"Language Barriers Do Not Apply" Chapter Eight
Title: Language Barriers Do Not Apply
Chapter: 8/12
Fandom: Arashi
Character, Pairing(s): Matsumoto Jun/Zac Efron, Sho --> Jun, implied past Jun --> Sho
Rating: R
Warnings: Language, sexual situations.
Summary: What had been a one-time thing has turned into ... not a one-time thing. And they aren't the only ones involved.
“Our last Shukudai filming for the year. Aren’t you excited?” Aiba asked him, trying to snatch the newspaper away from him.
Sho couldn’t drag his eyes away from the extended weather forecast. Sure, these things were never accurate, but his planned escape was looking less and less likely. He’d gotten an email from a classmate earlier that day. The slopes at the resort were in great shape - but they were forecasting a blizzard for the day of the flight and that whole week. Worst in over a decade potentially. He frowned at the little snowflakes on the map over Hokkaido and realized that his luck was the worst.
“Sure I’m excited,” he mumbled, wishing he could turn the 90% chance of white-out into a lesser percentage. He didn’t like the person he’d become when Zac had visited, so the little class reunion seemed like the perfect excuse, much as he wasn’t all that interested in breaking his neck on the beginner’s hill. And then there were the lifts that took you up the slope in the first place. But freezing his ass off in the north was preferable to stewing at home while Matsujun had a visitor.
Aiba finally got the paper away from him. “It’s too bad you’ll miss seeing Zac-san. He’s going to play me at basketball, like in his movies.”
Sho leaned back on the green room couch and closed his eyes. “You planning to trash talk him?”
“Oh yeah,” Aiba assured him. “I’ve been brushing up my English.” He jumped onto the couch cushion next to Sho and stuck his hands up like a regular basketball defender. “Nothing...but the net!” he shouted in English.
“Masaki...”
“Nothing but the net!”
Sho batted at his friend’s leg. “That’s not trash talk. That’s encouraging him.”
“How?”
Even in his gloomy mood, Aiba never failed to entertain him. “Just...don’t use that one.”
The green room door opened, and Jun walked in, giving the both of them a quick nod. Sho grabbed his paper again to frown at the forecast. No matter how much he stared at it, it wasn’t going to change. Aiba jumped over to the couch where the other man was now sitting and texting.
“Matsujun! Nothing but the net!”
“What the hell?”
“I’m hoping you’ll be supporting me over Zac in the big tournament!”
Jun looked totally confused, glancing away from his cell phone. “Tournament? You’re playing in your back yard.”
“I’m having jerseys made. What size is Zac anyhow?”
“Aiba, seriously...”
Sho pushed the paper up higher. This was going to be a long week.
-----
His flight was the next day, and the slew of Christmas parties he’d attended had taken away from his packing time. But he was happy that he’d brought a phone charger and adapter this time. Zac added it to his suitcase and was just opening his closet door when the doorbell rang. It was nearly midnight - who the hell was bothering him?
He shuffled to the door. “Zac, it’s me,” he heard from the other side. “Can I come in?” The hell was she doing here?
Zac unchained and unlocked it, opening to see Vanessa standing on the other side. They hadn’t spoken in months. It wasn’t that he disliked her. He still cared a great deal for her - but what he had with Jun was so intense and felt so right. Being with her couldn’t even compare, and he’d tried to let her down gently but it had gone south quickly since he couldn’t exactly give her a reason all those months ago.
“You didn’t go to Ashley’s Christmas party,” she told him quietly.
He leaned against the door. “And you came all the way over for that? Five days after the fact?”
She looked down. “I know we didn’t break up on the best of terms but I...” She bit her lip. “I don’t think you should have to avoid a mutual friend’s party because of me.”
He hadn’t been avoiding it so much as he’d been on the phone with Jun that night. But again, he couldn’t tell Vanessa that. “I had other plans. I wasn’t avoiding you.” Seeing her again tugged at him. He’d been a real asshole to her. Getting so wrapped up with Jun and Japan and all that - he’d treated her like shit and dumped her with little explanation. “I’m sorry.”
“I guess I just thought I’d see how you were doing.”
“You should have called.”
“I know that,” she mumbled. “But I didn’t think you’d answer. I figured this was the best way to talk to you.”
“Vanessa, I’m sorry. Now’s not a good time...”
“Oh, do you have someone-”
“No, no it’s not-”
“Then can I just talk to you? Please? For ten minutes.” She stepped forward, and he caught the briefest hint of her perfume, the one he’d always liked. The scent memory of it, remembering the first day they’d met on set, all the time they’d shared together - it was years compared to the mere days he’d had with Jun. He couldn’t really embarrass her by making her leave without being an even bigger jerk.
He stepped back, holding the door. “Alright.”
She walked in, clearly nervous. Vanessa hadn’t been over in months, and though his place was familiar enough to her, it was like she was tiptoeing on hot coals. She shrugged off her coat, and where she used to just toss it on his couch, this time she held it. It had obviously taken a lot for her to come by. He took her coat and draped it over one of the stools by the kitchen, heading for the fridge.
“Need anything?”
“Water’s fine.”
He brought her a glass and a beer for himself. He’d need something alcoholic to get through the next few minutes even if it wouldn’t kick in. But the next few days there’d be sake, and his head already hurt at the thought of that. She sipped it and set the glass down on his coffee table.
“So you want to see how I’m doing? I’m doing okay.” I’m also going to see my Japanese boyfriend in the morning, he thought darkly, realizing just how much he was hiding from everyone in his life.
Their conversation started out awkwardly enough. It was hard to get back to the comfortable flow they used to have. He mostly talked about the movie he’d just wrapped, and she talked about her projects too. But as the minutes passed, they got to talking about what he’d missed at Ashley’s party. By his third beer and then their first few glasses of wine they were laughing about something Corbin had emailed him or about some creep that had offered to buy her groceries at Ralph's the other day.
His packing in the other room went unfinished as he stumbled a bit to the kitchen for a third bottle. When he turned around with it in his hand, Vanessa was right there, reaching for him. And his senses were numb with the alcohol and the familiar scent of her, and he realized that he’d missed her. He should have done right by her. Her lips were soft as he leaned her back against the kitchen counter, setting the wine bottle down. Her skin was just as soft as he remembered.
She was just reaching for his belt when his cell phone vibrated in his pants pocket. “Shit,” he muttered, stepping back from her to grab it. Her face was flushed - from the alcohol and something else, and he knew he looked the same. It was a text from Jun, and he felt suddenly sick.
Can’t wait to tomorrow. See you at airport.
He must have been staring at the screen for a bit too long because Vanessa reached for him again. “Someone I know?”
