A precious link (chapter 4)
Title: A Precious Link
Author: MatsuAurore
Beta: Sonvidel <3
Pairing: Sakuraiba, Sakumoto (brothers), Matsumiya
Genre: Au, drama, angst, romance
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Aiba belongs to Sho :P
Summary: Sho, a famous singer, is always acting cold and distant with anyone trying to approach him. But one day, his manager discovers that the young man is hiding a painful secret that is eating him. After making him meet Aiba, a strange horse rancher, Sho will soon realize that maybe this mysterious man is the only one able to understand his scars and create a link stronger than anything.
Chapter 4:
When we heal horses, we also heal ourselves.
"Dinner is ready!" Ohno called when Sho and Aiba entered the house.
"Hai!" they all shouted and made their way to sit around the table.
"So, how was your day?" Ohno asked kindly.
"We rode with Jun. He is great with horses," Nino exclaimed.
"Oh. So you liked your day, Jun?" Jun nodded happily while eating his pasta. "And you, Sho?"
"Good. Aiba taught me many things," the rapper smiled.
"I told you this place was magic."
"You stayed inside the whole day?"
"No. I fished and I negotiated your contract with Takeda."
"Shit. I already forgot him," Sho gasped.
"Don't worry. I told him you needed time get some inspiration for your next album. He gives you one year."
"Great! Thank you, Ohno-kun," Sho grinned.
"You're welcome."
"So, what is the program for tomorrow, Masa?" Nino asked.
"Tomorrow, Jun will start with Yume."
"Already?"
"Yes. We'll see if he can approach him and if he can, we will start with the Join-Up with a massage in the end."
"A massage?" Sho frowned.
"You'll see. It's a very good method. So tonight, go to bed early to get up at 6 a.m."
"But I wanted to watch a movie with Jun," Nino protested.
"Jun needs to sleep he..." Sho stopped when Jun pouted. "Okay, but just one movie," the rapper sighed and finally smiled when Jun grinned, his eyes shining happily.
"We could do something too, Oh-chan," Aiba proposed.
"I'm too tired, I'll go to bed." Ohno yawned.
"Sho-chan, tell me you don't want to go to bed already!" Aiba implored with puppy eyes.
"What do you want to do?"
"I have to check Caly's foal, you could come to watch."
"Hun." Sho nodded, his heart fluttering when Aiba grinned from ear to ear.
"Come on, J. I don't want to throw up in front of their lovey dovey display," Nino smirked, followed by Jun.
"And my kiss?" Sho scowled. Jun chuckled silently and hugged his brother who kissed his forehead. "Good night, sweetie. Don't go to bed too late." Sho brushed Jun's hair with a smile.
***
"We could play at the Wii and watch a movie," Nino proposed when they entered his bedroom. Jun nodded and sat next to the gamer who gave him a remote. "Ne, Jun, why don't you talk?" Nino asked. Jun lowered his head a tear rolling down his cheek. "I'm sorry." The gamer apologized. Jun grabbed a piece of paper sitting on Nino's desk and wrote something before giving it to the older man. "You are not allowed to talk? Why?" However, Jun looked away. Deciding it was enough for today, Nino concentrated on the game. "I'll always be here if one day you need to talk." Jun smiled softly and nodded.
Nino and Jun laughed while playing Mario Kart before ending in front of a movie with Jun's head on Nino's shoulder. There were no words but the silence was enough. Nino discovered more about Jun in one day than in several hours of a conversation.
***
"He is cute," Sho whispered as Aiba was stroking Caly's foal.
"He will be very beautiful. Do you want to name him?"
"Can I?"
"Of course. You saw its birth after all."
"Mmm," Sho stared at the black foal before smiling. "Shadow."
"Why?"
"He is black?" Sho shrugged, making Aiba laugh.
"Ok. So it will be Shadow. Come on, the foal doesn't bite." Sho entered the box and knelt next to Aiba to hold out his hand. The foal stared at his palm before licking it.
