Kōanchōsa-Chō. Public Security Intelligence Agency.

The national intelligence agency of Japan. Administered by the Ministry of Justice in the government of Japan, and tasked with internal security and espionage against threats to the national security of Japan, based on the Subversive Activities Prevention Act.
As the national agency with the role to collect intelligence information, the PSIA collects necessary foreign and domestic data through private investigations and intelligence activities, and provides the information to relevant organizations.

While it is a known agency within Japan, another, much more inconspicuous task force exists within PSIA. One known by a small number of officials, tasked with carrying out espionage missions and solving cases that needed to be operated outside government protocols.

A small task force known simply as the Associates, it was home to a variety of agents, who went through a rigorous training course at a private academy.

One member of this concealed organization was a certain Matsumoto Jun.

Graduated at the top of his class at the age of 19, and having been offered a position personally by the founder, Jun is considered to be one of the top field agents within the task force.

Jun made his way into the express elevator, scanning his card and fingerprint against the sensor to take him directly onto the task force’s floor.

Already in the elevator was Ninomiya Kazunari, the tactical technician. He’d shown a formidable command over computers at an early age, and had honed his abilities during his time at the academy and the intelligence agency, before making his way into the task force.

“Hey, Kazu,” Jun greets, slumping against one of the elevator walls. Mornings had never, and likely would never, be his thing.

Kazunari just gave a small hum, focusing intently on the game in his hands.

“Do you know what kind of mission I’m getting assigned this time?” Jun tries again.

“Basic reconnaissance, nothing new. Think you have a partner this time though. Since there’s two separate groups to tail at the same time.” Kazunari is quick, eyes never once leaving his console. Jun nods, settling back against the wall with his eyes closed.

Waiting for them once they reached their floor was Ohno Satoshi, the director of their team. He’d gone to academy with them as well, though he had been part of an earlier graduating batch. He gives a small wave, a slow, content smile on his sleepy face.

“Hey, Oh-chan,” Kazunari chirps as he makes his way over, finally putting his game away. Jun follows, in midst of an impressive yawn.

He freezes for a split second upon seeing the individual next to Satoshi, but quickly schools his features into one of cool neutrality.

The man waves hesitantly, but Jun brushes his way past and saunters to Satoshi’s office, where the meeting would undoubtedly take place.

Kazunari follows, dragging Satoshi along with him, and sending the mystery man a glance that was somewhat pitying and mocking at the same time.

The latter sighs and trudges after them, a small frown on his shapely lips.

“Hurry up, Sho-san. We don’t have all day,” Kazunari sings from within the office. The man, Sho, speeds up, making his way into the office and taking a seat at the end of the couch.

Sakurai Sho. Part of the same graduating batch as Ohno Satoshi. Graduated at the top of his year, and  came from a family who had been involved in the intelligence agency for years. He’d been expected to follow his father’s footsteps and take an executive position at the task force, but to everyone’s surprise, he’d chosen to become a field agent. He’d proven his worth quickly, and was one of the top agents alongside Jun.

“I have another one of those board meetings, so let’s get this over with quickly,,” Satoshi mumbled, pushing papers towards Sho and Jun. They take them quietly, reading through the details.

“These members from these two gangs–they call themselves the Tigers and the Lions–” Nino lets out a violent snort at that,“have been showing up at the metropolitan museum a lot lately, and we think they’re trying to steal a painting to sell at some kind of underground auction. Scope out the museum, set up a trap, and make sure everything’s secure so they won’t be able to get away. We’ll have whoever they send to give us the location of the auction and go from there. All you need to do is make sure nothing is stolen and bring in the perpetrators.” Satoshi blinks at them slowly, silently questioning if they got everything.

Jun nods and stands up to leave.

“When do you want us to head out, director?”

“Now. They’ve been inside the museum enough times to have the layout and guard shifts down. I’ve spoken to security at the location, they should let you in through the employee entrance and let you stay after closing.” Jun breezes out of the room at that, and Sho scrambles to follow.

He rams his shoulder against the doorframe on the way out, Nino’s cackles following him like a curse.

“Matsumoto! Wait up!” Sho jogs after Jun, who stops with a dramatic huff.

“Shouldn’t we talk about how we want to split this up?” Sho asks, gripping onto the file tightly.

Jun sighs.

“Would you like the Tigers or the Lions?” he questions mockingly.

Sho lets out a sigh of his own.

“Lions, I guess. I’ve had to do recon work on them before. How should we seal off the perimeters without creating any suspicion? And how should we trap them?” he tries again.

Jun is silent, going through the case file once more.

“Well?”

“Well, if you could let me think for more than 3 seconds, maybe I can come up with something,” Jun snaps.

Sho folds his arms and waits, looking at Jun closely. The latter twitches at that, but focuses on the file again.

“We’re going in through the employee entrance anyway, so we might as well dress up as security for the hours the place is open to the public. Then during closing we can start to set up perimeters by making it seem like we’re making rounds,” Jun finally says. Sho gives a small hum at that.

“Sounds good to me.”

Jun scoffs.

“I’m glad I have your approval.” He continues to make his way to the elevator, Sho following him silently.

***

The mission is fairly simple; it goes off without a hitch, with the two groups caught and taken into custody, though Jun is certain he combusted a vein or two trying to reel in his temper at the constant yammering Sho suddenly decided was necessary.

“I wonder why they chose Lions and Tigers. Do you think it’s because of the constant comparisons of the two in real life? Who’s the more powerful one in the animal kingdom? Now that I think about it, that’s actually pretty clever! Not that it’s good that they’re fighting for dominance over the black market, that’s horrible. But the naming-”

“Are you done?!” Jun finally cuts in, beyond exasperated. Sho blinked at that, as though he hadn’t just been talking Jun’s ear off.

“Well, we already have them in custody, right? All we really have left to do is finish taking down the perimeters, and we’re just about done with that-”

“I meant the talking, Sakurai-san.”

“Oh,” Sho blinks again. “I mean, it was just small talk. To pass the time, since cleaning up is always a drag.”

“It’s dragging it on even more,” Jun mutters under his breath, turning back to the work as hand.

Sho frowns at that.

“I’m just trying to be civil, Jun-san. I apologize for being such a nuisance.” With that he turns back to his work as well, a terse silence settling between them.

‘I hate this. It happens every damn time we’re paired up together, but they just keeping doing it. The only time they’ll stop is if I snap and try to kill him or something.”

“Why do I keep trying? Clearly nothing I try will please the Matsumoto Jun.” Jun hears Sho mutter. He feels his head heat up and he turns sharply.

“What?”

He sees Sho stiffen, but the man doesn’t turn around.

“Talk. You had no problem doing so earlier,” Jun sneers.

“What is it that you have against me? I’ve been nothing but civil with you all these years, but you continuously act like- like this.What do you want from me?!” Sho snaps.

Jun sees red.

“Nothing but civil? What a fucking joke.”

“Yes, Matsumoto-san, I like to think that I’m an overall well-mannered individual, as shocking as that may seem to you!”

“You can act like you matured or mellowed out, or whatever pretty picture you want to paint of yourself, but the fact of the matter is that you’re still that arrogant, entitled bastard from academy. Only the gods know how I managed to be blinded enough to have a crush on you,”Jun seethes.

“A-academy? Wait, what are you talking about?” Sho looks bewildered, and that only serves to infuriate Jun even more.

He takes a deep, shaking breath, trying not to scream. He drops his things and storms out of the museum, having had enough.

Jun shoots a glance at Sho as he passes by, and upon seeing how the man’s sloping shoulders slumped even further, he feels a sudden pang of guilt. He shakes it off with a sigh.

‘It’s for the best. Nothing good will come of us trying to get close. Again.’

***

After that, Jun made an effort to avoid Sho at all costs. Despite feeling that his anger was justified, he was ashamed at how he’d reacted; a seemingly random outburst, during a mission, no less.

He’d taken several overseas missions off the bulletin board, making sure to spend as little time as possible at the headquarters. Part of him knew practically fleeing Japan was a bit overkill, but he couldn’t help it; he’d always been incredibly self-conscious, despite his confident image.

He didn’t want to risk facing Sho again. However, 4 months later, after a 2 month stint in Seoul, Jun is on a plane to Tokyo, another duty calling him back.

He’s slumped in his seat the whole way back, a melon-sized pit of anxiety settling in his stomach.

He tries not to remember, but he does. Vividly.

The next time Jun runs into Sho is 4 months later, when they’re paired up for a mission. Again.

Just like last time, and countless times before, Jun strides past Sho into Satoshi’s office.

Just like last time, and countless times before, Sho follows with a vexed sigh.

They sit next to each other, stiff as boards, as Kazunari claimed an entire couch to himself, stretched out like a cat.

“Tell us the news, Oh-chan!” he chirps, sending Sho and Jun a smug grin.

They both make a point to not return the small man’s gaze, knowing full well why he was sprawled out on the couch like that.

“There’s a new case,” Satoshi starts. He passes a set of files to the two of them.

Jun takes them and hands one to Sho, all without glancing at him even once. The latter can only let out a tiny sigh.

“There’s been an increase in drug sales in certain parts of the Kanto prefecture. It lines up with this new cruise that’s been starting from Yokohama and going up and down the coast line.”

“Do you think they’re shipping drugs in the cruise ship?” Sho asks, eyes wide. Kazunari snorts audibly from behind his laptop.

“Yes. It’s a couples retreat so no one would really think of stopping it to look in. We don’t want to alert anyone else who might be undercover, so we can’t have the two of you disguised as staff. The only choice is for you two to board as a couple,” Satoshi continues.

Jun nods silently, but the glare he has on his face has even Satoshi pausing for a brief second, no doubt wondering if he just ordered Sho to sign his life away with this mission.

“A couple? I’ve gone undercover, but that’s always been short term, is this really a good idea? Toma’s much more experienced at this than I am,” Sho says, alarmed.

“Well, you two are the top agents, the best of the best, our cash cows-”

“What do we need to know about the resort? Director?” Jun cuts in, voice glacial. Kazunari blinks and throws a quick glance at Sho, who can only drop his gaze to his clasped hands.

Despite their constantly deteriorating relationship, Jun had never snapped at Kazunari for partnering them up before. Sho knew Jun was too professional, too much of a perfectionist to let anything get in the way of the mission (despite his self-beration, Jun had somehow managed to hold out until the last mission was completed before he’d exploded), but now it seems like Jun truly hated him.

”Most of the details are covered in these files, so be sure to go through them before heading out. It contains a blueprint of the ship, but it’s likely that there are some rooms, or even floors, that they’ve kept a secret, so be sure to scope out the place yourself as well. The cover is that it’s a resort for couples, usually ones having some issues, but a lot of them tend to be in the honeymoon phase as well. The cruise has been going around port cities for a while now. They’re likely carrying a shipment of drugs, or will pick it up sometime throughout the duration of the cruise. They’re probably just transporters, so you’ll need to figure out who the kingpin is. We’ve sent Kazama Shunsuke to act as the captain, so we can have control of the ship should anything happen, but he needs more eyes looking out for whoever’s transporting,” Ohno begins, voice soft and calm as always. Sho sees Jun relax slightly from the corner of his eye.

“There’s someone from a different branch that was sent on there, from Chiba I think, but I still haven’t been able to figure out who it is. I’ll try to give you that information by the second morning at the latest,” Kazunari chimes in, laptop already at hand.

“I haven’t done anything like this before. Would we have to use fake names?” Sho asked hesitantly. Jun shook his head at that.

“It’s better to just use our real names. No one outside the agency knows what we do anyway, and it’s how it was set up for my first few recon missions.” Sho shoots him a grateful smile, but it’s ignored completely.

Sho lets out a sigh at that, turning his gaze back to his hands.

Kazunari appraises Jun for a moment, eyes sharp.

“You two should go as a couple on the mend,” he starts. “Not exactly on the verge of breaking up, but not all that stable either.”

Satoshi nods at that.

“Is that safe? Using our real names?” Sho can’t help but press. Jun rolls his eyes.

“Who’s gonna know it’s you? Your dad’s not even in the public sphere, there’s no one to make some connection to when they hear your damn name”.

Sho flushes at that.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he protests, even though he now realizes what a pointless concern it had been. They never used their real names on the missions Sho was usually sent out on; they always used code names to avoid issues if their comms were ever hacked. There wouldn’t be much to hack in this mission, it was a whole different monster of its own.

‘I really didn’t mean it that way, though. But after what happened, how could he not jump to that conclusion?’

“Fine.” Jun settles back in his seat, lips pursed. It looks a little more like a pout, but with his mood, even Kazunari deemed it unsafe to crack a joke.

“You two can figure out the details like how long you’ve been together and stuff like that, right? If not, I guess Nino can help you,” Satoshi murmurs, brow furrowed slightly.

“It’s okay, Riida. I got it covered,” Jun shakes his head. The director gives Jun a soft smile, and he relaxes completely.

Satoshi has always had a rather calming air about him, and never failed to stabilize Jun when he felt lost.

“Well, that’s about it. You’re going to board in about two weeks, so you can figure all that stuff out by then.” Satoshi dismisses them with a wave. Jun practically flies out the door with his files after shooting a strained smile at the director, whereas Sho remains seated, pale and tight lipped.

Satoshi assumes it’s because of the rather terrifying glare Kazunari has leveled on the man.

“Explain,” the hacker grinds out.

“I..I think it’s what happened back in academy,” Sho stutters, looking everywhere but at Kazunari.

Kazunari sits up at that, eyes narrowed.

“J never did tell me what happened back then. What did you do?”

“Nino…” Satoshi sighs.

“No, he’s right. It’s all my fault,” Sho says, downtrodden.

***

Contrary to popular belief, mainly due to their current antagonistic relationship, Sho and Jun had been incredibly close during their academy days.

Sho had given the welcome speech to the incoming student body in Jun’s first year, having already begun his third year at the time. Jun had taken to Sho immediately, large eyes sparkling with wonder as he watched the confident upperclassman up at the podium, staff standing behind him with approving smiles on their faces.