“No,” he said quietly, shoving the phone back in his pocket. This had been a bad decision. A very bad decision. He’d been pissed off for weeks because Jun had once liked Sho, and what the hell was he doing? He took her hands, holding them gently. “Look, I have to get up early tomorrow. Actually, I still have to pack...”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“I’m sorry-”
She backed away, leaving the kitchen. “No, I’m sorry. I said I’d be here for ten minutes.” She grabbed her coat as he followed her to the door. “I’m sorry, we shouldn’t-”
He caught her by the shoulder. “No, no. I’m the one who plied you with liquor, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. We’ve still got some things to get through.” She put her hand on his cheek and kissed him gently. “We’ll talk later, I hope? When you get back from...well, wherever you’re going.”
“London,” he lied. He was already lying to her again.
“Sounds awesome,” she said with a smile. “Call me?”
He felt the weight of his phone in his pocket, knowing that Jun was eager to see him. Zac let Vanessa out, closing and locking the door. He leaned back against it and sighed. Shit.
-------
A light snow was falling outside, but the forecast for Tokyo was a lot clearer than Hokkaido. Jun nervously tapped his fingers against his knees, waiting for Zac to emerge from the sliding doors of the Narita Baggage Claim with the driver (and the driver's white sign for "Mike Jackson"). He had arrived thirty minutes early just in case; the last thing he wanted was a repeat performance of the last visit Zac had taken, or anything that would remind him of the miscommunication error in the first place. And now he had entirely too much time to think while waiting in the tinted-window car.
Finally, he spotted his driver- and Zac's perfectly coiffed hair moving towards the opposite door.
Zac slid into the backseat, smelling of CK cologne and the fabric of airline seats.
"Hi," Jun said, breathlessly. He felt more nervous than he had last time, which didn't make any sense at all.
"Hi," Zac parroted back, grinning. He pulled the door shut behind him, and leaned in. His mouth was warm and welcome and felt so good- Jun hadn't realized exactly how much he'd missed it until that moment, until he wrapped his hands around the back of Zac's neck and tangled his fingers in his hair, pulling him closer. Zac nipped at his bottom lip, and pulled away only when the driver's door opened, and the Johnny's employee entered the car.
"How was your flight?" Jun asked, in Japanese, hoping to distract himself from the adrenaline screaming through his veins.
"Good," Zac said. "Long."
"Lot of people traveling?"
"More than I expected," Zac said, pushing his bangs out of his face. "I guess- people want to be with someone special on New Year's, right?"
Jun looked out the window to try and hide the pleased flush he could feel on his face.
"Is your apartment far?" the other man asked, as the car began moving, merging into the traffic leading away from Narita and into the city. The skyline on the horizon was glimmering from the snow falling and the afternoon sun; Jun didn't find it particularly impressive, but he remembered from Zac's last visit that tourists saw Tokyo in a far different light than the natives did.
"Not too far," he answered.
Zac was keenly interested in the things they passed, so conversation was light, and the driver dropped them off outside Jun's apartment as the snow began to fall harder. Together they dragged the luggage up the stairs (it was always a bit safer than the elevator, at any rate, from Jun's experience) and Jun fumbled a bit with the key to the door.
Zac's face was pleased when he stepped inside.
"It's nice," he said, sounding almost surprised. "Bigger than I expected."
"I like my space," Jun replied by way of explanation, and he had barely gotten the door closed before Zac whirled on him, kissing him hard. He pushed Jun back until his back was against the door itself, doorknob digging into his lower back uncomfortably. It wasn't unwelcome, but it was a bit jarring; Jun let himself get caught up in it, because it was so easy to do, and the sensations were flooding back quicker than he could keep up with them. Zac's tongue ran along his lower lip, seeking entrance, and he groaned a bit into the other man's mouth when he granted it.
"Ah," he breathed, a moment later, when Zac's mouth moved down his jaw-line and trailed across his collarbone. Deft hands were already working underneath the fabric of his shirt, scaling up the skin of his stomach. It was good- hot, heady. Entirely overwhelming. Then the button of his pants was loose, and he swallowed hard. "Zac-"
"I missed you," came the answer, whispered against his hips and followed by a littering of feather-light kisses there.
"I-" Jun tried to reply, but his vision was shaking, and his knees were going to give out if he didn't find something to prop himself up with. One hand found the side of the kitchen cabinets, and it was enough- for now.
Zac's mouth was hot, and wet, and it had been so long, so very long; it didn't take much time at all before Jun's fingers were gripping the mahoghany so hard his knuckles were turning white, unable to do anything but stare up at the ceiling as he willed the sensation to wait just a bit longer, just a moment longer. He wanted to savor this, being with Zac again, and it was all tumbling in around him too quickly to allow it. He came with a gasp and a stuttering moan, thighs trembling and nerves alight.
There was something unreadable on Zac's face when he rose again, wiping at his chin with the back of his hand.
"What is it?" Jun asked, still breathless, fighting to regain his bearings.
"Nothing," Zac said. He shook his head. "Just tired. Jet-lag."
Jun leveled him a hard look, but it was tinged with too many other things to be objective enough. Zac moved in, kissing him.
"It's good," he said. "Everything is good. What are the plans for tonight?"
"It starts early," Jun replied, apologetic. "We have to get everything in place and ready to go. You can stay here and watch it if you want, and I'll try to cut all the post-party short."
Zac nodded, and he didn't seem too upset about the situation.
"The others- well, they know you're coming," Jun said. "So they'll probably be okay with me skipping out early."
"No worries," Zac said, with a grin. It was contagious, infectuous- having him here, in Jun's apartment, was amazing, and he was still riding the high from moments earlier.
"I'll come back as soon as I can," Jun promised.
"Okay," the other man said. "I'll wait up."
Jun turned to his bedroom, to grab what he'd need- they had rehearsal, and sound checks, and the whole thing was done live, which required more preparations on their parts to see where the boom mics would be, where the other groups would go, and how their choreography would work out with over fifty added bodies in the mix.
He stopped, turning back to Zac, who had flopped halfway over the arm of the couch.
"I'm glad you're here," he said, in English, with sincerity that surprised even himself.
Zac just smiled, tossing one of the throw pillows at him.
"Get moving, Domyouji," he laughed. "Don't be late to welcome the New Year."
