JE-united surprise fic for gomushroom 3/6

Feb 06, 2016 19:01

Jun woke to the sound of his alarm, his phone ringing incessantly under his pillow. He groaned, fumbling around to turn it off, and when he succeeded, he buried his face on his pillow.

He only turned his head a little when he heard hushed conversation, and he saw that Sho’s futon was already made. He could make out Sho’s and Nino’s voices outside, and a third one he recognized as Ohno-san.

Nino must be introducing Ohno to Sho.

He sat up groggily, one eye open as he looked around for his glasses. The mouthpiece that Sho had proudly shown him during dinner actually helped; his roommate’s snoring was suppressed to the point that he’d managed to sleep through it with little trouble.

Sunlight was creeping out of the doors left slightly ajar as Jun stretched and cracked his neck joints. He ran a hand through his hair as he yawned, torn between disappearing under the covers and getting up.

“Oh, you’re up,” a voice said in the doorway, and Jun blinked at Sho’s face. “Perfect timing. I invited Nino, Ohno-san, and Haruka-san to have breakfast with us.”

“Good morning to you too,” Jun said, unable to suppress another yawn.

Sho seemed startled at having forgotten the greeting, hurriedly saying it back. “Good morning. Did you get enough rest?” he asked uncertainly, his eyes staring at the tatami under his feet.

“You didn’t find me on the table this time,” Jun told him.

Sho looked up, tilting his head. “Guess the mouthpiece worked.”

Whatever Jun was about to say was interrupted by the sound of Nino announcing his arrival followed by series of footsteps. Sho hurriedly rushed to usher them in, and Jun took a moment to stretch his legs before emerging from the sleeping quarters.

Nino had this weird smile on his face at the sight of him so Jun waited for whatever unkind thing he was going to say. Maybe something about his bed hair?

Instead Nino said nothing, reaching out to help Haruka and Ohno with the additional low table. They then set the trays for breakfast (miso soup, croquettes, and white rice with furikake) neatly while Haruka poured barley tea for everyone.

“Sho-kun kindly invited us,” Ohno said, addressing him. “I hope you don’t mind.”

Jun didn’t really. Sho needed someone he could animatedly speak to during the mornings because Jun wasn’t at his peak condition yet during such time. “I don’t.”

“He doesn’t,” Nino added with a knowing grin. “If we didn’t come he wouldn’t have woken up.” Nino leaned across the table, already picking the spot across Jun. “Aiba-shi told me it takes a while for you to become the Jun-kun that we’re all used to, that you need at least two cups of coffee for that to happen.”

“You’re not cute,” Jun said instead, not buying whatever Nino was saying.

Ohno was just taking a seat on Nino’s right as he laughed, and somehow, that caused Nino to turn on him. “Why are you on his side when I’m the one who’s paying you?”

“It’s very rare I get to see someone who’s not Haruka-chan telling you to shut it,” Ohno reasoned, huffs of laughter escaping his lips.

“Oh save the teasing for later, Nino!” Haruka chided, elbowing Nino to move so she could squeeze herself beside him. “I helped Oh-chan make these so please, help yourselves.”

“‘Helped’,” Nino echoed quietly, “more like Oh-chan made all of these and you just lingered unhelpfully.”

That comment earned him an elbow jab to his ribs from Haruka, something Ohno only chuckled at.

“Miso soup’s my specialty, you know,” Haruka retorted, shooting Jun an apologetic smile. “Please help yourselves.”

Jun looked up just in time to hear Sho’s mumbled “Excuse me” before Sho took a seat beside him, and he scooted a little to his left to make room for him.

They said their graces at the same time and Jun waited until everybody had their meals sorted before asking, “Who’s manning the front desk?”

“Nobody,” Nino said around a mouthful of croquette. “They can give us break.”

“They?” Sho asked beside him. “You mean the famous person and her friends?”

“Oh they just wouldn’t settle down last night,” Haruka complained, covering her mouth as she talked. “They keep asking for drinks and sashimi and wet towels.”

Ohno stroked his forearms with that comment. “I’ve never cut so many tunas in my life.”

