Fic ~ Always the same Aswer
Written for sushi4ever because she's having a rough day too.
Title: Just My Answer Is What I Say
Pairing: Sakuraiba
Rating: U
Summary and word-count: Fluff basically. approx 1400 words.
Inspired by this tumblr post: (Source)
Referencing this information: (source)
• 2015.10.01 - VSA Beta Arashi (Sho chooses Aiba to marry)
• 2014 - Hey Hey Hey (Sho chooses Aiba to date)
• 2012 - HnA (Sho chooses Aiba as his type)
• 2008 - Nonno (Sho chooses Aiba to date)
• 2006 - MMA (Sho chooses Aiba to date)
• 2000 - Arashigoto (Sho chooses Aiba to date)
Just My Answer Is What I say
[If you were to date another member, who would you choose?]
Sakurai Sho read the question with a sigh. The question was not new, it wasn’t even phrased differently. For more than 15 years, he and his fellow band members had been fielding the same question, struggling to find engaging, humorous answers that would not offend anyone.
He didn’t know why they even bothered to ask, it wasn’t like they even listened to or cared about the answer. Otherwise more people would have noticed that for more than 15 years, Sakurai Sho had consistently given the same answer: He would pick Aiba Masaki. Every time.
He gave different reasons often, of course, depending on the situation. But it all amounted to the same thing: Aiba was his type.
Oh , the interviewers and questionnaires often stressed the “If you had to…” element of the question, or asked them to imagine each other as the opposite sex, but it was not necessary for Sakurai. It did not matter what the circumstances, he would choose to spend the rest of his life with the energetic younger idol if he could.
He used to wonder if the other members had noticed, until he had taken Aiba’s dismissal a little too personally during the filming of a music show in 2014. The expressions he saw on their faces, and the quick placating intervention of Ninomiya Kazunari left no doubt for Sho: they knew. They all knew. And Aiba had let him know that the feeling was not mutual.
And now, each time the question came, it cut Sakurai a little deeper. But he could not lie; not after stubbornly telling the truth for 17 years. He wrote Aiba’s name with practiced ease, as familiar with it as he was with his own. Silently, he handed the sheet of completed questions over to the production team of the programme Arashi would be guests on in the next week.
He was the last to hand his in, having been busy with filming for News Zero, and arriving at the pre-production meeting 20 minutes behind everyone else. Still, as he returned his day pass to security and went to find his car in the underground lot, he could not fail to notice Aiba Masaki’s manager muttering tersely into his cell phone at the entrance. Surprised, He stopped for the older man when he paused his conversation to greet the newscaster.
“Ah, Sakurai-kun, How are you?”
“Just headed home. Is everything OK?”
The manager sighed deeply. “My car won’t start and I don’t know how long we’ll be stuck here.” He confessed. “I’m trying to arrange another car now, or a taxi.”
“You don’t need to do that; I can take you and Aiba-chan wherever you need to go.”
The businessman inclined his head gratefully. “Thank you for the offer, but I need to wait for the mechanic. I’m sure Masaki won’t turn you down however; he’s with the car.”
With a tight smile, Sho nodded and continued into the underground parking lot. Even with a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes and a facemask fixed in place, Sakurai would have recognised Aiba’s figure from across the lot without the clue of the manager's car to give him away. When he had covered half the distance, his footsteps echoing heavily through the concrete structure, He realised he younger man was wearing headphones.
Sakurai managed to reach Aiba unnoticed, but thought better of deliberately startling his friend. Even so, Aiba jumped when Sho called out to him from 2 feet away. “You really are an idiot: Anyone could have snuck up on you!”
Nervous laughter bursts past Aiba’s lips, as he clutched his chest as if to manually slow his speeding heart. “Ah, you surprised me.”
“Obviously. I saw your manager upstairs and told him I’d give you a ride home. Come on.” He turned sharply and lead the way to his car, without waiting for a reply.
Masaki caught up half a second later. “Ah, thank you. You aren’t going out for a drink or anything?”
“Not tonight.”
“Oh, if it’s not too much trouble then…”
“It’s fine. Get in”
They traveled in silence for a short while, as Sakurai maneuvered his way out of the narrow lanes of the underground structure onto the open roads that led towards the younger mans home. Then Aiba stated filling the silence with easy chatter. The topic did not matter, Aiba rarely waited for an answer anyway; he was just making idle observations. Until Sakurai pulled up to the curb outside his passengers home.
“Hey, what did you put for the last question anyway?” Aiba asked, his hand paused at the handle of the car door without pulling it to open.
“We’re not supposed to discuss our answers.” Sho responded automatically, before the sheer unusualness of Aiba asking the question caught up with him.
“Did you pick me?” He challenged relentlessly.
Blood raced to Sakurai’s cheeks, the flush making him hot while he prayed the shadows created by the streetlights hit his shame. “It doesn’t matter. They ask that stupid question all the time.”
