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writetomyheart2014-10-09 10:20 pm
ributa.livejournal.com) wrote in writetomyheart2014-10-09 10:20 pm
[team five] beach angel
last weekend i went to the beach and it was a lot of fun so i wrote a je version. ☺ not a completely accurate recount, of course, but probably just as much gay.
Gyrating hips are not what Juri had expected to see upon walking through the front door of the Domotos' beach house, but he's seen stranger things in his life being in his family.
"Cool!" Shouki and Hokuto exclaim in unison, both moving to dance in sync with the life-sized replica of the younger Kinki Kid that greeted them in the lobby.
"Welcome!" a man greets them, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiles. "We've been expecting you. I'm Akiyama Jun, an old friend of Kouchan's."
"We know who you are!" Shintaro replies, looking star struck and offended at the same time. "It's an honor to be under your care."
"None of that," Akiyama dismisses. "This weekend I’m here to serve you. I have strict instructions to give you whatever you need."
"Thank you," the four boys tell him, and Juri can tell that Shintaro's struggling to keep from letting a "senpai" slip out as Akiyama shows them upstairs.
It's a simple room, two beds and a dresser into which Shintaro rushes to unpack his clothes because he hates living out of a suitcase. Meanwhile, Juri didn't even bother folding anything he’d thrown into his bag and Shouki is probably wearing the only pair of pants he'd brought. Hokuto makes up for all of them with his three suitcases for two nights, though Juri is confident that one of them is solely hair products and a travel iron.
"Beach!" Shouki yells, thundering down the stairs like he's several giant men instead of one small one, and Juri laughs when Shintaro is the one to hiss after him to be considerate of other guests.
"There aren't many people staying here right now," Akiyama tells Shintaro. His tone makes him sound like he's defending Shouki's behavior, which just has Shintaro frowning and Juri laughing more. "It's off-season, and besides the clientele we get isn’t usually bothered by noise."
"Good, because I don't think he has an 'off' button," Hokuto says seriously, smiling fondly after their hyperactive friend. "You'd never guess he's the oldest, would you?"
"Actually, that makes us one and the same." Akiyama grins. "Enough standing around! This is your vacation. You boys don't get a lot of free time these days, so go enjoy your youth!"
Now he sounds like he's spouting off lines from a drama, but Juri kind of feels like he’s in one as he rushes to catch up with the other three outside. It's not technically beachfront property, but a little walking never hurt anybody and there are a lot of shops and restaurants to look at on the way.
Shouki's already at the coast, his shoes and socks carelessly cast aside as he splashes around in knee-high waves that almost reach the bottoms of his rolled-up jeans. It's not warm by any means, a harsh sea wind adding to the autumn chill, but Shouki doesn't appear to care as he waves at them when they finally catch up.
"You're going to catch hypothermia!" Shintaro hollers out to him.
"You sound like my mother!" Shouki calls back, and Hokuto pats Shintaro on the shoulder as the youngest wrinkles his nose at the comparison.
Juri ignores them and grabs a frisbee from the bag of beach toys he'd lugged along. He means to soar it over Shintaro's head just to mess with him, but he ends up beaming Shintaro right on the side of the face and spends the next few seconds trying to plead his case through his bouts of laughter.
Shintaro wrestles him all the way to the ground and Juri resigns himself to getting sand everywhere as they roll around playfully. When he can breathe again, Shintaro's stretched out on his back next to him and Hokuto's sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest a few yards away. Shouki's still in the water, bent down at an angle to examine something or another under the surface, and Juri smiles at the four of them just lazing around together, relaxing without any obligations for an entire weekend.
Juri had heard legends of this beach house from his brother, who still has connections and had managed to get Juri a two-night stay for hardly anything. There isn't even any occasion, except for maybe Shouki's birthday, which doesn't count because it's not for two weeks and it's not like he can drink early. Having two consecutive days off with no work or school is reason enough to celebrate.
The walk back turns out to be a hindrance when the tide surprises them by crashing up the beach, drenching Shouki and Hokuto completely while Shintaro pulls Juri out of the way in time to only be minimally attacked. Hokuto manages to save his phone, but Shouki's is a lost cause and he's already using Hokuto's phone to call for a replacement before they even reach the boardwalk.
"What happened to you?!" Akiyama frets upon their return, instantly wrapping Hokuto and Shouki into fluffy towels like a mother animal bathing her young. "Both of you go take a hot shower, right now. It's big enough for two. Your senpai will kill me if anything happens to you."
"You can't take them anywhere," Shintaro says seriously, and Shouki shakes his wet head to fling cold drops of water into Shintaro's face.
Only the bottoms of Juri's pants had gotten wet, so he changes into another pair and watches in amusement while Shintaro strategically hangs them up along with Hokuto and Shouki's clothes in front of the window in an attempt to dry them. Juri hears laughter and arguing from the communal bathroom and retreats downstairs to wait for them, sending his brother a quick email before looking around at the decor.
It's a nice place, aside from the creepy dancing statues. The decorations are loud and eclectic, which Juri would expect from a Johnny—cowprint armchairs, furry couch pillows, and colors that should never go together but somehow work. And of course the unique artwork donning the entire three floors, leaving no corner or wall untouched.
Almost an hour later, the others come trudging down the stairs, Shouki clearly wearing a pair of Hokuto's pants that are way too long on him, and the four of them set off for dinner. There's an okonomiyaki place on the boardwalk and Shintaro automatically takes over the role of chef, stuffing all of their faces with delicious food until they have to practically roll each other outside.
"What's there to do around here?" Shouki wonders out loud. "It's only 9pm."
Shintaro looks like he'd have no problem going to bed right now, but Hokuto frowns as he looks around and mutters, "There aren't even any girls here."
"It's off season," Juri points out, rolling his eyes as Hokuto pouts. "We're not here for girls anyway!"
"Yeah, man whore," Shouki teases, and Hokuto scoffs.
"I saw an arcade down the boardwalk," Shintaro offers, and the others shrug their agreement. It's the best option they have since they're not old enough to go to the bars, though Juri stares longingly through the window of a place that seems to have live music. One more year.
