[One-Shot]: My Life With You
Title:My Life With You
Authors:ohmiyaskdesu (Jun's POV) and cherry_akira (Sho's POV)
Pairings/Characters:ShoxJun
Genre/Rating:Fluff, AU, slight Humor, Romance / PG-13
Word Count:7,749
Disclaimer:I own nothing but this plot
Summary:After meeting in Todai University, bookworm Sakurai Sho and trendsetting Matsumoto Jun never thought they would see eye-to-eye with each other or moreover...fall in love with each other.
A/N:This is my first collaborated fic with cherry_akira, who I had gotten close with the past month, and it was really fun! We hope you enjoy this as much as we did writing it. Also, feel free to drop a comment on her version of the post in her livejournal as well. The summary and editing was provided by cherry_akira as well.
Fanfic Masterpost
Sakurai Sho and Matsumoto Jun were the least likely people to fall in love from day one. Everything about them was as different as Mercury and Pluto. However their enrollment to Todai University brought them together.
~March 2010~
In Room 122: English Class, Sho slid the tip of a mechanical pencil through the plastic film that held his new set of books for the new semester and tore away the packaging. After tossing away the trash into his backpack, he looked through the textbooks eagerly. While his other classmates were either: gathered into their own groups to talk about their winter holidays, couples cuddled without a care in the world, caught up on sleep they neglected during break, or stared into space; the silent bookworm was the only one who valued the existence of anything that consisted of school. He had been waiting since his graduation from high school to seize the opportunity to make something of himself for the world.
Somewhere around the campus of Todai, Jun was running late, literally. His first class of the day was about to start, yet he was minutes away from the class. If it was one thing he hated, it was being late. Although, it was kind of worth it. Along the way, a photographer, from some small name magazine, had stopped him to take photos of him in his outfit of the day. He hadn’t really put much thought into the outfit before he left for school...Okay, that was a lie. He loved putting on different types of outfits to see which one fit his moods for the day, or any outfits as long as he looked good in it and it was fun. That aside, Jun couldn’t afford to be late. Once he was finally in the class, he saw that it was packed. So much for paying almost a hundred for this class, he thought. Just as he was about to leave, however, he saw someone stand up from the front row, gathered all his things and left mumbling something about being in the wrong class. This was his chance! Grinning, Jun took the now empty seat, right in between a female student and a male student who looked engrossed in his English textbook. He slightly turned his body towards the male student and held out his hand. “I’m Matsumoto Jun, and you are?”
The book-smart student looked up from the conjunction and grammar section of his book to the person next to him. At first he planned to just shake the guy’s hand and then be left in peace for the rest of the class, or hopefully for the rest of the semester, but his eyes betrayed him. The student beside him had his hair stylishly slicked back and teased toward the front. He had a semi-angular jaw with soft edges, bold eyebrows, intense black eyes...All in all it was a face of a model. His attire did not speak any other. Jun was wearing a navy blue button down shirt with a grey polo underneath with tight black pants with black sharp-pointed boots. The hand extended out to him donned an expensive-looking watch, that Sho could not identify the brand to save his life, and a ring with a tribal design on his index finger. Honestly why would this guy bother associating with me even just by greeting me? He wondered but forced himself to be polite, and shook the man’s hand. “Ohayou gozaimasu...Sakurai Sho desu,” he murmured.
Jun’s eyes widened. This man is...How do you put it nicely? Out of fashion? His long hair was disheveled like he had just gotten out of bed, he wore mismatching clothes that reminded Jun of a homeless person, and he wore thick square glasses that reminded Jun of his grandmother. My God, this man needed someone to help him with his fashion sense. Jun smiled anyway as he shook the man’s hand. Other than his horrible sense of fashion, he had a rather...good looking face: everything about him looked strong, like his round face, his angled eyebrows, and his determined brown eyes. If only the man had a better fashion sense, Jun would have mistaken him as a model. “Do you want to be my English partner?” Honestly, he could have asked the woman beside him, but she didn’t look as motivated as this Sho fellow.
“Eh? English partner?” Sho tilted his head in confusion as he took his hand back. Yabai! He is staring at me weirdly...But why is he bothering to talk to me still? Eh?! What the hell is an English partner anyway?
Jun nodded his head eagerly. “Yes, an English partner. If you don’t mind that is. We should exchange numbers then.” It took less than a second to fetch for Jun’s phone in his bag as well as the app to send information by phone radiation. When he looked up at Sakurai, however, the man just gave him this weird look.
“What do you actually mean Matsumoto-san about being English partner?” He looked from him to the phone that was swapped out and back.
“Like if I was absent, or you were absent then we could cover up for each other,” Jun explained it simply. “Or we could be study buddies, let’s put it like that.”
Sho looked at his classmate blankly. “Oh...Are you sure you want to have me help you? I am not much of a people person Matsumoto-san,” he objected slightly. Is it possible he thinks that I am one of those geniuses and wants to use that to his advantage? He thought with an uneasy feeling in his stomach.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Jun insisted and ignored the whole “a people person” part from Sakurai. Aside from the fact that he wanted an English partner, he needed to help teach Sho how to dress. And in order to do that, he had to befriend him first.
“Okay why not?” Sho held out his cellphone to get information from Matsumoto as well. “Are you okay with sitting here in the front row in this class? Because I am a front-row kind of person.” This person has to be kidding me. Really why me?
Jun shrugged. Why not? He thought. It was better since he could clearly hear the professor; not that he was hard of hearing. Additionally, it made him feel more attentive towards the front of the classroom. Besides, this was the only seat available after that guy from earlier had left for another class. After their data were transferred to each other’s phones, Jun shoved his phone back in his bag and flashed Sakurai a smile. “Really I don’t mind it.”
“Mm,” Sho hummed indifferently, and turned back to his books, pretended to not be interested about his “new friend”, and went back to his books. He continued to ignore the satanic glares the other was giving him for the cold treatment.
Something’s up his ass? Jun thought as Sakurai gave him the cold shoulder. But oh well, at least now Jun could help him with his wardrobe.
~Two Months Later~
Sho failed to call him that day when they had an important lecture about the essay assignment that’s due a month from now. Apparently, they had to conduct a research about any topic they chose and take a stand. Sho would have like this because essays were his forte, but he wasn’t here today. Weird, Jun thought, Sho’s never absent. Nevertheless, Jun took notes for Sho anyway. After class had ended, Jun phoned him. Sho didn”t answer during the first try, but finally he answered during the second.
“Hai hai?!” Sho answered in an irritable, hoarse voice when he picked up the phone that was buried under a mass of plastic water bottles.
Jun pressed the phone closer to his ear. Was his hearing messing with him, or did Sho sound sick? “Where do you live, I’m coming over right now.” Despite knowing each other for the past few months, Jun didn’t know where the other lived. They usually met on campus or cafes nearby.
The diligent student could not believe what he was hearing from his so-called “friend”. Why is he bothering to come over? “No!” He said in a raspy voice before he realized how he sounded and cleared his throat. “I mean! You don’t need to. I’m fine really! You have other stuff you need to worry about-“
“You don’t sound okay!” Jun interrupted him and it surprised him because he sounded...worried like he cared. “I’m coming over right now. So please, let me where you live. And I think you would want me to come over because I have notes about an essay due next month.”
After hearing the words “notes” and “essay”, Sho got his act together as he did not want to miss an opportunity to ace another assignment, even if it involved working with a male fashion fanatic. “Fine,” he let out an exasperated sigh and told his address to Jun before tossing his phone into the mass of blankets at the foot of his bed.
Jun rushed to Sho’s place right away since it wasn’t that far from the campus. Once he found Sho’s apartment door, Jun knocked and rang the doorbell. He could hear slow, sluggish footsteps from behind the door before it swung open. Sho stood in front of him with a red, fuzzy blanket wrapped around his shoulders. His nose, eyes, and cheeks were all red just likehis blanket. Just as Sho was about to open his mouth to say something beforeJun walked in without permission. He dragged Sho into the living room and pushed the man onto the white leather couch. Jun placed the notes on Sho’s lap. “Stay there and go over the notes. I’ll make something for you.”
At this point, Sho had no strength to argue, as his last spurt of energy was spent on answering the door. He grabbed the packet of notes and started to croak out bits and pieces of information in mumbles.
Jun had checked every cabinet in Sho’s kitchen and the cabinets in his bathroom, but there was nothing that could help with Sho’s condition. Jun was no doctor, but he could tell that it was a case of the seasonal cold. He did find tea in Sho’s nearly empty pantry so he decided to use that to warm up Sho because it looked like he needed it.
“Here,” he said after he handed Sho a cup of tea and sat down three feet away from him. The apartment barely had any decorations put up. There was barely any furniture either, which explains why there wasn’t a lot of anything around here. Jun wondered how the student had survived until now. “You could have called me or texted me that you were sick. It’s a good thing I took notes for you.”
