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shoexchangeTitle: What I am looking for
Pairing: Sakumoto, mentions of Ohno, Nino and Aiba
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Jun is beautiful and charming, and also the most difficult customer Sho ever had. As a real estate agent he tries to find the perfect apartment for Jun, but soon realizes that Jun might not even really know what he is looking for. Gradually Sho discovers a few secrets about Jun’s private life and gets closer to him…
Warnings: none
Notes: Dearoctavialao, you had so many interesting prompts to offer – it was hard to choose one! In the end I went for your Jun-searches-for-the-perfect-home prompt :-) I really hope you will enjoy this story.
Aiba bends forward, peeking out of the window. He grins. “Fresh meat!”
Sho rolls his eyes. “Aiba-chan, how about you don’t treat our possible future customers like objects?”
“But that one is hot,” Aiba chuckles. “Fresh meat, as in for our hungry eyes. Let’s be happy that finally a young one comes along, not one of these old business dudes.”
Sho actually agrees. It’s rare for them to have young customers. Mostly it’s older business men or wealthy families who search for apartments. He and Masaki built their business together, both of them originally started in a renowned estate agency, and then built their own little enterprise. Sho’s family is wealthy enough to have provided them with a good start-up and a good name to carry, while Masaki’s father who works in tax and bank business helped them in the beginning.
Now their customers are mainly men and women or families who are looking for apartments or houses on the pricier side.
The man walking through the corridor though and approaching them is not old. He doesn’t seem to be older than 35 actually.
Masaki sets his tie and tries to look as professional as possible. “Do I look okay?” he whispers.
Sho nods, right before the guy steps in. For a moment he takes Sho’s breath away. Wow. What a handsome man. He is tall, with a small waist yet broad shoulders, dressed stylish and with beautiful thick hair and strong features. And his eyes… Sho clears his throat, it's not the right time to daydream.
Jeez for how long hasn't he had sex?
He blushes at his own thoughts, relieved that Aiba saves the day by greeting their customer. “My name is Aiba Masaki.” He bows deeply. “Please take a seat,” he says politely, leading him to the comfortable sofa chair next to the huge table where they show their customers their drafts and plans.
“Thank you,” the man smiles dashingly. “Matsumoto Jun.” He sits down. “My best friend recommended you, saying you are able to find a fitting apartment for anyone.”
Sho smiles proudly. They indeed built up a good reputation it seems.
“We will try our hardest,” Aiba says. “What exactly are you looking for Matsumoto-san?”
“I am looking for a penthouse,” the man starts with a look of deepest concentration on his face while looking through his notebook. “It should have a lot of windows, but I would like one darker room, which shouldn’t be too warm and well isolated so that it’s not too cold during winter, and there should be an outdoor terrace. And the kitchen is of utmost importance! It should be as modern as possible. I also don’t like old-fashioned baths.” He shakes his head, like the idea is creepy. “There should be an extra balcony for plants and I need a room without a cooler, I need it humid in there. My hobby is making music, so everything should be soundproof. And I need a place for Princess Freya. Money doesn’t matter.”
Aiba nods with a smile, hiding his stressed expression successfully, before pointing at Sho. “I think Sakurai-san will be perfect for fulfilling your requests! He is a professional for penthouses.”
Matsumoto turns around, smiling slightly at Sho. Sho’s legs get weak because of that smile. He knows he should probably skilfully dodge Aiba’s suggestion to take over another difficult customer, because Aiba always does that with the difficult ones, and this Matsumoto sounds difficult as hell, but he just can’t. He stands up, bowing slightly and taking Aiba’s place. “I’m Sakurai Sho,” he says, going for a professional attitude. “May I offer you some coffee first before going through your notes once more?”
The man shows him another beautiful smile and nods.
~~~
“I don’t like it, sorry.”
The second time Matsumoto says these words as Sho shows him the second perfect penthouse he realizes that this job is going to be more difficult than anticipated. No matter how hot this guy is, he is so high maintenance that it normally would annoy Sho to no end, if it weren’t for Matsumoto’s beautiful eyes and nice butt.
God, I’m thirsty, Sho thinks to himself, annoyed for not being able to hold his dirty thoughts back.
“You know, this is the area in which John Lennon preferred to eat. The building was built in 1915, destroyed during the war, and then rebuilt again in the 50s. It got majorly renovated ten years ago. They used modern technology to reproduce the antique style of…” Sho’s voice trails off when he realizes he is probably talking too much. Aiba once told him he should keep his boring trivia to himself.
Matsumoto looks at him for a moment, raising his eyebrows. His pretty eyes look confused and slightly amused. Man, does he have deep eyes… Sho stops his trail of thoughts before they might get even more embarrassing. He really needs to get laid or lay someone soon, because this situation is driving him nuts, obviously.
“This apartment has all the features you prefer,” Sho points out. “It’s light, with huge rooms, modern, good neighbourhood, soundproof.”
“I don’t think there would be a room for Princess Freya though,” Jun frowns. “Also the neighbourhood is too hipster.”
“Hipster?” Sho blinks.
“Yeah.”
“But you said you want something more modern?”
“Yes, modern, but not hipster. This is the kind of area all the newly rich without any taste would live in,” Matsumoto says dryly.
Sho kinda wants to scratch that annoying condescending smirk from this face, but holds back a sharp answer. Matsumoto is not just talk, he knows that by now, he is freaking rich. Like a prince. Aiba did some research on him, finding out that Matsumoto’s father owns one of the leading construction businesses for Asia. Matsumoto himself is already a CEO. This guy has money he is obviously willing to spend, just that he is picky as hell and so high maintenance.
“You know,” Matsumoto curls his nose. “There is a huge ramen store around the corner…”
“And that’s bad?”
“Yes, I don’t like the smell of old fat.”
JESUS!
~~~
“And how is the prince doing?” Aiba asks the next day in the office, and sounds unnervingly unsympathetic.
Sho frowns. “Stop the sarcasm,” he grumbles. “You were the one shoving the responsibility towards me.”
“Just because you looked so hungry,” Aiba sneers.
Sho blushes but then lets out a sigh. “He really is handsome,” he says dreamily while stuffing his cheeks with a handful of peanuts. “But so high maintenance. Like… is he really searching for an apartment or is he just trying to keep me busy?”
Sho isn’t sure if he ever felt so attracted and infuriated by someone at the same time.
“Does he still not like any apartment you are showing him?”
“None. I picked seven of the best for him. The weird thing is he barely looks at the apartments, it’s like he isn’t even interested. I wonder what he is searching for…”
Aiba sighs slightly. “Here,” he says and hands Sho a ticket.
“What’s that?”
“I’m starting to feel bad for handing this job to you, so take my ticket for the modern art exhibition in Ueno. They only offer exclusive tickets, it’s hard to buy one just like that..”
Sho blinks. “Is this really okay?”
Aiba chuckles. “Yeah, sure. You need to get some distraction and you like art more than I do.”
That’s an understatement, Sho thinks, because he loves art. Not just like. He looks at the ticket. Well, at least he has something to do on Sunday.
~~~
The exhibition Sho goes to is featuring mostly new and aspiring artists, something that always fascinated Sho more than watching pictures from established artists. It’s just… so raw and real.
The theme is the ocean.
While Sho roams through the different rooms he halts in front of a huge picture, almost taking half of the wall. It’s just… the ocean with all its shades, sucking him into it like a maelstrom. He has never seen such an intense picture before. Sho has a hard time to tear his eyes away, but when he does so, he surprisingly catches the eye of someone he didn’t expect to see here.
Matsumoto is sitting on one of the benches, staring at the same picture, his expression blank and sad. Sho just knows him sarcastic and confident, to see him like this gives him a sting in his stomach. He is still wondering if it would be appropriate to say hello or not when Jun looks up and meets his eyes. His expression is so raw for a moment that Sho feels he is looking right into his soul.
“Matsumoto-san,” he mumbles before he can stop himself. “Are you alright?”
To his surprise Matsumoto doesn’t get angry. “Yes,” he says, not sounding convincing to Sho’s ears.
Sho sits down next to his client. “The pictures of this artist are wonderful. It seems like he is the main artist of this exhibition.”
Jun’s lips tug, but he isn’t smiling. “Yes,” he finally agrees.
Before Sho can say anything else a young guy approaches them, he is rather skinny but he has a pair of strong eyes. “J, finally found you!”
Matsumoto looks up. “Nino-kun?”
“Yeah, I just received a call from the office. Will be heading there, is that okay?”
“Sure,” Jun nods, before pointing at Sho. “This is Sakurai Sho, my real estate agent.”
Nino grins. “Poor guy,” he sneers. Much to Sho’s surprise Matsumoto doesn’t seem to be upset by his teasing. “Just watch out for J, will you?”
“I will try,” Sho answers promptly.
“Take him to a restaurant for me okay? We were supposed to have lunch together…”
“It’s really okay,” Matsumoto tries to argue.
“No, it’s fine by me,” Sho says immediately. “I haven’t had anything to eat today. And I’m so hungry.” Well, he is always hungry, but Matsumoto doesn’t need to know that.