The arcade isn't that fun and reluctantly they trudge back to the beach house only to see what appears to be a party on the back porch. Music is playing low enough to not disturb any of the nearby houses, but there are four people—one male and three female—sitting around a table talking and sharing a bottle of wine.
Introductions go around and Hokuto looks thrilled to see real women, at least until he figures out what they mean by "partner" and he slumps dejectedly against Shouki, who just as dejectedly declines their offer for a glass of wine. Juri feels even worse for Shouki because he only has a couple weeks before he can legally drink, but their house mates don't seem to care how young they are and invite them into their conversation like they’re all adults.
After an hour or so of laughing and sharing stories with strangers, Shintaro starts to get cranky from being tired and Juri excuses him for being the youngest. The four older guests look shocked at this information, leading Juri to point out how old Shintaro actually is.
"He's seventeen?!" the man exclaims. "I thought he was your father!"
That has the three boys bursting into laughter, Juri already making a mental note to call Shintaro "tousan" for the rest of the weekend as he calls it a night and drags the grumbling Shintaro up to their room. Hokuto and Shouki aren't far behind, whining about how the adults wanted to turn in for the night and it's boring outside by themselves, but Juri tunes them out as he gets ready for bed and shoves the already-sleeping Shintaro over enough to make room for his own thin body.
Upon waking, Juri finds himself curled around Shintaro and he can't even be bothered by it since beach mornings are cold and Shintaro is a human heater. Smugly he watches Hokuto and Shouki shiver under their blankets in the next bed, remembering how they'd both refused to share with Shintaro the bed hog who cuddles in his sleep. Juri's certainly shared sleeping space with worse people.
Shintaro isn't a morning person either, but he cheers up considerably when they get downstairs to see the buffet of breakfast foods cooked by Akiyama. They're all a little groggy from staying up so late, so they take it easy and wander around the shopping district, buying souvenirs for their friends and trying on clothes they would never wear.
"It's not as fun in the off season," Hokuto grumbles, probably still frustrated about the lack of available ladies in his age range.
By late afternoon, they've exhausted every store and taken their time at three different eating establishments, which is three times as much as Juri's used to consuming during the day. He's practically waddling down to the beach, equally as ready and unwilling to burn off some of the food, but it's not that much different than yesterday. Even Shouki gives up trying to instigate anything that requires energy after Hokuto nails him in the sternum with a soccer ball.
"When we get older, we'll probably appreciate this freedom," Juri comments as they all stare out at the angry-looking water in various degrees of interest. "But right now I'm just bored."
Three grunts affirm his statement and he sighs in exasperation, lying back on his elbows in the sand as the tide rages on. It's only a matter of time before Shouki digests enough to be wild again, though Hokuto looks like he could easily sit out here all night.
Eventually the wind gets too sharp to handle, the tips of Juri's ears and nose bright red when he catches a glimpse of himself in one of the many mirrors in the living room of the guest house. The couples from last night plus a few others are drinking on the couches, but Juri hears snippets of conversation about politics and homeownership that he has no interest in discussing.
The others seem to have the same thought, heading for the stairs without pause, but Juri notices something that makes him take a second glance. Aside from the people they'd met last night, there are four other males. Juri doesn't usually pass judgment on these things, since he and his friends are fairly close and often touchy themselves, but matching rings and the way they behave has Juri believing they're in same-sex relationships just like the females last night.
"There are sure a lot of gay people here," he comments when they return to their room, out of earshot of any neighbors who might misunderstand him.
"What, really?" Hokuto exclaims, turning around to fix Juri with an incredulous look. "Are you serious right now?"
"Huh?" Juri asks, surprised by Hokuto's reaction. Hokuto may be into girls enough to make up for everyone in this house who isn't, but Juri has never known his friend to be discriminatory toward anyone.
"There's a rainbow flag over the front door, for fuck's sake!" Hokuto exclaims, letting out a laugh. "It's clearly a gay beach house."
"I don't notice these things!" Juri screeches defensively, though he's relieved that Hokuto isn't really upset about it. They're all laughing now, even if they're laughing at him.
"Even I knew that," Shintaro comments, and Juri rolls his eyes. "So what?"
"So what nothing," Juri says, backing up against the wall at the way the other three are staring at him expectantly. "It was just an observation, damn. I don't give a shit where anyone sticks it."
Shouki clears his throat, looking serious for probably the first time since Juri's known him, and Juri's known him for a long time. "We actually thought that, you know, you'd brought us here to tell us something."
"Tell you what," Juri demands, but Hokuto's already snickering and Shintaro flashes that lop-sided grin Juri can never read. Juri already knows how Shouki's going to respond before he does.
"That you're into dudes," Shouki says evenly. "We were taking bets on which one of us you have the hots for."
Juri blinks. His initial reaction is to lash out at them, but then he realizes it's not really a horrible accusation and he decides to have some fun with them. "So which one do you think it is?"
"Shintaro," Hokuto and Shouki say in unison, and Shintaro turns toward them like he doesn't know why they're saying his name.
Laughter hits Juri so fast that he almost falls over, though he's not sure what exactly he's laughing about. Hokuto and Shouki join him, and when Juri glances up Shintaro looks more insulted than when the jump rope instructor on Gamushara had told him he was too tall to do a double-dutch backflip.
"For your information, I am an amazing boyfriend," Shintaro tells them all. "I'd make your mind spin, I'm so good."
"Oh really," Juri teases, waggling his eyebrows. "Are you gonna cuddle me until I can't take anymore?"
Hokuto falls onto the bed from the force of his laughter while Shouki does well to hold himself up on the dresser, but Shintaro just folds his arms and stands tall. "Just remember who you're sharing a bed with tonight."
"I am not at all scared of anything you could do to me in or out of bed," Juri shoots back, satisfied when Shintaro's own eyebrows rise to his hairline. For all his big talk, Shintaro's actually a bit prude, at least when it comes to talking about sex. A friend might keep this in mind and be sensitive about the topic, but Juri makes it a point to pick on him for it at every opportunity, usually when Shintaro unintentionally says dubious things.