"He is kind."
"Yes. So innocent at this age, like Jun."
"Hun."
"Sho, I need to know something."
"What?"
"Why did Jun change?"
"Jun is very special. He was a very kind and happy kid, smiling and laughing all the time. Jun wanted to help everyone. He always said that he wanted to become a doctor to heal people and help poor children. My parents were proud of him until he was ten years old. Jun started to change and wasn't happy-go-lucky anymore. His teacher said he would stay in his corner and looked at the sky during the class. At home, he avoided us. He stayed in his bedroom for hours, barely eating or talking. I didn't understand what was going on. I tried to make him talk but he never answered. And one day, he disappeared. Jun didn't come back home even though we searched him for hours."
"He disappeared?"
"Hun. We found him in front of the house one week later. Jun was on the ground, dirty and with ripped clothes. He stared into space with empty eyes. He hasn't said a word since that day."
"Have you ever thought about... if someone raped him?" Aiba whispered.
"I don't know. It's my parents who took care of Jun and refused to let me help. He was brought to the best psychologists but nothing worked. At home, he looked like a scared kitten and stayed stuck to me. My father didn't accept it and treated him very badly."
"I see. We will discover what happened to him." Aiba patted Sho's shoulder kindly.
"I hope so. It's so hard to see him like that. I want to understand so I can make the person who did this pay for hurting Jun."
"Jun will talk when he will be ready, but it might take a long time."
"I don't care. Nothing is more important than Jun. My career can go to hell."
"It's good to know he has a so lovely brother," Aiba smiled.
"He is everything I have. I would never put something else before him."
"Even your scars and your heart?"
"What do you mean?" Sho frowned.
"You protect him so much but isn't it also a way to protect yourself? I'm not an idiot, Sho. I can see you are suffering."
"I'm happy!" Sho snapped.
"Your mouth can lie, but not your eyes. I hope you will realize while you are here that Jun will never be truly happy if you aren't happy yourself," Aiba smiled sadly before turning toward Shadow who was licking his palm. Sho didn't say anything. He knew Aiba was right but he hadn't any scars. His only scar was the fact Jun was suffering because of his parents. There was nothing else. He had never suffered before Jun's trauma. His parents always treated him right and were proud of his career. Why would he ask for more?
A smile spread Sho's lips when Shadow came to him and pushed his arm with its head.
"He likes you," Aiba chuckled.
"He is cute." Sho stroked the foal's head.
"We should go to sleep." Aiba stood up and both joined the house where silence was dominating. Sho opened Jun's bedroom and panicked when he didn't see his brother.
"Don't worry. I'm sure he is with Kazu," Aiba chuckled and opened the gamer's door. "See, I told you so." Sho blinked when he saw his brother against Nino, both sleeping deeply.
"If he hurts Jun, I will kill him," Sho whispered while kissing Jun's cheek.
"Calm down, mama wolf. Kazu is only 17 years old and is very kind. He won't harm him," Aiba laughed and closed the door behind them. "Maybe Jun will talk to Kazu if he trusts him."
"Maybe..." Sho mumbled, not convinced.
"Don't pout. You should be happy that Jun has found his first friend."
"I'm just scared. He is so fragile. I don't want him to be hurt even more."
"Kazu will take care of him. Good night."
"Good night." Sho stared at Aiba's shadow, disappointed that the young man hadn't kissed his cheek like the previous day.
****
"Yosh! Are you ready, Jun?" Aiba asked the next day when they walked toward the stables. Jun nodded shyly. "You will meet Yume. Yume is a horse we found two years ago. He was abandoned in a meadow and had nothing to eat. He also had many injuries. Now he is scared of humans and doesn't let us approach. Like you, someone hurt him badly and he is too traumatized to trust someone. Your job will be to win his trust. It will be hard and will take lots of time, but I'm sure you're the only one able to heal its scars."
