Aperture (Chapter 2)
Title: Aperture
Pairing: Sakumoto, Ohmiya, Sho/??, Sho/OC
Rating: PG13
Chapter - Word Count: Chapter 2 - 4798 words
Genre: AU, Angst, Drama, Family, Fluff, Kid, Romance
Summary: "Did you hate me when I didn't fight for you before?" Sho asked before it was too late. The other man paused and then turned to look back at him. The other looked up, thinking intently before looking back at Sho and shaking his head, "Maybe at first... But then you made me realize that something that is perfect isn't real happiness, and so instead, I'm thankful."
Beta: akhikaru
Author’s Notes: Wow, I'm in schedule. Aren't I improving? I hope this will be the start. Nurufufufu~~~ New characters coming along the way. Hope you'll enjoy this. Aside to my dearest beta, Hikaru-chan, also thankful to lilly0, purplemim, octavialao, yumiiimori, and learashi. You beauties are awesome! :3
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Two Choices
It was one morning when Jun was in a room. There was a shelf in front of him and a box of toys at his side. He was sitting on the floor, putting the toys from the box in their rightful places in the shelf. Jun paused for a while, looking at what seemed to be a soccer ball for kids he got from the box he was emptying.
"Soccer huh?" Jun murmured. There was a fond smile in his lips as he remembered someone through it.
Sho loves soccer.
Although, he was distracted, he couldn’t help but squirm from time to time. The floor wasn’t the best place to sit at the moment.
"Rough night?" Jun looked up, raising an eyebrow at his sister who just entered the room with another box. Juri, Jun's older sister, was a teacher in a kindergarten. If he had time, he would come there and play with the children.
"I’d rather say it was satisfying." Jun grinned, but it turned into a wince a second later. He was trying to put another toy back to the shelf when the movement made him quite uncomfortable again. He was still sore after all. Juri, who noticed it, had a hearty laugh before joining him. She sat beside him and helped him in arranging the toys.
"I'm glad you help out here from time to time, but you do have work too. Is it okay to be absent?" Juri asked.
Jun smiled. "Don't worry. It’s okay. Today is a slow day anyways." He reassured her before taking out the last toy from his box. There wasn’t much happening in the studio anyways, and he trusted his subordinates would do just fine without him there. "And I'm the boss so they don't have a say on it." Jun added, wiggling his eyebrows.
Juri hummed in response, but Jun could feel there was something else his sister would like to add. “What’s wrong?”
“You have that look again.” Juri turned serious all of sudden. Her words had effectively paused whatever she and Jun were doing.
“What do you mean?” Jun asked, but he had a vague idea where their talk would be heading.
Juri sighed, biting her lower lip and having second thoughts. Jun nudged her by bumping her shoulder with his, urging her to continue. Juri looked up and smiled faintly. “When are you planning to settle down?”
Jun sighed, expecting that her sister would say that. He shrugged, and resumed putting the remaining toys from the box her sister brought in this time.
“Jun...” Juri urged Jun to tell what was in his mind.
“I’m settled.” Jun admitted, but the look in his eyes told Juri there was something more. Before she could speak, Jun cut her in it. “I’m settled in my own way.”
Juri heaved another sighed. If Jun told her so, then she’d let it be. She was sure everything would be okay.
“There you are.”
The siblings turned to the door where the sound came from. There, they saw Nino and Ohno standing by.
“Ohno-kun! Nino-kun! Long time no see!” Juri greeted them. She stood up and gave each a hug. “Welcome back, Nino.” Juri added when she hugged Nino.
“And I thought you guys wouldn’t get out of your hole.” Jun shouted from where he was sitting. A smirk was in his face. He didn’t bother to stand up to give the newcomers a proper greeting though. His position there was already comfortable enough.
Jun wasn’t expecting the couple to be there that day, but he had expected they would drop by sooner or later. Ohno usually came here with him to entertain kids with art stuff before. Nino joined them when he and Ohno started dating. From then on, whenever Nino came back from America, the couple would make sure to come in the kindergarten as much as they could with or without Jun. Not that Jun did mind, everyone was welcome to help out anyways.
“I miss you too, Jun-pon.” Nino said, blowing a kiss in Jun’s direction. Jun would have given him a finger, but then they were in a place where kids might pop up any time. They might see it by chance. Plus, his sister would surely strangle him. Ohno and Juri laughed in the background.
“Ah, it’s good that you are here Ohno-kun.” Juri said to Ohno. “The kids are always looking forward to seeing you draw something for them.” Juri clapped her hands, making Ohno smile. Ohno looked at Nino, asking for permission in silence. Nino chuckled and nodded.
“Shall we?” Juri asked, leading the way. Ohno followed after placing a kiss on Nino’s temple. Nino entered the room, taking Juri’s place in helping Jun organize the toys.
“Rough night?” Nino smirked, making Jun groan.
“Is everyone going to point that out? Really?” Jun scoffed in disbelief.
“I’m just asking.” Nino grinned, raising both hands in mock surrender. Their conversation then adjusted to a lot of trivial things. It consisted of Nino’s time in America, of projects and photo shoots Jun and Ohno participated at, and things they just liked to talk about.
“If everything is settled there, I might finally come back here for good.” Nino declared as he stood up to put the empty boxes aside.
“Really?” Jun looked at Nino excitedly, waiting for him to elaborate more.
“Yeah. I just need to finish one more project when I go back there. After that, I’m practically free.” Nino said. He walked towards Jun, stopping in front of him with a dreamy look in his eyes.
“I’m happy to hear that.” Jun said honestly. “Just please don’t make Ohno absent when there’s an important photo shoot.” He added mischievously.
“Hey, what can I do? Make-up se- Umph!” Jun abruptly stood up and covered Nino’s mouth before the latter could spurt out words not appropriate for children to hear.
“Umph~ Whedwo!” Nino struggled, and for some reason Jun felt his sadist side surging out of him. Maybe it was payback since he was sure Nino was the reason why Ohno didn’t come to their last photoshoot.
“Nope.” Jun deadpanned, grinning in victory until something caught his eyes by the door.
Jun let go of Nino’s mouth instantly. He fidgeted, and he hoped Nino noticed it since the latter seemed to be ready to pounce at him at any moment. Thankfully, Nino did after following his gaze. By the door, a boy was standing, looking at them with his round eyes.