Their official meeting had been in the hallway, where Jun was chasing after Kazunari, who’d grabbed his notebook and pranced off. Jun had run around a corner and straight into an unsuspecting Sho, sending the two of them sprawling onto the floor.

“I-I’m really sorry, senpai. I should’ve watched where I was going,” Jun was practically in tears, terrified he’d set off the older boy.

Sho had simply laughed and patted Jun on the head.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m Sakurai Sho, by the way.”

Jun had introduced himself, starry eyed and much too elated at Sho paying attention to him to notice Kazunari’s snickers in the background.

Despite being in different years, Sho and Jun continued to cross paths, to the point where they’d just converged their friend circles. Jun bringing along yearmate Kazunari and Sho bringing a constantly napping Ohno Satoshi.

The four of them became fast friends, spending nearly all their free time together. Jun in particular had taken to trailing after Sho, sometimes even clinging to the older boy’s arm.

“Sho-senpai’s the coolest!” Jun would proclaim, looking up at said boy with sparkling eyes. Sho had always laughed, running a fond hand through Jun’s unruly locks before pulling the thin boy into a one armed hug. The bright grin it brought out of Jun every time was so cute and filled with genuine happiness that even Kazunari would hold back any teasing comments.

There had been a particular weekend where the four of them had gone to a fair held at a nearby town. They’d all boarded a train after their classes ended for the week, chattering excitedly about what sort of rides and food stalls would be there.

“What are you looking forward to, Sho-senpai?” Jun had claimed the seat next to him almost immediately, much to the older boy’s amusement.

“I heard they have a takoyaki stall that has a ton of interesting combinations! Like cheese and kimchi!”

“Food again?! You’re the worst, Sho-chan. Soooo boring,” Kazunari rolled his eyes dramatically. He barely managed to stifle a cackle at the glare Jun shoots him.

“I think it’s great that you love food so much, Sho-senpai,” Jun exclaimed proudly. Sho burst out laughing at that, throwing his head back. Jun watched, beyond pleased.

“Then you’ll join me to try everything, right?” he asked the younger boy once he had calmed down, a fond smile on his face. Jun nodded eagerly, eyes never once leaving the upperclassman’s face.

Kazunari watched carefully, noticing how the two seemed to be wholly unaware of everything around them. Sho had an itinerary planned out, crafted carefully from research on the event’s webpage. The two were bent over the piece of paper, whispering excitedly about something.

Kazunari smiled, and when they finally arrived, he’d taken a still half asleep Satoshi and dragged him off somewhere, throwing some excuse of not wanting to spend all his time at food stalls.

“Wh-- Nino! I have other stuff planned, you know!” Sho was bright red. Jun tugged at Sho’s sleeve.

“It’s okay, senpai! Kazu probably really just wants to be alone with Ohno-san. We should get going if you want to complete everything on the list!”

At that, Sho had perked up and pulled Jun along, the latter following more than willingly.

When Kazunari and Satoshi finally returned, they came across Sho on a mechanical horse ride, with Jun perched on the back, arms wrapped around the elder’s waist. They were the only ones older than seven years old in that area, but seemed to be enjoying themselves the most.

Kazunari groaned.

“What the hell…”

Satoshi laughed quietly.

“I think they look cute.”

The two years had passed in no time, yet Jun felt as though he’d known Sho for years. He adored the older boy, proudly proclaiming himself as his biggest fan. Sho had always gotten a good laugh at that, and in return would treat the younger boy out to lunch or something of the like.

When the time for Sho and Satoshi’s graduation rolled around, Jun was visibly saddened.

“You’re going to work at the agency now. We’ll never have the time to hang out anymore,” he bemoaned.

“Well once you graduate, we’ll be co-workers. We’ll definitely have to time to hang out again then!” Sho pulled Jun into a tight hug.

Jun sniffed lightly, and Sho panicked at the thought of having to console a crying boy, but the younger pulled himself together.

“Congrats on graduating, Sho-senpai. You’re going to be a really good agent,” he said, sounding and looking very much like a downtrodden puppy.

“Thanks! Hurry up and graduate, so you and Nino can help me and Ohno take over the agency, yeah?” Sho let Jun go, ruffling his hair.

Jun was quiet, eyes trained on his shoes. Sho lightly cuffed him on the back of the head.

“What’s up? You can’t possibly be that upset that I’m graduating. You’re gonna graduate soon too, you know.”

“I know, senpai. It’s not that. I…”

“What?”
“I have something to tell you, senpai.”

Sho watched Jun curiously.

The younger boy looked nervous, slightly trembling, large eyes seemingly unable to look at him.

“Jun?”

“I really like you, senpai,” he finally mumbled.

Sho blinked.

“I like you too, Jun.”

Jun just looked all the more distressed. Something clicked far in the depths of Sho’s mind, and he’s suddenly unsure.

“I’ve always admired you a lot. You’re so cool and hardworking, and you even helped me out with a lot of classes even though you’re always busy with stuff. A-and, it meant a lot to me. So I just wanted to tell you before you left. I-I really like you! More than a friend or a senpai!” Jun blurted out everything in one breath. He squeezed his eyes shut, too scared to look Sho in the face.

Sho, on the other hand, remained silent.

He remained silent for what felt like an eternity, and Jun almost wished he’d just outright reject him instead of not saying anything.

Sho closed his eyes, brows furrowing tightly. He thought of his father, the upright, stern individual who still expressed his displeasure whenever he had the chance to speak to his eldest.

“You’re really going out onto the field, when you have the chance to become an executive? It’s a position of honor, and prestige, one that gives you the chance to work directly with the president, and you plan on giving it up for what, the thrill of running around with a gun?”

It had taken Sho years to get his father to see his side of things, and he wasn’t entirely sure if he really had succeeded. It had taken being at the top of his class every year, and recruitments from the task force early on in his third year, for him to relent and allow Sho to continue on the path he had chosen for himself.

He hadn’t bothered showing up at Sho’s graduation, probably busy with work. Sho’s mother and sister had shown up briefly, along with a tiny, half asleep Shu, but left just as quickly, not wanting to fuss the toddler.

He wasn’t even sure if he had their support.

Sho opened his eyes to look at Jun, looking so young, so fragile, yet so full of life and potential. He could feel his heart racing, practically hearing the beating pounding against his ears, and wondered if the younger boy could hear it too.

Jun confessed to him. He should be over the moon, so why could he feel nothing but dread?

Then it hit him. The image of his father finding out, deeming him irresponsible and not dedicated to being an agent. His career being cut short before it even started, being resigned to tailing a stuffy, arrogant executive for years before settling in a junior position for the rest of his life. His father ensuring he follow by destroying Jun’s chances of becoming an agent. All the hard work Jun put in during his two years at academy crumbling to dust under the powerful hand of his father.

He couldn’t let that happen. No matter what.

Jun was worth so much more than that.

“S-sho-senpai?” Jun’s timid voice broke him out of his thoughts, and he took a deep breath.

‘I have to do this. There’s no other option.’

“Is that why you hung around me?” Sho finally spoke, voice dangerously low.  

“H-huh?” Jun stuttered, taken aback by the drop in mood. He hadn’t done anything particularly wrong, had he?

“You’ve been following my around all this time because of some dumb crush? And all those times you called me at 4 in the fucking morning, did you actually need help then, or was that all some self fulfilment?”

Jun could only stare, eyes wide and beginning to fill with tears.

“I-I--”

“All this time I thought you were serious about becoming an agent. You were really just tagging along because of this stupid--”

“I am! I am serious about becoming an agent! I-I just became more motivated after meeting you, Sho-senpai! I became a fan, I wanted to be like you. It’s just-- along the way I started to like you.” Jun could barely get the words out, he’s shaking so hard. He’s struggling to hold back tears, and Sho can tell he’s about to break at any second.

‘Nino,where are you? He needs you.’

“I don’t need a fan like that,” Sho scoffed. He turned away, leaving Jun standing there, trembling, tears running down his youthful face.

“It’s best for both of us if we just stay friends, Matsumoto.”

‘It’ll cause you more harm than good to be with me now, Jun. Maybe later, someday in the future, but not now.’

***

“At the end of our last case together, he said something about me back while we were at the academy. I didn’t get what he was talking about right away, and that made him upset. I’m pretty sure that’s what he was talking about,” Sho finishes, eyes tightly shut.

The room stays quiet for a moment, Satoshi and Kazunari watching Sho with carefully blank expressions.

Finally, after what felt like years to Sho, Kazunari sighs and looks away, fiddling with his phone.

“You’re an idiot, Sho-chan, do you know that?” Sho can only nod silently.

“A complete, utter idiot. I know exactly why you did that, and it’s stupid. You could’ve done so many other things, but you chose to do that.” Kazunari’s voice had softened considerably. He was still upset at Sho, but he knew.

Sho suspected Satoshi knew too, judging from the sympathetic look he was giving.

“Try to use this as a way to fix things. You two have been fighting for too long, it’s time to talk properly,” Satoshi murmurs, his eyes impossibly soft and warm.

Sho feels tears burning his own.

“Thank you, Nii-san,” he whispers.

Satoshi and Kazunari send him off with silent encouragement, and Sho is determined to fix things.

Or at the very least, make sure both he and Jun find some closure.

***

How soon would they find this closure, Sho had no idea. He had met up with Jun at the dock, and the man had given him a cursory glance that couldn’t have lasted longer than a millisecond before going back to his phone.

That had been a good twenty minutes ago, and Jun seemed to be determined to ignore him until the very last possible second.

Sho resigned himself to looking around, taking in the various couples waiting for the okay to board the cruise ship. Some looked to be quite close, while others stood stiffly next to each other, much like Jun and himself.

Jun glanced up from his phone and suddenly straightened up. Sho gave him a questioning glance before following his train of sight.

It was the host. Aiba Masaki.

He was dressed in a suit in an obnoxious shade of green, and walking around the dock, greeting the couples brightly. Gradually making his way closer to their vicinity.

Sho panics, arms slightly held out like he was attempting to hold something at bay.

“Should we...hold hands now?”

“...Have you never been out with a significant other before?” Jun lets out a sigh at Sho’s pitiful expression.

“Just let me deal with it,” he mutters.

The host prances up to them, sequined suit sparking under the ballroom lights.

“Well, hello you two~ Aiba Masaki,” he pulls them both into a hug, startling them.

“Matsumoto Jun. This is my boyfriend, Sakurai Sho.” Jun smoothly pulls himself out of the tangled mess, leaving Sho to the mercy of the sequined octopus of a man.

“How long have you two been together?” the man, Masaki, lets go of Sho, but pushes him straight into Jun, who barely manages to keep the two of them from going sprawling onto the floor.

“A few years. We’ve known each other for a lot longer than that, though,” Jun answers, setting Sho to the side.

The older man feels somewhat like a child, being handled around because he somehow lost the ability to stand or walk properly.

“Oh? For how long?” Masaki probed, a wide grin on his face.

“High school! I was a third year when he started,” Sho finally pipes up. He sees Jun nod approvingly from his peripheral and mentally does a fist pump.

“Oh, how adorable! You’re practically high school sweethearts!” Masaki’s face suddenly falls. “What brings you here then? This isn’t exactly the average couples retreat, you know.”

Sho stiffened up again at that, and he feels Jun do the same. Jun opens his mouth, but Sho beats him to it.

“I’ve... been really- we’ve been fighting a lot lately. Because of stress and a lot of other things. We thought coming here would be good for us to just relax, and talk a little more.” He can feel Jun’s eyes burning into his profile, but he steadily kept his eyes on the hist.

“Oh. I see…” the host seemed a little dismayed at his response, setting Jun on high alert. What sort of response was he looking for, or wanting?

He bounces back quickly, however.

“Well, I hope you will be able to destress! And get even closer than before! I’m going to go check up on the other couples, but someone will come around to help you figure out where your rooms are, okay?” With that he bounds away, leaving Jun and Sho flabbergasted.

“Well, he’s certainly a character,” Sho sighs. Jun gives a non committal hum.

“Do you think he’s involved? As a handler, or maybe the agent sent from Chiba?” Sho asks.

“We need to figure out where the captain is. If they’ve been on for a long time, he might know,” Jun says lightly, looking around.

The crowd on the outer deck was starting to dwindle down, some of the couples being led by staff members to their rooms, the others choosing to wander around on their own for the time being.

“Maybe we should split up? One of us looks around the lower decks where the rooms are, and the other...on here, I guess?” Sho asks, looking to Jun for confirmation.

The man nods, tugging the trolley that carried their luggage towards himself. A staff member notices and hurries over, taking it off Jun’s hands and leading them to their room.

“Here we are, sirs. Room 801. Please feel free to use the telephone inside if you need anything.” The staff member leaves with a curt bow.

Jun hands one of the key cards to Sho, and uses the other one to swipe them in.

He freezes at the door for a brief second, however, before trudging inside the room with a resigned sigh. Sho follows curiously, wondering what could have elicited such a reaction.

He too lets out a sigh.

There was only one bed.

Sho shifts uncomfortably, trying to gauge Jun’s reaction.

“I can take the couch,” he offers. Jun stands still for a moment, before nodding stiffly.

“We’ll take turns every night,” he says resolutely, moving to bring in his luggage and start unpacking.

Sho remains at his spot awkwardly, watching Jun pull out outfit after outfit and neatly arrange them in the closet in what looked to be colored order.

Jun seems to be determined to ignore Sho completely in the privacy of their room, so Sho pockets his keycard and heads off to the upper levels of the cruise ship with a “I’ll meet you at the dining hall.”

He’s not sure if Jun deigns him a response or not; the door swings shut with a solitary ‘click’ behind him and he makes his way up.

***

When Jun makes his way into the dining hall, Sho is already there, munching on some of the appetizers that were laid out. He huffs slightly, aware of the amused grin that was fighting to make its way onto his face.

“Did you even look around? You look like you’ve been set up here for ages,” he snarks. Sho just looks him in the eye, cramming a piece of shrimp toast into his mouth.

