[FIC] Off-Side - Part 2

The soccer ground was practically empty during lunch, and the grounds were extremely quiet. Usually, the coach made the team run a few laps before eating if the team slacked off in the morning. Today was one of those days. The soccer team didn’t finish their morning practice routine before the school bell rang because they took too long setting up the goal, and the coach assigned them to a make-up run. After the soccer team finished running their punishment laps, they quickly changed out of their uniform and ran to the cafeteria before what was left of their lunch period was over.

Next to the soccer field, on the bleachers that was usually crammed full with spectators, sat two students. One of the students was still dressed in his soccer uniform and had a face towel wrapped around his neck. Roughly wiping the sweat off his face with the towel, Jin grabbed the bottle of water that Kazuya handed him. Gulping down the cold water, he released a deep breath of content. He had been extremely thirsty after all of the running he had done, and now, he was starving. Taking out his bento box from his duffel bag, Jin impatiently opened up his lunch. Next to him, Kazuya sat facing him, dressed neatly in his school uniform and was opening up his bento box. Kazuya had been nice enough to wait for him to finish running his laps before eating so that they could start eating together.

Savoring the robust taste of the tomato sauce in his meatball spaghetti, Jin glanced over at the younger boy. “You’re so picky!” he criticized, raising an eyebrow at the younger boy. Jin wordlessly took the tomato Kazuya set aside, and gladly ate them for him. He was taught to eat everything by his strict parents, and tomatoes were really healthy from an athlete’s point of view.

“I just don’t like tomatoes…” Kazuya grumbled, finishing the rest of the salad in his lunchbox. The distinct crunch of the crispy lettuce sounded as Kazuya munched on his greens disgruntled. He couldn’t understand why his mother even bothered to put tomatoes in his lunchbox when she knew very well that he couldn’t stand them.

“And green peppers,” the older boy pointed out, remembering how Kazuya picked out all of the green peppers in his fried noodles the day before. Jin wondered how Kazuya found the patience to pick out the small cuts of green peppers out of his noodles. If he were Kazuya, he’d be too lazy to separate his food even if he didn’t like green peppers.

“… Green peppers taste funny.” Kazuya pouted, just imagining the taste of green peppers made him grimace. He never liked the distinct taste of green pepper from the time he was a little kid.

Laughing at how childish the younger boy sounded, Jin couldn’t stop himself from grinning despite the upset glare the younger boy is giving him for making fun of him. He loved how blunt Kazuya was about anything and everything, it was amusing. Kazuya didn’t hide what he truly thought or felt, and agree to the majority like the other people he knew. He said what he thought without lies, and it was a strength that was alluring to a person like him.

“So that’s why you keep ditching me for lunch!” a familiar voice shouted at them. The two turned to their side to see Koki walking towards them with a teasing grin on his face. He walked up next to Kazuya, and messed his hair up jokingly. “Aw, my little boy is growing so fast!” Koki teased, signature grin in place.

“Koki!” the youngest protested, flailing his hands around to stop Koki from mussing his hair more. He combed through his hair with his fingers to fix his disheveled hair, a pout on his thin lips. “What are you doing here?” he glared accusingly at the boy, who had ruined the hairstyle had had spent an hour setting in the morning.

“Don’t worry, I won’t disturb you two lovebirds,” Koki teased, taking a look around the field. “You guys see Maru?” he asked with an obvious frown. He had been searching for his childhood friend since the lunch bell rang, and this was the last place he could think of finding him.

“He’s still running laps,” Jin replied coolly, pointing at the very end of the field where Yuichi jogged exhaustedly. The poor boy clearly didn’t have any energy left to run without food in his system. It was times like these that Jin swore that their coach was a demon. Then again, this was a punishment.

“That sloth!” Koki complained. “Why’s he so behind?” Judging from the amount of food that Jin had already eaten, the soccer ace must have finished running a long time ago. Considering that Yuichi had been a starting member at some point, he couldn’t possibly be that slow.

“The coach gave him extra laps for showing up late,” the soccer ace explained.

