prompt 1 by rinji pt. 3

[aibamods]

LINK TO PART 1

LINK TO PART 2

It had been a long time since Aiba worn a suit. After he had quit as manager, he didn’t see the need of wearing one anymore, unless the occasion called for it. He wore a simple dark blue vest and pants, matched with a classic white dress shirt and a black tie. He also had his hair well-combed and even put hairspray on. He had prepared a lot for this special day, and he definitely made sure that all would go well.

And with just a few more months to go, Aiba would be able to accomplish his deal with Kagoshima and everything would return back to normal—the way he wanted it to be: having a hobby as his job, and having a good romantic relationship with his lover; it was a win-win situation.

It felt ironic to think that he used to despise Kagoshima when they first met. At this point, Aiba would gladly thank him for having what he had now, and for realizing what he could do to gain those things.

As always, Aiba patiently waited for Sho. Not only did he reserve a table for the two of them, but he had also requested for them to have their own room for their dinner date. Aiba wanted his night with Sho to be well-spent, and to be well-focused on each other. He could gain all this at an affordable price, since he would come to this Italian restaurant frequently back then with his young idols. In fact, the whole staff still remembered his name and that alone felt reassuring.

The door opened and a waitress entered the room. “Aiba-san, your guest has arrived.” She told him.

Aiba rose up from his seat, and then came in Sho, who gazed upon the whole room in awe. His eyes seemed to be particularly fixated at the chandelier above them. And Aiba couldn’t help but smile as Sho finally had his eyes on him.

Before leaving, the waitress offered to remove Sho’s coat, but Sho declined politely. Sho then stripped it off himself and put it on the coat rack nearby the door. “You really have outdone yourself this time, Masaki.” He said as he approached him.

Aiba chuckled. “Of course, I have. Just like you said before, I’m a man full of surprises.”

Sho laughed at the reference. “Indeed, you are.”

Aiba went to pull over a chair and gestured Sho to sit down, and Sho followed. As Aiba went back to his seat, a group of waiters and waitresses came inside, carrying trays of delicacies and gracefully placed them all on their table. “I didn’t know what you might like, so I ordered pretty much one of everything.” Aiba said. “But I assure you that they all taste good.”

“How thoughtful.”

One of the waiters approached them with two champagne glasses in one hand and the champagne bottle in the other. He gave the two their glasses and poured in their drink. He placed the bottle in the middle of the table and left the room along with the others.

“Shall we have a toast?” Aiba raised his glass.

“Of course,” Sho said with a smile and clanked their glasses. “Cheers.” They said simultaneously and took a sip.

Sho began to try out all the food by taking every bit of each kind in his plate. It was amusing for Aiba to see Sho’s facial expressions change every time while tasting the different flavors and textures which blend in together. “The pasta’s really good, don’t you think?” Aiba said.

“I don’t know; I like all of them.” Sho said, licking his fork.

Aiba laughed. “I’m glad you do.”

While Sho was occupied in finishing his meal, Aiba had to chew slowly for he was beginning to lose his appetite. He put his utensils on his plate and drank from his glass of champagne, hoping it would lighten himself up. He was supposed to be enjoying this night; Aiba had thought he would, but there was this empty feeling that left him unsatisfied, as if something crucial were missing. Aiba could only watch Sho, who was unaware of his sorrowful gaze.

<i>“So, you’ll just keep lying until you can’t lie anymore then?”</i>

Aiba put his hand over his forehead, with his elbow resting against the table. Jun’s voice kept on coming back to haunt him since then, and it had made him restless.

As he had finished eating, Sho wiped his mouth with a tissue and let out a blissful sigh.

“You stuffed?” Aiba said, and Sho nodded in response.

Sho took his glass and leaned back on his chair. He had lowered his gaze to his champagne, which swayed as his spun the glass in his hand. Then, all of a sudden, Sho began to chuckle.

Aiba flicked his eyes towards him. “What?”

Sho looked at him with wide eyes and, seeming to have realized Aiba had heard him, shook his head. “Oh, nothing,” He said. “I just thought of something funny…”

“Care to tell me about it?”

Sho twisted his lips and hummed. “Well,” He said. “Who would’ve known, right? That it’d be you and me, in the end.”

Aiba chuckled. “Does it feel strange just thinking about it?”

“No. It somehow feels like a dream.”

“Well, it’s a dream coming true for me.”

Sho laughed. “Really?” He said. “If you say so, then, I’m glad.”

Touched by Sho’s words, Aiba simply smiled.

Sho leaned over, bringing his face to rest on his hands. He had a look in his eyes that bewildered Aiba greatly, and Aiba could not point out why. It was as if Sho knew something that he had failed to recognize. “I’m happy that I got to meet you again, Masaki.” Sho said with a gentle smile which Aiba found to be painful to look at.

Aiba knew he didn’t deserve it. A selfish, lying coward like himself shouldn’t be having such adoration from a man whom he idolized very much.

“Masaki, there’s something I’ve wanted to tell you…” Sho said, out of the blue.