“There’s not much in the upper decks, other than a couple of good vantage points and the captain’s cabin. Who I heard, by the way, is going to be attending dinner tomorrow night,” Sho says proudly, mouth littered with breadcrumbs. Jun lets out a snort at that, and takes a seat next to Sho at the round table.

There’s another couple that joins them shortly after, the other tables having already filled up, one a tanned man with a wide smile that a highlighter blue suit that made it look a little bit like he could be a host himself, and the other a dark-haired, fair-skinned beauty, despite the surly expression etched onto his face.

“Murakami! And this is Yokoyama, my boyfriend,” the cheery one offered. The pretty one, Yokoyama, simply nodded before going back to his phone. The flashing colors that reflected off the lens of his glasses made it apparent he was playing some type of game, reminding Jun an awful lot of Kazunari.

“Matsumoto,” Jun nods in greeting. Sho passes him another plate, filled with various appetizers. Jun blinks in surprise.

“Well I wasn’t sure when you were going to get back from walking around, and didn’t want you to miss out on the appetizers. So I got you a little bit of everything,” Sho explains with a shrug before turning back to his plate.

Jun stares at the plate, hyper aware of his face warming. He can hear Murakami cooing from across the table.

“That’s so sweet. Why don’t you pay attention to me like that, Yoko?”

“Gross.”

‘It’s just to keep up appearances for the mission. He’s not doing it for any other reason, so calm down.’

Jun takes a deep breath and starts tucking into the food.

“Thank you,” he murmurs. Sho just gives him a soft smile before engaging in a conversation with Murakami.

The rest of dinner proceeds silently, the two of them having gotten a decent idea of where potential hiding spots could be and where they could encounter the main suspects.

Yokoyama raises a brow at how the two of them don’t seem to be talking to each other at all, even though he himself had spent the majority of the dinner snarking his boyfriend. Sho frets for a bit, but soon lets it go.

‘We’re supposed to be a fighting couple, anyway. Better if we just ignore each other instead of trying to go for screaming matches like some of the people here.’

He glances at Jun, who had twisted around in his seat to talk to someone at a nearby table, face bright and open. He feels a pang of jealousy towards the individual. Jun hadn’t looked at him like that in years. The feeling is quickly replaced by remorse, a small voice reminding him that it was his own fault Jun had iced him out.

He pushes everything down with a mouthful of chicken, and the resolution that by the end of this mission, he would work things out with Jun, no matter what.

***

After dinner, they return to their room in silence; Sho flops onto the couch tiredly while Jun heads to the restroom to clean up.

“What do you think?” Sho calls out. He hears Jun say something but can’t make it out over the running water.

“What was that?”

Jun exits the restroom, fresh faced and showered.

“I said, he has a good cover. He’s expected to be running around constantly, no one would think he’s running some drug operation here.”

Sho nods.

“I got the same feeling. But we’ll figure out tomorrow night when we talk to Kazama-san,” he yawns, pushing himself up and stretching. He hears a few joints pop audibly and he heads to the restroom, grabbing his stuff along the way.

From the corner of his eye he can see Jun flop down onto the bed, an uncharacteristically cute move.

“Nino really hasn’t figured out who the second agent is? I’m starting to think he’s doing this on purpose.” he can hear Jun groan as he closes the bathroom door.

He stifles his laugh, having had the same thought.

He sets to preparing for bed, wondering what events the retreat had in store for the two of them tomorrow.

***

As it turned out, the only activity set up for the first day was a tour of the ship and some icebreakers for the couples to get to know each other.

It was beyond exhausting. It was clear no one was that interested in making friends on a couples retreat, muchless one that was catered towards couples that were on the verge of breaking up. All it had done was make Sho and Jun frustrated and cranky enough to retire to their room and stew.

Both were glued to their laptops until it was time to get ready for dinner, Jun sprawled out on the couch messaging some friends and catching up on some sort of drama (it looked like it was a legal one, Sho noted when he glanced over), and Sho lay flat on the bed reading various articles and eventually catching up on a serial as well.

Eventually Sho looks up from his show, slightly bleary eyed.

“Do you want to get ready first?” he asks.

Jun shakes his head. “You go first. I’ll probably take longer than you.” Sho nods and rolls off the bed (he hears Jun snort and bites back a satisfied grin), gathering his things and entering the restroom. He gets ready fairly quickly, showering and drying himself off thoroughly before getting dressed in a simple black suit and tie. He spritzes on some cologne and gives himself a one over in the mirror before exiting.

“It’s all yours,” he says, settling back on the bed, careful not to wrinkle his suit,

Jun scoops up his things and glides past him, ever the graceful one. Sho goes back to his laptop, knowing that Jun would need some time to primp himself to his high standards, even for a dinner as simple as this one.

He emerges after an indeterminate amount of time, hair perfectly set and gelled, and dressed in a deep navy suit that was perfectly tailored to his frame. He gives Sho a questioning glance, and the latter slides off the bed.

“Ready?” Sho asks brightly. Jun stays silent for a bit, appraising Sho and his outfit.

The man shifts awkwardly under the scrutinizing gaze, and lets out a cough.

Jun gives a satisfied nod (Sho cheers internally) and opens the door.

“Let’s go.”

***

The ballroom is decently crowded. Jun can recognize a good number of the couples from the morning ice breakers. There were a few couples that somehow managed to become friends in the span of the few hours they had been there, and were standing in tiny clusters, chatting somewhat amiably (or as amiable as unhappy couples can be with each other, Jun mused). The rest, like Sho and himself, stuck to themselves.

Aiba Masaki doesn’t seem to be here, nor does Kazama Shunsuke. Jun breathes a heavy sigh through his nose.

This is going to take a while.

“I hope the two of them show up soon,” Sho says casually, looking around. The rather young looking couple waves at him eagerly, and he waves back with an amused laugh.

“I wonder what they’re doing here. They seem to get along pretty well,” he ponders. Jun’s eyes narrow at that, and he files it away for later. Sho notices and lets out a sigh.

“You can’t possibly think they’re behind it.”

“And why not? You said it yourself; they have no reason to be here. And look at how young they are, they can’t be past 25 at the most. There’s definitely room for suspicion there,” Jun retorts.

Sho takes that in.

“I suppose you’re right. It’s just...they’re around Shu’s age. It’s hard for me to wrap around my mind that they could be involved in drug trafficking,” he sighs. Juns softens despite himself.

Sho had always doted on his younger brother. He remembers a surly teenage Sho brightening instantly at the mention of him, and how he’d often rushed home eagerly to take care of the young boy. It would upset him to think of a couple of boys around that age being involved in something as dangerous as drug trafficking.

“They do start them rather young,” he says lightly, instead.

Sho huffs at that.

“And that’s alright with you? That those kids could really be tied up in something like that, just for the reason that they ‘start them rather young’?”

“Does it look like I’m the one recruiting kids? Just because I’m saying it how it is doesn’t mean I agree with it,” Jun rolls his eyes.

“We should do something about it. Protect these kids, you know?” Sho presses.

“Just days ago you were panicking about having to use your name on this case, and now you want to go underground and start dismantling all the drug rings,” Jun mutters.

Sho shakes his head. “I was thinking of something like working with the organization as a whole. If I can convince my father that this would be successful-”

“Yes, yes, Sakurai,” Jun sneers. “I’m sure that name of yours will open all the doors, even the ones underground”.

Sho bristles at that.

“Would it kill you to be civil with me? What could have I possibly done for you to act like this on a mission?”

A livid look flickers across Jun’s face before he manages to control it, but it stays long enough for Sho to know he said the wrong thing. Again.

“Of course,” Jun’s tone is as impassive as his face. “How could I think for a second that Sakurai Sho would make a mistake? He can do no wrong, after all.”

Sho can’t help but wince at that.

‘I knew it. This mission really is going to ruin whatever chance I had of rekindling our friendship...’

They stand there, stiff and awkward, a painfully obvious gap between them. Jun is staring straight ahead, expression and body frozen, looking like a mannequin. Sho sniffs to break the uncomfortable silence between them, but and infuriated Jun is nothing but an immovable force.

Sho has no idea how long they stood there. It could’ve been mere minutes, but it felt like hours. He shifted his weight back and forth just to have something to do with himself, and he’s somewhat unnerved by Jun’s stillness. He sniffs again and brushes a finger against Jun’s sleeve, but is ignored.

“Jun… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said it like that. It was really rude of me.” Nothing.

“Jun,” he tries again. Jun’s eyebrow twitches and he shifts his gaze from the strange ice sculpture to the buffet table.

Sho fights the urge to pout, and lets out a small sigh instead. He panics upon seeing a blob of green approaching them.

“Look, I know we haven’t said anything nice to each other for years and this is a bit sudden but can you please just hold my hand and pretend to be my partner for the next few minutes? Because that host is coming over and I absolutely cannot be on my own for this. So let’s just pretend we aren’t mortal enemies until we can deal with him, okay?” Sho whispers desperately. Jun sighs and wraps his arms around Sho’s waist, pulling him closer. As the host nears, he puts his lips to Sho’s ear and presses a soft kiss to the surface. Sho visibly shudders.

“I know lately it seems like we can’t stand each other, but we both know that’s not true, right? We both want this to work, don’t we? So let’s try to have a good time tonight,” Jun murmurs into his ear. Sho has to grab onto Jun’s arms to ground himself. He opens his mouth to respond, but stops, not knowing what to say. It’s moot point, however, as the host jumps in, eyes glittering,

“I was just going to check in and see how you were doing, but this is brilliant! That’s exactly what this cruise is for! Sure, it’s fun for couples who’ve been together forever, but the activities, dinners, everything! It’s really for you all! We want you to be happy! And stay together!”

Jun laughs, pulling away from Sho. Sho keeps his grip on Jun’s arms, finding himself missing the heat from the other man’s body.

“Thank you, Aiba-san. I think this will really help us,” Jun says, giving the man a bright smile.

“No problem!” The man seems to be glowing, much to Sho’s mild fascination.

“ Do you recommend any of the activities planned out for tomorrow?”

“All of them!” Masaki says brightly. Sho groans internally at that. There’s no way he’d be able to go through all the activities on the itinerary.

“We were kind of hoping to walk around the ship too, Aiba-san. We thought that maybe some time alone away from the other couples would help us a little too.” Jun saves the situation smoothly, even giving them an excuse to scope out the ship.

‘He really does seem like he’s assigned stuff like this regularly.’

“Oh~ Ok!” Masaki gives them a lecherous grin that Sho can’t help but laugh at.

“You should probably just pick some of the ones scheduled for the afternoon then! That way you can catch the sunrise and sunset together,” the host offers. Jun grins and thanks the man before whisking Sho away to the buffet table.

“You really have no experience with this at all, do you,” Jun grinds out, grabbing a plate and piling random appetizers onto it. He shoves it at Sho and does the same for himself, before guiding them to a small table in the corner of the the ballroom.

“It couldn’t have been that bad,” Sho says in exasperation. Right?

“It was. Ohno-san said you were good at acting,so what was that? You looked like some kid whose mom signed him up for the school play.” Jun rolls his eyes as he takes a bite of the crostini. Sho bites his lip, fighting the urge to pout.

“Right. Well, sorry. I guess I just panicked at the thought of having to go through all those activities and not having time to do other stuff,” he acquiesced. Jun nodded at that, brow relaxing a tad.  

“That would’ve been a mess,” he agreed, eyes watching the captain, who was approaching Masaki, like a hawk.

They both watched as Masaki greeted the man brightly, even giving him a tight hug. The two conversed for a moment before the man left with a small wave, leaving the host to walk around and check in on the other couples.

“It’d be surprising if he was in on it, you know? He has such a nice face.” Upon seeing the look of derision Jun shot him, Sho rushed to continue. “Not nice like that, even though that’s true. I meant he looks nice, like he seems really good and law abiding.”

Jun hums noncommittally at that, starting in on what looks like a sausage roll. Sho’s stomach growls at the sight, and he tucks into his own plate with great relish.

“Wouldn’t that be the best cover, though? An excitable, down to earth looking host, who would expect him to be a transporter for a drug trafficking ring?”

Sho nods at that, watching the two carefully. Jun gently cuffs him on the back the head.

“If you keep staring like that he’s going to figure out that something is up,” he says, a hint of mirth coloring his voice. Sho flushes and looks at his plate, stuffing another roll in his mouth.

Jun laughs out loud at that, his eyes curving into half moons.

“God, you’re a glutton. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone eat like you.” Jun snickers at the half hearted scowl Sho sends him.

They sit at the table for a while longer, finishing off their food and looking all the couple on the mend that they supposedly were.

Jun feels oddly calm, not on the edge of his seat like he usually is with Sho.

Not like they were just a few minutes ago.

He takes a deep breath, feeling oddly nervous.

“Did you actually meet the captain, or just overhear that he was coming tonight?” he asks timidly.

Sho freezes, his mouth stuffed. He makes a vague gesture with his hand.

“You met him?”

Sho nods.

Jun waits for the man to finish chewing before continuing.

“As an agent or a civilian? Do we need to figure out how to approach him tonight?”

“As a civilian,” Sho looks apologetic. “I can go up and act like I'm interested in commandeering or something and strike up a conversation?”

Jun smiles slightly.

“You're actually interested in that, aren't you?” he asks, voice soft with something he wants to ignore.

Sho flushes lightly.

“Well, you know, Ohno-san has a boating license, but definitely not for something this big. I was just curious about the process,” he explains sheepishly.

Jun laughs, feeling pleasantly light, despite their earlier scuffle and his growing apprehensions of working with Sho.

“I think it’s a good cover, regardless. You should go talk to him now. It looks like Aiba-san is making rounds again.”

Sho nods and gets up, making his way to the captain. He strikes up a conversation immediately, and Jun watches in wonder as Kazama Shunsuke relaxes immediately. Sho had always been good at that, Jun thinks. Talking to people, just being overall charming.

Despite all his successes as an agent, Jun found himself being slightly awkward at times, and that his stronger features gave off the impression that he was unapproachable.

He straightens suddenly, seeing the shift in Sho’s expression, going from chatty and amiable to disbelief and irritation. He gives Shunsuke a tight smile before striding back to the table where Jun was seated.

