50 Notes To Say I’m Sorry, 3/3
Insure Your Irrigation Equipment, Ensure Your Future
Saturday, 1:00 PM
Garden Room C
Speaker: Ikematsu Nanami, VP, AIG Insurance Farm Solutions
Did you know AIG offers coverage for your valuable irrigation machinery and equipment? In this talk, we’ll explore how Shikoku farmers can get covered depending on the needs of their operations. You never know when a natural disaster or debilitating accident will happen, but with full coverage from AIG, you’ll have peace of mind.
-
Jun did find the HomeSmarts Show and Expo to be more interesting than all the others he’d visited put together. HomeSmarts had the largest amount of real estate in the convention center that weekend, and it was swarming with people, even on a late Sunday afternoon. Nobody here would likely notice or care that Jun was probably not named Mariko.
Jun realized quickly that his own apartment wasn’t very “smart.” He did think the dimmer switch he had in his living room was useful, but that was nothing compared to the array of items on display in the massive expo hall. Aiba tugged him along, showing off his favorites that he and Nino had checked out the last two days. Aiba actually had come to the convention to get work done, he and Nino deciding what to pursue more closely once they got back to the office.
There were fancy thermostats and light bulbs. Elaborate, color-soaked screens to install in cars and connect to a smartphone over wi-fi. Security cameras that shot in HD and motion-detector lights. Aiba brought him to a booth showcasing a new type of at-home robot that could be programmed to cook basic recipes.
“It’s not ready for the market yet,” Aiba explained as the robot, SuperChef 8000, stood at a mock-up kitchen counter stiffly peeling potatoes. Jun raised an eyebrow, trying not to laugh as bits of potato skin went flying around, smacking against a glass screen. In a real kitchen, SuperChef would be making a Super Mess.
“I don’t think I need a robot to peel potatoes.”
“He’s gonna make croquettes though.”
“I can make them myself. And without destroying my kitchen in the process,” Jun said.
Aiba gave him a light jab in the arm. “You’re no fun.”
“I’ll make them for you,” he continued, keeping his voice light. “If you want.”
Aiba was quiet for a moment. When Jun looked over, Aiba was blushing. “You’d really cook for me?”
“I’d be happy to.”
Aiba turned away, scratching at the back of his neck. “Well, then it’s a good thing we have each other’s phone numbers now, isn’t it?”
Jun grinned. This convention wasn’t just some dream. When he got back to Tokyo, Aiba would be there. And they could reconnect like two normal people. No more misunderstandings, no more World Cup-like gaps of time. Things weren’t as hopeless for Jun as he’d thought.
They spent over an hour walking through the convention hall, trying out various gadgets. He was very happy to pass on the opportunity to try a strange new contraption, the Xperience 4-D. But Aiba eagerly emptied his pockets, shoving items into Jun’s bag and having him hold on to his suit jacket. He was strapped into some seat, a virtual reality visor slipped over his head. Once the contraption was locked up, Jun watched in amusement as the thing flung Aiba around, simulating a roller coaster ride. It even turned upside down. Much as Jun liked roller coasters, he had a feeling he’d lose his lunch in a simulator.
His suspicions were proven correct when Aiba came stumbling out of the thing, smiling weakly and looking a little green. “That was…that was…”
“Not going to end up in Zic Camera stores?” Jun asked.
Aiba nodded. “I don’t think so.”
With Aiba a bit woozy, Jun held on to both of their bags, Aiba limply holding his jacket in his arms as they made their way through the convention hall. Jun could tell that the Xperience had really thrown Aiba around, and when they got to the end of a row, Jun pulled him aside, resting a hand on his shoulder.
“Are you alright?”
Aiba shook his head. “Maybe I should eat something. That thing rattled my brain around in my head.”
They ended up back at the Byatt Regency, hiding in the back of the restaurant in case that dental student found them again. Even as they ate, Jun could see that Aiba was trying to tough it out and failing.
“I think I know why they made me sign a waiver,” Aiba joked, poking lethargically at the tonkatsu on his plate.
But Aiba refused to leave him, even when Jun encouraged him to go back to his room and nap. Instead Aiba wanted to know everything he didn’t already know about Jun. Not that there was much to tell, but Jun did his best to summarize, to fill in the blanks that came from not having seen one another in five years. He talked about work, friends, family. Instead of their plan to go check out the vacuum convention, Aiba sat back in his seat, listening and smiling and laughing as Jun spoke.
It was different from any other time they’d had together. There was no alcohol to loosen tongues, no sex as a fun distraction. Jun could simply be himself, and Aiba was simply himself. Aiba wasn’t the high school dream on top of a pedestal. He was a normal guy. Admittedly he had some odd interests when it came to attending work conferences, but he was single and just as despondent about it as Jun was.
There was still a lot they didn’t know about each other, and one dinner wasn’t going to solve that, but they’d already found some common ground. And while he got the feeling they weren’t 100% compatible, for once Jun didn’t really seem to mind.
Aiba insisted on paying for their dinner. “Then it feels like a real date,” Aiba admitted quietly. Jun had nothing to say to that, only looking down, smiling with his good fortune.
With Aiba still a bit woozy from the Xperience thing, Jun decided to be content with the incredible day they’d already shared. After all, there was still tomorrow to spend together.
They stood outside the restaurant. There were too many people around, Jun thought, but Aiba had been bold for as long as Jun had known him. He reached out, slipping his hand into Jun’s, twining their fingers together.
“I’m so glad I had the opportunity to apologize to you,” Aiba said.
