![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
learashiTitle: If that isn’t love, then I don’t know what is
Pairing: Sakumoto, Ohmiya (hinted)
Rating: PG
Genre: fluff
Summary: As luck would have it, just as Jun finally has an entire week off for the first time in months, he comes down with a heavy cold. All Jun wants is to get through this one last day of work before his well-meaning but clingy bandmates smother him with kindness, apart from Sho, who barely even seems to notice that Jun is ill. Annoyed by Sho’s apparent indifference to Jun, Nino persuades Aiba and Ohno to accompany him to Jun’s apartment to check on him. Once there, they find that appearances sometimes can be deceptive.
Note: Happy birthday to the man who opened up the whole fascinating world of Japanese pop music and drama to me, making my world a much happier place. Congratulations Matsumoto Jun. I wish you happiness, good health, love, and ownership of 4 very expensive dining chairs in the upcoming year.
Extra Emergency Note: Aaaaarrrgghhhh! For all of the times for my internet to not work, it has to be this weekend. How dare they make me miss the Jun festivities? I have been notified that my internet will be out of action on Saturday and Sunday, so I am posting this early rather than late.
It was bound to happen. It was the last day of work before his first full week off in months, and Jun could already feel an encroaching tickle in his throat. If the usual pattern was about to repeat itself, then he would be sick for the exact amount of free time available and then recover just in time to return to work.
It seemed sensible to stock up on over the counter medications on the way to the television studio. Jun’s manager gave a concerned look, but didn't comment as he pulled over at the nearest pharmacy. His raised eyebrows as Jun climbed back into the car with a bulging bag said it all.
“I'm fine.” Jun said as he buckled his seatbelt. The husky tone of his voice betrayed him, but he chose to ignore the disbelieving hum that his manager made in response.
++++
As Jun slowly made his way across the dressing room, Nino looked him up and down and frowned. “Big night last night, Jun? I know you think that sleep is for the weak, but maybe you should try it sometime. If you find that you like it, you could even do it on a regular basis.”
“Very droll.” Jun flopped down onto the sofa, and in the process almost dislodged Ohno, who was napping. He managed to grab Ohno and drag him back onto the seat just before he slid off onto the floor. “Sorry Leader.”
Ohno shook his head and leaned against Jun. “No problem, Jun." He closed his eyes and snuggled closer.
Swallowing hard, Jun managed to not cough on Ohno's hair. Jun could feel sweat blossoming on his face and he hoped that it wasn't too obvious. It wasn't that he was too proud to admit to being sick, it was just that if they caught wind of even the slightest hint that he was unwell, his bandmates wouldn't leave him alone for a minute. All Jun asked was to get through this day and get home where nobody would annoy him, and collapse into bed for a week.
Apparently Ohno noticed anyway, as he sat up and turned around to face Jun. "You feel kind of warm."
"I guess I have one too many layers on." Jun eased back and unzipped his jacket. The cool air worming its way through his thin shirt made him shiver, but it seemed that Ohno hadn’t noticed, and in fact tried to lean back on Jun again. Despite Ohno’s complaints at losing his human cushion, Jun stood up and went to sit by himself on the far side of the room. He didn’t want to be responsible for infecting anyone else.
Nino couldn’t ignore the wheeze in Jun’s voice. “Jun, are you sure you’re okay? In all seriousness, you look kind of terrible.”
“Thanks for your concern, Nino, but don’t worry. Really.”
Sho, who was scrolling through his emails, barely even looked up at the exchange. After seeing the shiver which ran through Jun’s body, and his flushed cheeks, Nino gave Sho a strange look at his apparent unconcern for the health of their youngest bandmate.
Before Nino could do anything, however, Aiba stuck his head around the door and said that they were all due in makeup.
++++
“Aren’t you going to eat anything, Jun?” Jun had been telling them for weeks now that tacos were his new favourite food, and attempting to persuade them to try them, so Aiba was puzzled that Jun was barely even looking at the plate of food in front of him.
Jun’s plan to sneak home while nobody was looking had been foiled. Aiba had wrapped his long arms around Jun and dragged him along with the others to a newly opened Mexican restaurant close to the studio. Since Jun had been the one talking up the food, it had been impossible for him to turn down the dinner. Aiba had eagerly made the arrangements when filming ended unexpectedly early and it turned out that they were all free that evening. It was a rare thing for all five of them to be able to eat together, so it would have been glaringly obvious that something was wrong if Jun hadn’t joined them.
Nino pinned Jun in place with a piercing stare. “Yes Jun. Aren't you going to eat anything? Since as you told me earlier, you're not sick at all.”
“Of course.” Jun took a defiant bite out of his chipotle chicken taco as he maintained eye contact with Nino. Only by washing it down with a big gulp of water, did Jun manage to swallow. The food had no taste and scratched his inflamed throat on the way down.
Ohno sat munching his way steadily through a plate of beef and onion tacos, while Nino carefully nibbled on a single pulled pork taco with evident enjoyment. Aiba was trying all of the different sauces at once, resulting in a soggy mess which he was attempting to keep from dripping down the front of his white t-shirt. Opposite Jun, Sho was carefully opening each taco and peering inside, before folding it back into shape and stuffing it into his mouth.
Aiba paused with his food halfway up to his mouth and watched Sho with interest. “What are you doing? Am I doing this wrong?”
Jun handed Aiba a handful of paper towels and shook his head. “Apart from making a mess, you're doing fine.”
“I’m just checking that there isn’t any of that evil green stuff lurking in there,” Sho said sheepishly.
“I take it you mean cilantro,” Jun said with a roll of his eyes. “Since I like it now, I always add heaps of it whenever possible, unlike someone who obviously refuses to even give it a try.”
Barely suppressing a shudder at the sight of his green nemesis garnishing the food on Jun’s plate, Sho squawked, “Don’t even say the word near me.”
Aiba laughed and flung back his hand, knocking Ohno’s beer over and at the same time splattering a blob of salsa onto Nino’s shoulder. Using the ensuing drama as cover, Jun took the opportunity to make his excuses and quietly slip out of the restaurant, nodding to Sho, who was the only one not in a mess, as he left.
As Aiba hastily tried to mop up the beer and simultaneously wipe down Nino’s shirt, he thought he caught a glimpse of something astonishing out of the corner of his eye. Aiba blinked as he realized that Jun’s plate was now empty. The three tacos had disappeared and Sho was sitting in front of it with a strange expression on his face, as he drank an entire can of beer in one go.
Ohno squeezed the beer out of the front of his sweater and looked around in confusion. “Where did Jun go?”
“Home, I hope. He is obviously sick and doing a very poor job of hiding it.” Nino batted Aiba’s hand away before he rubbed a hole right through the worn fabric of Nino’s favourite mustard yellow t-shirt. “He’s definitely been looking worse as the day goes on.”
“We can't just let him go home by himself without checking on him,” Aiba frowned. “What if he collapses or something?”
Putting down his empty can, Sho stretched out his spine and picked up his bag. “This has been fun, but I'm off. See you.”
“Aren't you worried about Jun?”
“If he says that he's fine, then I'm taking his word for it. Jun’s a big boy and doesn't need us to mother-hen him.” Sho stifled a yawn. “Plus I'm tired too, so I'll say goodnight.”
The other three sat in stunned silence as Sho slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out of the room.
++++
“I don't care what Jun said, and despite Sho’s odd behaviour, I'm still going to ring and check up on him.” Nino pulled out his phone as they stepped out of the restaurant an hour later.