“What happened?” Jun demands. Sho throws himself into a chair with a huff and crosses his arms.

“Well I started talking to him about work, and brought up the issue of us not knowing who the agent from Chiba is,and guess what?!” Sho throws his hands up. “Nino knew who it was this whole time! Was in contact with him and everything! And he didn’t bother telling him who we are!”

Jun stares, disbelieving, before quickly remembering what a prankster Nino could be.

“Well who is it?” he asks. Sho shakes his head.

“Aiba Masaki. Can you believe that? We could’ve gotten so much more work done if we hadn’t spent so much time  worrying about whether or not he was involved in the ring.”

“And he doesn’t know who we are?” Jun lets out a groan when Sho nods, but the latter assures him that Shunsuke had promised to update the man.

They spend the rest of dinner in relative leisure, Sho eagerly praising the dinner (a rather rich, Western styled beef stew paired with pillow soft rolls and a strong red wine) and Jun offering whatever tidbits he had learned since he'd picked up cooking as a hobby.

Eventually Shunsuke comes over, an apologetic smile on his kind face.

“Let’s head over to my cabin. There’s some stuff we need to talk about, isn’t there?” he leaves with a small wave.

Sho and Jun make their way to the cabin a few minutes after. Sho raises his arm to knock, but Jun brushes him aside to open the door and go in. The former sighs and follows, mumbling to himself childishly.

“It wouldn’t have hurt to knock. Just the polite thing to do.”

“Oh, can it, will you?”

Before they can continue with their petty bickering, however, a flurry of green attacks them, sending both of them toppling to the floor.

“I had no idea you guys knew Kazapon! If I did I would’ve talked to you about everything so much earlier!” It was Aiba Masaki, still dressed in that obnoxious green suit, blubbering into their ears.

Sho can only wheeze in pain, one of Masaki’s sharp elbows digging deep into his side. Jun somehow manages to slide himself out of the tangled mess and stands up, brushing himself off.

“Well, we’re all in the know now. What have you two found out so far?” he questions without preamble.

“We’ve basically found out who it is, but I think he’s getting suspicious of us,” Shunsuke starts.

Sho scrambles up as soon as Masaki releases him and he heads over to sit next to Shunsuke along with Jun.

“What do you mean?” Jun demands.

Shunsuke sighs, a sad, disappointed little sound.

“Well it would be suspicious to anyone if the captain was just roaming around instead of staying at the upper deck like he should, right? And if the host happened to always come after you even though you’re supposed to be a staff member? There was only so much we could do without getting too obvious.”

Sho and Jun exchange a glance at that.

“We could approach him,” Sho starts. Jun nods at that and leans forward.

“Who is he then?”

“The bartender!” Masaki exclaims. “The tall, skinny one with the blond hair.”

“We think he’s hiding the shipments where we keep the surplus of alcohol. No one but he would have any reason to go down there.”

“I can find a way down there,” Jun says confidently. Sho nods in agreement.

Masaki perks up at that.

“Okay, great! His name is Kentaro, he should be at the bar tonight!” he supplies.

Jun stands up immediately, gesturing for Sho to follow. The two of them head back to the ballroom, taking some seats at an empty table at the corner.

Jun hesitates upon seeing the man, easily spotted from across the room due to his hair that was a garish highlighter yellow.

“Okay, maybe I’m not sure how to approach him,” he admits sheepishly.

Sho gnaws at his lower lip (Jun tries hard not to notice how plump it is).

“I might have an idea?” he asks more than offers.

Jun waits expectantly.

“What if we pretend to get into a huge fight, and one of us goes back to the room, and the other stays here and heads over to the bar? Order some drinks and vent to him, try to get him to loosen up and maybe spill the beans?”

When Jun stays quiet for longer than two seconds, Sho folds.

“Forget it, it wasn’t a good idea-”

“No,” Jun interrupts. “It’s a good idea. It’s a really good idea, Sakurai. Seems like you’re slowly starting to get the hang of this.”

Sho flushes at the praise, and the soft smile Jun gives him. The elation fades quickly however.

“Maybe you should be the one to approach him. I’m still no good at the acting, it seems like.”

Jun shakes his head.

“I’ll admit, I was being a little harsh on you. But you’re good, Sakurai, maybe not on par with those of us that get assigned these cases regularly, but better than most. You can do it,” he says, softening further upon seeing the self-conscious expression on the older man’s face.

‘He’s kind of cute when he’s like this’ Jun blinks, not expecting his mind to go to a place like that.

‘Not the time Matsumoto. Not the time’

He refocuses, and upon seeing the look of doubt continuing to grow on Sho’s face he sighs.

‘Damn it, how am I supposed to hate you when you look like that?’

“You can do it. I believe in you,” he says instead, quietly enough that Sho could’ve missed it, internally cringing at the cheesiness of the statement.

Sho does hear however, and with the way he brightens up erases any regret Jun felt in delivering those words.

“O-okay! I won’t let you down, Jun, I promise!” he says eagerly, round eyes glittering.

Jun briefly wonders if it’s the effects of all the champagne he’s been having that he’s seeing Sho in such a different light, but pushes it away quickly.

“Ready?” he whispers. Sho flushes, but nods determinedly.

Jun takes a deep breath.

“OH SHUT UP ALREADY! YOU REALLY THINK THIS CRUISE IS GOING TO FIX OUR RELATIONSHIP?! THERE’S NOTHING THAT CAN FIX THIS!” Jun screeches. Sho stares, mouth agape.

‘Either he’s a lot better at acting when he’s ready for it, or he’s really just taken aback. Hopefully it’s the former.’

Jun leaves with an exaggerated huff, stomping back to their room.

Sho sits silently, schooling his face into a stony expression despite wanting nothing more than to burst out laughing.

‘He always did have a flair for the dramatic.’

He peeks at the bartender, who is staring right at him, a pitying expression on his face. Sho slowly gets up and makes his way to the bar, heaving a deep sigh when he reaches it.

“That didn’t look or sound good at all,” the man says, leaning against the counter towards Sho.

“Yeah...can I get a scotch?” The man prepares the drink smoothly, and slides it towards Sho.

“Wanna talk about it?” Perfect.

“Can I?”

“Yeah, sure man. Don’t really have anything better to do right now.”

“Well...I don’t really want to unload on-”

“Hayakawa Kentaro. There, now you know me,” he throws a wide smile with too many teeth, reminding Sho of a shark.

“Sakurai Sho. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Sho. Now, tell your friendly bartender what’s going on, ay?”

“It’s just...we decided to try things out after things went really wrong back in university and we went our separate ways, but-”

“He still doesn’t trust you?” the man interrupts. Sho blinks, surprised.  

“Yeah. Exactly. I just don’t know how to convince him that I’ve changed since then, That he can trust me,” Sho says despondently.

“I think you’re doing alright, man. He might come around soon.”

Sho shifts slightly.

“There’s one other thing,” he starts. The man pours him another finger, nodding at him to continue.

“I- he thinks I cheated on him,” Sho sighs.

“Why’s that?”
“With my work...I end up having to go to a ton of after work dinner parties, and to put it mildly, my supervisors and interns can drink me under the table. Regularly. They’d always have to help me get home. So I’d get home wasted, hanging onto some guy my brother’s age, while he’d be waiting up late at night, worried out of his mind because it didn’t cross my mind to tell him I had to go to these work events.”

A strange glimmer enters the bartender’s eye.

“So you’re into younger guys, huh?”

Sho stares blankly, taken aback.

“I-I’m sorry, what?”

“He’s a younger guy, you come home clinging onto some other younger guy, he feels threatened. You don’t seem like one to always take charge though.”

‘Is he...flirting with me?’

“Take charge?”

The bartender grins, a grimy, sleazy thing.

“You’re kinda cute. Call me if things don’t work out with that model boy.” he slides Sho a napkin with a name and number scrawled on and turns away from him to tend to someone who had just walked up.

Sho takes it and walks back to the room he shares with Jun in a daze. He enters and is immediately faced with an eager Jun demanding to know what happened. He awkwardly hands Jun the napkin.

“I’m not sure I can do this. He started flirting with me and I didn’t really get the chance to ask him anything,” he says apologetically.

Jun stares at the napkin, wondering if he’d be able to burn a hole into it if he continued long enough. He wondered why he suddenly felt upset at the idea of that man flirting with Sho.

“Well, maybe you can use this to your advantage. Talk to him some more, have him take you down to the cellar for privacy or something,” he says instead.

Sho frowns.

“...Okay.”

Jun notices and tilts his head slightly.

“What is it?”

“Oh...nothing. It’s just- I know it’s acting, but I still just can’t help but think about how wrong cheating is,” Sho confesses.

Jun bursts out into a belly aching laugh. Sho turns a bright red but doesn’t say anything, just pouts adorably.

“It’s getting late. You should get ready for bed too.” Jun watches as Sho meanders into the restroom, a fond smile on his lips.

“Cute.”

***

The thing about cruises, is that it’s an excuse to drink at just about all hours of the day.

Meaning the bartender would be manning the bar at just about all hours of the day.

Meaning Sho had an excuse to approach Kentaro at just about all hours of the day.

“This is horrible,” he complains. “I have to flirt with him? Me? Flirt?”

Jun just laughs.

“You’ll be fine. Now help me out with this trivia sheet. I refuse to lose to any of these couples.”

Sho sighs and starts fill out the sheet.

“Do you have any ideas as to how I should approach him this time?”

“We’re still fighting. You need someone to vent to, but I’m getting suspicious over how much time you’re spending at the bar, so you ask if there’s another place for you two to talk,” Jun responds smoothly, taking the sheet back from Sho.

“Wow, you really know all this?” he almost sounds impressed.

“I watch a lot of those game shows.” Sho nods slowly.

“Cool.”

Sho perks up at that and goes back to answering as many questions as he can, and Jun stifles a laugh at his sudden vigour.

“Wanna have a fight over this?” he whispers. Sho makes a questioning hum.

“To give you a reason to go to him again. If it’s something dumb and I come off as a total ass, he might be more receptive to you.”

“I don’t like that. It makes you look bad,” Sho frowns. Jun just laughs and shakes his head.

“We’re trying to lock this guy up. You think I care what he thinks about some character I’m playing?”

He seemed nonchalant, but Sho knew that in some way or another, Jun would start reflecting on himself as a person and fall into a bout of insecurity and self-consciousness.

“Let’s just have you give me the silent treatment, okay?” Sho says, standing up and brushing off a stray thread on the sleeve of his cardigan. Jun shrugs and gets up as well.

“I’ll grab some food and meet back at the room? After you guys head over to wherever he deems ‘private’.”

Sho nods and heads for the bar. Jun watches him carefully, hoping that things work out well enough for them to find the shipment soon.

“How’s it going, handsome?” Kentaro cooes. He has a smug grin on his face, eyes glinting with something as he takes in Sho’s glum expression.

“Not good. He’s giving me the silent treatment now,” Sho slumps against the counter, hamming it up.

“That’ better than him yelling at you in the middle of dinner, isn’t it?”

“Not really? I need someone to talk to, you know? I-” Sho cuts himself off abruptly, noticing a Jun walking up to them.

“It only just turned five. Are you really going to start drinking now?” he demands. Sho shakes his head.

“I was just talking to him, Jun, come on.” Jun rolls his eyes and walks off. Sho mentally cheers at the opening Jun provided him.

“Is there anywhere else we can talk? I don’t want him thinking I’ve turned into an alcoholic or something,” he presses. Kentaro nods, and makes his way around the bar.

“Let’s go. I know a place.”

***

“What is this place?” Sho asks. Kentaro had led him to a small room, down in the lower decks like they suspected, but not where produce was kept.

It looked to be Kentaro’s living quarters, though why it was down and away from the rest of the staff quarters was unknown, and raised alarms in Sho’s mind.

“My room. I used to be part of the cleaning staff here, you know. I only became bartender recently, but I know my way around the ship pretty well, if I may say so myself,” Kentaro says proudly. “They weren’t using this room for anything, and when I asked if I could use it for my quarters since I became a long term staff member, no one really cared. So now I’m here.”

Sho gives a non committal hum, looking around curiously. He spots a sizable safe near the wardrobe, looking unremarkable and conspicuous simultaneously.

Kentaro sees his train of vision and shifts uncomfortably.

“Is that where you keep all the good alcohol? Away from us annoying passengers?” Sho jokes tentatively. Kentaro relaxes and cracks a grin at that.

“Something like that. Maybe I’ll tell you later,” he says, ever the smarmy individual.

“Anyway, what’s wrong with your little boyfriend now? Silent treatment?”

Sho nods.

“I was hoping this cruise would be a way for us to patch things up, but it just seems to be getting worse? We’ll have good moments where we’re not fighting and we’re getting along really well, but then I’ll say something dumb without thinking and set him off,” he says, sighing sadly. “I want to fix things with him, but it feels like I ruined everything back in university and just keep ruining it now.”

Kentaro nods, eyes fixed on Sho’s face.

“Can’t really help you there, bud. But, I’ll say it again; if things don’t work out between you two, I’m all open.” He sends a greasy wink that has Sho struggling to keep down a grimace.

He laughs instead, hoping it doesn’t sound as awkward as he feels.

Kentaro grants him some space by flopping into the bed. Sho follows suit and settles himself on the couch, nearby the safe.

“Not that I’m not flattered, but, I’d really like to work things out with him,” he says amiably.

The blond man purses his lips.

“Really? He seems a little unreasonable, if you ask me.”

‘I didn’t,’ Sho thinks mulishly, unwilling to let anyone speak illy of Jun, even if it was all fake.

“But, you’re a good guy, I can see that much. All I can really say is to keep trying until you think it’s time to give up.” Sho nods at that absentmindedly, wondering how to broach the subject of the safe, and how to confirm his suspicions.

“Didn’t you say you’ve been working here for a while? I wouldn’t bring anything particularly important with me if I were in your position,” he starts, pointing towards the safe.

Kentaro laughs at that, throwing his head back.

