Jigokudani Monkey Park was the last recommended sightseeing location Aiba had included in his itinerary. An added annotation was ‘I know animals don’t like you, Matsujun, but you don’t have to touch the monkeys so it’s going to be fine!’, and Jun had simply sighed when he’d read it.

For the past few days, going to the places Aiba had listed showed him how thorough and hardworking Aiba was. It wasn’t in Aiba’s image, being the guy who had friends in every floor and could talk to almost anyone casually (with the exception of Julie-san), but Jun was seeing a different side to his “meddlesome” colleague with every local tourist spot he visits.

Aiba’s itinerary was full of notes in messy scrawls, full of hiragana and katakana because he probably couldn’t remember the proper kanji. It made the paper more personal though, and Jun could just imagine Aiba researching and coordinating with the right people just to prepare everything for him.

Jun didn’t want to waste his efforts. Aiba was Aiba, but Jun’s impression of him changed the longer he stayed in the onsen (mostly because of Nino) and instead of being angry at him for going out of his way to make this happen, Jun was genuinely feeling grateful.

Aiba had been right. Jun had needed the break, he just didn’t acknowledge it. He had put it off over and over because of his dedication, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but he needed this time to rest. Jun had no doubts he would come back to Tokyo feeling refreshed and ready to take on a very demanding client, all because he’d accepted the envelope from Aiba that day.

Toma had always referred to Aiba as the company miracle worker, and Jun was so glad it had been Aiba who interfered and made this trip possible for him. How Aiba had known Jun needed it, Jun had no idea, but he had conceded it as part of his friend’s uniqueness.

So Jun made sure to put a strikethrough to location from the list every time he’d come back from sightseeing, just so he could show Aiba the paper next week and say proudly that he managed to cover everything and even came back with photos and souvenirs.

Aiba would definitely be proud of him. And Jun, as much as he’d never admit it out loud, wanted him to always be.

Seeing that the monkey park was the last one on the list, Jun had taken the initiative to invite Sho to come sightseeing with him. Sho had been doing the same thing for the past few days and Jun was eager to return the favor.

After all, who else would Jun invite?

Sho had been agreeable, his almost goofy grin brightening up his face and his eagerness evident in his eyes. Jun had to look away when he did that, feeling like something was churning inside his stomach.

Like always, Jun let Sho lead the trip, only that this time Jun noticed that Sho was really into filming everything, his camcorder powered on even if they were simply trekking through the snow to reach the park. Sho was blabbing on as always, about the park’s history and some information about the snow monkeys that they were on their way to see.

Seeing him so enthusiastic, bordering on silly, Jun couldn’t help smiling once in a while.

“Do you always film your trips like this?” Jun asked curiously, careful to maintain his pace so he wouldn’t leave Sho behind.

“I even edit my travel videos,” Sho answered.

Jun’s eyes widened for a bit. “Even with your busy tour guide job?”

Sho laughed. “I try to make time for editing. It allows me to relive the experience in a different perspective.”

“If you edit everything you’ve taken during this trip,” Jun said, just as Sho panned the camcorder to his face, “would you mind providing me with a copy?”

Sho looked dumbstruck. “You really want one?”

Jun suddenly felt self-conscious. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to a trip like this,” with someone else, he didn’t say. It had been too long he’d been with someone who wasn’t a good friend or a family member (and that was speaking in general, Jun remembered, a little dejected). And those had been mostly overseas trips.

In fact, Jun hadn’t been on a trip like this before, and that was factoring Sho into the equation.

“While I do take photos, they’re for Aiba-kun and his future flyers,” Jun continued, no longer looking at Sho but focusing on the path before them, the snow they still had to walk through together. “I’m never in any of them, so what proof can I bring that I’m actually having fun? Aiba-kun, he’d want proof. He wouldn’t take my word for it.”

“Then I’ll be glad to help you with that,” Sho told him honestly. “Though I have to warn you, I have this tendency to use fade to blacks and other kinds of transitions and chuck in bits of text.”

Jun chuckled. “As long as you don’t use Comic Sans for the text, Sho-san, I think it’s going to be fine.” He met Sho’s eyes. “Thank you.”

It was Sho’s turn to look away, his camera pointed at their feet. “It’s nothing.”

It was something, Jun’s mind was telling him, but he wasn’t willing to address it yet. So he let Sho be and continued their trek to the park in silence, their footsteps crunching against the snow.

Thankfully, the park shortly came into their view, and Jun quickly forgot about the awkward silence his sincerity had brought them when he saw the people gathering around a small pool with three snow monkeys bathing.

“Oh, there are a lot of them!” Sho said animatedly, but they were both standing on their toes just to see behind people and their raised cameras.

Jun clicked his tongue, and without thinking too much about it, reached down to grab Sho’s wrist so they could squeeze through the crowd together and get a proper view.

As soon as they found a suitable spot, Jun lifted his camera to take a couple of shots for Aiba. Beside him, he noticed Sho doing the same, although he first recorded everything with his video camera.

Jun was just tucking away the camera after checking his shots when Sho stepped a little close to him, and Jun looked up in time to see Sho’s phone raised and ready for a selfie.

He flashed his usual peace sign and smiled on instinct. He considered asking for a copy of all his photos with Sho, but he stomped down the urge because how was he supposed to ask for something like that? It wasn’t like asking for a travel video.