At that moment, Aiba was all ears on what Sho had to say…

Suddenly, they heard a bang. The two of them flinched and looked towards the door, which was now widely opened. From afar, Aiba immediately recognized who it was, even if he had his eyes concealed with those dark tinted shades. “Hey there, sorry for intruding,” Nino said casually as he barged in the room. “Hope you don’t mind.”

“Nino?” Sho said. “What on earth are you doing here?”

“I just want to join in this lovely party you’re having.”

“Impossible,” Aiba said with panic in his eyes. “Even if you tried following us, how were you able to get past the—“ The words died in Aiba’s throat as he spotted Ohno by the doorway. “Ohno-san?”

Ohno opened his mouth to say something, though no voice came out. But Aiba assumed that it was a ‘sorry’.

“Seriously, you two have been spying on us this whole time?” Sho exclaimed.

“I’ll explain further later on.” Nino said. “But, first…” He then looked towards Aiba. “I’ll give you a chance to tell Sho your secret, and if not, I’ll be the one to tell him instead.”

“What secret?” Sho’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Come on, Aiba, are you gonna tell him or not?” Nino pushed him.

Aiba looked down to his knees and shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Playing dumb, huh?” Nino smirked and sighed. “I guess I have no choice then. Now that’s settled, let’s have a pop quiz. Tell me, Sho, what is the name of the magazine that you read every week?”

“Mikadzuki Magazine.” Sho said. “Why are you asking all of a sudden?”

“Ah, yes, Mikadzuki Magazine.” Nino said, ignoring the question. “And the reason you bought this magazine is because you appreciate their horoscope readings the most, is that correct?”

Sho flushed and was fuming. “Nino, stop this nonsense at once.” He said.

“Yes or no, answer me.”

Sho groaned.

“Fine, don’t answer. Anyway, since you love their readings so much, surely you know the name of the author of that section right? What’s their name?”

“What the heck does this have to do with anything?”

“Well, don’t you think the pen name, Hoshino Nick, is kinda interesting?” Nino said. “I mean, <i>hoshi</i> means star, of course. But, ‘Nick’ I thought at first was a weird choice. But then, I remembered the name ‘Nick’ is often associated with Saint Nicholas, who was the inspiration for Santa Claus… Speaking of which, Aiba-san, your birthday is on December 24, which is Christmas Eve, correct?”

Aiba glared up at him, but Nino’s mocking grin was unfazed by it. “Yes.” Aiba said, his voice being nearly a whisper.

“It sure is nice to have your birthday on such a special day.” Nino remarked. “I’m sure you receive a lot of gifts during that day, huh?”

“Not really.”

“I see. Do you have any hobbies?”

“Of course; everyone does.” He mumbled.

“And among those hobbies—is one of them writing, Aiba-san?”

Aiba felt his heart sank at once. He wanted to run away, he wanted to escape from the mess which he created.

“I heard that you’re a really good and convincing writer, Aiba-san. I mean, your boss did tell me so.” Nino said. “After all, since you had quit being a manager and went to do full-time writing, you’ve been giving it your all, haven’t you? Your boss, Kagoshima-san, told me that you were desperate for taking such a job, he even made a deal with you.”

Aiba buried his face in his hands. The gravity was too great for him to resist and was dragging him nearer to the edge of his downfall. “Stop it, please…” Aiba pleaded.

“He said that if your article’s reception goes well, he’ll gladly give you a promotion. Might I ask, Aiba-san, what is that you are currently writing about?”

“Will you shut it?” Aiba exclaimed and slammed his fists on the table. Nino looked at him with an intense gaze similar to his. While heavily breathing, Aiba looked around and found the other two staring back at him, with eyes wide due to the shock of his sudden rage.

“I have one last question for you, Aiba-san.” Nino said.

“No! No more questions!” Aiba cried out. “I don’t want to hear a single word from you! Don’t you even dare to open that filthy mouth of yours!” He then gritted his teeth.

“Oh, Aiba-san,” Nino chuckled. “I believe your hands are much filthier than my mouth, both literally and figuratively if I must say.”

“What do you want from me?”

“What I want from you?” Nino asked. “Heck, what I want from you is what everyone else wants, Aiba-san!” He blew out.

“Nino,” Ohno went towards him. “That’s enough already.”

“No!” Nino whirled around. “It’s not enough! Not until this bastard tells the whole truth!”

“Listen to me, Kazunari!” Ohno said with a stern voice. “What you’re doing…” He shook his head. “It’s not worth it. Not anymore.” Ohno’s gaze went to Sho, who remained sitting on his chair, still shaken by everything that had happened earlier. “Whatever we do is going to hurt Sho, either way.”

As he found Ohno’s gaze now looking toward him, Aiba froze. “You need to tell him, Masaki.” He said. Aiba’s eyes started to well up with tears and let out a sigh.

“Say it.” Nino muttered, but Aiba shook his head. “Come on, say it already!” Nino cried. “Admit that you’re that horoscope writer, Hoshino Nick! That you were the one who wrote all those fake horoscope readings just so you can have Sho all to yourself! Just say it, dammit!”

