Put A Ring On It

[learashi]

Title: Put A Ring On It
Pairing: Sakumoto
Rating: NC-17
Summary: After spending far too much time either alone, or with the wrong person, Sho hoped that perhaps this ring which was being worked on with such quiet dedication might finally signal a change in luck.
Notes: This was written for lapetit_chou2 over at shoexchange.

I would also like to offer the greatest thanks, cookies, cheesecake, and hugs, to cielmelodies, who helped me to pull this into readable shape, and coped with my overly long sentences and poor punctuation like a pro.




Sho hesitated momentarily in front of the impressive door before pressing the buzzer. His large dark eyes widened as the door was opened by a small handsome man with a gummy grin plastered across his face, wearing a beautifully cut suit which looked as if it cost almost as much as a small car. Sho had no idea what would greet him when he entered the building; the business had been recommended by a good friend who spent an almost embarrassing amount of money on his wife at the store.

“You are?”

“Sakurai Sho,” Sho replied, embarrassed by the quiver in his voice. It was ridiculous how nervous he was feeling under the scrutiny of the jewellery store employee. “I have an appointment at 2 pm.”

“Ah perfect. I'm Ninomiya Kazunari, Manager of One Love,” the man said, opening the door and gesturing for Sho to enter. “Ohno-san said that you were recommended by Oguri Shun-san.”

“Oh, I thought that Shun recommended you to me rather than the other way around,” Sho replied, puzzled by the manager’s words.

“I think you will find that things work the other way around. Ohno-san only performs work for people whom he approves of, so you should consider yourself lucky.”

Sho suddenly felt nervous that his request would be turned down by the master craftsman. Perhaps he wanted too much control over the piece, something which went against Ohno’s reputation for absolute artistic control once the design was roughly decided upon. He could only hope that he could manage to convey the importance of the piece; his whole romantic future hinged on this ring, and he believed that Ohno was the only one capable of fulfilling his vision. After researching this industry and speaking with friends, Sho was convinced that One Love was the best in the field.

Taking a deep breath, Sho gingerly stepped into the unknown. Shun had told him not to expect One Love to be like any other conventional jewellery store he had ever previously seen.

++

One Love Gems, owned by master craftsman Ohno Satoshi, specialized in handmade custom-crafted pieces of jewellery which had often been described as wearable pieces of art. Such was the exclusivity of the business that appointments were by pre-arrangement only; the store even dismissing the need for a display window out front as if unwilling to allow casual passers-by the tiniest hint of what was on offer inside.

Contrary to most jewellery stores, the showroom resembled a comfortable living room, rather than a place of business. The open space was dotted with squashy armchairs and intricately carved wooden tables, using individual floor lamps as the main source of lighting to create an atmosphere of intimacy. Surprisingly, there was only a single piece of jewellery on display: a delicate necklace featuring a glowing cornflower blue Ceylon sapphire. Sho gazed appreciatively its intricate beauty as the quiet room stilled his nerves.

Ninomiya returned with a taller man in tow, and Sho momentarily forgot how to breathe. Slender, but with broad shoulders and a pair of compellingly beautiful eyes that were partially hidden behind a pair of heavily framed glasses, he appeared to be a couple of years younger than Sho.

“Sakurai Sho-san? I'm Matsumoto Jun, and I will be making the preliminary sketches of your design,” Jun said softly, as he ushered Sho to a small table which had two comfortable chairs on either side. “Ninomiya-san will fetch us some tea, if you'd like?”

Sho, who very much preferred coffee, found himself nodding automatically, somehow unable to use his words.

“I thought that I would be meeting with Ohno-san.” Sho finally managed to speak, but his voice sounded rusty.

“I’m afraid that he is really very busy…” Jun began.

“He doesn’t really like people, and he doesn't really talk,” Nino added, as he returned with a teapot and two cups. “He mostly just grunts and points.”

Jun narrowed his eyes at Nino. “Ohno-san just prefers to focus on the actual creation of the pieces,” he said stiffly.

Nino raised an eyebrow as he placed the tray down on the table, leaving enough room for Jun’s sketchbook and pencils, before he made his way back to the workshop.

“Ohno-san said that you want a ring made for a special person?” Jun said, pushing his glasses back into place from where they had slipped slightly down his nose.

“I want to give this to the person who I love most in the world,” Sho answered in a dreamy tone.

Jun frowned slightly, as if Sho’s words displeased him in some way, before his face resumed its smooth professional appearance. “Then we will need to make sure that it is perfect.”

++

On Sho’s second visit, Jun produced a sketch for his approval. The ring depicted was stunning, but it didn't quite match Sho’s vision any longer.

Once again, tea was served and Sho forced himself to drink it, distracting himself by looking at Jun’s long and well-shaped fingers as they cradled the delicate glass cup.

In Sho’s imagination, he pictured the ring on Jun’s slender fingers, glittering as Jun ran his fingers through his tousled hair, or lifted his coffee cup to his mouth. The design was too elaborate and the band too narrow: it wasn't what Sho wanted at all. Even though the style was exactly what he'd asked for, it was suddenly important to him that the ring matched Jun’s quiet, understated style.


“I'm sorry, but I’ve changed my mind,” Sho said as he looked more closely at the sketch. “It’s not quite right.”

Jun frowned in disappointment as Sho politely rejected his work and requested alterations to the design; he prided himself on his ability to satisfy clients and produce the perfect piece of jewellery, usually after only one meeting to assess their needs. Admittedly the piece wasn't something he would ever wear (not that he had told Sho that, since he was simply following Sho’s instructions), but as he wasn't the intended recipient of the ring he had tried to come up with something generic, just as a base to work from. Even though he knew this, Sho’s dismissal of his work stung him, hurting more than just his professional pride.

Sho didn't seem too bothered though as he made an appointment for the next week. In fact, he was smiling widely as he took the appointment card from Jun’s fingers. A small flicker of emotion ran through Jun’s body as their fingers made contact; Sho was indeed a very handsome man when he smiled.


++

As Sho walked to his car he rubbed his right hand. His fingers were still tingling from the brief contact with Jun.

The look of disappointment that had flickered across Jun’s face when Sho had rejected the design had pricked his conscience. Sho had almost been tempted to accept the ring, just to make Jun happy, but the prospect of seeing Jun again, or perhaps multiple times was even more alluring.

A week later their appointment finished at just around morning tea time, and Sho was pleasantly surprised when Jun suggested they go out for a snack together.

Even though Sho had finally agreed on rose gold as the base of the ring, he still shook his head at Jun’s suggestions, insisting that he would know instantly when the design fulfilled his dream.

Jun decided that it would be helpful if he could get to know more about Sho and his likes and dislikes. Ohno insisted that every client receive the best and most perfect piece; it needed to not only be beautiful, but also satisfy their emotional needs. Nino scoffed out loud at Ohno’s insistence that they were creating romantic dreams. Jun agreed with Nino, but chose to keep his thoughts to himself; perhaps his past record with romance was souring his perception.

