Isn't This Room A Little Cold?
Jul. 28th, 2019 06:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
learashiPairing: Sakumoto
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Sickfic, fluff, friendship, slight angst
Summary: As Jun rose from his knees and stood up the black spots returned, blurring his vision. The floor seemed to tilt as a rushing sound filled his ears. Dizziness overcame him as he clutched at the vanity, knocking assorted toiletries to the floor with his flailing hands. He wanted to cry out to Sho for help, but the tiled floor was suddenly rising to meet him and he could do nothing to prevent himself from falling.
The dressing room door was flung open, banging back against the wall as Jun rushed in. He was much later than the others, who were already comfortably arrayed around the room. Barely looking up from what they were doing to occupy their time while they waited, a few mumbled words of greeting floated around the vicinity of the table and sofas. Sho though, immediately jumped up, ready to help Jun off with his coat. The opportunities for them to spend any quality time together since December had been severely limited, and now that spring was at hand Sho was looking forward to them having a quiet few days off once this filming was complete. Despite living together, it had been almost a week since they’d even laid eyes on each other, due to Jun filming on location for his latest drama.
As Jun shrugged off his outer coat, he revealed yet another jacket and a sweater beneath that, over a turtleneck. He kept his alpaca wool scarf wrapped tightly around his neck and shivered as each layer was removed.
“I didn’t think it was that chilly out there,” Sho remarked, surprised that Jun was so rugged up. It was hardly blizzard conditions outside; in fact he’d only worn a light jacket to work and even that had felt too warm by the time he arrived at the television studio.
“I think I might have caught a bit of a cold,” Jun tugged his scarf up to cover the bottom of his face and cleared his throat. “I got a touch wet on my location shoot.” Putting down extra-large bag he was carrying onto the table, Jun started to open the zip, adding, “Speaking of locations, I bought some souvenirs for you all.”
Noticing the dark circles beneath Jun’s eyes, a concerned Sho immediately steered him over to the sofa where Ohno was sitting, flicking through a catalogue offering boats for private sale. “Never mind the souvenirs. Sit, while I fetch you something hot to drink.”
“But I have things I want to do while I have a few spare minutes. I still have some pages of script to memorise,” Jun protested, struggling feebly to resist Sho.
Sho pushed Jun down and Ohno immediately tugged him closer, encouraging him to lean his weight against his side. Despite his protests Jun soon fell asleep, breathing snuffily against Ohno’s shoulder.
After a few minutes, Jun woke with a jerk. It was almost impossible for him to breathe in his current position. After dragging himself upright it became a little easier, but he immediately began to cough.
When Jun finally managed to catch his breath, Nino was standing in front of him, holding out a jumbo box of tissues. “You think you might have a cold? I think you are deluding yourself if you can’t tell.”
As Jun gratefully accepted the tissues and blew his nose, he grumbled, “Isn’t this room a little cold? What temperature is the air conditioner set to?”
“Twenty-five,” Aiba said, glancing over at the thermostat.
“I’d like it a bit warmer,” Jun replied huskily.
Sho brought Jun a cup of herbal tea, blowing on it to cool it before handing it over. “What temperature would you like?”
“Twenty six.” Jun’s voice came out weakly, as if speaking was too much of an effort.
Nino rolled his eyes, but moved to comply with Jun’s wishes anyway. It was impossible to not do what Jun asked when Jun’s eyes were so huge and watery in his flushed face.
Aiba rummaged around in his backpack and found a box of paracetamol. He popped two out of the foil and placed them in Jun’s palm.
Jun washed down the pills with a mouthful of tea before heading to the bathroom, wobbling slightly as he walked.
When Jun was out of the room, the other four huddled together, whispering loud enough for everyone to hear, but not loud enough to be heard by Jun.
“So, what are we going to do about the filming?” Aiba hissed. “Hirano Sho-kun is the guest on Death Match, so we should be able to get him to help us make things easier for Jun-chan.”
“Aiba’s right, Jun needs to rest,” Sho agreed quietly.
“In that case, we need to make sure that Jun answers the first question correctly. That way he can sit down for the rest of the segment,” Nino added.
“But if Jun suspects that we aren’t trying, we are all going to be in big trouble.” Ohno added, frowning and looking nervously in the direction of the closed bathroom door.
Sho shook his head. “The way Jun is looking right now, his head is going to be so fuzzy, he won’t even notice what we are doing.”
“We’ll take your word for it Sho, but there’s no way that you’re crashing on my sofa tonight after Jun catches you making it easier for him and bans your ass from the apartment tonight,” Nino smirked.
Before Sho had the chance to reply, the bathroom door opened and they immediately scattered to the four corners of the room in an attempt to appear casual. Although Jun’s eyes were red-rimmed, his glare was still piercing. “What are you lot up to?”
“Nothing!” Aiba blushed furiously and buried his face behind one of Ohno’s fishing magazines.
“Your fever is making you paranoid,” Nino scoffed. “And wobbly. You’d better sit down before you fall down.”
The fact that Nino could easily push him down onto the sofa proved just how weak Jun actually was.
“I’m not that sick, really,” Jun sniffled. He made a move to stand; only to be dragged back down by Ohno, who had moved over to make room for Sho to sit on Jun’s other side.
“Finish your tea and nap some more,” Sho insisted, pressing the mug into Jun’s trembling hands, and running his fingers lightly through Jun’s hair. “If you go into makeup last, you can catch another half hour of sleep.”
“Why does everyone think I need to sleep?” Jun mumbled. A few seconds later Sho managed to catch the tea as it dropped from Jun’s hand. Jun had already nodded off.
++
Although they had only filmed the introduction and opening talk Jun’s makeup was already sliding off his face. As the makeup lady stepped in to repair the damage, Sho offered Jun a towel to sop up the sheen of sweat. Obviously Jun’s temperature was rising and Sho shared a worried look with the others.
Hirano sidled over to Sho and asked, “Is Matsumoto-san okay? He doesn't look very well.”
Sho shook his head slightly, glancing nervously in Jun’s direction. “Don't say that within earshot of him Sho-kun.”
“Not unless you want to suffer the consequences,” Aiba muttered.
Hirano’s eyes grew large and he swallowed nervously, “Consequences?”
“Don't worry, he probably wouldn't hurt one of his kohai,” Ohno said, patting his junior’s shoulder comfortingly. “Especially since he likes your songs so much.”
“P-probably?”
“J can get a little snappy when he's sick,” Nino confirmed. “He doesn't like people to see his weaknesses, so he tends to go on the offensive.”
Recognising the terror blooming in Hirano’s eyes, Sho stepped in to reassure him. “Ignore them Sho-kun. Jun isn't that scary. It’s just better to leave him with the illusion that we can't tell how sick he is. As you can see, he's quite unwell today and we want to make things easier for him. We would appreciate it if you could let him answer the first question correctly. He really needs to sit down.”
Hirano blinked rapidly as he struggled to process Sho’s words. “A-absolutely. I'll do anything you guys want.”
“What are you doing for them Sho-kun?”
Jun’s voice made everyone jump, especially Hirano, who looked as if he'd momentarily forgotten how to breathe. Jun’s makeup disguised the redness of his nose, but did nothing to hide the huskiness of his voice or his glassy eyes.
“Giving us copies of King & Prince’s latest single,” Nino said cheerfully as he nudged Hirano. “Right Sho-kun?”
“Y-yes,” Hirano nodded vigorously.
“I look forward to it,” Jun said huskily as he suppressed a cough.
++
Before he commenced his introductions Yoshimura frowned in Jun’s direction, unsettled by the way Jun was clinging to the podium in front of him. A moment later, as the camera began rolling, Yoshimura turned to face the camera, hastily changing his expression into a beaming smile as they began filming.
After the first question was asked, there was complete silence as everyone turned to Jun in anticipation of him answering. But Jun stood quietly swaying slightly, seemingly unaware that they weren’t saying anything. Yoshimura began hounding them until Nino called out, complaining that his buzzer wasn't working, buying Jun at least a little time to come up with the right answer.
During the brief pause, while the staff checked for problems Jun pulled Hirano aside. “I noticed that you weren’t answering. Don't be nervous. Just say whatever pops into your mind, the sillier the better.”
Not wanting to alert Jun to their scheme, Hirano mumbled, “Sorry, I'll try harder.”
“No need to apologize, and don't forget that you're here to have fun, okay?” Jun added with a reassuring smile, carefully suppressing the cough building in the back of his throat.
“Thank you Matsumoto-san,” Hirano replied, blinking nervously. He could feel the feverish heat of Jun’s fingers on his arm through the sleeve of his shirt. Aiba and Sho smiled encouragingly at him as he took his place between them, calming his nerves.
This time when Yoshimura repeated the question, Aiba leaned over and quickly pressed Jun’s buzzer for him.
Jun blinked in confusion, wondering exactly when it was that he’d pushed the button. In an attempt to look as if he'd been able to hear anything over the insistent buzzing in his head, he immediately said the first word which came to him. “Err…pink?”
“Correct!” Yoshimura chirped, gesturing extravagantly towards Jun to usher him to his seat at the table.
“It looks more red to me,” Jun protested, blinking at the graphic being displayed on the monitor. He dug his heels in, resisting Yoshimura’s attempt to move him over to the seat waiting for him at the table.
“Um.” Hirano put his hand up. “I always thought that red and pink are the same colour. It’s just that one is trying harder to get attention.”
Amid the chorus of ‘eeeehhhhhh?’ which came from the audience at Hirano’s remark, Yoshimura finally managed to persuade Jun to sit down and have the prize of a bowl of curry noodles placed before him.
“Thanks Sho-kun,” Sho murmured, relieved that Jun, who was looking even more pale than previously, was finally off his increasingly wobbly legs.
Aiba patted Hirano’s back and offered him a wonky wink. “You did good.”
Jun swallowed hard and poked at the noodles with his chopsticks. Although he'd hardly eaten anything for the past two days, he knew that this was not something his digestive system could handle right now. The curry sauce was glutinous and glistening with globules of fat. Fastening on a fake smile, Jun picked up a few strands of noodles and sucked them into his mouth, forcefully quelling his stomach’s desire to eject them right back up again. “Delicious,” he muttered through clenched teeth.
Sho hastily answered the next question, forgoing the convention of offering amusing incorrect answers first. He quickly took his place beside Jun, trying to look at him from out of the corner of his eye to check his condition without attracting any unwanted attention to Jun’s plight. He was so busy worrying about Jun as he shovelled his seafood noodles into his mouth that he forgot to check the temperature. “HOT!” Sho yelped, hastily reaching for a glass of water. Fortuitously, he knocked the noodles over, spilling them onto the floor. He hoped that this meant that Jun wouldn't have to taste them. Unfortunately there were more out the back, and soon a new bowl sat in front of Jun.
Jun took a deep breath and picked out a small shrimp from between the long strands of noodles. As he reluctantly steered it towards his mouth, a cough forced itself up from the depths of his chest. The chopsticks fell to the table as he covered his mouth, coughing into his cupped hands. As he struggled to catch his breath he felt Sho’s hand pressing reassuringly on his knee under the table. Once he’d recovered, Jun smiled, declaring the shrimp to be delicious, hoping to persuade everyone that he’d actually eaten it.
The staff exchanged confused looks, but Yoshimura ignored them, gesturing for them to run the next video. To Hirano’s great surprise he managed to answer the next question correctly, earning himself a beef bowl topped with red pickled ginger. When he sat down, he shovelled the food into his mouth with great speed and enthusiasm. “Delicious,” he declared, passing the bowl to Sho.
Sho stuffed his mouth full of sliced beef. His cheeks bulged as he gulped down the barely chewed meat. “Mmpph ‘s really fanfasttish.”
Between the pair of them, the two Sho’s managed to polish off the lot, leaving none for Jun. Something for which Jun was eternally grateful as he held himself stiffly upright in his seat. He could feel sweat sliding down between his shoulder blades and the studio seemed to be listing to one side and then the other. It was hard to concentrate on what the others were saying as it sounded to him as if they were speaking to him from a great distance.
Aiba won next, and thinking that he was doing the right thing, walked over to the far end of the table and offered Jun some of his chicken soup. Sho hissed at him under his breath, but the audience was already making cooing noises. With a quiet murmur of apology, Aiba spooned some of the broth into Jun’s mouth.
Despite Sho’s concern, Aiba’s instincts proved to be correct. The soup warmed Jun, soothing his sore throat and he managed to make a genuinely complimentary comment and smile into the camera. Under Sho’s watchful eyes Jun managed to swallow another two spoonfuls of soup, earning himself another encouraging squeeze under the table. The rest of filming was a blur to Jun. He smiled at what he hoped was appropriate intervals and laughed when everyone else did.
