[Stormy Exchange 2021] The Proposal - Part 3
Title: The Proposal
Pairing(s): Matsumiya (main), Sakuraiba (side, hinted), Ohmiya (one-sided, past)
Genres: AU, romance, comedy, slight hurt/comfort, angst
Part 1 , Part 2
Part 3
The next morning. Jun woke up on his own and he felt completely rested which didn’t happen in ages. It was even more surprising, considering how late they stayed awake with Nino, talking about anything and everything; sticking to much lighter topics than their broken families though. He got a glimpse of yet another side of Nino he didn’t know.
He found out that he was an avid gamer on every device there was (it wasn’t much of a surprise to Jun since he always suspected it, Nino just had that face); that his passion for music didn’t end with his career in concert production but he played several instruments and even fiddled with music writing too (Jun made a mental note to make him play something for him one day, maybe something of his own creations); or that before he chose this path for himself, he seriously considered becoming a pro baseball player (which did surprise Jun, not only that they shared the love for baseball but that Nino was interested in any outdoor sports at all, being such a homebody now). Yet the most shocking face was, that after this long talk Jun only wished to hear more.
He sat up a bit and peered at Nino’s futon. Relieved to see that Nino was still sleeping, Jun was about to slip out of bed and tiptoe to the bathroom to make himself more presentable, when suddenly there was a knock on the door.
“Good morning! Room service for the happy couple!” Nino’s mom called from the other side of the room.
Jun froze for a moment, staring at the door with wide eyes, trying to avoid full-blown panic.
“Nino!” he hissed at the still sleeping man. “Nino, wake up!” he repeated a bit louder and just to be sure, he threw a pillow at Nino.
“Wha…?” Nino jerked up, blinking at Jun confused after pushing off the pillow from his face.
“Your mom’s at the door!” Jun whispered at him, but Nino’s sleep clouded mind seemed to have a hard time processing those words. “Come up here, right now!” Jun added pointing at the bed next to him.
“Hello? I’m coming in!” Nino’s mom’s voice came from outside and this finally ignited Nino’s engine too. He scrambled up from the futon, hastily pushing it under the bed to be out of sight. Jun grabbed his arm, dragging him to his side, pretending to be cuddling.
“Good morning!” Nino’s mom entered with a tray loaded with coffee and some pastries.
“Mom! It’s way too early!” Nino protested but Jun chided him quickly.
“You shouldn’t have bothered with it but thank you…” he said, aiming for a much peaceful approach. He tried to distract himself from how perfectly Nino fit in his arms but it was hard, yet, just to be on the safe side, he pulled away from Nino, pretending to want a closer look on the breakfast tray.
“Ah, you’re all up, great!” Nino’s grandma barged in dragging Nino’s sister along too. “Did you tell them?” She asked from her daughter-in-law.
“Told us what?” Nino asked suspiciously and he sat up too, eyeing his family warily. “What’s the meaning behind this commotion so early in the morning?”
“Well, we talked about it and… We decided you should have a wedding ceremony here, tomorrow! This way we all can be part of it. Everyone’s gonna be here for Granny’s birthday anyway. It would be perfect!” Nino’s mom said excited.
Both Jun and Nino paled a little at the idea. No wedding ceremony was supposed to happen. It was not in the plan. A simple registration of marriage then a quick divorce were all that should happen.
“What?” Nino asked back, his mind too blank to form a proper sentence. Maybe his ears were playing tricks due to the early hour…
“No, no we can’t do that! It’s Granny Asuka’s birthday after all! We don’t want to take your big day…” Jun started, trying to find a good excuse to derail the idea of the wedding ceremony.
“Oh, who cares about that? I had enough birthdays already. But I’d like to be part of my one grandson’s wedding before I die. It would be a dream come true for me!” the old woman insisted.
Jun and Nino exchanged a glance, both uneasy to say anything. It was not included in their deal, and especially it wasn’t part of the weekend plans. Jun gave a barely noticeable nod to Nino. It was his family, so it only seemed fair if he had the final word on this matter. Jun would go along with whatever Nino decided.
