Secret Pleasures
Apr. 16th, 2018 11:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
learashiPairing: Arashi friendship (main), Ohba (side)
Rating: PG
Genre: Fluff, humour
Disclaimer: I make no claim over Arashi. This is a work of fiction.
Summary: Ohno’s breath quickened as Aiba pulled a box out of the bag he’d smuggled in with them. Whatever Aiba had in there was bound to be good, and Ohno tingled with excitement. “Let me see it.”
Notes: I desperately needed some silly fluff. I hope that someone else does too. If not, then just move along quietly; nothing to see here except me curled up in the foetal position under a nest of blankets.
In a valiant attempt to not attract attention, Aiba sidled past Ohno, muttering under his breath, “Supply closet in two hours?”
“Do you have it?” Ohno’s voice was too loud, attracting Sho’s attention from the far side of the dressing room.
“Shh! Yes, I've got the goods, just as we discussed in bed last night,” Aiba hissed.
“Are you two acting perverted again? Because I don't want you corrupting our innocent little Jun,” Nino snarked, clapping his hands over Jun’s ears and glaring at Ohno and Aiba.
“Nino, stop doing that.” Jun swatted at Nino’s hands.
“It’s my duty to protect your delicate sensibilities from those filthy beasts,” Nino snickered, unable to keep a straight face.
As Nino and Jun continued to bicker, Sho gazed suspiciously at Ohno and Aiba, who were looking far too innocent for his liking. He was going to have to watch them very closely, if he wanted to find out what they were up to, and hopefully stop it before things got out of hand.
++
The supply closet was small to begin with, and since there had obviously been a recent toilet tissue delivery, there was even less available room than usual. The lack of space, however, wasn't enough to put Aiba and Ohno off.
Ohno’s breath quickened as Aiba pulled a box out of the bag he’d smuggled in with them. Whatever Aiba had in there was bound to be good, and Ohno tingled with excitement. “Let me see it.”
“If you're sure you can handle it,” Aiba said, as he fumbled with the lid. “Here you go.”
Ohno’s eyes widened. “It’s huge!”
“I knew that you’d want the biggest one they had.”
As Ohno reached out a trembling hand towards the box, the door slammed back and Sho burst into the closet, making sure to close the door behind him. The last thing he wanted was some poor, innocent junior being exposed to whatever the guilty-looking couple was up to.
“Hold it right there, you two,” Sho said as he pushed past Ohno and snatched the box out of Aiba’s grasp. “We’ve been through this before, and Nino’s right, you should keep certain things private.”
“We are private,” Aiba protested. “At least we were until you joined us. ”
“Can’t breathe,” wheezed Ohno, who was being squished up against a box of spare mop heads by Sho’s back.
“Come here.” Awkwardly edging around Sho, Aiba managed to reach Ohno and tug him out of the corner he was wedged into.
“We’re sorry, Sho. We just wanted to try something new as a couple,” Ohno said apologetically.
No matter what Sho was expecting to find in the box, the actual truth was even more shocking.
“You had this, and you didn’t even think to ask me to join in?” Sho’s voice wavered as he looked into the box and saw the most perfectly beautiful chocolate cake he’d ever laid eyes on. The cake’s glaze was so shiny he could see the frown on his face reflected back at him. “Does my membership of Sweets Club mean nothing to you?”
“We would’ve saved some for you,” Aiba spluttered, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
“Right, if that’s the way it is, then I am resigning from Sweets Club.” Sho huffed, shoving the box roughly into Ohno’s hands. “I wouldn’t want to intrude on your couple time. In fact I might just start a new club and not invite you two to become members.”
“Sho, wait.” Ohno waved the box at Sho. “You can still have some.”
“I have more pride than that,” Sho sniffed, barely managing to hide his look of longing at the exquisite gateaux.
Shoving the box back into Aiba’s hands, Sho gathered his tattered pride and marched out of the cupboard.
++
“So what do you guys think?” Sho’s gaze flicked eagerly between Jun and Nino, as he waited for their responses to his proposal with all of the eagerness of an over-excited puppy.
Nino nibbled on the edge of the sakura flavoured macaron that Sho had handed out, licking the cream filling with quick darts of his tongue.
Jun’s macaron was untouched and his brows were creased with worry. “What about the others? Won’t they be hurt if we leave them out?”
“They were perfectly fine with leaving me out, so I don’t see the problem.” Sho stuffed an entire macaron into his mouth and chewed angrily.
“What are you, five?” Nino laughed at the petulant pout that Sho was currently displaying. “You sound like they broke one of your toys.”
Taking pity on the hurt expression on Sho’s face, Jun relented. “How about we have a trial meeting and see how it goes? But I don't want to be stuffing my mouth with sweet things all the time, I want something salty as well.”
Nino nearly choked on his macaron, forcing Sho to stop eating momentarily and whack him on the back. When he could breathe again, Nino managed to splutter, “I couldn't possibly miss the sight of Jun with something salty in his mouth.”
Fortunately Jun was too occupied with scrolling through bakeries for ideas to have clearly heard Nino’s comment. Sho hastily arranged a meeting time, before dragging Nino away with him before Jun worked out exactly what Nino had meant.
++
“I’m not sure that having our first meeting at Nino’s place was the best idea,” Sho fretted, as he and Jun rode the elevator up from the underground parking garage under Nino’s building.
“I can’t even remember the last time Nino paid for food, let alone invited us to his place for a meal. If you think I was going to pass up this opportunity, then you’re crazy,” Jun replied, ringing the buzzer and waiting expectantly for Nino to open the door.
It took much longer than anticipated for Nino to finally let them in, by which time Sho was jiggling impatiently as his stomach growled in protest at the lack of food.
Nino was wearing scruffy sweatpants and his favourite mustard yellow t-shirt with his hair held back from his face by a striped elasticated hairband.
“Hi, you guys. Sorry it took me so long the answer the door, but I was busy in the kitchen.” Nino tossed them a pair of slippers each and closed the door behind them.
“That’s alright then.” Sho hastily shoved his feet into the slippers and followed Nino towards the dining table.
Casting the slippers, (which looked suspiciously like the flimsy free ones you get in hotels) a disdainful glare, Jun stepped into them and followed, with much less enthusiasm.
“I’ll just go and plate up, and then we can begin.” Nino scuttled off and began clattering around in his tiny kitchen. He reappeared a minute later and lobbed a can of beer each at Sho and Jun, before disappearing again.
Sho had his phone ready to record the occasion and send the evidence to his traitorous friends, as Nino entered shortly after bearing three bowls on a serving platter.
“I thought we should start the club off with something savoury,” Nino said with a serious expression and he placed the platter down and distributed the bowls amongst the three of them.
“What is this?” Jun asked, prodding the noodles floating in an unappealingly watery soup, with the end of his chopsticks.
“Noodles, of course,” Sho enthused, taking several shots of his bowl before putting his phone down and tucking a paper serviette into the collar of his shirt.
Glaring at Nino with narrowed eyes, Jun asked, “They look suspiciously like instant cup ramen to me. How did you make them Nino?”
“I’ll have you know it wasn’t easy at all,” Nino protested. “I had to buy them and then carry them home from the conbini. And then boiling the kettle took ages, not to mention peeling back the lid and filling the cups.”
Jun dropped his chopsticks and sighed, “So they are actually what I said they were?”
“Yes, but I put them in these pretty bowls and sprinkled some fresh parsley on top,” Nino replied with a put-upon sigh of his own.
“Parsley? There was parsley garnishing the sandwiches supplied by catering at lunchtime. You didn’t really bring it home to feed to us?” Jun asked, pinning Nino with a steely glare.
“What’s wrong with that? It’s not like I didn’t wash it first,” Nino protested.
“Eww.” Jun pushed his bowl away.
“They taste fine to me,” Sho said, stuffing them rapidly into his mouth as Jun and Nino argued. It wasn’t quite how he’d planned this club to work, but food was food. Sho couldn’t help the little pang in his chest though, as Aiba responded to his photos with one of his own depicting a blueberry cream doughnut with a bite taken out of each side.
++
“This time we are going to do things properly.” Jun made sure that Ohno and Aiba weren’t around, as he handed out tiny invitations to Sho and Nino. They were beautifully handwritten on embossed pieces of heavy card. “And don’t be late.”
“Yes, your majesty,” Nino responded with a skilful eye roll.