Nino beat a pouting Ohno and took his place at the winner's table. He reluctantly prodded at the raw egg which sat trembling on top of the custard and cream-filled dessert crepe which was placed in front of him by its proud creator. Using the very tip of his spoon Nino managed to scrape a small amount of cream out from under the runny egg and declared it to be tasty. The dessert was passed down the line to Aiba who broke open the yolk and took a huge mouthful. Hirano took a smaller bite, squeezing his eyes shut as he attempted to not recoil at the unusual taste and texture. He hastily handed the crepe over to Sho who tucked into the gloopy mass with great gusto.
Unfortunately the smell of raw egg filled Jun’s nostrils making his stomach roll unpleasantly. Biting down his gag reflex, Jun swallowed hard as beads of sweat broke out on his brow. He momentarily closed his eyes, biting down on his bottom lip as he struggled to contain his nausea.
Yoshimura couldn't fail to miss how unwell Jun looked and hastily wrapped up the segment, allowing Jun to make a hasty exit. Sho immediately raced after him, leaving the other three to follow them at a more leisurely pace.
“Thanks for that Sho-kun,” Aiba said, patting Hirano on the back.
Ohno smiled at the younger man. “You really helped Jun out.”
“And more importantly, you helped me out,” Nino added.
“That dessert was hideous,” Hirano said, with a barely restrained shudder. Do you guys have to pretend to enjoy stuff like that every week?”
“Afraid so,” Nino replied. “But eventually you get really good at pretending that even the most revolting things taste good.”
“What do you mean by ‘revolting’?” Ohno asked. “I thought it looked really good. I only wish that I’d been able to taste it.”
“And you can,” Aiba said as he carefully pulled the gooey crepe out from where he’d been concealing it inside his jacket and handed it to Ohno.
Hirano gazed at them with admiration as Ohno happily munched on the slightly squashed dessert. “You guys have such a wonderful relationship. I hope that one day my bandmates and I are just as comfortable.”
“It takes time and will probably involve a lot of embarrassment, but believe me, it will be worth it,” Nino said reassuringly as he grimaced at the sight of Ohno, who had whipped cream all over his chin, offering Aiba a bite of the eggy dessert.
++
Barely making it to the bathroom in time, Jun hunched over the toilet bowl heaving up the contents of his stomach. His head was pounding from the strain. Sho hovered behind him, wanting to help but not knowing how. When he had no more to throw up, Jun was struck by a coughing fit, folding over at the waist as he struggled to catch his breath.
Sho rubbed Jun’s back making soothing noises, only to be rebuffed by his boyfriend who angrily wriggled away from Sho’s grasp. “Why did you have to bring that egg thing so close to me? That's what tipped me over the edge,” Jun wheezed. “And don't stand so close to me; you reek of raw egg.”
Sho handed Jun a bunch of paper towels and suppressed a smile. He was used to Jun being prickly when sick, and knew that deep down Jun actually wanted to be coddled but would die before admitting it. “Because you didn't tell us how sick you actually are, Mr ‘I think I might have caught a bit of a cold’.”
“That's because I only started to feel worse once we started filming,” Jun admitted miserably. “But I feel a lot better already,” he added with a forced smile.
Jun splashed some cold water on his face and rinsed out his mouth in the basin. He wiped his face with the paper towels and screwed them up before tossing them in the direction of the bin. Due to the weakness of his shot the paper bounced off the rim and landed on the floor. “Drat,” Jun mumbled. He bent down to pick up the paper, stumbling as black dots danced in front of his eyes.
Sho darted over and grabbed Jun’s waist just in time to catch him as his legs went out from under him. Jun’s weight pulled Sho off balance, and they both almost ended up on the floor as Jun’s leg splayed out, noisily knocking over the metal bin in the process.
Aiba burst breathlessly into the room with one hand clamped firmly over his eyes as he babbled, “What was that noise? What’s happening? Is Jun okay? I promise I’m not looking if you're doing anything kinky.”
Nino pushed through the door a second after Aiba. “Don't be an idiot. Sho wouldn't be stupid enough to try anything with Jun when he's sick.” Nino peered around Aiba, glaring at Sho as he added, “At least not if he knows what's good for him.”
Ohno walked past Nino and Aiba, quietly making his way over to Jun. He helped Jun to stand and pulled him into his arms, holding him steady as Sho struggled to his feet. Jun took a shaky breath and waited for his vision to return to normal. Jun wanted to pull away and prove that he was perfectly capable of standing unassisted, but his body seemed to have different ideas. As his legs threatened to give way Jun clung to Ohno, using him as an anchor until Sho came to support him from the other side. Sho gathered Jun to him and Ohno slipped away allowing Sho to hold Jun tightly, whispering something into Jun’s ear too softly for the others to hear.
The other three looked on in concern as Jun shook his head, struggling feebly against Sho. “Can’t a person even go to the bathroom without it turning into a circus?” Jun’s attempt at a threatening scowl was foiled by his need to blow his nose on a handful of paper towels.
“You look like crap J,” Nino huffed. “Stop being a stubborn idiot.”
Aiba handed Jun a pack of tissues and examined Jun from close range. “Nino’s right. Your face looks kind of green.”
“Thanks,” Jun drawled sarcastically. “Can someone please tell me what I have to do to make you get out of the bathroom so I stop offending you with my face?”
“How about letting us look after you?” Ohno asked quietly, speaking for the first time since entering the room.
Jun nodded carefully just in case his pounding head fell off at the movement. “Fine. You win. But I'm only agreeing to this because I know that you will all collectively nag me to death if I don't.”
++
After their bandmates had reluctantly filed out of the bathroom, Jun allowed himself to slump down onto the closed lid of the toilet. His head felt as if it weighed ten kilos and the room was still tilting sideways. A cold hand supported the back of his neck as a wet wad of paper towel was pressed to his forehead. “Thanks. That feels good.”
“No need for thanks. That’s what I’m here for.” Sho moved closer and moved his hand from Jun’s neck, stroking his back lightly.
Jun sighed and buried his face in Sho’s stomach, wrapping his arms tightly around Sho’s hips. The solid weight of Sho’s body grounded Jun, stopping the room from spinning and helping to quell his nausea. “I’m sorry for ruining our days off together. I'm afraid that I'm not going to get better before we have to go back to work.”
Sho carded his fingers through Jun’s hair, making it even messier. “Don’t be silly. Why would you have to apologise for being sick?”
“Because we haven’t seen much of each other lately and I know that you probably have something planned for us to do together.”
“The only thing I had planned was for us to spend time in bed together.”
“I don’t suppose you meant for it to be like this,” Jun said huskily, swallowing hard in an attempt to stifle the urge to cough.
Sho chuckled. “Well, I planned for you to end up messy, exhausted, and aching, but that would’ve only been afterwards, not before we actually did anything.”
Jun pinched Sho hard on the side. “You wish.”
Sho tilted Jun’s head upwards so he could see in his eyes. “I do actually. There’s no more beautiful sight than the way you look when we’ve just made love.”
Jun poked Sho in the ribs and muttered; “Soppy idiot.” But Sho knew that the deepening flush on Jun’s cheeks wasn’t entirely because of the fever.
++
Aiba had already packed up Jun’s belongings when Jun, who was leaning heavily on Sho’s arm, shuffled into the dressing room. Jun had removed the disposable contacts which were making his eyes burn and replaced them with the glasses he always carried in his pocket to put on once filming was over. Nino was holding a mug of warm herbal tea in his hands and Ohno another two paracetamol in his palm.
As soon as Jun collapsed in a heap on the sofa his bandmates descended on him in a flurry. He found himself covered by a fluffy blanket scavenged by Aiba as Ohno offered the painkillers. Nino held the mug steady as Jun sipped the warm liquid to wash them down.
“T-thank you-ah-achoooo!” The force of Jun’s sneeze slopped most of the tea onto the floor and whatever was left was ejected from the mug as he was struck with another coughing fit. “Sorry,” he mumbled as his cheeks flushed with embarrassment at his helplessness. He struggled to sit more upright, knowing that their managers would soon come to collect them.
“Don't worry about it. Just relax.” Sho took the towel that Aiba had quickly retrieved from the bathroom and mopped up the mess. He perched on the edge of the sofa and pushed Jun down, tugging his legs up onto the sofa and making sure that he was properly tucked under the blanket. “If you're no better by morning, I'm making an appointment for you with the doctor.”
Jun wanted to argue with Sho and definitely didn't want to go to the doctor, but he found it increasingly difficult to keep his eyes open. Even though the sofa cushions were lumpy and the room too cold, the blanket over him was warm and Jun felt himself drifting. He could feel Sho drawing his cool fingers across his brow, offering momentary relief from the burning feeling in his head.
After ten minutes, satisfied that Jun was asleep, Sho carefully stood up and stretched out his stiff back. Rather than packing up their own belongings, the other three were standing in a huddled group watching Jun and frowning.
Ohno squeezed Sho’s shoulder. “Can we do anything?”
“Maybe...no...yes,” Sho replied distractedly. Jun’s fever seemed to be worsening and since throwing up so badly earlier he was probably becoming dehydrated. “Jun could do with more fluids.”
“I’ll get Jun a cold drink from the machine,” Aiba immediately offered as he grabbed his wallet. “Do you guys want anything?”
Everyone shook their heads so Aiba headed out, quietly closing the door behind him. A few minutes later Aiba poked his head around the door. “The cars are here, Sho. You can take Jun home now.”
They all turned to where Jun was curled up on the sofa, barely visible under the blanket. Virtually all that could be seen was a tuft of messy black hair and long eyelashes which fluttered slightly as Jun snuffled in his sleep.
“I don't really have the heart to wake him,” Sho said softly as he tucked the blanket even tighter around Jun’s back. “You guys go ahead and tell my driver to go home. I'll call our manager and arrange for another car to collect Jun and I later.”
Aiba walked over and put a bottle of orange juice from the vending machine and a handful of paper straws on the low table in front of where Jun was sleeping. He took another bottle of juice out of his pocket and sat down on the other sofa opposite. He pulled a script out of his bag and put his feet up on the table. “I can study this anywhere. I’ll stay and keep you company.”
Nino cranked up the air conditioning by a half a degree. “Can’t have the princess waking up and complaining that he’s cold,” Nino snarked as he reached out and gently ruffled Jun’s hair on his way to joining Aiba. He pulled out his phone and began playing his pazudora game. “I can do this just as well here as I can at home, so I might as well stay too.”
Ohno grunted, squeezing himself in beside Nino, despite the sofa only being a two seater. “I could do with a nap myself.”
Sho swallowed down the lump which seemed to be blocking his throat all of a sudden. “You really don't have to do this. Time off is rare enough without wasting it.”
“It’s not a waste of our time. Jun is important to all of us. I’ll send all of our cars away,” Ohno replied firmly as he pulled out his phone to text their manager.
“So slow, old man. Let me do it.” Nino huffed, pulling the phone out of Ohno’s hands. The sight of Ohno’s fingers fumbling as he typed slowly set Nino’s teeth on edge.
++
Jun stirred restlessly; his throat was dry and he was very thirsty. He was surprised and confused to see that according to his watch he’d been asleep for over three hours. He noticed a bottle of juice on the table in front of him and picked it up, but somehow he couldn't manage to get the lid open.
Sho immediately rose from his spot at the end of the sofa and took the bottle from Jun and unscrewed the lid. He popped a straw into the neck of the bottle before handing it back to Jun making sure that Jun had a good grip on it before letting it go. He helped Jun to sit up enough to be able to drink without spilling anything, before sitting back down beside him.
Sipping slowly on the orange juice Jun looked around the room and blinked in confusion at the sight of Nino, Aiba and Ohno sitting crammed together on the opposite sofa.
Ohno was snoring softly as he sat wedged against the armrest with his head resting on Nino’s shoulder. As Jun watched Nino made a sound of disgust and elbowed Ohno in the side as he hissed quietly, “You’re drooling on me again.”
Aiba had obviously been to the vending machine and was surrounded by a pile of chocolate wrappers, cookie crumbs, and two empty juice bottles of the same variety as the one Jun was drinking. Aiba was looking over Nino’s other shoulder, watching him as he played a game on his phone.
Nino wriggled uncomfortably, chiding Aiba. “Quit dropping crumbs on me.”
“Why are you all still here?” Jun croaked. “Actually, why am I still here? Shouldn't the cars have been here hours ago?”
“We didn't want to wake you up. You needed the sleep.” Sho squeezed Jun’s hand and offered him some throat lozenges.
“But that still doesn’t answer my question.” Jun distractedly accepted a lozenge from Sho and popped it into his mouth. “And where on earth did you get these from?” he added crankily.
“In response to your first question; we’re here because we're worried about you,” Nino replied. “Even though you're really annoying when you're sick. And secondly, Sho went to the pharmacy while you were asleep and picked up some medicine for you while we watched out for you. Even though you're really annoying when you're sick.”