Nino was torn. A wedding ceremony with all his family present would make this all too real and that was the last thing he wanted. But… His grandma looked okay but what if she wasn’t? What if she was sick? She was 90 after all and Nino had been away for so long! What if they didn’t tell him something?... Seeing that Jun was letting him make the decision, Nino was suddenly flooded with appreciation for him.
“Okay then, if you insist…” he consented finally, flashing a smile to them, but Jun could feel him tensing by his side.
“Yeah, I always wanted a destination wedding!” Jun added cheerfully to divert the attention from Nino.
“Really? It’s fate then! I’m so happy!” Nino’s grandma cheered happily.
“Leave everything to us! We’ll take care of all the preparations!” Nino’s mom added with the same enthusiasm. “Come on, we have no time to waste!” She said and started to usher out the other women, already listing all the tasks they needed to take care of.
Kaori was the last one to leave after sending one last contemplating look to the couple…
As soon as the door was closed…
“Oh, my! What have we done? They’ll find out that we’re lying… Granny will have a heart attack! I’m going to kill her… They’ll freak out… They’ll be so angry… I…” Nino rambled panicking.
“No, no, Kazu, don’t panic, everything will be fine,” Jun said quickly and before he noticed what he was doing, he pulled Nino in his arms, rubbing his back comforting him. “They’ll never find out. Everything will be just fine. And before you know it, we get our quick divorce and everyone will be going on their own way, okay? Just calm down…”
Nino felt his breathing slowly calm down as panic slipped away under Jun’s gentle touches and soothing voice.
“Yeah, you’re right. You’re right…” he mumbled nodding slowly, before he reluctantly pulled back from Jun. “Everything will be fine…” he repeated, sending a bright, grateful smile to Jun.
Jun felt his heartbeat pick up at the earnest expression on Nino’s face. He quickly got out of bed and stepped to the breakfast tray that was left on the low table next to the bed.
“How about coffee? A cinnamon soy latte, right?” he asked joking.
“Ha-ha, so funny!” Nino replied but nodded his acceptance.
Jun poured out the coffee and handed it to Nino together with the pastry plate. Still, the restless feeling that started to vibrate under his skin didn’t cease at all. He had to go. He had to get out of this room! He stepped back from the bed and hurriedly grabbed for his clothes. He had to go… He had to go…
“J, you okay?” Nino asked with a frown on his face as he watched his boss. He had never seen him this jumpy before.
“Yeah, yeah! Everything’s fine. Perfectly fine! I just… I’m going for a walk. I need the exercise, yeah, exercise…” he blabbed before he rushed to the bathroom.
Nino was still blinking confused when a few minutes later Jun re-appeared and left the room in a whirlwind.
“Okay….” he mumbled into his coffee. Had everyone gone crazy this morning or what?...
Jun stomped out of the door and headed to the little forest behind the house. Just a few minutes ago, he had Nino in his arms, comforting him, telling him everything will be fine and now, as if Nino passed on his panic to Jun, he was freaking out.
“It’s just a business deal. Nothing else… Our interests fall in the same direction, so we help each other out… I want a visa, he wants a promotion. It’s a win-win situation…” Jun kept repeating like a broken mantra.
For a while he followed the wide path through the woods until it ended, leading him on a clearing. Not feeling himself ready to return just yet, he kept walking up and down on the clearing.
“It’s a business deal… No need to get distracted by… smiles or… or late-night talks or… kisses… They’re irrelevant. Yeah… Keep focused, Matsumoto! Get married, get the visa, get divorced. Marry, visa, divorce…”
Someone cleared their throat, making Jun whirl around.
“Nino!” ‘He didn’t hear me, did he?’ Jun thought anxiously.
“If you’re done consulting with your friends about whatever it was….” Nino said waving around, indicating that he indeed caught Jun talking to himself, but probably didn’t understand his words at least. “I thought we could go to town. To the internet café. You wanted to check your mails…” Nino reminded Jun of their conversation from the day before.
“Oh, yeah… Sure, let’s go!” Jun agreed quickly, surprised that he had completely forgotten about it. About work all together, which was a first. He felt like the previous morning happened a lifetime ago. Yet Nino remembered. He remembered that it was important for him… Jun was not brave enough to dwell more about the topic so instead he just hurried after Nino without another word.
