out. Rin Finds Himself Somewhat Cringing At The Thought Of That Pink Bug With His Brother.
He Takes A Second To Understand What His Older Brother Said Though. He Nods And Walks To His Own Room. Sae Watches Him For A Second Before Shaking His Head And Retreating Back Into The Bedroom.
Rin Sits On His Bed With His Head In His Hands. Does He Feel A Chemical Reaction With Hiori(On And Off The Field)? Yes. Does He Think Hiori Is Lukewarm? Not Really. Does He Spend More Time With Hiori Than Anyone Else? Well... Yes He Does. Have They Had A Moment? Rin Doesn't Know. How Is He Supposed To Know What A 'Moment' Is!?
Rin Flops Backwards On His Bed, Annoyed. Love Is So Complicated. Maybe Tomorrow, He'll Asks Karasu. It's A Good Bet, Hes In A Relationship And Close Friends With Hiori.
Rin Drifts Into A Bland Slumber, Too Tired To Think About The Next Days Events Any Longer.
🩵💚
Rin Stares At Karasu From Across The Classroom. Hes Arguing To Shidou(Probably About Who Has The Spikiest Hair lol). Rin Decides To Stand Up And Walk Over To Him, Determined To Know If Hes Crushing On Hiori Or Not.
Rin Pulls Up A Chair To The Side Of Karasu's Desk. The Two Older Boys Look At Him With Mild Shock. Shidou Grin "Yo, Baby Lashes! You Know, Sae Was On The Phone With Me Last Night And-" Rin Hold Up His Hand And Cuts Him Off "Yes, Yes. Now Stop Talking, Antennae. I'm Here To Ask Karasu Questions." He Looks At Karasu, Who's Looking Between The Two Of Them.
Shidou Leans On The Desk, "I Wanna Eavesdrop!" He Sings. Rin Side-Eyes Him, "No, Go Away." He Growls. Shidou Pouts, But Gets Up Anyways, "Just This Once, So You Can Figure Out Your Love Life." He Winks And Walks Away To Pester Someone Else.
Rin Finally Is Able To Talk To Karasu, "Okay, Listen Up Crow. Im Having A Crisis, And Everyone I've Talked To Haven't Really Helped Me. I Think I Have A Crush On Someone But I Dont Know If What I'm Feeling Is Love Or Just Something Platonic." He Rants. Karasu Raises An Eyebrow "Yeah Alright, Who?" He Asks. Rin Looks Down At His Hands "Yō... " He Mumbles.
Karasu's Eyes Widen, But Nods. Rin Bites His Lip "Whenever I'm With Him... I Just.. I Don't Know! My Heart Beats And I Get Kinda Flustered... And I Just Get The Feeling That I Want To Be With Him." He Groans. Hearing Himself Say It Out Loud Makes Him Realize How Much He Sounds Like What Isagi Described To Him. Damnit He's Dumb!
Karasu Tilts His Head, "Thats 100% Love, Rin. I Don't Know Whatcha Been Tellin' Yerself, But If Ya Can't Realize Thats Love, Yer Dumb." Karasu Let's Out A Laugh. Rins Been Telling Himself That Isagi Wasn't Right.
Rin Nods "Okay. So Now How Do I Confess And Actually Be In A Relationship." He Asks. He Feels Like He's Stooping Low Asking Dumb Questions.
Karasu Rests His Cheek On His Hand, "Well, Yō Doesn't Like Big Things, So Don't Make It A Big Public Deal. Maybe Ask Him To Come Over Or Take Him For A Walk In A More Private Area. He'd Like That. Ya Also Gotta Make It A Moment. Try To Make It Feel Kinda Romantic. And Relationships Are Different For Everyone, So I Can't Really Tell Ya How To Be In One. Ya Just Gotta Navigate It And Figure It Out As Ya Go." He Explains.
Rin Nods, Noting Everything Down In His Head. He Looks Karasu And Frowns "But What If He Doesn't Like Me? How Many I Supposed To Know?" All His Questions Are Making Him Lukewarm.
Karasu Hums, "Well, Ya Gotta Make Sure Yer Payin' Attention To See If He's Droppin' Hints. Things Like Brushin' His Hand Against Yers, Or Leanin' On Ya. Thats What I Did With Eita, And I Guess It Worked 'Cause I'm With Him Now." He Says And Shrugs.
Rin Feels More Confident That He Could Confess To Hiori. Hes Still Nervous, As Any Normal Person Would Be (as if he's normal...), But More Confident. He Stands Up And Puts The Chair He Was Sitting In Back, "Thanks Karasu." He Waves, And The Crow Waves Back.
Rin Walks Out Of Class, Choosing To Skip The Rest In Order To Plan Out His "Date" For Hiori.