The ill student said nothing but sipped his tea for awhile in silence. “As grateful as I am for you bringing the notes over; you really didn’t need to attend to me Matsumoto-san. I’m okay really.”
Jun raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t convincing to me. Besides, it looks like you’re not okay.” He gestured to Sho’s bare living room. “It’s like you don’t live here.”
“Oh?” He looked around the room as though he was seeing how it really looked like for the first time after starting to live here last semester. “Eh it is really empty here ne? Well I hardly have the time to clean up since I am so busy with school...and well I am not much of an interior designer so I decided to live a really simple life.” He gave a side glance to Jun when the other was not looking, wondering why he is genuinely concerned about him now. They have only known each other for two months, and most of that time consisted of them just contacting each other with anything about class, and nothing more. Furthermore, Jun never really seemed so be a serious student, not to say he was below average student since he always managed to stand above average in the class rank. The young man looked like your ordinary yuppie, who was attentive to socializing with friends and being a Don Juan to many girls, and in some cases guys, in Todai.
Possibly this is an underhanded scheme all along as I suspected way back, he thought slightly peeved. Maybe he is seeing me as an easy way to an A for this assignment since it might be too hard for him. My work will be his work...and all this fake kindness is a way to butter me up.
He sipped the hot beverage again, hoping Jun would get on with doing what he intended to do when he came to his apartment; even if that meant the possibility of spoon-feeding help for his classmate and then be on his way.
“No, this is unacceptable,” Jun finally said as he stood up and glanced around the room. “This won’t do at all. I’ll be back in an hour.” It took more than an hour to actually move things around, but he managed to bring a box of food, medicine, unwanted clothes, and a simple loveseat chair. He arrived to Sho’s place three hours prior to when he last left him, and surprisingly, the door was left unlocked.
“Sho-san, your door is unlocked. Sorry for intruding, but-“ Jun clamped his mouth shut when he saw a hunched figure covered in a red blanket curled into a ball on the couch. Sho was where Jun had last left him a few hours ago, but Sho had fallen asleep with the notes slipping off his loose hand. Well, at least the man is resting which was good for him anyway. He then took the opportunity to move a few things back and forth from his apartment to Sho’s. It was a tedious and back-breaking work -- literally-- but Jun couldn’t stand the bareness of Sho’s apartment and how dull it looked...
Two weeks later, Sho had noticed some changes going on in his house and his partnership with Jun. Pieces of tasteful furniture started to be planted around the apartment unit, and his closet would “magically produce a new item of clothing or shoes and eat up something he originally owned” almost on a daily basis. Their project was coming along rather swimmingly. To Sho’s surprise, Jun really put his back into balancing the equal amount of work he was doing to the place along with their school project. There were even days where Sho would take pity on his classmate and allowed him to stay over for some nights, even though before it was Jun invited himself to sleepover. Almost every morning or before Jun leaves his apartment to go back home, there would be an outfit prepared for him to wear for school. Food was prepared for him in any way possible. Some days he would wake up to Jun preparing meals in an apron and his hair piled into a knot on his head. It seemed like the good-looking student was well aware of what he was starting to look like with spending so much time in the apartment, that he would start to poke fun at them. Greetings of “Good morning darling!” or “Oi! You really should stop staying up so late!” became the norm. Whenever Sho heard the second statement, he always rolled his eyes when Jun was not looking at him. He is one to talk, he mused. He stays up a lot longer than I do and still manages to play housewife and student.
...Though it was pretty cute to see him do all that...even if Jun was doing all that for his own pleasure.
Although it was fun for Jun to giveaway most his own furniture and clothes in to Sho, he was aware of how much he was sacrificing. But at least Sho’s apartment was starting to look like a home, and Sho looked like he wasn’t bothered about it anymore unlike the first day. Sho was confused, and obviously enraged although he tried to hide it, for redecorating his bare apartment, but Jun couldn’t help it: when he saw a man in need of anything, he was there to help. Besides, Sho didn’t look that bad in Jun’s outfits. In fact, it fit him more than it did to Jun. Like the tanned colored denims and royal blue long-sleeved polo shirt that brought out Sho’s upper body muscles...Jun shook his head. What was he thinking of? He can’t possibly be attracted to his English partner...right? Well, whatever it was, Jun wondered where Sho had gotten those muscles.
By the end of week three, they were almost finished with the project. Jun’s apartment looked almost as bare as Sho’s three weeks prior, and their project looked perfect from both of their brains combined together. On the night that week three was about to end, however, Jun dropped his pen and looked at his partner from across the table.
“What’s with your hair?” Jun asked as he scrutinized Sho’s hair. It had gotten about an inch or two longer since Jun had first met him. “You know, no one’s ever going to be attracted to you if you keep that mullet on,” Jun smirked as he grabbed his pen once again to continue writing. Sho’s hair had bothered him before, but not as much as it had now…though Jun did not know why. Nevertheless, it would be nice to see Sho with short hair. And if Sho ever does plan on cutting his hair, Jun might finally be able to see Sho’s face clearly. That’s not such a bad idea, he thought as he began to imagine a short-haired Sho with his old outfits.
Before they knew it, their presentation project was due and ready to be submitted. They walked out of their English class with big grins on their faces, extremely proud of themselves that with all their hardwork came up to an A+. Just when Sho thought the kindness crusade was going to end the moment their grade was put down on paper, Jun quickly whispered that he scheduled a hair appointment for him at the end of the day. He told him that he will be waiting for him outside in the main lobby after he was finished for the day. With that being said, Jun dashed to his next class before Sho could protest.
Sho felt more like a fish out of water when Jun escorted him to a prestigious salon where the hairdressers, the other clients, even the cleaning staff looked like models. Jun even took the opportunity to block his view from the mirror in front of his seat by sitting on the counter like he owned the place, and the workers did not seem to mind him. It was as though he belonged there. During the duration of his haircut, Sho glared at the man who was swinging his crossed ankles in front of him with a devious smile on his face. Jun chatted and laughed with Sho’s hairdresser as though they were kindred spirits. Sho was merely like a centerpiece they were sprucing up under Jun’s command...
“Okay all done Handsome!” The hairdresser announced slipping off the cloak and rubbed baby powder around Sho’s nape and around the rest of his neck. “MatsuJun-san, what do you think of the new Sakurai Sho?”
Jun narrowed his eyes at the newly revamped Sakurai Sho. Well, there wasn’t much of a change other than Sho’s short hair which looked very, very fitting and Jun had a small urge to run his hand through Sho’s hair...He was shaken back into reality when he heard Sho constantly calling his name. “Sorry,” he laughed nervously and jumped down from the counter. Finally I could see his face. But there was still something that needed change.
“Well...” Sho said when they stepped out of the shop. “Umm...Thanks for helping me with that.” He shuffled his feet together as he stared at the ground, trying to think of the proper “goodbye” for someone that helped him out greatly. But he didn’t think that the other would really associate with him in the near future unless Jun missed school and needed a favor. “So see you-“
“We’re not done yet,” Jun smirked and grabbed hold of Sho’s arm. “Just one more thing-“ he pulled Sho’s glasses away from his face, to which the latter started waving his arms around in panic. “We’re going to see a friend of mines...”
~Later that night~
“How are you not a model?” Jun asked himself, though he was talking about Sakurai Sho, as he let his eyes wander over his classmate’s body. He no longer looked like the nerd Jun had met on the first day of English class, but more of a man who belonged on the cover of a GQ magazine. Sho no longer had that silly-looking mullet, the horrible sense of fashion, and the thick glasses. Instead he looked unrecognizable dressed in Jun’s dark blue suit.
“Come on, let’s go inside.”
He dragged Sho inside of the club that he used to frequent awhile back before he met Sho. Now that he thought of it, he wondered why he stopped going. As soon as they walked in, all eyes were suddenly on them.
“They’re staring at you,” Jun smirked and pushed Sho into the crowd. “Have fun.”
Sho bumped into the chest of an attractive gyaru in a cocktail dress, much to his horror. The woman flashed her perfect teeth at him and pulled him deeper into the sea of bodies dancing to the dubstep pounding throughout the place. The bright student looked back at Jun only to see the other waving as he grinned.
Sho looked like he was nervous, but that’s completely normal for someone who didn't go to clubs. Before he knew it, though, he could no longer see Sho’s panicked face within the crowd. A drink sounded good right now. Just as he was about to head to the bar, however, someone slung their arm around his.
“What’s a good looking man like you doing in this small club?” A woman, with a high pitched, voice asked. “Want to dance with me?”
Jun didn’t want to glance for fear that it was the woman with big doe eyes and very colorful makeup, who was staring up at him. It was the same woman he would always see when he used to come here a lot. Each time she would try to get into his pants, and no matter how many times he rejected her, she would never leave him alone.
“I want to drink,” he said as he could manage when he pulled his arm from the woman’s grip.
“Then I’ll come with,” she giggled.