“Nino!” Ohno, who’d woken up when Nino began speaking, clapped his hand over Nino’s mouth. “Jun, you know that Nino doesn't mean it.”
“About you being worried about me?” Jun asked in a tiny voice as he shrunk down underneath the blanket.
“He doesn’t mean the bit about you being annoying!” Aiba flung himself over to Jun, hugging him tightly around the neck. “Of course we’re worried about you.” Aiba glared at Nino over Jun’s head, wiggling his eyebrows frantically.
Nino freed himself from Ohno and went over to the sofa where Jun was. He squeezed in next to Jun, pushing Sho out of the way. He didn't say anything as he pressed himself against Jun, making sure that he was glued firmly to his side as he resumed his game.
“Thanks Nino,” Jun said softly; correctly interpreting Nino’s wordless apology. “I guess I am kind of high maintenance.”
Everyone answered at once resulting in a volley of denials: “Of course not.” “No.” “Absolutely not” “As if.”
They all looked at each other and burst out laughing; even Jun.
++
“Van’s here,” Aiba reported.
It had been decided that to make less work for their manager and drivers, they would all pile into a van together. Since Sho and Jun’s apartment was closest the other three invited themselves to stay over for the rest of the night. Or at least that was the reason they gave Jun, rather than telling him that they wanted to keep an eye on him.
Sho helped Jun into his multiple layers of clothing; careful to not dislodge the fever patch stuck on Jun’s forehead. Once Jun’s coat was buttoned Sho wound the soft alpaca scarf around Jun’s neck, pressing a kiss to Jun’s overly warm cheek.
Pushing Sho away Jun chided him. “Do you want to get sick too?”
“The thought of spending a few days in bed with you holds a certain appeal.” Sho smiled as he tucked in the ends of Jun’s scarf.
“Break it up, you two,” Nino said loudly as he took Jun’s hand and steered him to the door. “You’ll have plenty of time for canoodling once we get Jun home.” He stopped and glared at Sho. “And I'm warning you Sho, if you catch anything as a result of not being able to keep your hands off Jun while he’s so sick, we won't be looking after you, and Jun certainly won't be either.”
“Hey,” Jun protested weakly. “It’s not like I have the plague or something.”
Jun’s argument would've carried more weight if his words hadn't been followed by a coughing fit which left him teary-eyed and wheezing. Sho rummaged in his shoulder bag and pulled out a bottle of cough syrup and a small measuring cup designed for medicine. Jun screwed up his face and reluctantly swallowed the measured dose before allowing Nino and Ohno to escort him down to the waiting van.
Sho flung his bag down on the floor in frustration and grabbed his phone. “That’s it. I can’t stand to see him like this. I’m ringing Jun’s doctor right now.
Aiba draped his arm over Sho’s shoulders and pulled the phone from Sho’s tight grip. “Sho, it’s way after midnight. We’ll look after Jun tonight and you can make an appointment first thing in the morning.”
Sho relaxed his clenched fists and nodded slowly as he released a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. “I know I’m going overboard and being overprotective, but…I really love him you know.”
“We love him too.” Aiba hugged Sho tightly before adding mischievously, “Just not in the same wanting to get into his pants way that you do.”
++
Ohno fussed around with the buckle of Jun’s seatbelt, making sure that he was firmly strapped in. Jun’s eyes kept fluttering closed as the cough medicine began to take effect. Slumping down in his seat, Jun’s head tilted over and hit the window, waking him up. Nino balled up a spare sweater taken from his bag and slid it under Jun’s head as a makeshift pillow. Jun immediately snuggled down into a more comfortable position.
Aiba and Sho climbed into the van, carrying Jun’s things along with a bag which Ohno had left behind in his hurry to help Jun, as well as their own belongings. There was a brief scuffle as they sorted out their stuff and safely stowed it away before taking their seats.
“I hope you have the bed in the spare room made up,” Ohno said with a wide yawn.
“Who says you get to sleep in there?” Nino retorted. “There are three of us and only one bed. Plus you’ve already been asleep for hours.”
“Four actually,” Jun muttered without opening his eyes. “Sho is banned from our bedroom until I know that I’m not contagious.”
“What? No way,” Sho spluttered. “I’m not leaving you all alone. Anything could happen.”
“It’s just a cold,” Jun said testily. A moment later he sneezed so hard that his glasses flew off the end of his nose and skidded across the floor. This was followed by yet another coughing fit which left him with aching ribs and tears streaming down his cheeks.
“See?” Sho picked up Jun’s glasses and put them safely away in their case.
“Fine,” Jun wheezed. “But you sleep on the floor as far away from me as possible. It’s for your own good.”
The others shared amused looks at the way Sho glowed at Jun’s concession, even though it meant that Sho would spend an uncomfortable night on the floor. Jun seemed to possess magical powers which compelled people to do whatever he wanted, no matter how horrible, and even enjoy the experience. They had all experienced it at some time or another and knew that whatever torture they suffered, it was worth it in the end when they received one of Jun’s smiles; the special ones which turned his eyes into half moons.
“So that’s me set for the night, plus two people will fit in the bed and one on the sofa,” Sho said, looking back and forth between the other three.
“Yay! It’ll be fun,” Aiba chirped. “Just like in the old days when we were on tour and had to share rooms. We can janken for it.”
“Just don't go out the wrong door on the way to the bathroom and up sleeping in the corridor in your underpants,” Jun croaked. “I still haven't quite recovered from that time when I thought you were dead.”
“I couldn't help it. I’ve always had a terrible sense of direction,” Aiba laughed.
As the van made its way through the city streets they seemed to catch every red light, so despite the light traffic the journey took longer than expected. After a while Jun began to shiver, his whole body trembling as his teeth chattered. “Is it cold in here, or is it just me?”
“Jun’s fever must be getting worse.” Sho looked anxiously across the aisle at Jun.
Ohno patted Sho’s knee reassuringly. “We’ll be at your apartment in a little while. I'm sure he’ll feel better once he's in bed.”
Jun leaned forward in his seat and called out to the driver, “Can you please turn up the heating? It’s freezing back here.”
The other four exchanged a look of resignation and peeled off their jackets as heat blasted through the back of the van.
++
“Cold,” Jun whined as he attempted to pull his favourite blanket out of Sho’s hands. “I need my blanket.”
Sho dragged it out of Jun’s reach and tossed it onto the dresser. “You have a fever and I have to cool you down.”
Jun’s scowl was fierce, but his body was weak. Even though he glared at Sho with full force, he didn't have the strength to argue as Sho pressed a wet cloth to his forehead. Despite the light blanket covering him, Jun was shivering and the cloth only made him feel worse.
“I’ve brought some more juice,” Aiba said softly as he padded into the bedroom. “Wouldn't want you to get dehydrated.”
“Thanks for helping.” Sho placed the glass within easy reach for Jun. “You guys should try and get some sleep now though.”
“Don't worry, I'm on my way to the couch. Just call if you need anything.”
Once Aiba was gone, Sho made sure that Jun was comfortable before settling down on his makeshift bed on the floor. “G’night Jun. I love you.”
When there was no response forthcoming, Sho sat up and peered across the room. Jun was already asleep, his breathing loud in the quiet room. Sho noticed that the humidifier which sat on the cabinet next to Jun’s side of the bed was out of water. He filled it in the ensuite and added a few drops of Jun’s favourite essential oil. Once it was running, Jun’s breathing seemed easier so Sho returned to his bed and fell asleep almost immediately.
++
“Good moooorning everyone,” Aiba sang as he stirred a pan full of scrambled eggs.
Nino scowled and shuffled over to the coffee machine which sat gleaming on the counter. “Do you have to be so loud?” He pushed random buttons on the machine, frowning as it hissed at him but refused to spit out any coffee.
“Jun will kill you if you mess up his machine,” Ohno warned from the doorway. “Let me do it.”
“Since when do you know how to use a fancy-pants coffee machine?” Nino asked, raising his voice to be heard over Aiba’s singing.
“Jun showed me one night when we were all here for dinner.” Ohno handed Nino a cup of fragrant coffee with a smug smile.
“How come he didn't show me?” Nino pouted.
“Because you were too busy playing with your phone.”
“Jun?” Nino spun around to face the unexpected voice behind him, spilling coffee on the tiled floor.
“Why are you up?” Ohno put his own coffee down and took an involuntary step towards Jun.
“I wanted to make sure that you aren't destroying my kitchen,” Jun said in a husky voice.
Aiba put down his spatula. “Where’s Sho? Does he know that you're up?”
“He’s still asleep. He had a pretty rough night. I kept waking him with my coughing. But I’m feeling much better this morning, apart from a bit of a headache.”
Nino wasn't convinced; Jun was still far too pale for his liking. “You still look like crap. You should get yourself back to bed.”
“Nino’s right. I'll bring you some breakfast as soon as it's done,” Aiba said, making shooing gestures with the spatula.
“Since I guess that you three will nag me to death if I don't do as you say, I’ll go,” Jun sighed. “I’m not hungry though, so please don’t worry about bringing me anything to eat. Just make sure that you don't let Sho touch anything.”
“We promise,” Ohno said, gently steering Jun out of the kitchen, and speaking to him as if to a small child. He pressed a glass of cold water with a squeeze of lemon into Jun’s hand. “Now off you go.”
++
The smell of fresh coffee lured Sho out of bedroom. Jun was curled up asleep on the bed with an empty glass lying beside him. After quickly pressing his palm to Jun’s forehead to check his temperature in passing, Sho decided that it was safe to leave him alone for a short time while he grabbed some breakfast.
The others were happily stuffing their faces when Sho took his place at the table and took a deep slurp of the coffee Ohno handed him. “Jun was out here?” he asked as he placed the empty glass from the bedroom down on the table. “I told him to stay in bed.”
“He was but we evicted him.” Aiba hastened to reassure Sho as he placed a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of him. “How is he? He told us he was fine, but that's what he always says.”
“His fever went down quite a bit overnight, but he felt quite warm just now. I'm definitely going to ring the doctor's office and make an appointment as soon as they're open.”
Nino raised an eyebrow. “Pfft. Good luck at actually getting him there.”
++
Jun could hear the others talking in the kitchen when he woke up after a fifteen minute nap. He felt sticky and his hair was matted with sweat. The cooking smells drifting in from the kitchen were making his stomach churn. He rubbed his burning eyes and hoped that he would feel better after a shower.
He still felt cold; in fact his teeth were chattering and he hugged himself for warmth as he slowly made his way to the bathroom. He guessed that Sho had turned the thermostat down again. There was an ongoing battle between them over the correct temperature; he would nudge it up only for Sho to turn it back down while complaining about being too hot. But Jun couldn't help it, and in fact often felt cold even during summer, much to Nino’s particular amusement.
Jun decided that a nice hot shower would be just the right thing to warm him up. He paused in front of the mirror, frowning at the large bags under his eyes and the pallor of his skin. His face was almost grey, apart from a red flush on his cheeks and his hair hung limply over his eyebrows. He started to brush his teeth, but as soon as he put the brush into his mouth he started to gag. Barely making it to the toilet bowl in time he threw up a watery mixture of juice and water, heaving until all that came up was bitter bile.
As Jun rose from his knees and stood up the black spots returned, blurring his vision. The floor seemed to tilt as a rushing sound filled his ears. Dizziness overcame him as he clutched at the vanity, knocking assorted toiletries to the floor with his flailing hands. He wanted to cry out to Sho for help, but the tiled floor was suddenly rising to meet him and he could do nothing to prevent himself from falling.
++
Sho paused with his coffee cup halfway to his mouth and made a shushing gesture to the others. He was sure that he’d heard a noise coming from the bedroom but it was hard to hear clearly through the closed door. A moment later there was a loud clattering noise and the sound of breaking glass.
Tossing down his cup, Sho raced to the ensuite with the others in hot pursuit. His heart leapt into his throat at the sight of Jun sprawled on the floor next to a scattering of toiletries and the broken remnants of the glass they used to hold their toothbrushes. As Sho tried to get to Jun, Aiba held him back, gesturing to the scattered shards of glass. Nino skirted around the mess and grabbed the bath towels off the rail, tossing them over the mess and making it safer to get across the floor.
Finally able to reach Jun, Sho knelt on the floor and lifted him into a sitting position, horrified at the heat radiating from his body and the harsh sound of his breathing. “Jun, can you hear me?”
Jun’s eyelids fluttered weakly as he muttered an incomprehensible response. His pyjamas were soaked through with sweat and his eyes were glassy. Ohno found the digital thermometer amongst the scattered debris on the floor and took Jun’s temperature. They all exchanged a look of horror at the reading of forty point one.
“We need to cool him down,” Ohno said, taking charge of the situation, since Sho seemed to have switched off, sitting on the floor and rocking Jun in his arms. “And we all need to get out of here. The last thing we need is for someone to cut themselves on that glass.”
