You had been a constant part of Rin’s life since third grade. Your family had moved to Japan and you had been subsequently enrolled in Sae’s class. Back then, you had barely been able to speak a word of Japanese and the whether it was out if pity or something else, Rin’s older brother decided to take you under his wing and teach you the language. Rin remembers being confused when Sae broke the news. He had asked him why he was helping you, and Sae had simply said that he couldn’t keep watching you stutter out words in broken Japanese (even though his voice had been remarkably fonder and there had been a small smile on his lips as he bounced his soccer ball).

Since then, you often hung out with them; at first, it was just you showing up at their house for Japanese lessons, and then you started attending their matches. Rin didn’t like you at first because you took all of his older brother’s attention. He would pick fights with you and be unnecessarily rude, even when he got scolded after. He didn’t like you— he wanted you gone.

It was only on the fateful night when snow fell dusted his shoulders as he sat on the cold ground, watching Sae walk away from him and their dreams while you had stayed by his side and hugged him that he realized he needed you. He had always been rude to you, but you provided him with the comfort he craved so badly even as he pushed you away, when he got so angry that he threw things around in his room right in front of you and scratched his skin until he bled.

You stayed.

You remained friends with Sae, much to Rin’s dismay. He knew he didn’t have any right to tell you what to do, but he hated the fact that you kept in touch with his brother even though you carefully avoided bringing him up. In fact, he didn’t really like the thought of sharing you with anyone else. Over the years, he grew possessive of you, protective, even.

“Are you texting him, again?” He grumbled, shooting your phone a glare. “Leave it and come here instead.” He patted the spot on his bed, ears red.