“You’re right. It’s not really my stuff, though. Just delivering some stuff for a friend,” he says casually.

Sho almost cackles at how easily this man gave information away. Was he really that confident that no one would suspect him?

“That doesn’t sound suspicious at all,” he jokes.

“True, true. But my friend does have something he wants to give someone at the city this cruise stops at. He just didn’t want to have to deal with shipping costs, even if it meant sending it across a whole trip like this.”

Sho snorts, seemingly at the ridiculousness of Kentaro’s supposed friend, but really at how the man had come up with such a terrible cover story.

He sits and listens to the blond for a good few minutes, feigning interest in the inane tales he had to share.

Eventually he pretends to get a message from Jun asking for his whereabouts.

“I should head back. It was good talking to you,” he says.

He gives Kentaro a small wave and make his way back up to the upper decks and to his and Jun’s room.

He runs into Masaki on his way back; the man wraps him up in another suffocating hug before asking him how he was doing. Sho quietly updates him, the man nodding very seriously.

“Well, that’s great! But, forget about that for a second! How are you and Jun doing?” he asks, eyes peering into Sho’s intensely.

“W-what do you mean?”

Masaki shakes his head dramatically.

“Don’t worry! Nino told me everything. How are you and Jun doing? Still fighting a lot?”

Sho just stands there, silent.

“That bad, huh? You two just need to talk! Like, really, really talk.”

“I’ll try,” Sho sighs.

“And stop egging each other like that! You’re supposed to get along, not try to make each other angry!”

‘It would help if I didn’t constantly have a case of foot-in-mouth,’ Sho thinks dryly.

Instead he gives Masaki a polite smile.

“Thank you, Aiba-san. I’ll do my best.”

When Sho gets back to the room, he’s lost nearly all the buzz from what he’d learned.

Jun looks at him questioningly.

“He’s not in the staff quarters! He has this room on one of the lower decks, and he has a gigantic safe in there. He pretty much confirmed that it’s where he keeps the drugs. He’d have to take it out with him when getting off the ship with all his other belongings, so no one would ever suspect anything,” Sho reveals.

Jun sits up at that.

“That’s great! What do you look so down for, then?”

“O-oh, nothing,” Sho says stiltedly.

Jun gives him a pointed look.

“What?”

“...Aiba-san said that Nino told him everything about us.”

“...What does that mean?”

“You know- how we’re not exactly on the best terms,” Sho trails off as a stormy expression takes over Jun’s face.

“Is that so?” he says flatly.

Sho panics.

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much. It’s nothing too pressing, I’m sure.”

“Right.” his tone remains the same.

“Nino’s probably trying to get back at me, isn’t he? After that fumble we had in the last mission.”

“Of course. How irresponsible of me. Letting my emotions get in the way like some idiot,” Jun seethes.

“I-I didn’t mean it like that, Jun. Please,” Sho says desperately.

Jun just shakes his head and gets up.

“I’m going to go on a walk. There’s some snacks in that bag over there, if you want them.”

“What about dinner?” Sho stays planted in front of the door, wondering where things went wrong.

“I’ll be back before then, just let me go cool my head,” Jun grumbles, shoving past him. Sho stands there, bewildered and disappointed by what had just occurred.

“Damn it, Nino. You know he hates having everything aired out like that. Why’d you have to go tell Aiba that just to mess with me?” he mumbles to himself.

He flops down onto the couch, a deep frown on his face.

‘I need to make it up to him somehow. And get Aiba-san to not say anything that might make him more upset.’

He waits for what feels like an eternity before Jun gets back. He doesn’t seem that much calmer, which worries Sho. The younger man gets ready without a word, and when he comes out, he heads straight for the door without waiting for Sho to get ready.

Sho rushes to get ready himself, hoping that this was something that could be resolved soon.

***

Jun makes his way down to the ballroom by himself, hoping the further solitude would help to calm him down by the time Sho arrived.

‘We can’t have a situation like last time occur again.’

He makes his way around the already filled tables, looking for one that was empty of at least had enough room for Sho and himself.

He finally spots one towards the back and begins to make his way towards it, but it accosted by Masaki, who was wearing yet another green suit.

“Why are you alone? Did you and Sho fight? Just when I told him to try and talk to you too!” Jun winced as the man clamored into his ear.

“Things are fine. I just left before he finished getting ready to find seats, Aiba-san.”

Masaki pulls back and looks deep into Jun’s eyes.

“But how are you two, really? Getting along?”

Jun knows the man means well, but he bristles. Having his private affairs aired out to everyone never sat well with him. Upon seeing the change in Jun’s expression, Masaki hurried to continue.

“Nino told me you don’t really like having everyone know everything, but he’s just really worried for you, okay? He asked me to look out for you. And I promise that he didn’t tell me everything. Just enough to let me know that you and Sho aren’t on the best terms, but can be doing better,” his voice is airy and soothing, and Jun feels some of the irritation ebbing away.

“I don’t know if it can,” he sounds tired, despite himself.

Masaki gives him a gentle smile.

“I don’t really know all the details, but it’s been some time, right? Don’t you think he deserves a second chance?” he asks, softly patting Jun’s back. “Don’t you think you deserve a second chance?”

Jun starts at that.

“What do you mean?” he asks, eyes wide with confusion.

“You don’t really hate him, do you? You seem more scared, than anything. Scared of history repeating itself, maybe?” Masaki prods. He’s gentle, and seems like he genuinely cares, enough that Jun felt that he could trust him (it helped that Kazunari seemed to wholeheartedly trust him, as well).

“I…” he trails off, not really knowing what to say. His mind is reeling from all sorts of thoughts and emotions, and he suddenly feels like he needs to sit down.

Masaki leads him to the table and helps him sit down. He motions for a waiter to bring over a glass of water and watches Jun sip at it.

“We’re not saying to just forgive and forget, and become friends right away, okay? We just want you to really think about it. Talk to each other. I think you’ll both learn something you didn’t know before,” Masaki gives Jun a warm smile, and leaves him with a wave.

Jun simply sits, pondering. Masaki did have a point. Was he ready to talk to Sho?

‘It’s been years. If you don’t feel ready to talk by now, you’ll never be. You’re just going to keep running away,’ a small voice in the back of his mind sneered.

He groaned and set the glass down, resting his head on a palm. He watched Masaki make his way around the room for a bit before focusing on the bartender. The blond man was busy wiping down glasses and arranging bottles. He seemed to feel Jun’s piercing gaze on him, as he looks up and gives the man an arrogant smirk.

Jun feels a thread of suspicion weave its way through his mind.

‘He knows something. Maybe that we’re agents?’ he sits up at that. ‘Does he suspect that Sho’s an agent?’

His stomach drops at the thought of this man knowing that Sho was an agent, luring him in, taking him out. Sho, who had no prior experience with missions like this.

“Hey.” Jun jumps at the voice behind him, whirls around, body tensed. He relaxes immediately, however; it’s just Sho, with a comically worried expression on his face.

“Are you feeling better?” he asks tentatively. Jun thinks back to his conversation with Masaki and nods.

“Sorry for not waiting. I think I just needed some more time to cool down,” he says, motioning for Sho to join him.

Sho complies, choosing the seat right next to him. Jun can feel the man’s body heat radiating against his side, and relaxes.

‘Maybe Kazu and Aiba-san are right. We should talk this through, but after the mission.’

“Listen,” Sho starts, voice shaking slightly. Jun waits carefully. “I’m really sorry about that. I know you don’t like too many people getting into your business, so that’s why I said what I did. I never meant to imply that you were overreacting in anyway. You weren’t.”

Jun can’t cover his surprise, not expecting this at all. He feels a certain warmth beginning to spread through him, and he reaches for the water again.

“Thanks. I’m sorry too. It wasn’t your fault Aiba-san found out, but I kind of took it out on you. Kazu meant well, anyway.”

Sho shoots him a grateful smile.

“Do you think...we could talk about this?”

Jun shifts uncomfortably at that, and Sho rushes to continue.

“After the mission, I mean!”

Jun nods, and uncertain expression on his face.

“Sure.” He sounds even more uncertain than he looks.

Sho gives him a tiny smile, and it’s so stiff and awkward that Jun can’t help but crack.

They sit comfortably for a moment, the waiter’s bringing around food and drink.

“How do you think I should get him to bring out the safe?” Sho asks once he’s inhaled a good three quarters of his meal.

Jun notes how Kentaro seemed to have his eyes glued on Sho throughout the entire dinner, and seemed to send him strange looks every now and then.

It would be fairly easy for Sho to lure this man out, much to Jun’s displeasure (though why he was so unhappy, he refused to dwell upon). The real issue was having Kentaro bring out that safe he had the drugs stored in.

“Should we ask Aiba-san or Kazama-san if they have any ideas?” Sho asks.

Jun nods at that.

“Let’s head over to the captain’s cabin. Kazama-san can message Aiba-san to join us,” he gets up and offers a hand to Sho. A peace offering.

Sho takes it with a bright smile.

***

In the end, there had been no need to call Masaki, as Shunsuke had come up with a rather ingenious plan himself: take advantage of Kentaro’s apparent attraction to Sho and have the latter draw him out away from his room into one of the storage units in the lower deck, giving Shunsuke the chance to sneak into the room with a master key to acquire the safe, and the three of them to finally take Kentaro into custody.

Sho, thankfully, still had the napkin the man had scribbled his number onto. Both he and Jun decided that it would be best if he messaged Kentaro to come down, rather than try to bring him out from behind the bar or in his room.

“Should we do it now? I think he’s still at the bar,” Jun says, watching as Sho types out the message.

“Go ahead and send it,” Shunsuke nods. “Head down to storage unit 4 and I’ll tell Masaki to join you. I’ll have to go get the master key, as well.”

They leave and head towards their respective destinations. Upon entering the storage unit, Sho sends Kentaro the message.

0X-XXXX-XXXX

Hello. It’s Sakurai Sho.

Do you think you could meet me down by the storage units?

I really need someone to talk to right now.

0X-XXXX-XXXX

Another fight with your man?

At this rate I’m thinking you’re better off without him ;)

I’m on my way, handsome.

“Ok I sent the message, he replied that he’s making his way down now,” Sho announces when Masaki makes his way inside as well.

“Good! Three against one, we should be able to take him just fine!” he chirp. Sho and Jun exchange a glance and laugh.

Masaki was ridiculously strong despite being quite a bit on the slender side. The two were certain he’d be able to take Kentaro on himself if need be.

They wait for what feels like hours for the man to show up. As the seconds tick by, Jun can feel himself growing more and more agitated. He can see Sho and Masaki shifting impatiently as well,which does nothing to help.

“He’s not coming! What did you send him?!” Jun whirls around and gives Sho an accusing glare.

“He said he was on his way!” Sho snaps back, brandishing his phone.

“Well then, where is he, Sakurai!? I told you to draw him out down here so we could get him and put an end to all this, so where is he.”

Masaki steps between them, arms held out placatingly.

“Guys, let’s not fight right now, okay?”

Jun scoffs and mutters under his breath.

“How can someone be this bad at this?!”

Sho opens his mouth to fling out another retort, but is interrupted

“I knew there was something off about you,” came a voice from near the stairs. The three of them turn to see a head of bright yellow locks.

It was Kentaro.

“You on the other hand,” he continues, gesturing to Sho. “I’m hurt, Sho-kun. I really did think you were cute.”

Sho simply frowns at him.

“You know we’re not going to let you get away.”

“Yet here I am, with the safe, pardon the pun, safely hidden away in my room, and you’re down there, without any weapons and a full flight of stairs away from me. I know this ship better than anyone, remember? Once I get away from here, I can hide just about anywhere until you;re forced to dock, and then I can escape without any of you noticing.”

Kentaro throws them an arrogant smirk and starts to back away slowly.

“You tried your best. But this exchange is gonna happen, you can’t stop me.”

Jun is about to run after him, but Sho grabs his arm, holding him back.

“We can’t just go in guns blazing, Jun. We need to figure this out first.”

“We won’t have anyone to catch if we spend all this time planning!”

“We’re on a ship in the middle of the ocean! Where’s he going to go?!”

“Exactly! We’re on a ship in the middle of the ocean! If he gets away from us and starts taking people hostage, what are we gonna do then, huh?!”

“What are we going to do if you go get yourself shot, huh?! You think you’re so strong you’re impervious to bullets? Don’t be a fucking idiot, Jun”

Levelling him with the coldest glare he can muster up, Jun rips his arm out of Sho’s gasp and barrels towards Kentaro.

The man raises his arm, still backing away.

“Jun!” followed by a noise loud enough to send Jun’s ears ringing.

Time seems to stand still for Jun; he simply stands there, his mind not entirely processing what had just happened. He turns his head to look at Sho, who’s wide eyes are blown full open, an expression of shock and terror painting his face.

‘Sho?’

Then everything hits him, all at once.

He crumples to the floor, feeling a searing pain at his side. He presses a shaky hand to the area and feels a hot, burning liquid coat his palm.

‘Fuck.’

His breaths become shallow, shaky, panicked.

He hears someone running past him, footsteps loud and slapping against the floor. There’s some clamoring and he hears something metallic clatter to the floor, and something much larger following with a thud shortly after.

“Get him to the infirmary!” Jun hears someone yell.

He feels his energy seeping out of him, the searing hot pain fading away into a dull ache, his senses overall being overtaken by a darkness that was both cold and warm at the same time.

The last thing Jun sees before blacking out is a frantic Sho bent over him, near tears and yelling something.

“Wha-”

He gives up on trying to get the question out and succumbs to the urge to close his eyes.

***

When Jun comes to, he feels numb. Likely from painkillers, he surmises. He keeps his eyes closed, unable to bring the energy to open them to observe his surroundings. Instead he listens. He can hear a beeping to his left, a heart rate monitor. Upon that realization, the stench of antiseptics hits his nose as well.

‘I’m probably in the infirmary. But why?’

Then he remembers the lower deck, getting shot and laying there. Sho running up to him and yelling something while Aiba ran past towards the man they were after.