“Sho-chan was acting really strangely, wasn't he?” Aiba wailed with a worried frown. “I thought that he and Jun were getting along better recently.”
Ohno wrapped his arm around Aiba’s waist and gave him a reassuring squeeze. “They have been. Don't worry Aiba-chan, I’m sure that Sho is simply tired, just like he said.”
Nino flapped his hand at the pair to hush as he waited for Jun to answer. It took an age and when Jun finally answered, he sounded out of breath, sending Nino’s protective instincts into overdrive. He couldn’t help firing off a barrage of questions. “How are you? Did you get home safely? Do you need anything?”
“Nino,” Jun’s voice was barely audible and sounded shaky. “Which of those questions do you want me to answer first?
“Any will do.”
“I’m f-fine…ACHOOOO!”
After the sneeze, the rest of Jun’s words were obscured by a loud coughing attack, and by the time Jun finished coughing, he’d forgotten what Nino asked him in the first place. Despite the fact that he sounded terrible, Jun continued to insist that he didn’t need any help. Of course, this only made Nino even more determined to save Jun from his stubborn self.
++++
Nino turned to Ohno as they stood in the hallway outside Jun’s apartment. “Hand it over, old man.”
Ohno pulled a key out of his pocket and looked at it doubtfully. “Are you sure we should be letting ourselves in like this? Jun only gave me a spare key in case he locks himself out. Maybe we should ring the doorbell?”
“I agree. Jun-chan is going to be angry if we just walk in,” Laden with shopping bags, Aiba shuddered and edged away as if preparing to make a break for it.
A glare from Nino was enough to freeze Aiba on the spot as he simultaneously snatched the key out of Ohno’s hand. “Look, we all agreed to do this, so don’t chicken out now. He’s never going to admit that he needs our help, so this is the only way to make sure that he’s okay. You two are just as worried as I am, right?”
“Well, yes,” Ohno admitted. “He looked and sounded terrible earlier.”
“I wanted to feel his forehead to check to see if he had a fever, but he hit me before I could touch him. Which means that he definitely has one and was trying to hide it from me.” Aiba straightened his shoulders and shuffled over to stand behind Nino. “So we should definitely check on him…but Nino gets to go first. My ear is still ringing from where Jun smacked me.”
“Don't worry, I'm not completely suicidal,” Nino said reassuringly as he slotted the key into the lock. “I don't want him to think we're burglars.”
Aiba paled. “I hadn't even thought about that possibility. Just imagine how scary he would be.”
“I'm more worried that we might give Jun a fright,” Ohno said softly. “Imagine being sick in bed and completely vulnerable and hearing someone in your house.”
“Exactly,” Nino agreed. He opened the door and stepped into the entryway. The lights in the empty living room were switched on, but had been dimmed to a soothing level. There was a crack of light showing under the door of Jun’s bedroom, indicating that at least Jun seemed to have shown the good sense to go to bed. As he removed his shoes Nino called out, “Jun, are you awake? It’s your caring and supportive bandmates, here to mop your fevered brow and make you chicken soup.”
A muffled shriek, followed by a loud thud came from the direction of Jun's bedroom.
“Oh no! We’ve killed Jun!” Aiba threw down the bags of groceries and ran to the bedroom, closely followed by Nino and Ohno.
Aiba flung open the door and screeched to a halt as he blurted, “Jun, are you okay? We didn't mean to startle you. It was all Nino’s idea.”
Nino poked Aiba in the back as he brushed past, hissing under his breath, “Thanks for throwing me under the bus.”
Ohno followed more slowly, clutching a smaller bag containing tissues and cold medicine.
Jun was standing beside the bed, wild-eyed and dishevelled as he clutched a pillow protectively in front of his chest. “What are you all doing here?”
“Thank goodness you're okay!” Aiba’s attempt to fling himself on Jun was foiled as Jun fended him off with the pillow.
“Do you want to catch what I’ve got?” Jun chided.
Nino immediately pounced. “Ah ha! So you finally admit that you're sick then?”
Jun was too tired, and too ill to argue. He merely nodded as he swayed on his feet.
Ohno immediately moved to support him as Nino pulled back the rumpled blankets on the bed. “Bed. Now.”
“You guys do realize that I actually was in bed until you broke into my apartment?” Jun thankfully climbed onto the bed as the room appeared to spin slowly around in a dizzying circle.
“Technically we didn't break in, since we had a key,” Nino argued.
“Would a nice cup of tea help?” Ohno offered as he hovered near the bed.
“Sounds like a good idea. Aiba can help you make it and help you get started on making the chicken soup ready for Jun’s breakfast,” Nino replied absently, as he took in the messy state of Jun’s bed and the pile of discarded clothes laying on the floor beside it.
“Okay.” Ohno grabbed Aiba (who was still pouting at Nino’s unfair prodding) by the sleeve and tugged him along with him as he left the room.
Nino looked Jun over and frowned at what he saw. “You look like a pile of crap which has been dragged through a hedge backwards.”
“Gee thanks. If you just came here to insult me you can consider your job done and leave. I'm sure you have a game waiting for you.” Jun husked, grimacing as he swallowed.
“We came to look after you, even if you are the most stubborn and annoying idiot ever.”
Jun sighed. "I already stocked up on medicine and have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow morning. As you can see, I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself. So you can all leave again."
"We know you are capable, but it doesn't hurt for other people to look out for you too."
Sitting back up to be in a better position to fight Nino, Jun scowled and opened his mouth to argue but his words were swallowed by another round of hacking coughs which he smothered with his elbow, before falling limply back down into his messy pile of pillows.
Without any warning Nino yanked a pillow out from underneath Jun’s head, dropping him down flat on his back onto the mattress. He proceeded to pummel the pillow with unnecessary force, plumping it up as he muttered, “Too smart for your own good. Stubborn, stoic idiot. Must think we are stupid.”
Before Jun had a chance to respond, Nino grabbed the front of his pyjama top, and jerked him back up off the mattress before stuffing the pillow back under his head. The sudden movement made Jun dizzy. He closed his eyes and gulped in an attempt to quell his sudden nausea.
“Seriously, you are your own worst enemy,” Nino huffed. Although the tone of his voice was harsh, his movements became gentle as he helped Jun to settle more comfortably.
Jun glared, but Aiba entered the room, precariously carrying three overly full mugs of tea, and the potential for disaster distracted him from replying.
“We’ve made some tea.” Aiba sat one mug down on the bedside table and handed one to Nino before taking a sip of his own. “Oh-chan is loading the dishwasher. It looks like Matsujun has already made himself some tea and snacks since he came home. There's two dirty cups in the sink and a couple of dirty plates.”
The fevered flush of Jun’s cheeks flared even brighter. “They aren’t freshly used. I’ve simply been too busy to wash them.”
“More like you were too sick to wash them,” Nino said triumphantly.
Jun looked as if he intended to argue, but seemed to reconsider it and instead meekly nodded before closing his eyes and sinking further down into his pillow.
“Look, I know that you hate to admit that you're not superman, but we're here because we care,” Nino said softly.
“I know that no matter what I say, you guys will ignore me anyway, so I'm not going to argue anymore. Do whatever you came to do, just please don't wreck my house while you're doing it,” Jun mumbled sleepily. “I'm lucky to have friends like you.”
“Awww, thanks Jun.” In lieu of hugging him, Aiba patted Jun’s tousled hair gently.