The latter blinks. “You haven't eaten anything the whole day?”
“I had some leftovers in the fridge but they turned mouldy,” Sho chuckles.
Matsumoto nods, in a better mood again. “Let’s go then,” he offers. Normally Sho would have stayed longer to watch the pictures but he doesn’t mind going with Matsumoto and getting to know that man better. Actually it’s even better to spend the day with him than to stay here.
~~~
Sho sighs happily while taking a huge sip from his bowl. “You know, this restaurant originated in the 17th century, it seems like a rich noble man found his liking in soba noodles and decided to support a local farmer in opening a small restaurant for all people to be able to taste these delicious soba noodles.” When he sees how Matsumoto is staring at him, he blushes. He is doing it again… boring someone with his random trivia. To his surprise though Matsumoto just laughs.
“Is that so?” he asks. When he laughs like this, he looks so different to his usual sarcastic smirk. So beautiful.
“Matsumoto-san-“
“Call me Jun,” Matsumoto interrupts him. “I’m probably going to stay your client for a while, so just stick with my first name.”
“Well, in that case call me Sho, please,” he smiles. “You already know that you will need long to find an apartment?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Sho chuckles. “What exactly are you looking for, Jun-san?”
Jun tilts his head. “I want to feel at home,” he finally says, and he sounds almost as sad as when they met at the exhibition.
Sho’s chest clenches again. “I will try to find a place for you. A place where you will feel at home. A fitting penthouse for you and your daughter.”
Jun stares at him. “Daughter?”
“Well, you always mention her,” Sho says with a knowing smile. Noticing details like these are what made him and Aiba so successful in the first place.
The more he his confused when Jun breaks down laughing. “I do not have a daughter.”
“But… Princess Freya…” Can’t be his girlfriend, can it? He would call his daughter by such a stupid pet name, but… “You always mention her.”
“It’s my bonsai.”
Sho stares at him in horror. “Shut up,” he mumbles, before blushing. “I mean… you don’t say!?” He pauses and shakes his head. “No, sorry. You named your bonsai!?”
Jun grins. “Don’t worry, even Nino-kun thinks it’s weird, and he is my best friend.”
“You call it princess!”
“Well, that’s her name.”
“You are using pronouns while talking about it,” Sho breaths out. Jun raises his eyebrows, making Sho frown. “You can't be serious?” When Jun just chuckles, Sho groans. “Fine, her. You are using pronouns while talking about her.”
To Sho’s utmost surprise Jun laughs heartedly. His face and smile are so open now, not hiding anything. Jun looks so real and warm and friendly. If Sho didn’t have the hots for him before already despite his snarky attitude, he would have fallen for him now.
Jun smiles warmly at him. “Thank you, Sho-san,” he says. “You saved me from a horrible day.”
“Are you feeling better?” Sho asks carefully.
“Well,” Jun tilts his head. “I think I do, at least a bit. You know… family problems.”
“Did something happen in the company?” Sho asks worried.
Jun blinks. “You mean if there are issues between me and my father?” He chuckles. “Not at all. My father doesn’t mind at all what I’m doing. He isn’t really into the business anymore, just for keeping his face. He is rather going hiking and collecting stones. He and my mother are currently into ballroom dancing and taking a class.”
Sho stares at Jun in disbelief. Matsumoto senior, the strict looking head of the company, a laidback guy? Jun doesn’t look like he is joking though. “If it’s not your parents, what happened then?”
“I miss my older brother,” Jun says quietly. “We had a fall-out a year ago. Since then I haven’t seen him.”
“Oh.” Sho nods sympathetically. He loosely remembers that there is another Matsumoto son, but he is in a different career field. “I’m sorry,” he says sincerely.
“Don’t be,” Jun smiles. “After all you made my day.”
“Do you…” Sho licks his lips nervously. “Want to go for a drink after this? There is a nice bar just around the corner.”
To his joy Jun nods. “I would love to.”
~~~
“You know, the locals here say that this bar already existed two hundred years ago when a traveller named-“
“Oh please,” Jun chuckles. “Have mercy.”
“I’m doing it again,” Sho breaths out in frustration. “Aiba-kun always tells me to keep my trivia to myself. But I just love history and art and all this stuff… It’s pretty annoying, right?”
“No.” Jun blushes slightly. “It’s kinda adorable actually. I mean, you are so passionate about it. It’s pretty admirable.”
“What do you like?” Sho asks in return, primarily to hide his embarrassment because of Jun’s nice words. “Aside from your bonsai, I mean.”
Jun smiles. “I like books, and fashion, music.” He pauses. “And art.”
“Oh, you paint?”
“Not at all,” Jun cracks a smile. “But I like seeing art.”
“Modern art, like today?”
“I’m more into classics,” Jun admits. “Today was different.”
“The artist featured today is truly special,” Sho agrees.
Jun’s expression goes from thoughtful too proud to sad all in an instant, but then he sighs. “I need another drink, I think.”
Sho rests his hand on Jun’s knee. “Don’t be so sad,” he says softly. “I’m sure you can solve the problems with your brother.”
Jun stares at him for a while before his eyes move to look down at Sho’s hand, still resting on Jun’s knee. Sho blushes furiously. “Oh my god, I’m sorry, I-“
“It’s okay,” Jun says, and his voice is hoarse. He gives Sho’s hand a short squeeze.
~~~
This feels so weird, so surreal, so… he has no words for it. It’s Sunday morning, a week later, and Jun invited him for lunch.
Granted of course that Sho still hasn't found an apartment for him. He took Jun to three new ones, and each and every time Jun shook his head and apologized. I want to feel at home, he said once, but Sho still doesn’t understand what Jun means with that.
Jun’s current apartment, the one he wants to move out from, is located somewhere in Shibuya, and Sho can pretty much understand why Jun wants to move out of this busy area. He just doesn’t know what he is looking for…
He is supposed to arrive at Jun’s place around lunchtime, but he is way too early. He is wondering what he should bring along though. Flowers seem weird, don’t they? They are both guys… although judging by Princess Freya Jun seems to have a thing for plants. But he doesn’t want to give the image of hitting too much on Jun. As if the last week and his constant dreamy staring at Jun wasn’t an indication for it already. When Sho passes by a pastry shop, his eyes widen. That’s it. Cake! Everyone likes cake! It’s a good present, neutral, yet thoughtful. He decides to go for a few slices of strawberry cake and chocolate-caramel cake.
It’s on his way to the subway that Sho’s eyes suddenly catch a sign. It’s for an atelier, and says “Art is everywhere.” But it’s not the sign that caught Sho’s eyes, it’s the picture advertised on it. It’s the same technique used by the artist featured in the exhibition last week.
He doesn’t think too long and just steps inside, and is overwhelmed by pictures and sculptures everywhere, all in the same dreamy, slightly melancholic yet strong style.
“Hello.”
Sho turns around, eyeing a young man, smaller than he is, but he looks older. His eyes are kinda droopy but they have a strong look to them. “I’m sorry for intruding,” Sho says and bows. “I just passed by and saw your pictures and they pulled me in.”
The man chuckles. “If that’s the case, then I’m happy.”
“I saw your pictures in the exhibition last week in Ueno,” Sho explains.
The man nods. “Yes, a few customers visited me because of that one.” He smiles slightly. “I’m Ohno Satoshi by the way.”
“Sakurai Sho, nice to meet you.” Sho looks around in awe. Many of the pictures are landscapes with the ocean or the sea in them, some are abstract and some feature the silhouette of a young man, walking over the beach, the street. Sho squeezes his eyes. The frame of this man looks mildly familiar, but Ohno just painted him vaguely. “This guy,” he says curiously.
“My brother,” Ohno explains quietly.
Sho looks at him. To his surprise Ohno looks almost sad. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles. “I didn’t want to reopen any old wounds.”
“They are not that old though,” Ohno points out. “And it doesn’t need much to reopen them. You know, my brother hasn’t been talking to me for a year.”
Sho almost feels relieved. It obviously means that Ohno’s brother is still alive. “Why is that?” he asks carefully.
“I think I meddled too much with his personal business. He probably hates me now. One year, and my little brother has not said one word to me.”
Sho looks at the artist in surprise, wanting to ask more, but unfortunately a regular customer of Ohno suddenly drops by and Sho decides to come back another time. Ohno turns towards him before he can leave. “You can drop by next Thursday if you like to. I’m normally closed then. But I can show you more of my pictures then.”
Sho nods happily. “Thank you.”
~~~
Once outside he realizes that quite some time passed. Gladly. He is not going to be awfully early for Jun’s invitation but just a little bit. On his way to his apartment he stumbles over a little shop. It’s tiny, and has tons of everything, but what catches Sho’s attention is a certain plant…
“I told you not to bring anything along,” Jun pouts once he opens the door. “You are the second one today. My neighbour just handed me a package with fresh vegetables, and told me he got it from a good friend but doesn’t have any need for it. He does that every month.”
“But I cannot accept your invitation without bringing something,” Sho stutters and blushes. He hands Jun the bag with the cake and the little cactus. “I… here.”
