Step and Go
Title: Step and Go
Rating: PG13 (some language)
Pairing: Juntoshi (side pairing! Sakuraiba)
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: I guess Johnny’s technically owns Arashi, huh? Not me.
Chapter: Seven of ten (+prologue and epilogue)
Summary: Nino convinces Ohno to participate in a “who can seduce Jun first” contest after a particularly troublesome rehearsal.
Previous: Prologue, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six
Chapter 7
Since Ohno still had filming for Maou today, they had decided earlier to just meet at the restaurant. It was easier that way. Ohno wouldn’t be done until 8 p.m. or so, and Jun himself had some business to attend to anyway, for a photo shoot he was doing soon. Although Jun didn’t have a drama on his plate at the moment, it still seemed like he barely had a moment to himself to relax. But a moment was better than nothing.
Jun looked at his watch. He had been twenty minutes early to the bar, unable to sit still after his work was done. Thanks to Nino he had finally told Ohno how he felt, and although Leader hadn’t particularly looked like he believed him, Jun was feeling somewhat confident that this would work.
Then again, he was always confident when he was alone, it was when Ohno was sitting right next to him, not meaning to look so cute and confused, that Jun really lost himself to his nerves.
He took a deep breath. He had told Ohno he liked him. That was the first step.
He mentally thanked Nino again, although he couldn’t help but feel guilty about the whole situation. Once more, he told himself that all he could do was ignore the Nino problem and progress with Ohno a little further. When he felt emotionally stable again, he would start looking into his own solution to that particular problem, since Ohno and Nino were being stupid themselves. It was obvious that Nino’s approach had been to abandon his own feelings and make sure that Jun was happy with Ohno, but it seemed like Ohno was trying to do the same thing. From what Jun could deduce, Ohno would rather Jun and Nino get together. It was becoming annoying, especially because, in the end, it was Jun’s decision on who to choose. The pressure of the entire band was on his shoulders.
Of course he already knew it had to be Ohno. Even after all his self reflection, he couldn’t picture himself dating another man besides Ohno.
Well that wasn’t quite true. He could date Sho, probably, but only because the two of them could live together in peace, not cause any drama between the two of them, not see each other for weeks on end and be okay with it… He wasn’t sure about the sex part, but- Anyway, Sho was dating Aiba so none of that mattered anyway.
Jun tried to clear his head from his strange train of thought. He wasn’t into boys, no, it was just Ohno. Just Ohno and maybe that one-
No, just Ohno.
He checked his watch again. Five more minutes until their promised time. His heart was beating faster just thinking about it. Was he dressed appropriately? Since it was Ohno he didn’t think he needed to wear anything fancy, even if it was their first official date, but he didn’t want to come in his usual clothes, either.
So he had picked out a shirt that Ohno had complimented him on once. It was white short sleeved shirt with a scattered pattern of various colors imitating oil paint on the front and a little on the back, and if you stepped away a little to look at it you could make out the figure of a woman. Jun, of course, had loved the shirt since he bought it, but the fact that Ohno had said something (it was rare for Ohno to say anything let alone a compliment, directed at him nonetheless) made him think of the article of clothing in a different way. It was his treasured shirt, now, but he would never let anyone else know that. It was too sappy.
It had a wide collar which hung off his shoulder a little bit, revealing most of his collar bone, so tonight he wore a short blue vest over it (left undone, as usual). He didn’t need any more attention than he usually got: even with his hair up and sunglasses on, Jun knew he was a very attractive man and that women couldn’t help but stare. The least he could do was not run around half naked.
He checked his watch again. It was a few minutes before 9 p.m., the time they had promised to meet. Ohno still wasn’t here when he was usually fifteen minutes early for everything, which made Jun wonder if something had happened at filming or if-
Jun’s attention snapped to the figure that had just clumsily climbed out of a taxi a few yards down from where he was waiting. It was Ohno and he was wearing his usual shorts and a t-shirt, looking about the same as always. Jun knew he shouldn’t have worried about what to wear, it was Ohno after all. A smile unconsciously spread across Jun’s face as his date finally noticed him and offered a small wave as a greeting.
Before Ohno had walked the few steps between them, the cab had pulled away, leaving the two alone in front of the bar they had visited a few months ago, where Jun had bothered Ohno all night about a girlfriend. Ohno smiled back at him, the same as always, but after looking at each other for a second, Jun couldn’t help but turn away shyly at the affection.
Dammit, why couldn’t he act cool in this situation?!
“I hope you weren’t waiting long,” Ohno finally offered, after they had stood there for almost a whole minute, Jun unable to start a conversation himself. That was fairly rare.
The younger star shook his head immediately and tried his hardest to make his smile charming instead of embarrassed. Was he blushing already? What the hell?
Jun mentally tried to slap himself back to sense. Yes, they were on a date. It wasn’t really anything new, right? They had drinks together all the time, just the two of them.
“N-no, of course not! You were right on time.” Jun hoped Ohno couldn’t detect the cringe he’d tried so hard to hold back after he stuttered.
He took a deep breath. He could do this. He was Matsujun after all.
“Shall we go in?” the younger star asked, giving his band-mate the smoothest smile he could. Ohno had the same expression that he usually wore on his face, so Jun couldn’t tell what kind of impression he was making. He hoped that Ohno at least saw why it had taken him more than a month to reply to his confession, as jumpy as he was acting right now. He had never been so nervous around another person in his entire life.
Ohno hmmed an affirmative answer and they finally entered the restaurant.
