despair | h. rindo

XXI

Time moved slowly as Rindou sat down on one of the hospital benches of its waiting rooms. Nahoya paced around the room nervously while Souya conversed with some of the hospital staff, trying to bargain the payment for your treatment. Their mother couldn't know about this. Your mother couldn't know about this.

The blond's leg starts to bob up and down as he zones out. The noise, the thoughts, everything out the window. All he thought about was you

A nurse finally opens the curtains, revealing the hospital cot where you had been stationed. Rindou knows he shouldn't be the first one to rush to you, so against his better judgment he stays put. His legs were itching to stand up and run to check on you, his hands twitching to hold you.

Nahoya was the first one to scurry towards you, wasting no time as his heart pounded at the very thought of your current state. Unexpectedly, Souya stayed behind. Instead, he walked towards the young Haitani, curiosity piqued his mind. A thousand questions lingered as he sat beside Rindou.

"Hi."

Rindou turned his head slightly, still ducked down; not to face the younger twin but enough for him to see. "Hello," He responded meekly. He didn't know why. Maybe it was the guilt slowly eating him alive. Or maybe he was embarrassed to be seen in such a situation, looking all weak and frail.

Souya pursed his lips. He knew the reputation the Haitani's put up for themselves. Though without any reluctance, he spoke up again. "Thank you." Rindou finally rose up, facing Souya fully, his breath slightly ragged, "Don't say that." The latter furrows his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?" He asks the older male.

"Don't thank me. I didn't do shit." Rindou grumbles, trying to build the nonchalant wall back up. "You saved my cousin. That's something I'll always be indebted to you for." Souya says, contradicting the blond. "I didn't save them, I was just– I was... Fuck." Instead of trying to look for an alibi, he sighs, "I was just making sure that bastard Kyoka deals with our business fairly instead of using innocent people."

Souya smiles slightly, "That's... Unusually nice of you." Rindou looks at him, faking a displeased expression, "What? You think I can't be thoughtful of civilians?" The younger twin eyes him cautiously before shaking his head slowly. Rindou couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "Would you actually have done this for other people too?" Souya asks, after a lot of thinking. A part of him wanted to ask why the infamous Haitani was so concerned about his cousin, but another knew better than to exasperate the blond.

The blond looks away, trying to avoid the younger twin to hide his blush, "...No." He answers hesitantly. Before Souya could even process his words, he finally asks, "Then why would you do it for my cousin?"

Rindou couldn't really answer his question. He asks himself that too every time his head played tricks with him, creating illusions of your smile and when his ears would start ringing with the sound of your laughter. "Believe me, I don't know either."

"Do you like my cousin?" Angry asks cautiously.

Oh.

'Do I like his cousin?' Rindou thought to himself. "How should I know?" He answers Angry's question with another one of his own.

"You just do, I guess."

"That's not very helpful."

"I'm not the crush guru, okay? Sue me." Souya rolls his eyes, "Y/n's the expert. But, as far as I've known, you just start to act differently around someone you like. Maybe you haven't noticed, but I see the way you look at my cousin." He smiles fondly. "What are you talking about?" The blond looks at the blue haired twin, almost in disbelief rather than curiosity. "The way I look at them? How do I look at them?" The latter continues.

The twin pursed his lips into a thin smile, sighing softly. "You look at them the same way my father looks at my mom. Like the whole world just slows down for a moment. I don't know. You have that same look in your eyes. It's like every time it happens, my dad falls in love with my mom all over again. After 15 years." Souya tries to explain the best he can. "I saw it in your eyes too. A lot."

Rindou looks at him for a moment, debating if what the younger male says applies to him. And it does. It clicks. When light surrounds you as if you were the source itself. When rose petals shower from the heavens as if the gods had let down an angel for him. When everything you said, or did, meant everything to him. When you meant everything to him.

Oh.

"Would you kill me if I like them?" Rindou asks, half-heartedly, though they both knew he really was curious if they twin would approve of his current attraction. "I wouldn't. Maybe Nahoya would. Maybe he won't. As long as you don't hurt her, emotionally, mentally AND physically, I'm fine with you crushing on my cousin." Souya shrugs, feeling the weight of the worry slip from his shoulders as he sighs, looking almost relieved at the sight of his cousin still asleep.

"Just crushing though! They can't date until they've finished college!" Souya warns, glaring at the blond before making his way towards the cot where you lay still.

Rindou looked at the three, a small smile pasted on his face as he stood less than 20 feet away from them. Against his better judgment, he turned on his heels, walking towards the front desk. "Excuse me," He called out to the receptionist who only hummed in response. "I'll be paying for Y/n Komori's bill."

As he finishes the paperwork, he glaces one more at the twins conversing beside you, Smiley seemingly upset at his brother. He leaves the facility, with nothing but you in his mind, tossing and catching his baton and a few bandages on his face as he tries to pull himself together.

'I like them.'