Shine in Summer's Glimmer, 6/6
The drive back is nervewracking, even with Aiba Masaki beside him in the car cheering him on. He’s a thirty-five year old man, and here he is driving through the mountainous highways of Chiba with another man his age cheering on his pending love confession.
Well, Aiba’s the one calling it a ‘love confession.’ All Sho knows is that he wants to see Jun again.
The long drive has been broken up with multiple phone calls, each more embarrassing than the last. Aiba has made his calls, put them on speaker. “I’m driving back with Sho-chan,” Aiba has told each person he’s called. “It’s gonna happen! It’s really gonna happen!”
So far Aiba has managed to call Oguri and Ikuta. He even left a voicemail for Ohno who will be up in a few hours to go out fishing. Shun and Toma, like Aiba, have offered their congratulations, their assurances that this grand and over-the-top effort on Sho’s part will work perfectly. They act as though they’ve been waiting for Sho to confess to Jun for years rather than a few weeks. It’s all a bit overwhelming, but each supportive cheer has helped Sho’s worries to lessen the slightest bit.
What a month it’s been.
They’re almost to the Onjuku city limits when he starts to get cold feet. Suddenly this whole plan sounds ridiculous. “I don’t want to wake him up,” Sho mumbles. The clock on the dashboard already reads 1:07 AM. “I don’t want to bother my mom either.”
Aiba gives him a little shove. “I think your mom would forgive you. Your mom likes Matsujun as much as you do.”
That much Sho knows is true.
Aiba lives just down the street from his restaurant, and Sho pulls up in front of his house. Thankfully the rain has stopped, and Aiba takes his umbrella, getting out of the car. Sho rolls the window down, and Aiba leans against the door.
“It’s going to be okay,” Aiba tells him quietly. “Jun is loyal, and Jun is kind. But then, I think you already know that.”
“I’m sorry for all the mess,” Sho replies.
“Get out of here. Go fix it.”
He waits until Aiba gets into the house, and he takes a breath, putting the car back in drive. He sits inside his car in the izakaya parking lot for at least ten minutes before he gathers the courage to get out, slinging his laptop bag around his neck. It’s almost a repeat of the last time as he walks through the lot, around the building. But this time the lights are out at the Hidamari Guest House.
He can’t remember which flower pot Jun uses, and he ends up setting his bag down, pulling out his phone and using the light on it to search around in the dark, lifting each pot and planter in hopes of finding the spare key quickly so he can get inside, knock on the door to Jun’s rooms. What should have taken seconds starts to take minutes and his frustration grows. Leave it to Sho to fuck up what should have been his big moment.
He starts to laugh quietly to himself, holding his phone aloft. He wonders if it’s not under one of the pots but inside one. He’s just about to start digging his fingers in the potting soil when the front door opens.
Sho’s crouched down, looking like a thief when the light over the door is turned on, and Jun’s standing there in that dowdy blue bathrobe of his, sash loosely tied.
“Looking for this?” Jun asks quietly, holding up the key.
Sho says nothing, caught red-handed.
“You’re early,” he says, slipping the key back into the pocket of his robe.
Sho gets to his feet, shoving his phone in his pocket, brushing his hands off on his jeans. This is his chance. He can confess. He can apologize. He can tell him what Aiba’s told him. He can also simply say nothing, stepping forward and kissing the hell out of him like he’s wanted to do for days.
But Sho is Sho. He’s not perfect. He’s been stuck in a disaster of his own making.
“Happy birthday?”
Jun’s working very hard to hide a smile. “Is that a question?”
“Happy birthday,” he says more decisively.
“Thank you.”
“Aiba-kun told me. I didn’t Google that.”
“I see.”
“I didn’t wake you up while I was fucking around out here, did I? I’m sorry.”
Jun shakes his head. “Like you said, it’s my birthday. I’ve been getting quite a few obnoxious messages. I haven’t gone to bed yet.”
The way Jun says ‘gone to bed’ has Sho just about ready to fall apart. He imagines Aiba, Toma, Shun, Ohno, his mom…all of them standing here. Do something already, they’d be saying. For goodness sake, what’s wrong with you?
“My boyfriend cheated on me,” he blurts out.
Jun’s watching him carefully, the amused look on his face fading. But he doesn’t look away.
Sho keeps going. “His name was Kohei. We’d been going out for about two years. It was the longest relationship I’d ever been in. But he’d been cheating on me almost the entire time. I don’t know how many people, I never really got a number. I’d trusted him, and when he told me what he’d done, he wasn’t sorry. That was what made me angriest. That he wasn’t sorry. He put me at risk, put my health at risk, because he didn’t care about me. It was a year ago that we broke up, and I haven’t been able to…I don’t know…I just haven’t been looking for anyone. Part of it’s been fear. Fear of getting hurt like that again, treated like that again. And the other part was thinking there’s something wrong with me, that it was all my fault. Thinking that…that maybe I’m not worth anyone’s loyalty. It sounds ridiculous when I say it out loud, I know it does. But that’s…that’s just how it is, and I need you to know that.”