“This is a curry house,” Sho said, as he looked at the colourful banner hanging over the small entrance to the restaurant. It was far from the trendy coffee shop that he had been expecting to be taken to by Jun, who was always immaculately dressed and accessorized.

“Yes, but they also serve the best coffee around,” Jun replied, as he ushered Sho through the door ahead of him.

The tall man who was busy stirring a large pot at the stove behind the counter, immediately dropped his wooden spoon and greeted them eagerly.

“Good morning! Sit, sit,” he chirped, flapping his hands in the general direction of the two stools closest to him at the counter. “You didn't tell me that you have a new man, Jun. He is gorgeous,” he added, while scrunching his eyes oddly in what looked like a failed attempt at a wink.

“Aiba, what have I told you about thinking before you speak?” Jun squeaked as his face flushed a deep pink. “This is Sakurai-san; he's just one of my clients.”

Sho felt his face involuntarily crumple with disappointment at Jun’s casual dismissal.

Instantly recognizing the rudeness of his words, Jun blushed even deeper, and hastily apologized before introducing Sho to his best friend, and owner of the tiny shop, Aiba Masaki.

“Ah well, every relationship has to start somewhere, right?” Aiba wiped down the already spotless counter and took their order, not seeming in the slightest bit chastened by Jun’s fierce glare. “Your usual tea, Jun?”

“Yes thanks, and a coffee for Sakurai-san please.”

Sho looked at Jun in astonishment, “How did you know…?”

“That you don't like tea?” A slightly quirked eyebrow gave away Jun’s amusement. “Because of the face you pull when you drink it. Your lips get all pouty.”

Aiba looked back and forth between his two customers, unable to quite believe that the pair of them didn't seem to even notice the gentle flirting which was taking place between them.

++

As Sho made his way home it was as if he were floating on a cloud. The sun seemed brighter, and he was apparently humming under his breath without even being aware of doing it.

There was something about Jun which made him want to know him better and to understand why he seemed so withdrawn and self-contained. Jun was so passionate about his work; something which Sho found incredibly attractive.

After spending far too much time either alone, or with the wrong person, Sho hoped that perhaps this ring which was being worked on with such quiet dedication might finally signal a change in luck.

Jun hadn't smiled once during their previous meetings, which was somewhat understandable, since they were work related. But even when he'd invited Sho for coffee at his overly cheerful friend’s restaurant, Jun’s face had remained impassive.

Determined to see what Jun looked like when he smiled, Sho bought ammunition with him to their next meeting two weeks later to review the design of the ring. He felt bad that he'd been unable to meet with Jun any earlier than this, due to other unavoidable commitments

Nino gave him an odd look when he ushered him into the store, tilting his head at the cardboard cylinder that Sho was carrying, tucked under his arm.

“Perhaps this might be of some assistance?” Sho pulled the red plastic end cap out of the cardboard tube, sliding some sheets of sketch paper out onto the table.

Jun picked up the paper, eyeing it with a mixture of amusement and confusion. “Thank you Sakurai-san, it's very cute, but I’m not sure how a child's drawing of a doughnut with sprinkles is going to help us to come up with the perfect design.”

Sho blinked, his lips forming a pout, “They're my sketches of how I think the ring should look.”

A snorting snicker came from Nino’s direction, but when Sho turned to glare, the room was empty.

“Oh, um, so what are these lumpy pink and yellow blobs?” Jun was trying very hard to keep the amusement out of his voice.

“They're pink and yellow diamonds,” Sho replied in an offended tone.

“And the chickens?”

“They're not chickens! They're doves!”

Jun’s face was turning red and he knew that he would explode any moment. He managed to splutter, “I'll just take these and show them to Ohno-san. I'm sure he'll find them most...interesting.”

As hard as Jun tried, he couldn't hide the wide smile that threatened to split his face in two, or suppress the giggles that bubbled up in the back of his throat as he ducked through the door that led to the workroom.

Sho’s heart fluttered in his chest. His plan to make Jun smile had succeeded even better than he’d imagined when he'd scribbled the drawings; if only Jun could look that happy all the time.

++

Jun’s cheeks were pink when he returned, and a smile played around the corner of his lips. He carried the pages at an exaggerated distance in front of him as if they were radioactive, “Perhaps something a little less…um…flamboyant?”

Sho pretended to be hurt, putting a pout on his face and giving Jun his best puppy eyes. Heaving a deep and sorrowful sigh, he took back the sketches and placed a small velvet pouch down in their stead. “Maybe these will be a source of inspiration?”

Jun picked it up warily, as if fearing what Sho would come up with next, but his eyes widened with surprised approval as he gently emptied the contents out onto the special black velvet tray inset into the table.

The pouch contained an assortment of gems in various colours, which tumbled out onto the velvet pad in a tiny sparkling rainbow.

“The diamonds belonged to my grandmother and then my mother, but I purchased the ruby on a trip earlier this year,” Sho said modestly.

“The champagne coloured stones will work well with the rose gold.” Jun’s tone clearly expressed surprise at Sho’s sudden good taste. “But white diamonds are more traditional in these sorts of pieces. Are you sure that the intended recipient will be pleased?”

Wondering if that meant that Jun didn’t like the idea, and that he was just being polite, Sho asked, “But you approve of my choice, don’t you?”

Jun’s response was somehow more important to Sho than he would have ever thought. They had only known each other for a few weeks and had never spent any real time alone together, but Sho could hardly breathe as he waited to hear Jun’s opinion on his family heirlooms.

“I think they are lovely, and I think that we can come up with something truly unique and beautiful with them.”

“Then I’m sure that everything will be more than fine.”

As Jun made some preliminary sketches, Nino brought them their usual tea and coffee, but this time there was even a plate with small sugar cookies sitting on the tray.

Sho surmised by the surprised expression on Jun’s face that this was not a regular occurrence.

Picking up on Sho’s questioning look Jun smiled. “You must have done something to meet with Nino’s approval. He only ever serves cookies when he's in a particularly good mood.”

Sho happily grabbed two of the cookies and washed them down with a mouthful of coffee. He noticed that Jun declined to eat any with his green tea though, “Not having any yourself?”

“Not really to my taste.” Jun shook his head slightly and pushed the plate closer to Sho. “I prefer something sweeter. Feel free to eat them all.”

++

As Jun took his place at his usual table in the showroom, he tried to ignore the butterflies that had apparently taken up residence in his stomach. Sakurai Sho was just another client, purchasing a ring for someone else - someone whom he obviously loved deeply. It was wonderful, and somehow deeply reassuring to see the amount of trouble Sho was going through to perfect the design. Jun only wished that someone would love him just as deeply one day. It was wrong to look forward to these meetings as much as he did, but Jun couldn't help himself or stop himself from enjoying the chats he had with Sho over coffee over the past two months.

“He’s not coming,” Nino said, walking past carrying a sheaf of invoices. “Obviously Sakurai-san has something, or perhaps, someone, more important to do this morning.”

