Come to Me [One-shot]
Title: Come to Me
Author: Juri
Pairing: Sakumoto
Rating: PG
Genre/Length: AU/One-shot
Summary: Newscaster Sakurai Sho travels to a beach for a report where he meets a surfer.
Water makes it difficult to breathe.
I can feel the air being sapped out of my lungs as I try to keep myself afloat amongst the rolling waves. The surface seems so far away. There were times when I thought this ordeal would be over, but the tumbling, crashing waves drag me back under. My face has hit the sandy bottom once or twice now and the waves have pounded into my head. I'm afraid of losing consciousness. I'm afraid of drowning.
Something tight and strong wraps around my body. I'm hauled out of the turbulent water and I breathe with every ounce of energy I can muster. Air moves it way back into my body and I cough several times until my throat feels raw. People are surrounding me, staring, murmuring amongst themselves.
Someone talks to me, asks me if I'm okay. I can only nod.
The man that talked to me helped me to sit up. Soon the crowd of onlookers disbanded and I was left alone with this man.
"What do you think you were doing?! You shouldn't be on the beach past sun down!!" The man was scolding me. He had been concerned but I could tell that he was also disgusted.
This man was young, maybe a little younger than me, with short dark hair and masculine features.
He sighed in relief. "Do you need an ambulance?"
"My partner..." was all I could manage to say.
"Are you traveling with someone?" he asked.
I nod. If I move my head too much, I begin to feel nauseous.
"Maybe I should take you to a hospital. It's close by, don't worry."
The young man pulls one of my arms around his shoulder and balances me as I attempt to walk. Those few minutes it took to get to the hospital felt like hours.
The staff didn't waste time in admitting me. The amount of patients in the ER at the time were nil, to my surprise.
"It looks like you have a slight concussion, but it doesn't look bad. You should recover within a few days. Take it easy until then."
"Thank you," I tell the doctor.
"You're here on business, correct? No one on vacation would wear a suit to the beach."
This was true. I was here on business. "Yes, I am, actually."
It was no wonder that I sank so quickly. But I was still baffled as to how I ended up in the water.
"I shouldn't have to say it, but please be more careful from now on."
"Thank you."
The doctor checked his paperwork quickly one last time. "I'll discharge you right now. Your friend is still waiting out in the hall. Have him take you back and take the rest of the night easy."
"Thank you," I repeat. But I'm confused once more. Friend?
The doctor exits the room and the same young man I recognized from earlier walks in.
"How are you feeling?" he asks.
"I have a headache. Doctor said it was a concussion, but I'm alive thanks to you."
"That's good to hear." The concern in his voice soon disappears and he turns to lecturing. "You shouldn't turn your back on the ocean! And after sun set... Judging from how you're dressed you're not stupid, but your actions prove otherwise!"
This man's personality came off very strongly. I could do without the safety speech.
The lecture was well and good but I was really curious as to how I landed myself in the care of this man and the hospital. "What happened to me?"
The man sighed with ease. "I saw you on the beach. You no sooner turned around to look back at the boardwalk when a wave came and swept you into a rip tide. I pulled you out but you didn't seem fully conscious, hence the hospital."
"Well thank you. I'm Sakurai Sho, by the way."
The young man holds a hand out for me to shake. I shake it without a second thought. "Matsumoto Jun. Are you going to be alright going back to your hotel?"
"I should be fine."
At the moment, I really wanted to lay down and sleep the headache off. The faster I got back to the hotel, the better.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
The next day, my assistant, Kamikawa watched me like a hawk. Nothing I said or did was going to get him to back off from watching me. He made me hold our equipment bag to keep me from going anywhere near the water. The last thing we wanted was for expensive filming equipment to be soaked with water and destroyed.
"I don't need to go back to Tokyo with you in a body bag," was his excuse.
Isn't that a little excessive? I thought. I could only agree with him however. What I did was reckless the night before. I definitely learned my lesson.