“Yeah, but Sho always picks me.” Masaki asserted confidently. “If you don’t pick me, I would never be picked. That’s pretty sad.”
“Do you think I’ve spent 17 years choosing you over everyone else out of obligation?” He did not know why he said it out loud, but Sakurai wished he could call the words back immediately. The speed with which Aiba’s expression changed from amused self-deprecation to blank shock made the newscaster nauseous. “Wait. I mean- Um. Uh. I- I haven’t. I’ve always picked carefully.”
Then Aiba laughed, and it was the sweetest sound Sakurai had ever heard. His next words however, carried barbs that stung Sakurai all over again. “Sho-kun~ I’ll never be able to keep up with your pace!”
“You idiot. I don’t want to go at my pace forever. Once I’m ready to settle down, I’ll be ready to slow down too.” He had not meant for it to sound like he was trying to persuade the other man either, but somehow, a note of pleading had entered his voice and he was powerless to stop it. “Your ‘My Chiba’ tour was completely my ideal first date, but I wouldn’t expect every date to be like that.”
Masaki had abandoned any pretense of leaving the vehicle. He turned in his chair to face the driver's seat directly. “You should. You should find someone who really wants to make you happy; not just someone who will make themselves happy by being with you, you know?”
“That’s not fair” Sho broke eye contact to hide his head in his arms as they rested on the steering wheel. He had come this far, and there was no turning back now. “You’re not fair. You work so hard to make everyone happy, I want to make you happy too. But that’s not what you meant, is it? You never mean it like that.”
“And you do? You’ve been saying for 15 years that if I were a girl-”
“No! I never said you had to be a girl.”
Silence.
Sakurai squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face further in his arms. He heard the passenger door open, felt the shift in weight as Aiba left the car and flinched at the quiet click of the door latching shut. He was motionless, frozen by the sudden chill created by the blast of night air left where Masaki’s warmth once was. It must have been just a few seconds, but it felt like forever until the driver side door was abruptly pulled open, and Sakurai cracked his head on the roof of the car in his alarm.
“Sho-kun, anyone could have snuck up on you.” Aiba reached down, and over Sho’s lap to unbuckle his seatbelt. “Come on, I’ll order delivery.” And he drew him out of the car.
“Aiba-chan, what are you doing?”
The younger man shrugged, his wide, slightly embarrassed smile showing the honesty behind his actions. “Our second date.”
_____________________
End.
Feel free to comment.
Title: Just My Answer Is What I Say
Pairing: Sakuraiba
Rating: U
Summary and word-count: Fluff basically. approx 1400 words.
Inspired by this tumblr post: (Source)
Referencing this information: (source)
• 2015.10.01 - VSA Beta Arashi (Sho chooses Aiba to marry)
• 2014 - Hey Hey Hey (Sho chooses Aiba to date)
• 2012 - HnA (Sho chooses Aiba as his type)
• 2008 - Nonno (Sho chooses Aiba to date)
• 2006 - MMA (Sho chooses Aiba to date)
• 2000 - Arashigoto (Sho chooses Aiba to date)
Just My Answer Is What I say
[If you were to date another member, who would you choose?]
Sakurai Sho read the question with a sigh. The question was not new, it wasn’t even phrased differently. For more than 15 years, he and his fellow band members had been fielding the same question, struggling to find engaging, humorous answers that would not offend anyone.
He didn’t know why they even bothered to ask, it wasn’t like they even listened to or cared about the answer. Otherwise more people would have noticed that for more than 15 years, Sakurai Sho had consistently given the same answer: He would pick Aiba Masaki. Every time.
He gave different reasons often, of course, depending on the situation. But it all amounted to the same thing: Aiba was his type.
Oh , the interviewers and questionnaires often stressed the “If you had to…” element of the question, or asked them to imagine each other as the opposite sex, but it was not necessary for Sakurai. It did not matter what the circumstances, he would choose to spend the rest of his life with the energetic younger idol if he could.
He used to wonder if the other members had noticed, until he had taken Aiba’s dismissal a little too personally during the filming of a music show in 2014. The expressions he saw on their faces, and the quick placating intervention of Ninomiya Kazunari left no doubt for Sho: they knew. They all knew. And Aiba had let him know that the feeling was not mutual.
And now, each time the question came, it cut Sakurai a little deeper. But he could not lie; not after stubbornly telling the truth for 17 years. He wrote Aiba’s name with practiced ease, as familiar with it as he was with his own. Silently, he handed the sheet of completed questions over to the production team of the programme Arashi would be guests on in the next week.
He was the last to hand his in, having been busy with filming for News Zero, and arriving at the pre-production meeting 20 minutes behind everyone else. Still, as he returned his day pass to security and went to find his car in the underground lot, he could not fail to notice Aiba Masaki’s manager muttering tersely into his cell phone at the entrance. Surprised, He stopped for the older man when he paused his conversation to greet the newscaster.