Jun and Nino felt embarrassed. They weren’t expecting to see a kid in that area at that time. Everyone was gathered already in the eating hall since it was snack time. Also, if Ohno was there already with Juri, then they’d probably proceed to do some art stuff.
Jun tried to salvage the situation, approaching the kid. He squatted in front of him and asked, “Are you lost, boy?”
The boy didn't reply. Maybe he was afraid of admitting that he was indeed lost. He just looked back and forth between Jun and Nino, settling on looking at Nino in the end. Nino approached them, squatting beside Jun. “Hi there. You’re new here, right?” Nino said.
Now that Nino mentioned it, the boy was unfamiliar in Jun’s eyes. He had been visiting the kindergarten as frequently as he could, and by then, he probably knew each kid in the kindergarten. This was the first time he met the kid, but there was something similar with the kid that Jun couldn’t pinpoint.
“What’s your name then?” Jun was the one who asked this time.
“Shojiro, Mister.” The boy answered courteously while facing him.
“Shojiro huh?” Jun heard Nino muttering in his side, but didn’t comment at it. He was the rather curious with the boy.
“Should we join your classmates then?” Jun asked, and Shojiro nodded as a reply. Jun smiled at the boy, extending out his hand for the boy to take it. Instead of doing that, Shojiro reached out to him, silently asking to be lifted up. Jun laughed with delight, granting the kid’s request. He lifted Shojiro up, who instantly hugged him back. Shojiro hid his face against Jun’s neck, making the adult to chuckle. Once he was sure the kid was secure in his arms, Jun made his way towards the eating hall to join the others.
Jun didn’t notice that Nino hadn’t followed him there. The latter just stood in the same spot, looking at them with amusement and interest in his eyes.
It was already half an hour after two in the afternoon when Jun went back to the classroom. He had been in the kitchen, helping out the cook in preparing the afternoon snack for the kids. The students were scrambling around. Some chose to play with toys. Others chose to stay with Ohno to continue drawing. There was a group listening intently to Nino who was reading a story animatedly. One student though was alone in a corner, reading a book.
Jun smiled, quite amused with the serious way the boy read his book. For some reason, it reminded him of someone. He just didn't know who.
"I see Shojiro-kun has gotten your attention then?"
Jun looked to his side, finding Becky, another teacher in the kindergarten, standing beside him.
"He's new?" Jun asked. He didn't get to ask his older sister earlier when he arrived with Shojiro in the eating hall. Juri had ushered the boy to eat while some girls monopolized his attention because they had missed him.
"Yeah. I think he just started attending here last Monday since his family just transferred from Chiba." Becky explained. Jun nodded at that, continuing to observe the boy. Maybe that was why Shojiro was still reluctant to interact with anyone.
"Who's his mother?" Jun asked before he could stop himself. He was really curious who were the parents were. There was just really a resemblance he could see within the child, which he was still trying to figure out.
"I think her name was Yuka-san? I'm not sure though. I only saw her once since she rarely picks up Shojiro-kun, and when she does, she’s usually late." Becky replied. Jun noticed how Becky became sad after saying the last sentence.
When Becky excused herself to pacify some kids who got into an argument, Jun decided to approach Shojiro. He had nothing to do anyways, so he might as well be useful.
"Hey, aren't you going to join the others?" Jun asked tentatively. Shojiro looked at Jun like he was considering whether to ignore him or to say something. Shojiro opted on shaking his head in reply.
“Why not?” Jun asked, sitting in front of the kid, his legs crossed like Shojiro’s.
“I want to be alone.” Shojiro replied stubbornly. The boy might have irritated others with his attitude, but Jun only felt amusement.
“Come on! Let’s see what you are reading.” Jun said, moving to sit beside Shojiro. The boy was glaring at him, watching his every move intently. Jun didn’t let it bother him, examining the book instead. “You can read this on your own already?” Jun asked in amazement. “Wow! You’re good!”
Jun could see the boy’s eyes glinted with happiness at his praise, shyly nodding, “There are words I can’t...” the boy added afterwards, looking at the book Jun was now holding. Jun was pleased with the way Shojiro was responding at him. Shojiro was still careful around people. It was probably because he was from Chiba, and everything was still new to him. Well, that’s a start.
“Then, read it to me. If you don’t know, then ask me okay?” Jun encouraged. He could see the Shojiro’s eagerness to learn after all.
Shojiro smiled, seeming to like the idea. He didn’t even protest when Jun asked him to sit between Jun’s legs. He just comfortably sat there, reading out loud as Jun guided him along the difficult words.
Jun didn’t mind explaining words Shojiro found confusing. He was patient, and he could see happiness in Shojiro that he didn’t see before when he first met the boy. Maybe that was why Jun was drawn to Shojiro from the very start.
Things got more interesting from then on for Jun. Although he didn’t hear from Sho for quite a while again, things were still eventful. It wasn’t like it was the first time Sho did this. Jun did notice that his contact with Sho had dwindled through the weeks, and he wondered if something was wrong. He winced at the thought that Sho’s wife might have found out about their affair.
Coming to the kindergarten was the distraction Jun needed. He felt sorry that he started neglecting his real work. He could only check about the studio’s status in the afternoon after his time in the kindergarten after all. Mao diminished his worry. She said that it would do him good to be surrounded with kids, joking that it could remove his Mr. Stoic image. Plus, it was fun to boss around while he was gone. Their workload wasn’t that heavy during those months in any case. It wasn’t that their work was busy this season anyways. Jun was glad that he could focus his attention on things other than his work and Sho for a while.
Ohno and Nino were on the same boat as him - except for the part about Sho. Juri was delighted how everyone was willing to help out since they were short in hands. One teacher was in a maternity leave while a staff was recovering from an accident. The children didn’t object either, and neither did the parents upon learning about the situation.
Jun noticed Shojiro had been following him since then. If he played with others, Shojiro would silently play along too. If he read books to some kids, Shojiro would listen to him intently. Jun found it cute because although Shojiro was hiding it, Jun could see that Shojiro had been trying to get his attention.
“If I had a say on it, I’d say the kid has a crush on you.” Nino joked one time when he and Jun stood by the tree, watching as the kids played in the playground.