Jun blinks in surprise. “You are giving me a cactus.” He grins. “Does this mean I’m prickly?”
Sho blushes further. “It’s because of its flowers,” he explains nervously. “They are so pretty.”
Jun inspects the cactus closer, eyes widening when he spots the little white flowers. “Beautiful,” he whispers. “And this kind of cactus rarely has flowers. Thank you, Sho-san.”
Sho’s heart jumps happily. It seems like Jun surprisingly likes his present. He didn’t expect it at all.
Jun’s lunch is fabulous. He made seafood ramen, apparently because Sho told him he likes ramen and seafood. Sho just didn’t know that Jun listened so well. He praises Jun’s food with almost every bite, noticing how Jun blushes slightly and is obviously happy with his compliments. When they do the dishes together, Sho takes a deep breath. It’s now or never. “Would you…” he mumbles. “You know…”
“What?” Jun asks curiously.
“I mean, I obviously have a hard time finding an apartment for you. But I won’t just give up, although you are damn hard to please, and pretty high maintenance and all…”
Jun snorts. “Well, thank you.”
Sho blinks. “Oh no, that’s not what I wanted to say,” he blushes. “You are also very charming and it’s fun to hang out with you, when we aren’t looking for an apartment. So would you…”
“Would I?”
“Go out with me?”
Jun’s eyes widen, and for a split second Sho curses himself for taking such a huge risk. He obviously got carried away because of the food, the way Jun held his hand last week, and because of these stupid pictures Ohno-san painted. It’s-
“Yes,” Jun turns his gaze towards the plates, drying them like there is no tomorrow. “I think I would like to go out with you.”
“Really?” Sho beams.
Jun blushes even further. “Yeah.”
“Are you for real!?”
“Here,” Jun forces two plates with cake into Sho’s hands. “Take these and bring them to the living room.”
“Would you go for dinner with me on Wednesday?”
Jun nods.
OH MY GOD! YES!
~~~
“You look so happy,” Aiba analyses. “Found an apartment for the prince?”
“Not at all,” Sho chuckles.
“Do you know what he is looking for?”
“I have no clue,” Sho grins happily.
Aiba looks at him suspiciously before sighing. He throws a glance of pity towards Sho, almost like he thinks Sho lost his mind. Sho doesn’t care though, he is so happy. He went out with Jun on Wednesday, and on Friday, and on Monday, and once he took him home they kissed. He can’t believe it!
Sho looks at his watch. He wants to finish earlier today, then head to Ohno’s atelier to chat a bit. He didn’t make it last Thursday but wrote him a message, and Ohno immediately agreed on meeting him, and then Sho wants to go on a date with Jun.
Once he is in Ohno’s atelier he immediately feels out of the world again. This place is so different. “It’s an oasis,” he mumbles.
“You think so?” Ohno chuckles.
“Yes, you immediately feel less stressed. It’s like your pictures make one concentrate on his inner self and focus on self-reflection. I kind of want to show this place to Jun-san.”
“Jun-san?” Ohno asks curiously.
“My…” Sho blushes. “We are dating,” he stutters.
Ohno smiles. “A good guy?”
“The best!” Sho blurts out. “He has zero mistakes!”
Much to his surprise Ohno laughs heartedly. “You sound like the textbook example of someone just falling in love. I can’t believe that there is a person without any mistakes.”
“Well, he is a bit picky with finding an apartment and all, but that’s how we met, so I won’t complain. And he wants to live there for a long time, so I can understand.”
Ohno tilts his head. “You are an estate agent, right? And a good one on top of that. Yet you have problems finding an apartment for him?”
Sho shrugs. “I take everything into account he wishes for, but whenever I show him something he apologizes and says he doesn’t feel at home here.” Ohno tilts his head, looking at one of his pictures. It shows a dessert, just sand and sun, so fascinating, and in the distant there is a silhouette of a man. “It seems,” Sho muses suddenly. “That you can’t catch the man in your pictures. Like you are running after him, but you can’t grasp him.”
Ohno looks at him, eyes wide in surprise. For a moment Sho is scared that he said something wrong, but then the shocked look in Ohno’s eyes is gone. “Maybe he is looking for something else.”
“Pardon me?”
“Your boyfriend. Maybe it’s not really an apartment he is looking for. Or rather: It is, but the list of wishes he gave you isn’t relevant. Maybe he is looking for something completely different.”
Sho blinks for a moment, before his eyes widen. Could that be true? Jun isn’t looking for a fancy penthouse, but for something else? Maybe…
~~~
“One round of Sex on the beach please,” Aiba blurts towards the bartender. “By the way, you are cute! Free tomorrow?”
Sho is used to his straightforward attitude, but he wonders how the others will react. Jun however just giggles, and Nino raises one of his eyebrows in amusement. The bartender returns with their drinks. “Not tomorrow,” he says. “But on Tuesday.” He hands Aiba a tissue with his phone number.
Once he is away, Nino looks at Aiba impressed. “Nice, dude. You don’t even look like a player.”
“I’m not a player,” Aiba pouts. “I really think he is cute. And just decided to make a move and ask him out.”
“Aiba-chan doesn’t play around,” Sho agrees.
Nino grins. “Makes it even weirder.”
“What about you, Ninomiya-san?” Aiba asks curiously.
“I play around,” Nino says promptly, making Jun chuckle and Sho look at him in surprise.
“Believe me,” Jun says to Sho. “He can almost get anyone he wants.”
“Is that why you hit on me in the taxi?” Sho asks dumbfounded.
“No,” Nino says dryly. “I was just checking if you are good enough for my best friend. But you passed the Ninomiya-test!”
“Nino,” Jun groans. “You are overreacting!”
“Well, last time…” Nino doesn’t finish his sentence. Instead he bites down on his tongue. “How about we order something to eat too?”
“A round of nachos for everyone?” Aiba asks.
“Yes,” Sho agrees. “This time it’s on me.” He chats along with the others and Jun, his hand holding Jun’s tightly. But Nino’s words still ring in his ears.
~~~
Sho decides he needs to ask. After three sleepless nights, he needs to know if someone hurt Jun and if he needs to be extra cautious about his next steps.
Jun takes a sip from his coffee, sighing happily. They are meeting for brunch, in a fancy coffee shop Jun seems to adore. Sho likes it more traditional, but he is eager to try out new things, and he trusts Jun’s taste. Indeed the coffee shop offers a great deal of different coffees and brews, and western breakfast.
When Jun bites into his sandwich, Sho takes his free hand. “Jun-san,” he blurts out. “Please tell me if someone hurt you before! I don’t want to be ignorant and do something to hurt you too! Please, you have to tell me if I’m doing something wrong or anything or if-“
Jun snorts before looking at Sho fondly. “You are so sweet,” he says earnestly. “So sweet.”
“I just don’t want to hurt you,” Sho mumbles.
Jun squeezes his hand. “It’s about what Nino-kun accidentally mentioned when we all went out, right?”
Sho nods.
Jun sighs deeply. “My last boyfriend cheated on me. He wasn’t too great to begin with, he would constantly ditch our dates, and he often got mad at me for nothing. It’s not like he was abusive or anything, but he often let out his bad mood on me, blaming me for things that went wrong in his life and everything, and all the time he actually cheated on me.” Jun shakes his head. “I was so blind,” he mumbles. “Such an idiot. My brother saw what was happening, and tried to talk to me, but I didn’t want to listen.”
“Is this why you and your brother aren’t talking anymore?”
Jun nods. “I got really angry at one point and told him to leave me alone. So he did. When I realized he was right a month later, I didn’t have the nerve to call him anymore. I mean, he avoided me from that moment on, not even coming to family meetings or anything. So I assumed he doesn’t want to have anything to do with me…”
“Oh, Jun, I’m so sorry,” Sho mumbles. Jun looks sad, and Sho starts rubbing Jun’s arm soothingly. “Your ex-boyfriend was such an idiot for treating you like that. He clearly didn’t know what he had!”
Jun shows him a smile. “Just be honest with me okay?”
“I promise,” Sho answers without hesitation. “You know, Jun, I think your brother would be happy if you contacted him. Maybe, I don’t know, maybe he thinks you don’t want to see him and that’s why he is not reaching out to you?”
Jun blinks. “I don’t know…”
“Are you guys similar?”
“Not at all,” Jun chuckles. “Satoshi is so calm and sometimes dozes off over nothing, and he is an artist.”
Sho blinks. This sounds awfully familiar. “Do you have the same family name?”
“Yes and no,” Jun explains. “My brother goes by an artist name.”
Sho doesn’t ask what name Jun’s brother goes by. He has more than a vague idea already. Jun’s mobile phone suddenly attracts his attention though. “What’s that by the way?”
“Oh, the light thingy?”
“Yes.”
Jun smiles. “It is apparently particularly soft to the eye, good for people with sensitive eyes. My neighbour got it from his friend again and handed it to me. It’s perfect, because I work so much with my phone.”