“They’re a rowdy bunch,” Nino finished, taking a sip of his tea. “You never met them?”

Jun noticed that Nino had addressed both him and Sho. “No,” Jun answered, tilting his head towards Sho. “Sho-san didn’t, either.”

“Ah, so you still don’t know who she is,” Nino said. The smug grin was back. “Some of our guests already met her and asked for selfies and autographs. She was actually generous when it came to that.”

“But she parties hard?” Sho confirmed, earning a soft chuckle from Ohno.

“She parties really hard, yeah,” Nino agreed with a nod.

Haruka lightly slapped him on the arm. “Is it all right to complain about our other guests in front of our guests?”

“I was wondering about that too,” Ohno added, hiding half of his face behind a bowl of miso.

“It’s Jun-kun and Sho-chan. Who are they going to tell? It’s not like I spilled some state secrets here. I just said she parties hard, and that’s something those reading the tabloids already knew. Besides, she’s in that time of her life.” Nino’s lips twitched. “It’s going to be fine. Jun-kun won’t tell anyone else other than Aiba-shi, maybe, and Sho-chan…” Nino blinked before leaning forward, his eyes fixed on Sho. “Who are you going to tell, Sho-chan?”

“Depends on how famous she is,” Sho answered smoothly, and Ohno laughed again.

“There’s nothing wrong about partying hard,” Jun told them, remembering himself in his college days. “If she has the money and has the time and isn’t really disturbing the other guests.”

“Who is the onsen owner here?” Nino asked, making Haruka giggle. “Can you believe what he said? He sounded like the innkeeper for a moment there. Want to stay here in Nagano, Jun-kun? I could use an assistant.”

“Shove it,” Jun said, biting into another croquette. They were damn good, and Jun could tell they were handmade. Ohno was a man with many talents.

“What about you, Sho-chan? Want to be my assistant?” Nino turned to Sho jokingly. “If not my assistant then a kitchen help. Oh-chan could use it.”

“I could,” Ohno confirmed.

Sho shook his head. “I’ve never held a kitchen knife before.”

Jun’s eyes widened, turning to look at Sho slowly. “Never? Not even once?”

Sho shook his head again. “No.”

“What do you eat? Takeout ramen? Delivered soba? Supermarket shellfish?” Jun couldn’t believe it. He and Sho were close in age and Jun could fix a decent meal for himself. Surely a grown man like Sho was exaggerating.

But Sho didn’t look like he was. “I have pizza delivered sometimes.”

“I can teach you how to cut sashimi,” Ohno suddenly offered as he slurped his miso.

Nino flicked Ohno’s temple with his finger. “He lives in the city. You think he has time to prepare sashimi when he could buy prepared ones from the supermarket?”

“Ah, I suppose not,” Ohno muttered with a nod.

“Don’t worry, Sakurai-san,” Haruka said, her smile encouraging. “I can only make miso soup, and for that I still need Oh-chan’s help.”

“You cook though, don’t you?” Nino asked, looking straight at Jun. “What was it, pasta? Italian?”

Jun allowed himself a small smile. “I’m surprised you remembered, Nino. But yes, Italian when I have the time. Usually pasta, but I can prepare Japanese food too, no problem.”

Nino pointed at him but looked at Sho. “There’s your tutor, Sho-chan. I’m afraid all Ohno-san can teach you is how to serenade a tuna before cutting it nicely. But this one,” Nino said, pointing repeatedly at him, “can teach you how to cook for yourself.”

“Hey, I’m your cook,” Ohno retorted.

Nino made a face at Ohno. “Yeah, but you work better when no one’s talking to you. You can’t teach someone without talking.”

Jun turned to face Sho, seeing his cheeks slightly flushed. “You never really touched a knife?”

“No.” Sho wouldn’t look at him, his eyes fixed on his bowls of miso and rice.

“I suppose I can teach you a thing or two,” Jun offered, and when Sho looked at him, he smiled. “Provided you show me that you can really rap.”