So he settled for saying nothing, letting the crowd push them to another spot where they could observe the snow monkeys in their natural habitat during winter. Sho made up for Jun’s silence by talking about the monkeys, something Jun was sure Sho had read on Wikipedia days before this trip.

He didn’t mind though, liking the sound of Sho’s voice. Even if he spoke in a documentary-style tone that Jun always found to be sleep-inducing, there was something about the way Sho talks that made him listen, and Jun thought Sho could easily pass for a newscaster had he taken up journalism and pursued it actively.

Jun asked him questions once in a while, watching in amusement how Sho visibly perked up whenever he did. Sho liked being a tour guide, that much Jun knew, but he was only getting proofs of it whenever he assumed the oblivious tourist role and allowed Sho guide him along.

Because it wasn’t difficult to follow Sho. Sho never left him behind, always striving to match his pace and making time for him. Sho was the type who stuck with his schedules to the core, but Jun knew Sho had to have made adjustments for them to spend time and visit places together. Sho had taught him how to ski even if he was in no obligation to and Jun has proven to be an awful student. Sho had taken him to the number one soba place in Nagano, had enthusiastically showed him a castle that shared his family name, and had perused every sake shop in Obuse without complaint.

The only way to return the favor, Jun thought, was to let Sho be his nerdy and dorky self under the glasses and the bucket hat that he’d opted to wear again for today. He was still wearing the hat in the wrong way, but it was so Sho to do so, that Jun didn’t bother to correct the fashion crime.

They strolled around the park with Sho answering every question Jun had for him, from snow monkeys, to the mountains they could see, to Sho’s apparent love for bucket hats.

“I’m very ill-suited for fedoras,” Sho claimed, even shaking his head. “It’s too stylish for me. I can’t pull it off like you do, Matsumoto-kun.”

Jun laughed. “I’m sure no one else would be able to pull off camouflage as well as you do.” He’d seen Sho’s camouflage pants that day they went to buy sake, and he was positive that Sho had even more clothes in similar pattern somewhere inside his trolley suitcase.

“Camo really suits me,” Sho bragged. “I look totally cool in it.”

“Of course you do,” Jun answered immediately.

Sho gave him this look, and Jun just had to laugh.

“It’s not as uncool as you think it is,” Sho insisted.

“I never said it was. I said you can pull it off.”

“So you don’t think I’m uncool?” Sho asked, his head tilted to the side.

Jun hummed in thought and laughed at the sight of Sho’s face falling. “Well, minus the sloping shoulders and the fear of heights and the snoring…”

Sho elbowed him at the side and he chuckled. “I’m being serious here, Matsumoto-kun.” Sho pouted.

“I don’t think you’re uncool,” Jun finished. Sho faced him with a questioning look all over his features. “I don’t. You make ridiculous schedules and plan for every single thing, yes, but that makes you efficient. You’re knowledgeable and you can answer any question I ask. You share what you know with me, not just dump information on me, and I appreciate that. I know I’m not the most patronizing of tourists and that makes me an awful travel buddy, but I really had fun these past few days. I’m still having fun.”

“You’re not,” Sho said.

Jun frowned. “What?”

“You’re not an awful travel buddy,” Sho clarified, realizing his mistake. “I’m happy to know that you don’t find me annoying and that I’m not wasting your time. That’s every tour guide’s fear, I guess, that they end up wasting people’s time because they’re not exactly cut for the job.”

“But you are cut for the job,” Jun insisted. “Although you’re here as a tourist and not as a tour guide, I still appreciate you being one.” For me, he didn’t add, knowing it would be awkward.

“Thank you for telling me that,” Sho said, flashing him a sincere smile that reached his eyes. “I rarely get feedback that’s not from our customer service department.”

Jun shrugged his shoulders. “The only kind of feedback I get is either a certificate at the end of the month or a summary from the HR department so I know the feeling.”

“I get comments about having a soothing voice,” Sho supplied, and Jun caught on his word choice.

“Ah, do you snore with a mouthpiece even inside tour buses?” Jun asked with a fake horrified tone.

Sho shoved him lightly, shaking his head at him, and Jun only laughed. “I once got a complaint for being too meticulous,” Jun said, volunteering information about himself. “I thought I was going to get reprimanded but my boss just said ‘Isn’t that his job?’ to the client and I’ve never felt so good about myself.”

“Sounds like a fantastic boss you have there,” Sho commented, his smile never leaving his face.

Jun tilted his head in acknowledgement. “She sent me here on a company-paid trip because of a company tradition regarding employee benefits so yeah, she is.”

Sho hummed. “You don’t regret coming here then? Going to Hakuba, seeing the rest of Nagano?”

Jun looked at Sho’s eyes and took in everything he was already accustomed to before he even knew it: Sho standing by his side or almost always nearby, Sho and his atrocious fashion sense, Sho and his documentary-style narrations, Sho and his camcorder, and finally, Sho and his ridiculous selfies.

“No,” he answered honestly, hoping his eyes would convey what he couldn’t say.

When Sho had this huge grin to offer him, Jun wanted to believe that he’d managed to.

--

They ended up eating soba again after they left the park, the both of them praising its rich taste with every slurp. They maintained a light conversation, talking about the places they’d seen for the past few days and which ones they liked best and why.

Sho found out that Jun really enjoyed their shopping trip in Obuse because he was the type who enjoyed purchasing things for people dear to him, imagining what they were going to say when they finally receive the item.

