Title: The Cure to Common Cold
Pairing: Ikuta Toma/Matsumoto Jun.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: How to nurse a sick DoS back to health?
Disclaimer: All the characters belong to their respective agencies. This is a fictional piece of work, no harm intended. No, seriously. Don't mind discrepancies or factual errors.
Birthday fic for![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
ecyojn. You know you're special, love.
The Cure to Common Cold
***
Somewhere in the dark confines of his opulent apartment, he now lay sprawled over a couch, one arm hanging limp over the arm rest and the other draped over his tired, dark eyes. When someone on the set had talked about a ‘flu’ going about, he’d scoffed to himself. A flu? That was so plebian, he’d muttered in passing. Something that happened to commoners, ‘normal’ people- not a celebrity like him. He was, after all, the first Japanese actor to be featured as DQ Man of the Year for fuck’s sake. Take that, KimuTaku.
It was almost as if karma had turned around to come bite him in the arse.
Matsumoto Jun did not fall prey to a common cold. He couldn’t. No siree. Even bacteria and viruses fled at the sight of him. Not just that pipsqueak Chinen.
What Jun’d failed to realize was that not even he was immune to ailments that affected the ‘commoners’. Perhaps it was nature’s way of telling him to deflate his head a bit.
Unfortunately, Jun still hadn’t quite got the point.
MatsuJun had seen better days. Screw that. Any day was better than this. His nose was runny, he had a terrible headache, his throat was sore as hell and there was an ugly face in his mirror.
No. Wait.
That was just him.
Crap.
Being bed-ridden all because of a measly cold was the worst way to spend a weekend off. Especially if a certain somebody (who shall remain unnamed) was too busy with his movie shooting to bother visiting him. No, he wasn’t cranky. No, he wasn’t pissed with the entire world. And no, he didn’t just scare the newspaper boy away.
Grabbing a tissue, he blew into it loudly, crumpled it into a ball and chucked it into the overflowing wastepaper basket.
One hand on the remote control, he flicked through the channels, frowning at every television host, their lousy attempts at making conversation and their ugly as sin fashion.
“Who wears a tie with THAT…” he mumbled, scorning at the host of Asahi News. “Sorry, old hag, your foundation is peeling,” Jun sneered at the man’s female counterpart. He clicked the remote control, moving his criticism to the next fashion disaster…
Every channel was flushed with one too many variety shows whose studio sets seemed something out of Ghibli. Not even Akko san amused him today. Not even Morisanchuu- his special troupe of rabid fangirls.
His eyes watered and he pulled another tissue, swiping it across his face. Shivering, he pulled the blanket closer, trying to warm himself.
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. He switched off the idiot box, drew his covers and buried himself underneath.
Hopefully, when he woke up next morning… the world would seem brighter and … cold-free.
Pairing: Ikuta Toma/Matsumoto Jun.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: How to nurse a sick DoS back to health?
Disclaimer: All the characters belong to their respective agencies. This is a fictional piece of work, no harm intended. No, seriously. Don't mind discrepancies or factual errors.
Birthday fic for
ecyojn. You know you're special, love.The Cure to Common Cold
***
Somewhere in the dark confines of his opulent apartment, he now lay sprawled over a couch, one arm hanging limp over the arm rest and the other draped over his tired, dark eyes. When someone on the set had talked about a ‘flu’ going about, he’d scoffed to himself. A flu? That was so plebian, he’d muttered in passing. Something that happened to commoners, ‘normal’ people- not a celebrity like him. He was, after all, the first Japanese actor to be featured as DQ Man of the Year for fuck’s sake. Take that, KimuTaku.
It was almost as if karma had turned around to come bite him in the arse.
Matsumoto Jun did not fall prey to a common cold. He couldn’t. No siree. Even bacteria and viruses fled at the sight of him. Not just that pipsqueak Chinen.
What Jun’d failed to realize was that not even he was immune to ailments that affected the ‘commoners’. Perhaps it was nature’s way of telling him to deflate his head a bit.
Unfortunately, Jun still hadn’t quite got the point.
MatsuJun had seen better days. Screw that. Any day was better than this. His nose was runny, he had a terrible headache, his throat was sore as hell and there was an ugly face in his mirror.
No. Wait.
That was just him.
Crap.
Being bed-ridden all because of a measly cold was the worst way to spend a weekend off. Especially if a certain somebody (who shall remain unnamed) was too busy with his movie shooting to bother visiting him. No, he wasn’t cranky. No, he wasn’t pissed with the entire world. And no, he didn’t just scare the newspaper boy away.