Jun cracked open one eye and added, “Just make sure you're all out of here as quickly as possible. If you're not gone in fifteen minutes I am going to kick your butts.”
++++
Aiba hung over Ohno’s shoulder and whispered loudly. “Is he still asleep?”
Ohno made a quiet shushing noise in response as he cautiously looked into the bedroom to check on Jun. “He’s still asleep, and he looks really cute.”
“Lemme see,” Aiba said eagerly as he slid past Ohno into the room. “Awww. He looks adorable; just like a koala.”
Aiba immediately pulled out his phone to snap some photos of Jun who had tossed off the covers and was sleeping on his side with his arms and legs wrapped around a large pillow and snoring softly.
“You two had better not have woken Jun,” Nino said quietly as he followed them into the room. “And you're wrong; with those dark circles under his eyes he looks more like a panda to me.”
Aiba fiddled with his phone. “I'm going to send a photo to Sho-chan. He shouldn't miss cute Jun.”
Nino glared. “After the way he walked out tonight, I wouldn't bother. He obviously doesn't care.”
Ohno caught hold of Nino’s hand and squeezed it gently. “You know that's not true.”
“Hmm, Sho-chan’s phone is switched off,” Aiba said with a frown.
Ohno gave Nino’s hand an extra squeeze before letting it go. “See? He must’ve gone straight to bed. He said that he was tired.”
“I suppose so…” Nino agreed half-heartedly. “Anyway, i guess we can go now, since Jun seems settled for the night.”
They were almost out the door, when the muffled sound of a sneeze came from the direction of the closet, making everyone but Jun jump and turn to face the sliding door. Aiba edged behind Nino and whispered way too loudly, “There's someone in there! It’s probably a crazy stalker. We need to protect Jun.”
Ohno scratched his head in puzzlement. “Maybe it's a cat?”
“Yeah, sure. The man who has been scratched, bitten, and peed on by every variety of animal at least once, suddenly has a pet?” Nino muttered, rolling his eyes.
Their attempt to argue quietly obviously failed because Jun stirred, blinking blearily at his bandmates who were edging towards his closet. “What's going on? You're not planning on messing with my clothes are you? You know you guys are banned from borrowing my stuff until you learn to return things the way you received them.”
“Shhh!” Aiba flung himself onto the bed, clapping his hand over Jun’s mouth. “We’re saving you.”
Jun scowled, biting Aiba’s hand hard enough to make him let go. “Have you lost your collective minds? Back away from the closet.”
While Jun was struggling with Aiba, and Ohno watched on in confusion, Nino strode over and flung open the closet door. “Come on out, Sho, before you put a snag in one of Jun’s cashmere sweaters.”
There was a rustle and a clatter of wooden hangers before a sheepish figure emerged. “How did you know it was me?” Sho asked as his cheeks burned with embarrassment.
Nino picked up a camouflage print hoodie from the floor on the far side of the bed. He thought that he’d spotted the edge of it poking out from under Jun’s clothes earlier, but hadn't made the connection until just now. “I think we can all safely agree that Jun wouldn't be caught dead wearing this, no matter how sick he might be.”
“Sorry Sho, but Nino makes a good point,” Jun cough-snickered. His face turned red as he struggled to catch his breath.
“What I don't understand is why Sho felt it necessary to hide in the first place.” Nino fixed first Jun, and then Sho with a beady eye. “And why he preferred to lurk in said wardrobe for almost two hours in the dark rather than face us.”
Sho’s blush deepened and Jun hid his face behind a handful of tissues.
Aiba craned his head and looked into the open closet, flicking through the hangers. “It’s funny, but a lot of these clothes look like something Sho would wear.”
“Let me see.” Nino weaselled past Aiba and snatched up a handful of white t-shirts with colourful pockets. He flailed them accusingly under Sho’s nose. “You might as well just tell the truth.”
Sho shuffled his feet and looked to Jun before answering. Jun closed his eyes for a moment before nodding as if giving Sho permission to speak. “It’s no biggie. I just kind of stay here sometimes, since my place is further away from the studio,” Sho said in a poor attempt to sound casual as he snatched his shirts back and returned them to their rightful place. He tried to escape from the room. “I need to go and make Jun some honey tea.”
Nino ignored Sho’s attempt to flee and placed himself in front of the doorway, effectively blocking Sho’s path. “Forget it. Jun already has tea. Just tell me exactly how often you mean by sometimes?”
Sho glanced over to Jun, who was watching him closely, as if waiting for his answer. “Erm, not very often. It’s nothing.”
Jun displayed no reaction to Sho’s words, apart from the slightest twitch at the corner of his eye, which Nino spotted immediately. However, before he could question Sho further, Ohno unexpectedly asked exactly what Nino planned to ask.
“That makes sense, but why are your clothes in Jun’s closet when he has a spare bedroom which you could use?”
Sho took a deep breath and finally admitted, “Because when I stay here, I share this room with Jun.”
“That's great. It really is. You two belong together; I’ve always thought so.” Ohno smiled approvingly at Sho before grabbing the rare opportunity to examine the contents of Jun’s closet more closely. Usually Jun would defend its contents like a lioness protecting her young.
Aiba thought for a moment, then cackled excitedly, before shrieking loudly. “So that’s why Sho swallowed Jun’s taco earlier when he thought nobody was looking. And he didn’t even pull a face.”
Ohno was spacing out as he trailed his fingers over the soft fabric of the expensive suits in Jun’s closet and wondering if Jun could help him to purchase his own when he caught what Aiba said. He almost choked in shock. “Sho swallowed Jun’s what? Where was I when this happened, and is there any video footage of the incident?”
Jun winced at the sudden burst of noise, which seemed to reverberate through his aching head. Nino immediately shoved the others out the door. “Go and make that tea, and check on the soup while you discuss Jun’s taco. Jun and I need to have a private chat.”
“I should be the one staying. Jun, do you really want me doing cooking stuff and touching things in your kitchen?” Sho protested feebly.
Jun shook his head carefully, so as to not make his head worse. “Of course not. I know that you wouldn’t dare, but I need you to keep an eye on those two and make sure that they don't wreck anything. Okay?”
The thought of leaving Jun and Nino alone together to chat sent a chill down Sho’s spine, but he nodded anyway and headed off to the kitchen where loud giggles indicated that he was going to have just as tough a time there too.
Closing the door on the racket which was coming from the kitchen, Nino took a seat on the edge of the bed beside Jun. “Talk to me.”
“At first it was nothing serious. Occasionally we hooked up after concerts. You of all people know what it's like when your adrenaline is flowing. I remember walking into the shower after Arafes and coming across you and O...”
“Well...yes...but this isn't about me,” Nino interrupted hastily. Despite his attempt to deflect Jun, the glowing red tips of his ears signalled that his words had hit the mark.
Jun laughed a little too hard and ended up coughing and spluttering into another handful of tissues. “No it's not, but I couldn't resist the opportunity.”
After holding the tea cup up to Jun’s lips so he could take a cautious sip Nino urged Jun to continue. “You were saying?”
“Right…” Jun’s forehead creased as he tried to remember where he’d left off. “Gradually we started spending more time together outside of having sex. I often invited Sho over for dinner when there was a new recipe I wanted to try out and sometimes we would watch movies together. Sho would fall asleep on the sofa and it seemed more comfortable to have him sleep over in my bed.”
Nino held up his hand to put Jun on pause. “Wait. Are you telling me that you two didn't boink each other’s brains out on those occasions?”
