Hold on - part 3
Summary:
For someone who claimed to have no friends, Jun suddenly starts to pull roommates out of seemingly thin air! And this time it isn't the crying of the infant, but the sounds of laughter and happiness that keep him up at night...
Sho groaned. This was so unfair. It really was. The noise from next door was keeping him up most of his nights he spend at home. And those weren't too many days at that. He was working late every night and he had trouble to admit - even to himself - that working late was more because he didn't WANT to be at home anymore. Because, in the end, the noise wasn't the endless crying of Mariko that kept him up at night. Heck he had barely heard her cry at all lately. What kept him up this time were the happy noises of laughter from his next door neighbours sitting out on the balcony until late at night. Their talks - he wished he was their topic of discussion on more then that one occasion - never involved him. Not even when he had slammed the balcony door shut a couple of time; only regretting the action due to the August summer sun which was unyielding from the moment it rose till the moment it set. The heat was excruciating, and turned to suffocating with the door slammed shut.
Jun was frequently at his work now, leaving Aiba to care for the baby. He usually sat on the balcony or in the park in front of their building. For some reason Sho had already figured out that Aiba Masaki was quite the outside person. He had also found out that Aiba possessed a smile that could set the world in order again. The thing about the guy in Jun's house which Sho had the most trouble with was the fact that it was hard to really dislike the guy - even if he didn't talk to him. Aiba greeted him enthusiastically when ever they came across each other. The few times they had shared the elevator Aiba just chatted about everything that had kept him busy, apparently not noticing the reluctance in Sho to reply, or he just did not care about the silence. But Sho couldn't help himself to pay extra attention to Aiba when he threw Jun's name into the stories he was telling. And it had dawned on him that Aiba could very well be the one to mend to situation between himself and Jun. But Sho didn't think he was quite desperate enough to warrant such a low action - to ask Aiba to interfere. In his opinion that was lower than low, really.
And if had just been Aiba and Jun living next door it wouldn't have been such a problem to find out stuff about his neighbour. Clearly Aiba was some one who loved to talk, and as a news caster he did know how to ask question to get the information he wanted. No, now the problem only got more confusing. Because now the 'single parent guy' who claimed to 'have no one in the world to help him with the trouble in his life', seemed to pull people out of thin air and just put him inside his house to come and live with him. And that some one came in the form of another guy, a certain Ninomiya Kazunari.
The biggest trouble was that he knew about Ninomiya. Sho knew the guy was an artistic photographer, a director of short movies, and he had quite the following within the LGBT communities with his work and private causes for the movement. It gave Nino more prestige than Sho felt he should have. Ninomiya's movies weren't pornographic in nature - of course, quite a lot had sex in them - but they dealt with every day situations, centring the community vs outside world. Sho also happened to know he was the finalising editor of an underground magazine which was quite slutty in nature. Sho who prided himself in knowing a lot about everything, never had read said magazine. And it pained him that such a guy was now the acquaintance of his poor neighbour, who - Sho began to expect - had clearly no people-skill experience.
Sho rubbed his hands over his face in sheer agony of facing yet another sleepless night. Maybe he should just get up and throw himself over the balcony. That would make for an epic news item. "Newscaster extraordinaire plummets to death over nuisance neighbours." Sho smirked, but then he felt pity for himself and guilty at that. Was this what it had come too? He could just go out there and tell them to shut the heck up for just one freaking night, right? But even without the chatter outside, he would have trouble sleeping any way. Even with Jun back safe and sound living next to him and the way he conjured up guys to come live with him, the nightmares he had hadn't stopped at all. It had even come to the point that he was considering seeking professional help - or at least a strong batch of sleeping pills to knock him out at night that. But that would mean that he -.
The phone rang; the noise cutting sharply through his thoughts. The display lit up the bedroom flashing the name of his work when he grabbed the device from the night stand. He frowned, noticing the sudden lack of sound coming from outside. Were they listen in, as he often did on their conversations? It kind of set his heart pounding as he imagined Jun quiet and focused on what he was saying.