Grabbing a tissue, he blew into it loudly, crumpled it into a ball and chucked it into the overflowing wastepaper basket.
One hand on the remote control, he flicked through the channels, frowning at every television host, their lousy attempts at making conversation and their ugly as sin fashion.
“Who wears a tie with THAT…” he mumbled, scorning at the host of Asahi News. “Sorry, old hag, your foundation is peeling,” Jun sneered at the man’s female counterpart. He clicked the remote control, moving his criticism to the next fashion disaster…
Every channel was flushed with one too many variety shows whose studio sets seemed something out of Ghibli. Not even Akko san amused him today. Not even Morisanchuu- his special troupe of rabid fangirls.
His eyes watered and he pulled another tissue, swiping it across his face. Shivering, he pulled the blanket closer, trying to warm himself.
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. He switched off the idiot box, drew his covers and buried himself underneath.
Hopefully, when he woke up next morning… the world would seem brighter and … cold-free.
***
Arashi’s member ai had no bounds. When word had gotten around that their youngest member had fallen sick, the four decided to visit him and nurse him back to health. Jun wished they wouldn’t try so much.
The first time the bell rang; Jun forced himself out of bed, dragged his shivering feet to the door, struggled with the chain lock and opened the large mahogany door to find Ohno staring at his ornate nameplate, which had ‘松本潤’ in golden lettering.
Jun squinted at him through his blurry vision, wondering if he was imagining things. It wasn’t everyday that Satoshi dropped by.
“Leader? That… you?” he asked in a dreary voice, which sounded worse than the time he’d tried to croon ‘Sakura Sake’ on Music Station.
Riida turned to him and let out an ‘ah’. Wordlessly, he shoved a casserole into Jun’s hands and gave a small, chivalrous bow.
“What’s this?” Jun asked, raising one eyebrow.
“Chicken soup with a sprinkling of lentil seeds. I heard you were sick. I thought it might help.”
“I didn’t know you cooked.”
Jun yanked the lid open lethargically and peered inside. “I don’t see any… lentil,” he mumbled, blinking at the contents of the casserole.
Riida shrugged. “Didn’t have the exact ingredients.”
“Maa… I don’t see any chicken either.”
“Err- the combini ran out of meat.”
“So, it’s just…”
“Plain soup? Yeah,” Ohno admitted sheepishly.
Jun sighed and being the generous host he was, gracefully shut the door on Captain’s face.
The second time the door bell rang, Nino stormed in, carrying his Wii and the intricate, tangled mess of a wiring closet. He dropped his console on to the couch and went around Jun’s apartment, bobbing his head into every room. Jun trailed behind him, frowning.
“Oi. What’re you doing here?”
“Giving a sick man some much needed company,” was Nino’s dubious answer as he jutted his head into Jun’s kitchen and didn’t find it there either.
“Why?” Jun asked suspiciously.
“Because I’m a… kind hearted soul?”
“…”
“… who is extremely concerned for the well being of his dearest childhood friend?” Nino added in an afterthought. But Jun rolled his eyes and pointed to the Nintendo Wii.
“What’s with the gaming console?”
“Well, as long as I’m here… I thought I could hook up to your plasma screen. HDTV and Dragon Quest, you cannot go wrong with that, ne? So… where is it?”
“’It’?”
“Your tv, duh.”
“My TV?”
“Yeah…”
At which revelation, Jun picked him up by the scruff of his collar, shoved him out of the apartment and shut the door on his face. Nino was revolted. This was no way to treat a kind hearted soul who’d come all the way to seehis tv him.
The doorbell didn’t ring the third time. Instead someone was pelting pebbles at his window.
Tap.
Jun scowled and pulled the pillow over his head.
Tap. Tap.
Go away, woodpecker.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Matsumoto gave a guttural growl as he pulled himself away from the cozy comforts of his bed. He moved across the bedroom, wrenched the window open and peeped out. It wasn’t a woodpecker but nature boy. Aiba waved at him chirpily from two landings below. A bloated duffel bag was slung over his shoulders and Jun had a bad feeling that he didn’t want to know what was inside.
“OHAYO!! HOW’RE YOU FEELING, JUN CHAAAAAN~?” Aiba yelled at the top of his lungs.
“Just got worse,” Jun mumbled as he drew himself inside, wondering why Arashi never knew when to quit.
Half an hour later, Matsumoto found himself being surrounded by a hideous number of stuffed toys ranging from ‘Koala chan’ to ‘Tigeru san’. Aiba set the last one next to Jun’s shoulder, letting it snuggle to his cheek. Jun looked at the offending object, wondering whether it would hurt Aiba’s feelings if he chucked it out of the window.