-------
Staring at the departures board wasn’t helping. All flights to Sapporo were canceled. Ice on the runway up north, and they just couldn’t clear it fast enough. He’d known this going to the airport, but even that hadn’t deterred him. Maybe there still would have been one damn flight going out of town. But rarely had things gone his way this past year - the new year wasn’t looking that great either.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. A text message from one of his former classmates - nobody was able to get a flight north from anywhere. To nobody’s surprise, the trip was officially canceled. Not that Sho had been looking forward to breaking a leg on the ski slopes, but now he was at the airport, all packed for a winter getaway. He could go home. His mom could make dinner, and he could spend the next few days just relaxing.
He gathered his bags and headed back to grab a cab ride home, grabbing a newspaper to read on the long ride. Just as he got in the taxi queue, his cell phone rang again. But this time it was Aiba.
“Shooooo-chan!”
“Hey.”
“Nino says your flight was canceled!”
How the hell-
“We were watching the airport website online. Everyone’s gathered around!”
“Okay?”
Aiba often had trouble getting to the point. “We had a feeling it would happen. So my mom wants you to come for dinner! Spend your night with us!”
Sho could already imagine the face Jun was making. Tonight was the big basketball night. Aiba’s parents were hosting them all for dinner at their home, and Zac was apparently the guest of honor. It was the very last place in the world Sho wanted to be, other than bungee jumping he supposed.
Aiba’s family was in Chiba. He wasn’t exactly in the neighborhood. “I don’t know. I’m at Haneda. I won’t get there for a few hours and…”
“No problem! Don’t worry about it! We’re not eating for a while, just get over here!”
“Masaki…”
“My mom insists!”
He sighed. Well, there was no insulting Aiba’s mother, that was for sure. “Fine.” He closed the phone, thrust his newspaper under his arm and turned around to find a train out to Chiba instead.
Nearly three exhausting hours later, he was at Aiba’s door, dragging his rolling suitcase behind him. He could hear noise from the rear of the house as Aiba’s father ushered him in. He left his luggage in the hall, took a moment to properly greet and thank Aiba’s parents, and then headed out to the back of the house.
It looked like the basketball game was just wrapping up. Sho rolled his eyes at the sight of the players. It was way too cold for a game. Aiba had obviously made good on his promise to make jerseys, but both he and Zac were wearing heavy coats over them. He hovered in the doorway. From Aiba’s slightly annoyed expression, it was obvious that the American guest had been victorious.
Jun casually had his arm draped over Zac’s shoulders as they all talked in the yard. Sho swallowed his irritation, letting the delicious smells of the pending dinner soothe him. But he didn’t go unnoticed for long.
“Very subtle.”
He jumped at the sound of Nino’s voice, his smart ass button already turned on. Sho turned to see that Nino had parked himself in a chair inside next to the window. His fingers were almost dancing over his portable game’s buttons, the light from the screen giving him an even more impish look than usual.
“Why aren’t you outside?"
“Because it’s cold.” Nino paused the game and closed his DS. “Glad to see you could make it.”
He shrugged. “Are you?”
Nino smiled. “Our beloved Captain’s at home, and all those idiots are outside. I was waiting for someone with half a brain to show up.”
He stepped away from the doorway and from his staring, instead keeping his back to whatever was happening outside. “Looks like Zac won.”
His friend nodded. “Aiba put up a good fight, but he tried too hard to show off. And then you missed the part where Aiba screamed ‘Foul!’ about twenty times before Matsujun just smacked him.”
“He was the referee?”
“Yep.”
“Unbiased?”
Nino considered this, tapping the stylus against the plastic DS top. “I’d say so.” He smirked. “This should be a fun dinner.”
“Whatever,” Sho said, rolling his eyes. Nino had been teasing him for months about this whole situation. Didn’t he get it? Jun could date whoever he wanted, really. Sho didn’t care about that. But this wasn’t really the norm - this was someone equally famous, at least in his own country, barging in and there were too many risks involved. Couldn’t Jun see that? Even as they came walking into the house, kicking off their shoes, they had their arms around each other.
Aiba hurried to the kitchen to help his parents and his brother with the food. There were place settings and everything, and Aiba had gone to the trouble of drawing basketballs on them. A more hastily drawn one with Sho’s name on it, obviously completed just prior to his arrival, was on a plate down at the end on Jun’s left. Damn it, Aiba, he thought.
Thankfully, the food was delicious and conversation was light. He’d almost expected Jun to consciously sit as far as he possibly could from him, but he hadn’t. Maybe he was being the childish one? Aiba’s parents were good at keeping people talking and laughing, just like their son, so the meal passed comparatively well.
Until the topic he’d expected came up. “So Zac,” Nino said slowly in hopes that the American would understand him. “You must be a real devoted friend to fly all the way to Japan twice in one year. Is Matsujun really worth it?”
Sho looked down, anywhere but at the person to his right. He kept eating quietly while the others seemed to be anxiously awaiting Zac’s answer. He was so busy focusing on his food that he barely noticed Jun elbowing him.
“What?”
“What’s the English word for devoted?” Jun asked, his face looking about as uncomfortable as Sho felt.
Everyone at the table was looking to him to assist with the translation when Nino could have simply picked a word that Zac could understand. But no. It fell to him. Sho set down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth. He didn’t know how, but he was probably going to kill Nino before the night was through. Or try flushing his DS down the toilet.
Jun leaned back, letting Sho come face to face with Zac for the first time in months. He didn’t have fond memories of their last conversation, and Zac was a bit flushed in his embarrassment. Sho switched to English. “Nino is curious about you traveling to Japan twice in one year, saying you must be devoted friend of Matsumoto-kun to go to such trouble.”
Zac raised an eyebrow here, and Sho wondered if he’d put more of an edge on his words than he’d intended. Even though Nino had asked the question, it looked like Zac was going to direct his answer to Sho. From the outside, it probably looked like Zac was doing so because Sho could assist with the translation. But that wasn’t it. At all.
When Zac replied, he replied in English. And from the glint in his eyes, he did so intentionally.
“Please tell Ninomiya-kun that it’s no trouble at all visiting when I’m seeing Jun-kun.” Zac almost smirked using Jun’s given name. “He was my very first friend in Japan, and he means a lot to me.”
The table seemed to get the idea. But then Nino cocked his head. “What was that last bit?”
Zac turned away from Sho and did his best to repeat his last sentence in Japanese, stumbling a bit over how to exactly express “means a lot” - Zac’s limited vocabulary ended up with him saying he very much liked Jun. And he’d chosen a romantic verb to do so. This raised eyebrows at the table.
Of course, Jun butted in to quickly correct him, telling Zac to use a verb that more closely resembled devoted friendship. Zac caught on, nodding in embarrassment. The rest of the table laughed at Zac’s “mistake” in speaking. But beside him, Jun was tapping his fingers nervously, inches away from Sho’s leg.
