Gift fic for piggywhale

[aibamods]

Title: Cursed
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 7000++
Pairing: Sakuraiba, Junba, (tiny) Ohmiya
Warnings: -
Summary: Aiba Masaki, the one who wasn't spared by the family curse decided to leave the mansion. for six years, he live under his mask, hiding his face from the people, he reminisce his past.
Notes: Dear recipient-san. have you ever watch Penelope? I really enjoy the movie so much that i keep on watching it for...urm.. countless. well, this fic is highly inspired by the movie. there might be some similarity with the movie but i changed the way the story tells. i hope you will enjoy the fic :) beta by miss J. thanks for the help.


Legend had it that a child was to be born in a cursed family as a result from insulting a woman in need in the middle of the night.

The story told that one chilly night, there was an old lady, with face full of scars, ugly and horrifying knocked the door of the big mansion.

The old lady didn’t ask for much. She asked for a glass of water. But the lord, too proud of his own wealth and power, refused to give the lady what she asked. Instead, words of insult and humiliation were thrown at the old lady.

He ordered his guard to throw the woman out of his mansion compound, but before the guard could obey, the time around the two of them froze; the guard, the ticking clock, the barking dogs. Only the two of them wasn’t and at that moment, the old lady turned into a beautiful woman.

“It’s unfortunate of you to unable to be kind to your own kind,” the woman had said. Regretting his own doing, the lord fell to his knees, begging for her mercy.

“Please. Please. I’ll do anything.”

“There’s nothing you can do now, human,” the old lady replied, voice as cold as ice, sending chills all over his body. “But I’ll spare you your wealth,”

The lord’s eyes widen. Sparing his wealth, does it mean that it will cost his life?

“Yes,” she said, as if she was reading his mind. “Not only your life alone. Your family. Your descendants.”

The lord, was too shock to even say a word, froze. Lightning flashed and thunder roared, one after another as the woman started to speak, in a very clear and loud voice, her curse onto the next seven generation of Aiba’s family.

“There’ll be two sons born to the family after the seventh generation. One of them will be spare, while another one will be born with a face like a monkey. It’ll last long in his life, until one of his kind breaks the curse,”

With those words, the lightnings and thunders stopped and the woman disappeared.

All that left were barking dogs, dumbfounded guards and a regretful lord whose fear and gulit grew in himself until he found death.

~*~

It has been six years since Aiba Masaki found his way out from the mansion he grew up in.

It wasn’t a tough decision at all. Instead of making him felt like home, the mansion gave him more misery than happiness. When it was too hard for him to bear, he stepped out the mansion in silence, with no regret.

He was afraid at first. Living secluded inside the mansion, he had not even once exposed himself to the real world except for the school he attended for 4 years. To suddenly live in the outside world was terrifying to him.

He wandered without aims for at least a week, unsure what kind of future awaited him. Aimless, heartbroken, to the point of giving up on living, Aiba thought that he would never be able to break the curse and live like a normal person in the world. He thought of waiting for death under the abandoned bridge.

But he found two kind souls there. And with them was where he ended up now.

“I guess you can see what’s behind the wall,” a voice from behind startled him. He turned around to see one of the kind souls he first met six years ago.

“Huh?” he replied, confused.

“You’re staring at it like you’re trying to penetrate the wall you’re looking at right now. I thought you finally saw something next door,”

“There’s a handsome guy who just entered the shop next door, Nino. If you think that you’ll have a chance, maybe you should try to go and flirt,” Masaki replied, earning him a glare from Nino. Somehow, he laughed.

Six years didn’t really change them. Except for each day passed, he witnessed love growing between the two persons. They weren’t perfect, yet they completed each other. He knew they would last forever.

But both Nino and Ohno weren’t cursed as him. Despite their imperfection, they’re still normal humans. Unlike him.

He didn’t remember since when he started to stop hoping to break the curse. It would never come. His trust towards love has extinguished the day his heart broke into a million pieces. Ever since that day, he gave up, protecting his own heart from falling in love again.

“Don’t you find it stuffy, having to wear that mask all the time. Even at home,” Nino said. He sounded annoyed but Aiba could hear a glimpse of concern in the man’s voice. He smiled, even though his smile was kept hidden under his mask.

“If I remove it, Nino, will you bear the risk of losing customers because of my face?” he asked, serious. Nino frowned.