However as soon as he reached the bar, the incompetent bimbo was nowhere to be seen behind him. The thirsty woman probably saw some new meat to prey on. He sighed in relief just as someone placed a red drink in front of his face.
“You’re hot.” This time, it was a man’s voice. He turned to face the man and Jun was a bit taken back. The man had a wide, contagious grin on his face as he pushed the drink closer to Jun.
“I know,” Jun grinned as he decided to play along. “I’m Matsumoto Jun, and you are?”
“Aiba Masaki.”
After forcing himself to dance with the gyaru to a couple of dance numbers, Sho insisted that his mouth was parched and headed to the bar with her clinging to his forearm. He spotted Jun with a taller male joking and taking shots.
Geez does he know every person in every venue he walks into? He wondered. He recalled how earlier they were allowed to enter the venue without presenting any IDs or anything. Once the guards saw Jun with him, the guards just smiled and welcomed them. But he could not deny how amusing Jun’s charm worked its magic around others.
“Hey,” he greeted Jun. “Thanks for shoving me.”
“Thank you for pushing him my way, Matsumoto-san,” the gyaru echoed her genuine gratitude.
“Ah, I’m sorry about that,” Jun laughed as he watched the gyaru disappear into the crowd and snatch another man. “Sho, meet Aiba Masaki. Aiba Masaki, Sakurai Sho.”
After the men shook hands, Jun continued talking to Aiba. It was very fun and entertaining to talk to Aiba because he had a funny and easy-going personality. Plus, he’s cute and attractive...but nothing compared to Sho. He glanced over his shoulder, while Aiba was talking about his favorite drinks, and saw Sho glaring at Aiba. It was rude for Jun to get distracted during a conversation, but he couldn’t help glancing back and forth at Sho’s intense eyes and Aiba smiling face. What’s with him? Is he... Jun narrowed his eyes to take a better look of the expression on Sho’s face. He had seen that expression before. It was the same look his eyes whenever a girl, or a guy, got jealous of him talking to another person.
“Another shot?” Aiba said, shaking him from his thoughts. “It’s on me Jun-tan.”
“Um, yeah,” Jun mumbled, distracted by the thought of something. No, not something, but someone. He glanced over his shoulder once again and saw Sho’s thinking face. Jun wanted to laugh because Sho always looked constipated whenever he was thinking hard... Oh my God, no way... I like Sho? Since when? And for how long? Hell, I only knew the man for a mere three months and I don’t know much about him. Much less, what Sho wanted to major in. It was then he realized he had unconsciously moved in with Sho: all his things, furnitures, mostly everything he owned was in Sho’s apartment whilst helping him out. Also he could not remember the last time he slept in his apartment. Yet Sho, the person who looked like he didn’t want to be Jun’s English partner in the first place, never complained at all. It was if...as if... Jun laughed. So Sho liked him too?!
“Let’s drink to that!” Jun laughed out loud as he took another shot.
Sho instinctively grabbed the shot glass from him and slammed it onto the table after Jun downed it.
“You better slow down or it will be a hassle to take you back to the apartment,” he snipped. He had no idea why he was acting like this, but it felt right.
“Nope!” Jun grinned, grabbed another shot glass and drained it down to the last drop. “I’m too happy.” And with that said, he grabbed a couple more shot glasses that Aiba had offered until Jun could no longer walk straight.
~~~
Though Sho was not really obligated to, he knew he should take care of Jun, since he learned recently through gossip that Jun was still 19 years old. By then end of the night, he had tugged Jun by the hand down the street, but they were not alone. Jun had Aiba’s hand clasped in his other hand. He wanted to ask why Jun bothered to bring along someone he just met a couple of hours ago, but seeing how nothing was getting through the other’s head; he decided to go along with it.
“Are we home yet?” Jun giggled as tugged a drunken Aiba along with him. He heard a grumbled “Almost” from Sho who was dragging the two of them home. Funny how lately Jun was starting to consider Sho’s home his home.
“Yay!” Jun yelled at the top of his lungs once the three of them were at Sho’s front doorstep. “Home! Come in, Aiba-san. To our apartment.” He glanced at Sho who only gave him a quick glance before looking away.
Sho rolled his eyes and started to get a futon out of the closet for Aiba to use for the night since he was the only one that was sober out of the three, albeit tired from babysitting these two already.
“Here you go Aiba-san. A futon for you. Matsumoto-san, you can have the couch as always. I’m about to turn in. See you guys in the morning.” His voice started to slur groggily as he unbuttoned the top of his shirt and unbuckled his slacks on the way to his own room.
Jun grinned in drunken amusement as he watched Sho retreat into his room. But Jun didn’t want Sho to leave yet. He had to get his attention somehow, to make Sho jealous. “No, Masaki don’t touch me there,” Jun giggled and pretended that Aiba was touching him. “No, don’t undress me here!” He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Sho froze in place, right beside the loveseat chair that Jun had first given him.
“Huh? I’m not-- Oh! so you want to play that way, Jun-tan,” Aiba grinned and pushed Jun onto the futon. “Why didn’t you say so?” Aiba began undressing him and Jun couldn’t help himself from glancing at Sho, who still hasn’t moved. But Jun could see the tips of Sho’s ears turning red.
The older one turned around the instant he heard what was going on behind him. “Oh no! None of that in my house!” His shouts were loud enough to wake up the next door neighbors very easily. He gathered up Jun’s clothes and threw it at his chest, and grabbed the both of them by the arms, leading them to the door. “If you guys were planning to do that in the first place, you should have dumped a reservation at a love hotel, where you can stay at for the rest of the night or either of you guys’ place! But most definitely not in my house where all I just want to do is be left alone and sleep!” He slammed the door behind him and quickly locked it and then retreated back to his room. He admitted he might have sounded a little too irrational when he said he wanted them to leave that badly so he could sleep, but for any other reason in mind, he did not care to ponder on as it was not his problem as of now.
Okay, he took the prank way too far to the point that Aiba was trying to kiss him. “I’m sorry, Aiba-san,” Jun sighed and pushed Aiba away from him. “I’m not interested.”
“But-“
“Sorry,” was all Jun said before he walked off into the night.
~~
Jun was feeling a bit sober by the time he returned to Sho’s apartment building. He hoped that Sho would forgive him after he explains that it was all an act. Well, meeting Aiba wasn’t planned; it was a coincidental asset. Thanks to Aiba, Jun had realized his true feelings for Sho.
He rang the doorbell, hoping that Sho would be awake, but that was foolish thinking on his part, now that he thought about it. It was already 3AM. Luckily, Jun made himself a spare key without Sho’s permission as backup.
“Tadaima,” he announced quietly as he entered the quiet apartment. The futon that Sho had set up was still there. Weird, he thought. Sho would have put it away by now. Jun decided to check up on Sho instead, to see if the man was sleeping peacefully in bed. Wait. Why do I have to do that? That’s a stupid idea. It’s not like I am his mothe. But then again, Jun wanted to see if Sho was okay from his stupid, reckless behavior with Aiba. Quietly and gently, he tiptoed to Sho’s room and to his surprise, the door to Sho’s room was open. He could see Sho sitting on the edge of his bed, sulking, and mumbling something in the dark.
Sho looked up when he saw Jun coming into the room. He was too occupied in his own world to realize he had entered the apartment by himself.
“Oi! What are you doing back here?!” Sho looked at him reproachfully, reaching for a pillow he was planning to throw at him.
“Wait!” Jun held up his hands in defense. Luckily for him, Sho stopped but it didn’t stop him from glaring at him angrily. “It was all a misunderstanding. I’m sorry, Sho, I-“ He stopped when he saw that Sho was wearing his glasses again and his hair was a mess. Also, he had stripped off the suit Jun had given him, that was laying in a heap the floor, and he wore nothing but boxers. Jun gulped. Seeing Sho in boxers...Jun shook his head free of the dirty thoughts creeping into his mind. He had to take this seriously or Sho will never forgive him.
“Look, I was drunk and stupid. Aiba-san is no one, trust me. I just met him.”
“Like hell I care about that,” Sho growled even though he could feel denial leaking through his nerves. “This is my place. You should be grateful I even let you stay over sometimes, but really showing your appreciation by bring over some stranger to have sex in my house is not the best way to do it.” He could sense Jun’s eyes wandering down his body and grabbed a shirt that was laying nearby and shoved it on.
“No, I wasn’t intending on having sex with him anyway,” Jun explained in exasperation. He could tell that Sho was starting to -- or already -- lose his patience towards him. But how is he supposed to explain to Sho that it was all a prank to make Sho jealous? It would only make Sho even angrier at him if he just explained it that way, or worse: make Sho hate him. But of course, they only knew each other for three months and during that time has Sho ever showed any feelings other than the occasional irritation and anger toward him. Or in many cases, he ignored him unless he needed to speak to him. Maybe that was it, that Sho didn’t like him? Then again, when he saw the look of envy in Sho’s eyes earlier at the bar, that said so otherwise. But how was he supposed to make Sho show his true feelings? Just then, an idea came to him. Sho may or may not like it, but Jun felt it was the only way. Without warning, he rushed towards Sho.