“You hate me, don’t you?” Jun croaked, feeling claustrophobic amidst the avalanche of stuffed toys around him.
Aiba pouted and shook his head. “No, no, no. They’re to give you company, Jun. Every time I get a cold, Panda chan here always helps me get better. Ne, who needs a doctor when you can have your own furry friends around, right Panda chan?” Aiba asked the inanimate object, nuzzling its plastic nose.
“Panda chan?” Jun repeated.
Aiba nodded. “His best friend is Hippo kun. I think I left him at Sho’s house. Lemme go get him.”
“Yeah… do that and you don’t have to come back,” Jun muttered under his breath.
“Wha- Did you say something?”
“Never mind.”
After Aiba left, ‘Panda chan’ found himself sitting on a trash can with the signboard ‘Free for Charity’.
Jun double locked his door, unplugged the telephone lines and switched off his cellphone, hoping to put a stop to this Arashi ‘menace’. Satisfied that he’d finally got rid of unpleasant visitors, he snuggled back under the covers for a much deserving afternoon nap.
He woke up to the sound of someone shuffling in his room. He perked his head above the blanket and found Sho fussing over the curtains. Jun rubbed his eyes and groaned. Sho was too busy mumbling something about ventilation, fresh air and why the hell Jun possessed so many clothes.
“How did you… get in?” was what Jun wanted to know.
Sho turned to him with a questioning look. “Hmm? How I got in?”
“I’m sure I LOCKED the door and the windows!” Jun whined and gave a wheezing cough. “I’m pretty darn sure that-cough- I-I even activated the home security system. So, how the hell did you get in?”
“Oh, I found the spare key under the flowerpot.”
Jun’s right eye twitched.
“… Crap,” he ceded.
Sho gave him a comforting, motherly smile. “You know, I just bought a book…”
Jun braced himself. Here it comes. Shokaasan.
“… called ‘Seventy Cures to the Common Cold’….”
Oh shit.
“… and it says that the best cure is green tea…”
Hmm. But green tea wasn’t entirely unwelcome in his state.
“… mixed with egg yolk…”
Jun’s eye twitched again. Of course, there had to be a catch.
“… and a generous amount of ginger…”
No way. Like hell, he was going to drink THAT.
“… and one dried lizard…”
And before Sho could put his innovative remedy to practice, he found himself outside Jun’s apartment and the door being slammed on his face.
***
Toma panted as he ran up the stairs and reached the landing. Still dressed in his tuxedo from movie promotions, the journey had left him drenched in sweat and a white in-shirt that clung to him like second skin. He doubled over, trying to catch his breath. It was like being Serizawa Naoto all over again. He knew he was going to get quite an earful when Kitagawa found out he’d debunked.
“So, how bad is he?” he asked when he spotted the four crowded outside the hime’s door.
“You know his usual level of Dos~ness?” Sho asked.
“Yeah?”
“Well, multiply that by 1000. That’s his current level of crankiness.”
“So, what you’re saying, Sho kun, is that you hate me?”
Nino clicked his tongue.
“Every war has its casualties, Toma,” Nino preached like a saint, waving an arm to an imaginary mass. “Did you bring the stuff I told you to?”
Toma held up the box of Swiss chocolates and the bouquet of flowers and nodded sheepishly. He paused to look at the fading flowers and sighed. “I’m not sure he’d like it. They’re kinda sappy.”
Nino grabbed the box. “Who said it’s for DoS?”
Toma watched indignantly as Nino unwrapped it and headed over to a dejected looking Satoshi to share the spoils. Toma wondered whether he ought to mention that the imported box of chocolates had cost him 10000 yen. Knowing well that he’d never get the money back, he sighed, decided to let it go and turned to Sakuraiba instead.
“How bad is it?”
“I’m not sure. He refuses to even touch a thermometer,” Sho answered, crossing his arms over his chest.
Aiba shrugged. “It could be the flu but he’s not been eating well either.”
Toma stared at the familiar closed door, wondering why Matsumoto never once mentioned being sick.
“The baka. If he’d told me… I’d have come sooner.”
Sho shrugged, giving him a sympathetic smile. “You know how big his ego is.”
Aiba nodded in agreement. “But I bet that Jun chan knew you’d come, Toma. So, don’t keep him waiting for long,” Aiba said, giving him a wink and pulled a confused Sho towards the hallway.