"I like surprising my friends," Jun said, fingers repeatedly tapping on the table's surface. "Planning surprises, I mean. I enjoy seeing the look on their faces when they catch on, but when it comes to people doing the same for me, I can never make the proper reaction."

"Then for example, someone plans a surprise party for your birthday, how do you react?" Sho asked, genuinely curious.

Jun stroked his nose as he thought about it. "I say thank you but it becomes awkward after because they suddenly think I don't like it. It's not that. I just don't know how to properly react to such things."

Sho nodded in understanding. "No wonder you were so persistent about visiting every shop. Of course you'd like Obuse."

Jun waved his hand. "Let me guess. You're going to tell me you liked anything that involved you skiing."

“As well as seeing you being unable to ski and to avoid rocks," Sho added with a grin, and Jun laughed.

They also shared a beer or two in the establishment (or more than that—Sho didn’t really bother to count how many they had), having arrived there mere minutes after sundown. Jun told him that he would like to try one of Nino’s hot spring pools now that they had just witnessed a couple of snow monkeys enjoying their winter baths, and Sho agreed with him.

So they decided that the moment they arrive back at the inn, they were going to visit the onsen and stay there until they got pruny fingers and toes. Jun had a couple of complaints about his leg muscles, saying that he wants to try to relieve the slight pain by soaking in one of the five pool varieties Nino’s establishment had.

In the taxi ride back home, with the streetlights illuminating the sides of Jun’s face once in a while and making him look more captivating than he normally was, Sho found himself doing something he hadn’t planned for.

Their hands were a few inches away from each other, their gloves tucked somewhere in their coats since they had to hold chopsticks earlier. Jun’s hand was splayed on the car’s seat and Sho’s was curled tightly to a fist, and Sho just couldn’t resist the idea, seeing Jun with a soft smile on his face as he looked outside, watching the night scenery with something akin to contentment in his expressive eyes.

Sho reached for his hand without thinking about it.

Sparks of static flared up on Sho’s palm at the contact and he could feel Jun freeze. There was a terse moment of Jun keeping his eyes fixed on a spot in the car window and Sho’s mind rapidly firing questions of what now what now what did I just do what am I doing what was I thinking in succession. He was about to pull away and mumble an awkward apology when Jun’s hand shifted beneath his, turning to meet warm palm against another, and Sho thought his heart must have stopped.

He tried to restart his breathing when he felt Jun’s fingers slide against his, marveling at how perfectly they seemed to fit. He curled his fingers instinctively, feeling Jun do the same, and Sho never wanted to let go because doing this felt right.

Jun wasn’t looking at him; his gaze was fixed somewhere outside. Sho could only look at him in his periphery; he could feel blood rushing to his cheeks. His heart thumped madly in his chest, and for a moment he wondered if Jun could hear it. Sho felt connected to him now; Jun’s warmth mingling with his, and despite the weird feeling in his stomach combined with his rushed pulse, it felt perfect.

This moment with Jun, much like every moment Sho had shared with him, was something Sho didn’t want to question despite the rational side of him telling him that this was all progressing too fast. There was a bigger part of him insisting that it wasn’t progressing fast enough, though this was a huge leap from sitting on the porch night after night and wondering what it would feel like to hold Jun’s hand.

Sho lightly stroked Jun’s thumb with his own, and he didn’t miss Jun’s sharp intake of breath when he did it. Jun’s fingers curled tighter in retaliation, giving Sho’s hand a tiny squeeze that sent Sho’s heart soaring.

He wished for the onsen to be farther away, just so he and Jun could remain like this for a while longer. Like Jun, he maintained his gaze outside, although every part of him was hyperaware of Jun’s presence beside him. Sho let that warmth flow through him and overwhelm him with a sense of security, the constant drumming of his heartbeat serving as background music.

Eventually the onsen came within view and Sho gave Jun’s hand a reassuring squeeze—something Jun returned—before reluctantly letting him go as they split the taxi fare.

Sho couldn’t look at Jun when they stepped out of the vehicle and he was relieved to see Nino manning the front desk with a rather bored look on his face. Jun mumbled an excuse that he was heading for their room and Sho just nodded, hoping Jun had seen it before he left with only the barest of acknowledgements for Nino. Sho walked up to the concierge to have a chat, to collect himself mere minutes after doing something utterly nerve-wracking.

“Beer or sake tonight?” Nino asked, but there was a glint in his eyes that Sho didn’t miss even if he didn’t understand the source of it.

Sho shook his head. “We’re thinking of trying out the pools in your onsen at last.”

“Where did you and Jun-kun go to this time?” Nino asked, his chin plopped on his hand.

“The monkey park in Jigokudani,” Sho answered, earning Nino’s nod.

“I recommend the soda-based one then.” Sho frowned in confusion but Nino only smiled. “Good for the joints, Sho-chan. I imagine you two must have walked around the park and had to squeeze yourself through the crowds. Jigokudani gets super popular from December to March, after all.”

“Thank you, I’ll make sure to check that out,” Sho promised. He gave Nino a small bow. “Good night, Nino.”

Nino returned the sentiments and Sho headed for his room without another word. With every step he took the higher his heart rate went, and he opened the sliding doors with slightly sweaty palms, only to find it empty.

He figured that Jun had already gone to one of the pools.

