Written for Tumblr user dramaticalpiercedpeen

"Oi, Nitori." Rin's voiced carved through the silence of the room like a knife. Or a better analogy might have been like a swimmer's stroke carving through the water. Either way, the sudden noise startled Nitori, especially since he hadn't heard him come in. The young boy looked up from his History textbook in a slight daze, just in time to see a damp towel being flung angrily across the back of Rin's desk chair. Didn't he dry off properly in the changing rooms? But Nitori didn't have enough time to follow that train of thought since Rin, with a fierce scowl marring his features, had planted his butt on the end of Nitori's bed, the old mattress sagging under his weight.

"Why weren't you at practice?" Rin growled, his voice low and uneven. Nitori had to suppress a small shudder; this wasn't the first time Rin's anger had been directed at him but he could never get used to it. Rin's shoulders were hunched and his muscles were tensed in a way that made him look like he was about to start pacing at any moment. A restless aura surrounded him and Nitori realised he should probably choose his words very carefully.

"W-well..." he stammered, his voice wavering involuntarily. Not a good start. Rin suddenly let out a rough sigh and tilted his head to meet Nitori's eyes. With those piercing red eyes focussed on his face, Nitori suddenly felt uncomfortable, fidgeting where he sat and trying to stall for more time. He could feel the blush creeping up his neck and he could only hope Rin wouldn't notice. "I was...I had an errand to run," he offered as a lame excuse. "I'm sorry, Senpai," he added hastily, bowing his head apologetically.

Rin's eyes flared with intensity for a fraction of a second and his mouth twitched like he was going to reflexively say something, but instead he narrowed his eyes and averted his gaze to the floor, another sigh rolling off his chest. "Whatever," he mumbled in an almost defeated tone. Most of the tension faded from his body and his eyebrows finally unfurrowed. "Don't blame me when you don't make your heat in the tournament." He tried to say it nonchalantly, but Nitori pinpointed the hint of emotion lingering beneath his mildly relaxed expression.

"I won't let the team down, Senpai!" Nitori exclaimed suddenly, balling his fists. "I can promise you that!" Even though the red tinge had spread to his cheeks, he managed to keep his tone firm and stared directly at Rin, who blinked in response.

"I know that," Rin replied, snorting casually and fluffing up Nitori's hair with one hand.

"Anyway," Nitori mumbled, clearing his throat and feeling self-conscious again. He wriggled his body and shuffled his legs until they dangled over the edge of the bed, leaning his elbows on his knees so his posture imitated Rin's. He entwined his fingers and twiddled his thumbs, struggling to find a new conversational topic. "Ah! How was practice today?" he asked curiously. He'd heard from a few team members that Captain Mikoshiba was going to try out new sets today. A small part of him was glad to have missed out, but the majority of him just felt endlessly guilty.

"Fine," Rin replied, his tone flat. Without any kind of warning, he suddenly flopped backward on the bed. Nitori watched as Rin's eyes lazily slid closed and his chest rose and fell with his lethargic breathing. "Nitori," he said after a moment. "Why weren't you at practice?" His tone was surprisingly gentle, a far cry from earlier. There was also something about the repetition of his question that told Nitori he wouldn't let it go so easily.

Nitori swallowed the lump in his throat, his hands turning pale from strangling each other in his lap. Lying there like that, Rin looked so peaceful. Like there was no pressure to place at the tournament. Like he wasn't feeling homesick. Like he wasn't missing his old friends. Of course, Nitori knew all those things had been plaguing Rin's conscience, eating at the back of his mind like relentless rust and corroding his control over himself. But right then, he just seemed...free of all that.

And Nitori's answer would probably shatter that carefree attitude. Not the one that Rin constructed to stop people from worrying about him, but the one that he'd shown only very few people in a moment of weakness. The one Nitori was witnessing now. He didn't want to be responsible for disturbing that.

"I went to talk to your sister," he replied finally. His voice seemed muffled to his own ears, distant and surreal. If the peace he'd been experiencing had been a sheet of glass, he felt certain the pieces would have been broken and scattered all over the floor, leaving no path to escape. If he'd tried to escape, his feet would have been cut. He realised it was better to endure the situation rather than avoid it.

As Rin's abdominal muscles worked to lift his body upright, time seemed to slow down. His eyes were dark, his eyebrows coming together in an expression of exasperation, and his teeth clenched in irritation. "Why?" he demanded. His voice was controlled, displaying the scariest kind of anger. Nitori had seen it before, but he still sat in astonishment, eyes wide at the transition that had just taken place. Just a moment ago, Rin had shown his untroubled side, but now he was fuming again and Nitori could only blame himself.

"I'm so sorry, Senpai!" Nitori began, choking up as his eyes brimming with tears faster that he wanted to admit. He hated having Rin's anger directed at him. It made him feel lower than dirt. He wanted to take back this entire conversation, or even the day maybe. He wanted to rewind to that morning and start things fresh, but it was impossible. This situation was unavoidable.

Rin didn't respond. His facial expression and the set of his shoulders were frozen, only trembling slightly in his rage. Nitori thought that Rin was unpredictable when like this. He seemed controlled, but in reality, his anger was controlling him. Nitori knew he let his anger get the better of him far too often and ended up doing this he regretted. That was why...

"I'm just worried about you!" Nitori blurted, suddenly springing to his feet and facing Rin with his hands on his hips. "I wanted to know what's bothering you, but Gou said you never talk to her and you never go home."

"You already know what's bothering me," Rin replied darkly. So that was it. He felt violated, like some privacy contract had been voided. Nitori knew things about RIn that no one else was supposed to know, and that scared him. He didn't know how to react. It had been so long since anyone had ever been that close to him.

"But I haven't heard it from you," Nitori insisted. "Don't you think talking about it will help?" He felt his own body trembling slightly too. His heart was racing and his chest felt tight. He'd never felt this nervous before, not even on the starting blocks. "You can always talk to me, Senpai. I'll be here for you."

"Nitori..." Rin stared him dead in the eye and his expression slowly began to soften. He released one last sigh, and with that the tension seemed to drift away once more. "...Thank you," he said hesitantly, his gaze fixated on the floor again. "Right now...there's nothing I need to talk about. But if there ever is, I'll let you know..."

A/N: Since people have started following/favouriting/reviewing this, I've decided I'll add more chapters at some point. Thank you to everyone, it really means a lot!