By now Sho would have already been highly suspicious of said neighbour, he always gives Jun a lot of attentive gifts from a so-called friend, but when he met this neighbour, he honestly didn’t even give off the tiniest vibe of being interested in Jun. It could be a coincidence, but still Sho thinks it’s weird.
~~~
Sho looks through the many documents in front of him, all apartments that would fit into Jun’s description, but now he wonders… Ohno said, Jun might be looking for something else.
Ohno. The artist. Who is obviously also Jun’s brother. Everything else would be too much of a coincidence. Talking about coincidences… Sho frowns.
“Say, Aiba-kun…”
“Hm?”
“Let’s say you go out with someone, okay? Hypothetically.”
“Sure.”
Sho tilts his head. “By coincidence you meet your boyfriend’s brother. But you don’t know it’s the brother, you just think it’s an artist whose pictures you really like. The brother though seems be particularly interested in you – not in a sexual way though – he invites you, talks to you. Do you think it’s all a coincidence?”
Aiba stares at him. “Seriously, Sho-chan, stop talking in riddles, and just tell me straight-forward what’s going on.”
“You remember the exhibition I went to?”
Aiba nods.
Sho frowns. “I coincidentally found the atelier of the artist. A guy called Ohno Satoshi. Very nice. He was also very kind towards me, even invited me over again, but not… you know.. .to hit on me. More like he wanted to check on me and see what kind of person I am.”
Aiba frowns. “And?”
“I later found out that he is Jun’s brother.”
“Wait a moment!?” Aiba exclaims. “Nino told me the brothers had a falling-out.”
Sho generously looks over the fact that Aiba called Nino “Nino” and seems to be in contact with him. “Exactly. They had a falling-out because Jun’s former boyfriend…”
“…was a jerk!”
“Yes.”
Aiba frowns. “You think this Ohno-san is checking on you to see if you are good enough for his little brother?”
“He told me that he thinks his brother hates him, and that he probably went too far with his intrusive behaviour,” Sho muses. “But to Jun it looks like he doesn’t want to have anything to do with him anymore.”
“He secretly cares and watches out for Jun,” Aiba mumbles. “But he doesn’t want Jun to know, because he thinks Jun wouldn’t approve?”
Sho shrugs.
“Wow, some people are complicated,” Aiba says with emphasis.
In this case Sho has to admit that Aiba is right. Jun is just waiting for Ohno to come around, but Ohno doesn’t get it, yet he seems to secretly watch over Jun.
Sho frowns. He needs to do something about this. He doesn’t care all that much about Ohno, but damn, he cares about Jun, and wants him to be happy, as happy as possible!
~~~
“What are we doing here?” Jun asks with a chuckle when Sho drives through a quiet area. Although the area is quiet, it’s a very expensive one, and right around the corner there are a few bars and quite a few very interesting restaurants.
Before they get out of the car Sho grabs Jun’s hand and pulls him into a kiss. He is almost annoyed that they are in the car, in daylight. He swears he would have ripped Jun’s clothes from his body otherwise. Because he is so hot and wonderful and everything.
Jun blushes all of a sudden.
Sho blinks. Did he say the last words out loud?
“When we are at your place later,” Jun finally says, still looking a bit flustered.
Sho smiles brightly. “Great. For that sake let’s get this over with fast.”
“But what are we doing here?”
“I found a place for you.”
“Here?” Jun asks in disbelief. “But it doesn’t look like they have penthouses.”
“No, but they have houses. Come.”
He leads Jun to one of the huge buildings. It even has a little garden, two balconies. The rooms inside are huge and wide. One of them ideal for being Princess Freya’s new room, Sho especially talked to a florist because of it. The kitchen is new, with all kinds of fancy interior Jun is going to love. And indeed Jun stops at the kitchen, eyes widening.
“This has everything on your list,” Sho points out. “Lots of light. You are the only one in the house, so no one hears any noise.” No matter what kind of noise they'll make here, he thinks to himself. Dirty. “I talked to an expert, and one of the rooms is perfect for Princess Freya. It’s close to your work, there are bars around the corner, and the area we are in once you leave the residential area is fancy. There are many restaurants.”
“But it’s not a penthouse,” Jun stutters. “And it has too many rooms.”
“No, it’s not a penthouse,” Sho smiles, and takes Jun’s hand. “And it doesn’t have too many rooms, because obviously I’m going to visit you all the time. There is a room in case your nieces visit, and a guest room for your mother. And…” he opens the door to a room which has even more natural light than the others. “This could be a place where your brother can paint when he visits.”
Jun stares at Sho speechlessly. “But Sho-kun, my brother isn’t talking to me. He doesn’t even care for me anymore.”
“He does,” Sho states, and takes Jun’s hand. “Come, I’ll prove it to you.”
Once he leads Jun to the living room, he can feel how Jun’s body stiffens. Ohno is sitting on the sofa, looking embarrassed and nervous as hell.
“Satoshi?” Jun stutters. “But I don’t understand.”
“He was checking on me to see if I’m good enough for you,” Sho points out with a chuckle. “That’s how I found him.”
“You are kidding me,” Jun breaths out.
Ohno stands up, bowing in front of Jun. “I’m so sorry.”
Jun blushes. “What are you doing, Satoshi?”
“Apologizing,” Ohno says dumbfounded. “I didn’t mean to intrude your privacy again. I sometimes sent some things to you through your neighbour, he is one of my closest friends… I know you don’t want me to be anywhere near you, that’s why I didn’t attend any family meetings and all. I didn’t want you to feel upset by my presence.”
“Are you stupid?” Jun huffs. “Why would I want that!?”
“But you said-“
“I was an idiot, okay?” Jun hisses, blushing. “You were right, that guy was an ass. He cheated on me and I was too stupid to notice or to listen to your warnings.”
“Does this mean you aren’t mad at me?” Ohno asks in shock.
Jun looks at the floor nervously. “Not at all. I actually thought you wouldn’t want to see me again, and don’t care anymore. That I pushed you away for real, and that you didn’t want to have me around anymore.”
Ohno looks at Jun in horror. “But I love you! You are my brother!”
“Okay,” Sho intervenes with a grin. “Can’t you both agree, that you care for each other and aren’t mad at each other?”
“I was never mad at you,” Ohno states immediately.
Jun looks at Ohno nervously. “I’m not mad at you either.”
“Aw,” Ohno chuckles. “Come here, stupid little brother.”
“Oh,” Jun grins, and pulls Ohno into a hug. “Who are you calling stupid, sleepy-eye?”
“See,” Sho smiles happily. “You can stop hiding around each other now.”
Jun lets go of Ohno and instead pulls Sho into his arms. He has tears in his eyes. “Thank you, you wonderful man.”
Sho rubs Jun’s back soothingly. “Don’t cry,” he whispers. “Be happy.”
“I am,” Jun mumbles. “You not only made me reconcile with my brother, but you also found me the perfect place.”
“You like it?” Sho beams.
“It’s perfect,” Jun admits. “Not what I was originally looking for, but…”
“You know, your brother gave me the hint,” Sho grins. “He told me you probably are searching for something entirely different, but you don’t know what you are looking for. And at one point I thought: Is there anyone who knows you better than he does?”
“So you took his advice?” Jun chuckles. He turns towards Ohno. “And you, do you approve of my boyfriend?”
Ohno grins and gives him the thumbs up.
~~~
“Hey Jun,” Sho grins and tugs at the blanket. “We need to get up.”
“Shut up,” Jun grumbles. “Too early.”
“But we wanted to drive to Nagoya today,” Sho chuckles. “And then visit your brother and see his newest pictures!”
Jun turns on his back, rubbing over his eyes. “Did we?”
Sho blinks, staring at Jun for a while. The buttons of his pyjama top are halfway open, and… “On second thought,” he crawls back into their bed, straddling Jun’s hips. “A day in bed sounds nice too.”
Pairing: Sakumoto, mentions of Ohno, Nino and Aiba
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Jun is beautiful and charming, and also the most difficult customer Sho ever had. As a real estate agent he tries to find the perfect apartment for Jun, but soon realizes that Jun might not even really know what he is looking for. Gradually Sho discovers a few secrets about Jun’s private life and gets closer to him…
Warnings: none
Notes: Dear
octavialao, you had so many interesting prompts to offer – it was hard to choose one! In the end I went for your Jun-searches-for-the-perfect-home prompt :-) I really hope you will enjoy this story.Aiba bends forward, peeking out of the window. He grins. “Fresh meat!”
Sho rolls his eyes. “Aiba-chan, how about you don’t treat our possible future customers like objects?”
“But that one is hot,” Aiba chuckles. “Fresh meat, as in for our hungry eyes. Let’s be happy that finally a young one comes along, not one of these old business dudes.”
Sho actually agrees. It’s rare for them to have young customers. Mostly it’s older business men or wealthy families who search for apartments. He and Masaki built their business together, both of them originally started in a renowned estate agency, and then built their own little enterprise. Sho’s family is wealthy enough to have provided them with a good start-up and a good name to carry, while Masaki’s father who works in tax and bank business helped them in the beginning.
Now their customers are mainly men and women or families who are looking for apartments or houses on the pricier side.
