Forever Will Have To Do
Jan. 25th, 2019 02:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
learashiPairing: Sakumoto
Genre: fluff
Rating: PG-13
Summary: “Do you think that he’ll like it?” Sho waited nervously, looking at Ohno expectantly. It had taken him months of searching to find just the right thing, but now he was beginning to doubt his own judgement.
Notes: It’s Sho’s birthday again already? Where did the last year go? I must offer him a vote of thanks for looking so scorchingly hot lately as I wish him Happy Birthday. And of course it’s also my lovely friend Matsupie's birthday today too. Happy reading Sis and Happy Birthday!
“Do you know what the problem with Sho is? Do you?”
Shun flinched away from Jun’s loud voice as his friend draped himself over his shoulder. “No Jun, I didn’t even know that Sho had a problem, but I guess you are about to tell me what it is.”
“He’s too goddamn perfect, that’s what he is…” Jun slurred as he collapsed back down into his seat, which wobbled dangerously and tilted backwards, under his unsteady weight.
Toma hastily reached out and held the chair firm until it was back resting on all four legs. He exchanged a look with Shun, who shrugged and surreptitiously tried to move Jun’s wine glass out of Jun’s reach. What had started out as a perfectly decorous wine tasting evening arranged by Jun, had somehow turned into a drinking binge. Not that Toma or Shun were drunk; they were a little buzzed maybe, but that was nothing in comparison to Jun. After sampling the first six wines, Jun had given up all pretence of tasting and had instead filled his glass to the brim each time, chugging the wine down fast before refilling his glass.
Jun, who seemed to wake up from a drunken doze, pulled himself upright and made a moue of displeasure as he noticed that his glass was missing. “Seriously, you guys have no idea what it’s like living with ‘Mr Perfect’. I mean, you saw him on Zero this week? That hair?” Yanking off his knitted cap, Jun revealed an unstyled bird’s nest of hair. “How can he possibly find this attractive?” Jun raked his fingers through his hair making it stand up in random clumps, adding softly, “How can he find me attractive?”
The other two thought Jun was actually looking rather adorable with his tousled hair and big round glasses perched on the end of his nose, but knew that no matter what they said it would make no difference. The only person who Jun would listen to right now was Sho. While Toma patted Jun’s shoulder consolingly, Shun picked up his phone and began to dial.
)¡(
“Do you think that he’ll like it?” Sho waited nervously, looking at Ohno expectantly. It had taken him months of searching to find just the right thing, but now he was beginning to doubt his own judgement.
Weighing the ring in his hand and turning it so that the stone caught the light, Ohno hummed, closing his eyes as he pictured the ring on Jun’s hand. The oval black opal set in a heavy yellow gold band flashed all the colours of the rainbow in a miniature fireworks display, and Ohno smiled at the sight. Somehow the ring reminded him of Arashi, with its vibrant colours blending harmoniously. “It’s perfect. He’ll love it. You’re not proposing to him or anything are you?”
“What? No!” Sho blurted. “He’d kill me if I did something as soppy as that. We both agree that marriage isn’t for us. I just want to show him how much he means to me.”
“That’s okay then,” Ohno laughed. He refrained from adding that Sho sounded plenty soppy, even if he wasn’t planning on proposing. “Where is he tonight anyway? I thought that since you two had the same day off for the first time in weeks, you would be holed up in your apartment doing rude things to each other.”
“He organised a wine tasting evening with Shun and Toma months ago. It’s almost impossible for them all to be free at the same time. Who am I to break up the legendary bromance? He’s going to ring me when he’s done so I can drive him home,” Sho said cheerfully, taking the ring back and carefully stowing it in the little burgundy leather box it came in.
As Sho slid the box into the inner pocket of his suit jacket his phone began to ring.
)¡(
“Where is he?” Sho had only made it as far as the doorway of the private room Jun had booked at his favourite bar. Shun was lurking in the exact position to cut off Sho’s view into the interior of the room.
Shun placed one hand on the doorjamb as he spoke, delaying Sho’s entry. “He’s back there with Toma. He doesn’t know that I called you.”
