Title: The Midnight Bakery
Pairing: Juntoshi, side Sakumiya, Aiba x Kanjiya Shihori
Rating: PG-15
Summary: Jun really likes his job as an interior designer. He does not like his boss that much though, who seems to enjoy giving his subordinate a hard time at work. One night, Jun ends up drunk on the streets, unable to find his way home. When an adorable stranger picks him up and takes him with him to a shop called the "Mayoppan", a new chapter in Jun's life is about to begin and things slowly but surely start to change.
Warnings: bullying
A/N: Dear lapetit_chou2. I almost instantly came up with this idea when I read your sign-up and I truly hope that I managed to come up with something that fits your expectations. As the title suggests, it might be no surprise when I say that the setting is inspired by one of my favourite J-doramas of the same title. Other note, "Mayoppan" is a pun on the Japanese words "mayonaka" (midnight) and "pan" (bread). I really enjoyed writing this and hope you'll enjoy reading it. Thanks as always to my betas!


"Oh, come on Aiba, can't you accompany us just for an hour?" Jun whispers towards his friend and office-mate, who is sitting on the office desk next to his, trying to hide the despair in his voice. He fails and soon, gives in to pleading "I am begging you."

Aiba turns away from his computer screen to look at his friend. There is a pause, filled by the familiar ringing of a telephone in the distance, soon answered by a female greeting the caller with a polite, "Good evening at Igokochii Interior Design, how can I help you?" A small group of colleagues are having a discussion, murmuring about their options for a future joint project. When Aiba parts his lips, Jun already knows his friend's answer, but hope dies last, right?

The man sighs heavily, his eyebrows turned up into an apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry Jun, I promised Shihori-chan to go and get the girls from kindergarten today. It's her monthly movie night with her old college friends and I don't want her to miss it. Also... I love playing with my girls as often as I can, so it's nice to be home before their bedtime."

"You're too good to be true, you know that, don't you, Ma-chan?" Jun chuckles. He can't stop the smile appearing on his face. As much as he wishes for Aiba's mental and physical support, he also can't deny how proud he is of his best friend, who matured from a carefree goofball into a respectable father and husband over the past few years. "It's a pity, you're not into men," Jun adds jokingly with a wink, causing his friend to try - and fail - to wink back in response to their running gag.

"Maybe in my next life," Aiba says, giggling. He smiles his everything-will-be-fine-smile shortly before he makes a few clicks on his computer and finishes packing his stuff. He stands up, wishing his colleagues a good evening and reaches to press Jun's shoulder supportively, who is still revising stuff in a digital folder in front of him. "But seriously, if it gets too bad, text me and I'll call so you can pretend to have an emergency," the man whispers.

Jun nods, tightening his lips to another - this time more forced - smile at his friend. He already knew that Aiba would back out, and he knew he has a good reason for it, but it was worth a try. Everything is worth trying to either get out of his boss' claws when the man demands his subordinates to accompany him to a drinking party after work - except the dutiful fathers, apparently - or to at least not have to sit through it without a friend. Jun knows that his boss doesn't really want to have him around "as a friend", anyway. He rather enjoys Jun suffering through such outings, and that's probably the point. In fact, it's just one form of bullying Jun has to endure from that man.

Nights out with the boss are always bad and get exponentially worse the more the man drinks and the more girls are around for him to try to impress. Jun's boss is a notorious and horrible show off and everyone hates it but, of course, nobody has the guts to say anything against their boss. Jun's only remaining hope now is that they would at least only go to karaoke with a group of people from work, rather than accidentally - as his boss has claimed - stumble into a cabaret club again. That one time they ended up surrounded by new-half girls with foreign-sounding names, high-pitched laughter, wearing brown dyed toupee hairstyles and cheap glimmering ball gowns propping up their operated boobs, had been a horrible night in so many aspects. An expensive one on top of it all, and Jun swore that he would not want to experience something like that ever again.

Sure, if the worst comes to the worst, he could still pull the "emergency trick" Aiba suggested, again, but seriously, how many more times do they expect their boss to fall for it? The man might be an idiot, but he wasn't stupid.

OK, it's time to think positive, Jun decides, taking a deep breath. Maybe, this time it won't be so bad, he tries to cheer himself up, but it doesn't work. He's about to groan frustratedly when the door to the separate office of his boss at the other end of the room flies open and a wide grinning man exits.

"How's it looking, boys and girls, everyone finished with work?" the man asks in his usual prominent voice, letting his eyes scan the scene.

Even if not, people can't escape him. The man doesn't care if Jun has still a mountain of work left to be done - mostly, stuff that his boss makes him re-do over and over or someone else is still discussing a project. As soon as he appears, everyone is supposed to drop everything they are currently working on and be ready for whatever brilliant plan their boss might have.

The man lifts a hand and points at a young woman sitting opposite from Jun, who has half turned in her seat upon hearing the man speaking. Her eyebrows are already slightly creased, but the expression gets stronger as soon as their boss throws her a wink. Jun sees her ear twitching slightly in discomfort - a habit he has noticed from her since the first time when she's around their boss. Poor girl.

"Satomi-chan, get ready and go get Yui-chan and Emi-chan from the accounting department," the boss commands before locking eyes with Jun. "Matsumoto, did Aiba-kun go home already?"

"Family duties...," Jun sighs in reply.

"Ah... yeah. Well, that's fine then," his boss says, and Jun has a hard time to suppress a rolling of his eyes.

The young man seriously wonders if it would be OK for him too to miss the party, or if his boss is - again - privileging Aiba over him right now. Which Jun doesn't blame on Aiba, of course, but actually, it happens quite often. Ever since Jun started working at the interior design company some years ago, even when Aiba didn't have kids yet, Jun felt being picked on by his boss more often than his other office-mates. By now he is pretty sure he isn't imagining things and indeed he is his boss's favourite victim of all times, he just can't understand why. It's like his boss hates him for some reason but doesn't have enough courage to tell Jun straight to his face. Which is unfair, Jun thinks. Maybe, this is just the problem, maybe, his boss simply does not like his face.

In the end, Jun is lucky enough that his boss only feels like grabbing something to eat at a yakitori restaurant before hopping to a karaoke place. Which means, tonight it's just him, Jun and the girls from his work place. No strange woman trying to flirt with him to draw money out of his pocket in a cabaret club, no provocative teenagers in the arcade to fight in a Dance Dance Revolution battle. Just dinner and a bit of karaoke. Jun can live with that, even if he can definitely imagine better ways to spend his evening.

Like for example spending it at home on his couch with a good book in his hands, or watching an interesting TV-series, or playing some strategy games on his tablet, like online Chess or Go. He isn't much of a party person, and even if he likes singing in the shower, he does not feel confident enough to share his - in his opinion lack of - singing skills with other people. But yes, they had worse evenings than taking turns in singing popular chart songs, absolutely. Most of the time, Jun doesn't even have to sing, because his boss enjoys teaming up with the girls, taking turns. First –
to show off (it sucks but the man actually doesn't have such a bad voice), and second to grab the opportunity and flirt with them as much as he can. He knows that half of them are actually taken, but the man doesn't care.

Two hours and some yakitori later, the group gathers in a slightly too small karaoke booth and so far, Jun's boss has been in a good mood. But soon, the man goes overboard with his flirting, causing Jun to stand up for the girls, and the boss to start dissing his subordinate. In the end he pushes Jun into singing songs that do not fit his vocal range at all, making the singing experience a very unpleasant and embarrassing one. On top of that, he booes and laughs at Jun in every single pause between his lines. Jun hates it. Anyway, with enough alcohol, even these moments seem to pass relatively quickly. It's not Jun's favourite thing in the world - to drown his embarrassment in alcohol, especially not if he has to go back to work the next morning - but sometimes, it helps to get through these evenings.

The downside of the alcohol consumption is, that Jun sooner rather than later loses his orientation. Completely and in every possible sense and meaning. In the sense of almost not being able to find his karaoke box after coming back from a toilet break before one of the girls comes to search for him and drags him back to their room. And also, in the sense of not being able to find his way home by himself, once they wrap up and he finds himself back outside on the streets.

It's not like he lives far away from his working place or the karaoke place, no, he is pretty sure that the place is even closer to his apartment than their office. However, Jun is completely helpless. His boss has already left the place, deciding to take the girls for another drink in a bar while leaving Jun to pay for their "karaoke fun", so at least, Jun is finally alone. Well, alone and lost on the streets, apparently, as the young man has a hard time telling right from left and has no clue at all where he has to go, and where he belongs.

Maybe, he could be able to find back the way to the office, he wonders, but he probably doesn't want to sleep there. The floor isn't near as cosy as his bed, the skin care items, he uses for his Korean ten step skin care routine every night before bed aren't there - and no matter how drunk Jun is, he would definitely make sure to clean his face and pamper it with cream and essences before going to sleep - and there are no showers that he can occupy in the morning for at least twenty minutes. Not to mention the horrible liquid they sell at the vending machines in the office as "coffee" - at least it's nothing compared to the heavenly beverage made by Jun's beloved hyper technological and amazing coffee machine Jess.

Jun is already dreaming of his morning coffee when his knees suddenly give in, causing him to sink onto the street. First, he tries to catch himself, but his arms and legs are too tired, too drained from the long working day, the thick atmosphere at the karaoke place and the alcohol, so that he just ends up slamming his hands clumsily onto the pavement. He's still slightly swaying, his shoulder brushing against a darkened shop window to his left, and he can't help but lean his heavy head against the window glass to rest for a while. He closes his eyes for a moment, trying to escape an upwelling dizziness, and takes some deep breaths. When he tries to get up, the world sways once more, dangerously, he sighs again, cursing his decision to order a fourth beer instead of a melon soda (but it had made things so much more bearable, really!), and closes his eyes again, sinking back down.

Maybe, he can just stay here and spend a few hours sitting on the cold street, he thinks. Maybe, leaning his head against the cool window glass would help clearing his mind. Maybe, in a few hours he'd be able to drag himself back home - if he remembers the way, that is - and make himself some delicious coffee... yeah, that sounds like a good idea... Or maybe, he just should call Aiba, but no, he can't do that to his friend, he's surely tired from playing with his two little girls, having fallen asleep on the couch, an arm wrapped around each of them, or something like that. Jun smirks silently at the memory of a pouting Aiba, telling him how his wife had scolded him for falling asleep on the carpet in the living room once, together with the girls. At least, it was a very warm and fluffy carpet, Aiba mentioned in his defence, back then.

"Hey, are you OK?"

Jun startles when suddenly someone speaks. He snaps his eyes open, turning his face into the direction of the voice and spots a brown-haired man, carrying a plastic bag from a nearby convenience store, looking at him, slightly worried.

"Do you need help?" The stranger adds. "Are you feeling sick?"

The voice doesn't stop asking questions, but Jun just can't find the strength to reply. Finally, the man steps a bit closer and reaches out to put his hand on top of Jun's shoulder.

Jun forces himself to focus, his mouth still refusing his brain's order to reply. He tries to study the person in front of him. It's just a stranger, someone he has neither seen nor heard before, although Jun thinks that he would remember this voice. It sounds warm, but at the same time it is slightly rough, cracking at the higher notes before trying to sound deeper, manlier... which is actually pretty funny and cute. The man looks friendly, his soft, round face almost inviting to touch and pinch his cheeks - no, Jun wouldn't do that, of course, he just notices. His slightly long nose is elegant and beautiful, his eyes small but widely open, ready to take in the world (or just worried that Jun might throw up right in front of him), his thin lips simply beautiful, especially when they form an adorable, askew smile after he speaks some more - probably, the most friendly and sincere expression Jun has seen in what felt like ages from any person other than Aiba.

"Uhm... sorry, what?" Jun finally manages to say after he notices that he hasn't been paying attention to the meaning of the words leaving the stranger's mouth at all, since he is devouring his appearance, which turns out to be pretty much his type. Whoops. That's not the important thing right now, he scolds himself.

"Do you need a doctor?" the man asks, concerned. Too concerned for a simple stranger, Jun decides, immediately feeling guilty for making a stranger worry about him. He isn't worth this.

"I... I'm fine," Jun stammers, or at least that's what he thinks he's saying, adding a most likely less well-pronounced, "Thank you" with a dangerously shaky voice.

"Are you sure?" the man in front of him asks, and there's just something about the way the man asks, with this serious concern that breaks something in Jun.

A wave of emotions suddenly washes over Jun. It hasn't even been a particularly bad evening, there had been much worse days at work and much worse outings with his boss, but everything about the whole situation, the frustration about the situation and his treatment at work, the constant stress by not knowing how bad the bullying from his boss will be during a specific day, and yes, at the moment the alcohol probably plays a big role here too. Everything combined, clashing with the kindness of this stranger, makes the knot in Jun's chest tighten and hurt. Hurt so much that Jun doesn't stand a chance to fight it when his vision blurs again, a sniffle climbing up his nose and a few tears escape from the corners of Jun's eyes and the man's grip on his shoulder stiffens.

"Actually, I'm... I'm not having such a great time recently," Jun says between two uncontrolled sobs. He hasn't planned to say anything, but at least he doesn’t want the stranger think that he's just a random, crying drunkard. He lifts his hand to cover his mouth before he murmurs, "Damned, sorry for this."

"I'm sorry to hear that... uhm...," the stranger asked further, the worry in his look joined by confusion and helplessness. "What's your name?"

Jun blinks, surprised, and just stares at the man before him. "Jun," he replies before he even notices.

There's this warm smile again, and for a moment, Jun thinks it's the most beautiful thing in the entire world. "Can you find your way home, Jun? I think you need a warm cup of tea and a good night sleep, don't you agree?"

Jun frowns. He looks around, the streets looking familiar, kind of. He knows he's close to work as well as home, but he still can't remember the way to his apartment. What's the address, anyway? It's ridiculous. "I... I'm not sure where to go...," he finally admits, the man in front of him understandably answering his statement with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, then... maybe you should come with me to my shop for a while?" the stranger offers. "It's not far, you can take a rest there and drink some tea, maybe eat a little something to sober up," the man continues. "No offence but... you look like you would need it."

"No offence taken, you're right, I'm definitely drunk," Jun mumbles, brushing a hand against his forehead as he tries to collect himself. So what if he takes up the offer of a friendly attractive stranger to follow him? At least, he doesn't look dangerous, Jun assures the picture of his offended mother in his mind.

"Ah, sorry I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ohno, by the way," the stranger, who now has a name, says with a smile when he pulls his hand away from Jun's shoulder and instead offers it to him in order to help him up. "Ohno Satoshi."

---

With Jun still having trouble walking straight, it actually takes the two of them quite a while to reach Ohno's shop. Indeed, it isn't far away from the karaoke place, though it seems to be located in one of the quieter side streets that Jun honestly isn't so familiar with. So, in the end it's no surprise that Jun does not recognise the shop they have finally reached. In addition, what kind of shop is this, being open at such an hour, Jun wonders. It's almost midnight and most bars and restaurants are already closed by now. He frowns and squeezes his eyes in order to force his still slightly blurry vision on the sign hanging in the door, indicating the shop's opening hours from 9 pm to 5 am, which is definitely uncommon.

A soft chime tickles Jun's ear once he follows Ohno stumbling inside the shop, and he identifies its source as an old-fashioned little bell hanging at the inside of the door. A strong but delicious smell hits Jun immediately, causing him to take in a deep breath.

"Welcome!" a voice follows coming from some corner of the room. "Oh, it's you, Oh-chan, did you get all the missing ingredients?" It's a young man - apparently another employee of the shop as the white apron over his yellow t-shirt and light blue jeans and a white cloth covering most of his short black hair indicates - who immediately furrows his eyebrows once she spots Jun. "Uhm... who's that?" the man asks bluntly.

"This is Jun," Ohno simply answers, as if introducing an old friend. "Jun, this is Nino, my partner in crime when it comes to this shop."

"Hmmm, just Jun, huh?" the man called Nino replies with a pair of critically raised eyebrows. Jun just nods, trying to mumble a polite greeting. Judging from his look, the other man must have noticed that he's drunk, and he does not seem very amused about it, but at least he's polite enough not to scrunch up his nose in disgust or look at him in any other disrespectful way, and Jun is thankful for that.

"Nino, could you please prepare a cup of tea for our guest?" Ohno asks, his voice so calm and warm that Jun can't help but once again notices how much he likes it.

"Camomile?" Nino simply asks, abandoning his current task and taking a few steps away from them.

"Perfect," Ohno replies over his shoulder and the black-haired man vanishes through a curtain at the back of the shop while Ohno guides Jun to a chair behind the counter and helps him sit down.

"Thanks," Jun says, his arm slowly sliding from Ohno's shoulder. Somehow, he immediately misses the closeness between them.

Ohno smiles once more and then he vanishes too, leaving Jun behind on his own with a short "Be right back."

It's only then, when Jun finally starts taking in his surroundings properly. With the world around him having stopped spinning, finally, this is admittedly a much easier task now. His eyes start wandering around the place, and it doesn't take Jun long to realise what kind of shop this is, especially when his brain finally recognises the smell that has welcomed him just a minute before. He spots shelves, partly empty, partly holding trays and baskets filled with deliciously golden-brown baked pieces of bread and pastries, and just in front of him, placed underneath a glass window on the counter, there are three... no, four different types of absolutely amazing looking cakes. The first, a cheesecake with grated orange peel and a few slices of orange on top, the other a blueberry crumble, then a chocolate tart and the last one something exotic that Jun has never seen before. Amidst the strange opening hours, this shop is unmistakeably a bakery!

"Would you like to have some sugar in your tea, Just Jun?" the young man gets pulled out of his thoughts when Nino comes back, holding a small silver tray with a cup of tea on top. He can't help but notice the irony in the polite question, and even if he's drunk, Jun is sensitive enough to feel that he does not seem to sit too well yet with that man.

"Ah... no, thanks, it's fine like this," Jun replies, nodding thankfully when the other man places the steaming hot beverage in front of him with just a short rough hum.

Jun looks at the yellowish brewed liquid and picks up the tea spoon in order to break the steady surface with a swirl. It's not the same as his favourite coffee from his beloved coffee machine, but it smells comforting and he knows that camomile is good for the stomach, so he has to admit that considering the amount of alcohol in his blood and the slightly unsettled feeling in his tummy, it's probably the wiser choice of drink. He takes a few small sips, slowly, to not burn his lips or tongue, closes his eyes and hums, letting relaxation taking over his mind.

Nino releases a slightly unnerved sigh before going back to his task - reorganising one of the shelves and adjusting a few tiny paper tags showing the names and prices of some of the pastries.
Jun parts his lips, about to ask where Ohno has gone, when just at that moment the man reappears from the back of the room through the hanging curtain - probably from the kitchen - with a large baking tray in his hands. The smell coming from the oval shaped little buns is kind of familiar to Jun's nose and still has a new scent to it that he hasn't smelled before, at least not in the exact same combination.