That seemed to make Sho feel better; his boyish grin was back and there was a hint of challenge in his eyes. “I’ll hold you to that, only because I’m confident I can blow you away with only a few lyrics.”

“We should go to karaoke sometime,” Ohno said, earning Nino’s and Haruka’s agreement. “Ah but we don’t get day-offs since owner-san here is always after the money. Haruka-chan and I, we’re overworked here.”

Nino slapped him on the arm for that comment. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“It’s not really the model and her friends that wear me out,” Haruka said, a mischievous smile on her pretty face, “it’s Nino, now that I think about it. Right, Oh-chan?”

Ohno and Haruka nodded at the same time, with Nino between them looking so betrayed and that was enough to make Jun and Sho laugh, the four of them having good fun at Nino’s expense.

“I can’t believe I’m paying these people to gang up on me like this,” Nino mumbled, his face in his hands. “No wonder Aiba-shi liked you two when he met you. He must’ve known, that jerk.”

“Come to Tokyo then,” Jun offered, looking at the three people seated across him. “When it’s not peak season anymore and you guys can take a break. We’ll go to karaoke with Aiba-kun.”

“Then Sho-kun can show us his rapping skills,” Ohno said enthusiastically.

“Then we can all decide if he’s good enough, yes? Give us a day-off after winter season, owner-san!” Haruka even elbowed Nino on the side, enough to make Nino click his tongue at their antics.

“Fine. One night. We go to Tokyo one night!” Nino pointed at Sho. “Your rapping better be worth the trip, Sho-chan.”

Sho only smiled enigmatically, raising his teacup in mock toast.

“So that’s settled then,” Ohno said, smiling brightly. “One night in Tokyo, the five of us here plus Aiba-chan.” Ohno nodded to himself. “That’s something to look forward to.”

Jun couldn’t agree more.

--

It was nearly lunch when Sho arrived at Zenkoji Temple with Jun, and after a brief tour around the grounds (the snow was getting thicker and harder to walk onto even with their winter boots), they decided to head for Obuse to pick the proper sake souvenir.

Sho could hear Jun muttering names under his breath as he talked to himself. He could pick out a few names as Jun looked at the choices available to them. There was someone named Toma-kun, another called Shun-kun, one Mao-chan, and another Jun referred to as Namino.

Of course there was also Jun’s father on his list of people to buy sake for, but as they strolled around the streets, perusing shop after shop, Sho realized that Jun was the type who would look at everything first before evaluating his options.

Sho had no complaints though. He was seeing that Jun’s dedication extended to nearly every aspect of his personality, that he would painstakingly try to find that perfect sake he could bring home to his friends and family, even if it would take him hours to locate it.

Jun had asked shop owners again and again about their recommendations, and he pondered over their suggestions afterwards as he walked the streets with Sho by his side. Sho wasn’t looking for a particular flavor or brand, but seeing how seriously Jun took this task of buying souvenirs made him want to keep up with Jun’s perseverance.

In the end, they must have sampled a minimum of five sakes from each store before Jun managed to buy bottles for his friends and his father. Sho was only thinking of his friend Tsumabuki to give sake to, but he ended up purchasing one for his sister and another for his dad too.

They found a soba place almost an hour after the sun had set, and the two of them kept a lighthearted conversation about their favorites, from their food preferences to their music tastes. Jun told him about his trips overseas that coincided with Broadway premieres, and Sho offered information about himself in equal measure. He admitted adoring trashy American music in his youth and that he played the piano when he had the time, though nowadays he could only play a few pieces by memory and mostly improvised.

It had been a long time since he sat on a piano bench-the last time had been for a friend’s wedding in Paris, almost three years ago-but he would like to brush up his skills if he could.

“Do you have any piece that you like?” Sho asked while drinking chilled beer. They were still in the soba place and would likely remain there until their bodies wished for sleep.

Jun considered the question, a thoughtful look on his handsome face. “I like the one I often hear during Christmas. Whenever I go to Omotesando, I surely hear that one.”

“Ah,” Sho said, understanding, “Canon, right?” He hummed the popular scale and Jun nodded repeatedly.