Something about the expression on Shun’s face worried Sho. “Is something wrong? Did he get drunk and do something embarrassing? If he kissed either of you again, I apologise.”
“Don’t worry; he didn’t kiss us, not that it would be a bad thing anyway. It’s more that he seems a bit more clingy than usual. You know how he gets when he lets his insecurities take over.”
A hard knot formed in Sho’s stomach at Shun’s words. It had been a long time since Jun had allowed his self-doubts and fears to overwhelm him. In fact since they’d finally become a couple, Jun had rarely been to the dark place where his thoughts had sometimes strayed to up until his early twenties.
Placing a comforting hand on Sho’s shoulder, Shun stood aside to allow Sho to enter. “I shouldn't worry if I were you. He won't remember it in the morning anyway. Since I rang you he and Toma have been tasting some kind of strange pink muscat liqueur.”
Although Shun meant well, Sho remained unconvinced.
)¡(
Jun blinked up owlishly at Sho and a slow smile spread across his face as he eventually recognized him. “Shooo, what are you doing here? Is something wrong? I didn't call you yet did I? Or did I and I just don't remember?”
“You didn't call. I missed you, and Shun graciously allowed me to join your cool guys outing,” Sho said brightly as he took a seat next to Jun.
Toma immediately peeled Jun off his neck and pushed him into Sho’s arms, breathing a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness you're here. I’m dying for a pee and he’s had me pinned down for the last half hour drooling on my shoulder.”
“That's because Toma is soft and squishy and good to lean on,” Jun chirped, patting Toma’s head in a disjointed fashion. “And I don't drool!”
Swaying dangerously, Toma pouted and pinched his waist, feeling for fat. “I obviously need to spend more time at the gym, and I'm sure that Sho would beg to differ on the drooling front.”
Shun snickered and prodded Toma’s stomach. “I can see what Jun means.”
“Oi!” Toma slapped Shun’s hand away and flounced off to the bathroom in an exaggerated fashion which made the other three snicker.
Picking up Toma’s abandoned wine glass, Jun drained it in one go before Sho could stop him. Attempting to place the glass back on the table, he blindly flailed it in the general vicinity, barely catching the edge, and Sho had to quickly snatch up the glass before it fell to the floor.
Jun turned to Sho, seemingly bamboozled by the way his glass had magically managed not to break. “Sho? Why didn't you tell me that you're here, instead of sitting there looking all fancy in your fancy suit. Why are you so fancy?” Jun tugged nervously at the t-shirt he was wearing under a simple black leather jacket.
“I just came from work.” Sho tugged at the collar of his shirt, ripping off his tie and stuffing it into his pocket. He stroked the small leather box to reassure himself that it was still there, before adding, “You look gorgeous by the way. That is my favourite jacket of yours.”
Jun tried to hide his embarrassment at Sho’s words of praise, as some of his earlier fears about his looks dissipated. “Really?” Jun asked, as he stroked his fingers down one sleeve.
“I always love you in leather, baby” Sho said quietly, but obviously not quietly enough.
“Ewwww.” Shun stuck his fingers in his ears. “Seriously, you guys. I'm going to make sure that Toma hasn't accidentally flushed himself, and then we’re going to bail before things get too gross around here.”
Sho could tell by the weight of Jun leaning against him that his boyfriend was about to fall asleep in his arms, and before that happened he wanted to be able to get Jun safely installed in the car.
“We should go too. Thanks for taking care of Jun for me,” Sho said quietly to Shun.
“No problem, he’s our friend, and we love him too,” Sho replied equally softly, ruffling Jun’s hair affectionately as he passed him on the way to dig Toma out of the bathroom.
)¡(
“If you could just help me out a little…” Sho was struggling to open the car door with Jun attached to him like a limpet.
“Why?” Jun giggled.
“Because I am going to drop you on the ground in a second.”
“I can stand up by myself,” Jun protested. “I’m not as think as you drunk I am.”