“Don’t be like that.” Jun laughed. When he noticed Shojiro waving at him, Jun waved back gleefully before the boy ran again. Jun was glad that Shojiro was now opening up to everyone in the kindergarten, mingling with his classmates and playing with them.
“Do you know who Shojiro’s parents are?” Nino asked out of the blue.
“Arimura Yuka-san.” Jun replied, pertaining to Shojiro’s mother. He had a chance on meeting her one time when she picked Shojiro in the kindergarten. Jun was around that time, noticing how sharp and elegant Shojiro’s mother looked. “I never met his father though.” Jun added afterwards. He was about to ask Nino why the latter asked. Before he could, Shojiro had dragged him to play along. Jun couldn’t really say no. He didn’t want to remove the smile on Shojiro’s lips, and Jun always loved to see that.
Too bad it didn’t last long because Shojiro had a frown in his face when classes had ended. He was sitting by the porch of the school. Each of his classmates had gone home already, but he was still there waiting for someone to pick him up.
“Arimura-san hasn’t arrived yet?” Jun asked her sister after he got off the line with Mao, who was giving reports about the well-being of the studio. His sister, who had been observing Shojiro, shook her head.
“Doesn’t she know when the class ends?” Jun asked. Annoyance was evident in his tone.
“Well, it isn’t the first time this happened.” Juri stated sadly. Jun cringed at that. He remembered Becky saying the same t about Shojiro’s mother.
“Have you talked to her?” Jun asked. This might be him prying too much, but it was about a child’s welfare. He was sure his sister didn’t mind.
Juri shook her head again. Jun clicked his tongue. He needed to take the matters in his hands. He might not be Shojiro’s teacher, but this was all about Shojiro. Jun couldn’t help but be protective of the kid, although he wouldn’t admit it out loud.
“Onee-chan, tell Arimura-san to meet me at the park two blocks away. I’m going to treat Shojiro to some ice cream.” Jun said without a beat, surprising his sister.
Before Juri could say anything, Jun went to Shojiro to tell him about his plan, to which the child readily agreed. The two then set out to the ice cream parlor near the park hand in hand.
About an hour later, Jun could see Shojiro’s mother walking towards them. Jun had been waiting, sitting in a bench in a park with Shojiro already sleeping on his lap. Once again, Arimura was looking sharp as ever in her business attire, yet Jun could tell how tired she was. He initially planned on scolding her. Children must be the parents’ first priority after all. But then, Jun couldn’t really have a say on it. He wasn’t a parent after all. Maybe a talk would just be fine. It wouldn’t hurt to get to know more about Shojiro’s family right? Plus, by the look of it, it seemed Arimura needed someone to talk with.
Arimura gave him a small bow as a greeting when she approached them. With Jun’s position, he could only give a brisk nod as a reply.
“He fell asleep huh?” Arimura said, fondly while looking at the bundle of joy in Jun’s arms.
“Yeah, he had been running around earlier.” Jun replied.
As if knowing he was the subject of the talk, Shojiro stirred in his sleep, snuggling closer as possible against Jun’s chest while mumbling something incoherent.
Jun made a silent chuckle, caressing Shojiro’s head to urge the boy to continue sleeping before he settled his hand in the boy’s back. When Jun looked up, Arimura was smiling at him, before sitting beside him. She planted a kiss on Shojiro’s forehead.
There was a pregnant pause between them. Jun couldn’t bring himself to speak. Although Jun wanted to ask questions, he couldn’t. He was afraid he would be prying in Shojiro’s family. Well, you already are idiot. Jun scolded himself.
“Shojiro speaks a lot about you, Matsumoto-san.” Arimura broke their silence. Jun looked at Arimura before looking back at Shojiro with a gentle smile.
“I would really like to thank you for everything you have done for Shojiro.” Arimura added next.
“I didn’t really do much, Arimura-san.” Jun denied, although he really felt overwhelmed knowing Shojiro noticed his efforts, and so did Arimura.
There was a sigh from Arimura after that. It was tired and long, and Jun wanted to ask what was wrong. Instead, he waited for her to speak up on her own. She did after looking aimlessly in the park with a sad smile. “I really feel sorry for Shojiro. He had to go all through this at such an early age.”
Jun was puzzled with Arimura’s words, but he was enlightened a second later as Arimura explained the whole situation to Jun.
Jun learned that Arimura got divorced with his husband almost two years ago. Shojiro was three years old when everything was settled, and the custody was handed to Arimura. They moved back to Chiba and lived with Arimura’s relatives there for the past year. While living there, Arimura landed a stable job in a company branch, earning a promotion to the main office back in Tokyo. Jun could see that caring for a child as a single mother was taking a toll on her.
“My cousin who lives here helps me from time to time. He is fond of him after all... but...” Arimura paused, leaving her sentence hanging. She heaved again a sigh.
“Sometimes, it’s still too much.” Arimura admitted. It made Jun sad. From the sound of it, it seemed Shojiro was a burden. Unconsciously, Jun looked at Shojiro, caressing his head. When he looked up, Arimura was looking at Shojiro.
“I love Shojiro so much. He’s the greatest thing that happened to me… but...”
And there was it again that ‘but’ that alerted Jun. He would have surely been mad with all the things Arimura had been saying, but for some reason, he couldn’t. Somehow, he found familiarity with Arimura’s situation.
“But it’s hard to let go of the opportunity now that I finally got the chance.” Arimura continued her words. “I finally got the chance to make things right for my life again. I want my own start.” She said, looking away dejectedly.
Jun was silent, considering things before he spoke. He found hilarity at the fact how similar yet different his situation with Arimura’s.
It’s hard to let him go too.
If Arimura had her son to consider whether she would accept this opportunity she was saying, Jun had Sho’s family to think whether he should keep his relationship with Sho or not. These were two completely different situations yet he and Arimura-san found themselves in the same fork road. There were two choices, and one would be completely lost when the other would be chosen. Which of the two would be the lesser evil then?
Somehow, Jun knew Arimura had made her choice. What about him then?
It got Jun thinking again. Although it might seem that Jun was nonchalant about his ambiguous relationship with Sho, he was terribly missing the guy. He always did whenever Sho decided to suddenly disappear. There was also fear that lurked in Jun’s mind. He was afraid that one day Sho wouldn’t come back anymore. He knew their relationship was heading to its doom one day under the circumstance, yet Jun kept holding on. What did make him hold onto it anyway? It was complicated, and it brought nothing to Jun but heartache especially after knowing that Sho wasn’t his alone. Sho had his own family, and family had always been the first priority.