The man walking through the corridor though and approaching them is not old. He doesn’t seem to be older than 35 actually.
Masaki sets his tie and tries to look as professional as possible. “Do I look okay?” he whispers.
Sho nods, right before the guy steps in. For a moment he takes Sho’s breath away. Wow. What a handsome man. He is tall, with a small waist yet broad shoulders, dressed stylish and with beautiful thick hair and strong features. And his eyes… Sho clears his throat, it's not the right time to daydream.
Jeez for how long hasn't he had sex?
He blushes at his own thoughts, relieved that Aiba saves the day by greeting their customer. “My name is Aiba Masaki.” He bows deeply. “Please take a seat,” he says politely, leading him to the comfortable sofa chair next to the huge table where they show their customers their drafts and plans.
“Thank you,” the man smiles dashingly. “Matsumoto Jun.” He sits down. “My best friend recommended you, saying you are able to find a fitting apartment for anyone.”
Sho smiles proudly. They indeed built up a good reputation it seems.
“We will try our hardest,” Aiba says. “What exactly are you looking for Matsumoto-san?”
“I am looking for a penthouse,” the man starts with a look of deepest concentration on his face while looking through his notebook. “It should have a lot of windows, but I would like one darker room, which shouldn’t be too warm and well isolated so that it’s not too cold during winter, and there should be an outdoor terrace. And the kitchen is of utmost importance! It should be as modern as possible. I also don’t like old-fashioned baths.” He shakes his head, like the idea is creepy. “There should be an extra balcony for plants and I need a room without a cooler, I need it humid in there. My hobby is making music, so everything should be soundproof. And I need a place for Princess Freya. Money doesn’t matter.”
Aiba nods with a smile, hiding his stressed expression successfully, before pointing at Sho. “I think Sakurai-san will be perfect for fulfilling your requests! He is a professional for penthouses.”
Matsumoto turns around, smiling slightly at Sho. Sho’s legs get weak because of that smile. He knows he should probably skilfully dodge Aiba’s suggestion to take over another difficult customer, because Aiba always does that with the difficult ones, and this Matsumoto sounds difficult as hell, but he just can’t. He stands up, bowing slightly and taking Aiba’s place. “I’m Sakurai Sho,” he says, going for a professional attitude. “May I offer you some coffee first before going through your notes once more?”
The man shows him another beautiful smile and nods.
~~~
“I don’t like it, sorry.”
The second time Matsumoto says these words as Sho shows him the second perfect penthouse he realizes that this job is going to be more difficult than anticipated. No matter how hot this guy is, he is so high maintenance that it normally would annoy Sho to no end, if it weren’t for Matsumoto’s beautiful eyes and nice butt.
God, I’m thirsty, Sho thinks to himself, annoyed for not being able to hold his dirty thoughts back.
“You know, this is the area in which John Lennon preferred to eat. The building was built in 1915, destroyed during the war, and then rebuilt again in the 50s. It got majorly renovated ten years ago. They used modern technology to reproduce the antique style of…” Sho’s voice trails off when he realizes he is probably talking too much. Aiba once told him he should keep his boring trivia to himself.
Matsumoto looks at him for a moment, raising his eyebrows. His pretty eyes look confused and slightly amused. Man, does he have deep eyes… Sho stops his trail of thoughts before they might get even more embarrassing. He really needs to get laid or lay someone soon, because this situation is driving him nuts, obviously.
“This apartment has all the features you prefer,” Sho points out. “It’s light, with huge rooms, modern, good neighbourhood, soundproof.”
“I don’t think there would be a room for Princess Freya though,” Jun frowns. “Also the neighbourhood is too hipster.”
“Hipster?” Sho blinks.
“Yeah.”
“But you said you want something more modern?”
“Yes, modern, but not hipster. This is the kind of area all the newly rich without any taste would live in,” Matsumoto says dryly.
Sho kinda wants to scratch that annoying condescending smirk from this face, but holds back a sharp answer. Matsumoto is not just talk, he knows that by now, he is freaking rich. Like a prince. Aiba did some research on him, finding out that Matsumoto’s father owns one of the leading construction businesses for Asia. Matsumoto himself is already a CEO. This guy has money he is obviously willing to spend, just that he is picky as hell and so high maintenance.
“You know,” Matsumoto curls his nose. “There is a huge ramen store around the corner…”
“And that’s bad?”
“Yes, I don’t like the smell of old fat.”
JESUS!
~~~
“And how is the prince doing?” Aiba asks the next day in the office, and sounds unnervingly unsympathetic.
Sho frowns. “Stop the sarcasm,” he grumbles. “You were the one shoving the responsibility towards me.”
“Just because you looked so hungry,” Aiba sneers.
Sho blushes but then lets out a sigh. “He really is handsome,” he says dreamily while stuffing his cheeks with a handful of peanuts. “But so high maintenance. Like… is he really searching for an apartment or is he just trying to keep me busy?”
Sho isn’t sure if he ever felt so attracted and infuriated by someone at the same time.
“Does he still not like any apartment you are showing him?”
“None. I picked seven of the best for him. The weird thing is he barely looks at the apartments, it’s like he isn’t even interested. I wonder what he is searching for…”
Aiba sighs slightly. “Here,” he says and hands Sho a ticket.
“What’s that?”
“I’m starting to feel bad for handing this job to you, so take my ticket for the modern art exhibition in Ueno. They only offer exclusive tickets, it’s hard to buy one just like that..”
Sho blinks. “Is this really okay?”
Aiba chuckles. “Yeah, sure. You need to get some distraction and you like art more than I do.”
That’s an understatement, Sho thinks, because he loves art. Not just like. He looks at the ticket. Well, at least he has something to do on Sunday.
~~~
The exhibition Sho goes to is featuring mostly new and aspiring artists, something that always fascinated Sho more than watching pictures from established artists. It’s just… so raw and real.
The theme is the ocean.
While Sho roams through the different rooms he halts in front of a huge picture, almost taking half of the wall. It’s just… the ocean with all its shades, sucking him into it like a maelstrom. He has never seen such an intense picture before. Sho has a hard time to tear his eyes away, but when he does so, he surprisingly catches the eye of someone he didn’t expect to see here.
Matsumoto is sitting on one of the benches, staring at the same picture, his expression blank and sad. Sho just knows him sarcastic and confident, to see him like this gives him a sting in his stomach. He is still wondering if it would be appropriate to say hello or not when Jun looks up and meets his eyes. His expression is so raw for a moment that Sho feels he is looking right into his soul.
“Matsumoto-san,” he mumbles before he can stop himself. “Are you alright?”
To his surprise Matsumoto doesn’t get angry. “Yes,” he says, not sounding convincing to Sho’s ears.
Sho sits down next to his client. “The pictures of this artist are wonderful. It seems like he is the main artist of this exhibition.”
Jun’s lips tug, but he isn’t smiling. “Yes,” he finally agrees.
Before Sho can say anything else a young guy approaches them, he is rather skinny but he has a pair of strong eyes. “J, finally found you!”
Matsumoto looks up. “Nino-kun?”
“Yeah, I just received a call from the office. Will be heading there, is that okay?”
“Sure,” Jun nods, before pointing at Sho. “This is Sakurai Sho, my real estate agent.”
Nino grins. “Poor guy,” he sneers. Much to Sho’s surprise Matsumoto doesn’t seem to be upset by his teasing. “Just watch out for J, will you?”
“I will try,” Sho answers promptly.
“Take him to a restaurant for me okay? We were supposed to have lunch together…”
“It’s really okay,” Matsumoto tries to argue.
“No, it’s fine by me,” Sho says immediately. “I haven’t had anything to eat today. And I’m so hungry.” Well, he is always hungry, but Matsumoto doesn’t need to know that.
The latter blinks. “You haven't eaten anything the whole day?”
“I had some leftovers in the fridge but they turned mouldy,” Sho chuckles.
Matsumoto nods, in a better mood again. “Let’s go then,” he offers. Normally Sho would have stayed longer to watch the pictures but he doesn’t mind going with Matsumoto and getting to know that man better. Actually it’s even better to spend the day with him than to stay here.
~~~
Sho sighs happily while taking a huge sip from his bowl. “You know, this restaurant originated in the 17th century, it seems like a rich noble man found his liking in soba noodles and decided to support a local farmer in opening a small restaurant for all people to be able to taste these delicious soba noodles.” When he sees how Matsumoto is staring at him, he blushes. He is doing it again… boring someone with his random trivia. To his surprise though Matsumoto just laughs.
“Is that so?” he asks. When he laughs like this, he looks so different to his usual sarcastic smirk. So beautiful.
“Matsumoto-san-“
“Call me Jun,” Matsumoto interrupts him. “I’m probably going to stay your client for a while, so just stick with my first name.”
“Well, in that case call me Sho, please,” he smiles. “You already know that you will need long to find an apartment?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Sho chuckles. “What exactly are you looking for, Jun-san?”
Jun tilts his head. “I want to feel at home,” he finally says, and he sounds almost as sad as when they met at the exhibition.
