mariwritess

[mariwritess]

Winter Warmth - Itoshi Sae

Content - fluff, occ Sae (?), no angst or smut, not proofread, fem-bodied reader (mention of a skirt) but no use of pronouns for reader.

Author's Note - Hello again! With exam seasons coming up, I have not gotten the opportunity to write as frequently as I would have liked to :( I wasn't satisfied with my draft and kept rewriting it, but I finally have something to post. Anyhow, I hope I haven't made too many grammar mistakes, please enjoy!

You hate the winter. You’ve always hated it, and always will. At least that’s what you’ve told yourself during every previous excruciatingly uncomfortable period of cold weather that gnaws at your bones and numbs your lungs upon inhaling the crisp frigidness of the air. This year was no different, you grumbled to yourself as your frozen fingers found refuge in the scarce warmth the pockets of your jacket could provide. Sure, you could’ve dressed warmer, added another layer, put on a proper scarf… but as you did so every time, you’d succumbed to the nagging urge to replicate an outfit from your Pinterest board. So what if it was full of clothing far too thin for such icy temperatures? A proper look and overall distinguished appearance was definitely worth the dreadfully long soon-to-be-over moments of suffering mild discomfort. You hugged your arms to your chest as you continued to make your way across the pavement, a small sigh of relief escaping past your lips and fogging into the air as his apartment comes into view— the tall, unassuming building a beacon of hope amidst the growing desperation to escape the permanent tremble in your muscles and the constant chatter of your teeth clashing together. Cars rumbled past your side, engines sputtering and groaning against their confines, and other passerby — clearly more appropriately dressed for such weather — shuffled along with their chins tucked into the neckline of their coats, noses buried into the fluff of their scarves. You hurried your step, eager to escape Winter’s icy nips.

Finally, you pressed your shoulder against the glass door of his building’s lobby and used your weight to shift it open, the sudden wave of warmth upon your entrance forcing an audible sigh of relief from your lips. He’s going to kill me when he sees me… You shudder at the thought, rubbing your palms up and down your arms in a naÏve attempt to appear less… half-frozen to death. The echoing clicks of your soles against the floor trailed behind you, the faint smell of cleaning products lingering in the corridor you traversed, habit guiding you past the many apartment doors you knew weren’t his. 27A… 29A… 31A… 33A— you come to a halt, facing the wooden door you’d opened and closed countless times before – the sight a familiar landmark in the midst of neighbours you’d never met. You pause for a moment, an odd sense of self-awareness overcoming you as your hand lifts to flatten your hair and readjust your shirt. You had half the mind to turn around and make up some kind of excuse– you woke up late, your (nonexistent) dog died, you had last minute plans with the President– any possible excuse to escape the earful you were about to receive from your fretful boyfriend. Ultimately deciding against it, you shook your head to rid yourself of any ridiculous theories before lifting your hand up and letting your knuckles fall repeatedly against the polished wood. A moment passes, silence drowning out the shuffling of your shoes against the doormat before a muffled sound emerges from within – and soon enough, the door swung open.

He looks at you for a beat, his eyes judgingly raking over your choice of clothing as he raises an eyebrow. Ever the sassy man, he was.

“I didn’t know summer was in the middle of January.” Sae hums, pulling the door open a little wider as he leans against the doorframe, almost as if awaiting whatever excuse you’d made up this time.

You sigh, giving him a sheepish grin when your brain fails to back you up on your poor decision skills. “I know, I’m sorry. I won’t get sick, though, I promise.”

He exhales, clicking his tongue in disapprovement before moving forward, laying a gentle hand on your lower back to guide you into his apartment. “You better not, or you’ll only have yourself to blame.” he huffs, knowing full well he’d be at your beck and call to nurse you back to health, but he’d never admit that. Not to your face, at least. He frowns, albeit lacking any real frustration as he watches you remove your shoes and make your way to the living room. “Not that you’ll listen, anyway…” he murmurs, pressing his thumb to the control panel to turn the heating up before joining you on the sofa — the plush fabric dipping under his weight as he sinks his way down beside you, his arm outstretched over the back of the sofa.

You let yourself lean into him, a force of habit hard to shake off – not that either of you would want to, anyway. A gentle sigh slips past your lips as you bask in the warmth of his apartment. It was all so warm, so comfortable, so… homely. You supposed, in a way, that you could remain like this forever; nestled against the world– your world.