“Alright, I’ll admit it!” Aiba said. “I did it!” All at once, Aiba felt his chest had gotten lighter with every breath he took. “I wrote the horoscopes for Mikadzuki magazine under the name Hoshino Nick. I did it…” He then turned to Sho.

“The readings I did for Aquarius were all fake.” He said. “I’ve always wanted to be closer to you since high school. I just wanted you to love me, to think of me—to think that it would be no one else but me, because we were never compatible from the very start. I’m sorry that I had to do it this way; I shouldn’t have thought of using the horoscopes just for me to reach you. I should’ve just gone with the flow and let things happen naturally, but I didn’t, because I was afraid that you wouldn’t feel the same way. I’m sorry, Sho-chan…”

Aiba sniffed and let his soaked cheeks dry up while staring at the man in front of him. Sho sat there and stared at him in silence. His piercing gaze felt cold and hollow, but it was Sho’s blank expression which horrified Aiba more. Aiba, Nino and Ohno waited for Sho to say something—anything, but it looked like he had fully embraced his quiet state.

Sho stood up and quickly drank the rest of his champagne all at once. He let down the glass gently onto the table and left the room.

Nino attempted to run after Sho, but Ohno grabbed his arm and held him back. “Just let him be,” Ohno said. “Following him won’t be of any help for anyone.” Despite those words, Aiba had other plans in mind. Aiba jumped from his seat and sprinted out of the room, while ignoring Ohno’s pleads.

Aiba rushed out of the restaurant, circling in place to try and find where Sho went. As soon as he found the glimpse of Sho’s coat from afar, he went after him. “Sho-chan!” Aiba yelled. Sho kept walking at a steady pace; he didn’t ever bother to walk faster as Aiba neared him. “Sho-chan, please! Don’t leave me!” He said. “I didn’t mean to hurt you… Please, forgive me!”

Sho stopped on his tracks, and Aiba had followed suit. “Forgive you?” Sho said, with his back still facing Aiba. “You think I could forgive you after making a fool out of me? You’re despicable.”

Aiba sobbed. “I know it’s too much for me to ask you that. I know that very well. Nevertheless, I still love you, Sho-chan.”

Sho briefly chuckled. “You say you love me, but you used me just to get a promotion.”

“What? No.” Aiba shook his head. “That’s not true!”

“Either way, you got what you wanted.” He said. “Anyway, it was fun while it lasted. All the talks, the trips we had… the sex too.” Aiba then heard him smirk.

“You,” Aiba said. “You said back there that you had something to say, what was it?”

Sho shrugged his shoulders. “Does it even matter?”

Aiba began to sob again. “Please…” He whined. “Please, tell me!”

Sho sighed. “You know what? How about you do me a favor and get out of my sight?”

Aiba buried his face with his hands and wailed loudly like a baby. He listened to Sho’s footsteps move further away from him until he heard them no more…

Aiba gasped as he went up the stairs of the apartment. His face was all red and his eyes were swollen from crying too much earlier. As he walked to the door in front of him, Aiba leaned his head against its cold surface. As he knocked on the door, Aiba started crying again. Other than the fact that it was already late at night, he was crying because he knew the person on the other side wouldn’t let him in, because that person told him many times to stop himself from making such a stupid decision, but he didn’t listen. And just like <i>he</i> had expected, Aiba was now in great pain. Aiba needed comfort; he needed the warm and gentle hands which gave him strength countless times.

“Please, open the door.” Aiba pleaded. “Please!”

A click was heard and as Aiba quickly retreated from it, the door opened. “Aiba?” Jun uttered, surprised by his presence.

Aiba quickly held onto him and hugged him while crying. “I’m sorry,” Aiba said. “I should’ve listened to you, I should’ve… “He started coughing, and Jun began to pat his back.

“It’s alright.” Jun said. “I’m here; I’m right here…You know I’ll never leave you.”

Aiba raised his head from Jun’s shoulder and looked at him in the eye. Jun then wiped his tears with his fingers, and Aiba had felt relief the moment he did that. What Aiba didn’t realize was that Jun’s gaze had given off a different vibe, and when he noticed, it was too late. Jun’s hands had found its way to his collar and pulled Aiba in for a kiss.

Aiba quickly pulled himself away and distanced himself from Jun, who stared at him wide-eyed. As Aiba wiped his mouth, he recognized the familiar taste from Jun’s lips. “<i>Sake</i>?” He said. “Jun, are you drunk?”

The younger man began to laugh all of a sudden. His laughter, which was light and cheery at first, had gradually turned dull until he ended up crying. “I just thought that you’d finally give me a chance, for once… I’m sorry.” He said.

“So, all this time you…” Aiba paused and tried to recall carefully each moment he had with Jun; he remembered each coffee and each meal Jun made, and finally, he remembered the <i>bento</i> which Jun made for him, in which his colleagues back then would claim how jealous they were for how extravagant it was. It was only then that it had hit him about how much his friend actually cared for him, to the point of falling in love with him.

“I’m sorry…” Jun repeated over and over.

