Yamaguchi starts taking pictures sometime in their second year. At first, Kei isn't really keeping track of it. It starts as just some fooling with his phone camera; the other idiots on their team are all too happy to play along, to jump in and out of the frame, creating blurry images that make Yamaguchi laugh.
Kei doesn't really see the point of it, but he still holds still when Yamaguchi asks, even submits himself to the occasional shot containing just the two of them.
He notices when the cell phone camera gets swapped out for a digital one. It's not very new, and certainly not fancy, but Yamaguchi seems pleased with it. So much so that even Kei's teeth ache from watching him clean the lens, or fawn over the settings.
He wears it around his neck more days than not.
Even today.
It's not their second year anymore. It's not even their third, not really. It's the two of them standing at a train station ready for Yamaguchi to go off to some school in Kyoto of all places.
Kei recounts the facts to himself with this precise level of vagueness, like making all the facts fuzzy in his head will somehow make them less real, like they'll prevent Yamaguchi from getting on the train.
Tongue worrying the small piercing in the corner of his lip, Yamaguchi gives him one of those trembling, nervous smiles that's never failed to make Kei's mouth go dry. He looks over his shoulder, back at the tracks that are still lying empty. "It should um, be here soon."
"Right." He's never prayed for a train to be late before.
"I've got something for you! B- before I go," a laugh almost flutters out of his mouth before he swallows it again, turning and digging into his backpack with a hum. The camera bounces slightly against his chest at the movement, twisting with his body.
As he digs, Kei can hear the distant rattle of the train approaching. "Yamaguchi..."
"Got it!" He pulls out what looks like a journal at first glance, and Kei can see his fingers curling to make a nervous fist. "I, um, made this for you."
Kei hesitates before taking it, blinking slowly. The pages are wrong for a notebook, he realizes. They're plastic sleeves made to hold pictures inside of them and each one seems to be full of images.
He flips through it quickly. There's images of the team, of himself, the other members of their year, and all the pictures of the two of them that Yamaguchi roped him into taking.
Kei isn't used to feeling this kind of lump in his throat, and Yamaguchi's hair is very nearly torn out of its loose ponytail as the train rushes into the station, screeching to a halt. He yelps, grabbing his bag and sucking in a deep breath. "I'll text you when I'm there, okay?"
Yamaguchi leans forward, not quite on his toes, and presses their lips together. It's a quick, clumsy gesture and the steel of his lip piercing is warm against Kei's mouth, and he wants to reel Yamaguchi back in close to him and try again. He wants to go through the last three years with more courage, enough at least that this isn't the only time that he's managed to kiss Yamaguchi.
"Bye, Tsukki," the little flutter of laughter is back, even though he can see the tears welling up in Yamaguchi's eyes before he jogs onto the train, the camera bouncing along with him.
Kei clutches the album tightly to his chest and stands still to watch it pull away from the platform.
FILL: TEAM KYOUTANI KENTAROU/YAHABA SHIGERU, G
Yamaguchi starts taking pictures sometime in their second year. At first, Kei isn't really keeping track of it. It starts as just some fooling with his phone camera; the other idiots on their team are all too happy to play along, to jump in and out of the frame, creating blurry images that make Yamaguchi laugh.
Kei doesn't really see the point of it, but he still holds still when Yamaguchi asks, even submits himself to the occasional shot containing just the two of them.
He notices when the cell phone camera gets swapped out for a digital one. It's not very new, and certainly not fancy, but Yamaguchi seems pleased with it. So much so that even Kei's teeth ache from watching him clean the lens, or fawn over the settings.
He wears it around his neck more days than not.
Even today.
It's not their second year anymore. It's not even their third, not really. It's the two of them standing at a train station ready for Yamaguchi to go off to some school in Kyoto of all places.
Kei recounts the facts to himself with this precise level of vagueness, like making all the facts fuzzy in his head will somehow make them less real, like they'll prevent Yamaguchi from getting on the train.
Tongue worrying the small piercing in the corner of his lip, Yamaguchi gives him one of those trembling, nervous smiles that's never failed to make Kei's mouth go dry. He looks over his shoulder, back at the tracks that are still lying empty. "It should um, be here soon."
"Right." He's never prayed for a train to be late before.
"I've got something for you! B- before I go," a laugh almost flutters out of his mouth before he swallows it again, turning and digging into his backpack with a hum. The camera bounces slightly against his chest at the movement, twisting with his body.
As he digs, Kei can hear the distant rattle of the train approaching. "Yamaguchi..."
"Got it!" He pulls out what looks like a journal at first glance, and Kei can see his fingers curling to make a nervous fist. "I, um, made this for you."
Kei hesitates before taking it, blinking slowly. The pages are wrong for a notebook, he realizes. They're plastic sleeves made to hold pictures inside of them and each one seems to be full of images.
He flips through it quickly. There's images of the team, of himself, the other members of their year, and all the pictures of the two of them that Yamaguchi roped him into taking.
Kei isn't used to feeling this kind of lump in his throat, and Yamaguchi's hair is very nearly torn out of its loose ponytail as the train rushes into the station, screeching to a halt. He yelps, grabbing his bag and sucking in a deep breath. "I'll text you when I'm there, okay?"
Yamaguchi leans forward, not quite on his toes, and presses their lips together. It's a quick, clumsy gesture and the steel of his lip piercing is warm against Kei's mouth, and he wants to reel Yamaguchi back in close to him and try again. He wants to go through the last three years with more courage, enough at least that this isn't the only time that he's managed to kiss Yamaguchi.
"Bye, Tsukki," the little flutter of laughter is back, even though he can see the tears welling up in Yamaguchi's eyes before he jogs onto the train, the camera bouncing along with him.
Kei clutches the album tightly to his chest and stands still to watch it pull away from the platform.