Work Text:
It seemed like such an odd request.
“President!!” came Jinpei’s voice from the door to the student council’s meeting room.
Ranto sighed and thanked whatever god made it so he was alone at that moment. Not that the other student council members being here would necessarily be bad, just that dealing with Jinpei was easier done on his own.
“What happened to me coming by the YSP clubroom to see you?” Ranto asked. That had been their routine for months now. Jinpei wasn’t supposed to come by the student council building since he was always at risk of interrupting something important.
“I have something I need to tell you and it couldn’t wait!” Jinpei made his way to Ranto’s desk, leaning on it with his arms crossed when he got there and looking up at Ranto with a smile.
Ranto closed his laptop and stared at Jinpei with a blank expression. “You’re lucky the others have already started making their way home. Now, what’s so important that you couldn’t wait ten more minutes for me to come see you?”
“Well, the school year is ending next week—”
“I am aware.”
“Hey!” Jinpei pouted. “Let me finish!”
Ranto had to hold back a smile. He nodded to Jinpei, signalling him to continue.
Jinpei’s pout dissipated. “Well, since that’s happening, I thought maybe we could go camping!”
“Camping?” Ranto repeated. “Who else would be going?”
“Oh, just us.”
“...Just us?”
This was unexpected. It’s almost like Jinpei was asking him on a—
“Yeah, like a… like a date…” Jinpei had turned his head away from Ranto, but he could still see the pink on Jinpei’s cheeks. It was an unusual look on Jinpei for most people, but not Ranto. He had become more familiar with Jinpei’s shy side as of late.
Ranto blushed, too. They had been on dates before, but it had always been at Ranto’s suggestion. Jinpei would only ever ask if they could “hang out.” He never got more specific than that. Ranto wondered if something happened to cause this.
“I-If you’re too busy, that’s okay. I get it,” Jinpei said with a sadness in his voice. “I just thought it’d be a nice thing to do after everything that’s happened.”
Ranto panicked for a second before nearly immediately regaining his composure. “No, I’m not too busy. Of course I can make time for that, Jiba.”
Jinpei turned to look at Ranto. “Really? You will?”
Ranto smiled and simply nodded.
Jinpei stood up and leapt over the desk onto Ranto. Ranto just barely kept his chair from falling back as he caught Jinpei. Jinpei just smiled as if he didn't do something insane and hugged Ranto. “You’re the best, President!”
Ranto just sighed once again and hugged back. He would really do anything for this guy, huh?
The stars were beautiful.
Ranto managed to make all the arrangements for him and Jinpei to spend a couple nights at the campus’ campgrounds. It wasn’t that difficult given most of the students went home to spend their break before the new school year. Getting a nice spot was easy.
They set up their tent together and then split up to gather firewood. Clearly, Jinpei was not actually interested in collecting firewood as he came back with a variety of mushrooms. He had very obviously gotten sidetracked from his task and gone into the mushroom forest instead.
“What?” Jinpei had said. “They're still useful. These ones were delicious last time we went camping!” He held up a rather large mushroom to Ranto.
Ranto just took the mushrooms and set them aside to cook for later, patting Jinpei’s head as a small, silent gesture of praise.
Jinpei, as it turned out, was right about the mushrooms being useful as Ranto incorporated them into dinner for the two of them that evening. Jinpei stood next to Ranto the entire time he cooked, even though Ranto told him he didn’t need to hover. Truthfully, Ranto would have preferred if Jinpei had gone to do something else but didn’t want to upset him by saying so. When Ranto finished, the two ate sitting next to each other by the fire. Jinpei went on about how delicious the food was, and Ranto couldn’t help but smile at how cute Jinpei looked as the light of the sunset illuminated his round face. They continued to talk as the sun dipped below the horizon.
Now that night had fallen, the two were sitting atop a cliff inside a single sleeping bag, holding each other as they looked at the stars above. The lack of light pollution and clouds made the view incredible. Every couple of minutes, Ranto would point out something in the sky, such as a constellation or a planet, and Jinpei would listen.
Jinpei was quiet, which would've been odd to Ranto a few months ago but was now fairly normal when they were together. One thing Ranto learned from dating Jinpei was that he was very sweet. Like, unprecedentedly sweet. Ranto was very aware of Jinpei’s love for older women and somewhat expected him to have similar feelings toward Ranto. However, said feelings were rare when they were together, and in their place was Jinpei clinging to Ranto’s side wanting to be held along with soft kisses and whispered love confessions. There was a shyness to Jinpei’s actions that he never had when it came to Ms. Enra or the other older women Jinpei would lust after. Ranto quickly realized this was because Jinpei’s love for him was deeper than the superficial attraction he had for older women. Because of that, whenever Jinpei’s sweet side started to show, Ranto felt his own cheeks heat up and did everything he could to show Jinpei that the feeling was mutual. At the moment, that included keeping his arm around Jinpei and kissing his head every now and then.