He sniffs a little, trying to keep it together.
“I’m sorry for rambling on and on like this on your birthday, but you told me what you’ve been through. And of course what happened to me doesn’t even come close to that, but I know that you’ve probably been confused by how I’ve acted and what I’ve said to you. So that’s why I’m telling you this. Because I’ve misunderstood you and I’ve made assumptions about you that aren’t true. I’ve hurt you, and I’m sorry. What you’ve done for my mom here, what you’ve done for me and my family these last few weeks, I don’t have the words for it. So I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Jun.”
He can’t say anything more. He’s almost out of breath.
So instead Jun speaks up.
“Come here.”
Sho manages to put one foot in front of the other, ending up one step down from Jun, looking up. It’s not like Katsuura, it’s not impulsive and enthusiastic. He stays a step down, and Jun reaches out his hand, stroking slowly along his face. He closes his eyes, aching for his touch. For what Jun’s been interested in all this time, for what Sho foolishly rejected.
He’s not afraid. He has no idea where this will lead, the path that lies ahead. Sho likes to plan, Sho prefers control. But he knows deep down that Jun isn’t Kohei. That Jun will never be Kohei.
He exhales, leaning up when he feels Jun press his lips to his forehead, hand cupping his face, his neck. Jun’s thumb strokes softly against his cheekbone. Forgiveness. Understanding. Relief. He feels them all with each touch Jun gives him.
He’s right where Aiba was standing that night, where he drunkenly but kindly offered to stand in Sho’s place. That fact is probably not lost on either of them. He feels Jun’s breath against his face, and he tilts a little to make the angle easier. And then Jun’s there, his kiss soft and sweet. Even a block away, Sho can hear the waves crashing against the shore like they always do. Steady, constant. Like Sho knows that Jun could be for him. And like Sho hopes he can be for Jun.
“Get your bag. I’ll fix what you’ve done to my flowers in the morning.”
Jun kisses him again, harder. Needier. Sho responds in kind, standing on his tiptoes to demand more. It almost hurts to stop, but they do. Sho goes back, lifts his bag from the ground, and they go into the house, dropping off shoes and in Jun’s case slippers. Jun’s holding his hand, tugging him along. They move quietly through the living room, through the kitchenette, through the open door to Jun’s rooms.
Sho leaves his bag somewhere in the corridor, following Jun into his room, shutting the door. His mom’s upstairs asleep, so they’ll have to keep quiet. There’s only a small lamp on by Jun’s bedside, leaving most of the bedroom in shadow. He registers a bed, a bookshelf, before Jun’s kissing him again.
He’s not surprised by how good of a kisser Jun is. Like most everything about him, he gives his full effort, his full attention. Sho feels almost like he’s just along for the ride, trying to kiss back, to demonstrate that he wants this just as much.
He can hear Jun’s phone pinging with texts, the noise muffled by the pocket of his robe. Sho grins, wondering if all of those texts are birthday messages or if Aiba’s getting ahead of himself, spreading even more gossip. Jun’s kisses leave him gasping, desperate to keep from crying out. His hands are just as greedy, moving under his shirt, tracing along his back before slipping lower, cupping and squeezing Sho’s ass through his jeans.
Sho keeps up, hands slipping between them to pull at the loose knot holding Jun’s robe closed. He gets it undone just as he’s allowed Jun to slip his tongue into his mouth, deepening their kiss and making Sho weak. He tugs at the robe, Jun offering very little help. Finally he yanks Jun’s hands away from his ass so he can get the robe off his shoulders, down his arms.
“You’re a real pain,” Sho complains, grazing his teeth along Jun’s bottom lip.
“Takes one to know one.”
The robe hits the floor with a thunk thanks to the phone, and Sho reaches out, reaches for whatever skin he can touch, map with his fingertips. Jun’s only got on a pair of tight boxer briefs that cling to him like a second skin. Jun groans when Sho’s fingers explore around, down his ticklish stomach, teasing at the waistband of his briefs.
Jun retaliates by bringing his hands back around front, knocking Sho’s out of the way. Jun makes quick work of Sho’s belt, unbuckling it and tugging it from him. They have to break apart so Jun can help him pull his shirt off. They pause to breathe, to take each other in. Jun reaches out, fingers sliding along his collarbone.
“You were so pale when you got here,” Jun teases. “You look good with a little sun.”
“You just look good, period,” Sho mumbles, watching Jun laugh in embarrassment. His body has probably changed a lot since his dancing days, but there’s no doubt he takes good care of himself.
Jun says nothing more, turning his attention to Sho’s jeans. He lets Jun unbutton him, unzip him, tugging them down his legs, and he steps out of them. Jun pokes at his feet, clearing his throat, which is Sho’s cue to ditch his socks. They’re both left only in their underwear, and Sho is torn between moving to the bed and staying where they are.
