Advent Calendar Door 14: Sakumoto

[lilly0]

Title: Advent calendar Door 14: A special present
Pairing: Sakumoto
Rating: PG-13
Drabble/One-shot
Genre: romance
Summary: Because of his secret feelings for Sho, Jun buys an expensive gift for him for their gift exchange. He decides not to give it to him. Unfortunately the others find the present...
Notes:  Requested by learashi 

 

Jun went overboard. He knew he did even while he was at the shop, but the leather wristband in his hands just screamed Sho’s name. There were even tiny shells attached to it, and they reminded Jun of the day he and Sho spent at the beach, long ago, when they were younger. The metallic charm attached to the leather is shaped like a little feather. The kind of feather which looks like a pen. It resembles Sho’s old charm so much. Everything about this wristband basically called Sho’s name.

 

Jun had to get it. Although it was basically five times so expensive than the price limit they all set for each other for their gift exchange.

 

Money doesn’t matter to Jun, he has plenty of it, but when he puts the neatly packed box – wrapped in a cute red-golden wrapping paper with snowflakes on it – into his bag, he suddenly feels embarrassed.

 

He got carried away! Sho will notice the present is too expensive and too special compared to what the others receive, he will notice that Jun spent more money on his presents. He will be able to tell the significant meaning behind it.

 

Damn it! What was he thinking!? He is over 30 now, it’s not okay anymore to have a crush on a bandmate and show it in a silly present!

 

In his panic he swiftly takes a card and scribbles down a few words and includes a coupon for a dinner invitation. That’s the better present. Random, and not too special. And Sho likes food.

 

 

~~~

 

The gift exchange is a success, so is the whole party and the food. They celebrate at Aiba’s place this time, since they are changing the place annually. Sho is happy about the coupon already thinking about which restaurant to choose, and Jun is relieved. Good thing he didn’t give him the real present. He does feel kinda sad though, and kinda depressed for chickening out.

 

Maybe one day…

 

It’s when he sits down on one of the chairs, a glass with red wine in his hands, when Nino desperately searches for his phone and roams through all the bags.

 

“What’s this?” he blinks when he holds a beautifully wrapped box in his hands. Red-gold wrapping paper with snowflakes on it. Jun’s eyes widen in horror.

 

He tries to fight his panic back. “Just put it back,” he says, trying to sound casual. But his voice fails him and cracks slightly.

 

Nino looks at him and grins. “A special present?”

 

“Who is it for?” Aiba wants to know now.

 

“It looks expensive,” Nino smirks. “Jewellery, isn’t it? A special present?”

 

“Who? Who is it for?” Aiba repeats curiously.

 

“For an important person probably~” Nino jokes.

 

“It says Sho on the tag,” Aiba states.

 

Nino blinks, and suddenly looks horrified himself. For a moment he looks like he wants to throw the box back into Jun’s bag again and pretend he never saw it, but it’s too late anyways.

 

Jun feels cold suddenly. He is busted! Why was he so stupid and took the present along? And why did he write Sho’s name on it!? For a moment he wonders if he should pretend that it’s for another Sho, but when he sees Sho eyeing the present curiously and then turning towards Jun, all excuses get stuck in his throat.

 

“Thought you wouldn’t like it,” Jun explains in panic. “But you can have it now.” He pretends to look at his watch. “Oh, shoot, so late, I have still work to do! See you guys later!”

 

With that he basically flees the room, not caring that he leaves behind his bag and everything else. The mature way would have been to just laugh everything off like he normally would, but somehow he can’t. He has never felt that embarrassed before. Ever.

 

“Wait, Jun-kun! Please wait.”

 

Jun almost automatically halts when he hears Ohno calling out for him. The latter is running after him. Jun turns around to wait for Ohno, it’s an instinct. Ohno grabs his arm, looking relieved. “Can’t you leave me alone?” Jun begs, feeling slightly dramatic but also very much close to tears. “I’ll go home and then leave the band, the country and change my identity.”

 

Ohno looks worried. He probably knows Jun doesn’t mean it for real, but somehow also realizes he does mean it. “Jun-kun, nothing happened!”

 

Jun groans. “Weren’t you there? Nino let me run into an open knife!”

 

“He didn’t know,” Ohno defends Nino immediately, and Jun feels pissed all of a sudden. “He saw your present and thought it’s nothing serious.”

 

“Well, as it’ all my fault then, let me leave,” Jun huffs, his patience gone now.

 

“No,” Ohno says firmly, tugging Jun to an empty room. “It’s not your fault. It’s Nino’s. I’ll talk to him later.”

 

“But you just said it isn’t his fault.”

 

“He didn’t want to embarrass you like that on purpose,” Ohno explains calmly. “That’s what I meant to say.”

 

Jun sits down, suddenly feeling tired. “God, what am I supposed to do now?”

 

“Really Jun, it’s not that bad! Aiba is drunk and has already forgotten anything happened at all. Nino and I will easily forget it in an instant too. You will see, when we all go on our trip together next week-“

 

“There is no way I’m going,” Jun intervenes.

 

“You don’t want to come along?” Ohno asks in shock. “But you worked so hard the entire year! You need a vacation. You need to relax.”

 

“I’ll relax at home,” Jun says with finality in his voice. “I’m not trying to be a brat, but I just confessed to Sho-san, unintentionally and against my will, but I did. There is no way I can relax on a vacation with all of you.”

 

 

