Entry tags:
A Convenient Arrangement - 1/2
Pairing: Juntoshi
Rating: This chapter PG, eventual NC-17
Genre: Romance, office au
Disclaimer: I do not own Arashi – I only own these words
Summary: Jun is puzzled when his usually stern boss Ohno orders him to accompany him on a weekend business trip to Okinawa. He soon realizes that the older man may have an ulterior motive behind the invitation.
Note: Hi there![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rollingday_s. Here’s the Juntoshi that I promised you a very long time ago. It took forever because what began as a fluffy drabble somehow grew out of my control into this.
"Matsumoto-san, please step into my office," Ohno said curtly as he stepped briskly past the array of desks in the outer office.
"Oooh, special privileges," cooed Aiba, whose desk sat opposite Jun's.
"Did I just hear that right? He can't have just said please?" queried Nino who worked on the floor below, but seemed to spend most of his time draped over his best friend Aiba's desk.
"Aiba, if you and Nino are quite finished gossiping, I wouldn't mind a little help in here or maybe I should start deducting your pay for all of the time you two spend reading magazines," Sakurai-san called from his own office next to Ohno's.
Aiba and Nino laughed, knowing that the words were an empty threat. Sakurai Sho was the most easy-going boss around.
Ohno Satoshi, on the other hand seemed to take great pleasure in making Jun's life a misery. Although if forced, he would probably unwillingly admit that Jun was by far the best Executive Assistant he had ever employed he still never seemed to be satisfied with his work.
Even though not even a minute had passed, Ohno called out impatiently, "I'm waiting!"
This produced a series of exaggerated eye rolls and descriptive hand gestures from the other two that Jun stoically ignored as he walked towards Ohno's lair.
++++
"In four weeks’ time I will need you to accompany me on a business trip," Ohno said, not bothering to look up as he shuffled through some papers on his desk. "It will be from Friday evening until Sunday evening. I presume this will not be a problem for you?"
"Over the weekend?"
"We will fly to Okinawa for the weekend and return in plenty of time to be in the office promptly on Monday morning. All of your expenses will be covered."
"I guess that will be fine then," Jun replied feeling slightly puzzled. Ohno had never requested that he accompany him before. "Will I be joining you for meetings? I need to know what to pack."
"That will all be arranged," Ohno said, before waving his hand in dismissal.
++++
"So you get to spend the weekend with your crush?" Aiba asked with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.
"Idiot!" Nino snarked as the smacked Aiba's head. "Why would Jun be interested in such an old man? He has to be at least ten years older."
"It's only nine years actually. His birthday is on November 26th," Jun blurted out as a blush slowly spread up his neck. He hadn't meant to let the others know of his interest in his boss.
There was a certain aura of power that radiated from Ohno that Jun had instantly been attracted to from their first meeting when he had interviewed for his current position before graduating from university.
Although his boss was small in stature and possessed a pair of sleepy eyes set in a slightly chubby face that gave him a look of disinterest, his mind was sharper than a well-honed blade. It was this feeling of controlled strength that Jun found so attractive. He had always been attracted to older guys. His first boyfriend had been five years older and since then he had rarely dated anyone even close to his own age.
Jun absentmindedly passed another beer each over two the other two, who were presently giggling like a pair of schoolgirls; his head still clouded by visions of Ohno and the way he looked in his expertly tailored suits.
It was their regular de-stressing session which took place after work every Friday evening and it was Jun’s turn to host at his apartment. Oddly enough, although Nino and Aiba shared an apartment it was never Nino’s turn to buy the food and drinks, Aiba always obliged.
“You have to admit that for an old guy he’s quite handsome though,” Aiba said.
“Handsome yes, but with the same personality as one of those dead fish he likes to have stuffed and hung on his office wall,” Nino replied with a shudder as he reached for a piece of pizza.
“Quit saying he’s old. He’s only thirty four.”
“Hah, defensive much?” laughed Aiba.
“Seriously J, you aren’t planning on making a play for him are you? I don’t want to see you get hurt,” Nino said quietly a few minutes later after Aiba went to the bathroom. “He doesn’t strike me as the type that’s looking for a long-term boyfriend and I wouldn’t want you to do anything that might hurt your career.”
“I didn’t say that I want to do anything with him. I know he’s my boss, I’m not completely stupid,” Jun replied sulkily.
“I didn’t say that you were. I’m just offering you some friendly advice.”
“I know that, and I really appreciate that you’re looking out for me, but there’s no way in the world that I would ever get involved with my boss,” Jun said firmly.
“Nino’s right for once,” Aiba said as he came back into the room. “That man is so uptight. I bet he has all sorts of weird fetishes and stuff.”
“You’d be the one to know, you big pervert,” responded Nino.
Jun, glad that the attention had shifted away from him just sat back and enjoyed watching the other two bickering.
++++
“Matsumoto-san, I take it that you do own a tuxedo?” Ohno asked out of the blue a couple of days later.
“A tuxedo?” Jun repeated.
“Yes, a tuxedo. Do I need to draw you a picture to make it easier for you to understand?” Ohno asked, sarcasm dripping from every word.
Jun wanted to reply that with the pitifully small salary that Ohno paid him that he could barely afford to pay the rent let alone buy a fancy suit that he would have no occasion to wear anyway.
“Um, I don’t actually.”
“That’s most inconvenient. You will require one in Okinawa.”
“I could rent one, I suppose,” Jun said, mentally calculating the cost and wondering if a person could die from excess salt and preservatives after living off instant noodles for an entire month.
“That would be unacceptable. I need you to look effortlessly handsome, not like an overdressed waiter.”
Jun thought that he must have hallucinated those words as a moment later Ohno answered a call and impatiently gestured for him to leave his office. “Effortlessly handsome?” he muttered distractedly as he took his place behind his desk ignoring the strange looks Aiba was sending his way.
Things got even stranger when a man with a tape measure arrived at his desk the next morning demanding to take his measurements for a tailored tuxedo. When Jun protested and said that there must be some mistake he was told that Ohno had arranged for the fitting and for the purchase of the suit.
Jun immediately decided that an emergency meeting with his friends was in order and called Nino and Aiba to arrange for drinks at his place to discuss the odd turn of events.
++++
"He totally wants to jump you." Aiba's words were muffled by the handful of chips he was stuffing into his mouth but his meaning was perfectly clear.
"Don't be ridiculous," Nino scoffed. "He's just a complete control freak who enjoys making people feel small."
"I disagree. He's just softening Jun up before he bones him."
"Look Aiba, his family owns the company and he's set to run it one day. What would he possibly want with someone like Jun?" Nino argued.
"Um, guys? I'm right here you know," Jun said, trying to draw their attention. His two friends, however, completely ignored him and continued to talk as if he wasn't even in the room. It was then that he resolved to not include them if anything else peculiar happened.
++++
And at the end of the next week something else did happen.
"Go here at lunchtime," Ohno said, flicking the business card of a quite famous hair salon across the desk at him.
"Do you want me to pick something up for you?"
"No. You are getting your hair cut. I can't have you looking like that in Okinawa."
"Um, exactly what sort of meeting is this that we're going to?"
"You don't need to know. Just go to this appointment and you need not worry. Everything has already been paid for."