We walked along the boardwalk, stopping just before hitting the sand barrier heading towards the beach. There were several people vacationing. Men and woman all dressed alike in their swim suits, enjoying sun tanning on their towels or hidden under their umbrellas or even frolicking in the water. Surfers were out in the water, hoping over feeble waves on their boards, doing everything in their power to ride a great wave.
There was a figure out in the water that I recognized from the night before. Matsumoto Jun. I dumped the bagged equipment onto Kamikawa's shoulder, said a quick, "Give me a minute" and began my walk to the shore line.
I chase Matsumoto down the shore, trying to catch his attention. He waves back to me and paddles himself back to the shore.
"How are you feeling?" was the first thing he said to me.
"Well, my head still kinda hurts but there's nothing I can really do about that right now," I reply with a big smile.
"I hope you're here with someone right now." The worrisome side of Matsumoto resurfaced.
I joke. "I'm here with my assistant. He's kind of a bother right now though. I can't seem to lose him."
"Is that him?" Matsumoto nods his head and I turn my gaze. No doubt about it. Kamikawa was standing on the boardwalk, holding the equipment bag over his shoulder, struggling to keep an eye on me.
"That would be him," I say with a sigh. "He's not a very good swimmer so he's afraid to go past the boardwalk. We're done with our work for the day. We were going back to the hotel but I'm not really ready to..."
Matsumoto smiles sheepishly. "Then, do you want to go for dinner together?"
"I'd like that!" I say.
"It's Jun-san!!"
Interrupting our conversation, two young looking woman approach us with stars in their eyes. The pair began to bombard the young surfer with questions and compliments. He looked bothered. In fact, the face he made when they began to speak made it clear to me. He was avoiding eye contact with them as well.
"I'm sorry, I'm awfully busy!" he said in a hurry. He hiked up his board and took off in a hustle. I bowed to the girls and ran to catch up with him.
"Are you sure you wanted to leave those girls behind? They were really pretty!"
Matsumoto slowed to a walk. "I don't know them." He groans then fixes the shoes he had been carrying to his feet. "The girls...they always want to go shopping or go out for dinner...or something." His face started to become a reddish color. I couldn't tell if he was shyly aloof or if the strenuous exercise was catching up to him. "I really just want to go surfing..."
I roll up the sleeves on my shirt. I don't even know why I'm wearing a business shirt during the middle of the summer, on a beach no less. "I think I understand... When you do something you like, it's almost as if you're breaking away from stress."
He cocks his head to the side innocently. A sheepish but mischievous smile curls on his face. "That could be it. I never thought about it that way before. I'm also not very good at talking to women. They terrify me."
"I think that's okay. What are you... 24 years old? You shouldn't be in any rush to settle down." I should know. I was still single myself and I am 26. I would have liked to settle down in my 20's but I'm finding it harder and harder. My work is my priority right now. "You surfing is really cool. It makes me a little jealous. I wish I had something that I could lose myself to. I feel like all I do is work sometimes," I say with a smile.
We stopped at a stand-alone shower near the board walk. I watched as Matsumoto laid his board down under a spout.
Matsumoto turned sharply and ruffled my hair. I brush him off as soon as I can.
"What the hell?!" I tell him.
"I just felt like it." After he turns the water on and allows it to rush over the board, he says, "No one has ever said that to me before."
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
"So why don't you like women?" I question Matsumoto at dinner.
His eyes widen. "When did I say that?!" he answers quickly.
My eyes watch his hand as he swirls the meat on the grill. "This afternoon. You said women terrify you..."
I could tell that Matsumoto was not going to put up a fight. "I guess I did huh...?"
"Yep," I say in an unenthusiastic tone.
He heaves a sigh and in a worried voice, says, "Promise you won't laugh?"
"Promise."
He inhales and continues with, "I'm awkward and have no interest in women right now. I'm not very good at talking to women and I get embarrassed easily," in one breath.
I can't help but laugh. I laugh as loudly as I can without disturbing the other guests in the restaurant.
