Prompt 40 by mikunicchi

[aibamods]

Title: your melody
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 12~
Pairing: Nino/Aiba
Summary: Some people say that perfection doesn’t exist. However, Aiba has always believed that perfection wasn’t a miracle but something you can find in the nooks of the everyday.
Notes: Dear exchange, this fic has been a really wild ride for me but I’m happy to be able to fulfill this prompt. I ran out of time and energy to elaborate more on this universe. Despite it being a wild ride, I really enjoy how it turned out. I really do hope you like how your prompt turned out and thank you for this amazing prompt! <3
Special thanks to my dearest Bunny and E who didn’t leave me alone when I was internally dying while writing this <3
Also, this fic is somehow inspired by Saki ni Umareta Dake no Boku and I don’t know anything about the high schools in Japan aside from what I’ve found in Google. For the time table of the school, you can take a look here. here

I.


Nino looked at the person who’s sitting in front of him, checking the resume that was most likely given him by Hello Work. He tried hard to remember what was actually written there as he looked at the face of the principal who looked too young to be a principal in Nino’s opinion. He shrugged internally. Maybe he was one of those super successful elites. It was none of his business as long as the man in front of him gave him the chance to work in that school.

It was a chilly October day as Nino sat on the armchair into the principal’s office, waiting for the judgment about his capabilities and it was rather disheartening to think about it.

It was then, the principal, who introduced himself as Sakurai Sho when Nino walked in, started talking.

“As far as I can see, you have a fair resume here, Ninomiya-sensei,” he addressed him properly even though he still wasn’t a teacher of that school. “However, may I ask you why you left your previous school?”

Nino tried so hard not to exhale. “I wanted to work part-time,” he explained, knowing that this school didn’t prohibit their teachers from working outside of the field. “And my previous school didn’t allow that.”

“I see,” the principal nodded. Nino prayed that the principal wouldn’t ask for the reason but the reality was never that easy. “May I ask the reason why do you need to do that?”

Nino, feeling slightly annoyed but trying his best not to show it, answered calmly. “I don’t need to work part-time. I just wanted to do that.” Sakurai arched an eyebrow, indicating Nino to explain himself further. “It’s just an old habit. I was a musician, back then, I mean. So, I wanted to perform in one of the cafés in Ikebukuro. They don’t pay that much but it helps the itch.”

Sakurai hummed thoughtfully. “As you also know, this school doesn’t prohibit teachers to have another job. However, I’d like to know if this will be a hindrance to your performance in the school and towards the students.”

Nino looked at Sakurai, trying to see what’s beneath that refined figure. “Like I said,” Nino decided to answer. “It’s just a hobby.”

“But it’s something you’ll be doing as a way to earn money,” Sakurai shot back.

“No one said that you can’t make money from your hobbies,” Nino shrugged.

Sakurai sighed. Nino could see that he was debating with himself whether or not he should employ Nino. And sadly, Nino was sure that the man sitting in front of him actually didn't like the fact that Nino wanted to work part-time.

“You see, Ninomiya-sensei,” Sakurai set his resume onto the table in front of them and looked Nino in the eye. “We have experienced a problem like this in the past. Neither I or the school policy has anything against working outside of school but I don’t want our teachers to see this place as ‘workplace’. This is a school, and there are students that we should take care of.”

“I understand,” Nino nodded. It was remarkable, Nino thought. The principal in front of him actually cared about his students.

“If you think you can work as I expect you to, then we can sign the contract,” Sakurai tried to smile but Nino could still see the hesitation reflecting in his eyes. He wanted to reassure him, that he was going to work well and hard to earn his place. But he was well aware that nothing he would say could convince Sakurai.

“I will work hard, sir,” Nino bowed towards his new employer.

“And as you can see, Ninomiya-sensei, we have been understaffed for a while. That’s why we would like you to start as soon as possible.”

Nino nodded. “I can start whenever you’d like me to.”

Sakurai looked away, looking slightly hesitant as he talked. “How about… now?”

Nino looked at Sakurai dumbfounded for a moment before blinking away his surprise, he nodded. He certainly wasn’t expecting to start this quickly but as far as he observed about Sakurai, he was all business. Nino decided that he liked that.

Sakurai smiled, looking relieved that Nino was fast to catch up as he stood up from his place. “I will show you around the school,” he said, walking towards the door that connected the principal’s room to the hallway.

Nino shrugged internally, padding after Sakurai silently as he let him lead the way and explain everything. He kept silent, storing all the information he got from the principal and only asking questions on the necessary moments.

The school grounds looked rather simple and normal, just as Nino expected while the principal led him around. It was a cloudy day, making the school look darker than it should be, but for Nino, it didn’t really matter. It was school. His expectations weren’t that high, from the very start.

“We have been trying to change the school policy for a while already,” Sakurai continued speaking. He was good at speaking, Nino realized. “It has been rather hectic with all the adjustments and every change. Some of the staff got replaced,” he scratched his neck nervously, making Nino arch an eyebrow. “Well, it’s not like I actually fired them,” he tried to explain and Nino could see that he didn’t want to scare Nino. “As you can see, I’m just an amateur when it comes to school business, even after all these years I have spent here. I have spent more time as a salaryman, after all…” Sakurai continued to rumble.

So the principal was a salaryman, Nino hummed thoughtfully. Not that it had anything to do with him. Sakurai was still his boss, and even though the other claimed that he was still an amateur, Nino was sure that the latter was just being humble.

“Sir, it’s alright,” Nino assured Sakurai. “I have heard some good things about this school and that its principal was a very capable person, so I will be working hard to prove that you didn’t make the wrong decision,” he didn’t forget to finish his sentence with a smile.

Sakurai smiled back before starting to speak again. “Back to the topic; we also have a brass band here in the school. It’s actually rather promising and the students have been working very hard,” Sakurai talked about the students proudly. “However, due to the sudden resignation of our previous music teacher, who had been the advisor teacher of the brass band, we have been having a hard time to keep encouraging the students for the next contest.”

Nino hummed. “So you want me to be the advisory teacher of the band at the same time? That’s not a problem.”

Sakurai smiled. “There are a few problems… There’s a high school brass band competition around the corner. We talked about the withdrawal from this year’s event with the teachers but the students want to go no matter what.”

“I see. Have they been practicing?” Nino asked.

“They have been. Though not lately, since the midterm exams are around the corner. One of the teachers, Aiba-sensei, has been helping them with practicing since he used to play saxophone,” Sakurai explained calmly. “He has been doing his best but he also has his own classes and with the midterm exams coming…” he trailed off, letting Nino complete what he meant.

“He has his hands full, I understand.”

Sakurai shot him a relieved smile. “I have been really impressed with your resume and I believe that you are a capable teacher for our music lessons. The burden might be too much, and I apologize for this but I would like you to start as soon as possible.”

“I understand.” Nino nodded. “Is it possible for me to see the music class and the instruments? And also, I would love to cooperate with Aiba-sensei so that I can see how the band has been doing.”

“Of course, this way please,” Sakurai directed him towards the stairs. “The last lesson hasn’t finished yet, so Aiba-sensei is still in his class, but I’ll let you meet him after.”

Nino nodded. It was always better late than never.

II.

“That’s all from today’s lesson,” Aiba announced just before the bell rang. He closed the folder, gathering all the papers together. “Stand up,” he instructed the students before they start scattering around with the bell. “Bow.”