“Thanks for translating,” Jun mumbled.
Nino looked as pleased as a fly on a shit.
------
Zac hadn't thought, initially, that it got as cold in Japan as it did in the states, and, standing out by the side of the road with his coat zipped up to his chin, he was being forced to re-evaluate his opinion on the matter. It was freezing, and little snowflakes were tumbling from the sky to land on everything with a languid grace that would have been pretty had he not been standing in the thick of it waiting for the cab to show up.
It was peaceful, at least, outside alone; Jun was still thanking Aiba's family, and going over some sort of schedule with the other members of the band, so he had a few moments alone. He'd been worried at dinner- the awkward knot in his stomach hadn't left yet, and he wasn't entirely sure when it would do so. He'd nearly given them both away without meaning to. He wasn't sure yet what that would bring about; he wasn't sure he wanted to know.
In his pocket, his cellphone vibrated once.
Frowning, he reached for it- the only person who would be texting him from Japan was inside the house behind him, and the time difference to the states would have elliminated everyone he knew professionally. He flipped open the device and clicked on the flashing envelope icon.
I'm sorry again for the other night. Hope London is fun. Can I call you when you get back?
His heart dropped to his stomach as he read over Vanessa's message a second time. Standing in Japan, amidst the snow and the twinkling lights, he felt a long way away from whatever had happened between them. Chemistry was one thing, but his emotions- well, those he wasn't so sure about.
The door opened behind him, and he snapped his phone shut a bit too quickly.
"Sorry," Sho said, and it only buried the tense coil further in his abdomen- it was not who he had thought it would be, and he honestly wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. "Were you talking to someone?"
"No," Zac answered. He slid his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. "Just a message from a friend."
There was silence between them, hanging heavy in the air.
"You have a lot of friends," Sho said, in English.
"What's your point?" Zac snapped back. He didn't mean to be snippy; well, he did, because the throb of guilt was still pounding in his temples, and the irrational ire directed at Sho- as well as the feelings behind what motivated it- was screaming in his ears. So what if Jun had liked the guy, ten years ago? That was then- this was now.
And even if he knew about Sho, knew about his misguied attempts to "help" with Jun's life- it didn't mean anything.
"No point," Sho shrugged. "Just a statement. You seem to be... close to all of them."
It pinged a bit too close to home. Vanessa's text seemed to be burned into his vision, like red against the piling white of snow.
"Look," Zac said, turning, and not even bothering to hide his anger. "I think you've done more than enough already, okay? Why can't you just butt out?"
"Why are you so mad?" Sho countered. "I didn't say anything-"
"You've already said more than enough," Zac interrupted him. "I don't need to hear anymore, and neither does Jun."
Sho's jaw closed with a snap, and Zac could see him grinding his teeth a bit. His eyes were hard- calculating, watching. Zac had gone too far. He'd pushed him too hard, and he knew it.
"So you know what Jun needs, then?" the other man said, finally, after a long pause that felt like a lifetime.
"That's not what I meant," Zac tried to back-track. He shoved his hands into his pockets, because they were starting to sting from cold, and his thumb hit the outside of his phone. It shocked him a bit- like the bite of an insect. Like the sting of remorse of his own stupid, stupid actions he couldn't undo. And he wanted nothing more than to toss his phone into the nearest snowpile entirely.
"That's what you said," Sho pointed out, too non-chalantly.
"I just-" Zac started, and the door opened again. He stopped, because Jun was looking at them both with one eyebrow raised.
"Something wrong?" Jun asked, in Japanese.
"No," Zac said, switching from English as well. "Just- talking."
Sho leveled him a long, hard glare, but didn't say anything to contradict the statement, and he remained quiet as Jun moved to stand in-between the two. It was snowing harder, collecting on the streets and on the bare branches of the shrubs outside the Aiba family home.
"Sho's sharing our cab," Jun offered as an explanation, and Zac bit back his sigh.
"Great," he managed to choke out.
"I thought Nino was coming back with us?" Sho asked.
"Said he was going to stay here," Jun said, with a shrug; he didn't look like he particularly cared, but Sho seemed annoyed, glancing back at the house with a scowl of irritation. Zac wasn't entirely sure how to feel about Nino- more than once during the meal, he'd felt the keen gaze on his movements. It felt like he was being studied, being watched; being catalogued, in a way, for future reference. It was disconcerting.
The cab light's broke through the falling snow as it pulled up to the curb, and Jun stepped forward to open the door.
Sho's luggage caught on a weed as he started to pull it towards the trunk.
"Want help?" Jun asked, moving forward, and then stopped when Sho waved him away with his hand, looking a bit annoyed- or maybe it was just Zac superimposing his own feelings on the other man's expression.
"I've got it," Sho huffed, shoving the stuffed bags into the somewhat small trunk compartment. "Just get in."
Jun motioned for Zac to go in first, and then followed. Sho chose to take the front, sliding in beside the driver- for that, at least, Zac was thankful. It allowed him to sit with one hand grazing Jun's in the middle seat, just a bit- enough to reassure him that it was okay for the time being.
The first ten minutes were silent save for the squeak of the wiper's moving aross the windshield glass.
"Tomorrow," Jun began, voice low. Zac glanced up at the front seats, but the driver was busy watching the road deteriorating from the weather, and Sho appeared to be sleeping, his head dipping low against the headrest. "I got reservations."
"For dinner?" Zac clarified.
"Mm," came the affirmative. "It's a nice place, called Mikura."
"Okay," Zac said. Already, he was feeling better- memories of the uncomfortable dinner conversation were fading like the houselights behind them. He sat back against the seat, relaxing his muscles a bit. Jun's hand slid closer to his, so that their forefingers were overlapping.
"Traditional food," Jun said, in English, with a little smirk. He glanced at Zac, smiling a bit. "Hopefully you like it."
"I'm sure I will," Zac replied, grinning in turn.
He figured he would no matter what food was placed in front of him.
"Did you have fun today?" Jun asked.
"Yeah," Zac answered. "It was nice. Aiba's family- they were very welcoming."
He patted at his jacket, which was still a bit damp from the snow that had accumulated on it.
"Plus, I got a new basketball jersey," he laughed, in English; Jun seemed to understand most of what he was saying. It was nice to switch back to his native tongue after a long day of working overtime to understand all the Japanese around him. After awhile, it made his head a bit fuzzy and foggy, like his brain was overwhelmed.
"He didn't think you'd win," Jun said, chuckling.
"It was nice," Zac said again. "Fun. Normal."
Jun gave him a smile that seemed to mean he understood the implications.
"Yeah," he replied. "It was."