"Sho, you up? Shit just hit the fan. We need you to cast this item pronto." The voice of his boss wasn't even done speaking when there was a loud explosion, making Sho bolt to the balcony in just his underwear. He could hear his boss curse on the other line and yell orders to others. Being up high enough on the seventeenth floor Sho could see the smoke circling from the impact - or whatever was - happening on the other side of town. He'd been covering the tension between the gangs in the eastern part of town for weeks now. It seemed to have settled down, or so he had thought. Apparently that tension had now escalated beyond his imagination as a second and third explosion were heard in the same area. The impacts sending a shock wave that made the windows shake. Sirens were going off, both the city's emergency signal as the emergency services on the road. He could hear cars honking in the distance. Holy shit, what was going on there?
"I'll be down in ten. Send the car - I'm on it." He dashed back inside, taking the emergency backpack from his closet, missing the shocked look Jun threw him. He was standing on his balcony next door with his friends, watching the chaos unfold. The pack Sho grabbed was filled with two bottles of water, A bunch of protein bars, two clean shirts, some underwear, a small digital notebook and a paper one with a bunch of pens. It would at least get him through the first couple of days if need be. He paused for just a second looking up, thinking he had heard Jun's voice call out for him. But there was no time to dwell on that. Shooting into his clothes, slinging the bag over his shoulder, he made a run for the door after grabbing an apple and putting it between his teeth, getting his keys out and opening the door.
Jun heard him go, the sound of his door opening and closing. Feeling helpless he sprinted to his own door, and just as he opened it, he saw Sho fly by towards the elevators, but taking the stairs instead of waiting for the lift doors to open.
"Sho!" Jun hollered after him, "Please keep safe!" He watched him disappear through the staircase door not sure if the guy had even heard him.
Nearly fifteen minutes later Aiba sat beside Jun on the couch, grimacing, watching the TV in horror. He put an arm over Jun's shoulder and pulled him close feeling quite helpless for the both of them. Sho was reporting, face covered with ashes, suit cover with whatever floated around. The news coverage seemed like a warzone from far away. The Army was in the middle of quarantining the area, not wanting to interfere in the dispute just yet. People could get out, provided they could prove who they were, but no one could go in. And Sho stayed. The internet filled Jun and his friends in with reports only minutes before Sho brought them up. The only thing the internet posts had of Sho's reports were the countless of videos that were taken with mobile phones and cameras - the ones which were not shown on TV.
"You need to tell him," it was the fourth time Nino said it as he snapped the shots with his camera of a teary eyed Jun. Aiba said nothing, he just stared at the two working. Or more at Nino working - Jun was a lost cause at the moment. The News was on - when had the TV ever been off in the past few days? - Jun had seen things online which he probably shouldn't have. But Sho was sound and safe as shown on the screen, doing his broadcasting of affairs seemingly tirelessly. Jun was also passed asking either of his roommates 'what should I tell him'; he was passed being angry at the questions fired at him because it were the same ones nagging at him in his sleep.
"I don't know what to tell him, I just don't know." became his only muttered defence. Aiba had let lose some pretty interesting ways to get the two to date, which Nino approved off and added his own versions to them.
"Just tell him anything, I suppose," Aiba now said from his place, rocking a sleeping Mariko in his arms. Jun's house was full of pictures of Aiba and him with the little lady. Portait shots, poster shots, little pictures, close ups. But those didn't sell magazines or movies. Jun sat naked on his couch, tear stricken, with Aiba dressed in a bath robe, in the background. Nino checked the shots ever so often, rearranging lights.
"Anything won't do," he countered Aiba's response, "Just tell him the truth."
Jun looked up at him with a sad smile. "I don't suppose you know the truth, do you?"
"Perfect, hold that." He snapped the shots rapidly checking them. "Jun, you're more then just a little interested in the guy. Just tell him that." He took some more photos, with Aiba in the back ground.
"Put the kid away, Masaki. Come over here."
"Might be the best thing to tell him," Aiba agreed sitting behind Jun as indicated by their current photographer. Nino grabbed hold of the robe and yanked it harshly to one side, exposing an impressive dark mark on Aiba's upper arm. Aiba rolled his eyes. "What's with your obsession with my birthmark, Nino." Nino shrugged with a smirk.
"Last series, make it count." Aiba put his arms around Jun'd naked frame as if it was something he'd done a thousand times, leaning his head on his shoulder pulling him closer.
"Tell him the truth," Aiba instructed whispering into his ear, "Tell him you've only seen each other twice and that you kissed twice and that you'd like to kiss him again."
"Tell him you'd badly need to hump his ass or you'll go insane," Nino offered snapping his camera to the sudden angered face of Jun. Nino was all smirky innocence. "What? Don't pretend that it isn't true. I can hear you at night, you know. You don't make it hard to guess what you actually want from him." Aiba softly laughed at that. His breath tickled his ear.