“Do you want us to bring anything booze-like?” Sho muttered, hastily stuffing the invite into his pocket as Ohno and Aiba entered the dressing room.
“Everything is under control, unlike those two…” Jun’s words trailed off as Aiba pushed Ohno down onto the battered sofa and plonked himself down on the smaller man’s lap.
Ohno made a noise like a deflating balloon as he disappeared from view under Aiba, who tangled his long limbs around him and made himself comfortable.
“Aiba! Let the poor man breathe, he’s getting squashed,” Sho grumbled as he pried Aiba slightly away from Ohno who somehow always seemed to end up getting flattened.
“Squashed is right! I totally forgot that I had these.” Aiba reached into his pocket and pulled out a clear plastic bag containing three squished cookies, which had their fluffy filling squeezing out through the cracked coating of milk chocolate.
“Oooh! Chocolate marshmallow cookies?” Sho’s eyes glowed at the sight, even though the cookies were looking more than a little worse for wear.
“We bought three, like always,” Ono said, as he happily accepted one of the cookies, dropping shards of chocolate over the front of his shirt as he did so. “Here, have one.”
Ohno held out the squished and melting cookie, and Sho found his feet moving automatically in the direction of the sofa. It was as if he was being drawn by an invisible string towards the chocolate treat, which even had a layer of raspberry jam underneath the marshmallow.
As Sho reached out a trembling hand, he caught the look of triumph that passed between Ohno and Aiba. He immediately snatched his hand back and retreated to a safe distance. “You did that deliberately didn’t you?”
“The Sweets Club just isn’t the same without you,” Ohno pleaded.
Aiba nodded enthusiastically in agreement. “When there’s only the two of us, we can’t order as many different kinds of treat to try as when we were three.”
Sho immediately took offense, “So you don’t want me back because you miss me, but rather because I am limiting your snacking opportunities? Well, you can forget it, because it won’t be happening.”
The door slammed hard enough to rattle the pictures on the wall, as Sho flounced out to get a breath of fresh air and try and calm himself down before filming began.
After his footsteps receded down the hallway, the other four turned to each other and shared concerned looks; their plan to get Sho to return to the Sweets Club had somehow taken a wrong turn.
“Crap. That was bad,” Nino said, shaking his head sagely.
“It was my fault.” Aiba groaned and leant back against Ohno.
“We can fix this, don’t beat yourself up about it,” Ohno said, pressing a reassuring kiss onto Aiba’s cheek.
“Ohno’s right. We just need to stick to the plan and everything will work out.” Nino squeezed onto the sofa next to Aiba, who engulfed him in a one-armed hug.
“I don’t know,” Jun said, pacing worriedly. “The noodle thing at Nino’s place backfired. We should’ve known that our resident garbage guts would eat anything and enjoy it.”
“Don’t panic, Jun. What you have planned for him tonight will definitely send him running back to the Sweets Club with his tail between his legs.” Nino caught hold of Jun’s wrist and pulled him down into the heap of bandmates who were threatening to collapse the rickety sofa with their combined weight.
“I certainly hope so, because I still can’t get the taste of those horrible noodles out of my mouth,” Jun whimpered.
“Don’t worry, I will take you out for a nice dinner when all of this is over,” Nino replied, puffing out his chest.
“Oh really?” Jun was highly suspicious of Nino offering to buy him anything.
“Yes, really.” Nino patted Jun’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him. “Just as soon as I collect my consultation fee from these two.”
++
Nino pushed Sho aside in his hurry to enter Jun’s apartment, “At last I gain entry to Matsumoto Castle.”
“Nino, you’ve been in my apartment before.”
“Not since you moved to the new palace,” Nino replied, as he walked around snapping photos with his camera. Nino picked up and put down several items before he eventually found a ceramic dish filled with decorative glass marbles and slipped one of them into the back pocket of his jeans.
“What on earth are you doing?”
“I like to take home souvenirs when I visit a shrine.”
“Nino!”
“Guys! Focus!” Sho glared at the pair of them. “Remember why we are here. This is supposed to be about food!”
Sho was beginning to think that neither Nino nor Jun appreciated the seriousness of the situation. Food wasn’t something to be taken lightly; it was more than just fuel. Sho understood that Nino was a small eater, and quite fussy about what he liked, while Jun enjoyed food, but exercised an iron will when it came to sweets and portion sizes. He missed Ohno and Aiba’s enthusiasm to explore new tastes and their willingness to stuff themselves until they were full to bursting.
“Don’t worry, Sho.” Jun headed to his spacious kitchen, with Nino tagging along behind him, eyeing off possible souvenirs on the way. “I have an extra special treat for us tonight.”
Sho’s steps quickened as he entered Jun’s kitchen, his feet halting of their own accord as he paused to take in the view. The light reflecting from the gleaming countertops and the myriad stainless steel appliances made Sho squint as he took in every detail. As in everything Jun did, he obviously demanded perfection, and in pursuit of this had made his kitchen into one that would rival any commercial premises.
What confused Sho, was the fact that the countertop was covered in a neat arrangement of stainless steel bowls, each containing what looked like a random collection of possibly edible substances. There was no sign of the dessert that Sho had been eagerly anticipating, which sent his spirits plummeting. Obviously Sho’s stomach felt the same way, as it grumbled hungrily.
“Don’t look so disappointed. We are going to have fun making tonight’s dessert from scratch,” Jun said eagerly, as he handed each of his guests an apron.
“You’re going to let the Failmeister here, cook actual food? Food that we are going to eat?” Nino’s eyebrows almost touched his hairline.
“Don't worry. There is no cooking involved since everything is raw.”
Sho didn’t know whether to be offended by Nino’s words or more worried by Jun’s. “What do you mean by ‘raw’?”
“We’re making a vegan raw organic chocolate cheesecake,” Jun said enthusiastically.
“I don't know what half those words even mean, but if it gives me the chance to mess up Jun’s kitchen, then I’m in.” Nino wasted no time wrapping the apron around his waist.
Sho was slightly more hesitant, but he followed suit, pulling on the apron, and grimacing at the frilly floral design, which made him look mildly stupid in comparison to Jun and Nino’s simple black ones.
“Sorry about the apron. My mother left it behind last time she was here,” Jun apologized over the top of Nino’s snickers.
“I may be the ‘Failmeister’ when it comes to cooking,” Sho said with a pointed glare at Nino. “But even I know that you have to crush cookies for the base. I think I can possibly manage to do that without problems.”
“Cookies? No way! They are way too unhealthy.” Jun pointed to a cluster of bowls and added, “Those are the base ingredients. Just put them in the food processor and blend them.”
As Sho placed the ingredients in the processor, he tried to stave off the depression that was creeping over him. The bowls contained walnuts, dates, coconut flakes, coconut oil (all organic) and Himalayan pink salt. The lack of butter and sugar made Sho sad.
When it was done and Nino had pressed the brown sticky mess into the tin before placing it in the fridge to set, Sho watched Jun blending the ingredients for the cheesecake itself.
“See, I soaked the raw cashews in purified water for an hour before you arrived. It makes the texture more creamy,” Jun chirped.
Sho watched on in horror as Jun peeled three blackened and shrivelled bananas and tossed them in the blender with the cashews, and a couple of spoons of something called coconut sugar, along with a pinch of the pink salt. He looked around nervously to see if he could spot what kind of chocolate Jun was going to melt into the mixture; dark was his personal favourite. “So, the chocolate part is?”
“Right here.” Jun handed Nino a box labelled ‘Cacao Powder - Raw - Guaranteed Organic’, and instructed him to add 2 tablespoons.
Eventually the mass was smooth and Jun poured the goop over the chilled base, offering Sho a taste from the spatula. Sho tried his hardest, but he couldn't quite manage to make himself put the unappealing mixture into his mouth.
“What are these?” Sho noticed that there was one small bowlful of something left.
“Good thing you reminded me,” Jun said, as he pushed the tin over to Sho. “That's the yummy topping.”
‘Yummy’ was not the first word that came to Sho’s mind, as he looked down at the dish full of things that resembled some kind of dried pooey blobs.
“Wouldn't be a complete cheesecake without the organic raw cacao nibs on top.”
“Ooh, that sounds really interesting,” Nino said, picking one out of the dish and chewing on it with every sign of pleasure. “Want one?”
“Absolutely,” Jun took one and chomped on it.