“Oh.” Jun began to slowly gather his paperwork, subdued by Nino’s disapproving tone.

Nino paused, closely observing Jun’s crestfallen expression before seeming to make up his mind about something. He walked back to his desk situated in the far corner of the room.

“This arrived for you, along with the note saying that he wasn't coming.” Nino handed over a square cardboard box tied with a gold ribbon bearing the name of a famous patisserie.

Jun stroked his fingers over the ribbon before carefully removing it and lifting the lid. Nestled inside was the most perfect Mont Blanc dessert that Jun had ever seen. The pastry base was a rich golden colour filled with whipped cream, almond paste and cream patisserie all topped with a neat dome of sweetened pureed chestnut.

“It’s almost too pretty to eat.”

“If you don't want it then I'm sure that Ohno-san will happily take it,” Nino said, attempting to snatch the box back.

“Don't you dare!” Jun cradled the box protectively against his chest.

“I was only joking.” Nino backed away with hands raised in surrender. “I'll make you some fresh tea to wash it down with.”

“Thank you,” Jun murmured absently. The dessert was one of his favourites, but he was puzzled by Sho’s gesture. If the man actually had a fiance, then was it appropriate for Sho to be sending him a gift?

++

“Your usual tea, Jun?” Aiba was already hovering with the teapot.

“I might try a coffee today,” Jun’s response was distracted, as he scribbled a sketch onto one of the paper napkins that he’d pulled out of the holder on the counter.

“Coffee?” Reeling back dramatically, Aiba nearly spilled tea all over himself. “That, Sakurai-san must be having a bigger influence on you than you think.”

Jun looked up at Aiba with a puzzled expression, “I just felt like a change, what's wrong with that?”

The restaurant owner’s eyes rolled almost into the back of his skull as he filled a cup for his friend, refraining from mentioning that in the five years that they had known each other this was the first cup of coffee that he had ever seen Jun drink.

Never one to give up easily, Aiba decided to try and pry further information from his friend.

“So, you and Sho-san seem to get along really well together...”

“He’s a client, that’s all,” Jun mumbled as he toyed with his cup.

“Oh, really? “ Aiba poured himself a cup of coffee and rested his elbows on the countertop. “How many other clients have you ever taken for coffee?”

Jun blinked at him. “He’s the first actually. It’s just that I seem to be having trouble pinning down the design this time. I feel kind of guilty for making him come back repeatedly.”

“Guilty or happy?”

“What? Happy?”

“When you were here last; you seemed quite absorbed in the conversation between you two.”

“He’s funny and intelligent and makes interesting conversation,” Jun admitted.

“You like him, don’t you?” Aiba asked gently. “And don’t protest and try to deny it. It’s not a bad thing to like somebody.”

“But he is having a ring made. An engagement ring.”

“Has he ever called it that? Or talked about the person he is making it for? Not even once over all these weeks? ”

“No…but—”

“Did you ask him?"

"Of course not! It's none of my business."

"Then what gives you the idea that he's in a relationship?" Aiba topped up his own coffee and removed Jun's barely touched cup, replacing it with his favourite green tea.

"Nino and Ohno-san seem to be convinced that he is," Jun replied hesitantly, as he took a grateful sip of his tea.

"Why don't you just ask him?"

"Because that would be rude," Jun said stubbornly. “You know what happened with my last boyfriend. I have no intention of being caught in a complicated and messy situation like that ever again. My heart couldn't take it,” Jun added, before hastily changing the subject.

Aiba heaved a mental sigh, but he knew that there was no point in pushing Jun to do something which obviously made him uncomfortable. But even though he’d been the one to help Jun pick up the pieces when his previous relationship crashed and burned, he still hoped for the best. He'd seen the way that Sho had looked at Jun and hoped instead that the man would confide in Jun sooner rather than later.

++

“We’ve taken the changes you wished to make into account, and included the gems that you gave us to use. It’s perhaps less flashy than you asked for but I think that your intended recipient will like it.” Jun pushed the sketch a little closer to Sho across the table in an attempt to attract Sho’s attention.

Sho cleared his throat, blinking to try and bring his eyes back into focus. He was finding himself increasingly distracted by all of the little things he was noticing about Jun.

It was hard to pin down the exact colour of his eyes; the light brown of them seemed to change depth and shade every time he saw him, perfectly framed by long and luxuriant lashes. Jun’s fingers were slender and there was a distinctive curve to his thumbs which practically begged to be traced with a fingertip. Even the imperfections on the skin over Jun’s prominent cheekbones seemed alluring to Sho, especially the tiny divot on the bridge of his nose, next to his right eyebrow.

Guilt at being caught staring, and the impropriety of his thoughts in the first place caused a slow blush to spread up Sho’s neck.

“Um...” Sho stared fixedly at the drawing, avoiding Jun’s questioning gaze as he willed his face to return to its usual colour.

It took only a few moments for Sho to recognize that Jun’s design was even better than he had asked for. The band was wide, gently curved on the outside and perfectly smooth. Instead of setting the stones on the outside, they were hidden away, meant to be worn next to the skin. The small ruby was flanked on either side by the champagne coloured diamonds and there was enough space left free on the inside of the band for engraving.

“It’s … it’s completely different,” Sho stuttered.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I came up with the design when Jun-kun showed me the stones.”

Sho looked up, startled by the sudden appearance of a small man with weathered skin. He was dressed in dirty work clothes and a heavy duty apron, but his fingers were long and delicate looking.

“Ohno-san always makes the final decision regarding the design of the pieces,” Jun offered by way of explanation.

“Jun-kun explained that the gems came from your mother and grandmother, and therefore were of great sentimental value. This design allows the stones to be worn next to the skin, forging a special connection from your beloved relatives to the new love of your life.”

Jun blinked at Ohno; he had never before heard the man speak with such feeling.

“It also hints at hidden desire and secret passion,” Ohno added. “Sometimes people maintain a bland façade to cover their true feelings.”

In the far corner of the room, Nino sighed before walking over and grabbing Ohno by the arm and steering him back to the workroom. It was obvious to all of them, that Jun harboured feelings for Sho, but since he was having a ring made for someone else, the worst thing they could do would be to encourage him.

++

“So I guess this will be our last meeting,” Sho said wistfully. “I must admit that I have enjoyed coming here over the last three months. And not just because of the cookies.”

“Nino-san will contact you when the ring is ready to be collected.” The tips of Jun’s ears turned red as he shuffled the papers on the table. “Unless…”

“Unless?”

“Um…no, nothing,” Jun mumbled as he wiped some imaginary specks of dust from the table.

“No, please tell me…”

“Unless you want to have dinner with me to celebrate.” Jun blinked nervously before adding, “I’ve been looking for a way to repay you for the dessert. I’m only talking about some curry at Aiba’s, nothing fancy. Unless you want fancy?”

“NO!”

“Oh, then nevermind.”

