Getting drunk didn't help, so when Joe decided to avoid Jun's birthday, he didn't get drunk. Shooting at targets didn't help either, he found, so he spent the evening sitting at his kitchen table looking at the gift-wrapped package on it.
The past six months had been a whole life change for Joe Asakura. His revenge was complete, and he found himself a little lost. His home had been destroyed, and he had surprised himself – and everybody around him, by not replacing the trailer. Instead, he chose to actually build a small house on his land. He knew he'd changed since becoming part of the Science Ninja team – for the first time since his parents had been murdered, he had roots, and the house was a way of him putting down more roots.
For the first time in his life, he was thinking of something other than revenge, somebody other than himself.
It had all started with Jun's reaction to his capture and subsequent poisoning. He knew that she cared about the team, but her genuine distress at his capture and at his condition had been a surprise. After the mission, she had stayed near the infirmary, there for him at any time of day or night.
She'd been there to help him through the feelings of emptiness, and he'd been grateful for her quiet presence as he recovered. She seemed to understand him - knew when he wanted to talk, and knew when to be silent.
He'd been terrified when he realised how much he missed her when she wasn't there.
It was for her he'd built the house. It was a dream of a life that he knew couldn't be. He knew she wasn't for him – she deserved Ken, stable, solid and without the taint to his soul that Joe had.
He'd started to avoid her, not wanting the hurt of seeing her and Ken together.
But the hurt in his heart didn't go away.
By three in the afternoon, he'd had phone calls from Ken, Rocky and Jimmy, all telling him how much Jun had been upset at his casual blow-off of her birthday. He'd accepted the abuse, knowing he deserved it, but unable to justify to them his reasons.
He wasn't really expecting Jun to turn up, so he only dimly registered the sound of the bike pulling up outside. At first, he thought it was Ken come to lecture him in person, so he was surprised at the soft voice at the door behind him.
"Joe." He raised his head and turned. Jun was standing on the porch at the screen door looking stricken.
"Jun." He knew is voice sounded strained, knew it was strained with the effort of keeping all the despair, the desire out of it. "What d'you want?"
"What have I done, Joe?" She raised her hand and placed it flat on the screen. "You've been avoiding me, and I need to know what I've done to you. To fix it somehow." He could hear the hint of tears in her voice, and he gave in. He couldn't stand to see her cry.
Joe rose and opened the door. "You'd best come in," he said. He nearly threw all caution to the wind as she walked by him, lightly brushing against his body, her perfume swirling around him. She stood in the kitchen, wringing her hands.
"Please, Joe. Talk to me. I… I can't go on like this much longer."
"Can I get you some tea?" he asked, busying himself with kettle and water, trying to ignore her question.
"No. Joe please!" There was no longer the hint of tears now and he leaned heavily against the sink, willing himself not to go to her, not to wrap his arms around her. She wasn't for him.
"I'm not avoiding you, Junie. I've just been a little busy is all." With an effort he turned and faced her, smiling down at her. "Trying to rebuild your life is hard, especially when you've had nothing but revenge before."
"We've all had to do that, Joe."
"Yeah, but the rest of you had lives outside the team before. I didn't. "
"That won't work, Joe. You've had time for all the others, except me. In the last six months, I've seen you perhaps two or three times, and then you've hardly said two words to me." She looked around. "I'm the only one who hasn't seen your house. Even Jimmy's been over." She took a step forwards and placed her hand on his arm. "Joe, I need to know what I've done. I hate this."
"You've done nothing, Jun. Nothing at all. I just wanted to give you and Ken some room."
"Me and Ken?" She sounded bewildered.
"Time together. It's hard to work on a new relationship when there's friends hanging around. I wanted to give the two of you some space for a while."
"Me and Ken?" She repeated. "Whatever gave you that idea?" She paused. "Wait. Jimmy."
He nodded. "He said that you had a thing for Ken."
Jun shook her head. "I've never even thought of Ken in that way. Jimmy's got some crazed idea that he and I belong together. " She paused and looked thoughtful. "Even if I did, I don't think anything would come of it." She flushed. "Joe, I don't think that Ken is, well, into girls. Not in that way."
There was silence, Joe was trying to assimilate the information Jun had given him, he could feel his heartbeat speed up. In the pit of his stomach, however, was the knowledge that she still wasn't for him. He could also remember the warning from Nambu when Jun had first joined the team. "She's a sweet, nice girl, Joe. Leave her alone. Don't try any of your tricks on her." He'd promised at the time, and had no intention of breaking that promise.
Jun was looking around the room and her eyes lit on the package on the table. "What's that, Joe?" She was surprised to see his face flush - not much, but definitely a tinge of red under the tan.
"Your birthday present."
"You got me a gift, but didn't bother to come to my party?" She was incredulous.
"Didn't Jimmy tell you? I was going to come but something came up at the last minute." It wasn't a lie, but he wasn't going to tell her that the "something" that came up was a raging erection at the thought of seeing her again. Especially after seeing the photographs of her in the lingerie ad.
"I may not have been around, Junie, but I've certainly seen a lot of you. The photos look good." They did, but if she was his, then there was no way that anybody except him would see her like that. He had wondered at Ken allowing it, but that mystery had been cleared up.
She blushed. "I'm not going to keep it up, Joe. It's not something I felt comfortable with at all. I enjoyed the clothes stuff, but the lingerie and swimsuits," she paused. "I'm not as forward as the rest of you think," she finished, blushing fiercely.
Joe's blood rushed to his head at this, and he cast his mind back, desperately trying to think of any boyfriends Jun had had. He couldn't think of one who may have gotten intimate with her. That meant…
He turned towards the sink again, willing the arousal he felt to disappear, as he finished filling the kettle and put it on. Her voice was nearly his undoing.
"Am I allowed to open my present, Joe?" It was soft, lightly teasing. He turned his head and shot her a grin over his shoulder.
"Yeah. I was going to drop it off sometime. I hope you like it."
She was fiddling with ribbons and tape and he heard her gasp as the wrappings came off to reveal a gift set of her favourite scent. "Joe! This is beautiful! How did you know it was my favourite?"
He came over to her and placed a finger under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "And just who is the most observant member of the team, Swannie?"
She wrapped her arms around him, kissing him on the cheek. "Thank you, Joe," she said softly. His arms went around her, and he pulled her close, all caution thrown to the wind in the heady feel of her in his arms. He closed his eyes in despair and pulled her closer. Not for him. She was not for him. But she felt so good, so right in his arms, body snuggled against his.
Jun moved slightly and Joe went to release her, but she merely changed her position and snuggled closer. "I've missed your hugs, Joe. I always feel that you really mean it when you hug. It feels so safe."
She was so tiny, he thought. Her head barely reached the top of his shoulder, but she fit so well against him. He drew a breath in sharply as she rested her head against his bare chest, sighing in contentment, and his arms tightened. He had to stop this, had to pull away. He was fully aroused now, and he had to stop this before anything got out of hand. He wouldn't hurt Jun.
Jun felt her heart soar as she felt his arousal against her, and decided to take her own action. She moved one hand up to caress his chest, lightly rubbing him and pressed a kiss where her hand had been. His start and sharp intake of breath were her rewards.
Jun pulled back and placed both hands on his chest, looking up at him, her green eyes filled with love. "I never did have a thing for Ken, Joe. You, on the other hand…" She reached her arm up and around his neck, pulling his head down to hers. "You, my fine Condor, are a completely different matter .." and she caressed the back of his neck before she put her lips to his.