![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
antimiya88 )
Part 1
“Ok… This is the last one…” Masaki mumbled under his breath as he placed the box in his new apartment.
He was tired but also excited for this new chapter in his life. After having worked for seven years in a small firm in his hometown, Chiba, now, at the age of thirty, had finally got the job of his dreams; responsible of Human Resources in one of the largest companies in the field of alternative sources of energy. Having gone to Osaka for his studies, Tokyo was a new place for him. It seemed huge but thrilling in the same time. He couldn’t wait to explore it and discover his favorite corners in the city.
He had chosen a neighborhood that seemed decent and had good transportation. The lack of car made it necessary. His new apartment was big enough for two people and relatively new, western style. That day would be the first time he’d stay there. The basic pieces of furniture had arrived earlier in the week and after two days of trips between Chiba and Tokyo, he could finally settle in.
Two hours later, he was placing the last books on his bookshelf and decided to call it a day. It was Sunday and the next day, would be the first day at work. The last thing he wanted was to look tired. He took a quick shower and ate his favorite chahan. A little later than 10 pm, he decided to go to bed. He always loved reading before falling asleep as it helped him relax and extinguish the stress and the fatigue of the day.
He was absorbed in the story when suddenly he heard a loud bang from the other side of the corridor, followed by voices. He frowned. It must be the neighbor… he thought. The truth was that he had never lived in a block of flats before and that was something new to him. He thought, and deep inside hoped, that the noises would become lower once the people entered in the other apartment but he was very soon to find out that not only wouldn’t that happen, but on the contrary, the voices would be heard even louder. From what it seemed there was no sound insulation between the two apartments. His neighbor had some kind of party if he judged from the loud music that could be heard in addition to the voices and laughs.
Masaki let out a deep sigh, the book having fallen on his lap. It was already late and from what it seemed the party had just started.
“I guess… I really am lucky…” he mourned.
Discouraged to continue reading, he placed the book on his bedside table and lied on his bed with one pillow over his ear, hoping to be able to fall asleep. There seemed to be no change despite having passed two hours. It was a little after midnight and even if the music wasn’t as loud as before, the noise kept invading Masaki’s room. He was still not be able to sleep and from what it seemed he wouldn’t for a while. He had thought to go and knock his neighbor’s door but the last thing he wanted was to make a bad impression or pass for someone ‘difficult’. It wasn’t that he was someone who’d normally have issues but the timing of this party was the worst. He kept rolling on his bed, trying to find a solution. After a lot of thinking, he decided to settle for his sofa. It was quite large and would fit him with some difficulty. At least, that way, he’d be the furthest from the other apartment and if he closed both the door of his bedroom and the one of his corridor, he was sure it would block the sounds effectively.
Sighing, he got out of his bed holding his pillow and sheet and headed to the living room. As he had thought, there it was a lot more peaceful.
“Why didn’t I think of it earlier?!” he mumbled before he abandoned himself to the abyss of sleep.
---
The morning welcomed him with two huge dark cycles under his eyes, proof of his lack of sleep. He didn’t like what he was seeing but couldn’t do much about it either. “Lucky women can camouflage everything with a bit of make up while men can do nothing…” he grumbled as he entered in the shower.
The hot water refreshed him and gave him the energy he needed. He prepared himself a toast and a large cup of coffee. Ten minutes later, he was dressed, having prepared all the papers he needed for work. At 7:30, he was already locking the door of his apartment. He was waiting for the elevator to reach his floor and we saw the opposite door opening, revealing three young men. They were talking quite loud, Masaki recognizing some of the voices from the previous night. They were wearing clothes that were meant for a night out, clubbing and partying; definitely not for an early working morning.
The moment they caught his presence they hushed for a second, as if they realized that there was a person living in the apartment across the corridor. After that first shock, the silence turned into whispers.
“Good morning,” the tallest guy said with a polite smile once they reached the elevator. “You live at the other apartment?”
Masaki smiled in return. “Good morning. Yes. I just moved in.”
“Ah… We didn’t know… I mean… Jun told us nothing. We wouldn’t be this loud, because I’m sure we were. It was a special occasion but that isn’t really an excuse. Sorry.”
“No, it’s ok. People have the right to have a party from time to time. Don’t worry.”