Sho however, shook his head and recoiled.
“Don't worry, you're bound to love it when the cake is set.”
“Set? But Jun…”
“It only takes an hour in the freezer and in the meantime I can make us some wheatgrass juice”
In the face of Jun’s slightly scary smile, Sho decided to retreat to the bathroom to pull himself together. The dessert (if could even be described as such) looked disgusting and the smell was almost as bad, but Jun was trying so hard and Sho didn't want to hurt his feelings.
What Sho failed to see were the faces Jun and Nino pulled after the bathroom door closed behind him as Jun gulped down water trying to wash down the dry remnants of the cocoa nibs which were stubbornly lodged in the back of his throat, and Nino scrubbed his tongue with a dishcloth to try and remove the taste.
++
The theme tune from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory wafted up from Sho’s phone as he splashed cold water on his face, in an attempt to wash away his disappointment. He knew that Jun was into eating healthy these days, but he hadn't fully understood what it meant until just now when he’d been faced with that abominable parody of a dessert.
The ringtone signalled a message from the Sweets Club, and Sho itched to see what Ohno had sent him, even though he had resolved to remain aloof. Perhaps one little peek couldn't hurt? Eyes widening with desire, Sho gazed in wonder at the photographs from Ohno. They made his heart beat faster and small beads of sweat form on his brow as he scrolled through them.
It appeared that Aiba and Ohno had found the exact kind of discrete establishment which catered to their particular tastes and desires. Fulfilling their every wish and yet offering an unparalleled level of privacy, something which was extra important to those who lived their lives in the public eye.
Despite Sho’s earlier resolve, he found it impossible to resist the siren song of Sweets Club and the secret pleasures that it promised.
++
Sho looked regretful as he re-joined Nino and Jun in the kitchen. “Sorry.”
“You were in the bathroom for a very long time.” Nino raised an eyebrow as he added, “Issues? Is Jun going to have to restock on toilet tissue?”
“Nino!” Jun admonished. “Don't be so crude. If Sho isn't feeling well, perhaps he should go home and get some rest?”
“He does look kind of bad,” Nino agreed. “Just look at those dark circles under his eyes.”
“Go home Sho. We’ll save you a piece of cheesecake for when you're feeling better,” Jun said as he took Sho by the elbow and hustled him to the door.
Nino grabbed Sho’s coat and helped Sho into it before shoving him unceremoniously out into the hallway. “Bye!”
Blinking dazedly as the door slammed behind him, Sho was surprised at how easy it had been to escape. He hadn't even needed to say a word and now he was free to join Ohno and Aiba. He only hoped that Nino and Jun weren't too disappointed that he’d abandoned them.
++
“WOO..smffffmmff.” Nino’s voice was smothered as Jun clapped his hand over his mouth.
“Shh! He might still be within earshot,” Jun hissed.
They both froze, Jun’s hand still pressed over Nino’s mouth as they strained their ears, listening to the sound of Sho’s footsteps receding down the hall. When the coast was clear, Jun removed his hand, grabbing Nino and spinning him around in a dizzying circle.
“We did it!”
“Yaaay! Ohno and Aiba owe us big time!”
“We should let them know that he's on his way,” Jun finally said, after they collapsed in a breathless heap on his sofa.
“And let them know that they need to pay me my fee,” Nino added gleefully, pulling out his phone and quickly typing a message. “I am going to buy you the best dinner ever. We can even go to a restaurant without a drive-through and you can have dessert too, since they're paying!”
“Speaking of dessert, there's still that cheesecake to eat. Want to try some?” Jun went to the kitchen and pulled the dingy brown cheesecake out of the freezer and put it down on the countertop.
“Err…” Nino poked it tentatively.
“I have ice cream to go with it,” Jun said, pulling out a tub of premium dark chocolate ice cream with a rum ripple and showing it to Nino, who instantly perked up. “Oh, and I almost forgot this was in here.” Jun added with a grin as he dug out a bottle of raspberry vodka from the very back of the freezer.
“Now you're talking.” Nino picked up the bottle and the tub of ice cream and headed back to the living room. “Forget the cheesecake and bring the spoons and glasses while I find us something to watch on TV.”
“I guess I should throw this away?” Jun glared at the cheesecake.
“Throw it away? No way! I’m sure Sho will love to have it. I say you bring it to him for breakfast tomorrow on the set,” Nino called back over his shoulder as he walked away in search of Jun’s remote.
“Oh, I’m sure he will,” Jun laughed as he shoved it back into the freezer before joining Nino.
++
Sho peered out through the window of the taxi. “Are you sure we’re in the right place?”
Even through the dark tint of the sunglasses he was using as a makeshift disguise, Sho’s eyes were hurt by the lurid pink sign over the door of the building. The driver nodded and Sho paid him in cash before climbing out of the car and quickly slipping through the door.
The pink theme continued in the entranceway, which was lined with what looked like pink clouds of cotton candy, but couldn’t possibly be real. Sho jumped as a pink-clad hostess wearing a low cut dress and a hat shaped like a pink iced cupcake, appeared out of the pink fluff and offered to take his coat before showing him to the private room Aiba and Ohno had booked for the evening.
Folding his collar up around his face and pressing his dark glasses more firmly onto his nose, Sho refused her offer and furtively followed her to the room; he wanted to be prepared for a quick getaway if it proved necessary. It was always risky for them to go out in public, especially to places which they hadn’t been before, since they couldn’t be sure of the discretion of the staff.
“Sho! You’re here!” Aiba chirruped as Sho furtively shuffled into the room.
Ohno looked up from where he was sitting comfortably slumped in a panda-shaped beanbag and smiled lazily, the corners of his eyes creasing with pleasure at the sight of Sho returning to them.
The room was painted in the same lurid shade of pink and the far wall was lined with rows of empty shelving painted in various pastel shades and there was a large, glossy white table placed near to the shelves, also empty. Gold and silver Lurex draperies hung from the ceiling, studded with diamantes, giving the overall impression of a nine year-old girl’s home decor fantasy, right down to the low tables and object-shaped seats which dotted the pink-carpeted floor.
“I’m not sure about this,” Sho muttered as Aiba led him over to a squishy chair which looked suspiciously like a giant banana.
“As soon as we discovered this place, we knew that we wanted to include you.” Aiba walked over to the wall and pressed a switch, which set off a set of chimes, which sounded like a distant ice cream truck. “There are so many possibilities for us to explore together.”
“It hasn’t been the same without you Sho,” Ohno added. “We’ve missed your company, and nobody appreciates food the way you do.”
“As much as I like Jun and Nino, they don’t know how important a role sweets play in a happy life,” Sho admitted. “I’m sorry for huffing off like that. Will you take me back?”
Aiba practically ran over to Sho and wrapped him in a tight hug, “We’re the ones who should be apologizing. We shouldn’t have bought that chocolate cake without including you. It’s entirely our fault.”
Ohno piped up from his beanbag, “So now that the Club is back together, can we get down to business?”
“Don’t stress, it should be starting any second now.” Aiba plopped himself down next to Ohno on the panda’s butt and looked eagerly at a door set in the far wall.
Sho, who was still confused as to exactly what was about to happen, perched nervously on the edge of his banana and followed Aiba’s gaze. So far the room didn’t even offer a hint of the pleasures that Aiba had promised him in the series of photographs he received in Jun’s bathroom.
The door slid silently open, admitting a row of young women, all wearing skimpy outfits and cupcake shaped hats. They silently formed a line, each displaying their wares to their best advantage.
Sho’s mouth watered at the sight. With so many to choose from, it was going to be a difficult decision to make his selection. Fortunately with the arrangements Aiba had made, it would be possible to sample a little from each.
“I want them all!” Ohno sat up straight in the beanbag, eyes widening at the decadent sight.
Sho gulped, mouth hanging slightly open, as he dazedly nodded in agreement; it seemed as if his ultimate fantasy was about to unfold before his eyes.
“Don't worry, you can try anything you want. This place is really accommodating towards unusual tastes,” Aiba confirmed as he gestured to the first of the ladies to show them her goods.
Smiling alluringly, the women paraded over to the shelves and bent over to empty the large serving trays they carried. Each tray was piled high with an array of desserts. As soon as one unloaded their treats and left the room they were replaced by the next, each carrying a more elaborate confection than the last. This continued until all of the shelves lining the back wall could hold no more and the last waitresses stacked the white table with piles of plates and cutlery. The final touch was the tray of brightly coloured drinks which were placed down beside a tray of glasses, each containing a plastic bendy straw in a variety of lurid stripes and shapes.
