Starlit Ruins (BL | MLM)

Ch. 5 | Fate

The sound of rainfall is near deafening. All that is heard, all that is felt, is rainfall. A thought doesn't dare to interrupt the peace in the rainy surroundings. Despite the roar of precipitation, an image presents itself clear as day. A sticky-note with words like thorns scrawled across it. Rahim squeezes his eyes shut, trying to focus on the rainfall once again. The disassociation feels like the only thing keeping him together right now. But once the imagery of the forsaken sticky-note presents itself, the floodgates of other thoughts open like a tsunami.

"I'm homeless." "I'm going to get hurt." "I did this to myself." Rahim's thoughts pile on top of each other.

The weight in his chest seems to double. His throat seems constricted to a mere centimeter in diameter. A breath can't seem to come to completion without another one trying to replace it. A battle of numbness and overwhelm overtake his body.

"I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't keep doing this. I can't. I can't. I can't. I can't," the words drill itself deeper and deeper into his conscious.

His eyes start to burn with tears of overwhelm, his body begging to release the tension that has been building inside of it. The burning sensation in his eyes is suddenly replaced with a warm hand blanketing his shoulder. A smell immediately follows the sensation, flooding his nose. Coconut. Also.... gasoline?

A heavy exhale escapes Rahim, his head lifting off of his arms that are currently squeezing around his legs. His eyes meet with a familiar face, crouched down beside him.

"Vin?" Rahim whispers, confused.

Vin gives a slight grin in response, his brows still furrowed in concern.

"Hey.... is everything okay? What are you doing out here?" he asks.

Rahim sniffs, realizing that he was just about to break down.

"Ugh," he utters, quickly wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "I'm sorry, this is so annoying. It's fine. Everything is fine," he responds, annoyed at his display of vulnerability.

Vin frowns and drops into a seated position on the ground next to Rahim.

"Did they kick you out of The Constellation Room? How long were you planning on staying in there?" Vin questions.

Rahim shakes his head. His thoughts race trying to find any possible way to not explain that he was evicted by his own father. A strong odor distracts him from his racing thoughts.

"You smell like gasoline," Rahim notes.

Vin looks down at his clothes, realizing his hotel robe and slippers are stained with asphalt and gasoline.

"Long story," he responds, sighing. "I'm not going to force you to tell a stranger your business, but I can't pretend like I'm not concerned," he adds.

Rahim sneaks a glance at Vin. His hair now frames his face, mini-ponytail now absent. The feeling of being concerned about feels rather foreign. In this stressful, tumultuous situation, something is telling him to let some of the burden off of his shoulders. He lets out a long sigh before finding the words he wants to convey.

"Funny enough, we're now in the same predicament," he delivers.

Vin stares at Rahim for a second, trying to grasp what he means.

"You... also smell like gasoline?" he says, half-joking.

Rahim's mouth curls into a smile before he can have a say in the matter. Vin's mouth seems to mirror Rahim's.

"At this point, probably. But... I was locked out of my place. Not just for the night, but for 2 weeks," Rahim says, staring at the ground in front of him, not able to add the painful context behind his statement.