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After his bonding-slash-lets-just-randomly-talk-about-feelings time with Rei and the surprisingly effective speech he gave to him, Jin can't force his brain to focus on literally anything else during the day.
"Dude. Why you're vibrating?" Chiaki, with whom he takes maths, whispers to him while scribbling notes.
Jin can't really respond, so he just shrugs and hopes that's enough of an answer. His friend gives him a resigned head shake, which is accompanied by a pretty judgemental look on his face if you ask Jin.
"You're such a mess."
Yeah. Absolutely judgemental. Honestly, all of his friends are just so fucking rude. At the same time, Chiaki's right, Jin acknowledges. He really should concentrate on his lessons, now more than ever as their entrance exams are getting closer and closer. And Jin really, really wants to earn good scores. He'll need them. God, he is a mess. And he can't see Giichi for another two hours.
Finally, after what seems like a thousand years, the bell rings, signaling the end of the school day, and Jin can head toward the dormitories. Although he has the advantage of having an imposing figure and being relatively tall, it's still difficult to maneuver through the corridors full of students. Lots of people walk past him, in the direction of the second floor, where the club rooms are located.
Jin frowns. Not too long ago, he'd have done the same. He has to muster all his strength not to turn and rush toward the opposite way, up the stairs, and then left, just to check if the film club members' residency is still there and everything is fine. It's stupid, because why wouldn't it be there? It's just that now, more than ever, the memories of the last three years seem so distant, so far away...
Jin's afternoons are usually empty and repetitive without being the president as he's occupied with either studying or doing homework. Or seeing Giichi, but even that precious time has been cut to little in favor of reading more books about geometry and whatnot. The only good thing about all of this is that today the second-years definitely won't have any film club meeting.
("Already slacking off as the new director, Ichikawa Giichi?"
"Shut up. I never slack off," Giichi glances up from the pages of the BL manga in his hands, and Jin snorts. Giichi folds his arms and tries very hard not to pout. It's adorable.
"Just so you know," he starts, "it's only because there are a couple of days away from the break that I let them rest and enjoy their free time. But after the break, after that, we will get down to business. And I won't care if they have other stuff to do," a maniac smile appears on his lips and at that moment he's both beautiful and frightening.)
Back in his room, Jin finds Giichi's sweater on his bed, and more importantly, with Giichi next to it, trying to set up the projector. Because even if he doesn't live here anymore, Jin still makes sure to see his boyfriend at least twice a day. And also, watching movies in his room while having sex has sort of become their thing.
"I'm here," he announces maybe a little unnecessarily. Giichi's impossibly dark eyes are already fixed on him, glistening behind the lenses.
"Welcome back... What's up?"
Jin's not a bit surprised his boyfriend reads him like an open book. "I helped Rei not to get dumped after he'd seen us together," he admits, taking a seat on the bed. His socked foot brushes against its side, causing a not-so-pleasant to hear sound.
Giichi pushes his glasses further up his nose and rubs the bridge of it while letting out a lenghty sigh. "Well, this was not unexpected. We shouldn't have kissed in a public area in the first place. But whatever, it's not that I mind..." Jin can see the tip of his ears turning red. "Dare I ask what was Inaba's reaction?"
"He actually congratulated me."
"Doesn't sound like him."
"I told him the same! A whole bunch of stuff has been going on with him lately, but I would've never thought he'd change this much."
"We all change. All the time," Giichi says matter-of-factly.
"Maybe...Still weird though. Rei is my best friend and I've never seen him so bubbly and alive before...in his own way, I mean. That first-year, Yoshino-kun, he must know something," Jin twists a lock of his boyfriend's hair around his finger. However, he has to let go of them when Giichi shifts his position to look him in the eye.
"Is that all you want to tell me?"
No, Jin's not a bit surprised Giichi reads him like an open book. What surprises him is how sometimes he just knows things even Jin doesn't know how to articulate yet. Maybe he shouldn't be. (Suddenly he feels like something warm is blossoming in his chest.)
"I think out of all of us, Rei was the one who suffered the most from leaving the club. But... there are times I miss it too," he replies and he doesn't know what to say after this. In the silence that settles over them, Jin closes his eyes and is about to tell Giichi to forget it, and this isn't worth it to ponder about when his boyfriend finally speaks up.
"I'd say you can come anytime, but the film club is my territory now. It's enough for me dealing with Inaba still being there," Giichi furrows as if to tell him "it's your fault, why didn't you raise him better".
Jin feels a smile tugging his lips. "I'd have expected nothing else."
He would never want to compete with Giichi because of this anyway. And besides, they both know that even if he came back, the club wouldn't be the same for Jin without the familiar company of his friends.
"You don't have to be ashamed because of missing it, you know," Giichi utters, and Jin stiffens. Is he? Ashamed? No, Giichi's wrong here, he can't be... "I'm sure I'll miss it once I graduate," his boyfriend continues. "I'll be able to work with Mao and the twins outside school, sure, but it won't be the same. And your friends, they probably feel like this too. What I mean to say is y-you're not alone," he looks away, cheeks tinged with embarrassment.
Sometimes. Not always, but sometimes. Jin thinks Ichikawa Giichi is an entity coming from a whole different world. With his flexible limbs and milky white skin that Jin loves so much to leave colorful marks on, he certainly looks like one. Moreover...
"You're a wonder," he clears his throat, embracing the other. "And you're right! I love you so much..."
Giichi buries his face in Jin's chest and groans. "You can't say shit like this... I love you too, Jin. You really are a sweet talker, but I can't help it. It's just so cute."
With the sun casting shadows over his room, Jin lets out a breathy laugh. He leans down to catch his boyfriend's lips with his own. They meet in the middle and somehow, with Giichi still in his arms, Jin feels that everything will be alright.