“So, you just enter your tokens here, and you can use the computer. It reminds you when you’re about to run out of time and then…” Nino explained, not that Jun actually needed an explanation, he wasn’t completely helpless, but Nino was kind of cute, taking himself so seriously. But now he suddenly fell silent, his words cut abruptly.
“And then what?” Jun asked looking at Nino, but he only stood there next to him, frozen, staring out the shop’s window. Jun followed his gaze. “Oh…” He found the reason behind Nino’s sudden change of behavior as he spotted Ohno passing on the street, heading out fishing if his clothes were anything to go by.
“Just get more tokens!” Nino said quickly. “I’ll wait outside!” He added but was already heading to the door as he was speaking…
Jun watched as Nino approached Ohno but then he quickly turned his eyes to the computer monitor when he saw Nino moving closer to hug the other man. There might’ve not been any feelings involved in the past, but Jun was sure that wasn’t the case anymore… He quickly pushed that thought aside, too painful to think about any longer, so instead he focused his attention to the e-mails that finally started to load in.
“Damn it…” Just one day off the grid and his inbox was already overflowing. No time to waste on his assistant’s love life. It wasn’t his business after all. They had a business relationship only.
A few hours later Jun exited the small internet café. He answered all his e-mails, even refreshed his inbox at least a dozen times until he ensured that there was nothing else left for him to do, so he settled the bill and exited the shop. He found Nino sitting on a bench across the street, waiting with a soft, affectionate smile on his lips. Jun was sure he had a pretty good guess what (or who) put him in such a good mood.
“Finally!” Nino stood up when he saw Jun coming closer. “I started to wonder if I’ll have to forcibly remove you from that computer,” he said jokingly.
“Sorry, I got carried away a bit,” Jun apologized as they started to walk back. ‘Don’t ask! Don’t ask! Don’t ask!’ “So… Are you happy to see Ohno-san again?” He asked, unable to stop himself. Was he really this stupid?! He couldn’t believe himself.
“Hmm?” Nino, although surprised, hardly seemed bothered by Jun’s rather intruding questions. “Yeah, I guess. It has been a long time.”
At this Jun only nodded, not knowing what else he should say. Why did he even bring the topic up? Oh, yeah, because he was stupid…
“Kazu! Jun-chan!”
They turned back and found Nino’s mom and grandma catching up with them.
“Jun-chan! Come with us!” Granny Asuka said happily, grabbing his hand.
“Huh?” Jun looked at the two women confused, then at Nino, hoping for some kind of help or explanation, but Nino seemed to be equally lost.
“Where are you taking him?” Nino asked stepping after him but his mother waved him off.
“Wedding preparations. You’re not needed, son,” she said cheekily before they ushered Jun away.
“It’s supposed to be my wedding too!” Nino called after them slightly offended but decided to stick around, just in case they would let go of Jun soon so he wouldn’t have to walk back to the house all alone…
Jun soon found himself in a dress shop, clothed in a white tuxedo with Nino’s grandma walking around him, stitching pins into the coat here and there.
“Ehm… What is this about?” he asked tentatively.
“Well, we thought you probably didn’t bring clothes that were suitable for a wedding. Luckily, Granny here is an amazing seamstress, she’ll make this fit you just perfectly!” Nino’s mom explained with a wide smile.
“Oh, that’s very thoughtful of you. Thank you,” Jun nodded his head. “But shouldn’t Kazunari be here too? What about his clothes?”
“Oh, he can wear his suit from his coming-of-age ceremony. That boy didn’t grow an inch since he was sixteen!” Nino’s grandma said jokingly, and Nino’s mom laughed with her.
Jun couldn’t help but chuckle too hearing this affectionate teasing. ‘Families are like this, aren’t they?’ he wondered and suddenly he felt really lonely.
“Hey, Jun-chan!” Nino’s mom came a bit closer, looking unusually shy out of a blue. “I thought… Maybe we could go and visit you two during New Year’s. What do you think?”
Jun couldn’t think at all for a moment. Visiting for New Year’s? When was the last time he didn’t spend New Year’s alone? He usually used that three-day holiday to declutter and clean his apartment. No visiting relatives.
“Oh, yeah, sure. Great idea. Or… We can come visit you…” he replied before his mind actually registered what his mouth was blabbing already.