Jun blinked uncomprehendingly for a moment. “What? No, of course we had sex. It’s just prior to that he usually had a quick shower and left straight afterwards.”
“How romantic,” Nino drawled.
Jun scowled with all of the energy he could muster. “Do you want to hear the rest?”
“Sorry. Please continue. I mostly want to know why you two felt that you had to keep this a secret from us. Did you think we wouldn't approve?”
The hurt in Nino’s eyes was plain to see, and Jun hastened to try and explain. “It wasn't about not trusting you guys. Sho and I have a ...complicated history.”
“Which means that Sho can’t decide whether it’s on or off.”
Jun shook his head. “It’s not just Sho. Over the years we’ve had our arguments and we both have seen other people, but we keep gravitating back to each other. I’ve been the one who hesitated to tell you guys, not Sho. For the last year or so we’ve been seeing each other exclusively and it’s been really good. I guess I just didn’t want to jinx our relationship.”
Nino frowned. “You say that now, but Sho obviously isn't as secure about your relationship as he should be. Why else would he choose to hide in a wardrobe rather than be seen with you?”
“Sho didn't hide by choice. When I heard you lot come barging in, I panicked and shoved him in there.”
Nino realized that it must’ve been Sho who shrieked, and the thud was Jun slamming the door on him. “So it's actually you who has doubts?"
"Even though I now know that I've loved Sho for most of my adult life, I somehow can't believe that he loves me just as much."
“The man was willing to eat cilantro for you,” Nino said softly. “If that isn’t love, then what is?”
Jun’s smile started with the slightest upwards tilt of the corners of his mouth, gradually expanding and spreading until it had taken over his entire face. He nodded and reached for Nino’s hand, squeezing his fingers. “Thank you.”
“Are we interrupting something?”
Jun hastily released Nino’s hand and struggled to sit up.
Nino twisted around to face the door, which was now open, framing Sho who was standing there holding a tray of food and wearing a barely concealed look of jealousy. Aiba and Ohno were behind him wearing identical confused expressions.
“I was just telling Nino about my boyfriend,” Jun said innocently.
Nino smirked at Sho and patted Jun’s hand before getting up off the bed.
The tray wobbled dangerously in Sho’s hands. “Oh.”
“Yep,” Jun continued as a soft smile illuminated his face. “He and I have been through a lot, but I think it has actually made our relationship even stronger.”
Aiba let out an anguished squeak and looked around in confusion. “Boyfriend? But what about Sho?”
“Sho is very happy right now,” Sho said as he placed the tray carefully down on the bedside cabinet. Nino grinned at him and vacated his perch on the edge of the bed, making room for Sho to take his place.
“Oh?” Aiba’s eyes grew wide as he watched Sho thread his fingers through Jun’s and grip his hand firmly and the meaning of his gesture became clear. “Oh! Yay!”
“Yay indeed,” Nino drawled. “I presume that there is a massive mess in the kitchen which needs cleaning up while Jun eats his soup?”
“Um, there might have been a bit of spillage,” Ohno admitted.
“Then let's go. I’ll supervise.” Nino prodded Aiba towards the door.
Ohno smothered a laugh. “Of course you will.”
Nino narrowed his eyes, and opened his mouth to retort, but was shocked into silence as Ohno affectionately squeezed his butt and gave him a peck on the cheek before heading out to help Aiba.
As Nino pulled himself together, he noticed Sho and Jun were looking at him with amusement. “You saw nothing.”
“Saw what?” Jun asked innocently. “I'm far too sick to have seen a thing.”
“Not a thing,” Sho agreed. “But please believe that we would've been super happy for you if we had.”
“And I appreciate that, but I think that one happily-ever-after per day is sufficient, don't you?” A bright red flush slowly crept up Nino’s neck before he turned and scuttled from the room.
++++
The kitchen was finally clean and the three slightly unwelcome visitors were relaxing on the sofa. Knowing that Jun would see the results as soon as he was back on his feet, Sho had been a hard taskmaster; making sure that the kitchen was as pristine as it had been before being invaded.
Nino was sitting back with his feet up on a soft ottoman. Aiba was laying on his back with his head on Nino's lap as Nino fed him some of the unfamiliar Mexican sweets which they had discovered in the back of one of the kitchen cupboards. Oddly enough, Ohno didn't appear to mind their intimate position, as he leaned heavily against Nino, fighting a losing battle to keep his eyes open.
"This stuff is kind of sweet, but not too bad," Aiba said, craning his neck up to look at Sho, who was standing over him with a disgruntled expression.
"I brought those back from Mexico with me for Jun," Sho grumbled.
"Don't stress. There's no way he is ever going to eat them; they're far too sweet for him," Aiba replied.
"They were well hidden," Ohno added, as he licked a spoon full of spicy-sweet paste which had also been in the cupboard.
Sho looked crestfallen. "Then why didn't Jun tell me that he didn't like them? He's been eating one every night with a cup of tea."
"There's more than one way to show someone how much you care," Nino replied wisely. "Although it seems that eating something you don't like seems to be quite popular in certain relationships."
Feeling suddenly flustered, Sho opened the door and flapped his hand in a shooing gesture. "Right you lot. Thanks for your help and your concern for Jun, and I love you all, but get out."
“Awww. You two want to be alone, how lovey-dovey,” Aiba cooed and pulled a goofy face as he climbed up off the sofa.
“It’s almost two o’clock in the morning Aiba, and Jun is sick as a dog. The last thing in my mind right now is romance,” Sho said firmly. “l want to make sure that Jun gets the next dose of his medicine and then gets some sleep.”
Aiba immediately turned serious as he gave Sho a huge hug. “I really am so very happy for you. I’ve always thought that you two belong together.”
“We all do.” Ohno added himself to the hug.
Sho looked over Ohno’s shoulder to Nino, who was standing a little way off wearing an inscrutable expression.
“Me too.” Nino held Sho’s gaze for a moment before moving close and wrapping one arm around Ohno’s waist and the other across Sho’s back. He tugged Sho down to his level and whispered in Sho’s ear. “If you hurt him, I will kill you slowly and painfully, and not even Oh-chan will be able to stop me.”
Sho gulped and took a deep breath to steady himself before whispering back. “Thanks for your blessing Nino. You don't have to worry though. I'm not going anywhere.”
++++
Picking up the digital thermometer, Sho checked Jun’s temperature. He frowned when he saw that it was still reading 38 degrees. It was an improvement on the 38.9 from earlier, but he still went to the ensuite and grabbed a fever patch to place on Jun’s forehead.
Jun stirred when Sho brushed his hair back and placed the patch, gazing up at him blearily. “Please tell me that they've gone.”
“Finally.” Sho smoothed the patch down and ran his fingers through Jun’s sweaty hair before sliding in beside him. “At one stage I thought I was going to have to sleep in the closet.”
“You could've made a nest out of your hoodies and been perfectly comfortable.” Jun laughed and wriggled closer to Sho.
“Very funny.” Sho curled in behind Jun and draped his arm around his waist.
“So, did Nino threaten you?”
“There may have been the promise of a lingering and painful death offered as he left.”
Jun practically cooed. “Awww. He is so cute when he gets all threaty.”
“I don't think ‘threaty’ is an actual word.”
“Are you arguing with me?” Jun slurred his words slightly as the medication Sho had given him ten minutes earlier kicked in. “Because I have Nino on speed dial…”
“Nonononono,” Sho replied with exaggerated terror. (Only ever so slightly exaggerated though.)
