When the third-year students of Yamabuki Junior High got the dates of their field trip, no one expected Akutsu to come.

It wasn’t like Akutsu was going to willingly tell them that his mum made him come. No one orders Akutsu Jin around, but maybe Akutsu Yuki could get away with it, just once in a while. Those times were very rare, yes, but it did happen. When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object, neither comes out victorious 100% of the time.

When Akutsu realised what exactly they would be doing, and who he would be rooming with, he regretted his decision. But by that point, it was already too late to pull out.

 

Camping.

 

Had he known beforehand that that’s what they were supposed to be doing, he wouldn’t have come, no matter how much Yuki had asked.

Especially since the only one willing to share a tent with him had been Sengoku.

Because of course it was, no matter how many threats he threw his way, or how many times he beat him up, Sengoku barely seemed scared of him at all. Especially not after he started boxing and learned how to pack a punch of his own.

So here he was, sun down, curfew passed, stuck in a small tent with someone who annoyed the hell out of him.

 

He tried to ignore Sengoku, who sat on top of his sleeping bag with his legs crossed, GameBoy buttons clicking quietly as he played a video game, tongue poking out between his lips.

Ignoring him proved to be very difficult when their sleeping bags were lined up side by side, with barely any space in between. There had to be just about ten centimeters between them.

With a grumble he moved to leave, pack of cigarettes in one hand, lighter in the other.

“They’re gonna catch you before you even leave the tent, you know,” Sengoku said, not even looking up from his game. “They’ve been super on top of that kinda stuff every single school trip.”

Akutsu sat back down, frustrated groan loud in the tiny tent. He flicked his lighter open, then closed, repeating the motion.

“You’re not gonna hotbox us, are you?” Sengoku asked, finally looking up. Akutsu glared back at him.

“I might,” he said, voice low, annoyance evident.

For a while they held eye contact, not a word spoken between them.

 

Akutsu flicked his lighter open again, putting a cigarette between his lips.

The instant he moved the lighter closer, Sengoku struck; he stole it right out of his hand.

It seemed like not even Sengoku had expected him to do that, as his eyes were just as wide as Akutsu’s.

 

Sengoku let out a yelp as Akutsu pounced, reaching for the lighter. Sengoku stretched his arm as far away as his reach would allow, falling backwards. Akutsu pinned him down, grabbing Sengoku’s wrist in a tight fist.

Getting the lighter out of his hand was easier than he would have expected, and it wasn’t til it was back in his hands and he looked down that he realised why.

 

When their eyes met this time it was from mere centimeters away, their noses almost brushing. Sengoku’s cheeks were flushed in the dim moonlight that filtered through the fabric of the tent.

They heard footsteps outside, then the voice of one of their teachers. “Are you alright in there? I thought I heard a commotion.”

Sengoku only took a second to respond. “All good, all good! Just a bug!”

They could hear the teacher leave again soon after that, and they released a sigh of relief. Their position didn’t exactly paint a G-rated picture, no matter how they had ended up in it.

Not like the actual reason for it would look good either.

 

Sengoku couldn’t help the awkward laugh that escaped him. “I, uh, my bad.”

Akutsu climbed off of him, getting back onto his own sleeping bag. Sengoku scrambled back up on his knees, face as red as Akutsu’s felt.

For another minute they stared at each other, uncertain. Then, Akutsu leaned forward, fist grabbing Sengoku by the front of his t-shirt.

Clearly, Sengoku had expected him to throw a punch, so when their lips crashed together, his eyes shot wide open.

The kiss only lasted a couple of seconds, but it was long enough for Sengoku to relax into it. When they parted, Akutsu’s grip on his shirt eased up.

For a moment they breathed each other’s air, silent. Then, Sengoku leaned forward again, the press of his lips less violent than the kiss Akutsu had initiated. He wrapped his arms around Akutsu’s neck, Akutsu’s hand moving from the front of Sengoku’s shirt to the back.

The GameBoy laid forgotten, stuck on the ‘game over’ screen, Akutsu’s cigarette discarded next to it.

 

When Minami asked Sengoku how sharing a tent with Akutsu was like the next day, it was hard to keep a straight face. He wasn’t quite sure how he managed it.

Back to top