Nino tapped Sho on the shoulder, bringing him out of his daze. “If Aiba helps, can you get Jun up off the floor?”
It took Sho a moment to react, but when Aiba bent down to help, he roused himself and handed Jun over to him while he climbed to his feet.
Sho and Aiba managed to get Jun upright and half carried him to the bed while Nino ran cold water into the sink and soaked two hand towels. Sho removed Jun’s top and ran the cold cloth over Jun’s chest as Aiba wiped Jun’s face. Nino dashed out of the room and returned a minute later with ice wrapped in a clean tea towel which he slid under Jun’s neck. Jun continued to wheeze and struggle for breath, flinching as the cold penetrated his skin.
“We need to get Jun to a hospital. Sho, do you have Jun’s health insurance details handy?” Ohno waited for a response, but Sho remained focused on Jun, seemingly oblivious to anything else. “Sho!”
“What? Er...sorry.” Sho dragged himself away from Jun and tried to listen.
Ohno tried using as few words as possible. “Health insurance? I need Jun’s card.”
“Oh. Right.” Sho jumped up and began rummaging in the dresser, tossing things onto the floor in his haste.
“Nino, can you go and bring Sho’s car around?” Ohno turned to Sho and gripped his shoulder, momentarily halting Sho’s frantic movements. “Sho, where are your keys?
Sho stared back, wild eyed and breathing hard, as he tried to gather his thoughts. “In the wooden bowl on the table in the entryway. Right next to where Jun keeps his wallet.” Sho thought for a moment more before yelling, “Jun’s wallet! That's where his insurance card is.”
Nino nodded and hustled out, closely followed by Ohno who needed to retrieve the card.
Aiba had tears in his eyes as he checked Jun’s temperature. “This is my fault. You wanted to call the doctor last night and I stopped you. If anything happens to Jun…”
Sho squeezed Aiba’s shoulder. “You’re not to blame. If it's anyone's fault then it's mine. I’m supposed to know him better than anyone. I should've known that it wasn't just a cold.”
“Stop playing the blame game, you two. There’s no time for it right now,” Ohno said firmly as he bustled back into the room. “I’ve spoken to the hospital and let them know that we're coming. They've made arrangements for us to arrive at a side entrance so we don't attract any unwanted attention.”
While Sho threw some of Jun’s belongings into a bag, Ohno and Aiba helped Jun to change into a clean pair of sweatpants and a dry pyjama top. Jun was muttering deliriously and resisting as they tried to manipulate his arms through the arm holes of the shirt. “What are you doing? Don't...please...don't touch me...”
Sho dropped the bag on the floor and sat beside Jun, stroking his damp hair. “Shhhh. Nobody's trying to hurt you. It’s okay.”
Jun clung to Sho, allowing his soothing voice to wash over him as Ohno and Aiba fastened the buttons of the shirt.
Ohno’s phone pinged with a message. “Nino has the car waiting in the garage. We just need to get Jun down there.”
Aiba and Sho lifted Jun between them, draping one of his arms over each of their shoulders, so that his weight was supported evenly between them. Jun dragged his feet, but managed to stumble along between them as they slowly made their way down to the car.
As soon as they pulled up at the hospital, the staff rushed out and lifted Jun into a wheelchair before disappearing back into the depths of the building. Sho and the others tried to follow them, only to be steered politely but firmly into a waiting room for family members.
Sho paced the floor anxiously, sticking his head out the door and looking for any sign of where Jun might have been taken. Ohno stepped up and took Sho by the elbow, gently guiding him over to one of the chairs. “There's nothing we can do except wait for someone to come and speak to us.”
“Don't worry Sho, J is pretty tough for a princess,” Nino said confidently, in an attempt to reassure Sho. The slight tremor in his voice drew Aiba over to sit next to him, squeezing into a chair only designed for one.
Sho pulled Jun’s glasses out of his pocket and began cleaning them with a small microfiber cloth which he found in the bottom of the case. Even when they seemed clean, he continued to rub the lenses as if Jun’s life depended upon it.
++
There seemed to be a heavy weight resting on Jun’s chest making it hard to breathe. Every muscle in his body ached, as if he was at the end of an early season pre-concert training session. He could tell that he was lying in an unfamiliar bed in a room which wasn’t his own. Every breath he took was tainted with the smell of rubber. With a great effort he lifted his hand and clawed at his face, attempting to remove the mask covering his mouth and nose.
Soft fingers drew his hand away from his face and a baritone voice spoke soothingly next to his ear. “You don't want to do that. It’s helping you to breathe.”
The amount of effort involved in opening his eyes took Jun by surprise, but finally he could see Sho’s concerned face looming over him. His voice was weak and muffled by the oxygen mask, but he managed to speak loudly enough for Sho to hear. “Smells bad.”
“That may be so, but it’s necessary.”
Jun flexed his fingers and glared at the IV tube snaking down to his hand, and then glared up at Sho as if it was his doing.
“No need to glare at me; I didn't put it there,” Sho responded with a small smile of relief. If Jun was glaring at him he was definitely on the mend.
“Why am I here?” Jun was surprised at how difficult it was to speak. His throat was unaccountably dry and swallowing was a struggle.
Sho immediately picked up a sippy cup of water from the tray table at the end of the bed. After lifting up the oxygen mask, he placed the built-in bendy straw against Jun’s lips. Jun took a grateful sip, closing his eyes as the cool water soothed his throat.
When he saw that Jun had drunk enough, Sho resettled the mask on Jun’s face and sat on the edge of the bed. “Let me know when you need some more.”
“I don’t understand. I only had a cold,” Jun whispered. “How did I end up in hospital?”
“Your cold turned out to be the flu. You’ve been very ill.” Sho tried to maintain a calm tone of voice so as to not upset Jun, but the trembling of his fingers as he smoothed Jun’s hair back out of his eyes gave away his true feelings.
At first Jun had seemed to be successfully fighting the severe case of flu, but by the first evening of his hospitalisation he’d developed breathing problems. Sho felt as if he’d aged ten years as he sat by Jun’s bedside watching him struggle with every breath as Jun drifted in and out of a delirious sleep.
Jun had a vague recollection of nightmarish fever-fuelled dreams, and the sky outside the window changing from blue to black, but he had no idea of how much time had passed since he’d been admitted to the hospital. “How long have I been here? We’ve only got three days off together, so I need to go home soon.”
Sho picked up Jun’s hand and linked their fingers, stroking his thumb over Jun’s palm. “Jun love, it's already been three days.”
Jun blinked in confusion as he tried to process Sho’s words. It didn't seem possible that he’d lost so much time. The one constant in Jun’s blurry recollection was of a presence anchoring him in place, just as Sho’s hand was right now. Memories rose to the surface of his consciousness, like an air bubble floating to the top of still water. “You were here. You were always here. Are you trying to kill yourself? Did you even sleep at all?” Jun said accusingly. His heart swelled at the thought of Sho’s devotion, but he was worried that Sho driving himself to exhaustion.
“Did you think that I would leave you here alone?” Jun’s forehead was still too warm under Sho’s lips as he kissed him in the easiest place to access without disturbing the oxygen mask, but it no longer burned with the frightening intensity of the previous days. Not for one moment had he ever considered not spending every free moment by Jun’s side.
“Don't worry, we stood in for him when he went to Zero and we made sure that he slept too.” Ohno’s voice, although quiet, still startled Jun.
For the first time Jun became aware that he and Sho weren't alone in the room. He turned his head and saw Ohno sitting in a chair under the window. Ohno looked as if he’d been there for some time; his shirt was creased and his hair was sticking out at odd angles.
“Having one stubborn idiot incapacitated is more than enough, without Sho keeling over as well,” Nino said, as he moved into Jun’s line of sight.
“Nino scared the staff into setting up an extra bed for Sho,” Aiba added as he loomed up behind Nino and pointed across the room to a small folding bed covered with rumpled linens. “It was truly awesome to watch.”
Jun blinked back tears as he looked at each of them in turn. They all looked to be in a similar state of dishevelment as Ohno. It seemed as if Sho hadn’t been the only one keeping a vigil by his bedside. “I can't believe you all did that for me.”
“And I can't believe that you could think that we wouldn't,” Nino replied as he squeezed onto the bed next to Jun and made himself comfortable.
“No fair Nino.” Aiba reached over Nino in an attempt to wrap his arms around Jun. “Stop hogging him.”
Ohno roused himself and pulled himself upright, stretching and yawning as he drifted over to Jun. He sat on the end of the bed and squeezed Jun’s foot through the light bed coverings and watched the other two competing for Jun’s attention, as a gentle smile spread across his face.
Sho pouted slightly as Jun’s attention was drawn away from him; it seemed as if Jun had forgotten he was there. In his head, he knew that his exhaustion was making him unreasonable, and that he should just be pleased that Jun was on the mend. His heart, however, didn't agree, selfishly wanting all of Jun’s attention for itself. Rather than embarrass himself with his neediness, he decided to give the others time and space to interact with Jun; they’d been just as worried and spent almost as much time by Jun’s bedside as he. They could all do with something to eat and drink, so it was probably a good time to make a trip to the cafeteria and put his jealousy aside. Jun seemed to have other ideas though. As his friends hugged him and laughed, he grabbed Sho’s wrist, clinging tightly and gazing up at him with eyes that glowed with such an intensity of love that Sho was rendered breathless. The world seemed to recede for a moment as their eyes locked. Jun’s eyes curved into half-moons as he gave Sho the smile which only a short time ago Sho had feared he might never see again.
++
Sho insisted on holding Jun’s elbow as they walked through the television station on the way to the green room. Jun was returning to work for the first time since being discharged. After spending five days in hospital, Jun had spent another week at home convalescing. The thought of Jun taking part in the more physical games of VS set Sho’s protective instincts into overdrive, but there had been assurances given that Jun wouldn't be overly taxed.
“I still think that you should’ve had another week off,” Sho said worriedly as he held the door to the green room open for Jun.
“I'm fine now, and I don't want to be a burden to you or the others.”
Sho closed the door again, blocking Jun from entering. “Don't ever say that or even think it. I love you and so do they. We all have your back, just as you have ours.”
Jun blushed and wrapped his arms around Sho, burying his face in the side of his neck. “What did I do to deserve you?”
“That's exactly what I ask myself every morning when I wake up next to you,” Sho replied softly.
“Flatterer,” Jun whispered, looking at Sho with adoring eyes.
Love radiated between them as their lips met in a gentle, searching kiss. They held each other fast as Jun peppered Sho’s mouth with teasing pecks. Sho slipped his tongue between Jun’s slightly parted lips, tracing familiar lines as Jun sighed with pleasure.
“Take your hands off Jun and back away to a respectable distance, Sho!” Nino had flung open the door and was standing with his hands on his hips as he glared at the surprised couple.
Aiba came forward and pried the pair apart, barely able to supress his giggles before he growled, “There will be none of those shenanigans allowed until Jun is fully recovered.”
Ohno stood behind the other two, holding his sides as his body shook with mirth. He patted Sho’s shoulder consolingly as Sho shuffled into the dressing room with a sulky pout on his face.
Nino and Aiba sat down on the sofa and glared across at Sho as he put Jun’s bag down on the table. He glared back as they snickered quietly and pulled faces at Sho behind Jun’s back, earning themselves a smack from Ohno, who couldn't keep the grin from his face either. Their relief at seeing Jun upright and well was making them all giddy.
Jun shivered as he removed his coat. “Isn't…”
“This room a little cold?” Ohno, Aiba and Nino chorused, finishing Jun’s sentence for him.
Jun blushed and then scowled fiercely as Sho indulgently ruffled his hair before walking over and turning up the thermostat to twenty six.
“C’mon Sho, if you're going to make it warm, then at least make it properly warm,” Nino said as he cranked the heat up to thirty. He nodded to Aiba and Ohno who immediately stood up and joined in with Nino who began to strip off his clothes.
“Steady on,” Sho spluttered. “What on earth are you lot up to?”
Jun watched in wide-eyed amusement as Nino revealed a Hawaiian shirt and matching shorts covered with a tropical print. Ohno had on a Hawaiian shirt and knee length linen shorts and Aiba a Hawaiian shirt teamed with board shorts.
“Why didn't you let me in on the joke?” Sho complained as he loosened his collar.
“Don't panic.” Aiba smiled as he tossed a Hawaiian shirt at Sho before handing another one to Jun.
“You three are the biggest idiots ever,” Jun laughed.
Sho eagerly changed into the shirt and stood next to Aiba making the Hawaiian ‘hang loose’ hand gesture.
Jun shook his head and rolled his eyes at Sho. “Make that four idiots.”
Sho broke away from Aiba and picked up the shirt which Jun had abandoned on the sofa beside him and wiggled it in front of Jun’s face. “How about making it five?”
Jun’s didn't even try to hide his tears as he looked around at the four people who had stayed by him during his darkest hours, and brought him safely to the other side. “Five or nothing. Always.”