To prove his point Jun wriggled free from Sho’s grasp, balancing on his own for a few seconds before collapsing into a heap on the floor of the parking garage. He looked up at Sho with a pout before breaking into a fit of giggles.
“Wrong on both counts,” Sho laughed, as he shovelled Jun up off the floor and folded him into the passenger seat.
As Sho attempted to buckle Jun’s seatbelt, he found himself seemingly being groped in several places at once. He succeeded peeling on of Jun’s hands off his ass, only to have to remove one from his crotch a second afterwards. “Jun, can you please hold still for a second and let me strap you in?”
Jun burst into a fit of giggles, which fortunately distracted him long enough for Sho to fasten the buckle. When he finally could speak, he blurted, “Strap-on? I don't see why we need one of those. Not with big Little Sho on the job.”
Sho squeaked in surprise as Jun gripped him tightly through the front of his trousers. He cautiously managed to pry Jun’s fingers off his private parts without any damage being inflicted. Backing away quickly, he slammed the door shut before Jun could react.
By the time Sho made it around the car and into the driver's seat, Jun was slumped down in his seat and snoring softly. With a sigh of relief, Sho pulled out of the garage, driving with exaggerated gentility. He didn't want have to drive and deal with a handsy drunk Jun simultaneously.
)¡(
“Sho, the light is really bright,” Jun croaked, squinting defensively against the harsh light. His voice was barely above a whisper; he feared that speaking any louder might make his head fall off. “Can you close the curtains properly for me? My head is pounding. I must be having a reaction to the preservatives in the wine.”
When there was no immediate response, Jun reached out a hand and patted Sho’s side of the bed. It was far too stressful to even contemplate rolling over to actually look and see if Sho was there. Unfortunately the bed was empty. Sho was obviously already up and about. Jun had only the sketchiest recollection of what had occurred after Sho drove them home. The clothes scattered about the floor bought back a fuzzy, yet still embarrassing, memory of him trying to yank Sho’s clothes off. His attempt had been aborted when he’d needed to throw up. Sho had firmly, but lovingly rebuffed him, helping him to the bathroom and back, before tucking him into bed and chastely kissing him goodnight.
Since Sho was nowhere to be found, Jun eventually decided to close the curtain himself, and make a visit to the bathroom at the same time. Then he could return to bed and try and sleep away his headache. Slowly sliding to the edge of the bed, Jun sat still for a few moments as he fought down a rising wave of nausea. He thought that perhaps he might have had some off food at the wine tasting, since he was still feeling distinctly seedy.
Finally summoning his courage, Jun managed to get to his feet and begin the trek to the far side of the room. He only managed to take one shaky step when he felt a stabbing pain in his foot. “Owowowowow,” Jun yelped, hopping around on one foot and clutching the other. He hadn't seen whatever it was on the bedroom floor until stepping on it, and a hard corner had poked him in a tender spot. He sat down on the floor, rubbing the sole of his foot and looked around for the evil item in question. At first he couldn't find it, but then out of the corner of his eye he spotted a small red box under the bed. It was too far under for him to reach comfortably, so he was forced to stretch out on his stomach and grope with his fingertips. Lying down on the hard floorboards did nothing for his pounding headache, and Jun squinted in pain as he finally managed to grasp the box and dragged it out.
“Don't open it!” Sho, who had just come back into the room, lunged at Jun and knocked the box from his hands. There was a loud crack as Jun’s elbow hit the floorboards as he was knocked onto his back. The box ricocheted across the room and hit the far wall. The impact caused the lid to pop off, spilling the opal ring onto the floor.
Jun caught a brief glimpse of something shiny, before Sho scurried over, hiding the object from view. His dehydrated and befuddled brain struggled to make sense of Sho’s extreme reaction. “Have you lost your mind?”
With a squeak of urgency Sho hastily stuffed the ring back into the box and shoved it into the nearest drawer in the dresser. In the struggle to get Jun into bed on the previous evening, Sho hadn’t even realised that it had fallen out of his jacket. Jun was sprawled on the floor, rubbing his elbow and glaring at Sho with a rapidly escalating level of anger apparent on his face.