Jun kept his hand where it was for the rest of the ride, even as they fell into companionable silence.
Chapter: 8/12
Fandom: Arashi
Character, Pairing(s): Matsumoto Jun/Zac Efron, Sho --> Jun, implied past Jun --> Sho
Rating: R
Warnings: Language, sexual situations.
Summary: What had been a one-time thing has turned into ... not a one-time thing. And they aren't the only ones involved.
“Our last Shukudai filming for the year. Aren’t you excited?” Aiba asked him, trying to snatch the newspaper away from him.
Sho couldn’t drag his eyes away from the extended weather forecast. Sure, these things were never accurate, but his planned escape was looking less and less likely. He’d gotten an email from a classmate earlier that day. The slopes at the resort were in great shape - but they were forecasting a blizzard for the day of the flight and that whole week. Worst in over a decade potentially. He frowned at the little snowflakes on the map over Hokkaido and realized that his luck was the worst.
“Sure I’m excited,” he mumbled, wishing he could turn the 90% chance of white-out into a lesser percentage. He didn’t like the person he’d become when Zac had visited, so the little class reunion seemed like the perfect excuse, much as he wasn’t all that interested in breaking his neck on the beginner’s hill. And then there were the lifts that took you up the slope in the first place. But freezing his ass off in the north was preferable to stewing at home while Matsujun had a visitor.
Aiba finally got the paper away from him. “It’s too bad you’ll miss seeing Zac-san. He’s going to play me at basketball, like in his movies.”
Sho leaned back on the green room couch and closed his eyes. “You planning to trash talk him?”
“Oh yeah,” Aiba assured him. “I’ve been brushing up my English.” He jumped onto the couch cushion next to Sho and stuck his hands up like a regular basketball defender. “Nothing...but the net!” he shouted in English.
“Masaki...”
“Nothing but the net!”
Sho batted at his friend’s leg. “That’s not trash talk. That’s encouraging him.”
“How?”
Even in his gloomy mood, Aiba never failed to entertain him. “Just...don’t use that one.”
The green room door opened, and Jun walked in, giving the both of them a quick nod. Sho grabbed his paper again to frown at the forecast. No matter how much he stared at it, it wasn’t going to change. Aiba jumped over to the couch where the other man was now sitting and texting.
“Matsujun! Nothing but the net!”
“What the hell?”
“I’m hoping you’ll be supporting me over Zac in the big tournament!”
Jun looked totally confused, glancing away from his cell phone. “Tournament? You’re playing in your back yard.”
“I’m having jerseys made. What size is Zac anyhow?”
“Aiba, seriously...”
Sho pushed the paper up higher. This was going to be a long week.
-----
His flight was the next day, and the slew of Christmas parties he’d attended had taken away from his packing time. But he was happy that he’d brought a phone charger and adapter this time. Zac added it to his suitcase and was just opening his closet door when the doorbell rang. It was nearly midnight - who the hell was bothering him?
He shuffled to the door. “Zac, it’s me,” he heard from the other side. “Can I come in?” The hell was she doing here?
Zac unchained and unlocked it, opening to see Vanessa standing on the other side. They hadn’t spoken in months. It wasn’t that he disliked her. He still cared a great deal for her - but what he had with Jun was so intense and felt so right. Being with her couldn’t even compare, and he’d tried to let her down gently but it had gone south quickly since he couldn’t exactly give her a reason all those months ago.
“You didn’t go to Ashley’s Christmas party,” she told him quietly.
He leaned against the door. “And you came all the way over for that? Five days after the fact?”
She looked down. “I know we didn’t break up on the best of terms but I...” She bit her lip. “I don’t think you should have to avoid a mutual friend’s party because of me.”
He hadn’t been avoiding it so much as he’d been on the phone with Jun that night. But again, he couldn’t tell Vanessa that. “I had other plans. I wasn’t avoiding you.” Seeing her again tugged at him. He’d been a real asshole to her. Getting so wrapped up with Jun and Japan and all that - he’d treated her like shit and dumped her with little explanation. “I’m sorry.”
“I guess I just thought I’d see how you were doing.”
“You should have called.”
“I know that,” she mumbled. “But I didn’t think you’d answer. I figured this was the best way to talk to you.”
“Vanessa, I’m sorry. Now’s not a good time...”
“Oh, do you have someone-”
“No, no it’s not-”
“Then can I just talk to you? Please? For ten minutes.” She stepped forward, and he caught the briefest hint of her perfume, the one he’d always liked. The scent memory of it, remembering the first day they’d met on set, all the time they’d shared together - it was years compared to the mere days he’d had with Jun. He couldn’t really embarrass her by making her leave without being an even bigger jerk.
He stepped back, holding the door. “Alright.”
She walked in, clearly nervous. Vanessa hadn’t been over in months, and though his place was familiar enough to her, it was like she was tiptoeing on hot coals. She shrugged off her coat, and where she used to just toss it on his couch, this time she held it. It had obviously taken a lot for her to come by. He took her coat and draped it over one of the stools by the kitchen, heading for the fridge.
“Need anything?”
“Water’s fine.”
He brought her a glass and a beer for himself. He’d need something alcoholic to get through the next few minutes even if it wouldn’t kick in. But the next few days there’d be sake, and his head already hurt at the thought of that. She sipped it and set the glass down on his coffee table.
“So you want to see how I’m doing? I’m doing okay.” I’m also going to see my Japanese boyfriend in the morning, he thought darkly, realizing just how much he was hiding from everyone in his life.
Their conversation started out awkwardly enough. It was hard to get back to the comfortable flow they used to have. He mostly talked about the movie he’d just wrapped, and she talked about her projects too. But as the minutes passed, they got to talking about what he’d missed at Ashley’s party. By his third beer and then their first few glasses of wine they were laughing about something Corbin had emailed him or about some creep that had offered to buy her groceries at Ralph's the other day.
His packing in the other room went unfinished as he stumbled a bit to the kitchen for a third bottle. When he turned around with it in his hand, Vanessa was right there, reaching for him. And his senses were numb with the alcohol and the familiar scent of her, and he realized that he’d missed her. He should have done right by her. Her lips were soft as he leaned her back against the kitchen counter, setting the wine bottle down. Her skin was just as soft as he remembered.
She was just reaching for his belt when his cell phone vibrated in his pants pocket. “Shit,” he muttered, stepping back from her to grab it. Her face was flushed - from the alcohol and something else, and he knew he looked the same. It was a text from Jun, and he felt suddenly sick.
Can’t wait to tomorrow. See you at airport.
He must have been staring at the screen for a bit too long because Vanessa reached for him again. “Someone I know?”