“This has been one of the oddest days of my life,” Jun admitted. “Honestly, Aiba-san, every day I’ve spent with you has been odd.”
“Oh?”
Jun squeezed Aiba’s hand to reassure him. Sometimes he realized that his blunt comments could come across as rude. “It’s a good kind of odd, being around you. A perfect sort of odd.”
He slipped his hand away, not wanting anyone to stare at them.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Matsujun. I’ll call you when I wake up. Definitely gotta sleep this off, get my brain back to normal.”
“I’ll see you then. Thanks for today.”
They parted with a lingering look, Jun’s heart racing. It was so tempting to follow Aiba, but even if Aiba didn’t have a headache from that awful machine, perhaps it was too soon to jump into something. Impulsive was Aiba’s thing, not really Jun’s.
But still, he was smiling when he took the elevator up to his room. He stripped down, stretching and having a shower. He still couldn’t believe everything that had happened.
Changing into a comfortable t-shirt and pajama bottoms, he sat on his bed, digging through his bag. He laughed, tugging out the tractor catalogs. He’d leave those to be recycled, offering a silent apology to the poor woman with the fruit hat. He managed to find the stack of 50 notes Aiba had written to him. He sorted through them again, glad he was alone in his room when he teared up at Aiba’s lengthy explanation and apology.
He eventually got to the bottom of the bag, confusion striking. He tugged out a gray keycard. Cosmos Hotel and Suites, the thing read. “Huh?” he said aloud, disturbing the silence of his hotel room.
And then he remembered. Before Aiba had gotten on that stupid ride, he’d dumped a lot of stuff with Jun to hold on to so nothing would fly out of his pockets. Jun thought Aiba had managed to take everything back - his wallet, his phone.
But not his keycard.
So why hadn’t Aiba called him?
Typical Aiba Masaki forgetfulness, Jun realized with a sigh. If he and Aiba did end up dating after this, fingers crossed, then Jun would have to be very patient when it came to things like this. He took out his phone, happy that this time he could simply tap on Aiba’s name and make a call.
It went to voicemail. “Hello you’ve reached Aiba Masaki. If you leave me a message, I’ll call you back. Well, at some point. I’m pretty bad at checking my voicemail so…yeah. Thanks! Bye bye!”
Jun hung up, shaking his head in disbelief.
Aiba had probably gone to the front desk for a new keycard. These things happened. Or if Aiba didn’t want to get charged extra for losing it, he was probably crashing in Nino’s room. But Jun also knew Aiba didn’t always do the most probable thing.
A quick look at the clock revealed it was already after midnight. Not really caring that he was going out in a t-shirt and flannel pajama pants, Jun dragged a brush through his damp hair, putting on his convention lanyard and taking both the keycard for his room and for Aiba’s hotel.
He made the long walk, shivering a little without all the warm bodies swarming the hotel for the convention. There were still people at the Byatt’s bar, a few coming into the lobby after having a night on the town. The convention center rooms were all locked down for the night, but the pathway from the Byatt to the Cosmos was still wide open. It was chilly and a little scary walking through the passageway alone at night. He only passed one other person, a woman who gave Jun a bit of a funny look for being out in his pajamas. He offered no judgment, considering that she’d clearly come from someone else’s room, given the way she’d misbuttoned her blouse.
He went to the desk, setting down the keycard. It was a bit shady, lying to the person behind the counter, but they’d never give him Aiba’s information otherwise. And Jun had spent the entire day pretending to be someone he wasn’t.
“My keycard isn’t working,” he said calmly.
“I’m sorry about that, sir,” the man behind the counter said. “Your name?”
“Aiba. Aiba Masaki.”
“Just a moment please, Aiba-san. You’re here for the…”
“The SmartHome show. I’m in the Zic Camera room block.”
“Yes, on our third floor. 310,” the man said, and Jun hid his shock as best he could. He didn’t think he’d get this much information without having to lie some more. The security in this hotel was really lacking. The Byatt would never let some weirdo in pajamas get away with this without showing ID.
“Yes, 310. I don’t know why it stopped working. I got in earlier this afternoon.”
“You were at the electronics show. Sometimes there’s been issues with our cards after people play with some of those gadgets.”
“I see.”
The man handed over a new card. “Again, we apologize for the inconvenience, Aiba-san. Please have a good night.”
“Thank you.”
His plan was to slip the keycard under Aiba’s door along with a note teasingly chiding Aiba for being forgetful once again. His plan flew out the window when the elevator dinged on the third floor and he walked out, only to find a man slumped over with his back against one of the hotel room doors.
A man in a gray suit hugging a convention bag against his chest, snoring.
“What is wrong with you?” Jun muttered under his breath, approaching quietly and confirming almost instantly that instead of calling Jun about his keycard, instead of going to the desk for a new one, and instead of staying with Nino, Aiba had simply accepted that he’d been locked out and had chosen to sleep in his hallway instead.
Jun crouched down, sighing. “Aiba-san.”
Nothing.
He rested a hand on Aiba’s shoulder. “Aiba-san, wake up.”
Aiba finally stirred, and Jun winced at the cracking noise Aiba’s neck made when he raised his head, blinking in confusion.
“Matsujun?”
Jun ruffled his hair. “You seem to be missing something.”
“I lost my keycard,” Aiba admitted, voice still heavy and muddled with sleep.
Jun produced the new card from the pocket of his pajama bottoms. “This keycard?”
Aiba woke a little bit more. “You found it!”
“You left it in my bag,” Jun whispered, not wanting to disturb other sleepers on the floor. “Come on, let’s get you inside.”