“Figures…” Koki muttered, knowing the best that his childhood friend had a habit of running late. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t even remember the older boy coming to kindergarten on time and his parents were the ones to bring him to school. It must run in the Nakamaru gene to be late. “Lunch is going to be over by the time he’s done!” he sighed resignedly. Since Koki hadn’t had the time to pick up food at the convenience store today, he hadn’t had a bite of food the whole day. He was starving.

“Do you want a sandwich?” Kazuya offered, holding his whole sandwich out for his best friend to eat. He purposely ignored the look of displeasure that crossed Jin’s face, knowing that the older boy would be upset because Jin already worried that he was not eating enough.

Quirking an eyebrow doubtfully, Jin pulled the younger boy’s hand towards his face. Studying the sandwich carefully, a tiny frown formed on his face. “You just don’t want to eat it because it has tomatoes in it!”

-

Today a different atmosphere spread through Kurogin Gakuen from the moment students passed the school gate that was completely covered in colorful decorations and a big sign in the center reading ‘Kurogin Gakuen School Festival’. Only a quarter of the student body was dressed in school uniform while students in uniforms of other school, including groups of girls that students never got to see on a normal day because Kurogin Gakuen was an all-boys school, walked around the campus excitedly. School grounds were more crowded and noisier than usual, and there were multiple booths and decorations set up in the courtyard by the various clubs belonging to the school. In the middle of the courtyard was a gigantic stage that would later be used for various events including the talent show that would be hosted at the very end of the day.

Searching the busy school grounds for the soccer team, Kazuya pouted his lips in displeasure. Now that he thought about it, Jin blatantly avoided the subject when he had asked him about the school festival. Determined to find the soccer team, Kazuya asked teachers and student council members alike until someone mentioned to him that the soccer team was in the classroom 3-C. Wondering why the soccer team was in a classroom, Kazuya headed there in hesitant steps. This was the first time to go up to the third year’s floor, never having a reason to go there before. Kazuya nervously walked down the bustling hallway that was full of guests as much as people he recognized as students in their personal clothes. His feet came to a slow stop in front of the white sign above the door reading 3-C. Next to the door was a black banner backed with red paper tilted at an angle decoratively. On the banner in red letters, the words ‘Kurogin Host Club’ was written next to a white rose with petals lining the bottom. His mouth gaped open. Just as Kazuya was about to enter the classroom, a familiar person came out.

“Kazuya…” Jin laughed sheepishly.

“Why is the soccer team hosting a host club? Aren’t you supposed to have a soccer-related game and give away prizes?” Kazuya pointed out. In middle school, their soccer team had a numbered target, where you declare the number you’re shooting for and shoot. If you hit the target that you declared, you won a meal ticket for the school cafeteria. The downside to the game was that the soccer team also tried to scout you as a new member if you scored.

“If you have a complaint, take it up with our coach,” Jin grumbled. “He’s the one that came up with this idea. I guess the soccer team has low funding this year… That yakuza teacher!” Personally, Jin had been looking forward to scouting new members while playing soccer on a school day. Not fundraising in an outfit that would make his mother cry.

“The flashy outfit doesn’t suit you,” the younger boy laughed, pointing at the bright red suit Jin was wearing over a black dress shirt, which was open two buttons down. A stylish silver necklace with a silhouette of a woman hung on the chain. His flashy outfit gave the impression of either a host or a yakuza, but in his opinion, Jin had a personality that was unfitting for either.

Raising an eyebrow, Jin pinched at the thick material that Kazuya was covered in. “You’re the last person I want to be laughed at by… What the heck are you wearing?” The younger boy was dressed in a fuzzy, orange bodysuit with a black sash falling diagonally from his left shoulder to his side, and a black buckled belt running across his waist.

“Huh? Oh, the library is assisting the police to encourage students to make the right choices,” Kazuya explained.

“That’s why you’re wearing a mascot?” the older boy asked incredulously.

“No one else wanted to do it, and I’m the only freshman. I didn’t have a choice,” he shrugged. Unanimously, the role of police mascot had been thrown upon him. Kazuya didn’t mind the role as much, mainly because it was easier to walk around in a Pipo-kun costume than to distribute informational flyers. He was currently in the middle of his only break, but felt kind of silly walking around in full attire and had taken Pipo-kun’s head off.