It wasn’t until Toma found himself alone in the corridor did he realize why Arashi had summoned him all the way to Tokyo. Typical of Arashi to shove the innocent lambkin into the lion’s den.
He raised his hand gingerly and let it rest on the door. After much deliberation, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door twice.
For a long moment, there was no answer until…
The door creaked opened and a dark, gloomy eye akin to that of Sauron glanced at him through the crack.
“Oh, it’s… you,” announced the owner of the dark, gloomy eye.
Toma smiled hesitantly. “Err- yeah! I brought you roses…” he said, holding out the bouquet.
Jun raised one eyebrow suspiciously. “That’s it?”
“And myself?” Toma added without thinking.
Jun stared at him.
Toma gulped in silence.
He watched as a hand emerged from the crack, grabbed hold of the bouquet and disappeared, the door being slammed shut on his face.
Toma took a long moment to register what just happened.
He couldn’t believe it. That arrogant arse had the nerve to-
Fine. If that was how he wanted to play, so be it. Picking flowers over him. Damn that MatsuJun.
Just when Toma was about to turn around and go back to Kyoto where he rightfully belonged, the door opened a second time. A lean arm wrapped around his neck, pulling him into a headlock.
“Oi~” Toma blurted out, startled by the sudden movement.
Jun’s smirk was audible in his husky voice. He leaned in, letting his warm breath tickle Toma’s ear. “On second thought… you’ll do.”
“What- Hey, wait- it was a joke, A JOKE! Yamero, yamero-” Toma protested, kicking his captor while being dragged into the hollows of Jun’s apartment. The door swung closed, muffling Toma’s protests and MatsuJun’s evil laughter.
Arashi emerged out of their hiding spots, sharing knowing looks. After saying a short prayer in lieu of their fallen comrade, they high-fived each other.
“And that, gentlemen, is the cure to a common cold,” Nino announced with glee.
Aiba looked up at him. “Ah, sex?”
“No, Masaki! It’s love, yo! Love!”
Toma pulled a chair and folded himself into it neatly. Jun’s apartment was just as he’d left it. In disarray- with clothes strewn about, the tv running on endless mute and the bedsheet crumpled under the lanky frame of Jun’s sweaty body. Of course, the last time, he’d been sweating for all the wrong reasons.
Toma took off his suit and hung it over the back of his chair. He pulled away the ends of his tucked shirt, grateful for the room’s air conditioning. Looking around, he found an apple sitting innocuously on the dresser, untouched and frowned at it.
Toma picked up the apple and a knife and started skinning it. It was ironical that having a conversation with MatsuJun was difficult when it didn’t involve banter or atleast one of them acting like a total prick.
But not today.
Jun was breathing shallow, looking paler than usual.
Toma watched him concernedly. “Oi… Have you been eating well?”
Jun growled.
“Not you too. The guys have been fussing over me the whole day. And frankly, it’s getting really annoying. I don’t need- cough- mommying. Especially from you,” Jun muttered, wincing because his ribs hurt.
Toma suppressed a smile. There it was. There was that ego again. In a way, he’d kind of missed it in the last few weeks.
“We mommy you because we care.”
Jun gave a childish pout and glared at him.
Toma laughed deeply. “You know… I kinda like it when you’re sick. It’s cute. The way your nose flares up-”
“Does not.”
“-and the way you scowl but it’s hard to take you seriously”
“Meh.”
“- and the way you relapse into a kid when you can’t do anything on your own.”
Jun glared at him and squeezed his eyes shut.
“Did you come all the way from Kyoto to make fun of me? Crass, Toma. Very crass.”
Silence.
“You could have told me.”
Jun rolled on his shoulder, facing away from him.
“And you shouldn’t have come. Don’t jeopardize the career you’ve worked so hard for.”
Toma nodded to himself, eyes softening in their gaze.
When Jun didn’t get an answer, he rolled on to his back and looked at him. Swallowing the knot in his throat, he met Toma’s gaze. “Although it was totally unnecessary for you to come and not that I needed your help or anything…” Jun rolled his eyes and looked away. “Thanks,” he conceded in a soft voice.
Toma broke into a bark of laughter. “You’re welcome,” Toma told him, winking and giving him a mock salute. He held out the skinned apple before Jun.
“Come on. Eat. Before you pass out and I have to drag you to a hospital.”
“Don’t want it,” Jun grumbled and rolled over again.
“Do you want me to shove it down your throat? Trust me, I’m capable.”
Jun smirked, turning to face him. “Oh, I’m aware of how capable you are, Ikuta san.”