Sho’s eyes bulged as he saw Jun charging at him, and tried to think of how to defend himself, but instead his voice squeaked, “What are you doing?! Why have you been trying to spend so much time with me? It’s not as though you like me or anything!” He threw his blanket over his body in case the other one did something funny.
Why did he have to throw a blanket over himself? Jun laughed in silent amusement as he grabbed the blanket and threw it aside. He could see Sho staring at him with wide eyes and a slightly opened mouth. “I’m not going to hurt you,” Jun said. “Trust me.” Smirking, Jun grabbed Sho’s glasses and threw it across the room.
“You won’t be needing that.”
Sho broke out of his trance as he saw his glasses being tossed aside. “Hey! Why did you-“
Jun cut the latter off midsentence and caught him by surprise. It certainly shut Sho up, for once. Jun had to admit that Sho’s lips were soft and comfortingly warm. And to his surprise, Sho didn’t fight back.
Sho’s eyes were still open as Jun kissed him, but soon relaxed and allowed the younger student to do so...
Ever since that night, he became more soft-hearted with Jun, and by the time summer vacation started; they started to date.
~~~
Jun officially moved in by then, and he was more than happy that his relationship with Sho went from being his English partner to his boyfriend. He was glad he had been right about Sho holding back his feelings, or else they wouldn’t have been nothing more than what they are now.
It was a very lazy afternoon in Sho’s apartment with nothing much to do now that they’ve finished with an English project. The funny thing was that it’s been two years now since they first started out as strangers in English class of their freshman year, but now here they were in Sho’s apartment with something special.
Lately, Jun had been thinking about his path in life: he didn’t want to become a salaryman; he wanted to become more than that. “I’ve been thinking about something for awhile, Sho,” Jun began as he fiddled with his boyfriend’s fingers as they cuddled on the couch and watched TV. “I want to change my major.”
Sho stopped pressing his nose into Jun’s permed hair, and looked at him as Jun looked straight back at him when he turned his head. “Really? What are you thinking of getting into then?”
“You know how I kept on trying to change your style?” Jun asked and looked at Sho’s clothes. It a bigger improvement compared to what Sho used to have in his closet, which Jun himself still thought as clothes that belonged to beggars on the streets. But ever since Sho had accepted their relationship, Sho had allowed the changes little by little and was started to look more like someone from a fashion magazine. “I think I want to major into the fashion industry. I mean I seriously thought about it a lot and I love doing it, Sho. It’s fun and it’s better than sitting at a desk, typing away at a computer. I also want to be a model.” He looked into Sho’s eyes, almost daring the other to laugh at him, even though he hope to the heavens he did not.
“...I think that is an excellent idea” Sho exclaimed hugging the man with so much joy. “I feel that it will suit you the best! I mean look what you did with me and this place.” Months into their relationship, Sho was starting to appreciate fashion (that was mostly exposed via Jun and his friends that he had met), so he was able to empathize with Jun’s excitement.
“Thank you,” Jun grinned and pecked Sho’s lips a few times. “I’m glad you understand. But that means I have to move schools, you don’t mind right?”
Sho shook his head smiling warmly. “I don’t mind at all. Whatever makes you happy, I am here to support you. I promise.” He whispered the last words with an additional squeeze to his embrace.
“Thank you so much Sho!” Jun pulled away from his boyfriend’s embrace. “Hold on. I’m going to phone the admissions offices for Todai and the Bunko Fashion College of Tokyo.”He couldn’t believe it, that after two years of trying to figure out what to do with his life, he finally found it. And it was all thanks to Sho, the only most important person in his life.
The other student couldn’t be anymore happier for his boyfriend. He knew from the last two years how draining college can be, and to learn what you wanted to do in life is like a light at the end of the tunnel. However, he had been struggling with finding his own dream. He hadn’t confided with Jun about it, probably due to his pride...
After a month of fixing his transfer requirements, Jun was finally accepted into Bunko Fashion College. His parents didn’t approve of it, of course, but their opinion no longer mattered to him because it was his happiness, not theirs. But it wasn’t just his happiness as he wanted to share it with Sho, the man who helped made his happiness possible.
“Sho, I’m so happy,” Jun announced one day while they were having dinner at a fancy restaurant that one of Jun’s friends had recommended him. It was a restaurant that couldn’t be paid off by Jun and Sho’s scholarships, but thanks to his friend, they were able to get half off on dinner. “I’m really happy, and I’m even happier thanks to you.” He expected Sho to smile that dorky smile of his, but then he only give Jun a half-hearted smile. Jun could tell right away that something was wrong with the distant look in Sho’s eyes, and this wasn’t the first time he’s seen it. Recently, Sho would have the worrisome look, but he wouldn’t speak a word about it. There were times Jun wanted to ask but he decided not to, knowing that it took time for Sho to talk about his concerns.
Whenever they talked about anything related to college, that far-off look would come back. It would take a while to get Sho’s attention back until he would flash Jun that fake smile of his that said everything would be all right. But nothing was okay. Something was bothering him.
“What is it?” Jun asked as he grabbed his boyfriend’s hand across the table, hoping he could comfort him. “You don’t have to tell me now. I just want to know if you’re doing well.”
Sho looked up in surprise from Jun’s affection and concern. Although it was never really a surprise to begin with. Jun already knew him too well to know something wasn't right. But he was thankful Jun never pressured him to tell him what is on his mind. He always waited for Sho to come to him at his own pace. He smiled genuinely and held onto his hand. He did not tell Jun what was going on with him during the rest of dinner.
However, when they were walking home through the park, Sho suddenly took Jun into his arms and held him tight as they leaned against a tree. His shoulders started to shake as he cried on the other’s shoulder.
“Sho, what’s wrong?” Jun asked in worry as he held onto his boyfriend. Whatever was eating up Sho, it was really making him worried. “Just know that I’m here for you. Always will.”
Sho pulled away and gave the younger one a chaste kiss hoping to receive some more comfort from that innocent act. He continued to hug Jun in the crisp fall weather as he finally told Jun that he was also considering to switch his major but he didn’t know what to go into. To his shock, Jun was not mad at him like he imagined he would be.
“Honestly, I thought it had to do with me,” Jun said as he sighed in relief. All in all, Jun was glad that Sho finally opened up to him about his problem. Although it was odd to hear that Sho was unsure about his future because it always looked like Sho knew what he wanted in life.
“Well, what are you best at? There’s got to be something you like to do, right?” If Sho had no idea what he wanted to do, what was better than figuring out what he did best? Sho was the reason why, Jun was able to decide that he wanted to enter into the fashion industry. It was what he loved best so Sho must have something he wanted to do out of passion as well.
“...Well I do like English alot as you can tell from when we first met,” Sho said, blushing as he recalled that day they first met. “And I did take Chinese when I was in high school...”
“So a major that has to do with languages then?”
Sho nodded. “Do you remember if our college offers something like that?” His head had been in such a mess that he couldn't think right for the past couple of weeks.
Jun hummed in thought. He’s heard of a department within Todai that had to do with linguistics... “Ah, that’s right!” Jun exclaimed when it finally hit him. “There’s the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. They focus on linguistics, if I remember correctly.”
The older student’s eyes lit up when he remembered seeing that on the brochure he had skimmed when he thinking about applying for Todai back in high school.
“Yes! That sounds brilliant Jun! I’will declare that as my major!” After a few moments he realized that this dream will lead him down a path that is different than his boyfriend’s. It was the same when Jun transferred out of Todai to Bunko. It wasn’t like it was something that he shouldn’t worry about. Jun was an important part of his life. Sure they’re still young but since he met Jun, the man did nothing but inspire him and make his life complete. He wanted his future to include Jun in it.
“Is it okay with you though? I know it is my future but I love to have you by my side as I see what this major could lead me to.” He looked deeply into Jun’s eyes, trying to convey his feelings with a loving look.
Jun grinned. Wherever their own paths were going to lead them to, it was holding onto their strength that mattered. “It’s okay with me, Sho. As long as you’re happy then I’m happy too. And... I love you.”
After two years of wondering if he should say those three words, it finally happened. It made Jun’s heart pound as he stared into Sho’s loving eyes, knowing just by looking at him that Sho felt the same.
Sho’s heart thumped hard against his chest, that he was sure that Jun could feel it against his own, when he heard his lover declare his love to him.
“I love you Sweetie,” he murmured in English as he closed in to kiss him with so much love poured into it.
It was then they knew it was fate that brought them together. Even in the most unorthodox way.
~~~~
A/N: cherry_akira and I were discussing about Sho's "I love you sweetie" in English from HnA and she couldn't resist using it in this fic. It was perfect, with Sho wanting to major in linguistics and all.
