Title: Handmade Gifts Dilemma
Pairing: Juntoshi, Aimiya side
Rating: PG
Summary: Jun and Satoshi had planned to celebrate their birthdays together and agreed to give each other handmade gifts. Unfortunately, both were too busy to make them and are now in a bind. Masaki offers to help out… and Jun is wary.
A/N: lilly0, I tried my best to get you the stepbrother prompt, but RL circumstances prevented me from writing something epic. I’m sorry if this isn’t the stepbrothers here isn’t what you have in mind. *facepalm*


Jun sighed for the umpteenth time, placing the chocolate mold a little bit firmly than expected on the chrome kitchen counter. Masaki jumped a little and looked up at his frowning mouth and furrowed eyebrows. The guy seemed annoyed, to put it mildly.

“What’s up, boss?” Masaki asked, treading lightly. “Recipe not going well?”

“No, it’s not that. Jun sighed again. “Satoshi is coming home from his tour in two days.”

Masaki raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t that make you really happy? You haven’t seen your boyfriend in almost four months!”

Jun shook his head, wiping his hands on the apron tied around his waist. “No, of course I’m excited to see him.  It’s just that two weeks ago, while video chatting, we kind of made a deal to give each other handmade gifts for our birthdays.”

Masaki was now really confused. He stopped tempering the chocolate on the shiny chrome countertop, clanking the stainless steel spatulas down. “What the hell are you talking about, boss? Wasn’t your birthday last August?”

Jun sighed and stared at the pieces of chocolate on the counter, wondering how he could explain everything to Masaki. A week before Satoshi had to leave for his world art exhibit tour, he and Jun had promised to celebrate their birthdays together on the day Satoshi would come back, exactly a day before his 36th birthday, which is in two days.

“Never mind, Aiba,” Jun said. “The thing I’m annoyed about is why I agreed to handmade birthday gifts than actually buying something for him. It’s a lot harder than I thought.”

Masaki blinked and shook his head. “Seriously, boss? Why don’t you make the guy his favorite chocolate truffle and put it in a nice box. Problem solved.”

“Wrong. We also agreed the gifts will be nothing pertaining to our jobs. That means, he can’t give me another sculpture or an artwork of any kind and I can’t make him a batch of chocolates. What the hell were we thinking?” Jun scratched his head and paced the kitchen of his chocolate shop, clicking his tongue and shaking his head.

“You can have my sock bunny.” Jun froze, then slowly turned toward Masaki, wondering if his assistant had lost his mind.

“ ‘Sock bunny’?”

Masaki wiped his hands on his apron and walked out the kitchen to the locker room where Jun’s staff change in and out of their uniforms. Moments later, Masaki came back carrying some sort of floppy stuffed… something. He grinned almost proudly when he held it up in front of Jun. “My sock bunny. I made it.”

Jun glanced at the stuffed object, staring right into its button eyes and he wondered what the hell Masaki had been smoking. “The hell…”

Masaki hugged the toy to his cheek. “He’s so soft. I made him out of socks, clean of course, and stuffed it with those fillings they put inside stuffed animals, and sewed on these button eyes.” He smiled proudly at Jun. “I made two, and I gave the other one to Nino before he left.”

Before Jun could say anything else, someone knocked on the side door. Relief from the initial shock of seeing Masaki’s handmade toy, Jun rushed to open it, and wished he didn’t. His stepbrother Sho stood outside the door, holding a box full of stuff, and grinning at him broadly. He entered without an invitation, and set the box down at the corner of the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” Jun asked, eyeing the box.

“I told you I need your help disposing some old crap that was from my old room at mom and dad’s house.” Sho straightened up and smiled. “Thanks for your help, little bro.” He smacked Jun’s shoulder.

“Dang, Sho-san, why do you have some girly things?” Masaki asked, pulling out a red lacy teddy from the box. He wiggled his eyebrows at Sho.

“Shut up.” Sho chuckled. “Some of them were gifts I gave my ex-girlfriend and she gave them all back to me.” He snatched the teddy from Masaki’s hands, smacked the guy with it and dropped it back in the box. “If you want any of the stuff, feel free, but Jun, send it to a donation box or something, okay? Thanks man.” He slapped Jun’s shoulder again, and headed out the door, not bothering to wait for his reply.

Jun gritted his teeth. Annoyed that Sho always pulled the “big-brother” card on him whenever the guy didn’t feel like doing things he was supposed to.

“So, Jun-chan,” Masaki’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “You want the bunny or what?” Masaki held it up again, wiggling the thing, flopping the sock ears about. Jun could only groan on the inside.

***

“Ugh, I can’t believe this. Jun is going to kill me when I get home.” Satoshi gulped another glass of wine. He was in a flight back to Tokyo from Amsterdam, finally going home after four long months of touring his art collection. He was excited to go home for sure. He had miss his lovable, yet straight-laced boyfriend and couldn’t wait to get him in his arms, but the thought of having to make something for Jun’s gift was giving him a headache. Kazunari, his personal assistant and manager sitting next to him, couldn’t help sighing out loud.

“I told you, it was a dumb idea, but did you listen? Noooo.” Kazunari rolled his eyes. “I could’ve gotten him something in Amsterdam, or Munich, or Paris. Why did you have to come up with that handmade exchange crap?”

“I thought it was romantic then.” Satoshi shrugged helplessly. “Maybe if I write him a love note and make an origami heart out of this airline napkin?” He held it up for Kazunari, who looked drolly at him, not buying his joke.

“Jun may be a sucker for romance, but he wouldn’t let that fly.” He leaned down to get his backpack from under the seat in front of him, rummaging around in it before coming up and handing something soft and fluffy to Satoshi. “Masaki made that for me. If you promise to stop whining about what to get your boyfriend for his birthday, I can let you have this and you can pass it off as your own.”