“Welcome to the first ever Mega Mega Super Extravagant Dessert Buffet hosted by Sweets Club,” Aiba announced proudly. “Nothing is taboo or off limits. We are free to eat as much as we like of whatever we like without feeling guilty.”
“We wanted it to be special,” Ohno added softly. “And we wanted to do this together, as a threesome.”
Aiba nodded vigorously, “There’s nothing I want more than a threesome with you and Ohno, Sho-chan.”
“Then let's do it,” Sho unbuttoned the top button of his trousers and picked up a plate, marching towards the mound of desserts with a determined expression.
++
“They're very late.” Jun glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time and looked anxiously at Nino, who seemed unconcerned. “I hope they were careful and didn't take things too far last night. You know how overexcited Aiba can get when he tries new things.”
“I made him promise to be gentle with Sho, since it had been quite while since he was last with them,” Nino said reassuringly.
“I wonder if they will still be up to eating this?” Jun picked up a round storage container and shook it dubiously.
“I’m sure they will. Those three have an unlimited appetite.”
“That's what I am most afraid of,” Jun sighed.
A few minutes later a sad and sorry Sho staggered into the room, followed by Ohno and Aiba who were supporting each other with linked arms.
“And what time do you call this?” Nino asked, pointedly looking at his watch.
“Sorry,” groaned Aiba, clutching his aching head; coming down from his sugar high was leaving him feeling limp and drained.
“And you,” Nino said, homing in on Sho. “Where were you last night? Jun was worried and rang your apartment to check if you got home safe, but there was no answer.”
“Err, um…Ohno and Aiba...”
“No need to explain.” Jun said soothingly. “We are all adults here. Nino and I are just happy that you three are back together again. I only hope that you took the necessary precautions.”
“Yep,” Ohno nodded. “We took indigestion medicine as soon as we were done.”
Jun lifted the corner of his Tupperware container and let out a groan. “I know that Sho was keen to taste our handiwork, but I am afraid that the cheesecake is suffering.”
“Is this the cheesecake that Sho was telling us about?” Aiba asked with a grimace.
Sho immediately made shushing gestures with his hands. He hadn’t meant to complain to Aiba and Ohno about Jun’s cooking, but when he was in the midst of a sugar high he found it hard to control himself.
“It sounded kind of gross,” Ohno added, earning himself a death stare from everyone except Jun who emitted an exaggerated whimper of distress.
“How can you call something which Jun and I made ‘gross’?” Nino paced the floor, gesticulating dramatically. “After what Jun suffered through last night, the least you three can do is eat his cheesecake. He put his heart and soul into it!” He added, conveniently forgetting the enjoyable evening the pair of them had spent consuming an entire tub of ice cream and more than half of the bottle of vodka before falling asleep together on Jun’s sofa midway though watching their third movie of the night.
Jun nodded sadly and slumped pathetically in his seat (his feigned sadness aided somewhat by the slight hangover he was carrying), cuddling the Tupperware container to his chest. Cradling the melting cheesecake as if it were a fragile baby, Jun opened the lid and peered once again into the box, emitting a small sound of distress as he saw its state.
Aiba was the first to crack as he rushed over and patted Jun’s shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry; we’ll eat it right now.”
Sho groaned, and clutched his sore belly, still bulging from the blowout of the night before, “I’m not sure if I can eat another bite.”
Pinning Sho down with a hard stare Nino marched over and whispered fiercely in his ear, “Especially since you were so “sick” last night. In particular too sick to eat the dessert that Jun worked so hard on preparing for you.”
“But since I know how awesome it’s going to taste, I’ll manage to find enough room to fit in a big piece,” Sho said loudly, wearing a fixed smile as Nino circled back to Jun.
“I’m afraid it’s been out of the fridge for too long and it’s gone kind of runny,” Jun said despondently as he opened the container. “That’s why it has to be stored in the freezer until just before you eat it.”
“I’m sure it will be fine,” Sho said with obviously misplaced confidence. “But unfortunately we don't have anything to eat it with.”
“Don't worry, Jun has spoons for you.” Nino grinned.
Jun put down the cheesecake and rummaged in his bag, pulling out three dessert spoons and handing them to the Sweets Club members with an innocent smile.
Sho took the cake from Jun and placed it down on the table in the middle of the room, as Aiba and Ohno joined him. They looked at the oozing cheesecake with varying degrees of fear.
“Well, don't just stand there and look at it,” Nino admonished.
Aiba and Sho looked at Jun helplessly, as if begging for mercy. Jun was about to relent, when a loud exclamation of pleasure filled the room.
“Delicious!’ Ohno declared loudly, as he shovelled spoonfuls of brown gloop into his mouth while emitting little moans of pleasure.
“Really? Is it that good?” Sho immediately scooped up a huge portion for himself.
“I wouldn't do that!” Aiba warned; they all knew that Ohno could, and would, eat virtually anything, no matter how bad, and still declare it to be delicious.
But Aiba”s warning came too late, as Sho shoved a heaped spoon of cheesecake into his mouth. Sho’s cheeks bulged and his expression changed from one of curiosity to one of horrified disgust within the space of a second. It seemed as if Sho’s eyes were going to pop out of his head as he gagged slightly, struggling to swallow the glutinous mass.
Aiba and Ohno immediately leapt to Sho’s aid, as he reeled back holding his mouth shut with his fingertips to prevent an unfortunate accident. Ohno whacked Sho on the back as Aiba grabbed a bottle of water, trying to force it between his tightly clenched teeth. Somehow in the mêlée the cheesecake was knocked off the table and Ohno leapt to save it, knocking Sho over and dragging Aiba with him, so that the three of them ended up together on the floor, lightly spattered with blobs of oozing brown matter.
“Not the first time these three have ended up like this after a night out,” Nino snickered, elbowing Jun in the ribs.
“Do you think we should help them?” Jun asked, in a way which clearly indicated that he wanted the answer to be ‘no’.
“Nah, it’s nice to watch the children playing together.”
Sho was writhing around on the floor with both hands clamped over his mouth as Ohno, who was somehow tangled in a complicated, but obviously happy mess with Aiba, was trying to feed him more of the cheesecake. Not that there was much left clinging to the inside of the container, considering the amount which was plastered on their hair and clothes.
Jun and Nino exchanged a high five as they watched their bandmates roll about on the floor together. Things were finally back to normal. Even more so when Nino received a blob of brown goop right between the eyes from a well timed launch from Aiba and dragged Jun down off the sofa with him to join the fray. No matter that they were all over thirty years old now; their way of showing love for each other would never change.
Rating: PG
Genre: Fluff, humour
Disclaimer: I make no claim over Arashi. This is a work of fiction.
Summary: Ohno’s breath quickened as Aiba pulled a box out of the bag he’d smuggled in with them. Whatever Aiba had in there was bound to be good, and Ohno tingled with excitement. “Let me see it.”
Notes: I desperately needed some silly fluff. I hope that someone else does too. If not, then just move along quietly; nothing to see here except me curled up in the foetal position under a nest of blankets.
In a valiant attempt to not attract attention, Aiba sidled past Ohno, muttering under his breath, “Supply closet in two hours?”
“Do you have it?” Ohno’s voice was too loud, attracting Sho’s attention from the far side of the dressing room.
“Shh! Yes, I've got the goods, just as we discussed in bed last night,” Aiba hissed.
“Are you two acting perverted again? Because I don't want you corrupting our innocent little Jun,” Nino snarked, clapping his hands over Jun’s ears and glaring at Ohno and Aiba.
“Nino, stop doing that.” Jun swatted at Nino’s hands.
“It’s my duty to protect your delicate sensibilities from those filthy beasts,” Nino snickered, unable to keep a straight face.
As Nino and Jun continued to bicker, Sho gazed suspiciously at Ohno and Aiba, who were looking far too innocent for his liking. He was going to have to watch them very closely, if he wanted to find out what they were up to, and hopefully stop it before things got out of hand.
++
The supply closet was small to begin with, and since there had obviously been a recent toilet tissue delivery, there was even less available room than usual. The lack of space, however, wasn't enough to put Aiba and Ohno off.