Sho deposited his stuff in the room before shedding his clothes and wrapping a towel around his waist. He let Jun go ahead because he already knew what kind of effect Jun had on him. Seeing Jun naked so soon after what had happened in the taxi would send his mind reeling and heart pounding, and Sho thought he’d spare himself from that if he could.

Not because Jun wasn’t pleasing to look at (he was, devastatingly so), but Sho also needed a bit of time to compose himself. He’d just held hands with Jun nearly throughout their taxi ride back. Jun’s touch lingered on his skin, and even now Sho could remember how comforting it was, how well they fit together.

Was this progressing too fast? Yes, Sho thought, but it didn’t feel rushed. That was the difference. Sho knew what he wanted, but the thought of his vacation ending soon lingered at the back of his head. If he pursued something with Jun right now and Jun reciprocated, would he able to easily let go when the trip was over?

Sho wasn't the type who did flings, and he knew that this feeling of wanting to know more about Jun, to know Jun himself—it would be with him for a long time. All his reservations, however, he could put aside whenever he remembered that he already had the time he needed.

He’d gotten the time to know Jun, to find out for himself what kind of person his roommate was—his flaws, his weaknesses, his strengths. The more Sho knew, the more drawn in he’d become. He understood what kind of hold Jun had on him and while the idea had been frightening initially, right now he wanted to take the risk, to know what more he could do before they had to go back home.

That meant he had to find Jun.

He proceeded to the pools with a mixture of determination and nervousness in him, trying to find where Jun was without being too obvious. He met Haruka-chan on the way and exchanged a friendly chat with her before continuing his search for Jun, until at last, Sho found him in the pool Nino had recommended earlier.

Sho met Jun’s eyes only briefly, with Jun looking away swiftly as Sho slid in the water. Sho was thankful that the water somehow appeared milky, that its height rose up to his chest, and that the steam could hide the color on his cheeks.

He kept a respectable distance from Jun despite what had happened in the taxi. He busied himself with finding the right spot to lean his body against, letting out a pleased sigh when he was finally able to rest his back against a smooth rock. Sho focused on the water and its supposed healing properties, waiting for the soothing effect Nino had talked about to manifest.

“Today was fun,” he heard Jun blurt out, although Jun was pointedly looking at the ripples in the water in front of him instead of Sho’s face. “Though I kind of feel like I only visited the onsen today because I was envious when I saw how the monkeys were enjoying it.”

Sho had to smile at that. He’d seen Jun embarrassed many times before, but Jun had always managed to play it cool by the end. Cool and collected Jun was gone now, the steam around them not sufficient to hide the adorable flush on his cheeks. Something was insistently tugging in Sho’s heart the longer he looked at Jun and appreciated how cute he could be when he had no clever retort to hide behind.

“Those monkeys were certainly enjoying it better than you are,” Sho said, inching closer to Jun. They were alone in the pool given the hour, and Sho felt braver now that he saw the kind of effect he had on Jun.

He was making Jun nervous, and that knowledge thrilled him.

“Whoever said that I’m not enjoying it?” Jun asked, his voice a little strained.

“I believe I just did.” Sho moved closer still, until he was right beside Jun and their shoulders would brush should either of them move. Sho watched how the water droplets from Jun’s hair traveled down his neck to his collarbones, leaving a damp path. Jun had broad shoulders, which Sho learned to appreciate even more now that he saw the pale skin littered with glistening waterdrops.

Sho was probably as jittery as Jun, but it made him giddy and excited knowing that the usually calm and stoic Matsumoto Jun was carefully choosing his words. It was out of character for the Jun he’d known and therefore something Sho couldn’t resist.

“Jun?” he whispered quietly, seeing Jun’s shoulders tense before Jun slowly turned his head to look at him.

“You never called me that before,” Jun said, the disbelief so obvious in his voice.

“I know.” Sho’s gaze went to Jun’s mouth on instinct, at the marks on, above, and under Jun’s lips that reminded him of the stars more than once, and he knew what he wanted to do.

He leaned in, only hesitating for a fraction of a second before turning off his brain and closing his eyes. He pressed his lips against Jun’s, a fleeting touch that he intended to be chaste, tentative. Jun went shock-still for a few moments, but then he sighed and kissed back, his hand creeping up to the back of Sho’s neck to tilt his head so their mouths could meet properly.

Sho reached up to cup Jun’s cheek, keeping the kiss slow, their lips merely brushing against each other, parting and meeting again. Kissing Jun felt like everything was slipping away around him and he was trying to feel his way around things once more, but at the same time it felt so good to do so and Sho knew he couldn’t possibly get enough.

They kissed as if they had all the time, their mouths meeting briefly but repeatedly, each kiss longer than the one before it. Sho drank in all of Jun’s soft sighs and short gasps for air, losing himself in the feeling of Jun with him, right under his fingertips. He stroked Jun’s cheekbone with his thumb before sliding his hand down Jun’s jaw, and he delighted in the shiver Jun made when he let his fingers trace Jun’s jawline.

Sho pulled away just a little to look at Jun’s eyes, and the desire to lose himself in that brownness made him press a lingering kiss to the corner of Jun’s mouth.

“Sho,” Jun sighed, and it was as if with that one syllable alone Jun had managed to ignite something in him.