"You said you wouldn't laugh!!" he scolds me.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But being awkward and getting embarrassed easily aren't traits I think you'd have a problem with." But now I could understand the reasoning behind his blushing this current second. I don't have a problem with embarrassment or awkwardness, so I find it cute and interesting. He doesn't come off as that type of person, making it all the more interesting.
"What about you? What are you in this area for?"
"Business. I'm a news caster. I ended up finishing my report a few days earlier than expected so I have some free time. They aren't expecting me back in the office for at least another week." I steal the piece of meat Matsumoto had been cooking and throw it into my mouth, savoring the flavor.
"You finished your work that far ahead?"he says in shock. "That's amazing."
"Everyone usually hates me for it. I'm so efficient in my work that I'm often called "an over-achiever." It's annoying really."
"Ah, that reminds me...where is your assistant?" Matsumoto fought me for the piece of meat he had just cooked. I won, leaving him with having to cook more.
"Oh, Kamikawa? He's back at the hotel. We were supposed to do his report today, but once I met up with you I sent him a message saying he had the night free."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your job--"
"I'm done with work," I assure him. "Actually, considering that I have some extra time now, is it okay if I watch you surf?" Matsumoto looked at me questioningly. "I saw you surfing today and I thought you were really good." Matsumoto's jaw dropped. "Is that okay?"
Matsumoto stutters. "O-of course!"
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
Ever since that night, I went to the shore every morning to find him surfing the waves peacefully. Even if there were other surfers, no matter how far I sat away from the ocean, I could always tell it was him with just one glance. I would become consumed by the way he glided through the water. I wasn't the only person to notice either. Fellow surfers, people taking walks, people walking with their dogs, the girls, they would all stop momentarily to watch him in awe.
I only just met him, but I could feel myself at ease with him.
It made me...extraordinarily happy.
"Sakurai-san, you're starting to get sunburn," he said to me.
Without another word, Matsumoto helps me up and leads me to a shaded area near the boardwalk. He fetched a drink from a nearby vending machine and placed it on my forehead.
"You shouldn't stay out in the sun for so long..." he scolded.
Why do I feel so happy about this strange situation? I was an adult man. Not that I didn't like to be pampered a little bit, but to be worried after by someone younger than me... It makes my thoughts dizzying.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
My cell phone ringing was what woke me up on my last morning in the little beach town. I sleepily answer it.
"Hello...?"
"Sakurai-san! Please come down to the beach immediately."
My wake-up call from Matsumoto.
I hurriedly spring from my bed, not bothering to change out of my pajamas. A simple pair of pants and a t-shirt were not all that uncommon. I made it to the beach in a matter of minutes to see Matsumoto soaring, gliding on the waves, longer and faster than anyone out there. The waves were massive yet gentle which was much more than the luminous clouds coming from the direction of the sea.
After an hour of watching him, the clouds began to pour rain onto us. Mesmerized, I didn't realize Matsumoto was pulling my hand towards shelter.
I commented, "Ugh, we're soaked... Well, it doesn't matter for you... You're in a wet suit. I'm--"
Matsumoto backed me into the wall of the shelter and placed his hands on the wall behind my head. I could feel my heart pounding in my cold body. Then his lips met mine. Once, twice, then a sigh. But we didn't stop there.
He placed a hand on my cheek and led me into another gentle kiss. My hand found its way to his wet suit but I could feel the heat radiating from him.
The temperature around us dropped. It felt icy cold in the middle of summer, but his hand, his body, my hand, our entangled mouths, they all emit a comforting warmth.
The cold rain pummeled the sand and wood. I could hear strong waves crashing into the shore. But from the man kissing me dearly, I could feel the summer sun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OOC: It's been a while since I've released anything. And I forgot how bad my formatting was on my journal. I'm really sorry about that m(_ _)m
With summer arriving I thought this would be a nice little release (since I wrote it in spring, lol). I hope you readers enjoyed it. I've been working on a couple other fics (one is a monster 40 pages that I'm only half way through writing now), but I've yet to finish them just yet! More releases to come!