Ohno’s breath quickened as Aiba pulled a box out of the bag he’d smuggled in with them. Whatever Aiba had in there was bound to be good, and Ohno tingled with excitement. “Let me see it.”
“If you're sure you can handle it,” Aiba said, as he fumbled with the lid. “Here you go.”
Ohno’s eyes widened. “It’s huge!”
“I knew that you’d want the biggest one they had.”
As Ohno reached out a trembling hand towards the box, the door slammed back and Sho burst into the closet, making sure to close the door behind him. The last thing he wanted was some poor, innocent junior being exposed to whatever the guilty-looking couple was up to.
“Hold it right there, you two,” Sho said as he pushed past Ohno and snatched the box out of Aiba’s grasp. “We’ve been through this before, and Nino’s right, you should keep certain things private.”
“We are private,” Aiba protested. “At least we were until you joined us. ”
“Can’t breathe,” wheezed Ohno, who was being squished up against a box of spare mop heads by Sho’s back.
“Come here.” Awkwardly edging around Sho, Aiba managed to reach Ohno and tug him out of the corner he was wedged into.
“We’re sorry, Sho. We just wanted to try something new as a couple,” Ohno said apologetically.
No matter what Sho was expecting to find in the box, the actual truth was even more shocking.
“You had this, and you didn’t even think to ask me to join in?” Sho’s voice wavered as he looked into the box and saw the most perfectly beautiful chocolate cake he’d ever laid eyes on. The cake’s glaze was so shiny he could see the frown on his face reflected back at him. “Does my membership of Sweets Club mean nothing to you?”
“We would’ve saved some for you,” Aiba spluttered, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
“Right, if that’s the way it is, then I am resigning from Sweets Club.” Sho huffed, shoving the box roughly into Ohno’s hands. “I wouldn’t want to intrude on your couple time. In fact I might just start a new club and not invite you two to become members.”
“Sho, wait.” Ohno waved the box at Sho. “You can still have some.”
“I have more pride than that,” Sho sniffed, barely managing to hide his look of longing at the exquisite gateaux.
Shoving the box back into Aiba’s hands, Sho gathered his tattered pride and marched out of the cupboard.
++
“So what do you guys think?” Sho’s gaze flicked eagerly between Jun and Nino, as he waited for their responses to his proposal with all of the eagerness of an over-excited puppy.
Nino nibbled on the edge of the sakura flavoured macaron that Sho had handed out, licking the cream filling with quick darts of his tongue.
Jun’s macaron was untouched and his brows were creased with worry. “What about the others? Won’t they be hurt if we leave them out?”
“They were perfectly fine with leaving me out, so I don’t see the problem.” Sho stuffed an entire macaron into his mouth and chewed angrily.
“What are you, five?” Nino laughed at the petulant pout that Sho was currently displaying. “You sound like they broke one of your toys.”
Taking pity on the hurt expression on Sho’s face, Jun relented. “How about we have a trial meeting and see how it goes? But I don't want to be stuffing my mouth with sweet things all the time, I want something salty as well.”
Nino nearly choked on his macaron, forcing Sho to stop eating momentarily and whack him on the back. When he could breathe again, Nino managed to splutter, “I couldn't possibly miss the sight of Jun with something salty in his mouth.”
Fortunately Jun was too occupied with scrolling through bakeries for ideas to have clearly heard Nino’s comment. Sho hastily arranged a meeting time, before dragging Nino away with him before Jun worked out exactly what Nino had meant.
++
“I’m not sure that having our first meeting at Nino’s place was the best idea,” Sho fretted, as he and Jun rode the elevator up from the underground parking garage under Nino’s building.
“I can’t even remember the last time Nino paid for food, let alone invited us to his place for a meal. If you think I was going to pass up this opportunity, then you’re crazy,” Jun replied, ringing the buzzer and waiting expectantly for Nino to open the door.
It took much longer than anticipated for Nino to finally let them in, by which time Sho was jiggling impatiently as his stomach growled in protest at the lack of food.
Nino was wearing scruffy sweatpants and his favourite mustard yellow t-shirt with his hair held back from his face by a striped elasticated hairband.
“Hi, you guys. Sorry it took me so long the answer the door, but I was busy in the kitchen.” Nino tossed them a pair of slippers each and closed the door behind them.
“That’s alright then.” Sho hastily shoved his feet into the slippers and followed Nino towards the dining table.
Casting the slippers, (which looked suspiciously like the flimsy free ones you get in hotels) a disdainful glare, Jun stepped into them and followed, with much less enthusiasm.
“I’ll just go and plate up, and then we can begin.” Nino scuttled off and began clattering around in his tiny kitchen. He reappeared a minute later and lobbed a can of beer each at Sho and Jun, before disappearing again.
Sho had his phone ready to record the occasion and send the evidence to his traitorous friends, as Nino entered shortly after bearing three bowls on a serving platter.
“I thought we should start the club off with something savoury,” Nino said with a serious expression and he placed the platter down and distributed the bowls amongst the three of them.
“What is this?” Jun asked, prodding the noodles floating in an unappealingly watery soup, with the end of his chopsticks.
“Noodles, of course,” Sho enthused, taking several shots of his bowl before putting his phone down and tucking a paper serviette into the collar of his shirt.
Glaring at Nino with narrowed eyes, Jun asked, “They look suspiciously like instant cup ramen to me. How did you make them Nino?”
“I’ll have you know it wasn’t easy at all,” Nino protested. “I had to buy them and then carry them home from the conbini. And then boiling the kettle took ages, not to mention peeling back the lid and filling the cups.”
Jun dropped his chopsticks and sighed, “So they are actually what I said they were?”
“Yes, but I put them in these pretty bowls and sprinkled some fresh parsley on top,” Nino replied with a put-upon sigh of his own.
“Parsley? There was parsley garnishing the sandwiches supplied by catering at lunchtime. You didn’t really bring it home to feed to us?” Jun asked, pinning Nino with a steely glare.
“What’s wrong with that? It’s not like I didn’t wash it first,” Nino protested.
“Eww.” Jun pushed his bowl away.
“They taste fine to me,” Sho said, stuffing them rapidly into his mouth as Jun and Nino argued. It wasn’t quite how he’d planned this club to work, but food was food. Sho couldn’t help the little pang in his chest though, as Aiba responded to his photos with one of his own depicting a blueberry cream doughnut with a bite taken out of each side.
++
“This time we are going to do things properly.” Jun made sure that Ohno and Aiba weren’t around, as he handed out tiny invitations to Sho and Nino. They were beautifully handwritten on embossed pieces of heavy card. “And don’t be late.”
“Yes, your majesty,” Nino responded with a skilful eye roll.
“Do you want us to bring anything booze-like?” Sho muttered, hastily stuffing the invite into his pocket as Ohno and Aiba entered the dressing room.
“Everything is under control, unlike those two…” Jun’s words trailed off as Aiba pushed Ohno down onto the battered sofa and plonked himself down on the smaller man’s lap.
Ohno made a noise like a deflating balloon as he disappeared from view under Aiba, who tangled his long limbs around him and made himself comfortable.
“Aiba! Let the poor man breathe, he’s getting squashed,” Sho grumbled as he pried Aiba slightly away from Ohno who somehow always seemed to end up getting flattened.
“Squashed is right! I totally forgot that I had these.” Aiba reached into his pocket and pulled out a clear plastic bag containing three squished cookies, which had their fluffy filling squeezing out through the cracked coating of milk chocolate.
“Oooh! Chocolate marshmallow cookies?” Sho’s eyes glowed at the sight, even though the cookies were looking more than a little worse for wear.
“We bought three, like always,” Ono said, as he happily accepted one of the cookies, dropping shards of chocolate over the front of his shirt as he did so. “Here, have one.”
Ohno held out the squished and melting cookie, and Sho found his feet moving automatically in the direction of the sofa. It was as if he was being drawn by an invisible string towards the chocolate treat, which even had a layer of raspberry jam underneath the marshmallow.
As Sho reached out a trembling hand, he caught the look of triumph that passed between Ohno and Aiba. He immediately snatched his hand back and retreated to a safe distance. “You did that deliberately didn’t you?”
“The Sweets Club just isn’t the same without you,” Ohno pleaded.
Aiba nodded enthusiastically in agreement. “When there’s only the two of us, we can’t order as many different kinds of treat to try as when we were three.”