He cupped the back of Jun’s neck with force and captured his mouth in a kiss more daring than the previous, something Jun returned after a brief moment of surprise. Sho tilted Jun’s head to kiss him better, making Jun moan, his lips parting and allowing Sho to deepen the kiss as he greedily curled his tongue in Jun’s mouth, licking every ridge and contour, familiarizing himself with how Jun tastes like.

Jun’s fingers slid up his hair, nails scraping his scalp as their kiss grew more heated and heady, interspersed with pleased noises that were muffled by their mouths not parting. Jun’s other hand found his neck, stroking his rushed pulse, and Sho pressed himself closer to Jun, wanting Jun’s scent and the entire feel of him to overwhelm him. His sense of time collapsed; the only thing he knew was the feel of Jun’s skin under his touch, his lips against Sho’s own, the sounds he kept making every time Sho sucked on his tongue.

They broke apart when they heard voices coming from the inn—high-pitched squeals followed by giggles. Jun was panting heavily, no different than Sho was, but to Sho’s eyes he looked utterly breathtaking in this moment: his face flushed from what they’d just shared, his eyes telling Sho everything he needed to know, his lips swollen from Sho’s kiss.

It was taking all of Sho’s willpower not to kiss him senseless again. The laughter echoed throughout the halls of the inn, and they both knew that things weren’t so private anymore.

Sho maintained the distance they had earlier, trying to even out his breathing and keeping his hands to himself even though his fingers itched to reach for Jun once more.

“I’ll go first,” Jun stammered, still a little breathless. “I’ll see you back in the room.”

Sho could only nod, finding that his throat had gone dry. His eyes followed Jun’s form as Jun waded through the water, noticing the borders of his shoulder blades so prominent, the strong lines of his back muscles, the bumps formed by the tips of his spine until they disappeared under the water.

Jun’s broadness gradually tapered down to a slim waist, and Sho couldn’t stop looking at him.

Jun didn’t spare him another glance, wrapping a towel around himself and leaving, though not before Sho had gotten a generous view of his backside. Sho leaned back against a rock to digest everything that had just happened.

He had kissed Jun. Jun, after calling him by his name at last. A while ago he’d just been holding Jun’s hand, and now he had just kissed Jun breathless. Everything was progressing too fast but Sho just went for what he felt like doing when he saw the way Jun looked at him. Had Jun been looking at him like that for a while? He didn’t know. All he knew was that he’d kissed Jun and Jun had kissed back, returning and sharing everything with him.

Sho reached up to touch his lips, remembering with clarity how it felt when the softness of Jun’s warm and inviting mouth was pressed against it.

He looked up, seeing the stars twinkling over his head despite a light mist caused by the steam clouding the edges of his vision. Sho only stared at them for a while, vaguely wondering where else Jun might have beauty marks on.

He straightened up and started walking towards the edge the pool, his mind made up.

He had to find out.

--

Jun proceeded to change into the onsen-issued yukata after he’d arrived in the room. He tried to look for things to do out of nervousness, finding it surreal that mere moments ago, Sho had taken the initiative and kissed him and he’d kissed back.

Jun could still remember how it felt like when Sho had reached for his hand. It had been as if his brain stopped working for a moment and all he’d heard was the thundering beat of his heart inside his ribcage. He’d acted on instinct, not wanting the moment to pass with Sho’s efforts wasted.

Then Sho had called him by his name despite deliberately sticking with ‘Matsumoto-kun’ for the past two days, had kissed him breathlessly till they both had run out of words to say.

What was happening? Was he only feeling like this because of the close quarters they’d been sharing for the past few days? No, Jun thought quickly, it wasn’t just that. Their shared room had contributed a lot for them to reach this stage, but Jun couldn’t attribute everything to that alone.

Because he had come to know Sho. He got to know Sho beyond the corners of this room, got to witness for himself what kind of person Sakurai Sho was like. And that was it, he realized. He’d fallen for Sho’s goofy smiles, his silly jokes, his boisterous and contagious laughter, his questionable fashion sense, his odd sleeping habits—all at once. It had happened without him even realizing it until Sho had reached for his hand in the darkness.

It was as if everything made sense all of a sudden, him living and breathing his work so that he eventually ended up here, five hours away from Tokyo, to find Sho and spend time with him, only to fall for him.

And Sho obviously liked him. Him and his weakness in the mornings, his inability to ski, the intensity of focus he had whenever he shopped for things, the way he had to elaborate on what he was saying because his facial features often gave the wrong impression. Sho had put up with all of that, even Jun’s mockery of his habits and choices, all without question when Sho didn’t have to.

How was Jun going to resist someone like that? Not many people would ride an elevator to the top of a 120-meter ski jumping hill despite their acrophobia just because Jun had wanted to see it. And even if they did, they wouldn’t be able to name Olympic athletes and state their corresponding scores with confidence.

Sho could be boring, too nerdy, and sloppy at times, someone who didn’t fall under any of Jun’s previous interests, but there was something about him. Maybe it was his ability to listen unconditionally or his patience or his sincerity or his willingness to share. Maybe it was all of those combined along with something else that made him Sho. Jun wasn’t sure.

All Jun knew was that here he was, a little nervous since Sho would be arriving any moment now, but he wasn’t scared. Not after Sho had made the first move and expressed everything he needed to know by showing instead of telling.

The doors slid open and Jun was at the low table pretending to read. All the characters before his eyes had blurred and all he could think of was how good it felt to kiss Sho, how right and perfect their moment in the car had been, how appropriate he’d found it when they’d kissed in the pool.