He helped Aiba to his feet, Jun opening the door and giving Aiba a push inside. It was a small room, just as Aiba had claimed. Nothing much more than a tiny bathroom, a single bed, and a desk. A tiny screen bolted to the wall apparently served as his TV. No wonder Nino and Aiba spent most of their time looking for freebies at other conventions. Zic Camera didn’t seem to go to a lot of trouble to provide them with nice accommodations.
Aiba headed for the bed but Jun stopped him, grabbing him by the arm. “Your suit will wrinkle. Don’t sleep in it.”
“Yeah yeah yeah.”
Jun found that Aiba had left a t-shirt on top of his duffel bag. “Here, put this on.”
He stood by while Aiba slowly shrugged out of his suit, groaning in irritation both from being woken so suddenly and likely from having fallen asleep sitting on the floor. Since Aiba didn’t really seem fully coherent, Jun decided to behave himself, ignore his baser instincts as Aiba undressed. He simply took Aiba’s suit jacket, tie, and shirt, hanging them up in the small closet. He laid Aiba’s slacks over the chair at the desk, putting his belt on top.
Aiba looked much different, very relaxed in his well-worn, obviously well-loved t-shirt, which he was wearing over a childish-looking pair of orange trunks dotted with purple stars. Where the hell did he shop? Jun tried not to look too closely at the contents of those trunks, even though he hadn’t forgotten in all this time.
Aiba collapsed onto the mattress with a pleased little moan, and Jun tucked him in to the small bed. Aiba wasn’t much taller than Jun was, but his feet almost reached the edge of the mattress. It really was a pretty crappy room.
Jun sat down, the mattress creaking with his added weight. He stroked his fingers across Aiba’s forehead, brushing his fringe aside. His face was already fairly peaceful. He was the type of person to adapt quickly to things, unlike Jun.
“I’m going to leave the keycard on your desk. Don’t lose it, alright?”
“Yeah, Mom, I heard you,” Aiba grumbled, though not with any cruelty.
Jun smiled. “I’ll see you in the morning. Give me a call when you get up.”
“You’re not mad?”
“Hmm?”
Aiba slowly opened his eyes, looking at Jun with surprising seriousness. “One dumb day isn’t enough to really forgive me, is it?”
“Then give me more than one dumb day,” Jun reasoned with him, running his fingers down Aiba’s cheek, stroking along his jawline. “Give me a ton of dumb days.”
Aiba nodded. “I will. I want to.”
He leaned forward, thinking to leave a kiss on Aiba’s cheek. Aiba, not as tired as he seemed, intercepted him. Their lips met, warm but quick. Jun backed off first, still leaning down, still wary.
“Tomorrow then,” he whispered, already missing the softness of Aiba’s lips on his.
“Night.”
Jun moved off of the mattress, trying to breathe normally. He left the keycard exactly where he promised, closing Aiba’s door behind him. He laughed quietly as he walked back to the elevator with a spring in his step.
-
“Reel” Tips For Independent Charter Operations
Monday, 9:30 AM
Maple Room I, II, III
Speaker: Ohno Satoshi, OhnoKato Tokyo Bay Tours
It might seem daunting to start your own charter boat business in today’s cutthroat marketplace. But with planning and patience, you too can achieve your dreams. The incomparable Ohno Satoshi, a nearly 20-year veteran of the industry, 17-year charter captain, and soon-to-be small screen star, describes his road to deep-sea charter success and offers tips for budding entrepreneurs. Breakfast provided at this sure-to-be-engaging session. (Invite only)
-
When his phone rang at half past eight that morning, he groaned, crawling over to the nightstand. Jun’s mood perked up considerably when he saw it was Aiba calling.
“Hey, it’s the Hallway Sleeper.”
“Afraid it’s not,” came the joking voice of Ninomiya Kazunari. “Ninomiya here calling from Aiba-san’s phone.”
Jun sat up, the sheets rustling beneath him. Unlike Aiba, the government had put Jun up in a room with a king-size bed. He had a feeling it was a clerical error. “Ninomiya-san, how are you?”
“Dandy. Our Aiba-san is in the shower.”
“Okay.”
“Have you guys been to TSURI-EXPO yet?”
The fishing trade show was getting started while all the other conferences slowly closed. Their expo had started the night before with conference sessions formally beginning today. “No, we didn’t poke our heads around in there. We were already pushing it in some of the other conventions. Thanks for uh…thanks for getting me into those.”
“Not a problem at all. It just so happens that I was wandering a bit last night, minding my own business, and I happened upon four invites to one of the special breakfasts. For the TSURI-EXPO, I mean. Aiba-san and I are going. You have a co-worker who likes free food?”
He had two of them, but he knew that Shihori was likely already in the expo center. She was the first one heading back to Tokyo that afternoon, so she’d taken the first shift. Which meant…
“I have a co-worker who likes free food. He’s not much of a rule breaker though.”
“According to the ticket, it’s all you can eat,” Ninomiya explained.
“I will call him right now. We’ll meet you there. Should I assume you have a way to get us in?”
“Oh, Matsumoto-san, do you even have to ask me that?”
He snorted. “What time is the breakfast?”
“9:30 in Maple Room 1, 2, and 3. It’s a big to-do. Come hungry.”
“Thanks,” he said, hanging up.
He caught Sho just in the nick of time - he’d been perusing the room service menu and had been planning to order in. He gave Sho the quickest rundown possible, about Aiba and all the badges and Ninomiya’s sneaky fingers and most importantly, the ballroom full of all-you-can-eat breakfast.
