It was something Rin had pretty much been forced to accept. He didn’t have control over your life, no matter how badly he wanted to sometimes. And anyway, he was just your younger brother. Most of his bitterness, his shortness with you, you brushed off as typical angsty teenage boy shit. But Rin always noticed more than he let on. Mostly because if he ever actually said something, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself.

His issues with Sae; that was one thing. Rin had long buried those, learned to live with them, especially after you stepped in to pick up the pieces. But now it felt like he was losing a sibling all over again. And the worst part? This time it hurt even more. Maybe because now it was happening right in front of him. Maybe because this time, it was hurting you too. And you refused to speak on it. Too proud, too focused on being the adult, too busy pretending it didn’t break you down.

The truth was, Rin hated your husband. Couldn’t even hear his name without tensing up. He wanted to put his hands on him at every family gathering, felt nauseous just seeing him walk through the door. It wasn’t possessiveness, it wasn’t jealousy. It was clear as day: your husband treated you like absolute shit, and Rin wasn’t stupid. He noticed the way your smile never reached your eyes anymore. The excuses you gave when you stayed at the family home instead of going back to him. He saw it all: the cheating, the emotional wreckage, the quiet suffering. But what could he do? He was just your little brother. Even if it killed him not to protect you from it all.

And here you were again. Staying in the family home like always. That other house never felt like home anyway, and Rin never once questioned it. As he walked back to the couch, he tossed you a blanket without saying a word. He caught a glimpse of you checking your husband’s location again. It twisted something in him. He swallowed his reaction, dropped down next to you with a quiet thud.

“Doesn’t it get exhausting?” Rin asked flatly, eyes flicking toward your poorly hidden worry. He’d asked you before. Always met with that same tired response. Still, the silence around your marriage wasn’t even silence anymore. Everyone knew. “You were happier here…”

He tried to keep the judgment out of his voice, but it always bled through. Because watching the one person he loved most cling to someone who didn’t even deserve to breathe the same air as you.