Looking up at the sky, Ranto thought about how odd the situation he ended up in was. The past school year really had been quite odd, if he was being honest. All the chaos caused by onryo and the battles that ensued because of it, monitoring aliens that had invaded the school, having three near death experiences because of those aliens, learning why everything that happened seven years ago had happened, and once and for all taking out the ones who caused him so much pain. Not to mention the war with the high school and people from ancient times showing up.
Somehow, every step of the way, Jinpei was there. Even back seven years ago when all of Ranto’s problems began, Jinpei was there, albeit in the form of Earth Walker. When Ranto first met Jinpei, he was nothing but a nuisance. Yet with their goals becoming more intertwined over time, Ranto gained a certain level of respect for Jinpei. He was a strong fighter with strong values, ones he eventually imposed onto Ranto. Because of this, Ranto stopped centering vengeance for those he lost as his reason for fighting and instead centered protection of those he had as to why he needed to defeat the invaders. Eventually, that respect morphed into love for Jinpei. Ranto could barely even believe it when he realized, but that was exactly it. He fell in love with Jinpei. An odd situation indeed.
Ranto didn’t mind if Jinpei was a strange partner. He had long gotten over the initial embarrassment of realizing who he was in love with to start appreciating everything he loved about Jinpei. Things Ranto initially found annoying were now charming, Jinpei’s quirks were just more reasons to adore him, and really, Ranto always knew deep down that Jinpei was a cute guy.
The only downside to being in a relationship with Jinpei was the fear that things weren't actually over, that aliens still walked among them, out to get Ranto. Sure, things had been quiet, but they could just be waiting for the perfect opportunity.
What if they tried to hurt Jinpei?
“President? Hey, President!” Ranto heard Jinpei call.
Ranto shook his head to snap himself out of his thoughts. “Hm? Do you need something?”
“No, it just kinda looked like you were dissipating, so I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“You mean ‘dissociating,’” Ranto rolled his eyes, “and I wasn’t really. I was just lost in thought.”
“What thought were you lost in?” Jinpei asked with such earnestness that Ranto knew Jinpei wasn’t trying to make a joke.
Ranto laid his head on top of Jinpei’s. “You don’t need to worry about it.” He never liked making Jinpei worry.
Jinpei did his best to look at Ranto with their current position. “Is it bad? You can tell me even if it’s bad.”
Ranto looked down at Jinpei. He thought about how he always wanted Jinpei to talk to him. It was mostly because with Jinpei typically being so open, him hiding something was a sign that he was really struggling. Ranto wasn’t quite as open, but maybe he could try to be. Maybe it would help like it does when pushing Jinpei to open up in those rare times he wanted to stay quiet.
“It’s just…” Ranto began, “I’m not used to looking up at the sky without trying to spot a UFO.”
“But we defeated all the aliens! Everything is okay now!” Jinpei said.
“I know that, but I’ve been like this for so long. I’m not used to not having my guard up.”
Jinpei’s arms tightened around Ranto. “Does that mean you still have nightmares, too?” he softly asked.
Ranto also tightened his grip and answered only loud enough for Jinpei to hear, “I do.”
Not many people knew about Ranto’s nightmares. They were typically flashbacks of what happened when he was young, but more recently, they often involved Jinpei. Sometimes he simply replaced Ranto’s little sister, sinking into the floor while Ranto was petrified from fear. Other times, Earth Walker failed to save Ranto and they both perished. Jinpei didn’t know the details. He only found out about the nightmares in the first place because he was woken by Ranto suddenly startling awake in the middle of the night while they shared a bed. Ranto did tell Jinpei some things, like that Jinpei had started showing up in them, but that was about it.
“Well, if any more aliens do come, I’ll definitely protect you!”
Ranto could tell Jinpei was smiling with pride just from his voice alone. It would’ve made Ranto smile had he not had another thought.
“Unless I need to protect you.”
Ranto heard Jinpei giggle below him. “I can protect myself fine, Mom.”
Ranto lifted his head and looked down at the other. “I’m being serious, Jiba,” he said before poking Jinpei’s forehead to emphasize the point.
“Ah—Hey!” Jinpei rubbed his forehead. “I am too! My newest hero form is super strong. I could kick any alien’s butt with it!” Jinpei’s hands formed fists, and he punched the air a few times.
Then, Jinpei moved to straddle Ranto’s lap, sitting there looking at Ranto. Even like this, Jinpei still had to look up slightly to meet Ranto’s eyes.
“Isn’t that right?” Jinpei said. He had a wide smile on his face. He looked so cute, as always.