Jun could feel his tension lessen a little bit. There were other customers in here, not just him and Ohno. Maybe he wouldn’t feel so anxious while there were other people watching. The acting instinct that he had built up over the years was kicking in, but for some reason it wouldn’t work with Ohno; it probably because they had known each other for too long.
The couple made their way back to the same corner they had occupied before, the bartender following to present them with the menu of the night.
Jun patiently waited for Ohno to get situated on the tatami floor, standing in the entranceway to the almost private room and watching him. The shorter actor had sat across from the entrance so he was facing the door, the panel separating him from the rest of the bar on his right.
The younger idol wasn’t sure what to do. If he wanted to sit across from his date, he would be right in the way of the server, but wouldn’t it be too forward if he sat next to Leader instead? Why had Ohno sat there, the strangest seat of the whole table? Why didn’t he sit by the panel like last time?
These sort of worries filled Jun’s head as Ohno watched him curiously, raising his eyebrow without saying a word. Jun cleared his throat and decided to sit across from Leader anyway, even if he was right in the server’s way. He didn’t want to seem too forward on their first date.
After situating himself on the floor, making sure his position was comfortable, he finally tentatively looked up and met Ohno’s stare.
He was relieved to find Leader looking mildly embarrassed- at least he wasn’t the only one. It was probably because Jun had picked such a ridiculous place to sit, but that was Ohno’s fault anyway, since he had sat down first.
Leader seemed like he was about to say something, a look of concentration resting on his eyebrows, but nothing had come out yet. Jun blinked a few times and gave him an intense (although somewhat blank) stare, trying to get Ohno to say whatever it was he wanted to, even if it was just to make fun of him.
“This is a date, isn’t it?” Ohno’s voice was lower than usual and he sounded a little confused, but he certainly didn’t act like he was making fun of the other band member.
Jun blinked a few times. That was a strange thing to say, wasn’t it? Of course it was a date.
Ohno looked down at the chopsticks placed in front of him, then at little to the left where there was an abnormally large space between him and the wall, as he was seated closer to the paper panel.
Jun stiffened up immediately upon realizing what Ohno had meant.
Without thinking twice he jumped up and swung around to the other side of the table, almost crashing into Ohno in his haste to get to the seat next to his date. His face was bright red, he had absolutely no doubt about that, and this would probably make the night much more awkward than it already was, but…
The table was barely big enough to accommodate the two of them sitting side by side. Their legs were lightly touching and Jun could hear Ohno breathing despite the chatting that was filtering into their personal space. It was only slightly faster than normal, but it made Jun feel a little better. No way that the person who had admitted his love to him wasn’t nervous at all at in this situation. But then again, it was Ohno, so he could never be one hundred percent sure.
They were awkward for a few minutes, lightly chatting about what to eat, before they called the bartender back to take their order. He gave them a questionable look before simply turning back to his pad of paper as Jun began to list off the things they wanted.
Jun had decided beforehand that he wasn’t going to have any alcohol despite how relaxed it would have made him. He didn’t want to make an ass of himself tonight (not that he usually did), but it would be better if he didn’t have to worry about acting stupid or doing anything that would scare Ohno away.
Leader seemed to follow his lead, because the two of them only ordered green tea. This probably made them seem more strange, since they were in a bar, but this was the spot they had both agreed on beforehand (since they had been here so recently).
The bartender nodded at them, reiterated the items, then turned around and yelled the order to the kitchen behind the bar as he walked away from the couple. He came back a minute later with tea for them, smiled and told them to call if they needed anything.
After he left, it was awkward again.
Jun wasn’t sure what to say. What did you say on a first date with someone you’ve known roughly half of your life? The only thing he could think of was the obvious.
“So, how was filming this afternoon?” he asked tentatively, picking up his tea cup despite the fact that it was far too hot to drink.
Wow, it was really too hot. He put it back down.
Ohno was staring at the chopsticks in front of him, apparently not noticing the cup set before him.
“The same as always.” Jun knew it was futile to wait for more of an answer out his band-mate, but since it was just the two of them he couldn’t rely on Sho or Aiba to carry the conversation.
As time went on and the food began to arrive, the topic had moved from Maou and the little that Ohno would say about the storyline to the smaller jobs that Jun had been busy with lately, and then to the usual topic of Jun’s shopping trip that he’d been on last weekend. He knew that the subject was probably boring for Ohno, but he couldn’t help it. The older star wasn’t giving him much to work with, as usual, and there were only so many questions you could ask your date when he was replying with one word answers.
So until Ohno said something more, Jun would continue to chat about that beautiful jacket he had bought despite the fact that it was still warm outside and he couldn’t wear it for a few more months.
Luckily for them, the paper screen effectively blocked them from the rest of the bar, only allowing a gentle hum to invade their conversations, and Jun was actually enjoying his private time with Ohno. The last time they had been really alone together was when they had been out drinking right after the start of Nino’s prank. That seemed so long ago now. A lot had changed, both inside Jun and around him.
Said changed man smiled as Ohno finally began to chat, although somewhat quietly, about his biggest catch of the month, which had occurred two days ago. He had caught bigger fish before, but for the time crunch he’d been on, it had been a good find and he was proud of it. As he listened to Ohno talk between the silence that sometimes over took his narrative, Jun couldn’t help but relax a little. His knee eventually rested lightly on top of Ohno’s, aching a little bit from holding it up in order to not touch his date too much for the last half hour or so. And now it was aching from not moving, not even an inch, just because Jun was scared of losing the little contact they were sharing.
