Chapter Text
The library was supposed to be quiet, which was probably why Isagi liked it so much. Rin had never understood that. There was nothing particularly peaceful about sitting in a room filled with dozens of people trying not to make noise while simultaneously making every possible noise that could be made without technically being considered loud: pages turning, pens clicking, chairs scraping against the floor, keyboards being pressed too many times, that one occasional cough.
Rin preferred his apartment anyways.
He had only come to the library because the lecture he had been sitting through had ended earlier than expected and he had nowhere else to be for the next two hour. His next class wasn't until four, and going back to his apartment would have meant walking all the way there only to turn around again, which was inefficient, so he had found an empty table near one of the windows and dropped his bag beside the chair.
He had opened his laptop, pulled up the assignment he was supposed to be working on, and spent the next fifteen minutes staring at the same paragraph without reading a single word.
"Watch out, there's a little bit of drool right there."
Rin slowly looked up.
The guy standing beside his table was staring at him with the unmistakable expression of someone who had just realized that that was maybe not a funny joke. He had dark blue hair, bright eyes, and the kind of face that made him look considerably friendlier than Rin suspected he actually was. Rin waited. After several seconds of silence, he gave a small, awkward laugh and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Sorry. That sounded stupid. I mean, obviously you don't.. at the moment. I just recognized you from afar"
Rin glanced at the empty chair across from him. "Dont speak to me if its for stupid bullshit."
The guy blinked and sat down. "Received, fucker." Rin rolled his eyes back.
Isagi laughed louder this time, then immediately covered his mouth and looked around the library as if he had only just remembered where they were. Rin almost punched him. Almost. Isagi didn't seem to understand when he was being annoying, but he also didn't seem to understand when he was being rejected, or maybe he did but didnt want to admit it, which meant Rin couldn't even properly get rid of him without feeling like he was kicking a puppy. Sure hes not that of a friendly neighbor but he isnt heartless. They ended up talking for nearly twenty minutes, although Rin did considerably less talking than Isagi. Yet when Isagi finally glanced at the clock and realized he had been sitting there for almost half an hour, Rin found himself relieved.
"I should probably go," Isagi said, gathering his laptop and books. "I've got a friend to meet."
"Okay."
"See you around?"
Rin shrugged. "I hope not."
Isagi smiled. "Fuck you man."
He left.
Rin stared at his laptop for another few seconds before realizing he had completely forgotten what he had been doing. He sighed, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his eyes. That was when he noticed someone sitting like, three tables away. He hadn't noticed him before, which was strange because the guy had probably been there the entire time. Light blue hair, headphones around his neck, laptop open in front of him, one hand resting against his cheek. He wasn't looking at Rin. He wasn't looking at anyone. He seemed completely absorbed in whatever was on his screen, although Rin couldn't tell whether he was actually working or simply pretending to.
Rin looked away.
The guy didn't matter.
He didn't even know his name.
Hiori had not been paying attention to Rin.
That was the important part.
He had been paying attention to Isagi, because Isagi was impossible not to notice when he got interested in something. Hiori had known him for a while, though not particularly well, and there was something strangely entertaining about watching him become fascinated by football. Isagi had been like that since Hiori first met him. Now telling Hiori that he saw Rin Itoshi and talked with him for quite a long time, for Rin. Hiori looked in th direction sagi was pointing at.
Rin was not what he expected.
Hiori had seen him before, obviously. Everyone had. Rin Itoshi was difficult to miss, especially if you spent any amount of time around the university's football scene. He had a reputation for being talented, unpleasant, competitive, and generally uninterested in people. Hiori had heard enough stories about him to have formed an impression without ever actually speaking to him, but seeing him from a distance was different from watching him sit quietly across from them.
When Isagi left to check on Bachira, Hiori looked back at his laptop. 5:45 PM.
He tried to return to his work.
He lasted three minutes.
Then he looked up again.
Rin was still there.
He was staring at the same page on his laptop, except Hiori had the distinct impression that he wasn't actually reading it. There was something almost absent about him when nobody was talking to him, as if all the energy he had spent tolerating Isagi for twenty minutes had disappeared.
Hiori wondered what Rin was like when he was alone.
The thought appeared so naturally that he didn't question it.
He packed his things shortly afterward.
Rin didn't notice him leaving.
The next time Hiori saw Rin was entirely accidental.
At least, that was what he believed.
It was Monday afternoon, and Hiori had a free hour before class. He stopped by the convenience store near the east entrance because he wanted something sweet, then changed his mind when he saw the line and decided to walk to the vending machines near the sports building instead. He wasn't thinking about Rin. He wasn't thinking about anyone. He was thinking about whether he should buy a monster or one of the new peach energy drinks he saw someone sip on sitting on the steps outside.
Rin.
He was alone.
Hiori slowed down.
There was no reason to stop.
He could have kept walking.
Instead, he stood there for a moment, watching Rin tie his shoelace. Rin had one earbud in, the other hanging loose around his neck, and he was staring down at his phone with a deeply irritated expression. Hiori wondered what had happened. He wondered whether Rin always looked annoyed or whether something specific had caused it.
Then Rin stood up.
Hiori continued walking.
He bought the peach drink.
He went to class.
He forgot about it.
At least until Wednesday.
Then Friday.
Then the following Monday.
None of it was intentional.
That was what Hiori told himself.
He simply happened to use the same library because it was quieter. He happened to take the same corridor because it was the fastest route. He happened to buy drinks from the vending machine near the sports building because the peach drink was actually good. He happened to see Rin sitting on the same bench several times, usually alone, usually with his headphones on, occasionally staring at the field without actually watching the players.
There was a pattern. Hiori noticed patterns, that was all, he wasn't following Rin. He was simply beginning to know where Rin would be.
There was a difference.
At least, there was supposed to be, it took several weeks before Hiori realized he had started making decisions based on Rin without admitting it to himself. He would leave the library at six instead of five because Rin usually left around six. He would take the long way across campus because there was a higher chance of passing the sports building. He started sitting in the same general area of the cafeteria because Rin sometimes ate there. None of these choices felt significant when he made them individually. Together, however, they formed something Hiori wasn't quite ready to name. He didn't even speak to Rin again for almost a month.
Then one evening, Rin sat across from him in the library, Not beside him, just across the table.
Hiori looked up from his laptop, Rin didn't say anything and opened his notebook to start studying.
Hiori stared at him for a second too long.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Rin narrowed his eyes slightly, then went back to his notes.
Hiori smiled faintly.
He didn't know why Rin had chosen his table.
He didn't know whether Rin remembered him.
He didn't know why the simple fact that Rin had sat down in front of him when the library was kinda full made him feel strangely pleased.
But he knew one thing.
He didnt really wanted Rin to go away.
And that was probably the first moment Hiori should have realized that this wasn't accidental anymore.