Comments are <3!!
Authors:ohmiyaskdesu (Jun's POV) and cherry_akira (Sho's POV)
Pairings/Characters:ShoxJun
Genre/Rating:Fluff, AU, slight Humor, Romance / PG-13
Word Count:7,749
Disclaimer:I own nothing but this plot
Summary:After meeting in Todai University, bookworm Sakurai Sho and trendsetting Matsumoto Jun never thought they would see eye-to-eye with each other or moreover...fall in love with each other.
A/N:This is my first collaborated fic with cherry_akira, who I had gotten close with the past month, and it was really fun! We hope you enjoy this as much as we did writing it. Also, feel free to drop a comment on her version of the post in her livejournal as well. The summary and editing was provided by cherry_akira as well.
Fanfic Masterpost
Sakurai Sho and Matsumoto Jun were the least likely people to fall in love from day one. Everything about them was as different as Mercury and Pluto. However their enrollment to Todai University brought them together.
~March 2010~
In Room 122: English Class, Sho slid the tip of a mechanical pencil through the plastic film that held his new set of books for the new semester and tore away the packaging. After tossing away the trash into his backpack, he looked through the textbooks eagerly. While his other classmates were either: gathered into their own groups to talk about their winter holidays, couples cuddled without a care in the world, caught up on sleep they neglected during break, or stared into space; the silent bookworm was the only one who valued the existence of anything that consisted of school. He had been waiting since his graduation from high school to seize the opportunity to make something of himself for the world.
Somewhere around the campus of Todai, Jun was running late, literally. His first class of the day was about to start, yet he was minutes away from the class. If it was one thing he hated, it was being late. Although, it was kind of worth it. Along the way, a photographer, from some small name magazine, had stopped him to take photos of him in his outfit of the day. He hadn’t really put much thought into the outfit before he left for school...Okay, that was a lie. He loved putting on different types of outfits to see which one fit his moods for the day, or any outfits as long as he looked good in it and it was fun. That aside, Jun couldn’t afford to be late. Once he was finally in the class, he saw that it was packed. So much for paying almost a hundred for this class, he thought. Just as he was about to leave, however, he saw someone stand up from the front row, gathered all his things and left mumbling something about being in the wrong class. This was his chance! Grinning, Jun took the now empty seat, right in between a female student and a male student who looked engrossed in his English textbook. He slightly turned his body towards the male student and held out his hand. “I’m Matsumoto Jun, and you are?”
The book-smart student looked up from the conjunction and grammar section of his book to the person next to him. At first he planned to just shake the guy’s hand and then be left in peace for the rest of the class, or hopefully for the rest of the semester, but his eyes betrayed him. The student beside him had his hair stylishly slicked back and teased toward the front. He had a semi-angular jaw with soft edges, bold eyebrows, intense black eyes...All in all it was a face of a model. His attire did not speak any other. Jun was wearing a navy blue button down shirt with a grey polo underneath with tight black pants with black sharp-pointed boots. The hand extended out to him donned an expensive-looking watch, that Sho could not identify the brand to save his life, and a ring with a tribal design on his index finger. Honestly why would this guy bother associating with me even just by greeting me? He wondered but forced himself to be polite, and shook the man’s hand. “Ohayou gozaimasu...Sakurai Sho desu,” he murmured.
Jun’s eyes widened. This man is...How do you put it nicely? Out of fashion? His long hair was disheveled like he had just gotten out of bed, he wore mismatching clothes that reminded Jun of a homeless person, and he wore thick square glasses that reminded Jun of his grandmother. My God, this man needed someone to help him with his fashion sense. Jun smiled anyway as he shook the man’s hand. Other than his horrible sense of fashion, he had a rather...good looking face: everything about him looked strong, like his round face, his angled eyebrows, and his determined brown eyes. If only the man had a better fashion sense, Jun would have mistaken him as a model. “Do you want to be my English partner?” Honestly, he could have asked the woman beside him, but she didn’t look as motivated as this Sho fellow.
“Eh? English partner?” Sho tilted his head in confusion as he took his hand back. Yabai! He is staring at me weirdly...But why is he bothering to talk to me still? Eh?! What the hell is an English partner anyway?
Jun nodded his head eagerly. “Yes, an English partner. If you don’t mind that is. We should exchange numbers then.” It took less than a second to fetch for Jun’s phone in his bag as well as the app to send information by phone radiation. When he looked up at Sakurai, however, the man just gave him this weird look.
“What do you actually mean Matsumoto-san about being English partner?” He looked from him to the phone that was swapped out and back.
“Like if I was absent, or you were absent then we could cover up for each other,” Jun explained it simply. “Or we could be study buddies, let’s put it like that.”
Sho looked at his classmate blankly. “Oh...Are you sure you want to have me help you? I am not much of a people person Matsumoto-san,” he objected slightly. Is it possible he thinks that I am one of those geniuses and wants to use that to his advantage? He thought with an uneasy feeling in his stomach.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Jun insisted and ignored the whole “a people person” part from Sakurai. Aside from the fact that he wanted an English partner, he needed to help teach Sho how to dress. And in order to do that, he had to befriend him first.
“Okay why not?” Sho held out his cellphone to get information from Matsumoto as well. “Are you okay with sitting here in the front row in this class? Because I am a front-row kind of person.” This person has to be kidding me. Really why me?
Jun shrugged. Why not? He thought. It was better since he could clearly hear the professor; not that he was hard of hearing. Additionally, it made him feel more attentive towards the front of the classroom. Besides, this was the only seat available after that guy from earlier had left for another class. After their data were transferred to each other’s phones, Jun shoved his phone back in his bag and flashed Sakurai a smile. “Really I don’t mind it.”
“Mm,” Sho hummed indifferently, and turned back to his books, pretended to not be interested about his “new friend”, and went back to his books. He continued to ignore the satanic glares the other was giving him for the cold treatment.
Something’s up his ass? Jun thought as Sakurai gave him the cold shoulder. But oh well, at least now Jun could help him with his wardrobe.
~Two Months Later~
Sho failed to call him that day when they had an important lecture about the essay assignment that’s due a month from now. Apparently, they had to conduct a research about any topic they chose and take a stand. Sho would have like this because essays were his forte, but he wasn’t here today. Weird, Jun thought, Sho’s never absent. Nevertheless, Jun took notes for Sho anyway. After class had ended, Jun phoned him. Sho didn”t answer during the first try, but finally he answered during the second.
“Hai hai?!” Sho answered in an irritable, hoarse voice when he picked up the phone that was buried under a mass of plastic water bottles.
Jun pressed the phone closer to his ear. Was his hearing messing with him, or did Sho sound sick? “Where do you live, I’m coming over right now.” Despite knowing each other for the past few months, Jun didn’t know where the other lived. They usually met on campus or cafes nearby.
The diligent student could not believe what he was hearing from his so-called “friend”. Why is he bothering to come over? “No!” He said in a raspy voice before he realized how he sounded and cleared his throat. “I mean! You don’t need to. I’m fine really! You have other stuff you need to worry about-“
“You don’t sound okay!” Jun interrupted him and it surprised him because he sounded...worried like he cared. “I’m coming over right now. So please, let me where you live. And I think you would want me to come over because I have notes about an essay due next month.”
After hearing the words “notes” and “essay”, Sho got his act together as he did not want to miss an opportunity to ace another assignment, even if it involved working with a male fashion fanatic. “Fine,” he let out an exasperated sigh and told his address to Jun before tossing his phone into the mass of blankets at the foot of his bed.
Jun rushed to Sho’s place right away since it wasn’t that far from the campus. Once he found Sho’s apartment door, Jun knocked and rang the doorbell. He could hear slow, sluggish footsteps from behind the door before it swung open. Sho stood in front of him with a red, fuzzy blanket wrapped around his shoulders. His nose, eyes, and cheeks were all red just likehis blanket. Just as Sho was about to open his mouth to say something beforeJun walked in without permission. He dragged Sho into the living room and pushed the man onto the white leather couch. Jun placed the notes on Sho’s lap. “Stay there and go over the notes. I’ll make something for you.”
At this point, Sho had no strength to argue, as his last spurt of energy was spent on answering the door. He grabbed the packet of notes and started to croak out bits and pieces of information in mumbles.
Jun had checked every cabinet in Sho’s kitchen and the cabinets in his bathroom, but there was nothing that could help with Sho’s condition. Jun was no doctor, but he could tell that it was a case of the seasonal cold. He did find tea in Sho’s nearly empty pantry so he decided to use that to warm up Sho because it looked like he needed it.
“Here,” he said after he handed Sho a cup of tea and sat down three feet away from him. The apartment barely had any decorations put up. There was barely any furniture either, which explains why there wasn’t a lot of anything around here. Jun wondered how the student had survived until now. “You could have called me or texted me that you were sick. It’s a good thing I took notes for you.”