“You want to sneak in to this breakfast?” Sho was asking in disbelief. “We work for the government…”
“It’s not sneaking. We’ll have badges.”
“Stolen badges.”
“Found badges,” Jun said. “Found and, um, not yet returned.”
Sho sighed. “Someone probably paid for those tickets.”
“It’s all-you-can-eat, Sho-san.”
“Well…”
Sho arrived in 10 minutes, looking a bit nervous but looking more hungry. They headed for the elevator, and when the doors shut, Sho looked over at him.
“You look happier,” Sho said quietly.
“I am. Well…I don’t know what it all means yet but…”
“He makes you happy, it’s that simple.” Sho gave him a silly punch in the arm. “Go for it. At least you have his number now, right?”
He blushed. “It’s been a weird 24 hours.”
“I bet.”
He looked over, grinning. “Take off that logistics badge, Sho-san, you’d be a horrible spy.”
They met Nino and Aiba one floor up from the large Maple Room banquet hall where people were already streaming in for the special breakfast. Aiba was wearing his usual confident smile, and Jun tried not to act like a silly teenager with a crush. He was a silly adult with a crush, and he returned Aiba’s smile shyly.
Ignoring the love fest happening in front of him, Ninomiya was all business.
He shook hands with Jun, then introduced himself to Sho. “Matsumoto-san,” he said. “Sakurai-san. As of this moment, those men are dead.”
Sho raised an eyebrow. “Beg pardon?”
Ninomiya dug around in his bag, finding lanyards and badges. “I found some good ones. For you, Jun-kun.”
Jun accepted a badge for Yoshimoto Yuta from High Seas Fisheries. Sho was handed a badge for Tachikawa Yukie of Kobe Fish and Fleet.
“This is a woman’s name,” Sho complained. Aiba gave Jun a wicked smile.
Jun just gave Sho a pat on the back. “Just tap into your girl power. I’m sure you have some.”
Sho rolled his eyes, putting on the badge. “Whether I have girl power or not isn’t the problem here…”
Nino then distributed tickets, and the four of them took the escalator down. Sho stood closer than Jun thought was necessary, trying to cover his badge with the ticket, but his fear was rather cute. Was this what Aiba had felt yesterday, when Jun was a bundle of nerves following him into the fruit farmer convention or the dentistry meeting?
The pink lanyards were enough to help them blend in, and they handed their tickets to a woman at the door. It was a large room, not too different from the one where he and Sho had shared breakfast the other day. There was a stage up at the front with a podium. A video screen had been set up and was scrolling through a carousel of fish photos. Each photo featured a small fellow with a rather adorable grin. In each picture he was holding up his catch like a proud parent.
“I did some web searching,” Ninomiya informed them when they found the only table that still had four seats together, closer to the front than Jun would have liked. “Apparently this Ohno guy owns a fleet of charter boats. But that’s not all…”
Aiba took a seat between Nino and Jun, resting an arm on the back of each of their chairs. “That’s not all?”
“A guy like that, he’s become popular, it seems. He’s got a TV show coming up, what was it called? It’s gonna air on TV Tokyo at like, 3:00 in the morning. Fillet and Fry, I think.” Nino gestured to the screen of pictures. “Can you believe it? A guy who looks like him hosting a TV program.”
“Well, if it’s a fishing program, isn’t a fisherman the best option?” Sho wondered, already flagging down a woman coming by with a fresh pot of coffee.
“Look at him though!” Nino cried, the slideshow changing to a picture of a smiling Ohno holding a tuna almost as big as he was. “That little old man…”
Jun chuckled. He didn’t look old at all. “He looks nice to me.”
Aiba’s fingers stroked along the back of Jun’s neck, and he jumped in surprise, but none of the others seemed to notice. Jun looked over, saw the slightest hint of jealousy in Aiba’s expression.
“I mean, he’s alright,” Jun clarified. “I’m sure he’s good at…fishing.”
Nino leaned forward. “Gentlemen, would you like to make this interesting?”
“Nope,” Sho said immediately, adding some sugar to his coffee.
“Don’t mind him,” Jun said teasingly. “He’s a goody goody.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Sho said in a lofty voice, eyes watching as various dishes were being brought in. It seemed all the tables would pass and share the massive plates of food. Jun supposed that was less disruptive than everyone going back to a buffet table while Ohno-san was delivering his presentation.
“Can’t we just eat, Nino?” Aiba asked.
Nino reached into his bag, pulling out a massive stack of little white tickets. He held one up for each of them to see. “This here is a raffle ticket to win a brand new TV from one of the sponsors of the convention Aiba-san and I are attending. 85 inches.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Jun mumbled, even though winning it would be…kind of amazing.
Nino let them see the ticket even closer. “I’ve got 527 of these tickets that I’ve managed to gather the last few days through lots of hard work, and last night while I sat in my room enjoying the Overwatch World Championship…”
“The hell is that?” Sho butted in, but Nino kept right on talking.
“…I filled out all 527 of these suckers. While they all have my name and phone number and contact information, I am willing to give the prize to the man who takes a selfie with future television star Ohno Satoshi.”
“But they’re just raffle tickets,” Jun pointed out. “I presume they haven’t drawn the winner yet.”
Nino narrowed his eyes. “The drawing is at 11 AM, right after this breakfast ends. I’m giving you 527 opportunities to win a brand new TV.” He waved his left hand around decisively. “I got a cramp filling all these out, you know.”
“And you’d just give them away?” Aiba asked. “Don’t you want the TV?”
“I wouldn’t mind it,” Nino said. “Oh, did I forget to mention that you have to be wearing this in the photo with him?”