Although he didn’t feel the same way, Aiba embraces him tightly and pat his back, the same way Jun does to him. “I’m sorry too.” Aiba said, and they remained there at that spot until daylight shone upon them…

Sho sat on the bench with his head hanging low. Throughout the whole day, Sho had to conceal his inner sadness since he didn’t want his feelings to meddle with his work. He wanted to be as professional as possible before his students and his colleagues. But as hours have passed, Sho had grew sullener and had retreated himself to the school garden where he could have some peace and contemplated everything about his relationship with Aiba. He was still in shock to think that Aiba had deceived him from the start. He looked at his pink bracelet, staring at it longingly. He still wasn’t ready let go of it, not even after all that chaos.

Sho heard the rustling of grass approaching him and growing louder. He didn’t bother to look at the person directly; he knew who it was after all. Sho knew him well enough to recognize him. “What do you want, Nino?” Sho said.

The younger man fidgeted. “Nothing,” He said. “I’m not here for anything.”

“Liar, you’re here to nag me.”

“No, I’m not.” Nino shook his head. “After what happened yesterday, I’m too tired to do that.”

“Nino, please, just leave me alone.” Sho stood up and began to walk away but Nino grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him back.

“Sho, wait!” He said. “I’m really sorry that I ruined your date. I didn’t have any control of myself that time; I even had to drink a bit of wine to pull that off.” Nino then let go his arm.

Sho sighed. “It’s fine.” He said. “In fact, I should be the one apologizing to you for the last time we fought.”

“Apology accepted.” Nino said. “Anyways, you’re going to forget that Aiba Masaki in no time. I’m sure of that.”

Sho twisted his lips. “That’s easier said than done.”

Nino chuckled. “Don’t worry, Sho, you’ll meet better men out there. I mean, Aiba’s just another guy…”

“He’s not just another guy!” Sho snapped.

“Woah,” Nino stepped back. “Geez, what the heck’s with you? Are you that crazy about him?”

Sho narrowed his eyes at Nino. “You really don’t get it, do you?”

Nino’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“You really wanna know why I’m so crazy about that Aiba Masaki guy?” Sho said and went to loom over Nino. “For my whole high school life, I’d go to the school library every single freaking day for just one guy! I never went there to study; I only went there because he was there! Yes, I admit, I’m <i>that</i> desperate! Happy?”

Nino’s eyes had wavered. “I-I’m sorry,” His voice trembled. “I didn’t know. You never told me…”

“The horoscopes too, I didn’t believe them.” Tears started to well up in Sho’s eyes. “But he said it was good. That’s why, I believed.” He then wiped away his tears. “I have to go. My next class is starting soon.” He then forced his way through, with their shoulders bumping against each other, and walked away...

***

Aiba etched the smooth felt paper with the sticky oil pastel in his hand. As he dragged the oil pastel across the paper, it broke in half and Aiba couldn’t help but curse. The old lady, who seemed to be in her early 60s, and was his desk mate, stared at him and Aiba immediately bowed his head. “Sorry.” He said and returned his gaze to the bowl of fruits in the middle of the room.

After quitting his job as a horoscope writer, Aiba struggled to find a more decent job which suited his standards. And because he had to maintain his health, jobs which required long working hours and extreme physical work were no good. To Aiba, it seemed that all hope was lost, until he remembered the Essence shop where he bought the astrology books. He remembered how drawn he was to the place, and to the woman who handled it. He noticed how empty the shop had felt, even with the many beautiful objects displayed around. So, he came back and he never thought he would again wind up as a manager—an assistant, rather.

The doors to the tatami room opened and the eccentric woman of the shop, whose name turned out to be ‘Becky’, went in with the same alluring smile on her face. “Hello, I’m back,” She said, cheerfully. “I can’t wait to see everyone’s progress so far!”

Being an assistant in the shop meant that Aiba had to attend all workshops and events that they held every week. Although Aiba wasn’t bothered by such task, he still found it frustrating to do things he was never good at in the first place. “That’s very nice work, Aiba-san.” Becky said. “I like your style.”

Aiba’s face twisted as he looked at the scribbles he made on the paper. “This is way too far from nice, Becky-san.”

“Ah, but you got the tones and shadows very well.” She said and patted his shoulder. “Just practice and in time, you’ll get better at it.” Becky then began to go around again and look at the works of others. Aiba went back to continue drawing until time had run out.

As the workshop had ended and all the participants had left, Aiba and Becky began to clean up the area. Becky slid open the doors leading to the veranda. “Phew, it sure is hot today, don’t you think?”

“Indeed.” Aiba replied.

“Well, it is summer after all.”

<i>Summer…</i> The word resonated in Aiba’s mind, and suddenly, he was transported back to the time where he and Sho were inside the dark dome, looking at the stars—they were artificial stars, but they treated them as if they were the real thing.

<i>“That would be fun actually, going to your hometown. Maybe during summer vacation, we could go.”</i>

Aiba could imagine how it would be if they did, but such a thing would remain only a fantasy. It had already been months since Sho broke up with him, and the scars still haven’t healed. In fact, Aiba still wore the green bracelet around his wrist. He was about to put it away once he started working in the shop, but Becky persuaded him to keep it.

