Hokuto --> Shintaro

Thank the heaven above that Hokuto had self-control. WIthout it, he wouldn't have been able to stay at the photoshoot longer than he did. It was Shintaro's turn for the individual photoshoots. Hokuto watched, trying to look as normal as possible.

Shintaro was wearing a plain white button-down shirt, which he had half-buttoned from the top. Hokuto felt exactly like a girl. At least inwardly. He tried to control the flush that reddened his face. Tried to conceal it under jet-black hair.

Thankfully, none of the other guys were paying attention. Which was a relief, because if they had seen the blush, he would be given never-ending hell.

Suddenly, Shintaro turned and looked at Hokuto, who gave a small thumbs up. Shintaro involuntarily grinned, at the same moment that the photographer snapped the photo. Hokuto smirked as the man began lecturing Shintaro on following the right facial expressions. As Shintaro apologized, Hokuto smiled, wondering why he had started to like Shin. As he gave it a few more seconds of thought, he decided that maybe, maybe, he really didn't care.
~~~~~~~
Jesse --> Hokuto

He really didn't know what came over him. Maybe it was stupidity. Maybe stress. Maybe, as the old tales said, it was Cupid's arrow of love. Whatever it was, Lewis Jesse just knew, that he had begun to find his coactor, and friend, Matsumura Hokuto, attractive. And not in the sense of yes-my-friend's-cool thing. It was the holy-crap-has-he-always-been-this-hot feeling. The kind that girls felt. What was really bugging him was the fact that it was HOKUTO. Not Haruka, or Mina, or one of the other girls.

No, it was Hokuto. Idiot Hokuto. BOY Hokuto. Jesse spent days, weeks, pondering over his newfound ual preference. He knew it wouldn't matter if he came out, everyone at Johnny's did eventually. It was the consequence of an all-boy agency. And there were A LOT of boys. Still, the sense of it was shocking. He had always thought he was straight. In fact, he had thought he had been developing a crush on Kaoru.

Now, whenever Kaoru said hi to him, the teeny little butterflies were gone. Instead, they came back whenever Hokuto said hi to him. It wasn't a hated feeling, or unwelcome, for that fact. It was simply...odd. And Hokuto, of all people. Besides, didn't Shintaro like him? Jesse didn't realize he said this out loud, until Juri's face was in his. "Shin-chan likes who?"
"Holy-" In his shock, Jesse fell backward. Luckily, he was on a couch. "What are you doing?!" Once the surprise had worn off, irritation replaced it. Juri grinned. "Mengo, mengo. Gomen. I didn't think you'd get that scared. But what were you thinking about?"

Jesse opened his mouth, then stopped. He wasn't sure yet. He obviously couldn't go around telling everyone, he had just recently found out he was gay or bi. If he was at all. EVEN if he knew he would be accepted. Until he was sure, he had no choice but to press the feeling down and the memory to the back of his head. Dusting off imaginary dust on his pants, Jesse stood up, then looked down at Juri. After a while, he smiled. "Nothing. Nothing at all."
~~~~~~~
JurixHokuto

Juri sat with his head in his hands. He had no idea what he had done wrong. One moment, Hokuto and him were cheering at one of their senpai's concerts when they accidentally found themselves a little too close together. The next, Hokku had punched him and ran out. In his confusion, he found the cheering and the singing jarring his brain. Dazedly, he had walked outside, sitting on a low wall, just outside Tokyo Dome. He was sitting there, agonizing over his unknown mistake, when Taiga found him. "Juri?" The boy looked up. "What are you doing here?"

Juri meant to keep quiet. He really did. But he found he couldn't, in Taiga's questioning and compassionate gaze. It was one of the few things about Taiga's feminineness that Taiga actually liked. Because he had this "motherly" air, as people said, nearly everyone at Johnny's-from his kouhais to his senpais-trusted him. Taiga was the go-to person when someone needed help. Knowing that, Juri said everything. Maybe a little faster than he intended to, but he said it all anyway. Taiga said nothing and just listened, occassionally nodding, still fixing Juri with that kind, yet searching, look. He didn't even laugh when Hokuto had punched him. When Juri was finished, and had taken a deep breath to calm down, Taiga sat up straighter.

"You really don't know what you did?" Was his first question.
"No." Juri shook his head, then plopped it back in his hands again. "I know I messed up though! What am I supposed to do?! Hokku probably hates me now!" At that, Taiga chuckled softly, surprising Juri, who turned to look at him. "Hokku? Hate someone? Especially you? What planet have you been living on? Juri, you know yourself. All you have to do to make it right, is apologize. Even if you didn't know what you did, apologize. You hurt Hokku, so apologize. Then, when he accepts your apology, as he will, ask him what you did wrong and if you can make it right."

~~~~~
With a final pat on his head, Taiga left his kouhai pondering what he said, a small smile on his face. When he saw Jesse coming from the other side, he smiled and waved. "You talked to him?" Jesse asked Taiga.
"Mhm. Did you talk to Hokku?" Jesse nodded, then looked a little worriedly at Juri. "Will he-" Taiga pulled on his arm. "You don't start too. They'll be fine. It's Juri and Hokku, the baka duo. Everything will be okay. Let's go. Gaya-senpai is waiting for us." With little resistance, Jesse followed his friend, glancing once the boy sitting on the wall, and the boy walking from around the corner. And smiled. Taiga was right. If it was those two, they would be fine.
~~~~~

Hokuto breathed a deep breath, then began walking to Juri. Because his friend was so lost in his own thoughts, he didn't see him coming and didn't notice him until Hokuto had sat on the wall next to him. When he saw the very person who he had hurt, Juri started. The surprise lasted for about a second. When it wore off, Juri stood up so abruptly, it was Hokuto's turn to be surprised. "Gomen! Hontoni, gomen!" To Hokuto's shock, Juri bowed low, apologizing. The silence lasted for a long time, leaving poor Juri to wonder if Hokuto really had not forgiven him. When he felt the pat on his head, however, Juri looked up.

Only to be greeted by Hokuto smiling at him. "Eh?" Confused, Juri could only manage that word. "I forgive you." Hokuto emphasized, laying it out clearly. Those three words were all it took. Slowly, a smile began to spread on Juri's face and the lump in his throat disappeared. "Kedo, I don't know what I did wrong." Juri admitted, hanging his head ashamedly. Hokuto laughed, clear and ringing. "It doesn't matter. But, I love you too." With that, Hokuto stood up and walked back in, leaving Juri in confusion again, but this time, happiness was mingled into it. When it finally dawned on him, Juri whispered, "I love you." And smiled. His friend forgave him and loved him too. As Taiga had said, everything turned out fine.