“Oi, Akanishi! Stop slacking off!” the loud shout of his coach resonated into the hall, making Jin wince. Sighing resignedly, Jin grudgingly returned to the classroom he had tried to escape from and Kazuya followed. The inside of the classroom was set up with tasteful decorations of red, white, and black theme. Two desks were positioned side by side, covered by a black tablecloth and a single white rose in a small glass vase was placed in the middle on a red placemat. Two chairs were set up per table, and the classroom was rather full. Most of the customers were girls, but there were a few guys there to rag on their soccer team buddies.

Finding the whole situation amusing, Kazuya grinned cheekily. “I’ll request you since you seem so unpopular,” he teased playfully.

“Thank you for your consideration,” Jin replied sarcastically. Showing Kazuya to an open table, he courteously pulled a seat out for him and handed him a menu that their coach had handwritten himself. The menu, in Jin’s opinion, was hardly legible, and didn’t look like an adult, let alone a teacher, wrote it.

“500 yen for a cup of juice?” Kazuya questioned, reading off the menu.

“It’s a rip off… You’re probably going to be charged another 300 yen as a request fee,” Jin sighed, wondering how their coach had gotten this place approved in the first place. Summarized, Tomoya had kicked his own students out of the classroom to run stalls in the halls so that he could use the classroom to have his soccer players swindle money off of other students and guests. The principal must be scared of the guy or something.

“Seriously?” the younger boy said incredulously.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll pay for you,” Jin assured, bringing Kazuya a peach-flavored drink, which he personally made sure was ice cold. He imagined it must be hot to wear such a thick costume in the humid summer, when even his outfit was making him sweat.

“You’d make a horrible host,” Kazuya laughed softly, sipping on the cold drink he was given. Normally, a host sweet-talked a customer into spending a lot of money, but instead, Jin was giving a drink away to him. Kazuya couldn’t help, but smile admiringly. That was what he loved about Jin.

-

The stars twinkled brightly in the dark skies, not a cloud blocking the magnificent view. A cool summer breeze blew, causing the trees around to rustle softly. The distinct clunking sound of wooden slippers hitting the pavement echoed into the air. Kazuya stood in front of the Kurogin Gakuen with anticipation building in his heart. Couples in their yukata and students from the various schools walked in small groups through the busy street in front of him. The crowd of people was heading towards the summer festival being held nearby. Originally, Kazuya had intended to go to the festival with a group of friends as well, but Jin had invited him to go together. In the end, he had ended up turning down all of his friends. His reasoning was that he had spent the last three years of middle school going to the summer festival with Koki and the gang, and that they wouldn’t miss him. In actuality, his heart pounded at the thought of going to see the firework display together with Jin. He wondered when he had started looking forward to seeing the older boy so much that his heart leapt at the mere thought. It was an odd sensation.

“Did I make you wait?” a familiar voice asked. He looked up to see Jin seemingly out of breath, standing in front of him. A sheepish smile was on his face as he scratched the back of his head.

“No, I just got here,” Kazuya lied with a small smile. He couldn’t help but tell a white lie when Jin had the look of a kicked puppy on his face, and it honestly made him happy to know that Jin had ran all the way to school for him. It made him feel important to Jin.

“I haven’t worn a yukata in a long time,” Kazuya grinned embarrassedly. “How do I look?” he asked worriedly, holding his sleeves up to show Jin the yukata he wore.

“You look… cute?” Jin replied, at a loss for vocabulary. He assumed that yukata that Kazuya was wearing was a man’s kimono, judging from the length and style, but the yukata was a dark shade of pink and adorned with white and baby pink sakura flowers. A black sash was tied tightly around his waist, accentuating the curves on his slender figure. To top off the look, Kazuya had his hair in a Pompadour style half-up that he usually saw on girls.

“Cute isn’t a praise word for a guy,” Kazuya complained, pouting his lips.

“It’s the only word I can come up with,” Jin answered, but the younger boy glared at him accusingly, obviously not satisfied with the answer. “What? I’m praising you!” he defended. “You look really cute!” A small blush spread on the younger boy’s cheek, and he nodded his head embarrassedly.