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Sickfic, fluff, friendship, slight angst
Summary: As Jun rose from his knees and stood up the black spots returned, blurring his vision. The floor seemed to tilt as a rushing sound filled his ears. Dizziness overcame him as he clutched at the vanity, knocking assorted toiletries to the floor with his flailing hands. He wanted to cry out to Sho for help, but the tiled floor was suddenly rising to meet him and he could do nothing to prevent himself from falling.
The dressing room door was flung open, banging back against the wall as Jun rushed in. He was much later than the others, who were already comfortably arrayed around the room. Barely looking up from what they were doing to occupy their time while they waited, a few mumbled words of greeting floated around the vicinity of the table and sofas. Sho though, immediately jumped up, ready to help Jun off with his coat. The opportunities for them to spend any quality time together since December had been severely limited, and now that spring was at hand Sho was looking forward to them having a quiet few days off once this filming was complete. Despite living together, it had been almost a week since they’d even laid eyes on each other, due to Jun filming on location for his latest drama.
As Jun shrugged off his outer coat, he revealed yet another jacket and a sweater beneath that, over a turtleneck. He kept his alpaca wool scarf wrapped tightly around his neck and shivered as each layer was removed.
“I didn’t think it was that chilly out there,” Sho remarked, surprised that Jun was so rugged up. It was hardly blizzard conditions outside; in fact he’d only worn a light jacket to work and even that had felt too warm by the time he arrived at the television studio.
“I think I might have caught a bit of a cold,” Jun tugged his scarf up to cover the bottom of his face and cleared his throat. “I got a touch wet on my location shoot.” Putting down extra-large bag he was carrying onto the table, Jun started to open the zip, adding, “Speaking of locations, I bought some souvenirs for you all.”
Noticing the dark circles beneath Jun’s eyes, a concerned Sho immediately steered him over to the sofa where Ohno was sitting, flicking through a catalogue offering boats for private sale. “Never mind the souvenirs. Sit, while I fetch you something hot to drink.”
“But I have things I want to do while I have a few spare minutes. I still have some pages of script to memorise,” Jun protested, struggling feebly to resist Sho.
Sho pushed Jun down and Ohno immediately tugged him closer, encouraging him to lean his weight against his side. Despite his protests Jun soon fell asleep, breathing snuffily against Ohno’s shoulder.
After a few minutes, Jun woke with a jerk. It was almost impossible for him to breathe in his current position. After dragging himself upright it became a little easier, but he immediately began to cough.
When Jun finally managed to catch his breath, Nino was standing in front of him, holding out a jumbo box of tissues. “You think you might have a cold? I think you are deluding yourself if you can’t tell.”
As Jun gratefully accepted the tissues and blew his nose, he grumbled, “Isn’t this room a little cold? What temperature is the air conditioner set to?”
“Twenty-five,” Aiba said, glancing over at the thermostat.
“I’d like it a bit warmer,” Jun replied huskily.
Sho brought Jun a cup of herbal tea, blowing on it to cool it before handing it over. “What temperature would you like?”
“Twenty six.” Jun’s voice came out weakly, as if speaking was too much of an effort.
Nino rolled his eyes, but moved to comply with Jun’s wishes anyway. It was impossible to not do what Jun asked when Jun’s eyes were so huge and watery in his flushed face.
Aiba rummaged around in his backpack and found a box of paracetamol. He popped two out of the foil and placed them in Jun’s palm.
Jun washed down the pills with a mouthful of tea before heading to the bathroom, wobbling slightly as he walked.
When Jun was out of the room, the other four huddled together, whispering loud enough for everyone to hear, but not loud enough to be heard by Jun.
“So, what are we going to do about the filming?” Aiba hissed. “Hirano Sho-kun is the guest on Death Match, so we should be able to get him to help us make things easier for Jun-chan.”
“Aiba’s right, Jun needs to rest,” Sho agreed quietly.
“In that case, we need to make sure that Jun answers the first question correctly. That way he can sit down for the rest of the segment,” Nino added.
“But if Jun suspects that we aren’t trying, we are all going to be in big trouble.” Ohno added, frowning and looking nervously in the direction of the closed bathroom door.
Sho shook his head. “The way Jun is looking right now, his head is going to be so fuzzy, he won’t even notice what we are doing.”
“We’ll take your word for it Sho, but there’s no way that you’re crashing on my sofa tonight after Jun catches you making it easier for him and bans your ass from the apartment tonight,” Nino smirked.
Before Sho had the chance to reply, the bathroom door opened and they immediately scattered to the four corners of the room in an attempt to appear casual. Although Jun’s eyes were red-rimmed, his glare was still piercing. “What are you lot up to?”
“Nothing!” Aiba blushed furiously and buried his face behind one of Ohno’s fishing magazines.
“Your fever is making you paranoid,” Nino scoffed. “And wobbly. You’d better sit down before you fall down.”
The fact that Nino could easily push him down onto the sofa proved just how weak Jun actually was.
“I’m not that sick, really,” Jun sniffled. He made a move to stand; only to be dragged back down by Ohno, who had moved over to make room for Sho to sit on Jun’s other side.
“Finish your tea and nap some more,” Sho insisted, pressing the mug into Jun’s trembling hands, and running his fingers lightly through Jun’s hair. “If you go into makeup last, you can catch another half hour of sleep.”
“Why does everyone think I need to sleep?” Jun mumbled. A few seconds later Sho managed to catch the tea as it dropped from Jun’s hand. Jun had already nodded off.
++
Although they had only filmed the introduction and opening talk Jun’s makeup was already sliding off his face. As the makeup lady stepped in to repair the damage, Sho offered Jun a towel to sop up the sheen of sweat. Obviously Jun’s temperature was rising and Sho shared a worried look with the others.
Hirano sidled over to Sho and asked, “Is Matsumoto-san okay? He doesn't look very well.”
Sho shook his head slightly, glancing nervously in Jun’s direction. “Don't say that within earshot of him Sho-kun.”
“Not unless you want to suffer the consequences,” Aiba muttered.
Hirano’s eyes grew large and he swallowed nervously, “Consequences?”
“Don't worry, he probably wouldn't hurt one of his kohai,” Ohno said, patting his junior’s shoulder comfortingly. “Especially since he likes your songs so much.”
“P-probably?”
“J can get a little snappy when he's sick,” Nino confirmed. “He doesn't like people to see his weaknesses, so he tends to go on the offensive.”
Recognising the terror blooming in Hirano’s eyes, Sho stepped in to reassure him. “Ignore them Sho-kun. Jun isn't that scary. It’s just better to leave him with the illusion that we can't tell how sick he is. As you can see, he's quite unwell today and we want to make things easier for him. We would appreciate it if you could let him answer the first question correctly. He really needs to sit down.”
Hirano blinked rapidly as he struggled to process Sho’s words. “A-absolutely. I'll do anything you guys want.”
“What are you doing for them Sho-kun?”
Jun’s voice made everyone jump, especially Hirano, who looked as if he'd momentarily forgotten how to breathe. Jun’s makeup disguised the redness of his nose, but did nothing to hide the huskiness of his voice or his glassy eyes.
“Giving us copies of King & Prince’s latest single,” Nino said cheerfully as he nudged Hirano. “Right Sho-kun?”
“Y-yes,” Hirano nodded vigorously.
“I look forward to it,” Jun said huskily as he suppressed a cough.
++
Before he commenced his introductions Yoshimura frowned in Jun’s direction, unsettled by the way Jun was clinging to the podium in front of him. A moment later, as the camera began rolling, Yoshimura turned to face the camera, hastily changing his expression into a beaming smile as they began filming.
After the first question was asked, there was complete silence as everyone turned to Jun in anticipation of him answering. But Jun stood quietly swaying slightly, seemingly unaware that they weren’t saying anything. Yoshimura began hounding them until Nino called out, complaining that his buzzer wasn't working, buying Jun at least a little time to come up with the right answer.
During the brief pause, while the staff checked for problems Jun pulled Hirano aside. “I noticed that you weren’t answering. Don't be nervous. Just say whatever pops into your mind, the sillier the better.”
Not wanting to alert Jun to their scheme, Hirano mumbled, “Sorry, I'll try harder.”
“No need to apologize, and don't forget that you're here to have fun, okay?” Jun added with a reassuring smile, carefully suppressing the cough building in the back of his throat.
“Thank you Matsumoto-san,” Hirano replied, blinking nervously. He could feel the feverish heat of Jun’s fingers on his arm through the sleeve of his shirt. Aiba and Sho smiled encouragingly at him as he took his place between them, calming his nerves.
This time when Yoshimura repeated the question, Aiba leaned over and quickly pressed Jun’s buzzer for him.
Jun blinked in confusion, wondering exactly when it was that he’d pushed the button. In an attempt to look as if he'd been able to hear anything over the insistent buzzing in his head, he immediately said the first word which came to him. “Err…pink?”
“Correct!” Yoshimura chirped, gesturing extravagantly towards Jun to usher him to his seat at the table.
“It looks more red to me,” Jun protested, blinking at the graphic being displayed on the monitor. He dug his heels in, resisting Yoshimura’s attempt to move him over to the seat waiting for him at the table.
“Um.” Hirano put his hand up. “I always thought that red and pink are the same colour. It’s just that one is trying harder to get attention.”
Amid the chorus of ‘eeeehhhhhh?’ which came from the audience at Hirano’s remark, Yoshimura finally managed to persuade Jun to sit down and have the prize of a bowl of curry noodles placed before him.
“Thanks Sho-kun,” Sho murmured, relieved that Jun, who was looking even more pale than previously, was finally off his increasingly wobbly legs.
Aiba patted Hirano’s back and offered him a wonky wink. “You did good.”
Jun swallowed hard and poked at the noodles with his chopsticks. Although he'd hardly eaten anything for the past two days, he knew that this was not something his digestive system could handle right now. The curry sauce was glutinous and glistening with globules of fat. Fastening on a fake smile, Jun picked up a few strands of noodles and sucked them into his mouth, forcefully quelling his stomach’s desire to eject them right back up again. “Delicious,” he muttered through clenched teeth.
Sho hastily answered the next question, forgoing the convention of offering amusing incorrect answers first. He quickly took his place beside Jun, trying to look at him from out of the corner of his eye to check his condition without attracting any unwanted attention to Jun’s plight. He was so busy worrying about Jun as he shovelled his seafood noodles into his mouth that he forgot to check the temperature. “HOT!” Sho yelped, hastily reaching for a glass of water. Fortuitously, he knocked the noodles over, spilling them onto the floor. He hoped that this meant that Jun wouldn't have to taste them. Unfortunately there were more out the back, and soon a new bowl sat in front of Jun.
Jun took a deep breath and picked out a small shrimp from between the long strands of noodles. As he reluctantly steered it towards his mouth, a cough forced itself up from the depths of his chest. The chopsticks fell to the table as he covered his mouth, coughing into his cupped hands. As he struggled to catch his breath he felt Sho’s hand pressing reassuringly on his knee under the table. Once he’d recovered, Jun smiled, declaring the shrimp to be delicious, hoping to persuade everyone that he’d actually eaten it.
The staff exchanged confused looks, but Yoshimura ignored them, gesturing for them to run the next video. To Hirano’s great surprise he managed to answer the next question correctly, earning himself a beef bowl topped with red pickled ginger. When he sat down, he shovelled the food into his mouth with great speed and enthusiasm. “Delicious,” he declared, passing the bowl to Sho.
Sho stuffed his mouth full of sliced beef. His cheeks bulged as he gulped down the barely chewed meat. “Mmpph ‘s really fanfasttish.”
Between the pair of them, the two Sho’s managed to polish off the lot, leaving none for Jun. Something for which Jun was eternally grateful as he held himself stiffly upright in his seat. He could feel sweat sliding down between his shoulder blades and the studio seemed to be listing to one side and then the other. It was hard to concentrate on what the others were saying as it sounded to him as if they were speaking to him from a great distance.
Aiba won next, and thinking that he was doing the right thing, walked over to the far end of the table and offered Jun some of his chicken soup. Sho hissed at him under his breath, but the audience was already making cooing noises. With a quiet murmur of apology, Aiba spooned some of the broth into Jun’s mouth.
Despite Sho’s concern, Aiba’s instincts proved to be correct. The soup warmed Jun, soothing his sore throat and he managed to make a genuinely complimentary comment and smile into the camera. Under Sho’s watchful eyes Jun managed to swallow another two spoonfuls of soup, earning himself another encouraging squeeze under the table. The rest of filming was a blur to Jun. He smiled at what he hoped was appropriate intervals and laughed when everyone else did.