"What does he have to do?" Sho inquired.
"First, he will try to approach him, but I won't put him in danger. We will be here if Yume reacts badly."
"But..."
"Trust me, Sho." Aiba smiled and turned to Jun. "Today will be the first step. You'll just try to approach him a bit and maybe in several days, you'll be able to touch him."
"That long?" Sho gasped.
"When a trauma is deep, you can't solve it in some seconds. It needs time. It's like a big hole that you have to fill. Yume is empty inside. He just sees humans as a danger and Jun will have to fill this emptiness with lots of patience and love."
"How long will it take?"
"We can't know. One month, one year, five years? We can't know. It depends of Yume's wounds and how Jun will win his trust."
"I see."
"Don't forget to take it slow, Jun. You have to be very soft with Yume." Jun nodded and stopped to let Aiba open the stable. Slowly, Jun made a step inside the box but Yume laid its ears on its head and moved back. "Don't move. Let him some time," Aiba whispered. Jun nodded and waited a bit before holding out his hand. The horse neighed, panicked and reared up. "Jun, move back!!" Aiba exclaimed. The horse neighed again, pushed Jun out of the way and ran away from his stable.
"Shit!" Aiba cursed.
"I knew it was dangerous! Jun, are you okay?!" Sho screamed. Instead of running towards his brother, Jun stood up and ran after the horse. "Jun!!!” Sho called out to him again.
Jun ran as quick as possible, following the horse that stopped in front of a barrier. The animal was shaking and sweating in fear.
"Jun, come here now!" Sho yelled. To Sho's dismay, Jun shook his head and made a step toward the horse. Yume neighed in fear due to being unable to move back more because of the wall. Jun knelt down, lowered his head, held out his hand and waited.
"It's dangerous. What is he doing?!" Sho was about to move but Aiba stopped him.
"Wait. Let him do. Jun is trying to create a link."
"But..."
"Trust him."
"I..." Sho stopped when they heard a sound and gasped, realizing it was Jun's voice.
"He is singing..." Aiba said astonished.
"But he hasn't talked for seven years..."
"Look!" Aiba pointed. Sho turned his head toward Jun who was singing softly, still holding out his hand.
"I have been waiting,
always waiting for something new,
happiness has always ended in the blink of an eye,
there was no one attending, no one attending.
It doesn't really matter where it all began, all I know,
I got covered in darkness, covered in darkness.
Ever wonder why I never really truly connect,
although my eyes are open I can hold your gaze
but I am never connected, never connected."
"Sho..." Aiba grabbed Sho's wrist, his eyes widening. Yume's ears weren't flat anymore and the horse slowly approached Jun to touch his hand with the tip of its nose.
"He..." Sho whispered.
Jun stood up slowly and stroked Yume's cheek. The horse was calm now and wasn't shivering in fear. He allowed Jun stroke him as he sang softly. Slowly, Jun stroked its neck and Yume followed him toward his stable. Three pairs of eyes stared in shock.
"Jun!" Sho exclaimed. Jun smiled and gave a sugar to Yume that ate it and returned in the corner of his box. "Jun, you talked!" Sho hugged his brother but Jun didn't answer. "Jun, talk to me..."
"Sho-chan, stop." Aiba said softly.
"Why? He talked, he..."
"Come on, J!" Nino called Jun who followed him.
"He sang for Yume. He didn't talk. Jun felt Yume needed something to reassure him."
"So, he won't talk?"
"Not now. Jun did that for Yume to create a link. Don't force him. It's already a great start that he dared to sing to Yume. He is getting better."
"Okay. But if the horse harms him..."
"He won't. Jun has created a link and will work on it. It will become a trust with time and Yume will never harm someone he trusts. So tomorrow, he will work with him again and when Yume will be ready, Jun will use the Join-up."
"I hope Yume will be able to fill Jun's emptiness too."
"You understand quickly," Aiba laughed.
"Oi!" Sho smacked his head but smiled.