"Would you like to try one of our curry breads? They just finished baking," Ohno, now too wearing a white apron over his blue shirt and jeans, as well as a white piece of cloth wrapped around his head, asks, his lips drawing apart into an inviting smile as he approaches Jun and puts the tray on the wooden counter. He takes two paper napkins and reaches for one of the buns. It is obviously still warm to the touch. Jun tilts his head and places one of his hands on top of his stomach.

"Really, they look absolutely delicious but I'm not sure if I should eat something at the moment," he says, throwing Ohno a shy smile. Again, there is that worried look on the other man's face.

"You are feeling sick after all?" he asks.

"No... not really, I'm just being careful, I guess," Jun assures him.

"You know," Ohno says, looking down at the bun in his hands. He starts to break the crunchy crust apart, the crispy surface covered with panko flakes cracking and revealing hot, steaming light-coloured soft dough filled with a good portion of some brownish looking mixture, curry sauce with small dices of carrots and potatoes. It indeed looks very appetising and Jun can feel his mouth getting watery. "Actually, curry bread is good in these types of situations. It helps getting rid of the alcohol. The richness of flavours pleases the tongue, it is not fried but gently baked, so it's easier to digest, the vegetables add nutrition and the ingredients we use for the curry sauce are mild and easy to the stomach. If you don't feel like actually throwing up, I honestly suggest you give it a try."

The man holds half of the bun out to Jun. The young man swallows and looks down to his stomach as if to ask for permission and then, slowly, he reaches his hand to take the piece of curry bread from Ohno, who rewards him with another one of his friendly smiles, which goes straight into Jun's heart and makes it beat a tiny little bit faster. He guides the piece of bread to his lips, once again being hit by the delicious - and indeed milder as expected - curry scent, and finally takes a small bite. He chews carefully, allowing the crispy crust to combine with the soft dough and the creamy curry sauce. Once the mixture hits his tasting buds, his eyes widen. He continues chewing, swallowing, savouring the taste and then takes another bite, chewing faster this time, swallowing, and continuing until he finishes his half of the curry bread. When he looks up to Ohno, who smiles at him even wider than before, his cheeks adorably tinted in an exciting pink, Jun almost stumbles over his words.

"This... this is the best curry bread I have ever eaten in my whole life," Jun states, still surprised, and when Ohno, glowing from pride, hands him the second half of the bread, he gladly accepts.

"Isn't it?" the man hears Nino's suddenly excited voice chiming from the other side of the room. "It's Oh-chan's own, secret recipe, so this particular curry bread is only sold in our shop!"

"It's amazing," Jun says, while chewing, making the words sound muffled and causing Ohno to giggle sweetly. He doesn't know if it's the camomile tea, the curry bread or Ohno's adorable smile that hits him full force once more, but somehow, Jun instantly feels better.

The two shop-keepers allow their guest to stay a little longer. There weren't many visitors since Jun's appearance, which he can only blame on the late hour, or at the shop's location, as the products seem to be perfect and delicious. One time, the phone rings, apparently, someone placing an order for a birthday cake but aside from that, the shop stays quiet and not very busy. Jun drinks another cup of tea, and soon, indeed he has sobered up quite a bit, his head feeling much clearer than before and his stomach better. Eventually, he even remembers his way home.

Nino, again, throws him a critical look when Jun admits that he tends to forget the most obvious things when he's drunk, and when the young man asks him why he hasn't saved his address somewhere, just to be on the safe side, Jun freezes. Of course, he has saved his address. He draws out his phone to check and scrolls his contact list until he finds his own one, properly filed and saved with his phone number, e-mail address and the address of his apartment (even with the note "in case you forget, again, idiot" to himself). Nino rolls his eyes and bites his lips - most likely in order not to make any sarcastic comment, Ohno bursts into laughter, his voice turning higher pitched and breaking at his chuckles, and Jun blushes in a deep red from the embarrassment he just put himself in.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience I caused, Ohno-san," Jun says politely, his head bowed, when he gets lead outside of the shop by Ohno once he announced he should be leaving for the night.

"Don't mind it, Jun," Ohno brushes over Jun's worries with his soft voice. The young man can't stop his heart from jumping a bit every time the baker says his name. "Like this, I was able to get to know you and it was a pleasure, if I may say so."

Jun feels his face warming up again and the corners of his lips automatically rise. "Thank you, it was a pleasure to meet you, too!" Jun says and he means it. "Thank you for bringing me here and taking care of me and for the tea and the delicious bread... Oh!" he freezes again before he starts rummaging his trousers' pockets. "I completely forgot to pay, I'm so sorry how much was it?"

"It's on the house, Jun," Ohno says warmly, lifting a hand to put it on top of Jun's, pushing his hand and the wallet he's holding back down. When Jun looks at him, questioningly, Ohno nods as if to assure the other man that he heard correctly. "You can pay for your next order," he offers instead. "Deal?"

Jun swallows, dropping his look to his hand as he feels Ohno drawing back his own, and instantly wishes he'd keep it there for just a little longer. As their eyes meet again, Jun smiles.

"I'll need your business card to make sure I'll find your shop again," Jun smirks and just a second later he is holding one in his hands.

It's a small, slightly thicker card, brown, with white printed letters on it, indicating the address of the shop, a phone number and website, as well as some cute little illustrations of a croissant, some different types of bread and a cupcake dancing around the shop's logo. The name reads "Mayoppan - The Midnight Bakery" and underneath in small print, there's Ohno's name as founder and owner. It's a beautiful business card, Jun thinks, just as beautiful as the man who's shop it advertises. He blushes once more and slightly shakes his head, embarrassed about his thoughts. There was probably more alcohol left in his body than he expected. Oh, well...

"Hope to see you soon. Take care... also with the alcohol," Ohno adds with a wink before he takes a step back.

"I will!" Jun replies, bowing again, still holding Ohno's business card with both hands, "And I'll surely come back here!"

"I'm looking forward to meeting you again, Jun. Good night," Ohno says with a last smile and turns to vanish inside of the shop.

Jun can't stop grinning for his whole way back home. He can't wait to meet Ohno, again, too, even if probably for another reason than the baker might expect.

- - -

"So, how bad was last night?" Aiba asks immediately, when Jun shows up at work the next morning.

"Don't worry, Ma-chan," Jun smiles at his best friend, feeling warm, knowing that he cares about him. He puts his bag onto the table and bends down to switch on his computer before settling in his chair.

"You didn't call or text and I-," Aiba continues, it's obviously that he won't stop on the single comment of not to worry. "Sorry, I was only able to check my phone this morning. To be completely honest, I -"

"Fell asleep on the couch with your girls in your arms?" Jun finishes his friend's sentence with a knowing smile on his lips.

Aiba chuckles nervously. "Exactly. Shihori-chan woke us up when she came back from the movies, then we all went to bed and I slept like a stone until my alarm kicked me out of bed."

Jun laughs at the image of Aiba's wife pushing her half-asleep husband with their two little girls in his arms through their apartment and he vividly sees Aiba drop straight back to dream-land once the kids were properly put to bed.

"It was OK," Jun assures his friend, who is still looking at him with a mixture of guilt and worry. "It was just dinner and singing a few horrible songs at karaoke. I had worse, really."

"Really?" Aiba frowns deeper, not entirely believing his friend's words.

"Really," Jun nods, enforcing his statement, before he leans a little closer to his friend as if wanting to share a secret. Aiba instinctively shuffles a bit closer too, turning one ear towards Jun. "Actually, something amazing happened afterwards," Jun starts. He can't help but grin at Aiba's confused expression.

"Something amazing?" the man asks puzzled.

Jun nods, feeling a wide grin spreading on his lips. "I met someone," Jun says.

Now, Aiba's frown turns into a more curious look. "You met someone?" he repeats, his voice indicating that he has figured out what his friend is hinting.

"Well... nothing happened, of course," Jun immediately sets things straight in order not to raise any strange thoughts in his friend's mind. "And I have to admit I don't know what he's thinking about the whole situation, but...," Jun takes a deep breath and Aiba's eyes widen in curiosity. "Ma-chan, I think I have a crush on a super cute guy that I only met last night," he says, exhaling all the tension he has been building up with that last breath. He feels his cheeks blush and suddenly turns shy but is still unable to deny the silly happy smile on his face. "Do... do you think I'm crazy?"

"What? Jun, no!" Aiba says, softly, reaching out to touch his friend's arm. "That sounds amazing! Wow, that must be a really great guy if he manages to get you that smitten within only a few hours," the man chuckles before he lowers his voice to a whisper again. He wiggles his eyebrows at Jun. "You need to tell me everything!"

Jun grins and just a second later he pulls out the business card from the midnight bakery he visited last night to show it to his best friend. He softly tabs at Ohno's name with his fingertip and he can feel his lips curling up into a happy smile when he starts to tell Aiba the story of how he met Ohno Satoshi, or rather, how Ohno Satoshi found him and took care of him, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

- - -

Jun's mood drops quite a bit during the day after the high he felt when telling Aiba about his new crush. At least he is lucky enough to hear his boss announce that there won't be any "out of work activities" tonight because the man is busy with family stuff, but this doesn't mean that things will be easy for Jun.

To the contrary, at the end of the day, their boss pushes all his own left-over work onto Jun, so that he can leave on time for his family appointment. However, quite a few things among his stuff are due the next day, so Jun has no other choice but to stay over time in order to finish not only his own but also his boss' work properly.

Jun wants to scream in frustration, at least his boss could have taken care of his urgent deadlines or inform Jun earlier about the amount of work. But it is most likely his boss does that on purpose to annoy him and ruin his evening. Anyway. It's not the first time something like this happens.

At first, when these things started about a couple of years ago, Aiba still tried to see these situations as something good.

"Maybe, he trusts you the most out of us and that's why he gives you his work," was only one of Aiba's well-intended statements from that time, but even a positive thinker like he was, had to give up on that idea when it became obvious that this is just another form of bullying, their boss used against Jun.

Just like when he sends Jun off to get coffee for the whole team during important meetings, although usually this should be the job of a newbie or an assisting secretary, and not one of long-time employees, who's even involved in the project the meeting is actually about. Or like when their boss lets Jun stay longer just to rearrange the structure of their printed files in the file room – another newbie task – just to scold him the next day that he messed up the order although Jun followed his boss's instructions accurately.

Compared to those types of situations, which Jun considers as simply waste of time and energy, getting his boss's work done is at least a form of productive work – a work Jun actually really likes. If he wasn't such a passionate interior designer, he probably would have quit this job already a long time ago. But his love for his job has kept Jun in his position up until today, and he doesn't intend to leave it so soon, not even if his boss tries to get rid of him – or whatever he's intending with his bullying.

Today, Aiba has stayed a bit longer than he would have needed, too, in order to help his friend out as much as he can. When Shihori calls her husband home for dinner, though, Jun gives him an understanding smile, thanks him for his help and moral support, and sends him home with warm greetings to his wife and kids. He promises Aiba not to overdo it and try to go home soon, too. They both already knows, though, that this is easier said than done. Jun forces his focus back onto the work, trying not to lose concentration so that he can finish up soon as possible.

Jun ends up being so drowned in his work – even motivated to indeed finish every single task and even if it is just to prove to his boss, what he's capable of – that he even completely forgets to take a break for dinner and only notices how hungry he is when he finally starts packing his stuff to leave.

A glance at the clock tells him that it's too late already – past midnight already – to go grab some ramen at the restaurant downstairs in the office building, and honestly, Jun doesn't feel like eating conbini rice balls. His look falls on the business card that he has leant against his pencil holder next to his computer screen, and the young man fetches it with a smile. His heart makes a little exciting jolt. This is the perfect excuse to pay Ohno's shop another visit, isn't it?

- - -

The shop is indeed only a few minutes walk away from Jun's office. Thanks to the address on the business card, it doesn't take him long to find the location of the midnight bakery, although he has to admit that his recollection of how he got there last night is a blur.

The young man is now standing in the front of the shop, with a pounding heart, excited to see Ohno again, any minute. He recognises the door and the sign hanging inside, showing the opening hours of the shop, but it's only now that he properly takes in the complete impression of the shop's face.

Actually, the bakery is not too obvious, Jun realises. The shop's logo is hung up over the entrance but it's not lit by any kinds of spotlight and it uses white paint on a light brown wooden board which is hard to read by itself. It looks even worse with the weather having taken its toll on the sign and it definitely needs a fresh coat of colour. Also, the shop windows look quite dark. Someone can only see the shelved products properly when going very close and looking inside the shop. The only source of light seems to come from the counter and the room inside, shining weakly through the shop windows and the entrance door.

If not for the light and the sign showing that the shop is currently open, Jun thinks that people might miss it, walking by without even noticing that there is a bakery inside. Which would explain why there haven't been that many customers last night during Jun's visit. It's a pity. A bakery like Ohno's should definitely not be overlooked!

It does take Jun a few more moments to collect himself before he steps forward to the door – his heart still pounding – as he finally enters. The chime from the bell on the door welcomes Jun and he's already grinning like a fool, expecting the baker to see and greet him with his warm gentle smile, like he did yesterday, like he did in Jun's imagination just a few seconds ago, but Jun soon realise he is crowing too soon. His face drops.

There is no Ohno in sight, welcoming him warmly, instead, Jun only spots Nino behind the counter, slumping forward, his white hair cloth askew and a phone in his hand. The man at least shows a slight inclination to greet the shop's customer and puts down his phone for a moment as he starts a lazy "Welcome", but when his eyes come to rest on Jun, his face goes back to looking slightly annoyed and he fishes for his phone again.

"Oh, it's Just Jun," he mumbles. Apparently, their excitement to see each other again is mutual.

"Hey!" Jun exclaims, stepping closer and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Is this how you greet customers here?"

"Oh, so you're here for the bread?" Nino asks without looking up.

Jun frowns. "Are you trying to hypnotise your phone?" he asks instead of answering, ignoring Nino's statement completely.

Just before the shop keeper can give something back though, Ohno shows up, pushing the curtain separating the kitchen from the sales area apart with a large tray of freshly baked melon bread, that he's carrying in front of him.

Not only the delicious smell of the bread is breath-taking, no, so is Ohno himself, Jun thinks, catching his breath for a moment. Ohno is wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with blue sleeves underneath his apron today, and, again, a white bandanna wrapped around his head, his brown hair showing only on the edges. His tanned skin – only now Jun realises how dark Ohno's skin actually is – at least compared to Nino's fair skin – is slightly sweaty surely from working in the hot kitchen. The view makes Jun swallow. He does not see Nino's already critical look getting stronger.

"Oh, it's you!" Ohno chimes as soon as he lays eyes on their customer, and there it is again – this wonderful warm smile Jun has been hoping to see. He can't help but mirror the expression, even if he surely looks much sillier compared to the baker. "How are you doing tonight, Jun?"

"I'm doing fine, thank you," Jun replies, happily noticing that Ohno remembers his name. And he says it just oh so beautifully... "I had to work overtime tonight and when I noticed I was hungry, I thought about dropping by and paying your shop a visit."

"That makes me really happy, thanks for the consideration," Ohno says, while putting the tray filled with melon bread down on the counter. Then he looks at Jun, grinning, "-Want to try one?"

"Definitely," Jun answers with a wide smile and Ohno immediately picks the most beautiful melon bread for Jun and puts it onto a small plate.

"Would you like some tea to go with your bread?" Ohno asks when the other man steps closer to the counter. "We have a wide selection of herbal teas, green teas, black teas, fruits tea... my favourite at the moment is this green tea with jasmine flavour," the man points at one of the tea tins that are lined on a shelf on the wall behind the counter. "But I guess if you still want to get some proper sleep tonight, it's better to drink some relaxing herbal tea...," with a thoughtful look on his face, the man turns around and soon after reaches for one of the tea tins to show it to Jun. "This blend with mint and lavender is really good, too."

"Then this is it, please," Jun says, nodding at Ohno with a smile. The baker reciprocates the friendly expression and takes a tea cup from the lower shelf, and quickly disappears into the kitchen to get some hot water from a large thermos flask.

While Ohno is gone, Jun's eyes cross with Nino's again, who simply looks at him with some kind of disapproval that Jun has no idea where it is coming from. However, as soon as Ohno is back with a "Sorry for the wait," Jun's full attention is back on the baker who is now pouring him some tea.

"You said you worked overtime?" Ohno asks when he puts the tea cup in front of his customer. "Oh, would you like to sit down, perhaps? I can only offer you the chair from behind the counter, though..."

"It's fine, no worries, I was sitting in the office the whole day anyway," Jun replies, shaking his head, a thankful smile on his face.

"OK," Ohno replies, smiling back. "So, what kind of job do you have, if you don't mind me asking?"

Jun just waves his hand, he's completely fine with leaning against the counter, and he has absolutely no problem with Ohno asking him personal stuff.

"I am working as an interior designer," Jun starts before he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a business card to hand it over to the other man, who takes it respectfully with both hands. "I am sorry I was not in the right mind yesterday to introduce myself properly. My full name is Matsumoto Jun."

Ohno looks back up from the business card. "Matsumoto-san...," he murmurs as if to test out how it sounds, and Jun immediately blushes.

"Uhm... well, of course, if you don't mind, you can keep calling me Jun... if you want," he stammers, wishing he doesn’t sound so freaking nervous suddenly.

He sees Ohno's lips form into a smile again, but is distracted by a snort shortly after, coming from Nino's direction who is still observing the scene with a sceptical look. Jun is about to shoot the young impolite man with a death glare – why is he so prejudiced against him anyway – when Ohno turns to his colleague and flashes him a smile.

"Nino, could you please put the rest of the melon breads where they belong?" the baker asks and even if Nino rolls his eyes and does not sound very enthusiastic about the task, he takes the tray with a "sure, fine, whatever," and shuffles off to put the bread into one of the shelved baskets, leaving Jun and Ohno behind, alone.

"I'm sorry but what's with his attitude?" Jun asks Ohno, lifting his tea cup to take a first sip. "Is he always... grumpy or does he have a problem with me?"

"Ah, don't mind him," Ohno waives off with a smirk before he leans a little closer to Jun over the counter to attempt a whisper. "He' s just in a bad mood because his boyfriend doesn't have much time for him recently due to exams at university."

Jun raises his eyebrows with an understanding, "Oh!"

That explains the staring at the phone. Jun can't help but grin mischievously.

"What? Any problem?" Nino grumbles when he's back behind the counter. "Oh-chan, I would appreciate if you please do not share my personal life with a stranger, even if it's Just Jun," he adds, narrowing his eyes at their customer. But he can't unsettle Jun any longer, not after what Ohno just told him. Jun takes a sip of his tea and smirks at Ohno.

"So, he's the clingy type of boyfriend and probably even kind of tsundere, only sweet to his darling, if ever. Moody, depending on if his boyfriend is available or not," the man summarizes his theory.

Ohno breaks into laughter, which Jun counts as approval, and Nino blushes, glaring at Jun, furiously, which he counts as approval, too.

"Excuse me, but this is none of your business. What are you, some kind of shrink or an interior designer?" Nino seems completely annoyed by now. "What do you know about relationships anyway? Do you even have a partner?!"