In the midst of his reverie about himself, Jun remembered that someone hadn’t made an appearance yet in Shojiro’s life. He started, “Arimura-san, if you don’t mind me asking...”
Arimura faced Jun again.
“Where is Shojiro’s father?”
There was another pregnant pause. Arimura sighed. “He-,”
Before Arimura could continue, Jun’s phone rang. Thankfully, it wasn’t enough noise to wake Shojiro up. The boy just stirred. Jun let Arimura to take Shojiro in her arms, excusing himself to take the call. When he was far, he answered without looking at the caller’s name. “Hello?”
"Jun..."
Jun’s eyes had widened in recognition. His heart thumped at his chest rapidly. It had been almost two weeks since he hadn't heard his voice, but Jun felt like it was for ages.
“Yes?” Jun answered.
“Can you meet me now? I’m in your apartment building.” The man on the other line asked.
Jun bit his lower lip, contemplating as he looked to the direction of his apartment. He knew that this meeting wouldn’t bring anything to him but heartache again. It always does. The voice in the other line wasn’t comforting either. It sounded urgent and sad. Jun was afraid of what would be awaiting him after meeting up with Sho again. Jun glanced back at Arimura and Shojiro, and something snapped inside him.
Jun made a choice because he didn’t want to always go back at this time while asking the “what ifs”. It was a selfish choice, but Jun was determined.
“Wait for me there. I’m on my way.” Jun said firmly.
“I’ll be waiting.” The other man replied before hanging up.
He went back to where Arimura and Shojiro were, saying his goodbyes. “I’m sorry, but something urgent came up. I need to go.” Jun apologized, getting his bag. He was about to run off when Arimura called him.
“Matsumoto-san!”
Jun stopped, looking back at Arimura. “Please take good care of my son from now on too.” Arimura smiled, but the way she said it puzzled Jun. It was like she was saying goodbye. Instead of dwelling on it, Jun bowed and headed off.
It took him at least fifteen minutes of running to get to his apartment form the park. Rather than waiting for the elevator to arrive at the ground floor, he took the stairs. It was a dumb decision since his apartment was in the seventh floor, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to see Sho as soon as possible. Jun was breathless when he got there, crouching down to catch his breath. Idiot! He scolded himself.
“Jun?”
Jun looked up, and there he was, standing in front of him and looking worried. “Are you okay?”
“Sho...” Jun breathed out before jumping to the other and crashing their lips.
Sho was startled, but he managed to catch Jun, getting his footing right to avoid falling down with Jun’s added weight. Their lips were dancing, tongues and mouths merged together. Sho put him down when their kisses subsided to pecks. Jun pulled away a little. His face was lingering close to Sho’s, breathing in Sho’s manly scent. The younger male couldn't really get enough of this.
“What’s that all about?” Sho asked Jun, chuckling.
“I just missed you.” Jun replied, hugging Sho without a second thought. Jun felt Sho stiffened in his arms, and Jun wondered if it had anything to do with his previous words. It was the first time he was vocal about it after their relationship turned like this, an affair behind Sho's family. Jun stayed like that for awhile. He didn’t mind if Sho wasn’t hugging him back. He just needed to feel the older man close to him again. When Jun pulled away again, he grabbed Sho’s right hand and guided the man to his apartment. It was hard on his part, unlocking his door with only one hand. Still, he didn’t want to let go of Sho’s hand.
On the other hand, Sho stayed silent. Jun didn’t mind because he felt words weren’t needed. He felt that if words were uttered by any of them again, it would be something neither of them would like.
Once inside, Sho stopped by the genkan, making Jun stop too. He finally spoke, “I need to talk to you.”
Jun heaved a sigh. Trust Sho to be courteous all the time. Jun laughed inwardly. “Well, you’re here now. Then talk.” Jun said without looking at Sho, but still not letting go of Sho’s hand.
“Jun... I...” Sho stuttered. Jun could feel Sho was nervous, and he wondered what it was about.
“We should stop this.” Sho finally said.
Jun’s eyes enlarged, especially after feeling Sho gently pulling back the hand he was holding. It was ironic that Sho’s left hand was the one removing his grip around Sho’s wrist. Jun could feel the coldness of the golden band against his skin. When Jun looked back, Sho couldn’t look straight back to him.
Jun wanted to laugh so hard at the turn of events. And here he was, trying to salvage whatever it was that they had. On the other hand, Sho had called him because he wanted out.
"I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore." Sho added, sounding solemn, and Jun really wanted to punch the other, so he could remove the sorrow Sho had on his face.
Jun didn't want that. He didn't want pity. I only wanted you and your love.
Just like Arimura, Jun had made his decision the moment he ran towards his apartment building to meet Sho. He was willing to risk it. He was willing to ask Sho, to beg to the other man to choose him because he knew it at heart that he would love Sho more than anyone in the world. Sho's family be damned! It was cruel, and Jun didn’t care anymore. It was just that he was in love.
Suddenly, Jun also remembered about Shojiro.
“I really feel sorry for Shojiro. He had to go all through this at such an early age.”
Jun took a deep breath. He reached out to Sho's chin to look straight into his eyes. Jun was reminded how beautiful Sho's eyes were, how he was drawn to them from the first time he saw them, and how he always wanted to look at them. No matter how blurred Jun's sight was because of his tears, Jun could still see the beauty in Sho's sad eyes.
Jun had decided then. He would still take his chance, but... "Three days, Sho..." Jun said. His eyes were determined as he looked at Sho. "Spend three days with me, and at the end, you choose whether it's me or them."
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3----------
Additional notes from the Author:
So, what do you think so far? Who is Shojiro and Arimura-san eh? Nurufufufufu~~~ Any suspicions about the other characters? I dunno if you guys noticed it but I titled chapters in accordance to their chapter number.
This is tentative list of the upcoming chapters:
Half Time
One Ring
Two Choices
Three Days
Four Years Old
Five O' Clock/ After Fifth Period
Six Years Ago
Seventh Floor
Eight Weeks
Nine Miles
Ten Shots
Love to hear from you guys! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!