Rin Doesn't Know, But Isagi Was Listening In On Their Whole Conversation. He Looks At His Desk, Shocked. Rin And Hiori? I Mean.. They Do Look Kinda Cute. Well At Least I Figured It Out. And Rin Was Feeling Exactly What I Was! Oh My Gosh, I Have To Tell Meguru! He Thinks To Himself, Hopping Up Out Of His Chair Before Leaving The Classroom To Find His Boyfriend–Whos's Probably Skipping Class.
❄🌊
He Decided On Asking Hiori For A Walk Afterschool. He Knows A Quiet Place Where People Rarely Go.
He Waits Outside The School Gate For Hiori To Meet Him. He Can Hardly Stand Still, Rolling On His Heels Idly. He Opens His Phone And Scrolls In It Until A Voice Pulls Him Away.
"Rin-chan?"
It's Hiori. Rin Puts His Phone Up, "Hey. You Ready?" He Moves Away From The Gate and Closer To Hiori, Who Nods.
They Walk In Silence As Rin Leads Him To The Place He Promised. He Remembers Karasu's Words And Waits To See If Any Of What He Said Would Happen. Hiori Hand Brushes Against His Own A Couple Times, And He Hates To Admit That His Fingers Twitched Each Time.
Rin Leads Off Their Path And Into A Deeper Part Of The Forest. It's A Nice But Relatively Short Path To Their Destination. They Walk Into A Clearing. It's Averagely Open With A Pond Off To The Side And A Tree Near The Bank Of The Pond.
Hiori Looks Around And Smiles, "This Is So Pretty. How Didya Even Find Out About This?" He Follows Rin, Sitting Next Round Him Under The Tree. Rin Shrugs, "Sae Found It When We Were Kids." He Responds. Hiori Hums And A Pleasant Silence Falls Over Them.
Hiori Leans Close To Rin And Tentatively Sets His Head On The Owl's Shoulder. Rin Stiffens. 2/3 Boxes Check From Karasu's List. He Loosens Back Up And Movies His Arm To Touch Hioris. In His Eyes, Hes Creating A Moment, So That's 3/3 Boxes.
They Sit In Silence For A Long While Till Rin Speaks Up, "Yō?" He Whispers. Hiori Moves His Head Slightly To Look At Rin, "Yeah?" He Answers, Whispering As Well. Rin Swallows. If I Back Down Now, I'm Lukewarm.
"I Love You." He Finally Says
Hiori Smiles, "I Was Waiting For That... I Love You Too" He Mutters. Rin Moves His Hand To Grab Hioris, Threading Their Fingers Shakily. All This Time And Hassle Going Around To Ask People In Relationships For Advice For This Moment. And It Was All Worth It For Hiori. Hiori Is Worth It.
They Didn't Need To Question Eachother On Whether They're Dating Now Or Not. Because They Know That Phrase Seals Their Relationship. The Phrase That Is Special To Them Both. The Phrase They Don't Hear As Often As They Wish They Could.
Hiori Leans Up Slightly And Presses A Light Kiss To Rin's Cheek. Hes Wanted This For So Long. He Didn't Tell Anyone He Liked Rin But Karasu, And He's Surprised The Dumbass Raven Head Didn't Tell Anyone Else. Not Even Otoya.
Rin Blushes And Looks Away.
Hiori Giggles And Leans Further Onto His (Now) Lover.
-Short Bonus:>🧩🐝-
Isagi And Bachira Sneak Behind Hiori And Rin. Far Enough To Not Be Seen, Close Enough To See The Other Two. They Sneak Behind In The Trees Around The Clearing. They Find A Good Angle To Watch Them While Still Being Out Of Sight.
Isagi Never Knew Bachira Was So Good At Sneaking Around. He Leans His Head On The Bee's Shoulder And Lets His Eyes Droop.
Just As He Was About To Doze Off, Bachira Flicks His Shoulder. Isagi Opens His Eyes, Looking At Bachira Who Points At Hiori And Rin.
Isagi Follows The Finger And Sees Them Holding Hands. His Eyes Go Round When Did That Happen? He Thinks To Himself, He Must've Blocked Out A Conversation While Falling Asleep.
Isagi Watches As Hiori Plants A Kiss On Rin's Cheek. He Looks Over At Bachira To See If He Saw It Too. Bachira Nods And Motions For Them To Silently Leave The Clearing.
Once They're Back On The Main Trail, They Stop. Isagi Puts His Hands On Bachiras Shoulders "Did I Miss A Conversation Or Something? Why Where They Holding Hands? Are They Dating Now!?" He Asks, All Too Quickly.
Bachira Laughs "Slow Down, Yocchan! It Wasn't Really A Conversation, They Just Said I Love You To Each other And Held Hands. I Think They Probably Are A Couple Since Hiorin Kissed Rin-chan." He Answers The Questions. Isagi Nods And Steps Back "I Knew He Liked Someone... " He Mumbles To Himself.
Bachira Looks At Him Confused "What Do You Mean?" He Tilts His Head. Isagi Rubs His Neck. He Never Did Tell Bachira About That Cafeteria Conversation. He Starts Walking The Path, "Ill Explain Later." He Laughs Awkwardly.