“That would be lovely!” She said with obvious tears in her eyes but a bright smile - so similar to Nino’s - lit up her face.
Jun just nodded. He felt both touched and embarrassed at how these people opened their home and their heart to him without hesitation just because they believed him to be in love with Nino…
Not much later he was free to go. As he left the shop, he felt the restlessness from the morning return. His steps got quicker and quicker until he was almost running. Passingly, he registered that Nino was lounging on the same bench as before, but he couldn’t get his feet to stop. Not with all the emotional turbulence raging in his chest.
“Hey! J, wait up!” Nino called after him as he jumped up and started jogging to catch up with him. “What’s up with you?” He asked, slightly panting, trying to match his pace with Jun’s which was quite a challenge for his much shorter legs.
“Just… don’t talk to me!” Jun snapped at him.
“You can’t really expect that of me when you’re running around like a maniac and…” Nino protested.
“I forgot it!” Jun burst out.
“What?” Nino almost tripped over his own leg in his surprise. What was Jun talking about?
“I was alone since I was 16 and I forgot, okay? I forgot how it is when you have a family who cares about you and say stuff like ‘How about we go visit you during New Year’s?’ and I said ‘Yeah, sure, or why don’t we come and visit you?’… Don’t you know that your family loves you?” Jun asked suddenly.
“Yeah, I know,” Nino said, barely following what Jun was talking about.
“You know it. You know it and you’re still willing to put them through this? What will they think when they find out? What will you do then? Your mom will be crushed and your Granny… She’s gonna have a heart attack for sure and…”
Worked up as he was and blinded by his own monologue, Jun tripped on the uneven terrain of the road and fell down with a painful cry.
“J! Are you okay?” Nino kneeled down next to him, reaching for the injured leg carefully. “Let me take a look…” he murmured softly. “I think it’s a slight sprain only, nothing that a little ice can’t cure. Let’s see if you can step on it…” Nino said after examining Jun’s leg and helping him up. “How is it?”
“Not too bad…” Jun said curtly, his pride hurt more than his ankle and it made him silent.
“Good. Now listen to me:” Nino said, cradling Jun’s face in his palms, forcing him to look at him. “Everything will be fine. You just said so yourself this morning. We’ll get a quickie divorce before my family even has the chance to find out, okay?”
Jun just nodded silently and then they continued their way back, on a much slower pace this time…
As they approached the house, they saw that Kaori was waiting for them on the porch.
“I have to talk to you both,” she said sternly. “And you can’t tell mom about it!” She added before heading to a nearby side building, Jun and Nino obediently following.
Only to find a smugly smirking Yamada waiting for them inside.
“What are you doing here?” Nino asked irritated just by the sight of the man.
“Told you I’ll do some follow-up!” He said and looked like someone who had just won the lottery.
“He called yesterday to ask about you and told me that you’ll be going to jail if it turns out to be a scam which he thinks it is. So, I thought it was the best if he came up here,” Kaori explained calmly.
“Best for who? For what?” Nino asked, not even trying to hide how annoyed he was over his sister’s meddling.
“You see, your sister here is a very persuasive woman and I’m willing to offer you one last deal: if you give me a statement here and now that this is a scam, he will go back to America and you can remain a free person,” Yamada said calmly. His grin showed that he was confident that Nino would take the deal, so he raised his recorder in Nino’s direction.
“Come on, Kazu! Take the deal!” Kaori urged him, barely sparing a glance to Jun who only stood there not saying a thing.
Nino felt his anger reaching its boiling point. How dare she question him? His words. His actions. His feelings! She had no right to intervene like this!
“You want a statement? Fine! I’ve been working for Matsumoto Jun for three years. We started dating six months ago. He asked me to marry him. I said yes. See you at the wedding!” Nino spat out the words then took Jun’s hand and dragged him out the door.
“Are you sure about this?” Jun asked whispering when they were out of earshot.
“No, not really,” Nino admitted honestly.
“You know, I’m very appreciative but…” Jun started but Nino cut him off.
“You’d do the same for me,” he said, with such deep conviction that he surprised even himself.
Jun said nothing and they walked inside the house silent.