Jun blushes slightly. "I... I'm working on it, kind of...," he murmurs, his look shyly wandering from Nino to Ohno, whose warm brown eyes are still on him, his lips drawn into an innocent smile.

Jun is ready to drown in those beautiful eyes, when suddenly, and they all cringe at the unexpected ringing of the phone in the back of the room.

"Excuse me, I have to take it," Ohno quickly apologises and steps back through the curtain until he reaches the shop's phone and answers it with a friendly "Hello at Mayoppan, your midnight bakery, how can I sweeten your night?"

Jun already finds Ohno's greeting extremely sweet and his thoughts must be showing because Nino seems to feel the urge of snapping his fingers in front of Jun's face to get his attention. Jun blinks at him, questioningly. Nino sighs, unnerved, before he comes even closer, leaning over the counter and lowers his voice while staring at the other man with a piercing look.

"Actually, I don't care if you call me a tsundere or whatever, but let me set one thing straight," he says, his voice sounding dead serious. "If you ever dare to hurt Ohno, just a tiny little bit, it will be the last thing you do."

Jun shivers slightly at the cold look in Nino's eyes. He swallows, before breaking out in a nervous chuckle. When Nino's expression does not waver, Jun turns serious again, too.

"Wow, OK, calm down, who said anything about Ohno anyway?" he clears his throat.

"Oh, come on," Nino rolls his eyes. "It's really obvious that you like him."

"Well, can you blame me for that? He's great," Jun grins, giving in, immediately, he doesn't see the point of keeping his affection towards Ohno a secret any longer. At least, his statement seems to soften Nino a little bit. The baker sighs and finally draws back to his previous position.

"He is," he bluntly admits, defeated. There's even a small, soft smile on his lips, Jun thinks.

The customer shuffles his feet a little bit, turning slightly to face Nino, and asks in a low voice, "So, what do you think are my chances with him?"

Nino narrows his eyes again and crosses his arms. "No comment."

Jun pouts. "Come on, please? Just a tiny estimate?"

"I am not talking to you about that, go find out yourself!"

"Just a hint will do, and I'll keep it at that, I promise. Wait... is he even-," single? Jun wants to ask but gets interrupted by Ohno coming back after finishing the phone call.

The man smiles at Jun, just as friendly as ever, and Jun has a hard time slowing down his suddenly increased heartbeat. Ohno hasn't heard his confession, has he? Jun is not completely ready for this yet, he still wants them to get to know each other better, and to test the waters before he attempts to ask the man out.

"You two get along quite well, don't you?" Ohno grins, looking between Nino and Jun, amused.

"Do we?" Nino grumbles, Jun mirrors the man's raised eyebrow and Ohno starts laughing.

Jun immediately feels his own expression soften at that sight. When Ohno stops laughing, he turns to Jun with a smile.

"How about you tell us a little more about your job while I give you some samples of new recipes to try, are you interested, Jun?" Ohno offers, showing him a basket full of fresh bread and pastries, all looking incredibly delicious.

"Interested?!" Jun repeats. "I'm more than interested!"

Ohno's happy smile makes Jun feel all warm and fuzzy again, and while the baker starts to explain all his new creations, Jun can't help but grin like a fool. He's basically hanging on Ohno's beautiful lips – which prove to be distracting – but nevertheless he manages to remember all the important things Ohno told him when doing his taste test and giving honest feedback. He can't stop praising every single piece of Ohno's creations, except of one that contains so much caraway that Jun flinches, causing Nino to snort and Ohno to worry and get him a new cup of tea.

The baker takes careful notes from each of Jun's comments, as well as Nino's, who joins the taste test (which seems to improve his mood quite a bit, he even forgets to check his phone every two minutes for a while) and soon after the taste test ended, their conversation shifts. They trail off from the new recipes and how Ohno came up with them to how long the bakery already exists and how he came to the idea of opening a midnight bakery altogether (simply because he found that even late at night there should be a comfy place providing delicious bread for hungry people, which Jun really appreciates), before shifting the focus onto Jun and his job once Ohno prompts him to tell him more. Rather than a conversation between two bakers and their customer, Jun feels like it is more of a conversation among friends, even if Nino still seems to enjoy nagging at him. By now, Jun wonders if this is just part of the man's personality and simply Nino's way of showing affection.

The thought of making new contacts makes Jun excited and happy. He has to admit that he's not a man of many friends. He lost contact with almost all of his friends from high school and college. At work, Aiba is his only true friend, while all the others seem to instinctively avoid him. It's not like they aren't nice to him – with the exception of Jun's boss, of course – but they also don't seem to want to interact with him too much, maybe in fear of also becoming a victim of their boss because of that.

Jun doesn't tell his new "friends" about such things yet, of course, but he feels like maybe one day he might be able to even share something as personal as that with them. In the meantime, he sticks to talking about his favourite aspects of his job, or about Aiba and his adorable kids, who would love this shop but will probably not be able to visit it in the near future as the whole family is very fond of sleeping at night. Ohno immediately says, that, if pre-ordered for special service he could do some delivery also in the late afternoon or later in the morning, which Jun appreciates and promises to probably take up on that offer one day.

Time flies by and even if Jun would like to spend even more hours at the bakery, when he realise how late it actually is and considering that he might want to catch at least a few hours of sleep before returning to his busy work, he decides to leave for tonight. It won't be a good bye for long, though, since Jun already plans to come back here, as soon as possible.

When he asks Ohno how much he owns him for the tea and all the baked goods, Ohno is about to give Jun an "It's on the house" comment once again, when Nino interferes.

"You can't just give him everything on the house, Oh-chan!" Nino says, strictly. "Did you notice how few customers there were tonight so far? If you also feed half of them for free -"

"We still have some deliveries scheduled...," Ohno starts as if to conquer Nino's hint on him being too generous.

"I trust you to not give the kindergarten another free tray of bread then, please," Nino says. "That's not how a business works."

"I know," Ohno replies and for a moment, Jun thinks he can even see him hinting a roll of his eyes. "However, most of the stuff we offered Jun are new samples, we can't charge him for testing my experiments."

"But I gladly pay for them, of course," Jun exclaims, already pulling some bills out of his wallet.

The discussion between Nino and Ohno goes on for a few more minutes, Jun smirking at the thought of being witness of a brotherly quarrel. He is both, surprised and enchanted over the fact that Ohno can be quite stubborn, too – and cute, as he is – until they two business partners settle on a compromise.

In the end, Jun pays for – as Ohno insists – only one cup of tea and the melon pan he first ate, and is not charged for any samples and instead thanked for his opinion.

- - -

As expected, it soon becomes an almost nightly habit for Jun to visit the midnight bakery. Even on the rare occasions when he manages to get off from work on time (mostly, this happens only when either his boss isn't in the office or Jun has an appointment with a client outside and has no reason to go back to the office after his official working hours) he would make sure to stroll to the bakery at least at some point during the night. When he ends up going partying with people from work because his boss forces them to, he'd make sure not to drink too much, so that he would be able to find his way to Ohno's bakery, and he'd be a better company than the first time they met.

These visits at the bakery undoubtedly became Jun's highlight of the day. Looking forward to these visits – to visit Ohno in particular, admittedly – gives Jun the strength to hold up or at least bear with his boss's bullying and the long overtime. The prospect of being able to chat with Ohno in return of having survived another day at work, definitely makes it worth it. Even quarrelling with Nino makes it worth it.

At some point, Jun finally gets to know Nino's mysterious boyfriend – a medical student named Sho, who shows up at the shop from time to time to visit Nino, or rather, to fall asleep while sitting on the chair behind the counter soon after greeting his lover with a big hug and a kiss, that always makes Nino blush, and Jun grin. These moments not only introduce Sho as a really nice and sociable man (at least when he's awake) but also show Jun how affectionate Nino can be towards the man he loves, when he takes care of him or when the two share a little chat, enclosed into their own little world at those times. Jun uses to tease Nino about it, calling him a tsundere over and over, just like he suspected him to be, earlier, but Nino just shrugs it off and continues to show Jun the colder side of his shoulder. It doesn't matter to Jun, though, as he knows that one day he will be able to melt the hard shell around the young man and win his trust.

Jun indeed quickly manages to establish a true friendship with the men from the midnight bakery during the past few weeks. He soon finds out that while Ohno is always kind and calm, he also bears some kind of mysteriousness about him. Even if it feels like they are able to chat about everything, and Jun at one point even has mentioned the problems with his boss (upon which Ohno called Jun's boss an "irresponsible man" and Nino simply nicknamed the man "idiot boss") Ohno is quite reclusive when it comes to himself.

It's only tonight that Jun finds out that besides baking, there is one other thing that Ohno is truly passionate about, and that is art.

"You don't strike me as a painter," Jun says, surprised before he quickly adds. "I mean, I don't mean you don't look like you're not capable of doing art, it's just... I didn't think you're interested in something like that."

"Baking is just another form of art," Ohno says, all serious, while Nino snorts.

"First and foremost, it's a form of food, and Oh-chan also loves food very much," the black-haired man adds, although his facial expression looking soft rather than in a know-it-all-manner, as he might intend it to appear.

"Besides, if it wasn't for art, the two of us might never have met," Ohno says to Nino, causing Jun to raise an eyebrow while he puts down his tea cup to focus on the scene.

What follows is the story of how Ohno and Nino met during some kind of art class.

"You don't strike me as painter, at all!" Jun throws cheekily at Nino, who just pushes Jun's shoulder slightly in response but doesn't say anything further.

Apparently, the situation seemed to be a more serious one, as Jun soon finds out. Nino takes it upon himself to carry on with the explanation and tells the story of how he ran away from home and his parents, after dumping his medical studies at university (where he got to know Sho, so at least that was something good coming from that time, even if they had not been together yet at that point). Back then, he's been attending arts classes in his spare time, the same course Ohno took, and they became friends over a course of a few months. When Nino showed up at the arts class once, like a total mess, without any idea where to go and simply knowing he can't go back to his family, it was Ohno who was there for him. The man has not only invited him to stay at his apartment as long as he wants and needs, but also offered him a position as a baker and business partner of his shop.

"And that's how I ended up here, end of story," Nino concludes the conversation. It's clear that it's not an easy topic to talk about for him, and Jun is convinced he left out a lot of details, but that's alright with him. He doesn't expect Nino to share everything from his past with him yet.

"Wow, that must have been tough," Jun says, looking from Nino to Ohno. "Lucky, he had you," he smiles at the other man. "It's admirable you took him in so selflessly."

Ohno chuckles softly and shakes his head, modestly. "I just wanted to help a friend."

"No, he indeed saved my life and I'll be forever grateful for that," Nino explains, patting Ohno's shoulder, looking at him for a few seconds, before he clears his throat and points at the device in his hand. "Now, if you could excuse me, I have a phone call to make..."

Ohno looks after his friend fondly, as Nino moves to exit the bakery for a short break.

"He gets emotional when talking about his past," he says, softly. "He doesn't like to show it but underneath his tough mask, he's really a softie," Ohno adds, winking at Jun, who smiles at the baker's statement.

"Is he going to try and call Sho-kun?" Jun asks grinning, although he already knows the answer. It's been a few nights since the other man has shown up at the bakery, which means that he's too busy with studying for exams, and it's just too obvious that Nino misses his boyfriend a lot.

"Very likely," Ohno grins back, busying his hands with rearranging some pastries in a basket in front of him.

"Those two are really cute together," Jun says, sipping from his tea.

"They are," Ohno agrees, chuckling. Jun's chest warms at Ohno's soft, adorable chuckle. He loves that sound. Maybe, he simply loves Ohno as a whole.

The thought isn't surprising, nor does it come out of nowhere, as Jun is crushing on Ohno since day one, however, after the immediate recognition of his crush and the conversation with Nino, who has seen through him completely, there has not been any real progress in this matter. It's not like Jun doesn't want to, in fact, in his mind he already ran through all possible stages of asking Ohno out on dates, developing a stronger bond, kissing him for the first time... once he even daydreamed about what would be a good way to propose to the baker, but so far, he has not put into action any of his plans and daydreams.

He's not entirely sure what is holding him back, maybe, everything is still too fresh, maybe, he enjoys the current situation and the "rather friends than baker and customer" type of relationship between them. Maybe, he doesn't want to risk any of that with a confession. It's not that Jun thinks Ohno doesn't like him, but since Ohno is such a friendly and polite person towards everyone, he can't be sure, if Ohno feels the same deep connection towards him as he did. He's just not sure if Ohno would reciprocate his feelings and so he has kept his mouth shut, enjoying their current arrangement. Although, this doesn't mean that Jun can't subtly start to lay his cards a bit more open, one by one, and spread out to test the waters a little bit more.

"It's been a while since I've been in a relationship like that," Jun says, again referring to Nino and Sho and trying to sound as casual as possible.

He thinks it might be a good start to try and see if he can get any kind of information like that from Ohno too. He assumes - due to Nino's comment of Jun not daring to hurt Ohno – that he is currently not in a relationship either and he thinks there could be the possibility of Ohno being interested in men, but he does not know for sure. Nino hasn't been willing to share more information yet.

"Is that so?" Ohno asks while going to put the pastry basket on its destined shelf.

As expected, his reaction is polite and friendly, and Jun isn't sure if the hint of curiosity he thinks to hear in the other man's voice is real or just his wishful thinking. Probably, the latter. Why should Ohno even care?

Jun suppresses a bitter chuckle, already feeling defeated. He sighs slightly, feeling his cheeks blush. Well, what has he expected? But then, Ohno comes back to him, and the topic doesn't seem to be over for him, yet.

"I don't understand, though," Ohno says as he reaches for one of the cake trays in the glass counter. The one carrying Jun's favourite – blueberry cheesecake. Ohno reaches for two plates and takes two pieces of cake from the cake tray. "Why is such a nice and handsome man like you not taken?" His lifts his head and his eyes meet Jun's, who is currently frozen upon hearing Ohno call him " nice and handsome", and blushes as they look at each other for a long time until Jun cannot hold up to Ohno's intense gaze any longer and averts his eyes. "The girls must be lining up to date you," Ohno says softly.

Jun still doesn't look back up, focussing on Ohno's hands instead, but finally, he murmurs, "The girls already gave up on me a long time ago."

"Did they?" Ohno asks and Jun can literally hear him raise an eyebrow. Jun isn't sure if he's amused or surprised or both, and if he even gets where Jun is coming from. "Well, it's their loss, isn't it?"

Ohno pushes one of the plates towards Jun (he already knows him too well). Jun gladly takes the cake, exchanging a short glance with him, but is also thankful for the opportunity to avert his eyes again in order to focus on the cake.

"Thanks," Jun mumbles, picking up the cake fork.

Maybe, this is the chance to tell Ohno straight on at least one part of the truth, Jun thinks, namely, that he doesn't care about girls. That he's solely, entirely interested in men. He doesn’t need to tell Ohno yet that he's particularly fond of one specific man, it would be enough just to hint and see how he reacts at Jun being gay and then, maybe, depending on that, next time...

After all, there is nothing wrong about taking one step after another, Jun thinks. They still have to get to know each other better, he doesn’t want to rush anything, or does he just not want to risk anything?

"You know," Jun finally starts, between two bites of delicious cake, still trying to make sense out of the chaos of his thoughts and feelings, "Actually, I don't care about girls," he simply says. "I never have. Not in that way, at least."

He shoves in the next bite of cake and tries not to lift his eyes up to Ohno, nervous about what kind of look he'll find on his face, but in the end, he can't keep himself from looking.

Ohno looks at Jun, fondly, and there is no indication upon disgust or even surprise, there is just Ohno's smile, the one that makes Jun's heart melt, over and over.

"That's good to –," Ohno can't finish his sentence, as suddenly the phone rings, startling them both and ruining the moment.

Jun curses internally, when Ohno quickly excuses himself and steps back through the curtain into the kitchen area, and tries to focus back on his cake, but for the moment, his thoughts are too occupied to allow that to happen. He can just guess how Ohno's sentence has been about to end. Probably like "That's good to know", however, was it good to know so that Ohno's been warned in case Jun starts making some advances towards him, or is it good to know because Ohno's been questioning himself upon Jun's sexual orientation and wants to confess he can relate to that, or what is it?

Focussed on his thoughts, Jun doesn't catch the complete phone call from the back of the shop, but suddenly, he peaks his ears at the sound of Ohno's voice sounding substantially firmer than usual – something not expected – towards the person on the phone.

"Please, I told you not to call anymore, my business has nothing to do with that," Ohno says, his tone sharper than usual, almost distressed. "Yes. No. Good night."

Jun frowns. He hasn't heard Ohno talking in such a voice ever before, not in front of customers, not while quarrelling with Nino, it definitely sticks out enough to make Jun feel unsettled. When Ohno comes back, his eyebrows are furrowed and he looks irritated.

"Is... is everything OK?" Jun asks in a low voice, not sure if it's his place to meddle or not.

"Ah," Ohno looks at him, and his brows instantly seem to relax. He flashes Jun a smile, still it looks a little off. "It's nothing, don't worry. Just someone with a strange inquiry," he man replies and gets back to work.

"Are you sure?" Jun can't help asking.

Ohno nods again, but then, his smile freezes. Jun frowns.

"Oh, man, I almost forgot that I've still got a delivery to do, where is it...," Ohno declares, searching through a small stack of notes placed behind the counter near the cash register until he finds what he's been searching for. "Sorry, Jun, I don't know when I'll be back but don't wait for me, you need to go catch some sleep before your new day begins," the baker smiles at him as if reading his mind.

Jun is slightly disappointed for a moment at the possibility of not being able to see Ohno again tonight but on the other hand he appreciates Ohno's thoughts. He indeed needs to go home, or he'll get to work late in the morning (which admittedly has happened once already, with the result of Jun even being scolded by his boss who managed to be earlier at work than him).

While Jun continues with his cake, Ohno takes his note and disappears in the kitchen again, this time in order to prepare the order he's about to deliver, apparently. When he finishes and comes back, fully packed with cartons, Jun isn't completely finished with his cake yet. He wants to pick up in speed, when Ohno laughs at him.

"Don't stress yourself, take the time you need, I just have to go now... So, see you tomorrow?" Ohno asks and Jun's face lights up.

"See you tomorrow, Ohno-kun," he replies. "Thank you for the cake, I'll leave the money on the counter."

"Don't you even dare," the baker laughs at him, and Jun grins back. "But don't tell Nino," Ohno adds with a wink before he takes the carton and leaves, Jun looking after him with a happy face.

- - -

A couple of days pass and there is still not the right opportunity for Jun to tell Ohno that he likes men. At one point, he reaches the conclusion that it doesn't even matter. At another, his decision sways completely, driven by the desire to simply not wanting to change their current routine. At another, Jun thinks that Ohno perhaps even already knows everything about his feelings anyway and that there's no reason to say them out loud.

"You are confused," Aiba says during lunch break. They have chosen to go outside today, due to the wonderful weather, and are sitting on a bench in a nearby park. "And that's OK," the man continues, "That's normal when you're in love with someone, everyone goes through different stages."