He dug around in his bag again, holding up a blue and yellow hat shaped like a fish. Two little yellow fins stuck out of the sides. Jun didn’t really want to know where Nino had swiped that from.
“But even if one of us does it, you still might not win the raffle. We’ll have made a fool of ourselves for nothing,” Jun protested.
Nino shrugged, shoving the 527 raffle tickets inside the fish hat and then stuffing it back in his bag. “You have the entire breakfast to make up your minds.”
They quieted down as more food was brought out, and soon Jun had enough on his plate to keep himself busy chewing for a long time. Despite Sho’s initial reservations about pretending to be someone he wasn’t, the free breakfast had seemed to win him over.
Beside him, Aiba was obviously distracted. He had his phone out, was scrolling through product specs for the TV Nino had mentioned. But was it enough to wear a silly, childish hat and try to force a selfie with a stranger? Jun wasn’t quite sure yet.
It was Ohno Satoshi who provided the biggest surprise that morning. He came out to a standing ovation, something that left Jun and the others sitting there, jaws dropped, forks clutched in their hands. Apparently the guy was the fishing world’s equivalent of a superstar, a major celebrity.
He didn’t particularly look like one with his dark hair and round face. He seemed to be fairly humble, even as people chanted his name when he walked out on stage dressed like he was ready to hit the water in a pair of rubbery tan wader boots that went all the way up to his chest. He made squeaky noises as he walked back and forth across the stage, waving politely as people snapped pictures of him.
When some of the people in attendance, mostly middle-aged men, shouted “Fish us! Fish us!” at Ohno, the man kindly obliged them, smiling and making a “reeling in” gesture over and over that made Nino drop his fork in astonishment.
“Is he giving them…fan service?” Sho whispered in Jun’s ear.
“Seems like it,” he replied.
It was five minutes of “Fish us!” and photo-taking and applause before Ohno in his fishing waders and bright blue OhnoKato Tokyo Bay Tours windbreaker was able to approach the podium and start his speech.
Nino shook his head. “I may have grossly miscalculated this man’s appeal.”
On paper, the session was supposed to be about starting your own charter boat business, but the man who’d introduced Ohno announced to the crowd that Ohno had also brought along with him a TSURI-EXPO exclusive - a screener of the first episode of his upcoming TV program, Fillet and Fry.
They all poked at their food, watching all the fishermen around them losing their minds for some reason as the video played. The first episode of Fillet and Fry, which had higher production values than Jun had anticipated, served to introduce Ohno Satoshi, fishing boat charter captain. Jun thought fishing programs were usually just long, boring shots of some guy sitting in a boat waiting to reel in “the big one.”
But Fillet and Fry was one of the most bizarre reality show concepts Jun had ever seen. Ohno himself was a quiet guy, but they’d paired him with some obnoxious comedians. They went out in Ohno’s boat, and the idea was that whatever they caught that day was what they’d have to fry up and serve to their celebrity guest. In the first episode, the big guest was some washed-up actress who’d been caught selling her used panties on an auction site. She also received a startling amount of applause from the audience.
While Ohno reeled in fish after fish, the dumb comedians managed to bring in an old rubber boot. Laughter ensued again, and Jun wondered if he’d fallen through a wormhole into an alternate dimension where the TSURI-EXPO Osaka was now Japan’s sole arbiter of what was considered entertainment.
The episode closed with the comedians screaming and howling in (hopefully fake) agony as splatters of hot oil got on them while they tried dipping their boot in a deep fryer. The camera then cut to Ohno, who blinked a few times before leaning forward to deliver the most deadpan line Jun had ever heard.
“Please don’t fry this at home.”
The room erupted into cheers.
Sho rested a hand on Jun’s shoulder. “We’ve gotta get this guy to do some PSAs for boat safety.”
“No shit,” Jun muttered, watching Ohno continue to “reel in” his fanboys. Then again, he doubted JTSB could afford such a…superstar. Not that Jun really wanted to win the TV that badly, but it was pretty obvious that Ohno would be completely swarmed by fans after the event. Nobody was getting a selfie with him.
Following the episode airing, a Q&A session got underway. The first six questions were from middle-aged fanboys asking Ohno to reel them in. He did so again and again and again. Jun rolled his eyes, downing the rest of his coffee.
It was then that Aiba leaned over, his breath warm against Jun’s ear. “Watch this.”
“Wait…” Jun hissed, “wait…Aiba-san…”
Nino, Jun, and Sho sat there, overwhelmed with a sudden tidal wave of secondhand embarrassment as Aiba proudly strolled up to the nearest microphone. He stood there, hands on his hips, and waited patiently as the person at the other microphone stand asked Ohno what he thought was the best bait for cold water bass.
“What is he doing?” Sho mumbled.
The spotlight turned, shining on Aiba, and all eyes in the room, including Ohno Satoshi’s, went to him. “Yes,” Ohno said quietly, pointing Aiba’s way. “Your question?”
Jun watched Aiba lean forward, gazing at Ohno with perfect seriousness. “Ohno-san, I’m a huge fan.”
“Ah, thank you very much.”
“And I was wondering if maybe we could take a selfie together? Right now?”
Ohno laughed, even as some people in the crowd booed Aiba for his selfishness. It was probably the fanboys who’d just asked for the “reel in” gesture - none of them had had the courage to ask for something more. Because none of them were trying to win an 85-inch TV.
“Let’s make it quick then, but for the rest of you, I’m doing a handshake event after this session…ah, please don’t boo him. He’s a fan, just like you.”