Author: Juri
Pairing: Sakumoto
Rating: PG
Genre/Length: AU/One-shot
Summary: Newscaster Sakurai Sho travels to a beach for a report where he meets a surfer.
Water makes it difficult to breathe.
I can feel the air being sapped out of my lungs as I try to keep myself afloat amongst the rolling waves. The surface seems so far away. There were times when I thought this ordeal would be over, but the tumbling, crashing waves drag me back under. My face has hit the sandy bottom once or twice now and the waves have pounded into my head. I'm afraid of losing consciousness. I'm afraid of drowning.
Something tight and strong wraps around my body. I'm hauled out of the turbulent water and I breathe with every ounce of energy I can muster. Air moves it way back into my body and I cough several times until my throat feels raw. People are surrounding me, staring, murmuring amongst themselves.
Someone talks to me, asks me if I'm okay. I can only nod.
The man that talked to me helped me to sit up. Soon the crowd of onlookers disbanded and I was left alone with this man.
"What do you think you were doing?! You shouldn't be on the beach past sun down!!" The man was scolding me. He had been concerned but I could tell that he was also disgusted.
This man was young, maybe a little younger than me, with short dark hair and masculine features.
He sighed in relief. "Do you need an ambulance?"
"My partner..." was all I could manage to say.
"Are you traveling with someone?" he asked.
I nod. If I move my head too much, I begin to feel nauseous.
"Maybe I should take you to a hospital. It's close by, don't worry."
The young man pulls one of my arms around his shoulder and balances me as I attempt to walk. Those few minutes it took to get to the hospital felt like hours.
The staff didn't waste time in admitting me. The amount of patients in the ER at the time were nil, to my surprise.
"It looks like you have a slight concussion, but it doesn't look bad. You should recover within a few days. Take it easy until then."
"Thank you," I tell the doctor.
"You're here on business, correct? No one on vacation would wear a suit to the beach."
This was true. I was here on business. "Yes, I am, actually."
It was no wonder that I sank so quickly. But I was still baffled as to how I ended up in the water.
"I shouldn't have to say it, but please be more careful from now on."
"Thank you."
The doctor checked his paperwork quickly one last time. "I'll discharge you right now. Your friend is still waiting out in the hall. Have him take you back and take the rest of the night easy."
"Thank you," I repeat. But I'm confused once more. Friend?
The doctor exits the room and the same young man I recognized from earlier walks in.
"How are you feeling?" he asks.
"I have a headache. Doctor said it was a concussion, but I'm alive thanks to you."
"That's good to hear." The concern in his voice soon disappears and he turns to lecturing. "You shouldn't turn your back on the ocean! And after sun set... Judging from how you're dressed you're not stupid, but your actions prove otherwise!"
This man's personality came off very strongly. I could do without the safety speech.
The lecture was well and good but I was really curious as to how I landed myself in the care of this man and the hospital. "What happened to me?"
The man sighed with ease. "I saw you on the beach. You no sooner turned around to look back at the boardwalk when a wave came and swept you into a rip tide. I pulled you out but you didn't seem fully conscious, hence the hospital."
"Well thank you. I'm Sakurai Sho, by the way."
The young man holds a hand out for me to shake. I shake it without a second thought. "Matsumoto Jun. Are you going to be alright going back to your hotel?"
"I should be fine."
At the moment, I really wanted to lay down and sleep the headache off. The faster I got back to the hotel, the better.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
The next day, my assistant, Kamikawa watched me like a hawk. Nothing I said or did was going to get him to back off from watching me. He made me hold our equipment bag to keep me from going anywhere near the water. The last thing we wanted was for expensive filming equipment to be soaked with water and destroyed.
"I don't need to go back to Tokyo with you in a body bag," was his excuse.
Isn't that a little excessive? I thought. I could only agree with him however. What I did was reckless the night before. I definitely learned my lesson.