Jun's eyebrows are furrowed in worry. He watches his best friend takes a bite from his hot dog before he looks down on the conbini-salad and onigiri that he got for himself (a countermeasure to the late-night cakes and pastries, but they are worth the sacrifice). He doesn't feel like eating at all at the moment, though.

"You think so?" Jun asks, picking at a few baby spinach leaves. "What if...," he continues, "What if I'm not in love with him enough? I do not seem to be willing to risk anything, do I?"

Aiba smiles before finishing up his hot dog in record time and reaches out to put his hand on top of Jun's shoulder. He swallows down the last bits of his lunch and smiles again.

"I think what's going on here is that you aren't used to good things happening in your life, or rather, you have been refusing to believe in them for a while. Then you meet this too-good-to-be-true-super-nice-baker-guy and develop an overnight crush on him. His best friend warns you not to hurt him. You waver. You become scared of ruining things, for you, for the baker... you get scared of the potential outcomes of a confession," Aiba pauses and Jun just stares at him. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

Jun shakes his head and smiles. "No, you... I'm just a little surprised how accurate your description actually is. I guess, you know me too well."

"If you are not sure, nobody forces you to confess right away, but you can still try hinting at things and see how it goes," Aiba continues.

"Officially, I don't even know yet if he's into men or not," Jun pulls out another argument for keeping his mouth shut.

"But that Nino guy seemed to have recognised you as a...," Aiba lifts his hands to imitate quote marks, "potential danger to Ohno, so to say, so don't you think we can see this as a hint for your baker to at least not being completely out of reach?"

"This is just speculation," Jun dismisses Aiba's argument.

"It is always just speculations," Aiba repeats. "Do you think things were easy for me when I met Shihori-chan? She comes from a wealthy family, I am just a simple nobody. I was insecure as hell about if she likes me or not, I had nothing to offer her than myself and my love," the man says.

Jun smiles softly at his friend. "And that's more than enough, Aiba. You are more than enough, you are a great catch!"

"So are you, Jun, even if you don't believe it yourself," Aiba counters, knowing he's hitting a weak point in his friend. When Jun's expression turns serious again, Aiba continues. "Don't you ever think you're not enough, Jun, you hear me? Just because -," Jun knows Aiba is hinting on the situation with their boss, knows that his friend knows exactly how much it bothers Jun, how much his self-confidence suffers from it. Aiba clears his throat and pauses before he turns his argument into another direction. "You are a gentle, kind, talented and interesting person, who's patient and understanding. And look," he says." Isn't Ohno a super nice guy?"

Jun frowns. "Yes?" They already had this discussion, he wonders, but Aiba grins at him triumphantly.

"This means, even if the worst case scenario happens, like you confessing and he either not being into you or into men in general, I'm convinced he would take it well and might want to keep your current relationship going, don't you think?" Aiba asks. "And I don't mean your customer-baker relationship, of course, I mean your friendship. A good friendship can survive everything."

Jun looks at his best friend for a moment, before his lips curl up into a slight smile. Aiba's words indeed are encouraging and he thinks he's probably right. If Jun can manage to get back to normal after a potential refusal, and Ohno is still willing to accept him as a friend, that would not be so bad, even if the best-case scenario would look different in Jun's mind...

With a soft smile on his lips, the young man finally picks up a fork full of salad and pushes it into his mouth before he lets his eyes gaze around over the area, until, completely unexpected, someone familiar crosses his view.

"Ohno-san!" Jun exclaims surprised, his mouth half-full, spilling some of the salad.

He immediately covers his lips with his hand, while Aiba looks at him with a surprised "Eh?!" and of course, Ohno has heard him and turns his head into the two men's direction, looking just as surprised as the other two.

"Jun. Hi!" the baker says, waving his hand joyfully to greet the young man, and comes closer immediately.

Jun, who in the meantime has managed to swallow the bits of salad that have been left in his mouth, feels his cheeks burn and his heart thumping in his chest. He really hasn't expected to meet Ohno here, at this time of the day. He can feel Aiba poke his side as if wanting to say "Oh my God, is that him?! You need to introduce us," and just clears his throat while sending his friend a quick glance as if saying "I know!"

"Hey, nice to see you," Jun says, trying not to sound too nervous when the baker comes to a halt in front of him. While Ohno looks at him, Jun notices that he looks quite tired, but his smile is as gorgeous as ever. When he can feel Aiba's look on him again, darting back and forth between him and the newcomer, he continues. "Ah, Ohno-san, this is my friend Aiba, Aiba, this is Ohno-san from the midnight bakery."

"Aiba-chan, it's a pleasure to meet you, ah-," Ohno says, catching himself when he realises how he just called a stranger. He chuckles, adorably. "I'm sorry, Aiba-san, it's just... Jun talks about you a lot, I feel like finally meeting an old friend."

Jun grins like a fool and Aiba laughs, exchanging a short glance with Jun, before he just waves his hand in dismissal and greets Ohno back with his typically wide and warm smile.

"It's fine, it's fine, Oh-chan, and the pleasure is all mine," Aiba grins, not afraid to use a nickname, either, which perplexes Jun a little bit. "Jun talks so much about you, I feel the same!" Aiba says and Jun blushes deeply.

"I'm happy to have him around at the shop," Ohno replies, a wide grin on his face. Apparently, he and Aiba click right away, just as Jun expected from the two nicest guys in his life.

"Actually, I would love to drop by too, sometime," Aiba says.

"You have to try Ohno-san's blueberry cheesecake," Jun adds, getting fully excited. "And the melon bread, and the chocolate croissant oh and what's the new one called with cinnamon and pumpkin-puree inside and maple syrup on top?"

"The maple leaf?" Ohno offers with a proud grin and Jun snaps his fingers.

"That, exactly!" the man nods, enthusiastically. "It's fantastic!"

"Sounds incredibly delicious," Aiba says, chuckling. "I'll try to tag along when we're having a boys' night out in the future or something."

"That would be nice," Ohno smiles. "You're always welcome to our shop."

"Thank you!" Aiba beams. "Anyway... I just remembered, I have to get back to work to finish something urgent..., our office is just around the corner," he says, clearing his throat and exchanging a meaningful look with Jun. "I'll go ahead, and you join me after lunch break is over?"

Jun slightly parts his lips, holding back a big "Oh," just in time, when he realises what Aiba is planning to do – giving him and Ohno some precious alone time.

"Ah, yeah, sure," Jun quickly glances at Ohno, before he looks back at his best friend, who tries to throw him a wink without Ohno seeing it. He fails the wink, of course, but at least, Ohno doesn't seem to notice anything.

"Why don't you join my friend for the rest of his lunch in my place?" Aiba then asks Ohno after standing up, gesturing to the now empty seat. "I'm sure, he'd appreciate the company."

Ohno smiles. "Sure, why not," he says, sitting down and smiling at Jun even wider than at Aiba. "If you don't mind, Jun?"

"No, of course not," the other man replies with a smile. To the contrary, he is delighted to have the chance to spend some more time with Ohno.

Aiba bids them farewell and waves at them, promising Ohno once more to try and check out his bakery, soon. Ohno waves back, wearing a friendly smile on his lips and tells Aiba to greet his family although he doesn't even know them, which earns him a puzzled look, but depending on how much Jun must have told Ohno about his best friend, it doesn't sound as strange as it probably should, and he gladly accepts.

Once Aiba is out of sight, a slightly awkward silence falls between the two men left sitting on the park bench, and Jun suddenly becomes painfully aware of being alone with Ohno. Not like being alone while Nino is on a quick errand for the shop or in the kitchen in the back, more like actually, really alone. Just the two of them. It's undeniable that rather than his visits at the bakery, meeting the man outside of the usual setting feels much more like meeting a friend (or having a date) Jun thinks, feeling excited.

The situation makes him so nervous suddenly, that his heart seems to threaten to jump out of his chest any second, and he knows he's imagining it, but he thinks that his heartbeat must be so loud that it drowns out all the other noises around them. When Ohno just smiles at him and doesn't say anything, Jun swallows. He should say something, no? But what should he talk about, how should he start a conversation? Jun's brain grasps the only, most obvious solution it can currently think of but at least it's a topic they know that it brings them together – food.

"Do you want my onigiri?" Jun finally asks, his voice sounding a bit higher than usual – he blames his nerves – and his smile probably slightly aloof. He feels embarrassed and hopes, Ohno doesn't notice, but even if he does, Ohno is probably too kind to let Jun know, anyway.

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry, I ate some leftovers from the bakery before I got here," Ohno replies with a small nod. "Please enjoy your lunch and don't feel disturbed by me."

"You're not disturbing me!" Jun replies, smiling a bit awkward, and finally unwraps his rice ball. He takes a bite, but he can't focus on the taste, his mind completely on Ohno. He turns to look at the man again. "What are you doing here, by the way?" Jun finally asks what he's wondering since he spotted the baker a few minutes ago. "At this time of the day... shouldn't you be sleeping or something? I mean... you do sleep some time during the day, don't you?"

Ohno chuckles softly and Jun savours every second of this wonderful sound in his ears.

"Ah, wait... don't move," Ohno says, causing Jun to look at him, confused.

The baker suddenly leans closer, eyebrows slightly furrowed, and Jun almost freaks out when Ohno lifts his hand and brings it up to Jun's face, slowly, and carefully. He reaches towards the corner of Jun's lip and picking up a small stubborn bunch of rice from the onigiri the other man is currently eating.

"Oh," Jun murmured, chuckling stupidly. "I didn't notice..."

Ohno smiles and brings his hand to his own lips, slipping his finger between them and eats the rice as if he doesn't want anything go to waste. Jun looks at him, stunned, his body frozen and his heart beating like crazy. He can't help but wish Ohno would touch him again, right now.

"Yummy," Ohno grins, and Jun blushes, not able to reply. So, the baker continues. "Anyway, yes, I do need some hours of sleep, indeed, and yes, actually, it's my sleeping time right now, but I'm on a mission," the man says. He can't suppress a yawn, though, talking about sleep must remind him on how tired he is, Jun assumes.

"What kind of mission?" Jun asks curiously, after collecting himself again.

Ohno flashes him a smile. "I'm searching for a new apartment," he starts. "Something closer to the shop, and something smaller."

"Oh, I see... is everything OK?" Jun frowns, slightly worried. He can't help but wonder if Ohno does have problems with money or something so that he has to move places... it's not like the bakery is bursting full every night, so it might be possible that the business doesn't earn enough, but of course, he doesn't know their numbers and he knows it's not even up to him to think about something like that but –

"Don't worry," the baker breaks Jun's train of thoughts. "Everything's fine. More than fine, actually, I mean yeah, it's not easy to keep an apartment of the size like mine, at least not alone..."

"Aren't you living together with Nino?" Jun asks, frowning, trying to confirm his understanding.

"Yeah, currently," Ohno replies, nodding casually, "And before that, I was living there with my ex-boyfriend."

"Ah," Jun freezes shortly when he hears Ohno saying ex boyfriend, his heart starting to beat like crazy. He clears his throat and slightly taps his chest with his hand as if to calm down his little, excited heart. "I didn't know," well, obviously, he didn't know, but his brain will definitely file this important piece of information now, forever.

"It's fine with two people living there," Ohno continues. "But the truth is that Nino is considering moving in with Sho, as soon as Sho has finished his studies and got used to his job – he already got offered internships at several hospitals as it seems, so it's just a question of time..."

"Oh, I see! That's great, good for the two of them!" Jun grins.

"Right?" Ohno chuckles. "I'm happy that things seem to go so well, they deserve it," the man nods to himself. "And yeah, I don't know yet if they will move into a new place... I mean, I could offer them mine, if they'd consider it fit, but it definitely made me think that it's time for me to start searching for something new, too, perhaps."

"I see," Jun replies. "So... did you find something suitable already?"

Ohno tilts his head and crosses his arms in front of his chest. "Honestly, I only had the chance to check out two apartments yet, one of them – the one I just went to see – is definitely over my budget but I was simply curious to see such a luxurious place once in my life," he grins before his expression turns to serious again. "And for the other – more realistic one – there was already another person picked to rent it."

"Hm... that's a pity, isn't it?" Jun says, furrowing his eyebrows. "It's not easy to find the right place."

"Well, it's not that I'm in absolute hurry, I just took the chance to start searching early," Ohno smiles. "I still have time, so I'm sure I'll find something sooner or later."

Jun nods, flashing the other man an encouraging smile. "If it helps, I can keep my eyes and ears open too, sometimes people in the office talk and such..."

"I'd very much appreciate that, Jun, thank you," Ohno replies, smiling before he breaks out into another yawn. "I'm sorry," he mumbles, "I'm really not used anymore to be up at such times..."

"It's OK," Jun says, chuckling slightly at the sight of Ohno's eyes almost falling close. The man lifts his hands and rubs his eyes. He looks absolutely adorable while doing so, and Jun swallows and averts his eyes, looking back down on his still only half-finished salad. He tries to ignore his quickening heartbeat and searches his brain for something useful to say.

"Why not take a short power nap?" Jun suggests. "I take some too sometimes during the day, just for a short interval of like ten minutes can be sufficient to recharge your batteries and provide you with a much more effective energy kick than coffee for a few more hours, if you need a push. Sure, it doesn't work for everyone, not all people can switch off and on that easily, but with a bit of practise –"

He doesn't even have to finish his explanation, and instead is suddenly interrupted in his speech with a soft thud against his shoulder. He freezes, blushes and when he glances sideways, he can only see the brown mob of Ohno's hair, who has leaned his head against Jun's shoulder.

"That sounds amazing, actually," the baker mumbled, his voice low, soft and drowsy. Another yawn leaves the man's mouth and his body slumps a bit heavier against Jun's, who still just sits there, stiff, and doesn't dare to move, "I'm sorry, Jun, just... a few minutes..."

And with that, Ohno has clocked out. Apparently, he's none of those people who can't fall asleep in an instant, and on top of it, in the weirdest places. He can't help but grin like a fool, his heart feeling warm and bubbly in his chest at the almost unbearable cuteness of this man leaning against him. The closeness makes him feel so good, he has to pull himself not to throw his arms around the man and cuddle him close. How can he not be completely, absolutely in love with this adorable man?

Jun let's Ohno catch up sleep for a little longer than just ten minutes, as the man definitely looks like he needs it. He tries to finish his salad, moving very slowly to not risk waking the other man with too hectic movements, and manages, somehow, even if it takes him like forever.

Jun ends up extending his lunch break quite a bit, but even if he knows that the risk of being scolded by his boss for coming back to work late is high, and Aiba probably will welcome him back with a stupid grin, he doesn't care. The grateful soft smile on Ohno's still tired but cute face when he wakes up and hearing him say "See you tonight, then," as if it's the most natural thing in the whole world, when he leaves the place, is worth everything.

- - -

After a few days, things begin to move faster than Jun expects them to.

The night started as usual. Jun has a long day at work behind him and when he shows up at the bakery, Ohno welcomes him with his usual warm happy smile. Jun is tired but happy, as he has been looking forward to a nice chat with his crush while enjoying some of the man's delicious pastries, since he started his day. The only thing that's different tonight is, that Ohno is all by himself in the shop.

"Nino is on a long-planned trip with Sho, now that his exams are almost over, I think he only has one or two papers left to finish," Ohno starts to explain upon Jun's curious question. "Nino didn't want to admit it but I think they are celebrating their anniversary," the man chuckles and Jun joins him.

"He doesn't strike me as someone who's into such things," Jun says, amused.

"And he probably wants others to think about him that way, but actually, he can be really sappy when it comes to Sho," Ohno adds.

Jun grins. "Like I said, he's totally a tsundere."

"Totally," Ohno grins back and they keep laughing together.

"So when one of you has a night off, you just handle everything by yourself?" Jun asks, curiously. He just realises that so far, he has always seen Ohno and Nino working together as they don't even seem to have days off, except Sundays, when it's the regular closing night of the shop.

"There's also Yui-chan," Ohno says. "She's our part time worker and usually fills in the missing position in case of emergencies, as it's better to have someone keep an eye on the shop while one is out on delivery and such."

"Makes sense," Jun nods but when looking around, he can't see any Yui-chan.

His question must show on his face, so Ohno quickly adds, "She called in sick today, unfortunately, but well, it can't be helped. It's better she stays home and get well soon."

"True," Jun agrees.

Then, realisation hits him. If Nino isn't here tonight because of his anniversary thing with his boyfriend, and the part time worker isn't coming into the shop, that also means, that Jun and Ohno are all alone for the whole night (except when customers come in, of course) ... just the two of them. Jun's heart makes a twirl in his chest and he quickly reaches for the cup of tea Ohno has already provided him with even without having placed an order, to hide his red cheeks behind the steaming cup. He can't stop thinking about Ohno having casually dropped that he has an ex-boyfriend, when they met in the park. Ever since, Jun wonders even more if he might have a chance with Ohno, if he was just brave enough to ask him out. But he's still too shy, thinks he doesn't want to risk anything...

"So...," Jun starts after putting the cup back down. His face still feels warm, now not only from the blush, but also from the steam of the hot beverage. "How do you handle things then when someone calls for delivery, close up the shop?"

"For the time I'm gone, yes. I do have a fancy "be right back" sign for these cases, though," Ohno smiles, reaching underneath the counter to pull out the respective item. "I made it myself," he adds proudly when he shows it to Jun.

The man carefully takes it in his hands and studies the painted words being formed by some puffs coming out from the back of an illustrated roller on which a man sits, wearing an apron, a helmet and a box with a croissant logo on it behind him. The man is unmistakeably meant to be Ohno, Jun notices immediately. He smiles at the baker when handing the wooden sign back.

"It's absolutely adorable," Jun says.

"Thank you," Ohno replies, grinning. "So, what would you like to have tonight? Melon bread? Chocolate croissant, blueberry cheesecake?" he suggests. "The chocolate croissants are just about to finish."

"Then I'll wait for one of them," Jun smiles, excited.

Ohno knows how much he loves pastries fresh out of the oven, especially with chocolate. The outside crispy, inside still warm and soft pastry dough combined with the heated, almost melted chocolate is simply heaven. They wait for the croissants to finish and eat some together then, chatting happily over the counter. Ohno recently has bought a high chair that Jun is occupying most of the time when he pays visits and now he is starting to wonder if he might have been the reason for Ohno to get such a chair. Sho, at the rare times that he visits the shop, usually occupies the chair behind the counter when he's too tired to stand, but Jun guesses that's the emergency chair or something like that, as it's also the one he was allowed to sit on during his first visit when he was too drunk to keep himself up straight. It's a small change, but one that Jun appreciates a lot, as it makes his visits even more comfortable.

When Ohno goes back into the kitchen to take care of two more types of pastries, Jun lets his look brush over the whole shop. He has not talked about it to Ohno directly yet, as he is unsure how to bring the topic up without sounding impolite or like a salesman for his company, but it's not the most advantageous interior here. The space is not used to its full potential. The shelves seem to function rather as simple storage for the products instead of advertising them through interesting display. There are too few lights in the areas around the shelves to guide people's looks towards the shelves, and Jun has noticed, that most people go straight to the counter, ordering stuff from there, instead of taking their time and look around, maybe discovering something new to them in that process. Also, as much as Jun enjoys accompanying the bakers at the counter, he also misses proper seating arrangement, like more than just one or two chairs.