“Sorry. I didn't mean to knock you over.” Sho hastened over and sat down near to Jun, who pointedly shuffled away, turning his back on him.
Wriggling across the floor on his backside until he was beside Jun, Sho cautiously reached out and ran his hand over Jun’s arm. A bruise was already forming, and Jun winced at the contact.
“I didn't mean to hurt you either,” Sho said softly, rubbing the back of Jun’s neck that he knew would reduce Jun to a relaxed puddle.
As he allowed himself to lean against Sho, feeling Sho’s fingers releasing some of the tension in his neck, Jun regained some of his sense of humour. “At least you distracted me from my headache.”
“I truly am sorry, and I will explain myself soon. In the meantime how about a nice shower and a handful of paracetamol, while I cook us some brunch?”
Jun nodded and then scrunched his eyes up at the sharp pain which lanced between his eyes at the sudden movement. “Okay, but you’d better have a good explanation when I'm done.”
Sho rose to his feet, pulling Jun upright with him. Jun wobbled as the room spun in a sickening circle and he clung to Sho, using him as an anchor. “I’ll just help you to the bathroom first,” Sho said as he wrapped his arms around Jun and held him close.
)¡(
The toast was a little too brown, and the fried eggs a little too crispy around the edges, but the fruit salad was cut into neat cubes and arrayed attractively in a red bowl. Sho was quite proud of his handiwork as he helped Jun over to the table.
If Jun was limping a little too much and making the best of his minor injuries, Sho wisely refrained from making any comment. He’d massaged some arnica cream into the bruises on Jun’s foot and elbow, earning a look of gratitude still heavily tinged with suspicion. And now Jun was sitting and looking at him with anticipation.
“You were going to explain why you were behaving like a madman.” Jun narrowed his eyes at Sho and picked at the fruit.
Sho shuffled in his seat and looked shifty. “I really didn’t want to have to do it like this…”
“You’re dumping me, aren’t you?” Jun said, flinging his fork down with a clatter. “What was in the box? The keys to your new apartment?”
“Don’t be ridiculous…”
“Oh, so I’m ridiculous?” Jun huffed. “That’s just terrific. Don’t worry about getting a new place. I’ll move out just as soon as I can.”
Jun stood up abruptly, knocking his stool over onto the floor with a clatter. He almost made it to the door before Sho caught up with him, grabbing his wrist and holding him still. “If you want to retain the use of that hand, you’d better let me go right now,” Jun threatened, struggling to break Sho’s grip.
Sho’s only response was to pull Jun roughly into his arms and kiss him until Jun stopped fighting back against him. When they drew apart, Jun was panting and glaring at him with daggers in his eyes. In order to cut off any more arguments, Sho dragged Jun with him to the bedroom and pushed him down on the bed. Jun landed with a bounce, and opened his mouth to complain about Sho’s treatment of him, but before he could speak, Sho went and grabbed the box out of the dresser and thrust it under Jun’s nose. “Here. This is what I was hiding from you. I wanted to wait for a romantic moment, but I guess this is as good a moment as any.”
Jun frowned and opened the box. His eyes grew big as he took in the beautiful stone. “I don’t understand…”
“I’m not dumping you, or leaving you. In fact I would much rather spend forever with you.”
Jun looked down at the glittering ring and glared up at Sho suspiciously. “You’re not proposing to me are you?”
“No, no, no, perish the thought,” Sho hastened to reassure Jun of his intentions. “I just wanted to show you how much I love you.”
“What’s the stone?” Jun asked softly, as he turned the ring in his hands, fascinated by the flashes of fire from its depths.
“The stone is a black opal, precious, full of fire, but delicate in nature,” Sho replied gently. “It reminded me so much of you.”
“Not sure about the delicate part, but I appreciate the rest of the description,” Jun said with a hint of a smile. “Forever huh?” he added, slipping the ring onto his right hand, where it was a perfect fit.
Sho nodded and took Jun’s hand, admiring the way the ring looked, before sitting on the bed next to Jun. “Forever.”