“C’mon, let’s go!” Jin said. Walking up the stone steps to the grounds of the festival, the excited smile gracing Kazuya’s lips grew. Traditional lanterns hung alongside the path, illuminating the vicinity of the festival. A line of booths lined up from where they stood to so far down that they couldn’t see the other end. Once they approached the booth area, the prominent smell of fried noodles and takoyaki wafted in the air. The festival was so crowded that they were barely able to move without bumping into someone else. After a few minutes of walking through the attractions booths set up for little kids, Jin realized that Kazuya wasn’t behind him. He panicked, worried that Kazuya had gotten lost in the crowd.

“Jin, over here!” he heard a shout, and turned around to see Kazuya waving his arm in the air in front of one of the booths. Jin sighed in relief, and ran over to where the younger boy stood.

“I wanted a goldfish, but I lost,” Kazuya pouted, pointing at the tub of goldfish swimming around.

Taking money out of his wallet, Jin paid for one of the paper scoopers and knelt down in front of the tub. “Which one did you want?” he asked.

“I want that one!” Kazuya pointed at a reddish orange fish that wriggled around in a manner he found cute. The older boy waited patiently for the other fishes to move out of the way, and swiftly scooped the goldfish with the rim of the catcher with practiced ease. Dropping the fish into the silver bowl he was given, Jin handed the wet scooper and the bowl back to the person running the booth and asked him to put the goldfish in a bag to take home.

“Yay!” the younger boy cheered happily, grinning ear to ear. He really, really wanted this particular goldfish, and couldn’t leave the booth even after he had lost. Thankfully, Jin was able to get the cute goldfish for him because he sucked at this game. “You’re my hero!” Kazuya declared, hugging the older boy jokingly. He was in such high spirits that he didn’t notice the blush that formed on Jin’s face.

“Here you go, miss!” the booth keeper said, holding the clear bag containing his new goldfish for him to take. Laughing awkwardly, Kazuya received the goldfish from the booth keeper and thanked him politely. He shot Jin a quick glare, and lightly punched his leg for bursting out laughing when the store keeper called him ‘miss.’

Despite all, Kazuya held the goldfish up to face and smiled happily at the new addition to his household. Watching the younger boy affectionately, Jin impulsively took his hand into his own. He was determined to take Kazuya to the perfect spot he had found before the firework display started, and they only had five minutes to spare.

“Why are you holding my hand?” Kazuya wondered oddly, his heart beating a little faster in his chest.

“So you don’t wander off again,” Jin replied, feigning composure.

The farther they walked towards the mountain, the less people were wandering around. Soon the light of the lanterns weren’t visible, and the only thing lighting their path had was the moonlight. An old, abandoned temple came into view, and Kazuya gripped Jin’s hand stronger. The temple looked creepy in the dark. Leading Kazuya in front of a large tree next to the temple, Jin helped Kazuya sit down by gripping his hand stronger to support him. The tree was located on a small hill, which overlooked the cheerful festival. Soon, the loud bang and the whistling sound of the fireworks being shot into the air resonated. Sitting side by side, the two admired the beautiful blend of colors sparkling in the sky. Kazuya squealed in delight, and Jin laughed softly at the childlike excitement of the younger boy and watched the fireworks in a daze. He never thought that watching fireworks would be so heartwarming. In all of the excitement, both of them had forgotten that they were still holding hands.

-

Patches of white clouds drifted across the magnificent blue sky, barely blocking the rays of the sun shining down harshly and the locusts screeched nonstop as if to complain about the intolerable heat. A light breeze blew occasionally but only moved the hot air around, making the summer temperature even more unbearable. It was so humid outside that it felt like walking through a sauna room, and the concrete was probably hot enough to cook eggs on. Japan was in the middle of experiencing what the weather forecasters claimed would the hottest week of the summer. The majority of the students stayed inside of the school building during lunch, and the few that remained outside hid in the shades of the trees. Even the gym classes were starting to be held inside of the gymnasium to prevent students from collapsing of heat stroke. Yet, there were two students standing on the rooftop of the school, under the direct sunlight.