They didn’t let go of each other’s hand for a moment.
Part 4
Pairing(s): Matsumiya (main), Sakuraiba (side, hinted), Ohmiya (one-sided, past)
Genres: AU, romance, comedy, slight hurt/comfort, angst
Part 1 , Part 2
Part 3
The next morning. Jun woke up on his own and he felt completely rested which didn’t happen in ages. It was even more surprising, considering how late they stayed awake with Nino, talking about anything and everything; sticking to much lighter topics than their broken families though. He got a glimpse of yet another side of Nino he didn’t know.
He found out that he was an avid gamer on every device there was (it wasn’t much of a surprise to Jun since he always suspected it, Nino just had that face); that his passion for music didn’t end with his career in concert production but he played several instruments and even fiddled with music writing too (Jun made a mental note to make him play something for him one day, maybe something of his own creations); or that before he chose this path for himself, he seriously considered becoming a pro baseball player (which did surprise Jun, not only that they shared the love for baseball but that Nino was interested in any outdoor sports at all, being such a homebody now). Yet the most shocking face was, that after this long talk Jun only wished to hear more.
He sat up a bit and peered at Nino’s futon. Relieved to see that Nino was still sleeping, Jun was about to slip out of bed and tiptoe to the bathroom to make himself more presentable, when suddenly there was a knock on the door.
“Good morning! Room service for the happy couple!” Nino’s mom called from the other side of the room.
Jun froze for a moment, staring at the door with wide eyes, trying to avoid full-blown panic.
“Nino!” he hissed at the still sleeping man. “Nino, wake up!” he repeated a bit louder and just to be sure, he threw a pillow at Nino.
“Wha…?” Nino jerked up, blinking at Jun confused after pushing off the pillow from his face.
“Your mom’s at the door!” Jun whispered at him, but Nino’s sleep clouded mind seemed to have a hard time processing those words. “Come up here, right now!” Jun added pointing at the bed next to him.
“Hello? I’m coming in!” Nino’s mom’s voice came from outside and this finally ignited Nino’s engine too. He scrambled up from the futon, hastily pushing it under the bed to be out of sight. Jun grabbed his arm, dragging him to his side, pretending to be cuddling.
“Good morning!” Nino’s mom entered with a tray loaded with coffee and some pastries.
“Mom! It’s way too early!” Nino protested but Jun chided him quickly.
“You shouldn’t have bothered with it but thank you…” he said, aiming for a much peaceful approach. He tried to distract himself from how perfectly Nino fit in his arms but it was hard, yet, just to be on the safe side, he pulled away from Nino, pretending to want a closer look on the breakfast tray.
“Ah, you’re all up, great!” Nino’s grandma barged in dragging Nino’s sister along too. “Did you tell them?” She asked from her daughter-in-law.
“Told us what?” Nino asked suspiciously and he sat up too, eyeing his family warily. “What’s the meaning behind this commotion so early in the morning?”
“Well, we talked about it and… We decided you should have a wedding ceremony here, tomorrow! This way we all can be part of it. Everyone’s gonna be here for Granny’s birthday anyway. It would be perfect!” Nino’s mom said excited.
Both Jun and Nino paled a little at the idea. No wedding ceremony was supposed to happen. It was not in the plan. A simple registration of marriage then a quick divorce were all that should happen.
“What?” Nino asked back, his mind too blank to form a proper sentence. Maybe his ears were playing tricks due to the early hour…
“No, no we can’t do that! It’s Granny Asuka’s birthday after all! We don’t want to take your big day…” Jun started, trying to find a good excuse to derail the idea of the wedding ceremony.
“Oh, who cares about that? I had enough birthdays already. But I’d like to be part of my one grandson’s wedding before I die. It would be a dream come true for me!” the old woman insisted.
Jun and Nino exchanged a glance, both uneasy to say anything. It was not included in their deal, and especially it wasn’t part of the weekend plans. Jun gave a barely noticeable nod to Nino. It was his family, so it only seemed fair if he had the final word on this matter. Jun would go along with whatever Nino decided.
Nino was torn. A wedding ceremony with all his family present would make this all too real and that was the last thing he wanted. But… His grandma looked okay but what if she wasn’t? What if she was sick? She was 90 after all and Nino had been away for so long! What if they didn’t tell him something?... Seeing that Jun was letting him make the decision, Nino was suddenly flooded with appreciation for him.