Toma went red, casting his eyes down. “You… Stop being a prick and eat it.”
“I said I don’t want it.”
“But I peeled it for you!”
“Help yourself then.”
Toma scowled. “Fine. Be that way.” He brought it to his lips and took a bite out of it, more out of spite than hunger.
Jun watched him eat, staring at the juice that trickled down the corner of his lips. He felt a sudden urge to lick it off. Much to his disappointment, he was beaten to it.
Toma brushed his fingers against his mouth, wiping it unconsciously. He was too engrossed in watching tv and didn’t notice Jun staring at him. Matsumoto wondered whether it was the flu or his sleep deprived brain making him feel so turned on. Why else would he even find the sight of someone eating an apple so erotic? But on retrospect, Toma made even the mediocre look extraordinarily sexy.
Toma had bit off a large chunk of the apple when a hand caught the collar of his shirt and pulled him into bed.
Jun kissed him deeply and feverishly- one hand wrapping around his nape and the other grabbing a handful of Toma’s shirt. Surprised at first, Toma smiled and gave in to the kiss with equal fervor. Jun bet he’d have smelt nice too.
Kissing the corner of Toma’s lips, Jun pulled away and rested their foreheads together.
“You taste like… apples,” he concluded breathlessly.
Toma laughed. “And you taste like a really bad cold.”
“Well, put up with it.”
“Aren’t I, always?” Toma retorted with a good natured smile. And then frowned, when his arm braced Jun’s, feeling the unnatural raise in his body temperature. He pressed a hand against Jun’s forehead. “God, you’re hot.”
Jun sighed and smirked. “Took you long to notice.”
“Ha ha. Very funny. No seriously, did you take your medicine?”
Jun gave a faint nod. “Might take some time to kick in. Toma, I told you I don’t need babysitting.”
“What do you need then?”
“Nothing. I have all that I need, right here,” Jun said, grabbing his face and kissing him again.
“So, is that your lame ass way of saying you missed me?” Toma asked with a chortle of laughter, letting his hands roam under Jun’s shirt.
“Mm,” was all the answer he got.
The next day, Toma was seated in his return flight to Kyoto. Jun was probably still sleeping next to the vase of withering red roses. His shades pulled down, Toma hoped he’d be able to hide signs of a sleepless night. His cellphone buzzed, signaling a received text message. He drew it out of his pockets and flipped it open.
He smiled at the familiar name.
Come home to me soon.
That was all it said.
Well, atleast now he didn’t have to worry about being the sappy one.
He looked out of the window and then, suddenly sneezed.
Coincidence, probably. Right?
He frowned, feeling the beginnings of a sour taste in his mouth and sneezed once again.
Shit.
Damn that MatsuJun.
---------------------------------
[fin]
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOYCE CHAN! :D
Arashi’s member ai had no bounds. When word had gotten around that their youngest member had fallen sick, the four decided to visit him and nurse him back to health. Jun wished they wouldn’t try so much.
The first time the bell rang; Jun forced himself out of bed, dragged his shivering feet to the door, struggled with the chain lock and opened the large mahogany door to find Ohno staring at his ornate nameplate, which had ‘松本潤’ in golden lettering.
Jun squinted at him through his blurry vision, wondering if he was imagining things. It wasn’t everyday that Satoshi dropped by.
“Leader? That… you?” he asked in a dreary voice, which sounded worse than the time he’d tried to croon ‘Sakura Sake’ on Music Station.
Riida turned to him and let out an ‘ah’. Wordlessly, he shoved a casserole into Jun’s hands and gave a small, chivalrous bow.
“What’s this?” Jun asked, raising one eyebrow.
“Chicken soup with a sprinkling of lentil seeds. I heard you were sick. I thought it might help.”
“I didn’t know you cooked.”
Jun yanked the lid open lethargically and peered inside. “I don’t see any… lentil,” he mumbled, blinking at the contents of the casserole.
Riida shrugged. “Didn’t have the exact ingredients.”
“Maa… I don’t see any chicken either.”
“Err- the combini ran out of meat.”
“So, it’s just…”
“Plain soup? Yeah,” Ohno admitted sheepishly.
Jun sighed and being the generous host he was, gracefully shut the door on Captain’s face.
The second time the door bell rang, Nino stormed in, carrying his Wii and the intricate, tangled mess of a wiring closet. He dropped his console on to the couch and went around Jun’s apartment, bobbing his head into every room. Jun trailed behind him, frowning.
“Oi. What’re you doing here?”