"Reach up, cup his face Jun," Nino told him, which Jun did. Aiba stared into his eyes for a moment. There was so much compassion in those eyes, so much caring. The kiss that followed was natural. It was what is was. Just a kiss, just a form of strength. Aiba's lips were soft; his tongue brushed against his ever so slightly until Nino called 'cut'.
"Great stuff, you guys," Nino almost cheered, flipping through the images, throwing Jun the other robe, "Come see."
Jun got sandwiched between his close friends as they pooled together to see the photos. That Nino came to stay was weird and unplanned, Jun thought, feeling his body heat against him. He came to check up on him, since Jun didn't answer his calls and the guy hadn't left since, telling Jun exactly what he thought of his predicament. As much as Nino love to be on his own, he was actually quite fond of the company of others and with the excuse that he didn't trust Aiba at all and wanted to keep an eye on them - just in case - Jun had let him stay. But by now Jun knew better because Ninomiya Kazunari wasn't as concerned about him as he had thought. He wasn't blind to the shine in the eyes of his boss glancing at an oblivious Aiba. Of course he could throw Nino out, but he let it be, enjoying their company and teasing more than anything as a welcome distraction.
It wasn't until the eight day that Jun - who had slept on the couch in front of the TV for days - heard the sounds on the door unlocking in the apartment next to him. There was some mumbling next door, some shoving and an angry sounding Sho drifted through the walls. Next there was the sound of a door slamming shut, followed by an agonising scream - which had Jun up and half way through the room before being stopped by a sleepy Nino.
"Jun." Nino's voice and grip on his wrist stalled him, "Leave him be for now." Jun just stared not knowing what to do. "You don't know why he's back. You don't know what state he's in. Just leave it until morning.
A few days later Sho woke up to a pounding head ache, on the floor of his bedroom, feeling delirious and kind of jumpy when he heard the doorbell. It was not even two in morning. He opened to a tired looking Jun who sported a hesitant smile. Jun looked somewhat on edge, which matched Sho's inner turmoil.
"Hi," Jun started with, because what else was he supposed to say? None of the things he had thought of sounded good to him after hearing Sho's icy screams cut through the night and he was pretty sure he had heard him falling out of his bed through the open doors of the balcony. Sho however frowned as he watched his neighbour without making eye contact.
"What do you want?" Wasn't that friendly, Jun thought to himself, but he turned up his smile some more. After all he would would be cranky too if he had fallen out of bed.
"I wanted to know if you were alright." Now sho hesitantly met his eyes, leaning against the doorpost, sighing. He seemed to relax somewhat
"I was screaming again," he said matter of factly, nodding to his own statement, "I seemed to do that a lot lately. sorry for waking you, Matsumoto-san."
"Jun," said the other promptly to which Sho looked surprised, "Call me Jun. Just Jun."
"Sorry for waking you, Jun," Sho repeated slower and for some reason it felt like it was more meant than the previous version.
"You know," Jun ventured, hoping Sho would tell him to call him by his given name too, "you can ask for my help whenever you need it. With anything at all." It just dawned on Sho that Jun was holding a baby monitor in case he was invited to come over. Sho didn't know how he felt about that. Before he could turn Jun away the guy presented him with a small piece of paper, putting it in Sho's hand as if he might refuse to take it.
"That's my number. Just call me, when ever, even if you don't want to see anyone and just need to talk or hear someone's voice or something - I don't know." His perfectly rehearsed monologue was forgotten and he seemed unsure of himself. Sho smiled at it, just a twitch.
"Thank you." Jun nodded, turning to go back inside, because he didn't know what else to say when Sho said softly, "Really, Jun. Thank you. I appreciate it."
Sho read the number twice and put it on the counter with a cup on it so it wouldn't inexplicably blow away. In his bedroom however he got the really weird fear that come tomorrow Jun's late night visit might have been a dream. And so he hurried - clutching his phone in his hand - to the kitchen counter and punched in the number to save it in his contacts list. But by then his mind started to go around in circles; what if this wasn't his number? What if this was some other number? What if Jun just wanted to make a fool out of him? He stared at his phone feeling conflicted.
To Matsumoto Jun
Test.
