53 - waxrose
There should probably be a few other areas of this story I should go with first, but hey, when inspiration knocks and happens to match up with some free time, I won't complain. For all those of you who have been so patient. ♥
It was quickly becoming apparent to Jun that there was really nothing to do on the road in the middle of nowhere at night except get drunk and watch Nino play with Ohno's nipples.
(Luckily, Sho and Ohno had lost at janken and had taken Sho's car back to the last truck stop to buy more beer, so all involved did not have to suffer that entertainment for at least an hour. )
"Not that it bothers me," Jun says, thumbing through the newspaper he had picked up that morning, "But it would be nice to read a newspaper without holes in it one of these days."
"You'll have to wake up early and fight Sho for it." Nino opens another beer. "He takes it to the toilet every morning. It's like a ritual. Actually, until you and your cargo of luxury goods joined our little caravan, it never actually came back from the toilet."
"That's disgusting." Jun holds the torn page by his thumb and forefinger. "What, does he bring scissors to the bathroom with him? And these are just the personals. Why would he need to cut out anything there? Is he looking for a cheap lawnmower?"
"I think he gets off on the sex hotline ads," Aiba volunteers.
"There aren't any pictures."
"Sho-chan," says Aiba, with all the conviction of someone on their eighth beer of the night. "Is a very textual person."
"Why are you reading the newspaper, anyways?" Nino shoves a can of beer towards Jun. "Come on and join the party. One more sleep until Vegas."
"I thought you didn't even like Las Vegas." Jun takes a sip of the beer. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Aiba crack open another can. He's drinking too much too fast. It's not like him.
Nino shrugs. "It's never about the places."
"Nino's so sentimental," Aiba cooes. "I love you too, Nino!"
Nino shoves Aiba off his shoulder. "You seriously reek. Go brush your teeth or something."
"I'll help him," Jun says, as Aiba wobbles to his feet. Aiba's been strange since yesterday, and Jun can't figure it out.
The restrooms are just a short walk from where they've pitched the tent. The parking lot of the rest stop is empty now, save for Ohno's pick-up truck. Jun's eyes track to the spot where Shun's car had been without even thinking about it. It had been so strange to see him again.
"Jun?" Aiba asks suddenly, stopping near a large oak tree near the restroom. The moon is only a sharp crescent tonight, illuminating the high curve of Aiba's cheekbones and painting his eyelashes silvery-white "Do you remember what I told you? Before I left for the first time?"
Jun could play stupid. But he wants to know why Aiba is bringing this up now. "You said you were coming back."
"After that," Aiba clarifies. "Later. After we - " He's blushing, scraping patterns in the dirt with his shoe, and it's a relief to see that this whole conversation is as embarrassing for Aiba as it is for Jun.
"You said you loved me." He watches for Aiba's reaction.
"I just wanted to let you know," Aiba says, staring at the tree trunk, his fingers tracing the grooves and curls of the bark, "It doesn't bother me that you slept with him. That Shun guy."
Jun's pride always speaks before his heart. "I don't think it should. It had nothing to do with it."
Aiba nods, and Jun realizes again that Aiba is ridiculously drunk, that it took this much liquid courage for him to say anything. "I know. Just - when I was away, when I got lonely sometimes - I wonder why you never answered me that time."
"Masaki." Jun scuffs his shoe over the dirt patterns Aiba traced. He can't handle this. "Not now."
"It's not really that simple, is it?" Aiba says. "You and I."
He can't have this conversation with a drunk Aiba - not without being equally drunk. "Let's go. Nino will wonder if we got eaten by bears."
"We could stay here," Aiba suggests. "This is much more romantic. We have trees! We have the stars and moon!" Aiba gestures dramatically at the trees around them, stumbling a little as his arm waves too far from his - newly shrunken - center of gravity. "Wow, I really need to pee!"
"You can't wait?" Jun asks incredulously. He watches Aiba fumble with his fly. "Romantic," he mutters.
"I am romantic!" Aiba protests, tugging his pants open. Jun chooses not to comment, and he instead leans against a nearby tree, watching the pinpoint lights of the stars and wondering how on earth he got stuck loving this idiot.
*
"Jun-tan," mumbles Aiba later, from where his head is buried under Ohno's armpit. They're all curled up in the tent, the quiet whicker of forest sounds lulling Jun to sleep. "I think I know for real."
"Know what?" Jun yawns. It's strangely cozy in the tent, even with all five of them squashed in together. "Go to sleep, Masaki. We have an early start."