“That’s the one!” Jun slammed his hand down the table in excitement.

Sho then relayed stories of his piano-playing to Jun, about his strict tutor who’d always slapped his hands when they weren’t in the proper position, about the classical and contemporary pieces he had spent hours memorizing only to forget years later.

“You play any instrument, Matsumoto-kun?” Sho asked.

“I want to, but-”

“You don’t really have the time,” Sho finished for him.

Jun only nodded, a sad smile on his face. “What a boring reason right? Other people would mention other hobbies as their reason why they don’t play, but me, I only have work to name.”

“I don’t play as often as I should because of work,” Sho said. “I’d spend my days reading guidebooks and brushing up my English instead of looking at pieces I knew by heart when I was a kid. The last time I had time to myself like this, I used it to act as the unofficial tour guide of my cousin who came home from California. So really, I think you and I are the same when it comes to work.”

“Two workaholic people whose break only happened in Hakuba?” Jun asked, laughing. “That doesn’t sound too bad. But it makes us sound like robots.”

Sho looked at Jun, remembering Jun’s story on how he got into this trip in Hakuba. “I’m not ‘Employee of the Month’ though.”

Jun shook his head, raising his finger in front of him. “I wouldn’t be able to drink sake this much had I not been ‘Employee of the Month’. I wouldn’t get to eat that much good soba in two days nor have these really good onsen package meals every day. So I see it as a good thing, Sho-san.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Sho muttered in agreement.

After all, if Jun hadn’t been ‘Employee of the Month’, Sho wouldn’t have met him.

--

He and Sho had decided to visit Matsumoto Castle the following day, only because Sho had been so insistent in the soba shop the night before, telling Jun over and over that he had to go because he was a Matsumoto.

It was the one place in Jun’s itinerary that Aiba had marked with a huge red asterisk and encircled repeatedly, and Jun didn’t really want to waste Aiba’s effort in preparing everything for him in this trip so he agreed. He was able to take photos of the other places in Aiba’s prepared itinerary, but Jun knew that the castle would be the number one place Aiba would want to see photos of.

And knowing Aiba, he would want Jun to be in the shot too, just so he could say something as stupid and as predictable as “A Matsumoto in Matsumoto”.

Jun let Sho lead the way after he was done taking photos for Aiba, allowing Sho to assume the tour guide persona he had during times like this. Jun was beginning to see Sho as his personal tour guide, albeit he was certain tour guides didn’t really wear glasses and bucket hats on top of their winter coats.

Sho was wearing his camouflage bucket hat the wrong way; the brim was flipped upwards so he could see better. He looked goofy in his hat, but his eager smile made Jun curb his tongue.

Sho was holding his trusty camcorder just like the day before, talking in that animated documentary style voice as he filmed everything he could see.

“Before us stands Matsumoto Castle, also known as the Crow Castle because of its dark exterior.” Sho’s camera panned to him, and Jun gave it a questioning look. “And this here is Matsumoto Jun-san, a Matsumoto in Matsumoto in Matsumoto, Nagano. Matsumoto-ception!”

Sho had this huge grin under his hat, obviously amused at his own joke. “Say hi,” Sho mouthed, and Jun only blinked at him.

Sho repeated what he said, and Jun pretended not to understand. Sho pouted before turning the camera to himself and saying with a whiny tone that “Matsumoto-kun wouldn’t give us a wave despite being the only Matsumoto in Matsumoto Castle in Matsumoto.”

Jun sighed and without thinking, grabbed Sho’s wrist to turn the camera towards his own face. “This is Matsumoto,” he said, finally doing what Sho had been asking for and giving a tiny wave. He hurriedly let Sho go after, belatedly realizing that he’d just been holding on to Sho.

Sho beamed, looking terribly pleased with himself. “We got a wave! Now, let’s see what else we can get from Matsumoto-san as this journey goes on!”

Sho blabbed on, oblivious to what had just happened. He continued spouting information after another regarding the castle, about its history beginning from its structure to its restoration. He was definitely more interested about the exterior of the castle and the campaign to save it than Jun was.