He groans internally. That had been a mess. He’d gotten too cocky, too restless and agitated by something Sho had said, and had rushed in in an attempt to finish everything as quickly as possible.

Something- someone-  next to him shifts, and he stiffens, cursing himself silently when the heart monitor picks up at his tension.

The person sighs deeply, and rests a hand on his. He stifles the urge to flinch, and waits.

“I’m really sorry. I let my temper get the best of me again, didn’t I?” It was Sho, Jun realizes.

Despite himself, he relaxes, heart monitor slowing down to a steady beeping once again.

“It’s my fault this happened. If only I’d just kept my big mouth shut...you wouldn’t have gotten distressed enough to run out like that. You wouldn’t be here..” Sho mumbles, voice colored with pain.

A certain part of Jun is inclined to agree, but he knows just as well that it was irresponsible of him to react in such a way in a situation like that.

“Please, just wake up. I love you so much…”

At that Jun can no longer stay silent, and he jerks away from Sho’s hand to sit up.

“What did you just say?” he asks incredulously.

“Y-you’re awake?” Sho responds dumbly. Then he sits up, eyes wide with relief.

“You’re awake!”

Jun just glares at him, trying to ignore that fluttering in his chest.

“Are you messing with me? Because if you didn’t mean what you said, I will kill you, Sakurai. This isn’t funny.”

Sho stares dumbly for a moment, his mind not registering what Jun was talking about. When it does, he shakes his head rapidly.

“I wouldn’t joke about something like this, Jun. Please, believe me,” he pleads. Jun’s mouth quivers at that, and he blinks rapidly, eyes quickly brightening with tears.

“Stop,” he mumbles, breaking eye contact.

“Jun-” Sho reaches out and grabs his hand again, and Jun starts at how badly they’re shaking. He keeps his eyes on the clasped appendages, silent.

“I was terrified back there. All I could think about was how you were bleeding and it wouldn’t stop and that you could die. And then you passed out, and a small part of me wondered if that was the end, if that was the last time I was ever going to see you, and it drove me insane, Jun. Insane. I know you hate me, that you still haven’t forgiven me for what I did, and I understand that. You don’t have to forgive me, you’ll never have to. But please, just believe that there’s nothing more I regret in life than what I did that night, and that I really–truly do love you,” Sho begs, his own eyes starting to water. His hands won’t stop shaking, and he holds onto Jun’s hand as though if he let go, the man would disappear.

Jun can only stare at the man, eyes wide in shock.

“I’m not asking you to give me a chance, Jun. Just- please be careful. I can’t see something like that again.”

“I’m sorry,” Jun whispers, shame filling his voice, Sho shakes his head, tightening his grip on Jun’s hand.

“No, I was being dumb, and you know it. I stormed in without thinking and I got shot for it, end of story.”

“End of story?! Jun-”

“It won’t happen again,” Jun interrupts before Sho can finish his outcry.

“I’m sorry,” he repeats.

“You don’t have to apologize for anything,” Sho murmurs, but Jun shakes his head vehemently.

“I do, though. I’ve been treating you like shit over something that happened when we were teenagers.I should’ve gotten over it ages ago, but instead I held onto it and over your head for years. I was being really immature. Even now, on the mission, I was being a kid. I knew it would be dangerous to just go barging in; I’ve done tons of missions like this. But I just disregarded everything and assumed I could take him down before he got the chance to take a shot.” Jun looks so ashamed of himself, for being hurt over what he did, Sho refuses to accept it. He removes one hand from Jun’s and runs it through the man’s dark hair gently.

“I was an asshole, Jun, there’s no excuse for what I said. You have every right to be hurt over it.”
“Why did you say that? I thought we were good enough friends that even if...you didn’t like me back we’d be able to stay close,” Jun asks, voice soft and hesitant. Sho shouldered himself.

‘He deserves to know. Screw your damn pride. He deserves to know’

“I was scared,” he confesses. Jun makes a small noise, unsure if he heard correctly.

“You remember how upset my father was when I decided to go into the agency as an agent instead of working to become an executive, right?” Jun nods at that, his dark eyes inquisitive, watching Sho closely.

“They were hounding at me the entire time I was at the academy, you know? They let up a little once they saw I graduated with full marks, but they made it more than obvious they would try to pull me out of the field the second I messed up. When you confessed to me-- I truly was happy, honestly. But at that time, the only thing I could think of was that if we got together, it would be yet another thing my parents would think I was getting into just to spite them, and would try to take me out of it. I felt like they would spring something along the lines of, if I had the time to be in a relationship, clearly I wasn’t taking being an agent seriously.” Sho loosened his grip on Jun’s hand, feeling all that guilt from all those years ago surging up again. Jun didn’t grab onto Sho’s hand, but he didn’t remove it either.

Sho took this as a sign to move on.

“Then I thought about how well you were doing at the academy. You had the ability to graduate at the top of your class, maybe multiple classes. I was scared they might try and stop your chances of getting into the agency, or get proper missions for someone of your skillset, to make me leave and become some junior to one of the executives. So I did...that,” he continues, glancing up to see Jun’s reaction.

Jun doesn’t say anything, just looks at him with an odd expression on his face. He looks serene, with a mixture of something Sho can’t put his finger on.

He lets out a humorless laugh that falls flat, laying between them like a brick wall.

“I tried to keep my parents from hurting you but at the end of it all I was the one that hurt you the most. How in character of me,” he finishes, bitterly.

Jun stays silent for a moment more, watches Sho with his dark, dark eyes, and long lashes that sent feathering shadows across his cheekbones as he blinks.

He’s the most beautiful person Sho’s ever met.

“I thought about it for years, you know?” Jun starts. He plays with the edge of his blanket, finally taking his eyes off Sho.

“I thought, ‘Could it be that he’s homophobic or something like that?’ but I knew it couldn’t be that because of how accepting you were of Kazu and Riida. So I thought maybe you just didn’t like me. But I’ve seen you turn down people before, and it was nothing like what you did with me. Then I started thinking, maybe it was because you never truly liked me in the first place. That I was some annoying kid that followed you around everywhere like an insect, and you put up with it just to be civil. And that me confessing was the final straw, and you just couldn’t keep it in anymore,” Jun whispers, voice thick with unshed tears. He keeps his eyes down on his blanket, but it’s clear that they’re brimming.

“I’m so sorry.” Sho can feel tears burning in his own eyes.

“That’s why I got so- bitter. I thought all that time spent in school with my friends was just some sort of delusional episode. I thought it would’ve been better if you guys had just said you hated me instead of being nice out of pity, or something like that.” Jun finishes, sniffling. He looks so much like the soft, sensitive boy that used to skip around Sho back in their academy days.

‘He still is that same, sweet boy from all those years ago. I’m the one that made him feel like he had to hide that part of himself.’

“But, I can understand why you did what you did. It- it still hurts, but after hearing why, it doesn’t hurt as much. I feel like I can finally just...start moving on.” Jun looks up at Sho, who is watching silently, a distressed expression on his handsome face.

“I forgive you,” Jun adds, suddenly feeling clear headed. Sho, however, remains upset, breaking eye contact with Jun.

Jun frowns at that, not understanding.

‘Did I say something wrong?’   

He tightens the hand that was still entangled with Sho’s, trying to get the man’s attention.

“Sho-san--”

“You really don’t have to forgive me, Jun. I understand that what I did was unforgivable, after this mission I can go ahead and request for Riida to not stick me with you in the future,” Sho whispers, staring at his hands, determined not to let any tears spill.

Jun shakes his head.

“I think-- it’s time we move past this, huh? It won’t do us any good if I keep hating you and you keep feeling guilty.” In that moment Jun looks so wise, so calm and content. He seems to be bathed in some sort of light, glowing, finally at ease.

“Friends?” Sho asks, wincing when his voice cracks.

At that, Jun finally laughs, a soft, shy sound that sends Sho’s heart soaring.

“Friends,” Jun confirms, a tiny smile on his face.

At Sho’s answering smile, it grows brighter, and he feels an immense weight finally lifting off his chest.

***

Once Jun was given the okay to be up and about he insisted upon going back to his shared room with Sho. The bullet had avoided any vital organs and he was good to with a few stitches and a blood transfusion, but Sho insisted on having Jun use him as a human crutch, and refused to let him leave the bed, which he had filled with so many pillows that Jun was basically cocooned and unable to move.

“I’m fine. I can do these things by myself, you know?” However, upon seeing the desperate expression on Sho’s face, Jun acquiesced, and resigned himself to the fate of being coddled for the rest of the cruise.

The two of them met with Masaki and Shunsuke in the former’s room, for a late lunch and a serious discussion about what was going to happen next.

Masaki had managed to wrestle the gun out of Kentaro’s hand and tackle him to the floor. The man was now being held up in a cell in the lowermost deck until they got to shore.

“They have those one here?” Sho asks in surprise.

“Most cruise ships do, I believe. Just in case,” Shunsuke explains.

“We can call headquarters and let them know, then. And find out what they want us to do next.” Jun heads out of the room to call Satoshi.

Masaki immediately moves to plop down next to Sho.

“So~ how are things?”

“Great. We’re finally moving forward; we’re friends now.” Sho looks relieved and happy, much to Masaki’s satisfaction.

Jun steps back into the room, phone in hand. He waves it towards Sho’s direction with a chirpy “Kazu and Riida said hi” before turning to Masaki and Shunsuke.

“Our director’s notified a handler stationed at the next city. If we make a stop there, he can pick them up and have him dealt with accordingly.”

“Wonderful! Let’s stop there as soon as possible!” Masaki cheers. Shunsuke nods, a small smile on his gentle face.

“We should probably stop a ways from the dock, though. Just to be on the safe side,” he adds.

“Our side thought the same thing as well. They’ll meet us part way with a smaller boat,” Jun nods.

Aiba claps his hands together, creating a loud sound that echoes in the room.

“Well then, that’s settled! We should host a game night to keep everyone distracted!”

“Game night?” Sho’s voice is somewhat incredulous. Would they have to keep up the quarreling couple act even when everything was done with?

Masaki let out a dramatic huff.

“We can’t have random civilians wandering around all over the ship when we’re transporting a criminal, can we? If we have my game night, they’ll all be in the ballroom! Anyway, I have a ton of fun games planned out, and I’ll be the DJ! I’ll have the chef make something special just for the event too!” It appeared that they did need to keep up the farce.

Jun lets out a long suffering sigh.

“The two of us won’t be a part of the exchange. People from our branch want to talk to you about something, Aiba-san. Our handler already knows what you look like, as well. Sho-san and I can just take a break in our room.”

Sho nods eagerly. Staying in their room, away from the couples games sounded like a wonderful idea.

Masaki, however, was not as pleased.

“If Kazapon and I have to carry out the exchange, it means I won’t get to be at the dinner party! You have to go for me!”

Jun stares, deadpan. Sho groans and melts further into the couch, already seeing where this was headed.

“You can just join the party once the exchange is done, Aiba-san,” Jun says carefully, clearly struggling to keep a frown off his face.

Masaki shakes his head vigorously.

“You have to go!”

Shunsuke laughs, patting a desolate Sho on the back.

“You don’t really have a choice, you see? Just go for the time that it takes us to finish things up, and then I’ll make sure he lets you two go,” he says, pure amusement on his kind face.

At Sho’s clear pout, he adds “Think of it as watching over the guests. Just making sure no one gets in the way of us and the handler. That would help at least a little, right?”

Sho nods at that, despite wanting to do the very opposite. The glance that Jun shoots him shows that the latter had very similar thoughts.

“Oh! It’s going to be a dinner party too, so wear some nice suits!” The two of them groan at that,

Shunsuke laughs again.

“Well, I should start steering towards the drop off location, so if you need anything, you’ll know where I am.” He leaves with a wave.

Jun watches him leave, a slight pout on his face as Masaki continues to prattle away about what he had planned out for his dream ‘dinner slash game party’. He really just wanted to go home.

They’d been on this mission for long enough, and this party was going to draw it out even more.

He tilts his head to glance at Sho after what feels like hours of Masaki talking. The man was practically falling asleep on his spot on the couch. He chuckles and reaches out to nudge the man. Sho jerks slightly, eyes bleary.

“Sho-san and I should rest up for your dinner party, Aiba-san. It won’t do any of us any good if someone falls asleep during it,” Jun says, his eyes never leaving Sho. He finds himself unable to hold back the fond smile on his lips as Sho struggles to stand up, the man stumbling backwards slightly. He reaches out and grabs an arm.

“We’re heading back to the room. What time do we need to be at the ballroom?” Jun asks, already tugging a complacent Sho towards the door.

“Seven, please!” Masaki calls after them.

Sho walks slowly down the hallway to the suits, limbs stiff from exhaustion. Jun matches his place, keeping his grip on Sho’s arm, though it’s no longer needed.

Once they’re back in their room, Sho immediately kicks off his shoes and drops onto the couch, not bothering to change out of his clothes.

“Are you going to be comfortable like that?” Jun asks timidly. Sho gives an intelligible groan in response.

“You should take the bed. I’m not really tired, and you’re clearly going to need all the rest you can get before Aiba throws us to the wolves,” Jun pokes Sho until the older man heaves himself off the couch and onto the bed.

He lets out a sigh, snuggling into the soft pillows. Jun doesn’t bother holding back his amused giggle, settling on the couch.

“I’m really not looking forward to that dinner party,” Sho mumbles into the pillow.

“Yeah. You know that it’s not really going to be watching over people right? We’re just stuck there because they want to check out Aiba-san and Kazama-san without us trying to push our opinions onto them,” Jun says, picking at a stray thread on the cushion he had on his lap.

Sho just whines, burying his face deeper into the pillow. He breaks out into giggles immediately after, prompting a confused glance from Jun.

“Doesn’t this remind you of that one banquet some people tried to put on back when we were in academy?”

“The one where Kazu rigged the chocolate fountain to explode?” Jun started giggling as well.

“Nino did so much. I was terrified for anyone that got on his bad side.” Sho rolls towards the end of the bed so he can better make eye contact with Jun.