“Okay then, if you insist…” he consented finally, flashing a smile to them, but Jun could feel him tensing by his side.
“Yeah, I always wanted a destination wedding!” Jun added cheerfully to divert the attention from Nino.
“Really? It’s fate then! I’m so happy!” Nino’s grandma cheered happily.
“Leave everything to us! We’ll take care of all the preparations!” Nino’s mom added with the same enthusiasm. “Come on, we have no time to waste!” She said and started to usher out the other women, already listing all the tasks they needed to take care of.
Kaori was the last one to leave after sending one last contemplating look to the couple…
As soon as the door was closed…
“Oh, my! What have we done? They’ll find out that we’re lying… Granny will have a heart attack! I’m going to kill her… They’ll freak out… They’ll be so angry… I…” Nino rambled panicking.
“No, no, Kazu, don’t panic, everything will be fine,” Jun said quickly and before he noticed what he was doing, he pulled Nino in his arms, rubbing his back comforting him. “They’ll never find out. Everything will be just fine. And before you know it, we get our quick divorce and everyone will be going on their own way, okay? Just calm down…”
Nino felt his breathing slowly calm down as panic slipped away under Jun’s gentle touches and soothing voice.
“Yeah, you’re right. You’re right…” he mumbled nodding slowly, before he reluctantly pulled back from Jun. “Everything will be fine…” he repeated, sending a bright, grateful smile to Jun.
Jun felt his heartbeat pick up at the earnest expression on Nino’s face. He quickly got out of bed and stepped to the breakfast tray that was left on the low table next to the bed.
“How about coffee? A cinnamon soy latte, right?” he asked joking.
“Ha-ha, so funny!” Nino replied but nodded his acceptance.
Jun poured out the coffee and handed it to Nino together with the pastry plate. Still, the restless feeling that started to vibrate under his skin didn’t cease at all. He had to go. He had to get out of this room! He stepped back from the bed and hurriedly grabbed for his clothes. He had to go… He had to go…
“J, you okay?” Nino asked with a frown on his face as he watched his boss. He had never seen him this jumpy before.
“Yeah, yeah! Everything’s fine. Perfectly fine! I just… I’m going for a walk. I need the exercise, yeah, exercise…” he blabbed before he rushed to the bathroom.
Nino was still blinking confused when a few minutes later Jun re-appeared and left the room in a whirlwind.
“Okay….” he mumbled into his coffee. Had everyone gone crazy this morning or what?...
Jun stomped out of the door and headed to the little forest behind the house. Just a few minutes ago, he had Nino in his arms, comforting him, telling him everything will be fine and now, as if Nino passed on his panic to Jun, he was freaking out.
“It’s just a business deal. Nothing else… Our interests fall in the same direction, so we help each other out… I want a visa, he wants a promotion. It’s a win-win situation…” Jun kept repeating like a broken mantra.
For a while he followed the wide path through the woods until it ended, leading him on a clearing. Not feeling himself ready to return just yet, he kept walking up and down on the clearing.
“It’s a business deal… No need to get distracted by… smiles or… or late-night talks or… kisses… They’re irrelevant. Yeah… Keep focused, Matsumoto! Get married, get the visa, get divorced. Marry, visa, divorce…”
Someone cleared their throat, making Jun whirl around.
“Nino!” ‘He didn’t hear me, did he?’ Jun thought anxiously.
“If you’re done consulting with your friends about whatever it was….” Nino said waving around, indicating that he indeed caught Jun talking to himself, but probably didn’t understand his words at least. “I thought we could go to town. To the internet café. You wanted to check your mails…” Nino reminded Jun of their conversation from the day before.
“Oh, yeah… Sure, let’s go!” Jun agreed quickly, surprised that he had completely forgotten about it. About work all together, which was a first. He felt like the previous morning happened a lifetime ago. Yet Nino remembered. He remembered that it was important for him… Jun was not brave enough to dwell more about the topic so instead he just hurried after Nino without another word.