And Sho was definitely more interested in the Matsumoto that stood towering before him than the Matsumoto standing behind him, Jun thought.

He settled for watching Sho as he walked around to capture different parts of the castle’s well-maintained exterior with his camera. Sho was a few millimeters shorter than him, and with the castle’s keep serving as a background, he looked smaller in Jun’s eyes. Sho was wearing this backpack which front straps were also fastened, and Jun could remember laughing so much when Sho had explained that it was because he had sloping shoulders and they would slip if he didn’t fasten them.

While Jun had broad shoulders, Sho had angular ones that weren’t really obvious under his jacket, but every time he would remove it back in the room they shared, Jun would notice how different Sho’s body built was from his despite the two of them being of similar height.

The pants Sho was wearing made him look like he had short legs, though that was likely caused by his boots that reached up his shins. Although, Jun wouldn’t deny that the pair fit him rather nicely, considering the way the material hugged his butt. With Sho busily filming the castle like a reporter on site, Jun allowed himself to appreciate the curve of Sho’s ass in those tight jeans.

Jun had worn one of the fedoras he’d packed and foregone the contacts this time since he wouldn’t really be moving that much aside from walking. He wore a trench coat, protecting his neck by wrapping one of his scarves around it. He had his hands tucked inside his pockets as he stayed back and watched Sho walking back and forth, his occasional “oh, this is amazing!” making Jun smile every now and then.

His fashion sense greatly differed from Sho’s, and yet, no matter how unfashionable Sho looked, Jun couldn’t help observing him. He’d only known Sho for three days, and yet, in those three days, Jun felt like he knew a lot about him already.

He knew that Sho had this band in his youth called Zeus, that he used to play the guitar for that band aside from knowing how to play piano. He knew that Sho acquired an economics degree only to become a tour guide, because what he really wanted to do was to travel around the country (or the world if ever) and not analyze what contributed to the Japanese GNP.

Sho was a big eater who took selfies with his food ever since their trip to Togakushi. He wanted to be a soccer player in his youth. He had acrophobia. He liked Lady Gaga and would love to see her in a concert at least once. He would read newspapers every morning because he believed there was always something new to discover, to learn more about.

He was well-informed yet easy to embarrass and was prone to laughter. He was passionate about learning and would always like to share, and Jun thought it was such a shame that people couldn’t really see that side of him when they look at him, dressed shabbily in a winter jacket and a bucket hat.

“What’s wrong?” he heard Sho suddenly ask, and Jun had to blink at him. How long had he been staring at Sho? Long enough for Sho to notice and to wonder if something was on his face?

“Nothing, what made you ask that?” Jun asked back, trying to maintain composure, hoping his hat could hide his cheeks heating up.

“Well, I was asking if you’d like to go to someplace else or if you want to see what else Matsumoto has to offer.”

“You’re the tour guide,” Jun said, tilting his chin towards Sho. “Shouldn’t you have this schedule planned, something we could follow?”

Sho blushed at that, and Jun grinned. “Ah, the type who overschedules, huh, Sho-san? What else have you planned for us today?”

“I was giving you an out if you wanted it,” Sho retorted.

“Let’s do it,” Jun said, keeping his hands inside his pockets so he’d resist the temptation to tug at Sho’s sleeve. “Whatever you’ve got in your schedule. I don’t really know Nagano, being the normal person who wouldn’t look up that much before I visit a place, so just lead the way.”

“It’s called smart traveling, Matsumoto-kun,” Sho told him in that slightly defensive tone that never failed to make Jun smile whenever he would tease Sho. “But since you agreed, we’re going to have a look around. But before that…”

Sho trailed off, and Jun found himself being tugged at the sleeve, closer to the towering black keep. He could only watch as Sho pulled out his phone and asked him to say cheese, the castle serving as their background.

He managed a small smile as Sho took the photo, and he tried to get past the sudden awkwardness brought about by their proximity by asking “Did you take that so you can say there are three Matsumotos in the photo?”

There was a terse moment of silence before Sho mumbled a “yeah” that Jun shrugged to. He respectfully took a few steps away, maintaining the distance between him and Sho.