He looked at the word, really? That's what he was going for? Just that one word? He finally got Jun's number and this was the first thing he was going to send him? Sighing he pressed the backspace to delete it and flopped back on his bed over thinking his plan to contact his neighbour, only to realise with the incoming sound of a text message that he had send it.
To Sho-kun
Glad it works. Now I have your number too.
Sho read it maybe four times all a once, before believing what it actually said. How could he not. This was a dream come true. Jun was actually happy to have his number.
To MatsuJun
Thanks again. I do really appreciate it.
He hadn't really expected an answer to it, but from out side of his bedroom Jun's voice sounded warm and friendly.
"Good night, Sho-kun."
Jun was mostly out and about with Ninomiya, or so he learned from Aiba Masaki who he came across in the hallway or 'their' building. Mostly Aiba was out and about too with Jun's niece strolling around the neighbourhood. He stayed energetic and friendly even if Sho did his best to ignore the guy. He really did want to dislike Aiba for staying with Jun, for walking around with the little girl as his own. But as time rolled on, in which Sho wasn't allowed to work, he grew restless. The view from his balcony annoyed him as it reminded him to the incidents which had happened in the course of the past weeks. Incidents which now kept him wide awake, and annoyed from the lack of sleep. What ever sleep he had was speckled with nightmares. He missed his work, missed being extremely busy and so his days began to slowly shape out in secretly following Aiba around. But even after three days of that he was going stir crazy until he couldn't really prevent himself from just sitting next to Aiba in the neighbourhood park. Just to keep his mind from making his life a hell.
Just sitting near the guy was weird in its own right. For all his energy - because that guy was all over the place; the bench, the slide, the sandbox - he excluded a lot of calm when he actually sat down. Sho just watched him go about the small park. It was rather interesting since Mariko couldn't do much since she was still so small.
"I wanted to ask you something, if that's okay," Aiba said out of nowhere after a short silence when he had sat down, rocking a sleeping girl in her stroller. Sho looked both interested as much as he dreaded a real conversation between them. He hummed his hesitant approval. "Are you on holiday or something?" Sho blinked at the question. "I mean, you seem to be always at home now. Jun told me you were always away for work. So, I am curious."
Curious. Aiba Masaki, the guy living with Jun was curious. Probably to how long he going to stay home, maybe he didn't trust Sho as much as Sho didn't trust him. "I was talking to the others and Jun said you might be staying home from work because of what happened. But as a workaholic - Jun's words not mine - staying at home - Whether it is for holiday or for reasons other than that - it seems like quite a devastating time to spend. It made me wonder. As a person who hardly stays still, I can relate some what. Maybe you wanted to do something together with us some time. Jun says you are quite good with kids. So, maybe you would like that instead of stalking me or just staying home."
That last part of the statement made Sho self conscious. He nodded, not because he really wanted to, but more because he would love to have something to do. And at this point the offered prospect seemed more appealing than the dreaded fact he was going to spend time with Aiba Masaki.
After separating ways Sho stayed home the following day. He couldn't really face Masaki - the guy could be friendly and harmless as fuck - but that didn't take away his embarrassment. Besides, it had only dawned on him when he had come home how often Aiba had said 'that Jun had said' this or that about him. And he couldn't help but question Jun's interactions with the other two, even if he wasn't really at liberty to ask. But as the situation stood right now he was beginning to wonder if they had a chance at all.
To Jun-kun
Can I ask you a question?
To Sho-kun
Ah! So you are still alive? I heard rumours you were. Sure, ask away.
Heard rumours? Had Aiba been talking about him? Sho frowned.
To Jun
It's kind of personal and it's kind of non-of-my-business-stuff.
To Sho-kun
Intriguing!!! Again ask away!
Sho sighed, second guessing the line of questioning he was about to engage in. Because Jun could very well tell him to fuck off. And that would just ruin any chance he had - if he still had any.
To Sho-kun
Is it THAT personal? You know you can really ask me anything. What would you like to know? My most embarrassing moment in life? Falling for my boss. Have I ever broken my mum's heart? I have. The colour of my underwear today? Red.
Sho stared at the message feeling more embarrassed as he typed out what he wanted to know.
To Jun
Please don't be mad at me for asking but it's driving me nuts. What is your relationship with Ninomiya-san and Aiba-san?
There was no immediate reply to that. And the longer it took the more Sho feared he had crossed a delicate line. When his phone beeped he sighed before reading the message, chewing on his lip.