We walked along the boardwalk, stopping just before hitting the sand barrier heading towards the beach. There were several people vacationing. Men and woman all dressed alike in their swim suits, enjoying sun tanning on their towels or hidden under their umbrellas or even frolicking in the water. Surfers were out in the water, hoping over feeble waves on their boards, doing everything in their power to ride a great wave.
There was a figure out in the water that I recognized from the night before. Matsumoto Jun. I dumped the bagged equipment onto Kamikawa's shoulder, said a quick, "Give me a minute" and began my walk to the shore line.
I chase Matsumoto down the shore, trying to catch his attention. He waves back to me and paddles himself back to the shore.
"How are you feeling?" was the first thing he said to me.
"Well, my head still kinda hurts but there's nothing I can really do about that right now," I reply with a big smile.
"I hope you're here with someone right now." The worrisome side of Matsumoto resurfaced.
I joke. "I'm here with my assistant. He's kind of a bother right now though. I can't seem to lose him."
"Is that him?" Matsumoto nods his head and I turn my gaze. No doubt about it. Kamikawa was standing on the boardwalk, holding the equipment bag over his shoulder, struggling to keep an eye on me.
"That would be him," I say with a sigh. "He's not a very good swimmer so he's afraid to go past the boardwalk. We're done with our work for the day. We were going back to the hotel but I'm not really ready to..."
Matsumoto smiles sheepishly. "Then, do you want to go for dinner together?"
"I'd like that!" I say.
"It's Jun-san!!"
Interrupting our conversation, two young looking woman approach us with stars in their eyes. The pair began to bombard the young surfer with questions and compliments. He looked bothered. In fact, the face he made when they began to speak made it clear to me. He was avoiding eye contact with them as well.
"I'm sorry, I'm awfully busy!" he said in a hurry. He hiked up his board and took off in a hustle. I bowed to the girls and ran to catch up with him.
"Are you sure you wanted to leave those girls behind? They were really pretty!"
Matsumoto slowed to a walk. "I don't know them." He groans then fixes the shoes he had been carrying to his feet. "The girls...they always want to go shopping or go out for dinner...or something." His face started to become a reddish color. I couldn't tell if he was shyly aloof or if the strenuous exercise was catching up to him. "I really just want to go surfing..."
I roll up the sleeves on my shirt. I don't even know why I'm wearing a business shirt during the middle of the summer, on a beach no less. "I think I understand... When you do something you like, it's almost as if you're breaking away from stress."
He cocks his head to the side innocently. A sheepish but mischievous smile curls on his face. "That could be it. I never thought about it that way before. I'm also not very good at talking to women. They terrify me."
"I think that's okay. What are you... 24 years old? You shouldn't be in any rush to settle down." I should know. I was still single myself and I am 26. I would have liked to settle down in my 20's but I'm finding it harder and harder. My work is my priority right now. "You surfing is really cool. It makes me a little jealous. I wish I had something that I could lose myself to. I feel like all I do is work sometimes," I say with a smile.
We stopped at a stand-alone shower near the board walk. I watched as Matsumoto laid his board down under a spout.
Matsumoto turned sharply and ruffled my hair. I brush him off as soon as I can.
"What the hell?!" I tell him.
"I just felt like it." After he turns the water on and allows it to rush over the board, he says, "No one has ever said that to me before."
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
"So why don't you like women?" I question Matsumoto at dinner.
His eyes widen. "When did I say that?!" he answers quickly.
My eyes watch his hand as he swirls the meat on the grill. "This afternoon. You said women terrify you..."
I could tell that Matsumoto was not going to put up a fight. "I guess I did huh...?"
"Yep," I say in an unenthusiastic tone.
He heaves a sigh and in a worried voice, says, "Promise you won't laugh?"
"Promise."
He inhales and continues with, "I'm awkward and have no interest in women right now. I'm not very good at talking to women and I get embarrassed easily," in one breath.
I can't help but laugh. I laugh as loudly as I can without disturbing the other guests in the restaurant.