The bracelet turned out to be made of apatite. He still remembered the look of her panicked face as she explained the reasons why it would be better to keep wearing it, and Aiba, although convinced, was caught off guard. He wondered what Sho’s bracelet is made out of. It wasn’t specified when he bought it for him that day, and it was such a shame, since he’d surely never get to see Sho again…

“Well then,” Becky whirled around and grinned. “Shall we have our lunch, Aiba-san?”

Aiba gave a nod. “Sure.”

The evening had gone quiet and Jun had turned off the lights in the café and prepared to close after a long day of working, another day in which Aiba didn’t show up at the café. He was well-aware that because of Aiba’s new job, their meetings have lessened. Aiba did still treat him as his friend, but there were things between them that drastically changed. The witty humor and the deep conversations they exchanged were gone and were replaced with awkwardness and silence. Jun didn’t even go to Aiba’s apartment anymore.

Aiba never talked to Jun about the kiss. Although his memory of it was a blur, Jun still remembered feeling the rush of emotion that overcame him during that moment. Each day was burdensome for Jun; his feelings for Aiba may have tamed, but he longed to see Aiba walk in the café to talk out some problems or to simply talk about how they’ve been doing, that alone would make Jun happy.

Jun walked out of the café and was searching his pocket for his keys. As he was about to lock the doors, Jun spotted familiar figures from a distance. Jun, unfazed, stared at the two men approaching him. Nino no longer had that horrifying black eye of his, and had brought Ohno along with him, much to Jun’s surprise. To think he would see Ohno again like this, compared to the day Aiba had introduced Ohno to him, felt ironic.

Nino went up to Jun first. “I hate you.” He said, nonchalantly.

“I hate you too.” Jun replied.

“At least we finally agree on something.”

Jun left Nino’s gaze and went to look at Ohno. “So, what brings you two here at this hour?”

“I think you already know the answer to that.” He said.

With that, Jun revived the café again. After turning on the light, he led the two of them to gather around one of the tables. They each took a chair and sat down. “Well, this sucks.” Nino tried to break the ice.

“Just go straight to the point.” Jun said.

Nino gazed at Ohno and the oldest among them began speaking. “Well,” He said. “Sho-kun hasn’t been himself since they broke up. He’s become…very distant to us.”

Jun furrowed his eyebrows. “Alright, what does this have to do with me then? Isn’t this a problem between the three of you?”

“You are correct.” Ohno said. “But, you see, what Nino and I thought of was that, with your help, we can figure out a way to bring Aiba and Sho back together again.”

“No, no way. Bringing them back together?” Jun scoffed. “What’s this, some kind of lousy romance movie? This isn’t something that can be fixed that quickly.”

“You got a better idea then?” Nino argued.

“Whether I have one or not, it’s still a bad idea!” Jun said. “I mean, how exactly do we bring them together? Aiba surely hasn’t moved on, and I don’t think he plans to do that either. But, what about Sakurai-san? Didn’t he say he wanted Aiba out of his sight? Nothing’s going to happen if we just force them to meet up.”

Nino twisted his lips. “Well, from what I know…” He said. “Sho loves him very much, for a very long time, much longer than both of you did.”

Jun and Ohno shot weird looks at Nino, trying to comprehend what he had said.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Sho and Aiba need each other.” He said. “Once they broke up, the Sho I knew was gone, or maybe, I never actually knew the real Sho. I don’t know! Whatever it is, my relationship with him is not the same anymore!” Nino slumped on his seat. “It turns out that I was just as selfish as that stupid Aiba…and I hate it.” He buried his face into his hands and groaned. “I’m sorry.” He said. “I’m sorry that I made fun of you for liking Aiba, and for saying bad stuff about you.”

Jun set his gaze upon Nino and sighed. “I’m sorry too.” Jun said and bit his lip. “I… I shouldn’t have punched you either. It was wrong for me to do that. And you were right about me anyway.”

Nino lifted up his head and eyed at him.

Jun’s vision started to blur because of the tears. “I thought one day Aiba would finally see me as more than a friend, but I was wrong…” He huffed and shook his head. “I was no match for anyone he liked, not even you, Ohno-san.”

Ohno, who was surprised to hear his name, flicked up his gaze to Jun. “I was never kind to you since the day Aiba introduce you to me.” Jun said. “I’m really sorry.”

“For some reason, I knew.” Ohno said with a nod. “I’ve always known that.” He then gave a tender smile. “And it’s okay.”

Jun briefly smiled as his inner burdens having been lifted. He looked back at Nino, this time, with a determined gaze. “What you said earlier,” Jun said. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

Nino sighed. “Well, it turns out, Sho loves Aiba too much that he couldn’t bear to forget him. So, if we’re not too late, they might still have a chance…”

The three then exchanged looks, although not a word was uttered, they completely understood. “Alright then,” Ohno said. “Let’s make ourselves a romance movie.”