“How ugly can you be?” the guy shot a snarky reply. It was a joke, Aiba understood it.

“Not just ugly, Nino. It’s unthinkable-”

“Remove it and let me judge how unthinkable it could be.”

Masaki sighed. His eyes locked onto Nino, staring into the man’s eyes as if trying to find any hint of joke in the man’s request. They’ve known each other for six years. What if revealing his face would cost the friendship they’ve built?

But when he noticed Nino’s eyes never left his face, with the sheer curiosity shown the man’s face, Masaki sighed once.

Slowly, he removed his mask, revealing his cursed face.

It was expected. Nino backed off, causing some of the things on the table to fell. Aiba smirked. It felt like a deja vu. Once, the one who he had set his heart on used to give the same reaction when he removed his mask. He looked horrified over the truth that he finally saw. And when he heard the man cursed as he tried to touch him, it broke him to the point of no return.

“Masaki-”

“I told you right? Even before, I had told you. Yet, you insist-”

Both guys fell silent. Somehow, Aiba heaved a hard sigh.

“I’ll pack my stuff-”

“Are you insane!!!” Nino shrieked. “You’ll bring fortune to this place without that mask!”

“And now you’re using me?” Aiba asked, surprised and annoyed. But before his anger built up, Nino laughed.

“I’m joking idiot! Six years of friendship and you thought I’ll ditched you just because you have a face like a monkey? Which idiot do that?”

Hearing Nino laughed, Masaki calmed down. It took them a brief moment of awkward silence, before Nino broke it with a question.

“So the urban legend was true after all?”

Aiba nodded.

“So, your great-great-great-great grandfather is a jerk-”

“Words, Nino-”

“Naahhh, I don’t care about giving respect to someone who don’t deserve it,”

Aiba shrugged. There were a lot of times he thought the same as Nino. One stupid act of his ancestor, ruined his life.

“So you left that mansion because of this reason?” Out of sudden, Ohno came out from the kitchen behind them. Their eyes met before Aiba nodded and shook his head.

“Yes and no-”

Both Ohno and Nino raised a curious eyebrow.

“Will you tell us why?”

Aiba shrugged again. He wore his masked again as he went back to staring emptily at the wall across the room. The bitter memories started to appear in his mind as he began his story for the two men.

*

*

*

Six years ago,...

“Tell me more about the outside world,” Masaki said. His hand reached for that one book near him, putting it nicely on the rack. Despite his amazed tone, his gloomy face couldn’t hide his sadness, envy of what he had heard from his cousin who just came back from a vacation with his family.

Aiba Masaki was born on 1982, 210 years since the urban legend started to circulate. And yes, he wasn’t the one who was spared. Jun Matsumoto was, just because he didn’t really carry Aiba Family’s name. Masaki’s father had a sister who was married to a Matsumoto and that probably spared Jun from the curse.

Years of hoping for the legend to never come true, the day he was born was the day happiness was taken away from the Aiba family. Hundred ways of hiding him from the crowd, for the sake of protecting him from the world they say. And they succeed. Before he knew it, the news died as the years passed, and no one ever talked about him again.

Masaki didn’t deny it; he was jealous of the life that Jun has. His cousin was handsome. He was the apple of the eye. The whole family complimented him for his looks.

But Jun was nice. Even his parents weren’t as nice as Jun was to him.

“I wish I can go out there, explore the world. I’ve always interested on animals you know. I want to see real tigers, or lions. Or even monkeys-”

“Masaki-”

“What? I’m not going to compare how i look with those monkeys, Jun. I just want to explore the world. I spent almost whole of my life in this mansion, in this gloomy room. I want to go out.”

The two boys fell silent.

Jun couldn’t blame Masaki for his thoughts. If he was in his place, Jun sure he would have rioted. Being locked in a room, attic to be exact, away from the outside world. Even when Masaki was allowed to go to school, he’ll have his mask on, with a long-sleeved school uniform, even if it was summer.

All for the reason because his cousin looked like a monkey.

To Jun, Masaki didn’t look that bad. Despite his hairy appearance and nose like a monkey with jutted lips, Masaki’s smiles shined the most when he was happy. Most of the time, Jun hoped that Masaki would understand and appreciated that quality. Still, he knew, that quality alone won’t make Masaki happy, especially when his aunt, Masaki’s mother, often put down her son for his appearance.

She meant well, both him and Masaki knew it. It still hurt though.