He can feel himself burning up with indecisiveness. It’s been a long time since he’s been undressed in front of someone else. Not that he doesn’t trust Jun, but still. It’s been a long time and...
“Sho.”
Jun’s eyes are kind, understanding.
“This is already an amazing birthday. I need you to know that.” He reaches out, but only to take Sho’s hand, entwine their fingers. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Sho admits, surprised by how relieved he feels. “But thank you.” In gratitude, he finally takes the opportunity to kiss that perfect, dark mole beneath Jun’s lip.
Either way, it seems like the energy that got him all the way here, into his car after 10:00 and into Onjuku after 1:00, has finally started to slip away. He doesn’t bother to hide a yawn, and Jun laughs softly.
“Thank you for coming back. I’m sorry things were weird between us. I should have asked you what was wrong.”
Sho shakes his head. “I’m not sure I would have even told you what was wrong.”
Jun tells him not to leave but to stay downstairs with him. He grabs his toothbrush out of his laptop bag, brushing his teeth and washing his face before returning. Jun then does his own nightly routine and comes back.
“Nope. That’s my side,” he says, and Sho obligingly moves to the other side of the bed. Jun plugs in his phone, sets an alarm, and then joins him.
When Jun turns out the light, Sho already misses the sight of him, the shape of him. His chest, his waist, the curve of his hips. They turn, facing each other, and now that he’s under the blankets, Sho’s just about ready for sleep. It’s a good thing he hadn’t decided to give Jun a birthday blowjob, if only because drifting off and snoozing during the act would be less than ideal.
Sho confesses that he saw Jun and Aiba that night, that he saw them kiss. And that was why he pushed Jun away, tried so hard not to want him. Jun laughs at him, but gently, moving so that he can stroke Sho’s face in the dark.
“You’re very cute.”
“That story wasn’t cute,” Sho moans. “It’s just your first introduction to my many misfires when it comes to communication.”
“I look forward to all of your misfires. I look forward to learning everything about you that I can. Good and bad. Just like you’re going to wake up in a few hours, and you’ll see how horrible I can be when I don’t want to get out of bed.”
He smiles, leaning into the kiss Jun presses against his lips. He returns it softly, quick and quiet kisses that leave Jun sighing in contentment.
Jun’s final kiss makes it to the corner of his mouth. “Kichijoji,” he whispers in the dark.
“That’s me.”
“I’ll see you there.”
/ / / / /
Birthday or no, Jun refuses to budge when Sho wakes up. He’s not the kindest partner to share with, as he’s managed to steal all the blankets away during the night, wrapped up in them angrily. But they’ve got all the time in the world to get used to each other’s habits and quirks.
He’s still gorgeous, even as he swears under his breath at Sho’s every little movement, pulling a pillow over his head.
Sho smiles, pulling his clothes back on and leaving Jun behind. His phone is almost dead, and he leaves Jun’s rooms, retrieving his bag and heading up to his own room. Thankfully, his mother hasn’t yet woken for the day. Sho has time to shower and dress before Yukie emerges, meeting him in the kitchenette. They eat breakfast, have coffee, and still Jun hasn’t emerged.
“I hope he’ll wake up soon,” she murmurs, but in that instant, Sho hopes he doesn’t. At least not just yet.
“Mom,” Sho says. “There’s a lot I’ve got to tell you.”
He blushes, embarrassed, when she comes flying out of her chair at the end of what he has to say. Her arms wrap around him, squeezing tight. She knows how much Kohei hurt him. And she knows how much he’s struggled to pick up the pieces. She’s so happy for him that Sho’s eyes fill with tears, and he’s ashamed. This vacation was supposed to be about her. But then again, seeing him like this probably helps her. It’s one less thing for her to worry about moving forward.
But Yukie has news of her own. She and Sho have been tasked with getting Jun out of the house for the morning. Jun’s friends are throwing him a surprise party today, hence her concern about Jun not wanting to wake up yet.
Aiba is leaving Triple Kitchen in the capable hands of his staff, bringing food with him. It will join the lobster and fish that Ohno and his father caught that morning. Shun and Toma are returning, Nagase too. A handful of other guests that Sho doesn’t know, high school friends and Onjuku friends. Even Ninomiya-sensei is taking a vacation day from the office, and Yukie is ecstatic to see him.
“The surprise party starts at 1:00,” Yukie whispers, squeezing his hand in excitement. “Because even if he suspects that his friends have been planning something, he’ll never have expected them to get here so early.”
Sho’s glad he came back early now. If he hadn’t, he might have missed the party entirely. An oblivious Jun finally emerges from his blanket chrysalis after 11:00, mumbling a half-assed “good morning” that makes Yukie laugh.