Maybe something like a corner with just a few tables and chairs would do the job. It would give customers the option to come in and enjoy some of the baked goods with a delicious cup of tea directly rather than just picking something up. Apart from himself, Ohno, Nino and Sho, Jun realises that he has never seen anyone drinking tea in the shop, at least not during the times he usually pays a visit. He continues looking around, and even if the place doesn’t look exceptionally uncomfortable – besides the missing café corner Jun secretly wishes for and the missing lights, the flair of the bakery isn't that bad. Jun especially likes the area behind the counter with the tea displayed in vintage tins on a shelf on the wall, which fits well aesthetically with the freshly baked goods in the front of the counter.

However, he can't help but let his brain come up with more – how they call it at work – interior improvements. Possibly indeed a side effect from his job. He frowns at himself, trying to stop the train of thoughts but images continue to come back and fill his vision, like a picture painting itself. He even reaches for a paper napkin and a pen from behind the counter and starts drafting some sketches of re-arranged furniture and added lights. Jun's creative process is only interrupted from the ringing of the telephone in the back and Ohno's distant voice answering with his usual sentence.

"Hello at Mayoppan, your midnight bakery, how can I sweeten your night?" Ohno's voice in the background reaches Jun, and the man smiles. He notices, that only Ohno ever uses this phrase on the phone. Nino probably refuses to say it, because it's cheesy and doesn't fit his grumpy persona. Jun's mean side suddenly wishes to hear Nino say this sentence just once in a lifetime, and smirks in amusement at the imagination of Ohno and Nino arguing about which sentence they should use to answer the phone, in their typical brotherly fashion.

"A delivery?" he hears Ohno asking. "Sure, please let me know the goods you would like to have delivered, the address and the desired time...," there's a pause with just a few humming, probably Ohno taking notes. "In fifteen minutes? Of course, that should not be a problem. Thank you for your order and see you soon!"

Jun can hear Ohno start pulling out cartons and starting to fill them, before he hurries into the front of the shop and whirls around Jun, murmuring to himself while studying the note in his hands and picking out pieces of pastries here and there.

"I'm sorry, Jun, I have to leave for a moment...," Ohno then explains when he comes back to the counter, counting the pieces he packed and closing up the cartons when he finished. "You don't need to hurry, take your time with the tea, but I'll put up the sign so that nobody comes in for the time I'm away."

"It's fine, Ohno-san, this is your business, after all," Jun smiles. He knows he can't expect Ohno to prioritize him, and he never expected that. "If you prefer me to leave while you're out, it's no problem, really –,"

"No!" Ohno stops him, reaching out his hand to touch Jun's arm. He looks at him, all serious. "No, I...," his voice softens. He pulls back his hand – Jun immediately missing its warmth – and averts his eyes for a second before he looks back at Jun. He smiles. "I'd like to continue chatting with you for a little longer if you don't mind waiting for me."

Jun blinks. Twice. It's actually the first time, that Ohno does say something like that, and it makes Jun feel nervous and all fuzzy. Sure, he doesn't want to interpret too much into those words now but...

"I'll wait, then," Jun replies before he even notices. He can feel his lips draw up into a wide smile. "I'll be here when you come back and don't worry about the shop in the meantime, I'll watch over it. No need for the sign," he adds with a wink.

"Really?" Ohno smiles at him, even wider, even cuter. "Thank you, Jun, that's great! I'll be right back."

With that, Ohno's gone – quicker than Jun has ever seen him move – and Jun stays back with his tea cup in front of him and his heart beating fast. He must be grinning like a fool and the stupid thought crosses his mind that his face might get stuck like this one day. But seriously, he just has to smile when he's around Ohno, especially when Ohno is being so adorable. And now he wants Jun to wait for him. It probably doesn't mean anything, but for Jun, at that very moment, it means everything.

Contrary to what both, Ohno as well as Jun expected, just about ten minutes after Ohno left, there's a group of people in front of the shop, chatting, laughing and suddenly, someone knocks against the shop door, slightly hesitant. When Jun turns around, he can see that they must be tourists. They look slightly lost while frowning at the shop door's sign that shows the opening hours and peaking inside through the shop windows. Jun is about to stand up and head to the door, when a young man pushes the door open and the small bell is already chimimg its welcome.

"Excuse me," the man starts in slow English, looking at Jun, who's now facing the man. "Are you still open?"

"Hello," Jun replies in English as well, "How can I help you?"

"You're open, right?" a woman pushes through behind the first man, giggling and then smiles at Jun. "The shop doesn’t really look open but... you're open, right? It says from 9pm to 5am, after all. We are hungry, and nothing is open any longer... do you still sell stuff?"

Jun just smiles back. The woman is clearly a bit tipsy. He knows that feeling too well, being tipsy as well as hungry in the middle of the night. So, he quickly decides to jump in for Ohno as long as the man's gone.

"Of course, please, come in!"

"It smells delicious, really," the woman continues while strolling forward to the counter.

Behind her follows the man who first entered the shop and a group of at least ten or even more people, so that it's quickly getting pretty cosy in the shop.

"Thank you. You are not from here, aren't you?" Jun starts. "Are you travelling Japan?"

"We are," one of the men answers. "We are from London. This is our first time in Japan."

"I see, London, wow!" Jun smiles. "Did you have a pleasant day in our city?"

"Marvellous," the chatty woman replies. "But the restaurants and bars are closed too soon and the beer is a little weak," she throws Jun a wink.

Her friend snorts and slightly nudges her. "Says the one who got drunk from two beers. Don't mind her," he adds looking at Jun.

"No problem," Jun replies with a soft chuckle before he remembers something that Ohno told him during his first visit here. Actually, it hasn't been that long but somehow, but right now it feels like ages ago. "If you want to feel better after alcohol consumption, I recommend the curry bread. It's amazing, rich in taste but still light on your stomach. I can speak from experience."

"Is that so?" the woman asks, raising a critical eyebrow.

"Well, then she wants to try one," her friend replies in her place, flashing Jun a smile.

"Sure, just a moment, please," the young man replies before heading behind the counter to grab an empty basket that he can fill with baked goods and a pastry tong, like he has seen on several occasions what Ohno and Nino do when someone places an order, and then he walks towards the shelf that has the curry bread. "Would you like to eat it here or take it out?" he asks standing in front of the shelf, wondering how to proceed – putting the bread on a plate and serving it right away or wrapping it in a bag... he wonders if he can find the right bags but they should all be stored underneath the counter somewhere, he reminds himself.

"Ah, don't you have any chairs here?" the woman asks, slumping slightly against the counter. She seems not only tipsy, but also a bit tired. Well, sometimes, those two go hand in hand, so Jun can understand.

"Just this one at the moment," Jun points at the high chair that's already occupied currently by one of the other guests, while the others have spread in the room to check their options, "And one behind the counter, please let me get it for you," Jun adds and hurries behind the counter.

"That's nice, thanks," the woman replies. "Then I'd like to eat it right away."

"Of course," Jun smiles, first placing the basket with the curry pan on the counter, then shuffling the emergency chair in the front for the woman for her to sit down and lastly placing the curry bread on a small plate which he sets on the counter in front of her. She thanks him with a smile, eyes the bread with a slightly critical look and then tries it, her expression immediately lightening up when the taste fills her mouth.

"Oh my gosh, this is truly delicious!" she exclaims, gesturing her friend to come closer and take a bite. The man tries it, agrees with her and orders one for himself, causing Jun to smile excitedly.

Soon after, Jun also serves a slice of strawberry shortcake to another woman and a chocolate croissant to one of the other men. He reaches for a pen and paper and starts making notes so that he doesn't forget who ordered what and how much everything costs, just to be on the safe side, hoping he doesn't mess up anything until Ohno comes back...

"What's this kind of bread?" someone standing over at one of the shelves, pointing at something.

Jun cranes his neck until he can see the product of interest. "Ah, this is called melon bread. It does not taste like melon, but it's a sweet type of bread."

"Sounds good," the man replies after a hum, "But why is it called melon bread if it does not taste like melon?"

Jun excuses himself from the counter and heads over to the customer. "Can you see the pattern on the bread? It's imitating the net structure of a honey melon."

The foreign man frowns but nods. "That actually makes sense. Still, I'd like melon bread to taste like melon...,"

"I'm sorry for that," Jun chuckles. "I'll tell the boss, so maybe next time you'll have some to try. For now, would you prefer a classic chocolate croissant?"

"Actually, I think I want to try one of those melon breads anyway," the man decides.

"Very well," Jun replies and reaches for one of the round buns with a pastry tongue, placing it in the basket he's carrying. "Follow me please," they walk to the counter together and Jun serves the melon bread on a small plate. "Here you go."

"Thank you."

"May I take some pictures of the shop and everything?" the woman who ate the strawberry shortcake asks, pointing at her phone.

Jun thinks for a second, he actually has no idea how Ohno thinks about this, but he assumes that it shouldn't be a problem, so he replies with a smile, "Of course, please take as many pictures as you like and if you post some on social media, please tag our shop, we'd be thrilled to look at your pictures."

The woman flashes Jun a bright smile and after taking a picture of him, smiling brightly – of course after asking for permission – and she's off to take some snapshots.

"Right, sorry for not asking earlier but would anyone like some tea to their baked goods?" Jun asks, gesturing at the shelf behind him with a wide smile. "We have a variety of choices of exquisite blends."

"Sure, let's have some tea, guys!" one of the men replies and starts placing his order.

It takes Jun a little while to prepare all the tea and serve everyone with the bread and pastries of their choice. But everyone is pretty chilled and doesn't pressure him, thankfully, understanding that only one shop clerk might not be able to handle everything too quickly. Instead, they keep chatting with him nonchalantly, while ordering more and more. One of the men even decides to buy a bunch of things for everyone to bring along for breakfast. Jun is excited, he can't believe how much those people are ordering, he's already on his second page of notes and he's having a great time. Somehow, he feels like he can understand, why Ohno likes his job so much. It's really nice to see all those people's happy faces. Their smiles as the results of Ohno's baking talent. It's some kind of magical...

The bell chimes once more, almost unheard as it gets drowned in the happy chatting and laughter in the shop, but Jun notices it, and immediately looks into the direction of the shop door.

"Jun, what...," Ohno stammers, as he enters, his face painted with confusion. "What's going on here?"

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Ohno-san, the owner of the bakery," Jun announces with a wide smile, pointing into Ohno's direction.

Cheering breaks out, the woman on her second curry bread whoops and says, "Our saviour! If it wasn't for your shop, we might have starved."

"Your bread is delicious," one of the men says, reaching his hand out to take and shake Ohno's, who just stares at him, completely stunned and uncomprehending.

"Uhm... Excuse me?" he smiles politely, trying his best attempt at English, before he sends Jun a panicking look. "Jun, I can't speak English!"

Jun chuckles and puts his hand on top of Ohno's shoulder to calm him down. "It's OK, I'll translate for you," he says. "First, let me explain. So, you see, this is a group of people from London, they were hungry and couldn't find any other open place, so they came here and asked if the shop's still open and I said yes, and they started ordering things and they love it, so..."

"Oh, thank you!" Ohno says slowly, directing a sincere smile and probably his only known English vocabulary at all the customers, who smile back and continue eating. "Please enjoy!"

"I'm sorry," Jun continues, suddenly a little nervous, pulling Ohno behind the counter. "I hope it was OK that I jumped in and... I hope I didn't mess up anything, I made notes, look, and some of the stuff is already paid, I –"

"No, no, it's great, Jun, it's perfect, thank you! Let me take over, I'll handle the rest... although, you might still need to help me with the English, please," Ohno smiles at him, adorably, and Jun can't help but grin in response.

"Sure!"

About an hour later, the group of British tourists decides that it's time for heading back to their hotel. They bid Jun and Ohno good night, repeating once more how delicious everything was and that they'd be excited to come back, if they could make it. After the last chime of the little bell at the shop door, the baker and his friend are finally alone again. Jun sighs in relief. He's not used to this kind of work, he quickly realises, but he feels fulfilled and satisfied and Ohno looks like it's the same for him.

After they took care of cleaning up empty plates and some bread crumbs from the counter, and Ohno finished sorting the cash register properly, they both lean back against the wall behind the counter, slumping, and allowing themselves to slide down with their back, until they sit on the floor. Jun appreciates the break.

"This is amazing...," Ohno is the first to speak. "I'm impressed you even could fit all of them into the shop without breaking anything," he chuckles. Then, he looks at Jun, his face slightly red from the warmth in the room, and his lips forming into a smile. "Thank you so much for helping out, Jun."

Jun can't help but grin. "It's my pleasure. I just thought we shouldn’t let this chance go by..."

Ohno doesn't take his eyes off Jun's. "You're the best, really."

"No, I'm not," Jun chuckles, embarrassed, averting his eyes for a moment.

When he looks back at Ohno, the man is still looking at him, but the soft smile is gone, replaced by a serious, but no less handsome look. Jun swallows. Right now, he just realises, how close they actually are to each other. Their shoulders almost touch, it's like he can feel the heat radiating from Ohno's beautiful hand that lies on the floor just a bit away from Jun's...

"I mean it, Jun," Ohno says, his voice low and soft, lulling Jun in. "If you ever need help with something or if there's anything you want me to do, to pay you back, let me know. I really owe you one."

"You owe me nothing," Jun replies, but then he bites his lips. Is this the chance? Can he use this as a stepping stone, or is it too cowardly? Before Jun can decide, his mouth has made the decision for him. "Although... Actually, there is something..."

Ohno raises his eyebrows, curiously. "What is it?"

"Though it...," Now, Jun is bound to go for it. "It's something that you only can do, if you really want to, so it's not like doing me a favour or anything."

"What?" Ohno gives his friend a puzzled look.

"Do you get me?" Jun asks, sitting up a bit straighter, now him being the all serious one.

"I get it, Jun," Ohno replies, just as serious. "Now, tell me."

Jun hesitates for a second, taking in a deep breath, and looks at Ohno, this beautiful, wonderful, adorable man he has come to like so much over the past few weeks. So much that he never has liked anyone before, at least not that he can remember, and there is only one simple question to ask that would possibly open the doors to a brighter future.

"Would you like to go out with me?" Jun finally asks.

"Sure," Ohno replies, almost immediately. There's a big smile on his face.

Jun stares at him, as if he still needs to process what the other man just said. "Sorry, what?" he asks, stupidly, when his brain fails him. Maybe he hasn't heard correctly, he thinks, considering his much too loud heartbeat.

"I said, sure," Ohno chuckles, before sending Jun a mix of a smile and a smug grin. "Actually, I already thought you're never going to ask..."

"Really?!" Jun croaks, clearing his throat in order to regain control over his voice.

"Really," Ohno nods, smiling warmly.

Jun starts to laugh, a stone, no, a mountain falling of his heart when he realises the meaning of what Ohno just said. He can't believe it. It's been so simple, so unreal, but still, it has happened. He asked Ohno for a date, and Ohno agreed. Jun must be the luckiest man in the whole world right now.

"Sorry for taking so long," he says, sending Ohno a slightly shy but overly happy smile.

The other man snorts cutely. "I figured you were shyer than you seem at first sight."

"Guess you got that right," Jun replied.

"It's cute," Ohno admits. "You are cute."

Jun can't take it any longer, he tries to keep himself from laughing, but he can't, his heart is too full right now, too full of joy and happiness, it's impossible to lock these feelings in. When Ohno joins him, his joy doubles.

"One last thing," Jun says, when he has calmed down a bit. He tries to become more serious. "Now that we're... dating... can I be honest with you?"

Ohno looks a little surprised, but nods, determined. "You can always be honest with me, Jun."

"I think your bakery needs a little make-over."

Ohno chuckles. "We do need a proper café corner, for people to sit down and enjoy our baked goods with tea, don't we?" he asks. "Actually, I saw your sketches on the napkin lying on the counter."

"Oh," is all Jun can manage before he blushes. He didn't intend to leave it lie around but apparently, he hasn't thought of it anymore after the whole chaos with the tourist group.

"I like it," Ohno says. "Really."

Jun turns even redder. "I love your shop. I was just thinking about a few tiny improvements," he says.

Ohno smiles. Then, he slowly slips his hand into Jun's, as if he wants to give him the chance to pull away, but why would Jun even do that? He stiffens a little bit, but then, relaxes, and closes his fingers softly around Ohno's hand. It's warm and it fits so well in his, Jun swears he doesn't want to let go of Ohno's hand ever again.

"Well, I'm dating an interior designer now," Ohno finally picks back their conversation, drawing Jun's attention from their joined hands back to his smiling face. "Do you think we can do something about this?"

Jun grins. "I think we can arrange something."

Although they are both tired, Jun can't hold back sharing parts of his vision with Ohno and the two men talk a little longer, until Jun realises the time and kind of unwillingly decides that it’s probably be best if he heads home to catch at least a couple hours of sleep. Ohno again thanks him and even offers to walk Jun home, but Jun insists that Ohno stays in the shop until it closes, just in case some more customers find their way to his shop. Ohno then brings Jun to the shop's door, at least, and sends him off to bed with a last beautiful smile and a promise that he'll be waiting here for him, tomorrow night, like always.

Jun can barely resist leaning forward and kiss that incredible guy, but he pulls himself together, wanting to safe this for another occasion, as if wanting to stretch the excitement of this new thing between him and Ohno for as long as possible. Still, he would be dreaming of kissing him, that night, he's pretty sure about that.

- - -

Jun arrives late at work the next day, but he doesn't care about his boss's snappy comment about it and instead starts working on a new project introduction right away. It would be a smaller project, compared to the interior designer company's usual ones, but he thinks it has potential to become interesting for them, so chances to get it granted aren't too bad. And if not, Jun would just do it privately. Yes, he'll do everything in his power to help his favourite bakery.

Ohno and Jun quickly schedule their first date for Sunday, Ohno's next night off. It's still a few days until then, but Jun is already excited. He still hasn't picked a venue for their historical first date, but he's swaying between a visit to the movies or a simple dinner at a nice restaurant, followed by a stroll through the neighbourhood or something classy like that. It might be just "the usual stuff" to do with your date, but Jun finds nothing wrong with that.

Until the night of their date, they still meet at the midnight bakery every night, and by now, Jun and Ohno even exchanged their private phone numbers and keep messaging each other throughout the day, multiple times. Jun loves texting with Ohno, and he can barely hold himself together when he receives a message from him during work. Sometimes it shows just a few simple sentences, cheering him on and telling him that he's looking forward to seeing him at the bakery, and sometimes, Ohno sends a picture of a doodle showing Jun as a super cute chibi character working hard.