The students dutifully followed his instruction as he mimicked their bow too. Soon, he was in the frenzy of excited students. The cheerful voices of the students rang in his ears as Aiba walked out of the class, his materials occupying his arms as he tried his best not to drop anything. His trademark smile was again plastered on his face, almost radiating the whole school unbeknownst to him. Students who saw him responded to him with their own bright smiles which Aiba loved to see. He acknowledged every student he walked past, his hands full of the papers he had gathered from the last lesson.

“Aiba-sensei! Good evening!”

Toma and Kazama greeted Aiba cheerfully making him smile back at them brightly. Aiba loved all of his students, but these two were his favorites.

“Aren’t you going back yet?” he asked the two.

“We are,” Kazama answered him immediately.

“Aiba-sensei,” Toma nodded at him.

“Be careful on your way,” he told them. “And don’t forget your homework!”

His students waved at him and he tried to wave at them too, unsuccessfully due to the things he was carrying. He fixed the folder that was threatening to slip and fall as best as he could and walked down the hallway, not minding the students that ran past him. It was probably his duty to call out to them and remind them that it was forbidden to run in the school hallways but he didn’t mind. Truth to be told, most of the students never listened to teachers when they reminded them not to run.

The trip to the staff room from 3-A required him to climb down three flights of stairs and walk half of the school grounds. The third-year shared the top floor, something Aiba couldn’t really understand. Maybe it had something to do with them being the seniors, or something else. Maybe he should ask Sho about it. He would certainly enlighten Aiba about it but really, he would most likely forget about it when that time comes.

It was hard to climb down the stairs with all the things he was carrying, but he made it somehow until the first floor. It was then he heard the soft melody that was most certainly coming from the piano in the music room. Aiba frowned. The music room should have been locked, he knew it since he was the one who had been keeping the keys recently. Okay, he wasn’t the only one but that really didn’t matter at that moment. And there was no way that a student was there playing. The club activities were put on hold until the end of midterms and just like he said, the room should have been locked. He changed his way, heading towards the music room.

What he saw inside was something that made him frown deeply as he stood in front of the slightly open door.

It was a man slouched towards the piano, with his back turned to Aiba as he played a melody that Aiba didn’t know. But really, the identity of the melody didn’t matter at all at that moment, since it was an unfamiliar face, loitering inside the school when there were still students. While a part of his mind tried to tell him that they had capable security that wouldn’t let in any suspicious person, the other, slightly panicked part was refusing to listen.

Aiba clutched his belongings and walked in, determined to know who this person was and what he was doing there.

“Excuse me, what are you doing here? Do you have permission to be here?” Aiba asked, his eyebrows drawn closer with a frown. The stranger stopped playing the piano and looked up from where he was sitting to Aiba. Aiba couldn’t help but study the stranger, his stance and the youth he had seen in him. Their eyes met for a brief moment as Aiba could catch the dark eyes which glowed weirdly with something Aiba couldn’t put his finger on. The bangs that were falling in front of the eyes of the stranger looked dangerously attractive, Aiba couldn't help but notice.

“I'm playing the piano,” the stranger stated matter-of-factly which had Aiba blinked in confusion.

“I can see that,” Aiba answered, dumbfounded and thrown out of the loop by the weird answer.

“Then why are you asking me what I'm doing here?” There, Aiba wanted to face-palm.

“I'm not asking that,” Aiba exhaled. “I'm sorry but I have to ask you to leave because this is not a place for strangers to loiter around.”

“It's a high-school, yes I'm very aware of it,” the stranger looked like he was having a lot of fun.

Aiba frowned again. “Then please leave before I call for security.”

The stranger… wait, was that a smirk? “How do you know that I'm not the guardian of one of the students? Wouldn't you be fired for throwing out a parent?”

Aiba’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Are you?”

“No, I'm not but-” The stranger started but Aiba didn't really intend to keep this going.

“Then I'm sorry sir but-”

“You must be Aiba-sensei,” the stranger blurted out then.

“I am - wait, how do you know me?” Aiba asked, thrown out of the loop once again.

The stranger - was he a really stranger anyway? - smirked. “I heard about you from the principal”

Aiba blinked a few times. “From Sho-chan?” The stranger raised an eyebrow at the usage of the principal's name, making Aiba realized that he wasn't supposed to call Sho like that on the school grounds. He just couldn't help it, though. He had been Sho-chan longer than he had been Principal Sakurai for Aiba. It was simply impossible to kill old habits. "From Principal Sakurai, I mean," Aiba corrected himself quickly.

The stranger let out a merry laugh. “You’re an interesting person, Aiba-sensei, by all means.”

Aiba couldn’t tell if he should feel offended by that claim. “What does that even mean?”

“I mean it as a compliment, Aiba-sensei,” the impish grin plastered on his face somehow made Aiba feel like he was making fun of him.

“Sir…” Aiba started only to be cut by the stranger again.

“I’m Ninomiya Kazunari,” he introduced himself without waiting for Aiba to finish his words. He stood up, this time his whole body facing Aiba’s direction. “I am the new music teacher starting tomorrow. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Aiba-sensei,” he bowed politely, very much in contrast to the snarks he threw a second ago.

Aiba blinked with surprise - again - looking at the man standing in front of him. “New teacher?” he questioned. The stranger -who now had a name, Ninomiya, Aiba reminded himself - smirked - again - and nodded. “But I haven’t heard anything from Sakurai-sensei.”

“He actually left a few minutes ago to look for you,” Ninomiya informed him.

“Ah…” was the only thing Aiba could utter.

A silence fell between them as he uncomfortably fidgeted. Should he say welcome? Or something else? He was suddenly feeling shy about being at the present of the new teacher and the feeling of Ninomiya's intense gaze on him didn't make it any better. Maybe he should go to find Sho-chan? Or maybe he should call him? Would that help him get out of this situation?

And wait… did this mean he had to stop being the advisory teacher of the brass band? A lot was hard to take in at that moment.

“Aiba-sensei.”

Aiba jumped with surprise when Ninomiya called his name, way closer than he had originally thought. It caused him to lose his grip on the notes and the folders and whatever he was carrying at that moment, making them fall to the ground.

“Ahh!” Aiba exclaimed when the papers scattered to the ground and he hurried to kneel down to gather them. However, he wasn’t expecting to bump his head into someone as he was kneeling.

“Ow!” was the simultaneous reaction that came out from both parties, while Aiba fell back, holding his forehead. This couldn’t turn out worse than it already was, Aiba thought defeated.

“I am sorry!” Aiba jumped back trying to check the new teacher. “Are you alright?”

Ninomiya grumbled. “I wished the principal had the courtesy to tell me that you were a walking disaster.”

“I am not!” Aiba denied, maybe he was a bit clumsy but certainly he wasn’t a walking disaster. “And you are the one who startled me in the first place!”

Ninomiya looked at him with narrowed eyes. He looked like he was going to say something but in the end, he chose not to talk.

It was then, another person joined them, walking into the music room with a confused expression. Principal Sakurai looked at them, trying to understand what just happened there and how they ended up on the ground, with a bunch of papers scattered around them. He didn’t really have to ask though, he was almost sure that Aiba’s clumsiness struck again.

Sho cleared his throat, deciding not to comment on the situation. “I see you already met our new music teacher, Aiba-sensei,” he commented. “I expect you two to get along well.”