Sho’s chest clenches again. “I will try to find a place for you. A place where you will feel at home. A fitting penthouse for you and your daughter.”
Jun stares at him. “Daughter?”
“Well, you always mention her,” Sho says with a knowing smile. Noticing details like these are what made him and Aiba so successful in the first place.
The more he his confused when Jun breaks down laughing. “I do not have a daughter.”
“But… Princess Freya…” Can’t be his girlfriend, can it? He would call his daughter by such a stupid pet name, but… “You always mention her.”
“It’s my bonsai.”
Sho stares at him in horror. “Shut up,” he mumbles, before blushing. “I mean… you don’t say!?” He pauses and shakes his head. “No, sorry. You named your bonsai!?”
Jun grins. “Don’t worry, even Nino-kun thinks it’s weird, and he is my best friend.”
“You call it princess!”
“Well, that’s her name.”
“You are using pronouns while talking about it,” Sho breaths out. Jun raises his eyebrows, making Sho frown. “You can't be serious?” When Jun just chuckles, Sho groans. “Fine, her. You are using pronouns while talking about her.”
To Sho’s utmost surprise Jun laughs heartedly. His face and smile are so open now, not hiding anything. Jun looks so real and warm and friendly. If Sho didn’t have the hots for him before already despite his snarky attitude, he would have fallen for him now.
Jun smiles warmly at him. “Thank you, Sho-san,” he says. “You saved me from a horrible day.”
“Are you feeling better?” Sho asks carefully.
“Well,” Jun tilts his head. “I think I do, at least a bit. You know… family problems.”
“Did something happen in the company?” Sho asks worried.
Jun blinks. “You mean if there are issues between me and my father?” He chuckles. “Not at all. My father doesn’t mind at all what I’m doing. He isn’t really into the business anymore, just for keeping his face. He is rather going hiking and collecting stones. He and my mother are currently into ballroom dancing and taking a class.”
Sho stares at Jun in disbelief. Matsumoto senior, the strict looking head of the company, a laidback guy? Jun doesn’t look like he is joking though. “If it’s not your parents, what happened then?”
“I miss my older brother,” Jun says quietly. “We had a fall-out a year ago. Since then I haven’t seen him.”
“Oh.” Sho nods sympathetically. He loosely remembers that there is another Matsumoto son, but he is in a different career field. “I’m sorry,” he says sincerely.
“Don’t be,” Jun smiles. “After all you made my day.”
“Do you…” Sho licks his lips nervously. “Want to go for a drink after this? There is a nice bar just around the corner.”
To his joy Jun nods. “I would love to.”
~~~
“You know, the locals here say that this bar already existed two hundred years ago when a traveller named-“
“Oh please,” Jun chuckles. “Have mercy.”
“I’m doing it again,” Sho breaths out in frustration. “Aiba-kun always tells me to keep my trivia to myself. But I just love history and art and all this stuff… It’s pretty annoying, right?”
“No.” Jun blushes slightly. “It’s kinda adorable actually. I mean, you are so passionate about it. It’s pretty admirable.”
“What do you like?” Sho asks in return, primarily to hide his embarrassment because of Jun’s nice words. “Aside from your bonsai, I mean.”
Jun smiles. “I like books, and fashion, music.” He pauses. “And art.”
“Oh, you paint?”
“Not at all,” Jun cracks a smile. “But I like seeing art.”
“Modern art, like today?”
“I’m more into classics,” Jun admits. “Today was different.”
“The artist featured today is truly special,” Sho agrees.
Jun’s expression goes from thoughtful too proud to sad all in an instant, but then he sighs. “I need another drink, I think.”
Sho rests his hand on Jun’s knee. “Don’t be so sad,” he says softly. “I’m sure you can solve the problems with your brother.”
Jun stares at him for a while before his eyes move to look down at Sho’s hand, still resting on Jun’s knee. Sho blushes furiously. “Oh my god, I’m sorry, I-“
“It’s okay,” Jun says, and his voice is hoarse. He gives Sho’s hand a short squeeze.
~~~
This feels so weird, so surreal, so… he has no words for it. It’s Sunday morning, a week later, and Jun invited him for lunch.
Granted of course that Sho still hasn't found an apartment for him. He took Jun to three new ones, and each and every time Jun shook his head and apologized. I want to feel at home, he said once, but Sho still doesn’t understand what Jun means with that.
Jun’s current apartment, the one he wants to move out from, is located somewhere in Shibuya, and Sho can pretty much understand why Jun wants to move out of this busy area. He just doesn’t know what he is looking for…
He is supposed to arrive at Jun’s place around lunchtime, but he is way too early. He is wondering what he should bring along though. Flowers seem weird, don’t they? They are both guys… although judging by Princess Freya Jun seems to have a thing for plants. But he doesn’t want to give the image of hitting too much on Jun. As if the last week and his constant dreamy staring at Jun wasn’t an indication for it already. When Sho passes by a pastry shop, his eyes widen. That’s it. Cake! Everyone likes cake! It’s a good present, neutral, yet thoughtful. He decides to go for a few slices of strawberry cake and chocolate-caramel cake.
It’s on his way to the subway that Sho’s eyes suddenly catch a sign. It’s for an atelier, and says “Art is everywhere.” But it’s not the sign that caught Sho’s eyes, it’s the picture advertised on it. It’s the same technique used by the artist featured in the exhibition last week.
He doesn’t think too long and just steps inside, and is overwhelmed by pictures and sculptures everywhere, all in the same dreamy, slightly melancholic yet strong style.
“Hello.”
Sho turns around, eyeing a young man, smaller than he is, but he looks older. His eyes are kinda droopy but they have a strong look to them. “I’m sorry for intruding,” Sho says and bows. “I just passed by and saw your pictures and they pulled me in.”
The man chuckles. “If that’s the case, then I’m happy.”
“I saw your pictures in the exhibition last week in Ueno,” Sho explains.
The man nods. “Yes, a few customers visited me because of that one.” He smiles slightly. “I’m Ohno Satoshi by the way.”
“Sakurai Sho, nice to meet you.” Sho looks around in awe. Many of the pictures are landscapes with the ocean or the sea in them, some are abstract and some feature the silhouette of a young man, walking over the beach, the street. Sho squeezes his eyes. The frame of this man looks mildly familiar, but Ohno just painted him vaguely. “This guy,” he says curiously.
“My brother,” Ohno explains quietly.
Sho looks at him. To his surprise Ohno looks almost sad. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles. “I didn’t want to reopen any old wounds.”
“They are not that old though,” Ohno points out. “And it doesn’t need much to reopen them. You know, my brother hasn’t been talking to me for a year.”
Sho almost feels relieved. It obviously means that Ohno’s brother is still alive. “Why is that?” he asks carefully.
“I think I meddled too much with his personal business. He probably hates me now. One year, and my little brother has not said one word to me.”
Sho looks at the artist in surprise, wanting to ask more, but unfortunately a regular customer of Ohno suddenly drops by and Sho decides to come back another time. Ohno turns towards him before he can leave. “You can drop by next Thursday if you like to. I’m normally closed then. But I can show you more of my pictures then.”
Sho nods happily. “Thank you.”
~~~
Once outside he realizes that quite some time passed. Gladly. He is not going to be awfully early for Jun’s invitation but just a little bit. On his way to his apartment he stumbles over a little shop. It’s tiny, and has tons of everything, but what catches Sho’s attention is a certain plant…
“I told you not to bring anything along,” Jun pouts once he opens the door. “You are the second one today. My neighbour just handed me a package with fresh vegetables, and told me he got it from a good friend but doesn’t have any need for it. He does that every month.”
“But I cannot accept your invitation without bringing something,” Sho stutters and blushes. He hands Jun the bag with the cake and the little cactus. “I… here.”
Jun blinks in surprise. “You are giving me a cactus.” He grins. “Does this mean I’m prickly?”
Sho blushes further. “It’s because of its flowers,” he explains nervously. “They are so pretty.”
Jun inspects the cactus closer, eyes widening when he spots the little white flowers. “Beautiful,” he whispers. “And this kind of cactus rarely has flowers. Thank you, Sho-san.”
Sho’s heart jumps happily. It seems like Jun surprisingly likes his present. He didn’t expect it at all.
Jun’s lunch is fabulous. He made seafood ramen, apparently because Sho told him he likes ramen and seafood. Sho just didn’t know that Jun listened so well. He praises Jun’s food with almost every bite, noticing how Jun blushes slightly and is obviously happy with his compliments. When they do the dishes together, Sho takes a deep breath. It’s now or never. “Would you…” he mumbles. “You know…”
“What?” Jun asks curiously.
“I mean, I obviously have a hard time finding an apartment for you. But I won’t just give up, although you are damn hard to please, and pretty high maintenance and all…”
Jun snorts. “Well, thank you.”
Sho blinks. “Oh no, that’s not what I wanted to say,” he blushes. “You are also very charming and it’s fun to hang out with you, when we aren’t looking for an apartment. So would you…”
“Would I?”
“Go out with me?”