“No! I didn't mean ‘no’. I meant that I don't want anything fancy. If Aiba’s food is as good as his coffee, then I’m sure it will be great.”

Jun’s shy smile and the look that he gave him through long lashes as he led him to the door, made Sho’s heart flutter in way that he had thought that he might never experience again. It was something of a relief to know that despite years of disuse, his emotions were still there, buried deep within, just waiting for the first spark of attraction.

++

Sho slowly put down his spoon; the sensation of two pairs of eyes observing him too closely was unnerving. “What?” he asked around a mouthful of curry.

Jun and Aiba exchanged an astonished look.

“I've never had a customer eat three plates of food in such a short time. It must be some kind of record,” Aiba replied cheerfully, as he ladled another helping of the rich and darkly fragrant curry onto Sho’s plate.

“And I've never seen anyone eat with such single-minded passion and devotion before.” Jun’s cheeks were stained a light pink and his eyes were wide and admiring.

Aiba plonked two beers down on the counter. “A gift from me. Thanks for making me feel like the best chef in the world.”

“Do you do everything with such gusto?” Jun spooned a small portion of curry into his own mouth as he watched Sho cram as much into his mouth at once. “Nobody is going to steal it from you,” Jun added with a laugh.

Once again, Jun’s laugh went straight to Sho’s heart. Jun looked so much softer and younger when he relaxed and allowed his feelings to show.

“My mother used to always say the same thing, but she was wrong. My younger brother used to sneak food from my plate when I wasn't looking, so I learnt that what was eaten first couldn't be stolen. The little sneak would look at me with big gloating eyes as he scoffed my food, knowing that I wouldn't say anything to our parents to get him into trouble.”

“And now? What's your excuse?”

“No excuses. I just love eating, especially something that people put their whole heart into making.” Sho gestured to Aiba with his beer bottle and saluted him, receiving a breathless giggle and an extra helping of food in return.

A few minutes later Aiba returned, offering them two more beers, and a complicated joke involving a horse, a donkey and a confused bartender. It was impossible to say no.

++


Jun finished the last bite of his curry and gestured towards Sho’s wrist, “That’s a handsome watch you have there.”


Sho looked pleased and looked at the watch, “I picked it up in Switzerland last month.”

“Were you there on holiday?” Jun was interested to learn more about Sho and his life outside of their brief meetings.


“Holiday? Unfortunately I can't remember the last time I had a holiday,“ Sho looked vaguely discomforted as he answered. “I guess I'm a bit of a workaholic and the boss at my firm likes it that way.”


Jun worried that this meant that Sho was taking time away from what sounded like a stressful working life and was instantly guilty for all of the extra appointments and time he was taking in coming up with the perfect design. “Oh...I'm sorry. I hope your boss doesn't mind you taking time off to come and see me.” Jun blushed and hastily added, “I mean, visit One Love.”


Looking puzzled for a moment, before he laughed, Sho said, “Don't worry about me. I know how exactly how to keep the CEO sweet.”


But Jun was concerned that Sho was putting his job in danger. “I would've emailed you the sketches if only you’d asked.”


Sho had tried to keep his financial circumstances to himself for fear of frightening Jun away. But Jun’s concern for him helped him to decide that he had to put Jun’s fears to rest. The thought that Jun was worried about him, made his stomach flip with excitement, but he didn't want to cause him any unnecessary stress. “I’m sorry for not making myself clear, but sometimes people try to get close to me because of my circumstances. My family is wealthy, very wealthy. I'm the CEO of one of the family businesses. Please don't hold it against me.”


Jun blinked in surprise, “You think that I would treat you differently?”


“Most people do, when they find out.” Sho looked sad as he remembered all of the people who had only pretended to like him, just for his money. But Jun was different; he had been interested in talking to him, and genuinely concerned for his welfare.


“But you're still you. I'm just relieved and happy that you aren't in financial difficulties,” Jun smiled.


“You really are, aren't you?” Sho couldn't help but smile in return.


++

The beers drunk while eating Aiba’s delicious curry were followed by a couple of cocktails at a nearby bar. Feeling a little tipsy, Jun readily agreed to accompany Sho back to his apartment for a coffee and a midnight snack. Apparently Sho always kept a supply of cheesecake in the freezer, which he claimed was a miracle at preventing hangovers, sobering up people enough to enable them to get home safely.

Sho was rinsing their plates prior to putting them in the dishwasher when he felt a puff of warm air on the back of his neck. Jun was standing close behind him, watching intently as he bent over to place the dishes into the machine.

“You have beautiful hands,” Jun blurted, his cheeks still flushed a light pink from the alcohol they’d consumed earlier. “So strong, and with such long fingers.”

Sho felt heat creeping up the back of his neck as he turned to meet Jun’s intense gaze. Neither of them was strictly sober, but they definitely weren’t too drunk to know exactly what they were doing.

“And you have beautiful eyes.” Sho’s quietly spoken praise intensified the colour of Jun’s cheeks. And then they moved together as one, embracing as they explored the taste of each other for the first time.

++

All of the time that Sho had guiltily spent fantasizing about Jun hadn't even come close to doing justice to Jun’s glorious body. Until now, Jun had always been so serious, but as Sho’s fingers tickled lightly against his sides, Jun burst into a fit of giggles that he seemed unable to repress.

Jun glared up at him with an expression similar to that of an offended cat, making Sho unable to resist the urge to run his fingers over Jun’s hip bone, to see if that spot was just as sensitive.

To Sho’s great delight, Jun mewled and wriggled deliciously under his body. The motion caused a jolt of pleasure to flow through to his cock, which was buried deeply inside Jun, who lay spreadeagled across the bed on his back.

“Can you stop teasing, and start moving?” Jun jiggled his own hips in invitation.

“Moving? Like this?” Sho wiggled his fingers in front of Jun’s face.

The glare that Jun gave in response was priceless. “I am seriously going to leave in a second if you don't stop that.”

“I’d be interested to see you try,” Sho chuckled, as he pinned Jun’s hands firmly down onto the mattress above his head. His eyes darkened as he withdrew slightly, before rolling his hips with enough force to make Jun gasp.

Jun arched his back, arching his slender neck and revealing two perfect moles which drew Sho’s lips to them like magnets. Nibbling lightly on them, Sho slowly withdrew and slid back into Jun’s tight heat. Sho received a shock as Jun wrapped his legs tightly around his waist, and tapped his feet against his buttocks.

“Harder!” Jun demanded; the alcohol that was still in his system was making him louder and more forward than Sho had ever seen him. “Move!”

Even though Sho wasn't entirely sober either, he restrained himself from obeying Jun’s orders immediately. He didn't want to hurt Jun by moving too harshly until Jun was completely comfortable, even though he had taken great care in preparing him for entry. Instead of the hard thrusts that Jun was impatiently demanding, Sho began to slowly rock his hips, withdrawing until only the tip of his cock remained inside, before smoothly sliding back in right to the hilt.