"If someone is able to understand Jun, it's Yume."
*****
"You were incredible with Yume," Nino said when they reached the lake. Jun smiled happily and knelt down to touch the water. "I'm sure you will be able to make him trust you," Nino grinned, taking his clothes off to dive in the water. "Come in!"
Jun shook his head, afraid.
"You can't swim?" Jun lowered his head, blushing. "If you want, I can teach you," Nino proposed. The younger blinked but nodded shyly. "Come on." Jun took his clothes off and joined Nino on the edge, taking his hand. "Follow me." Nino started to walk but Jun stopped, struggling. "Calm down, Jun. I won't release your hand. Trust me," Nino said softly. Jun stared at him intensively before hugging the older man's arm. "Like that, if you prefer. When your feet won't touch the ground anymore, shake your legs slowly. Yes, like that!" Nino grinned when Jun tried to move his legs. "I won't release you but now try to move your arms." Jun struggled a bit in the water before understanding the movement. "Perfect. Do you want to try alone?" Nino asked. "I won't be far. If you can't swim, I'll catch you," Nino added when Jun shook in fear. The younger nodded and Nino released him but stayed next to him. Jun clumsily tried and after some seconds, got used to it and started to swim more like a human than like a dog. "Bravo, Jun! You can swim!" Nino clapped his hands happily. Jun giggled silently and tried to swim toward Nino but slipped on the ground and fell in his arms. "Be careful, baka," Nino chuckled. Jun raised his face to stick his tongue out but stopped when he realized their faces were very close. Nino gulped and lifted his hand to stroke Jun's cheek softly, making him blush. "We have to go," Nino finally said, lowering his hand and turning around.
Jun stared at him with lost eyes with his hand on the cheek that Nino touched, his heart fluttering like crazy.
To be continued...
A/N: It seems Jun and Sho are getting closer ;) but Sho still acts like a mama wolf and wants to protects him too much. Sakuraiba is starting to understand each others and will get closer slowly :)
Author: MatsuAurore
Beta: Sonvidel <3
Pairing: Sakuraiba, Sakumoto (brothers), Matsumiya
Genre: Au, drama, angst, romance
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Aiba belongs to Sho :P
Summary: Sho, a famous singer, is always acting cold and distant with anyone trying to approach him. But one day, his manager discovers that the young man is hiding a painful secret that is eating him. After making him meet Aiba, a strange horse rancher, Sho will soon realize that maybe this mysterious man is the only one able to understand his scars and create a link stronger than anything.
Chapter 4:
When we heal horses, we also heal ourselves.
"Dinner is ready!" Ohno called when Sho and Aiba entered the house.
"Hai!" they all shouted and made their way to sit around the table.
"So, how was your day?" Ohno asked kindly.
"We rode with Jun. He is great with horses," Nino exclaimed.
"Oh. So you liked your day, Jun?" Jun nodded happily while eating his pasta. "And you, Sho?"
"Good. Aiba taught me many things," the rapper smiled.
"I told you this place was magic."
"You stayed inside the whole day?"
"No. I fished and I negotiated your contract with Takeda."
"Shit. I already forgot him," Sho gasped.
"Don't worry. I told him you needed time get some inspiration for your next album. He gives you one year."
"Great! Thank you, Ohno-kun," Sho grinned.
"You're welcome."
"So, what is the program for tomorrow, Masa?" Nino asked.
"Tomorrow, Jun will start with Yume."
"Already?"
"Yes. We'll see if he can approach him and if he can, we will start with the Join-Up with a massage in the end."
"A massage?" Sho frowned.
"You'll see. It's a very good method. So tonight, go to bed early to get up at 6 a.m."
"But I wanted to watch a movie with Jun," Nino protested.
"Jun needs to sleep he..." Sho stopped when Jun pouted. "Okay, but just one movie," the rapper sighed and finally smiled when Jun grinned, his eyes shining happily.