Jun’s eyes widen, and for a split second Sho curses himself for taking such a huge risk. He obviously got carried away because of the food, the way Jun held his hand last week, and because of these stupid pictures Ohno-san painted. It’s-
“Yes,” Jun turns his gaze towards the plates, drying them like there is no tomorrow. “I think I would like to go out with you.”
“Really?” Sho beams.
Jun blushes even further. “Yeah.”
“Are you for real!?”
“Here,” Jun forces two plates with cake into Sho’s hands. “Take these and bring them to the living room.”
“Would you go for dinner with me on Wednesday?”
Jun nods.
OH MY GOD! YES!
~~~
“You look so happy,” Aiba analyses. “Found an apartment for the prince?”
“Not at all,” Sho chuckles.
“Do you know what he is looking for?”
“I have no clue,” Sho grins happily.
Aiba looks at him suspiciously before sighing. He throws a glance of pity towards Sho, almost like he thinks Sho lost his mind. Sho doesn’t care though, he is so happy. He went out with Jun on Wednesday, and on Friday, and on Monday, and once he took him home they kissed. He can’t believe it!
Sho looks at his watch. He wants to finish earlier today, then head to Ohno’s atelier to chat a bit. He didn’t make it last Thursday but wrote him a message, and Ohno immediately agreed on meeting him, and then Sho wants to go on a date with Jun.
Once he is in Ohno’s atelier he immediately feels out of the world again. This place is so different. “It’s an oasis,” he mumbles.
“You think so?” Ohno chuckles.
“Yes, you immediately feel less stressed. It’s like your pictures make one concentrate on his inner self and focus on self-reflection. I kind of want to show this place to Jun-san.”
“Jun-san?” Ohno asks curiously.
“My…” Sho blushes. “We are dating,” he stutters.
Ohno smiles. “A good guy?”
“The best!” Sho blurts out. “He has zero mistakes!”
Much to his surprise Ohno laughs heartedly. “You sound like the textbook example of someone just falling in love. I can’t believe that there is a person without any mistakes.”
“Well, he is a bit picky with finding an apartment and all, but that’s how we met, so I won’t complain. And he wants to live there for a long time, so I can understand.”
Ohno tilts his head. “You are an estate agent, right? And a good one on top of that. Yet you have problems finding an apartment for him?”
Sho shrugs. “I take everything into account he wishes for, but whenever I show him something he apologizes and says he doesn’t feel at home here.” Ohno tilts his head, looking at one of his pictures. It shows a dessert, just sand and sun, so fascinating, and in the distant there is a silhouette of a man. “It seems,” Sho muses suddenly. “That you can’t catch the man in your pictures. Like you are running after him, but you can’t grasp him.”
Ohno looks at him, eyes wide in surprise. For a moment Sho is scared that he said something wrong, but then the shocked look in Ohno’s eyes is gone. “Maybe he is looking for something else.”
“Pardon me?”
“Your boyfriend. Maybe it’s not really an apartment he is looking for. Or rather: It is, but the list of wishes he gave you isn’t relevant. Maybe he is looking for something completely different.”
Sho blinks for a moment, before his eyes widen. Could that be true? Jun isn’t looking for a fancy penthouse, but for something else? Maybe…
~~~
“One round of Sex on the beach please,” Aiba blurts towards the bartender. “By the way, you are cute! Free tomorrow?”
Sho is used to his straightforward attitude, but he wonders how the others will react. Jun however just giggles, and Nino raises one of his eyebrows in amusement. The bartender returns with their drinks. “Not tomorrow,” he says. “But on Tuesday.” He hands Aiba a tissue with his phone number.
Once he is away, Nino looks at Aiba impressed. “Nice, dude. You don’t even look like a player.”
“I’m not a player,” Aiba pouts. “I really think he is cute. And just decided to make a move and ask him out.”
“Aiba-chan doesn’t play around,” Sho agrees.
Nino grins. “Makes it even weirder.”
“What about you, Ninomiya-san?” Aiba asks curiously.
“I play around,” Nino says promptly, making Jun chuckle and Sho look at him in surprise.
“Believe me,” Jun says to Sho. “He can almost get anyone he wants.”
“Is that why you hit on me in the taxi?” Sho asks dumbfounded.
“No,” Nino says dryly. “I was just checking if you are good enough for my best friend. But you passed the Ninomiya-test!”
“Nino,” Jun groans. “You are overreacting!”
“Well, last time…” Nino doesn’t finish his sentence. Instead he bites down on his tongue. “How about we order something to eat too?”
“A round of nachos for everyone?” Aiba asks.
“Yes,” Sho agrees. “This time it’s on me.” He chats along with the others and Jun, his hand holding Jun’s tightly. But Nino’s words still ring in his ears.
~~~
Sho decides he needs to ask. After three sleepless nights, he needs to know if someone hurt Jun and if he needs to be extra cautious about his next steps.
Jun takes a sip from his coffee, sighing happily. They are meeting for brunch, in a fancy coffee shop Jun seems to adore. Sho likes it more traditional, but he is eager to try out new things, and he trusts Jun’s taste. Indeed the coffee shop offers a great deal of different coffees and brews, and western breakfast.
When Jun bites into his sandwich, Sho takes his free hand. “Jun-san,” he blurts out. “Please tell me if someone hurt you before! I don’t want to be ignorant and do something to hurt you too! Please, you have to tell me if I’m doing something wrong or anything or if-“
Jun snorts before looking at Sho fondly. “You are so sweet,” he says earnestly. “So sweet.”
“I just don’t want to hurt you,” Sho mumbles.
Jun squeezes his hand. “It’s about what Nino-kun accidentally mentioned when we all went out, right?”
Sho nods.
Jun sighs deeply. “My last boyfriend cheated on me. He wasn’t too great to begin with, he would constantly ditch our dates, and he often got mad at me for nothing. It’s not like he was abusive or anything, but he often let out his bad mood on me, blaming me for things that went wrong in his life and everything, and all the time he actually cheated on me.” Jun shakes his head. “I was so blind,” he mumbles. “Such an idiot. My brother saw what was happening, and tried to talk to me, but I didn’t want to listen.”
“Is this why you and your brother aren’t talking anymore?”
Jun nods. “I got really angry at one point and told him to leave me alone. So he did. When I realized he was right a month later, I didn’t have the nerve to call him anymore. I mean, he avoided me from that moment on, not even coming to family meetings or anything. So I assumed he doesn’t want to have anything to do with me…”
“Oh, Jun, I’m so sorry,” Sho mumbles. Jun looks sad, and Sho starts rubbing Jun’s arm soothingly. “Your ex-boyfriend was such an idiot for treating you like that. He clearly didn’t know what he had!”
Jun shows him a smile. “Just be honest with me okay?”
“I promise,” Sho answers without hesitation. “You know, Jun, I think your brother would be happy if you contacted him. Maybe, I don’t know, maybe he thinks you don’t want to see him and that’s why he is not reaching out to you?”
Jun blinks. “I don’t know…”
“Are you guys similar?”
“Not at all,” Jun chuckles. “Satoshi is so calm and sometimes dozes off over nothing, and he is an artist.”
Sho blinks. This sounds awfully familiar. “Do you have the same family name?”
“Yes and no,” Jun explains. “My brother goes by an artist name.”
Sho doesn’t ask what name Jun’s brother goes by. He has more than a vague idea already. Jun’s mobile phone suddenly attracts his attention though. “What’s that by the way?”
“Oh, the light thingy?”
“Yes.”
Jun smiles. “It is apparently particularly soft to the eye, good for people with sensitive eyes. My neighbour got it from his friend again and handed it to me. It’s perfect, because I work so much with my phone.”
By now Sho would have already been highly suspicious of said neighbour, he always gives Jun a lot of attentive gifts from a so-called friend, but when he met this neighbour, he honestly didn’t even give off the tiniest vibe of being interested in Jun. It could be a coincidence, but still Sho thinks it’s weird.
~~~
Sho looks through the many documents in front of him, all apartments that would fit into Jun’s description, but now he wonders… Ohno said, Jun might be looking for something else.
Ohno. The artist. Who is obviously also Jun’s brother. Everything else would be too much of a coincidence. Talking about coincidences… Sho frowns.
“Say, Aiba-kun…”
“Hm?”
“Let’s say you go out with someone, okay? Hypothetically.”
“Sure.”
Sho tilts his head. “By coincidence you meet your boyfriend’s brother. But you don’t know it’s the brother, you just think it’s an artist whose pictures you really like. The brother though seems be particularly interested in you – not in a sexual way though – he invites you, talks to you. Do you think it’s all a coincidence?”
Aiba stares at him. “Seriously, Sho-chan, stop talking in riddles, and just tell me straight-forward what’s going on.”
“You remember the exhibition I went to?”
Aiba nods.
Sho frowns. “I coincidentally found the atelier of the artist. A guy called Ohno Satoshi. Very nice. He was also very kind towards me, even invited me over again, but not… you know.. .to hit on me. More like he wanted to check on me and see what kind of person I am.”
Aiba frowns. “And?”
“I later found out that he is Jun’s brother.”