“Did you eat it?” Jun asked after Ohno had been quiet for more than five minutes straight. Ohno turned his head slightly and looked at Jun out of the corner of his eye, his mouth full of fried potato. He swallowed roughly (and Jun really had to exert some effort not to laugh) before answering.
“Uh. I gave it to my mom.” Jun tried not to laugh at that answer, either. He must have been fishing more than Jun thought was possible, filming Maou and all, for Ohno to actually have enough fish left over to simply present it to his mother. Even if Leader was probably still the one that ended up eating it. It wasn’t a surprising statement, really, but that didn’t mean the way Ohno said it and the look on his face wasn’t hilarious and adorable at the same time.
Jun turned back to the chicken he’d been picking at, finishing it off with one bite and setting his chopsticks on the plate. He was full, he really shouldn’t eat any more or he’d have to exercise an extra half hour tomorrow.
His right hand now unoccupied, Jun let it drop slowly between the two of them. He glanced down and noticed Ohno’s left hand resting lightly on the tatami between them.
As he glanced across the makeshift room and through the door, pretending to examine the selection of sake behind the bar, Jun inconspicuously brushed Ohno’s hand with his own, hyper sensitively paying attention to Ohno’s reaction. He waited for his date to pull away, even just from surprise, or twitch or even push his hand into Jun’s.
But Ohno didn’t move at all. Not even a twitch.
While Jun looked down at his empty plate he moved his pinky ever so slightly to rest on the back of Ohno’s fingers.
Still nothing.
Just didn’t know whether to be happy or frustrated.
Finally, over the course of about twenty seconds, Jun moved his entire palm to rest on top of Ohno’s slightly smaller hand, blushing lightly at how bold he was being.
He turned his head a fraction of a degree and checked out Ohno from the corner of his eye. He was still eating the fried potatoes as happily as before, not showing any signs that Jun was attempting to hold his hand or even that they were on a date. Jun thought he would have at least been somewhat embarrassed, since he seemed to be at least a little nervous earlier when Jun had sat next to him.
“Mmm, it’s good.” Ohno continued chewing and Jun immediately turned towards him, unsure of how to respond. He couldn’t say anything. Ohno looked adorable with his cheeks full of potatoes, like a chipmunk. He looked so oblivious and normal. Jun couldn’t decide whether to be depressed from the lack of attention or happy that they were finally acting like they used to.
As Ohno finished the last of the side dish (neither of them had moved their hands yet), his face showing how satisfied he’d been with it, he finally turned to Jun and met his unintentional stare.
After they exchanged looks and Ohno glanced down at where Jun’s hand was resting on his, like he had just noticed it (how had he just noticed it, they’d been like this for like five minutes). His lips barely curved up in a smile and he slowly turned his hand over to press their two palms together. He shifted his gaze up to Jun again, looking quite content, then turned back to the little bit of food that was left on the table.
Jun turned back to the table, too, and took a sip of his green tea, hiding his happiness. He squeezed Ohno’s hand in his, intertwining their fingers and gently touching the back of Ohno’s knuckles. At least Ohno appeared to be taking him seriously now. He hadn’t said “You’re joking, right?” or “It’s a prank, isn’t it?” at all tonight. Knowing Leader he had probably just gone with the flow, assuming that if Jun didn’t really like him he’d figure it out eventually and deal with it then. Not that Jun was going to let that happen. He wouldn’t have told Ohno anything if he hadn’t been willing to commit himself to winning his friend over.
Their hands stayed tangled together for the remainder of the meal, hidden from the bartender by the low table, and it was only when Jun finally had to fumble his wallet out that he (ever so reluctantly) let go of his date’s hand.
The two of them shuffled out of the bar, Jun himself hesitant to leave the comfortable atmosphere that had surrounded them for the last hour.
They stood out front again, this time the street lit up with neon signs shining in the dark, and awkwardly faced each other. It felt like the last 30 minutes of holding hands had just been a dream and that he had woken up from it with only a vague vision left in his memory.
“I’m just going to walk home, okay?” Ohno explained with his hands shoved into his pockets.
Actually, Jun was hoping he’d say something like that, and it was fairly predictable, since Ohno didn’t live too far from where they were.
“I’ll give you a ride.” Jun offered without missing a beat. His heart was pounding, wondering if the usual passive Ohno would turn him down and insist on walking.
Ohno shrugged and mumble something like “if it’s not a problem”. Jun sighed in relief and assured him it wasn’t. He turned slowly and motion down the street, waiting for Ohno to follow him.
He was far too nervous now to try to hold Ohno’s hand again, despite his strong desire to. They were in public now and besides, Leader’s hands were still resting in his cargo shorts’ pockets.
Jun indicated a parking garage nearby, a silence hanging over them that was somewhat comfortable only due to the chattering of people around them on the street and the sound of traffic that hummed through the air. Jun’s nerves were still on end and even though he knew he had nothing to worry about, he had wanted this date to be perfect. It wasn’t quite there yet.
Even as they entered the garage and Jun located his somewhat inconspicuous car, they didn’t exchange any words. He smiled lightly at Ohno, who nodded before climbing in, but after the two of them had settled into the vehicle together, the silence was suffocating.
Before he pulled out, Jun turned on the radio. At least that would give them something to break up the silence… but then again, Ohno didn’t seem to be affected by it like he was. He was still acting like he always did: only half paying attention.
It was not even ten minutes to drive to Ohno’s place. It probably would have been shorter for him to walk, but at least there weren’t the usual rows and rows of traffic that usual overtook Tokyo streets (thanks to the off-time of night it was). Even if it continued to be this awkward, Jun was glad that Ohno had agreed to spend at least a few more minutes with him tonight. They would see each other again tomorrow, of course, but then Jun would have to share him with Sho and Aiba and especially Nino.
