He'd hidden it since the last time they'd left the Cloud Recesses, the fan in a small box, tucked away in his room. It'd been two months since they'd been caught together and while they were being more careful, they were together whenever it was possible.
And more discreet, at least. Lan Qiren and Xichen had been called away on sect matters so they were given a bit of reprieve and he'd slipped off to Caiyi to collect other things.
It's simple enough but there's some food and wine, at least when Huaisang enters the room.
[ i do not have a crush on kokoro-senpai. that is the mantra that chiaki repeats in his head as he walks down the hallway to the school gym. shibata-sensei had asked him to help the volleyball club with after-practice cleanup, and he had no good reason to say no. chiaki definitely could not say to his teacher, not even his favorite teacher, "actually, can i pass on that?" without offering an explanation, and he doesn't have one, because he does not! have! a crush! on kokoro-senpai!
it's totally ridiculous to think about. she's an upperclassman, and there are plenty of older boys to date, all of them a whole lot better looking than the sickly gardening club kid. besides, it's not a crush! she's just really nice to him, that's all, and whenever she smiles at him, it's like being hit with a flash of blinding light. so he's totally not nervous by the time he sidles into the gymnasium, balancing a mop, bucket, and a small stack of rags. nope, that redness in his face is just, uhhh, allergies? ]
U-um, I'm here to help...
[ there are lots of girls on the volleyball team. maybe kokoro-senpai won't even see him, and he'll just help some other members of the team. but it would be fine even if she did because he does not have a crush! on her!! ]
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