***

Today was surely going to be busy for Aiba. It turned out that Becky’s family had come to visit her from their hometown and would be staying for the rest of the month in the shop. As an assistant, it would mean that all responsibility of the shop would fall unto Aiba, since Becky would be occupied with her parents and, especially, her grandmother, who appeared to be senile with those glassy eyes of hers that stared into the distance. Her thin and bony legs were of no use either; her whole body was attached and dependent to the wheelchair she was sitting on.

Aiba tried to refrain from staring while he was sweeping the floor. For some reason, he was rather tensed by the old lady’s presence. Becky and her parents were in the tatami room on the 2nd floor, and so Aiba was left alone with her grandmother. She barely moved at all and didn’t even blink to the point that Aiba wouldn’t be able to tell if she were still alive at that very moment. Aiba shook his head for he realized he was staring again. He turned away and went back to focus on cleaning.

“Is something troubling you, my dear?” Aiba heard a very frail and high-pitched voice in the room.

Aiba whirled around towards the entrance, thinking it was someone else, but he saw no one but the old lady on the wheelchair. Although he was still in doubt, Aiba approached the old lady and, as he looked closely, he realized that the old lady’s foggy eyes were fixated at him. “A-Are you referring to me?” Aiba blurted out, pointing at himself.

“Of course,” she said, with her lips trembling. “Who else am I talking to here?”

It all felt too surreal for Aiba to see the wrinkly old woman speaking to him. “Well, yes…” Aiba replied to her earlier question. “There is.”

“Would you mind telling me then?”

Hesitant, Aiba clenched the broomstick in his hand tightly. “Well,” Aiba began speaking. “There’s this person who I really admired for a long time and eventually fell in love with, but he—I mean…”

“It’s alright.” She said, reassuring him. “Don’t be shy.”

Aiba nodded. “…He and I weren’t compatible.” He said. “I wanted him to be much closer to him, and so I lied a lot, about myself, about everything to me. I became selfish. In the end, he found out and I let him down. I guess he and I were never meant to be together.”

The old lady let out a chuckle. “I understand how you feel.” She said. “I remember the time when my husband and I were newlyweds. We would always fight; it was terrible! I had even thought of divorcing him.” The sternness in her voice was clear and sound. The words as Aiba listened were heart wrenching and full of spite; however, it was the look of sadness which filled her eyes. “But it was only me who understood him well.” She then said. “And it was the same for him towards me as well, so we simply set our differences aside and worked it out. In the end, we had a beautiful family.” She smiled faintly. “Such a shame that he never got to see Becky grow up to be a fine lady.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Aiba said and put his palm over her fragile hands.

“Just because you aren’t suited for that person, doesn’t mean it’s impossible for the two of you to be together.” She said. “After all, why should that stop you? It’s your take on it that matters; it’s still you who decides your fate…”

Aiba wanted to say something but the words failed to come out for he heard footsteps suddenly approaching.

“Grandma!” Becky said. “Did we make you wait too long?”

“Oh, not at all, my dear.” She said. “Your kind assistant here has been keeping me company.”

Becky then chuckled. “Is that so? I’m glad.” She said and took hold of the wheelchair. “Come on; let’s take you to your room.”

Aiba simply watched the two of them, along with Becky’s parents, walk into the hallway. As soon as they were out of sight, Aiba sighed. The old lady’s words were engraved into his mind. As he gazed upon the bracelet on his wrist, the longing which drove him back then had been revived and was even stronger than before. He couldn’t refrain from holding back his feelings any longer. He needed to see Sho one more time; even if it meant that it would be the last time he’ll ever get that chance.

Aiba was about to go after Becky to ask if he could leave for a while, but he heard the door to the shop open. He turned around and was ready to greet the customer, but he only gaped as he found Jun in front of his very eyes. “Jun?” Aiba exclaimed. “What are you—“

“You still love him right?” He said and approached him. “Answer me. Do you still love Sho?”

Aiba stared at him for a moment before having the courage to answer. “I do.” He said.

Jun looked up towards the ceiling for his eyes had begun to water. Aiba watched Jun breathe in and let out a sigh. “Alright,” Jun said, looking directly at him with a smile. “That’s alright for me.”

Aiba then smiled back and the two of them hugged. “I’ve always took you for granted, haven’t I?” Aiba said, as he had felt Jun’s tears drip down onto his shoulders. Jun raised his head and wiped his tears with a chuckle.

“Thank you, for everything.” Aiba said.

“You’re welcome, as always.”

“Bye, Sakurai-sensei!”

“Goodbye, enjoy your summer.”

Finally, the last student had left the classroom and a gloom came over Sho’s face at once. He silently watched the golden rays of the sun flood in and hit the metal legs of the empty tables and chairs which glistened against the bright light. If it weren’t for light warming up his skin, Sho wouldn’t have realized that he had been staring mindlessly to the point he almost dozed off right there and then. He looked at the test papers he held in his hands and sighed.

In the end, nothing had changed, no matter how much time passed. And Sho knew that, surely, the next school year, and the year after that, would have the same outcome as well, in which he would have to bear the seething pain in his heart.