Pairing: Sakumoto, Ohmiya, Sho/??, Sho/OC
Rating: PG13
Chapter - Word Count: Chapter 2 - 4798 words
Genre: AU, Angst, Drama, Family, Fluff, Kid, Romance
Summary: "Did you hate me when I didn't fight for you before?" Sho asked before it was too late. The other man paused and then turned to look back at him. The other looked up, thinking intently before looking back at Sho and shaking his head, "Maybe at first... But then you made me realize that something that is perfect isn't real happiness, and so instead, I'm thankful."
Beta: akhikaru
Author’s Notes: Wow, I'm in schedule. Aren't I improving? I hope this will be the start. Nurufufufu~~~ New characters coming along the way. Hope you'll enjoy this. Aside to my dearest beta, Hikaru-chan, also thankful to lilly0, purplemim, octavialao, yumiiimori, and learashi. You beauties are awesome! :3
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Two Choices
It was one morning when Jun was in a room. There was a shelf in front of him and a box of toys at his side. He was sitting on the floor, putting the toys from the box in their rightful places in the shelf. Jun paused for a while, looking at what seemed to be a soccer ball for kids he got from the box he was emptying.
"Soccer huh?" Jun murmured. There was a fond smile in his lips as he remembered someone through it.
Sho loves soccer.
Although, he was distracted, he couldn’t help but squirm from time to time. The floor wasn’t the best place to sit at the moment.
"Rough night?" Jun looked up, raising an eyebrow at his sister who just entered the room with another box. Juri, Jun's older sister, was a teacher in a kindergarten. If he had time, he would come there and play with the children.
"I’d rather say it was satisfying." Jun grinned, but it turned into a wince a second later. He was trying to put another toy back to the shelf when the movement made him quite uncomfortable again. He was still sore after all. Juri, who noticed it, had a hearty laugh before joining him. She sat beside him and helped him in arranging the toys.
"I'm glad you help out here from time to time, but you do have work too. Is it okay to be absent?" Juri asked.
Jun smiled. "Don't worry. It’s okay. Today is a slow day anyways." He reassured her before taking out the last toy from his box. There wasn’t much happening in the studio anyways, and he trusted his subordinates would do just fine without him there. "And I'm the boss so they don't have a say on it." Jun added, wiggling his eyebrows.
Juri hummed in response, but Jun could feel there was something else his sister would like to add. “What’s wrong?”
“You have that look again.” Juri turned serious all of sudden. Her words had effectively paused whatever she and Jun were doing.
“What do you mean?” Jun asked, but he had a vague idea where their talk would be heading.
Juri sighed, biting her lower lip and having second thoughts. Jun nudged her by bumping her shoulder with his, urging her to continue. Juri looked up and smiled faintly. “When are you planning to settle down?”
Jun sighed, expecting that her sister would say that. He shrugged, and resumed putting the remaining toys from the box her sister brought in this time.
“Jun...” Juri urged Jun to tell what was in his mind.
“I’m settled.” Jun admitted, but the look in his eyes told Juri there was something more. Before she could speak, Jun cut her in it. “I’m settled in my own way.”
Juri heaved another sighed. If Jun told her so, then she’d let it be. She was sure everything would be okay.
“There you are.”
The siblings turned to the door where the sound came from. There, they saw Nino and Ohno standing by.
“Ohno-kun! Nino-kun! Long time no see!” Juri greeted them. She stood up and gave each a hug. “Welcome back, Nino.” Juri added when she hugged Nino.
“And I thought you guys wouldn’t get out of your hole.” Jun shouted from where he was sitting. A smirk was in his face. He didn’t bother to stand up to give the newcomers a proper greeting though. His position there was already comfortable enough.
Jun wasn’t expecting the couple to be there that day, but he had expected they would drop by sooner or later. Ohno usually came here with him to entertain kids with art stuff before. Nino joined them when he and Ohno started dating. From then on, whenever Nino came back from America, the couple would make sure to come in the kindergarten as much as they could with or without Jun. Not that Jun did mind, everyone was welcome to help out anyways.
“I miss you too, Jun-pon.” Nino said, blowing a kiss in Jun’s direction. Jun would have given him a finger, but then they were in a place where kids might pop up any time. They might see it by chance. Plus, his sister would surely strangle him. Ohno and Juri laughed in the background.
“Ah, it’s good that you are here Ohno-kun.” Juri said to Ohno. “The kids are always looking forward to seeing you draw something for them.” Juri clapped her hands, making Ohno smile. Ohno looked at Nino, asking for permission in silence. Nino chuckled and nodded.
“Shall we?” Juri asked, leading the way. Ohno followed after placing a kiss on Nino’s temple. Nino entered the room, taking Juri’s place in helping Jun organize the toys.
“Rough night?” Nino smirked, making Jun groan.
“Is everyone going to point that out? Really?” Jun scoffed in disbelief.
“I’m just asking.” Nino grinned, raising both hands in mock surrender. Their conversation then adjusted to a lot of trivial things. It consisted of Nino’s time in America, of projects and photo shoots Jun and Ohno participated at, and things they just liked to talk about.
“If everything is settled there, I might finally come back here for good.” Nino declared as he stood up to put the empty boxes aside.
“Really?” Jun looked at Nino excitedly, waiting for him to elaborate more.
“Yeah. I just need to finish one more project when I go back there. After that, I’m practically free.” Nino said. He walked towards Jun, stopping in front of him with a dreamy look in his eyes.
“I’m happy to hear that.” Jun said honestly. “Just please don’t make Ohno absent when there’s an important photo shoot.” He added mischievously.
“Hey, what can I do? Make-up se- Umph!” Jun abruptly stood up and covered Nino’s mouth before the latter could spurt out words not appropriate for children to hear.
“Umph~ Whedwo!” Nino struggled, and for some reason Jun felt his sadist side surging out of him. Maybe it was payback since he was sure Nino was the reason why Ohno didn’t come to their last photoshoot.
“Nope.” Jun deadpanned, grinning in victory until something caught his eyes by the door.
Jun let go of Nino’s mouth instantly. He fidgeted, and he hoped Nino noticed it since the latter seemed to be ready to pounce at him at any moment. Thankfully, Nino did after following his gaze. By the door, a boy was standing, looking at them with his round eyes.