"We could do something too, Oh-chan," Aiba proposed.
"I'm too tired, I'll go to bed." Ohno yawned.
"Sho-chan, tell me you don't want to go to bed already!" Aiba implored with puppy eyes.
"What do you want to do?"
"I have to check Caly's foal, you could come to watch."
"Hun." Sho nodded, his heart fluttering when Aiba grinned from ear to ear.
"Come on, J. I don't want to throw up in front of their lovey dovey display," Nino smirked, followed by Jun.
"And my kiss?" Sho scowled. Jun chuckled silently and hugged his brother who kissed his forehead. "Good night, sweetie. Don't go to bed too late." Sho brushed Jun's hair with a smile.
***
"We could play at the Wii and watch a movie," Nino proposed when they entered his bedroom. Jun nodded and sat next to the gamer who gave him a remote. "Ne, Jun, why don't you talk?" Nino asked. Jun lowered his head a tear rolling down his cheek. "I'm sorry." The gamer apologized. Jun grabbed a piece of paper sitting on Nino's desk and wrote something before giving it to the older man. "You are not allowed to talk? Why?" However, Jun looked away. Deciding it was enough for today, Nino concentrated on the game. "I'll always be here if one day you need to talk." Jun smiled softly and nodded.
Nino and Jun laughed while playing Mario Kart before ending in front of a movie with Jun's head on Nino's shoulder. There were no words but the silence was enough. Nino discovered more about Jun in one day than in several hours of a conversation.
***
"He is cute," Sho whispered as Aiba was stroking Caly's foal.
"He will be very beautiful. Do you want to name him?"
"Can I?"
"Of course. You saw its birth after all."
"Mmm," Sho stared at the black foal before smiling. "Shadow."
"Why?"
"He is black?" Sho shrugged, making Aiba laugh.
"Ok. So it will be Shadow. Come on, the foal doesn't bite." Sho entered the box and knelt next to Aiba to hold out his hand. The foal stared at his palm before licking it.
"He is kind."
"Yes. So innocent at this age, like Jun."
"Hun."
"Sho, I need to know something."
"What?"
"Why did Jun change?"
"Jun is very special. He was a very kind and happy kid, smiling and laughing all the time. Jun wanted to help everyone. He always said that he wanted to become a doctor to heal people and help poor children. My parents were proud of him until he was ten years old. Jun started to change and wasn't happy-go-lucky anymore. His teacher said he would stay in his corner and looked at the sky during the class. At home, he avoided us. He stayed in his bedroom for hours, barely eating or talking. I didn't understand what was going on. I tried to make him talk but he never answered. And one day, he disappeared. Jun didn't come back home even though we searched him for hours."
"He disappeared?"
"Hun. We found him in front of the house one week later. Jun was on the ground, dirty and with ripped clothes. He stared into space with empty eyes. He hasn't said a word since that day."
"Have you ever thought about... if someone raped him?" Aiba whispered.
"I don't know. It's my parents who took care of Jun and refused to let me help. He was brought to the best psychologists but nothing worked. At home, he looked like a scared kitten and stayed stuck to me. My father didn't accept it and treated him very badly."
"I see. We will discover what happened to him." Aiba patted Sho's shoulder kindly.
"I hope so. It's so hard to see him like that. I want to understand so I can make the person who did this pay for hurting Jun."
"Jun will talk when he will be ready, but it might take a long time."
"I don't care. Nothing is more important than Jun. My career can go to hell."
"It's good to know he has a so lovely brother," Aiba smiled.
"He is everything I have. I would never put something else before him."
"Even your scars and your heart?"
"What do you mean?" Sho frowned.
"You protect him so much but isn't it also a way to protect yourself? I'm not an idiot, Sho. I can see you are suffering."
"I'm happy!" Sho snapped.