The ill student said nothing but sipped his tea for awhile in silence. “As grateful as I am for you bringing the notes over; you really didn’t need to attend to me Matsumoto-san. I’m okay really.”
Jun raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t convincing to me. Besides, it looks like you’re not okay.” He gestured to Sho’s bare living room. “It’s like you don’t live here.”
“Oh?” He looked around the room as though he was seeing how it really looked like for the first time after starting to live here last semester. “Eh it is really empty here ne? Well I hardly have the time to clean up since I am so busy with school...and well I am not much of an interior designer so I decided to live a really simple life.” He gave a side glance to Jun when the other was not looking, wondering why he is genuinely concerned about him now. They have only known each other for two months, and most of that time consisted of them just contacting each other with anything about class, and nothing more. Furthermore, Jun never really seemed so be a serious student, not to say he was below average student since he always managed to stand above average in the class rank. The young man looked like your ordinary yuppie, who was attentive to socializing with friends and being a Don Juan to many girls, and in some cases guys, in Todai.
Possibly this is an underhanded scheme all along as I suspected way back, he thought slightly peeved. Maybe he is seeing me as an easy way to an A for this assignment since it might be too hard for him. My work will be his work...and all this fake kindness is a way to butter me up.
He sipped the hot beverage again, hoping Jun would get on with doing what he intended to do when he came to his apartment; even if that meant the possibility of spoon-feeding help for his classmate and then be on his way.
“No, this is unacceptable,” Jun finally said as he stood up and glanced around the room. “This won’t do at all. I’ll be back in an hour.” It took more than an hour to actually move things around, but he managed to bring a box of food, medicine, unwanted clothes, and a simple loveseat chair. He arrived to Sho’s place three hours prior to when he last left him, and surprisingly, the door was left unlocked.
“Sho-san, your door is unlocked. Sorry for intruding, but-“ Jun clamped his mouth shut when he saw a hunched figure covered in a red blanket curled into a ball on the couch. Sho was where Jun had last left him a few hours ago, but Sho had fallen asleep with the notes slipping off his loose hand. Well, at least the man is resting which was good for him anyway. He then took the opportunity to move a few things back and forth from his apartment to Sho’s. It was a tedious and back-breaking work -- literally-- but Jun couldn’t stand the bareness of Sho’s apartment and how dull it looked...
Two weeks later, Sho had noticed some changes going on in his house and his partnership with Jun. Pieces of tasteful furniture started to be planted around the apartment unit, and his closet would “magically produce a new item of clothing or shoes and eat up something he originally owned” almost on a daily basis. Their project was coming along rather swimmingly. To Sho’s surprise, Jun really put his back into balancing the equal amount of work he was doing to the place along with their school project. There were even days where Sho would take pity on his classmate and allowed him to stay over for some nights, even though before it was Jun invited himself to sleepover. Almost every morning or before Jun leaves his apartment to go back home, there would be an outfit prepared for him to wear for school. Food was prepared for him in any way possible. Some days he would wake up to Jun preparing meals in an apron and his hair piled into a knot on his head. It seemed like the good-looking student was well aware of what he was starting to look like with spending so much time in the apartment, that he would start to poke fun at them. Greetings of “Good morning darling!” or “Oi! You really should stop staying up so late!” became the norm. Whenever Sho heard the second statement, he always rolled his eyes when Jun was not looking at him. He is one to talk, he mused. He stays up a lot longer than I do and still manages to play housewife and student.
...Though it was pretty cute to see him do all that...even if Jun was doing all that for his own pleasure.
Although it was fun for Jun to giveaway most his own furniture and clothes in to Sho, he was aware of how much he was sacrificing. But at least Sho’s apartment was starting to look like a home, and Sho looked like he wasn’t bothered about it anymore unlike the first day. Sho was confused, and obviously enraged although he tried to hide it, for redecorating his bare apartment, but Jun couldn’t help it: when he saw a man in need of anything, he was there to help. Besides, Sho didn’t look that bad in Jun’s outfits. In fact, it fit him more than it did to Jun. Like the tanned colored denims and royal blue long-sleeved polo shirt that brought out Sho’s upper body muscles...Jun shook his head. What was he thinking of? He can’t possibly be attracted to his English partner...right? Well, whatever it was, Jun wondered where Sho had gotten those muscles.
By the end of week three, they were almost finished with the project. Jun’s apartment looked almost as bare as Sho’s three weeks prior, and their project looked perfect from both of their brains combined together. On the night that week three was about to end, however, Jun dropped his pen and looked at his partner from across the table.
“What’s with your hair?” Jun asked as he scrutinized Sho’s hair. It had gotten about an inch or two longer since Jun had first met him. “You know, no one’s ever going to be attracted to you if you keep that mullet on,” Jun smirked as he grabbed his pen once again to continue writing. Sho’s hair had bothered him before, but not as much as it had now…though Jun did not know why. Nevertheless, it would be nice to see Sho with short hair. And if Sho ever does plan on cutting his hair, Jun might finally be able to see Sho’s face clearly. That’s not such a bad idea, he thought as he began to imagine a short-haired Sho with his old outfits.
Before they knew it, their presentation project was due and ready to be submitted. They walked out of their English class with big grins on their faces, extremely proud of themselves that with all their hardwork came up to an A+. Just when Sho thought the kindness crusade was going to end the moment their grade was put down on paper, Jun quickly whispered that he scheduled a hair appointment for him at the end of the day. He told him that he will be waiting for him outside in the main lobby after he was finished for the day. With that being said, Jun dashed to his next class before Sho could protest.
Sho felt more like a fish out of water when Jun escorted him to a prestigious salon where the hairdressers, the other clients, even the cleaning staff looked like models. Jun even took the opportunity to block his view from the mirror in front of his seat by sitting on the counter like he owned the place, and the workers did not seem to mind him. It was as though he belonged there. During the duration of his haircut, Sho glared at the man who was swinging his crossed ankles in front of him with a devious smile on his face. Jun chatted and laughed with Sho’s hairdresser as though they were kindred spirits. Sho was merely like a centerpiece they were sprucing up under Jun’s command...
“Okay all done Handsome!” The hairdresser announced slipping off the cloak and rubbed baby powder around Sho’s nape and around the rest of his neck. “MatsuJun-san, what do you think of the new Sakurai Sho?”
Jun narrowed his eyes at the newly revamped Sakurai Sho. Well, there wasn’t much of a change other than Sho’s short hair which looked very, very fitting and Jun had a small urge to run his hand through Sho’s hair...He was shaken back into reality when he heard Sho constantly calling his name. “Sorry,” he laughed nervously and jumped down from the counter. Finally I could see his face. But there was still something that needed change.
“Well...” Sho said when they stepped out of the shop. “Umm...Thanks for helping me with that.” He shuffled his feet together as he stared at the ground, trying to think of the proper “goodbye” for someone that helped him out greatly. But he didn’t think that the other would really associate with him in the near future unless Jun missed school and needed a favor. “So see you-“
“We’re not done yet,” Jun smirked and grabbed hold of Sho’s arm. “Just one more thing-“ he pulled Sho’s glasses away from his face, to which the latter started waving his arms around in panic. “We’re going to see a friend of mines...”
~Later that night~
“How are you not a model?” Jun asked himself, though he was talking about Sakurai Sho, as he let his eyes wander over his classmate’s body. He no longer looked like the nerd Jun had met on the first day of English class, but more of a man who belonged on the cover of a GQ magazine. Sho no longer had that silly-looking mullet, the horrible sense of fashion, and the thick glasses. Instead he looked unrecognizable dressed in Jun’s dark blue suit.
“Come on, let’s go inside.”
He dragged Sho inside of the club that he used to frequent awhile back before he met Sho. Now that he thought of it, he wondered why he stopped going. As soon as they walked in, all eyes were suddenly on them.
“They’re staring at you,” Jun smirked and pushed Sho into the crowd. “Have fun.”
Sho bumped into the chest of an attractive gyaru in a cocktail dress, much to his horror. The woman flashed her perfect teeth at him and pulled him deeper into the sea of bodies dancing to the dubstep pounding throughout the place. The bright student looked back at Jun only to see the other waving as he grinned.
Sho looked like he was nervous, but that’s completely normal for someone who didn't go to clubs. Before he knew it, though, he could no longer see Sho’s panicked face within the crowd. A drink sounded good right now. Just as he was about to head to the bar, however, someone slung their arm around his.
“What’s a good looking man like you doing in this small club?” A woman, with a high pitched, voice asked. “Want to dance with me?”
Jun didn’t want to glance for fear that it was the woman with big doe eyes and very colorful makeup, who was staring up at him. It was the same woman he would always see when he used to come here a lot. Each time she would try to get into his pants, and no matter how many times he rejected her, she would never leave him alone.
“I want to drink,” he said as he could manage when he pulled his arm from the woman’s grip.
“Then I’ll come with,” she giggled.