Jun grins and sprawls out on the couch, still hugging the cushion.

“Remember that one computer sciences teacher that would always be really mean to Ohno-kun? One day during class, his computer wouldn’t connect to the projector and none of us knew what was wrong with it. And then, out of nowhere, it connected, but it’s not the presentation he wanted to show us.” Sho is wheezing at this point, trying to hold in his laughter long enough to recant the tale.

“What did Kazu do?” Jun’s laughing so hard he can only whisper.

“It was just this video, on loop. Of goats screaming or something. I still don’t know what he did, but no one knew how to turn it off, it just stuck like that throughout the entire class.” Sho is practically sobbing at this point.

Jun snorted, hiding his face in the cushion.

“He was only mean because Ohno-kun slept through everything. Remember that one year where he slept through two exams? I still don’t know how he passed,” Jun sighs, wiping a tear away.

Sho nods, calming down from his laughing fit, himself.

“We were a really weird bunch, weren’t we?”

“We were,” Jun confirms.

They quiet down, just looking at each other. It was comfortable, but something hesitant remained in the air. Jun worries his bottom lip a bit. Sho gives him a small, tentative smile, and he feels something lift.

He smiles back.

***

Upon entering the ballroom, they both freeze. The spectacle was something almost horrifying.

There as a dance floor set up in one corner, a game of Twister in another, and a obstacle course where one would have lead a blindfolded other with just verbal cues. Alcohol was flowing freely; there was even a row of champagne glass towers all the way in the back. Needless to say, it was definitely something neither of them wanted to participate in.

“Please tell me we don’t have to dance,” Sho cries desperately.

Jun just laughs, and drags him to the dance floor.

Sho had somehow stiffened up even more, stumbling awkwardly, a vice grip on Jun’s arms in an attempt to not go sprawling onto the floor.

Jun laughs, a high pitched giggle that sends his eyes curving into half moons.

Sho’s breath catches in his throat, and he finds himself thinking that embarrassing himself in front of everyone was a very small price to pay if it brought out a smile like that. He lets Jun tug him closer, taking in his light, delicate scent, like fresh linens and a hint of something floral and fruity.

“You’re way too stiff for someone in his thirties, Sho-san. I’m going to make Riida sign you up for some yoga classes.” Jun’s voice warbles as he tries to hold in his laugh, his eyes glittering with mirth as he looks down at Sho.

Upon seeing Sho’s carefully blank face, he bursts out laughing again, this time loud enough to have a few nearby couples glance over in surprise. He slumps slightly, resting against Sho, who immediately wraps his arms around a narrow waist.

“I’m not that bad,” he whines. Jun snorts into his ear, even more giggles threatening to spill out of his mouth.

“Ok, you’re right. It is that bad,” Sho acquiesces, his own boisterous laugh taking over.

“You should go to the health center I go to. They’ll shape you up in no time.” a pause, and then Jun continues, voice a little smaller now “We could work out together too.”

Sho agrees readily, much to Jun’s relief.

Their conversation dies into a comfortable silence, and they stand in place, slightly swaying. Sho lets out a soft, happy sigh, feeling genuinely joyous and at home. Jun burrows his face into a sloping shoulder, taking in the warm, heady scent of Sho; sandalwood, fresh ink, hints of jasmine and orchid.

“You smell really good,” he mumbles subconsciously. Sho chuckles at that.

He runs a soothing hand up and down Jun’s back, somehow sensing the sudden melancholic state the younger man had fallen into during their silence.

“What’s wrong?” his voice is warm, and Jun moves his grip on Sho’s biceps to hug him.

“Just..thinking.”

Sho hums, prompting him to continue.

“We’re friends now, right? We’re moving past..that?”

“Of course we are.” Sho sounds confident.

“Back in the sick bay, you said something. And I- I can’t stop thinking about it,” Jun confesses. He smiles at the noise of confusion Sho makes; the man has always been expressive in such an interesting way.

The smile fades quickly, however, the anxiety taking over.

“Did I say something wrong?” Sho asks when he stays silent.

Jun shakes his head slowly.

“Jun, what’s the matter?” Sho’s voice is beginning to rise, clear signs of panic bubbling up.

“You...you said you loved me..” Jun whispers.

Sho lets out a deep sigh at that. He pulls away slightly, and Jun’s eyes immediately fill up with tears at the surge of panic and shame. Had he gone and ruined their friendship already?

“I’m sorry. I’ve probably made you feel incredibly uncomfortable, haven’t I?” Sho’s apology takes Jun aback.

All he can do is respond with a small, strangled “huh?”, throat choked with unshed tears.

“I don’t want you to feel pressured to think about my feelings just because we’re friends again,” Sho elaborates, leaning back slightly to take in Jun’s face.

Jun can only stare, eyes still watery.

“I’m more than happy to remain friends with you, Jun. Don’t feel like you need to consider any romantic feelings towards me just because I have some-”

“What?! But you said you’d wait for me!” Jun’s voice cracks, the tears spilling over.

Sho stares for a second, wide-eyed. Then he rushes to wipe away Jun’s tears and pull him into his arms, cradling Jun’s head against the side of his neck.

“Hey, it’s okay. I just thought what I said was making you feel like you needed to like me back. I didn’t mean that I stopped waiting. I’ll always wait for you, Jun,” he says soothingly.

Jun sniffs, mouth still trembling.

“What if I do want us to be together? And not because of what you said?” he asks, voice still shaking weakly.

Sho inhales sharply, heart beating speeding up and pounding against his chest. He briefly wonders whether or not Jun can feel it, given how close they are.

“I’d tell you that I’d want nothing more,” he answers, voice low with the depth of his emotions.

He marvels at how different Jun has become since his days as the pale, gangly boy that would follow him around during their academy days, yet how much had remained the same. He’d grown so much, physically become much taller, broader, powerful. There was a commanding presence to Jun that wasn’t there during his teen years, one that further accentuated the glow that has always seemed to accompany him. He’d become much more confident and self assured as well, yet was still the same soft, gentle boy with a heart that was filled to the brim with love and insecurity.

He loved him. More than anything.  

Jun finally lets out a quiet sob and presses himself into Sho, arms wrapping around him as tightly as possible, burying his face into the man’s broad neck, taking in the scent that was so uniquely Sho. The scent that always served to calm him, set him at ease, even when he’d convinced himself that he despised Sho.

“I like you. So much- I never stopped liking you, I was just so sad about what had happened. I wanted to forget about you, that’s why I was being so mean. But I didn’t mean any of it, I really always liked you.” Jun cries into Sho quietly, body quaking.

Sho holds onto Jun just as tightly, his own eyes welling up with tears at Jun’s confession. He feels like his heart is going to beat out of his chest at any moment. All he can do is hold onto Jun, trying to ground himself and convince himself that this was indeed real, not just a lucid dream.

They stand there for what seems like an eternity, wrapped around each other, unaware of the world surrounding them. Jun eventually looks up, tears quelled. He gazes into Sho’s eyes, searching for something. Sho gazes back, somewhat dazed by what had just happened.

Jun seems to find what he’s looking for, as he tugs the older man and begins to lead the way back to their room.

They enter silently, standing awkwardly by the now closed door. Then Jun moves.

He pushes Sho against the door, hands planted on either side of his head. Sho looks up at him, large, round eyes impossibly dark. Jun can barely tell where his pupils end and his irises begin. His gaze flickers down to Sho’s lips, looking so soft and inviting.

Sho licks them nervously, and something in Jun clicks.

He moves his hands to cup Sho’s face, and leans in, connecting their lips in a kiss. Sho returns the kiss immediately, arms coming up to cling to Jun’s waist. It’s soft, sweet, everything he’d wanted back when he’d confessed to Sho all those years back.

Jun feels like he could stand there and kiss Sho for hours, but eventually pulls back to take a deep breath. Sho slumps against the wall, eye impossibly soft and they gaze at Jun’s face.

“I really did like you back at the academy,” he says suddenly. “I still like you.”

Jun blinks, confused for a split second, before bursting out laughing.

“I believe you,” he chuckles, running a finger down the bridge of Sho’s nose. He continues down and strokes his soft, pillowy lips.

Sho looks unsure, so he leans in and gives the man a quick peck.

“I believe you,” he repeats. “And I still like you. A lot.”

This time Sho is the one to initiate the kiss, moving his arms to wrap around Jun’s shoulders, pressing their bodies together. Jun smiles into it and pushes Sho into the door, leaving little to no space between their bodies. He moves a hand down and snakes it around the small of Sho’s back, and grips possessively.

Sho responds in kind, wrapping his arms tighter, pulling Jun in closer, pressing his lips against Jun’s harder. When Jun licks at the seam of his mouth, he opens it without hesitation, sending sparks down the taller man’s back.

Jun ventures in, tongue stroking gently in the hot cavern that was Sho’s mouth. Sho makes a small noise and sucks, drawing a sigh from Jun.

The harder Jun kisses, the more Sho clings to him and just accepts it eagerly, sending the former into a haze.

He finally pulls away, a thick strand of saliva trailing. Sho’s eyes are hooded, and he’s panting, lips spit slick and parted, harsh red and swollen from Jun’s ministrations. He leans up and begins kissing Jun’s neck, hot and wet. He trails his mouth to the spot between his ear and jaw, pressing feathery kisses against the skin before giving it a hard suck. Jun inhales deeply, hand pressing against the back of Sho’s neck. He moves it up to grab a fistful of hair and tugs harshly.

Sho gives a breathy moan at that, eyes watering. Jun gives him a brief, suffocating kiss  before trailing down to his neck, nipping relentlessly. He moves his hand from Sho hip to roughly unbutton the collar of his dress shirt and loosen his tie enough to get at the juncture where his neck and shoulder met and licked at it possessively.

Sho shivers, and shakily runs a hand through Jun’s hair, messing up the carefully styled locks. All he can do is cling to the broad frame as Jun continues to bite and suck, ravaging his neck.

He knows his moans are getting louder, and he bites down on his bottom lip hard enough to almost draw blood.

Jun roughly grasps at his hips, drawing an involuntary yelp. He’s about to unbuckle the belt and shove down Sho’s trousers when a loud flurry of knocking catches them both off guard.

They remain motionless for a second, praying that it was just a drunkard banging at the wrong door, but then a voice comes through.

“Guys! Why aren’t you at the party?! I told you to go and enjoy it for me, I worked really hard on it, you know?” It was Masaki.

Sho groans and just about slams his head back against the door, while Jun drops his head against Sho’s shoulder with a series of muttered curses.

“Anyway, we’re done! We finished everything up, but guess what! They sent a car to take you guys back to Tokyo tonight! So get packed, okay?”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Jun grumbles and he pulls away from Sho.

They pack in relative silence, only muttering under their breaths about poor timing and terrible luck.

***

That night was the last time Jun had seen Sho in approximately three months.

They’d gotten off at the port and taken the car ride back to base in silence, both trying to will away their raging erections before meeting Satoshi. After bringing the sleepy director up to date with everything, he’d revealed that there was a conference that Sho needed to attend, that the flight was tomorrow afternoon.

Sho had given Jun a devastated look as the latter made his way out of the office, and that was that.

Jun himself had been assigned to handle several cases after that, and from what he could glean off his coworkers, Sho was still abroad, working on something with some directors from other branches.

He is currently in Chiba, finally taking a break after those series of consecutive cases. He’d met up with Masaki a couple of times, even frequenting at his family’s restaurant. He is there at the moment, in fact, reading some novel he’d picked up at a local bookstore. Masaki’s brother had brought over some coffee for him before heading off to his classes, though he’d finished it a while back. The restaurant was relatively empty, a few regulars scattered throughout, Masaki’s parents seem to be trying something out in the kitchen, and Masaki is helping them while talking to someone on the phone.

“Go ahead and come over! It’s pretty empty right now, promise. We can make you something that’s not on the menu, too!”

Jun stifled a laugh. Masaki was ever the social butterfly.

“He said he’s at that bookstore, so he should be here pretty soon,” he hears Masaki informing his parents. He wonders absentmindedly who this friend was, but focuses on his novel once again.

He’s read for what must’ve been only a few minutes when he senses someone approaching the table he’s sitting at. He groans internally, wondering if it was another well meaning regular wanting to get to know Masaki’s friend from work. He adored Masaki’s hometown and the residents he’d met so far, but today he just wasn’t in the mood.

“Jun?” his head shoots up at the voice.

His wide eyes land on an equally shocked Sho, dressed in a short sleeved linen button down and cotton trousers, and looking a little tanned. He looks like he just got off the plane from a vacation.

He looks amazing.

“What are you doing here?” he demands. Sho sets down his bag, an ugly, tattered camo printed atrocity, and sits down at the table, once again choosing the seat right next to Jun.

“I was in Hawaii for an assignment, and the director I was accompanying is based here,” Sho starts. “They also said I could take a vacation after that since I’d been working nonstop, so I thought I’d stop by here and say hi to Masaki after dropping off the director at his place.”

“I’m here on vacation too,” Jun says softly.

Sho gives Jun a breathtaking smile.

“It’s so good to see you again, Jun,” he says sincerely. Jun can’t help but smile back, feeling butterflies in his stomach.

“Where are you staying?”

“I haven’t found a spot yet. I was originally going to get a hotel room, but I was thinking staying at an inn would be a nicer-.”

“Stay with me,” Jun interrupts. Sho blinks, dazed.

“H-huh?” is all he says.

“Stay with me. I’m staying at one of those inns,” Jun presses, sliding a hand over to grasp Sho’s wrist. He runs a thumb over the pulse; it’s quick, like when you scoop a rabbit out of its cage.

“Ok,” Sho whispers breathlessly. He’s starry eyed, drinking in Jun’s visage.

Jun stands up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. He grabs Sho’s bag and heads for the door, never releasing his grip on the man’s wrist. His pulse is beating frantically.

“Wait, you’re leaving already? I did this on purpose, but I thought you guys would talk a little bit at least!” Masaki’s voice goes unheard and Jun tosses Sho’s bag in the trunk and just about shoves the man into the passenger seat.