++++
When Jun returned to the office that afternoon he was still feeling pretty dazed. His usual cut cost ten dollars and took about ten minutes; he had never spent three hours in a salon before.
It wasn’t just the length of time, but the treatment that he’d received from the fawning staff at the salon that had sent him into a spin.
He'd been plied with drinks and snacks from the moment he'd been escorted to a private area at the back of the salon. Nervously gulping down the champagne, he had hardly dared to look in the mirror as complicated and sometimes quite painful things were done to him.
The person reflected back at him in the mirror at the end of the session looked almost like a stranger, only his confused eyes staring back at him were recognizable.
His skin was smooth, his eyebrows groomed and his hair was much shorter than before and streaked in an unusual colour.
Jun knew that Aiba and Nino were going to have a field day.
++++
"Wow!" Aiba walked around Jun staring at him from every possible angle.
"Nice hair Princess," Nino snarked. "Did you leave your unicorn parked outside?"
"Jun's hair is pretty." Aiba leapt to Jun's defence, twirling a strand of his streaked hair through his fingers.
"Purple? You let them make your hair purple?"
"It's ash violet actually," Jun replied, blushing at how defensive he was sounding.
"How on earth did you afford it? I hope you don't expect me to pay for the beers this week," Nino grumbled.
"Are you sure about spending so much money on a haircut? What about your rent?" Aiba asked worriedly.
"I didn't pay for it. Ohno-san did." Jun instantly regretted his words as his friends spent the next ten minutes hassling him until Ohno returned from a meeting, gesturing to Jun to join him in his office as he walked by.
++++
"Most satisfactory," Ohno said, standing a little too close for comfort as he examined Jun's new look. "It looks even better than I imagined."
"I'm sorry, but I don't think you've been entirely honest with me," Jun said, summoning all of his courage. There was no way that this whole scenario was any part of normal business practices. "I don't know what's expected of me but I'm pretty sure that I am not the right person for what you want, since I seem to be lacking in every department."
Ohno frowned, obviously unsettled by Jun's words.
"You will also receive a substantial bonus."
Jun backed away. "I don't feel comfortable with all of this."
"There's nothing for you to worry about. Just think of it as an all-expenses paid holiday if that makes you feel better," Ohno said, a small crease of irritation appearing between his brows.
"That actually makes it worse," Jun replied. He knew that his job was probably on the line, but he needed to know more. "I feel like I'm being groomed for something and I am pretty sure that it's not work related, no matter what you keep telling me. I need to know the absolute truth or else I refuse to go with you."
"And what if I tell you that you're fired if you refuse me?" Ohno asked angrily.
"Then so be it. I won't be treated like some lamb being fattened up for slaughter." Jun only realized that his knees were shaking when Ohno sighed resignedly and gestured for him to take a seat.
Ohno spun his own chair around to face the window. He needed time to think.
Ohno couldn't help but admire the defiant spark that had been visible in Jun's eyes. He really was extraordinarily good looking, even more so since his makeover. It was far too late to try and find someone else for his plan; all he could do was tell Jun the real reason behind everything and hope that he would agree to continue.
The silence between the two of them stretched to an uncomfortable length. Ohno could feel Jun's eyes burning a hole in the back of his head even through the thickness of his high-backed chair.
"I'm sorry Ohno-san, but as you so often remind me, I have work to do," Jun said as he stood and prepared to leave. He figured that his job was gone and he had nothing to lose anyway.
"I need you to be my date." Ohno spun his chair around as he spoke almost too softly to be heard.
"You what?"
"My ex-boyfriend is getting married and I need you to be my date at the wedding." Ohno looked at Jun with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
Jun dropped back down hard on his chair. He had the feeling that it was probably best to be sitting down to listen to Ohno's explanation.
++++
You want me to be your date? At the wedding of your ex? In Okinawa?" Jun was trying to make sense of this whole bizarre situation.
"Yes. But it's just for one weekend. I can't see why that's such a problem for you," Ohno replied brusquely.
"But...I don't understand..." Jun felt like he'd slipped into some kind of parallel universe.
"Look, this is too complicated to explain here. I'll take you to dinner tonight and explain everything," Ohno said impatiently.
"Dinner?" Jun felt somehow worse at that suggestion.
"Will you stop repeating everything I say?" Ohno asked crossly. "Can we just get on with some work right now and pick this conversation up later since it seems to be giving you so many problems?"
Jun sat in a daze for a moment more as Ohno turned his attention to the pile of papers on his desk. "Yes sir," he said as he stood and left the room.
After Jun had gone, quietly closing the door behind him, Ohno sat and stared out of the window for a very long time. It had seemed like the ideal solution to his problem when he first came up with the idea, but now things were becoming complicated. Somehow he'd forgotten that another person's emotions were involved.
++++
The restaurant that Ohno took him to was a complete surprise to Jun. He'd been expecting something formal and business orientated, but this was something completely different.
The place was crowded with workmen from the local factory still in their overalls, drinking beer and laughing loudly. The owners, a cheerful elderly husband and wife team had greeted Ohno by name when they arrived, pointing out an empty table at the back, before rushing off to refill beer glasses and carry out plates of food.
Ohno read Jun's astonished expression well. "I've been coming here since I first started working. My salary was small and the food here was tasty and cheap. I eat out in enough fancy restaurants for business. When I want a relaxing and happy time I come here."
As he spoke Ohno's face had relaxed from its usual blank indifference to a gentle smile, making him look five years younger and even more handsome in Jun's eyes. Against his will, Jun felt his heart give an excited little flutter which he hastily tried to suppress. This was not the time for his crush to take over his mind.
++++
After Jun had happily devoured his grilled eel and Ohno his mackerel they sat sharing a bottle of beer as Ohno began his explanation. The table already had a neat row of empty bottles along one end. Ohno had been drinking very quickly and with determination while Jun had barely finished his second glass.
"Okada Junichi," Ohno blurted out.
"Okada Junichi?" Jun asked.
"You're back to repeating me again," Ohno said grumpily as he topped up Jun's drink.
"I'm sorry. Should I know Okada-san?"
"It's his wedding. My ex-boyfriend. When we broke up we agreed to remain friends. It was all quite calm. It was fine until he found someone else. It felt like he was rubbing my nose in it, telling me how happy he was all the time. He broke up with me because he told me that I work too much and that I would have trouble finding someone new until I learn to change." Ohno knew that he was talking too much, revealing too much of himself to his employee, but once begun it was impossible to stop. "I didn't believe him at the time, but it's been two years now and I am still immersed in my work, still alone. I can't let him see that he was right." Ohno looked at Jun with desperation.
"So you told him that you have a new boyfriend?"
"Yes. So then he invited us both to the wedding. I can't turn up by myself. I will look like an even bigger failure than I already am..." Ohno took a large gulp of beer and sighed.
Jun had never seen his boss looking so defeated and vulnerable. Against his better judgement he found himself on the verge of agreeing to the subterfuge. "What would I have to do?"
Ohno straightened his slumped posture, "Just attend the reception with me. That's all that I ask. The rest of the weekend is yours to do as you wish. Okada has invited me to some of the pre-reception activities as well, but we don't have to attend them together. I'll just say that you aren't feeling well. I'll pay you extra if you agree."
