[Sakumoto Fic]: Thunderstorms and Tempest Cloud 5.2: The Weather Vane Spins... Again
[ Prologue] | [ Chapter 1] | [ Chapter 2.1] | [ Chapter 2.2] | [ Chapter 3] | [ Chapter 4.1] | [ Chapter 4.2]
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Previously from Cloud 5.1:
After that… they would talk after that.
It was with that final pleasant thought that Jun went to bed that night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The walls on either side seemed endless, and the longer it took, the more his heartbeat threatened to trip him up.
No panicking. Calm down. It was just another wrong assumption.
It had to be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The filming for their Himitsu three-year anniversary special promotion on Ousama no Brunch began smoothly enough. The fast pace of setup, filming, checks and rechecks had left little opportunity for Jun to barely say ten words to Sho even though they were seated side by side, much less hold a proper conversation. At least, the dynamics of the group seemed almost fully restored, though Jun could still see the telltale cracks in the almost ramrod, stiff manner Sho sat just next to him… cracks he was determined to mend.
“It’s a struggle for us to return home unscathed,” Sho was responding to Aiba’s comment on how the members had to check their egos at the door during filming of the show’s segments.
“That’s right,” Jun said with a pointedly winsome smile at Sho, one that the older man returned - giving brief comfort to Jun - but from which he was also quick to avert his eyes once the camera panned away. Jun fought back a faint scowl to see Sho lean back on his hands, even going as far as to sit on them, as if trying to squash his nervousness from view.
However, whether it was because of the Secret Complaints Corner or otherwise, by the time they’d teased Leader about his supposed hay fever, Sho had somewhat loosened up and did not shy away from - or that he was unconscious of? - inching closer towards Jun by the end of filming. Which gave him hope for an opening to approach the man once they were done for the day.
As it turned out, while they’d been teasing Leader about hay fever, the actual source of the sniffles to be heard in the green room after filming gave Jun the perfect chance he had been looking for.
With the other three members off to the toilet or vending machines, the peacefulness of the green room was a welcome contrast to the morning when they had first been in the room. Riffling through his sling bag, Jun dug around for what he was looking for. The wretched sounds behind him were getting increasingly pronounced, and Jun forced down the rebuke that begged to be heard; the last thing he wanted was for his compassion to come out clipped, mistaken for callousness. A smile soon plastered itself on his face when his hand made contact with the quested-for rectangular box.
A gentle tap to Sho’s body hunched over his own bag at the other end of the couch nearly had the man leaping into the air as he spun around. He had an almost comical heart-in-his-mouth expression on his face, one hand still in his half-packed satchel.
“Something to help with the sniffles,” Jun explained, one hand outstretched and the other in a nervous scratch to the nape of his neck.
“Thanks,” Sho said, quickly dropping his gaze to the packet of pills dropped in his palm, lips pursed.
Jun felt his heart sink a little, but took a breath before starting to speak. Only to be cut off by Sho.
“Thanks…” Sho’s voice was carefully neutral, “I’m a little surprised, but thanks all the same.”
“For… the meds?” The little tired sigh from Jun that followed was carefully dispassionate.
“For… your hard work on the filming.” Sho resumed packing his bag, though a little slower than before.
Jun fought the desire to gnaw holes into his lower lip, “No more than usual.”
“I know. I mean- Just…” A slight frown on his eyebrows, his somewhat watery eyes still avoiding Jun’s direction. “I’m sorry for… whatever, I-”
“Sho. No. It was just a mis-”
Both flinched visibly when the door to the green room opened abruptly following a quick succession of gentle knocks .
“Sakurai-san, your next filming…” The apologetic tone of the assistant made both men settle quickly back into their public personas, painfully aware that the moment was hardly appropriate for further discussion.
As Sho continued to pack with a little more urgency, Jun lets himself slump into the couch. Remaining quiet with the extra waiting presence, he felt Sho throwing a few questioning glances his way. He could not help averting his own eyes, the disappointment washing through him as he felt that circumstances with Sho seemed to have deteriorated.
Having finished packing, the newscaster was almost to the door, when he paused with a hand on the doorknob.
A pause that caused Jun to raise his eyes, regarding the back view of sloping shoulders.
For his breath to catch when said shoulders seemed to tighten up into an almost horizontal line.
For that breath to be further drawn in at the soft words that float back to him.
“We’ll talk later then… Ma-chan.”
At the use of the nostalgically familiar nickname, Jun felt warmth suffuse his face. But before he could collect his wits to respond, Sho had already exited the room. And when Nino returned and remarked at the disturbing Cheshire grin that threatened to split Jun’s face, he just threw the sanguine grin the gamer’s way.
“You’re creeping me out,” Nino remarked, surreptitiously keeping an eye on Jun as he grabbed his own tote bag to head out.
Contented to take his time to reorganize his belongings before heading back himself, Jun felt safe in the knowledge that there was light at the end of the tunnel for Sho and himself, one he was rapidly approaching.
And then the door reopened to readmit Nino.
Any thoughts that Nino was again trying to pull his leg perished when the same words were underlined by the tremors in his voice, the shaky hands wrapped around his handphone.