Aiba wanted to disappear. This was the worst first meeting ever.

III.

It was a chilly November morning as Aiba Masaki walked into the staff room. The sound of the sliding door echoed both in the empty hallway and the staff room. It was silent, this early in the morning. The sun was coloring the messy room a soft yellow color as he walked towards his assigned desk, putting his bag onto his swivel chair, taking his mug from one of the drawers of his desk and walked back to the table to get himself a coffee.

While he waited, listening to the sound of the machine as it started doing its job, the sliding door opened once again, revealing the principal as he walked in, looking tired as always but ready to function.

“Oh, good morning Aiba-sensei,” Sho greeted him with his usual, charming smile. “You’re early. I wasn’t expecting you to be here.”

“Good morning, sir,” Aiba greeted him back. “I have to prepare for class today. We’ll do some experiments.”

Sho frowned. Aiba and experiments were never a good combination in the same sentences. “Please don’t burn the class,” he said.

Aiba grinned, moving back to his desk. “I will do my best.”

“That doesn’t sound believable at all,” Sho grimaced. "We don't have a budget to renew a laboratory if you blew it up."

Aiba walked closer to Sho, his mug on his left hand as he patted Sho's shoulder sympathetically. "Don't worry Sho-chan, I won't blow up the laboratory but I can’t make any promises for the flasks…”

Sho’s face paled. “Please do not destroy anything!” he exclaimed worriedly, making Aiba laugh out loud.

“You’re always so worried, Sho-chan,” Aiba commented between his laughter.

“You know, it really is hard not to worry when something includes you,” Sho grumbled but Aiba wasn’t too concerned about. It was Sho, after all. He had always been the mother hen since they were young and Aiba was never concerned by that.

“Oh by the way-” Sho started, only to be cut by the sudden ringing of his phone. Aiba watched him look at his phone with a serious frown, already guessing that the call must be from the headquarters.

Sho answered the phone immediately, as he started pacing back towards his office. Aiba looked after him, worry ceasing his bright expression. It was always like this, Aiba thought. Sho was the one who worried about everything and everyone yet he didn’t let anyone worry about him. Aiba sighed. He liked that Sho-chan, but he was clearly worried by the amount of the work he had been doing.

It has been better lately, Aiba had to give him that. It has been two years since Aiba started working in the Honjou High School while this was Sho’s fourth year as the principal of the school that was originally owned by the Honjou Corporations. It took a year for Sho to gain his place in the school and another year until he could change some of the problematic teachers.

“What the hell is this racket about, it’s barely eight in the morning,” came from the doorway, the grumpy voice of Matsumoto Jun, making Aiba turn towards him.

“Sho-chan thinks that I’m going to blow up the laboratory today,” Aiba answered him, as Jun walked past him until he reached his own desk.

“Can you blame him though?” Jun sighed as he plopped down onto his chair, letting his head rest on the desk.

“He’s not that bad you know,” another voice; silvery and softly spoken, pretty much contrast to Jun’s grumpy one joined into the conversation.

“Good morning, Oh-chan,” Aiba greeted him with a bright smile as the shorter man returned the gesture.

“Good morning, Aiba-chan.”

“Can you stop calling each other like that?” Jun grumbled. “We’re at school currently, mind you.”

However, his remark went unnoticed as Ohno and Aiba were already engaged at each other’s company, talking about the recent sweets that Ohno had been trying. Aiba’s shining smile was almost dazzling and even though Jun didn’t want to admit, the sight was endearing.

Aiba continued talking to Ohno, while he walked back to the coffee machine to fetch the key of Matsumoto Jun’s good spirits. Aiba had been around Matsumoto long enough to learn the secret rule: Never mess with Matsumoto Jun before he had his coffee.

“Here you go,” Aiba placed Jun’s personal mug, filled with coffee, on his desk letting the smell of coffee work on him.

“Thank you, Aiba-sensei,” Jun murmured as he reached out for the coffee Aiba brought him.

Aiba went back to his desk, preparing the documents that he was going to hand out to the students, checking if they had any mistakes that he hadn’t realized during his previous controls. He was satisfied with the results, no typos and no mistakes, which meant that he could copy everything.

“Good morning,” another soft voice which Aiba became familiar with very well in the last few weeks, joined them.

“Good morning, Ninomiya-sensei,” Aiba greet him as he looked up from his papers, smiling brightly to the petite teacher who walked in.

Ninomiya smiled curtly and nodded his head towards Aiba, acknowledging his greetings and walked towards his own desk which was located in the corner of the staff room. Aiba watched him calmly settle down on his chair and take out his Nintendo DS like he always did since the time he started working there.

It has been a few weeks since their disastrous first meeting and of course, it took Aiba a while to get used to the presence of Ninomiya and talk to him easily. Not that he didn’t like the latter. On the contrary, Ninomiya-sensei was a good person, easy to talk to and easy to work with and he was quite likable. It was just that Aiba Masaki was actually a very shy man, despite his outer appearance. Yet, Ninomiya Kazunari had something about him that made Aiba open up and forget his shyness rather quickly which surprised everyone.

“Ninomiya-sensei,” Aiba smiled brightly as he walked towards the music teacher. “Will you be attending tonight’s drinking party?”

Ninomiya-sensei didn’t look up from his DS for a moment and hummed thoughtfully. “I’m not the type to go to drinking parties,” he replied soon, his fingers never stopping as he worked hard to beat the boss.

“Come on~” Aiba pouted. “You keep saying the same thing!”

Nino snickered, an outright reaction that shows that he liked teasing Aiba. “Ask me again sometime later,” he glanced Aiba for a second before turning back to his DS. “I may come one day.”

Aiba sighed. “Well, we’ll be at the usual place, if you ever change your mind,” he let Nino know just in case.

Nino offered nothing but an uninterested hum.

It was that moment when Sho walked into the staffroom with a grave expression. “Teachers!” he called out everyone’s attention. “It’s that time of the year again,” he started talking. “The school briefing days are just around the corner. And again, I would like to have the cooperation of every one of you.”

Aiba took a deep breath. It was that time of the year again, he mused. Things will be getting busier.

IV.

It was getting darker and colder as the November came and the winter closed in. The rainy weather was there most of the time, which Nino didn’t care most of the time. It has been more than a month since he started working in his new school.

Thinking back, Nino decided that coming to this school was actually a good decision. The principal gave him pretty much of freedom he needed as he processed his lessons and Nino liked working in that school so far by now. He liked students, most of the time. They were all hardworking and nice by now. If he had to raise one thing that he didn’t like that would only be Aiba-sensei.

Somehow, it really didn’t make any sense but Nino didn't like the fact that he actually liked Aiba. Given their first meeting, and given a lot of things, Nino thought he shouldn’t be liking the latter. But then again, everyone liked Aiba and it didn’t take Nino too long to realize that. He had been wondering how he managed to do that since he started working in that school, close to Aiba-sensei.

Teachers, students, and probably even the parents must be loving the tall man who had a 100-watt smile that is probably brighter than the sunlight.

He truly had the power to lighten the darkest day and Nino actually would mock that if he hadn’t really experienced it himself. Every morning, he would walk into the staff room, which was too messy and almost too depressing and Aiba would greet him brightly. It was like… the dark staff room would be lit up by the suns despite the rain clouds whenever Aiba was in the room. Truly, Nino must be imagining things, but he just couldn’t let this feeling go.