"I'm not some sort of prostitute!" Once again Jun's mouth was one step ahead of his brain.
"I'm sorry," Ohno hadn't meant for it to sound that way. "I just meant that you would be giving up your weekend and deserve compensation."
Jun's recent weekends had consisted of washing his clothes, cleaning his apartment and going grocery shopping before sitting at home and talking to his bonsai plants. Even if this whole idea was bizarre and awkward it was better than sitting at home alone.
"It's fine. I don't need any extra pay."
Ohno's eyes sparked with hope. "Does this mean that you'll do it?"
"Yes, as long as you remember that it's just a convenient arrangement for the both of us. You get a fake boyfriend for the weekend and I get to go surfing when you don't need me."
"Deal," Ohno agreed, making cheers with his beer glass. "Just as long as you remember that back in the office everything between us is exactly the same as before. And don't tell anyone, especially those two friends of yours."
"Deal," Jun agreed, raising his own glass in response. He knew that what he was doing was foolish, but he relished the opportunity to spend more time with the older man.
++++
With this agreement being reached the office settled back to its usual routine, neither of them mentioning the scheduled date.
So Jun was surprised when Ohno stopped abruptly in front of his desk instead of marching into his own office, causing Nino and Aiba to scatter like startled chickens.
"We need to discuss something in my office. Immediately," Ohno said with a frown.
As soon as Jun entered the office Ohno spoke. "Dancing."
"Sorry?"
"Dancing. There will be dancing at the reception. Okada was the most wonderful dancer. Can you?"
"Can I?"
Ohno sighed, “Can you dance? Proper dancing with a partner."
"Like waltzing? Um...no."
"I'm not going to let him embarrass me," Ohno muttered.
By now Jun was strongly under the impression that Ohno was not over his ex; no matter how much he might deny it.
"Right.Tonight. My place. I'll teach you how to dance well enough to not make me look stupid on the day."
Jun had no idea how to begin to even respond to that. Not that he had the chance to before Ohno bundled him from the room.
Nino and Aiba were hovering around his desk intrigued by his flustered expression, but he chose to ignore them for once.
This was becoming more complicated than he'd ever imagined.
++++
"And one and two and three and four," Ohno chanted as he whirled Jun around the room.
Ohno's apartment had proved to be ideal; the shiny tiled floor allowed them to glide easily across it.
Ohno turned out to be a smoothly skilled dancer, confident in his ability to lead his partner across the floor. Jun on the other hand, was a bundle of nerves. Being held close enough to Ohno to be able to smell his fresh cologne and feel his surprisingly strong arms wrapping lightly around him was making him unexpectedly clumsy.
"Oh, ow!" Jun failed to execute a turn correctly and turned his ankle over, causing a sharp pain to shoot up his leg.
Ohno seemed to be obliviously lost in the music, dragging a limping Jun along with him for a few seconds more before realizing that anything was even wrong.
"You need to feel the music more, then you'd be less clumsy," Ohno admonished as he helped Jun over to the sofa that had been pushed against the wall to give them more room.
"I'm sorry. I'll try harder," Jun said, trying to keep his voice steady as Ohno ran his hand over his ankle and foot, checking for damage. Ohno's long flexible fingers seemed to leave a fiery trail wherever they touched his skin.
"Don't try harder. It makes things worse. Just try and relax into it." Ohno realized that his words had made Jun even more tense as he felt his muscles stiffen under his hands. Softening his tone he added, "Just sit here and relax and I'll fetch us something to drink and some ice for your ankle."
"It's fine...and I probably should be going..." Jun stood up and immediately winced, causing Ohno to gently push him back down again with a frown.
"I am ordering you to stay put. Okay?" Ohno's voice was firm and gently persuasive at the same time.
Jun nodded meekly and settled back down again, for some reason losing the will to argue.
++++
Ohno placed an ice pack on Jun's ankle before opening a bottle of red wine. He handed Jun a glass without even questioning whether he even drank wine or not.
Fortunately it was one of Jun's favourite things, but something he couldn't afford to drink very often, usually sticking to beer instead. He couldn't help the small moan of appreciation as the smooth and deeply flavoured liquid slid down his throat.
Ohno froze in the act of sipping his own glass at the sound of Jun's pleasure. He looked at Jun, surreptitiously admiring his strong profile and the delicate veins on the back of his hand as he cradled the long-stemmed glass in his hand. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he felt his cock give a twitch of interest at the sight and sound. "You can take the rest of the bottle home with you and finish it tomorrow, if you like."
He knew immediately that he'd just made a terrible mistake as Jun placed the glass down with a bang, obviously upset at having his lower financial status rubbed in his face.
"I really should be going. I have to be at work early tomorrow," Jun said. He had no idea why he was suddenly so angry. It was perhaps because being in Ohno's immaculate and expensively decorated apartment brought home to him the massive gap in their circumstances. It highlighted all of the reasons why his crush was an impossible one.
++++
Two days later Aiba was lucky enough to emerge from Sho's office just in time to see Jun stomp past carrying a heavy carton.
"Aiba can you open the door to Ohno-san's office for me?"
"Of course," Aiba said as he hastily complied, almost bursting with curiosity as he did so.
Jun knew that according to Ohno's schedule he wasn't due to arrive in the office for another hour due to a breakfast meeting. He took advantage of this to return the unwanted gift that had been on his doorstep when he arrived home on the previous evening.
"What's in the box? Anything interesting?" Aiba asked eagerly.
"Just something that was delivered to my place by accident," Jun replied as he returned calmly to his desk.
++++
Ohno walked through the office, nodding curtly to Sho who was discussing something with Aiba and closed his office door behind him. It had pained him to not greet Jun, but he didn't want to fuel any possible rumours regarding his relationship with his assistant.
He swore under his breath as he almost tripped over a carton sitting on the floor next to his desk. He swore out loud when he saw what it contained.
++++
Jun was answering the usual stack of emails and studiously ignoring Aiba when Ohno's door opened and a very angry face glared around the door. "Matsumoto! My office. Now!"
Aiba shared a glance with Nino who had just slouched into the office carrying a sheaf of papers. They had never heard that particular level of anger from Jun's boss before. It was lucky that it was beer night and they would be able to extract all the gory details from their friend later.
Jun braced himself as he walked into Ohno's office, carefully closing the door. Behind him Aiba and Nino sighed in frustration, a closed door meant that they wouldn't be able to hear a thing.
++++
"What's the meaning of this?" Ohno asked angrily as he gestured to the offending object sitting on his carpet.
"It seems to have been delivered to my apartment by mistake instead of yours," Jun replied, barely glancing at the carton of wine. It was the same expensive Shiraz that Ohno had served him after the dance lesson.
"It wasn't by mistake. I wanted you to have it." Ohno didn't understand what was so wrong with that.
"I can't possibly accept it. It wouldn't be right," Jun replied stubbornly.
Ohno looked at the proud tilt of Jun's head and his clenched fists, still not fully understanding why Jun was refusing his gift. "You enjoyed the wine didn't you? "
"Yes, but..."
"Then why can't I send you some?"
"Because it's not right...not appropriate...we aren't in a relationship."
Ohno wanted to laugh at Jun's old fashioned ideas of acceptable gifts, but he looked so determined as he stood there, his cheeks flushed with emotion, causing him to feel a twinge of guilt.