“I guess that will do,” Jun replied, rolling over onto his back and tugging Sho down on top of him.
Genre: fluff
Rating: PG-13
Summary: “Do you think that he’ll like it?” Sho waited nervously, looking at Ohno expectantly. It had taken him months of searching to find just the right thing, but now he was beginning to doubt his own judgement.
Notes: It’s Sho’s birthday again already? Where did the last year go? I must offer him a vote of thanks for looking so scorchingly hot lately as I wish him Happy Birthday. And of course it’s also my lovely friend Matsupie's birthday today too. Happy reading Sis and Happy Birthday!
“Do you know what the problem with Sho is? Do you?”
Shun flinched away from Jun’s loud voice as his friend draped himself over his shoulder. “No Jun, I didn’t even know that Sho had a problem, but I guess you are about to tell me what it is.”
“He’s too goddamn perfect, that’s what he is…” Jun slurred as he collapsed back down into his seat, which wobbled dangerously and tilted backwards, under his unsteady weight.
Toma hastily reached out and held the chair firm until it was back resting on all four legs. He exchanged a look with Shun, who shrugged and surreptitiously tried to move Jun’s wine glass out of Jun’s reach. What had started out as a perfectly decorous wine tasting evening arranged by Jun, had somehow turned into a drinking binge. Not that Toma or Shun were drunk; they were a little buzzed maybe, but that was nothing in comparison to Jun. After sampling the first six wines, Jun had given up all pretence of tasting and had instead filled his glass to the brim each time, chugging the wine down fast before refilling his glass.
Jun, who seemed to wake up from a drunken doze, pulled himself upright and made a moue of displeasure as he noticed that his glass was missing. “Seriously, you guys have no idea what it’s like living with ‘Mr Perfect’. I mean, you saw him on Zero this week? That hair?” Yanking off his knitted cap, Jun revealed an unstyled bird’s nest of hair. “How can he possibly find this attractive?” Jun raked his fingers through his hair making it stand up in random clumps, adding softly, “How can he find me attractive?”
The other two thought Jun was actually looking rather adorable with his tousled hair and big round glasses perched on the end of his nose, but knew that no matter what they said it would make no difference. The only person who Jun would listen to right now was Sho. While Toma patted Jun’s shoulder consolingly, Shun picked up his phone and began to dial.
)¡(
“Do you think that he’ll like it?” Sho waited nervously, looking at Ohno expectantly. It had taken him months of searching to find just the right thing, but now he was beginning to doubt his own judgement.
Weighing the ring in his hand and turning it so that the stone caught the light, Ohno hummed, closing his eyes as he pictured the ring on Jun’s hand. The oval black opal set in a heavy yellow gold band flashed all the colours of the rainbow in a miniature fireworks display, and Ohno smiled at the sight. Somehow the ring reminded him of Arashi, with its vibrant colours blending harmoniously. “It’s perfect. He’ll love it. You’re not proposing to him or anything are you?”
“What? No!” Sho blurted. “He’d kill me if I did something as soppy as that. We both agree that marriage isn’t for us. I just want to show him how much he means to me.”
“That’s okay then,” Ohno laughed. He refrained from adding that Sho sounded plenty soppy, even if he wasn’t planning on proposing. “Where is he tonight anyway? I thought that since you two had the same day off for the first time in weeks, you would be holed up in your apartment doing rude things to each other.”
“He organised a wine tasting evening with Shun and Toma months ago. It’s almost impossible for them all to be free at the same time. Who am I to break up the legendary bromance? He’s going to ring me when he’s done so I can drive him home,” Sho said cheerfully, taking the ring back and carefully stowing it in the little burgundy leather box it came in.
As Sho slid the box into the inner pocket of his suit jacket his phone began to ring.
)¡(
“Where is he?” Sho had only made it as far as the doorway of the private room Jun had booked at his favourite bar. Shun was lurking in the exact position to cut off Sho’s view into the interior of the room.
Shun placed one hand on the doorjamb as he spoke, delaying Sho’s entry. “He’s back there with Toma. He doesn’t know that I called you.”