Jun and Nino felt embarrassed. They weren’t expecting to see a kid in that area at that time. Everyone was gathered already in the eating hall since it was snack time. Also, if Ohno was there already with Juri, then they’d probably proceed to do some art stuff.
Jun tried to salvage the situation, approaching the kid. He squatted in front of him and asked, “Are you lost, boy?”
The boy didn't reply. Maybe he was afraid of admitting that he was indeed lost. He just looked back and forth between Jun and Nino, settling on looking at Nino in the end. Nino approached them, squatting beside Jun. “Hi there. You’re new here, right?” Nino said.
Now that Nino mentioned it, the boy was unfamiliar in Jun’s eyes. He had been visiting the kindergarten as frequently as he could, and by then, he probably knew each kid in the kindergarten. This was the first time he met the kid, but there was something similar with the kid that Jun couldn’t pinpoint.
“What’s your name then?” Jun was the one who asked this time.
“Shojiro, Mister.” The boy answered courteously while facing him.
“Shojiro huh?” Jun heard Nino muttering in his side, but didn’t comment at it. He was the rather curious with the boy.
“Should we join your classmates then?” Jun asked, and Shojiro nodded as a reply. Jun smiled at the boy, extending out his hand for the boy to take it. Instead of doing that, Shojiro reached out to him, silently asking to be lifted up. Jun laughed with delight, granting the kid’s request. He lifted Shojiro up, who instantly hugged him back. Shojiro hid his face against Jun’s neck, making the adult to chuckle. Once he was sure the kid was secure in his arms, Jun made his way towards the eating hall to join the others.
Jun didn’t notice that Nino hadn’t followed him there. The latter just stood in the same spot, looking at them with amusement and interest in his eyes.
It was already half an hour after two in the afternoon when Jun went back to the classroom. He had been in the kitchen, helping out the cook in preparing the afternoon snack for the kids. The students were scrambling around. Some chose to play with toys. Others chose to stay with Ohno to continue drawing. There was a group listening intently to Nino who was reading a story animatedly. One student though was alone in a corner, reading a book.
Jun smiled, quite amused with the serious way the boy read his book. For some reason, it reminded him of someone. He just didn't know who.
"I see Shojiro-kun has gotten your attention then?"
Jun looked to his side, finding Becky, another teacher in the kindergarten, standing beside him.
"He's new?" Jun asked. He didn't get to ask his older sister earlier when he arrived with Shojiro in the eating hall. Juri had ushered the boy to eat while some girls monopolized his attention because they had missed him.
"Yeah. I think he just started attending here last Monday since his family just transferred from Chiba." Becky explained. Jun nodded at that, continuing to observe the boy. Maybe that was why Shojiro was still reluctant to interact with anyone.
"Who's his mother?" Jun asked before he could stop himself. He was really curious who were the parents were. There was just really a resemblance he could see within the child, which he was still trying to figure out.
"I think her name was Yuka-san? I'm not sure though. I only saw her once since she rarely picks up Shojiro-kun, and when she does, she’s usually late." Becky replied. Jun noticed how Becky became sad after saying the last sentence.
When Becky excused herself to pacify some kids who got into an argument, Jun decided to approach Shojiro. He had nothing to do anyways, so he might as well be useful.
"Hey, aren't you going to join the others?" Jun asked tentatively. Shojiro looked at Jun like he was considering whether to ignore him or to say something. Shojiro opted on shaking his head in reply.
“Why not?” Jun asked, sitting in front of the kid, his legs crossed like Shojiro’s.
“I want to be alone.” Shojiro replied stubbornly. The boy might have irritated others with his attitude, but Jun only felt amusement.
“Come on! Let’s see what you are reading.” Jun said, moving to sit beside Shojiro. The boy was glaring at him, watching his every move intently. Jun didn’t let it bother him, examining the book instead. “You can read this on your own already?” Jun asked in amazement. “Wow! You’re good!”
Jun could see the boy’s eyes glinted with happiness at his praise, shyly nodding, “There are words I can’t...” the boy added afterwards, looking at the book Jun was now holding. Jun was pleased with the way Shojiro was responding at him. Shojiro was still careful around people. It was probably because he was from Chiba, and everything was still new to him. Well, that’s a start.
“Then, read it to me. If you don’t know, then ask me okay?” Jun encouraged. He could see the Shojiro’s eagerness to learn after all.
Shojiro smiled, seeming to like the idea. He didn’t even protest when Jun asked him to sit between Jun’s legs. He just comfortably sat there, reading out loud as Jun guided him along the difficult words.
Jun didn’t mind explaining words Shojiro found confusing. He was patient, and he could see happiness in Shojiro that he didn’t see before when he first met the boy. Maybe that was why Jun was drawn to Shojiro from the very start.
Things got more interesting from then on for Jun. Although he didn’t hear from Sho for quite a while again, things were still eventful. It wasn’t like it was the first time Sho did this. Jun did notice that his contact with Sho had dwindled through the weeks, and he wondered if something was wrong. He winced at the thought that Sho’s wife might have found out about their affair.
Coming to the kindergarten was the distraction Jun needed. He felt sorry that he started neglecting his real work. He could only check about the studio’s status in the afternoon after his time in the kindergarten after all. Mao diminished his worry. She said that it would do him good to be surrounded with kids, joking that it could remove his Mr. Stoic image. Plus, it was fun to boss around while he was gone. Their workload wasn’t that heavy during those months in any case. It wasn’t that their work was busy this season anyways. Jun was glad that he could focus his attention on things other than his work and Sho for a while.
Ohno and Nino were on the same boat as him - except for the part about Sho. Juri was delighted how everyone was willing to help out since they were short in hands. One teacher was in a maternity leave while a staff was recovering from an accident. The children didn’t object either, and neither did the parents upon learning about the situation.
Jun noticed Shojiro had been following him since then. If he played with others, Shojiro would silently play along too. If he read books to some kids, Shojiro would listen to him intently. Jun found it cute because although Shojiro was hiding it, Jun could see that Shojiro had been trying to get his attention.
“If I had a say on it, I’d say the kid has a crush on you.” Nino joked one time when he and Jun stood by the tree, watching as the kids played in the playground.