Sho immediately took offense, “So you don’t want me back because you miss me, but rather because I am limiting your snacking opportunities? Well, you can forget it, because it won’t be happening.”
The door slammed hard enough to rattle the pictures on the wall, as Sho flounced out to get a breath of fresh air and try and calm himself down before filming began.
After his footsteps receded down the hallway, the other four turned to each other and shared concerned looks; their plan to get Sho to return to the Sweets Club had somehow taken a wrong turn.
“Crap. That was bad,” Nino said, shaking his head sagely.
“It was my fault.” Aiba groaned and leant back against Ohno.
“We can fix this, don’t beat yourself up about it,” Ohno said, pressing a reassuring kiss onto Aiba’s cheek.
“Ohno’s right. We just need to stick to the plan and everything will work out.” Nino squeezed onto the sofa next to Aiba, who engulfed him in a one-armed hug.
“I don’t know,” Jun said, pacing worriedly. “The noodle thing at Nino’s place backfired. We should’ve known that our resident garbage guts would eat anything and enjoy it.”
“Don’t panic, Jun. What you have planned for him tonight will definitely send him running back to the Sweets Club with his tail between his legs.” Nino caught hold of Jun’s wrist and pulled him down into the heap of bandmates who were threatening to collapse the rickety sofa with their combined weight.
“I certainly hope so, because I still can’t get the taste of those horrible noodles out of my mouth,” Jun whimpered.
“Don’t worry, I will take you out for a nice dinner when all of this is over,” Nino replied, puffing out his chest.
“Oh really?” Jun was highly suspicious of Nino offering to buy him anything.
“Yes, really.” Nino patted Jun’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him. “Just as soon as I collect my consultation fee from these two.”
++
Nino pushed Sho aside in his hurry to enter Jun’s apartment, “At last I gain entry to Matsumoto Castle.”
“Nino, you’ve been in my apartment before.”
“Not since you moved to the new palace,” Nino replied, as he walked around snapping photos with his camera. Nino picked up and put down several items before he eventually found a ceramic dish filled with decorative glass marbles and slipped one of them into the back pocket of his jeans.
“What on earth are you doing?”
“I like to take home souvenirs when I visit a shrine.”
“Nino!”
“Guys! Focus!” Sho glared at the pair of them. “Remember why we are here. This is supposed to be about food!”
Sho was beginning to think that neither Nino nor Jun appreciated the seriousness of the situation. Food wasn’t something to be taken lightly; it was more than just fuel. Sho understood that Nino was a small eater, and quite fussy about what he liked, while Jun enjoyed food, but exercised an iron will when it came to sweets and portion sizes. He missed Ohno and Aiba’s enthusiasm to explore new tastes and their willingness to stuff themselves until they were full to bursting.
“Don’t worry, Sho.” Jun headed to his spacious kitchen, with Nino tagging along behind him, eyeing off possible souvenirs on the way. “I have an extra special treat for us tonight.”
Sho’s steps quickened as he entered Jun’s kitchen, his feet halting of their own accord as he paused to take in the view. The light reflecting from the gleaming countertops and the myriad stainless steel appliances made Sho squint as he took in every detail. As in everything Jun did, he obviously demanded perfection, and in pursuit of this had made his kitchen into one that would rival any commercial premises.
What confused Sho, was the fact that the countertop was covered in a neat arrangement of stainless steel bowls, each containing what looked like a random collection of possibly edible substances. There was no sign of the dessert that Sho had been eagerly anticipating, which sent his spirits plummeting. Obviously Sho’s stomach felt the same way, as it grumbled hungrily.
“Don’t look so disappointed. We are going to have fun making tonight’s dessert from scratch,” Jun said eagerly, as he handed each of his guests an apron.
“You’re going to let the Failmeister here, cook actual food? Food that we are going to eat?” Nino’s eyebrows almost touched his hairline.
“Don't worry. There is no cooking involved since everything is raw.”
Sho didn’t know whether to be offended by Nino’s words or more worried by Jun’s. “What do you mean by ‘raw’?”
“We’re making a vegan raw organic chocolate cheesecake,” Jun said enthusiastically.
“I don't know what half those words even mean, but if it gives me the chance to mess up Jun’s kitchen, then I’m in.” Nino wasted no time wrapping the apron around his waist.
Sho was slightly more hesitant, but he followed suit, pulling on the apron, and grimacing at the frilly floral design, which made him look mildly stupid in comparison to Jun and Nino’s simple black ones.
“Sorry about the apron. My mother left it behind last time she was here,” Jun apologized over the top of Nino’s snickers.
“I may be the ‘Failmeister’ when it comes to cooking,” Sho said with a pointed glare at Nino. “But even I know that you have to crush cookies for the base. I think I can possibly manage to do that without problems.”
“Cookies? No way! They are way too unhealthy.” Jun pointed to a cluster of bowls and added, “Those are the base ingredients. Just put them in the food processor and blend them.”
As Sho placed the ingredients in the processor, he tried to stave off the depression that was creeping over him. The bowls contained walnuts, dates, coconut flakes, coconut oil (all organic) and Himalayan pink salt. The lack of butter and sugar made Sho sad.
When it was done and Nino had pressed the brown sticky mess into the tin before placing it in the fridge to set, Sho watched Jun blending the ingredients for the cheesecake itself.
“See, I soaked the raw cashews in purified water for an hour before you arrived. It makes the texture more creamy,” Jun chirped.
Sho watched on in horror as Jun peeled three blackened and shrivelled bananas and tossed them in the blender with the cashews, and a couple of spoons of something called coconut sugar, along with a pinch of the pink salt. He looked around nervously to see if he could spot what kind of chocolate Jun was going to melt into the mixture; dark was his personal favourite. “So, the chocolate part is?”
“Right here.” Jun handed Nino a box labelled ‘Cacao Powder - Raw - Guaranteed Organic’, and instructed him to add 2 tablespoons.
Eventually the mass was smooth and Jun poured the goop over the chilled base, offering Sho a taste from the spatula. Sho tried his hardest, but he couldn't quite manage to make himself put the unappealing mixture into his mouth.
“What are these?” Sho noticed that there was one small bowlful of something left.
“Good thing you reminded me,” Jun said, as he pushed the tin over to Sho. “That's the yummy topping.”
‘Yummy’ was not the first word that came to Sho’s mind, as he looked down at the dish full of things that resembled some kind of dried pooey blobs.
“Wouldn't be a complete cheesecake without the organic raw cacao nibs on top.”
“Ooh, that sounds really interesting,” Nino said, picking one out of the dish and chewing on it with every sign of pleasure. “Want one?”
“Absolutely,” Jun took one and chomped on it.
Sho however, shook his head and recoiled.
“Don't worry, you're bound to love it when the cake is set.”
“Set? But Jun…”
“It only takes an hour in the freezer and in the meantime I can make us some wheatgrass juice”
In the face of Jun’s slightly scary smile, Sho decided to retreat to the bathroom to pull himself together. The dessert (if could even be described as such) looked disgusting and the smell was almost as bad, but Jun was trying so hard and Sho didn't want to hurt his feelings.
What Sho failed to see were the faces Jun and Nino pulled after the bathroom door closed behind him as Jun gulped down water trying to wash down the dry remnants of the cocoa nibs which were stubbornly lodged in the back of his throat, and Nino scrubbed his tongue with a dishcloth to try and remove the taste.
++
The theme tune from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory wafted up from Sho’s phone as he splashed cold water on his face, in an attempt to wash away his disappointment. He knew that Jun was into eating healthy these days, but he hadn't fully understood what it meant until just now when he’d been faced with that abominable parody of a dessert.
The ringtone signalled a message from the Sweets Club, and Sho itched to see what Ohno had sent him, even though he had resolved to remain aloof. Perhaps one little peek couldn't hurt? Eyes widening with desire, Sho gazed in wonder at the photographs from Ohno. They made his heart beat faster and small beads of sweat form on his brow as he scrolled through them.
It appeared that Aiba and Ohno had found the exact kind of discrete establishment which catered to their particular tastes and desires. Fulfilling their every wish and yet offering an unparalleled level of privacy, something which was extra important to those who lived their lives in the public eye.
Despite Sho’s earlier resolve, he found it impossible to resist the siren song of Sweets Club and the secret pleasures that it promised.
++
Sho looked regretful as he re-joined Nino and Jun in the kitchen. “Sorry.”
