“how long was the bet supposed to last?”
your voice is calm. too calm. the kind of calm that feels unnatural, like the quiet before a storm. but there’s no storm in your face—no anger, no hurt, nothing at all. just an empty, unreadable expression that makes his stomach churn.
“who told you?” his voice comes out rough, forced.
you shrug, like it doesn’t even matter. like he doesn’t even matter. “does it make a difference?”
it doesn’t. he knows that. he also knows that this is bad. really bad.
“was it a week? a month?” you tilt your head slightly, staring him down. “or were you just gonna keep going until you got bored?”
his jaw tightens. “it wasn’t like that.”
“really?” you let out a breathy laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “because from where i’m standing, it kinda seems like it was.”
rin clenches his fists, frustration curling in his chest. frustration at himself, at shidou, at the whole stupid situation that never should’ve happened in the first place.
“you weren’t a joke to me,” he says, voice low.
“that’s funny,” you murmur. “because i kinda feel like one.”
he wants to fix this. to reach out, to grab your wrist, to tell you the truth—how the bet stopped meaning anything the second he got to know you, how he tried to find the right moment to come clean but was too much of a coward to risk losing you.
“say something, rin,” you say quietly. “anything.”
he opens his mouth. closes it. because nothing he says right now will be enough.
so you nod, like you expected this, like you already knew how this would end.
rin lets you. because what else can he do?
the next day, your favorite drink is waiting on your desk.
the day after, rin is standing by your locker, holding out your books.
“you don’t have to do this,” you mutter, not even looking at him.
“i know.” but he still shoves them into your arms before walking away.
the day after that, he shows up at practice late because he spent an hour in line getting that stupid pastry you like.
“you think buying me stuff is gonna fix this?” you ask, raising a brow.
“no.” he stares at the bag in your hands. “but i know you like them, so just take it.”
you sigh, but you don’t give it back.
on friday, he carries your bag before you can complain, waits for you after school even though you ignore him the whole walk home, and when you finally snap and ask what the hell he’s doing, he just says, “making it up to you.”
saturday morning, you open your door to find him standing there, hair messy, dark circles under his eyes, holding a stupidly large bag of snacks.
“seriously?” you cross your arms. “you’re still on this?”
he exhales sharply, rubbing the back of his neck. “because i’m not giving up on you.”
you blink, caught off guard by how sure he sounds. how raw he looks.
he looks tired. frustrated. desperate.
like this actually means something to him. like you actually mean something to him.
you chew on your lip, eyes flicking between him and the bag in his hands.
“did you get the right drink this time?”
he exhales, shoving it into your hands. “yes.”
you stare at it for a moment. then sigh, stepping aside.
“fine. come in before you start looking even more pathetic.”
rin doesn’t need to be told twice. he steps inside, and for the first time all week, his chest feels a little lighter.
he still has a long way to go, he knows that. but if you’re letting him in, even just a little, then maybe, just maybe, he still has a chance to prove that this was never just a bet to him.