Ohno’s neighborhood was slightly suburban and so there was enough room for Jun to just park his car on the street. He left his lights on, since he wasn’t quite out of the way of traffic, and the two of them exited the car together. Jun noted that Ohno didn’t say anything or look at all surprised when Jun followed him up the short path leading to his front door. They stood there again, awkwardly, just like they had in front of the bar. Ohno’s hands were back in his pockets.
It was strange. Jun still felt butterflies in his stomach and was worried that if he tried to say anything to Leader that he would only end up making an ass of himself, yet…
Yet he didn’t want the night to be over.
His nervousness had made him exhausted, but if they could just spend one more minute together…
But both their schedules were packed, as usual, and Jun knew that at least he needed his rest (he was never sure about Ohno, since he always looked half asleep anyway) and so as much as he just wanted to stand at Ohno’s parents’ house and stare at his date for the next three hours, it would be the responsible thing to do if he said goodnight and left.
After intently looking at his feet in the dark and occasionally sneaking peeks at Ohno, who was just watching him with an amused (but shy) expression, Jun finally shrugged, unsure what else to do. He really wished Ohno would say something to break the silence, but somehow he didn’t think that would happen.
“Well…” Jun finally met Ohno’s eyes, which were reflecting the lights streaming from the windows on either side of him, and smiled nervously. “I guess I’d better get going…” He looked towards the neighboring house, which was dark, and then back at Ohno, still unable to calm his nerves.
He really, really wanted to kiss his date, and that was what the atmosphere was telling him to do, but Jun didn’t think he could. Even if he knew that Ohno wanted it, which he didn’t know, the younger idol was being jumpy and not himself despite his efforts to act cool around the person he wanted to impress.
Finally, after glancing at Ohno again through his downcast eyelashes, he turned ever so slowly to leave. Ohno still hadn’t moved from where he had stopped a few minutes before and hadn’t done more than blink a few times.
When Jun had completely turned around and had almost mustered the effort to take the first step towards his car, Ohno cleared his throat. Jun turned his head back quickly and looked at Leader over his shoulder in question, glad for an excuse not to leave. As Ohno began speaking, Jun slowly faced him in surprise.
“I don’t get a goodnight kiss?”
Jun couldn’t really tell, since it was really dark outside and the lights behind Ohno were fairly blinding, but by Ohno’s voice and posture he seemed to be acting a little bit embarrassed.
The star felt himself blush, an action that was becoming more and more common since he’d discovered his crush on his fellow idol. Ohno had asked him for it and now Jun should follow through on his earlier desires, despite his anxiety. He would force himself to.
Jun swallowed first, and then took a few steps back towards Ohno so that the two were standing facing each other, only a few inches away. Now that he was closer, Jun could tell Ohno was looking up at him with his usual neutral expression, not portraying any nervousness at the proximity. He didn’t even bat an eyelash when Jun leaned his head over him, taking time to force his body to move correctly.
Jun thought his heart was going to collapse from beating too much. Standing here, nose to nose with his beloved Leader, was almost too much for him to handle, but he wanted, needed, that kiss now.
After a few shallow breaths, Jun gently pressed their lips together, barely having to move forward.
Automatically, the younger star closed his eyes and savored the feeling of his mouth against Ohno’s. Leader’s lips were slightly dry compared to his own, which had leftover lip gloss on them from his makeup session that morning. And their mouths fit together perfectly, just as they had on the stage a month before. Jun thought that the way that Ohno’s bottom lip sunk into the crevice of his own mouth was heaven and the intimacy left his lips wet despite his lip gloss.
The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but Jun felt his heart trying to escape through his throat. It was so different than just kissing Ohno for the fangirls. Here he felt like there was no one watching, that he could do whatever he wanted and not be pressured to take it farther.
Even though he wanted to.
Really really-
Jun was almost shaking when he pulled away, opening his eyes to look down at Leader’s serene expression. Ohno’s eyes fluttered back open as well and connected with Jun’s, who had only stopped himself from ravishing the older man because of his frayed nerves that were already shot from dinner.
Get out of here, he told himself. Get out of here before you do something else and scare him-
“Well,” he almost squeaked, a smile spreading across his face. Part of that was because of the giddiness overtaking his body at the realization that Ohno had asked for a kiss, that Jun had fully delivered, and on top of that, not embarrassed himself in the process. But it a nervous smile as well. He swallowed tensely and took a step backwards, his brain on autopilot.
Ohno smiled back gently at him and Jun’s body spun around towards to his car without prompting.
Don’t let your hormones take over, Jun. Play it cool, play it cool.
It wasn’t until the star was back at his car that he turned around and waved a casual goodbye to his date, mumbling a good night. Ohno returned the greeting with his own raised hand.
Still acting automatically, Jun jumped into his car and took off down the street, his brain almost out of commission.
If Jun had stayed another two seconds and seen Ohno stick out his tongue tentatively and lick his upper lip curiously, he wouldn’t have been capable of leaving.
+ + +
A/N: And Juntoshi appears!
How'd you like the date? Mushy enough for you? XD I've gotten into the habit of updating on Wednesday nights, lucky for you guys. Updates aren't as sporadic as I thought they might be.
This chapter is a little longer than the previous ones and they're probably only going to get longer. I'll be splitting chapter 9 and 10 into two parts, but I'll post them around the same time.
Look forward to happy Sakuraiba in the next chapter, too! I really promise they'll be there this time! Thanks for reading! <3
On to chapter 8!!