Pairing: Sakumoto, Ohmiya (hinted)
Rating: PG
Genre: fluff
Summary: As luck would have it, just as Jun finally has an entire week off for the first time in months, he comes down with a heavy cold. All Jun wants is to get through this one last day of work before his well-meaning but clingy bandmates smother him with kindness, apart from Sho, who barely even seems to notice that Jun is ill. Annoyed by Sho’s apparent indifference to Jun, Nino persuades Aiba and Ohno to accompany him to Jun’s apartment to check on him. Once there, they find that appearances sometimes can be deceptive.
Note: Happy birthday to the man who opened up the whole fascinating world of Japanese pop music and drama to me, making my world a much happier place. Congratulations Matsumoto Jun. I wish you happiness, good health, love, and ownership of 4 very expensive dining chairs in the upcoming year.
Extra Emergency Note: Aaaaarrrgghhhh! For all of the times for my internet to not work, it has to be this weekend. How dare they make me miss the Jun festivities? I have been notified that my internet will be out of action on Saturday and Sunday, so I am posting this early rather than late.
It was bound to happen. It was the last day of work before his first full week off in months, and Jun could already feel an encroaching tickle in his throat. If the usual pattern was about to repeat itself, then he would be sick for the exact amount of free time available and then recover just in time to return to work.
It seemed sensible to stock up on over the counter medications on the way to the television studio. Jun’s manager gave a concerned look, but didn't comment as he pulled over at the nearest pharmacy. His raised eyebrows as Jun climbed back into the car with a bulging bag said it all.
“I'm fine.” Jun said as he buckled his seatbelt. The husky tone of his voice betrayed him, but he chose to ignore the disbelieving hum that his manager made in response.
++++
As Jun slowly made his way across the dressing room, Nino looked him up and down and frowned. “Big night last night, Jun? I know you think that sleep is for the weak, but maybe you should try it sometime. If you find that you like it, you could even do it on a regular basis.”
“Very droll.” Jun flopped down onto the sofa, and in the process almost dislodged Ohno, who was napping. He managed to grab Ohno and drag him back onto the seat just before he slid off onto the floor. “Sorry Leader.”
Ohno shook his head and leaned against Jun. “No problem, Jun." He closed his eyes and snuggled closer.
Swallowing hard, Jun managed to not cough on Ohno's hair. Jun could feel sweat blossoming on his face and he hoped that it wasn't too obvious. It wasn't that he was too proud to admit to being sick, it was just that if they caught wind of even the slightest hint that he was unwell, his bandmates wouldn't leave him alone for a minute. All Jun asked was to get through this day and get home where nobody would annoy him, and collapse into bed for a week.
Apparently Ohno noticed anyway, as he sat up and turned around to face Jun. "You feel kind of warm."
"I guess I have one too many layers on." Jun eased back and unzipped his jacket. The cool air worming its way through his thin shirt made him shiver, but it seemed that Ohno hadn’t noticed, and in fact tried to lean back on Jun again. Despite Ohno’s complaints at losing his human cushion, Jun stood up and went to sit by himself on the far side of the room. He didn’t want to be responsible for infecting anyone else.
Nino couldn’t ignore the wheeze in Jun’s voice. “Jun, are you sure you’re okay? In all seriousness, you look kind of terrible.”
“Thanks for your concern, Nino, but don’t worry. Really.”
Sho, who was scrolling through his emails, barely even looked up at the exchange. After seeing the shiver which ran through Jun’s body, and his flushed cheeks, Nino gave Sho a strange look at his apparent unconcern for the health of their youngest bandmate.
Before Nino could do anything, however, Aiba stuck his head around the door and said that they were all due in makeup.
++++
“Aren’t you going to eat anything, Jun?” Jun had been telling them for weeks now that tacos were his new favourite food, and attempting to persuade them to try them, so Aiba was puzzled that Jun was barely even looking at the plate of food in front of him.
Jun’s plan to sneak home while nobody was looking had been foiled. Aiba had wrapped his long arms around Jun and dragged him along with the others to a newly opened Mexican restaurant close to the studio. Since Jun had been the one talking up the food, it had been impossible for him to turn down the dinner. Aiba had eagerly made the arrangements when filming ended unexpectedly early and it turned out that they were all free that evening. It was a rare thing for all five of them to be able to eat together, so it would have been glaringly obvious that something was wrong if Jun hadn’t joined them.
Nino pinned Jun in place with a piercing stare. “Yes Jun. Aren't you going to eat anything? Since as you told me earlier, you're not sick at all.”
“Of course.” Jun took a defiant bite out of his chipotle chicken taco as he maintained eye contact with Nino. Only by washing it down with a big gulp of water, did Jun manage to swallow. The food had no taste and scratched his inflamed throat on the way down.
Ohno sat munching his way steadily through a plate of beef and onion tacos, while Nino carefully nibbled on a single pulled pork taco with evident enjoyment. Aiba was trying all of the different sauces at once, resulting in a soggy mess which he was attempting to keep from dripping down the front of his white t-shirt. Opposite Jun, Sho was carefully opening each taco and peering inside, before folding it back into shape and stuffing it into his mouth.
Aiba paused with his food halfway up to his mouth and watched Sho with interest. “What are you doing? Am I doing this wrong?”
Jun handed Aiba a handful of paper towels and shook his head. “Apart from making a mess, you're doing fine.”
“I’m just checking that there isn’t any of that evil green stuff lurking in there,” Sho said sheepishly.
“I take it you mean cilantro,” Jun said with a roll of his eyes. “Since I like it now, I always add heaps of it whenever possible, unlike someone who obviously refuses to even give it a try.”
Barely suppressing a shudder at the sight of his green nemesis garnishing the food on Jun’s plate, Sho squawked, “Don’t even say the word near me.”
Aiba laughed and flung back his hand, knocking Ohno’s beer over and at the same time splattering a blob of salsa onto Nino’s shoulder. Using the ensuing drama as cover, Jun took the opportunity to make his excuses and quietly slip out of the restaurant, nodding to Sho, who was the only one not in a mess, as he left.
As Aiba hastily tried to mop up the beer and simultaneously wipe down Nino’s shirt, he thought he caught a glimpse of something astonishing out of the corner of his eye. Aiba blinked as he realized that Jun’s plate was now empty. The three tacos had disappeared and Sho was sitting in front of it with a strange expression on his face, as he drank an entire can of beer in one go.
Ohno squeezed the beer out of the front of his sweater and looked around in confusion. “Where did Jun go?”
“Home, I hope. He is obviously sick and doing a very poor job of hiding it.” Nino batted Aiba’s hand away before he rubbed a hole right through the worn fabric of Nino’s favourite mustard yellow t-shirt. “He’s definitely been looking worse as the day goes on.”
“We can't just let him go home by himself without checking on him,” Aiba frowned. “What if he collapses or something?”
Putting down his empty can, Sho stretched out his spine and picked up his bag. “This has been fun, but I'm off. See you.”
“Aren't you worried about Jun?”
“If he says that he's fine, then I'm taking his word for it. Jun’s a big boy and doesn't need us to mother-hen him.” Sho stifled a yawn. “Plus I'm tired too, so I'll say goodnight.”
The other three sat in stunned silence as Sho slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out of the room.
++++
“I don't care what Jun said, and despite Sho’s odd behaviour, I'm still going to ring and check up on him.” Nino pulled out his phone as they stepped out of the restaurant an hour later.