“Sakurai?” Sho’s gaze followed the source of the voice and found Ohno standing in front of the doorway.

“Ohno-san…” Sho stood up from his seat.

Ohno then bowed his head and approached him. “It’s been a while since we last talked.” He said. “How are you?”

“I’m alright.” He said with a smile. “Thank you for your concern.”

Ohno smiled back at him but it was short-lived. “Nino told me everything about you and Aiba.” He said, averting his eyes.

Merely mentioning Aiba’s name had struck Sho with an ache within his chest.

“It’s quite nice, actually, that you and Aiba went to high school together.” Ohno remarked. “I’d say you’re luckier than me.”

“Lucky?” Sho’s face crumpled. “What do you mean?”

Ohno clicked his tongue. “You see, a few years ago, Aiba and I met during a photoshoot for a magazine.” He said. “I was the photographer, and the idol Aiba was working for back then was the model.”

Ohno then gave a laugh. “It was my first major project and I was so nervous. It was a really hectic day for me; a day when nothing went right, in short. At one moment, I thought that I should quit immediately after that. But then…” He sighed and looked up, and his eyes were shining with affection. “Aiba had such a beautiful smile. He was very considerate of me and encouraged me throughout that day. And just like that, I fell in love.”

Sho stared at Ohno, speechless by his story.

“But looking back, I realized I never got to know him.” Ohno continued. “I didn’t even know that he liked books and stuff. I only fell in love with the Aiba who helped me that day. But you, Sho, you were special.” He said and smiled. “You loved Aiba just as the man he is.”

Realizing Ohno had finished, Sho let out a chuckle. “It’s funny, to think that I’ve held it in for so long…” Sho suddenly felt a lump in his throat while saying that.

“I’m happy for you.” Ohno said. “And, Nino is happy for you as well.”

Sho flicked his gaze toward Ohno and gave a puzzled look. “Eh?”

“I’ll be leaving now.” He said and turned away from him. “Goodbye, Sho-kun.”

The moment he lost sight of Ohno, Sho had a rush of panic go through him. There was something about Ohno’s gaze that didn’t feel right. A lot of thoughts kept popping out: was Ohno going to leave the school? Or was it Nino, whom he had hurt a few times recently? Or maybe worse, he’ll lose both of his friends… “Ohno, wait!” He ran after him.

Sho sprint along the empty hallway, looking everywhere to find Ohno’s current whereabouts. For some reason, Sho’s feet slipped and he fell onto the floor. Sho groaned as he forced himself to stand on his feet. He looked to his side and found that the door to the library was left open. He went to the doorway to take a peek inside, hoping to find Ohno, but he wasn’t there. Sho sighed and was about to leave, but he was forcefully pushed in and he was once again on his knees. Sho turned and found Nino by the door.

“Nino?” Sho exclaimed. “What the heck!”

“I’m sorry.” Nino said. “But you’ll probably thank me later.”

Nino then quickly shut the door and as he heard the door lock click, Sho started to spew out his anger…

“Nino, what the heck’s gotten into you?” Aiba heard Sho yelling out.

Hiding behind one of the bookshelves, Aiba tightly wrapped his arms around his legs while he listened to Sho meltdown across the room.

“Nino!” He heard Sho banging his fist on the door countless times. “Nino, this isn’t funny, unlock this door right now!”

Sho started to scream in desperation and Aiba shut his eyes, letting the sound of his voice echo through his ears, until it died out. Aiba opened his eyes and peered, thinking that Sho had already calmed down. Sho had his head leaning against the door, with his hands sliding off the surface.

Aiba stood up and slowly walked out of his hideout. He tried his best to be light on his feet, fearing the worst from the hot-headed Sho.

“You,” Sho said. “You’re the one who planned all of this?”

Aiba shook his head. “Jun and the others made me come here.”

“I don’t care.” Sho crossed his arms and turned his back on him. “Whatever your reason is, I’m not buying it. Alright?”

Aiba looked down to his feet. “I’m sorry.”

“You writing fake horoscopes just to influence me. Bet you’re happy that you got your promotion, huh?”

“I don’t work for that magazine anymore.” Aiba said. “I quit a few months ago as soon as my contract was finished. After you found out, I couldn’t bear to write knowing what I did was wrong.”

“Oh, wow, I’m touched.” Sho said, sarcastically. The teacher then faced towards him again. “Did you really think that everything will go your way?” He smirked. “That everything would just revolve around you for your own personal gain?”

“No…”

“Pathetic.”

Sho’s words pierced through him and Aiba couldn’t help but sigh. He had brought himself into this position, and he had no right to either complain or defend himself now. Even so, Aiba wanted to reach out to Sho with all his might, to be able to bridge that gap between them. At this point, he didn’t care about anything anymore, not even those damned horoscopes. “You have all the reasons to hate me, and that’s fine.” Aiba said. “I won’t force you to think otherwise, but I just wanted you to know that I’ll still love you.”

Sho twisted his lips. “Flowery words aren’t going to change my mind.”

“Sho, please…”

“You think you can get away with that victim mentality of yours? Gosh, you make me sick!”