Rating: PG13 (some language)
Pairing: Juntoshi (side pairing! Sakuraiba)
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: I guess Johnny’s technically owns Arashi, huh? Not me.
Chapter: Seven of ten (+prologue and epilogue)
Summary: Nino convinces Ohno to participate in a “who can seduce Jun first” contest after a particularly troublesome rehearsal.
Previous: Prologue, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six
Chapter 7
Since Ohno still had filming for Maou today, they had decided earlier to just meet at the restaurant. It was easier that way. Ohno wouldn’t be done until 8 p.m. or so, and Jun himself had some business to attend to anyway, for a photo shoot he was doing soon. Although Jun didn’t have a drama on his plate at the moment, it still seemed like he barely had a moment to himself to relax. But a moment was better than nothing.
Jun looked at his watch. He had been twenty minutes early to the bar, unable to sit still after his work was done. Thanks to Nino he had finally told Ohno how he felt, and although Leader hadn’t particularly looked like he believed him, Jun was feeling somewhat confident that this would work.
Then again, he was always confident when he was alone, it was when Ohno was sitting right next to him, not meaning to look so cute and confused, that Jun really lost himself to his nerves.
He took a deep breath. He had told Ohno he liked him. That was the first step.
He mentally thanked Nino again, although he couldn’t help but feel guilty about the whole situation. Once more, he told himself that all he could do was ignore the Nino problem and progress with Ohno a little further. When he felt emotionally stable again, he would start looking into his own solution to that particular problem, since Ohno and Nino were being stupid themselves. It was obvious that Nino’s approach had been to abandon his own feelings and make sure that Jun was happy with Ohno, but it seemed like Ohno was trying to do the same thing. From what Jun could deduce, Ohno would rather Jun and Nino get together. It was becoming annoying, especially because, in the end, it was Jun’s decision on who to choose. The pressure of the entire band was on his shoulders.
Of course he already knew it had to be Ohno. Even after all his self reflection, he couldn’t picture himself dating another man besides Ohno.
Well that wasn’t quite true. He could date Sho, probably, but only because the two of them could live together in peace, not cause any drama between the two of them, not see each other for weeks on end and be okay with it… He wasn’t sure about the sex part, but- Anyway, Sho was dating Aiba so none of that mattered anyway.
Jun tried to clear his head from his strange train of thought. He wasn’t into boys, no, it was just Ohno. Just Ohno and maybe that one-
No, just Ohno.
He checked his watch again. Five more minutes until their promised time. His heart was beating faster just thinking about it. Was he dressed appropriately? Since it was Ohno he didn’t think he needed to wear anything fancy, even if it was their first official date, but he didn’t want to come in his usual clothes, either.
So he had picked out a shirt that Ohno had complimented him on once. It was white short sleeved shirt with a scattered pattern of various colors imitating oil paint on the front and a little on the back, and if you stepped away a little to look at it you could make out the figure of a woman. Jun, of course, had loved the shirt since he bought it, but the fact that Ohno had said something (it was rare for Ohno to say anything let alone a compliment, directed at him nonetheless) made him think of the article of clothing in a different way. It was his treasured shirt, now, but he would never let anyone else know that. It was too sappy.
It had a wide collar which hung off his shoulder a little bit, revealing most of his collar bone, so tonight he wore a short blue vest over it (left undone, as usual). He didn’t need any more attention than he usually got: even with his hair up and sunglasses on, Jun knew he was a very attractive man and that women couldn’t help but stare. The least he could do was not run around half naked.
He checked his watch again. It was a few minutes before 9 p.m., the time they had promised to meet. Ohno still wasn’t here when he was usually fifteen minutes early for everything, which made Jun wonder if something had happened at filming or if-
Jun’s attention snapped to the figure that had just clumsily climbed out of a taxi a few yards down from where he was waiting. It was Ohno and he was wearing his usual shorts and a t-shirt, looking about the same as always. Jun knew he shouldn’t have worried about what to wear, it was Ohno after all. A smile unconsciously spread across Jun’s face as his date finally noticed him and offered a small wave as a greeting.
Before Ohno had walked the few steps between them, the cab had pulled away, leaving the two alone in front of the bar they had visited a few months ago, where Jun had bothered Ohno all night about a girlfriend. Ohno smiled back at him, the same as always, but after looking at each other for a second, Jun couldn’t help but turn away shyly at the affection.
Dammit, why couldn’t he act cool in this situation?!
“I hope you weren’t waiting long,” Ohno finally offered, after they had stood there for almost a whole minute, Jun unable to start a conversation himself. That was fairly rare.
The younger star shook his head immediately and tried his hardest to make his smile charming instead of embarrassed. Was he blushing already? What the hell?
Jun mentally tried to slap himself back to sense. Yes, they were on a date. It wasn’t really anything new, right? They had drinks together all the time, just the two of them.
“N-no, of course not! You were right on time.” Jun hoped Ohno couldn’t detect the cringe he’d tried so hard to hold back after he stuttered.
He took a deep breath. He could do this. He was Matsujun after all.
“Shall we go in?” the younger star asked, giving his band-mate the smoothest smile he could. Ohno had the same expression that he usually wore on his face, so Jun couldn’t tell what kind of impression he was making. He hoped that Ohno at least saw why it had taken him more than a month to reply to his confession, as jumpy as he was acting right now. He had never been so nervous around another person in his entire life.
Ohno hmmed an affirmative answer and they finally entered the restaurant.