“So how was Eiffel?” Masaki broke the silence they created since his last words. But before Jun could answer, his aunt interrupted.

“You can go there once you are yourself, Masaki,” she said, sounding so awfully cheerful, faking her real feelings.

“This is myself, mother,” Masaki replied, still sounding unsure of his own declaration. He startled a bit when his mother half-shrieked.

“This is not you! You, your current look, your face. This is not you, Masaki,” She said, approaching his son before she took a seat next to him on the bed. “Remember what I said? You’re-”

“A pupa, waiting to be a butterfly. I know mother. I heard it countless times,” Masaki said, irritated.

“Good. Now get dressed. Don’t forget your mask. And long sleeves shirts,”

“Mother-”

“I promise. This will be the very last time.”

“But I thought everyone agreed that Jun will marry-”

“This will be the last resort, Masaki,” she said, annoyed. She turned to look at Jun. “I’m sure you don’t really want it, right son?”

Jun bit his lips.

“I-”

“We’ll make sure you won’t, Jun.” She continued, ignoring the young man hesitation. “Now, get dressed. Our guest will arrive any moment soon,” she said, making way out of the attic.

Jun threw Masaki a sympathetic look. The young boy sighed.

“Don’t look at me that way Jun. You make me feel pathetic,”

Both boys fell silent.

Jun felt sorry for Masaki. 25 years of living in the house, not once Masaki felt proper love from his mother. He loves Masaki, as a brother and he really wanted to help the man to have a proper life. But deep inside, he wasn’t sure if his love towards Masaki would be enough to help the man.

His trail of thought stopped when he heard Masaki heaving a hard sigh.

“One last arranged meeting. If this fails, I’ll leave this mansion,” Aiba said.

Judging from the man’s serious and annoyed tone, he was sure Aiba really meant his words.

The world might have forgotten him, but the curse never died. And the Aiba’s family concern now was about Masaki’s life partner a.k.a his curse breaker.

***

Sakurai family who came that day was a family of five. Sakurai-father, Sakurai-mother, a daughter, a younger son who was 8 years old and a handsome son who was around Masaki’s age. Slightly older by months, perhaps.

Masaki knew this guy. An honor student, who exceled in everything excepts sports. He was even once a head boy with charisma, supported with his good looks. Everyone in school talked about him back then, yet this was the first time Masaki ever met him in such close distance. And he had to admit, his heart skipped a beat when their eyes met.

“I’m Sakurai Sho,” the boy said. His lips curled up an elegance smile and all Masaki could do was smiling, sadly it was covered under his mask. His nose caught the perfume Sho was wearing and for once, he knew he fell in love.

But his experiences taught him his lot was harsh. Falling in love was a wonderful feeling. Heartbroken wasn’t.

He heard a lot about Sho. From their school days until now when the man had inherited the company from his father. Sakurai Sho was perfect. There’s no fucking way they would ended up together. But the meeting was for him and Sho’s sister, wasn’t it?

“We’re honored for you to agree with our sons’ marriage, Sakurai. Despite knowing the truth-”

“It’s nothing, really. Especially for everything that your family had done for our family,” Sakurai said.

From the small conversation, Aiba knew three things. One, the one he’s going to marry was the Sakurai’s son. That’s surprising. Two, Sakurai’s family actually knew about the curse, yet they accept it as if it was nothing? That was even more surprising. And three, Sakurai Sho was not against the idea?

Masaki really felt bad. It felt too rush, too impossible. Sakurai Sho was a man who could snap his fingers and be in between a girl’s legs in a second. To accept it without any objection, he felt that Sho might have something up in his sleeves.

Out of sudden, he felt bad, his head was spinning and he had the urge to run away. He had been heartbroken for countless times already when the arranged meetings failed, most of them ended with insults. Be it men or women. And he didn’t want it to happen again.

“Excuse me-” he said, excusing himself from the garden, taking quick steps towards the mansion.

But Sho’s perfumes lingered. Before he could step into the mansion, Sho’s voice stopped him in his steps.

“Will you give me a tour?”

Aiba thought that his heart was going to burst that time when he saw the smile on Sho’s face as he walked approaching him.

*

*

*

“I was so madly in love with him,” Aiba said bitterly.

“Well... aside from your mother being a *beep*-“ Nino refused to say the word so he literally made the beep sound causing Aiba to laugh. “Everything sounds fine.”