The elevator arrived and Masaki entered in the cubicle last, feeling a little uneasy. Contrary to the guy who had talked to him, the other two, both quite small-figured and thin, that made them look much younger than they probably were, seemed lost in their world. The taller one from the two was literally all over the other, holding him between his arms, not caring what people would say. It wasn’t that Masaki was against gay people. How could he when he was actually one of them? But he would have never dared to be this expressive in public. His parents had no problem with it but the town was small, everyone knew everyone, and the last thing he wanted was to cause problems to his family. He knew how people could be. He only had one serious relationship in the past and had always been discreet. Here though was Tokyo… Maybe things were different. That though was not all, as he pressed the number 0, he would swear, even with his back on them, that he was being stared at; intensively, from head to toe.
“So much of J’s taste, don’t you think?”
The question was spoken in a whisper but Masaki had heard it and was pretty sure it was meant for him. He cleared his throat, starting to feel awkwardly, tightening his grip on his leather bag as a reflex.
“Nino!” the warning came from the taller man that had spoken to him earlier.
“What?! Don’t you agree, Sho-kun?” this Nino continued on the same tone. “How about you, Oh-chan?”
“He always goes for the model-like ones.”
“My point! Tall, thin, nice facial features… The must combination!”
“And lips…” the other added, causing Nino to chuckle.
“As expected from my Oh-chan! How could I forget J’s fetish?! Ah… this will be fun…”
Masaki could hear Sho ticking his tongue annoyed by his friends’ behavior but said nothing more, probably not wanting to bring him in a more difficult position. Everything was spoken in a whisper. Nino must have been whispering everything close to Oh-chan’s ear, whoever this Oh-chan was, but loud enough for Masaki to hear. After all this, along with the burning stare he could feel, he was a 100% sure, the other were indeed talking about him. He could feel his cheeks grow hotter. He wasn’t used to being the receiver of such comments and that made him rather uncomfortable. The moment the doors opened, he mumbled ‘have a nice day’ and walked as fast as he could, knowing that the bus could pass in any minute now.
Ten minutes later, he was already heading towards Minato, sitting at the back of the bus by the window. All he could think of was that Nino’s words… Thanks to this small-figured man, he had been able to learn some things about his neighbor. If he judged from his friends’ age, he should also be around his age, plus he was into men. Masaki found himself wondering how the other would look like. Would he be handsome? Would he have strong features? Would his voice be deep?
He gulped with difficulty, remembering how Nino was sure he would be perfect for his friend. To his surprise, Masaki could feel his heart beating faster. He shook his head to get rid of any strange ideas. “Ok… Now, that’s strange, Masaki. You haven’t met him, you have no idea how he looks, and you certainly don’t meet his type, even if he’s perfect.” The third guy had spoken of model-like men. He wasn’t such and he knew it. Besides, most probably, this Nino guy could simply make fun… he looked like that kind of guy anyway.
It’s probably because you’ve been stuck in the desert for too long that makes you be this shaken over some random guy’s comment… he thought trying to reason himself.
“You have way more important things to worry about than your new neighbor, Masaki!”
It was 7:50 when he got out of the bus. He could see his new company’s building at the corner. It was imposing, nothing like the firm of six floors he used to work back in Chiba. He paused for a second to take a deep breath. “You can do it!” he mumbled to himself and with that walked confidently. It was the chance he had been waiting for and now, that it was right in front of him, he would make sure to exploit it to the maximum. Yes. He could do it.
---
It was almost seven in the evening when he arrived back at home after a quick stop by the grocery store. He was tired, since it had been a new environment and demanding from the very beginning but was worth it. He had been able to survive with no mistakes of great importance.
He was waiting for the elevator. Once the doors opened, Masaki lifted his head, gasping when he came across with a young man of his height; an extremely handsome young man of his height. He noticed the moles that the other had on his face, two of them too close to his lips that turned his throat dry. He was wearing stylish clothes, a bit eccentric for Masaki’s taste, but maybe it was what made the impact even bigger. If Masaki judged correctly, the other must be around his age. After several seconds – at least he hoped it was seconds – he managed to smile, praying not to have been taken for some kind of weirdo.
“Good evening!” he said cheerfully just to get nothing back as a reply.
The only response was the way the other looked at him, his eyes, slightly narrowed, scanning him from head to toe, with his eyebrow lifted. This one was the second time that this happened to him in the same day but this time strangely he didn’t feel awkward. Embarrassed yes; but also… somehow… excited? Maybe it was the fact that it was this particular pair of eyes that were locked on him; beautiful and strong. Did the other looked at him approvingly? Critisizingly? Or only out of pure question? Masaki couldn’t tell. He could read nothing behind that exploring gaze of the other. He followed him with his eyes as the latter walked towards the main entrance door. It was only when he heard the characteristic sound of the elevator doors closing that he teared his gaze apart.