"But wine isn't personal..." Ohno began, pausing when he remembered Jun's moan of appreciation at the flavour and his own reaction. "And even if it is, you deserve it. Your agreement to help me with my problem means a lot to me."
Ohno could feel Jun weakening, his hands relaxing by his side. "I just wanted to say thank you for all of your hard work over these past few weeks. Please accept this wine as a token of my gratitude."
Jun had never seen Ohno look or speak so humbly before. He was gazing at him with an almost yearning expression that was impossible to resist.
"Well, if you put it that way, I will accept. Thank you," Jun conceded as he gazed at Ohno shyly through lowered lashes.
Ohno had a sudden urge to pull Jun to him and kiss him thoroughly, an urge which he disguised with brusque words, "Right, fine. Now get back to work. We've wasted quite enough time on this already."
Jun flinched at the harsh tone and abruptly turned to leave, but found his movement halted by Ohno striding across the room and gripping his arm.
"I almost forgot. Is your ankle okay?" Ohno asked gruffly.
"Yes, thank you," Jun was once again captured by the fragrance of Ohno's expensive cologne.
"In that case dinner tonight at my place followed by more dance practice."
"But I have plans."
"Cancel them. This is more important," Ohno said dismissively.
"I can't let my friends down at the last minute," Jun protested.
Ohno tightened his grip on Jun's arm, moving closer than ever. "Please?"
Jun's heart was racing as he felt the warmth of Ohno's hand through the thin material of his shirt. There was a fleeting flicker of vulnerability in Ohno's dark eyes that made Jun forget all about Nino and Aiba and their long-standing arrangement.
"Fine, as long as I get to cook. I can't keep accepting your hospitality without giving anything in return," Jun said.
"It's not necessary. I can have dinner delivered."
"You've given me new clothes and a new look and paid for everything. I'd be much happier if I can do something in return."
Ohno was impressed. Jun only had these things because he was doing him a favour. In fact if this plot succeeded he would owe Jun more than he could ever repay.
Okada had broken his heart when he left. It was made worse by the fact that he didn't even leave him for anyone else. He just said that he couldn't tolerate always coming second to Ohno's work life. Ohno was too shocked to even fight for him; he even helped him to carry his belongings down to the car.
Somehow he always thought that eventually he would come back of his own accord. The wedding invitation had arrived like a punch to the gut. There was no way that he would allow his ex-boyfriend the satisfaction of seeing him still alone, with work as his only companion.
"I'll agree on two conditions. I pay for whatever ingredients you want and we take a couple of these bottles to drink with it," Ohno said with a smile.
"Agreed," Jun replied with a small smile of his own.
++++
“You’re blowing us off and not even explaining why?” Nino was not happy. It was Jun’s turn to host and he’d been looking forward to his homemade snacks and generous beer supplies.
“I’m sorry you guys. I’ll treat you both to lunch one day to make up,” Jun replied.
“You don’t have to bother Jun-kun,” Aiba said. He knew that Jun must have a good reason and he rather hoped that it was related to the extra time he was spending recently with Ohno-san. Aiba had friends in many places and one of those friends just happened to be Ohno’s occasional driver. He had received some very interesting news regarding Jun paying a visit to Ohno’s apartment after work hours which he was holding very close to his chest until he had a chance to discuss it with Jun in private.
“Speak for yourself!” squawked Nino indignantly. There was no way that he was going to let Jun get away unpunished.
Before further arguments could be had, Jun checked his watch and noticing that it was one minute to home time hastily switched off his computer, slung his bag over his shoulder and bolted from the office. Ohno would be driving by to pick him up from around the corner in a few minutes time and the quicker that happened the less possibility there was of being seen by someone from work.
“Don’t you people have homes to go to?” Sho joked as he exited his office, already loosening his tie. It was Friday evening and he had a cooking class to attend. “Even Ohno-san left fifteen minutes ago.”
Aiba was even surer than ever that there was something suspicious going on. Ohno was always the last one to leave the building, seeming to want to prove that even though the firm belonged to his family he worked harder than everyone else.
He had no time to think things through any further as he found himself being grabbed around the wrist by a whiny Nino and dragged away from his desk. It was now obviously his job to feed Nino in Jun’s stead, something which didn’t bother him at all.
++++
“This looks delicious,” Ohno said as he gazed at the plate that Jun had just placed on the table in front of him.
“It’s quite simple really,” Jun replied as he sat down with his own plate of pasta.
Ohno had insisted on buying the highest quality ingredients available, instead of the budget priced items that Jun usually used when cooking for himself. As Jun took the first forkful his eyes widened in surprise at the difference that the expensive shellfish made to his pasta vongole. The price of the clams had almost given Jun a seizure, but Ohno hadn’t even batted an eyelid as he handed over his credit card.
"I lnow we said that we would drink some of the red with this, but I think that champagne would be more appropriate, " Ohno said as he went to retrieve a perfectly chilled bottle from the kitchen.
Jun blinked at the label. One bottle cost almost as much as his rent for one week. The thought made him shrink down slightly in his chair. It made him aware of just how hopeless his crush on Ohno was.
Ohno was feeling oddly nervous as he deftly eased the cork out of the bottle. On impulse he had purchased it at lunch time after arranging this impromptu dinner and dance session. He had blast chilled it while watching with fascination as Jun worked confidently in the unfamiliar kitchen.
After eating in silence for a while Jun asked hesitantly, "Is there something wrong?"
Ohno, who had just realized that he'd been staring at Jun like a lovesick calf, twitched at being caught out. He immediately blustered, "I'm just wondering how long it's going to take you to finish that. You still need a lot of dance practice, considering how clumsy you were last time."
Jun immediately put down his fork and carried their plates to the kitchen, determined to hide the hurt in his eyes at such an abrupt reversal of the warm atmosphere that had developed over the course of the meal.
The moment he was gone Ohno allowed his head to thud down onto the table, ashamed of his own cowardice; he hadn't missed the confusion and hurt on Jun's face. But it was for Jun's benefit that he was determined to not give in to these unexpected feelings that he'd been unable to prevent developing. The last thing he wanted was to use his positon as Jun's boss pressure Jun into a relationship. If it was ever going to happen then Jun was going to have to be the one to take the initiative.
Rating: This chapter PG, eventual NC-17
Genre: Romance, office au
Disclaimer: I do not own Arashi – I only own these words
Summary: Jun is puzzled when his usually stern boss Ohno orders him to accompany him on a weekend business trip to Okinawa. He soon realizes that the older man may have an ulterior motive behind the invitation.
Note: Hi there
rollingday_s. Here’s the Juntoshi that I promised you a very long time ago. It took forever because what began as a fluffy drabble somehow grew out of my control into this. "Matsumoto-san, please step into my office," Ohno said curtly as he stepped briskly past the array of desks in the outer office.
"Oooh, special privileges," cooed Aiba, whose desk sat opposite Jun's.
"Did I just hear that right? He can't have just said please?" queried Nino who worked on the floor below, but seemed to spend most of his time draped over his best friend Aiba's desk.
"Aiba, if you and Nino are quite finished gossiping, I wouldn't mind a little help in here or maybe I should start deducting your pay for all of the time you two spend reading magazines," Sakurai-san called from his own office next to Ohno's.