This time Shintaro just calls him a pervert and turns on the TV, clearly settling in for the evening. Hokuto has the entirety of his and Shouki's bed covered with clothes, deep in thought about what to change into, and Shouki looks like he will spontaneously combust if he doesn't find something to do soon. Juri could go back out or stay in, but he gets the feeling he should take the opportunity to talk to Shintaro alone, especially when Shouki and Hokuto make a big deal about being gone for at least an hour.
The door closes behind them and Juri snorts. "Like an hour would be enough time to do anything anyway."
A noncommittal scoff sounds from their bed, where Shintaro is more engrossed in an infomercial than anyone should be at his age.
"I don't really have a thing for you, you know," Juri says, carefully approaching the other boy. "You don't have to be all weird with me."
"I know that," Shintaro snaps, spitting out the words like they taste bad, and Juri's about to chalk it up to his usual late night crabbiness when he speaks again. "I'm kind of bummed about it, actually."
"What?" Juri asks, blinking as everything rearranges itself in his head without settling down. "You're bummed that I don't like you like that?"
"I thought it might be me," Shintaro says quietly, all of his irritation gone as he leans back against the head of the bed, staring straight ahead unseeingly. His hands are folded in his lap like he's at some kind of professional function and Juri would make fun of him if this wasn't so important. "When we first researched this place and the others said you might confess to me here, I kept thinking about it. I didn't want to reject your feelings if I wasn't absolutely sure I didn't return them."
Juri feels a little like he's been hit by a truck, taking a seat on the edge of the bed before he loses his balance. "That's really considerate of you."
"I've never thought about it, you know?" Shintaro goes on, and now he turns to look at Juri's face, right into his eyes. Juri feels so exposed, like he has something to hide when he's never hidden anything from this one, even things he probably should have. "I don't think about those things a lot, you know that. But then the possibility of it being you fell into my lap and I couldn't not think about it, even the weird stuff I don't like to talk about."
The irony has Juri hiding a smile, because no way can he explain his amusement at Shintaro so openly admitting something like that without intending on going through with it. "How did that make you feel?"
It's a strange question to ask, like Juri's a psychiatrist and Shintaro is his patient, and it even looks that way with Shintaro lounging on the bed and Juri sitting straight up. Everything about this scene is so comical but Juri can't laugh, can't even make jokes in his own head because his complete attention is on Shintaro, staring at his face so hard that it's like he's trying to will Shintaro to answer by the power of his mind alone.
"Loved," Shintaro finally says, and something in Juri's chest flops. "I liked the idea of you feeling that way toward me, that I'm so important to you. I thought…if it was you, it would be okay."
Juri opens and closes his mouth a few times, nothing coming out. "I don't know what to say to that."
Shintaro's serious face breaks just as easily as any other time, but Juri still sees the fondness in Shintaro's light eyes even as he playfully shoves at Juri. "Don't worry about it. We all misunderstood so it's not a big deal."
"But it is a big deal," Juri argues, grabbing onto Shintaro's shoulders and shaking him a little to make his point. It definitely has an effect, Shintaro's expression falling as he stares up at Juri helplessly, and Juri resigns himself to actually going through with this because Shintaro will never, ever push Juri to reconsider on his own. "If you came to have feelings for me because you thought I had them for you, you shouldn't just dismiss them."
"I don't know what I feel," Shintaro says, pouting a little like he's frustrated with himself for not understanding, to which Juri can relate all too well. "I wanted you to be happy, so I guess I talked myself into being okay with it, and now I'm disappointed that I built myself up for nothing."
Juri stares at him for what feels like forever but was probably really only a couple seconds, then grabs his arm. "Come on. We're going for a walk."
"Are you crazy?" Shintaro asks, reluctantly getting to his feet as Juri shoves his jacket at him. "It's freezing outside."
"Yes, I am," Juri answers, and it's the only thing he believes right now. "I am crazy."
"Well at least you know it…" Shintaro trails off as Juri drags him out of the house and toward the beach. Night has fallen, but the moon is bright in the sky and soft street lamps illuminate the deserted boardwalk since it's not yet closing time. The wind is even sharper than earlier, stinging Juri's face as he leads Shintaro to the water, stopping short of where the high tide is almost reaching the very back of the sand.
"I'm sorry," Juri begins, and Shintaro glares like he's ready to punch Juri in the face for bringing him all the way out here just to apologize. "I have to know."
The glare fades to a look of confusion, but it only lasts for a second before Juri grabs his face and presses their mouths together. His first thought is that everything is so cold, even Shintaro's cheeks and lips that fall still at the gesture. The earth doesn't move out from under him and fireworks don't explode behind his eyes, but it feels nice and Juri doesn't want to stop, especially when he starts to warm up from the contact.
Just when he thinks the window of time for Shintaro to push him away had ended, big hands grab onto his arms. Shintaro turns his head to break the kiss, but he doesn't go very far, burying his very cold nose into Juri's cheek as he inhales sharply. Juri doesn't know what to make of this reaction just like he doesn't know what to make of his own, so he leaves it up to Shintaro to speak first.
It's too dark to really see anything when Shintaro finally lifts his head, but Juri can feel the frustration radiating from his body. "Why couldn't you do that when we were in bed?!"
Juri bites his lip, but Shintaro seems to realize what he said this time and just shakes his head, leaning it back against Juri's face like they were magnetically attracted. Honestly, he's probably just cold, because Juri is shivering and that may have been his entire logic behind coming out here in the first place. Shintaro can't be mad at him when Juri's his only source of heat.
"I'm not sure what you are trying to prove here," Shintaro says more quietly, his breath tickling Juri's jaw. "I already told you I was fine with it, and that includes stuff like this."
"Maybe I just wanted to have a drama cliché kiss on the beach," Juri teases, and Shintaro elbows him. "What? I'm totally romantic."
"Nothing is romantic about freezing my balls off," Shintaro mutters, and Juri laughs. "And if you're going to say something dirty about warming them up, you'll have to find them first. I think they've packed up and gone home without me."