Aiba shrugged.

“You haven’t heard the worst part yet, Nino,” Aiba replied.

True. Everything sounded so perfect at first. Minus the curse and his horrible life, Sho came at the perfect time when he was so hopeful to be able to get over the curse.

But then, his hope was crushed when everything that he thought he knew about the guy were just illusions. Sho wasn’t really the guy who he was hoping for him to be. And when it finally happened, it broke him. Bad.

“Sho was a nice man. He was gentle. If I have to summarize him in one word, he’s perfect. I fell too deep for him-“ Aiba said, sadness was heard in his tone.

“What make you left the mansion then?” Nino asked. Hearing nothing from the man after a few seconds, he asked again.

“I assume something happen that you were not hoping for, was it?” Nino asked when he saw the gloomy expression on Aiba’s face. Slowly, the man in the mask nodded.

Once again, his memories played in his mind as he continued his story.

***

“Why do you decide to agree with your father’s decision, Sho?” Aiba asked, as they strolled through the lawn.

It was their fourth meeting. Sho had opened up to him ever since their first meeting. They talked a lot, about his life years ago, his life as the vice CEO, waiting to take over his father’s position. They talked about Sho’s family and from the way the man talked, he could see how much Sho loved his family and how much he was willing to sacrifice.

They stopped somewhere in the middle of the lawn.

“Is it because you love your family that you have to obey-”

“Masaki, stop,” Sho said, placing his finger on Masaki’s lips which was covered by the mask. “Hear me out.”

Sho’s gentle voice made him shivered. It sounded so sincere, so in love that Masaki could see glimmers of hope every time the man spoke.

Their distanced closed as Sho took a few steps towards him. For instance, he could feel, silently enjoying the warmth the man emitted.

“I don’t know if I could convince you as this is our fourth meeting,” Sho said. A smile curled up his lips as he spoke. “At first, you’re right. Because I love my family so much that I’m willing to marry you. For the sake of two families”

“Then, you aren’t sincere-”

“But talking to you, Masaki, is the best thing that happened in my life. I want to marry you because every single night, it is you I dream about. You make me smile, even though it is a little bit unfair as I can’t see if you smile back. I kept counting days to meet you and I just- I just want to make you happy.”

If only Sho could see how he was smiling so wide under his mask now, Sho would know that those words made him happy. Masaki was beaming with happiness as he thought about future.

Still, he had his insecurities.

What if the love Sho had for him wasn’t enough to break the curse.

“Would you stay if I have to live with the curse, forever?”

Slowly, Sho brought his hand to Masaki’s face, cupping his cheeks lovingly.

“Curse or no curse, I fall in love with you Masaki. Not your face. But you should accept yourself for who you are. Not by what anyone else think of you.”

Masaki blushed harder when Sho dropped a kiss on his covered lips.

***

“You see, I thought I finally found my happiness then. I thought, even if the curse didn’t break, Sho’s love for me would make us work. I was looking forward for our future together. But I was wrong,”

“What happened?” Ohno asked.

Masaki sighed.

“It was on my engagement day-”

*

*

*

He was anxious. Everyone was busy here and there that he didn’t have any chance to speak to anyone in the mansion.

He tried to look around the mansion, looking for Jun. Jun was always there for him at the time like this. Only Jun could sort his feelings out when he was in doubt.

Out of sudden, he had doubts. Sho loved him. That was what the man told him after all of these times. But was it the truth?

After all, he wasn’t a normal guy who anyone would want to marry. He was born with a face like a monkey, hairy hands, face kept hidden under the mask. Why would Sho want to marry someone like him?

He searched for Jun inside the mansion. He really needed someone to talk to right now. Heck, he would even talk to his mother even if she’s the first person he met.

But nothing shocked him more, when he saw Jun, alone with Sho in one of the empty rooms in the mansion. Sho was kneeling in front of the man, they were hands in hands.

Taking his place behind the door, he kept his ears, listening to the two’s conversation.

“I love you,” he heard Sho’s voice speaking. “I love you so much,”

“Sakurai-san,”

“I know it will be tough. I know you won’t believe me after everything that happened. But please. I need you to accept-”

He heard enough.

This was the end.

He couldn’t keep listening to their conversation anymore.

Sho broke him. All he wanted to do now is to put an end to them.

***

Three soft knocks on his door, he ignored them. Even without turning to look at the person who just walked into his room, he knew exactly who was it.