“You were in the bathroom for a very long time.” Nino raised an eyebrow as he added, “Issues? Is Jun going to have to restock on toilet tissue?”
“Nino!” Jun admonished. “Don't be so crude. If Sho isn't feeling well, perhaps he should go home and get some rest?”
“He does look kind of bad,” Nino agreed. “Just look at those dark circles under his eyes.”
“Go home Sho. We’ll save you a piece of cheesecake for when you're feeling better,” Jun said as he took Sho by the elbow and hustled him to the door.
Nino grabbed Sho’s coat and helped Sho into it before shoving him unceremoniously out into the hallway. “Bye!”
Blinking dazedly as the door slammed behind him, Sho was surprised at how easy it had been to escape. He hadn't even needed to say a word and now he was free to join Ohno and Aiba. He only hoped that Nino and Jun weren't too disappointed that he’d abandoned them.
++
“WOO..smffffmmff.” Nino’s voice was smothered as Jun clapped his hand over his mouth.
“Shh! He might still be within earshot,” Jun hissed.
They both froze, Jun’s hand still pressed over Nino’s mouth as they strained their ears, listening to the sound of Sho’s footsteps receding down the hall. When the coast was clear, Jun removed his hand, grabbing Nino and spinning him around in a dizzying circle.
“We did it!”
“Yaaay! Ohno and Aiba owe us big time!”
“We should let them know that he's on his way,” Jun finally said, after they collapsed in a breathless heap on his sofa.
“And let them know that they need to pay me my fee,” Nino added gleefully, pulling out his phone and quickly typing a message. “I am going to buy you the best dinner ever. We can even go to a restaurant without a drive-through and you can have dessert too, since they're paying!”
“Speaking of dessert, there's still that cheesecake to eat. Want to try some?” Jun went to the kitchen and pulled the dingy brown cheesecake out of the freezer and put it down on the countertop.
“Err…” Nino poked it tentatively.
“I have ice cream to go with it,” Jun said, pulling out a tub of premium dark chocolate ice cream with a rum ripple and showing it to Nino, who instantly perked up. “Oh, and I almost forgot this was in here.” Jun added with a grin as he dug out a bottle of raspberry vodka from the very back of the freezer.
“Now you're talking.” Nino picked up the bottle and the tub of ice cream and headed back to the living room. “Forget the cheesecake and bring the spoons and glasses while I find us something to watch on TV.”
“I guess I should throw this away?” Jun glared at the cheesecake.
“Throw it away? No way! I’m sure Sho will love to have it. I say you bring it to him for breakfast tomorrow on the set,” Nino called back over his shoulder as he walked away in search of Jun’s remote.
“Oh, I’m sure he will,” Jun laughed as he shoved it back into the freezer before joining Nino.
++
Sho peered out through the window of the taxi. “Are you sure we’re in the right place?”
Even through the dark tint of the sunglasses he was using as a makeshift disguise, Sho’s eyes were hurt by the lurid pink sign over the door of the building. The driver nodded and Sho paid him in cash before climbing out of the car and quickly slipping through the door.
The pink theme continued in the entranceway, which was lined with what looked like pink clouds of cotton candy, but couldn’t possibly be real. Sho jumped as a pink-clad hostess wearing a low cut dress and a hat shaped like a pink iced cupcake, appeared out of the pink fluff and offered to take his coat before showing him to the private room Aiba and Ohno had booked for the evening.
Folding his collar up around his face and pressing his dark glasses more firmly onto his nose, Sho refused her offer and furtively followed her to the room; he wanted to be prepared for a quick getaway if it proved necessary. It was always risky for them to go out in public, especially to places which they hadn’t been before, since they couldn’t be sure of the discretion of the staff.
“Sho! You’re here!” Aiba chirruped as Sho furtively shuffled into the room.
Ohno looked up from where he was sitting comfortably slumped in a panda-shaped beanbag and smiled lazily, the corners of his eyes creasing with pleasure at the sight of Sho returning to them.
The room was painted in the same lurid shade of pink and the far wall was lined with rows of empty shelving painted in various pastel shades and there was a large, glossy white table placed near to the shelves, also empty. Gold and silver Lurex draperies hung from the ceiling, studded with diamantes, giving the overall impression of a nine year-old girl’s home decor fantasy, right down to the low tables and object-shaped seats which dotted the pink-carpeted floor.
“I’m not sure about this,” Sho muttered as Aiba led him over to a squishy chair which looked suspiciously like a giant banana.
“As soon as we discovered this place, we knew that we wanted to include you.” Aiba walked over to the wall and pressed a switch, which set off a set of chimes, which sounded like a distant ice cream truck. “There are so many possibilities for us to explore together.”
“It hasn’t been the same without you Sho,” Ohno added. “We’ve missed your company, and nobody appreciates food the way you do.”
“As much as I like Jun and Nino, they don’t know how important a role sweets play in a happy life,” Sho admitted. “I’m sorry for huffing off like that. Will you take me back?”
Aiba practically ran over to Sho and wrapped him in a tight hug, “We’re the ones who should be apologizing. We shouldn’t have bought that chocolate cake without including you. It’s entirely our fault.”
Ohno piped up from his beanbag, “So now that the Club is back together, can we get down to business?”
“Don’t stress, it should be starting any second now.” Aiba plopped himself down next to Ohno on the panda’s butt and looked eagerly at a door set in the far wall.
Sho, who was still confused as to exactly what was about to happen, perched nervously on the edge of his banana and followed Aiba’s gaze. So far the room didn’t even offer a hint of the pleasures that Aiba had promised him in the series of photographs he received in Jun’s bathroom.
The door slid silently open, admitting a row of young women, all wearing skimpy outfits and cupcake shaped hats. They silently formed a line, each displaying their wares to their best advantage.
Sho’s mouth watered at the sight. With so many to choose from, it was going to be a difficult decision to make his selection. Fortunately with the arrangements Aiba had made, it would be possible to sample a little from each.
“I want them all!” Ohno sat up straight in the beanbag, eyes widening at the decadent sight.
Sho gulped, mouth hanging slightly open, as he dazedly nodded in agreement; it seemed as if his ultimate fantasy was about to unfold before his eyes.
“Don't worry, you can try anything you want. This place is really accommodating towards unusual tastes,” Aiba confirmed as he gestured to the first of the ladies to show them her goods.
Smiling alluringly, the women paraded over to the shelves and bent over to empty the large serving trays they carried. Each tray was piled high with an array of desserts. As soon as one unloaded their treats and left the room they were replaced by the next, each carrying a more elaborate confection than the last. This continued until all of the shelves lining the back wall could hold no more and the last waitresses stacked the white table with piles of plates and cutlery. The final touch was the tray of brightly coloured drinks which were placed down beside a tray of glasses, each containing a plastic bendy straw in a variety of lurid stripes and shapes.
“Welcome to the first ever Mega Mega Super Extravagant Dessert Buffet hosted by Sweets Club,” Aiba announced proudly. “Nothing is taboo or off limits. We are free to eat as much as we like of whatever we like without feeling guilty.”
“We wanted it to be special,” Ohno added softly. “And we wanted to do this together, as a threesome.”
Aiba nodded vigorously, “There’s nothing I want more than a threesome with you and Ohno, Sho-chan.”
“Then let's do it,” Sho unbuttoned the top button of his trousers and picked up a plate, marching towards the mound of desserts with a determined expression.
++
“They're very late.” Jun glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time and looked anxiously at Nino, who seemed unconcerned. “I hope they were careful and didn't take things too far last night. You know how overexcited Aiba can get when he tries new things.”
“I made him promise to be gentle with Sho, since it had been quite while since he was last with them,” Nino said reassuringly.
“I wonder if they will still be up to eating this?” Jun picked up a round storage container and shook it dubiously.
“I’m sure they will. Those three have an unlimited appetite.”
“That's what I am most afraid of,” Jun sighed.
A few minutes later a sad and sorry Sho staggered into the room, followed by Ohno and Aiba who were supporting each other with linked arms.
“And what time do you call this?” Nino asked, pointedly looking at his watch.
“Sorry,” groaned Aiba, clutching his aching head; coming down from his sugar high was leaving him feeling limp and drained.
“And you,” Nino said, homing in on Sho. “Where were you last night? Jun was worried and rang your apartment to check if you got home safe, but there was no answer.”
“Err, um…Ohno and Aiba...”