"You have made your point," Juri says, rolling his eyes as he turns to leave, but he's instantly spun around and pulled into strong arms, those lips returning to his so forcefully that he almost loses his balance. This time they actually move, kissing him so hard that Juri can't keep up, his brain a swirl of things he doesn't understand as he clutches onto Shintaro's shoulders to stay grounded.
"If you're going to decide our entire fate based on a kiss, it ought to be a good one," Shintaro tells him when they can breathe again, both still gasping for air. "Now think about it on our way back."
Shintaro's power-walking is the same speed as most sprinters, leaving Juri lagging behind even when they return to the beach house and an empty room. Juri's still shrugging off his jacket when Shintaro dives under the covers, leaving a giant shaking lump for Juri to join without hesitation, clinging to Shintaro's body that's warming up much faster than his own.
His face fits neatly against Shintaro's neck, where he breathes in Shintaro’s scent and feels the short hair brush his forehead. It feels just as nice to lie like this than it had been to kiss him, heartbeats slowly calming down together as Shintaro holds him tightly. All at once Juri understands what Shintaro had been talking about earlier, about feeling loved without knowing his own feelings, and it only gets easier when he considers their friendship and how close they already are.
"I really didn't intend for any of this to happen," Juri prefaces what might actually be the most important thing he's ever said in his life, at least it feels like it right now in Shintaro's arms. "But you all turned out to be right after all."
Shintaro squeezes him even tighter, making Juri forget about the outside world completely as his entire focus is on accepting these feelings that had attacked him so suddenly.
"You're making a good choice," Shintaro says. "I really am an amazing boyfriend."
"Pretty amazing so far," Juri says, well aware that his words are lame before they even come out of his mouth, but he doesn't care. "Now kiss me again before the others come back and I have to hear 'I told you so' in stereo."
Shintaro doesn't make him wait, pulling back only enough to reach his mouth and it's a thousand times better lying down in a warm room. It's about half the speed as before, giving Juri more than enough time to reciprocate and show Shintaro a few things of his own, his arms sliding around Shintaro's neck as their kiss deepens.
He's so out of it that he doesn't notice the door opening, nor the familiar voices in their undoubtedly taunting tones. It's Shouki bouncing on the edge of the bed that finally has him pulling away, tearing the covers off of his head to glare at the two who are both giving him amused looks.
"Let me guess, it's not what we think?" Hokuto asks, everything on his face showing that he doesn't believe that one bit.
"No, it's exactly what you think, and you're interrupting it," Juri tells him. "Just ignore us."
"No way," Hokuto replies. "I am not gonna be the only person in this house not having sex."
Shouki grins evilly and wraps his arms around Hokuto from behind. "You wouldn't be if you opened your mind a little~"
"Nobody is having sex in this room," Shintaro declares, finally emerging with an arm slung around Juri's waist like it belongs there. Juri hopes his face isn't as red as Shintaro's is, though it's probably mostly from the cold.
Hokuto rolls his eyes and shrugs out of Shouki's impromptu embrace, disappearing into the bathroom to perform his nightly moisturizing ritual, and Shouki plops right down onto Juri and Shintaro's bed with big, curious eyes. "So did you lie to us or did it just kind of happen while we were gone?"
"It just kind of happened," Juri says, feeling Shintaro snuggle up behind him like he intends on sleeping that way. "I didn't know, and I still don't, but I care about him enough to give it a chance."
Shouki's usual grin fades into a gentle smile as he pats Juri's hand. "All the best."
"Thanks."
Juri pulls the covers back up and this time the others leave them be, preparing for bed while Juri turns around and kisses Shintaro good night. Shintaro sleepily responds, and Juri smiles against the lips to which he's become addicted in such a short time. It's all so sudden, and so uncertain, but he can't bring himself to worry because if it's him and Shintaro, it'll definitely be okay.
They sleep late, missing breakfast time completely, but Akiyama lets them finish off what's left over. Juri expresses his gratitude more than he should, because he's not just referring to the food, and he feels like Akiyama knows that by the way his eyes sparkle when he looks over at Juri and Shintaro sitting together at the table.
There's one more visit to the beach before they head back to their busy lives, now made even busier in Juri and Shintaro's case. Juri has no idea when they're going to find the time to properly date, but if it means they can hold hands on the bus and every look Shintaro gives Juri makes him feel warm in the chill autumn air, he'll make it work.
Juri's practicing the dance for Ebi's new song a week later when there is a sea of gasps and he looks up to find no other than Domoto Koichi striding toward him. He's only met Koichi a couple times, but he's heard stories and seen all of the reasons why his senpai is so admired and popular in and out of the agency. Koichi hasn't graced the Shounen Club stage in years, but here he is parting the sea of juniors who jump out of the way to let him through.
"Akki said you all had a good trip?" Koichi asks, beaming like he's the one who needs to please Juri in this situation, and now Juri’s world is even more upside-down. "It's not too crowded in the off season, so the house shouldn't have been very busy."
"It wasn't crowded at all," Juri replies, trying not to sound mechanical in the presence of such an important senpai. "It was very nice. Thank you for allowing us to stay there."
"Anytime," Koichi says, his eyes sparkling much like Akiyama's had as he looks up at Juri. "It's a special place, you know. We get letters from guests all the time claiming that it's magic and their stay changed their lives."
"I understand that a little," Juri admits, but Koichi doesn't make any indication that he thinks anything about this conversation is strange.
"You might be confused and unsure right now, but have faith in Kinki magic," Koichi says seriously, and Juri nods like that's a totally normal thing to say. "That house has its way of uniting those who are meant to be together."
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chankapana~♥
Gyrating hips are not what Juri had expected to see upon walking through the front door of the Domotos' beach house, but he's seen stranger things in his life being in his family.
"Cool!" Shouki and Hokuto exclaim in unison, both moving to dance in sync with the life-sized replica of the younger Kinki Kid that greeted them in the lobby.