Space was important, Jun realized. The longer the time he spent with Sho, the more he realized that Sho was beginning to become someone he was getting used to seeing, hearing, walking with, eating with, laughing with, having fun with. It was unsettling. He didn’t really think he’d find someone like Sho when he’d boarded the Azusa, and he was certain it wasn’t pre-planned by Aiba either. After all, Aiba didn’t know Sho and vice versa.

But these past few days, spending time with his roommate for most hours of the day until night time, it made him uneasy. He was comfortable with Sho and he wasn’t forcing himself as he spent his time with the other man, but Jun wasn’t used to the idea of an instant connection, of being at ease with someone he’d only known for four days.

Sho was a stranger, but he no longer felt like one. And frankly, that was what made Jun anxious, the fact that Sho had somehow managed to get past his defenses without him really noticing it. Sho with his unfashionable bucket hats and corny punchlines, his spirited laughter that got Jun every time, his eagerness to help Jun rediscover Japan.

Jun was sure he wouldn’t enjoy Hakuba as much as he was now if he hadn’t met Sho, and the idea really terrified him. He didn’t even know what Sho thought of him aside from a roommate, a travel companion.

But why would Sho take a selfie with him if he was nothing but a stranger? Did he take selfies with all of the people he’d guided whenever he was on tour? Jun was certain he didn’t. So Jun wasn’t just someone he was guiding. What was he then?

Jun carried all these thoughts as he and Sho strolled around Matsumoto, sightseeing at first before Sho took them to the ukiyo-e museum that housed woodblock prints as old as Hokusai’s. The only museum Jun had been to in recent memory was the Louvre, but with Sho, he found that he could go anywhere, provided that Sho led the way.

It was unnerving, but it felt right.

His gut was telling him that it was right, that he shouldn’t question it for now. Jun knew that he was going to pay it for it later, maybe when Nino finally had a vacancy or when it was time to go home, but for now, he went with his feelings like he often did.

He let Sho’s familiar smile be part of the things he wouldn’t question, and when Sho fell into step beside him as they roamed the gallery, their footsteps matching, Jun finally stopped letting it bother him and just went with the flow.

--

Sho had fallen into a routine with Jun now. Every time they would return to the inn they’d take a seat at the porch and watch the stars while drinking beer or sake. Tonight it was beer, since he and Jun had enough of sake the day before when they’d tried out too many of the variations every shop in Obuse had to offer.

Tonight though, they had ordered shellfish as they drank their beers, the stars overhead their only illumination since they’d shut the sliding doors behind them.

Sho had noticed Jun’s silence earlier when they were at the castle, but he felt that it wasn’t his business to know. He’d wanted to ask, but Jun would probably find it intrusive. He chose to respect that, instead pretending that he was oblivious to anything so he could hide his own nervousness.

Because being with Jun made him tense. Jun was fun to be with-Sho sincerely enjoyed his company-, to dine with, to joke with, to talk with. With Jun, Sho felt that he wasn’t just talking to someone but conversing with that someone. Jun didn’t simply hear him out, he listened to Sho countless times when all Sho had to talk about was how boring he was.

Sho felt that Jun wasn’t just someone who saw him but someone who knew where to look, though that part made him self-conscious because who was he really? Just a tour guide who overschedules and occasionally gets stressed because of it.

But he liked being with Jun. Whenever Jun would crack a smile at one of his silly jokes, it felt as if it was worth sharing that moment of stupidity so long as they could laugh at it together. Jun’s smiles were something he looked forward to seeing, and he sometimes went out of his way just to make Jun laugh.

And yet, he didn’t pay it much thought because he got Jun to laugh along with him. Granted, Jun really loved making fun of his snoring and more recently, his sloping shoulders, but instead of being insecure, Sho became proud of his odd habit and that part of his body, only because Jun would never fail to break into a smile every time it entered their conversation.

There was something about Jun that made Sho restless, but at the same time, he couldn’t stay away. It was impossible to, they shared a room after all. They shared nearly everything, and Sho knew that was what made things weird lately.