It's those sweet little moments that tell Jun why he has fallen in love with that man, and it's those sweet little moments that make him wonder what Ohno finds in him in return and if all of this can really be true. Bus as soon as Aiba reminds Jun to be happy about what he has finally attained, Jun realises that his friend is right. He can't remember when it the last time that he's been as happy as this and he should enjoy it as much as he can.

Two nights after Jun asked Ohno out, Nino is back at work after what Sho has confirmed as their anniversary trip, when he dropped Nino off at work and went home to work on a paper. Even if Jun already misses his alone time with Ohno in the shop, he's glad to see the other man again. After all, he's now dating Nino's kind of older brother and somehow, he feels like he has to get his permission for that. Or Jun just wants to humour Nino. At least, Ohno laughs when Jun confesses with a straight face to Nino that he has asked Ohno out and hopes for his future support.

Nino simply rolls his eyes, like he does so often, and snorts a "Finally!" which Jun takes as approval. Surprisingly, it's Nino who even gives him a helpful tip on where to take Ohno out on their first date, when Ohno left the shop for a delivery.

"The aquarium?" Jun repeats Nino's suggestion.

"You know, besides bread and drawing, what Oh-chan also really likes... are fish," the black-haired baker explains. "He even wears fish pyjamas. With sharks on them. But I didn't tell you that."

"What?" Jun chuckles amused, immediately trying to picture Ohno in the mentioned night-wear. "Good, well, then the aquarium it is. Thanks for the tip, Nino!"

"You're welcome," Nino mumbles while busying himself with rearranging the tea tins on the shelf behind the counter after having brewed some tea for himself, Jun, and Ohno. "Ah, and Jun?" he adds, trying to sound casual, but somehow, Jun is able to see through him.

"Yes?" Jun asks carefully, knowing that what Nino will say matters to him.

Nino doesn't turn around but takes a deep breath before continuing in a gentle tone Jun only knows that Nino uses when he's talking to Sho and thinks that nobody else is listening to him. "Make him happy, you hear me? After the disaster with his ex, he needs someone who really cares for him..."

Jun frowns, not knowing what to say about that. "Of course, I'll od my best to make him happy," he then says, quietly. He almost doesn't dare to, but after a few seconds of odd silence, he adds, "What happened with his ex?"

Nino turns around, finding his hands another work to do, and sighs. He looks at Jun. "That prick broke his heart."

"He broke up with him?" Jun asks but Nino slightly shakes his head.

"Oh-chan was forced to break up with him after that guy cheated on him," Nino said, anger boiling under his tone.

"How...," Jun starts, frowning again. "How can anyone be so cruel to Ohno?"

"You see, Oh-chan's problem is, he's too nice," Nino replies after releasing a sigh. "His ex took advantage of that and started betraying him and at first, when Ohno found out about it, he forgave him. Which was his mistake, I believe. After that, it happened again, and again until he finally had enough."

"That sounds horrible," Jun says, his heart hurting as if it was breaking too, in Ohno's place.

"It was. He's over it, but believe me, he won't make the same mistake again," the man in front of Jun said, his voice sharp, as if speaking a warning. His look is piercing and his expression serious, almost threatening. "If someone hurts him, he won't let them stay with him anymore. If you hurt him, your relationship will be over."

"I swear, I'd never dare to even think of-," Jun starts, but Nino cuts him off.

"Don't promise things you might not be able to stay true to, but promise you won't hurt him on purpose," the young man says, his eyes still on Jun's.

Jun doesn't sway and instead nods, frantically. "I promise, I won't!"

"Good," Nino replies, and then, there's even a smile forming on his face. "Thank you, Jun."

Jun is so stunned by Nino thanking him that he can't reply right away and when he's finally ready to, at that very moment, Ohno comes back from the delivery, and Jun is completely distracted by that, of course. Ohno looks adorable, wearing a jacket over his apron and his cheeks tinted red from the cold night outside.

"Hey guys, what did I miss?" he asks with a wide smile when sliding back behind the counter, not without brushing Jun's arm with his hand in the motion, causing a gentle shiver running up Jun's arm. "Everything good?"

Jun clears his throat and darts a grin at the man. "Your little brother here just gave us his blessing, right, Nino?"

Nino doesn't reply but exchanges a look with Ohno that only the two of them might be able to read correctly. Ohno just starts to laugh, overly happy, so Jun assumes everything's fine.

Later this night, Nino sends Ohno to walk Jun home, which makes Jun think that Nino is now fully on board supporting their fresh relationship. It makes him feel even more excited, knowing that not only his best friend but also Ohno's best friend are truly rooting for them. It makes everything feel a bit more real and less like it's only a dream, which Jun appreciates. He needs this to be real.

He and Ohno end up walking next to each other a bit strangely. Although they are now "officially dating", they haven't been on a real date yet, so things still feel a little awkward. Ohno smiles, strolling beside Jun but he doesn't seem to plan on taking any initiative in taking his hand, and Jun isn't brave enough yet to slip his arm around Ohno's waist or something like that. He's shyer than people might think of him and he's still confused and wondering what expectations are on him now, what's too early and what he can already do. He doesn't want to rush anything, so he decides to let things take their natural course and hopes he's doing the right thing.

They talk a little bit about this and that, but nothing that really matters and the walk to Jun's apartment complex is faster than Jun expected. He'd like to invite Ohno inside for a cup of tea or something if the baker didn't have to return to work, so he doesn't even try, but he tells him that he would like to, just so that Ohno knows. He's rewarded with a cute smile and an appreciating nod.

"Uhm... thanks for bringing me," Jun finally says, pointing at the door behind him.

"It's really not far from our shop," the baker simply notes.

"Told ya," Jun replies, grinning. "Still a long night ahead?" he then asks, stupidly, as if he doesn't know how long the shop will be open and that it will take Ohno and Nino about an additional hour to get everything cleaned up and prepare for their next working day. He wants to hit himself for the stupid remark, but resists the urge when Ohno shifts into a nonchalant pose and grins at Jun.

"It will definitely feel long without you being there," Ohno says, one side of his mouth drawing up into a smug grin.

Jun starts laughing, involuntarily. He has to admit, he is still getting used to this side of Ohno – the flirty side, but he also has to admit that he likes it quite a bit. Though, he doesn't know how to reply to that, at least, all the things that are crossing his mind, like "I'll miss you too" or "I'll dream about you", sound just too cheesy. So in the end, Jun settles on something really simple.

"We'll see each other tomorrow night, then," he says, more stating a fact than asking a question.

"I can't wait," Ohno replies. He's still flirty, Jun can see that, but his smirk has transformed into his typical sincere smile and Jun's heart melts completely.

"Me neither," he says in a low voice.

He keeps staring at Ohno and they seem to drown in each other's eyes, until Ohno finally takes a step forward, smoothly and quickly, leans in to place a kiss on Jun's cheek. Jun blushes and is unable to move. Ohno presses his slightly cold lips a little longer against Jun's skin than would be necessary, but it doesn't bother any of them. Then, he draws back.

"Good night, Jun," he whispers, still standing very close to him. "Sleep well."

Jun is still frozen, his heart beating like crazy. He wonders if he should lean forward to kiss Ohno's cheek too, or his nose or his lips but then the moment is gone and Ohno steps back and flashes him a smile. Jun wants to pinch himself into moving, or at least into saying something, anything...

"I...," he starts, completely at a loss. "I'm looking forward to our date on Sunday," he finally manages to say. "What do you think about visiting the aquarium?"

Ohno's smile grows wider. "That sounds great, actually," he replies. "I love the aquarium."

And I love you, Jun thinks, but doesn't say it out loud. It's probably really too early for that.

"Great," Jun replies instead, feeling the corners of his lips pulling up into a grin.

"Great," Ohno replies and then, they finally manage to wave goodbye.

- - -

"Jun...," Aiba says, after releasing a long sigh. He has just checked the project proposal Jun sent him via e-mail to give it a look and collect some feedback.

Jun swallows and then bites his lower lip. "You don't like it?" he asks, feeling insecure.

He is always insecure about his designs, mostly having to re-work them after his boss checked them, even if he's pretty sure they aren't as bad as his boss pretends. Thus, it has become a habit of him to get some first feedback from his best friend, who usually manages to cheer him up and stand firm for his own ideas.

"No no, that's not it, Jun, it's truly wonderful," Aiba flashes him a smile and Jun releases a breath he'd been holding in his chest. "But... you've written my name here," the man taps at the headline of the proposal's first page. "What's that about?"

"Uhm...," Jun starts, scratching his neck. "I was wondering if you could maybe propose this to our boss this time," he finally admits.

"Help me Jun, I still don't get it," Aiba replies, frowning.

Jun takes a deep breath. "You see, I thought if it's not my name but yours written there, our boss might not want to change up the whole thing or do worse things to it like... I don't know... taking it away from me... This project means a lot to me."

Aiba looks at Jun, sympathy showing in his eyes as understanding hits him. Sadly, Jun speaks from experience. His boss has done such things. And not only once. And it's the truth, this project is really special to Jun...

"To be honest, I don't feel good about taking your credits," Aiba says. "I understand your idea behind it and I get why this is special to you, and it's not like I don't want to help you, really, but... I also think that it's unhealthy if you start trying to work around confronting our boss. I think, it's time you stand up for yourself, Jun, especially if a project means so much to you!"

"But," Jun wants to protest, trying not to sound as desperate, as he thinks he does.

Aiba stops him by lifting his hand and putting it on his shoulder. He looks at him, all serious.

"You know that you could have Ohno request you specifically when bringing an order to the company, don't you?" Aiba asks, bringing up a possibility that indeed exists, and Jun even has considered that, before deciding that it wasn't the way he wants it.

"I know...," he sighs. "But I already told him that I can take care of everything... and to be honest, I don't feel well about the idea of Ohno meeting our boss... I don't even want to know how that man would fold me in half – in front of my date!"

Aiba hums, silently. "I understand where you're coming from... you're scared but I think you don't need to worry. If Ohno really likes you, nothing will change that, especially not a few stupid sentences by our boss."

"Still... I wanted to try it like this," Jun says, crossing his arms and puffing his cheeks slightly. He can be stubborn too, if he wants.

"Listen, I'll always have your back, Jun," Aiba continues. "And if you really think it does anything good, you can add my name as co-designer, maybe it helps a little. But don't shy off like this. Your work is amazing, and people have to know it's yours, you understand?"

Jun considers Aiba's words for a while and then nods. He knows that his friend is right, and he appreciates the support, even if he still worries about the project.

"Thanks, Aiba," he says with a crooked smile. Aiba smiles back and suggests that they present Jun's proposal at the next meeting, which Jun agrees.

He glances at the computer screen in front of him, his project open. After a bit of hesitation, he takes a deep breath and knits his eyebrows. He reminds himself again that Aiba is right. He shouldn't have to hide. He should be able to present his project in front of the department and proudly say that it's his, based on the ideas from him and his boyfriend. Well, maybe he should leave out the boyfriend part, he's not keen on sharing such private information with the people in his office, except Aiba, but he should be able to stand up for himself. He should start to fight back, if his boss thinks he can mess with him. And he will, for this project, for Ohno, and for himself.

He allows himself to go over the design once more.

The digital spreadsheets show the hand drawn and scanned sketches of Ohno's bakery. The room seems not too big, not too small. Birch coloured shelves are lining the walls to the right and left, a counter with a huge glass front is placed in the back of the shop, and in the front, just behind the shop window, there's a little comfy corner with three small tables and two to three chairs arranged around them. In the middle of the room there's a wooden isle, topped with a steps-inspired system of shelves in order to create interesting display opportunities for trays and baskets, filled with delicious pastries. Small wooden signs, painted with delicate writing and a few decorative white and light blue motives framing the white letters are spread all over the room, indicating the respective products.

The design is modern but also a little playful, with a vintage touch. The shelf behind the glass counter that is displaying a line of tins filled with tea, and a few cups and teapots matches the theme. The walls are coloured in a subtle yellow tone, almost white and paired with the indicated spot lights spread over the room, the overall impression of the bakery is very warm and welcoming.

Another sketch shows the outside of the shop, the sign held in a slightly darker brown, white paint displaying the shop's name, a few delicate doodles of pastries and cake dancing around it. The sign looks catchy, without being colourful, big and with enough contrast to be noticed, but not breaking the theme of the shop.

Yes, Jun is confident about this design, and Ohno has basically agreed on everything so far and loves it. Jun really wants to do this, and even if it's just to make Ohno happy and maybe help him get a few more customers. The bakery deserves it!

Determined, Jun hits delete on his keyboard, removing Aiba's name from the line indicating the main designer of his project, and types his own instead.

Project: Mayoppan - The Midnight Bakery
Type: Re-Design
Main Designer: Matsumoto Jun

- - -

It's Sunday, finally, and Jun is a ball of energy since the moment he woke up in the morning. A notification on his phone reminds him on his date at the aquarium with Ohno this afternoon, as if he needs a reminder for that. He snorts, swiping away the notification and enters his LINE chat with Ohno, texting him that he'll pick him up at 2 pm, as scheduled, although he hopes that Ohno doesn't need a reminder either. Ohno sends back a sleepy sticker wishing a good morning, followed by one with a raised thumb, and then a simple heart. Jun grins like a fool at that, sending a heart back, and giggles at the thought of acting like a young schoolgirl.

After breakfast, Jun consults Aiba via phone call over which outfit he should wear for his date. They finally pick one with the help of Aiba's kids voting on which colour Jun's dress shirt should be, and Jun finally lets them go off to play and ends the call. He takes a long shower, and then tries to make his hair look as fabulous as possible, which end up taking him hours, so that in the end he has to skip lunch in order to make it to Ohno's address on time. Passing by a flower shop, the young man wonders if he shall bring some flowers with him, and then decides that yes, Ohno deserves flowers, so he buys a single but beautiful rose, almost matching the colour of his red flushed cheeks when he hands it over to Ohno, who smiles and quickly brings it inside of his apartment to put it into a vase so that it doesn't wither right away.

Jun can hear Nino and Sho calling "Have fun on your date!" from inside of the apartment – apparently, they are spending a home date on the couch in front of Nino's favourite switch game, and a minute later, he and Ohno are on their way to the aquarium.

The ride on the train takes about fifteen minutes, which they spend standing closely next to each other and talking about non-work-related things, whispering, in order not to disturb any other travellers.

When they arrive at the aquarium, Jun insists on buying the tickets for him and Ohno. Ohno accepts the invitation, but only in exchange with Jun promising that he will let him buy lunch in return. Since Jun's stomach has already been growling on the train, the young man gladly accepts the deal. They end up sharing a serving of French fries and chicken before starting their tour through the underwater world, Ohno looking just as excited as a child when he points out that there's a tank with sharks as the main attraction of the aquarium.

"You really like sharks, don't you?" Jun chuckles while they stroll through the corridors lined with fish tanks and information about the various species swimming around. The light is dim, while the fish tanks are illuminated to create a special environment.

"I like all types of fish, but sharks do have something especially fascinating about them," Ohno replies.

"Fascinating enough so that you need pyjama pants with sharks on them?" Jun asks with a smirk that turns into a broad smile when he sees Ohno blush slightly.

"How do you know?!" the baker asks.

Jun grins. "I do have my informants," he says.

"Nino...," Ohno murmurs, about to raise his hands and cross his arms, but Jun lifts his hand and catches one of Ohno's in the progress.

"He gave me the tip that you might enjoy visiting the aquarium," Jun explains, gently bringing their hands down between them and intertwining their fingers. "And there's nothing wrong with shark pyjamas, I think it's cute and I definitely want you to show them to me."

Ohno looks at him, smiling, and after exchanging a glance that sets Jun's heart on fire, he quickly averts his eyes. Ohno chuckles softly and presses Jun's hand before he steps a little closer and leans forward to whisper into his ear.

"Have I told you how handsome you look today?" Ohno starts, his breath hitting against Jun's ear and causing his heart to jump in his chest. The hours of preparation were definitely worth this. "Especially your hair... and your eyebrows....," the man continues, making Jun suddenly feel very aware of his eyebrows, which he can't help but lift slightly, embarrassed. "Although... I'm sorry, but nobody can beat this guy when it comes to fashionable eyebrows."

When Jun gives him a confused frown, Ohno bursts into laughter, pointing behind the young man and when Jun whirls around, he faces a penguin with an explosion of black and bright yellow feathers above his eyes, which look like exaggeratedly long and bushy eyebrows. In fact, it looks so funny that Jun can't help but join in laughter. Even if it's on him, he has to admit that this was a good joke.

"Southern rock hopper penguins," he then murmurs, reading the capture on the information provided for the different species living in the penguin area. "Well, I should ask him for styling tips, now that I know you like his look." He wiggles his eyebrows and Ohno laughs even more, until people around them start turning their heads at them.

"Sorry," Ohno mumbles between two giggles, as he calms down, and when he becomes aware that people are still staring at them, whispering, and their look is especially focused onto his and Jun's joined hands, he becomes serious again. "Sorry..."

When Ohno tries to slip his hand out of Jun's, though, the other man squeezes Ohno's hand tightly.

"Don't," Jun simply says.

"But...," Ohno looks around. Jun knows that he's suddenly a bit concerned, holding hands in public isn't a norm in Japan, especially not when it's two guys doing so, but honestly, he doesn't care, and he wishes, Ohno doesn't care either.

"It's fine, isn't it?" Jun asks. "Are you ashamed?"

Ohno shakes his head. "I'm not," he replies. "If it doesn't bother you, it's fine for me too."

Jun flashes him a smile, pressing Ohno's hand again, and they keep on walking together, holding hands, through the corridors, amazed by countless colourful types of fishes, turtles and sea lions. They even go through a section with fluorescent jellyfish, which Jun particularly loves, until they reach the main attraction of the aquarium – a giant tank filled with several types of sharks. Ohno's eyes widen at the mesmerising sight when they come to a halt in front of it, his lips parting in awe when he watches the sharks pass them behind the tank's thick glass.

After a few minutes, they find themselves a bench to sit down, just to relax and enjoy the view for a while. Jun has to admit that he finds it a bit spooky, being so close to such dangerous creatures, but he can understand why Ohno is so fascinated by them, and watching him enjoying himself that much, makes Jun feel happy.

"I'm going to get us something to drink, what would you like to have?" Jun asks a bit later, when he finds his throat dry and figures that Ohno might want to stand there and watch the sharks for maybe another hour or two.

"Oh, that would be great, Jun," Ohno smiles at him. "Maybe coke?"

"I'm sure, I'll find some," Jun replies. "Stay here, I'll be right back."

Ohno nods before he turns his gaze back at the shark tank, and Jun quickly steps away, not planning to leave his boyfriend alone for any longer than he has to buy drinks. He quickly manages to find a vending machine and chooses a bottle of coke for Ohno and melon soda for himself. After swallowing a few sips of his drink to satisfy his thirst, he starts his way back to the shark tank.