Something about the expression on Shun’s face worried Sho. “Is something wrong? Did he get drunk and do something embarrassing? If he kissed either of you again, I apologise.”
“Don’t worry; he didn’t kiss us, not that it would be a bad thing anyway. It’s more that he seems a bit more clingy than usual. You know how he gets when he lets his insecurities take over.”
A hard knot formed in Sho’s stomach at Shun’s words. It had been a long time since Jun had allowed his self-doubts and fears to overwhelm him. In fact since they’d finally become a couple, Jun had rarely been to the dark place where his thoughts had sometimes strayed to up until his early twenties.
Placing a comforting hand on Sho’s shoulder, Shun stood aside to allow Sho to enter. “I shouldn't worry if I were you. He won't remember it in the morning anyway. Since I rang you he and Toma have been tasting some kind of strange pink muscat liqueur.”
Although Shun meant well, Sho remained unconvinced.
)¡(
Jun blinked up owlishly at Sho and a slow smile spread across his face as he eventually recognized him. “Shooo, what are you doing here? Is something wrong? I didn't call you yet did I? Or did I and I just don't remember?”
“You didn't call. I missed you, and Shun graciously allowed me to join your cool guys outing,” Sho said brightly as he took a seat next to Jun.
Toma immediately peeled Jun off his neck and pushed him into Sho’s arms, breathing a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness you're here. I’m dying for a pee and he’s had me pinned down for the last half hour drooling on my shoulder.”
“That's because Toma is soft and squishy and good to lean on,” Jun chirped, patting Toma’s head in a disjointed fashion. “And I don't drool!”
Swaying dangerously, Toma pouted and pinched his waist, feeling for fat. “I obviously need to spend more time at the gym, and I'm sure that Sho would beg to differ on the drooling front.”
Shun snickered and prodded Toma’s stomach. “I can see what Jun means.”
“Oi!” Toma slapped Shun’s hand away and flounced off to the bathroom in an exaggerated fashion which made the other three snicker.
Picking up Toma’s abandoned wine glass, Jun drained it in one go before Sho could stop him. Attempting to place the glass back on the table, he blindly flailed it in the general vicinity, barely catching the edge, and Sho had to quickly snatch up the glass before it fell to the floor.
Jun turned to Sho, seemingly bamboozled by the way his glass had magically managed not to break. “Sho? Why didn't you tell me that you're here, instead of sitting there looking all fancy in your fancy suit. Why are you so fancy?” Jun tugged nervously at the t-shirt he was wearing under a simple black leather jacket.
“I just came from work.” Sho tugged at the collar of his shirt, ripping off his tie and stuffing it into his pocket. He stroked the small leather box to reassure himself that it was still there, before adding, “You look gorgeous by the way. That is my favourite jacket of yours.”
Jun tried to hide his embarrassment at Sho’s words of praise, as some of his earlier fears about his looks dissipated. “Really?” Jun asked, as he stroked his fingers down one sleeve.
“I always love you in leather, baby” Sho said quietly, but obviously not quietly enough.
“Ewwww.” Shun stuck his fingers in his ears. “Seriously, you guys. I'm going to make sure that Toma hasn't accidentally flushed himself, and then we’re going to bail before things get too gross around here.”
Sho could tell by the weight of Jun leaning against him that his boyfriend was about to fall asleep in his arms, and before that happened he wanted to be able to get Jun safely installed in the car.
“We should go too. Thanks for taking care of Jun for me,” Sho said quietly to Shun.
“No problem, he’s our friend, and we love him too,” Sho replied equally softly, ruffling Jun’s hair affectionately as he passed him on the way to dig Toma out of the bathroom.
)¡(
“If you could just help me out a little…” Sho was struggling to open the car door with Jun attached to him like a limpet.
“Why?” Jun giggled.
“Because I am going to drop you on the ground in a second.”
“I can stand up by myself,” Jun protested. “I’m not as think as you drunk I am.”
To prove his point Jun wriggled free from Sho’s grasp, balancing on his own for a few seconds before collapsing into a heap on the floor of the parking garage. He looked up at Sho with a pout before breaking into a fit of giggles.