“No,” he said quietly, shoving the phone back in his pocket. This had been a bad decision. A very bad decision. He’d been pissed off for weeks because Jun had once liked Sho, and what the hell was he doing? He took her hands, holding them gently. “Look, I have to get up early tomorrow. Actually, I still have to pack...”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“I’m sorry-”
She backed away, leaving the kitchen. “No, I’m sorry. I said I’d be here for ten minutes.” She grabbed her coat as he followed her to the door. “I’m sorry, we shouldn’t-”
He caught her by the shoulder. “No, no. I’m the one who plied you with liquor, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. We’ve still got some things to get through.” She put her hand on his cheek and kissed him gently. “We’ll talk later, I hope? When you get back from...well, wherever you’re going.”
“London,” he lied. He was already lying to her again.
“Sounds awesome,” she said with a smile. “Call me?”
He felt the weight of his phone in his pocket, knowing that Jun was eager to see him. Zac let Vanessa out, closing and locking the door. He leaned back against it and sighed. Shit.
-------
A light snow was falling outside, but the forecast for Tokyo was a lot clearer than Hokkaido. Jun nervously tapped his fingers against his knees, waiting for Zac to emerge from the sliding doors of the Narita Baggage Claim with the driver (and the driver's white sign for "Mike Jackson"). He had arrived thirty minutes early just in case; the last thing he wanted was a repeat performance of the last visit Zac had taken, or anything that would remind him of the miscommunication error in the first place. And now he had entirely too much time to think while waiting in the tinted-window car.
Finally, he spotted his driver- and Zac's perfectly coiffed hair moving towards the opposite door.
Zac slid into the backseat, smelling of CK cologne and the fabric of airline seats.
"Hi," Jun said, breathlessly. He felt more nervous than he had last time, which didn't make any sense at all.
"Hi," Zac parroted back, grinning. He pulled the door shut behind him, and leaned in. His mouth was warm and welcome and felt so good- Jun hadn't realized exactly how much he'd missed it until that moment, until he wrapped his hands around the back of Zac's neck and tangled his fingers in his hair, pulling him closer. Zac nipped at his bottom lip, and pulled away only when the driver's door opened, and the Johnny's employee entered the car.
"How was your flight?" Jun asked, in Japanese, hoping to distract himself from the adrenaline screaming through his veins.
"Good," Zac said. "Long."
"Lot of people traveling?"
"More than I expected," Zac said, pushing his bangs out of his face. "I guess- people want to be with someone special on New Year's, right?"
Jun looked out the window to try and hide the pleased flush he could feel on his face.
"Is your apartment far?" the other man asked, as the car began moving, merging into the traffic leading away from Narita and into the city. The skyline on the horizon was glimmering from the snow falling and the afternoon sun; Jun didn't find it particularly impressive, but he remembered from Zac's last visit that tourists saw Tokyo in a far different light than the natives did.
"Not too far," he answered.
Zac was keenly interested in the things they passed, so conversation was light, and the driver dropped them off outside Jun's apartment as the snow began to fall harder. Together they dragged the luggage up the stairs (it was always a bit safer than the elevator, at any rate, from Jun's experience) and Jun fumbled a bit with the key to the door.
Zac's face was pleased when he stepped inside.
"It's nice," he said, sounding almost surprised. "Bigger than I expected."
"I like my space," Jun replied by way of explanation, and he had barely gotten the door closed before Zac whirled on him, kissing him hard. He pushed Jun back until his back was against the door itself, doorknob digging into his lower back uncomfortably. It wasn't unwelcome, but it was a bit jarring; Jun let himself get caught up in it, because it was so easy to do, and the sensations were flooding back quicker than he could keep up with them. Zac's tongue ran along his lower lip, seeking entrance, and he groaned a bit into the other man's mouth when he granted it.
"Ah," he breathed, a moment later, when Zac's mouth moved down his jaw-line and trailed across his collarbone. Deft hands were already working underneath the fabric of his shirt, scaling up the skin of his stomach. It was good- hot, heady. Entirely overwhelming. Then the button of his pants was loose, and he swallowed hard. "Zac-"
"I missed you," came the answer, whispered against his hips and followed by a littering of feather-light kisses there.
"I-" Jun tried to reply, but his vision was shaking, and his knees were going to give out if he didn't find something to prop himself up with. One hand found the side of the kitchen cabinets, and it was enough- for now.
Zac's mouth was hot, and wet, and it had been so long, so very long; it didn't take much time at all before Jun's fingers were gripping the mahoghany so hard his knuckles were turning white, unable to do anything but stare up at the ceiling as he willed the sensation to wait just a bit longer, just a moment longer. He wanted to savor this, being with Zac again, and it was all tumbling in around him too quickly to allow it. He came with a gasp and a stuttering moan, thighs trembling and nerves alight.
There was something unreadable on Zac's face when he rose again, wiping at his chin with the back of his hand.
"What is it?" Jun asked, still breathless, fighting to regain his bearings.
"Nothing," Zac said. He shook his head. "Just tired. Jet-lag."
Jun leveled him a hard look, but it was tinged with too many other things to be objective enough. Zac moved in, kissing him.
"It's good," he said. "Everything is good. What are the plans for tonight?"
"It starts early," Jun replied, apologetic. "We have to get everything in place and ready to go. You can stay here and watch it if you want, and I'll try to cut all the post-party short."
Zac nodded, and he didn't seem too upset about the situation.
"The others- well, they know you're coming," Jun said. "So they'll probably be okay with me skipping out early."
"No worries," Zac said, with a grin. It was contagious, infectuous- having him here, in Jun's apartment, was amazing, and he was still riding the high from moments earlier.
"I'll come back as soon as I can," Jun promised.
"Okay," the other man said. "I'll wait up."
Jun turned to his bedroom, to grab what he'd need- they had rehearsal, and sound checks, and the whole thing was done live, which required more preparations on their parts to see where the boom mics would be, where the other groups would go, and how their choreography would work out with over fifty added bodies in the mix.
He stopped, turning back to Zac, who had flopped halfway over the arm of the couch.
"I'm glad you're here," he said, in English, with sincerity that surprised even himself.
Zac just smiled, tossing one of the throw pillows at him.
"Get moving, Domyouji," he laughed. "Don't be late to welcome the New Year."
-------
Staring at the departures board wasn’t helping. All flights to Sapporo were canceled. Ice on the runway up north, and they just couldn’t clear it fast enough. He’d known this going to the airport, but even that hadn’t deterred him. Maybe there still would have been one damn flight going out of town. But rarely had things gone his way this past year - the new year wasn’t looking that great either.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. A text message from one of his former classmates - nobody was able to get a flight north from anywhere. To nobody’s surprise, the trip was officially canceled. Not that Sho had been looking forward to breaking a leg on the ski slopes, but now he was at the airport, all packed for a winter getaway. He could go home. His mom could make dinner, and he could spend the next few days just relaxing.