Jun can’t find any reason not to join them at the beach, since he’s looking at Sho like he’s never really been brave enough to before. Like he doesn’t want to be away from him for even a minute. It leaves Sho half-dazed, struggling to keep it together under the intense onslaught of Jun’s gaze.
While he and Jun swim, Yukie seems to be spending quite a bit of time on her phone. Sho, of course, knows that she’s likely texting madly with Aiba, ensuring that Jun is kept away from the house until preparations are completed. When Jun suggests they go to Triple Kitchen for lunch, Sho shakes his head.
“I’m still full from breakfast, maybe later.”
“You may be full,” Jun complains, looking at Sho like he wants to dunk him underwater. “But I’m not.”
They’re far enough under and far enough away from other people that Sho moves closer, finding Jun and squeezing his ass. Jun scowls at him in reply.
“That’s not fair,” Jun hisses, especially when Sho moves his hand around front, pawing ungracefully at the front of his trunks. “That’s even more unfair.”
Jun backs away and the subject of lunch is dropped for the moment.
Yukie eventually waves at them from the shoreline, and they swim back. “I’m going to have a nap back at the house. You boys stay out as long as you like.”
“Do you want us to walk back with you?”
Yukie surprises Sho with the all-too-knowing look on her face. “Don’t you two want to have some time alone?”
Sho looks away, groaning, and Jun does the same. Sho has a feeling that Aiba has had a hand in telling his mother what to say to keep them away from the house a little longer. She goes off, taking her bag.
They take a break when she’s gone, toweling off and sitting in the beach chairs under the umbrella. Sho has a text from Aiba.
“Come back in twenty minutes.”
They sit there under the umbrella, and Sho knows that his timing is perfect when he finally speaks up again.
“My mom’s probably asleep by now,” he says casually. “If you want to go back for a while.”
He hears the chair beside him creak. “Sho-san. Don’t say things you don’t mean. It’s my birthday, and that means I get what I want.”
He lowers his sunglasses down his nose, letting Jun see the seriousness in his eyes. He almost wishes there weren’t fifteen or twenty people crowded into Jun’s living room right now because he’s been wanting to kiss every inch of his skin since they’ve gotten to the beach.
“You’ll get what you want,” he replies, and technically he’s not lying.
Jun will get what he wants, but he’ll have to wait a while.
They pack up in a hurry, and he’s grateful Jun doesn’t detour them into a public restroom this time. Instead he sees Jun come to a screeching halt as soon as they both can smell it. There’s a pair of charcoal grills in Jun’s backyard, currently unmanned. Aiba wasn’t really able to hide something like that inside the house.
“I’m going to murder them,” Jun complains, and Sho doesn’t hide his smile as they simply drop the beach chairs in the yard when they get back.
Jun yanks open the back door, going into the house. “I hate you all!” he shouts as he walks into the living room, Sho at his heels.
They all scream “Surprise!” anyway, the room soon full of streamers and strings as his guests set off little celebration poppers. Sho’s still in his damp shirt, trunks dripping on the floor, but Nagase finds him and wraps him up in a hug as everyone else gathers around the birthday boy.
“How did he know?” Nagase asks.
Sho gestures back, laughing. “The grills.”
“Oh man,” Nagase laughs in reply. “Oops.”
Despite Jun’s complaints, Sho can see how ridiculously happy the surprise has made him. He’s the center of attention, slipping away only so he can change into dry clothes, returning and greeting his friends with hugs or teasing. Both in Toma and Shun’s case.
There’s a ton of food, the Hidamari Guest House overflowing with cheerful folks. Ninomiya-sensei manages to pull Sho aside a while later.
“You gave Aiba-kun my address,” Sho says pointedly, watching Ninomiya take a sip from his beer with a wicked look in his eyes.
He doesn’t apologize either. “Sho-san, he said it was an emergency. A J-related emergency. How could I ignore such a plea for help?”
“Thank you,” Sho replies shyly, seeing Ninomiya’s smile grow.
“I suppose congratulations are in order?”
“Not yet. I don’t know. There’s a lot we don’t know,” he admits. But they’ll be back in Tokyo soon. And there will be a lot to discuss then.
“Well, take my congratulations anyway,” Ninomiya says. He looks across the room, gesturing toward Yukie, who has managed to stay in the ‘old folks’ corner with Ohno’s parents and another older woman Sho doesn’t recognize. “Your mom’s looking happy.”
“She’s had her ups and downs here, but she’s doing much better.”
“I’ll be sure and do a house call while I’m here,” he says. “Don’t worry. Free of charge.”
Sho laughs. “Terrific.”
Shun and Toma have brought a better stereo with them than the small boombox Jun keeps in the guest house, and the house turns into a bit of a silly dance party. They clear furniture out of the way, and after a few dances with her doctor (his house call, Sho suspects), Yukie makes her way over to Sho.
He bows to her, and even though the song is a little bit more uptempo, his mother takes his offered hand, wrapping her arm around him and hugging him close. They stay in the corner, swaying gently.