The rooftop of Kurogin Gakuen was off-limits to the students, but the door was not locked up as it used to be. Heavy chains and a broken lock hung on the door for decoration purposes only. The rooftop had been used as a designated hideout for a group of notorious delinquents, who had graduated last year, and only the students who knew them personally knew that the doors opened easily. Jin had been good friends with Nishikido Ryo, one of the delinquents, and had come to the rooftop with him a couple of times. Among the students currently attending Kurogin, the only people who knew of this place was him, Tatsuya, and now Kazuya.

“Is something wrong?” Kazuya finally asked. The older boy had waited in front of his classroom this morning, and asked him to come to the rooftop during lunch. But Jin had had a difficult expression on his face and didn’t speak a word since he had arrived, and it was starting to worry him.

A sigh escaped the older boy’s lips as he tried to gather his words. “I was planning to quit soccer when I graduated from high school…” Jin admitted, looking down at the ground. Originally, Jin had planned to quit soccer along with graduation and become a businessman majoring in strategic marketing like his father. The thought of going pro had never even crossed his mind.

The younger boy furrowed his brow. “You what?” he asked, half upset and half confused. His lips formed a small pout, waiting for Jin to explain what he was talking about.

“… but I changed my mind,” Jin smiled reassuringly. This was all thanks to the boy standing in front of him. Sure, Jin loved soccer with all of his heart, but Kazuya provided him with motivation that just the love for the sport couldn’t provide. “I decided to go to Fukuoka,” he declared determinedly.

“Fukuoka?” Kazuya repeated to himself. Fine creases formed between his finely shaped eyebrows, trying to process the information that he had just received. His heart sunk at the thought of Jin going away to Fukuoka. He had no sense of direction, but knew that Fukuoka was far from Tokyo.

“There’s an important training camp being held in Fukuoka. The coach recommended it to me before, but I didn’t have a reason to go. I guess I thought that I wouldn’t stand a chance… I mean, what are the chances that I’d make it? But if my skills are recognized, it’ll open a door of opportunities,” Jin explained.

His coach had given him a pamphlet for the training camp sponsored by Japan Football Association since his freshman year. If a player is selected by JFA, the organization assisted the player in finding a youth soccer team to train them in preparation for the FIFA U-20 World Cup and becoming a professional soccer player. Given that Jin had never considered becoming a professional soccer player, he had thrown the pamphlet away without even opening the cover. This time, however, Jin carefully read over the details of the pamphlet. It didn’t take him long to make a decision. “I’m shouldering your dream… I have to give it all I have. If I’m really going to quit soccer, I figured I can quit after I do all I can first. Or else, I wouldn’t be able to face you.”

Nodding his head weakly, Kazuya asked the only question that had been running through his head the moment Jin mentioned going away to camp. “When are… you going to be back?”

“I don’t know…” Jin confessed. If things went well, he could be gone for months although the actual training camp was only a week. He couldn’t make any promises, and had no intention of coming home so quickly. If Jin was going to go, he was going with the intention of being drafted.

Despite the aching in his heart, Kazuya forced an encouraging smile. “You’ll do great, Jin. I’m sure of it,” he managed to say with an even voice. In his heart, Kazuya knew that Jin was trying to live both of their dreams. He just never imagined that Jin leaving to pursue his dream would be so hard, and it surprised him how much he missed Jin before he even left.

A heavy silence prevailed over them, and the older boy fidgeted uncomfortably. “And uh, before I leave… I was hoping. Could you give me a kiss for good luck?” Jin said in a small voice. His face was burning from embarrassment, and his heart pounded in his heart so hard that it was almost suffocating. Now that he had said it, Jin was already starting to regret his words.

“Eh?” a confused expression crossed Kazuya’s face. The words repeated in his mind over and over again. His heart thumped so loudly in his chest that he worried Jin could hear how fast it was beating. Did Jin just ask him to kiss him?

Biting his bottom lip, Jin laughed sheepishly. “No, I meant, I…” he struggled to come up with an explanation, but his heart hurt so much he couldn’t think straight. In his mind, Jin knew that Kazuya only saw him as a friend, but in his heart, he had hoped that maybe Kazuya felt the same way. Now, Jin could only hope that Kazuya wouldn’t be disgusted with him.