“Sho-chan was acting really strangely, wasn't he?” Aiba wailed with a worried frown. “I thought that he and Jun were getting along better recently.”
Ohno wrapped his arm around Aiba’s waist and gave him a reassuring squeeze. “They have been. Don't worry Aiba-chan, I’m sure that Sho is simply tired, just like he said.”
Nino flapped his hand at the pair to hush as he waited for Jun to answer. It took an age and when Jun finally answered, he sounded out of breath, sending Nino’s protective instincts into overdrive. He couldn’t help firing off a barrage of questions. “How are you? Did you get home safely? Do you need anything?”
“Nino,” Jun’s voice was barely audible and sounded shaky. “Which of those questions do you want me to answer first?
“Any will do.”
“I’m f-fine…ACHOOOO!”
After the sneeze, the rest of Jun’s words were obscured by a loud coughing attack, and by the time Jun finished coughing, he’d forgotten what Nino asked him in the first place. Despite the fact that he sounded terrible, Jun continued to insist that he didn’t need any help. Of course, this only made Nino even more determined to save Jun from his stubborn self.
++++
Nino turned to Ohno as they stood in the hallway outside Jun’s apartment. “Hand it over, old man.”
Ohno pulled a key out of his pocket and looked at it doubtfully. “Are you sure we should be letting ourselves in like this? Jun only gave me a spare key in case he locks himself out. Maybe we should ring the doorbell?”
“I agree. Jun-chan is going to be angry if we just walk in,” Laden with shopping bags, Aiba shuddered and edged away as if preparing to make a break for it.
A glare from Nino was enough to freeze Aiba on the spot as he simultaneously snatched the key out of Ohno’s hand. “Look, we all agreed to do this, so don’t chicken out now. He’s never going to admit that he needs our help, so this is the only way to make sure that he’s okay. You two are just as worried as I am, right?”
“Well, yes,” Ohno admitted. “He looked and sounded terrible earlier.”
“I wanted to feel his forehead to check to see if he had a fever, but he hit me before I could touch him. Which means that he definitely has one and was trying to hide it from me.” Aiba straightened his shoulders and shuffled over to stand behind Nino. “So we should definitely check on him…but Nino gets to go first. My ear is still ringing from where Jun smacked me.”
“Don't worry, I'm not completely suicidal,” Nino said reassuringly as he slotted the key into the lock. “I don't want him to think we're burglars.”
Aiba paled. “I hadn't even thought about that possibility. Just imagine how scary he would be.”
“I'm more worried that we might give Jun a fright,” Ohno said softly. “Imagine being sick in bed and completely vulnerable and hearing someone in your house.”
“Exactly,” Nino agreed. He opened the door and stepped into the entryway. The lights in the empty living room were switched on, but had been dimmed to a soothing level. There was a crack of light showing under the door of Jun’s bedroom, indicating that at least Jun seemed to have shown the good sense to go to bed. As he removed his shoes Nino called out, “Jun, are you awake? It’s your caring and supportive bandmates, here to mop your fevered brow and make you chicken soup.”
A muffled shriek, followed by a loud thud came from the direction of Jun's bedroom.
“Oh no! We’ve killed Jun!” Aiba threw down the bags of groceries and ran to the bedroom, closely followed by Nino and Ohno.
Aiba flung open the door and screeched to a halt as he blurted, “Jun, are you okay? We didn't mean to startle you. It was all Nino’s idea.”
Nino poked Aiba in the back as he brushed past, hissing under his breath, “Thanks for throwing me under the bus.”
Ohno followed more slowly, clutching a smaller bag containing tissues and cold medicine.
Jun was standing beside the bed, wild-eyed and dishevelled as he clutched a pillow protectively in front of his chest. “What are you all doing here?”
“Thank goodness you're okay!” Aiba’s attempt to fling himself on Jun was foiled as Jun fended him off with the pillow.
“Do you want to catch what I’ve got?” Jun chided.
Nino immediately pounced. “Ah ha! So you finally admit that you're sick then?”
Jun was too tired, and too ill to argue. He merely nodded as he swayed on his feet.
Ohno immediately moved to support him as Nino pulled back the rumpled blankets on the bed. “Bed. Now.”
“You guys do realize that I actually was in bed until you broke into my apartment?” Jun thankfully climbed onto the bed as the room appeared to spin slowly around in a dizzying circle.
“Technically we didn't break in, since we had a key,” Nino argued.
“Would a nice cup of tea help?” Ohno offered as he hovered near the bed.
“Sounds like a good idea. Aiba can help you make it and help you get started on making the chicken soup ready for Jun’s breakfast,” Nino replied absently, as he took in the messy state of Jun’s bed and the pile of discarded clothes laying on the floor beside it.
“Okay.” Ohno grabbed Aiba (who was still pouting at Nino’s unfair prodding) by the sleeve and tugged him along with him as he left the room.
Nino looked Jun over and frowned at what he saw. “You look like a pile of crap which has been dragged through a hedge backwards.”
“Gee thanks. If you just came here to insult me you can consider your job done and leave. I'm sure you have a game waiting for you.” Jun husked, grimacing as he swallowed.
“We came to look after you, even if you are the most stubborn and annoying idiot ever.”
Jun sighed. "I already stocked up on medicine and have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow morning. As you can see, I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself. So you can all leave again."
"We know you are capable, but it doesn't hurt for other people to look out for you too."
Sitting back up to be in a better position to fight Nino, Jun scowled and opened his mouth to argue but his words were swallowed by another round of hacking coughs which he smothered with his elbow, before falling limply back down into his messy pile of pillows.
Without any warning Nino yanked a pillow out from underneath Jun’s head, dropping him down flat on his back onto the mattress. He proceeded to pummel the pillow with unnecessary force, plumping it up as he muttered, “Too smart for your own good. Stubborn, stoic idiot. Must think we are stupid.”
Before Jun had a chance to respond, Nino grabbed the front of his pyjama top, and jerked him back up off the mattress before stuffing the pillow back under his head. The sudden movement made Jun dizzy. He closed his eyes and gulped in an attempt to quell his sudden nausea.
“Seriously, you are your own worst enemy,” Nino huffed. Although the tone of his voice was harsh, his movements became gentle as he helped Jun to settle more comfortably.
Jun glared, but Aiba entered the room, precariously carrying three overly full mugs of tea, and the potential for disaster distracted him from replying.
“We’ve made some tea.” Aiba sat one mug down on the bedside table and handed one to Nino before taking a sip of his own. “Oh-chan is loading the dishwasher. It looks like Matsujun has already made himself some tea and snacks since he came home. There's two dirty cups in the sink and a couple of dirty plates.”
The fevered flush of Jun’s cheeks flared even brighter. “They aren’t freshly used. I’ve simply been too busy to wash them.”
“More like you were too sick to wash them,” Nino said triumphantly.
Jun looked as if he intended to argue, but seemed to reconsider it and instead meekly nodded before closing his eyes and sinking further down into his pillow.
“Look, I know that you hate to admit that you're not superman, but we're here because we care,” Nino said softly.
“I know that no matter what I say, you guys will ignore me anyway, so I'm not going to argue anymore. Do whatever you came to do, just please don't wreck my house while you're doing it,” Jun mumbled sleepily. “I'm lucky to have friends like you.”
“Awww, thanks Jun.” In lieu of hugging him, Aiba patted Jun’s tousled hair gently.
Jun cracked open one eye and added, “Just make sure you're all out of here as quickly as possible. If you're not gone in fifteen minutes I am going to kick your butts.”