So handsome…
Was his neighbor as handsome as this one? The question popped up in his head as he was opening his apartment door. He entered inside sighing. Just one glance at a handsome man and there he was, daydreaming.
“Wake up, Masaki!” he warned himself as he took his shoes off. “Wake up!”
After a quick shower that he needed to get rid of the sweat and tiredness, he prepared dinner and chose to watch TV while having it. He was used to eating with his family, not alone, so TV could pass for a company. On the small table in front of him, there was a small box of handmade sweets. The previous day, early in the afternoon, he had already given some to the building administrator, the family and the old lady of the floor below his as well as the couple that lived right above him, as a way to present himself. He hated the anonymity that seemed to be the rule in larger cities, such as Tokyo. He’d also knocked on the door of the apartment across the corridor but there was no answer. That evening, he hoped he’d have the chance to meet him. He was trying to convince himself that he had no other motive… only to give him the sweets before they lost their freshness, but deep inside he knew it wasn’t the only reason. He was curious… He wanted to see who this man was.
Almost an hour later, he heard the door across the corridor opening and closing. There was no doubt about it. His neighbor was in his apartment. Masaki waited for about thirty minutes more, before he took the small box in hands. He was wearing a pair of jeans and one of his favorite fluffy sweaters. He got out of his apartment and walked to the other door.
“So, the J was for Jun…” he mumbled as he read the name above the bell.
After having taken a deep breath, he rang it. No answer. He waited for a couple of minutes before ringing it once more.
He was about to ring it one last time when he heard a voice from the other side. “Who’s this?”
“Uhm… excuse me… My name is Aiba Masaki. I’m your new neighbor. I live at the apartment across yours.”
The door opened revealing no one else but the very same, very handsome, man, Masaki had met earlier.
“And?” the other asked with a frown.
Masaki could only gasp. The other was wearing a pair of skinny blue jeans and a black V-neck top, that fell loosely on him, along with a pair of glasses. His look this time was simple, domestic, but the same stunning to Masaki’s eyes.
“Ah!” Masaki exclaimed and smiled nervously once he realized he must be staring. He showed him the box of sweets. “Here, you could have one! As a thank you for having me here!” he kept mumbling things, faster than usual, but then again, talking to such hot guys wasn’t usual anyway. “They’re homemade!” he used his best smile. The other, obviously a little perplexed with his presence at his door, cleared his throat and after some thought, took one. “My name is Aiba Masaki. Nice to meet you!” Masaki hurried to add at the end, his heart beating faster with every second passing by.
The man looked at him with the same exploring gaze he had when they had met at the elevator before he spoke in a rather neutral and slightly distant tone. “Matsumoto Jun. Have a nice evening.” With those two laconic phrases, the door was closed right in front of Masaki’s face. No smile. No thank you. No welcome.
Masaki sighed, his head hanging low. One thing was sure. The other didn’t want much to do with him or probably any of his neighbors and Masaki would lie if he said it didn’t bother him.
That night, when he went to bed, there was no sound coming from the other apartment, but still he couldn’t sleep. He remembered the words of Matsumoto Jun’s friend… Matsumoto Jun’s attitude earlier… His heart clenched painfully for a second. He would have liked to believe that this Nino had been right… but from what it seemed it wasn’t but teasing.
He pressed his eyes closed in an attempt to fall asleep. After a while he managed to do it but once again the only thing he could see was his new neighbor’s face… those eyes staring at him intensively…
This wasn’t a good sign for him… not a good sign at all.
TO BE CONTINUED…
A.N. Sooo minna I’m back with this Junba story!!! ^_^ It won’t be too long!! Five maximum six chapters! :) -I’m working on my Sakuraiba, I haven’t forgotten it! It will come and before that a small surprise! ;D- I want it to be quite light with some pieces of humor (at least, attempts xP), lots of romance and sexual tension, as well as smexy moments (later)! ;) Each chapter will be written from a different POV. This time it’s Aiba’s pov and next time it will be Jun’s! ;) Also, I had to include my Ohmiya! :D
My dearest Medium-chan, I know I’m a bit late for your birthday but you knew how busy and tired I was in the past month… -_-" I hope you’ll enjoy this fic till the end! ^^
p.s. I’m glad you’re into Junba fever! xP
I don’t usually write Junba as the main pairing so I’d appreciate if you left comments with your thoughts! Even the shortest ones! <333
See you soon,
Andy ^_^
accomplished