Aiba and Nino laughed, knowing that the words were an empty threat. Sakurai Sho was the most easy-going boss around.
Ohno Satoshi, on the other hand seemed to take great pleasure in making Jun's life a misery. Although if forced, he would probably unwillingly admit that Jun was by far the best Executive Assistant he had ever employed he still never seemed to be satisfied with his work.
Even though not even a minute had passed, Ohno called out impatiently, "I'm waiting!"
This produced a series of exaggerated eye rolls and descriptive hand gestures from the other two that Jun stoically ignored as he walked towards Ohno's lair.
++++
"In four weeks’ time I will need you to accompany me on a business trip," Ohno said, not bothering to look up as he shuffled through some papers on his desk. "It will be from Friday evening until Sunday evening. I presume this will not be a problem for you?"
"Over the weekend?"
"We will fly to Okinawa for the weekend and return in plenty of time to be in the office promptly on Monday morning. All of your expenses will be covered."
"I guess that will be fine then," Jun replied feeling slightly puzzled. Ohno had never requested that he accompany him before. "Will I be joining you for meetings? I need to know what to pack."
"That will all be arranged," Ohno said, before waving his hand in dismissal.
++++
"So you get to spend the weekend with your crush?" Aiba asked with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.
"Idiot!" Nino snarked as the smacked Aiba's head. "Why would Jun be interested in such an old man? He has to be at least ten years older."
"It's only nine years actually. His birthday is on November 26th," Jun blurted out as a blush slowly spread up his neck. He hadn't meant to let the others know of his interest in his boss.
There was a certain aura of power that radiated from Ohno that Jun had instantly been attracted to from their first meeting when he had interviewed for his current position before graduating from university.
Although his boss was small in stature and possessed a pair of sleepy eyes set in a slightly chubby face that gave him a look of disinterest, his mind was sharper than a well-honed blade. It was this feeling of controlled strength that Jun found so attractive. He had always been attracted to older guys. His first boyfriend had been five years older and since then he had rarely dated anyone even close to his own age.
Jun absentmindedly passed another beer each over two the other two, who were presently giggling like a pair of schoolgirls; his head still clouded by visions of Ohno and the way he looked in his expertly tailored suits.
It was their regular de-stressing session which took place after work every Friday evening and it was Jun’s turn to host at his apartment. Oddly enough, although Nino and Aiba shared an apartment it was never Nino’s turn to buy the food and drinks, Aiba always obliged.
“You have to admit that for an old guy he’s quite handsome though,” Aiba said.
“Handsome yes, but with the same personality as one of those dead fish he likes to have stuffed and hung on his office wall,” Nino replied with a shudder as he reached for a piece of pizza.
“Quit saying he’s old. He’s only thirty four.”
“Hah, defensive much?” laughed Aiba.
“Seriously J, you aren’t planning on making a play for him are you? I don’t want to see you get hurt,” Nino said quietly a few minutes later after Aiba went to the bathroom. “He doesn’t strike me as the type that’s looking for a long-term boyfriend and I wouldn’t want you to do anything that might hurt your career.”
“I didn’t say that I want to do anything with him. I know he’s my boss, I’m not completely stupid,” Jun replied sulkily.
“I didn’t say that you were. I’m just offering you some friendly advice.”
“I know that, and I really appreciate that you’re looking out for me, but there’s no way in the world that I would ever get involved with my boss,” Jun said firmly.
“Nino’s right for once,” Aiba said as he came back into the room. “That man is so uptight. I bet he has all sorts of weird fetishes and stuff.”
“You’d be the one to know, you big pervert,” responded Nino.
Jun, glad that the attention had shifted away from him just sat back and enjoyed watching the other two bickering.
++++
“Matsumoto-san, I take it that you do own a tuxedo?” Ohno asked out of the blue a couple of days later.
“A tuxedo?” Jun repeated.
“Yes, a tuxedo. Do I need to draw you a picture to make it easier for you to understand?” Ohno asked, sarcasm dripping from every word.
Jun wanted to reply that with the pitifully small salary that Ohno paid him that he could barely afford to pay the rent let alone buy a fancy suit that he would have no occasion to wear anyway.
“Um, I don’t actually.”
“That’s most inconvenient. You will require one in Okinawa.”
“I could rent one, I suppose,” Jun said, mentally calculating the cost and wondering if a person could die from excess salt and preservatives after living off instant noodles for an entire month.
“That would be unacceptable. I need you to look effortlessly handsome, not like an overdressed waiter.”
Jun thought that he must have hallucinated those words as a moment later Ohno answered a call and impatiently gestured for him to leave his office. “Effortlessly handsome?” he muttered distractedly as he took his place behind his desk ignoring the strange looks Aiba was sending his way.
Things got even stranger when a man with a tape measure arrived at his desk the next morning demanding to take his measurements for a tailored tuxedo. When Jun protested and said that there must be some mistake he was told that Ohno had arranged for the fitting and for the purchase of the suit.
Jun immediately decided that an emergency meeting with his friends was in order and called Nino and Aiba to arrange for drinks at his place to discuss the odd turn of events.
++++
"He totally wants to jump you." Aiba's words were muffled by the handful of chips he was stuffing into his mouth but his meaning was perfectly clear.
"Don't be ridiculous," Nino scoffed. "He's just a complete control freak who enjoys making people feel small."
"I disagree. He's just softening Jun up before he bones him."
"Look Aiba, his family owns the company and he's set to run it one day. What would he possibly want with someone like Jun?" Nino argued.
"Um, guys? I'm right here you know," Jun said, trying to draw their attention. His two friends, however, completely ignored him and continued to talk as if he wasn't even in the room. It was then that he resolved to not include them if anything else peculiar happened.
++++
And at the end of the next week something else did happen.
"Go here at lunchtime," Ohno said, flicking the business card of a quite famous hair salon across the desk at him.
"Do you want me to pick something up for you?"
"No. You are getting your hair cut. I can't have you looking like that in Okinawa."
"Um, exactly what sort of meeting is this that we're going to?"
"You don't need to know. Just go to this appointment and you need not worry. Everything has already been paid for."
++++
When Jun returned to the office that afternoon he was still feeling pretty dazed. His usual cut cost ten dollars and took about ten minutes; he had never spent three hours in a salon before.
It wasn’t just the length of time, but the treatment that he’d received from the fawning staff at the salon that had sent him into a spin.
He'd been plied with drinks and snacks from the moment he'd been escorted to a private area at the back of the salon. Nervously gulping down the champagne, he had hardly dared to look in the mirror as complicated and sometimes quite painful things were done to him.
The person reflected back at him in the mirror at the end of the session looked almost like a stranger, only his confused eyes staring back at him were recognizable.
His skin was smooth, his eyebrows groomed and his hair was much shorter than before and streaked in an unusual colour.
Jun knew that Aiba and Nino were going to have a field day.
++++
"Wow!" Aiba walked around Jun staring at him from every possible angle.
"Nice hair Princess," Nino snarked. "Did you leave your unicorn parked outside?"
"Jun's hair is pretty." Aiba leapt to Jun's defence, twirling a strand of his streaked hair through his fingers.