However as soon as he reached the bar, the incompetent bimbo was nowhere to be seen behind him. The thirsty woman probably saw some new meat to prey on. He sighed in relief just as someone placed a red drink in front of his face.
“You’re hot.” This time, it was a man’s voice. He turned to face the man and Jun was a bit taken back. The man had a wide, contagious grin on his face as he pushed the drink closer to Jun.
“I know,” Jun grinned as he decided to play along. “I’m Matsumoto Jun, and you are?”
“Aiba Masaki.”
After forcing himself to dance with the gyaru to a couple of dance numbers, Sho insisted that his mouth was parched and headed to the bar with her clinging to his forearm. He spotted Jun with a taller male joking and taking shots.
Geez does he know every person in every venue he walks into? He wondered. He recalled how earlier they were allowed to enter the venue without presenting any IDs or anything. Once the guards saw Jun with him, the guards just smiled and welcomed them. But he could not deny how amusing Jun’s charm worked its magic around others.
“Hey,” he greeted Jun. “Thanks for shoving me.”
“Thank you for pushing him my way, Matsumoto-san,” the gyaru echoed her genuine gratitude.
“Ah, I’m sorry about that,” Jun laughed as he watched the gyaru disappear into the crowd and snatch another man. “Sho, meet Aiba Masaki. Aiba Masaki, Sakurai Sho.”
After the men shook hands, Jun continued talking to Aiba. It was very fun and entertaining to talk to Aiba because he had a funny and easy-going personality. Plus, he’s cute and attractive...but nothing compared to Sho. He glanced over his shoulder, while Aiba was talking about his favorite drinks, and saw Sho glaring at Aiba. It was rude for Jun to get distracted during a conversation, but he couldn’t help glancing back and forth at Sho’s intense eyes and Aiba smiling face. What’s with him? Is he... Jun narrowed his eyes to take a better look of the expression on Sho’s face. He had seen that expression before. It was the same look his eyes whenever a girl, or a guy, got jealous of him talking to another person.
“Another shot?” Aiba said, shaking him from his thoughts. “It’s on me Jun-tan.”
“Um, yeah,” Jun mumbled, distracted by the thought of something. No, not something, but someone. He glanced over his shoulder once again and saw Sho’s thinking face. Jun wanted to laugh because Sho always looked constipated whenever he was thinking hard... Oh my God, no way... I like Sho? Since when? And for how long? Hell, I only knew the man for a mere three months and I don’t know much about him. Much less, what Sho wanted to major in. It was then he realized he had unconsciously moved in with Sho: all his things, furnitures, mostly everything he owned was in Sho’s apartment whilst helping him out. Also he could not remember the last time he slept in his apartment. Yet Sho, the person who looked like he didn’t want to be Jun’s English partner in the first place, never complained at all. It was if...as if... Jun laughed. So Sho liked him too?!
“Let’s drink to that!” Jun laughed out loud as he took another shot.
Sho instinctively grabbed the shot glass from him and slammed it onto the table after Jun downed it.
“You better slow down or it will be a hassle to take you back to the apartment,” he snipped. He had no idea why he was acting like this, but it felt right.
“Nope!” Jun grinned, grabbed another shot glass and drained it down to the last drop. “I’m too happy.” And with that said, he grabbed a couple more shot glasses that Aiba had offered until Jun could no longer walk straight.
~~~
Though Sho was not really obligated to, he knew he should take care of Jun, since he learned recently through gossip that Jun was still 19 years old. By then end of the night, he had tugged Jun by the hand down the street, but they were not alone. Jun had Aiba’s hand clasped in his other hand. He wanted to ask why Jun bothered to bring along someone he just met a couple of hours ago, but seeing how nothing was getting through the other’s head; he decided to go along with it.
“Are we home yet?” Jun giggled as tugged a drunken Aiba along with him. He heard a grumbled “Almost” from Sho who was dragging the two of them home. Funny how lately Jun was starting to consider Sho’s home his home.
“Yay!” Jun yelled at the top of his lungs once the three of them were at Sho’s front doorstep. “Home! Come in, Aiba-san. To our apartment.” He glanced at Sho who only gave him a quick glance before looking away.
Sho rolled his eyes and started to get a futon out of the closet for Aiba to use for the night since he was the only one that was sober out of the three, albeit tired from babysitting these two already.
“Here you go Aiba-san. A futon for you. Matsumoto-san, you can have the couch as always. I’m about to turn in. See you guys in the morning.” His voice started to slur groggily as he unbuttoned the top of his shirt and unbuckled his slacks on the way to his own room.
Jun grinned in drunken amusement as he watched Sho retreat into his room. But Jun didn’t want Sho to leave yet. He had to get his attention somehow, to make Sho jealous. “No, Masaki don’t touch me there,” Jun giggled and pretended that Aiba was touching him. “No, don’t undress me here!” He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Sho froze in place, right beside the loveseat chair that Jun had first given him.
“Huh? I’m not-- Oh! so you want to play that way, Jun-tan,” Aiba grinned and pushed Jun onto the futon. “Why didn’t you say so?” Aiba began undressing him and Jun couldn’t help himself from glancing at Sho, who still hasn’t moved. But Jun could see the tips of Sho’s ears turning red.
The older one turned around the instant he heard what was going on behind him. “Oh no! None of that in my house!” His shouts were loud enough to wake up the next door neighbors very easily. He gathered up Jun’s clothes and threw it at his chest, and grabbed the both of them by the arms, leading them to the door. “If you guys were planning to do that in the first place, you should have dumped a reservation at a love hotel, where you can stay at for the rest of the night or either of you guys’ place! But most definitely not in my house where all I just want to do is be left alone and sleep!” He slammed the door behind him and quickly locked it and then retreated back to his room. He admitted he might have sounded a little too irrational when he said he wanted them to leave that badly so he could sleep, but for any other reason in mind, he did not care to ponder on as it was not his problem as of now.
Okay, he took the prank way too far to the point that Aiba was trying to kiss him. “I’m sorry, Aiba-san,” Jun sighed and pushed Aiba away from him. “I’m not interested.”
“But-“
“Sorry,” was all Jun said before he walked off into the night.
~~
Jun was feeling a bit sober by the time he returned to Sho’s apartment building. He hoped that Sho would forgive him after he explains that it was all an act. Well, meeting Aiba wasn’t planned; it was a coincidental asset. Thanks to Aiba, Jun had realized his true feelings for Sho.
He rang the doorbell, hoping that Sho would be awake, but that was foolish thinking on his part, now that he thought about it. It was already 3AM. Luckily, Jun made himself a spare key without Sho’s permission as backup.
“Tadaima,” he announced quietly as he entered the quiet apartment. The futon that Sho had set up was still there. Weird, he thought. Sho would have put it away by now. Jun decided to check up on Sho instead, to see if the man was sleeping peacefully in bed. Wait. Why do I have to do that? That’s a stupid idea. It’s not like I am his mothe. But then again, Jun wanted to see if Sho was okay from his stupid, reckless behavior with Aiba. Quietly and gently, he tiptoed to Sho’s room and to his surprise, the door to Sho’s room was open. He could see Sho sitting on the edge of his bed, sulking, and mumbling something in the dark.
Sho looked up when he saw Jun coming into the room. He was too occupied in his own world to realize he had entered the apartment by himself.
“Oi! What are you doing back here?!” Sho looked at him reproachfully, reaching for a pillow he was planning to throw at him.
“Wait!” Jun held up his hands in defense. Luckily for him, Sho stopped but it didn’t stop him from glaring at him angrily. “It was all a misunderstanding. I’m sorry, Sho, I-“ He stopped when he saw that Sho was wearing his glasses again and his hair was a mess. Also, he had stripped off the suit Jun had given him, that was laying in a heap the floor, and he wore nothing but boxers. Jun gulped. Seeing Sho in boxers...Jun shook his head free of the dirty thoughts creeping into his mind. He had to take this seriously or Sho will never forgive him.
“Look, I was drunk and stupid. Aiba-san is no one, trust me. I just met him.”
“Like hell I care about that,” Sho growled even though he could feel denial leaking through his nerves. “This is my place. You should be grateful I even let you stay over sometimes, but really showing your appreciation by bring over some stranger to have sex in my house is not the best way to do it.” He could sense Jun’s eyes wandering down his body and grabbed a shirt that was laying nearby and shoved it on.
“No, I wasn’t intending on having sex with him anyway,” Jun explained in exasperation. He could tell that Sho was starting to -- or already -- lose his patience towards him. But how is he supposed to explain to Sho that it was all a prank to make Sho jealous? It would only make Sho even angrier at him if he just explained it that way, or worse: make Sho hate him. But of course, they only knew each other for three months and during that time has Sho ever showed any feelings other than the occasional irritation and anger toward him. Or in many cases, he ignored him unless he needed to speak to him. Maybe that was it, that Sho didn’t like him? Then again, when he saw the look of envy in Sho’s eyes earlier at the bar, that said so otherwise. But how was he supposed to make Sho show his true feelings? Just then, an idea came to him. Sho may or may not like it, but Jun felt it was the only way. Without warning, he rushed towards Sho.