“Wrong on both counts,” Sho laughed, as he shovelled Jun up off the floor and folded him into the passenger seat.
As Sho attempted to buckle Jun’s seatbelt, he found himself seemingly being groped in several places at once. He succeeded peeling on of Jun’s hands off his ass, only to have to remove one from his crotch a second afterwards. “Jun, can you please hold still for a second and let me strap you in?”
Jun burst into a fit of giggles, which fortunately distracted him long enough for Sho to fasten the buckle. When he finally could speak, he blurted, “Strap-on? I don't see why we need one of those. Not with big Little Sho on the job.”
Sho squeaked in surprise as Jun gripped him tightly through the front of his trousers. He cautiously managed to pry Jun’s fingers off his private parts without any damage being inflicted. Backing away quickly, he slammed the door shut before Jun could react.
By the time Sho made it around the car and into the driver's seat, Jun was slumped down in his seat and snoring softly. With a sigh of relief, Sho pulled out of the garage, driving with exaggerated gentility. He didn't want have to drive and deal with a handsy drunk Jun simultaneously.
)¡(
“Sho, the light is really bright,” Jun croaked, squinting defensively against the harsh light. His voice was barely above a whisper; he feared that speaking any louder might make his head fall off. “Can you close the curtains properly for me? My head is pounding. I must be having a reaction to the preservatives in the wine.”
When there was no immediate response, Jun reached out a hand and patted Sho’s side of the bed. It was far too stressful to even contemplate rolling over to actually look and see if Sho was there. Unfortunately the bed was empty. Sho was obviously already up and about. Jun had only the sketchiest recollection of what had occurred after Sho drove them home. The clothes scattered about the floor bought back a fuzzy, yet still embarrassing, memory of him trying to yank Sho’s clothes off. His attempt had been aborted when he’d needed to throw up. Sho had firmly, but lovingly rebuffed him, helping him to the bathroom and back, before tucking him into bed and chastely kissing him goodnight.
Since Sho was nowhere to be found, Jun eventually decided to close the curtain himself, and make a visit to the bathroom at the same time. Then he could return to bed and try and sleep away his headache. Slowly sliding to the edge of the bed, Jun sat still for a few moments as he fought down a rising wave of nausea. He thought that perhaps he might have had some off food at the wine tasting, since he was still feeling distinctly seedy.
Finally summoning his courage, Jun managed to get to his feet and begin the trek to the far side of the room. He only managed to take one shaky step when he felt a stabbing pain in his foot. “Owowowowow,” Jun yelped, hopping around on one foot and clutching the other. He hadn't seen whatever it was on the bedroom floor until stepping on it, and a hard corner had poked him in a tender spot. He sat down on the floor, rubbing the sole of his foot and looked around for the evil item in question. At first he couldn't find it, but then out of the corner of his eye he spotted a small red box under the bed. It was too far under for him to reach comfortably, so he was forced to stretch out on his stomach and grope with his fingertips. Lying down on the hard floorboards did nothing for his pounding headache, and Jun squinted in pain as he finally managed to grasp the box and dragged it out.
“Don't open it!” Sho, who had just come back into the room, lunged at Jun and knocked the box from his hands. There was a loud crack as Jun’s elbow hit the floorboards as he was knocked onto his back. The box ricocheted across the room and hit the far wall. The impact caused the lid to pop off, spilling the opal ring onto the floor.
Jun caught a brief glimpse of something shiny, before Sho scurried over, hiding the object from view. His dehydrated and befuddled brain struggled to make sense of Sho’s extreme reaction. “Have you lost your mind?”
With a squeak of urgency Sho hastily stuffed the ring back into the box and shoved it into the nearest drawer in the dresser. In the struggle to get Jun into bed on the previous evening, Sho hadn’t even realised that it had fallen out of his jacket. Jun was sprawled on the floor, rubbing his elbow and glaring at Sho with a rapidly escalating level of anger apparent on his face.