He was gritting his teeth, trying to suppress the anger that built up after everything he had witnessed, heard.

“This is the end,” he thought inside his head. Slowly, he turned around to look at his supposed to be fiancé.

“Masaki. I have something to tell you.”

He could see Sho was standing uncomfortably in front of him.

His heart ached. Despite his broken heart, Sho was the only guy who he fell in love with so deeply, so much that it started scaring him now. Being in the same room with the man who caused the scar, he felt suffocated that he didn’t bother to think of the consequences of what might happen from his next action.

“Before you start, look at me,” Masaki said, removing his face mask, revealing his monkey face to Sho. He pulled up his sleeves, revealing his hairy hands. He laughed a little when he saw Sho flinched, taking a few steps back. He had expected that reaction from the man, yet, it still hurt.

“Tell me Sho. Will you still prefer to live your life with me?”

Sho fell silent. That was his first mistake.

“Or would you prefer to marry my cousin? Don’t worry. It’s understandable. No one wants to marry a monkey!”

“Masaki, wait-”

But Sho didn’t continued to explain. Instead, he fished out his vibrating phone from his pocket. A glance at Masaki, he cursed.

“Shit!”

“Deep shit, I know. Now if you please excuse me-”

“Masaki- please. Hear me out-”

“NO!”

The last words were in unison with his mother who suddenly appeared in his room. She rushed towards Masaki, hiding him behind her. She shoved her phone into Masaki’s hand. A video was playing live, and it looked exactly like his room’s current condition.

He saw some of the mansion guards holding Sho by his hand, inspecting him as if he was hiding something. When the guard pull off the suit from the man, he saw wires attached in the man’s suit.

Everything started to make sense. The secret had leaked. What would the world think about him now?

“Leave. In this instant! Leave!” he heard his mother said. Tears were strolling down his eyes. It was so damn hurtful.

That was the first time, he heard her protecting him from someone who hurt him. A second after Sho left the room, she yelled at him.

“See what you’ve done!” she yelled, angered by her son’s stupid action. “Can’t you wait! Wait until things are a little bit better for the two of you?”

He was wrong. In the end, no one could love him. No matter how hard he tried.

*

*

*

“So that was the reason you left?” Nino asked. Aiba shrugged, nodding a little.

“Well, I won’t blame you for that. You deserve to be mad,” Nino said. “But don’t you think it’s kinda unfair to this Sakurai-san?”

“What?”

“I mean, from what you were saying, he’s been trying to explain to you. But he never gets the chance-”

“What else should I hear, Nino?” Aiba snapped. “I’ve seen it, with my own eyes. And Jun later explained to the family about the reason why the wires, camera was installed in his suit! It was to get a clear picture of my face. A game he and his friends were playing. And he won!”

Nino sighed.

“I got that. But at least, you should hear him out. At this point, yes, he was wrong. But what if the love he had for you was pure love. He told you that he would accept you for who you are, right?”

Aiba shook his head.

Perhaps Nino was right. But all the things that happened had snatched away the trust he had before.

He left the house that night, despite the ruckus the mansion experienced with the reporters coming all across the country. That was the best way, he thought. Six years passed and not even once he regretted his decision.

“But in the end, Aiba-chan. If you can’t accept you for who you are, no matter how great Sho’s love for you, you will not be able to enjoy it perfectly,”

Aiba frowned hearing Ohno’s words.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll keep feeling insecure. That is the biggest threat in a relationship.”

“But I do accept myself.”

“But you keep having insecurities. Be proud of who you are, you’ll forget your disadvantage. And by doing that, nothing will make you feel bad for being you.”

Aiba fell silent, trying to digest the thing he just heard.

“And one more thing, Aiba-chan. Forgiveness heals-”

It was like a cue when suddenly the doorbell chimed. He turned around, looking at the customer who just came in, only to see Sho, in an unusual miserable look, yet trying to smile that smile Aiba had been missing for years.

***

Still, it hurt.

Sho came in, heading straight to the counter where Aiba was currently at. Aiba tried to ask Nino to take the man’s order, but as he turned to speak at the man, both Nino and Ohno were nowhere to be seen.

He clicked his tongue, annoyed.

“May I take your order, sir?”

“Masaki-”

“I’m sorry but you have no right to call me by my first name,” Aiba said, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

Sho nodded bitterly.