Jun’s needy whimpers soon indicated that he was ready for more, so Sho began to pick up the pace, interspersing his slow movements with rapid, hard snaps of his hips. Taking hold of Jun’s hardness, Sho began to stroke him roughly in time with his thrusts, excitement thrumming through his body as Jun cried out at his touch.

Fascinated by the ever-changing expressions flickering across Jun’s face, and in the way that he bit down on his bottom lip, Sho didn't even realize that Jun’s orgasm was approaching, until Jun cried out, hot spurts of come filling the gap between their bodies.

The sensation of Jun clenching tightly around his cock as Jun’s come slid slowly to the mattress forced a moan from Sho’s throat as he filled the condom with jerking hips, before he collapsed bonelessly down onto Jun’s body. Both of them struggled to catch their breaths.

Sho’s head was spinning as he carefully withdrew and flopped down onto the mattress next to Jun, already appearing to be half-asleep. Grabbing a handful of tissues, Sho disposed of the condom and thoroughly cleaned Jun up before he allowed himself to close his eyes briefly.

++

Unaware that he had even been asleep, Sho jerked awake as something warm and moist wrapped itself around his cock.

“Jun, what…?” Sho blinked in confusion as he realized that Jun must have been working on him for some time, as he was already hard. The subdued and quietly sad Jun who Sho had come to know over the past weeks had been replaced by a confident and demanding Jun, one who knew what he wanted and was determined to get it.

“Since you wouldn't do it hard enough last time, I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands.” Jun circled his tongue around the swollen head of Sho’s cock before slipping a condom over its hard length.

Before Sho could gather his wits well enough to respond, Jun had gripped the base of his erection and positioned himself over it. With a wild look in his eyes, Jun lowered himself over Sho’s cock in one swift and fluid motion, barely pausing before rising and falling down onto the steely hardness.

“Ngh…Jun.”

“Just relax and enjoy the ride,” Jun grunted, cheeks red with effort and eyes dark with arousal.


Sho couldn't contain the filthy noises escaping from his mouth as he was overwhelmed by the sensation of Jun drawing him into his body. It seemed as if he was finally meeting the real Jun. The quiet stoic man in the well-cut suit, had been replaced by a sensual being who wasn't afraid to show his emotions. Jun’s passion and beauty made it hard for Sho to breathe, enraptured by the sight of Jun biting his bottom lip, brow creasing in concentration as he adjusted to Sho’s thick cock stretching him open.

For all of Jun’s reserved demeanour at his place of work, he was turning out to be quite insatiable in bed, Sho thought vaguely, before Jun’s rocking motion against his pelvis drove any further coherent thoughts from his head.

++

The next morning, Sho heard shuffling sounds in his living room and for a moment thought he was being burgled, until the memory of Jun’s warm and muscular body moving in rhythm with his own brought an involuntary smile to his face.

After prying open his eyes and confirming for himself that Jun had already left bed, Sho called out, “I’m just going to take a quick shower. You can go next while I make us both some breakfast. That is unless you’d rather join me right now.”

When no reply was forthcoming, Sho shuffled into the living room, wondering whether Jun was in the middle of cooking him a surprise breakfast, but he soon realized that he was alone in the apartment.

It was as if Jun had never been there, until Sho found the small yellow post-it stuck to the fridge, which simply said ‘SORRY’.

++


Aiba looked up sharply as Sho rushed through the door to his restaurant.


“Aiba-san, have you seen Jun recently?” Sho tried to contain his emotions, but his impatience must have come through. “I thought he might be here, since it's his usual time for a tea break.”


“The last time I spoke with him was when you two were here for dinner,” Aiba said coldly. “He has his phone switched off, and he wasn't at his apartment when I dropped around there last night. It’s been a week now, and he hasn't been in.”


“I'm so worried about him, he just ran off after we…” Sho stopped short of revealing too much.


“When Jun has feelings for someone they run deep, but he sometimes struggles to express himself. If you want him, then you'll have to be the one to speak first and to reassure him that you mean every word you say. But if you're what the others think you are, then just leave him alone.” Aiba said, looking at Sho with eyes filled with concern.


++

Frantic with worry, Sho hammered on the door to One Love Gems. He was prepared to keep on knocking until he had finally spoken with Jun.

After Jun had fled from his bedroom, Sho had realized that he didn’t even have Jun’s private number. His visit to Aiba had achieved nothing apart from filling him with a puzzling level of guilt and confusion as well. His calls to Jun’s workplace had been equally frustrating: Nino had politely told him that Jun was unavailable each time he had called. The first few times he’d thought that Nino was simply being obstructive, but as the days passed and there was still no Jun, Sho had heard the worry in Nino’s voice.

As his knuckles turned red, Sho changed to hammering on the door with the side of his clenched fist. He knew that he was acting irrationally, but he had a feeling that there was something seriously amiss with Jun and he was worried that he was the cause.

While he was swapping hands, the door opened a tiny crack, and a small portion of Nino’s face appeared in the gap.

“You don’t have an appointment and you’re giving me a headache,” Nino said angrily. “Go away.”

Nino’s attempt to slam the door in Sho’s face was halted as Sho pushed his way into the store.

“I’m sorry to be rude, but I’m worried about Jun and I need to speak with him to make sure he’s okay.”

“Now you’re worried about him?” Nino widened his eyes in exaggerated disapproval. “He’s not here anyway. In fact he hasn’t been at work in the two weeks since he went to dinner with you, so if anyone knows where he is, shouldn’t it be you?”

Before Sho could answer, the door to the workroom opened and Ohno popped his head into the showroom. “Show him to my office and bring us some coffee, Nino. I’ll take care of this.”

Nino practically snarled before composing his features into a bland professional façade.

Any other time Sho would have been fascinated by the workshop and the various tools neatly arrayed at different workstations, but he barely took in his surroundings as Nino led him to a small office in the corner of the room.

If Sho was expecting a warmer welcome from Jun’s boss, then he was sorely mistaken if the stony glare being directed at him from Ohno was any indicator.

++

“I know that Jun is a grown man and I’m not his father, but I can’t condone what you did to him.” There was an angry crease between Ohno’s eyebrows as he poured them both a cup of coffee, which had been sullenly dumped on the desk by an obviously angry Nino.

“I don’t quite understand…”

“Jun’s last relationship didn’t end well. He’s been closed off and sad, worrying us all, and now for you to play on his feelings like that and take advantage of him…especially when you are obviously not serious about entering into a relationship with him.”

Sho’s intention to remain calm flew out the window. “How dare you accuse me of taking advantage of him. We're both consenting adults and anything that occurred between us is none of your business. As you just said, Jun is a grown man and perfectly capable of making his own decisions.”

“If he was so happy with that decision then why did he come here almost in tears and ask for some time off?” Ohno’s fingers clenched tightly around the mug, almost as if he wished the handle was Sho’s neck.