Nino beat a pouting Ohno and took his place at the winner's table. He reluctantly prodded at the raw egg which sat trembling on top of the custard and cream-filled dessert crepe which was placed in front of him by its proud creator. Using the very tip of his spoon Nino managed to scrape a small amount of cream out from under the runny egg and declared it to be tasty. The dessert was passed down the line to Aiba who broke open the yolk and took a huge mouthful. Hirano took a smaller bite, squeezing his eyes shut as he attempted to not recoil at the unusual taste and texture. He hastily handed the crepe over to Sho who tucked into the gloopy mass with great gusto.
Unfortunately the smell of raw egg filled Jun’s nostrils making his stomach roll unpleasantly. Biting down his gag reflex, Jun swallowed hard as beads of sweat broke out on his brow. He momentarily closed his eyes, biting down on his bottom lip as he struggled to contain his nausea.
Yoshimura couldn't fail to miss how unwell Jun looked and hastily wrapped up the segment, allowing Jun to make a hasty exit. Sho immediately raced after him, leaving the other three to follow them at a more leisurely pace.
“Thanks for that Sho-kun,” Aiba said, patting Hirano on the back.
Ohno smiled at the younger man. “You really helped Jun out.”
“And more importantly, you helped me out,” Nino added.
“That dessert was hideous,” Hirano said, with a barely restrained shudder. Do you guys have to pretend to enjoy stuff like that every week?”
“Afraid so,” Nino replied. “But eventually you get really good at pretending that even the most revolting things taste good.”
“What do you mean by ‘revolting’?” Ohno asked. “I thought it looked really good. I only wish that I’d been able to taste it.”
“And you can,” Aiba said as he carefully pulled the gooey crepe out from where he’d been concealing it inside his jacket and handed it to Ohno.
Hirano gazed at them with admiration as Ohno happily munched on the slightly squashed dessert. “You guys have such a wonderful relationship. I hope that one day my bandmates and I are just as comfortable.”
“It takes time and will probably involve a lot of embarrassment, but believe me, it will be worth it,” Nino said reassuringly as he grimaced at the sight of Ohno, who had whipped cream all over his chin, offering Aiba a bite of the eggy dessert.
++
Barely making it to the bathroom in time, Jun hunched over the toilet bowl heaving up the contents of his stomach. His head was pounding from the strain. Sho hovered behind him, wanting to help but not knowing how. When he had no more to throw up, Jun was struck by a coughing fit, folding over at the waist as he struggled to catch his breath.
Sho rubbed Jun’s back making soothing noises, only to be rebuffed by his boyfriend who angrily wriggled away from Sho’s grasp. “Why did you have to bring that egg thing so close to me? That's what tipped me over the edge,” Jun wheezed. “And don't stand so close to me; you reek of raw egg.”
Sho handed Jun a bunch of paper towels and suppressed a smile. He was used to Jun being prickly when sick, and knew that deep down Jun actually wanted to be coddled but would die before admitting it. “Because you didn't tell us how sick you actually are, Mr ‘I think I might have caught a bit of a cold’.”
“That's because I only started to feel worse once we started filming,” Jun admitted miserably. “But I feel a lot better already,” he added with a forced smile.
Jun splashed some cold water on his face and rinsed out his mouth in the basin. He wiped his face with the paper towels and screwed them up before tossing them in the direction of the bin. Due to the weakness of his shot the paper bounced off the rim and landed on the floor. “Drat,” Jun mumbled. He bent down to pick up the paper, stumbling as black dots danced in front of his eyes.
Sho darted over and grabbed Jun’s waist just in time to catch him as his legs went out from under him. Jun’s weight pulled Sho off balance, and they both almost ended up on the floor as Jun’s leg splayed out, noisily knocking over the metal bin in the process.
Aiba burst breathlessly into the room with one hand clamped firmly over his eyes as he babbled, “What was that noise? What’s happening? Is Jun okay? I promise I’m not looking if you're doing anything kinky.”
Nino pushed through the door a second after Aiba. “Don't be an idiot. Sho wouldn't be stupid enough to try anything with Jun when he's sick.” Nino peered around Aiba, glaring at Sho as he added, “At least not if he knows what's good for him.”
Ohno walked past Nino and Aiba, quietly making his way over to Jun. He helped Jun to stand and pulled him into his arms, holding him steady as Sho struggled to his feet. Jun took a shaky breath and waited for his vision to return to normal. Jun wanted to pull away and prove that he was perfectly capable of standing unassisted, but his body seemed to have different ideas. As his legs threatened to give way Jun clung to Ohno, using him as an anchor until Sho came to support him from the other side. Sho gathered Jun to him and Ohno slipped away allowing Sho to hold Jun tightly, whispering something into Jun’s ear too softly for the others to hear.
The other three looked on in concern as Jun shook his head, struggling feebly against Sho. “Can’t a person even go to the bathroom without it turning into a circus?” Jun’s attempt at a threatening scowl was foiled by his need to blow his nose on a handful of paper towels.
“You look like crap J,” Nino huffed. “Stop being a stubborn idiot.”
Aiba handed Jun a pack of tissues and examined Jun from close range. “Nino’s right. Your face looks kind of green.”
“Thanks,” Jun drawled sarcastically. “Can someone please tell me what I have to do to make you get out of the bathroom so I stop offending you with my face?”
“How about letting us look after you?” Ohno asked quietly, speaking for the first time since entering the room.
Jun nodded carefully just in case his pounding head fell off at the movement. “Fine. You win. But I'm only agreeing to this because I know that you will all collectively nag me to death if I don't.”
++
After their bandmates had reluctantly filed out of the bathroom, Jun allowed himself to slump down onto the closed lid of the toilet. His head felt as if it weighed ten kilos and the room was still tilting sideways. A cold hand supported the back of his neck as a wet wad of paper towel was pressed to his forehead. “Thanks. That feels good.”
“No need for thanks. That’s what I’m here for.” Sho moved closer and moved his hand from Jun’s neck, stroking his back lightly.
Jun sighed and buried his face in Sho’s stomach, wrapping his arms tightly around Sho’s hips. The solid weight of Sho’s body grounded Jun, stopping the room from spinning and helping to quell his nausea. “I’m sorry for ruining our days off together. I'm afraid that I'm not going to get better before we have to go back to work.”
Sho carded his fingers through Jun’s hair, making it even messier. “Don’t be silly. Why would you have to apologise for being sick?”
“Because we haven’t seen much of each other lately and I know that you probably have something planned for us to do together.”
“The only thing I had planned was for us to spend time in bed together.”
“I don’t suppose you meant for it to be like this,” Jun said huskily, swallowing hard in an attempt to stifle the urge to cough.
Sho chuckled. “Well, I planned for you to end up messy, exhausted, and aching, but that would’ve only been afterwards, not before we actually did anything.”
Jun pinched Sho hard on the side. “You wish.”
Sho tilted Jun’s head upwards so he could see in his eyes. “I do actually. There’s no more beautiful sight than the way you look when we’ve just made love.”
Jun poked Sho in the ribs and muttered; “Soppy idiot.” But Sho knew that the deepening flush on Jun’s cheeks wasn’t entirely because of the fever.
++
Aiba had already packed up Jun’s belongings when Jun, who was leaning heavily on Sho’s arm, shuffled into the dressing room. Jun had removed the disposable contacts which were making his eyes burn and replaced them with the glasses he always carried in his pocket to put on once filming was over. Nino was holding a mug of warm herbal tea in his hands and Ohno another two paracetamol in his palm.
As soon as Jun collapsed in a heap on the sofa his bandmates descended on him in a flurry. He found himself covered by a fluffy blanket scavenged by Aiba as Ohno offered the painkillers. Nino held the mug steady as Jun sipped the warm liquid to wash them down.
“T-thank you-ah-achoooo!” The force of Jun’s sneeze slopped most of the tea onto the floor and whatever was left was ejected from the mug as he was struck with another coughing fit. “Sorry,” he mumbled as his cheeks flushed with embarrassment at his helplessness. He struggled to sit more upright, knowing that their managers would soon come to collect them.
“Don't worry about it. Just relax.” Sho took the towel that Aiba had quickly retrieved from the bathroom and mopped up the mess. He perched on the edge of the sofa and pushed Jun down, tugging his legs up onto the sofa and making sure that he was properly tucked under the blanket. “If you're no better by morning, I'm making an appointment for you with the doctor.”
Jun wanted to argue with Sho and definitely didn't want to go to the doctor, but he found it increasingly difficult to keep his eyes open. Even though the sofa cushions were lumpy and the room too cold, the blanket over him was warm and Jun felt himself drifting. He could feel Sho drawing his cool fingers across his brow, offering momentary relief from the burning feeling in his head.
After ten minutes, satisfied that Jun was asleep, Sho carefully stood up and stretched out his stiff back. Rather than packing up their own belongings, the other three were standing in a huddled group watching Jun and frowning.
Ohno squeezed Sho’s shoulder. “Can we do anything?”
“Maybe...no...yes,” Sho replied distractedly. Jun’s fever seemed to be worsening and since throwing up so badly earlier he was probably becoming dehydrated. “Jun could do with more fluids.”
“I’ll get Jun a cold drink from the machine,” Aiba immediately offered as he grabbed his wallet. “Do you guys want anything?”
Everyone shook their heads so Aiba headed out, quietly closing the door behind him. A few minutes later Aiba poked his head around the door. “The cars are here, Sho. You can take Jun home now.”
They all turned to where Jun was curled up on the sofa, barely visible under the blanket. Virtually all that could be seen was a tuft of messy black hair and long eyelashes which fluttered slightly as Jun snuffled in his sleep.
“I don't really have the heart to wake him,” Sho said softly as he tucked the blanket even tighter around Jun’s back. “You guys go ahead and tell my driver to go home. I'll call our manager and arrange for another car to collect Jun and I later.”
Aiba walked over and put a bottle of orange juice from the vending machine and a handful of paper straws on the low table in front of where Jun was sleeping. He took another bottle of juice out of his pocket and sat down on the other sofa opposite. He pulled a script out of his bag and put his feet up on the table. “I can study this anywhere. I’ll stay and keep you company.”
Nino cranked up the air conditioning by a half a degree. “Can’t have the princess waking up and complaining that he’s cold,” Nino snarked as he reached out and gently ruffled Jun’s hair on his way to joining Aiba. He pulled out his phone and began playing his pazudora game. “I can do this just as well here as I can at home, so I might as well stay too.”
Ohno grunted, squeezing himself in beside Nino, despite the sofa only being a two seater. “I could do with a nap myself.”
Sho swallowed down the lump which seemed to be blocking his throat all of a sudden. “You really don't have to do this. Time off is rare enough without wasting it.”
“It’s not a waste of our time. Jun is important to all of us. I’ll send all of our cars away,” Ohno replied firmly as he pulled out his phone to text their manager.
“So slow, old man. Let me do it.” Nino huffed, pulling the phone out of Ohno’s hands. The sight of Ohno’s fingers fumbling as he typed slowly set Nino’s teeth on edge.
++
Jun stirred restlessly; his throat was dry and he was very thirsty. He was surprised and confused to see that according to his watch he’d been asleep for over three hours. He noticed a bottle of juice on the table in front of him and picked it up, but somehow he couldn't manage to get the lid open.
Sho immediately rose from his spot at the end of the sofa and took the bottle from Jun and unscrewed the lid. He popped a straw into the neck of the bottle before handing it back to Jun making sure that Jun had a good grip on it before letting it go. He helped Jun to sit up enough to be able to drink without spilling anything, before sitting back down beside him.
Sipping slowly on the orange juice Jun looked around the room and blinked in confusion at the sight of Nino, Aiba and Ohno sitting crammed together on the opposite sofa.
Ohno was snoring softly as he sat wedged against the armrest with his head resting on Nino’s shoulder. As Jun watched Nino made a sound of disgust and elbowed Ohno in the side as he hissed quietly, “You’re drooling on me again.”
Aiba had obviously been to the vending machine and was surrounded by a pile of chocolate wrappers, cookie crumbs, and two empty juice bottles of the same variety as the one Jun was drinking. Aiba was looking over Nino’s other shoulder, watching him as he played a game on his phone.
Nino wriggled uncomfortably, chiding Aiba. “Quit dropping crumbs on me.”
“Why are you all still here?” Jun croaked. “Actually, why am I still here? Shouldn't the cars have been here hours ago?”
“We didn't want to wake you up. You needed the sleep.” Sho squeezed Jun’s hand and offered him some throat lozenges.
“But that still doesn’t answer my question.” Jun distractedly accepted a lozenge from Sho and popped it into his mouth. “And where on earth did you get these from?” he added crankily.
“In response to your first question; we’re here because we're worried about you,” Nino replied. “Even though you're really annoying when you're sick. And secondly, Sho went to the pharmacy while you were asleep and picked up some medicine for you while we watched out for you. Even though you're really annoying when you're sick.”
“Nino!” Ohno, who’d woken up when Nino began speaking, clapped his hand over Nino’s mouth. “Jun, you know that Nino doesn't mean it.”