Well, no he wasn’t, but Aiba held out his hands and Nino flung the fish hat at him. Aiba slipped his phone out and jogged onto the stage, happily shoving the hat onto his head. That earned a few more boos, and Jun wanted to slink out of his seat and melt into a puddle under the table, just so he didn’t have to witness Aiba giving his all in order to win Nino’s stupid raffle tickets.
This was the guy he liked so much, huh?
Beside him Sho was laughing, but Jun couldn’t bear to watch as Ohno and Aiba took a photo together on the stage. Soon enough Aiba was back, and people seemed to be clapping that Ohno was moving on to answering more serious questions.
As soon as Aiba sat down, Nino yanked the hat off of him, grumbling under his breath as he shoved the 527 tickets into it. “That was a masterclass in super spy subterfuge, and I fucking hate you for thinking of it before me,” Nino complained.
Aiba merely patted his friend on the shoulder, taking the tickets out and putting them in his bag. “I’ll let you come watch the TV anytime.”
Jun focused intently on drinking his coffee, and mercifully, the Q&A session came to a close. By that point, Aiba’s egregious fan behavior had mostly been forgotten and everyone was cheering for Ohno to provide them fan service of their own. Jun was fairly certain he’d never understand it.
They exited the banquet hall, Sho snagging one last croissant and munching on it as the four of them gathered together outside. Aiba passed around his phone, and they all laughed at the picture of Ohno and Aiba smiling together as though they were the best of friends. God, they were all terrible people, weren’t they?
“I’m catching a train at 12:00,” Nino said, the fish hat now perched a bit lopsided on his head. “If they call me about the TV, I’ll let you know. You crafty motherfucker. See you in the office tomorrow.”
“See you,” Aiba said, chuckling, and they all said their goodbyes to Nino.
Sho then looked between him and Aiba. “I’m going to the booth. Shihori-chan and I will pack up, and I’ll take the leftover pamphlets back with me. I’ve got the 2:00 train.”
Jun shook his head. “No, I can help you…”
Sho ignored him, holding out a hand. Aiba, a bit surprised, reached forward and shook it.
“I’ve heard a lot about you this weekend, Aiba-san. Some good…some…not so good.”
Aiba blushed. “I’m going to do my best to fix that, Sakurai-san.”
Sho smiled. “That was certainly one of the oddest breakfasts I’ve ever attended. I very much hope you win the TV.”
“I hope so, too,” Aiba said, turning even redder. “I can’t believe I got up on that stage with him. By the way, you should all know that Ohno-san smells very nice. And he patted my back so gently. I might be falling in love…”
Sho laughed. “He seems to have that effect on people, huh? Maybe I’ll tune in to his show. It was very weird. But anyhow…”
Sho then leaned forward, holding onto Aiba’s shoulder and whispering something in his ear. Jun stood there, arms crossed, annoyed and confused.
“Ah,” Aiba said. “Yeah, I know. I know.”
“See that you do, alright? It was nice to meet you,” Sho said before backing off, giving Jun a rather neutral look. “Matsumoto-kun, I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Thanks for all your hard work this weekend.”
“Thanks for your hard work,” Jun said, utterly baffled, inclining his head. What the hell had Sho said to Aiba?
In seconds, Sho was leaving them behind. They stood there, side by side, watching other fishing fans file out of the banquet hall, many of them speed-walking in the direction of Ohno Satoshi’s fan event.
“What did he say to you?” Jun asked, nervous.
“Nothing you need to know,” Aiba said, putting his nose in the air.
Jun, who hated being out of the loop on anything, pouted. “Sure.”
Aiba wrapped an arm around his shoulder, squeezing tight, not seeming to care if anyone saw. “Matsujun, don’t be such a baby. Your boss is a nice guy.”
“Sho-san is not my boss. He is my senpai at work but I don’t…”
“Okay, okay, okay,” Aiba said, rubbing his arm affectionately. “He said something that I should have done ages ago.”
Oh god, what the hell did Sho say?
Aiba leaned over, quickly pressing a kiss to Jun’s cheek.
“He told me I should take good care of you,” Aiba spoke softly, even with the convention center bustling around them. His voice was more serious than Jun had ever heard it. “I know it’s only day 2 for us, now that we’ve cleared up everything. But I’d really like for it to be day 2 of many, many more. That is, if you’d like to go out with me.”
Jun looked over, saw the nervous hope in Aiba’s gentle brown eyes.
“I’d like that too,” he mumbled, feeling his ears start to burn in embarrassment. It was a high school-level confession, true, but what was so bad about that?
“And not just because I might be the winner of an 85-inch TV?”
“Aiba-san, I liked you long before I knew you might be the winner of an 85-inch TV.”
Aiba nodded, smiling sweetly. “Now I know that I just asked you out but…”
Jun was on the same page. “I don’t have to leave for Shin-Osaka until quarter to 5:00.”
“Ah sorry, but I have to leave at 1:00.”
It was 11:00 AM now.
“Go check out, bring your stuff with you.” Jun took a breath, pushed forward. “I’m in room 1206.”
Aiba smiled. “1206. Got it.”
-
TSURI-EXPO OSAKA 2016 : SPECIAL TICKET EVENT
SHIMANO LURES / GAMAKATSU LUXXE LINE RODS PROUDLY PRESENT:
Ohno Satoshi
OhnoKato Tokyo Bay Tours
Monday, 11:15 AM
Concourse A
Handshake Event : Admit One
Be sure and watch “Fillet And Fry” starting this January on TV Tokyo!
