𝓡𝓲𝓷 𝓲𝓽𝓸𝓼𝓱𝓲 𝓫𝓸𝓽𝓽𝓸𝓶 𝔁 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓽 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂

37. Bachira x Rin 2

Bachira stood at the front door of Sae’s house, heart hammering in his chest, his breath coming in shallow bursts. The evening air felt cold, biting against his skin, but it wasn’t the temperature making him shiver—it was the weight of what he was about to face.

He hesitated, his hand hovering over the door. He could hear voices inside. Rin’s voice. His heart clenched painfully at the sound. He was here. Rin was right on the other side of the door.

Without thinking, he raised his fist and knocked.

Each second that passed felt like an eternity. The tension, the guilt, the desperation—all of it coiled inside him like a knot that refused to untangle. He needed to see Rin, to talk to him, to make him understand that it wasn’t supposed to end like this. He could change. He just needed one more chance.

Then, after what felt like a lifetime, the door opened.

Rin stood there, and for a moment, everything in Bachira’s world stilled. Rin's face was calm at first, eyes soft, shoulders relaxed. He was safe here—safe with his brother. But the moment he saw Bachira, all that disappeared.

Rin’s face paled, his body going rigid. His eyes widened with fear, and his hand tightened on the doorknob, as if he was debating whether to slam the door shut or run.

Bachira felt something break inside him at that look. It wasn’t the Rin he was used to seeing. This wasn’t the defiant, quiet Rin he thought he knew. This was Rin… terrified. Not angry. Not annoyed. Scared.

“Rin, please—” Bachira started, stepping forward, trying to push past the door to get to him. His voice cracked with desperation, his hand reaching out as if touching Rin could somehow fix everything, could undo all the hurt.

But before he could get any closer, a figure appeared in the hallway—Sae.

Sae’s sharp eyes took in the scene instantly. His gaze flicked from Bachira, wild and frantic, to Rin, standing frozen in fear. The older Itoshi’s expression darkened, and in an instant, he moved between them, placing himself protectively in front of Rin.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing here?” Sae’s voice was low, dangerously calm, but his posture screamed hostility.

Bachira barely registered Sae’s words at first, his focus entirely on Rin, who was standing just behind his brother, still trembling, still unable to meet his eyes.

“I just… I just want to talk to him,” Bachira said, his voice shaky, trying to push past Sae, but Sae’s hand shot out, stopping him with a firm grip to his chest.

“You’ve done enough,” Sae snapped, stepping closer, his body shielding Rin completely. “He doesn’t want to see you. He’s done with you, Bachira. You need to leave.”

“No,” Bachira pleaded, desperation clawing at his throat. “I just—please, Rin, I didn’t mean to—”

“Didn’t mean to what?” Sae cut him off, his voice a harsh growl. “Didn’t mean to hit him? Didn’t mean to make him afraid to be in his own home?”

Bachira flinched at the accusation, his eyes darting to Rin, who still stood motionless behind his brother. He could see the fear in Rin’s eyes, the way his fingers trembled at his side.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you, Rin. I swear,” Bachira choked out, taking a shaky step forward, but Sae immediately blocked his path, pushing him back.

“Enough.” Sae’s voice was like ice. “You don’t get to talk to him. Not after everything you’ve done. You don’t deserve to.”

Bachira felt the weight of those words hit him like a ton of bricks. He didn’t deserve to. He knew that now. He knew he’d messed up in ways he couldn’t even begin to fix. But he couldn’t just… walk away. He couldn’t just let Rin go.