++++
Aiba hung over Ohno’s shoulder and whispered loudly. “Is he still asleep?”
Ohno made a quiet shushing noise in response as he cautiously looked into the bedroom to check on Jun. “He’s still asleep, and he looks really cute.”
“Lemme see,” Aiba said eagerly as he slid past Ohno into the room. “Awww. He looks adorable; just like a koala.”
Aiba immediately pulled out his phone to snap some photos of Jun who had tossed off the covers and was sleeping on his side with his arms and legs wrapped around a large pillow and snoring softly.
“You two had better not have woken Jun,” Nino said quietly as he followed them into the room. “And you're wrong; with those dark circles under his eyes he looks more like a panda to me.”
Aiba fiddled with his phone. “I'm going to send a photo to Sho-chan. He shouldn't miss cute Jun.”
Nino glared. “After the way he walked out tonight, I wouldn't bother. He obviously doesn't care.”
Ohno caught hold of Nino’s hand and squeezed it gently. “You know that's not true.”
“Hmm, Sho-chan’s phone is switched off,” Aiba said with a frown.
Ohno gave Nino’s hand an extra squeeze before letting it go. “See? He must’ve gone straight to bed. He said that he was tired.”
“I suppose so…” Nino agreed half-heartedly. “Anyway, i guess we can go now, since Jun seems settled for the night.”
They were almost out the door, when the muffled sound of a sneeze came from the direction of the closet, making everyone but Jun jump and turn to face the sliding door. Aiba edged behind Nino and whispered way too loudly, “There's someone in there! It’s probably a crazy stalker. We need to protect Jun.”
Ohno scratched his head in puzzlement. “Maybe it's a cat?”
“Yeah, sure. The man who has been scratched, bitten, and peed on by every variety of animal at least once, suddenly has a pet?” Nino muttered, rolling his eyes.
Their attempt to argue quietly obviously failed because Jun stirred, blinking blearily at his bandmates who were edging towards his closet. “What's going on? You're not planning on messing with my clothes are you? You know you guys are banned from borrowing my stuff until you learn to return things the way you received them.”
“Shhh!” Aiba flung himself onto the bed, clapping his hand over Jun’s mouth. “We’re saving you.”
Jun scowled, biting Aiba’s hand hard enough to make him let go. “Have you lost your collective minds? Back away from the closet.”
While Jun was struggling with Aiba, and Ohno watched on in confusion, Nino strode over and flung open the closet door. “Come on out, Sho, before you put a snag in one of Jun’s cashmere sweaters.”
There was a rustle and a clatter of wooden hangers before a sheepish figure emerged. “How did you know it was me?” Sho asked as his cheeks burned with embarrassment.
Nino picked up a camouflage print hoodie from the floor on the far side of the bed. He thought that he’d spotted the edge of it poking out from under Jun’s clothes earlier, but hadn't made the connection until just now. “I think we can all safely agree that Jun wouldn't be caught dead wearing this, no matter how sick he might be.”
“Sorry Sho, but Nino makes a good point,” Jun cough-snickered. His face turned red as he struggled to catch his breath.
“What I don't understand is why Sho felt it necessary to hide in the first place.” Nino fixed first Jun, and then Sho with a beady eye. “And why he preferred to lurk in said wardrobe for almost two hours in the dark rather than face us.”
Sho’s blush deepened and Jun hid his face behind a handful of tissues.
Aiba craned his head and looked into the open closet, flicking through the hangers. “It’s funny, but a lot of these clothes look like something Sho would wear.”
“Let me see.” Nino weaselled past Aiba and snatched up a handful of white t-shirts with colourful pockets. He flailed them accusingly under Sho’s nose. “You might as well just tell the truth.”
Sho shuffled his feet and looked to Jun before answering. Jun closed his eyes for a moment before nodding as if giving Sho permission to speak. “It’s no biggie. I just kind of stay here sometimes, since my place is further away from the studio,” Sho said in a poor attempt to sound casual as he snatched his shirts back and returned them to their rightful place. He tried to escape from the room. “I need to go and make Jun some honey tea.”
Nino ignored Sho’s attempt to flee and placed himself in front of the doorway, effectively blocking Sho’s path. “Forget it. Jun already has tea. Just tell me exactly how often you mean by sometimes?”
Sho glanced over to Jun, who was watching him closely, as if waiting for his answer. “Erm, not very often. It’s nothing.”
Jun displayed no reaction to Sho’s words, apart from the slightest twitch at the corner of his eye, which Nino spotted immediately. However, before he could question Sho further, Ohno unexpectedly asked exactly what Nino planned to ask.
“That makes sense, but why are your clothes in Jun’s closet when he has a spare bedroom which you could use?”
Sho took a deep breath and finally admitted, “Because when I stay here, I share this room with Jun.”
“That's great. It really is. You two belong together; I’ve always thought so.” Ohno smiled approvingly at Sho before grabbing the rare opportunity to examine the contents of Jun’s closet more closely. Usually Jun would defend its contents like a lioness protecting her young.
Aiba thought for a moment, then cackled excitedly, before shrieking loudly. “So that’s why Sho swallowed Jun’s taco earlier when he thought nobody was looking. And he didn’t even pull a face.”
Ohno was spacing out as he trailed his fingers over the soft fabric of the expensive suits in Jun’s closet and wondering if Jun could help him to purchase his own when he caught what Aiba said. He almost choked in shock. “Sho swallowed Jun’s what? Where was I when this happened, and is there any video footage of the incident?”
Jun winced at the sudden burst of noise, which seemed to reverberate through his aching head. Nino immediately shoved the others out the door. “Go and make that tea, and check on the soup while you discuss Jun’s taco. Jun and I need to have a private chat.”
“I should be the one staying. Jun, do you really want me doing cooking stuff and touching things in your kitchen?” Sho protested feebly.
Jun shook his head carefully, so as to not make his head worse. “Of course not. I know that you wouldn’t dare, but I need you to keep an eye on those two and make sure that they don't wreck anything. Okay?”
The thought of leaving Jun and Nino alone together to chat sent a chill down Sho’s spine, but he nodded anyway and headed off to the kitchen where loud giggles indicated that he was going to have just as tough a time there too.
Closing the door on the racket which was coming from the kitchen, Nino took a seat on the edge of the bed beside Jun. “Talk to me.”
“At first it was nothing serious. Occasionally we hooked up after concerts. You of all people know what it's like when your adrenaline is flowing. I remember walking into the shower after Arafes and coming across you and O...”
“Well...yes...but this isn't about me,” Nino interrupted hastily. Despite his attempt to deflect Jun, the glowing red tips of his ears signalled that his words had hit the mark.
Jun laughed a little too hard and ended up coughing and spluttering into another handful of tissues. “No it's not, but I couldn't resist the opportunity.”
After holding the tea cup up to Jun’s lips so he could take a cautious sip Nino urged Jun to continue. “You were saying?”
“Right…” Jun’s forehead creased as he tried to remember where he’d left off. “Gradually we started spending more time together outside of having sex. I often invited Sho over for dinner when there was a new recipe I wanted to try out and sometimes we would watch movies together. Sho would fall asleep on the sofa and it seemed more comfortable to have him sleep over in my bed.”
Nino held up his hand to put Jun on pause. “Wait. Are you telling me that you two didn't boink each other’s brains out on those occasions?”
Jun blinked uncomprehendingly for a moment. “What? No, of course we had sex. It’s just prior to that he usually had a quick shower and left straight afterwards.”