Looking up at Jin decisively, Kazuya took a deep breath. Leaning up by grasping Jin’s shirt to keep his balance, Kazuya roughly covered the older boy’s lips with his own. “Good luck!” he mumbled with an embarrassed smile. His cheeks were feeling a bit warm, and he could tell his face was getting red. That was his very first kiss.

-

Sakura trees lining the main street leading to Kurogin Gakuen was in full bloom, signaling the coming of the spring and a new school year. New students of the school arrived with anticipation blooming in their heart for their new school and the beginning of their high school life. Freshmen nervously made their way to school, looking around in an attempt to find familiar faces while the sophomores settled into their respective classrooms for the second year of school, glad that they were not the new faces anymore.

“I guess I’m stuck with you this year,” Kazuya faked annoyance, hanging his school bag on the side of his desk. He grinned teasingly at Taguchi Junnosuke before furrowing his brow in surprise. Reaching for Junnosuke’s hair, he tugged at it while inspecting the new look. Apparently, he had colored his hair a bright shade of brown, cut his hair short, and spiked the ends during winter break. Shrugging, he figured that Koki had something to do with the look and decided not to comment on it.

“You’re so mean!” the older boy wailed, but smiled widely in amusement.

This year, Kazuya was placed in separate classes from Koki, but in the same class as Junnosuke. Quite frankly, he didn’t know if he should be grateful for the company or if he should’ve wished he was alone. Soon, the bell rang for the beginning of their very first homeroom period. Remaining students rushed into the classroom, and settled into their seats before their teacher arrived. Their new homeroom teacher, Ohno Satoshi, gave a very, very short introduction, and took class attendance.

After homeroom period was over, students walked down the corridors of the school to go to the gymnasium were the commencement ceremony would start to welcome the student to the school. Koki waited for them at the end of the hallway, and waved his arm in the air upon spotting them in the crowd. Instead of walking with him and Junnosuke to the gymnasium, Kazuya decided to ditch the commencement ceremony, not in the mood to listen to the principal repeat his boring old speech again. Laughing at how the most serious-looking one in the groups was actually the biggest delinquent, Koki and Junnosuke left with the crowd after telling him not to get caught.

Wandering over the magnificent sakura flowers, Kazuya held out his right hand to catch the petal dancing down from above. The small petal circled around his hand and landed on another, bigger hand. Realizing that someone was standing behind him, Kazuya quickly turned around. His eyes widened in surprise, and his mouth gaped open at the familiar face.

His lips pouted into a small frown, and his eyes started to tears up. “You baka!” he shouted angrily.

Laughing sheepishly, Jin hugged the small figure of the person he had been longing to see for the past six months. “I haven’t seen you in months, and that’s the first thing you say to me?” he said teasingly while his hand soothingly combed through the back of Kazuya’s soft hair.

“You worried me…” Kazuya mumbled, sulking upon remembering the past few months. “I couldn’t get a hold of you because your cell phone was never on, you never text me or called me back, and you didn’t tell me when you were coming back,” he glared at the other accusingly. “I thought maybe you moved away and left me.” Kazuya had felt so insecure during the whole six months Jin had been gone, and the older boy showed up to school as if he was here the whole time.

“I left my cell phone behind because I would’ve lost my resolve if I called you,” Jin explained, wishing he had told Kazuya he would be doing that. It had been a sudden decision on his part when he had been packing. Jin realized that if he heard Kazuya’s voice, he would want to catch the first train back to Tokyo because he already missed the younger boy when he hadn’t even left yet. “I missed you so much…”

“Jin…” Kazuya called the name that he longed to say, and snuggled his face in his chest.

“I made it,” Jin declared proudly. He had just gotten back from informing his coach that he had been scouted into the youth team of Tokyo, which was a lot further than he thought he would go. Tomoya apparently thought otherwise because he had bragged to him that he didn’t bother to send players he didn’t think would make it, especially when he was paying 10,000 JPY. Right as Jin was heading towards the school gymnasium with his coach, he had spotted Kazuya standing alone in the courtyard. Tomoya had pat him on the back with a knowing grin, and told him not to get caught because he knew nothing.