“Something's wrong with Sho.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The rhythmic pounding of his steps were all Jun could concentrate on. As his feet flew him down the corridor, all that registered in his mind was that things would be cleared up once he got there.
Right?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Click here for Cloud 6.1: Muddied Waters
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Previously from Cloud 5.1:
After that… they would talk after that.
It was with that final pleasant thought that Jun went to bed that night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The walls on either side seemed endless, and the longer it took, the more his heartbeat threatened to trip him up.
No panicking. Calm down. It was just another wrong assumption.
It had to be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The filming for their Himitsu three-year anniversary special promotion on Ousama no Brunch began smoothly enough. The fast pace of setup, filming, checks and rechecks had left little opportunity for Jun to barely say ten words to Sho even though they were seated side by side, much less hold a proper conversation. At least, the dynamics of the group seemed almost fully restored, though Jun could still see the telltale cracks in the almost ramrod, stiff manner Sho sat just next to him… cracks he was determined to mend.
“It’s a struggle for us to return home unscathed,” Sho was responding to Aiba’s comment on how the members had to check their egos at the door during filming of the show’s segments.
“That’s right,” Jun said with a pointedly winsome smile at Sho, one that the older man returned - giving brief comfort to Jun - but from which he was also quick to avert his eyes once the camera panned away. Jun fought back a faint scowl to see Sho lean back on his hands, even going as far as to sit on them, as if trying to squash his nervousness from view.
However, whether it was because of the Secret Complaints Corner or otherwise, by the time they’d teased Leader about his supposed hay fever, Sho had somewhat loosened up and did not shy away from - or that he was unconscious of? - inching closer towards Jun by the end of filming. Which gave him hope for an opening to approach the man once they were done for the day.
As it turned out, while they’d been teasing Leader about hay fever, the actual source of the sniffles to be heard in the green room after filming gave Jun the perfect chance he had been looking for.
With the other three members off to the toilet or vending machines, the peacefulness of the green room was a welcome contrast to the morning when they had first been in the room. Riffling through his sling bag, Jun dug around for what he was looking for. The wretched sounds behind him were getting increasingly pronounced, and Jun forced down the rebuke that begged to be heard; the last thing he wanted was for his compassion to come out clipped, mistaken for callousness. A smile soon plastered itself on his face when his hand made contact with the quested-for rectangular box.
A gentle tap to Sho’s body hunched over his own bag at the other end of the couch nearly had the man leaping into the air as he spun around. He had an almost comical heart-in-his-mouth expression on his face, one hand still in his half-packed satchel.
“Something to help with the sniffles,” Jun explained, one hand outstretched and the other in a nervous scratch to the nape of his neck.
“Thanks,” Sho said, quickly dropping his gaze to the packet of pills dropped in his palm, lips pursed.
Jun felt his heart sink a little, but took a breath before starting to speak. Only to be cut off by Sho.
“Thanks…” Sho’s voice was carefully neutral, “I’m a little surprised, but thanks all the same.”
“For… the meds?” The little tired sigh from Jun that followed was carefully dispassionate.
“For… your hard work on the filming.” Sho resumed packing his bag, though a little slower than before.
Jun fought the desire to gnaw holes into his lower lip, “No more than usual.”
“I know. I mean- Just…” A slight frown on his eyebrows, his somewhat watery eyes still avoiding Jun’s direction. “I’m sorry for… whatever, I-”
“Sho. No. It was just a mis-”
Both flinched visibly when the door to the green room opened abruptly following a quick succession of gentle knocks .
“Sakurai-san, your next filming…” The apologetic tone of the assistant made both men settle quickly back into their public personas, painfully aware that the moment was hardly appropriate for further discussion.
As Sho continued to pack with a little more urgency, Jun lets himself slump into the couch. Remaining quiet with the extra waiting presence, he felt Sho throwing a few questioning glances his way. He could not help averting his own eyes, the disappointment washing through him as he felt that circumstances with Sho seemed to have deteriorated.
Having finished packing, the newscaster was almost to the door, when he paused with a hand on the doorknob.
A pause that caused Jun to raise his eyes, regarding the back view of sloping shoulders.
For his breath to catch when said shoulders seemed to tighten up into an almost horizontal line.
For that breath to be further drawn in at the soft words that float back to him.
“We’ll talk later then… Ma-chan.”
At the use of the nostalgically familiar nickname, Jun felt warmth suffuse his face. But before he could collect his wits to respond, Sho had already exited the room. And when Nino returned and remarked at the disturbing Cheshire grin that threatened to split Jun’s face, he just threw the sanguine grin the gamer’s way.
“You’re creeping me out,” Nino remarked, surreptitiously keeping an eye on Jun as he grabbed his own tote bag to head out.
Contented to take his time to reorganize his belongings before heading back himself, Jun felt safe in the knowledge that there was light at the end of the tunnel for Sho and himself, one he was rapidly approaching.
And then the door reopened to readmit Nino.
Any thoughts that Nino was again trying to pull his leg perished when the same words were underlined by the tremors in his voice, the shaky hands wrapped around his handphone.
“Something's wrong with Sho.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The rhythmic pounding of his steps were all Jun could concentrate on. As his feet flew him down the corridor, all that registered in his mind was that things would be cleared up once he got there.
Right?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Click here for Cloud 6.1: Muddied Waters