"You said you wouldn't laugh!!" he scolds me.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But being awkward and getting embarrassed easily aren't traits I think you'd have a problem with." But now I could understand the reasoning behind his blushing this current second. I don't have a problem with embarrassment or awkwardness, so I find it cute and interesting. He doesn't come off as that type of person, making it all the more interesting.
"What about you? What are you in this area for?"
"Business. I'm a news caster. I ended up finishing my report a few days earlier than expected so I have some free time. They aren't expecting me back in the office for at least another week." I steal the piece of meat Matsumoto had been cooking and throw it into my mouth, savoring the flavor.
"You finished your work that far ahead?"he says in shock. "That's amazing."
"Everyone usually hates me for it. I'm so efficient in my work that I'm often called "an over-achiever." It's annoying really."
"Ah, that reminds me...where is your assistant?" Matsumoto fought me for the piece of meat he had just cooked. I won, leaving him with having to cook more.
"Oh, Kamikawa? He's back at the hotel. We were supposed to do his report today, but once I met up with you I sent him a message saying he had the night free."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your job--"
"I'm done with work," I assure him. "Actually, considering that I have some extra time now, is it okay if I watch you surf?" Matsumoto looked at me questioningly. "I saw you surfing today and I thought you were really good." Matsumoto's jaw dropped. "Is that okay?"
Matsumoto stutters. "O-of course!"
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
Ever since that night, I went to the shore every morning to find him surfing the waves peacefully. Even if there were other surfers, no matter how far I sat away from the ocean, I could always tell it was him with just one glance. I would become consumed by the way he glided through the water. I wasn't the only person to notice either. Fellow surfers, people taking walks, people walking with their dogs, the girls, they would all stop momentarily to watch him in awe.
I only just met him, but I could feel myself at ease with him.
It made me...extraordinarily happy.
"Sakurai-san, you're starting to get sunburn," he said to me.
Without another word, Matsumoto helps me up and leads me to a shaded area near the boardwalk. He fetched a drink from a nearby vending machine and placed it on my forehead.
"You shouldn't stay out in the sun for so long..." he scolded.
Why do I feel so happy about this strange situation? I was an adult man. Not that I didn't like to be pampered a little bit, but to be worried after by someone younger than me... It makes my thoughts dizzying.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
My cell phone ringing was what woke me up on my last morning in the little beach town. I sleepily answer it.
"Hello...?"
"Sakurai-san! Please come down to the beach immediately."
My wake-up call from Matsumoto.
I hurriedly spring from my bed, not bothering to change out of my pajamas. A simple pair of pants and a t-shirt were not all that uncommon. I made it to the beach in a matter of minutes to see Matsumoto soaring, gliding on the waves, longer and faster than anyone out there. The waves were massive yet gentle which was much more than the luminous clouds coming from the direction of the sea.
After an hour of watching him, the clouds began to pour rain onto us. Mesmerized, I didn't realize Matsumoto was pulling my hand towards shelter.
I commented, "Ugh, we're soaked... Well, it doesn't matter for you... You're in a wet suit. I'm--"
Matsumoto backed me into the wall of the shelter and placed his hands on the wall behind my head. I could feel my heart pounding in my cold body. Then his lips met mine. Once, twice, then a sigh. But we didn't stop there.
He placed a hand on my cheek and led me into another gentle kiss. My hand found its way to his wet suit but I could feel the heat radiating from him.
The temperature around us dropped. It felt icy cold in the middle of summer, but his hand, his body, my hand, our entangled mouths, they all emit a comforting warmth.
The cold rain pummeled the sand and wood. I could hear strong waves crashing into the shore. But from the man kissing me dearly, I could feel the summer sun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OOC: It's been a while since I've released anything. And I forgot how bad my formatting was on my journal. I'm really sorry about that m(_ _)m
With summer arriving I thought this would be a nice little release (since I wrote it in spring, lol). I hope you readers enjoyed it. I've been working on a couple other fics (one is a monster 40 pages that I'm only half way through writing now), but I've yet to finish them just yet! More releases to come!