"Welcome!" a man greets them, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiles. "We've been expecting you. I'm Akiyama Jun, an old friend of Kouchan's."
"We know who you are!" Shintaro replies, looking star struck and offended at the same time. "It's an honor to be under your care."
"None of that," Akiyama dismisses. "This weekend I’m here to serve you. I have strict instructions to give you whatever you need."
"Thank you," the four boys tell him, and Juri can tell that Shintaro's struggling to keep from letting a "senpai" slip out as Akiyama shows them upstairs.
It's a simple room, two beds and a dresser into which Shintaro rushes to unpack his clothes because he hates living out of a suitcase. Meanwhile, Juri didn't even bother folding anything he’d thrown into his bag and Shouki is probably wearing the only pair of pants he'd brought. Hokuto makes up for all of them with his three suitcases for two nights, though Juri is confident that one of them is solely hair products and a travel iron.
"Beach!" Shouki yells, thundering down the stairs like he's several giant men instead of one small one, and Juri laughs when Shintaro is the one to hiss after him to be considerate of other guests.
"There aren't many people staying here right now," Akiyama tells Shintaro. His tone makes him sound like he's defending Shouki's behavior, which just has Shintaro frowning and Juri laughing more. "It's off-season, and besides the clientele we get isn’t usually bothered by noise."
"Good, because I don't think he has an 'off' button," Hokuto says seriously, smiling fondly after their hyperactive friend. "You'd never guess he's the oldest, would you?"
"Actually, that makes us one and the same." Akiyama grins. "Enough standing around! This is your vacation. You boys don't get a lot of free time these days, so go enjoy your youth!"
Now he sounds like he's spouting off lines from a drama, but Juri kind of feels like he’s in one as he rushes to catch up with the other three outside. It's not technically beachfront property, but a little walking never hurt anybody and there are a lot of shops and restaurants to look at on the way.
Shouki's already at the coast, his shoes and socks carelessly cast aside as he splashes around in knee-high waves that almost reach the bottoms of his rolled-up jeans. It's not warm by any means, a harsh sea wind adding to the autumn chill, but Shouki doesn't appear to care as he waves at them when they finally catch up.
"You're going to catch hypothermia!" Shintaro hollers out to him.
"You sound like my mother!" Shouki calls back, and Hokuto pats Shintaro on the shoulder as the youngest wrinkles his nose at the comparison.
Juri ignores them and grabs a frisbee from the bag of beach toys he'd lugged along. He means to soar it over Shintaro's head just to mess with him, but he ends up beaming Shintaro right on the side of the face and spends the next few seconds trying to plead his case through his bouts of laughter.
Shintaro wrestles him all the way to the ground and Juri resigns himself to getting sand everywhere as they roll around playfully. When he can breathe again, Shintaro's stretched out on his back next to him and Hokuto's sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest a few yards away. Shouki's still in the water, bent down at an angle to examine something or another under the surface, and Juri smiles at the four of them just lazing around together, relaxing without any obligations for an entire weekend.
Juri had heard legends of this beach house from his brother, who still has connections and had managed to get Juri a two-night stay for hardly anything. There isn't even any occasion, except for maybe Shouki's birthday, which doesn't count because it's not for two weeks and it's not like he can drink early. Having two consecutive days off with no work or school is reason enough to celebrate.
The walk back turns out to be a hindrance when the tide surprises them by crashing up the beach, drenching Shouki and Hokuto completely while Shintaro pulls Juri out of the way in time to only be minimally attacked. Hokuto manages to save his phone, but Shouki's is a lost cause and he's already using Hokuto's phone to call for a replacement before they even reach the boardwalk.
"What happened to you?!" Akiyama frets upon their return, instantly wrapping Hokuto and Shouki into fluffy towels like a mother animal bathing her young. "Both of you go take a hot shower, right now. It's big enough for two. Your senpai will kill me if anything happens to you."
"You can't take them anywhere," Shintaro says seriously, and Shouki shakes his wet head to fling cold drops of water into Shintaro's face.
Only the bottoms of Juri's pants had gotten wet, so he changes into another pair and watches in amusement while Shintaro strategically hangs them up along with Hokuto and Shouki's clothes in front of the window in an attempt to dry them. Juri hears laughter and arguing from the communal bathroom and retreats downstairs to wait for them, sending his brother a quick email before looking around at the decor.
It's a nice place, aside from the creepy dancing statues. The decorations are loud and eclectic, which Juri would expect from a Johnny—cowprint armchairs, furry couch pillows, and colors that should never go together but somehow work. And of course the unique artwork donning the entire three floors, leaving no corner or wall untouched.
Almost an hour later, the others come trudging down the stairs, Shouki clearly wearing a pair of Hokuto's pants that are way too long on him, and the four of them set off for dinner. There's an okonomiyaki place on the boardwalk and Shintaro automatically takes over the role of chef, stuffing all of their faces with delicious food until they have to practically roll each other outside.
"What's there to do around here?" Shouki wonders out loud. "It's only 9pm."
Shintaro looks like he'd have no problem going to bed right now, but Hokuto frowns as he looks around and mutters, "There aren't even any girls here."
"It's off season," Juri points out, rolling his eyes as Hokuto pouts. "We're not here for girls anyway!"
"Yeah, man whore," Shouki teases, and Hokuto scoffs.
"I saw an arcade down the boardwalk," Shintaro offers, and the others shrug their agreement. It's the best option they have since they're not old enough to go to the bars, though Juri stares longingly through the window of a place that seems to have live music. One more year.
The arcade isn't that fun and reluctantly they trudge back to the beach house only to see what appears to be a party on the back porch. Music is playing low enough to not disturb any of the nearby houses, but there are four people—one male and three female—sitting around a table talking and sharing a bottle of wine.
Introductions go around and Hokuto looks thrilled to see real women, at least until he figures out what they mean by "partner" and he slumps dejectedly against Shouki, who just as dejectedly declines their offer for a glass of wine. Juri feels even worse for Shouki because he only has a couple weeks before he can legally drink, but their house mates don't seem to care how young they are and invite them into their conversation like they’re all adults.