He was now used to seeing Jun’s sleeping face after he woke up. He was accustomed to eating his meals with Jun seated across him, to taking a taxi ride with Jun seated right by his side. His recent video recordings had Jun in them, and his most recent selfie, one he’d taken in the ukiyo-e museum, had him grinning and Jun flashing a peace sign at the camera, their smiles almost matching.

Sho was positive that when he woke up tomorrow, the first thing he would do was to roll over and check if Jun was in the same room and asleep, then smile if that was exactly what he’d see.

Jun had somehow managed to worm inside him, settle in a spot that Sho wasn’t really aware of, until Jun was just simply there, like someone who truly belonged in Sho’s life and not a part of a temporary arrangement.

It was a frightening thought.

Because Sho had no idea how Jun saw him. Jun had listened to him, traveled with him, but other than that… Sho might just be a tour guide in his eyes in the end. A tour guide he didn’t pay for but got anyway. Maybe Jun was only interested in what he had to say because he was a travel agent and this was close to his line of work. Jun was passionate about his work after all. Perhaps his interest in Sho only extended that far.

But if that was the case, wouldn’t Sho notice it? Jun wasn’t as hard to read as he thought when they first met. His eyes were the most honest part of him, and Sho could always tell when he was joking despite his jabs at Sho’s ego with one look in his eyes.

So Jun didn’t just see him as a tour guide or as a roommate or a travel companion. There was something else, but Sho couldn’t really figure it out. It was becoming increasingly difficult to look Jun in the eye. Lately, it felt like something was constantly moving inside his stomach whenever he maintained eye contact with Jun.

Right now, with the two of them seated at the porch and the night breeze constantly sending pleasurable shivers on Sho’s skin, Sho hoped Jun wouldn’t hear how loud his heart was beating. Jun’s hand was only a few inches from his own and there was this nagging feeling that was telling him to reach out and grab it.

“We forgot to buy chestnuts,” Jun said, completely oblivious to Sho’s distress. They’d been talking about yesterday’s shopping spree and their successive intakes of sake just to find the right ones to give to their families and friends.

Obuse’s other popular product was chestnuts, something Sho could remember as part of what he had blabbed on while he and Jun had been in the taxi on the way to Obuse.

He was pleasantly surprised that Jun had remembered. “I’m not really fond of eating chestnuts.”

“Roasted chestnuts are really good though,” Jun told him.

“But Christmas is over and isn’t that a little too western?”

“I handle overseas accounts, Sho-san. You can’t blame me for occasionally being a little western.”

Sho let out a laugh. “Do you even like chestnuts or are you just thinking of buying them because they’re the other popular product?”

“I don’t like them but I don’t hate them either,” Jun explained. “But I guess you’re right. Christmas is over. Is it mandatory that you only eat roasted ones during Christmas?”

Sho shrugged his shoulders. “You’re the travel agent here. I’m just a tour guide.”

Jun pursed his lips. “Ah but tour guide-san, you really didn’t take me to the Chestnut Alley yesterday.” His tone was amused, like he was glad he was able to say such a thing.

Now that Jun had mentioned it, that completely slipped Sho’s mind. But he had a reason. “You were eager to buy sake for your friends so what was I to do? Even if I wanted to show you the Chestnut Alley, we didn’t have the time. You were very intent on visiting every shop there was.” Sho worried his bottom lip. “Though if you wanted chestnuts, you should have told me.”

Jun was silent for a few moments before Sho heard him grin. “I forgot,” he admitted quietly in that cute voice that indicated he was on the verge of breaking into laughter and was only holding it in.

Sho gave him a light shove. “But you scold me for forgetting? When you just remembered now? How unfair.”

“I thought it’d be part of your schedule since you have this really elaborate one every time,” Jun reasoned, his can of beer resting right above his mouth. Sho wished that there was a little illumination aside from the stars so he could see the markings around Jun’s lips.

“It was,” Sho insisted, “but like I said, you picked sake over chestnuts and I only followed. That’s how tour guides work, Matsumoto-kun. There would be occasional changes to the itinerary if one of the tourists felt like being spontaneous.”