For someone who claimed to have no friends, Jun suddenly starts to pull roommates out of seemingly thin air! And this time it isn't the crying of the infant, but the sounds of laughter and happiness that keep him up at night...
Sho groaned. This was so unfair. It really was. The noise from next door was keeping him up most of his nights he spend at home. And those weren't too many days at that. He was working late every night and he had trouble to admit - even to himself - that working late was more because he didn't WANT to be at home anymore. Because, in the end, the noise wasn't the endless crying of Mariko that kept him up at night. Heck he had barely heard her cry at all lately. What kept him up this time were the happy noises of laughter from his next door neighbours sitting out on the balcony until late at night. Their talks - he wished he was their topic of discussion on more then that one occasion - never involved him. Not even when he had slammed the balcony door shut a couple of time; only regretting the action due to the August summer sun which was unyielding from the moment it rose till the moment it set. The heat was excruciating, and turned to suffocating with the door slammed shut.
Jun was frequently at his work now, leaving Aiba to care for the baby. He usually sat on the balcony or in the park in front of their building. For some reason Sho had already figured out that Aiba Masaki was quite the outside person. He had also found out that Aiba possessed a smile that could set the world in order again. The thing about the guy in Jun's house which Sho had the most trouble with was the fact that it was hard to really dislike the guy - even if he didn't talk to him. Aiba greeted him enthusiastically when ever they came across each other. The few times they had shared the elevator Aiba just chatted about everything that had kept him busy, apparently not noticing the reluctance in Sho to reply, or he just did not care about the silence. But Sho couldn't help himself to pay extra attention to Aiba when he threw Jun's name into the stories he was telling. And it had dawned on him that Aiba could very well be the one to mend to situation between himself and Jun. But Sho didn't think he was quite desperate enough to warrant such a low action - to ask Aiba to interfere. In his opinion that was lower than low, really.
And if had just been Aiba and Jun living next door it wouldn't have been such a problem to find out stuff about his neighbour. Clearly Aiba was some one who loved to talk, and as a news caster he did know how to ask question to get the information he wanted. No, now the problem only got more confusing. Because now the 'single parent guy' who claimed to 'have no one in the world to help him with the trouble in his life', seemed to pull people out of thin air and just put him inside his house to come and live with him. And that some one came in the form of another guy, a certain Ninomiya Kazunari.
The biggest trouble was that he knew about Ninomiya. Sho knew the guy was an artistic photographer, a director of short movies, and he had quite the following within the LGBT communities with his work and private causes for the movement. It gave Nino more prestige than Sho felt he should have. Ninomiya's movies weren't pornographic in nature - of course, quite a lot had sex in them - but they dealt with every day situations, centring the community vs outside world. Sho also happened to know he was the finalising editor of an underground magazine which was quite slutty in nature. Sho who prided himself in knowing a lot about everything, never had read said magazine. And it pained him that such a guy was now the acquaintance of his poor neighbour, who - Sho began to expect - had clearly no people-skill experience.
Sho rubbed his hands over his face in sheer agony of facing yet another sleepless night. Maybe he should just get up and throw himself over the balcony. That would make for an epic news item. "Newscaster extraordinaire plummets to death over nuisance neighbours." Sho smirked, but then he felt pity for himself and guilty at that. Was this what it had come too? He could just go out there and tell them to shut the heck up for just one freaking night, right? But even without the chatter outside, he would have trouble sleeping any way. Even with Jun back safe and sound living next to him and the way he conjured up guys to come live with him, the nightmares he had hadn't stopped at all. It had even come to the point that he was considering seeking professional help - or at least a strong batch of sleeping pills to knock him out at night that. But that would mean that he -.
The phone rang; the noise cutting sharply through his thoughts. The display lit up the bedroom flashing the name of his work when he grabbed the device from the night stand. He frowned, noticing the sudden lack of sound coming from outside. Were they listen in, as he often did on their conversations? It kind of set his heart pounding as he imagined Jun quiet and focused on what he was saying.
"Sho, you up? Shit just hit the fan. We need you to cast this item pronto." The voice of his boss wasn't even done speaking when there was a loud explosion, making Sho bolt to the balcony in just his underwear. He could hear his boss curse on the other line and yell orders to others. Being up high enough on the seventeenth floor Sho could see the smoke circling from the impact - or whatever was - happening on the other side of town. He'd been covering the tension between the gangs in the eastern part of town for weeks now. It seemed to have settled down, or so he had thought. Apparently that tension had now escalated beyond his imagination as a second and third explosion were heard in the same area. The impacts sending a shock wave that made the windows shake. Sirens were going off, both the city's emergency signal as the emergency services on the road. He could hear cars honking in the distance. Holy shit, what was going on there?