After an hour or so of laughing and sharing stories with strangers, Shintaro starts to get cranky from being tired and Juri excuses him for being the youngest. The four older guests look shocked at this information, leading Juri to point out how old Shintaro actually is.
"He's seventeen?!" the man exclaims. "I thought he was your father!"
That has the three boys bursting into laughter, Juri already making a mental note to call Shintaro "tousan" for the rest of the weekend as he calls it a night and drags the grumbling Shintaro up to their room. Hokuto and Shouki aren't far behind, whining about how the adults wanted to turn in for the night and it's boring outside by themselves, but Juri tunes them out as he gets ready for bed and shoves the already-sleeping Shintaro over enough to make room for his own thin body.
Upon waking, Juri finds himself curled around Shintaro and he can't even be bothered by it since beach mornings are cold and Shintaro is a human heater. Smugly he watches Hokuto and Shouki shiver under their blankets in the next bed, remembering how they'd both refused to share with Shintaro the bed hog who cuddles in his sleep. Juri's certainly shared sleeping space with worse people.
Shintaro isn't a morning person either, but he cheers up considerably when they get downstairs to see the buffet of breakfast foods cooked by Akiyama. They're all a little groggy from staying up so late, so they take it easy and wander around the shopping district, buying souvenirs for their friends and trying on clothes they would never wear.
"It's not as fun in the off season," Hokuto grumbles, probably still frustrated about the lack of available ladies in his age range.
By late afternoon, they've exhausted every store and taken their time at three different eating establishments, which is three times as much as Juri's used to consuming during the day. He's practically waddling down to the beach, equally as ready and unwilling to burn off some of the food, but it's not that much different than yesterday. Even Shouki gives up trying to instigate anything that requires energy after Hokuto nails him in the sternum with a soccer ball.
"When we get older, we'll probably appreciate this freedom," Juri comments as they all stare out at the angry-looking water in various degrees of interest. "But right now I'm just bored."
Three grunts affirm his statement and he sighs in exasperation, lying back on his elbows in the sand as the tide rages on. It's only a matter of time before Shouki digests enough to be wild again, though Hokuto looks like he could easily sit out here all night.
Eventually the wind gets too sharp to handle, the tips of Juri's ears and nose bright red when he catches a glimpse of himself in one of the many mirrors in the living room of the guest house. The couples from last night plus a few others are drinking on the couches, but Juri hears snippets of conversation about politics and homeownership that he has no interest in discussing.
The others seem to have the same thought, heading for the stairs without pause, but Juri notices something that makes him take a second glance. Aside from the people they'd met last night, there are four other males. Juri doesn't usually pass judgment on these things, since he and his friends are fairly close and often touchy themselves, but matching rings and the way they behave has Juri believing they're in same-sex relationships just like the females last night.
"There are sure a lot of gay people here," he comments when they return to their room, out of earshot of any neighbors who might misunderstand him.
"What, really?" Hokuto exclaims, turning around to fix Juri with an incredulous look. "Are you serious right now?"
"Huh?" Juri asks, surprised by Hokuto's reaction. Hokuto may be into girls enough to make up for everyone in this house who isn't, but Juri has never known his friend to be discriminatory toward anyone.
"There's a rainbow flag over the front door, for fuck's sake!" Hokuto exclaims, letting out a laugh. "It's clearly a gay beach house."
"I don't notice these things!" Juri screeches defensively, though he's relieved that Hokuto isn't really upset about it. They're all laughing now, even if they're laughing at him.
"Even I knew that," Shintaro comments, and Juri rolls his eyes. "So what?"
"So what nothing," Juri says, backing up against the wall at the way the other three are staring at him expectantly. "It was just an observation, damn. I don't give a shit where anyone sticks it."
Shouki clears his throat, looking serious for probably the first time since Juri's known him, and Juri's known him for a long time. "We actually thought that, you know, you'd brought us here to tell us something."
"Tell you what," Juri demands, but Hokuto's already snickering and Shintaro flashes that lop-sided grin Juri can never read. Juri already knows how Shouki's going to respond before he does.
"That you're into dudes," Shouki says evenly. "We were taking bets on which one of us you have the hots for."
Juri blinks. His initial reaction is to lash out at them, but then he realizes it's not really a horrible accusation and he decides to have some fun with them. "So which one do you think it is?"
"Shintaro," Hokuto and Shouki say in unison, and Shintaro turns toward them like he doesn't know why they're saying his name.
Laughter hits Juri so fast that he almost falls over, though he's not sure what exactly he's laughing about. Hokuto and Shouki join him, and when Juri glances up Shintaro looks more insulted than when the jump rope instructor on Gamushara had told him he was too tall to do a double-dutch backflip.
"For your information, I am an amazing boyfriend," Shintaro tells them all. "I'd make your mind spin, I'm so good."
"Oh really," Juri teases, waggling his eyebrows. "Are you gonna cuddle me until I can't take anymore?"
Hokuto falls onto the bed from the force of his laughter while Shouki does well to hold himself up on the dresser, but Shintaro just folds his arms and stands tall. "Just remember who you're sharing a bed with tonight."
"I am not at all scared of anything you could do to me in or out of bed," Juri shoots back, satisfied when Shintaro's own eyebrows rise to his hairline. For all his big talk, Shintaro's actually a bit prude, at least when it comes to talking about sex. A friend might keep this in mind and be sensitive about the topic, but Juri makes it a point to pick on him for it at every opportunity, usually when Shintaro unintentionally says dubious things.
This time Shintaro just calls him a pervert and turns on the TV, clearly settling in for the evening. Hokuto has the entirety of his and Shouki's bed covered with clothes, deep in thought about what to change into, and Shouki looks like he will spontaneously combust if he doesn't find something to do soon. Juri could go back out or stay in, but he gets the feeling he should take the opportunity to talk to Shintaro alone, especially when Shouki and Hokuto make a big deal about being gone for at least an hour.
The door closes behind them and Juri snorts. "Like an hour would be enough time to do anything anyway."