“Don’t be like that.” Jun laughed. When he noticed Shojiro waving at him, Jun waved back gleefully before the boy ran again. Jun was glad that Shojiro was now opening up to everyone in the kindergarten, mingling with his classmates and playing with them.
“Do you know who Shojiro’s parents are?” Nino asked out of the blue.
“Arimura Yuka-san.” Jun replied, pertaining to Shojiro’s mother. He had a chance on meeting her one time when she picked Shojiro in the kindergarten. Jun was around that time, noticing how sharp and elegant Shojiro’s mother looked. “I never met his father though.” Jun added afterwards. He was about to ask Nino why the latter asked. Before he could, Shojiro had dragged him to play along. Jun couldn’t really say no. He didn’t want to remove the smile on Shojiro’s lips, and Jun always loved to see that.
Too bad it didn’t last long because Shojiro had a frown in his face when classes had ended. He was sitting by the porch of the school. Each of his classmates had gone home already, but he was still there waiting for someone to pick him up.
“Arimura-san hasn’t arrived yet?” Jun asked her sister after he got off the line with Mao, who was giving reports about the well-being of the studio. His sister, who had been observing Shojiro, shook her head.
“Doesn’t she know when the class ends?” Jun asked. Annoyance was evident in his tone.
“Well, it isn’t the first time this happened.” Juri stated sadly. Jun cringed at that. He remembered Becky saying the same t about Shojiro’s mother.
“Have you talked to her?” Jun asked. This might be him prying too much, but it was about a child’s welfare. He was sure his sister didn’t mind.
Juri shook her head again. Jun clicked his tongue. He needed to take the matters in his hands. He might not be Shojiro’s teacher, but this was all about Shojiro. Jun couldn’t help but be protective of the kid, although he wouldn’t admit it out loud.
“Onee-chan, tell Arimura-san to meet me at the park two blocks away. I’m going to treat Shojiro to some ice cream.” Jun said without a beat, surprising his sister.
Before Juri could say anything, Jun went to Shojiro to tell him about his plan, to which the child readily agreed. The two then set out to the ice cream parlor near the park hand in hand.
About an hour later, Jun could see Shojiro’s mother walking towards them. Jun had been waiting, sitting in a bench in a park with Shojiro already sleeping on his lap. Once again, Arimura was looking sharp as ever in her business attire, yet Jun could tell how tired she was. He initially planned on scolding her. Children must be the parents’ first priority after all. But then, Jun couldn’t really have a say on it. He wasn’t a parent after all. Maybe a talk would just be fine. It wouldn’t hurt to get to know more about Shojiro’s family right? Plus, by the look of it, it seemed Arimura needed someone to talk with.
Arimura gave him a small bow as a greeting when she approached them. With Jun’s position, he could only give a brisk nod as a reply.
“He fell asleep huh?” Arimura said, fondly while looking at the bundle of joy in Jun’s arms.
“Yeah, he had been running around earlier.” Jun replied.
As if knowing he was the subject of the talk, Shojiro stirred in his sleep, snuggling closer as possible against Jun’s chest while mumbling something incoherent.
Jun made a silent chuckle, caressing Shojiro’s head to urge the boy to continue sleeping before he settled his hand in the boy’s back. When Jun looked up, Arimura was smiling at him, before sitting beside him. She planted a kiss on Shojiro’s forehead.
There was a pregnant pause between them. Jun couldn’t bring himself to speak. Although Jun wanted to ask questions, he couldn’t. He was afraid he would be prying in Shojiro’s family. Well, you already are idiot. Jun scolded himself.
“Shojiro speaks a lot about you, Matsumoto-san.” Arimura broke their silence. Jun looked at Arimura before looking back at Shojiro with a gentle smile.
“I would really like to thank you for everything you have done for Shojiro.” Arimura added next.
“I didn’t really do much, Arimura-san.” Jun denied, although he really felt overwhelmed knowing Shojiro noticed his efforts, and so did Arimura.
There was a sigh from Arimura after that. It was tired and long, and Jun wanted to ask what was wrong. Instead, he waited for her to speak up on her own. She did after looking aimlessly in the park with a sad smile. “I really feel sorry for Shojiro. He had to go all through this at such an early age.”
Jun was puzzled with Arimura’s words, but he was enlightened a second later as Arimura explained the whole situation to Jun.
Jun learned that Arimura got divorced with his husband almost two years ago. Shojiro was three years old when everything was settled, and the custody was handed to Arimura. They moved back to Chiba and lived with Arimura’s relatives there for the past year. While living there, Arimura landed a stable job in a company branch, earning a promotion to the main office back in Tokyo. Jun could see that caring for a child as a single mother was taking a toll on her.
“My cousin who lives here helps me from time to time. He is fond of him after all... but...” Arimura paused, leaving her sentence hanging. She heaved again a sigh.
“Sometimes, it’s still too much.” Arimura admitted. It made Jun sad. From the sound of it, it seemed Shojiro was a burden. Unconsciously, Jun looked at Shojiro, caressing his head. When he looked up, Arimura was looking at Shojiro.
“I love Shojiro so much. He’s the greatest thing that happened to me… but...”
And there was it again that ‘but’ that alerted Jun. He would have surely been mad with all the things Arimura had been saying, but for some reason, he couldn’t. Somehow, he found familiarity with Arimura’s situation.
“But it’s hard to let go of the opportunity now that I finally got the chance.” Arimura continued her words. “I finally got the chance to make things right for my life again. I want my own start.” She said, looking away dejectedly.
Jun was silent, considering things before he spoke. He found hilarity at the fact how similar yet different his situation with Arimura’s.
It’s hard to let him go too.
If Arimura had her son to consider whether she would accept this opportunity she was saying, Jun had Sho’s family to think whether he should keep his relationship with Sho or not. These were two completely different situations yet he and Arimura-san found themselves in the same fork road. There were two choices, and one would be completely lost when the other would be chosen. Which of the two would be the lesser evil then?
Somehow, Jun knew Arimura had made her choice. What about him then?
It got Jun thinking again. Although it might seem that Jun was nonchalant about his ambiguous relationship with Sho, he was terribly missing the guy. He always did whenever Sho decided to suddenly disappear. There was also fear that lurked in Jun’s mind. He was afraid that one day Sho wouldn’t come back anymore. He knew their relationship was heading to its doom one day under the circumstance, yet Jun kept holding on. What did make him hold onto it anyway? It was complicated, and it brought nothing to Jun but heartache especially after knowing that Sho wasn’t his alone. Sho had his own family, and family had always been the first priority.