Ranto laughed. Not a lot of people could make him do that, but Jinpei somehow managed it every so often. “Okay, I believe you. You’re right. You’re an incredible fighter.” Ranto placed a hand on Jinpei’s cheek, holding his face. “I can always count on you.”
Jinpei blushed. It wasn’t visible in the low light, but Ranto could feel the warmth from Jinpei’s cheek with the hand holding his face. Ranto was probably blushing, too. They were so close like this. What happened next was only natural.
Ranto leaned in closer, gently pulling Jinpei’s face with him. Not that it did much as Jinpei leaned in as well. Their lips met in a soft kiss. It was chaste—they hadn’t gotten further than that yet—but it was amazing nonetheless. Jinpei’s lips felt nice against Ranto’s own. It was perfect. It was always perfect.
When they parted, Ranto looked Jinpei in the eye only to realize the other wasn’t quite doing the same. Ranto didn’t mind. It was normal for Jinpei to feel shy after kissing. Looking up, Ranto noticed Jinpei’s ahoge had formed a heart. It was adorable. Ranto couldn’t help but smile as he stroked Jinpei’s cheek with his thumb.
Ranto didn’t get to admire Jinpei for long. The redhead leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Ranto’s waist and laying his head on his shoulder. This was also normal behavior for Jinpei, so Ranto hugged him back, putting a hand in Jinpei’s hair. It was always so soft.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Jinpei spoke up.
“I love you, President,” he said in a whisper.
Ranto felt his heart skip a beat. It always did in these moments.
“I love you, too, Jiba.”
The sun was bright, and the boy next to him was loud.
Ranto and Jinpei had made their way back to their tent not long after the moment they shared. They got ready for bed, and once they laid down, Jinpei gave Ranto a kiss goodnight before snuggling into his chest. Ranto held Jinpei close, and they drifted off to sleep.
Now, it was morning. Ranto didn’t even need to look down to know Jinpei was still asleep. The loud snoring was a dead giveaway. Ranto looked down and smiled, putting a hand in Jinpei’s hair. The nightmares hadn’t been too bad that night, but Jinpei’s peacefully sleeping face was always comforting to wake up to.
Ranto placed a soft kiss on top of Jinpei’s head and wondered if he should get up to make breakfast. On one hand, Ranto wanted to keep holding Jinpei until he woke up. On the other, Jinpei would be happy to wake up to Ranto’s cooking. It was a tough choice.
His own hunger won out in the end, so Ranto carefully got dressed and climbed out of the tent to get breakfast started. There were still many mushrooms leftover from yesterday (how did Jinpei gather so many?) so Ranto once again incorporated them into the meal.
After about ten minutes, Ranto heard the tent unzip as well as a loud yawn. Before he could turn in the direction of the sound, arms were around his waist, squeezing tight. Ranto nearly lost his balance but managed to stay up.
“Morning President!” Jinpei said. “I was kinda upset I woke up alone, but now I know why. It smells good!”
Ranto sighed and put a hand in Jinpei's hair. “Good morning, Jiba. It should be ready soon.”
Jinpei let go of the hug. “Breakfast with President is the absolute best. Yeah, come on!” he rapped. He kept going, dancing as he did.
This was one of those quirks Jinpei had that annoyed Ranto at first but he now adored. The content of the raps were often strange and the cadence of the words was always the same, but Ranto could tell Jinpei was having fun making them up as he went along.
Not long later, Ranto finished cooking. He and Jinpei sat in the same spots to eat as they did last night. Jinpei once again complimented Ranto’s cooking and looked adorable as he stuffed his face.
Jinpei set his plate aside once he finished eating. “Thanks for saying yes to this, President!”
“You don’t need to thank me,” Ranto replied.
“But I want to.” Jinpei hugged Ranto. “You’re the best, really!”
Ranto smiled and put an arm around Jinpei. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re having a good time,” Ranto said.
Jinpei stretched to kiss Ranto’s cheek before cuddling back into Ranto’s side. Ranto felt his cheeks heat up and pulled Jinpei closer, placing his own kiss on Jinpei’s head. Jinpei giggled, causing Ranto’s smile to widen.
Ranto thought Jinpei often acted similarly to a cuddly cat. Sometimes, having Jinpei around felt no different to having a cat. Speaking of which, it almost sounded like Jinpei was happily purring while hugging Ranto. It wasn’t unusual, so Ranto just decided to pet Jinpei’s head.
It was so peaceful. As they sat there, Ranto started to think of what activities they could do today. He was excited to spend another day with his boyfriend. It was clear that Jinpei felt the same way.
“I love you, President!” Jinpei said with more confidence than he had last night.
Ranto looked down to see Jinpei smiling up at him. It was an adorable sight. Ranto didn’t stop petting Jinpei as he replied, “Love you, too, Jiba.”