-
Jun had thankfully come to Osaka prepared, but only because he’d expected to at least try and have casual sex with somebody that weekend. He supposed what he and Aiba were about to do was still pretty…casual. After all, Aiba had only just asked him out officially. And they only had about an hour.
But Jun knew, he simply knew, that this was far from casual. He stood there, towel wrapped around his waist from a quick shower, standing next to the bed and reading the notes from Aiba again. The notes that reassured him that even if he and Aiba had taken the long way round to get here, they’d figure it out somehow.
He read two of the notes again, the thin paper trembling a bit in his fingers.
(35) I was in a weird place, but the fact that you made me forget it, even for a little while, meant more than I realized. You made me feel wanted again, worthwhile again. You are good in bed, don’t you ever doubt that for a second (honestly!!!!!!!!!)
(36) Is it weird if I say again that you are hot?? You really are hot!!!
He grinned, nervous but hopeful. He hoped that Jun at 33 had even more to offer than Jun at 28.
There was a knock at the door and he jumped, hurriedly stuffing Aiba’s notes back in his bag. He didn’t need to kill the mood with sentimental squishy feelings. No, Jun knew exactly what he wanted.
A look through the peephole revealed Aiba Masaki standing in the hall, wheeled suitcase in tow, a wardrobe bag flung over his shoulder, and his body encased perfectly in a black leather jacket and tight, ripped jeans.
Fucking hell.
He unlocked the door, watching Aiba’s eyes bulge at the sight of him. “Matsujun, have you been working out?”
“It’s been a long five years,” he said, trying not to drool at the equally tempting sight before him.
The tension hung in the air for just a moment, Aiba hesitating in his doorway. And then Jun did only what came most naturally in that moment.
Ohno Satoshi’s “reel in” gesture.
Aiba started to laugh, shaking his head and tugging his suitcase into Jun’s room. Jun put the “Do Not Disturb” sign out and closed the door, twisting both locks. By the time he turned, Aiba had already flung his wardrobe bag onto the chair, kicked off his shoes, fingers hurrying to the zipper of his jacket.
“No, no, no. Slower this time.”
Aiba looked at him in thinly-veiled irritation. “We have like, an hour.”
Jun moved over to him, watching as Aiba’s eyes took him in. It was oddly poetic. Jun had started a completely different workout routine several years back, right after the incident at the 10-year reunion. Feeling unattractive, assuming he was a terrible lay, he’d put on muscle, bulking up his upper body a bit. He wasn’t that scrawny kid sitting in the basketball stands now. But Aiba was only just finding that out today.
Hair slicked back from the shower, he approached with a wicked grin, batting Aiba’s hands away from the zipper of the jacket. “We’ll fuck quick, but I’ll undress you slow.”
Aiba’s mouth dropped open. When he finally managed to speak, it was all in a sudden rush.
“Matsujun, guess what, I didn’t win the TV. Nino called when I was at the checkout counter. 527 entries and I humiliated myself and poor Ohno-san will never even know I was lying about being his fan although I kind of am his fan now, he was so nice, but after all that I didn’t even win the TV!”
Jun blinked, fingers paused on the zipper. “Why…why would you say that…why would you say any of that right now?”
Aiba chuckled, reddening. “I…I never thought I’d hear such a line come out of your mouth, I guess I panicked.”
“You don’t like lines like that?” Jun mumbled.
“I do like them,” Aiba admitted. “It was just…unexpected. From you.”
“I guess you’ll just have to get used to me.”
With that, he slowly tugged the zipper down. With a bit of help, Aiba let the jacket drop. Then they were kissing, Aiba’s hands slipping around him, pulling him close. He tasted like bubble gum mouthwash, which Jun would decide to have an opinion on later because right now kissing Aiba was more important.
In between kisses, Jun brought his hands down, undoing the buckle on Aiba’s belt, yanking a little aggressively, earning a pleased gasp in reply. The belt hit the floor next. His fingers went to Aiba’s jeans next, and even though they fit him perfectly, reminding Jun that Aiba had long legs for days and days, they simply had to go.
By now Aiba had his tongue in Jun’s mouth, spreading the not-that-great-but-I’ll-have-an-opinion-later mouthwash taste along, but it was okay. It was okay because he wanted this and Aiba clearly wanted this, and the clock was ticking. They had to break apart so Aiba could sit down, let Jun pull the torn-up jeans off of him. He was in another questionable pair of boxer briefs, but the hideous color of the fabric didn’t matter when Jun saw the hard outline of Aiba’s growing erection inside them.
He leaned forward again, pressing soft, teasing kisses along Aiba’s jaw, down his neck, fingers disappearing up and into Aiba’s t-shirt. He’d been softer here last time, but if Jun had been working out the last few years, so had Aiba. He was firm and hot, Aiba was so hot with the wanting of him. It was real, and Jun hadn’t doubted it, couldn’t have doubted it after the last 24 hours, but getting confirmation that Aiba wanted him still felt fucking great.
Aiba moaned, his hands on Jun’s face, slipping back to tangle in his hair, bringing their mouths back together. Jun wasn’t sure when his towel fell away, but as soon as Aiba started to rut against him, he knew he was fighting a losing battle. He’d wanted to go a little slower, if only because he wasn’t sure when they might meet again. But maybe Jun had to learn to be a little more impulsive, just like Aiba.
He gave Aiba a push, hard enough to send him back onto the mattress. Aiba scooted a little until he was fully on the bed, letting Jun tease his fingers down to the waistband of his underwear, sliding them down his long legs. He leaned back on his elbows, looking down at Jun as he got onto the bed, situating himself between Aiba’s legs.