“Can we talk?”

“No!! If you come here just to talk without bringing any business to this place, please leave.”

“Ok,” Sho sighed surrendering. “Caramel Latte. And I want to talk to you-”

Aiba glared at his customer. His hand inputting the order into the machine, letting the people behind in the kitchen area to work on the order. He moved out from the counter, and started to clean up the tables in the cafe.

“How do you know I’m here?” Aiba asked, curious.

“Satoshi and Nino are my friends.”

“Oh, the ones you placed bet with?” he said, glaring at the two men who were peeking from behind the curtain.

“No, they’re not,” Sho denied. “Ohno knew about you. Nino didn’t. I asked for their help to take care of you while-”

“For god’s sake! You really don’t know boundaries, do you? What are you trying to do now? Acting like a saint after you hurt me?”

Sho shook his head.

“Please, hear me out!” Sho said, trying to hold onto the man. All Aiba did was to throw him a death glare, stopping his intention.

“I’ve made a mistake when I decided to hear you out six year ago, at the lawn, remember? You told me you fell in love with me? But it was all a lie!”

“It wasn’t a lie! Masaki, please. Just 5 minutes, hear me out.”

“Make it 2 minutes. I have tables to clear.”

“True. There was a bet placed by my friend before our first meeting-”

“Wow, you’re a jerk!”

“That was before I met you! They told me about the curse, your family curse. They said if I managed to get a picture of your face, I would win the bet.”

“And you won. Congratulations. Except it’s unacceptable as you placed a hidden camera under your jacket!”

“It was their plan. God, Masaki. I never knew about it. It was installed without my knowledge.”

Masaki snickered, laughing at the man mockingly.

“That doesn’t explain why you cursed when you first saw my face!” Masaki said. By now, his anger was so built up that he didn’t even care how they had gained attention from the people around them.

“I was shocked,” Sho replied, biting his lips. Quickly, he clarified when he saw the mocking smile on Masaki’s face. “No, not by your face. By the message I received-”

“From me,” Out of nowhere, Jun came. “I told him about the online video that was posted at that time. The camera they installed in Sakurai-kun’s jacket, was linked to online websites.”

Masaki snorted.

“You knew about this! Yet you didn’t- You even confessed to my cousin, Sakurai!”

“No I did not!”

“No he did not!” both Sho and Jun echoed in unison.

“You shut up!”

“No, you shut up. Hear me out! Masaki. I knew about the whole thing on that day. Sakurai-san came to me, saying how guilty he was. He loves you. He really do. He wanted to tell you about it but he was too afraid to tell. That’s when he decided to rehearse it, with me!”

So, that sort of explained it.

Except, Masaki was scarred way too deep. He refused to believe all the explanations he heard today. Not when he still had other things as proof.

Slowly, he made a way towards Sho.

Sho heard the sadness in the man’s voice and he started to hate himself for everything that happened. If only Masaki could see it, how the feeling that grew since six years ago for the man never diminished even a tiny bit, perhaps, that would actually heal the man’s scar. And maybe, they would finally find happiness with each other.

“You love me?” Aiba asked. Sho nodded desperately.

“I do. I really do-”

“But why does this curse doesn’t breaks?” Aiba said, removing his mask. The tears that he had been holding in since earlier finally broke.

“Masaki-”

“You have the answer Sho. You have it because your love was never strong enough to break it. Heck! Maybe it does not even exist in the first place!”

“It does! It does! Please. Believe me!” he said, trying to take the man into his embrace. But Masaki was fast enough to shove him away.

“No! Don’t you dare!” he hissed, glaring murderously at the man. His sight shifted once towards Jun who was looking like a beaten pup before he continued. “Go! I don’t want to see you, both of you. Ever again!”

He left the two guests, who received apologetic looks from both Ohno and Nino.

***

No one came up to the cafe again after a few weeks. Not even Jun.

Somehow Aiba was glad about it. He knew deep inside, after hearing Sho’s explanation about it, that he had forgiven the man.

Nino was furious when he got the truth from Ohno. He accused the man for using him. But Ohno denied it. He explained that he was in debt to the Sakurai family and so he agreed to help Sho. But he couldn’t do it alone. He loved Nino and he wanted to be with Nino. At the same time, knowing that Nino was good enough to make friends with everyone, he needed Nino’s help.