“So, you just enter your tokens here, and you can use the computer. It reminds you when you’re about to run out of time and then…” Nino explained, not that Jun actually needed an explanation, he wasn’t completely helpless, but Nino was kind of cute, taking himself so seriously. But now he suddenly fell silent, his words cut abruptly.
“And then what?” Jun asked looking at Nino, but he only stood there next to him, frozen, staring out the shop’s window. Jun followed his gaze. “Oh…” He found the reason behind Nino’s sudden change of behavior as he spotted Ohno passing on the street, heading out fishing if his clothes were anything to go by.
“Just get more tokens!” Nino said quickly. “I’ll wait outside!” He added but was already heading to the door as he was speaking…
Jun watched as Nino approached Ohno but then he quickly turned his eyes to the computer monitor when he saw Nino moving closer to hug the other man. There might’ve not been any feelings involved in the past, but Jun was sure that wasn’t the case anymore… He quickly pushed that thought aside, too painful to think about any longer, so instead he focused his attention to the e-mails that finally started to load in.
“Damn it…” Just one day off the grid and his inbox was already overflowing. No time to waste on his assistant’s love life. It wasn’t his business after all. They had a business relationship only.
A few hours later Jun exited the small internet café. He answered all his e-mails, even refreshed his inbox at least a dozen times until he ensured that there was nothing else left for him to do, so he settled the bill and exited the shop. He found Nino sitting on a bench across the street, waiting with a soft, affectionate smile on his lips. Jun was sure he had a pretty good guess what (or who) put him in such a good mood.
“Finally!” Nino stood up when he saw Jun coming closer. “I started to wonder if I’ll have to forcibly remove you from that computer,” he said jokingly.
“Sorry, I got carried away a bit,” Jun apologized as they started to walk back. ‘Don’t ask! Don’t ask! Don’t ask!’ “So… Are you happy to see Ohno-san again?” He asked, unable to stop himself. Was he really this stupid?! He couldn’t believe himself.
“Hmm?” Nino, although surprised, hardly seemed bothered by Jun’s rather intruding questions. “Yeah, I guess. It has been a long time.”
At this Jun only nodded, not knowing what else he should say. Why did he even bring the topic up? Oh, yeah, because he was stupid…
“Kazu! Jun-chan!”
They turned back and found Nino’s mom and grandma catching up with them.
“Jun-chan! Come with us!” Granny Asuka said happily, grabbing his hand.
“Huh?” Jun looked at the two women confused, then at Nino, hoping for some kind of help or explanation, but Nino seemed to be equally lost.
“Where are you taking him?” Nino asked stepping after him but his mother waved him off.
“Wedding preparations. You’re not needed, son,” she said cheekily before they ushered Jun away.
“It’s supposed to be my wedding too!” Nino called after them slightly offended but decided to stick around, just in case they would let go of Jun soon so he wouldn’t have to walk back to the house all alone…
Jun soon found himself in a dress shop, clothed in a white tuxedo with Nino’s grandma walking around him, stitching pins into the coat here and there.
“Ehm… What is this about?” he asked tentatively.
“Well, we thought you probably didn’t bring clothes that were suitable for a wedding. Luckily, Granny here is an amazing seamstress, she’ll make this fit you just perfectly!” Nino’s mom explained with a wide smile.
“Oh, that’s very thoughtful of you. Thank you,” Jun nodded his head. “But shouldn’t Kazunari be here too? What about his clothes?”
“Oh, he can wear his suit from his coming-of-age ceremony. That boy didn’t grow an inch since he was sixteen!” Nino’s grandma said jokingly, and Nino’s mom laughed with her.
Jun couldn’t help but chuckle too hearing this affectionate teasing. ‘Families are like this, aren’t they?’ he wondered and suddenly he felt really lonely.
“Hey, Jun-chan!” Nino’s mom came a bit closer, looking unusually shy out of a blue. “I thought… Maybe we could go and visit you two during New Year’s. What do you think?”
Jun couldn’t think at all for a moment. Visiting for New Year’s? When was the last time he didn’t spend New Year’s alone? He usually used that three-day holiday to declutter and clean his apartment. No visiting relatives.
“Oh, yeah, sure. Great idea. Or… We can come visit you…” he replied before his mind actually registered what his mouth was blabbing already.