“What do you want to do?” Aiba asked, his hair having fallen in his eyes a bit, his chest rising and falling, unashamed as his cock stood at attention, waiting for Jun to decide. “And…and don’t be afraid to ask for what you really want. I owe you that much after what I did to you last time.”
Jun slowly kissed his way up Aiba’s leg, past his knee, watching him tremble as his mouth moved higher, up the sensitive skin of his inner thigh.
“What you did to me last time…” Jun murmured against Aiba’s warm skin, “you couldn’t figure out where you wanted to fuck me so we fucked in your bathroom. We fucked against a desk. And then you let me sit on your lap. It was kind of…unnecessarily complicated.”
“I agree,” Aiba admitted, sucking in his lower lip a bit, biting down with his perfect teeth as Jun’s kisses went even higher. The hem of his thin gray t-shirt lay just above his navel, grazing his sun-kissed skin. That large birthmark of his was still hiding.
“Take your shirt off, let me see all of you.”
Aiba did as ordered, and now they were both naked. Jun moved forward, his own erection brushing lightly against Aiba’s as he leaned over to press a kiss to that brown patch of skin, just as unique as the rest of him.
“Guys usually don’t like it. They think it’s kind of ugly,” Aiba murmured.
“I love it.”
“Good. I remember that you did.” Aiba smiled. “Well, have you decided?”
Jun nodded. Pressing one more long, lingering kiss to Aiba’s shoulder, he moved back down. Aiba groaned as Jun took his erection in hand, giving it a few firm strokes.
“We’ve had communication problems, Aiba-san, as you well know. So it’s best I be direct, right?”
“Oh god, don’t stop,” Aiba begged, eyes closing, his body trembling, desperate to arch up and feel the friction of Jun’s hand more fully.
“So I will tell you, directly, that first I’d like you to come in my mouth. And then I’m going to fuck you. Right here. Not in the bathroom, not over there, and not over there.” Jun gave Aiba’s cock another tight stroke. “Right here.”
Aiba’s head fell back a bit, his elbows shaking as he continued to try and keep himself upright. “That sounds perfect.”
Aiba was truly appreciative, making Jun swell a bit with pride once he had his cock deep in his mouth, taking as much of him as he could manage. He wasn’t quiet in his affection either, moaning, gasping Jun’s name, his voice getting hungrier, needier, each sound a straight shot of heady encouragement to Jun’s own cock.
“Jun…oh fuck, Jun…”
They had about thirty-five minutes left on the clock once Jun finished swallowing Aiba’s hot release. He looked up, grinning at Aiba lying there, totally blissful. It wouldn’t be easy, Jun knew, convincing Aiba later that he had to leave or he’d miss his train.
Aiba eventually came around, panting and eager again as soon as Jun had lube out, was doing his best to prepare him, pressing soft kisses to Aiba’s knee as he gently eased a finger in and out of him. Jun had a feeling that once he was inside of Aiba that he wouldn’t last very long. Aiba’s noisy encouragements would put him over the edge quickly, and he didn’t much care.
The minutes ticked by and eventually Aiba was begging, begging in a way Jun couldn’t have imagined him being capable of. The sweet, friendly Aiba Masaki that Jun had wanted for half his life was at his complete and total mercy, disheveled, body beaded with sweat, sprawled out on a hotel mattress before him, two of Jun’s fingers in his ass. “I need your cock,” Aiba was saying, voice scratchy, heavy. Desperate. “Jun, I need you.”
Aiba couldn’t wait any longer, and neither could Jun.
He bit the condom wrapper open, rolling it onto himself. He pressed another kiss to Aiba’s birthmark, another to Aiba’s mouth. “Please,” Aiba mumbled against his lips. “Please.”
He went as slow as he could manage, feeling Aiba’s body stiffen a bit with the initial intrusion, but with a few slow, easy strokes, he quickly relaxed. They found a position that was comfortable, Jun on top, Aiba wrapping a leg around him, keeping him as close as they could manage.
“I can’t believe I have to get on a train and leave you,” Aiba mumbled.
Jun kissed him, running a hand through the thin strands of Aiba’s hair. “What are you doing tonight? I’ll get to my place around 9:30…”
Aiba wasn’t able to answer right away, their bodies having an altogether separate conversation.
“Maybe…” Aiba eventually managed to say, “maybe tomorrow night would be better…”
“I have to wait a full day and a half to do this again?” Jun complained teasingly, shutting his eyes, trying not to go too fast.
“It’ll get you through the work day tomorrow, won’t it? Knowing the next time you see me we can do this again. Besides, wouldn’t you rather I take you out for dinner first? I wanna be a good boyfriend…”
Jun stopped moving, exhaling in surprise. Boyfriend, always a loaded term. When he looked down, he could see a smile on Aiba’s face, nothing but honesty in his eyes.
“Too soon?” Aiba asked, reaching a hand up, cupping Jun’s face.
Jun shook his head, laughing. “I think our entire timeline is unconventional. But maybe that’s why we work. Now. Let’s both shut the fuck up and do this the right way.”
Aiba laughed, too, and Jun could feel it, all the way to his bones. They belonged like this. They really did belong like this. Boyfriend…Jun really liked the idea of Aiba being his boyfriend.
He leaned in for another heated kiss, fucking Aiba senseless, happy that this time he’d at least get to leave wearing the right pair of pants.
-
Byatt Regency Osaka-Convention Center
1-11-13 Nanko-Kita, Suminoe-ku, Osaka, 559-0034
(51) Just so there’s no questions or doubt!!!!! Jun. You’re perfect.