A noncommittal scoff sounds from their bed, where Shintaro is more engrossed in an infomercial than anyone should be at his age.
"I don't really have a thing for you, you know," Juri says, carefully approaching the other boy. "You don't have to be all weird with me."
"I know that," Shintaro snaps, spitting out the words like they taste bad, and Juri's about to chalk it up to his usual late night crabbiness when he speaks again. "I'm kind of bummed about it, actually."
"What?" Juri asks, blinking as everything rearranges itself in his head without settling down. "You're bummed that I don't like you like that?"
"I thought it might be me," Shintaro says quietly, all of his irritation gone as he leans back against the head of the bed, staring straight ahead unseeingly. His hands are folded in his lap like he's at some kind of professional function and Juri would make fun of him if this wasn't so important. "When we first researched this place and the others said you might confess to me here, I kept thinking about it. I didn't want to reject your feelings if I wasn't absolutely sure I didn't return them."
Juri feels a little like he's been hit by a truck, taking a seat on the edge of the bed before he loses his balance. "That's really considerate of you."
"I've never thought about it, you know?" Shintaro goes on, and now he turns to look at Juri's face, right into his eyes. Juri feels so exposed, like he has something to hide when he's never hidden anything from this one, even things he probably should have. "I don't think about those things a lot, you know that. But then the possibility of it being you fell into my lap and I couldn't not think about it, even the weird stuff I don't like to talk about."
The irony has Juri hiding a smile, because no way can he explain his amusement at Shintaro so openly admitting something like that without intending on going through with it. "How did that make you feel?"
It's a strange question to ask, like Juri's a psychiatrist and Shintaro is his patient, and it even looks that way with Shintaro lounging on the bed and Juri sitting straight up. Everything about this scene is so comical but Juri can't laugh, can't even make jokes in his own head because his complete attention is on Shintaro, staring at his face so hard that it's like he's trying to will Shintaro to answer by the power of his mind alone.
"Loved," Shintaro finally says, and something in Juri's chest flops. "I liked the idea of you feeling that way toward me, that I'm so important to you. I thought…if it was you, it would be okay."
Juri opens and closes his mouth a few times, nothing coming out. "I don't know what to say to that."
Shintaro's serious face breaks just as easily as any other time, but Juri still sees the fondness in Shintaro's light eyes even as he playfully shoves at Juri. "Don't worry about it. We all misunderstood so it's not a big deal."
"But it is a big deal," Juri argues, grabbing onto Shintaro's shoulders and shaking him a little to make his point. It definitely has an effect, Shintaro's expression falling as he stares up at Juri helplessly, and Juri resigns himself to actually going through with this because Shintaro will never, ever push Juri to reconsider on his own. "If you came to have feelings for me because you thought I had them for you, you shouldn't just dismiss them."
"I don't know what I feel," Shintaro says, pouting a little like he's frustrated with himself for not understanding, to which Juri can relate all too well. "I wanted you to be happy, so I guess I talked myself into being okay with it, and now I'm disappointed that I built myself up for nothing."
Juri stares at him for what feels like forever but was probably really only a couple seconds, then grabs his arm. "Come on. We're going for a walk."
"Are you crazy?" Shintaro asks, reluctantly getting to his feet as Juri shoves his jacket at him. "It's freezing outside."
"Yes, I am," Juri answers, and it's the only thing he believes right now. "I am crazy."
"Well at least you know it…" Shintaro trails off as Juri drags him out of the house and toward the beach. Night has fallen, but the moon is bright in the sky and soft street lamps illuminate the deserted boardwalk since it's not yet closing time. The wind is even sharper than earlier, stinging Juri's face as he leads Shintaro to the water, stopping short of where the high tide is almost reaching the very back of the sand.
"I'm sorry," Juri begins, and Shintaro glares like he's ready to punch Juri in the face for bringing him all the way out here just to apologize. "I have to know."
The glare fades to a look of confusion, but it only lasts for a second before Juri grabs his face and presses their mouths together. His first thought is that everything is so cold, even Shintaro's cheeks and lips that fall still at the gesture. The earth doesn't move out from under him and fireworks don't explode behind his eyes, but it feels nice and Juri doesn't want to stop, especially when he starts to warm up from the contact.
Just when he thinks the window of time for Shintaro to push him away had ended, big hands grab onto his arms. Shintaro turns his head to break the kiss, but he doesn't go very far, burying his very cold nose into Juri's cheek as he inhales sharply. Juri doesn't know what to make of this reaction just like he doesn't know what to make of his own, so he leaves it up to Shintaro to speak first.
It's too dark to really see anything when Shintaro finally lifts his head, but Juri can feel the frustration radiating from his body. "Why couldn't you do that when we were in bed?!"
Juri bites his lip, but Shintaro seems to realize what he said this time and just shakes his head, leaning it back against Juri's face like they were magnetically attracted. Honestly, he's probably just cold, because Juri is shivering and that may have been his entire logic behind coming out here in the first place. Shintaro can't be mad at him when Juri's his only source of heat.
"I'm not sure what you are trying to prove here," Shintaro says more quietly, his breath tickling Juri's jaw. "I already told you I was fine with it, and that includes stuff like this."
"Maybe I just wanted to have a drama cliché kiss on the beach," Juri teases, and Shintaro elbows him. "What? I'm totally romantic."
"Nothing is romantic about freezing my balls off," Shintaro mutters, and Juri laughs. "And if you're going to say something dirty about warming them up, you'll have to find them first. I think they've packed up and gone home without me."
"You have made your point," Juri says, rolling his eyes as he turns to leave, but he's instantly spun around and pulled into strong arms, those lips returning to his so forcefully that he almost loses his balance. This time they actually move, kissing him so hard that Juri can't keep up, his brain a swirl of things he doesn't understand as he clutches onto Shintaro's shoulders to stay grounded.
"If you're going to decide our entire fate based on a kiss, it ought to be a good one," Shintaro tells him when they can breathe again, both still gasping for air. "Now think about it on our way back."