On the other hand, he was jealous of Aiba, which was stupid and something he would deny with a firm no, he definitely wasn’t jealous of Aiba.

Why would he be jealous of him anyway? He was just taller than him, had a fit body, a dazzling smile, and probably an endless stock of patience and kindness. And he most certainly wasn’t joking about the fact that everyone, even including himself, liked Aiba.

That evening, he had been debating with himself if he should finally give in and go to the drinking party of the teachers as he walked into the staff room. Aiba renewed his offer after Principal Sakurai explained the school briefing days and even Ohno, the sleepy-looking and soft home economics teacher, agreed with Aiba when he told Nino that it will get really busy with school briefing around the corner. He had been refusing their kind offer, looking like a difficult person to get along. He hadn’t really meant to be rude and ungrateful for the offer but he just wasn’t someone who actually loves going to drinking parties.

“Ninomiya-sensei!”

Nino looked up when he heard the excited voice of Aiba-sensei who was rushing to catch him as he was about to close the door of the staff room. Again he had been carrying a lot of things and Nino was almost sure that he was going to drop some of the books at this rate. With a sigh, he held the door and waited for Aiba-sensei to walk in.

Aiba grinned, making Nino want to squint his eyes at the brightness. “Thank you very much for holding the door!”

“Ah, it’s nothing,” Nino murmured as he let Aiba inside. “Do you need help with those?” he asked before he could stop himself.

“No, no! I’ll just drop these here and head out! I’m already late!” Aiba rushed towards his desk. “You’re late too though! Everything alright with the club activities?”

“Of course,” Nino answered, contemplating if he should say what’s on his mind or not. “The students are missing you though.”

That made Aiba look up with a confused expression. “Eh, why?”

Nino chuckled at his innocent expression. “Seriously, you’re the most loved teacher in this school and you’re asking that?”

Aiba blinked a few times before chuckling. “I don’t think I’m the most loved one though,” he said as he turned back to arranging his books. “And I heard that you were doing some awesome job with your class, Sho-chan,” he cleared his throat when he realized his mistake. Nino giggled inwardly, Aiba-sensei kept making the same mistake. “I mean, Principal Sakurai talked very highly about you.”

Nino walked towards his own desk and dropped the small book he had been carrying. “Oh, so you all are gossiping about me in those drinking parties?”

Aiba looked at him with a grin that Nino could almost define as mischievous. “Curious? Why don’t you come tonight then?”

Nino snorted. “I wouldn’t think you were the one to tease, Aiba-sensei.”

“You might actually find out more about all of us. If you join tonight, that is,” Aiba shrugged. “But seriously, it will be getting really busy with school briefing and with the final exams, so this is probably your last chance to join our outing before the term is over.”

“Okay,” Nino answered plainly.

“I understand that you don’t like these kinds of outings but-” Aiba was cut short with his usual argument that he memorized. He was so used to getting refused by Nino, and the same talk has been happening between them that he couldn’t comprehend that Nino actually told him okay. “Wait-” Aiba blinked. “Did you- you just-”

“Yes, I said okay,” Nino answered coolly, not even trying to hide the smirk on his face. He was clearly enjoying the fact that he had caught Aiba off guard.

“But you-” Aiba started, stopping mid-sentence because it really didn’t matter anymore. He smiled. And it was probably one of the brightest ones he had seen on Aiba-sensei’s face.

V.

When December rolled in and winter became relentless towards the people, Aiba couldn't help but to always feel slightly tired and more excited than he already was.

The school briefing went well and probably the applications for the school would increase this year as well. Then, of course, came the term-end exams and all of the teachers, including Aiba, were incredibly busy. The routine of preparing for exams and putting marks on the papers continued to loop but it was finally over! Then came the open school event for the junior high students and it was another hurdle that all the teachers and the students had to overcome together.

Since the year Sho became the principal, he had been insistent on making the students plan the open school events and this year it was Aiba’s class who came up with the plan for the main event.

He had been proud of his students, who came up with an excellent plan despite having no money or despite all the hardships. It had always been great to watch the students release their creativity into the world for a purpose, which is to make this school a better place, but this year, it was his own class which Aiba had been watching over since the term had begun. He felt overly proud and overly happy for his students’ success.

However, it was overly busy until the time when Aiba was starting to feel the strain on his body as he walked into the staff room the morning after the open school day. His body felt unusually heavy. It must be because of the lack of sleep, he thought, not giving the needed attention to his own body’s warnings.

“Aiba-sensei, good morning.”

He was greeted by Ninomiya-sensei the moment he walked into the staff room. Aiba smiled, albeit tiredly. They had been steadily becoming friends with Ninomiya, which made Aiba happy. The petite guy had this “back-off” aura if you didn’t know him well, Aiba realized not too long after their first (embarrassing) meeting, which was probably the reason why he had been able to warm up to him this quickly.

“Good morning, Nino-chan,” he greeted him too, enjoying to use his nickname. After that first time that Nino joined the drinking party of the teachers, he had started to join those parties more. And since then, Aiba had been calling him as Nino-chan.

Nino heaved a sigh. “We’re at school, Aiba-shi,” he reminded before looking at him carefully. “I didn’t think the weather is cold yet,” he stated.

“Hm?” Aiba looked at himself confused. “Well, it’s cold for me.”

Nino hummed thoughtfully but he didn’t say anything more, letting Aiba walk back to his desk.

The day didn’t continue as always for Aiba. He didn’t know why but he was getting chills from time to time and it was getting hard to focus on the lesson. But he kept ignoring the alerts of his own body as well as the worried look on his colleagues’ faces.

Around the break time of the second block, Jun handed him warm herbal tea and Ohno gave him some pills for the cold. He drank the herb tea but refused to take the pills. He wasn’t sick, after all. He continued to go to his classes and give two hundred percent of his energy as always.

What bothered him was the daggers Sho shoot him with his eyes every time he walked past. And that day, he had been coming across Sho more than any other time. Aiba heaved a sigh when he finally sat down at his desk in the staff room for the lunch break. Around this time, he was finally accepting that maybe he was catching a cold, but really, he could certainly hang on until school was over. Sho was just being the mother hen as he always is and Aiba was sure that there was nothing to exaggerate about his condition.

“Aiba-sensei.”

Aiba almost let out a groan when he heard Sho’s voice next to him. He was sure that the worried principal was about to tell him to go home and get some rest and not to worry about school. It just made Aiba tell Sho then you go home and get some rest too. Sho seriously wasn’t better than him when it came to working too much, after all.

However, Aiba tried to answer as calmly as possible. “Yes, sir.”

“Why don’t you take the remainder of the day off?” Sho suggested softly. “We don’t want you to force yourself.”

“I’m fine, sir,” he said tiredly while trying to assure Sho with a smile.

“Aiba-kun…” Sho started his voice low but clearly showing the worry. “Please.”

“I’m really fine, Sho-chan,” Aiba insisted as he got up from his seat to face Sho.

Unfortunately, he had to hold his desk to ground himself as the sudden dizziness struck him out of nowhere. He swayed on his feet and would have fallen if Sho hadn’t held him up by his arm.

“Aiba-sensei!”

Hearing the voices of his worried colleagues, Aiba smiled a little. “I’m fine,” he told again but even he was aware that it had very little persuasion power.