“Wait a moment!?” Aiba exclaims. “Nino told me the brothers had a falling-out.”
Sho generously looks over the fact that Aiba called Nino “Nino” and seems to be in contact with him. “Exactly. They had a falling-out because Jun’s former boyfriend…”
“…was a jerk!”
“Yes.”
Aiba frowns. “You think this Ohno-san is checking on you to see if you are good enough for his little brother?”
“He told me that he thinks his brother hates him, and that he probably went too far with his intrusive behaviour,” Sho muses. “But to Jun it looks like he doesn’t want to have anything to do with him anymore.”
“He secretly cares and watches out for Jun,” Aiba mumbles. “But he doesn’t want Jun to know, because he thinks Jun wouldn’t approve?”
Sho shrugs.
“Wow, some people are complicated,” Aiba says with emphasis.
In this case Sho has to admit that Aiba is right. Jun is just waiting for Ohno to come around, but Ohno doesn’t get it, yet he seems to secretly watch over Jun.
Sho frowns. He needs to do something about this. He doesn’t care all that much about Ohno, but damn, he cares about Jun, and wants him to be happy, as happy as possible!
~~~
“What are we doing here?” Jun asks with a chuckle when Sho drives through a quiet area. Although the area is quiet, it’s a very expensive one, and right around the corner there are a few bars and quite a few very interesting restaurants.
Before they get out of the car Sho grabs Jun’s hand and pulls him into a kiss. He is almost annoyed that they are in the car, in daylight. He swears he would have ripped Jun’s clothes from his body otherwise. Because he is so hot and wonderful and everything.
Jun blushes all of a sudden.
Sho blinks. Did he say the last words out loud?
“When we are at your place later,” Jun finally says, still looking a bit flustered.
Sho smiles brightly. “Great. For that sake let’s get this over with fast.”
“But what are we doing here?”
“I found a place for you.”
“Here?” Jun asks in disbelief. “But it doesn’t look like they have penthouses.”
“No, but they have houses. Come.”
He leads Jun to one of the huge buildings. It even has a little garden, two balconies. The rooms inside are huge and wide. One of them ideal for being Princess Freya’s new room, Sho especially talked to a florist because of it. The kitchen is new, with all kinds of fancy interior Jun is going to love. And indeed Jun stops at the kitchen, eyes widening.
“This has everything on your list,” Sho points out. “Lots of light. You are the only one in the house, so no one hears any noise.” No matter what kind of noise they'll make here, he thinks to himself. Dirty. “I talked to an expert, and one of the rooms is perfect for Princess Freya. It’s close to your work, there are bars around the corner, and the area we are in once you leave the residential area is fancy. There are many restaurants.”
“But it’s not a penthouse,” Jun stutters. “And it has too many rooms.”
“No, it’s not a penthouse,” Sho smiles, and takes Jun’s hand. “And it doesn’t have too many rooms, because obviously I’m going to visit you all the time. There is a room in case your nieces visit, and a guest room for your mother. And…” he opens the door to a room which has even more natural light than the others. “This could be a place where your brother can paint when he visits.”
Jun stares at Sho speechlessly. “But Sho-kun, my brother isn’t talking to me. He doesn’t even care for me anymore.”
“He does,” Sho states, and takes Jun’s hand. “Come, I’ll prove it to you.”
Once he leads Jun to the living room, he can feel how Jun’s body stiffens. Ohno is sitting on the sofa, looking embarrassed and nervous as hell.
“Satoshi?” Jun stutters. “But I don’t understand.”
“He was checking on me to see if I’m good enough for you,” Sho points out with a chuckle. “That’s how I found him.”
“You are kidding me,” Jun breaths out.
Ohno stands up, bowing in front of Jun. “I’m so sorry.”
Jun blushes. “What are you doing, Satoshi?”
“Apologizing,” Ohno says dumbfounded. “I didn’t mean to intrude your privacy again. I sometimes sent some things to you through your neighbour, he is one of my closest friends… I know you don’t want me to be anywhere near you, that’s why I didn’t attend any family meetings and all. I didn’t want you to feel upset by my presence.”
“Are you stupid?” Jun huffs. “Why would I want that!?”
“But you said-“
“I was an idiot, okay?” Jun hisses, blushing. “You were right, that guy was an ass. He cheated on me and I was too stupid to notice or to listen to your warnings.”
“Does this mean you aren’t mad at me?” Ohno asks in shock.
Jun looks at the floor nervously. “Not at all. I actually thought you wouldn’t want to see me again, and don’t care anymore. That I pushed you away for real, and that you didn’t want to have me around anymore.”
Ohno looks at Jun in horror. “But I love you! You are my brother!”
“Okay,” Sho intervenes with a grin. “Can’t you both agree, that you care for each other and aren’t mad at each other?”
“I was never mad at you,” Ohno states immediately.
Jun looks at Ohno nervously. “I’m not mad at you either.”
“Aw,” Ohno chuckles. “Come here, stupid little brother.”
“Oh,” Jun grins, and pulls Ohno into a hug. “Who are you calling stupid, sleepy-eye?”
“See,” Sho smiles happily. “You can stop hiding around each other now.”
Jun lets go of Ohno and instead pulls Sho into his arms. He has tears in his eyes. “Thank you, you wonderful man.”
Sho rubs Jun’s back soothingly. “Don’t cry,” he whispers. “Be happy.”
“I am,” Jun mumbles. “You not only made me reconcile with my brother, but you also found me the perfect place.”
“You like it?” Sho beams.
“It’s perfect,” Jun admits. “Not what I was originally looking for, but…”
“You know, your brother gave me the hint,” Sho grins. “He told me you probably are searching for something entirely different, but you don’t know what you are looking for. And at one point I thought: Is there anyone who knows you better than he does?”
“So you took his advice?” Jun chuckles. He turns towards Ohno. “And you, do you approve of my boyfriend?”
Ohno grins and gives him the thumbs up.
~~~
“Hey Jun,” Sho grins and tugs at the blanket. “We need to get up.”
“Shut up,” Jun grumbles. “Too early.”
“But we wanted to drive to Nagoya today,” Sho chuckles. “And then visit your brother and see his newest pictures!”
Jun turns on his back, rubbing over his eyes. “Did we?”
Sho blinks, staring at Jun for a while. The buttons of his pyjama top are halfway open, and… “On second thought,” he crawls back into their bed, straddling Jun’s hips. “A day in bed sounds nice too.”
Tags:
(no subject)
3/2/18 05:09 (UTC)Sakumoto relationship here was also warm and sweet. Jun turned out to be a pretty easygoing guy and lovely to be around. Sho’s earnest intention to make Jun happy was so endearing. When it became clear that Jun was looking for something that even him didn’t know, Sho’s effort to go way out of his way to figure that out was super sweet 💕 And when Sho concerned about Jun’s previous relationship and worried that he could have hurt Jun in some way if he didn’t know what ticked Jun, my heart went kyaa~ soooo sweet and loving.
But to tell you the truth, my favorite here were Aiba and Ohno. Aiba was super funny and his lines were pure crack 🤣 And Ohno, oh Ohno, could he be even more charming, sweet, and mysterious? The way you portrayed him was perfect. 💙 I loved that he look out for Jun in so many subtle ways. What a sweet brother he was 😍 Special kudo for Ohno’s painting of blue ocean, seriously, I think I almost could imagine it for real. What a deep feeling that gave 👍🏼
(no subject)
7/3/18 18:42 (UTC)I for once wanted to write a rather uncomplicated Sakumoto get-together story, you know... where they get together naturally ^^
I'm happy you liked Aiba and Ohno. I wanted to turn Aiba into a rather fun and cool dude, and Ohno into the caring brother who just didn't really found a way to talk to his younger brother ^^
Thanks so much for your lovely comment! ♥
(no subject)
6/2/18 06:33 (UTC)(no subject)
7/3/18 18:43 (UTC)Thanks so much for your lovely comment! ♥
(no subject)
13/2/18 21:03 (UTC)First I apologize, that I've read this just now. RL happened. Okay, now for my comment!
I'm so glad you went for the apartment-searchinh prompt! Yaaaaay! I also do believe that what we want isn't what we need. Jun wants a new house, but what he needs is a home. Sho, who is completely enamored with Jun was able to provide that for Jun. Even though Jun was picky, Sho was patient with him. Look at the fruit of such patience, a wonderful Jun as his boyfriend.
For me, Ohno is the bridge(of as I call it the GAP-filler) that connects Jun and Sho. So glad he approves of Sakurai! Cause I would too you know! And I want him as my older brother. He is so kind and warm and protective.
Over all I love this fic! Thank you for writing me such wonder fic Anon!😘😘😘
(no subject)
21/2/18 09:45 (UTC)Very cute sakumoto. *nods enthusiastically* And I like that part when Ohno says that what maybe Jun doesn't know exactly what he's looking for despite giving very specific details of what he thinks he wants. Aren't people somehow, sometimes, like that, as well?
Thank you for this sweet fic!
(no subject)
25/9/19 17:10 (UTC)Love it!