"Your mouth can lie, but not your eyes. I hope you will realize while you are here that Jun will never be truly happy if you aren't happy yourself," Aiba smiled sadly before turning toward Shadow who was licking his palm. Sho didn't say anything. He knew Aiba was right but he hadn't any scars. His only scar was the fact Jun was suffering because of his parents. There was nothing else. He had never suffered before Jun's trauma. His parents always treated him right and were proud of his career. Why would he ask for more?
A smile spread Sho's lips when Shadow came to him and pushed his arm with its head.
"He likes you," Aiba chuckled.
"He is cute." Sho stroked the foal's head.
"We should go to sleep." Aiba stood up and both joined the house where silence was dominating. Sho opened Jun's bedroom and panicked when he didn't see his brother.
"Don't worry. I'm sure he is with Kazu," Aiba chuckled and opened the gamer's door. "See, I told you so." Sho blinked when he saw his brother against Nino, both sleeping deeply.
"If he hurts Jun, I will kill him," Sho whispered while kissing Jun's cheek.
"Calm down, mama wolf. Kazu is only 17 years old and is very kind. He won't harm him," Aiba laughed and closed the door behind them. "Maybe Jun will talk to Kazu if he trusts him."
"Maybe..." Sho mumbled, not convinced.
"Don't pout. You should be happy that Jun has found his first friend."
"I'm just scared. He is so fragile. I don't want him to be hurt even more."
"Kazu will take care of him. Good night."
"Good night." Sho stared at Aiba's shadow, disappointed that the young man hadn't kissed his cheek like the previous day.
****
"Yosh! Are you ready, Jun?" Aiba asked the next day when they walked toward the stables. Jun nodded shyly. "You will meet Yume. Yume is a horse we found two years ago. He was abandoned in a meadow and had nothing to eat. He also had many injuries. Now he is scared of humans and doesn't let us approach. Like you, someone hurt him badly and he is too traumatized to trust someone. Your job will be to win his trust. It will be hard and will take lots of time, but I'm sure you're the only one able to heal its scars."
"What does he have to do?" Sho inquired.
"First, he will try to approach him, but I won't put him in danger. We will be here if Yume reacts badly."
"But..."
"Trust me, Sho." Aiba smiled and turned to Jun. "Today will be the first step. You'll just try to approach him a bit and maybe in several days, you'll be able to touch him."
"That long?" Sho gasped.
"When a trauma is deep, you can't solve it in some seconds. It needs time. It's like a big hole that you have to fill. Yume is empty inside. He just sees humans as a danger and Jun will have to fill this emptiness with lots of patience and love."
"How long will it take?"
"We can't know. One month, one year, five years? We can't know. It depends of Yume's wounds and how Jun will win his trust."
"I see."
"Don't forget to take it slow, Jun. You have to be very soft with Yume." Jun nodded and stopped to let Aiba open the stable. Slowly, Jun made a step inside the box but Yume laid its ears on its head and moved back. "Don't move. Let him some time," Aiba whispered. Jun nodded and waited a bit before holding out his hand. The horse neighed, panicked and reared up. "Jun, move back!!" Aiba exclaimed. The horse neighed again, pushed Jun out of the way and ran away from his stable.
"Shit!" Aiba cursed.
"I knew it was dangerous! Jun, are you okay?!" Sho screamed. Instead of running towards his brother, Jun stood up and ran after the horse. "Jun!!!” Sho called out to him again.
Jun ran as quick as possible, following the horse that stopped in front of a barrier. The animal was shaking and sweating in fear.
"Jun, come here now!" Sho yelled. To Sho's dismay, Jun shook his head and made a step toward the horse. Yume neighed in fear due to being unable to move back more because of the wall. Jun knelt down, lowered his head, held out his hand and waited.
"It's dangerous. What is he doing?!" Sho was about to move but Aiba stopped him.
"Wait. Let him do. Jun is trying to create a link."
"But..."
"Trust him."
"I..." Sho stopped when they heard a sound and gasped, realizing it was Jun's voice.