Nino did question Ohno’s intention of not telling him anything about Aiba’s secret. Ohno said that knowing it was a secret that Aiba wanted to keep from everyone, he decided to not saying anything about it.

It made sense, and after a while, they laughed, watching Ohno’s guilty face as he was explaining.

Aiba thought he could finally get his freedom.

But few weeks later, 2 big cars stopped in front of the cafe. He should have known that Jun wouldn’t keep it from their family about his whereabouts.

But it didn’t shock him as much as when her mother apologized, asking him to come back home.

“Why?” He asked.

“Last resort, Masaki. You’ll be marrying Jun this weekend,”

***

It pissed him off. Going back to the mansion, it felt like staying in a prison. His room was kept guarded 24/7. Only few people were allowed to enter the room and one of them was the wedding planner.

Agreeing is the biggest mistake. He knew it. Jun loved him, he knew it. but the sparks were not as same as the ones he could see in the way Ohno looked at Nino. The love the man had for him wasn’t enough and if what he taught was right, then, Jun would end up staying married to him in this form for the rest of their lives.

He paced inside his room, trying to find a way out of the problem. That was when he saw the letter, written in Sho’s handwriting on the table.

His hand trembled as he opened the letter, reading every single word carefully. Sho’s voice that he’s been missing echoed as he read it.

Dear Masaki,

Jun told me about the marriage you’ll be having this weekend. Congratulations. I am so happy for you.

But to be honest, I’m devastated. I made a mistake that was irreparable. I wish I could turn back time and never took part in that game with those jerks back then. But, I am a jerk too.

I just wanted you to know that I first fell in love with you that time when you took me around the mansion. I still remember the awkwardness, the shyness, and when a thorn ripped my suit, you were so concern that it would hurt me. That’s when I realized. You’re a very nice person, who deserved to be loved like everyone. And I really want to be that person who give you that love. Even if I don’t get anything in returned.

But I guess it’s too late now.

I wish you happiness. Thank you for the short moment we had together.

Notes: I asked Jun to put this in your room. Please don’t get mad at him. He was trying to help.

-Sho

His grip on the letter tightened. God, he did love this man. Sho’s words in the letter showed how sincere he was, and how hurt he was with the news of his marriage to Jun. Without him realizing it, drops of tears trailed down his cheeks. It’s just a day before his marriage. Would he have a chance to make it right? For the sake of Jun. And Sho. Or maybe even him.

He quickly wiped his tears away when he heard the sound of the door being opened. From the mirror, he saw Jun making his way towards him.

His emotions had been in a roller-coaster mode. He was sad, he was annoyed. A tiny part of his heart was glad that perhaps, this would end the curse. But he was also anxious thinking that it won’t.

Before Jun could say a word, Masaki intercepted him.

“You told my mum about me,” he said.

Jun shrugged.

“Masaki. Curse or no curse, you’re still the heir of this family,”

“Say that to my mum, Jun. It seems like she can’t accept the idea of having a monkey as a child,” Masaki replied sarcastically. Without turning to look at the man, he heard Jun sighed.

“Thank you for agreeing to marry me, Jun,” Masaki said nonchalantly. But when he heard nothing from the man as a reply, he turned, only to see the devastated look on the man’s face.

“What?” he asked. He saw Jun bit his lips.

“I can’t break the curse, Masaki,”

“I know it!”

“No! Don’t take it wrongly. I love you! I really do. But not that way! You have always been someone so dear to me and all I can feel for you is a brotherly love. I love you just like my brother!”

“Well thank you for the brief explanation, Jun. But no one is going to break the curse, Jun. All I can do now is to accept that this face will last forever. And I’ll take it to my grave!”

“You read Sho’s letter, didn’t you?” Jun asked. Masaki didn’t answer him. He rushed towards the man, kneeling in front of the angry man. “Sho will. If only you gave him a c-”

“Bullshit!” He shrieked. “Why don’t you understand, Jun? No one will break the curse. No one!”

“Please Masaki!”

He shoved Jun’s hand away. Quickly, he stood from his seat, moving away from Jun as he continued.

“And I don’t need anyone to break this curse, Jun! I’ll take care of myself, and never let anyone hurt me again. Six years away from this bloody mansion, away from the family’s judgement, I’ve learnt it’s best to accept my disadvantage. I’ll love myself more than anyone can. This is me and I accept myself for who I am.”