“So I was being spontaneous yesterday?” Jun asked, his mouth quirking.

“You’re an avid, determined shopper who wanted to taste every sake there was in Obuse,” was what Sho told him, and Jun reached over to swat him lightly on the arm. “Then you complain to your poor tour guide that you weren’t able to try the chestnuts when it was truly your fault. What a predicament for tour guide-san.”

“I didn’t hear you complain when we went from shop to shop,” Jun retorted. “And from what I recall, you drank more than I did. Your face was totally red even before we arrived at the soba place.”

Sho opened his mouth only to close it again, remembering that it was also him who talked about free tastes in the first place. He heard a snort beside him, and he turned just in time to see Jun covering half of his face with his hand as his shoulders shook.

“Are you making fun of me, Matsumoto-kun?” he asked, hiding his grin behind his Kirin.

“You should have seen your face, Sho-san. Like a tomato because of how much free sake you had. Ah, I should have taken a photo.” Jun was shaking his head in dismay as he took another sip of his beer.

“You are making fun of me. After I put up with your inability to ski and you being a shopaholic.” Sho shook his head, even clicked his tongue repeatedly. “Clearly I am at a disadvantage in this arrangement.”

“I put up with your snoring every night and that’s including tonight,” Jun shot back, just like Sho had expected. “I put up with your weird hats and love for camouflage, and you tell me you’re at a disadvantage? Really?”

“I have to deal with your grumpiness every morning,” Sho pointed out, though he kept his tone lighthearted. He wasn’t bothered by it. He found that he enjoyed it, looking forward to Jun’s reaction to certain things.

“That’s payback for the snoring,” Jun informed him. Sho could hear the smile in his voice and willed himself not to look because he would definitely have trouble looking away after. “And before you say it, the mouthpiece helps, yes, but you make this weird sound instead.”

Jun then imitated him, his mouth formed in an O with his hand opening and closing before his mouth. “You sounded like you were breathing in an oxygen cylinder. I was worried for a moment.”

“It was soothing though wasn’t it?” Sho asked, not allowing himself to be embarrassed.

Jun finally laughed, shaking his head. “It wasn’t soothing. I just told you I was worried for a moment! Shouldn’t you be self-reflecting?”

“Ah but you see, I wasn’t conscious when it happened so I feel no ounce of responsibility,” Sho said, refusing to back down. “Besides, shouldn’t you be thankful? That you get a soothing effect every night?

Jun shook his head once more, his smile wide and amused and something Sho could clearly see even in the darkness. “It was like ‘please take this soothing effect’ every time. A little forceful if you’d ask me.”

“So you do admit, it was soothing,” Sho said triumphantly. “Hah, I knew it. You’re just complaining!”

“I didn’t say it was soothing,” Jun denied, even though Sho had clearly heard him.

“You did,” Sho insisted, to which Jun’s answer was a fierce shaking of his head and another “No, I didn’t.”

Sho laughed then, unable to resist how cute Jun was being. “I’ll make sure to sleep after you do tonight then. So you don’t hear the soothing oxygen cylinder.” He finally relented.

“I take a while to fall asleep though,” Jun told him quietly.

“Then I’ll wait,” Sho promised, though he wasn’t able to look at Jun anymore. He was grateful for the dark because he could feel his cheeks burning.

Jun sounded uncertain the next time he spoke. “You’ll do that?”

Sho couldn’t answer fast enough. “Yeah.”

Silence followed and Sho’s bravado began draining away. What could Jun be possibly thinking now? Was it a creepy thing to say? Did he make things uncomfortable? Why did he have to go and put his foot in his mouth again?

Instead, his inner panic was interrupted by a quiet “okay” that made him look at Jun.

“Okay,” Sho repeated awkwardly, slowly, and Jun nodded.

When Jun gave him one of his sincere smiles that ended up brightening his whole face, Sho decided that it was something he would keep close to his heart.

Part Four

fandom: arashi, p: matsumoto jun/ sakurai sho, year: 2016, r: nc-17

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