“Giving a sick man some much needed company,” was Nino’s dubious answer as he jutted his head into Jun’s kitchen and didn’t find it there either.
“Why?” Jun asked suspiciously.
“Because I’m a… kind hearted soul?”
“…”
“… who is extremely concerned for the well being of his dearest childhood friend?” Nino added in an afterthought. But Jun rolled his eyes and pointed to the Nintendo Wii.
“What’s with the gaming console?”
“Well, as long as I’m here… I thought I could hook up to your plasma screen. HDTV and Dragon Quest, you cannot go wrong with that, ne? So… where is it?”
“’It’?”
“Your tv, duh.”
“My TV?”
“Yeah…”
At which revelation, Jun picked him up by the scruff of his collar, shoved him out of the apartment and shut the door on his face. Nino was revolted. This was no way to treat a kind hearted soul who’d come all the way to see
The doorbell didn’t ring the third time. Instead someone was pelting pebbles at his window.
Tap.
Jun scowled and pulled the pillow over his head.
Tap. Tap.
Go away, woodpecker.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Matsumoto gave a guttural growl as he pulled himself away from the cozy comforts of his bed. He moved across the bedroom, wrenched the window open and peeped out. It wasn’t a woodpecker but nature boy. Aiba waved at him chirpily from two landings below. A bloated duffel bag was slung over his shoulders and Jun had a bad feeling that he didn’t want to know what was inside.
“OHAYO!! HOW’RE YOU FEELING, JUN CHAAAAAN~?” Aiba yelled at the top of his lungs.
“Just got worse,” Jun mumbled as he drew himself inside, wondering why Arashi never knew when to quit.
Half an hour later, Matsumoto found himself being surrounded by a hideous number of stuffed toys ranging from ‘Koala chan’ to ‘Tigeru san’. Aiba set the last one next to Jun’s shoulder, letting it snuggle to his cheek. Jun looked at the offending object, wondering whether it would hurt Aiba’s feelings if he chucked it out of the window.
“You hate me, don’t you?” Jun croaked, feeling claustrophobic amidst the avalanche of stuffed toys around him.
Aiba pouted and shook his head. “No, no, no. They’re to give you company, Jun. Every time I get a cold, Panda chan here always helps me get better. Ne, who needs a doctor when you can have your own furry friends around, right Panda chan?” Aiba asked the inanimate object, nuzzling its plastic nose.
“Panda chan?” Jun repeated.
Aiba nodded. “His best friend is Hippo kun. I think I left him at Sho’s house. Lemme go get him.”
“Yeah… do that and you don’t have to come back,” Jun muttered under his breath.
“Wha- Did you say something?”
“Never mind.”
After Aiba left, ‘Panda chan’ found himself sitting on a trash can with the signboard ‘Free for Charity’.
Jun double locked his door, unplugged the telephone lines and switched off his cellphone, hoping to put a stop to this Arashi ‘menace’. Satisfied that he’d finally got rid of unpleasant visitors, he snuggled back under the covers for a much deserving afternoon nap.
He woke up to the sound of someone shuffling in his room. He perked his head above the blanket and found Sho fussing over the curtains. Jun rubbed his eyes and groaned. Sho was too busy mumbling something about ventilation, fresh air and why the hell Jun possessed so many clothes.
“How did you… get in?” was what Jun wanted to know.
Sho turned to him with a questioning look. “Hmm? How I got in?”
“I’m sure I LOCKED the door and the windows!” Jun whined and gave a wheezing cough. “I’m pretty darn sure that-cough- I-I even activated the home security system. So, how the hell did you get in?”
“Oh, I found the spare key under the flowerpot.”
Jun’s right eye twitched.
“… Crap,” he ceded.
Sho gave him a comforting, motherly smile. “You know, I just bought a book…”
Jun braced himself. Here it comes. Shokaasan.
“… called ‘Seventy Cures to the Common Cold’….”
Oh shit.
“… and it says that the best cure is green tea…”
Hmm. But green tea wasn’t entirely unwelcome in his state.
“… mixed with egg yolk…”
Jun’s eye twitched again. Of course, there had to be a catch.
“… and a generous amount of ginger…”
No way. Like hell, he was going to drink THAT.
“… and one dried lizard…”
And before Sho could put his innovative remedy to practice, he found himself outside Jun’s apartment and the door being slammed on his face.
***
Toma panted as he ran up the stairs and reached the landing. Still dressed in his tuxedo from movie promotions, the journey had left him drenched in sweat and a white in-shirt that clung to him like second skin. He doubled over, trying to catch his breath. It was like being Serizawa Naoto all over again. He knew he was going to get quite an earful when Kitagawa found out he’d debunked.