Out of sudden, everything fell silent. He was taken aback, literally flying across the room. All the previous memories, all the hurts, Sho’s face, Jun’s face, his mother face, every single family members, Nino, Ohno and all the encouraging words over the years played inside his head.

It felt like forever that he started to wonder if this was the end of his life. No one told him that the curse could kill. Could it?

Before he knew, he landed soft on his back. Slowly he opened his eyes to see Jun’s shocked face. It felt strange. His face felt so light. Instinctively, his hand made its way to his nose and there he saw it.

No more hairy hands.

No more big nostrils. No more wrinkles on his face.

The curse was broken. And it was because of his love towards himself.

***

Six months later...

“Why not?” his mom shrieked. “You’re no longer cursed. You’re a normal person now. What’s wrong with the idea of marrying a woman and giving a child to this family?”

Masaki rolled his eyes. His mother and her absurdities.

Of course, it was not absurd. But, for once, he wanted to make a decision for himself.

He was forced to take over the family business. It wasn’t his own choice. It was his father’s.

He was forced to wear a proper attire every day. It was always his mom’s choice.

Lucky enough, they didn’t forbid him from being friends with Nino and Ohno. And last time he met them was at the airport, heading for a vacation on a secluded island. For their honeymoon, Masaki told Jun when he explained it to the man. Jun could only laugh.

Now that Jun has married to a woman of his choice, all that left was him.

And he had made his choice.

Slowly, he turned to take a look at his mother. His hand holds his mother’s arms, eyes staring deep into his mother’s eyes, hoping that every single words would be delivered perfectly to his mother’s heart.

“Everything in my life is a miracle, mother.” He said. “Though it would be a waste as I couldn’t give grandchildren to you, I’m looking for another miracle.”

His mother smiled.

“For example?”

“For example,... a man losing his shoes?”

That was the reason for the party organized by Aiba’s family that day.

It was filled with music and dancing in the hall. But there was nothing that Aiba hoped for other than meeting Sho again.

Across the hall, he saw Sho sitting alone at one of the tables. Few women tried to start a conversation with the man, but Sho showed no interest in keeping it going. After a while, he saw the man trying to leave.

“Go for it,” Jun said, startling him.

“I want to. Will I scare him?” he asked. “I mean, he knew me from before when I was still under the curse. What if-”

Jun held out a mask.

“Wear it. So that he may recognize you.”

Aiba did. He put his mask on, leaving the dance hall.

***

Sho was devastated. He lost that pin he often wore on his shirts. He tried to search it, knowing that he could have dropped it somewhere when he walked into the party. It didn’t cost millions, still there’s an attachment he felt for the clip.

“I didn’t have anything nice to give to you, Sho. But please take this pin. It was something I bought when I got a chance to leave this mansion once. It really meant a lot to me as it was the best memories I ever had. Don’t lose it, okay?” Aiba handed him the pin on their third meeting.

“And now I lost it,” Sho said. “I lost it forever. I lost him forever,”

“Is this clip yours, mister?” a voice from behind startled him. He turned around to see Masaki, face covered with the mask he usually wore.

“Masaki- I mean Aiba-”

“What’s wrong with Masaki?” Aiba asked.

“I... I’m sorry.” That smile on the lips was the brightest smile that ever came from someone. His heart skipped a bit. He took the pin from Masaki, putting it nicely on the suit he wore that day.

“Congratulations.” Sho wished bitterly. Masaki tilted his head.

“Huh, why?”

“Your marriage-” Aiba chuckled, stopping Sho from saying any more words.

“It didn’t happen, Sakurai-san.”

Sho’s eyes widen in surprise when he saw Aiba removing his mask.

“You broke the curse?”

“Yes. By accepting me for who I am. Just as what you told me years ago.”

Both of them fell silent.

“If you don’t mind, I want to call you Sho for the rest of my life,” Aiba said, breaking the silence. For some reason, his own line sounded so cheesy that his face started to feel hot, and he knew he was probably blushing by now.

He saw Sho smiling. Slowly, the man took a few steps towards him, cupping his cheek lovingly.

“Forgive me?” Sho said.

“I have, Sho. I’m sorry too.”

A soft peck on Masaki’s lips. This time he was sure he was blushing.

“So... you wouldn’t mind if I call you Masaki from now on?”

“I’d be delighted.”

They both smiled, silently enjoying the kiss as lights at the garden shone, approving the uniting of their love.