"Purple? You let them make your hair purple?"
"It's ash violet actually," Jun replied, blushing at how defensive he was sounding.
"How on earth did you afford it? I hope you don't expect me to pay for the beers this week," Nino grumbled.
"Are you sure about spending so much money on a haircut? What about your rent?" Aiba asked worriedly.
"I didn't pay for it. Ohno-san did." Jun instantly regretted his words as his friends spent the next ten minutes hassling him until Ohno returned from a meeting, gesturing to Jun to join him in his office as he walked by.
++++
"Most satisfactory," Ohno said, standing a little too close for comfort as he examined Jun's new look. "It looks even better than I imagined."
"I'm sorry, but I don't think you've been entirely honest with me," Jun said, summoning all of his courage. There was no way that this whole scenario was any part of normal business practices. "I don't know what's expected of me but I'm pretty sure that I am not the right person for what you want, since I seem to be lacking in every department."
Ohno frowned, obviously unsettled by Jun's words.
"You will also receive a substantial bonus."
Jun backed away. "I don't feel comfortable with all of this."
"There's nothing for you to worry about. Just think of it as an all-expenses paid holiday if that makes you feel better," Ohno said, a small crease of irritation appearing between his brows.
"That actually makes it worse," Jun replied. He knew that his job was probably on the line, but he needed to know more. "I feel like I'm being groomed for something and I am pretty sure that it's not work related, no matter what you keep telling me. I need to know the absolute truth or else I refuse to go with you."
"And what if I tell you that you're fired if you refuse me?" Ohno asked angrily.
"Then so be it. I won't be treated like some lamb being fattened up for slaughter." Jun only realized that his knees were shaking when Ohno sighed resignedly and gestured for him to take a seat.
Ohno spun his own chair around to face the window. He needed time to think.
Ohno couldn't help but admire the defiant spark that had been visible in Jun's eyes. He really was extraordinarily good looking, even more so since his makeover. It was far too late to try and find someone else for his plan; all he could do was tell Jun the real reason behind everything and hope that he would agree to continue.
The silence between the two of them stretched to an uncomfortable length. Ohno could feel Jun's eyes burning a hole in the back of his head even through the thickness of his high-backed chair.
"I'm sorry Ohno-san, but as you so often remind me, I have work to do," Jun said as he stood and prepared to leave. He figured that his job was gone and he had nothing to lose anyway.
"I need you to be my date." Ohno spun his chair around as he spoke almost too softly to be heard.
"You what?"
"My ex-boyfriend is getting married and I need you to be my date at the wedding." Ohno looked at Jun with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
Jun dropped back down hard on his chair. He had the feeling that it was probably best to be sitting down to listen to Ohno's explanation.
++++
You want me to be your date? At the wedding of your ex? In Okinawa?" Jun was trying to make sense of this whole bizarre situation.
"Yes. But it's just for one weekend. I can't see why that's such a problem for you," Ohno replied brusquely.
"But...I don't understand..." Jun felt like he'd slipped into some kind of parallel universe.
"Look, this is too complicated to explain here. I'll take you to dinner tonight and explain everything," Ohno said impatiently.
"Dinner?" Jun felt somehow worse at that suggestion.
"Will you stop repeating everything I say?" Ohno asked crossly. "Can we just get on with some work right now and pick this conversation up later since it seems to be giving you so many problems?"
Jun sat in a daze for a moment more as Ohno turned his attention to the pile of papers on his desk. "Yes sir," he said as he stood and left the room.
After Jun had gone, quietly closing the door behind him, Ohno sat and stared out of the window for a very long time. It had seemed like the ideal solution to his problem when he first came up with the idea, but now things were becoming complicated. Somehow he'd forgotten that another person's emotions were involved.
++++
The restaurant that Ohno took him to was a complete surprise to Jun. He'd been expecting something formal and business orientated, but this was something completely different.
The place was crowded with workmen from the local factory still in their overalls, drinking beer and laughing loudly. The owners, a cheerful elderly husband and wife team had greeted Ohno by name when they arrived, pointing out an empty table at the back, before rushing off to refill beer glasses and carry out plates of food.
Ohno read Jun's astonished expression well. "I've been coming here since I first started working. My salary was small and the food here was tasty and cheap. I eat out in enough fancy restaurants for business. When I want a relaxing and happy time I come here."
As he spoke Ohno's face had relaxed from its usual blank indifference to a gentle smile, making him look five years younger and even more handsome in Jun's eyes. Against his will, Jun felt his heart give an excited little flutter which he hastily tried to suppress. This was not the time for his crush to take over his mind.
++++
After Jun had happily devoured his grilled eel and Ohno his mackerel they sat sharing a bottle of beer as Ohno began his explanation. The table already had a neat row of empty bottles along one end. Ohno had been drinking very quickly and with determination while Jun had barely finished his second glass.
"Okada Junichi," Ohno blurted out.
"Okada Junichi?" Jun asked.
"You're back to repeating me again," Ohno said grumpily as he topped up Jun's drink.
"I'm sorry. Should I know Okada-san?"
"It's his wedding. My ex-boyfriend. When we broke up we agreed to remain friends. It was all quite calm. It was fine until he found someone else. It felt like he was rubbing my nose in it, telling me how happy he was all the time. He broke up with me because he told me that I work too much and that I would have trouble finding someone new until I learn to change." Ohno knew that he was talking too much, revealing too much of himself to his employee, but once begun it was impossible to stop. "I didn't believe him at the time, but it's been two years now and I am still immersed in my work, still alone. I can't let him see that he was right." Ohno looked at Jun with desperation.
"So you told him that you have a new boyfriend?"
"Yes. So then he invited us both to the wedding. I can't turn up by myself. I will look like an even bigger failure than I already am..." Ohno took a large gulp of beer and sighed.
Jun had never seen his boss looking so defeated and vulnerable. Against his better judgement he found himself on the verge of agreeing to the subterfuge. "What would I have to do?"
Ohno straightened his slumped posture, "Just attend the reception with me. That's all that I ask. The rest of the weekend is yours to do as you wish. Okada has invited me to some of the pre-reception activities as well, but we don't have to attend them together. I'll just say that you aren't feeling well. I'll pay you extra if you agree."
"I'm not some sort of prostitute!" Once again Jun's mouth was one step ahead of his brain.
"I'm sorry," Ohno hadn't meant for it to sound that way. "I just meant that you would be giving up your weekend and deserve compensation."
Jun's recent weekends had consisted of washing his clothes, cleaning his apartment and going grocery shopping before sitting at home and talking to his bonsai plants. Even if this whole idea was bizarre and awkward it was better than sitting at home alone.
"It's fine. I don't need any extra pay."
Ohno's eyes sparked with hope. "Does this mean that you'll do it?"
"Yes, as long as you remember that it's just a convenient arrangement for the both of us. You get a fake boyfriend for the weekend and I get to go surfing when you don't need me."
"Deal," Ohno agreed, making cheers with his beer glass. "Just as long as you remember that back in the office everything between us is exactly the same as before. And don't tell anyone, especially those two friends of yours."
"Deal," Jun agreed, raising his own glass in response. He knew that what he was doing was foolish, but he relished the opportunity to spend more time with the older man.