"He is singing..." Aiba said astonished.
"But he hasn't talked for seven years..."
"Look!" Aiba pointed. Sho turned his head toward Jun who was singing softly, still holding out his hand.
"I have been waiting,
always waiting for something new,
happiness has always ended in the blink of an eye,
there was no one attending, no one attending.
It doesn't really matter where it all began, all I know,
I got covered in darkness, covered in darkness.
Ever wonder why I never really truly connect,
although my eyes are open I can hold your gaze
but I am never connected, never connected."
"Sho..." Aiba grabbed Sho's wrist, his eyes widening. Yume's ears weren't flat anymore and the horse slowly approached Jun to touch his hand with the tip of its nose.
"He..." Sho whispered.
Jun stood up slowly and stroked Yume's cheek. The horse was calm now and wasn't shivering in fear. He allowed Jun stroke him as he sang softly. Slowly, Jun stroked its neck and Yume followed him toward his stable. Three pairs of eyes stared in shock.
"Jun!" Sho exclaimed. Jun smiled and gave a sugar to Yume that ate it and returned in the corner of his box. "Jun, you talked!" Sho hugged his brother but Jun didn't answer. "Jun, talk to me..."
"Sho-chan, stop." Aiba said softly.
"Why? He talked, he..."
"Come on, J!" Nino called Jun who followed him.
"He sang for Yume. He didn't talk. Jun felt Yume needed something to reassure him."
"So, he won't talk?"
"Not now. Jun did that for Yume to create a link. Don't force him. It's already a great start that he dared to sing to Yume. He is getting better."
"Okay. But if the horse harms him..."
"He won't. Jun has created a link and will work on it. It will become a trust with time and Yume will never harm someone he trusts. So tomorrow, he will work with him again and when Yume will be ready, Jun will use the Join-up."
"I hope Yume will be able to fill Jun's emptiness too."
"You understand quickly," Aiba laughed.
"Oi!" Sho smacked his head but smiled.
"If someone is able to understand Jun, it's Yume."
*****
"You were incredible with Yume," Nino said when they reached the lake. Jun smiled happily and knelt down to touch the water. "I'm sure you will be able to make him trust you," Nino grinned, taking his clothes off to dive in the water. "Come in!"
Jun shook his head, afraid.
"You can't swim?" Jun lowered his head, blushing. "If you want, I can teach you," Nino proposed. The younger blinked but nodded shyly. "Come on." Jun took his clothes off and joined Nino on the edge, taking his hand. "Follow me." Nino started to walk but Jun stopped, struggling. "Calm down, Jun. I won't release your hand. Trust me," Nino said softly. Jun stared at him intensively before hugging the older man's arm. "Like that, if you prefer. When your feet won't touch the ground anymore, shake your legs slowly. Yes, like that!" Nino grinned when Jun tried to move his legs. "I won't release you but now try to move your arms." Jun struggled a bit in the water before understanding the movement. "Perfect. Do you want to try alone?" Nino asked. "I won't be far. If you can't swim, I'll catch you," Nino added when Jun shook in fear. The younger nodded and Nino released him but stayed next to him. Jun clumsily tried and after some seconds, got used to it and started to swim more like a human than like a dog. "Bravo, Jun! You can swim!" Nino clapped his hands happily. Jun giggled silently and tried to swim toward Nino but slipped on the ground and fell in his arms. "Be careful, baka," Nino chuckled. Jun raised his face to stick his tongue out but stopped when he realized their faces were very close. Nino gulped and lifted his hand to stroke Jun's cheek softly, making him blush. "We have to go," Nino finally said, lowering his hand and turning around.
Jun stared at him with lost eyes with his hand on the cheek that Nino touched, his heart fluttering like crazy.
To be continued...
A/N: It seems Jun and Sho are getting closer ;) but Sho still acts like a mama wolf and wants to protects him too much. Sakuraiba is starting to understand each others and will get closer slowly :)