“Come on, please,” Aiba went closer to him and proceeded to get hold of Sho’s shoulder. “If you would just listen—“

Sho quickly brushed it off. “Don’t touch me!” He shouted. “You’re disgusting! Stop playing with my feelings!”

“Sho, listen to me!” Aiba put his hands on the sides of Sho’s face, and, at once, the tears started to fall. “Just this once, please…”

Sho then sobbed. “What do you want from me?”

“Just you.” Aiba said, sliding his hands to Sho’s shoulders. “That’s all I want.”

Sho’s face wrinkled. “I hate you.” Sho lightly pounded his fists onto Aiba’s chest. “I hate you so much, you stupid idiot!”

“I’m used to being called that.” Aiba remarked.

“But you are!” He cried out with his face down. “Because you never noticed how much I liked you back then…”

“What?” Aiba widened his eyes.

Sho rested his face against Aiba’s chest, sniffing and weeping. Aiba then took him for an embrace, but Sho’s cries kept getting louder and louder. “Hey, easy there…” Aiba placed a kiss on the top of Sho’s head. Sho lifted up his head and his face was soaked and flushed. “Since when?” Aiba asked. “Since when did you—“

“7th grade.” Sho said.

“Eh? But you and I weren’t in the same class that year.”

“It was during P.E. class; I tripped during a game and my knee was bleeding very badly. During that moment, you happened to pass by and the teacher called you to help me out. So you took me to the clinic, but the doctor and nurse were out that time. You could’ve left me right there and then, but instead you took care of me and stayed until they came back…” He gasped and began to wipe the tears off his face. “That’s why,” He said. “When I found out you’d go to the library to read books, I—“

Aiba cut him off with a kiss; he’d heard enough of Sho’s rambling. From now on, Aiba just wanted make it all up to him and return the favor for repressing all those emotions for so many years. As he pulled back, Aiba beamed. “I love you too, Sho-chan.” He said.

Sho gaped at him for a while, until the tears welled up in his eyes again. “Masaki…”

They were about to kiss again, but a clicking sound from behind had caught them off guard. They turned around and found Nino and Ohno watching them with all smiles. The door slightly opened and Nino’s phone was peeking out through the gap.

Left hanging, Aiba watched as Sho’s face started to crumple again and stomped towards the door. “Ninomiya!”

The rushing water crashed and seeped into the dry sand, with the sound of its rhythm being music to Aiba’s ears. A cool breeze suddenly passed through and prickled Aiba’s sun kissed skin, forcing him to open his eyes and find the blazing sun shining over him again. Aiba shielded his face with his towel and tried to doze off again. However, he heard footsteps approaching him and by the time he felt a tap on his shoulder, Aiba quickly removed the towel. Sho loomed over him, offering him a bottle of chilled water.

“Can’t handle the heat?” Sho smirked.

Aiba sat up from his seat and took the bottle. “Thanks.” He said and proceeded to drink. “I didn’t expect it would be this hot in Chiba this year.”

“It’s alright.” Sho said. “You sure you don’t want to go fishing with the other three?”

“No.” Aiba shook his head. “Maybe I’ll do it later.”

“Okay,” Sho nodded. “I’ll do fishing later too then.” He then went to kiss him on the cheek, causing Aiba’s lips to twist into a smile.

“Aww, how sweet.” They heard a squeal from behind.

Aiba groaned. “Becky…” He glared at her.

“What? You guys are cute.” She said and grinned. “So, this is the Sakurai Sho you were talking about, huh?”

“Yes. It’s nice to meet you, Becky-san.” Sho bowed his head.

“You too! Oooh, such a pretty thing!” She pointed out to the pink bracelet Sho was wearing. “Could I take a closer look?”

Sho shot a weird look at her, but he followed suit anyway.

“Oh, wow.” She said as she touched the bracelet with her fingertips. “It’s an actual rose quartz bracelet!”

“Rose quartz?” Aiba raised a brow.

“Yup, rose quartz represents love; it’s good for maintaining and restoring relationships, both platonic and romantic.” She remarked. “You should keep wearing it.” She said to Sho.

Sho slowly nodded. “Alright, I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Anyway, I got to go; my family’s waiting back at the beach house. See you all later!” She said, waving her hand, and walked away.

Aiba then chuckled. “She sure is strange, isn’t she?” He said, turning to Sho, only to find the man staring at the bracelet on his wrist.

“You know,” Sho said. “Ever since you gave this to me, I never took it off. Not even when we broke up.”

Aiba blinked. “So, are you saying that, maybe…?”

Sho looked towards him. “Could it be?”

The two of them simply looked at each other with meaningful gazes full of wonder, until they burst out laughing.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you so much for writing this beautiful Sakuraiba fic. I loved how you started it from the fact that Sho and Aiba shouldn't be compatible based on their signs and that's what makes Aiba desperate enough to make up Sho's horoscope. I found the story very sweet, especially when Aiba brought Sho to the planetarium to show him the constellations. I also love the "mystery" parts of the fic, like Becky's weird character and the bracelets. Thank you so much and a happy new year.