++++
With this agreement being reached the office settled back to its usual routine, neither of them mentioning the scheduled date.
So Jun was surprised when Ohno stopped abruptly in front of his desk instead of marching into his own office, causing Nino and Aiba to scatter like startled chickens.
"We need to discuss something in my office. Immediately," Ohno said with a frown.
As soon as Jun entered the office Ohno spoke. "Dancing."
"Sorry?"
"Dancing. There will be dancing at the reception. Okada was the most wonderful dancer. Can you?"
"Can I?"
Ohno sighed, “Can you dance? Proper dancing with a partner."
"Like waltzing? Um...no."
"I'm not going to let him embarrass me," Ohno muttered.
By now Jun was strongly under the impression that Ohno was not over his ex; no matter how much he might deny it.
"Right.Tonight. My place. I'll teach you how to dance well enough to not make me look stupid on the day."
Jun had no idea how to begin to even respond to that. Not that he had the chance to before Ohno bundled him from the room.
Nino and Aiba were hovering around his desk intrigued by his flustered expression, but he chose to ignore them for once.
This was becoming more complicated than he'd ever imagined.
++++
"And one and two and three and four," Ohno chanted as he whirled Jun around the room.
Ohno's apartment had proved to be ideal; the shiny tiled floor allowed them to glide easily across it.
Ohno turned out to be a smoothly skilled dancer, confident in his ability to lead his partner across the floor. Jun on the other hand, was a bundle of nerves. Being held close enough to Ohno to be able to smell his fresh cologne and feel his surprisingly strong arms wrapping lightly around him was making him unexpectedly clumsy.
"Oh, ow!" Jun failed to execute a turn correctly and turned his ankle over, causing a sharp pain to shoot up his leg.
Ohno seemed to be obliviously lost in the music, dragging a limping Jun along with him for a few seconds more before realizing that anything was even wrong.
"You need to feel the music more, then you'd be less clumsy," Ohno admonished as he helped Jun over to the sofa that had been pushed against the wall to give them more room.
"I'm sorry. I'll try harder," Jun said, trying to keep his voice steady as Ohno ran his hand over his ankle and foot, checking for damage. Ohno's long flexible fingers seemed to leave a fiery trail wherever they touched his skin.
"Don't try harder. It makes things worse. Just try and relax into it." Ohno realized that his words had made Jun even more tense as he felt his muscles stiffen under his hands. Softening his tone he added, "Just sit here and relax and I'll fetch us something to drink and some ice for your ankle."
"It's fine...and I probably should be going..." Jun stood up and immediately winced, causing Ohno to gently push him back down again with a frown.
"I am ordering you to stay put. Okay?" Ohno's voice was firm and gently persuasive at the same time.
Jun nodded meekly and settled back down again, for some reason losing the will to argue.
++++
Ohno placed an ice pack on Jun's ankle before opening a bottle of red wine. He handed Jun a glass without even questioning whether he even drank wine or not.
Fortunately it was one of Jun's favourite things, but something he couldn't afford to drink very often, usually sticking to beer instead. He couldn't help the small moan of appreciation as the smooth and deeply flavoured liquid slid down his throat.
Ohno froze in the act of sipping his own glass at the sound of Jun's pleasure. He looked at Jun, surreptitiously admiring his strong profile and the delicate veins on the back of his hand as he cradled the long-stemmed glass in his hand. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he felt his cock give a twitch of interest at the sight and sound. "You can take the rest of the bottle home with you and finish it tomorrow, if you like."
He knew immediately that he'd just made a terrible mistake as Jun placed the glass down with a bang, obviously upset at having his lower financial status rubbed in his face.
"I really should be going. I have to be at work early tomorrow," Jun said. He had no idea why he was suddenly so angry. It was perhaps because being in Ohno's immaculate and expensively decorated apartment brought home to him the massive gap in their circumstances. It highlighted all of the reasons why his crush was an impossible one.
++++
Two days later Aiba was lucky enough to emerge from Sho's office just in time to see Jun stomp past carrying a heavy carton.
"Aiba can you open the door to Ohno-san's office for me?"
"Of course," Aiba said as he hastily complied, almost bursting with curiosity as he did so.
Jun knew that according to Ohno's schedule he wasn't due to arrive in the office for another hour due to a breakfast meeting. He took advantage of this to return the unwanted gift that had been on his doorstep when he arrived home on the previous evening.
"What's in the box? Anything interesting?" Aiba asked eagerly.
"Just something that was delivered to my place by accident," Jun replied as he returned calmly to his desk.
++++
Ohno walked through the office, nodding curtly to Sho who was discussing something with Aiba and closed his office door behind him. It had pained him to not greet Jun, but he didn't want to fuel any possible rumours regarding his relationship with his assistant.
He swore under his breath as he almost tripped over a carton sitting on the floor next to his desk. He swore out loud when he saw what it contained.
++++
Jun was answering the usual stack of emails and studiously ignoring Aiba when Ohno's door opened and a very angry face glared around the door. "Matsumoto! My office. Now!"
Aiba shared a glance with Nino who had just slouched into the office carrying a sheaf of papers. They had never heard that particular level of anger from Jun's boss before. It was lucky that it was beer night and they would be able to extract all the gory details from their friend later.
Jun braced himself as he walked into Ohno's office, carefully closing the door. Behind him Aiba and Nino sighed in frustration, a closed door meant that they wouldn't be able to hear a thing.
++++
"What's the meaning of this?" Ohno asked angrily as he gestured to the offending object sitting on his carpet.
"It seems to have been delivered to my apartment by mistake instead of yours," Jun replied, barely glancing at the carton of wine. It was the same expensive Shiraz that Ohno had served him after the dance lesson.
"It wasn't by mistake. I wanted you to have it." Ohno didn't understand what was so wrong with that.
"I can't possibly accept it. It wouldn't be right," Jun replied stubbornly.
Ohno looked at the proud tilt of Jun's head and his clenched fists, still not fully understanding why Jun was refusing his gift. "You enjoyed the wine didn't you? "
"Yes, but..."
"Then why can't I send you some?"
"Because it's not right...not appropriate...we aren't in a relationship."
Ohno wanted to laugh at Jun's old fashioned ideas of acceptable gifts, but he looked so determined as he stood there, his cheeks flushed with emotion, causing him to feel a twinge of guilt.
"But wine isn't personal..." Ohno began, pausing when he remembered Jun's moan of appreciation at the flavour and his own reaction. "And even if it is, you deserve it. Your agreement to help me with my problem means a lot to me."
Ohno could feel Jun weakening, his hands relaxing by his side. "I just wanted to say thank you for all of your hard work over these past few weeks. Please accept this wine as a token of my gratitude."
Jun had never seen Ohno look or speak so humbly before. He was gazing at him with an almost yearning expression that was impossible to resist.
"Well, if you put it that way, I will accept. Thank you," Jun conceded as he gazed at Ohno shyly through lowered lashes.
Ohno had a sudden urge to pull Jun to him and kiss him thoroughly, an urge which he disguised with brusque words, "Right, fine. Now get back to work. We've wasted quite enough time on this already."
Jun flinched at the harsh tone and abruptly turned to leave, but found his movement halted by Ohno striding across the room and gripping his arm.
"I almost forgot. Is your ankle okay?" Ohno asked gruffly.