Jun could feel his tension lessen a little bit. There were other customers in here, not just him and Ohno. Maybe he wouldn’t feel so anxious while there were other people watching. The acting instinct that he had built up over the years was kicking in, but for some reason it wouldn’t work with Ohno; it probably because they had known each other for too long.
The couple made their way back to the same corner they had occupied before, the bartender following to present them with the menu of the night.
Jun patiently waited for Ohno to get situated on the tatami floor, standing in the entranceway to the almost private room and watching him. The shorter actor had sat across from the entrance so he was facing the door, the panel separating him from the rest of the bar on his right.
The younger idol wasn’t sure what to do. If he wanted to sit across from his date, he would be right in the way of the server, but wouldn’t it be too forward if he sat next to Leader instead? Why had Ohno sat there, the strangest seat of the whole table? Why didn’t he sit by the panel like last time?
These sort of worries filled Jun’s head as Ohno watched him curiously, raising his eyebrow without saying a word. Jun cleared his throat and decided to sit across from Leader anyway, even if he was right in the server’s way. He didn’t want to seem too forward on their first date.
After situating himself on the floor, making sure his position was comfortable, he finally tentatively looked up and met Ohno’s stare.
He was relieved to find Leader looking mildly embarrassed- at least he wasn’t the only one. It was probably because Jun had picked such a ridiculous place to sit, but that was Ohno’s fault anyway, since he had sat down first.
Leader seemed like he was about to say something, a look of concentration resting on his eyebrows, but nothing had come out yet. Jun blinked a few times and gave him an intense (although somewhat blank) stare, trying to get Ohno to say whatever it was he wanted to, even if it was just to make fun of him.
“This is a date, isn’t it?” Ohno’s voice was lower than usual and he sounded a little confused, but he certainly didn’t act like he was making fun of the other band member.
Jun blinked a few times. That was a strange thing to say, wasn’t it? Of course it was a date.
Ohno looked down at the chopsticks placed in front of him, then at little to the left where there was an abnormally large space between him and the wall, as he was seated closer to the paper panel.
Jun stiffened up immediately upon realizing what Ohno had meant.
Without thinking twice he jumped up and swung around to the other side of the table, almost crashing into Ohno in his haste to get to the seat next to his date. His face was bright red, he had absolutely no doubt about that, and this would probably make the night much more awkward than it already was, but…
The table was barely big enough to accommodate the two of them sitting side by side. Their legs were lightly touching and Jun could hear Ohno breathing despite the chatting that was filtering into their personal space. It was only slightly faster than normal, but it made Jun feel a little better. No way that the person who had admitted his love to him wasn’t nervous at all at in this situation. But then again, it was Ohno, so he could never be one hundred percent sure.
They were awkward for a few minutes, lightly chatting about what to eat, before they called the bartender back to take their order. He gave them a questionable look before simply turning back to his pad of paper as Jun began to list off the things they wanted.
Jun had decided beforehand that he wasn’t going to have any alcohol despite how relaxed it would have made him. He didn’t want to make an ass of himself tonight (not that he usually did), but it would be better if he didn’t have to worry about acting stupid or doing anything that would scare Ohno away.
Leader seemed to follow his lead, because the two of them only ordered green tea. This probably made them seem more strange, since they were in a bar, but this was the spot they had both agreed on beforehand (since they had been here so recently).
The bartender nodded at them, reiterated the items, then turned around and yelled the order to the kitchen behind the bar as he walked away from the couple. He came back a minute later with tea for them, smiled and told them to call if they needed anything.
After he left, it was awkward again.
Jun wasn’t sure what to say. What did you say on a first date with someone you’ve known roughly half of your life? The only thing he could think of was the obvious.
“So, how was filming this afternoon?” he asked tentatively, picking up his tea cup despite the fact that it was far too hot to drink.
Wow, it was really too hot. He put it back down.
Ohno was staring at the chopsticks in front of him, apparently not noticing the cup set before him.
“The same as always.” Jun knew it was futile to wait for more of an answer out his band-mate, but since it was just the two of them he couldn’t rely on Sho or Aiba to carry the conversation.
As time went on and the food began to arrive, the topic had moved from Maou and the little that Ohno would say about the storyline to the smaller jobs that Jun had been busy with lately, and then to the usual topic of Jun’s shopping trip that he’d been on last weekend. He knew that the subject was probably boring for Ohno, but he couldn’t help it. The older star wasn’t giving him much to work with, as usual, and there were only so many questions you could ask your date when he was replying with one word answers.
So until Ohno said something more, Jun would continue to chat about that beautiful jacket he had bought despite the fact that it was still warm outside and he couldn’t wear it for a few more months.
Luckily for them, the paper screen effectively blocked them from the rest of the bar, only allowing a gentle hum to invade their conversations, and Jun was actually enjoying his private time with Ohno. The last time they had been really alone together was when they had been out drinking right after the start of Nino’s prank. That seemed so long ago now. A lot had changed, both inside Jun and around him.
Said changed man smiled as Ohno finally began to chat, although somewhat quietly, about his biggest catch of the month, which had occurred two days ago. He had caught bigger fish before, but for the time crunch he’d been on, it had been a good find and he was proud of it. As he listened to Ohno talk between the silence that sometimes over took his narrative, Jun couldn’t help but relax a little. His knee eventually rested lightly on top of Ohno’s, aching a little bit from holding it up in order to not touch his date too much for the last half hour or so. And now it was aching from not moving, not even an inch, just because Jun was scared of losing the little contact they were sharing.
“Did you eat it?” Jun asked after Ohno had been quiet for more than five minutes straight. Ohno turned his head slightly and looked at Jun out of the corner of his eye, his mouth full of fried potato. He swallowed roughly (and Jun really had to exert some effort not to laugh) before answering.