“No need to explain.” Jun said soothingly. “We are all adults here. Nino and I are just happy that you three are back together again. I only hope that you took the necessary precautions.”
“Yep,” Ohno nodded. “We took indigestion medicine as soon as we were done.”
Jun lifted the corner of his Tupperware container and let out a groan. “I know that Sho was keen to taste our handiwork, but I am afraid that the cheesecake is suffering.”
“Is this the cheesecake that Sho was telling us about?” Aiba asked with a grimace.
Sho immediately made shushing gestures with his hands. He hadn’t meant to complain to Aiba and Ohno about Jun’s cooking, but when he was in the midst of a sugar high he found it hard to control himself.
“It sounded kind of gross,” Ohno added, earning himself a death stare from everyone except Jun who emitted an exaggerated whimper of distress.
“How can you call something which Jun and I made ‘gross’?” Nino paced the floor, gesticulating dramatically. “After what Jun suffered through last night, the least you three can do is eat his cheesecake. He put his heart and soul into it!” He added, conveniently forgetting the enjoyable evening the pair of them had spent consuming an entire tub of ice cream and more than half of the bottle of vodka before falling asleep together on Jun’s sofa midway though watching their third movie of the night.
Jun nodded sadly and slumped pathetically in his seat (his feigned sadness aided somewhat by the slight hangover he was carrying), cuddling the Tupperware container to his chest. Cradling the melting cheesecake as if it were a fragile baby, Jun opened the lid and peered once again into the box, emitting a small sound of distress as he saw its state.
Aiba was the first to crack as he rushed over and patted Jun’s shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry; we’ll eat it right now.”
Sho groaned, and clutched his sore belly, still bulging from the blowout of the night before, “I’m not sure if I can eat another bite.”
Pinning Sho down with a hard stare Nino marched over and whispered fiercely in his ear, “Especially since you were so “sick” last night. In particular too sick to eat the dessert that Jun worked so hard on preparing for you.”
“But since I know how awesome it’s going to taste, I’ll manage to find enough room to fit in a big piece,” Sho said loudly, wearing a fixed smile as Nino circled back to Jun.
“I’m afraid it’s been out of the fridge for too long and it’s gone kind of runny,” Jun said despondently as he opened the container. “That’s why it has to be stored in the freezer until just before you eat it.”
“I’m sure it will be fine,” Sho said with obviously misplaced confidence. “But unfortunately we don't have anything to eat it with.”
“Don't worry, Jun has spoons for you.” Nino grinned.
Jun put down the cheesecake and rummaged in his bag, pulling out three dessert spoons and handing them to the Sweets Club members with an innocent smile.
Sho took the cake from Jun and placed it down on the table in the middle of the room, as Aiba and Ohno joined him. They looked at the oozing cheesecake with varying degrees of fear.
“Well, don't just stand there and look at it,” Nino admonished.
Aiba and Sho looked at Jun helplessly, as if begging for mercy. Jun was about to relent, when a loud exclamation of pleasure filled the room.
“Delicious!’ Ohno declared loudly, as he shovelled spoonfuls of brown gloop into his mouth while emitting little moans of pleasure.
“Really? Is it that good?” Sho immediately scooped up a huge portion for himself.
“I wouldn't do that!” Aiba warned; they all knew that Ohno could, and would, eat virtually anything, no matter how bad, and still declare it to be delicious.
But Aiba”s warning came too late, as Sho shoved a heaped spoon of cheesecake into his mouth. Sho’s cheeks bulged and his expression changed from one of curiosity to one of horrified disgust within the space of a second. It seemed as if Sho’s eyes were going to pop out of his head as he gagged slightly, struggling to swallow the glutinous mass.
Aiba and Ohno immediately leapt to Sho’s aid, as he reeled back holding his mouth shut with his fingertips to prevent an unfortunate accident. Ohno whacked Sho on the back as Aiba grabbed a bottle of water, trying to force it between his tightly clenched teeth. Somehow in the mêlée the cheesecake was knocked off the table and Ohno leapt to save it, knocking Sho over and dragging Aiba with him, so that the three of them ended up together on the floor, lightly spattered with blobs of oozing brown matter.
“Not the first time these three have ended up like this after a night out,” Nino snickered, elbowing Jun in the ribs.
“Do you think we should help them?” Jun asked, in a way which clearly indicated that he wanted the answer to be ‘no’.
“Nah, it’s nice to watch the children playing together.”
Sho was writhing around on the floor with both hands clamped over his mouth as Ohno, who was somehow tangled in a complicated, but obviously happy mess with Aiba, was trying to feed him more of the cheesecake. Not that there was much left clinging to the inside of the container, considering the amount which was plastered on their hair and clothes.
Jun and Nino exchanged a high five as they watched their bandmates roll about on the floor together. Things were finally back to normal. Even more so when Nino received a blob of brown goop right between the eyes from a well timed launch from Aiba and dragged Jun down off the sofa with him to join the fray. No matter that they were all over thirty years old now; their way of showing love for each other would never change.
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Date: 2018-04-16 04:20 am (UTC)Thank you for sharing!~ ^__^
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Date: 2018-04-21 08:38 am (UTC)Thanks for reading.
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Date: 2018-04-16 10:42 am (UTC)Thank you so much for sharing~!!♡
(I hope you're feeling better now, too)
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Date: 2018-04-21 08:40 am (UTC)I couldn't help all of the smutty bits (my mind lurks in the gutter).
Thanks for reading and your kind comment.
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Date: 2018-04-16 11:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-04-21 08:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-04-16 05:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-04-21 08:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-04-16 07:56 pm (UTC)Thanks so much for this!! <3
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Date: 2018-04-21 08:46 am (UTC)Thanks for reading dear ❤
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Date: 2018-04-17 02:34 am (UTC)Vegan cheesecake xD It sounded awful tbh, I can understand Sho's feelings xDDDDD
Thanks for sharing this with us!
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Date: 2018-04-21 08:47 am (UTC)Thanks for reading ☺
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Date: 2018-04-17 09:06 am (UTC)Everything are so CUTE!<3
I squealed at Sho being so heartbroken at being left out by Sweet Club original members, then try to make Sweet Club v.2 but choosing wrong members for it pffft.
I snickered at Nino who's being a total king (calling Jun's place as palace, taking souvenir, being an endearing cheapskate, trying to milk his members in every moments possible)
Aiba and Ohno are also such a delight. Those two who wants to have their own special moments with the dessert but ended up caught (I wonder if Sho was actually watching every member just so he won't be left out for the fun! Pfft.), their way to seduce Sho back to them are <3<3<3 Ohno was constantly squished but it was his fault, who asked him to be too squishy for his own good? >< <3
Gotta love this special vegan raw organic chocolate cheesecake and Jun taking advantages of his cuteness! HUHUHU.
I can't eat too much sweet (kind of like Jun here) but Mega Mega Super Extravagant Dessert Buffet hosted by Sweets Club sounds mouth watering. Sorry for the too much flailing!! Fluff tend to make me excited like this.
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Date: 2018-04-21 08:52 am (UTC)Sho should've known that those two would be bad at sweets, but he didn't really think about it first.
I'm so happy that you enjoyed the characters of the boys in this story. I had fun writing stingy bratty Nino. And yes, Ohno just seems to ask to be squished.
Your flailing has left me sitting here wearing a huge smile. Thank you.
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Date: 2018-04-21 08:04 am (UTC)I cannot imagine how 'organic' Jun's cheesecake is, but those two (Jun and Nino) made suc a cute, hilarious, bratty combo XD
And all those sexual innuendos, it's like they made love to the sweets lmao
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Date: 2018-04-21 08:55 am (UTC)The scary part is that this is an actual recipe that people actually make *shudder*.
Sexual innuendo? I don't know what you mean *blinks innocently*
Thanks for reading dear.
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Date: 2018-04-21 09:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-04-21 10:57 am (UTC)Apparently it's one of the TASTIER versions of vegan cheesecake. Ahahahaha
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Date: 2018-04-23 05:51 pm (UTC)*lol* vegan cheesecake...no thank you 😝 I really laughed out loud while reading and I hope I didn't disturb my coworkers with it *lol*
OhBa are just hilarious
Thanks for sharing ❤❤
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Date: 2018-04-24 02:32 am (UTC)Yay for making you laugh.
Thanks so much for reading <3