“Sorry. I didn't mean to knock you over.” Sho hastened over and sat down near to Jun, who pointedly shuffled away, turning his back on him.
Wriggling across the floor on his backside until he was beside Jun, Sho cautiously reached out and ran his hand over Jun’s arm. A bruise was already forming, and Jun winced at the contact.
“I didn't mean to hurt you either,” Sho said softly, rubbing the back of Jun’s neck that he knew would reduce Jun to a relaxed puddle.
As he allowed himself to lean against Sho, feeling Sho’s fingers releasing some of the tension in his neck, Jun regained some of his sense of humour. “At least you distracted me from my headache.”
“I truly am sorry, and I will explain myself soon. In the meantime how about a nice shower and a handful of paracetamol, while I cook us some brunch?”
Jun nodded and then scrunched his eyes up at the sharp pain which lanced between his eyes at the sudden movement. “Okay, but you’d better have a good explanation when I'm done.”
Sho rose to his feet, pulling Jun upright with him. Jun wobbled as the room spun in a sickening circle and he clung to Sho, using him as an anchor. “I’ll just help you to the bathroom first,” Sho said as he wrapped his arms around Jun and held him close.
)¡(
The toast was a little too brown, and the fried eggs a little too crispy around the edges, but the fruit salad was cut into neat cubes and arrayed attractively in a red bowl. Sho was quite proud of his handiwork as he helped Jun over to the table.
If Jun was limping a little too much and making the best of his minor injuries, Sho wisely refrained from making any comment. He’d massaged some arnica cream into the bruises on Jun’s foot and elbow, earning a look of gratitude still heavily tinged with suspicion. And now Jun was sitting and looking at him with anticipation.
“You were going to explain why you were behaving like a madman.” Jun narrowed his eyes at Sho and picked at the fruit.
Sho shuffled in his seat and looked shifty. “I really didn’t want to have to do it like this…”
“You’re dumping me, aren’t you?” Jun said, flinging his fork down with a clatter. “What was in the box? The keys to your new apartment?”
“Don’t be ridiculous…”
“Oh, so I’m ridiculous?” Jun huffed. “That’s just terrific. Don’t worry about getting a new place. I’ll move out just as soon as I can.”
Jun stood up abruptly, knocking his stool over onto the floor with a clatter. He almost made it to the door before Sho caught up with him, grabbing his wrist and holding him still. “If you want to retain the use of that hand, you’d better let me go right now,” Jun threatened, struggling to break Sho’s grip.
Sho’s only response was to pull Jun roughly into his arms and kiss him until Jun stopped fighting back against him. When they drew apart, Jun was panting and glaring at him with daggers in his eyes. In order to cut off any more arguments, Sho dragged Jun with him to the bedroom and pushed him down on the bed. Jun landed with a bounce, and opened his mouth to complain about Sho’s treatment of him, but before he could speak, Sho went and grabbed the box out of the dresser and thrust it under Jun’s nose. “Here. This is what I was hiding from you. I wanted to wait for a romantic moment, but I guess this is as good a moment as any.”
Jun frowned and opened the box. His eyes grew big as he took in the beautiful stone. “I don’t understand…”
“I’m not dumping you, or leaving you. In fact I would much rather spend forever with you.”
Jun looked down at the glittering ring and glared up at Sho suspiciously. “You’re not proposing to me are you?”
“No, no, no, perish the thought,” Sho hastened to reassure Jun of his intentions. “I just wanted to show you how much I love you.”
“What’s the stone?” Jun asked softly, as he turned the ring in his hands, fascinated by the flashes of fire from its depths.
“The stone is a black opal, precious, full of fire, but delicate in nature,” Sho replied gently. “It reminded me so much of you.”
“Not sure about the delicate part, but I appreciate the rest of the description,” Jun said with a hint of a smile. “Forever huh?” he added, slipping the ring onto his right hand, where it was a perfect fit.
Sho nodded and took Jun’s hand, admiring the way the ring looked, before sitting on the bed next to Jun. “Forever.”
“I guess that will do,” Jun replied, rolling over onto his back and tugging Sho down on top of him.