“About you being worried about me?” Jun asked in a tiny voice as he shrunk down underneath the blanket.
“He doesn’t mean the bit about you being annoying!” Aiba flung himself over to Jun, hugging him tightly around the neck. “Of course we’re worried about you.” Aiba glared at Nino over Jun’s head, wiggling his eyebrows frantically.
Nino freed himself from Ohno and went over to the sofa where Jun was. He squeezed in next to Jun, pushing Sho out of the way. He didn't say anything as he pressed himself against Jun, making sure that he was glued firmly to his side as he resumed his game.
“Thanks Nino,” Jun said softly; correctly interpreting Nino’s wordless apology. “I guess I am kind of high maintenance.”
Everyone answered at once resulting in a volley of denials: “Of course not.” “No.” “Absolutely not” “As if.”
They all looked at each other and burst out laughing; even Jun.
++
“Van’s here,” Aiba reported.
It had been decided that to make less work for their manager and drivers, they would all pile into a van together. Since Sho and Jun’s apartment was closest the other three invited themselves to stay over for the rest of the night. Or at least that was the reason they gave Jun, rather than telling him that they wanted to keep an eye on him.
Sho helped Jun into his multiple layers of clothing; careful to not dislodge the fever patch stuck on Jun’s forehead. Once Jun’s coat was buttoned Sho wound the soft alpaca scarf around Jun’s neck, pressing a kiss to Jun’s overly warm cheek.
Pushing Sho away Jun chided him. “Do you want to get sick too?”
“The thought of spending a few days in bed with you holds a certain appeal.” Sho smiled as he tucked in the ends of Jun’s scarf.
“Break it up, you two,” Nino said loudly as he took Jun’s hand and steered him to the door. “You’ll have plenty of time for canoodling once we get Jun home.” He stopped and glared at Sho. “And I'm warning you Sho, if you catch anything as a result of not being able to keep your hands off Jun while he’s so sick, we won't be looking after you, and Jun certainly won't be either.”
“Hey,” Jun protested weakly. “It’s not like I have the plague or something.”
Jun’s argument would've carried more weight if his words hadn't been followed by a coughing fit which left him teary-eyed and wheezing. Sho rummaged in his shoulder bag and pulled out a bottle of cough syrup and a small measuring cup designed for medicine. Jun screwed up his face and reluctantly swallowed the measured dose before allowing Nino and Ohno to escort him down to the waiting van.
Sho flung his bag down on the floor in frustration and grabbed his phone. “That’s it. I can’t stand to see him like this. I’m ringing Jun’s doctor right now.
Aiba draped his arm over Sho’s shoulders and pulled the phone from Sho’s tight grip. “Sho, it’s way after midnight. We’ll look after Jun tonight and you can make an appointment first thing in the morning.”
Sho relaxed his clenched fists and nodded slowly as he released a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. “I know I’m going overboard and being overprotective, but…I really love him you know.”
“We love him too.” Aiba hugged Sho tightly before adding mischievously, “Just not in the same wanting to get into his pants way that you do.”
++
Ohno fussed around with the buckle of Jun’s seatbelt, making sure that he was firmly strapped in. Jun’s eyes kept fluttering closed as the cough medicine began to take effect. Slumping down in his seat, Jun’s head tilted over and hit the window, waking him up. Nino balled up a spare sweater taken from his bag and slid it under Jun’s head as a makeshift pillow. Jun immediately snuggled down into a more comfortable position.
Aiba and Sho climbed into the van, carrying Jun’s things along with a bag which Ohno had left behind in his hurry to help Jun, as well as their own belongings. There was a brief scuffle as they sorted out their stuff and safely stowed it away before taking their seats.
“I hope you have the bed in the spare room made up,” Ohno said with a wide yawn.
“Who says you get to sleep in there?” Nino retorted. “There are three of us and only one bed. Plus you’ve already been asleep for hours.”
“Four actually,” Jun muttered without opening his eyes. “Sho is banned from our bedroom until I know that I’m not contagious.”
“What? No way,” Sho spluttered. “I’m not leaving you all alone. Anything could happen.”
“It’s just a cold,” Jun said testily. A moment later he sneezed so hard that his glasses flew off the end of his nose and skidded across the floor. This was followed by yet another coughing fit which left him with aching ribs and tears streaming down his cheeks.
“See?” Sho picked up Jun’s glasses and put them safely away in their case.
“Fine,” Jun wheezed. “But you sleep on the floor as far away from me as possible. It’s for your own good.”
The others shared amused looks at the way Sho glowed at Jun’s concession, even though it meant that Sho would spend an uncomfortable night on the floor. Jun seemed to possess magical powers which compelled people to do whatever he wanted, no matter how horrible, and even enjoy the experience. They had all experienced it at some time or another and knew that whatever torture they suffered, it was worth it in the end when they received one of Jun’s smiles; the special ones which turned his eyes into half moons.
“So that’s me set for the night, plus two people will fit in the bed and one on the sofa,” Sho said, looking back and forth between the other three.
“Yay! It’ll be fun,” Aiba chirped. “Just like in the old days when we were on tour and had to share rooms. We can janken for it.”
“Just don't go out the wrong door on the way to the bathroom and up sleeping in the corridor in your underpants,” Jun croaked. “I still haven't quite recovered from that time when I thought you were dead.”
“I couldn't help it. I’ve always had a terrible sense of direction,” Aiba laughed.
As the van made its way through the city streets they seemed to catch every red light, so despite the light traffic the journey took longer than expected. After a while Jun began to shiver, his whole body trembling as his teeth chattered. “Is it cold in here, or is it just me?”
“Jun’s fever must be getting worse.” Sho looked anxiously across the aisle at Jun.
Ohno patted Sho’s knee reassuringly. “We’ll be at your apartment in a little while. I'm sure he’ll feel better once he's in bed.”
Jun leaned forward in his seat and called out to the driver, “Can you please turn up the heating? It’s freezing back here.”
The other four exchanged a look of resignation and peeled off their jackets as heat blasted through the back of the van.
++
“Cold,” Jun whined as he attempted to pull his favourite blanket out of Sho’s hands. “I need my blanket.”
Sho dragged it out of Jun’s reach and tossed it onto the dresser. “You have a fever and I have to cool you down.”
Jun’s scowl was fierce, but his body was weak. Even though he glared at Sho with full force, he didn't have the strength to argue as Sho pressed a wet cloth to his forehead. Despite the light blanket covering him, Jun was shivering and the cloth only made him feel worse.
“I’ve brought some more juice,” Aiba said softly as he padded into the bedroom. “Wouldn't want you to get dehydrated.”
“Thanks for helping.” Sho placed the glass within easy reach for Jun. “You guys should try and get some sleep now though.”
“Don't worry, I'm on my way to the couch. Just call if you need anything.”
Once Aiba was gone, Sho made sure that Jun was comfortable before settling down on his makeshift bed on the floor. “G’night Jun. I love you.”
When there was no response forthcoming, Sho sat up and peered across the room. Jun was already asleep, his breathing loud in the quiet room. Sho noticed that the humidifier which sat on the cabinet next to Jun’s side of the bed was out of water. He filled it in the ensuite and added a few drops of Jun’s favourite essential oil. Once it was running, Jun’s breathing seemed easier so Sho returned to his bed and fell asleep almost immediately.
++
“Good moooorning everyone,” Aiba sang as he stirred a pan full of scrambled eggs.
Nino scowled and shuffled over to the coffee machine which sat gleaming on the counter. “Do you have to be so loud?” He pushed random buttons on the machine, frowning as it hissed at him but refused to spit out any coffee.
“Jun will kill you if you mess up his machine,” Ohno warned from the doorway. “Let me do it.”
“Since when do you know how to use a fancy-pants coffee machine?” Nino asked, raising his voice to be heard over Aiba’s singing.
“Jun showed me one night when we were all here for dinner.” Ohno handed Nino a cup of fragrant coffee with a smug smile.
“How come he didn't show me?” Nino pouted.
“Because you were too busy playing with your phone.”
“Jun?” Nino spun around to face the unexpected voice behind him, spilling coffee on the tiled floor.
“Why are you up?” Ohno put his own coffee down and took an involuntary step towards Jun.
“I wanted to make sure that you aren't destroying my kitchen,” Jun said in a husky voice.
Aiba put down his spatula. “Where’s Sho? Does he know that you're up?”
“He’s still asleep. He had a pretty rough night. I kept waking him with my coughing. But I’m feeling much better this morning, apart from a bit of a headache.”
Nino wasn't convinced; Jun was still far too pale for his liking. “You still look like crap. You should get yourself back to bed.”
“Nino’s right. I'll bring you some breakfast as soon as it's done,” Aiba said, making shooing gestures with the spatula.
“Since I guess that you three will nag me to death if I don't do as you say, I’ll go,” Jun sighed. “I’m not hungry though, so please don’t worry about bringing me anything to eat. Just make sure that you don't let Sho touch anything.”
“We promise,” Ohno said, gently steering Jun out of the kitchen, and speaking to him as if to a small child. He pressed a glass of cold water with a squeeze of lemon into Jun’s hand. “Now off you go.”
++
The smell of fresh coffee lured Sho out of bedroom. Jun was curled up asleep on the bed with an empty glass lying beside him. After quickly pressing his palm to Jun’s forehead to check his temperature in passing, Sho decided that it was safe to leave him alone for a short time while he grabbed some breakfast.
The others were happily stuffing their faces when Sho took his place at the table and took a deep slurp of the coffee Ohno handed him. “Jun was out here?” he asked as he placed the empty glass from the bedroom down on the table. “I told him to stay in bed.”
“He was but we evicted him.” Aiba hastened to reassure Sho as he placed a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of him. “How is he? He told us he was fine, but that's what he always says.”
“His fever went down quite a bit overnight, but he felt quite warm just now. I'm definitely going to ring the doctor's office and make an appointment as soon as they're open.”
Nino raised an eyebrow. “Pfft. Good luck at actually getting him there.”
++
Jun could hear the others talking in the kitchen when he woke up after a fifteen minute nap. He felt sticky and his hair was matted with sweat. The cooking smells drifting in from the kitchen were making his stomach churn. He rubbed his burning eyes and hoped that he would feel better after a shower.
He still felt cold; in fact his teeth were chattering and he hugged himself for warmth as he slowly made his way to the bathroom. He guessed that Sho had turned the thermostat down again. There was an ongoing battle between them over the correct temperature; he would nudge it up only for Sho to turn it back down while complaining about being too hot. But Jun couldn't help it, and in fact often felt cold even during summer, much to Nino’s particular amusement.
Jun decided that a nice hot shower would be just the right thing to warm him up. He paused in front of the mirror, frowning at the large bags under his eyes and the pallor of his skin. His face was almost grey, apart from a red flush on his cheeks and his hair hung limply over his eyebrows. He started to brush his teeth, but as soon as he put the brush into his mouth he started to gag. Barely making it to the toilet bowl in time he threw up a watery mixture of juice and water, heaving until all that came up was bitter bile.
As Jun rose from his knees and stood up the black spots returned, blurring his vision. The floor seemed to tilt as a rushing sound filled his ears. Dizziness overcame him as he clutched at the vanity, knocking assorted toiletries to the floor with his flailing hands. He wanted to cry out to Sho for help, but the tiled floor was suddenly rising to meet him and he could do nothing to prevent himself from falling.
++
Sho paused with his coffee cup halfway to his mouth and made a shushing gesture to the others. He was sure that he’d heard a noise coming from the bedroom but it was hard to hear clearly through the closed door. A moment later there was a loud clattering noise and the sound of breaking glass.
Tossing down his cup, Sho raced to the ensuite with the others in hot pursuit. His heart leapt into his throat at the sight of Jun sprawled on the floor next to a scattering of toiletries and the broken remnants of the glass they used to hold their toothbrushes. As Sho tried to get to Jun, Aiba held him back, gesturing to the scattered shards of glass. Nino skirted around the mess and grabbed the bath towels off the rail, tossing them over the mess and making it safer to get across the floor.
Finally able to reach Jun, Sho knelt on the floor and lifted him into a sitting position, horrified at the heat radiating from his body and the harsh sound of his breathing. “Jun, can you hear me?”
Jun’s eyelids fluttered weakly as he muttered an incomprehensible response. His pyjamas were soaked through with sweat and his eyes were glassy. Ohno found the digital thermometer amongst the scattered debris on the floor and took Jun’s temperature. They all exchanged a look of horror at the reading of forty point one.
“We need to cool him down,” Ohno said, taking charge of the situation, since Sho seemed to have switched off, sitting on the floor and rocking Jun in his arms. “And we all need to get out of here. The last thing we need is for someone to cut themselves on that glass.”
Nino tapped Sho on the shoulder, bringing him out of his daze. “If Aiba helps, can you get Jun up off the floor?”