Shintaro's power-walking is the same speed as most sprinters, leaving Juri lagging behind even when they return to the beach house and an empty room. Juri's still shrugging off his jacket when Shintaro dives under the covers, leaving a giant shaking lump for Juri to join without hesitation, clinging to Shintaro's body that's warming up much faster than his own.
His face fits neatly against Shintaro's neck, where he breathes in Shintaro’s scent and feels the short hair brush his forehead. It feels just as nice to lie like this than it had been to kiss him, heartbeats slowly calming down together as Shintaro holds him tightly. All at once Juri understands what Shintaro had been talking about earlier, about feeling loved without knowing his own feelings, and it only gets easier when he considers their friendship and how close they already are.
"I really didn't intend for any of this to happen," Juri prefaces what might actually be the most important thing he's ever said in his life, at least it feels like it right now in Shintaro's arms. "But you all turned out to be right after all."
Shintaro squeezes him even tighter, making Juri forget about the outside world completely as his entire focus is on accepting these feelings that had attacked him so suddenly.
"You're making a good choice," Shintaro says. "I really am an amazing boyfriend."
"Pretty amazing so far," Juri says, well aware that his words are lame before they even come out of his mouth, but he doesn't care. "Now kiss me again before the others come back and I have to hear 'I told you so' in stereo."
Shintaro doesn't make him wait, pulling back only enough to reach his mouth and it's a thousand times better lying down in a warm room. It's about half the speed as before, giving Juri more than enough time to reciprocate and show Shintaro a few things of his own, his arms sliding around Shintaro's neck as their kiss deepens.
He's so out of it that he doesn't notice the door opening, nor the familiar voices in their undoubtedly taunting tones. It's Shouki bouncing on the edge of the bed that finally has him pulling away, tearing the covers off of his head to glare at the two who are both giving him amused looks.
"Let me guess, it's not what we think?" Hokuto asks, everything on his face showing that he doesn't believe that one bit.
"No, it's exactly what you think, and you're interrupting it," Juri tells him. "Just ignore us."
"No way," Hokuto replies. "I am not gonna be the only person in this house not having sex."
Shouki grins evilly and wraps his arms around Hokuto from behind. "You wouldn't be if you opened your mind a little~"
"Nobody is having sex in this room," Shintaro declares, finally emerging with an arm slung around Juri's waist like it belongs there. Juri hopes his face isn't as red as Shintaro's is, though it's probably mostly from the cold.
Hokuto rolls his eyes and shrugs out of Shouki's impromptu embrace, disappearing into the bathroom to perform his nightly moisturizing ritual, and Shouki plops right down onto Juri and Shintaro's bed with big, curious eyes. "So did you lie to us or did it just kind of happen while we were gone?"
"It just kind of happened," Juri says, feeling Shintaro snuggle up behind him like he intends on sleeping that way. "I didn't know, and I still don't, but I care about him enough to give it a chance."
Shouki's usual grin fades into a gentle smile as he pats Juri's hand. "All the best."
"Thanks."
Juri pulls the covers back up and this time the others leave them be, preparing for bed while Juri turns around and kisses Shintaro good night. Shintaro sleepily responds, and Juri smiles against the lips to which he's become addicted in such a short time. It's all so sudden, and so uncertain, but he can't bring himself to worry because if it's him and Shintaro, it'll definitely be okay.
They sleep late, missing breakfast time completely, but Akiyama lets them finish off what's left over. Juri expresses his gratitude more than he should, because he's not just referring to the food, and he feels like Akiyama knows that by the way his eyes sparkle when he looks over at Juri and Shintaro sitting together at the table.
There's one more visit to the beach before they head back to their busy lives, now made even busier in Juri and Shintaro's case. Juri has no idea when they're going to find the time to properly date, but if it means they can hold hands on the bus and every look Shintaro gives Juri makes him feel warm in the chill autumn air, he'll make it work.
Juri's practicing the dance for Ebi's new song a week later when there is a sea of gasps and he looks up to find no other than Domoto Koichi striding toward him. He's only met Koichi a couple times, but he's heard stories and seen all of the reasons why his senpai is so admired and popular in and out of the agency. Koichi hasn't graced the Shounen Club stage in years, but here he is parting the sea of juniors who jump out of the way to let him through.
"Akki said you all had a good trip?" Koichi asks, beaming like he's the one who needs to please Juri in this situation, and now Juri’s world is even more upside-down. "It's not too crowded in the off season, so the house shouldn't have been very busy."
"It wasn't crowded at all," Juri replies, trying not to sound mechanical in the presence of such an important senpai. "It was very nice. Thank you for allowing us to stay there."
"Anytime," Koichi says, his eyes sparkling much like Akiyama's had as he looks up at Juri. "It's a special place, you know. We get letters from guests all the time claiming that it's magic and their stay changed their lives."
"I understand that a little," Juri admits, but Koichi doesn't make any indication that he thinks anything about this conversation is strange.
"You might be confused and unsure right now, but have faith in Kinki magic," Koichi says seriously, and Juri nods like that's a totally normal thing to say. "That house has its way of uniting those who are meant to be together."
→
chankapana~♥
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JuriShin was pretty cute here though. All the cuddling made me smile.
But why am I not surprised there was magic involved??
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pouty shintaro is the best. ♥ thank you!
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And that's so true, omg!!
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CUTE ♥ i'd missed reading jurishin.
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thank you! i miss them too. ♥
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Also, I laughed too much at this because too true: "The decorations are loud and eclectic, which Juri would expect from a Johnny—cowprint armchairs, furry couch pillows, and colors that should never go together but somehow work."
And this sentence had me squealing: "If you're going to decide our entire fate based on a kiss, it ought to be a good one." Shintaro knows what he wants.
I'm glad you wrote this, I missed reading Jurishin a lot ;; These two totally look good together, and I love their kind of relationship, always friends but more than friends at the same time.
Thank you for writing this! I enjoyed it a lot.
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i love their relationship tooooooo~♥ thanks!
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I totally get where Shintaro was coming from, too~ He doesn't seem that self-aware but people surprise you, I guess.
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thanks! ♥