#rinreiwipweek

He doesn’t remember the walk home. He’s just suddenly there, in his empty apartment, alone. His roommate has been away for the week, and without anyone else around the walls have been closing in on him.

He goes into his room and turns on his computer. He opens Skype, eyes flying to his most recent contact.

Rei is offline.

Of course he is. Rin puts his face in his hands and takes deep breaths, trying not to cry. It’s two hours earlier in Japan, and Rei is probably still at practice, or still studying for college entrance exams with Nagisa. Rei usually isn’t on during the weekdays, unless Rin asks for him.

He picks up his phone, opens it to Rei’s texts. The last one says, “Please try to stay hydrated. I’ll call you tomorrow to check on you. I love you.”

He stares at the text for a while, wishing that he could hear those words instead. He wishes they could be spoken from his bedside, while Rei strokes his hair and holds out a glass of ginger ale for him. He wishes that Rei was not an ocean away, but within arm’s reach.

He finally raises tired eyes and looks over the other names online. It’s no one he would like to talk to, no one that can ease the growing ache in his chest. All his closest friends are busy with things that aren’t him.

He shouldn’t sit around lonely when he feels down like this, he knows, but he doesn’t feel like doing anything about it. He needs to do something about his times.

He turns off his computer and goes outside. He runs for two miles around the block. He comes back, downs a protein shake, and does fifty sit-ups and then twenty push-ups. He finds himself throwing up in the sink before he can finish the other thirty.

He hears Rei’s voice in his head, scolding him. “Didn’t your coach tell you to rest?”

But Rei isn’t actually scolding him. If Rei cared enough to do that, he’d be here, instead of back in Japan.

But he knows that isn’t fair. Rei does care. Rin is just weak.

He cleans up the sink, then drags himself to his room and falls in bed. He reads Rei’s text another hundred times.

Rei’s still awake when his phone rings. He sets aside his book, grabbing quickly for the phone.

He sees the name, and then the time – Rin, 12:13 AM. He hadn’t realized it was that late already, but what’s more concerning is how late it is for Rin.

Something’s wrong. Rei’s heart clenches in worry.

“Hello? Rin?”

“…Rei?”

He sounds like he’s been crying, his voice scratchy and thick. Rei nods, even though Rin can’t see it.

“I’m here. Are you alright?”

Of course he can’t be, and the sob from the other end of the line confirms that. Rei pulls his knees up to his chest, hugging them with the arm not holding the phone. “Rin, you need to talk to me, or I can’t help.”

Rin (unintentionally) pisses off a powerful magic being, and gets turned into a cat. He is told that the only way to get back to normal is to find someone who loves him despite his anger issues and self-deprecation and he must also open his heart to them. The magic being disappears, and Rin wanders around deliriously in shock, coming to grips with his situation before passing out in the rain.

Rei wakes up early (earlier than usual too, which Rei finds as a bit odd), and decides to take a jog to clear his head. About midway, he finds Cat!Rin, alone and soaked from the rainy night before. At first, Rei is alarmed that it might be dead. Cat!Rin recognizes Rei and tries to call up to him ( but is only able to meow pathetically). Rei is surprised and figures out that the cat is alive. He decides to take Cat!Rin back home and dry him off.

At the house, Cat!Rin is a bit fussy, but Rei manages to get him clean and dry. He is astonished by the cat’s strange features, including his red fur, ruby eyes, and unusually sharp teeth. It doesn’t look starved or malnourished, even though the cat is supposedly a stray. Rei is confused, but intrigued by the strange cat.

Rei is suspicious of the cat from time to time, because the cat seems too intelligent and human-like. Also, the ruby eyes seem vaguely familiar to Rei…

This cat was not a normal cat.

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Cat!Rin and Rei shenanigans ensue.

Cat!Rin follows Rei into the bathroom all the time (peeking at exposed body parts, insisting himself that it’s to see how ‘in shape’ Rei is, even though he subconsciously enjoys gawking at Rei)

Rin refuses to eat cat food or just fish, so Rei researches cat food

Cat!Rin refuses to sleep in his spot, despite Rei’s demands, and curls up on Rei’s bed.

Cat!Rin explores Rei’s room, taking notice of his track awards from middle school, and all the swimming books he has.

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Nitori tells everyone that Rin mentioned visiting a relative/friend in another town, so everyone assumes that that’s where Rin may have gone. They cannot try to contact him because Rin’s cell phone is left behind at the dorm, so all of them agree to wait a few days for Rin to return.

A few days pass and Rin still hasn’t returned, and everyone is getting worried, including Rei. Cat!Rin sees how worried Rei is at the house, and realizes that Rei actually misses him.

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Rin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Yes, of course. Like Rei is really going to fucking guess that the cat was a human (let alone Rin) who had been cursed by a crazy old man. Did Rei even believe in magic? Rin highly doubted it. (Rin himself wasn’t much of a believer either, until this entire thing happened).

He wondered how Rei would react if he ever saw the truth for himself... Rin snorted mentally, imagining the face Rei would make if that ever happened.

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Despite Cat!Rin’s attitude and tempermental behavior, Rei cares for him greatly, and shows it by willingly allowing him to sleep in bed with him. Because of this, the magic is temporarily lifted and Rin is back to his human self (naked and on top of Rei in his bed).

Rin quickly explains the situation to Rei, before he changes back again (he doesn’t have time to tell Rei about the falling in love part). Rei is still freaked out, but still tries to help Rin find the magic person again to change him back.

He makes a noise of frustration, his hands grasping his head and running his fingers through his hair and over his furry ears.

Rin paused. Wait…

Furry ears?

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It couldn’t be.

It just…could not be.

And yet, it made so much sense.

Rei let out a breath, running his hands back through his hair in some sort of self-comforting gesture.

The ruby eyes, the sharp teeth, the red fur, the behavior…it all came together so well.

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