“I love you, Mom. I’m sorry your vacation’s almost over.”
“That’s okay,” she says. “Thank you for being with me. It’s been wonderful to see so much of you. I know you have your own life and your own things, but you gave up so much to spend this time with me. I’m so happy.”
He holds her tight, trying to keep his eyes from watering. “I’d do anything for you, Mom. You have to know that.”
“I do know that. I do.”
They make it through two more songs, and she finally talks again.
“Do you see that woman over there that Jun-kun is chatting with?”
Sho looks, sees the older woman that had been in the corner with Ohno’s parents and his mother earlier. Jun’s sitting by her side, their hands clasped together. There’s a warmth in Jun’s expression that can only be love. “Yes, I see her.”
“Would you believe that Jun-kun used to be in a famous dance company? I couldn’t believe my ears, but it’s absolutely true. That woman there is Nakata-san. She was Jun-kun’s dance teacher before he joined up with that company. She’s a lovely person. She absolutely adores him.”
“It’s hard not to adore him, Mom.”
Yukie hugs him, laughing softly. “You’re right on that account. You’re very, very right.”
Finally she lets him go, staring up at him with a grin.
“I hate to have to do this, but will you be able to come pick me up tomorrow?”
Sho’s confused. “What do you mean pick you up?”
“Well, Ohno-san is sad that I’m leaving Onjuku in a few days, so she has kindly invited me to spend the night at their house tonight. We may go shopping tomorrow as well, one last hurrah until your father can bring me back for a visit sometime in the fall.”
He knows that he’s blushing, but he doesn’t bother to hide it. His mother can be extremely crafty when she wants to. Sho can’t help but think of the money she leaves behind at Aunt Kaori’s house every time they visit.
“Mom,” he scolds her, seeing the naughty look on her face. “Seriously.”
She pats his cheeks once, twice. “Be happy, Sho-chan. Just be happy.”
Since it’s the middle of the week, and many folks have to work in the morning, the exodus starts soon after sundown. Despite the fact that Matsumoto Jun owns and operates a summer guest house, nobody seems to be interested in his hospitality tonight. Yukie departs with the Ohno family in their truck. Nagase gets on his motorcycle, tearing off into the night, Shun and Toma following behind. Aiba’s brought his own truck, hauling his charcoal grills back to the izakaya lot where he and the other guests stashed their vehicles to hide the surprise from Jun.
Jun and Sho follow after him, the final guest to depart, and they help him get everything loaded up.
“Did you really go all the way to Tokyo last night?” Jun asks him, not seeming to care that Sho is standing here listening in.
“What can I say, Matsujun, you were both super miserable. It was going to ruin the party I’ve spent all this time meticulously planning,” Aiba says, beaming that bright smile at them under the street light. “I had to do something!”
“Yes,” Jun says, rolling his eyes. “Yes, I’m sure it was all about the party.”
“I love you, too,” Aiba jokes, leaning forward and startling Jun by kissing him right on the lips. But before either of them can say anything, he leans over and plants an equally chaste kiss on Sho’s lips as well. “There. Now it’s entirely out of my system.”
“Go home,” Jun scolds him.
“Night.” He leers at them suggestively. “Have fun.”
“Go home!” Sho shouts all the more emphatically.
Aiba gets in the truck, laughing as he turns it on and pulls out of the parking lot.
Sho’s a bit surprised by the shy look in Jun’s face when he turns around this time. Maybe he worries that Sho’s changed his mind after last night. He holds out his hand, almost as though he’s not sure Sho’s going to take it.
All Sho can do is smile, batting Jun’s hand out of the way as he leans in for a kiss.
/ / / / /
The house is a mess. There are plates lying around, half with mostly eaten grilled food, the other half with mostly eaten birthday cake. The floors are covered in streamers, and there’s a cooler of beer sitting open on top of the kitchenette table.
The benefit of the guest house having multiple bathrooms is that they can both shower and be ready at the same time. But when Sho emerges, wrapping a towel around his waist, Jun’s not in his bedroom. He’s not anywhere on the messy ground floor, so he heads upstairs.
He can’t help laughing when he sees that a certain door has a ‘Do Not Disturb’ tag hanging from the knob.
“You’re so corny,” he mumbles to himself, loving it anyway.
Last night was…well, last night was a lot. They were both emotional, both nervous, both wanting to get out their feelings. To touch for the first time, to confirm that what they were feeling was real. And mutual. Sho supposes it’s good that they’ve gotten that out of the way. As nervous as he was last night, Sho knows that he’s not feeling that way tonight. He had the whole day to remind himself what he wants and what he feels. He trusts Jun. He knows that this feels right.
He walks up to the door, holding the towel with one hand and knocking with the other. When he doesn’t get a response, he opens it to find Jun sitting there with one of Sho’s books in his hands. His legs are crossed, and he’s pushed the blankets off, leaving only the fitted sheet.