"I'll be down in ten. Send the car - I'm on it." He dashed back inside, taking the emergency backpack from his closet, missing the shocked look Jun threw him. He was standing on his balcony next door with his friends, watching the chaos unfold. The pack Sho grabbed was filled with two bottles of water, A bunch of protein bars, two clean shirts, some underwear, a small digital notebook and a paper one with a bunch of pens. It would at least get him through the first couple of days if need be. He paused for just a second looking up, thinking he had heard Jun's voice call out for him. But there was no time to dwell on that. Shooting into his clothes, slinging the bag over his shoulder, he made a run for the door after grabbing an apple and putting it between his teeth, getting his keys out and opening the door.
Jun heard him go, the sound of his door opening and closing. Feeling helpless he sprinted to his own door, and just as he opened it, he saw Sho fly by towards the elevators, but taking the stairs instead of waiting for the lift doors to open.
"Sho!" Jun hollered after him, "Please keep safe!" He watched him disappear through the staircase door not sure if the guy had even heard him.
Nearly fifteen minutes later Aiba sat beside Jun on the couch, grimacing, watching the TV in horror. He put an arm over Jun's shoulder and pulled him close feeling quite helpless for the both of them. Sho was reporting, face covered with ashes, suit cover with whatever floated around. The news coverage seemed like a warzone from far away. The Army was in the middle of quarantining the area, not wanting to interfere in the dispute just yet. People could get out, provided they could prove who they were, but no one could go in. And Sho stayed. The internet filled Jun and his friends in with reports only minutes before Sho brought them up. The only thing the internet posts had of Sho's reports were the countless of videos that were taken with mobile phones and cameras - the ones which were not shown on TV.
"You need to tell him," it was the fourth time Nino said it as he snapped the shots with his camera of a teary eyed Jun. Aiba said nothing, he just stared at the two working. Or more at Nino working - Jun was a lost cause at the moment. The News was on - when had the TV ever been off in the past few days? - Jun had seen things online which he probably shouldn't have. But Sho was sound and safe as shown on the screen, doing his broadcasting of affairs seemingly tirelessly. Jun was also passed asking either of his roommates 'what should I tell him'; he was passed being angry at the questions fired at him because it were the same ones nagging at him in his sleep.
"I don't know what to tell him, I just don't know." became his only muttered defence. Aiba had let lose some pretty interesting ways to get the two to date, which Nino approved off and added his own versions to them.
"Just tell him anything, I suppose," Aiba now said from his place, rocking a sleeping Mariko in his arms. Jun's house was full of pictures of Aiba and him with the little lady. Portait shots, poster shots, little pictures, close ups. But those didn't sell magazines or movies. Jun sat naked on his couch, tear stricken, with Aiba dressed in a bath robe, in the background. Nino checked the shots ever so often, rearranging lights.
"Anything won't do," he countered Aiba's response, "Just tell him the truth."
Jun looked up at him with a sad smile. "I don't suppose you know the truth, do you?"
"Perfect, hold that." He snapped the shots rapidly checking them. "Jun, you're more then just a little interested in the guy. Just tell him that." He took some more photos, with Aiba in the back ground.
"Put the kid away, Masaki. Come over here."
"Might be the best thing to tell him," Aiba agreed sitting behind Jun as indicated by their current photographer. Nino grabbed hold of the robe and yanked it harshly to one side, exposing an impressive dark mark on Aiba's upper arm. Aiba rolled his eyes. "What's with your obsession with my birthmark, Nino." Nino shrugged with a smirk.
"Last series, make it count." Aiba put his arms around Jun'd naked frame as if it was something he'd done a thousand times, leaning his head on his shoulder pulling him closer.
"Tell him the truth," Aiba instructed whispering into his ear, "Tell him you've only seen each other twice and that you kissed twice and that you'd like to kiss him again."
"Tell him you'd badly need to hump his ass or you'll go insane," Nino offered snapping his camera to the sudden angered face of Jun. Nino was all smirky innocence. "What? Don't pretend that it isn't true. I can hear you at night, you know. You don't make it hard to guess what you actually want from him." Aiba softly laughed at that. His breath tickled his ear.