Sho went straight to the bathroom without a word, only coming out when he was clad in similar attire as Jun was. Jun couldn’t help thinking it suited Sho better, that his angular shoulders were made to look that good despite being dressed in a plain, dark blue yukata.

“I finally met her,” Sho said quietly. “The famous person, I mean.”

That piqued Jun’s interest. He pushed his glasses up his nose and looked at Sho, although his eyes automatically fell on Sho’s plump lips. “Who was she?” Jun managed to ask despite something inside him nagging him to stand up, to shove Sho towards the nearest wall and kiss him until the air left their lungs. Their time in the pool earlier hadn’t been enough.

“Mizuhara Kiko-san,” Sho answered, a slight smile dancing on his lips.

Jun knew who that was because of Mao-chan and her adoration for Mizuhara’s style whenever the model was featured in magazines. “Oh. No wonder they had to keep it secret.”

Sho nodded, already making his way towards their shared quarters. “I got a handshake from her, something I could brag about when I see my colleagues.”

“Good for you then,” Jun said awkwardly, hating himself for not acting on what he wanted. He turned back to reading, although he paid more attention to the sounds Sho was making on the other side of the room.

Eventually Jun stood up, shutting his manga volume and making his way to their shared sleeping quarters. Sho had left the sliding door ajar, and when Jun crossed the threshold, he saw that Sho was already under the covers, his back facing Jun’s side of the room.

Jun shut the door quietly, heading for his own futon in light steps. As he removed his glasses, he noticed that Sho’s breathing wasn’t as heavy as it would’ve been had he been sleeping.

Jun settled himself under the sheets, rolling onto his side so his back was turned away from Sho. There was something stashed under his pillow that was poking the side of his head lightly, something he’d arrived to after he came back from the pool.

He was a hundred percent certain Nino had been the one who put it there.

Jun wasn’t aware of how much time had passed till he heard a shuffle of movement from behind him. He pointedly kept his gaze at the wall and willed himself not to turn, that is, until he felt Sho’s undeniable presence close to him.

Jun rolled over, finding Sho crouching beside his futon and looking at him.

Jun let his gaze roam over Sho’s face, at the girth of his neck down to his collarbones peeking from the edges of his yukata. Their eyes met and Jun simply reached up, holding on to Sho’s nape to pull him down as he surged upward to meet him halfway.

Jun closed his eyes and kissed Sho the way he’d always wanted to, aware that they were way past the soft and slow kisses they’d shared earlier.

Sho kissed him back just as fiercely, one of his hands firmly planted on the tatami underneath them for balance. Jun’s other hand found the back of Sho’s head, pushing their faces closer despite space being nonexistent between them, and Jun finally lay back, pulling Sho down with him.

Sho’s hands went to either sides of Jun’s head as Sho balanced himself on top of him, his hair tickling Jun’s forehead. Jun found Sho’s tongue and sucked on it sensuously, delighting in the choked moan that he elicited from Sho. Sho’s mouth was tempting and pliant, something Jun wouldn’t be able to keep away from anytime soon. His body felt like it was beginning to burn up and yet he wanted Sho to be closer still despite them pressed against each other.

Sho tore himself away from Jun’s mouth with a rather noisy kiss before undoing the sash of his own yukata and tossing it to the side. Jun could only watch while he tried to catch his breath as Sho shrugged the garment off himself, the hard lines of his shoulders and arms still visible in the darkness.

Sho descended on him again, kissing him insistently. Jun felt Sho’s hands fumbling with the sash of his yukata and couldn’t help groaning, something Sho silenced with a growl and a wicked roll of his hips that shot spikes of pleasure up Jun’s spine.

Jun’s yukata fell open and Sho pulled back to take in the sight of newly exposed skin. Jun sat up so he could maneuver his shoulders and remove the garment entirely, leaving him exposed.

He couldn’t help shivering a little when cool air hit his skin. Sho cupped his neck and tilted his head back, and Jun let out a gasp when Sho started kissing his jawline, teeth nipping lightly at the curve of bone before sucking at his jugular. He dug his nails on Sho’s hipbones as Sho moved to sit astride his thighs, his mouth still attached to his neck and now kissing its way down to his clavicle.

Jun let his hands wander, from Sho’s shoulders down his spine to his ass through the boxers Sho opted to wear, liking the way it felt in his hands. He was discovering a whole new level of appreciation for Sho’s perky bottom as he began kneading the cheeks.

“I thought I was imagining things when I felt you staring at my ass,” Sho whispered against the hollow of his throat, and Jun could feel the smug grin he made afterwards. “I guess not.”

“Don’t get cocky,” Jun shot back, albeit almost out of breath because Sho’s mouth went up to his earlobe and his tongue was licking the shell of his ear. “You were totally staring when I left the pool earlier.”

Sho cupped his face and turned his head for their eyes to meet. “You’re not aware of how you look, are you?”

Jun blushed at the implication of Sho’s words. He had a horrible acne phase during puberty, one that had left him with imperfect skin and some scars. He had a strong face because of his striking eyebrows and he was aware of it, but beyond that, he never really thought his large features would attract someone like Sho.

Sho kissed him fully on the mouth, though he kept it chaste and light. “I like it when you’re speechless.”

