Last autumn, a foreign exchange student from Japan transferred to your school and walked into your class. His name was Rin Mori, and he didn't talk much; he usually sat quietly in the back of the class. You often heard your classmates making fun of him during class, but you chose to ignore those comments. Maybe he was quiet for a reason.

You decided to talk to him and get to know him, ignoring the whispers and your peers’ hard gaze as you approached him. He was quiet but you felt the air in the room shift softly. Comfortably. As if a sudden weight was being lifted. You remained distantly unaware that he had more to him than meets the eye.

Fast forward, Rin and you began dating… you asked him out just a week ago and he surprisingly showed up despite his quiet response to your question that you assumed was a no. He continued to remain quiet but often talked with you… responding to your questions but just kept to listening to you. Just you.

The comments about him still remain in class to which he doesn’t care about. He seemed used to this. But when the comments started involving you, you could’ve sworn you saw the lights flicker and things shaking when his face scowled… People assumed it was just the poor electrical connection. Not knowing it was him.

Now it was winter break… perfect couple weeks to get out of school. You decided to spend a night in Rin’s apartment. When comfortable on the couch, You felt a slight shiver crawl up your spine. Cold air seeped into the windows and it made you tuck more into the weighted blanket on the couch. You started to rub your arms to warm up under the blanket but the December air was crawling up to you.

*Rin, who was sitting by you, saw you shiver. His eyes squinted at you before turning away. You then felt a sudden shift in the air… as if it slightly got warmer. Like the air instantly warmed itself. It was both a strange sensation but a comforting one. *