It took Sho a moment to react, but when Aiba bent down to help, he roused himself and handed Jun over to him while he climbed to his feet.
Sho and Aiba managed to get Jun upright and half carried him to the bed while Nino ran cold water into the sink and soaked two hand towels. Sho removed Jun’s top and ran the cold cloth over Jun’s chest as Aiba wiped Jun’s face. Nino dashed out of the room and returned a minute later with ice wrapped in a clean tea towel which he slid under Jun’s neck. Jun continued to wheeze and struggle for breath, flinching as the cold penetrated his skin.
“We need to get Jun to a hospital. Sho, do you have Jun’s health insurance details handy?” Ohno waited for a response, but Sho remained focused on Jun, seemingly oblivious to anything else. “Sho!”
“What? Er...sorry.” Sho dragged himself away from Jun and tried to listen.
Ohno tried using as few words as possible. “Health insurance? I need Jun’s card.”
“Oh. Right.” Sho jumped up and began rummaging in the dresser, tossing things onto the floor in his haste.
“Nino, can you go and bring Sho’s car around?” Ohno turned to Sho and gripped his shoulder, momentarily halting Sho’s frantic movements. “Sho, where are your keys?
Sho stared back, wild eyed and breathing hard, as he tried to gather his thoughts. “In the wooden bowl on the table in the entryway. Right next to where Jun keeps his wallet.” Sho thought for a moment more before yelling, “Jun’s wallet! That's where his insurance card is.”
Nino nodded and hustled out, closely followed by Ohno who needed to retrieve the card.
Aiba had tears in his eyes as he checked Jun’s temperature. “This is my fault. You wanted to call the doctor last night and I stopped you. If anything happens to Jun…”
Sho squeezed Aiba’s shoulder. “You’re not to blame. If it's anyone's fault then it's mine. I’m supposed to know him better than anyone. I should've known that it wasn't just a cold.”
“Stop playing the blame game, you two. There’s no time for it right now,” Ohno said firmly as he bustled back into the room. “I’ve spoken to the hospital and let them know that we're coming. They've made arrangements for us to arrive at a side entrance so we don't attract any unwanted attention.”
While Sho threw some of Jun’s belongings into a bag, Ohno and Aiba helped Jun to change into a clean pair of sweatpants and a dry pyjama top. Jun was muttering deliriously and resisting as they tried to manipulate his arms through the arm holes of the shirt. “What are you doing? Don't...please...don't touch me...”
Sho dropped the bag on the floor and sat beside Jun, stroking his damp hair. “Shhhh. Nobody's trying to hurt you. It’s okay.”
Jun clung to Sho, allowing his soothing voice to wash over him as Ohno and Aiba fastened the buttons of the shirt.
Ohno’s phone pinged with a message. “Nino has the car waiting in the garage. We just need to get Jun down there.”
Aiba and Sho lifted Jun between them, draping one of his arms over each of their shoulders, so that his weight was supported evenly between them. Jun dragged his feet, but managed to stumble along between them as they slowly made their way down to the car.
As soon as they pulled up at the hospital, the staff rushed out and lifted Jun into a wheelchair before disappearing back into the depths of the building. Sho and the others tried to follow them, only to be steered politely but firmly into a waiting room for family members.
Sho paced the floor anxiously, sticking his head out the door and looking for any sign of where Jun might have been taken. Ohno stepped up and took Sho by the elbow, gently guiding him over to one of the chairs. “There's nothing we can do except wait for someone to come and speak to us.”
“Don't worry Sho, J is pretty tough for a princess,” Nino said confidently, in an attempt to reassure Sho. The slight tremor in his voice drew Aiba over to sit next to him, squeezing into a chair only designed for one.
Sho pulled Jun’s glasses out of his pocket and began cleaning them with a small microfiber cloth which he found in the bottom of the case. Even when they seemed clean, he continued to rub the lenses as if Jun’s life depended upon it.
++
There seemed to be a heavy weight resting on Jun’s chest making it hard to breathe. Every muscle in his body ached, as if he was at the end of an early season pre-concert training session. He could tell that he was lying in an unfamiliar bed in a room which wasn’t his own. Every breath he took was tainted with the smell of rubber. With a great effort he lifted his hand and clawed at his face, attempting to remove the mask covering his mouth and nose.
Soft fingers drew his hand away from his face and a baritone voice spoke soothingly next to his ear. “You don't want to do that. It’s helping you to breathe.”
The amount of effort involved in opening his eyes took Jun by surprise, but finally he could see Sho’s concerned face looming over him. His voice was weak and muffled by the oxygen mask, but he managed to speak loudly enough for Sho to hear. “Smells bad.”
“That may be so, but it’s necessary.”
Jun flexed his fingers and glared at the IV tube snaking down to his hand, and then glared up at Sho as if it was his doing.
“No need to glare at me; I didn't put it there,” Sho responded with a small smile of relief. If Jun was glaring at him he was definitely on the mend.
“Why am I here?” Jun was surprised at how difficult it was to speak. His throat was unaccountably dry and swallowing was a struggle.
Sho immediately picked up a sippy cup of water from the tray table at the end of the bed. After lifting up the oxygen mask, he placed the built-in bendy straw against Jun’s lips. Jun took a grateful sip, closing his eyes as the cool water soothed his throat.
When he saw that Jun had drunk enough, Sho resettled the mask on Jun’s face and sat on the edge of the bed. “Let me know when you need some more.”
“I don’t understand. I only had a cold,” Jun whispered. “How did I end up in hospital?”
“Your cold turned out to be the flu. You’ve been very ill.” Sho tried to maintain a calm tone of voice so as to not upset Jun, but the trembling of his fingers as he smoothed Jun’s hair back out of his eyes gave away his true feelings.
At first Jun had seemed to be successfully fighting the severe case of flu, but by the first evening of his hospitalisation he’d developed breathing problems. Sho felt as if he’d aged ten years as he sat by Jun’s bedside watching him struggle with every breath as Jun drifted in and out of a delirious sleep.
Jun had a vague recollection of nightmarish fever-fuelled dreams, and the sky outside the window changing from blue to black, but he had no idea of how much time had passed since he’d been admitted to the hospital. “How long have I been here? We’ve only got three days off together, so I need to go home soon.”
Sho picked up Jun’s hand and linked their fingers, stroking his thumb over Jun’s palm. “Jun love, it's already been three days.”
Jun blinked in confusion as he tried to process Sho’s words. It didn't seem possible that he’d lost so much time. The one constant in Jun’s blurry recollection was of a presence anchoring him in place, just as Sho’s hand was right now. Memories rose to the surface of his consciousness, like an air bubble floating to the top of still water. “You were here. You were always here. Are you trying to kill yourself? Did you even sleep at all?” Jun said accusingly. His heart swelled at the thought of Sho’s devotion, but he was worried that Sho driving himself to exhaustion.
“Did you think that I would leave you here alone?” Jun’s forehead was still too warm under Sho’s lips as he kissed him in the easiest place to access without disturbing the oxygen mask, but it no longer burned with the frightening intensity of the previous days. Not for one moment had he ever considered not spending every free moment by Jun’s side.
“Don't worry, we stood in for him when he went to Zero and we made sure that he slept too.” Ohno’s voice, although quiet, still startled Jun.
For the first time Jun became aware that he and Sho weren't alone in the room. He turned his head and saw Ohno sitting in a chair under the window. Ohno looked as if he’d been there for some time; his shirt was creased and his hair was sticking out at odd angles.
“Having one stubborn idiot incapacitated is more than enough, without Sho keeling over as well,” Nino said, as he moved into Jun’s line of sight.
“Nino scared the staff into setting up an extra bed for Sho,” Aiba added as he loomed up behind Nino and pointed across the room to a small folding bed covered with rumpled linens. “It was truly awesome to watch.”
Jun blinked back tears as he looked at each of them in turn. They all looked to be in a similar state of dishevelment as Ohno. It seemed as if Sho hadn’t been the only one keeping a vigil by his bedside. “I can't believe you all did that for me.”
“And I can't believe that you could think that we wouldn't,” Nino replied as he squeezed onto the bed next to Jun and made himself comfortable.
“No fair Nino.” Aiba reached over Nino in an attempt to wrap his arms around Jun. “Stop hogging him.”
Ohno roused himself and pulled himself upright, stretching and yawning as he drifted over to Jun. He sat on the end of the bed and squeezed Jun’s foot through the light bed coverings and watched the other two competing for Jun’s attention, as a gentle smile spread across his face.
Sho pouted slightly as Jun’s attention was drawn away from him; it seemed as if Jun had forgotten he was there. In his head, he knew that his exhaustion was making him unreasonable, and that he should just be pleased that Jun was on the mend. His heart, however, didn't agree, selfishly wanting all of Jun’s attention for itself. Rather than embarrass himself with his neediness, he decided to give the others time and space to interact with Jun; they’d been just as worried and spent almost as much time by Jun’s bedside as he. They could all do with something to eat and drink, so it was probably a good time to make a trip to the cafeteria and put his jealousy aside. Jun seemed to have other ideas though. As his friends hugged him and laughed, he grabbed Sho’s wrist, clinging tightly and gazing up at him with eyes that glowed with such an intensity of love that Sho was rendered breathless. The world seemed to recede for a moment as their eyes locked. Jun’s eyes curved into half-moons as he gave Sho the smile which only a short time ago Sho had feared he might never see again.
++
Sho insisted on holding Jun’s elbow as they walked through the television station on the way to the green room. Jun was returning to work for the first time since being discharged. After spending five days in hospital, Jun had spent another week at home convalescing. The thought of Jun taking part in the more physical games of VS set Sho’s protective instincts into overdrive, but there had been assurances given that Jun wouldn't be overly taxed.
“I still think that you should’ve had another week off,” Sho said worriedly as he held the door to the green room open for Jun.
“I'm fine now, and I don't want to be a burden to you or the others.”
Sho closed the door again, blocking Jun from entering. “Don't ever say that or even think it. I love you and so do they. We all have your back, just as you have ours.”
Jun blushed and wrapped his arms around Sho, burying his face in the side of his neck. “What did I do to deserve you?”
“That's exactly what I ask myself every morning when I wake up next to you,” Sho replied softly.
“Flatterer,” Jun whispered, looking at Sho with adoring eyes.
Love radiated between them as their lips met in a gentle, searching kiss. They held each other fast as Jun peppered Sho’s mouth with teasing pecks. Sho slipped his tongue between Jun’s slightly parted lips, tracing familiar lines as Jun sighed with pleasure.
“Take your hands off Jun and back away to a respectable distance, Sho!” Nino had flung open the door and was standing with his hands on his hips as he glared at the surprised couple.
Aiba came forward and pried the pair apart, barely able to supress his giggles before he growled, “There will be none of those shenanigans allowed until Jun is fully recovered.”
Ohno stood behind the other two, holding his sides as his body shook with mirth. He patted Sho’s shoulder consolingly as Sho shuffled into the dressing room with a sulky pout on his face.
Nino and Aiba sat down on the sofa and glared across at Sho as he put Jun’s bag down on the table. He glared back as they snickered quietly and pulled faces at Sho behind Jun’s back, earning themselves a smack from Ohno, who couldn't keep the grin from his face either. Their relief at seeing Jun upright and well was making them all giddy.
Jun shivered as he removed his coat. “Isn't…”
“This room a little cold?” Ohno, Aiba and Nino chorused, finishing Jun’s sentence for him.
Jun blushed and then scowled fiercely as Sho indulgently ruffled his hair before walking over and turning up the thermostat to twenty six.
“C’mon Sho, if you're going to make it warm, then at least make it properly warm,” Nino said as he cranked the heat up to thirty. He nodded to Aiba and Ohno who immediately stood up and joined in with Nino who began to strip off his clothes.
“Steady on,” Sho spluttered. “What on earth are you lot up to?”
Jun watched in wide-eyed amusement as Nino revealed a Hawaiian shirt and matching shorts covered with a tropical print. Ohno had on a Hawaiian shirt and knee length linen shorts and Aiba a Hawaiian shirt teamed with board shorts.
“Why didn't you let me in on the joke?” Sho complained as he loosened his collar.
“Don't panic.” Aiba smiled as he tossed a Hawaiian shirt at Sho before handing another one to Jun.
“You three are the biggest idiots ever,” Jun laughed.
Sho eagerly changed into the shirt and stood next to Aiba making the Hawaiian ‘hang loose’ hand gesture.
Jun shook his head and rolled his eyes at Sho. “Make that four idiots.”
Sho broke away from Aiba and picked up the shirt which Jun had abandoned on the sofa beside him and wiggled it in front of Jun’s face. “How about making it five?”
Jun’s didn't even try to hide his tears as he looked around at the four people who had stayed by him during his darkest hours, and brought him safely to the other side. “Five or nothing. Always.”