When Jun comes back to the spot where Ohno should be waiting for him, he finds the seat Ohno has taken before, empty. He looks around, confusion spreading in his mind, until he spots his date talking to another man. Or rather, arguing with that other man. He can't hear what they are talking about, but Ohno has taken a defensive position, his arms crossed in front of his chest and his eyebrows furrowed. Jun frowns, it's the first time that he ever sees Ohno looking kind of distressed and it makes him feel nervous. Quickly, Jun walks towards the two men, seeing Ohno's eyes widen and his look soften a little bit when he sees him, the other man completely ignoring him until Jun stops right in front of them.

"Sorry to interrupt but is everything OK?" he asks, politely, his look first brushing Ohno, then wandering to the other man, who just frowns at him, slightly irritated.

"Everything's fine, you can leave us alone, thanks," the man says, glancing at Jun only quickly before focusing back on Ohno and making a shooing gesture towards Jun with his hand.

Of course, Jun doesn't comply. "Excuse me, Mister?" he asks instead, trying to win back the stranger's attention.

"Jun…," Ohno mumbles, touching Jun's elbow with his hand, who looks at him, worried.

"Does this man make you feel uncomfortable?" Jun asks in a low voice. "Are you OK?"

"It's just… a small misunderstanding," Ohno replies before darting a stricter look back at the man he's been discussing with. "Right?"

The man snorts. "We're not done with this, Satoshi."

"Satoshi," Jun says, addressing his date for the first time with his first name, who looks at him, just as surprised as the stranger.

Jun swallows, trying to mute the small wave of jealousy that threatens to overwhelm him when he realizes that this man knows Ohno probably better than it first appears. Maybe, Jun is just overreacting, maybe he's interpreting too much into the situation, but he has an inkling that he's supposed to take Ohno far away from this man, quickly. So, Jun takes his date's hand, intertwining their fingers again. Ohno looks at him. There's still discomfort in his eyes and if Jun can do anything to make it go away, he will.

"Let's go," he says, softly, pulling gently at Ohno's hand and takes a few steps away, his boyfriend following him.

They take the route to the outside, quickly passing the last few attractions in the aquarium, as Jun finds it more important to get some distance between Ohno and that stranger, and when they reach the area in front of the aquarium, Jun finally offers Ohno his coke. The baker gratefully takes it, only parting from Jun's hand shortly, so that he can open the bottle and drink a few sips, before connecting their hands again. He flashes Jun a smile, but he still looks kind of distressed and Jun's heart constricts slightly at that sight.

"Are you sure, you're OK?" he asks Ohno, looking concerned, brushing his thumb over the back of the man's hand.

Ohno blushes slightly, and the smile on his face turns a little softer, sincerer. "I am, now," he replies, gently squeezing Jun's hand.

They fall silent again, Jun not really knowing what to say, how to start, but he feels there's something that needs to be addressed. The cool wind is brushing through his hair and it's just then when he realises that the sun has started to set, and dusk starts to fall over the city, tinting the buildings around them in black, lights flickering in the windows and the street lamps, fighting the darkness. Jun wonders, what exactly is the fight Ohno is facing, without telling him, and how – if even – he could maybe help him. His gaze wanders towards the Ferris wheel that stands close to the aquarium, triumphing over the place, its cabins lightening up in rainbow colours, as if representing the turmoil of emotions standing strong in the dark.

"Wanna take a ride?" Jun asks to break the silence, pointing at the wheel. "I'm sure the view from up there is amazing."

Ohno glances up at the colourful lights, and then looks at Jun. "Sure, why not."

They finish their drinks, Jun buys the tickets for one round in the Ferris wheel and they board the next available cabin, sitting across each other, their gazes darted into the same direction outside of the windows when the cabin starts moving up, slowly, bringing them closer to the sky.

After sitting there in silence for a few minutes, watching the view of the world shift slightly, Jun finally finds the courage to start the inevitable conversation.

"Who was that guy?" he asks in a low voice.

It takes Ohno a second to reply. "He's my ex-boyfriend," he then says, looking Jun directly into the eye.

Jun looks back, trying not to flinch. He suddenly remembers Nino mentioning how horribly wrong things between Ohno and his ex went before Ohno decided to end their relationship. He can imagine that seeing a person with such a negative connection from your past must be a stressful experience.

"What did he want from you?" Jun continues, carefully.

What he really wants to ask is Why are you so upset? What were you talking about? Did he hurt you? and so much more, but he doesn't want to be the bitchy, jealous boyfriend who can't bear seeing his lover talking to an ex. He's not that childish, even if he might be worried, and yeah, maybe even a little bit possessive, but isn't that normal when it comes to the person you like?

"He asked about stuff with the shop... talked about money he thinks I still owe him, but that's not true," Ohno starts to explain. He still seems upset.

"The shop?" Jun asks, frowning. "And why money?" He's confused.

Ohno sighs. "You already know that I was living together with my ex for a while, don't you?"

Jun nods.

"Actually, he's the one who supported me in the beginning when I opened up my shop. He lent me money so that I could buy some machines and furniture and everything... but I swear, I paid him back, every single yen!"

"Then why does he think you owe him money?" Jun asks puzzled.

"I don't know, somehow he got this strange idea that since he helped me start the shop, he has some kind of right to see some of my profit," Ohno says, furrowing his eyebrows.

Jun's frown deepens. "But you don't have any written or even verbal contract about him having any right to take parts of your profit, or do you?"

Ohno shakes his head. "I never promised him anything like that and as I said, I paid him back every single yen he lent me."

"Then you're square," Jun simply states.

"Yeah, I think so too, but-," Ohno starts, his voice turning a little high pitched. "He doesn't think so, apparently."

"Is he harassing you?" Jun asks, "Would you like us to go tell the police or something?" He doesn't really know what to do, and he can't remember seeing that man showing up at the bakery ever since he started visiting it, but if this is a serious situation...

"It's not like he's harassing me, no," Ohno shakes his head. "But sometimes I get phone calls or when we accidentally meet, like just now, the topic comes up..."

"Wait," Jun interrupts him. "That time when you got a call in the bakery and told me it's just a strange inquiry... was that him?"

Ohno nods, slowly. "It wasn't the first time he called, but he doesn't do it often enough for me to make an effort to change the number or anything... And I don't think he'll do anything to me though, it's just annoying."

"Well, if that's enough for you... but why didn't you tell me?" Jun asks. "I want to help you, Satoshi! Maybe I can have a serious word with him next time he crosses your path?" he offers. "I'll tell him to leave you alone, once and for all."

Ohno's look softens and his lips break into a smile. "That's sweet Jun, really, but I don't want to pull you into all this... it's not that bad, OK? I can handle this."

"But we're in this together now, no?" Jun asks, reaching out his hand to put it on top of Ohno's. He smiles. "I have to protect my boyfriend, after all."

Ohno chuckles softly. He takes Jun's hand into his and lifts his to his lips, placing a small kiss on his knuckles.

"Thank you, Jun, really. Don't worry, OK? I'm done with the past. Everything that matters now, is you. Simply knowing that I have you in my life now gives me so much strength. I'm sorry, I didn't tell you about this. I know I can trust you. And I want you to trust me too."

"I do," Jun says, nodding while he's still clenching Ohno's hand.

Ohno smiles at him, sincerely, before he asks, "If I tell you that I love you, do you believe me?"

Jun's heart turns crazy inside his chest, feeling like it's ready to explode. Jun can't help but grin. He nods, frantically.

"I do!" he exclaims, and then, he just can't hold back any longer.

Ohno's confession, the way he holds his hand, the way he looks at him, it's too much to handle for Jun's heart. It still feels a little too good to be true, and the beautiful night sight from outside of the Ferris wheel makes everything appear even more surreal, but it's the truth. He believes every single word coming from Ohno's lips, and he knows, he has to reply, he has to return the confession, but what he wants to do even more right now, what he can't hold back any longer, is something different.

After exchanging a long glance, Jun jumps up, intending to lean forward and capture Ohno's lips in a kiss, but he doesn't count in the laws of gravity and the construction of the Ferris wheel cabin, so he stumbles, surprised, when the cabin tips. He just falls forward, right into Ohno's arms, who has parted them in surprise and catches Jun.

The young man's face is now pressed against the soft fabric of his boyfriend's shirt while his feet are tangled on the cabin's dirty floor, his arms wrapped around Ohno's small frame as if to hold on, and Ohno's arms are thrown around him, to hold him stable.

"Are you OK?" Ohno asks, slightly worried. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm OK," Jun says and sighs deeply, embarrassed about his clumsiness and the fact that he just ruined their most romantic moment so far. He feels himself blushing and frustrated, he nuzzles even closer into Ohno's hug, until his nose seems to tickle the other man so much that he starts giggling.

"Jun, what are you doing?" Ohno asks between two giggles.

Jun stops and loosens the grip around Ohno a bit. He braces himself, and although he's still embarrassed, he looks up into his boyfriend's face. The lights from the breaking night outside illuminate Ohno and Jun just can't hold back anymore.

"I wanted to kiss you," he states bluntly.

Ohno's lips spread into his most wonderful smile. "That wasn't a very elegant approach, if I may say so," he says, cheekily, chuckling softly.

"Oh, shut up," Jun mumbles softly, while he reaches one hand up into Ohno's neck and pulls him down, until their lips meet.

His eyes are closed and Ohno's lips on his feel so warm and soft, so addictive, that Jun can't think of anything else at that very moment. He moves his own lips carefully, slowly but surely deepening their kiss and when he feels Ohno moaning softly, his lips curl into a smirk shortly. Without letting go of Ohno, he starts standing up, more careful this time, until he comes to sit on the bench on Ohno's side of the Ferris wheel cabin, right next to the other man. His hands are now laying on Ohno's hips, and Ohno's hands have moved to cup Jun's face. When they break their kiss and Jun opens his eyes, Ohno looks at him. There's longing in his eyes, paired with the sparkling reflections of the city nights, and although it's getting darker and darker by the seconds, Jun feels like he has never before seen Ohno as clear as he does right now. He leans forward again, touching their foreheads against each other and releases a happy giggle, just a small one, but one that Ohno mirrors, seemingly just as happy as Jun feels right now.

"I love you, Satoshi," Jun finally says, the joyful smile on Ohno's lips being the last thing he sees before he closes his eyes again and kisses Ohno for the second time, long, and loving, and as if it's the only thing he's planning to do for the rest of his life.

This time, when Jun walks Ohno home after their date, Ohno invites Jun to come in, an invitation which Jun just can't decline. They find Nino cuddled up in Sho's arms on the couch, both presumably fallen asleep while watching a movie which is still running and trying not to wake them as they pass through the living room on tip toes, Ohno pulling Jun behind him until they reach his room.

As soon as the wooden door closes behind them, Ohno presses Jun against it, his mouth immediately all over Jun's face, planting kisses on his cheeks, his forehead, and of course, his lips. The man's breath is hitching, and it's obvious that it has taken him quite some effort to hold back from touching Jun during their way home from the aquarium. Jun grins, glad to know that he's not the only one feeling this way. He wraps his arms around Ohno, pressing him close, and he can feel Ohno's fast beating heart hammering against his own chest. It doesn't take them long before they find themselves on top of Ohno's bed, the sheets crumpling below their moves. They just can't stop kissing each other, for almost the rest of the night, until only hours later, they fall asleep in each other's arms, undressed, exhausted, and happy.

- - -

Jun has the next day off, but he still wakes up at his usual time. His arm feels slightly stiff, but he doesn't mind it when he realises it's because Ohno is lying on him. Jun stays in bed for a bit longer, as he doesn't have to rush to get to work, but he's getting hungry. After a while he carefully slips out of Ohno's embrace – who seems to sleep like a stone – and gets dressed before he walks into the kitchen, planning to find himself some coffee and make breakfast for Ohno and himself.

When Jun exits Ohno's bedroom, the smell of coffee already greets him. He kind of forgot that they aren't alone in this apartment. When he enters the kitchen, he is greeted by the sight of Sho and Nino, still dressed in nightwear, sitting very close to each other around an edge of the breakfast table. They each hold a mug of coffee in their hands but seem otherwise occupied, leaning close to each other. Sho is having one hand buried in the black mob of Nino's bed hair and their lips connected in a kiss. Jun freezes for a moment and considering to leave the room, backwards, but it's too late.

The couple breaks their kiss and turn to face Jun, caught in their actions. Jun grins stupidly and waves his hand at them while Sho flashes him his usual friendly smile and Nino blushes deeply and parts his lips as if he wants to say something but doesn't. Sho giggles at his boyfriend's flushed reaction and kisses him once more, right in front of Jun, just to tease him. Nino blushes even deeper and Jun can't help but snort in amusement.

"Sorry guys, didn't want to disturb you, I should have knocked," Jun says instead, "I was just thinking about getting some coffee and –"

His stomach growls and everyone looks at it.

"And do something against that," Jun grins broadly, pointing at his tummy.

"Please," Nino says, gesturing around the kitchen. "Feel at home. And there's still some coffee left, if you want. Mugs are in the cupboard above the sink."

"Thanks," Jun replies, stepping forward and taking a look around to orientate himself. "Do you only drink coffee in the morning?" he asks, looking at the couple at the breakfast table.

Besides their coffee mugs, the only other thing on the table is the newspapers that Sho must have been reading earlier. Nino hums, his lips attached to his mug, as if proving a point.

"He's too tired to make breakfast in the mornings, and I can't cook," Sho explains shrugging helplessly, "So usually we're having brunch a little later together with Ohno on our off days."

"You come around often?" Jun asks, jumping on Sho's willingness to chit chat, while he spots amusingly how Nino hooks his ankle around Sho's foot under the table, as if it's his usual routine and not even Jun's presence will change that.

Surprisingly, it's Nino, who replies. "He basically lives here."

Sho laughs. "Because I want to spend every free minute with you, darling," he says, smiling at Nino and reaching for his boyfriend's hand, who willingly intertwines their fingers, but doesn't reply and just blushes slightly, averting his eyes from the other two men.

Jun smiles. It's always adorable seeing these two together. They have this special kind of chemistry between them, making it seem so easy being a couple. Jun hopes that he and Ohno may soon give of a similar impression. His heart makes a little jump in his chest as he smiles to himself. They definitely do have the potential, he thinks, as he remembers how well things went yesterday. He turns towards the kitchen counter, gets himself a mug and pours in some coffee from the still half-filled coffeepot. While taking a sip, he starts examining the kitchen cabinets and the fridge.

"Would you like me to make breakfast?" he asks, turning to Sho and Nino – who are already whispering sweet nothings to each other, again, back in their own little world. "Uhm... I mean, only if you want."

"That would be amazing!" Sho exclaims, his focus back on Jun in an instant. Nino shrugs and then nods as if saying, "Why not."

"How about some waffles with fruits and toast with egg?" Jun offers with a smile.

Sho is all in for it. "Sounds awesome!"

Jun grins and starts preparing things, excited. He enjoys cooking, and he prides himself with quite some skills, but he doesn't often have the chance to cook for others, so this will be fun. Soon, Sho and Nino are watching him, Sho with big interest (that poor fellow must really be hungry in the mornings) and Nino giving the impression that he's ready to nod off any seconds while standing. Good thing, there's Sho's arm around his waist, Jun notes. About ten minutes later, while Sho asks Jun questions about his techniques and Nino starts setting up the table for four people, they hear a knock behind them.

"Good morning."

When Jun whirls around, he sees Ohno leaning in the door frame, leisurely, a smile on his still tired face, his hair tousled and making him look ten times more adorable than he already is. On top of that, he's dressed in the cutest pyjamas Jun has ever seen an adult wear – a blue shirt with a breast pocket and a print that makes it look like a shark is surfacing from the ocean, and a pair of pants covered all over with cute little shark illustrations. Jun grins and raises an eyebrow at Ohno, who then changes his pose into a fake model position, causing the others to laugh.

Jun hands the spatula he's currently holding at Sho – ignoring the flash of panic on the man's face that only vanishes when Nino runs to his rescue – and takes a few steps towards his boyfriend before he leans in to place a peck on his lips.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Jun says, smiling. "I was just about to go get you for breakfast with us."

"Did you make all of this?" Ohno smiles. "It smells delicious."

Jun quickly finishes baking the last waffle before arranging everything he created on the table. He then pours Ohno a cup of coffee and the four men start to eat. Jun tries not to laugh at how Sho scoffs down his first plate of toast, almost choking on the bread.

"For God's sake, maybe I should start cooking for you in the morning if you're truly that desperate," Nino murmurs, rubbing his boyfriend's back, the smirk on his lips paired with the sympathetic arrangement of his eyebrows showing he's more concerned than his tone indicate.

Ohno instead eats very slowly, savouring each and every bite, and he really seems to enjoy everything, especially the waffles topped with fruits. He compliments Jun on his cooking, making the young man glow from pride and Jun thinks that life can't be better as it is right now.

Ohno and Nino soon start talking about arrangements that need to be taken as they prepare for a new worknight at the midnight bakery, like what they need to buy, which pastries Ohno wants to bake this time. Sho even suggests a new cheesecake recipe that he found on the internet, asking if Ohno might want to use it for inspiration. Neither Ohno nor Nino seem opposed to the idea, and Ohno starts making a list for ingredients he has to go buy for trying out the already modified recipe for it that is in his head.

"Ah, that reminds me, I wanted to tell you that I'm going to introduce the project regarding the bakery to my boss, soon," Jun adds to the conversation, drawing the men's attention. "Once it's approved, I can go into more detail regarding the planning, contact our partner companies to make a proper cost plan and stuff like that."

"Sounds exciting!" Ohno says, sparkles in his eyes. He reaches out to press Jun's hand. "I can't wait for it."

- - -

Of course, things are easier said than done, they always are. Well, it doesn't come as a surprise to Jun, at least, when he introduces the midnight bakery re-design project to his boss during the next team meeting, his boss seems to find enough reasons to criticize the whole thing from start to finish.

First of all, his boss completely dismisses Jun's design proposals as uncreative and boring, even if the murmuring among the other team members, calling it cute and grown-up at the same time, as well as Jun's and Aiba's protests speak against that argument.

After a short lecture about how visionary a design should be a good middle ground of meeting modern standards and the needs of their clients (or what their boss calls "what they think they need" in a disrespectful tone), Jun's boss finds even more to pick on, of course.

"This project isn't profitable enough by our standards. I cannot afford to allow one of my team members to waste their time with something small like that," the boss starts, "Not even if it's just you, Matsumoto."

Sideblow aside, Jun's boss might be right that the small bakery in the neighbourhood might not be as significant and cannot be compared to a concert hall or a whole hotel, the usual types of project the company takes. However, for Jun it's important and he tries to argue that with the shop getting a make-over, people will pay more attention to it, which will boost the business. It will have a positive effect on the shop, and the shop's growing reputation will have a positive effect on the design firm, in return.

Still, his boss doesn't seem convinced. Then, Aiba pulls out his phone and starts a quick search about the bakery on social media, finding pictures of satisfied customers as proof that the shop already seemed to have gained attention over the past few weeks, showing its potential, which makes their boss open his ears. When the girls of the team start to admire the pictures of delicious pieces of cake and show especially interest in Ohno's maple leave pumpkin pastry, it's undeniable that their boss becomes at least slightly interested, too.