“So, how bad is he?” he asked when he spotted the four crowded outside the hime’s door.
“You know his usual level of Dos~ness?” Sho asked.
“Yeah?”
“Well, multiply that by 1000. That’s his current level of crankiness.”
“So, what you’re saying, Sho kun, is that you hate me?”
Nino clicked his tongue.
“Every war has its casualties, Toma,” Nino preached like a saint, waving an arm to an imaginary mass. “Did you bring the stuff I told you to?”
Toma held up the box of Swiss chocolates and the bouquet of flowers and nodded sheepishly. He paused to look at the fading flowers and sighed. “I’m not sure he’d like it. They’re kinda sappy.”
Nino grabbed the box. “Who said it’s for DoS?”
Toma watched indignantly as Nino unwrapped it and headed over to a dejected looking Satoshi to share the spoils. Toma wondered whether he ought to mention that the imported box of chocolates had cost him 10000 yen. Knowing well that he’d never get the money back, he sighed, decided to let it go and turned to Sakuraiba instead.
“How bad is it?”
“I’m not sure. He refuses to even touch a thermometer,” Sho answered, crossing his arms over his chest.
Aiba shrugged. “It could be the flu but he’s not been eating well either.”
Toma stared at the familiar closed door, wondering why Matsumoto never once mentioned being sick.
“The baka. If he’d told me… I’d have come sooner.”
Sho shrugged, giving him a sympathetic smile. “You know how big his ego is.”
Aiba nodded in agreement. “But I bet that Jun chan knew you’d come, Toma. So, don’t keep him waiting for long,” Aiba said, giving him a wink and pulled a confused Sho towards the hallway.
It wasn’t until Toma found himself alone in the corridor did he realize why Arashi had summoned him all the way to Tokyo. Typical of Arashi to shove the innocent lambkin into the lion’s den.
He raised his hand gingerly and let it rest on the door. After much deliberation, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door twice.
For a long moment, there was no answer until…
The door creaked opened and a dark, gloomy eye akin to that of Sauron glanced at him through the crack.
“Oh, it’s… you,” announced the owner of the dark, gloomy eye.
Toma smiled hesitantly. “Err- yeah! I brought you roses…” he said, holding out the bouquet.
Jun raised one eyebrow suspiciously. “That’s it?”
“And myself?” Toma added without thinking.
Jun stared at him.
Toma gulped in silence.
He watched as a hand emerged from the crack, grabbed hold of the bouquet and disappeared, the door being slammed shut on his face.
Toma took a long moment to register what just happened.
He couldn’t believe it. That arrogant arse had the nerve to-
Fine. If that was how he wanted to play, so be it. Picking flowers over him. Damn that MatsuJun.
Just when Toma was about to turn around and go back to Kyoto where he rightfully belonged, the door opened a second time. A lean arm wrapped around his neck, pulling him into a headlock.
“Oi~” Toma blurted out, startled by the sudden movement.
Jun’s smirk was audible in his husky voice. He leaned in, letting his warm breath tickle Toma’s ear. “On second thought… you’ll do.”
“What- Hey, wait- it was a joke, A JOKE! Yamero, yamero-” Toma protested, kicking his captor while being dragged into the hollows of Jun’s apartment. The door swung closed, muffling Toma’s protests and MatsuJun’s evil laughter.
Arashi emerged out of their hiding spots, sharing knowing looks. After saying a short prayer in lieu of their fallen comrade, they high-fived each other.
“And that, gentlemen, is the cure to a common cold,” Nino announced with glee.
Aiba looked up at him. “Ah, sex?”
“No, Masaki! It’s love, yo! Love!”
***
Toma pulled a chair and folded himself into it neatly. Jun’s apartment was just as he’d left it. In disarray- with clothes strewn about, the tv running on endless mute and the bedsheet crumpled under the lanky frame of Jun’s sweaty body. Of course, the last time, he’d been sweating for all the wrong reasons.
Toma took off his suit and hung it over the back of his chair. He pulled away the ends of his tucked shirt, grateful for the room’s air conditioning. Looking around, he found an apple sitting innocuously on the dresser, untouched and frowned at it.
Toma picked up the apple and a knife and started skinning it. It was ironical that having a conversation with MatsuJun was difficult when it didn’t involve banter or atleast one of them acting like a total prick.
But not today.
Jun was breathing shallow, looking paler than usual.
Toma watched him concernedly. “Oi… Have you been eating well?”