In the midst of his reverie about himself, Jun remembered that someone hadn’t made an appearance yet in Shojiro’s life. He started, “Arimura-san, if you don’t mind me asking...”
Arimura faced Jun again.
“Where is Shojiro’s father?”
There was another pregnant pause. Arimura sighed. “He-,”
Before Arimura could continue, Jun’s phone rang. Thankfully, it wasn’t enough noise to wake Shojiro up. The boy just stirred. Jun let Arimura to take Shojiro in her arms, excusing himself to take the call. When he was far, he answered without looking at the caller’s name. “Hello?”
"Jun..."
Jun’s eyes had widened in recognition. His heart thumped at his chest rapidly. It had been almost two weeks since he hadn't heard his voice, but Jun felt like it was for ages.
“Yes?” Jun answered.
“Can you meet me now? I’m in your apartment building.” The man on the other line asked.
Jun bit his lower lip, contemplating as he looked to the direction of his apartment. He knew that this meeting wouldn’t bring anything to him but heartache again. It always does. The voice in the other line wasn’t comforting either. It sounded urgent and sad. Jun was afraid of what would be awaiting him after meeting up with Sho again. Jun glanced back at Arimura and Shojiro, and something snapped inside him.
Jun made a choice because he didn’t want to always go back at this time while asking the “what ifs”. It was a selfish choice, but Jun was determined.
“Wait for me there. I’m on my way.” Jun said firmly.
“I’ll be waiting.” The other man replied before hanging up.
He went back to where Arimura and Shojiro were, saying his goodbyes. “I’m sorry, but something urgent came up. I need to go.” Jun apologized, getting his bag. He was about to run off when Arimura called him.
“Matsumoto-san!”
Jun stopped, looking back at Arimura. “Please take good care of my son from now on too.” Arimura smiled, but the way she said it puzzled Jun. It was like she was saying goodbye. Instead of dwelling on it, Jun bowed and headed off.
It took him at least fifteen minutes of running to get to his apartment form the park. Rather than waiting for the elevator to arrive at the ground floor, he took the stairs. It was a dumb decision since his apartment was in the seventh floor, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to see Sho as soon as possible. Jun was breathless when he got there, crouching down to catch his breath. Idiot! He scolded himself.
“Jun?”
Jun looked up, and there he was, standing in front of him and looking worried. “Are you okay?”
“Sho...” Jun breathed out before jumping to the other and crashing their lips.
Sho was startled, but he managed to catch Jun, getting his footing right to avoid falling down with Jun’s added weight. Their lips were dancing, tongues and mouths merged together. Sho put him down when their kisses subsided to pecks. Jun pulled away a little. His face was lingering close to Sho’s, breathing in Sho’s manly scent. The younger male couldn't really get enough of this.
“What’s that all about?” Sho asked Jun, chuckling.
“I just missed you.” Jun replied, hugging Sho without a second thought. Jun felt Sho stiffened in his arms, and Jun wondered if it had anything to do with his previous words. It was the first time he was vocal about it after their relationship turned like this, an affair behind Sho's family. Jun stayed like that for awhile. He didn’t mind if Sho wasn’t hugging him back. He just needed to feel the older man close to him again. When Jun pulled away again, he grabbed Sho’s right hand and guided the man to his apartment. It was hard on his part, unlocking his door with only one hand. Still, he didn’t want to let go of Sho’s hand.
On the other hand, Sho stayed silent. Jun didn’t mind because he felt words weren’t needed. He felt that if words were uttered by any of them again, it would be something neither of them would like.
Once inside, Sho stopped by the genkan, making Jun stop too. He finally spoke, “I need to talk to you.”
Jun heaved a sigh. Trust Sho to be courteous all the time. Jun laughed inwardly. “Well, you’re here now. Then talk.” Jun said without looking at Sho, but still not letting go of Sho’s hand.
“Jun... I...” Sho stuttered. Jun could feel Sho was nervous, and he wondered what it was about.
“We should stop this.” Sho finally said.
Jun’s eyes enlarged, especially after feeling Sho gently pulling back the hand he was holding. It was ironic that Sho’s left hand was the one removing his grip around Sho’s wrist. Jun could feel the coldness of the golden band against his skin. When Jun looked back, Sho couldn’t look straight back to him.
Jun wanted to laugh so hard at the turn of events. And here he was, trying to salvage whatever it was that they had. On the other hand, Sho had called him because he wanted out.
"I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore." Sho added, sounding solemn, and Jun really wanted to punch the other, so he could remove the sorrow Sho had on his face.
Jun didn't want that. He didn't want pity. I only wanted you and your love.
Just like Arimura, Jun had made his decision the moment he ran towards his apartment building to meet Sho. He was willing to risk it. He was willing to ask Sho, to beg to the other man to choose him because he knew it at heart that he would love Sho more than anyone in the world. Sho's family be damned! It was cruel, and Jun didn’t care anymore. It was just that he was in love.
Suddenly, Jun also remembered about Shojiro.
“I really feel sorry for Shojiro. He had to go all through this at such an early age.”
Jun took a deep breath. He reached out to Sho's chin to look straight into his eyes. Jun was reminded how beautiful Sho's eyes were, how he was drawn to them from the first time he saw them, and how he always wanted to look at them. No matter how blurred Jun's sight was because of his tears, Jun could still see the beauty in Sho's sad eyes.
Jun had decided then. He would still take his chance, but... "Three days, Sho..." Jun said. His eyes were determined as he looked at Sho. "Spend three days with me, and at the end, you choose whether it's me or them."
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3----------
Additional notes from the Author:
So, what do you think so far? Who is Shojiro and Arimura-san eh? Nurufufufufu~~~ Any suspicions about the other characters? I dunno if you guys noticed it but I titled chapters in accordance to their chapter number.
This is tentative list of the upcoming chapters:
Half Time
One Ring
Two Choices
Three Days
Four Years Old
Five O' Clock/ After Fifth Period
Six Years Ago
Seventh Floor
Eight Weeks
Nine Miles
Ten Shots
Love to hear from you guys! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!