Sho’s eyes bulged as he saw Jun charging at him, and tried to think of how to defend himself, but instead his voice squeaked, “What are you doing?! Why have you been trying to spend so much time with me? It’s not as though you like me or anything!” He threw his blanket over his body in case the other one did something funny.
Why did he have to throw a blanket over himself? Jun laughed in silent amusement as he grabbed the blanket and threw it aside. He could see Sho staring at him with wide eyes and a slightly opened mouth. “I’m not going to hurt you,” Jun said. “Trust me.” Smirking, Jun grabbed Sho’s glasses and threw it across the room.
“You won’t be needing that.”
Sho broke out of his trance as he saw his glasses being tossed aside. “Hey! Why did you-“
Jun cut the latter off midsentence and caught him by surprise. It certainly shut Sho up, for once. Jun had to admit that Sho’s lips were soft and comfortingly warm. And to his surprise, Sho didn’t fight back.
Sho’s eyes were still open as Jun kissed him, but soon relaxed and allowed the younger student to do so...
Ever since that night, he became more soft-hearted with Jun, and by the time summer vacation started; they started to date.
~~~
Jun officially moved in by then, and he was more than happy that his relationship with Sho went from being his English partner to his boyfriend. He was glad he had been right about Sho holding back his feelings, or else they wouldn’t have been nothing more than what they are now.
It was a very lazy afternoon in Sho’s apartment with nothing much to do now that they’ve finished with an English project. The funny thing was that it’s been two years now since they first started out as strangers in English class of their freshman year, but now here they were in Sho’s apartment with something special.
Lately, Jun had been thinking about his path in life: he didn’t want to become a salaryman; he wanted to become more than that. “I’ve been thinking about something for awhile, Sho,” Jun began as he fiddled with his boyfriend’s fingers as they cuddled on the couch and watched TV. “I want to change my major.”
Sho stopped pressing his nose into Jun’s permed hair, and looked at him as Jun looked straight back at him when he turned his head. “Really? What are you thinking of getting into then?”
“You know how I kept on trying to change your style?” Jun asked and looked at Sho’s clothes. It a bigger improvement compared to what Sho used to have in his closet, which Jun himself still thought as clothes that belonged to beggars on the streets. But ever since Sho had accepted their relationship, Sho had allowed the changes little by little and was started to look more like someone from a fashion magazine. “I think I want to major into the fashion industry. I mean I seriously thought about it a lot and I love doing it, Sho. It’s fun and it’s better than sitting at a desk, typing away at a computer. I also want to be a model.” He looked into Sho’s eyes, almost daring the other to laugh at him, even though he hope to the heavens he did not.
“...I think that is an excellent idea” Sho exclaimed hugging the man with so much joy. “I feel that it will suit you the best! I mean look what you did with me and this place.” Months into their relationship, Sho was starting to appreciate fashion (that was mostly exposed via Jun and his friends that he had met), so he was able to empathize with Jun’s excitement.
“Thank you,” Jun grinned and pecked Sho’s lips a few times. “I’m glad you understand. But that means I have to move schools, you don’t mind right?”
Sho shook his head smiling warmly. “I don’t mind at all. Whatever makes you happy, I am here to support you. I promise.” He whispered the last words with an additional squeeze to his embrace.
“Thank you so much Sho!” Jun pulled away from his boyfriend’s embrace. “Hold on. I’m going to phone the admissions offices for Todai and the Bunko Fashion College of Tokyo.”He couldn’t believe it, that after two years of trying to figure out what to do with his life, he finally found it. And it was all thanks to Sho, the only most important person in his life.
The other student couldn’t be anymore happier for his boyfriend. He knew from the last two years how draining college can be, and to learn what you wanted to do in life is like a light at the end of the tunnel. However, he had been struggling with finding his own dream. He hadn’t confided with Jun about it, probably due to his pride...
After a month of fixing his transfer requirements, Jun was finally accepted into Bunko Fashion College. His parents didn’t approve of it, of course, but their opinion no longer mattered to him because it was his happiness, not theirs. But it wasn’t just his happiness as he wanted to share it with Sho, the man who helped made his happiness possible.
“Sho, I’m so happy,” Jun announced one day while they were having dinner at a fancy restaurant that one of Jun’s friends had recommended him. It was a restaurant that couldn’t be paid off by Jun and Sho’s scholarships, but thanks to his friend, they were able to get half off on dinner. “I’m really happy, and I’m even happier thanks to you.” He expected Sho to smile that dorky smile of his, but then he only give Jun a half-hearted smile. Jun could tell right away that something was wrong with the distant look in Sho’s eyes, and this wasn’t the first time he’s seen it. Recently, Sho would have the worrisome look, but he wouldn’t speak a word about it. There were times Jun wanted to ask but he decided not to, knowing that it took time for Sho to talk about his concerns.
Whenever they talked about anything related to college, that far-off look would come back. It would take a while to get Sho’s attention back until he would flash Jun that fake smile of his that said everything would be all right. But nothing was okay. Something was bothering him.
“What is it?” Jun asked as he grabbed his boyfriend’s hand across the table, hoping he could comfort him. “You don’t have to tell me now. I just want to know if you’re doing well.”
Sho looked up in surprise from Jun’s affection and concern. Although it was never really a surprise to begin with. Jun already knew him too well to know something wasn't right. But he was thankful Jun never pressured him to tell him what is on his mind. He always waited for Sho to come to him at his own pace. He smiled genuinely and held onto his hand. He did not tell Jun what was going on with him during the rest of dinner.
However, when they were walking home through the park, Sho suddenly took Jun into his arms and held him tight as they leaned against a tree. His shoulders started to shake as he cried on the other’s shoulder.
“Sho, what’s wrong?” Jun asked in worry as he held onto his boyfriend. Whatever was eating up Sho, it was really making him worried. “Just know that I’m here for you. Always will.”
Sho pulled away and gave the younger one a chaste kiss hoping to receive some more comfort from that innocent act. He continued to hug Jun in the crisp fall weather as he finally told Jun that he was also considering to switch his major but he didn’t know what to go into. To his shock, Jun was not mad at him like he imagined he would be.
“Honestly, I thought it had to do with me,” Jun said as he sighed in relief. All in all, Jun was glad that Sho finally opened up to him about his problem. Although it was odd to hear that Sho was unsure about his future because it always looked like Sho knew what he wanted in life.
“Well, what are you best at? There’s got to be something you like to do, right?” If Sho had no idea what he wanted to do, what was better than figuring out what he did best? Sho was the reason why, Jun was able to decide that he wanted to enter into the fashion industry. It was what he loved best so Sho must have something he wanted to do out of passion as well.
“...Well I do like English alot as you can tell from when we first met,” Sho said, blushing as he recalled that day they first met. “And I did take Chinese when I was in high school...”
“So a major that has to do with languages then?”
Sho nodded. “Do you remember if our college offers something like that?” His head had been in such a mess that he couldn't think right for the past couple of weeks.
Jun hummed in thought. He’s heard of a department within Todai that had to do with linguistics... “Ah, that’s right!” Jun exclaimed when it finally hit him. “There’s the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. They focus on linguistics, if I remember correctly.”
The older student’s eyes lit up when he remembered seeing that on the brochure he had skimmed when he thinking about applying for Todai back in high school.
“Yes! That sounds brilliant Jun! I’will declare that as my major!” After a few moments he realized that this dream will lead him down a path that is different than his boyfriend’s. It was the same when Jun transferred out of Todai to Bunko. It wasn’t like it was something that he shouldn’t worry about. Jun was an important part of his life. Sure they’re still young but since he met Jun, the man did nothing but inspire him and make his life complete. He wanted his future to include Jun in it.
“Is it okay with you though? I know it is my future but I love to have you by my side as I see what this major could lead me to.” He looked deeply into Jun’s eyes, trying to convey his feelings with a loving look.
Jun grinned. Wherever their own paths were going to lead them to, it was holding onto their strength that mattered. “It’s okay with me, Sho. As long as you’re happy then I’m happy too. And... I love you.”
After two years of wondering if he should say those three words, it finally happened. It made Jun’s heart pound as he stared into Sho’s loving eyes, knowing just by looking at him that Sho felt the same.
Sho’s heart thumped hard against his chest, that he was sure that Jun could feel it against his own, when he heard his lover declare his love to him.
“I love you Sweetie,” he murmured in English as he closed in to kiss him with so much love poured into it.
It was then they knew it was fate that brought them together. Even in the most unorthodox way.
~~~~
A/N: cherry_akira and I were discussing about Sho's "I love you sweetie" in English from HnA and she couldn't resist using it in this fic. It was perfect, with Sho wanting to major in linguistics and all.
Comments are <3!!