The fitted sheet he’s sitting on while he’s decided to read in the nude.
Even though he knows they’re alone, Sho shuts the door.
“Your bed downstairs is bigger, isn’t it?” Sho says.
Jun turns a page, though Sho is grateful to see that Jun hasn’t moved his bookmark. “It’s not like we’re going to be sleeping any time soon.”
That’s all he has to say, and Sho drops his towel, hurriedly climbing onto the bed beside him. He sees Jun grin in triumph, closing the book. He hands it over so Sho can set it on the nightstand. He sees that Jun has already placed a condom and lube there, very overtly. His heart swells, knowing what he confessed to Jun last night about Kohei’s cheating, his carelessness. Jun doesn’t have to say anything. Jun was listening to him, and Jun wants him to feel safe.
Confronted with Jun’s body, with all of his body for the first time, Sho has a feeling it’s not going to be a first time that they’ll think back on and cherish. He hasn’t had sex in a year, and now he’s got all of Jun to deal with. His long, lean legs. His strong arms. His cock, already growing hard now that Sho is so close.
It’s easier than last night, now that they’ve both confessed what they’ve needed to confess. They lie side by side in the bed Sho’s slept in for the better part of a month, kissing, letting fingers slowly stroke warm skin. He slips his tongue past Jun’s lips, into his mouth, Jun’s moaning reply sending a shiver down his spine.
Jun pulls him closer, grabbing Sho’s leg, lifting it so it rests atop his own. He’s been waiting for this all day, sighing in contentment as Jun’s fingers run up and down his thigh. Eventually Jun goes for what he’s intended all along, moving his hand to grab Sho’s ass, to squeeze hard enough to make him cry out.
Their lips part, come back together, desperate and needy. Sho wants more, craves more. He moves them, pushing Jun onto his back. He hovers shakily over Jun, working his way down. Jun is even hotter like this, wanting him, needing him. He tilts his head back, exposing his neck. Jun moans when Sho kisses, licks his way down.
He finds another one of Jun’s beauty marks beside one of his nipples, delighting in his discovery. He kisses it, licks around it and listens to the approving sounds Jun makes as Sho continues his journey south. Jun’s a bit more ticklish near his belly, his sides. Sho figures he can exploit that another time, watching how Jun’s fingers dig into the bedsheets, encouraging Sho to keep going. Motivated, he keeps kissing a wet trail down from Jun’s navel, following the dark trail of hair all the way to his cock.
Jun’s so hard, his erection already slick with pre-come, waiting. But Sho isn’t prepared for the noise Jun makes when he takes him in his hand, swirls his tongue around the head of his cock. If it’s been a year for Sho, he wonders how long it’s been for Jun.
Sho’s seen several of Jun’s moods since he’s arrived at the Hidamari Guest House. Grouchy. Teasing. Assertive. But there’s a new Matsumoto Jun now, here in Sho’s bed, lying on his back with his legs apart and Sho between them. He’s got his arms back now, hands braced against the headboard, panting in desperation.
“Keep going,” Jun says. “Please, Sho.”
The dark neediness to his words shoots straight to Sho’s own cock, and he tries to fight it, wanting to make Jun come before doing anything for himself. Jun’s cock is thick, heavy in his hand, and he slowly takes him in, listening to Jun’s loud, eager moans as he does so. It’s been a while, but it’s easy to remember the basics. He sucks Jun’s cock slowly, stroking him in time, wanting to prolong his pleasure as long as he can.
It feels good, it feels right, listening to how Jun reacts. Learning what really sets him off. He takes his mouth away, using the saliva he’s already left behind to slick Jun down further, to stroke him without any discomfort. He’s so turned on seeing Jun like this, at his mercy, unashamed of how noisy he is.
Sho’s jaw starts to pop a little the deeper he takes Jun into his mouth, but the noises Jun makes, the deep longing Sho hears, keeps him focused. Motivated. He wishes he could go all night, but the louder Jun gets, the more Sho wants to fuck him.
Jun’s body is sweat-slick, hot to the touch, trembling beneath him. He pulls his mouth away, simply dragging his bottom lip along the sensitive head of Jun’s cock. “Jun,” he says.
“Yeeeeep?”
Sho nearly laughs. “What do you want? How would you like to finish this?”
“Whatever…whatever you’re…comfortable…” When Sho starts to jerk him off a bit harder, he groans. “Oh my god…”
“Mmmhmm, I see.”
Sho’s unsure what he wants more. He feels like nothing would make him happier than sucking Jun off, swallowing his release. But then it’s a bit more difficult to see what Jun will look like in the moment. So he decides against it.
“Help me,” Sho tells him, adjusting so that he’s kneeling between Jun’s perfect thighs. He runs his finger up and down Jun’s leg. “I want you to help.”
