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3 BRUISED KNEE'S
Warning: mentions of blood and bruises
Rin had just finished his muscle training and 15-minute yoga routine, wrapping up a bit earlier than usual. Exhausted from overworking himself, he collapsed onto his bed.
As Akemi often put it, "He is physically strong but mentally deranged."
Barely a minute had passed when the doorbell rang.
"Ugh," he groaned, rubbing his eyes as he reluctantly got up. He wasn't expecting anyone, especially not her.
"Hello, Rin! Do you remember me?" There she was again, flashing her bright smile. She wore a plaid skirt and a black sweater, and a Hello Kitty Band-Aid covered her knee, with multiple wounds on her hands.
"Irene? Did you get into a street fight, or are you just being reckless?" he asked, his tone a mix of concern and exasperation.
"I've been doing a lot of, um, crazy stuff these past few days," she said, scratching the back of her head.
Rin raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is up with you?"
"Anyway, let me get straight to the point. I'm really bored right now, the sun is about to set, and I want to grab a cold drink. You're coming with me, and I'll pay. Don't worry."
"I can't, I just—" Before he could finish his sentence, she dashed away with his owl keychain, a gift from Sae for his tenth birthday.
"How did she—"
"HEY, GIVE ME MY KEYCHAIN BACK!" he shouted, sprinting after her.
"HA!" she laughed, continuing to run.
Her throat burned as she struggled to keep pace. "Oh my god, I have horrible stamina!" As Rin neared her, she tripped and fell hard.
"No, no, not again!"
Rin's eyes widened in panic. "YOU IDIOT!"
Despite the pain, she laughed it off. "This was kind of fun."
"You're the dumbest, most humiliating, embarrassing—" he trailed off, using every word he could think of to express his frustration. He lifted her from the ground, cradling her in his arms.
"Damn, I think I'm high," Haerin said, grabbing onto his shirt. He kept her delicate body close, trying hard not to blush or get flustered.
"Whoa, this feels great. We should really do this more often."
"Shut up."
He ran towards his house as fast as he could with her in his arms, maintaining a calm exterior while panicking internally. Why was his heart beating so fast? He was worried about someone... gross.
He didn't like seeing people get hurt, especially those he cared about.
After getting her settled on his bed, he cleaned her bloody nose, sanitized her wounds, and wrapped a bandage around her knee, adorned with a Sonic sticker.
"Wow, look at all those trophies," she said, observing his room.
His big bookcase displayed his trophies, horror movie posters adorned the walls, and a jersey from Royale Youth hung prominently. Childhood photos of him and Sae were scattered on his desk.
He admired his brother a lot; Sae was Japan's treasure after all.
The atmosphere felt unusually sad. Rin probably felt the loneliness more intensely now that his brother was overseas.
"Lie down. I'm not finished with your other wound," Rin instructed, trying to mask his worry.
"Your bed is really comfy, Rin Rin, but I want a popsicle really badly."
"Stop acting like a child."
"I'm older than you, Rin."
"And I'm still more mature."
"Boohoo, grandpa."
"CAN'T YOU JUST BE QUIET FOR—
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After arguing for 15 minutes, Rin found himself back outside on the street, with Haerin on his back.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he felt his cheeks flush, unsure if it was the cold breeze or something else.
Mission failed—he got flustered around her.
Haerin whistled a tune to pass the time as they walked down the street. Shortly before the moon rose and the stars began to twinkle in the hazy blue sky, she felt her eyes growing heavy.
She yawned and murmured, "Rin... I want to cut off your eyelashes and glue them onto mine."
Rin let out a small, involuntary giggle. Before he knew it, Haerin had fallen asleep on his back. She rested her head on his shoulder, her hands slowly slipping away from him, but he held her tightly.
Rin sighed, "I hate you," as he turned to head toward her home.
As he walked toward her house, he felt her pinch his shoulder.
"Rin, stop walking," she mumbled.
He insisted and stopped. "What's wrong?"
Haerin took a deep breath. "Could you please take me anywhere else?"
