6,208 miles (Aiba/Jun)
Title: 6,208 miles
Rating: PG
Group/Pairing: Aiba/Jun
Warnings: None
Notes: Remix of waxrose's Untitled drabble written for jentfic_remix. Special thanks to my beta, the lovely lovely darkdropout.
There’s light coming in through the bedroom window where Aiba never bothers to close the blinds. It’s the soft glow of Tokyo lights that illuminates the city all through the night. The little night light he used to have at his parents’ house hasn’t been needed in years - it might even have gotten lost during one of his many moves - but somehow, tonight, he thinks it would probably help brighten the shadows on Jun’s face.
“Are you okay?” Aiba asks.
Jun grunts and shifts underneath him. “Fine,” he says, a little too sharp, a little too raw. When he tries to move away, Aiba catches his wrist and has him lie down again, kisses the back of his shoulder, the cooling sweat at the back of his neck, and Jun sighs.
“It’s okay, you know?” Aiba whispers. “You’ve had a lot going on lately. No one can blame you for wanting a vacation.”
Jun sighs again, softer this time. The bed creaks as Aiba shifts, and Jun turns his head to look at him.
“Where would you go?” Jun asks.
He sounds strangely vulnerable, and the feeling seeps through Aiba’s skin. There’s at least a couple dozen places that should be coming to Aiba’s mind - he does want to see it all after all - but right this instant there’s only one place he can think of. “Chiba,” he says honestly.
“Only you,” Jun says, smiling into the mattress. “Only you would come up with Chiba as an exotic travel destination and still manage to say it with so much conviction.”
Aiba smiles back, chin perched into one of his hands while the other rests comfortably curved over the angle of Jun’s shoulder blade. “You asked where I would go,” he points out, and Jun rolls his eyes.
“Of all the places you could choose from, the place you’d most rather be right now is Chiba?”
Aiba shakes his head and grins. “Right now?” he asks. “No, Jun-kun, right now there’s nowhere else I really need to be.”
*
When Jun announces it a few days later, he looks a little dazed, and though he also looks pleased - relieved - there’s a slight flush to his cheeks that makes it obvious his initial discomfort hasn’t been completely forgotten. In all the years they have worked together, Aiba knows Jun has never once asked for vacation time beyond what was offered to him.
“That’s great! Where are you going?” Sho asks, and Aiba smiles because he already knows what Jun’s answer will be.
“Corsica,” Jun says. “It’s a French island off the Italian coast. The travel agent recommended it. It’s supposed to be beautiful, especially at this time of the year.” His eyes are shining as he speaks, and Aiba feels his smile grow.
“An island,” Ohno repeats dreamily, and Nino passes an arm around his shoulders.
“Well, there you go. We’ve just lost Captain too,” he says. “So two weeks, huh?”
Jun nods. “I was only going to ask for a week at first but…”
“Are you crazy?” Nino interrupts. “Take a whole month if you can!”
“We should all take a month,” Ohno declares, and they all laugh.
*
Jun doesn’t ask for a month, of course, but Aiba’s happy to see him take some time for himself. They throw him a little farewell party before he goes, just the five of them and some of the staff they’re closer with. Jun is pleased. Jun is embarrassed. Jun makes the most delightful expressions with his cheeks flushed with a mix of excitement and alcohol and his mouth spread into a wild smile, and Aiba makes sure to be the last one to see him go.
They don’t kiss, not like that on the street, but Aiba feels the hot wet air that Jun breathes against his ear as they hug and he tells himself that he’s okay with feeling a little colder for two weeks. As long as Jun’s happy. As long as he has fun over there. As long as he comes back.
*
The first letter is mailed a week before Jun is even gone.
*
The first few letters Aiba sends are short, almost perfunctory. They’re the hi-how-are-you’s of mindless correspondence that don’t mean much and yet… They’re also the type that means I’m thinking of you without spelling it out. Aiba keeps them simple, light-hearted - not that he’s thinking too much about what he’s putting in them, but he knows Jun enough to keep away from overly sentimental declarations… that is, after the first couple ones. Then, as the days pass and distance starts dawning on him, letters grow longer.