~~~

 

 

Nino has written him 73 messages exactly and even dropped by unannounced. And Jun believed him that he didn’t mean bad.

 

“God, J, I didn’t read the mood properly, really. I failed so much this time. I actually thought the present would be for your sister,” he explains. “I swear.” He pauses. “I know I’m sometimes going overboard with my jokes. Riida told me, but even without him saying it, I know it.”

 

They drink a bottle with beer together. “Oh-chan also said you don’t want to join our trip,” Nino looks at him insistently. “You have to come along! We can’t go without you.”

 

“Yes you can,” Jun says softly. “Don’t guilt-talk me into it. There is no way I’m giving in this time.”

 

“But-“

 

“Listen, Kazu-kun. After sleeping over everything and getting over the first initial embarrassment I was about to consider Ohno-san’s advice and words and come along, but you know…” He pauses, heart clenching painfully.

 

“What happened?” Nino asks sharply.

 

“I haven’t even heard from Sho yet. Not one word. He didn’t even dump me. I thought by now I would be worth an answer, after all these years I would at least be a tiny bit important. But not even one word!”

 

Nino stares at him. “Are you kidding me?”

 

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

 

 

~~~

 

“You fucking jerk!” Nino yells and stomps past Sho into the latter’s apartment. Sho stares at him in surprise.

 

“I can’t even believe you! This is so low even for your standards,” Aiba grumbles and follows Nino.

 

“I’m really disappointed!” Ohno ads and tugs Sho along to the living room. “What are you thinking!? This is not fair towards Jun-kun.”

 

Sho looks at them in surprise. “What did I do?” he asks carefully. “And Jun-san? What’s with Jun-san? Where is he?”

 

“Jun,” Nino starts, glaring at him, before his eyes stop at Sho’s wrist. He looks confused and surprised all of a sudden. “You are wearing the bracelet.”

 

“Of course I do,” Sho states happily, looking at the item in awe. He loves it. No one has ever given him such a beautiful present. His chest feels warm when he looks at it, his heart filled with lots of confusing but also beautiful emotions, mind full of memories. “It’s so beautiful. I wonder why Jun thought I wouldn’t like it. In fact it touches me that-“

 

He stops when three pairs of eyes are looking at him in mere disbelief.

 

“Did you wear it all day?” Ohno finally asks. “While cooking and doing your laundry?”

 

Sho nods. Jun gave it to him after all, he is going to wear it always.

 

Nino squeals. “Do you even know how expensive that is!? How fucking stupid are you?”

 

“Don’t wear it while you are doing housework” Aiba adds in horror. “It’s not a bracelet you wear like that. It’s special!”

 

Sho looks at them in surprise once more. “What are you all actually talking about?”

 

 

~~~

 

It’s 7 AM and the ringing at his door does not stop. When Jun opens the door of his apartment, he sees Sho in front of him, gasping for air and coughing violently. Apparently he ran through the cold.

 

Jun frowns in worry. No matter how disappointed and angry he is at Sho, his health still means something to him. “Are you alright, Sho-san?”

 

Sho raises his arm, he is wearing the bracelet. “I love this,” he blurts out.

 

Jun blinks. “What?”

 

“I didn’t get it,” Sho explains hastily. “I didn’t understand. You know how I am! You need to say these things clearer,” he continues, talking fast enough to stumble over his own words. “I really believed you thought I wouldn’t like it. But then the others yelled at me, and I found out how expensive it is and I saw the little details and remembered the conversation at the party, and it finally makes sense.” He lets his arm drop down with a deep  sigh. He looks up at Jun carefully. “Am I making an idiot out of myself now, again? And misunderstanding everything?”

 

Jun’s throat feels dry. He shakes his head.

 

To his surprise Sho looks relieved. He takes a little box out of his bag and hands it to Jun, his face red in embarrassment. “I bought this in Thailand,” he stutters. “For you, for your birthday, but I didn’t find the courage to… you know…  I thought you would realize and…”

 

Jun opens the little box. Inside it there is a beautiful necklace, golden, with a tiny shell out of a diamond attached to it. He smiles suddenly. “Do you want to come in?” he offers.

 

Sho lets out a relieved sigh, and nods with a careful smile. “You are joining me on this stupid vacation, aren’t you?” He blushes. “I need you there.”

 

Jun nods, his chest feeling warm all of a sudden. “I won’t leave you alone.”