Maybe winter wasn’t so bad after all.

[mariwritess]

friend ⋆·˚ ༘ * Itoshi Rin x Reader

Hiya! This is my first ever fic, so I'm sorry if it's written in a weird format... I'm also not used to writing, so please cut me some slack

૮ ․ ․ ྀིა. I probably won't post regularly, but please enjoy!

warnings: none, apart from the fact that I haven't checked my spelling

trope: fluff, friends(ish?) to lovers?, past/present rin

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To say you and Rin were friends would be an odd statement indeed– and yet, there wasn’t exactly any other term to define what you two were. Yes, you’d known him since nappies and drool-covered plastic dinosaurs. Yes, you’d known him when he lost his first tooth– the tiny, wailing boy rushing over to his brother for comfort. Yes, you’d known him when you’d started school– big, toothy grins plastered onto both your faces (your mother never really would get rid of that embarrassing photo). And yes, you’d known him when his world came crashing down into pieces after his brother– the very one who'd always make sure to ruffle his hair and soothe his endless worries– disregarded him entirely upon returning from Spain. You never really knew what happened for Sae to undergo such a transformation in such little time, and you had a hunch that you never really would. 

It had all happened so suddenly. You had chosen to stay behind– opting to give the brothers some much-needed time to reunite. Rin's room had never been anything spectacular; the deep, navy walls were scarcely ever decorated, save for a framed photo of his first football game with his brother– perched carefully upon his desk beside his monitor, and several trophies accumulated over years of playing alongside Sae. 

The gentle click of the front door was what had caught your attention, pausing whatever horror film you had found amidst Rin's extended collection. Your head swivelled towards the bedroom door, neck  rained and ears strained as you frowned; it was too quiet. No voices, no shuffling feet against the carpet, nothing. Something's off, you thought to yourself as you rose from Rin's desk chair and moved towards his bedroom door. Rin was never silent around Sae. 

Before you could even call out to him, the door had swung open– missing your face by mere centimeters. You had jumped back, startled by Rin's sudden entrance.

“Oh, Rinnie! You're back alread—”

Your words fell on deaf ears as he brushed past you, heading straight for his desk. Your frown lifted and your eyes widened, a cold wave of realisation washing down your spine as you had watched him grab the very frame he had insisted on keeping for years– and hurl it against a wall. The glass had shattered with ease, cutting through your screams as you had crouched in an attempt to dodge any shards. A sickening wail had torn through your throat in a desperate attempt to ground yourself. Fortunately for you– Rin had come to his senses reasonably quick, squatting down to your level as he mumbled incoherent apologies, trembling hands raised to gently stroke your hair. It was only once you had raised your head to look at him that you’d realised something had gone wrong– terribly wrong.

“Rin, what…”

The words had seemed, at the time, to shrivel up and turn to dust in your mouth, leaving a bitter taste on your tongue as you swallowed down the torrent of questions buzzing through your veins. Rin had let escape a small, shaky breath before glancing at you– his teal eyes now reflecting anything but the boy you knew.

“Nii-chan, he— he said he— I don’t—”

At last, your senses had returned to you as you hushed him gently and had coaxed him into your arms, your initial shock wearing off and leaving you numb as he had broken down the minute you’d held him, tears streaming down his face and soaking into your shoulder.

“Oi. Are you even listening to me?”

The low grumble of Rin’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts– a rather rude awakening from memory lane, if you will. You smile, giving him a (hopefully) innocent smile and a nod of your head– which soon turned into a sheepish mumble of an apology when faced with his ever-so-stoic stare.

“How on Earth did you pass the entrance exam with such a mediocre attention span?” Rin deadpans, looking at you as if you’d suddenly grown a second pair of arms.

“Hey! Who do you take me for?!” You laugh in disbelief, tossing your rubber in his direction (which he caught without much effort). You frown, sticking out your tongue in defiance before looking at him— really looking at him. When had he gotten so tall? Where’d the adorable pudge in his face go? And yet, despite the radical changes in his appearance, he was still here, with you, by your side. His hand no longer smacked yours away whenever you reached out for it, his knee no longer shifted away from yours when the two of you had mindlessly ended a little closer to each other than planned, and his eyes no longer avoided yours after being caught staring at your lips. 

Rin was your friend. You’d do everything friends would do, and sometimes more. Rin was your friend. Until he wasn’t.