He talks about his day, what he eats, the people he meets. He talks about the other members too, because he knows Jun misses all of them just as much. His seventh letter includes a message from Nino, scrawled in the top corner in a color that makes it hard to read. He lets Ohno decorate the envelope of his eight letter. Then, to mark the end of Jun’s first week away with something extra special, he has Sho illustrate his tenth letter with an epic representation of Jun on a nudist beach. Of course, no one is actually naked on the drawing - unless those rocks in the corner are supposed to be boobs? - but Aiba is fairly certain Jun will appreciate the sentiment. And the floral-patterned skirt Sho has given drawing-Jun to cover his modesty. (“Those are swimming trunks, guys. Swimming trunks!”)
Jun never writes back, but Aiba knows it’s not by lack of feelings. He can imagine them - Jun’s feelings - neatly folded in half written letters that Jun is too self-conscious to finish, let alone send. Because it’s so silly right? But that’s what makes Aiba want to write twice as much: knowing that Jun is calling him an idiot from 6208 miles away but that he’s also smiling, and just the fact that he can make Jun smile from such a distance totally justifies the means.
It’s only a couple of days before Jun comes back that Aiba realises that Jun probably won’t be gone long enough to receive the last few letters.
*
“You’re an idiot” is the first and only thing Jun says before pulling Aiba into a tight hug.
They’re standing in the doorway of Jun’s apartment and Aiba still has his shoes on, still has the plastic bag from the combini in his hand, still has the cold air from outside clinging to his hair and skin. He laughs, breathless, happy, and for a second he feels Jun’s arm tighten around him. When Jun steps back and releases him, Aiba finally gets a good look at his face. He looks jetlagged. A little tanned. He looks glad to be back and beautiful, and Aiba loves him.
“I didn’t want you to feel lonely,” Aiba says.
Jun smiles. Just a little, in that amused-fond-pleased way that’s so Jun. When he leans back against the wall and crosses his arms, Aiba knows for sure that Jun has indeed missed them. Missed him.
*
Life goes back to normal in the blink of an eye. Jun’s luggage has already been unpacked and put away, and his apartment shows absolutely no trace of his absence. To the untrained eye, it would seem as if he was never gone. But Aiba knows better. He can see it all: the light in Jun’s eyes has returned, along with a new spark, souvenirs perfectly lined up on his dresser… and a pile of letters neatly stacked on the side.
Rating: PG
Group/Pairing: Aiba/Jun
Warnings: None
Notes: Remix of waxrose's Untitled drabble written for jentfic_remix. Special thanks to my beta, the lovely lovely darkdropout.
There’s light coming in through the bedroom window where Aiba never bothers to close the blinds. It’s the soft glow of Tokyo lights that illuminates the city all through the night. The little night light he used to have at his parents’ house hasn’t been needed in years - it might even have gotten lost during one of his many moves - but somehow, tonight, he thinks it would probably help brighten the shadows on Jun’s face.
“Are you okay?” Aiba asks.
Jun grunts and shifts underneath him. “Fine,” he says, a little too sharp, a little too raw. When he tries to move away, Aiba catches his wrist and has him lie down again, kisses the back of his shoulder, the cooling sweat at the back of his neck, and Jun sighs.
“It’s okay, you know?” Aiba whispers. “You’ve had a lot going on lately. No one can blame you for wanting a vacation.”
Jun sighs again, softer this time. The bed creaks as Aiba shifts, and Jun turns his head to look at him.
“Where would you go?” Jun asks.
He sounds strangely vulnerable, and the feeling seeps through Aiba’s skin. There’s at least a couple dozen places that should be coming to Aiba’s mind - he does want to see it all after all - but right this instant there’s only one place he can think of. “Chiba,” he says honestly.
“Only you,” Jun says, smiling into the mattress. “Only you would come up with Chiba as an exotic travel destination and still manage to say it with so much conviction.”
Aiba smiles back, chin perched into one of his hands while the other rests comfortably curved over the angle of Jun’s shoulder blade. “You asked where I would go,” he points out, and Jun rolls his eyes.
“Of all the places you could choose from, the place you’d most rather be right now is Chiba?”
Aiba shakes his head and grins. “Right now?” he asks. “No, Jun-kun, right now there’s nowhere else I really need to be.”
*
When Jun announces it a few days later, he looks a little dazed, and though he also looks pleased - relieved - there’s a slight flush to his cheeks that makes it obvious his initial discomfort hasn’t been completely forgotten. In all the years they have worked together, Aiba knows Jun has never once asked for vacation time beyond what was offered to him.