“Ah, Sakurai-kun, How are you?”
“Just headed home. Is everything OK?”
The manager sighed deeply. “My car won’t start and I don’t know how long we’ll be stuck here.” He confessed. “I’m trying to arrange another car now, or a taxi.”
“You don’t need to do that; I can take you and Aiba-chan wherever you need to go.”
The businessman inclined his head gratefully. “Thank you for the offer, but I need to wait for the mechanic. I’m sure Masaki won’t turn you down however; he’s with the car.”
With a tight smile, Sho nodded and continued into the underground parking lot. Even with a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes and a facemask fixed in place, Sakurai would have recognised Aiba’s figure from across the lot without the clue of the manager's car to give him away. When he had covered half the distance, his footsteps echoing heavily through the concrete structure, He realised he younger man was wearing headphones.
Sakurai managed to reach Aiba unnoticed, but thought better of deliberately startling his friend. Even so, Aiba jumped when Sho called out to him from 2 feet away. “You really are an idiot: Anyone could have snuck up on you!”
Nervous laughter bursts past Aiba’s lips, as he clutched his chest as if to manually slow his speeding heart. “Ah, you surprised me.”
“Obviously. I saw your manager upstairs and told him I’d give you a ride home. Come on.” He turned sharply and lead the way to his car, without waiting for a reply.
Masaki caught up half a second later. “Ah, thank you. You aren’t going out for a drink or anything?”
“Not tonight.”
“Oh, if it’s not too much trouble then…”
“It’s fine. Get in”
They traveled in silence for a short while, as Sakurai maneuvered his way out of the narrow lanes of the underground structure onto the open roads that led towards the younger mans home. Then Aiba stated filling the silence with easy chatter. The topic did not matter, Aiba rarely waited for an answer anyway; he was just making idle observations. Until Sakurai pulled up to the curb outside his passengers home.
“Hey, what did you put for the last question anyway?” Aiba asked, his hand paused at the handle of the car door without pulling it to open.
“We’re not supposed to discuss our answers.” Sho responded automatically, before the sheer unusualness of Aiba asking the question caught up with him.
“Did you pick me?” He challenged relentlessly.
Blood raced to Sakurai’s cheeks, the flush making him hot while he prayed the shadows created by the streetlights hit his shame. “It doesn’t matter. They ask that stupid question all the time.”
“Yeah, but Sho always picks me.” Masaki asserted confidently. “If you don’t pick me, I would never be picked. That’s pretty sad.”
“Do you think I’ve spent 17 years choosing you over everyone else out of obligation?” He did not know why he said it out loud, but Sakurai wished he could call the words back immediately. The speed with which Aiba’s expression changed from amused self-deprecation to blank shock made the newscaster nauseous. “Wait. I mean- Um. Uh. I- I haven’t. I’ve always picked carefully.”
Then Aiba laughed, and it was the sweetest sound Sakurai had ever heard. His next words however, carried barbs that stung Sakurai all over again. “Sho-kun~ I’ll never be able to keep up with your pace!”
“You idiot. I don’t want to go at my pace forever. Once I’m ready to settle down, I’ll be ready to slow down too.” He had not meant for it to sound like he was trying to persuade the other man either, but somehow, a note of pleading had entered his voice and he was powerless to stop it. “Your ‘My Chiba’ tour was completely my ideal first date, but I wouldn’t expect every date to be like that.”
Masaki had abandoned any pretense of leaving the vehicle. He turned in his chair to face the driver's seat directly. “You should. You should find someone who really wants to make you happy; not just someone who will make themselves happy by being with you, you know?”
“That’s not fair” Sho broke eye contact to hide his head in his arms as they rested on the steering wheel. He had come this far, and there was no turning back now. “You’re not fair. You work so hard to make everyone happy, I want to make you happy too. But that’s not what you meant, is it? You never mean it like that.”
“And you do? You’ve been saying for 15 years that if I were a girl-”
“No! I never said you had to be a girl.”
Silence.
Sakurai squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face further in his arms. He heard the passenger door open, felt the shift in weight as Aiba left the car and flinched at the quiet click of the door latching shut. He was motionless, frozen by the sudden chill created by the blast of night air left where Masaki’s warmth once was. It must have been just a few seconds, but it felt like forever until the driver side door was abruptly pulled open, and Sakurai cracked his head on the roof of the car in his alarm.
“Sho-kun, anyone could have snuck up on you.” Aiba reached down, and over Sho’s lap to unbuckle his seatbelt. “Come on, I’ll order delivery.” And he drew him out of the car.
“Aiba-chan, what are you doing?”
The younger man shrugged, his wide, slightly embarrassed smile showing the honesty behind his actions. “Our second date.”
_____________________
End.
Feel free to comment.