“How romantic,” Nino drawled.
Jun scowled with all of the energy he could muster. “Do you want to hear the rest?”
“Sorry. Please continue. I mostly want to know why you two felt that you had to keep this a secret from us. Did you think we wouldn't approve?”
The hurt in Nino’s eyes was plain to see, and Jun hastened to try and explain. “It wasn't about not trusting you guys. Sho and I have a ...complicated history.”
“Which means that Sho can’t decide whether it’s on or off.”
Jun shook his head. “It’s not just Sho. Over the years we’ve had our arguments and we both have seen other people, but we keep gravitating back to each other. I’ve been the one who hesitated to tell you guys, not Sho. For the last year or so we’ve been seeing each other exclusively and it’s been really good. I guess I just didn’t want to jinx our relationship.”
Nino frowned. “You say that now, but Sho obviously isn't as secure about your relationship as he should be. Why else would he choose to hide in a wardrobe rather than be seen with you?”
“Sho didn't hide by choice. When I heard you lot come barging in, I panicked and shoved him in there.”
Nino realized that it must’ve been Sho who shrieked, and the thud was Jun slamming the door on him. “So it's actually you who has doubts?"
"Even though I now know that I've loved Sho for most of my adult life, I somehow can't believe that he loves me just as much."
“The man was willing to eat cilantro for you,” Nino said softly. “If that isn’t love, then what is?”
Jun’s smile started with the slightest upwards tilt of the corners of his mouth, gradually expanding and spreading until it had taken over his entire face. He nodded and reached for Nino’s hand, squeezing his fingers. “Thank you.”
“Are we interrupting something?”
Jun hastily released Nino’s hand and struggled to sit up.
Nino twisted around to face the door, which was now open, framing Sho who was standing there holding a tray of food and wearing a barely concealed look of jealousy. Aiba and Ohno were behind him wearing identical confused expressions.
“I was just telling Nino about my boyfriend,” Jun said innocently.
Nino smirked at Sho and patted Jun’s hand before getting up off the bed.
The tray wobbled dangerously in Sho’s hands. “Oh.”
“Yep,” Jun continued as a soft smile illuminated his face. “He and I have been through a lot, but I think it has actually made our relationship even stronger.”
Aiba let out an anguished squeak and looked around in confusion. “Boyfriend? But what about Sho?”
“Sho is very happy right now,” Sho said as he placed the tray carefully down on the bedside cabinet. Nino grinned at him and vacated his perch on the edge of the bed, making room for Sho to take his place.
“Oh?” Aiba’s eyes grew wide as he watched Sho thread his fingers through Jun’s and grip his hand firmly and the meaning of his gesture became clear. “Oh! Yay!”
“Yay indeed,” Nino drawled. “I presume that there is a massive mess in the kitchen which needs cleaning up while Jun eats his soup?”
“Um, there might have been a bit of spillage,” Ohno admitted.
“Then let's go. I’ll supervise.” Nino prodded Aiba towards the door.
Ohno smothered a laugh. “Of course you will.”
Nino narrowed his eyes, and opened his mouth to retort, but was shocked into silence as Ohno affectionately squeezed his butt and gave him a peck on the cheek before heading out to help Aiba.
As Nino pulled himself together, he noticed Sho and Jun were looking at him with amusement. “You saw nothing.”
“Saw what?” Jun asked innocently. “I'm far too sick to have seen a thing.”
“Not a thing,” Sho agreed. “But please believe that we would've been super happy for you if we had.”
“And I appreciate that, but I think that one happily-ever-after per day is sufficient, don't you?” A bright red flush slowly crept up Nino’s neck before he turned and scuttled from the room.
++++
The kitchen was finally clean and the three slightly unwelcome visitors were relaxing on the sofa. Knowing that Jun would see the results as soon as he was back on his feet, Sho had been a hard taskmaster; making sure that the kitchen was as pristine as it had been before being invaded.
Nino was sitting back with his feet up on a soft ottoman. Aiba was laying on his back with his head on Nino's lap as Nino fed him some of the unfamiliar Mexican sweets which they had discovered in the back of one of the kitchen cupboards. Oddly enough, Ohno didn't appear to mind their intimate position, as he leaned heavily against Nino, fighting a losing battle to keep his eyes open.
"This stuff is kind of sweet, but not too bad," Aiba said, craning his neck up to look at Sho, who was standing over him with a disgruntled expression.
"I brought those back from Mexico with me for Jun," Sho grumbled.
"Don't stress. There's no way he is ever going to eat them; they're far too sweet for him," Aiba replied.
"They were well hidden," Ohno added, as he licked a spoon full of spicy-sweet paste which had also been in the cupboard.
Sho looked crestfallen. "Then why didn't Jun tell me that he didn't like them? He's been eating one every night with a cup of tea."
"There's more than one way to show someone how much you care," Nino replied wisely. "Although it seems that eating something you don't like seems to be quite popular in certain relationships."
Feeling suddenly flustered, Sho opened the door and flapped his hand in a shooing gesture. "Right you lot. Thanks for your help and your concern for Jun, and I love you all, but get out."
“Awww. You two want to be alone, how lovey-dovey,” Aiba cooed and pulled a goofy face as he climbed up off the sofa.
“It’s almost two o’clock in the morning Aiba, and Jun is sick as a dog. The last thing in my mind right now is romance,” Sho said firmly. “l want to make sure that Jun gets the next dose of his medicine and then gets some sleep.”
Aiba immediately turned serious as he gave Sho a huge hug. “I really am so very happy for you. I’ve always thought that you two belong together.”
“We all do.” Ohno added himself to the hug.
Sho looked over Ohno’s shoulder to Nino, who was standing a little way off wearing an inscrutable expression.
“Me too.” Nino held Sho’s gaze for a moment before moving close and wrapping one arm around Ohno’s waist and the other across Sho’s back. He tugged Sho down to his level and whispered in Sho’s ear. “If you hurt him, I will kill you slowly and painfully, and not even Oh-chan will be able to stop me.”
Sho gulped and took a deep breath to steady himself before whispering back. “Thanks for your blessing Nino. You don't have to worry though. I'm not going anywhere.”
++++
Picking up the digital thermometer, Sho checked Jun’s temperature. He frowned when he saw that it was still reading 38 degrees. It was an improvement on the 38.9 from earlier, but he still went to the ensuite and grabbed a fever patch to place on Jun’s forehead.
Jun stirred when Sho brushed his hair back and placed the patch, gazing up at him blearily. “Please tell me that they've gone.”
“Finally.” Sho smoothed the patch down and ran his fingers through Jun’s sweaty hair before sliding in beside him. “At one stage I thought I was going to have to sleep in the closet.”
“You could've made a nest out of your hoodies and been perfectly comfortable.” Jun laughed and wriggled closer to Sho.
“Very funny.” Sho curled in behind Jun and draped his arm around his waist.
“So, did Nino threaten you?”
“There may have been the promise of a lingering and painful death offered as he left.”
Jun practically cooed. “Awww. He is so cute when he gets all threaty.”
“I don't think ‘threaty’ is an actual word.”
“Are you arguing with me?” Jun slurred his words slightly as the medication Sho had given him ten minutes earlier kicked in. “Because I have Nino on speed dial…”
“Nonononono,” Sho replied with exaggerated terror. (Only ever so slightly exaggerated though.)
no subject
Date: 2020-08-29 04:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-08-30 11:08 pm (UTC)