“I don’t know what went wrong, but I do know that Jun is worth fighting for.” Sho was worried, but determined. “I'm sure that if I can just see him then we can work things out between us.”

“I think we should tell him,” Nino said, startling Sho, who hadn’t heard him enter the room. “Whether we approve or not, Jun really likes him. Either they'll end it or sort themselves out, and we owe it to Jun to allow him the chance.”

“Thank you.” Sho was confused by the level of hostility the pair was showing towards him, but grateful for Nino’s grudging support.

“Don't thank me. If it was up to me I'd throw you out on your ass, but for some strange reason Jun likes you, and since he's one of the few people I can tolerate, I want him to be happy.”

++


It was hard for Sho to see the road as the wipers struggled to cope with the quantity of water lashing against the windscreen.

The day before, Ohno had reluctantly handed over the details of the tiny holiday cottage that he had given Jun the keys to a week earlier. He had advised Sho to wait a day before heading there due to the unseasonal typhoon that was currently lashing the coastline.

To Sho though, this wasn't an option. He needed to see Jun as soon as possible.


The hostility which had been shown towards him by Jun’s work colleagues was puzzling and worrisome, but the need to resolve things made him head out without questioning them further.

++

The waterproof jacket kept out the rain, but not the cold, and Sho felt himself shivering as he made his way along the beach path that led to Ohno’s fishing shack.

The rain stopped momentarily, allowing Sho a view along the beach where a hunched figure trod disconsolately, battling the wind gusts with every step. Even though his back was to Sho, his swaying gait was instantly recognisable.

“JUN!”

Jun seemed to be in a daze as he continued along the beach, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was soaked to the skin and in danger of being struck by flying debris, carried along by the force of the wind.

Sho immediately set off in pursuit, stepping quickly across the wet sand, squinting his eyes to keep out the stinging salt spray.

Finally, Jun seemed to sense that he was no longer alone and halted momentarily, turning towards Sho and gazing at him with a blank expression.

Sho waved both arms above his head, “Jun, wait for me!”

Recognition seeped into Jun’s eyes, and he froze, as if disbelieving the possibility that Sho was actually there and heading towards him.

“Jun, please!” Sho begged as he stumbled across the dunes, tripping on the sodden vegetation.

Jun’s eyes widened in shock as he began to panic. The night spent with Sho had been magical and better than he could have possibly imagined. He found himself rooted to the spot as Sho began to make his way towards him, shouting into the face of the gale.

The wind stole Sho’s words from his mouth as he strode towards Jun, but even though his words were lost in the intensity of the wind, his intentions were clear.

Jun turned and began to run as the wind whipped his hair into his eyes. The fury of the storm was intensifying, but Jun was so intent on escaping that he didn’t see the hole dug in the sand, possibly by someone’s over-enthusiastic dog, until it was too late. Yelping with pain as his ankle twisted underneath him, Jun tumbled down the side of the steep dune and landed in a heap at the bottom.

Protected from the wind on two sides by the dunes, it was oddly peaceful with the howling of the gale seeming muffled and somehow far away. Jun laid there, listening to the panicked rasping of his own breathing and the frantic pounding of his heart, too stunned by the fall and startled by the fact that Sho had tracked him down, to be able to move.

Sand rained down on Jun as Sho half ran, half slid down the steep and unstable side of the dune. Jun’s attempts to wriggle away were foiled as a pair of strong arms wrapped firmly around him, pinning his arms against his sides.

Before he had the chance to protest, Sho pressed his lips to Jun’s trembling ones, and clutched Jun protectively to his chest.

Jun struggled to free himself, and bit hard on Sho’s bottom lip. “Let me go! I didn’t want to see you ever again. Why don't you just go away and leave me alone?”

“No.” Sho licked the blood from his lip and held on even tighter. “I’m not leaving you out here in this storm. You’re soaked and freezing, and I very much doubt that you can even walk.”

“Let me go and I’ll prove it to you,” Jun huffed. “I don’t need your protection. I don’t need you.”

“Fine.” Sho hauled himself to his feet, Jun still held firmly in his arms. A moment later he released Jun, allowing him to stand on his own two feet.

After glaring at Sho with narrowed eyes, Jun brushed the hair from his eyes and attempted to march away. Unfortunately, as soon as he placed his weight on his injured ankle, he collapsed in an untidy pile on the ground, clutching the injured joint and cursing loudly.

“Now will you let me help you?” Sho asked as he held out his hand to Jun.

“Help yes, talk no.” Jun reluctantly took Sho’s hand and allowed Shoto half carry him back to the cottage.

++

“We’re at the cottage so you can go now.” Jun’s hand was shaking so badly, he couldn't get the key in the lock.

“Do you really think that I would leave you here in this state?” Sho couldn’t miss the blue tinge to Jun’s lips as the water dripping from Jun’s clothes formed a puddle in front of the door. “And even if you didn't look like a drowned rat, I still wouldn't be going anywhere. I didn't drive six hours through a typhoon just to allow you to turn me away.”

The howling of the wind suddenly increased, snapping a branch off a nearby tree and sending it whizzing past Sho’s head, almost removing his ear in the process.

Jun sighed resignedly, “I guess you'd better come inside. Ohno-san will be angry if you get killed on his doorstep; it would lower the property value.”

With a grim smile, Sho snatched the key from Jun’s fingers and hastily unlocked the door. He picked Jun up and carried him across to the scruffy sofa, where he tossed him down none too gently and stood glaring down at him. “What were you doing out in the middle of a typhoon? Have you completely lost your mind?”

“Perhaps I have; why else would I have slept with someone who already has a fiancé?” Jun replied, trying to brush his dripping hair out of his eyes.

“What? You had sex with someone?” Sho felt as if his heart was going to pound its way right out of his chest. He’d come all this way only to find out that Jun didn’t even care for him? “Who is it?”

“Huh? I’m talking about you, you idiot. Did you forget about the ring I designed for your fiancé?” Guilt and shame at his actions made Jun curl up into a ball in the corner of the sofa. “I’ve always hated cheaters and now I’ve helped you to cheat.”

“Cheater? Me? I’m no cheater.” Sho looked at Jun with wide-eyed innocence, making Jun even angrier than before. Grabbing the nearest thing at hand on the table next to the sofa, which happened to be a small conch shell, Jun flung it with complete accuracy at Sho, hitting him squarely in the middle of his forehead.

“OW! Jun stop it.” Pouncing on Jun, Sho grabbed his hands to prevent him picking up the decorative glass bottle that had been artistically placed next to the shell. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Struggling to free his hands, Jun hissed, “We had sex.”

“I know, and it was wonderful and perfect and the best sex I’ve ever had,” Sho said angrily. “But when I woke up you were gone and it has taken me until now to track you down. If anyone has the right to be angry, it’s definitely me.”

As one of his flailing hands came free, Jun put it to good use, punching Sho in the chest, “You cheating lying cheater. How many other people have you cheated on your fiancé with?”

Ducking away from Jun’s punches, Sho replied, “What fiancé? I don’t know what you’re even talking about.”