He gathered his bags and headed back to grab a cab ride home, grabbing a newspaper to read on the long ride. Just as he got in the taxi queue, his cell phone rang again. But this time it was Aiba.
“Shooooo-chan!”
“Hey.”
“Nino says your flight was canceled!”
How the hell-
“We were watching the airport website online. Everyone’s gathered around!”
“Okay?”
Aiba often had trouble getting to the point. “We had a feeling it would happen. So my mom wants you to come for dinner! Spend your night with us!”
Sho could already imagine the face Jun was making. Tonight was the big basketball night. Aiba’s parents were hosting them all for dinner at their home, and Zac was apparently the guest of honor. It was the very last place in the world Sho wanted to be, other than bungee jumping he supposed.
Aiba’s family was in Chiba. He wasn’t exactly in the neighborhood. “I don’t know. I’m at Haneda. I won’t get there for a few hours and…”
“No problem! Don’t worry about it! We’re not eating for a while, just get over here!”
“Masaki…”
“My mom insists!”
He sighed. Well, there was no insulting Aiba’s mother, that was for sure. “Fine.” He closed the phone, thrust his newspaper under his arm and turned around to find a train out to Chiba instead.
Nearly three exhausting hours later, he was at Aiba’s door, dragging his rolling suitcase behind him. He could hear noise from the rear of the house as Aiba’s father ushered him in. He left his luggage in the hall, took a moment to properly greet and thank Aiba’s parents, and then headed out to the back of the house.
It looked like the basketball game was just wrapping up. Sho rolled his eyes at the sight of the players. It was way too cold for a game. Aiba had obviously made good on his promise to make jerseys, but both he and Zac were wearing heavy coats over them. He hovered in the doorway. From Aiba’s slightly annoyed expression, it was obvious that the American guest had been victorious.
Jun casually had his arm draped over Zac’s shoulders as they all talked in the yard. Sho swallowed his irritation, letting the delicious smells of the pending dinner soothe him. But he didn’t go unnoticed for long.
“Very subtle.”
He jumped at the sound of Nino’s voice, his smart ass button already turned on. Sho turned to see that Nino had parked himself in a chair inside next to the window. His fingers were almost dancing over his portable game’s buttons, the light from the screen giving him an even more impish look than usual.
“Why aren’t you outside?"
“Because it’s cold.” Nino paused the game and closed his DS. “Glad to see you could make it.”
He shrugged. “Are you?”
Nino smiled. “Our beloved Captain’s at home, and all those idiots are outside. I was waiting for someone with half a brain to show up.”
He stepped away from the doorway and from his staring, instead keeping his back to whatever was happening outside. “Looks like Zac won.”
His friend nodded. “Aiba put up a good fight, but he tried too hard to show off. And then you missed the part where Aiba screamed ‘Foul!’ about twenty times before Matsujun just smacked him.”
“He was the referee?”
“Yep.”
“Unbiased?”
Nino considered this, tapping the stylus against the plastic DS top. “I’d say so.” He smirked. “This should be a fun dinner.”
“Whatever,” Sho said, rolling his eyes. Nino had been teasing him for months about this whole situation. Didn’t he get it? Jun could date whoever he wanted, really. Sho didn’t care about that. But this wasn’t really the norm - this was someone equally famous, at least in his own country, barging in and there were too many risks involved. Couldn’t Jun see that? Even as they came walking into the house, kicking off their shoes, they had their arms around each other.
Aiba hurried to the kitchen to help his parents and his brother with the food. There were place settings and everything, and Aiba had gone to the trouble of drawing basketballs on them. A more hastily drawn one with Sho’s name on it, obviously completed just prior to his arrival, was on a plate down at the end on Jun’s left. Damn it, Aiba, he thought.
Thankfully, the food was delicious and conversation was light. He’d almost expected Jun to consciously sit as far as he possibly could from him, but he hadn’t. Maybe he was being the childish one? Aiba’s parents were good at keeping people talking and laughing, just like their son, so the meal passed comparatively well.
Until the topic he’d expected came up. “So Zac,” Nino said slowly in hopes that the American would understand him. “You must be a real devoted friend to fly all the way to Japan twice in one year. Is Matsujun really worth it?”
Sho looked down, anywhere but at the person to his right. He kept eating quietly while the others seemed to be anxiously awaiting Zac’s answer. He was so busy focusing on his food that he barely noticed Jun elbowing him.
“What?”
“What’s the English word for devoted?” Jun asked, his face looking about as uncomfortable as Sho felt.
Everyone at the table was looking to him to assist with the translation when Nino could have simply picked a word that Zac could understand. But no. It fell to him. Sho set down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth. He didn’t know how, but he was probably going to kill Nino before the night was through. Or try flushing his DS down the toilet.
Jun leaned back, letting Sho come face to face with Zac for the first time in months. He didn’t have fond memories of their last conversation, and Zac was a bit flushed in his embarrassment. Sho switched to English. “Nino is curious about you traveling to Japan twice in one year, saying you must be devoted friend of Matsumoto-kun to go to such trouble.”
Zac raised an eyebrow here, and Sho wondered if he’d put more of an edge on his words than he’d intended. Even though Nino had asked the question, it looked like Zac was going to direct his answer to Sho. From the outside, it probably looked like Zac was doing so because Sho could assist with the translation. But that wasn’t it. At all.
When Zac replied, he replied in English. And from the glint in his eyes, he did so intentionally.
“Please tell Ninomiya-kun that it’s no trouble at all visiting when I’m seeing Jun-kun.” Zac almost smirked using Jun’s given name. “He was my very first friend in Japan, and he means a lot to me.”
The table seemed to get the idea. But then Nino cocked his head. “What was that last bit?”
Zac turned away from Sho and did his best to repeat his last sentence in Japanese, stumbling a bit over how to exactly express “means a lot” - Zac’s limited vocabulary ended up with him saying he very much liked Jun. And he’d chosen a romantic verb to do so. This raised eyebrows at the table.
Of course, Jun butted in to quickly correct him, telling Zac to use a verb that more closely resembled devoted friendship. Zac caught on, nodding in embarrassment. The rest of the table laughed at Zac’s “mistake” in speaking. But beside him, Jun was tapping his fingers nervously, inches away from Sho’s leg.
“Thanks for translating,” Jun mumbled.