“Are we in the middle of something or not?” Jun asked instead, his fingers now tracing Sho’s spine. He hated how his cheeks felt like they were burning, resulting to Sho’s smile growing wider.

“You’re so cute,” Sho whispered, dropping a quick kiss to the tip of his nose. “And so impatient too.”

Sho pushed him back against the futon, and Jun’s shock ended in a gasp when Sho ducked to kiss the dip between his collarbones down to his sternum, until the promising heat of Sho’s mouth closed over one of his nipples. Jun held him in place by burying his fingers in Sho’s thick hair as Sho swirled his tongue eagerly over the hardening nub, the skin around it pebbling at the attention.

He felt Sho thumbing at his other nipple and he moaned Sho’s name when Sho’s teeth closed over the bud under his lips and gave it a little tug, one that sent Jun’s blood rushing south. Sho pinched his other nipple lightly and his body arched as a reaction, his hands moving to grasp Sho’s arms and squeezing tight.

Sho’s hot mouth moved downward, licking a path down to his navel that left Jun’s skin burning to the touch. He clung to Sho’s biceps in an effort not to hurry things up and increase the friction between their bodies, though he couldn’t help writhing as a reaction every now and then. It had been a while since he’d shared a bed (or a futon in this case) with someone who took their time to explore, who focused on making him feel good, who kissed nearly every patch of skin they could see.

He had to bite his bottom lip to keep from groaning when Sho’s mouth reached his clothed erection. Sho began mouthing at his crotch, tracing the outline of Jun’s cock with his tongue and following it with sucks that reduced Jun to frustrated gasps and hissing intakes of air.

He eventually broke away to lick his lips, hooking his finger at the waistband of Jun’s boxers.

“This is in my way,” Sho complained, and Jun fought the urge to kick him for sounding so terribly pleased with himself.

“Then take them off,” Jun shot back, unable to hide the annoyance in his voice.

Jun could feel Sho smiling against his navel, Sho giving the skin a playful nip as he slid Jun’s boxers down. Jun lifted his hips to help Sho remove the distracting garment, sighing in content when his erection was finally free.

Sho pressed fleeting kisses to his hipbones down to the insides of his thighs, and Jun focused on the sound of his heartbeat drumming against his ears to rein in the temptation of speeding things up. There was a moment of Jun feeling nothing, and he looked down just in time to see Sho’s tongue darting out to lick at the slick head of his cock.

Sho was staring at his face, watching his every reaction as he continued lapping at the precome at the tip. Jun’s breathing became labored, his entire body alight with the sensations, pleasure surging up in him in tiny waves as Sho’s mouth finally closed around the head, allowing Jun’s cock to slip inside his hot mouth.

Hearing his moans must have spurred Sho on, who now bobbed his head and took more of Jun in with every smooth slide of his lips. Jun kept his hands fisted at the sheets, his eyes shut tight. He bit his bottom lip in an effort not to cry out when Sho gave a tiny hum.

Sho pulled away with a pop that echoed in the silence of the room, his hand pumping Jun’s shaft slickened with his spit. Sho flattened his tongue over the slit at the head and stroked faster, till precome hit his tongue and Jun groaned in undeniable pleasure.

Jun wanted more of Sho’s promising mouth, but when he was getting close, he tangled his fingers in Sho’s hair, pulling at the strands to make him stop. Sho pulled off and looked at him questioningly, and Jun, seeing Sho’s face full of desire, knew exactly what he wanted.

No more of the teasing flicks of Sho’s tongue or the wet suction that turned Jun’s breath ragged. Those weren’t enough. He needed more.

He reached under his pillow, fumbling for that tube Nino had stashed in there because he was just as meddlesome as his good friend Aiba Masaki was. Jun didn’t think they’d use it and he initially wanted to go up to Nino and file a complaint, but right now he knew that he needed more than Sho’s mouth and his possessive touches that left searing patterns on Jun’s skin.

The idea of Sho inside him made him shove the tube in Sho’s hands, and Sho looked at him in uncertainty.

“You’re sure?” Sho asked in that adorably hesitant way, his fingers trembling around the lube. “I—I don’t have anything here.”

Jun clicked his tongue and pulled out a strip of condoms under the pillow, another thing Nino had stashed in there while they were soaking in his pools.

“You—?” Sho tried, sounding surprised, but Jun shook his head.

“Nino, I think,” he explained. “I found them after…well…”

“After we kissed?” Sho finished for him, and Jun was actually going for ‘after we tried to relax our aching joints in the soda-based pool', but Sho’s version worked too.

Jun shrugged. He sat up, resting his weight on his wrists to look at Sho properly, ignoring the fact that he was completely naked and hard with Sho kneeling between his legs, lube in one hand and condoms in the other.

This was becoming awkward, Jun thought angrily; not knowing who to blame. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to. I…I understand that this is too fast and that’s something you might not be okay with so—”

Sho leaned forward to kiss him silent, cutting off his awkward mumbling. “Remind me to thank Nino before we leave,” Sho whispered when he pulled away.

“God no,” Jun protested, just as Sho let out a laugh, his breath fanning Jun’s cheek. “He won’t let us live it down. He’s going to gloat forever.”

And worse, Nino would definitely tell Aiba everything he knew about Sho so Aiba could bug Jun to spill all the details the moment Jun shows up for work the following week.