“Uh. I gave it to my mom.” Jun tried not to laugh at that answer, either. He must have been fishing more than Jun thought was possible, filming Maou and all, for Ohno to actually have enough fish left over to simply present it to his mother. Even if Leader was probably still the one that ended up eating it. It wasn’t a surprising statement, really, but that didn’t mean the way Ohno said it and the look on his face wasn’t hilarious and adorable at the same time.
Jun turned back to the chicken he’d been picking at, finishing it off with one bite and setting his chopsticks on the plate. He was full, he really shouldn’t eat any more or he’d have to exercise an extra half hour tomorrow.
His right hand now unoccupied, Jun let it drop slowly between the two of them. He glanced down and noticed Ohno’s left hand resting lightly on the tatami between them.
As he glanced across the makeshift room and through the door, pretending to examine the selection of sake behind the bar, Jun inconspicuously brushed Ohno’s hand with his own, hyper sensitively paying attention to Ohno’s reaction. He waited for his date to pull away, even just from surprise, or twitch or even push his hand into Jun’s.
But Ohno didn’t move at all. Not even a twitch.
While Jun looked down at his empty plate he moved his pinky ever so slightly to rest on the back of Ohno’s fingers.
Still nothing.
Just didn’t know whether to be happy or frustrated.
Finally, over the course of about twenty seconds, Jun moved his entire palm to rest on top of Ohno’s slightly smaller hand, blushing lightly at how bold he was being.
He turned his head a fraction of a degree and checked out Ohno from the corner of his eye. He was still eating the fried potatoes as happily as before, not showing any signs that Jun was attempting to hold his hand or even that they were on a date. Jun thought he would have at least been somewhat embarrassed, since he seemed to be at least a little nervous earlier when Jun had sat next to him.
“Mmm, it’s good.” Ohno continued chewing and Jun immediately turned towards him, unsure of how to respond. He couldn’t say anything. Ohno looked adorable with his cheeks full of potatoes, like a chipmunk. He looked so oblivious and normal. Jun couldn’t decide whether to be depressed from the lack of attention or happy that they were finally acting like they used to.
As Ohno finished the last of the side dish (neither of them had moved their hands yet), his face showing how satisfied he’d been with it, he finally turned to Jun and met his unintentional stare.
After they exchanged looks and Ohno glanced down at where Jun’s hand was resting on his, like he had just noticed it (how had he just noticed it, they’d been like this for like five minutes). His lips barely curved up in a smile and he slowly turned his hand over to press their two palms together. He shifted his gaze up to Jun again, looking quite content, then turned back to the little bit of food that was left on the table.
Jun turned back to the table, too, and took a sip of his green tea, hiding his happiness. He squeezed Ohno’s hand in his, intertwining their fingers and gently touching the back of Ohno’s knuckles. At least Ohno appeared to be taking him seriously now. He hadn’t said “You’re joking, right?” or “It’s a prank, isn’t it?” at all tonight. Knowing Leader he had probably just gone with the flow, assuming that if Jun didn’t really like him he’d figure it out eventually and deal with it then. Not that Jun was going to let that happen. He wouldn’t have told Ohno anything if he hadn’t been willing to commit himself to winning his friend over.
Their hands stayed tangled together for the remainder of the meal, hidden from the bartender by the low table, and it was only when Jun finally had to fumble his wallet out that he (ever so reluctantly) let go of his date’s hand.
The two of them shuffled out of the bar, Jun himself hesitant to leave the comfortable atmosphere that had surrounded them for the last hour.
They stood out front again, this time the street lit up with neon signs shining in the dark, and awkwardly faced each other. It felt like the last 30 minutes of holding hands had just been a dream and that he had woken up from it with only a vague vision left in his memory.
“I’m just going to walk home, okay?” Ohno explained with his hands shoved into his pockets.
Actually, Jun was hoping he’d say something like that, and it was fairly predictable, since Ohno didn’t live too far from where they were.
“I’ll give you a ride.” Jun offered without missing a beat. His heart was pounding, wondering if the usual passive Ohno would turn him down and insist on walking.
Ohno shrugged and mumble something like “if it’s not a problem”. Jun sighed in relief and assured him it wasn’t. He turned slowly and motion down the street, waiting for Ohno to follow him.
He was far too nervous now to try to hold Ohno’s hand again, despite his strong desire to. They were in public now and besides, Leader’s hands were still resting in his cargo shorts’ pockets.
Jun indicated a parking garage nearby, a silence hanging over them that was somewhat comfortable only due to the chattering of people around them on the street and the sound of traffic that hummed through the air. Jun’s nerves were still on end and even though he knew he had nothing to worry about, he had wanted this date to be perfect. It wasn’t quite there yet.
Even as they entered the garage and Jun located his somewhat inconspicuous car, they didn’t exchange any words. He smiled lightly at Ohno, who nodded before climbing in, but after the two of them had settled into the vehicle together, the silence was suffocating.
Before he pulled out, Jun turned on the radio. At least that would give them something to break up the silence… but then again, Ohno didn’t seem to be affected by it like he was. He was still acting like he always did: only half paying attention.
It was not even ten minutes to drive to Ohno’s place. It probably would have been shorter for him to walk, but at least there weren’t the usual rows and rows of traffic that usual overtook Tokyo streets (thanks to the off-time of night it was). Even if it continued to be this awkward, Jun was glad that Ohno had agreed to spend at least a few more minutes with him tonight. They would see each other again tomorrow, of course, but then Jun would have to share him with Sho and Aiba and especially Nino.