Nino looked as pleased as a fly on a shit.
------
Zac hadn't thought, initially, that it got as cold in Japan as it did in the states, and, standing out by the side of the road with his coat zipped up to his chin, he was being forced to re-evaluate his opinion on the matter. It was freezing, and little snowflakes were tumbling from the sky to land on everything with a languid grace that would have been pretty had he not been standing in the thick of it waiting for the cab to show up.
It was peaceful, at least, outside alone; Jun was still thanking Aiba's family, and going over some sort of schedule with the other members of the band, so he had a few moments alone. He'd been worried at dinner- the awkward knot in his stomach hadn't left yet, and he wasn't entirely sure when it would do so. He'd nearly given them both away without meaning to. He wasn't sure yet what that would bring about; he wasn't sure he wanted to know.
In his pocket, his cellphone vibrated once.
Frowning, he reached for it- the only person who would be texting him from Japan was inside the house behind him, and the time difference to the states would have elliminated everyone he knew professionally. He flipped open the device and clicked on the flashing envelope icon.
I'm sorry again for the other night. Hope London is fun. Can I call you when you get back?
His heart dropped to his stomach as he read over Vanessa's message a second time. Standing in Japan, amidst the snow and the twinkling lights, he felt a long way away from whatever had happened between them. Chemistry was one thing, but his emotions- well, those he wasn't so sure about.
The door opened behind him, and he snapped his phone shut a bit too quickly.
"Sorry," Sho said, and it only buried the tense coil further in his abdomen- it was not who he had thought it would be, and he honestly wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. "Were you talking to someone?"
"No," Zac answered. He slid his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. "Just a message from a friend."
There was silence between them, hanging heavy in the air.
"You have a lot of friends," Sho said, in English.
"What's your point?" Zac snapped back. He didn't mean to be snippy; well, he did, because the throb of guilt was still pounding in his temples, and the irrational ire directed at Sho- as well as the feelings behind what motivated it- was screaming in his ears. So what if Jun had liked the guy, ten years ago? That was then- this was now.
And even if he knew about Sho, knew about his misguied attempts to "help" with Jun's life- it didn't mean anything.
"No point," Sho shrugged. "Just a statement. You seem to be... close to all of them."
It pinged a bit too close to home. Vanessa's text seemed to be burned into his vision, like red against the piling white of snow.
"Look," Zac said, turning, and not even bothering to hide his anger. "I think you've done more than enough already, okay? Why can't you just butt out?"
"Why are you so mad?" Sho countered. "I didn't say anything-"
"You've already said more than enough," Zac interrupted him. "I don't need to hear anymore, and neither does Jun."
Sho's jaw closed with a snap, and Zac could see him grinding his teeth a bit. His eyes were hard- calculating, watching. Zac had gone too far. He'd pushed him too hard, and he knew it.
"So you know what Jun needs, then?" the other man said, finally, after a long pause that felt like a lifetime.
"That's not what I meant," Zac tried to back-track. He shoved his hands into his pockets, because they were starting to sting from cold, and his thumb hit the outside of his phone. It shocked him a bit- like the bite of an insect. Like the sting of remorse of his own stupid, stupid actions he couldn't undo. And he wanted nothing more than to toss his phone into the nearest snowpile entirely.
"That's what you said," Sho pointed out, too non-chalantly.
"I just-" Zac started, and the door opened again. He stopped, because Jun was looking at them both with one eyebrow raised.
"Something wrong?" Jun asked, in Japanese.
"No," Zac said, switching from English as well. "Just- talking."
Sho leveled him a long, hard glare, but didn't say anything to contradict the statement, and he remained quiet as Jun moved to stand in-between the two. It was snowing harder, collecting on the streets and on the bare branches of the shrubs outside the Aiba family home.
"Sho's sharing our cab," Jun offered as an explanation, and Zac bit back his sigh.
"Great," he managed to choke out.
"I thought Nino was coming back with us?" Sho asked.
"Said he was going to stay here," Jun said, with a shrug; he didn't look like he particularly cared, but Sho seemed annoyed, glancing back at the house with a scowl of irritation. Zac wasn't entirely sure how to feel about Nino- more than once during the meal, he'd felt the keen gaze on his movements. It felt like he was being studied, being watched; being catalogued, in a way, for future reference. It was disconcerting.
The cab light's broke through the falling snow as it pulled up to the curb, and Jun stepped forward to open the door.
Sho's luggage caught on a weed as he started to pull it towards the trunk.
"Want help?" Jun asked, moving forward, and then stopped when Sho waved him away with his hand, looking a bit annoyed- or maybe it was just Zac superimposing his own feelings on the other man's expression.
"I've got it," Sho huffed, shoving the stuffed bags into the somewhat small trunk compartment. "Just get in."
Jun motioned for Zac to go in first, and then followed. Sho chose to take the front, sliding in beside the driver- for that, at least, Zac was thankful. It allowed him to sit with one hand grazing Jun's in the middle seat, just a bit- enough to reassure him that it was okay for the time being.
The first ten minutes were silent save for the squeak of the wiper's moving aross the windshield glass.
"Tomorrow," Jun began, voice low. Zac glanced up at the front seats, but the driver was busy watching the road deteriorating from the weather, and Sho appeared to be sleeping, his head dipping low against the headrest. "I got reservations."
"For dinner?" Zac clarified.
"Mm," came the affirmative. "It's a nice place, called Mikura."
"Okay," Zac said. Already, he was feeling better- memories of the uncomfortable dinner conversation were fading like the houselights behind them. He sat back against the seat, relaxing his muscles a bit. Jun's hand slid closer to his, so that their forefingers were overlapping.
"Traditional food," Jun said, in English, with a little smirk. He glanced at Zac, smiling a bit. "Hopefully you like it."
"I'm sure I will," Zac replied, grinning in turn.
He figured he would no matter what food was placed in front of him.
"Did you have fun today?" Jun asked.
"Yeah," Zac answered. "It was nice. Aiba's family- they were very welcoming."
He patted at his jacket, which was still a bit damp from the snow that had accumulated on it.
"Plus, I got a new basketball jersey," he laughed, in English; Jun seemed to understand most of what he was saying. It was nice to switch back to his native tongue after a long day of working overtime to understand all the Japanese around him. After awhile, it made his head a bit fuzzy and foggy, like his brain was overwhelmed.
"He didn't think you'd win," Jun said, chuckling.
"It was nice," Zac said again. "Fun. Normal."
Jun gave him a smile that seemed to mean he understood the implications.
"Yeah," he replied. "It was."
Jun kept his hand where it was for the rest of the ride, even as they fell into companionable silence.