“That’s it,” Sho announced with finality in his voice. “I’m taking you to the infirmary and you’ll be resting before I take you home.”

Aiba knew there was no way he could argue with that as he just let Sho drag him to the infirmary.

The school nurse, Ayano-sensei was a petite woman with a soft face and an unexpected sharpness in her words from time to time. Aiba liked her. Not like love but a brotherly type of liking. Aiba knew he was going to be scolded by her. It was going to be a long day, really.

***

When he woke up, Aiba was alone with a sore throat and a tired body in the school infirmary. He looked around, seeing no one. Apparently, Ayano-sensei had left Aiba. Which only meant that Aiba had nothing to worry aside from having a cold. It probably wouldn’t even have been too strong if Aiba had taken a few days to rest instead of running around with the students.

He sighed, coughing a little. "I feel like an idiot," he murmured defiantly.

"Damn well said."

Aiba, startled with the sudden answer to his musing, almost jumped out of his skin before he saw Ninomiya-sensei who was standing next to the curtain with an unpleasant expression on his face.

"Are you trying to kill me, sneaking in like that?!" he whined petulantly.

"I was pretty loud when I walked here," Ninomiya protested. "It's you who hadn't heard."

Aiba pouted.

"You seem well enough though."

“Yeah,” Aiba sighed. “It's just a cold and I already feel better after sleeping for a while.”

“I told the same thing to the principal, well, we all did if I have to be honest,” Nino shrugged as he walked closer to the bed. “But he was just freaking out until Ayano sensei confirmed what I've said.”

Aiba groaned defeatedly.

Nino smirked as he sat down on the stool. “So will you please explain to me why our principal acted like a freaking mother hen or is he usually like that?”

Nino’s comment made Aiba chuckle. “A mother hen? Well, that's usually how he is. A mother hen,” he giggled.

Nino arched an eyebrow, showing that he didn't believe him.

Aiba sighed again. “Okay, it's my fault. Happy?” Yet, he didn’t neglect to add: “But he really is a mother hen by nature.”

“What do you mean by that?” Nino asked nevertheless.

Aiba hesitated for a moment, debating if he really should go all the way and tell Nino about his past. It wasn’t something he was ashamed of but at the same time, it also wasn’t something he was proud of.

Seeing his hesitation, Nino started softly, “If you don’t want to talk…”

“I think you already know that I used to play the saxophone,” Aiba cut him hurriedly, not knowing what made him decide to tell him so suddenly.

“Yeah, the principal told me that you used to play… Why did you stop though? You would make a cute music teacher,” Nino smirked.

Aiba sighed at the cute comment. Nino would tease him in any kind of situation. “It’s not that I don’t play anymore. It’s more like… I can’t play anymore.”

He looked at Nino for a brief second as the latter didn’t say anything. Aiba lay down again with his hands under his head. “I was diagnosed with pneumothorax twice when I was younger,” he told Nino softly. “I also had to undergo surgery because of it,” he trailed off for a moment and closed his eyes before continuing. “Sho-chan was the one who found me unconscious the first time and the second one also didn't leave a good impression, so he's always behind my back, nagging me not to work myself to death,” he snorted and opened his eyes. “Funny, isn’t it? He always overworks himself yet he keeps nagging me not to do it.”

Nino hummed thoughtfully, not offering any comment for a while. “You guys are good friends.”

Aiba chuckled. “Well, I won’t deny that. Sho-chan has always been there for me.”

“Is this the reason why you became a teacher?” Nino asked curiously, not being able to help himself.

Aiba shook his head. “That’s not the reason. But that is the reason why I came to this school when Sho-chan called me.”

Nino hummed again, making Aiba look at him. “What?” Aiba asked, curious about what Nino was thinking.

Nino shrugged. “I was just thinking you guys would suit each other.”

Aiba straightened up from where he was laying, feeling a blush creeping through his face. “Nononono!” he denied hastily. “Sho-chan and I are not like that!”

Nino raised an eyebrow to that.

“Really!” Aiba insisted, waving his hands in the air. “We’re good friends, but nothing more!”

Nino hummed. “Why not though?”

“Why not you say…” Aiba whined pitifully and looked at Nino’s face desperately, only to see that he was smiling impishly. “Stop torturing me!”

“You’re cute when you’re flustered though,” Nino grinned widely, not even bothering to hide his amusement.

Aiba couldn’t help but blush again when Nino called him cute again. “Stop calling me cute.”

Nino cackled. “Well, it’s fun teasing you. You can’t blame me.”

“You should tease someone else!”

“Who do you suggest?” Nino asked rather seriously.

“I don’t know… How about Sho-chan?” Aiba recommended hesitantly.

“I tease him when I see him out of the work, but he’s still my boss,” Nino replied calmly.

“Jun?”

“Dangerous in the morning.”

“Oh-chan?”

“Boyfriend of the boss. I don’t want to get fired,” Nino shrugged.

“You knew!?!”

“Of course,” Nino grinned.

“Then why the hell were you even asking about me and Sho-chan?!” Aiba groaned.

Nino shrugged and looked at him with a smirk. “Like I said, I like teasing you.”

Aiba heaved a sigh. “Why do you even?”

“You’re cute. And you’re cuter when you’re flustered.”

Aiba buried his face into his hands. There was no way he could argue with Nino at this point. “You’re unbelievable.”

Nino laughed merrily.

“You’re a good person, Aiba-san,” He told softly before getting up from the stool he was sitting. “Get some rest and get well. It’s actually rather lonely when you’re not there,” was the last words he uttered before he left Aiba there in the infirmary.

Aiba sighed tiredly, yet there was no denying that the smile on his face was full of fondness.

VI.

The day of the closing ceremony came sooner than Nino had been expecting. The winter was blowing outside, as the students made plans for their winter break. The teachers were busy as always since the school trip for the second grades’ was around the corner. There were preparations that they had to make. Arranging transportation and accommodations and planning a schedule was already taking a lot of time and energy for the teachers who were going to join the trip.

Nino wasn’t a part of it. But he already knew a lot about the process since Aiba-sensei was one of the teachers that would be joining the trip, and mind you, he always talked about the event! Truly, Aiba was as excited as the students about the school trip.

The closing ceremony was as dull as ever, Nino couldn’t help but think. He was never the type of person who loved school. So for him to become a teacher was probably because of karma’s not funny sense of humor. But he was an adult, who learned that life rarely went as planned and he was old enough to live with that fact as he stood there in the gymnasium and listened to Principal Sakurai talking to the students about the end of the term and encouraging them to spend the winter break efficiently. However, he couldn’t help as his thoughts wandered somewhere else. To his surprise, or maybe not, towards Aiba-sensei.

Nino wasn’t exactly surprised to find out that his thoughts have been centered a lot recently on the bubbly science teacher who caused a lot of chaos in his experiments and who was a lot more clumsy than he had originally thought. The teacher who had the brightest smile Nino had ever encountered was just a ray of sunshine and Nino could understand why people had a hard time staying away from him. Well, to his credit, why would you even want to stay away from such a lovely person, right?

Nino’s eyes suddenly landed on Aiba, who had been standing in the front line, the cross of him which allows Nino to look at his profile. Aiba wasn’t just the character, Nino thought as his eyes landed on Aiba’s face. His perfectly styled hair and his flawless skin made him look like an idol more than a science teacher but Nino couldn’t help but like that contrast about him. He was focused on Sho, listening to him attentively and for a moment, Nino wondered how it would feel if Aiba’s focus was on him.