"Why Sho clips out parts of the newspaper - I think," Aiba says, volume wavering up and down like an old stereo, mumble to crackle, "I think someone is looking for him."
It was quickly becoming apparent to Jun that there was really nothing to do on the road in the middle of nowhere at night except get drunk and watch Nino play with Ohno's nipples.
(Luckily, Sho and Ohno had lost at janken and had taken Sho's car back to the last truck stop to buy more beer, so all involved did not have to suffer that entertainment for at least an hour. )
"Not that it bothers me," Jun says, thumbing through the newspaper he had picked up that morning, "But it would be nice to read a newspaper without holes in it one of these days."
"You'll have to wake up early and fight Sho for it." Nino opens another beer. "He takes it to the toilet every morning. It's like a ritual. Actually, until you and your cargo of luxury goods joined our little caravan, it never actually came back from the toilet."
"That's disgusting." Jun holds the torn page by his thumb and forefinger. "What, does he bring scissors to the bathroom with him? And these are just the personals. Why would he need to cut out anything there? Is he looking for a cheap lawnmower?"
"I think he gets off on the sex hotline ads," Aiba volunteers.
"There aren't any pictures."
"Sho-chan," says Aiba, with all the conviction of someone on their eighth beer of the night. "Is a very textual person."
"Why are you reading the newspaper, anyways?" Nino shoves a can of beer towards Jun. "Come on and join the party. One more sleep until Vegas."
"I thought you didn't even like Las Vegas." Jun takes a sip of the beer. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Aiba crack open another can. He's drinking too much too fast. It's not like him.
Nino shrugs. "It's never about the places."
"Nino's so sentimental," Aiba cooes. "I love you too, Nino!"
Nino shoves Aiba off his shoulder. "You seriously reek. Go brush your teeth or something."
"I'll help him," Jun says, as Aiba wobbles to his feet. Aiba's been strange since yesterday, and Jun can't figure it out.
The restrooms are just a short walk from where they've pitched the tent. The parking lot of the rest stop is empty now, save for Ohno's pick-up truck. Jun's eyes track to the spot where Shun's car had been without even thinking about it. It had been so strange to see him again.
"Jun?" Aiba asks suddenly, stopping near a large oak tree near the restroom. The moon is only a sharp crescent tonight, illuminating the high curve of Aiba's cheekbones and painting his eyelashes silvery-white "Do you remember what I told you? Before I left for the first time?"
Jun could play stupid. But he wants to know why Aiba is bringing this up now. "You said you were coming back."
"After that," Aiba clarifies. "Later. After we - " He's blushing, scraping patterns in the dirt with his shoe, and it's a relief to see that this whole conversation is as embarrassing for Aiba as it is for Jun.
"You said you loved me." He watches for Aiba's reaction.
"I just wanted to let you know," Aiba says, staring at the tree trunk, his fingers tracing the grooves and curls of the bark, "It doesn't bother me that you slept with him. That Shun guy."
Jun's pride always speaks before his heart. "I don't think it should. It had nothing to do with it."
Aiba nods, and Jun realizes again that Aiba is ridiculously drunk, that it took this much liquid courage for him to say anything. "I know. Just - when I was away, when I got lonely sometimes - I wonder why you never answered me that time."
"Masaki." Jun scuffs his shoe over the dirt patterns Aiba traced. He can't handle this. "Not now."
"It's not really that simple, is it?" Aiba says. "You and I."
He can't have this conversation with a drunk Aiba - not without being equally drunk. "Let's go. Nino will wonder if we got eaten by bears."
"We could stay here," Aiba suggests. "This is much more romantic. We have trees! We have the stars and moon!" Aiba gestures dramatically at the trees around them, stumbling a little as his arm waves too far from his - newly shrunken - center of gravity. "Wow, I really need to pee!"
"You can't wait?" Jun asks incredulously. He watches Aiba fumble with his fly. "Romantic," he mutters.
"I am romantic!" Aiba protests, tugging his pants open. Jun chooses not to comment, and he instead leans against a nearby tree, watching the pinpoint lights of the stars and wondering how on earth he got stuck loving this idiot.
*
"Jun-tan," mumbles Aiba later, from where his head is buried under Ohno's armpit. They're all curled up in the tent, the quiet whicker of forest sounds lulling Jun to sleep. "I think I know for real."
"Know what?" Jun yawns. It's strangely cozy in the tent, even with all five of them squashed in together. "Go to sleep, Masaki. We have an early start."
"Why Sho clips out parts of the newspaper - I think," Aiba says, volume wavering up and down like an old stereo, mumble to crackle, "I think someone is looking for him."