“Lie back,” Sho suddenly growled against his ear, the laughter from earlier vanishing in an instant, replaced by a demanding voice that made Jun shiver in anticipation.

He did as Sho asked, and Sho situated himself properly between Jun’s splayed thighs. Sho cupped the back of his knee to put one of his legs over his shoulder, and Jun tried to even out his breathing as he watched Sho squeeze a dollop of lube on his fingers before reaching down, bypassing his cock and perineum to trace around his hole.

“Relax,” Sho reminded, and Jun glared at him in the darkness.

“I am relaxed.” He didn’t miss Sho’s smirk. “You need to hurry up or—”

Whatever he was going to say ended up in a gasp because Sho suddenly pushed in, one finger stretching him slowly. It had been too long for Jun but Sho was patient, taking his time to watch every reaction Jun made, trying to discover what worked for Jun and how Jun liked it.

Eventually Jun was bucking back to the stretch so Sho added another one, and Jun’s hips canted, body acting involuntarily. Sho began scissoring slowly, burying his digits up to the knuckle that made Jun’s vision turn white at the edges. Sho’s other hand stroked soothing circles on his hipbone, keeping his hips in place even if Jun wanted to move along with Sho and ride his fingers.

Jun inhaled sharply when Sho inserted a third finger, the pace slow and nothing close to what Jun craved for. He bit the back of his hand when Sho started to curl his digits inside, crooking them until he found what he was looking for, sending Jun’s nerves flaring with the onslaught of sensations.

“Just tell me,” he heard Sho say, albeit he couldn’t focus on Sho’s request very well. His toes were curling, and when Sho’s finger grazed his prostate once more, he had enough.

He clenched on instinct and uttered a drawn out version of Sho’s name, and Jun caught the lust evident in Sho’s eyes, his eyes nearly black. Sho pulled his fingers out, resulting to Jun letting out a breath. Sho moved away to deal with his boxers, slightly tripping in his haste to get naked. Jun only watched as Sho fumbled with a condom, quickly rolling it onto himself before lubing up.

Jun reached to his side for another pillow, placing it under his hips. Sho lifted one of his legs again, his ankle now resting on Sho’s shoulder. The tip of Sho’s cock was poking him and that smidgen of pressure against his hole made Jun push back, trying to let Sho know that he was more than ready without saying it.

Sho looked at him and he nodded, eyes fluttering close when Sho slid in slowly. The stretch of Sho’s cock inside him felt like everything he needed but wasn’t able to imagine; he felt full yet still ravenous, satisfied with the feeling of Sho sheathed deeply yet wanting more and everything Sho was willing to give.

Sho was biting on his bottom lip in an effort to keep still, and Jun hooked his other leg around Sho’s waist to pull him closer when he was sufficiently adjusted to the feeling of Sho’s thick cock filling him.

“Fuck me,” he demanded crudely, knowing Sho needed the push.

Jun couldn’t help groaning when Sho pulled out shallowly before thrusting back in. Sho started with slow and maddening thrusts, but he picked up pace after a few moments, his need intensifying with each snap of his hips. Jun raked his nails down Sho’s abs as Sho rocked faster against him, the sting making Sho hiss.

“Jun,” Sho was moaning repeatedly, burying himself deep and knocking the breath out of Jun's lungs. He bent Jun’s leg till Jun’s knee was touching his ear and Jun reached for Sho’s face so he could silence all of Sho’s groans with a kiss.

He dug his nails in Sho’s biceps as Sho continued driving in, the sound of their bodies coming together ringing in his ears. He put his lips right next to Sho’s ear and demanded, “Harder, fuck, Sho, harder,” with Sho complying until all Jun could do was take it and meet him thrust for thrust, their combined noises of pleasure filling the room.

“Touch me,” Jun begged when he felt himself getting close. He needed Sho’s hand, just one stroke or even a finger on his cock would do, he thought wildly.

“Come with me,” Sho demanded against his jaw, his hips constantly slamming against Jun’s ass. He circled his hand on Jun’s erection and pumped in time with his thrusts, grip twisting just right and sending Jun to a series of moans. “Jun, open your eyes.”

Jun did, finding that Sho was watching him intensely. Jun tried to tell him that he was close, but then Sho hit his prostate and squeezed around his cock at the same time, and Jun’s senses crashed. He came abruptly, spurting hot all over his stomach and crying out in pleasure without looking away from Sho’s eyes.

Sho fucked into him once, twice, before letting out a choked groan and riding it out, thrusting shallowly until the aftershocks faded. Finally he collapsed against Jun, panting his exhaustion against the damp skin of Jun’s neck.

Still trapped in the haze of post-orgasmic bliss, Jun wanted nothing more than to sink into the sheets, to rest his heavy and weary limbs. He could already predict the imminent soreness he was bound to feel the following morning, but it was a pleasurable kind of tingle that would manifest in all the right places.

He vaguely registered the bulk of Sho’s weight on top of him and Sho lowering his leg before balancing himself on his forearms. Sho loomed over him, caging him, his breathing frantic as beads of perspiration trickled down the sides of his face.

Jun brushed off the hair sticking to Sho’s forehead, fingers combing the wet strands. He met Sho’s gaze evenly, waiting for what Sho was going to say.

“Hi,” Sho breathed, pressing his forehead against Jun’s.

Jun wiped away the sweat that had accumulated above Sho’s lips with his thumb.

“Hi,” he whispered back.


Part Five