The drive back to the inn is filled with Sho’s chattering, updating Jun on what he’d been up to, what he saw and ate in Hawaii, the souvenirs he bought for everyone.

“I got you something too, by the way! I think you’ll like it a lot!” he beams at Jun from his seat, and he has to remind himself that taking his eyes off the road to kiss Sho senseless wasn’t a good idea.

“Is that so?” his voice come out low and husky, and has an instantaneous effect on Sho.

The man settles back in his seat, gnawing at his lower lip.

Jun parks smoothly, faster than he ever has before, earning an impressed “wow!” from Sho.  He barely remembers to grab Sho’s bag before dragging the man to his room. He has to stop when Sho spots the innkeeper and greets her with a formal bow and introduces himself. He give the lady his own greeting before bodily dragging Sho into the room.

Once inside, he locks the door with a loud click and sets the bag down. He stares down Sho, looking adorable in his ensemble of white and tan.

“You look like a dad,” he huffs. Sho snickers at that, brows furrowing as he does.

Jun stalks towards Sho, who’s standing there, watching him like a deer caught in headlights. He rests their foreheads together, looking deep into his eyes.

“Hi,” Sho whispers. A small smile cracks on Jun’s face.

“Hey,” he whispers in return.

Sho takes a deep breath.

“I missed you,” he admits shyly. Jun’s heart soars at the admission and he pulls Sho into a deep, mind numbing kiss that has the man writhing against him.

He nips at the full, lower lip, prompting Sho to open his mouth for him; he backs Sho to the nearest wall and pushes his tongue in, ravaging his mouth. When he pulls away, Sho’s mouth is just as red and swollen as he remembered.

He brushes his fingers down Sho’s neck, remembering the night back in their room on that ridiculous cruise. Sho shivers at the contact and tilts his head to the side, revealing the column of smooth skin.

Jun gets to work, biting and sucking on those exact spots from those 3 odd months ago, Sho making those cute, breathy moans all over again.

He fiddles with the buttons of Sho’s shirt, easily opening it and sliding it off his shoulders. He makes several more marks across Sho’s collarbones before returning to his mouth with a bruising kiss.

When he pulls away, Sho is gasping, clinging to Jun’s front like he’d disappear if he let go.

“Did you miss me?” Jun’s voice is thick with arousal. Sho nods, disoriented.

Jun plants another, softer kiss on Sho’s full lips. He takes one of Sho’s hands, removing it from its grip on his shirt and trailing it down to the button of his pants.

“Show me,” he whispers, breath fanning across Sho’s face.

Sho’s eyes widen in surprise for a second before something else flickers across them. He sinks to his knees in front of Jun, dressed only in those light, cotton trousers that did nothing to hide his arousal.

He shakily unbuttons Jun’s pants and tugs it down, taking his underwear with him. He runs his cool fingers up and down Jun’s member; Jun shivering in response. He pumps a few times, collecting the dribbling precome and spreading it along.

Finally, he goes up, licking tentatively at the tip. Jun inhales sharply, hand going down to stroke Sho’s soft hair. Sho takes the tip into his mouth, sucking gently, his hand constantly pumping. He gradually begins to take more and more of Jun into his mouth, enveloping him in a hot, wet cavern. Jun’s breath quickens slightly, fingers still running themselves through Sho’s hair. Sho wishes he’d grab and tug at it again like he did that night, and he gives a soft whine at the thought, the sound sending reverberations up Jun’s cock, making him groan. He tightens his grip on Sho’s locks, eliciting a happy sound from him.

“Do you like that?” Jun laughs. “You like when I pull at your hair like that?”

Sho makes a noise of approval, nose now almost brushing against Jun’s hairs.

“I bet you’d like it if I fucked your face, wouldn’t you?”

Sho whines desperately at that and Jun grins. He brushes Sho’s bangs back, exposing his wide, rounded forehead, and tightens his grip on the hair. He holds Sho in place, and nudges his hips forward, sliding deeper into Sho’s mouth.

He continues, starting off slow so as to not overwhelm the man, but Sho is so pliant, so submissive and willing, he knows he won’t be able to keep it up for long. He thrusts a little bit too hard at that train of thought and Sho gags, eyes watering and nose starting to run.

Jun half expects him to back his head away, so when he simply tilts head head back and opens his mouth wider, something in Jun snaps.

He uses his grip on Sho’s hair to push his head forward, hips thrusting simultaneously. Sho has one hand on Jun’s thigh, nails digging in and leaving inevitable marks. The other reaches up higher, towards Jun’s other hand. Jun grabs his wrist and holds it in a vice grip, reveling in the frantic pulse.  

He can see a wet spot growing on Sho’s light trousers, spurring him on.

“Look at you,” Jun gasps. “Who would’ve thought Sakurai Sho wanted to get face fucked so much.”

Sho lets out a cry at that, and Jun watches as he shifts, trying to relieve the strain on his own member. He pulls himself out of Sho’s mouth, and roughly pushes him back, using his grip on the man’s hair and wrist. Sho falls back, gasping for air desperately.

He looks wrecked, lips red and puffy and shining from spit and precome, eyes teary and nose slightly running, hair an unruly mess from Jun’s pulling.

“Take everything else off and get on the bed,” Jun orders, voice husky and rough. Sho complies immediately, scrambling to his feet and shucking off his trousers and underwear, both pretty ruined at this point.

He heads towards the bed, but hesitates for a split second, unsure of how Jun wanted him.

“On your hands and knees,” came the order, and he rushes to comply. He glances back and sees Jun undressing, his body broad and sculpted like a Greek god, and he feels a raging heat shooting down his belly.

He breathes heavily and rests on his elbows and forearms, head bent down against the sheets. The position pushes his ass up and out, prompting Jun to smack it. Hard. Sho cries out, and feels a jolt of arousal right after the initial pain.

“You like that too, huh? Maybe next time.”

Sho moans into the bedsheet.

Jun reaches for the nightstand and pulls a small drawer open, taking out the lube, popping open the cap with a click that seems to echo throughout the room. Sho shivers in anticipation.

Jun pours a liberal amount over his fingers, and some down Sho’s bottom, teasing him with the sudden cold. He gropes one ass cheek, squeezing the globe of flesh tightly. He spreads to the side, continually kneading at it as he exposes Sho’s puckered hole.

Sho waits, breath baited with anticipation.

Jun presses a lubed finger against the hole, massaging, probing lightly. For Sho it feels like an eternity before he finally starts to push a finger in, and when Jun finally does, he pushes back eagerly, only for Jun to let go of his ass and press down on the bottom of his back, holding him in place. He pats Sho’s back lightly as he moves his finger slowly in and out of Sho, preparing him for another.

This time, when he presses a second finger in, he moves his other hand to stuff two fingers in Sho’s mouth.

“Let’s see how many you can fit in here, hmm?” he cooes into Sho’s ear. Sho whines eagerly, sucking at the fingers that were rhythmically pressing against his tongue.

Jun continues, starting to scissor his fingers inside Sho in a way that has the man panting around the fingers stuffed in his mouth like a dog in heat.

“Ready?” At Sho’s eager nod, Jun pushes a third finger in, doing the same to the man’s mouth.

He begins to move his fingers faster, thrusting in and out at a harsher pace, shoving deeper into Sho’s mouth so the man chokes on his long fingers.

Sho mumbles something that Jun can’t interpret due his mouth being stopped up. He removes his fingers, marvelling at the threads of saliva that follow before prompting Sho to repeat himself with a crook of the fingers he still had buried inside him.

Sho moans before continuing.

“I’m ready. Please,” he gasps. Jun hums mockingly.

“For what? Another finger? Should we try for my whole hand?” Jun revels at the groans the thought of that drags out of Sho, but the man shakes his head desperately.

“Oh? Then what do you want?”

“You,” came a choked gasp.

“I’m inside you, aren’t I? Three fingers, in fact.” Jun crooks his fingers again, earning a loud gasp from Sho.

“Jun,” he cries desperately.

“Tell me what you want then, Sho,” Jun hisses into his ear, giving the cartilage a harsh bite.

“Fuck me, Jun. Fuck me with your cock, please,” Sho begs, eyes starting to water.

Jun quietly moans at Sho’s desperation and pulls his fingers out, the man crying out at the emptiness. He reaches for the nightstand again and grabs a condom, tearing open the wrapper and rolling it onto his weeping cock.

He positions himself behind Sho and grabs his hips. He begins to press in, moving slowly to allow Sho to adjust to the change in size. His grip tightens upon hearing the high-pitched gasps escaping Sho’s mouth and when he finally bottoms out, a heady groan leaves his mouth at the tightness gripping his member.

He begins to thrust lightly, earning a new series of gasps and moans from Sho. When he feels that Sho is ready, he starts to thrust harder, a lewd smacking of flesh against flesh taking over the room.

Sho is whining, tightly gripping the sheets and moving his own hips in tandem with Jun.

“Ah-- harder,” he gasps.

Jun obeys, gripping tightening on Sho’s hips, hard enough to leave bruises, and pulls back until he’s almost completely out of Sho. Then he slams back in, hard enough to send Sho sliding slightly.

Sho cries out, clenching around Jun, drawing out a shaky moan from the man.

Jun continues his brutal pace, feeling something begin to coil in his stomach.

Sho sobs into the bedsheets, clenching tighter and tighter against Jun until he finally comes, spurting all over his abdomen and the sheets. He slumps down and Jun follows shortly after with a few more harsh thrusts.

Jun pulls out of Sho, the latter collapsing onto the bed in a sated, happy lump. Jun pulls of the condom and ties it off, tossing it into the wastebin nearby the nightstand. He clambers off the bed and heads for the bathroom, coming back with a damp towel. He gently wipes down Sho, and presses a soft kiss against his sweaty temple.

He disappears into the bathroom again, and Sho lays there listening as water begins to run.

Jun appears again, pulling Sho up and leading him to the bathroom, where he had prepared a bath. He helps Sho settle in and turns to leave, but Sho grabs his arm.

“Where are you going?” he asks, eyes wide and round. Jun chuckles and bends down to press another kiss against his round forehead.

“I’m just going to change the sheets. I’ll join you in a minute, okay?” Sho releases him at that, relaxing into the water.

Jun seemed to enjoy running baths at a slightly hotter temperature than he preferred, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Jun returns after a few minutes, and Sho scoots forward eagerly to make room for him. Jun slides in easily, limbs immediately bracketing around Sho, who lean back to rest against Jun’s front.

The two of them soak for a bit, finger entangled with each other’s, updating each other properly on life and work.

“I really missed you, you know? Especially since we never really got a chance to take things through,” Jun says, brushing a hand through Sho’s hair. He loved seeing the man’s forehead exposed; it made him look older, yet there was something so endearing about it.

Sho sighed happily.

“I missed you too. I wanted to call, but then I realized we never even had each other’s numbers, despite being coworkers for so long.” Jun laughs at that, a loud boisterous sound that echoes in the small bathroom.

“I’ll give you my number once we get out. Call or message me whenever you want,” he offers. Sho perks up at that, sending Jun a toothy smile.

“Same on my end! Do you still use lots of of those emoticons? I always thought that was really cute, you know.”

Jun snorts, burying his face into Sho’s neck.

“I’ll buy those sticker packs on LINE just for you.”

Sho lets out a terrible “whoo~” sounding like a grandfather cheering on his grandchild at a school recital and Jun cackles, reaching up to shove the older man’s head into the bath water.

***

One month later, the two of them are back in Satoshi’s office. It’s been seven months since the museum heist, and three months since the drug trafficking stint on the cruise ship.

Jun and Sho are back, well rested and happy from their long vacation, ready to get back to work.

“Well, it’s something kind of big this time,” Satoshi starts, blinking at them sleepily. “We think this CEO is working with the yakuza to get rid of competition in the oil field. You’re going to have to go undercover again.”

Kazunari watches them carefully behind his laptop, no doubt waiting for one of them to show extreme distaste at working together long term again.

Jun however simply takes his folder with a chirpy “okay!” and Sho takes his with a bright smile.

Kazunari stares, eyes narrowed as Satoshi continues to brief them, but nothing happens. They’re being perfectly civil.

“That’s all I have for now. I’ve been told that Nagase-san will pick you up at the airport and update you with things on his side,” Satoshi finishes.

Jun nods and and stands up, ready to leave. Sho follows suit and the two of them leave with cheery waves.

“Something’s not right,” Kazunari immediately claims. Satoshi blinks at him.

“Why do you say that?”

“Why?! Oh-chan, they’re getting along! Not trying to murder each other!”

“Isn’t that what you wanted? You even asked Aiba-chan to watch over them for you.”

“Well, what does Aibashi have that I don’t?! What did he do for them to make up like that?!”

Satoshi just shrugs, moving from his desk to the couch that the two had been occupying earlier. Kazunari watches as the man makes himself comfortable for a nap.

“It’s a good thing, though. We can finally hang out like we used to back at school,” is all he says before closing his eyes.

Kazunari softens at that, a small smile playing on his lips.

“Yeah. That’ll be fun.”

***

On the other side of the task force’s floor, Sho and Jun board the elevator.

“You have time for lunch? Toma told me really good things about that new soba restaurant that just opened,” Jun says, leaning against a wall. Sho nods excitedly.

“I’ve been wanting to try that out every time I came here for briefings,” he bemoans.

Jun laughs at that before looking out the glass walls, watching as they went from above the rest of the city to meet the ground like everyone else.

Sho watches him instead, watching as the sun plays across his strong features. He ponders for a bit before shrugging and leaning up to plant a soft peck on Jun’s cheek.

Jun looks at him questioningly, and he just shrugs again.

“You look very handsome today,” he says cheekily.

Jun’s smile is wide, an adorable expression that has his cheeks puffing up slightly and his eyes curving up into half moons. He leans down and gives Sho a quick kiss on the mouth, nudging their noses together slightly as he pulls away.

“You too,” he says brightly.

The elevator comes to a stop and Jun leads the way to the restaurant, hand tightly grasping Sho’s, fingers intertwined.