Ohno’s neighborhood was slightly suburban and so there was enough room for Jun to just park his car on the street. He left his lights on, since he wasn’t quite out of the way of traffic, and the two of them exited the car together. Jun noted that Ohno didn’t say anything or look at all surprised when Jun followed him up the short path leading to his front door. They stood there again, awkwardly, just like they had in front of the bar. Ohno’s hands were back in his pockets.
It was strange. Jun still felt butterflies in his stomach and was worried that if he tried to say anything to Leader that he would only end up making an ass of himself, yet…
Yet he didn’t want the night to be over.
His nervousness had made him exhausted, but if they could just spend one more minute together…
But both their schedules were packed, as usual, and Jun knew that at least he needed his rest (he was never sure about Ohno, since he always looked half asleep anyway) and so as much as he just wanted to stand at Ohno’s parents’ house and stare at his date for the next three hours, it would be the responsible thing to do if he said goodnight and left.
After intently looking at his feet in the dark and occasionally sneaking peeks at Ohno, who was just watching him with an amused (but shy) expression, Jun finally shrugged, unsure what else to do. He really wished Ohno would say something to break the silence, but somehow he didn’t think that would happen.
“Well…” Jun finally met Ohno’s eyes, which were reflecting the lights streaming from the windows on either side of him, and smiled nervously. “I guess I’d better get going…” He looked towards the neighboring house, which was dark, and then back at Ohno, still unable to calm his nerves.
He really, really wanted to kiss his date, and that was what the atmosphere was telling him to do, but Jun didn’t think he could. Even if he knew that Ohno wanted it, which he didn’t know, the younger idol was being jumpy and not himself despite his efforts to act cool around the person he wanted to impress.
Finally, after glancing at Ohno again through his downcast eyelashes, he turned ever so slowly to leave. Ohno still hadn’t moved from where he had stopped a few minutes before and hadn’t done more than blink a few times.
When Jun had completely turned around and had almost mustered the effort to take the first step towards his car, Ohno cleared his throat. Jun turned his head back quickly and looked at Leader over his shoulder in question, glad for an excuse not to leave. As Ohno began speaking, Jun slowly faced him in surprise.
“I don’t get a goodnight kiss?”
Jun couldn’t really tell, since it was really dark outside and the lights behind Ohno were fairly blinding, but by Ohno’s voice and posture he seemed to be acting a little bit embarrassed.
The star felt himself blush, an action that was becoming more and more common since he’d discovered his crush on his fellow idol. Ohno had asked him for it and now Jun should follow through on his earlier desires, despite his anxiety. He would force himself to.
Jun swallowed first, and then took a few steps back towards Ohno so that the two were standing facing each other, only a few inches away. Now that he was closer, Jun could tell Ohno was looking up at him with his usual neutral expression, not portraying any nervousness at the proximity. He didn’t even bat an eyelash when Jun leaned his head over him, taking time to force his body to move correctly.
Jun thought his heart was going to collapse from beating too much. Standing here, nose to nose with his beloved Leader, was almost too much for him to handle, but he wanted, needed, that kiss now.
After a few shallow breaths, Jun gently pressed their lips together, barely having to move forward.
Automatically, the younger star closed his eyes and savored the feeling of his mouth against Ohno’s. Leader’s lips were slightly dry compared to his own, which had leftover lip gloss on them from his makeup session that morning. And their mouths fit together perfectly, just as they had on the stage a month before. Jun thought that the way that Ohno’s bottom lip sunk into the crevice of his own mouth was heaven and the intimacy left his lips wet despite his lip gloss.
The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but Jun felt his heart trying to escape through his throat. It was so different than just kissing Ohno for the fangirls. Here he felt like there was no one watching, that he could do whatever he wanted and not be pressured to take it farther.
Even though he wanted to.
Really really-
Jun was almost shaking when he pulled away, opening his eyes to look down at Leader’s serene expression. Ohno’s eyes fluttered back open as well and connected with Jun’s, who had only stopped himself from ravishing the older man because of his frayed nerves that were already shot from dinner.
Get out of here, he told himself. Get out of here before you do something else and scare him-
“Well,” he almost squeaked, a smile spreading across his face. Part of that was because of the giddiness overtaking his body at the realization that Ohno had asked for a kiss, that Jun had fully delivered, and on top of that, not embarrassed himself in the process. But it a nervous smile as well. He swallowed tensely and took a step backwards, his brain on autopilot.
Ohno smiled back gently at him and Jun’s body spun around towards to his car without prompting.
Don’t let your hormones take over, Jun. Play it cool, play it cool.
It wasn’t until the star was back at his car that he turned around and waved a casual goodbye to his date, mumbling a good night. Ohno returned the greeting with his own raised hand.
Still acting automatically, Jun jumped into his car and took off down the street, his brain almost out of commission.
If Jun had stayed another two seconds and seen Ohno stick out his tongue tentatively and lick his upper lip curiously, he wouldn’t have been capable of leaving.
+ + +
A/N: And Juntoshi appears!
How'd you like the date? Mushy enough for you? XD I've gotten into the habit of updating on Wednesday nights, lucky for you guys. Updates aren't as sporadic as I thought they might be.
This chapter is a little longer than the previous ones and they're probably only going to get longer. I'll be splitting chapter 9 and 10 into two parts, but I'll post them around the same time.
Look forward to happy Sakuraiba in the next chapter, too! I really promise they'll be there this time! Thanks for reading! <3
On to chapter 8!!