Jun shakily moves his right arm, bringing his hand down. Sho puts his hand around Jun’s cock, stroking harder. Jun’s hand wraps around his, helping Sho to do it the way he likes it.
Sho wants to see him come. More than anything in this moment, Sho wants to see him come. It doesn’t take long, Sho using his free hand to massage the inside of Jun’s thighs, to gently grab hold of his sack and bring him right up to the edge. He watches Jun’s chest rise and fall, watches him shut his eyes tight. His body’s moving more, his hips arching up as he fucks the tight grip of his and Sho’s joined hands. Sho feels the warmth against his fingers before he hears Jun moan through it. Sho keeps their hands moving, stroking him through his orgasm until Jun’s left laughing from the silly pleasure of it.
He gets off the bed, retrieving his towel so he can clean his hands and Jun’s, wiping at some of the sweat glistening on Jun’s abdomen, his thighs. Jun’s watching him through lidded eyes, a smile on his face.
“And?”
“And what?” Sho mumbles back, his cock aching all the more now that he’s watched Jun come.
Jun’s laugh is carefree, happy. “And aren’t you going to fuck me?”
Sho laughs in return. “Well, obviously.”
“So inflexible. I have my concerns,” Jun is telling him. “Don’t break a hip, Grandpa.”
Sho rolls his eyes. So it seems that Jun likes to offer challenges once he’s gotten off. Sho responds by going to the nightstand, going for the lube and condom waiting for him. Jun’s slowly coming back to Earth, letting out more of his appreciative moans as Sho works a slick finger inside him.
If Sho’s inflexible, then Jun is the opposite. He has his legs spread, knees bent, telling Sho he can take it, that he can take more. Once they grow more comfortable around each other, Sho has a feeling that Jun will be able to show him just what his dancer’s body is capable of. For now, Sho just wants to be close to him. Wants to feel how they come together. He wants to be able to kiss Jun, show him how much this month has meant to him.
Jun’s soon begging for it, pushing back against Sho’s slick fingers, trying to take him deeper inside. Sho rolls on the condom, opens the lube bottle to do as much as he can to avoid discomfort. He moves slowly, watching Jun close his eyes in seeming bliss as soon as he starts to push his cock inside him.
After a few gentle strokes, he adjusts a little, moving forward so he can be closer. He gets one hand behind Jun’s head, cradling him gently and resting the other beside his shoulder. He doesn’t move, looking down, seeing Jun open his eyes. They’re dark, and Sho has missed seeing a look like this. A look that tells him he’s wanted, needed. A look that also says keep going. Keep going. Fuck me.
He feels the soft tickle of hair against his side, against his back as Jun easily lifts his legs, wraps them around him. He kisses Jun, starts to move against him, groaning at how perfect and tight he feels around him. Jun kisses back, one hand coming to rest on the back of Sho’s neck, fingers stroking through the dark, sweaty strands of his hair. Jun’s other hand holds on to Sho’s bicep, squeezing, holding on tight.
Jun urges him on, kissing him hard. It feels so good, fucking Jun, feeling Jun all around him, under him. Smelling Jun’s sweat, tasting him, listening to every incredible encouraging sound that falls from his lips, each sigh, each moan, each whispered, needy word. With each deep stroke, with each upward movement Jun makes to try and meet him halfway, Sho gets more and more lost. He’s not going to last much longer.
Jun moves his mouth away, turning his head aside. Sho misses him, needs him, presses sloppy kisses against his neck, his ear, hearing Jun laugh. “It’s okay,” Jun’s assuring him, “it’s okay.”
He gives in, seeing white, and burying his face against Jun’s neck, breathing hard and halfway to laughter himself.
Jun’s long legs are still wrapped around him. “Don’t go. Don’t go yet,” is the request, and Sho doesn’t need to be told twice. He shuts his eyes, body gently shaking from the exertion, and he comes back down slowly. Each touch of Jun’s fingers, Jun’s hand along his sweaty skin is almost too much. Jun kisses him, sucking teasingly at his bottom lip, worrying at it a little with his teeth.
“Happy birthday,” Sho mumbles, and this time when Jun laughs it’s really loud, ridiculously loud.
He gently pulls out, feeling Jun’s slightly disappointed groan. He learns in that moment that Matsumoto Jun is going to be a difficult man to keep satisfied. It’s not all that surprising. And it’s a challenge he’s eager to take on. Jun gets up, following him to the shower downstairs. Even as Sho tries to get clean, Jun’s fucking around with him, touching him and kissing him. It’s still my birthday for another few hours, is Jun’s excuse.
They tumble into Jun’s bed, and even though Sho’s pretty tired, he knows that birthdays come with expectations. Expectations that Sho is willing and eager to meet if the reward is seeing how beautiful Jun looks when he falls apart in his arms. Sho’s smiling, unable to look away from Jun’s face, letting Jun ride him as hard as he wants. “You’re so good,” Jun is telling him when the clock on his bedside table reaches midnight. “You’re so fucking good,” Jun is telling him as Sho’s about to come, taking his own erection in his hand, stroking quickly in hopes that they’ll come together this time.