“What is it?” Satoshi squeezed the stuffed… whatever, wiggling it side to side to flop the wings, or whatever on the sides about. “Some sort of mythical creature?”

“It’s a sock bunny, made by my adorkable boyfriend.”

“Aw, that’s sweet of him.”

Kazunari sighed. “I guess. Anyway, like I said, you can have it and pass it off as your own. For $20, of course.”

Satoshi whipped his head to Kazunari, narrowing his eyes at him. “I thought you’re giving it away for free.”

“Masaki would ask me about it for sure, so if I have to give it you to, I might as well get some money out of it.”

Satoshi frowned and looked back at the button-eyed bunny. It was made of the soft chenille socks; its floppy pink ears were almost its size. “I don’t know…”

“Okay, fine. I’ll throw in a box and gift wrapping so it’ll be ready for you by tomorrow.” While Satoshi weighed his options, Kazunari leaned back in his seat, draped the blanket over him and went to sleep. Five minutes later, Satoshi shook his shoulder awake. Kazunari grunted under the blanket, not bothering to pull it down. “What?”

“Make sure the gift wrapping is professionally done,” Satoshi said.

“You got it, chief.” Kazunari shifted on his side away from Satoshi. “Now, leave me alone.” Satoshi made a face at his manager. Sometimes, he wondered who was the boss in this work relationship.

***

Jun was now in a panic mode. If his friends could see him now, they would be really shocked. They knew how calm he could be under pressure, but they knew the signs of Jun's red flag when they saw it. Not all was well. He had about 8 hours to make something for Satoshi until he comes over to his apartment for their celebratory dinner. What the hell can he make in 10 hours? He dashed to his spare bedroom that function as a guest room and storage. Rummaging through the closet for ideas, he spotted the box Sho had told him to donate. Maybe he had some things in there he can make something out of? He sat down on the floor and started sorting out things he could use.

To his delight and good fortune, he pulled out a cassette tape that marked “Romance Mix Tape.”

“Yatta!” Jun cried out, relief washed over him. Perfect gift ever! For a man who grew up listening to cassette tapes in his teens, it’d be pretty nostalgic and sweet. However, he didn’t have any tape player around, but he was sure his elderly neighbor next door could lend him his for the night. Excited, Jun almost skipped out the door to pay his neighbor a visit. It was going be the best birthday ever!

***

The night had come, the table was romantically set for two, and Satoshi just arrived at the door. Jun opened it, with excited butterflies in his stomach. His heart nearly leaped out of his chest when Satoshi stood there, smiling widely at him, dressed in blazer and a button-up shirt that he left two unbuttoned at the top.

“Wow,” Satoshi breathed out, his mouth hanging open looking at Jun who dressed similar, but in mauve shirt and navy blue blazer and dress pants.

‘You, too.” He stepped aside to let Satoshi in, but the man stepped forward and pulled him closer for a long kiss, making up for lost time. When they finally pulled apart to breathed, their hair were disheveled. Jun handed a gift bag to Satoshi, telling him to open it.

Satoshi handed him a nicely wrapped box and said, “Let’s open them together.”

“Wow, a mix tape!” Satoshi exclaimed, holding up the item in his hands, his face all lit up. “This is the coolest thing ever. I haven’t seen these in years.”

Jun remained silent, staring at the very sock bunny Masaki tried to give away, its beady eyes and stitched grin seemed to taunt him.

“A sock bunny?!” Jun narrowed his eyes at Satoshi. “A sock bunny?”

“What? Don’t you think it’s cute?” Satoshi asked, making a “kissy” face and mumbled baby talk. “It’s the cutest wittle wabbit evwah.”

“You got this from Nino, didn’t you?”

Satoshi paused, and stared wide-eyed at Jun, his guilt written over his face.

“H-how…”

“Aiba made one for Nino. Don’t even try to get out of this.”

 Jun turns around, clearly pissed at how Satoshi gave him a gift he didn’t make. Satoshi places his hands on Jun’s cheeks and turns him around to face him. “I’m sorry, baby, okay? I just didn’t have the time to make one. I’ll make it up to you, promise.” He kisses Jun’s face, and pokes his rib. Jun jerks up, chuckling a little.

They kissed again. “Okay. I forgive you.” Jun said.

Then Satoshi goes back to the mix tape, excited. “‘Romance mix tape’,” he read the label. “Sounds like we need to have this as background music.”

Jun played it on a cassette player he borrowed from his sister. The first note of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” blasted through the speakers.  They started taking off their shirts, making out to the song.

“My dear Maki.”

Satoshi and Jun froze, their faces startled by the voice through the speakers.

“I made you this collection to express how I love you.”

“Is… that your stepbrother’s voice?!” Satoshi pulled back on his hunches gaping incredulously at Jun.

“On this Valentine’s D-” Jun clicked the button on the player to shut Sho up. The sudden quiet of the room felt ominous. Satoshi was on his feet, arms crossed across his chest. Jun walked up to him.

“Hon, I can explain,” Jun said, placing his hands over Satoshi’s cheeks, facing him forward. “Please don’t get mad. I can explain.”

Satoshi looked away, his shoulders shaking. When Jun turns him around, Satoshi was laughing. Jun looked aghast, he didn’t expect Satoshi to be so cool about it, especially he giving him a hard time a few minutes ago. Jun laughed along with him.

“Oh, man. We suck at making gifts for each other,” Satoshi said, wiping a tear from his eye.

‘Yeah. I don’t know how we even thought of something so stupid.” Jun nudged his shoulder. “Sorry about being a brat earlier.” Satoshi pulled Jun closer, and they both sunk back on the sofa.

“You can make it up to me now.” Satoshi said. Jun leaned closer for a kiss. He made good on that promise.