They spent the rest of the day in the facility, Rin forcibly hanging out with everyone else because Yoichi insisted that he wouldn't stay alone, their company was quiet fun, not that Rin will ever admit it.
They parted ways the next morning since they were given a couple of weeks off.
"Rin!" he exclaimed as he spotted the taller teen, smiling as he walked towards him. It hadn't even been five days into the break, and he's already called him to hang out, not that Rin was complaining, especially not when he had a ghost smile on his face. "How have you been?" Yoichi asked.
"was thriving until you called" he teased,
"glad I did then" he mused, his smile dropping to a smirk.
"you cut your hair" he remarked, once Yoichi stood in front of him, turning around naturally as they walked together. His hand moved subconsciously to his head, He had it half up half down, with a few strands framing his face, it was almost shoulder length. "i did, it's a wolf cut, for fanservice, that's what Eita said"
Rin scoffed, "Of course it'd be that green fringed freak" his hands slipped to his pockets,
"Hey don't call him that"
They strolled down the city's streets, until they reached the familiar field they've always trained in. They played until exhaustion, then following the same ritual Sae implanted in them, they walked to the beach.
"You did a great job in the last match" he blurted, as they sat down sea gazing. "Against the u-20 I mean" he clarified.
Rin was taken aback at the sudden mention of a bygone topic, "what brings? You still scored more though"
"i might have, but most of the credits goes to you as ego said, I didn't get the chance to tell you that. you were the first to break through, and your awakening was frightening, the last goal was yours just as it was mine." he rambled,
"don't feed me this, there's no point if you don't score, you know that too." he muttered.
"well it's not like you didn't score at all" he retorted, " anyway. What I'm saying is I'm proud of you little Rin, you've grown a lot". He smiled, looking at the beach as if he was addressing it, oblivious of the mess he was causing, as blush crept to the younger's face.
"Oi where the hell did that come from?" he exclaimed, caught off guard.
Yoichi turned around, chuckling at the embarrassed itoshi beside him. "I thought you knew? Rin you're amazing, I always look forward for your evolution" he admitted, looking back at the sea.
Rin smiled. "I'll crush you Yoichi, just you wait" he challenged, after getting himself together.
"Alright, you can try" he answered.
"Sae's going to Spain tomorrow" Rin announced after a moment of silence, Yoichi's face dropped, as he gripped a handful of sea pebbles with his hand, digging it in the floor.
"Good for him" he muttered, feigning indifference once again. Then it hit him, "how do you know? Did you guys make up?" he asked.
Rin shrugged, "not really, he's said it on dinner table"
"Oh." he voiced, his mind wandering elsewhere,
"aren't you going to talk to him?" Rin unwittingly asked.
"no, why would I?"
Rin blankly stared at him, his tongue tracing his upper teeth. "You know why" Rin deadpanned.
"I've said it before, it's on him if he doesn't want to come back to his senses" he said, loosening his grip on the ground.
"But he did try talking to you" he reminded him.
Yoichi turned abruptly; his eyebrows knit in confusion. "Which side are you Rin?"
"neither. Both of you are stubborn idiots" he commented.
"How the fuck does that make me stubborn?" he asked.
"Because you like him. You knew the way he is, and liked him anyway. And don't even try to deny." Rin spoke, causing the other to look away, turning a deaf ear since his exposition wasn't of his pleasure.
"Whatever, just drop it" he grumbled.
Several minutes later, Rin could no longer suppress his feelings from years, not after Yoichi openly admitting that he had indeed liked Sae, and apparently still on it.
"couldn't it just be me?" he whispered, cringing at how petty he sounded.
isagi darted a shocked glance to the younger, "Rin..."
"Don't..." he interrupted him, "just don't say anything at all" he sighed, burying his face in his hands, then sliding them up to brush his hair, he asked, "what do you even like about him anyway?" clearly not demanding any answers.
"don't we like have the exact same face? I'm more handsome though"
Yoichi smiled, seeing the boy being cool about it. "Well, can't argue with that"
"like hell you can." he fired back. He bit his bottom lip, in a failed attempt to prevent further embarrassment, "should I've been an asshole to you too? Or perhaps dye my hair that ugly red and get that awful haircut?" he asked,
From the corner of his eye, he looked over at Rin to see how serious this was, then breathed a sigh of relief. "you're joking." he stated,
"i am" Rin chuckled, trying to shake away the fact that he just got rejected.
A weight on his shoulder startled him as Rin dropped his head on it, whispering, "lemme have this much," he took silence as approval, closing his eyes while breathing his intoxicating smell.
"I'm sorry Rin, I wish it was you" he said sympathetically, feeling miserable for unintentionally breaking the boy's heart.
"even your rejection is lukewarm" he taunted, only for his comment to get completely ignored, as yoichi tousled his hair.
"you'll be fine" he said.
"I will" he answered. "You better not get all awkward around me and shit" he warned.
"Rin you're my best friend, nothing will ever change that." he declared. I'm glad he said to no one but himself, lifting his head as tears had dried out in the corner of his eyes. Not that he expected another outcome, but at least he got a proper rejection.
Footsteps had interrupted his sea flavored grieving, looking up, stood none other than Sae itoshi, flesh and bones.
YOU ARE READING
breaking through my defenses
Fanfiction"I'm sorry" he repeated, his voice cracking with the amount of agony and regret he's holding. Yoichi, inhaling a shaky breath, choked out, "I don't forgive you, then" "You shouldn't." he faintly concurred, his teal eyes fixated on the sea before him.