“You even deny their existence? You’re an even bigger weasel than I thought you were.”

Sho managed to grab Jun’s hands once again and kept them firmly in his grasp, not willing to risk another punch. He finally understood what had made Jun react in such a way, and why he’d run away from his apartment after their lovemaking. “Jun, I don’t have a fiancé. I haven’t even had a date in over two years.”

“Liar!” Jun spat. “Why else would you have had the ring made?”

“I thought that if I had the perfect ring, then my heart would be more open to finding the perfect love,” Sho declared, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment at his overly dramatic and romantic words.

“You what?” Jun blinked at him in disbelief.

“I swear I had no one in mind when I came to One Love to get the ring made. But as we spent more and more time together, I realized that it I was altering the design to suit you.”

“That’s why you kept changing the design?”

“That, and because I wanted an excuse to spend more time with you.”

Jun’s narrowed eyes and disbelieving glare alerted Sho to the fact that he hadn’t yet convinced him of the truth of his words. Hoping that Jun’s anger had abated sufficiently, Sho released one of Jun’s hands, keeping the other in his grasp and stroking his fingers across Jun’s palm.

“Jun, I love you.”

Swatting Sho’s head with his free hand, Jun’s reply wasn’t exactly what Sho was hoping for.

“Idiot.”

Heart sinking to his feet, Sho released Jun’s hand and stood up. “I’ll just make sure that your ankle is okay and then I’ll go. I thought that you had feelings for me too, but obviously I made a mistake.”

“If you leave now, then you’re an ever bigger idiot than I thought you were,” Jun croaked huskily.

“What?”

“I’m beyond angry with you right now, and I can’t believe you didn’t tell me the truth earlier,” Jun glared up at Sho, feeling angry with himself as well, for being angry with Sho for something which he hadn't even done deliberately. He searched Sho’s face for a confirmation of his feelings, before adding in a much softer tone, “But, I love you too.”

Sho jerked forwards, as if he wanted to take Jun into his arms, but he held himself back. “May I stay then?”

“It is kind of dangerous out there, and Nino will kill me if you die before you pay the bill, so I guess that will be okay.” Jun shivered and winced as he accidentally knocked his ankle against the leg of the sofa.

This time Sho did move, grabbing an old blanket from the back of an armchair and draping it over Jun’s shoulders. “Does this place have a bathtub?”

Jun nodded and pointed to a door next to the tiny kitchen, not trusting himself to speak.

Sho bustled off and returned ten minutes later with a determined set to his jaw.

“Right, now we need to get you in the tub.”

“We?”

“I'm not letting you in there by yourself. It’s too slippery and dangerous.”

“Fine,” Jun huffed sulkily. “But first explain how you found me here.”

“When you disappeared after we spent the night together, I thought I might have forced you into something you weren't comfortable with. I decided to give you some time to sort your feelings out, but when I rang your workplace and Nino told me that you hadn't been in to work for two weeks I started to seriously worry.” Sho paced the floor as he spoke, wringing his fingers. “So I went to One Love. I guess I created quite a scene...Ohno-san took me out the back to his private quarters and we talked.”

“About me?” Jun’s stomach churned uncomfortably at the thought of them discussing his private life.

“He told me about your last boyfriend,” Sho ceased pacing and sat beside Jun, close enough to offer him his body heat, but not close enough to be touching. “That he broke your heart, but he wouldn’t give me any further details. He just threatened to fillet me if I hurt you, before passing me the address of this cottage.”

Jun unconsciously leant a little closer to Sho, and moved his hand so that their fingers were almost touching.

Taking this to be a good sign, Sho continued to try and explain himself. “I never meant to mislead or hurt you. I guess I should have known that most people only get a ring like that made when they have found that special someone that they want to share their lives with. I was just so tired of being alone…I hoped that if I had the ring, somehow then the love would follow, and it did, because it led me to you.”

Sho was worried as Jun took a deep shuddering breath, his face drained of all colour.

“Ohno doesn't know the full story; nobody does.” Jun fidgeted as he spoke. “We were together for three years. I can't believe how stupid I was, why I didn't realize that something was wrong right from the beginning.”

“He wasn't abusive, was he?” Sho bristled.

“No, he was sweet and lovely and caring. It’s just that we always ended up at my place, never his. He said that it was because my place was much nicer and he didn't want me to have to travel all the way to his place and back.”

Struggling to stand and gain some space away from Sho, Jun seemed to forget about his ankle. Sho grabbed him before he could fall, and helped him to sit back down.

“Careful.”

“Obviously I'm bad at being careful,” Jun mumbled. He looked away from Sho as he continued his story. “I can't believe how naive I was, and for so long; believing that we had a future. Until the night I ran into him at a party.”

“He was with someone else?”

“Not just someone.” The tremor in Jun’s voice gave away his emotions. “He politely introduced me to his wife. She was very beautiful and very sweet. She didn't deserve to have me ruin her life.”

“It wasn't your fault. You didn't know that he was married.”

“It was obvious to anyone who looked hard enough, and I deliberately ignored all the warning signs,” Jun’s quietly spoken words were filled with self-loathing. “And now I've slept with you while thinking that you were about to be engaged. I'm a horrible person.”

“You are most definitely not horrible,” Sho said, touching Jun’s hand carefully in case he spooked him. “He preyed on your trusting nature, and being trusting isn’t a flaw.”

++

The bathwater was exactly the right temperature, and lightly scented with the bath salts Sho had found in the cupboard under the sink. Even though Jun put up a token protest, he was actually grateful for Sho’s assistance with undressing and climbing into the bath. His ankle was painfully swollen and his limbs stiff with cold.

What Jun hadn't anticipated, however, was that after settling him comfortably in the warm water, Sho would begin stripping off his own clothes.

“What are you doing?” Jun asked suspiciously.

“Joining you, of course,” Sho replied with a shiver. “I'm soaking wet and freezing.”

The pinched look on Sho’s face was more than enough to persuade Jun to agree.

“Okay then, but you have to keep your hands to yourself.” Jun was still angry and confused in equal measure.

“As if I would dare to touch you when you have that look on your face,” Sho protested, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “You look like you would snap them off.”

“That’s not the only thing I want to snap off right about now.”

“I’m truly sorry. I only wish there was a way to make things right between us.” As he lowered himself gingerly into the bath, taking great care to not brush up against Jun’s injured ankle, Sho sighed regretfully. “I’ve always been an idiot when it comes to love. No wonder I seem destined to be eternally single.”

“Nothing you’ve said today alters the fact that I slept with you when there was the possibility you were engaged to somebody else, and I hate myself for it.”

“I’m so sorry, I …”

“Shush, I’m trying to think,” Jun snapped.

The water sloshed dangerously as Sho shrank back even further into the far end of the tub, pressing himself back against the rim and attempting to not inflame things any further.