“That would be lovely!” She said with obvious tears in her eyes but a bright smile - so similar to Nino’s - lit up her face.
Jun just nodded. He felt both touched and embarrassed at how these people opened their home and their heart to him without hesitation just because they believed him to be in love with Nino…
Not much later he was free to go. As he left the shop, he felt the restlessness from the morning return. His steps got quicker and quicker until he was almost running. Passingly, he registered that Nino was lounging on the same bench as before, but he couldn’t get his feet to stop. Not with all the emotional turbulence raging in his chest.
“Hey! J, wait up!” Nino called after him as he jumped up and started jogging to catch up with him. “What’s up with you?” He asked, slightly panting, trying to match his pace with Jun’s which was quite a challenge for his much shorter legs.
“Just… don’t talk to me!” Jun snapped at him.
“You can’t really expect that of me when you’re running around like a maniac and…” Nino protested.
“I forgot it!” Jun burst out.
“What?” Nino almost tripped over his own leg in his surprise. What was Jun talking about?
“I was alone since I was 16 and I forgot, okay? I forgot how it is when you have a family who cares about you and say stuff like ‘How about we go visit you during New Year’s?’ and I said ‘Yeah, sure, or why don’t we come and visit you?’… Don’t you know that your family loves you?” Jun asked suddenly.
“Yeah, I know,” Nino said, barely following what Jun was talking about.
“You know it. You know it and you’re still willing to put them through this? What will they think when they find out? What will you do then? Your mom will be crushed and your Granny… She’s gonna have a heart attack for sure and…”
Worked up as he was and blinded by his own monologue, Jun tripped on the uneven terrain of the road and fell down with a painful cry.
“J! Are you okay?” Nino kneeled down next to him, reaching for the injured leg carefully. “Let me take a look…” he murmured softly. “I think it’s a slight sprain only, nothing that a little ice can’t cure. Let’s see if you can step on it…” Nino said after examining Jun’s leg and helping him up. “How is it?”
“Not too bad…” Jun said curtly, his pride hurt more than his ankle and it made him silent.
“Good. Now listen to me:” Nino said, cradling Jun’s face in his palms, forcing him to look at him. “Everything will be fine. You just said so yourself this morning. We’ll get a quickie divorce before my family even has the chance to find out, okay?”
Jun just nodded silently and then they continued their way back, on a much slower pace this time…
As they approached the house, they saw that Kaori was waiting for them on the porch.
“I have to talk to you both,” she said sternly. “And you can’t tell mom about it!” She added before heading to a nearby side building, Jun and Nino obediently following.
Only to find a smugly smirking Yamada waiting for them inside.
“What are you doing here?” Nino asked irritated just by the sight of the man.
“Told you I’ll do some follow-up!” He said and looked like someone who had just won the lottery.
“He called yesterday to ask about you and told me that you’ll be going to jail if it turns out to be a scam which he thinks it is. So, I thought it was the best if he came up here,” Kaori explained calmly.
“Best for who? For what?” Nino asked, not even trying to hide how annoyed he was over his sister’s meddling.
“You see, your sister here is a very persuasive woman and I’m willing to offer you one last deal: if you give me a statement here and now that this is a scam, he will go back to America and you can remain a free person,” Yamada said calmly. His grin showed that he was confident that Nino would take the deal, so he raised his recorder in Nino’s direction.
“Come on, Kazu! Take the deal!” Kaori urged him, barely sparing a glance to Jun who only stood there not saying a thing.
Nino felt his anger reaching its boiling point. How dare she question him? His words. His actions. His feelings! She had no right to intervene like this!
“You want a statement? Fine! I’ve been working for Matsumoto Jun for three years. We started dating six months ago. He asked me to marry him. I said yes. See you at the wedding!” Nino spat out the words then took Jun’s hand and dragged him out the door.
“Are you sure about this?” Jun asked whispering when they were out of earshot.
“No, not really,” Nino admitted honestly.
“You know, I’m very appreciative but…” Jun started but Nino cut him off.
“You’d do the same for me,” he said, with such deep conviction that he surprised even himself.
Jun said nothing and they walked inside the house silent.
They didn’t let go of each other’s hand for a moment.
Part 4