“Of course you did…” Kazuya said as a matter of fact. “If you left for so long because you were moping around about not making it, I would never forgive you!” he grumbled. The only saving factor about Jin leaving him alone and miserable was the fact that Jin was in the middle of fulfilling their dream.

“True,” Jin laughed gently. Knowing Kazuya, he would have had hell to deal with if he had not made it and sulked over it instead of training for next year’s training camp. A small smile surfaced on his lips at the thought of Kazuya holding back his loneliness to cheer him on in his dream. It conveyed how much Kazuya believed in him.

“Kazuya, will you go out with me?” Jin voiced the question he had been waiting to ask until he felt he was worthy of Kazuya. Now that he was one step closer to their dream, he felt he was.

“Baka…” Kazuya mumbled grumpily against his chest.

“Ba… baka!?” the older boy peered into the younger boy’s face with helpless expression on his face.

“It took you too long to ask,” Kazuya grinned mischievously, feeling a whole lot better to see the troubled face on the older boy. That was for making him lonely and insecure.

Sighing in relief, Jin placed his hand on Kazuya’s cheek and tilted his face up. He leaned down and captured the younger boy’s lips with his one. “I love you,” he whispered softly.

The younger boy smiled tenderly. “I love you too,” he whispered back. So softly that it was unable to be heard above the gentle spring breeze, but Kazuya didn’t mind because he knew that now he had all the time in the world to tell Jin how much he loved him.

-

In small crowds, the students of Kurogin Gakuen exited the gymnasium in an orderly manner as the commencement ceremony had slowly come to an end. The usual chattering of the students started to fill the hallways while teachers directed their students to head back to the classroom as soon as possible to wrap up their first homeroom session.

“You know, the assembly wasn’t that bad!” Koki shrugged. The principal had changed from their former one to one by the name of Joshima Shigeru, who Koki thought was quite a funny man. Shigeru did go over the customary speeches, but then started talking about all of the troublemaking he did when he was in high school and how they were important memories to him even now. He concluded that he wanted students to have as much fun as they could in high school, even if it was at the expense of their teachers because he was sure that teachers did the same and had it coming to them. As long as they stayed out of jail, that Shigeru had nothing else to ask for as a principal. “Kame should’ve come with us!”

“Uh, he looks a little busy…” Junnosuke pointed out. He pointed his finger at Kazuya and who he recognized as Akanishi Jin, their soccer ace, kissing heatedly in the courtyard. Jin’s hand was cupping Kazuya’s cheek while the younger boy’s arms were wrapped around Jin’s neck. Correction, they were now officially making out because he saw Jin slipping his tongue into Kazuya’s mouth.

“Oh god… I hope they know assembly’s over,” Koki groaned, slapping his hand over his face in embarrassment for his best friend. The two lovebirds seemed to be in their own little world, and didn’t seem to notice the crowd of students passing through beside them.

“Probably not…” Junnosuke laughed sheepishly. At least the students of Kurogin Gakuen were being nice enough to walk on through, instead of making a big scene. It probably had something to do with the fact that Jin and Kazuya were popular among the students and had plenty of hidden fans, and the freshmen didn’t dare to make a fuss out of something their seniors left alone.

“Hey, isn’t that Nagase-sensei?” Koki quirked his left eyebrow, and pointed at the third-year teacher holding his cellular phone towards Jin and Kazuya. “Is he taking pictures?” he asked incredulously. The teacher had a mischievous grin on his face as he snapped a few shots of his student.

“Maybe he’s planning on blackmailing Akanishi-kun?” the other suggested. Unfortunately for Jin, not only was he a member of the soccer team where Tomoya coached, but he was also in his class this year as a student.

“Oh well, it’s out of our hands,” Koki sighed out loud, and continued walking back towards their classrooms with Junnosuke in tow. He wished Jin and Kazuya luck because they were putting on one hell of a show. Unbeknownst to them, their new principal stood in the middle of the crowd with a bright grin on his face.

“Ah, it’s good to be young!”

End.

Extras:
The real reason Kame-chan wanted a goldfish...


What Jin saw when he finally turned on his cell phone...

Yes, I was bored on my days off.