It was weird, this feeling that is. But Nino wasn’t someone who would lie to his own feelings. And he certainly wasn’t the type to deny that he was attracted to the handsome science teacher. The latter was oblivious, Nino could tell that much, yet it didn’t discourage him at all. He thought the time Aiba was laying on the bed of the infirmary, flustered when he suggested that he and Principal Sakurai made a good match and he had been paying close attention to Aiba since then. He also hadn’t really bothered to hide his interest in the latter and he was rewarded with the reaction he was searching for.

Aiba was conscious of Nino’s presence. As much as Nino was conscious of his. That much, he could tell for certain. And he liked that very much.

Suddenly, Aiba turned his head towards Nino, as if he had felt the intense gaze of Nino on him. When their eyes met, Nino refused to look away, keeping Aiba’s gaze locked with him. They kept looking into each other’s eyes, for a few long seconds until the students started to clap while Principal Sakurai left the rostrum. Aiba broke eye contact and looked at Principal Sakurai.

Nino couldn’t contain his smirk when he noticed the faint blush on Aiba’s cheeks.

***

When Nino returned back to the staff room that day he found Aiba at his desk, engrossed with the documents in front of him. He didn’t even notice the door opening as he was just reading the documents with a focused frown on his face. He had taken off his jacket, Nino couldn’t help but notice, and had his sleeves rolled up. He had been flipping the pen that he had been holding between his slender fingers and Nino found himself padding towards him.

He peaked over Aiba’s shoulder, amused that he still hadn’t noticed his presence. As Nino expected, he had been trying to fix the tour spots and schedule of the school trip that will take place in three weeks.

“The school is officially over and you’re still here, Aiba-sensei?” He spoke as he didn’t want to scare Aiba.

However, he still jumped out when he heard Nino’s voice. “You scared me Ninomiya-sensei!”

“Well, it’s not my fault, you’re the one who didn’t hear. I was pretty loud, again,” Nino raised an eyebrow, reminding Aiba about the nearly same conversation they had almost two weeks ago.

Aiba muttered something about Nino being the sneaky type under his breath but Nino didn’t mind it at all. Instead, he glanced at the paper that Aiba was so focused on and couldn’t help but point out with a chuckle.

“Aiba-san, it's usually Hiragana written over Kanji. Not Kanji over Hiragana,” he pointed out mercilessly with his finger.

Aiba looked at the document, where Nino was pointing. “Well, that was a mistake… Anyway, this is just a draft!” he defended himself.

Nino chuckled. "You better fix it."

Aiba pouted as he scribbled something next to the paper. "Why are you here?" he asked without looking at Nino. "The school is officially over and I know you're not exactly fond of staying behind the school."

"Now now, I actually came to like this school thanks to a specific someone," Nino protested playfully.

Aiba heaved a sigh. "You're just teasing."

"I can't deny that now, can I?” He smirked. “But I’m serious about what I said. I came to like this school and that has never happened before.”

Aiba looked at him with his surprised puppy eyes. “Really?”

“Really,” Nino let him know the truth. “And just to show my sincerity, I want to invite you somewhere.”

“To where?”

Nino shrugged. “Nothing fancy. Just to the café where I work part-time. I play in the evenings when needed.”

Aiba stayed silent and just blinked a few times. “Why?”

Nino shrugged. He could already feel his ears burning. “Just think of it as a present.”

“A present?”

“It’s your birthday, right?” Nino asked nonchalantly.

“How do you…”

Nino smirked. “I know a lot, Aiba-sensei,” he told smugly. “I’ll text you the place and time, then. And you better go home and get some rest,” he suggested. “Or else, you’ll seriously screw up something.”

With that, Nino didn’t wait for Aiba to say something as he quickly left the staff room. He certainly didn’t need Aiba to see his red ears.

VII.

The day of the school trip came with problems. Aiba thought he was prepared for the problems that were going to arise, but he was certainly not prepared for the other chaperones to get stuck with influenza. Last evening, he got a call from Sato-sensei who was one of the homeroom teachers of the second grade and who was supposed to attend the Kyoto trip with Aiba, telling him that she had been taken to the hospital because of influenza. Aiba was worried for his fellow teacher and he, of course, wished Sato-sensei to get well soon but currently, he was a tiny bit more worried about the school trip.

He was panicking when he called Sho last night, he couldn’t take all the students to Kyoto by himself, there was no way he could manage to look after all the fifty-five students all by himself. He was literally freaking out despite Sho assuring him that he was going to find a way, that at worst, he was going to attend the trip with Aiba himself. Aiba knew that wouldn’t work. Sho already had a lot on his plate and attending the trip would just make everything worse.

Maybe Jun? But he was the homeroom teacher of third years and third years had the preparations for the entrance exams…

Oh-chan? No, he’s probably the worst for leading students around…

Nino? No! That one is definitely a no! Not because Nino wasn’t suitable for the trip but merely because of the fact that Aiba was extremely conscious of the petite guy since their outing on Christmas Eve, and well, Aiba’s birthday.

They spent a good time together, in the small café that was owned by one of Nino’s old friends Maruyama, Nino was working as a performer from time to time. That was what Nino told him at least. Aiba knew that Nino was a talented person since otherwise, Sho wouldn’t hire him, but he certainly wasn’t expecting Nino to be that talented.

Ninomiya Kazunari in school was a charming human being, but Ninomiya Kazunari on stage was something else, something more, Aiba couldn’t help but realize. They even had a heart to heart talk and it was the first time Nino opened himself to Aiba.

Which led to Aiba being overly conscious about Nino. Oh-chan and Sho-chan teased him about having a crush on their music teacher. Jun even went all the way betting about who will confess first. And Nino certainly wasn’t making things easy as he kept teasing Aiba with his flirty attitude.

That morning Aiba walked to the Shinjuku station which was the designated meeting place for those who will attend the school trip with fear, wondering if he was going all alone or worse.

The meeting place was empty since the teachers’ meeting time was scheduled thirty minutes earlier than the students. He waited anxiously, taking deep breaths and trying to keep himself from calling Sho and screaming about everything. He checked his clock. It was still early, even earlier than the meeting time. He fidgeted as he tried to focus on his phone and not to the current situation.

A few minutes later or so, when the clock finally showed 07.30, someone tapped his shoulder. Aiba jumped with a surprise like he always did and turned around, only to curse his luck when he saw Ninomiya-sensei standing there with his trademark smirk plastered on his face.

“Good morning, Aiba-sensei,” Nino greeted him warmly, in contrast to the cold air. “I’ll be attending the trip instead of Sato-sensei. I heard she caught influenza and Principal Sakurai called me to see if I was available to go instead. Isn’t it good that I was free?” he smirked and Aiba had a hard time not to groan.

Of course! It had to be you!! Aiba thought frustrated but he didn’t let it slip.

“Thank you so much for filling in, Ninomiya-sensei, despite it being such a short notice of the time,” he bowed. It wasn’t the time to be conscious of his crush after all. They had a school trip to lead. He lowered down his backpack and took out the folder that contained the schedule and the tickets of the school trip and passed it to Nino. “Here’s the schedule and everything else.”

Nino quickly read through the schedule and nodded. “I see you fixed the kanjis,” he commented.

Aiba blushed. “Of course, I did! That was just a draft,” he pouted.