"I'll think about it," he finally huffs, before pushing to the next point on the meeting's agenda.

By the end of the meeting though, the boss seems to have changed his mind completely about Jun's project. He even comes back to it and suddenly starts talking about the importance of supporting smaller shops in the era of consumption and fast-pace (and everyone knows he's a complete hypocrite).

Jun wants to sigh out loud, he wants to jump up and leave, not being able to bear with that person and his fallaciousness any longer, but he stays. This is about his project and if there's a chance to get it granted, he won't ruin it. However, when Jun's boss insists on accompanying Jun to the bakery, in order to check things out, Jun wishes, he wouldn't show as much interest. Now that he considers approving of the project, that man already has half of his claws in it...

Jun wants to roll his eyes, and even almost regrets proposing the project. Maybe, it might have been better to take on the project as a personal one... but Jun has been a coward and thought that it would be easier with the design firm in the back, with their business connections to craftsman's companies and having a team of other designers to go to when he needs help. He has not thought this through, he should have known that it's either him all alone, or his boss taking everything from him, like he always does.

- - -

Jun would have wished for Aiba to come see the bakery for the first time under different circumstances, but when his friend volunteers to join Jun and their boss on their "inspection trip" to the midnight bakery two days later, Jun is very grateful for his friend's offer. At least, he has more people on his side like this – the operators of the shop itself, of course, and Aiba. Still, he feels anxious, bringing his boss to the "Mayoppan", not only because he's scared to lose his project to his boss, but also because he's not completely keen on the idea of his boss embarrassing him in front of his boyfriend, and would rather have avoided it from the beginning.

Ohno and Nino have already been warned, of course. Jun has made a great deal out of explaining to them how the meeting went and what he is kind of expecting from his boss – nothing good, to be completely honest. When Nino questions, why Jun didn't do everything privately, if he isn't confident about improving the project with involving his company, Jun replies, that through the company they have the right contacts, the right tools and programmes to make the interior design as well as everything that follows the design-process, much easier. He alone would probably not be able to organise anything nearly as effectively.

Aiba's presence helps a great deal in smoothing the strange atmosphere a bit. It turns out that Nino and Aiba seem to get along instantly (which at least improves Nino's bad mood about the situation a little bit) Their soft chit chat fills the air while Ohno disappears in the kitchen for a moment before coming back with a tray of fresh pastries. His offer to Jun's boss to try some of them for free probably helps too.

However, when Jun's boss starts talking about how sorry he is for Jun's sloppy job as a designer and how glad he would be to jump in and safe the project by contributing his own design ideas, things begin to spiral downwards, very quickly.

Jun tries his best not to feel devastated about his boss embarrassing him in front of his friends so openly – Aiba has assured his friend in advance that nobody would take his boss's words as the truth, that he is quite certain, and Aiba is right. Nino and Ohno won't fall for the false statements. He has to trust them and he has to trust himself.

It's not that easy though, as Jun's old fears and apprehensions threaten to surface from underneath the foundation that Jun has started to build for his sense of self-confidence with this new project. His project, which he had thought to be a good one, maybe even his best one, so far. Still, Jun feels tongue-tied as soon as his boss starts suggesting completely different alternatives for the shop design. He can't find the right words to say to his boss, he can't just tell him to stop talking, or he might lose his job right away, as his boss just seems to be waiting for the perfect opportunity to fire Jun from the company. Which is not what Jun wants...

He even holds Aiba back, who wants to jump in for him. In order not to make his best friend risk his job, Jun whispers at him that he should just watch and be there, which would be enough for Jun to know he's being supported. He tries his best to focus on that support. Soon, it looks like Nino is about to say something (probably something mean) to Jun's boss, however, in the end, Ohno is faster. He has been listening quietly so far.

The man steps forward and addresses Jun's boss, calm, polite, but certain.

"I am very sorry, but I fear you must have misunderstood something," Ohno starts, looking directly at Jun's boss. "I appreciate you coming around to see our shop, however, I probably should have made myself clearer from the beginning. I love his design," he points at Jun, whose heart makes a little happy jump inside his chest upon hearing his boyfriend's sincere statement. "We worked together on this and he made so much more out of my silly ideas. It's incredible."

Jun can feel his chest swelling proudly and his posture straightening, the motivational boost coming from Ohno's calm but direct words, getting through to him, right away. He might not have seen it as that great but having Ohno confirm that he is absolutely pleased with Jun's work, makes him feel good, makes him feel brave. At least a little braver than just a few minutes before.

"But Ohno-san, listen, it would probably be much more effective if you considered-," Jun's boss tries to intervene, but apparently, he hasn't expected the baker to be so stubborn.

"I don't want to have it any different than it is on those sketches," Ohno insists, taking the portfolio out of the hands of Jun's boss. He looks at it, fondly, and then turns to Jun, flashing him a smile. He reaches out the portfolio and says, "I wish that either Jun will do the job, or no-one."

"Satoshi...," Jun murmurs.

"If it means you won't have the support of your company, it's fine for me," Ohno continues, his voice lowered, only meant to be addressing Jun. "If the project goes slower, I don't mind. If your boss doesn't let you use your contacts, fine, we'll go find someone else. I'll do everything I can to help and realise our vision. It's what you want too, right, Jun?"

Jun just stares at his boyfriend, his heart clenching at the intensity of the emotions. The pride, the overwhelming satisfaction that rushes over him, hearing Ohno speak about him and his work like this, and knowing he would support him, no matter what, truly makes Jun feel respected as a person, and as a designer. Respect – something, his boss has failed to give him – is something so important and so powerful, Jun wants to make sure to never forget that. It lifts his spirit, immensely and he feels his own hands reaching for his sketches. When he takes them, he smiles back at his boyfriend, grateful for his trust and the brave feeling inside him continues to grow.

"Yes," he says. "I want our project to come true, just the way we imagined it."

Ohno smiles.

Jun's boss seems much less happy about the situation, though, and on top of that, a bad loser. The man clears his throat and crosses his arms in front of his chest.

"Fine... Matsumoto... it's your choice then," the man grumbles. "If you want to keep the project as it is, that's it. You can have it, but then you can also pack your things and do it all by yourself without any support from the company. Let's see how far you can get."

Jun pulls in a deep breath. Maybe, he should have expected this to happen. Maybe, deep inside, he already has? Maybe, through taking over this project and developing a vision together with Ohno, which feels so good, has made him feel talented and free, that he even hoped something like this to happen? Maybe, he doesn't care anymore about what his boss thinks. It's his work, and he has to stand up for it. And maybe, even if he's not perfect, maybe, it's enough?

"It's not even your decision to make about who we want to redesign our shop," Nino grumbles, directing Jun's boss, but when Ohno simply lifts his hand, he stops.

The baker turns again to face Jun, who is still clenching the portfolio in his hands, still fighting his own inner demons.

"It's your decision now, indeed," Ohno says, looking at Jun. "Just know, no matter how you decide, I'll be on your side and I'll respect your decision."

Jun knows that Ohno means it, and he also knows why Ohno leaves it up to him. He won't be mad at Jun for prioritizing his own job over the project, however, he wants Jun to weight his options and to find the answer. This is not just a decision between Ohno and Jun's job, it's also a decision for his own work or against it, and now is the time to finally make up his mind.

He thinks about the past few years at work, how oppressed he has felt whenever his boss walked over his creativity and crashed his dreams to shards. He thinks about Aiba and how supportive he always is, he thinks about Nino and Sho, who have complimented his sketches for the re-designed bakery. And he thinks about Ohno, who does not only love him but also the design he created, who wants his work, and wants to pay for it, even if Jun would gladly offer it to him for free, if he could. He thinks about the happy smile on Ohno's face when he told him he had seen Jun's first sketch, scribbled on a paper napkin and left behind the counter of the bakery, and how he places his trust on him...

Ohno's repeated trust is the last push Jun needs.

"Well, it's not like I'm losing much, working under a slave driver as him," Jun finally says calmly, after a while, obviously referring to his boss. Aiba looks at him, surprised, but doesn't stop Jun and he continued, even if he's nervous, even if he's scared, but he has made his choice and now it's too late to back off. "He just keeps dissing me, dumping his work on me while ripping my own projects from me, making me feel uncomfortable, unwanted, untalented..."

His boss stares at him, caught completely off guard. "Matsumoto," is all he manages to say, trying to make it sound warning, but the surprise covers it.

"Something I am not!" Jun interrupts his boss. "I've been scared to stand up against you, but I'm sick of it. I might not be the greatest designer of all time, but I'm not as big of a loser as you want me to think I am, these people showed me."

Jun makes a gesture at the people standing behind him and he realises with every word spoken out loud that he starts feeling stronger, braver. It's like speaking the truth works as a manifestation for it, makes it feel more real. It is real, Jun finally understands.

"I mean it," Jun says, determined. "I have enough of this! I have enough of this for so long already and I finally know what's really important to me. I've not stood up for myself because I didn't think I'd have a chance. But I do have people who believe in me and so I have to believe in myself." It feels so good to be able to finally speak like that. It feels... like freedom. He repeats his new-found truth, which has been hiding behind his low self-confidence, not wanting to hide and ignore it any longer. "I'm not as bad as you want me to believe, I know what I'm capable of and I'll make use of that, even without the company. I'm not scared anymore!"

"Matsumoto!" his boss repeats, this time a hint of anger showing through.

Jun almost can't believe that he's really doing what he's about to do, but he knows it's the only right thing to do. He takes a deep breath, before he says only two words, calm and composed, and definite.

"I quit."

There's no discussion, no further yelling or protesting following Jun's statement. His boss simply huffs, as he doesn't seem to find it appropriate to be addressed by someone lower than him. He amplifies that by looking at Jun with disgust, before telling Aiba that he should better not take Jun's behaviour as an example, and then simply turns around and leaves the shop without any further word, maybe still as big-headed as before but defeated. Left with no power that he could possibly hold over his former employee.

Jun couldn't care less, but he releases a heavy breath in relief, having it all over now. It's been a big step for him – a risky but also long overdue one – but he has managed to take it, and he knows he can be proud about that. It's now, when Ohno steps right next to him and reaches his hand to take his, that he notices he is slightly nervous, shaking.

"In the end, he's gotten his way though, he's finally gotten rid of me," Jun chuckles. The shaking immediately subsides at Ohno's gentle touch and his nerves calm down.

"He doesn't deserve you or your work," Ohno says, pressing Jun's hand, encouragingly.

"He's right, Jun," Aiba says. "It's impressive how long you made it under him. And I really hoped things would be better one day... or that he would leave the company first..."

"It's OK, Aiba. Nothing about this is your fault," Jun says before he looks at his boyfriend, smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry, Satoshi, I didn't plan on bringing my problems from work into your shop."

"Don't worry about it, Jun," Ohno just shakes his head slightly. "Your job is part of your life... well... was part of your life, at least this particular one," the man tilts his head cutely. "But this is all part of my life now too, and that's amazing!"

"Thank you for standing up for me," Jun says. "Thanks for giving me courage," he smiles at Ohno and then turns to look at Aiba and Nino, "To all of you."

Ohno releases a happy giggle, Nino just shrugs, and Aiba beams before he steps closer and gives Jun a hug.

"You know, Jun," the man says, when he lets go of the embrace again. "Actually, I think it's not completely a bad thing that our boss is so harsh on you."

"Excuse if I don't fully follow you," Jun replies, raising his eyebrows in confusion.

"Maybe you can't see it at the moment when it happens, and I'm still sorry that you had to experience this in the first place but, if you start thinking in the long run... can't you see it?" Aiba asks, excitement mirroring on his face.

Jun frowns. "See what?"

His best friend starts gesturing, "The more he nagged you, the more often he dumped stuff on you, the more he actually did the complete opposite from what he thought he's doing."

There's still a hint of confusion written over Jun's face.

"What I mean is, from all the extra work, all the extra tasks, you actually got better, didn't you?" Aiba prompts. "I mean, there's no-one in the office who is as capable, as fast, and as accurate as you are. You took the load of crap your boss gave you and fed it into your talent, unwittingly even, apparently, and he didn't even get it. If you ask me, you're actually underestimating yourself even more than you think you did."

Jun frowns again, but the more he listens to his friend, the more his words seem to make sense. He hasn't seen it that way, to be honest, but...

"Aiba...," Jun's lips break into a wide smile. "You're a genius."

Aiba snorts and folds his hands. "Didn't I just say that you are the genius here?"

"Maybe this sounds crazy," Jun continues, and maybe, he truly is crazy, or where does all this courage suddenly come from? He exchanges a quick look with Ohno, who smiles at him and nods as if he already knows what's coming next. Jun presses his hand slightly, and swallows, before focusing back on his best friend Aiba. "Speaking just theoretically for now, but if I am opening up my own interior design company, would you come and work with me?"

Aiba looks at Jun, surprised, but pleasantly so.

"Absolutely yes!" the man exclaims.

- - -

It would be a lie if anyone said that the next few weeks are easy, because they are not. Jun, suddenly independent, without employment, tries his best to find the fastest way possible to set up his own business plan and talk to several banks until he can find a willing investor in his new-found company.

Aiba, his – for now still secret – partner and co-founder, has not quit his job yet in order to be able to provide his wife and kids with everything they need, but tries to help his friend as much as he can, in between juggling work and family life.

Actually, simply knowing that Jun is not alone in this, is enough for him to pull through. He has Aiba, who is willing to quit his job as soon as the whole situation allows. He has Ohno, who believes in him and still insists on becoming Jun and Aiba's first client with the re-designing of his bakery, even if he might have to wait for a little longer and things would most likely progress slower than they would if he handed the job to an already established design company. He even has Nino and Sho, who also sincerely offer their help in any possible way they can. Jun considers himself as very lucky.

It's a bit of a tough time for a while, but Jun can make it, and as soon as the paperwork is done, and Nino is helping Jun to set up a proper homepage, he starts running the business. Aiba helps with the design, and as soon as Ohno approves it, they hire carpenters and buy new paint and brushes, and whatever they need to give the bakery the finish they intend. By then, Aiba is on the construction side too, his letter of resignation sitting on the desk of his boss, even if his wife isn't completely on board with the idea of her husband taking such a big risk, but Aiba trusts Jun and his talent, with a little time, they will be able to bring it far.

All of them, including Sho (when he's not writing his university papers, feverishly), Nino and Ohno's part-time worker Yui-chan as well as Aiba's wife, are helping out as much as they can in order to get things done as fast as possible and so, only within the span of a few days and nights, the midnight bakery goes through an incredible transformation. The once nice, but slightly dull place is now a bright and comfy one, with a romantic vintage touch and the best possible displays for Ohno's baked goods, he could ever imagine. There is a small corner with sitting accommodations, now, and Jun made Ohno redraw the shop's logo according to a design they came up with together. It's now hanging outside of the shop, drawing curious people of all ages and backgrounds into it.

It turns out that both, Nino and Sho, have quite a lot of fun – and in Nino's case also talent – when it comes to taking pictures of the shop, and so, they make use of their new-found hobby and create an instagram and twitter account in order to promote the bakery in regular intervals. The picture of one of Ohno's original creations even goes viral and a famous female blogger comes visiting the shop and spreads the word after she finds herself completely in love with the beautiful shop. Her additional advertisement on social media helps as well, to draw more customers to the shop, which raises the business's reputation, and also makes people curious about the designer for the shop, which eventually leads to more assignments for the new design team.

In short, it's a win-win situation, and all parties involved profit from the situation. Things are going smoothly, not only in their work, but also in their private lives. Sho has finished his papers for graduating from medical university, and after a couple of days of catching up sleep, he's surfaced as a new man, proud and ready to save the world, as Nino uses to call his enthusiasm, humorously.

A few months later, Jun asks Ohno if he's still searching for a new place, just to find out that Ohno has pushed back his search for a while in order to focus fully on the bakery. Jun doesn't hesitate when offering his boyfriend to move in with him, which turns out to be a great idea. Jun's apartment is big enough for two people (even with his home office is still spread all over the apartment), it's closer to the bakery than Ohno's old apartment, they can share the costs and the best thing is - like this, the couple can spend more time together even with their working schedules.

The move is done quickly, Ohno doesn't have too much stuff at his apartment, and since Sho is taking over his part of the renting contract to stay with Nino in Ohno's former apartment, things work smoothly and can be handled quickly. Just about a few days after Jun's suggestion, Ohno is living with him.

They are lying in bed together, cuddled up underneath Jun's fluffy purple duvet, skin on skin. Ohno's head is cradled against Jun's shoulder, who has his arm under his boyfriend's neck and his hand in Ohno's hair, letting his fingers play with it. He hums a soft song, and when Ohno releases a yawn, Jun pokes his cheek.

"Don't fall asleep," he chuckles. "You need to go to work, soon."

"I know," Ohno says, but can't hide a second yawn. He cuddles closer, his arms tightening the embrace around his lover. He grins softly against Jun's chest. "Although I'd prefer staying right here for the rest of the night."

"Me too," Jun says quietly, before he gets interrupted by the growling of his stomach. Ohno snorts and Jun clears his throat before he states the truth. "But I'm hungry. We still have a bit of time until your shift starts, what about a quick dinner to celebrate?"

Ohno looks at him. "You have something in mind?"

"In fact, I already prepared something and put it in the freezer," Jun replies. "A few minutes in the oven and it's like fresh. And I have a bottle of wine~"

"I can't drink, though," Ohno laughs. "Work and such, you know?"

"I know, I know," Jun waves his hand. "I was joking, it's for another time. I got us some juice instead."

Ohno turns slightly in his boyfriend's embrace, leans on his elbows and looks down on Jun. "You know, you can drink a glass of wine, I don't have a problem with that." He reaches out one hand to cup the young man's face gently and leans closer, his voice becoming a whisper. "Just don't overdo it, I don't want to see you crying, it breaks my heart."

"Crying?" Jun asks, raising an eyebrow. "When did you ever see me cry?"

"Did you forget?" Ohno chuckles. He lifts his finger to poke his boyfriend's nose. "You're a crying drunkard."

Of course, Jun did not forget. But he enjoys Ohno remembering their first meeting and wants him to keep on talking about it, so he decides to play dumb and asks, challenging, "Am I?"

"That time we met, you cried because you were having a hard time... I'll never forget that...," Ohno whispers, shuffling a bit so that he can lean closer over Jun. They lock eyes and Jun feels his heart beating faster in his chest. This man still has the same effect on him as on the first day he realised he's in love with him. Ohno wets his lips before he continues and reaches his fingers to stroke a strand of dark curly hair from Jun's forehead. "You looked so hurt and I just thought that if there is anything, I can do to make you feel better, I'd be willing to do it."

"You're so cute. My cute little saviour." Jun reaches his own hand up to caress Ohno's cheek. His heart is still running crazy. He smiles, fondly. "If I'm ever gonna cry gain in your presence, it will only be tears of joy, I promise."

"I guess I can live with that," Ohno whispers against Jun's skin before their lips meet again.

- - -
THE END
- - -