But then Jun clenches around him, unable to control himself. Sho has to give in first, his second orgasm of the night hitting him just as hard as the first. Jun doesn’t seem too disappointed, following soon after, spilling mostly into his hand and the rest onto Sho’s belly.
Sho closes his eyes, shaking his head.
“Happy August 31st,” he says more pointedly this time, feeling Jun lean forward to press a kiss to his forehead.
“Okay, Sho-san. I’ll leave you be,” Jun whispers before kissing him again.
He barely registers Jun coming back with a damp washcloth, cleaning him, wiping the sweat from him as best he can. He starts to drift off when Jun returns for good, shutting off the light and finally settling down.
Sho smiles in the dark, knowing that he’ll be waking up without any blankets. Knowing that and not minding in the least.
/ / / / /
next year
june 30th
/ / / / /
Sho bows humbly to the planter on Jun’s balcony. “Safe travels, Kogo-sama. Soon the salty sea air will be yours to enjoy once again.”
He’s not sure when he started talking to Jun’s bonsai. He supposes it’s a habit he’s picked up over time, having borne witness to Jun having full-blown conversations with her over the last several months. Not that Kogo-sama talks back, but still.
Jun rents out his place in Koenji every July and August while he’s gone. Not to make money, but just to know that someone’s using it. Sho will miss it. He’s grown accustomed to the stylish decor, the new appliances. He supposes he’ll miss Jun’s king sized bed most of all. His luxurious linens, his plush pillows. And of course the activities that occur there with regularity, with an enthusiasm that Sho’s never realized could be possible even this many months after they started.
But for all that Sho loves the apartment in Koenji, it’s where Jun’s going that really holds his heart.
He leaves Kogo-sama to her waning sunlight, heading for the kitchen where Jun is making hamburger steak. It’s the first thing Ninomiya-sensei ever recommended from Jun’s cooking repertoire, but it’s only recently that Sho’s thought to ask him for it. Jun grumbles in complaint when Sho inserts himself into Jun’s kitchen, coming up to stand behind him.
“So clingy,” Jun chides him with feigned disgust in his voice, even though Sho knows Jun’s going to miss him just as much.
“A whole month,” Sho says, waiting until Jun sets the spatula down before Sho wraps his arms around him, hands resting against Jun’s stomach. “How am I going to live a whole month without you?”
“You’re a grown-up. You’ll manage,” Jun replies, even as he leans back, enjoying the closeness.
Jun’s summers will always belong to Natsu, to Onjuku. Sho will never try to change that, to change him. Jun’s devotion, his loyalty to Natsu’s memory is just one of the hundreds of things Sho loves about him. Even if the word “love” is still a tricky thing to admit to himself, much less say out loud.
Sho suspects that Jun’s going to be the one to say it first, in the end. Jun’s just going to say it. They’ll be eating dinner or grocery shopping or coming out of a movie. Maybe they’ll be making out on the couch, Jun’s hand in Sho’s pants. He’ll wait for Sho to have his guard completely down. In that moment, he’ll say “I love you,” and Sho will surely panic, likely responding with “Huh?” Or maybe even something ridiculous like “I love tacos!” It’s not going to be pretty. It may require another intervention of the Aiba variety.
But still, Sho looks forward to that day. To the day when he’ll tell Jun he loves him, and that he’s ready for the full implications of what that means.
For now, however, they’re going along at their own comfortable pace. They’ve made it through the hectic chaos that was Maya and Daisuke’s wedding. They’ve made it through the Golden Week hiking trip that the impulsive Jun insisted on planning all by himself (What do you mean we’re hiking whatever trail we feel like that day?).
And now Jun’s going back to Onjuku, to spend July opening up the Hidamari Guest House to friends. To word-of-mouth recommendations. And maybe to someone Ninomiya-sensei thinks might benefit from a few weeks by the ocean. August will be much the same as it was the year before, and Sho knows that Yukie is already marking the days in her planner, counting down to her summer escape. As for Sho, he can already taste one of Triple Kitchen’s crazy skewers.
But for now, he’ll work hard this month, all the way up until summer vacation. Then he’ll pack up his things, load up his car, get on the road. Sho’s asked if he’ll be sharing Jun’s bedroom with him, or if Jun’s going to put him back in his old room upstairs, the one with the ‘Do Not Disturb’ tag. Jun has so far declined to answer, preferring to leave Sho in suspense.
Jun turns off the burner. Dinner’s ready.
He turns around, still in the circle of Sho’s arms. Sho presses a kiss to the dark mole below his lip, a gesture that even now makes Jun flush red in embarrassment. Sho leans in again, and Jun’s mouth welcomes his.
It’s time for another memorable summer to begin.