"Yes, thank you," Jun was once again captured by the fragrance of Ohno's expensive cologne.
"In that case dinner tonight at my place followed by more dance practice."
"But I have plans."
"Cancel them. This is more important," Ohno said dismissively.
"I can't let my friends down at the last minute," Jun protested.
Ohno tightened his grip on Jun's arm, moving closer than ever. "Please?"
Jun's heart was racing as he felt the warmth of Ohno's hand through the thin material of his shirt. There was a fleeting flicker of vulnerability in Ohno's dark eyes that made Jun forget all about Nino and Aiba and their long-standing arrangement.
"Fine, as long as I get to cook. I can't keep accepting your hospitality without giving anything in return," Jun said.
"It's not necessary. I can have dinner delivered."
"You've given me new clothes and a new look and paid for everything. I'd be much happier if I can do something in return."
Ohno was impressed. Jun only had these things because he was doing him a favour. In fact if this plot succeeded he would owe Jun more than he could ever repay.
Okada had broken his heart when he left. It was made worse by the fact that he didn't even leave him for anyone else. He just said that he couldn't tolerate always coming second to Ohno's work life. Ohno was too shocked to even fight for him; he even helped him to carry his belongings down to the car.
Somehow he always thought that eventually he would come back of his own accord. The wedding invitation had arrived like a punch to the gut. There was no way that he would allow his ex-boyfriend the satisfaction of seeing him still alone, with work as his only companion.
"I'll agree on two conditions. I pay for whatever ingredients you want and we take a couple of these bottles to drink with it," Ohno said with a smile.
"Agreed," Jun replied with a small smile of his own.
++++
“You’re blowing us off and not even explaining why?” Nino was not happy. It was Jun’s turn to host and he’d been looking forward to his homemade snacks and generous beer supplies.
“I’m sorry you guys. I’ll treat you both to lunch one day to make up,” Jun replied.
“You don’t have to bother Jun-kun,” Aiba said. He knew that Jun must have a good reason and he rather hoped that it was related to the extra time he was spending recently with Ohno-san. Aiba had friends in many places and one of those friends just happened to be Ohno’s occasional driver. He had received some very interesting news regarding Jun paying a visit to Ohno’s apartment after work hours which he was holding very close to his chest until he had a chance to discuss it with Jun in private.
“Speak for yourself!” squawked Nino indignantly. There was no way that he was going to let Jun get away unpunished.
Before further arguments could be had, Jun checked his watch and noticing that it was one minute to home time hastily switched off his computer, slung his bag over his shoulder and bolted from the office. Ohno would be driving by to pick him up from around the corner in a few minutes time and the quicker that happened the less possibility there was of being seen by someone from work.
“Don’t you people have homes to go to?” Sho joked as he exited his office, already loosening his tie. It was Friday evening and he had a cooking class to attend. “Even Ohno-san left fifteen minutes ago.”
Aiba was even surer than ever that there was something suspicious going on. Ohno was always the last one to leave the building, seeming to want to prove that even though the firm belonged to his family he worked harder than everyone else.
He had no time to think things through any further as he found himself being grabbed around the wrist by a whiny Nino and dragged away from his desk. It was now obviously his job to feed Nino in Jun’s stead, something which didn’t bother him at all.
++++
“This looks delicious,” Ohno said as he gazed at the plate that Jun had just placed on the table in front of him.
“It’s quite simple really,” Jun replied as he sat down with his own plate of pasta.
Ohno had insisted on buying the highest quality ingredients available, instead of the budget priced items that Jun usually used when cooking for himself. As Jun took the first forkful his eyes widened in surprise at the difference that the expensive shellfish made to his pasta vongole. The price of the clams had almost given Jun a seizure, but Ohno hadn’t even batted an eyelid as he handed over his credit card.
"I lnow we said that we would drink some of the red with this, but I think that champagne would be more appropriate, " Ohno said as he went to retrieve a perfectly chilled bottle from the kitchen.
Jun blinked at the label. One bottle cost almost as much as his rent for one week. The thought made him shrink down slightly in his chair. It made him aware of just how hopeless his crush on Ohno was.
Ohno was feeling oddly nervous as he deftly eased the cork out of the bottle. On impulse he had purchased it at lunch time after arranging this impromptu dinner and dance session. He had blast chilled it while watching with fascination as Jun worked confidently in the unfamiliar kitchen.
After eating in silence for a while Jun asked hesitantly, "Is there something wrong?"
Ohno, who had just realized that he'd been staring at Jun like a lovesick calf, twitched at being caught out. He immediately blustered, "I'm just wondering how long it's going to take you to finish that. You still need a lot of dance practice, considering how clumsy you were last time."
Jun immediately put down his fork and carried their plates to the kitchen, determined to hide the hurt in his eyes at such an abrupt reversal of the warm atmosphere that had developed over the course of the meal.
The moment he was gone Ohno allowed his head to thud down onto the table, ashamed of his own cowardice; he hadn't missed the confusion and hurt on Jun's face. But it was for Jun's benefit that he was determined to not give in to these unexpected feelings that he'd been unable to prevent developing. The last thing he wanted was to use his positon as Jun's boss pressure Jun into a relationship. If it was ever going to happen then Jun was going to have to be the one to take the initiative.
no subject
no subject
no subject
Why this cliff?! T^T
Ok. This is really good! Juntoshi isn't one of my favorite pairings but got hooked! ^^ Love the story the characters!
I'm waitiiiiiing for part 2! <3
no subject
Oh my juntoshi..can't wait for part 2..please2..😍
no subject
no subject
Alright I'm calming down. Sorry. I had a long day and I come home and find this and *cries*
I have so many feelings about Juntoshi, and fake dating is one of my favourite tropes ;___; Ohno as a grumpy workaholic boss getting his Samejima on is awesome. I love to think of him as rough on the outside, but super squishy on the inside. That's why I loved it when he and Jun went to the restaurant and Jun noticed that he was more relaxed in that environment, because it actually corroborates my theory v.v
Ahhh Jun has a crush on him, and Ohno wants him to pose as his boyfriend ;___; I have so many feelings about this! It pains me to see how insecure Jun is towards his crush on Ohno because of their different statuses :( but it's understandable after all.
The Aimiya!! I love that the Kaze trio are friends with each others and have date night together! Friendship is always <3 And Nino being a cheapskate is always welcome xD
"It's ash violet" lol of course it is, Jun.
I love how this is a recurring joke in the fandom.My heart went kyuuuun when I thought about Ohno teaching Jun how to dance *-* Just give it up and fall into each other's arms already lol
Juntoshi 💙💜 I'm off to the second part now~
no subject
You like it? Hooray! It's been a long time since I wrote Juntoshi.
You won't believe me but I only watched Ohno's drama last week. I almost died when I saw the similarity, but it was too late to change by then sonce this was already finished.
I love Arashi friendship above all things, especially between these three.
And of course Ohno knows how to dance, it's in his DNA. ☺
Right off to read your next comment.
I am soooo happy right now 💜💜💜
no subject
The age difference, the size difference, the tension with suppressed feelings! These ingredients make me all fuzzy!!!
no subject
The power comes from his personality.
Than you for reading 💕
{LIST} Arashi fics rec