Jun growled.
“Not you too. The guys have been fussing over me the whole day. And frankly, it’s getting really annoying. I don’t need- cough- mommying. Especially from you,” Jun muttered, wincing because his ribs hurt.
Toma suppressed a smile. There it was. There was that ego again. In a way, he’d kind of missed it in the last few weeks.
“We mommy you because we care.”
Jun gave a childish pout and glared at him.
Toma laughed deeply. “You know… I kinda like it when you’re sick. It’s cute. The way your nose flares up-”
“Does not.”
“-and the way you scowl but it’s hard to take you seriously”
“Meh.”
“- and the way you relapse into a kid when you can’t do anything on your own.”
Jun glared at him and squeezed his eyes shut.
“Did you come all the way from Kyoto to make fun of me? Crass, Toma. Very crass.”
Silence.
“You could have told me.”
Jun rolled on his shoulder, facing away from him.
“And you shouldn’t have come. Don’t jeopardize the career you’ve worked so hard for.”
Toma nodded to himself, eyes softening in their gaze.
When Jun didn’t get an answer, he rolled on to his back and looked at him. Swallowing the knot in his throat, he met Toma’s gaze. “Although it was totally unnecessary for you to come and not that I needed your help or anything…” Jun rolled his eyes and looked away. “Thanks,” he conceded in a soft voice.
Toma broke into a bark of laughter. “You’re welcome,” Toma told him, winking and giving him a mock salute. He held out the skinned apple before Jun.
“Come on. Eat. Before you pass out and I have to drag you to a hospital.”
“Don’t want it,” Jun grumbled and rolled over again.
“Do you want me to shove it down your throat? Trust me, I’m capable.”
Jun smirked, turning to face him. “Oh, I’m aware of how capable you are, Ikuta san.”
Toma went red, casting his eyes down. “You… Stop being a prick and eat it.”
“I said I don’t want it.”
“But I peeled it for you!”
“Help yourself then.”
Toma scowled. “Fine. Be that way.” He brought it to his lips and took a bite out of it, more out of spite than hunger.
Jun watched him eat, staring at the juice that trickled down the corner of his lips. He felt a sudden urge to lick it off. Much to his disappointment, he was beaten to it.
Toma brushed his fingers against his mouth, wiping it unconsciously. He was too engrossed in watching tv and didn’t notice Jun staring at him. Matsumoto wondered whether it was the flu or his sleep deprived brain making him feel so turned on. Why else would he even find the sight of someone eating an apple so erotic? But on retrospect, Toma made even the mediocre look extraordinarily sexy.
Toma had bit off a large chunk of the apple when a hand caught the collar of his shirt and pulled him into bed.
Jun kissed him deeply and feverishly- one hand wrapping around his nape and the other grabbing a handful of Toma’s shirt. Surprised at first, Toma smiled and gave in to the kiss with equal fervor. Jun bet he’d have smelt nice too.
Kissing the corner of Toma’s lips, Jun pulled away and rested their foreheads together.
“You taste like… apples,” he concluded breathlessly.
Toma laughed. “And you taste like a really bad cold.”
“Well, put up with it.”
“Aren’t I, always?” Toma retorted with a good natured smile. And then frowned, when his arm braced Jun’s, feeling the unnatural raise in his body temperature. He pressed a hand against Jun’s forehead. “God, you’re hot.”
Jun sighed and smirked. “Took you long to notice.”
“Ha ha. Very funny. No seriously, did you take your medicine?”
Jun gave a faint nod. “Might take some time to kick in. Toma, I told you I don’t need babysitting.”
“What do you need then?”
“Nothing. I have all that I need, right here,” Jun said, grabbing his face and kissing him again.
“So, is that your lame ass way of saying you missed me?” Toma asked with a chortle of laughter, letting his hands roam under Jun’s shirt.
“Mm,” was all the answer he got.
The next day, Toma was seated in his return flight to Kyoto. Jun was probably still sleeping next to the vase of withering red roses. His shades pulled down, Toma hoped he’d be able to hide signs of a sleepless night. His cellphone buzzed, signaling a received text message. He drew it out of his pockets and flipped it open.
He smiled at the familiar name.
Come home to me soon.
That was all it said.
Well, atleast now he didn’t have to worry about being the sappy one.
He looked out of the window and then, suddenly sneezed.
Coincidence, probably. Right?
He frowned, feeling the beginnings of a sour taste in his mouth and sneezed once again.
Shit.
Damn that MatsuJun.
---------------------------------
[fin]
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOYCE CHAN! :D
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