The hopeless look in Jun’s eyes made up Sho’s mind; he wasn’t going to allow Jun to beat himself up about something which hadn’t even happened and was only an issue because of outside influences, and Sho’s own stupidity.

“Jun, did you ever truly believe that I was capable of cheating on someone? That I could deliberately hurt two people for the sake of sex?”

Jun’s eyes looked like two red-rimmed dark holes in the pale skin of his face as he gazed back at Sho. He shook his head slightly, but didn’t speak.

“I know we haven’t known each other for very long, and we haven’t even dated properly, but you must know that I would never deliberately hurt you like that.”

“That's the thing. I really don’t know you. Did you only sleep with me because I was drunk and an easy lay?”

“What? Of course not!” Sho barely restrained himself from touching Jun. “Why would you think that?”

“Because my last boyfriend only wanted me for sex. I'm obviously not relationship material.”

“Did I force you into something you didn't want to do? If so, I feel absolutely awful. I wanted you so badly, and I thought that you wanted it too. I never meant to hurt you. If you tell me to, I'll leave right now and never bother you again and spend the rest of my life regretting that I had hurt you.”

Jun shook his head as Sho’s onslaught of words made his head spin. “Please stop talking.”

Sho sank down in the water as if trying to drown himself. It had all gone so horribly wrong. His fear that had fuelled reluctance to speak directly to Jun had caused him to lose him before Sho even had a chance to prove himself worthy. “As soon as you're warm, I'll help you into bed and then I'll leave straight away. I apologize for my behaviour and hope that one day you might forgive me.”

“Stop being stupid,”Jun blurted.

“Sorry…”

“Stop apologizing,” Jun snapped.

Sho cringed at his end of the bath, but when he next spoke, Jun’s tone was soft.

“Sorry for being rude, but If you think that this is your fault, then you truly are stupid. I should've asked you straight out if you were with someone, instead of listening to speculation. When we made love, I wanted it too, perhaps even more than you did. Aiba told me to trust my instincts, and in that moment I truly did. It was only afterwards that I began to second-guess myself.”

“Jun, please give me another chance.”

“Only if you allow me one.”

The silence stretched out between them as they gazed into each other’s eyes, both brimming with hope and the first dawning of understanding.

Reaching out and tentatively stroking Jun’s injured ankle, Sho hoped that Jun would respond favorably to his approach. “How does it feel now? Better? Can I do anything for you?”


Sho’s eyes were filled with an expression of tenderness, which matched the warmth of his tone of voice. The water was cooling but neither showed signs of wanting to leave the tub. Sho had allowed some of the water to empty out, before topping up the bath and adding more of the scented bubbles.


The look of absolute sincere affection in Sho’s eyes, made Jun’s mind up for him. Deep down, he had always thought it impossible that Sho was the type of man who would be deceitful, but his past experiences and Nino and Ohno’s doubts about Sho’s sincerity had eaten away at his confidence.


By tackling his overprotective colleagues and coming here in the middle of a typhoon, Sho had proven his sincerity and the depth of his feelings. The night that they shared had been perfect and Jun regretted running away, instead of talking through his concerns.


“There is one thing you can do for me,” Jun said solemnly.


“Anything, just say the words,” Sho replied, already levering himself up in preparation.



“Hold me and tell me again that you love me.” Jun’s eyes were huge and frightened.


“Jun. I promise that I love you and would never deliberately hurt you in any way.” Sho wriggled down the bath and tugged Jun onto his lap with his legs straddling Jun’s hips. “But if I ever hurt you even by accident, you have my permission to punish me, except maybe not by throwing things at my head,” he added, rubbing the red spot on his forehead where Jun had nailed him earlier.


Jun blinked innocently at Sho, “You mean like this?”


Sho yelped as Jun pinched his left nipple hard. “Don't start something you can't finish.”


“Who says I can't finish,” Jun replied, wriggling against Sho’s crotch, and wrapping his arms around Sho’s neck.


Sho pulled back far enough to be able to look into Jun’s eyes, “Jun, are you sure about this? I don't want to force you into something you aren't ready for.”


“You didn't force me before, and you certainly aren't forcing me now,” Jun’s eyes were dark pools as he rubbed himself sinuously against Sho’s body.


“But we're in a bathtub and don't have any condoms or lube,” Sho replied rather breathlessly. He grabbed Jun’s hips in an attempt to hold him still, but only succeeded in pressing their cocks firmly together. They both moaned as pleasure surged through their groins.


“Who needs lube, when we can do this instead?” Jun reached between them, gripping both of their erections firmly in his long and mobile fingers.


Sho responded by biting on the side of Jun’s neck, as he cradled the soft globes of Jun’s ass in his hands. Jun slithered up against him, slippery as a seal in the warm foamy water.


As the heat developed in their bodies, Jun’s hand faltered in its grip on their erections. Sho slipped his hand down, covering Jun’s fingers with his own, and supported them by holding them in place.


Jun gasped, flinging his head back and exposing his neck to Sho’s questing lips. Their hands moved in tandem, sliding easily over the velvet skin of their cocks.


Water slopped over the lip of the tub, flooding the floor as they writhed together, and chased mutual satisfaction.


“Sho!” Jun cried out, yanking sharply on Sho’s hair, his come turning the water between their hips white. A moment later, it was joined by Sho’s own release.


Sho pulled Jun into a tight embrace, “Please let me stay.”


“I'm never going to let you go,” Jun murmured against Sho’s lips. “You are definitely all mine.”


++


The storm had passed, and the room was bathed in light from the full moon that hung heavily over the waves crashing on the shore.


Jun was tangled in the sheets, his naked back uncovered and an arm flung over his face. Sho carefully unwound the tangled linens and covered Jun up, adding a thick blanket which had been folded over the end of the bed.


After the bath he had carried a protesting Jun to the bed and heated a tin of soup he'd found in the surprisingly well stocked kitchen. Jun’s ankle was strapped up and didn't seem to be anything worse than a bad sprain, not that Sho was an expert.


Sho knew that he was lucky that Jun had believed him and trusted that he was telling the truth about not having a fiancé hidden somewhere. He wanted to be angry with Nino and Ohno for filling Jun’s head with the idea in the first place, but he knew that the fault lay firmly with himself. He should have been honest with Jun from the start; his desire to draw things out, without revealing his true motives had almost led to him losing Jun forever.


There was a soft rustle of fabric as Sho delved into the pocket of his jacket, checking that the small velvet lined crystal box was still there. The rose gold band shone warmly in the moonlight and the secret stones glittered as he twisted it between his fingers. His wish and dream of the perfect ring and the perfect love had been fulfilled, but it was not the right time for this ring, just yet.

Jun stirred and sleepily blinked at Sho through long lashes, reaching out for him. With a gentle smile, Sho snapped shut the lid of the tiny box and slipped it back into the inner pocket of his jacket. One day, he would slip that ring onto Jun’s slender finger, but for now he was just happy to slide into a warm bed with him and hold him until the beating of their hearts lulled them to sleep.