“That’s great! Where are you going?” Sho asks, and Aiba smiles because he already knows what Jun’s answer will be.
“Corsica,” Jun says. “It’s a French island off the Italian coast. The travel agent recommended it. It’s supposed to be beautiful, especially at this time of the year.” His eyes are shining as he speaks, and Aiba feels his smile grow.
“An island,” Ohno repeats dreamily, and Nino passes an arm around his shoulders.
“Well, there you go. We’ve just lost Captain too,” he says. “So two weeks, huh?”
Jun nods. “I was only going to ask for a week at first but…”
“Are you crazy?” Nino interrupts. “Take a whole month if you can!”
“We should all take a month,” Ohno declares, and they all laugh.
*
Jun doesn’t ask for a month, of course, but Aiba’s happy to see him take some time for himself. They throw him a little farewell party before he goes, just the five of them and some of the staff they’re closer with. Jun is pleased. Jun is embarrassed. Jun makes the most delightful expressions with his cheeks flushed with a mix of excitement and alcohol and his mouth spread into a wild smile, and Aiba makes sure to be the last one to see him go.
They don’t kiss, not like that on the street, but Aiba feels the hot wet air that Jun breathes against his ear as they hug and he tells himself that he’s okay with feeling a little colder for two weeks. As long as Jun’s happy. As long as he has fun over there. As long as he comes back.
*
The first letter is mailed a week before Jun is even gone.
*
The first few letters Aiba sends are short, almost perfunctory. They’re the hi-how-are-you’s of mindless correspondence that don’t mean much and yet… They’re also the type that means I’m thinking of you without spelling it out. Aiba keeps them simple, light-hearted - not that he’s thinking too much about what he’s putting in them, but he knows Jun enough to keep away from overly sentimental declarations… that is, after the first couple ones. Then, as the days pass and distance starts dawning on him, letters grow longer.
He talks about his day, what he eats, the people he meets. He talks about the other members too, because he knows Jun misses all of them just as much. His seventh letter includes a message from Nino, scrawled in the top corner in a color that makes it hard to read. He lets Ohno decorate the envelope of his eight letter. Then, to mark the end of Jun’s first week away with something extra special, he has Sho illustrate his tenth letter with an epic representation of Jun on a nudist beach. Of course, no one is actually naked on the drawing - unless those rocks in the corner are supposed to be boobs? - but Aiba is fairly certain Jun will appreciate the sentiment. And the floral-patterned skirt Sho has given drawing-Jun to cover his modesty. (“Those are swimming trunks, guys. Swimming trunks!”)
Jun never writes back, but Aiba knows it’s not by lack of feelings. He can imagine them - Jun’s feelings - neatly folded in half written letters that Jun is too self-conscious to finish, let alone send. Because it’s so silly right? But that’s what makes Aiba want to write twice as much: knowing that Jun is calling him an idiot from 6208 miles away but that he’s also smiling, and just the fact that he can make Jun smile from such a distance totally justifies the means.
It’s only a couple of days before Jun comes back that Aiba realises that Jun probably won’t be gone long enough to receive the last few letters.
*
“You’re an idiot” is the first and only thing Jun says before pulling Aiba into a tight hug.
They’re standing in the doorway of Jun’s apartment and Aiba still has his shoes on, still has the plastic bag from the combini in his hand, still has the cold air from outside clinging to his hair and skin. He laughs, breathless, happy, and for a second he feels Jun’s arm tighten around him. When Jun steps back and releases him, Aiba finally gets a good look at his face. He looks jetlagged. A little tanned. He looks glad to be back and beautiful, and Aiba loves him.
“I didn’t want you to feel lonely,” Aiba says.
Jun smiles. Just a little, in that amused-fond-pleased way that’s so Jun. When he leans back against the wall and crosses his arms, Aiba knows for sure that Jun has indeed missed them. Missed him.
*
Life goes back to normal in the blink of an eye. Jun’s luggage has already been unpacked and put away, and his apartment shows absolutely no trace of his absence. To the untrained eye, it would seem as if he was never gone. But Aiba knows better. He can see it all: the light in Jun’s eyes has returned, along with a new spark, souvenirs perfectly lined up on his dresser… and a pile of letters neatly stacked on the side.