Nino smirked. “Still, it was a funny mistake.”

Aiba changed the subject. “Will you be able to keep up with everything?”

“Of course,” Nino closed the folder. “I already know everything about the trip since you kept talking about it,” he shrugged.

Aiba smiled. He was really excited about this school trip and he was glad that it didn’t go waste. “Thank you for coming, Nino, really,” he told sincerely.

Nino smiled. It was the kind of smile that Nino tended to show Aiba a lot recently. “Don’t mention it. There was no way I could let this go in vain when you were so excited about it.”

Aiba looked away, hoping to hide his blush behind the scarf around his neck. “There you go with all the teasing again.”

Nino grinned like the Cheshire Cat. “And you just make it better.”

VIII.

Nino hadn’t anticipated that he was going to join the school trip. It had already been decided that the homeroom teachers of second years will be the only ones that were going to attend the trip, which in this case were, Aiba-sensei, Sato-sensei, and Nakamura-sensei. He had known that Nakamura-sensei wasn’t going to attend since the school budget was limited to the two teachers and thus, it was going to be Sato-sensei.

It was just a four days trip to Kyoto and it’s not like Nino had any interest in the school trip, to begin with. He just thought it looked fun since Aiba-sensei was all up and about the whole trip which only made Nino think for a tiny second that it might actually be fun if he went with Aiba.

It was only a second, really. He didn’t actually mean it when he thought that. That’s why he was quite surprised when he got a call from Principal Sakurai, telling him that Sato-sensei was down with influenza and Nakamura-sensei was out of town to visit his elderly parents, so would he be able to attend the school trip instead of them, or else they will have to find someone else or cancel the trip in the worst case.

He could have refused. Truly, no one would blame him for not agreeing to join the trip but he found himself agreeing on it way more quickly than he would originally like. He tried to tell himself this had nothing to do with his crush towards Aiba-sensei and that he would hate to see the latter sad.

So, there he was, walking around Kyoto with a group of students. He had to admit that Aiba, despite looking like an airhead most of the time, made an excellent tour plan for Kyoto. It had all of the major tourist spots of Kyoto and it was lined up so well that it didn’t restrict the free time for the students.

It was the third and the last day of the trip since they were going to go back to Tokyo the next day. It was the free day for the students as they led them to the meeting spot which was in Kyoto Station. Nino was quite skeptical about the station being the meeting point but he didn’t say anything as he just followed Aiba’s plan.

Which lead them standing in the station side by side as the students left.

“So…” Nino spoke first.

“So?”

“What are we going to do?”

“I… didn’t really think about that,” Aiba chuckled bashfully. “I was too focused on making the whole plan for students and…” he scratched the back of his neck.

Nino crossed his arms in front of him and gave his weight to one foot. “So you really didn’t plan for our date?” he pursed his lips at the end of his question, mimicking a pretense disappointment.

Aiba looked like he was taken aback by Nino’s claim. “Date?”

Nino nodded. “Yes. Date.” The subtle blush on Aiba’s cheeks was enough for Nino as he smiled. “You know, Aiba-shi it was actually hard to get ready and join a last-minute school trip,” he started seriously. “And I believe I did a good job here.”

“You truly did,” Aiba nodded too. “I don’t know what I would do if you didn’t agree to come.”

Nino hummed. “And we have been working non-stop for days.”

“That’s right,” Aiba confirmed him.

“Which is why don’t you think we deserve a break?”

“And the break you mean is… a date?” Aiba asked suspiciously.

“What’s better than a date?” Nino grinned widely.

Aiba sighed. “You’re weird, Ninomiya-sensei.”

Nino raised an eyebrow at that. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

That made Aiba laugh. “Yes. Yes, I guess.”

“Well then, Aiba-shi,” Nino just continued. “Where are you going to take me?”

“Am I the one who’s taking you on a date?”

“Of course!” Nino shrugged. “It’s you who planned the whole school trip and I’m the poor teacher here.”

Aiba pouted. “But you never pay for your stuff.”

Nino just smirked. “That’s why you’re the one who’s taking me on a date, Aiba-shi.”

Aiba heaved a sigh before smiling. “Well, in that case, we’re doing what I want.”

“Like what?”

“How about a food tour?”

Nino blinked. “A food tour?”

“Yes! Kyoto has excellent things to taste!” he talked bubbly as he took out his smartphone to browse what to eat. Aiba looked like an excited kid.

Nino chuckled. “As long as you’re the one who’s paying.”

“Cheapskate.”

“I’m often told that.”

“You’re weird.”

Nino snorted. “That kinda hurts to hear that from the person who does the weirdest experiments in science teaching history.”

“Excuse me, but it’s called experiential learning,” Aiba shot back. “You can’t expect students to memorize everything in the textbook. It’s not even a healthy teaching method.”

Nino gave him a skeptical look.

“The standard experiments are always according to the book,” Aiba continued without paying attention to Nino. “They give you everything, tell you what to do and even know what you’ll have in the end. But that’s not how real life works. In real life, you will not end up with a result that’s provided you by the book. I need the students to understand that and I also believe that my job is not to teach them how to mix the things but to teach them to understand the reason why science exists and why we do experiments. That they shouldn’t be afraid of doing experiments and they shouldn’t be afraid of the results,” he took a deep breath before continuing. “Yes, they should be careful about everything, but they shouldn’t be afraid. And my job is to teach them to be careful and cautious.”

Nino looked at him blinking with surprise. This was the first time he actually heard Aiba’s opinions about teaching, and with this, he was finally able to understand why Principal Sakurai and all the students loved Aiba.

“Um… Ninomiya-sensei?”

He didn’t realize he was staring until Aiba spoke. “Yes?”

“You’re staring.”

Nino cleared his throat, looking away and trying to hide his embarrassment. “I was just surprised,” he admitted with a weak voice. “Anyway, we should get going rather than wasting our precious time while standing here.”

Aiba laughed but said nothing. “Let’s go then.”

“To where?”

“Nishiki Market,” Aiba replied as he checked the maps for directions. “It says that this is Kyoto’s largest traditional food market.”

Nino pursed his lips. “Traditional food?”

“You don’t like it?”

“I will eat as long as you’re the one who’s buying,” Nino said slyly.

Aiba just shook his head as he laughed. “You’re weird.”

“That’s the third time you say this,” Nino remarked with a grin. “I’m starting to think that you like weird.”

“I guess I do,” was all Aiba murmured and Nino let it disappear in the noisy city for now.

IX.

When February came, Aiba felt it in his bones, as the phrase goes. Compared to January and any other months in general, February was one of the slowest and the most eventless months of a school year. After giving the teachers' final judgment for graduation there only was the entrance exam for the junior high students and then nothing more.

Which meant that he only had his own thoughts to face.

It was awkward. It certainly was awkward and Aiba had no intention to deny that. Since the school trip, he was overly conscious about Ninomiya-sensei and he was really having a hard time hiding it this time, assuming that he was able to hide his crush before the school trip. But really, Aiba was suspecting that even the students were starting to realize that something was going on between their science teacher and music teacher.

Aiba groaned as he let his forehead hit the dirty izakaya table. He was out drinking with Jun and the latter was starting to feel rather bothered by how helpless Aiba was.

“We all know you like Ninomiya-sensei,” Jun stated as he sipped from his beer. “We knew it for a while, actually.”