"Reach up, cup his face Jun," Nino told him, which Jun did. Aiba stared into his eyes for a moment. There was so much compassion in those eyes, so much caring. The kiss that followed was natural. It was what is was. Just a kiss, just a form of strength. Aiba's lips were soft; his tongue brushed against his ever so slightly until Nino called 'cut'.
"Great stuff, you guys," Nino almost cheered, flipping through the images, throwing Jun the other robe, "Come see."
Jun got sandwiched between his close friends as they pooled together to see the photos. That Nino came to stay was weird and unplanned, Jun thought, feeling his body heat against him. He came to check up on him, since Jun didn't answer his calls and the guy hadn't left since, telling Jun exactly what he thought of his predicament. As much as Nino love to be on his own, he was actually quite fond of the company of others and with the excuse that he didn't trust Aiba at all and wanted to keep an eye on them - just in case - Jun had let him stay. But by now Jun knew better because Ninomiya Kazunari wasn't as concerned about him as he had thought. He wasn't blind to the shine in the eyes of his boss glancing at an oblivious Aiba. Of course he could throw Nino out, but he let it be, enjoying their company and teasing more than anything as a welcome distraction.
It wasn't until the eight day that Jun - who had slept on the couch in front of the TV for days - heard the sounds on the door unlocking in the apartment next to him. There was some mumbling next door, some shoving and an angry sounding Sho drifted through the walls. Next there was the sound of a door slamming shut, followed by an agonising scream - which had Jun up and half way through the room before being stopped by a sleepy Nino.
"Jun." Nino's voice and grip on his wrist stalled him, "Leave him be for now." Jun just stared not knowing what to do. "You don't know why he's back. You don't know what state he's in. Just leave it until morning.
A few days later Sho woke up to a pounding head ache, on the floor of his bedroom, feeling delirious and kind of jumpy when he heard the doorbell. It was not even two in morning. He opened to a tired looking Jun who sported a hesitant smile. Jun looked somewhat on edge, which matched Sho's inner turmoil.
"Hi," Jun started with, because what else was he supposed to say? None of the things he had thought of sounded good to him after hearing Sho's icy screams cut through the night and he was pretty sure he had heard him falling out of his bed through the open doors of the balcony. Sho however frowned as he watched his neighbour without making eye contact.
"What do you want?" Wasn't that friendly, Jun thought to himself, but he turned up his smile some more. After all he would would be cranky too if he had fallen out of bed.
"I wanted to know if you were alright." Now sho hesitantly met his eyes, leaning against the doorpost, sighing. He seemed to relax somewhat
"I was screaming again," he said matter of factly, nodding to his own statement, "I seemed to do that a lot lately. sorry for waking you, Matsumoto-san."
"Jun," said the other promptly to which Sho looked surprised, "Call me Jun. Just Jun."
"Sorry for waking you, Jun," Sho repeated slower and for some reason it felt like it was more meant than the previous version.
"You know," Jun ventured, hoping Sho would tell him to call him by his given name too, "you can ask for my help whenever you need it. With anything at all." It just dawned on Sho that Jun was holding a baby monitor in case he was invited to come over. Sho didn't know how he felt about that. Before he could turn Jun away the guy presented him with a small piece of paper, putting it in Sho's hand as if he might refuse to take it.
"That's my number. Just call me, when ever, even if you don't want to see anyone and just need to talk or hear someone's voice or something - I don't know." His perfectly rehearsed monologue was forgotten and he seemed unsure of himself. Sho smiled at it, just a twitch.
"Thank you." Jun nodded, turning to go back inside, because he didn't know what else to say when Sho said softly, "Really, Jun. Thank you. I appreciate it."
Sho read the number twice and put it on the counter with a cup on it so it wouldn't inexplicably blow away. In his bedroom however he got the really weird fear that come tomorrow Jun's late night visit might have been a dream. And so he hurried - clutching his phone in his hand - to the kitchen counter and punched in the number to save it in his contacts list. But by then his mind started to go around in circles; what if this wasn't his number? What if this was some other number? What if Jun just wanted to make a fool out of him? He stared at his phone feeling conflicted.
To Matsumoto Jun
Test.