Aiba raised his head and looked at Jun with his sad puppy eyes. “Really?”

Jun was having a hard time not telling Aiba that even the students knew. “It’s not that hard to guess when you guys are dancing around each other.”

“We are not!”

Jun just raised one of his prominent eyebrows and it was enough of an answer for Aiba as he groaned.

“Why don’t you confess your feelings?” Jun suggested knowing fully well that Aiba was going to deny him. “Valentine’s Day is around the corner, you can make chocolate for him,” he suggested but couldn’t help containing his laughter as the image of Aiba making chocolate with Ohno in the kitchen wearing a frilly apron.

“You’re laughing!!” Aiba protested indignantly, well, as indignant as Aiba can be.

“Okay, sorry, it’s just too funny,” Jun continued to laugh.

“I can’t just confess him! We are working together,” Aiba whined.

“And how is that even relevant? Ohno is dating our principal,” Jun stated. “Have you ever thought about where the extras of the sweets keep going?”

Aiba blinked a few times before fully comprehending what Jun meant. “Oh my God, you are right!”

Jun smirked. “I am glad you realized that.”

“But I still just can’t confess…” Aiba whined.

“Why not?”

“Why… I just can’t…” Aiba groaned as he once again let his forehead fall onto the dirty table. “I just can’t…”

“What’s the worst that can happen?” Jun asked curiously.

“He can reject me,” was all Aiba said and Jun could imagine his sad puppy eyes even though Aiba wasn’t looking at him.

A few minutes passed as Jun downed the rest of his beer and set it onto the table. Aiba wasn’t looking at him when he heard Jun raising his voice and talking to someone else other than himself.

“You heard that, Ninomiya?”

They had been drinking for a few hours already and Aiba was slightly tipsy since the next day was Saturday. A part of Aiba was telling him that Jun must have done it to mock Aiba but he couldn’t help the reaction of his body as he raised his head again to look at Jun, only to find no one but the reason of his suffering standing there next to Jun.

“Thanks, J,” Nino told him as he sat down next to Aiba, making him scoot over.

Jun grinned. “Well then, I’ll leave him in your care for now.”

“Thanks again,” Nino smiled and they silently watched Jun getting up and leaving the small izakaya.

“You… Why?” Aiba stuttered.

Nino heaved a sigh as he leaned and grabbed Aiba’s glass, taking a sip from his beer.

“Ask me,” was what Nino told when he swallowed the beer.

“Ask you what?” Aiba was dumbfounded.

“Ask me out, you idiot.”

Aiba continued to look at Nino blankly.

“God, what’s so hard about it?” Nino whined. “We even had a date and all, Aiba-shi, come on!”

“If it’s not that hard, why don’t you ask me out?” Aiba shot back with narrowed eyes.

That silenced Nino. “Well… That’s…”

“See?!” Aiba pouted as he grabbed his beer back from Nino and gulped down the rest of it.

They stayed silent for a while, sitting side by side and letting the noises from the izakaya envelope them. Their thighs were touching and Aiba could feel the warmth that was radiating from Nino next to him. It was nice, Aiba couldn’t help but think. It was nice having Nino next to him.

“It’s good here,” Nino murmured, his voice was soft and warm. “I like it here,” he added as he leaned towards Aiba as if letting Aiba know his intentions.

Aiba hummed. He understood what Nino mean. It was good there, at that exact moment, with Nino right beside him. And Aiba liked it there too, very much, just because Nino was there, close to him.

“I think I understand it,” Aiba murmured softly too. He knew that it was hard to hear given to the fact that they were inside a noisy izakaya but he also knew that Nino heard him. How long has it been since the last time Aiba let someone in like this? He didn’t remember well. But it was okay. Nino was there and Aiba regretted nothing. He smiled at the thought of it, and let his hand sneak around Nino’s waist, pulling him closer to himself. “I really like it here too.”

Nino’s body relaxed in his arms and he asked without looking at Aiba. “Will you kiss me now?”

Aiba chuckled. “That was my plan.”

“Then why are you still not doing it?” Nino prodded further as he turned his head towards Aiba, looking right into his eyes.

Aiba caressed Nino’s cheek with his thumb before bending forward to kiss him.

Secluded by the dim lights, and protected by the shadows that were around them, they kissed. It tasted like cheap beer and something sweet. Nino’s lips were soft and his body was warm against his own as Aiba let himself close his eyes to the amazing feeling.

This was good, and Aiba didn’t want to be anywhere else.

X.

The music room was silent when Nino walked in. The window behind the grand piano was open, and he wondered who left it open. The cherry blossoms that started to bloom could be seen from the window as Nino walked towards the piano.

He smiled. It had been six months since he had started working in that school. He hadn’t been expecting things to be this fulfilling.

Nino had never wanted to be a teacher. Not even when he was taking his teaching certification. It was just a backup plan if he failed in his career as a musician.

It was hard to think about it as a career, especially when he thought about it now at the age of thirty-six. He was too young, too idealistic and maybe a stargazer. He trusted too much, too easily but thinking now, he couldn’t really hate that. Every step he took brought him there, right to this moment. To Aiba, if he had to be honest with himself.

Nino sat down on the stool in front of the piano, and he smiled unconsciously. He thought he could let himself be honest just for a few seconds, as he was alone in the music room, safe from any prying eyes. He certainly wasn’t expecting the events to turn out like this but come to think of it, it was impossible to resist the charm of Aiba Masaki.

He let his fingers dance softly on the keys, as the melody that he was most familiar with filled the air.

He had no idea how long he played when he heard a familiar voice coming from the doorway.

“Excuse me, what are you doing here? Do you have permission to be here?” Aiba asked. Nino looked up from the piano to look right into the face of the sun. Aiba was smiling. And Nino loved it when he smiled.

“I'm playing the piano,” Nino answered with a smirk on his face.

“I can see that,” Aiba answered seriously before chuckling.

“Then why are you asking me what I'm doing here?” Nino challenged.

“I'm not asking that,” Aiba exhaled, walking closer towards Nino. “Why are you here? The school is empty.”

“Now, now. You were supposed to tell me to leave since this is not a place for strangers to loiter around,” Nino chuckled. “And apparently the school isn’t empty since you’re here,” he then scooted a little on the stool to let Aiba sit. “I was just checking the cords of the piano,” he lied as he once again started playing the melody he loved.

Aiba stayed silent for a while, letting Nino play the melody.

“I remember this song,” Aiba spoke calmly as the melody softened.

“Oh?”

“It’s the same melody that you were playing when we first met,” Aiba started. “And it’s the same melody that you played when you invited me to your show.”

Nino hummed, impressed. “You have a good memory.”

“Does it have a name?”

“It doesn’t,” Nino shrugged. “It’s a song you can find anywhere.”

Aiba didn’t say anything more, as he wrapped one arm around Nino’s waist and pulled him closer.

Their kiss was soft, full of understanding. The spring breeze was carrying the scent of a new future. Nothing in the world was perfect, and this was certainly wasn’t what he dreamed when he was twenty. But this was everything he wanted and he needed.

“I love you,” Nino whispered when they broke apart.

The soft blush on Aiba’s cheeks was enough of an answer for Nino as he just pulled him into another kiss.



Some people say that perfection doesn’t exist. However, perfection wasn’t a miracle but something you can find in the nooks of the everyday.

And that moment was the plain description of perfection.