He looked at the word, really? That's what he was going for? Just that one word? He finally got Jun's number and this was the first thing he was going to send him? Sighing he pressed the backspace to delete it and flopped back on his bed over thinking his plan to contact his neighbour, only to realise with the incoming sound of a text message that he had send it.
To Sho-kun
Glad it works. Now I have your number too.
Sho read it maybe four times all a once, before believing what it actually said. How could he not. This was a dream come true. Jun was actually happy to have his number.
To MatsuJun
Thanks again. I do really appreciate it.
He hadn't really expected an answer to it, but from out side of his bedroom Jun's voice sounded warm and friendly.
"Good night, Sho-kun."
Jun was mostly out and about with Ninomiya, or so he learned from Aiba Masaki who he came across in the hallway or 'their' building. Mostly Aiba was out and about too with Jun's niece strolling around the neighbourhood. He stayed energetic and friendly even if Sho did his best to ignore the guy. He really did want to dislike Aiba for staying with Jun, for walking around with the little girl as his own. But as time rolled on, in which Sho wasn't allowed to work, he grew restless. The view from his balcony annoyed him as it reminded him to the incidents which had happened in the course of the past weeks. Incidents which now kept him wide awake, and annoyed from the lack of sleep. What ever sleep he had was speckled with nightmares. He missed his work, missed being extremely busy and so his days began to slowly shape out in secretly following Aiba around. But even after three days of that he was going stir crazy until he couldn't really prevent himself from just sitting next to Aiba in the neighbourhood park. Just to keep his mind from making his life a hell.
Just sitting near the guy was weird in its own right. For all his energy - because that guy was all over the place; the bench, the slide, the sandbox - he excluded a lot of calm when he actually sat down. Sho just watched him go about the small park. It was rather interesting since Mariko couldn't do much since she was still so small.
"I wanted to ask you something, if that's okay," Aiba said out of nowhere after a short silence when he had sat down, rocking a sleeping girl in her stroller. Sho looked both interested as much as he dreaded a real conversation between them. He hummed his hesitant approval. "Are you on holiday or something?" Sho blinked at the question. "I mean, you seem to be always at home now. Jun told me you were always away for work. So, I am curious."
Curious. Aiba Masaki, the guy living with Jun was curious. Probably to how long he going to stay home, maybe he didn't trust Sho as much as Sho didn't trust him. "I was talking to the others and Jun said you might be staying home from work because of what happened. But as a workaholic - Jun's words not mine - staying at home - Whether it is for holiday or for reasons other than that - it seems like quite a devastating time to spend. It made me wonder. As a person who hardly stays still, I can relate some what. Maybe you wanted to do something together with us some time. Jun says you are quite good with kids. So, maybe you would like that instead of stalking me or just staying home."
That last part of the statement made Sho self conscious. He nodded, not because he really wanted to, but more because he would love to have something to do. And at this point the offered prospect seemed more appealing than the dreaded fact he was going to spend time with Aiba Masaki.
After separating ways Sho stayed home the following day. He couldn't really face Masaki - the guy could be friendly and harmless as fuck - but that didn't take away his embarrassment. Besides, it had only dawned on him when he had come home how often Aiba had said 'that Jun had said' this or that about him. And he couldn't help but question Jun's interactions with the other two, even if he wasn't really at liberty to ask. But as the situation stood right now he was beginning to wonder if they had a chance at all.
To Jun-kun
Can I ask you a question?
To Sho-kun
Ah! So you are still alive? I heard rumours you were. Sure, ask away.
Heard rumours? Had Aiba been talking about him? Sho frowned.
To Jun
It's kind of personal and it's kind of non-of-my-business-stuff.
To Sho-kun
Intriguing!!! Again ask away!
Sho sighed, second guessing the line of questioning he was about to engage in. Because Jun could very well tell him to fuck off. And that would just ruin any chance he had - if he still had any.
To Sho-kun
Is it THAT personal? You know you can really ask me anything. What would you like to know? My most embarrassing moment in life? Falling for my boss. Have I ever broken my mum's heart? I have. The colour of my underwear today? Red.
Sho stared at the message feeling more embarrassed as he typed out what he wanted to know.
To Jun
Please don't be mad at me for asking but it's driving me nuts. What is your relationship with Ninomiya-san and Aiba-san?
There was no immediate reply to that. And the longer it took the more Sho feared he had crossed a delicate line. When his phone beeped he sighed before reading the message, chewing on his lip.