Preludes
Written for a kiss and all was said 2015 challenge at arashirabu
Title: Preludes
Pairing: Sakuraiba, Sakumiya, Matsumiya
Summary: Aiba have always been watching Sho
* *
Every weekday morning, he never fails to show up. He'll always take a seat at the furthest table in the back corner. He orders a large breakfast and coffee and will pore over several different newspapers as customers walk in and out in the morning rush. Aiba notices him. Aiba notices almost everything; the way his eyes never leaves the printed pages, the way he chews slowly, how he sips his coffee languidly; but he always finishes on time, five minutes before seven.
Sometimes though, another man joins him. He calls the man Nino. When Nino does come, he'll set his papers aside for once. They keep their voices low and talk even though Nino is more interested in the phone in his hands. Aiba sweeps by their table every now and then to offer him more coffee, which he shares with Nino. Aiba wants to know what Nino's so interested in on his phone, but Nino's always just playing games. It doesn't bother him in the least and he just talks while Nino plays.
Nino calls him Sho-chan.
It is the disconnect that draws Aiba's attention. The way Sho-chan's laughter will ring in his ears when his back is turned; in the background the exuberant chortle is music to his ears. But if Aiba loses to his curiousity and turns to look, Sho-chan calmly stares back at him over Nino's bowed head with bright eyes, lines of contained joy marking his face. Aiba will smile and politely ask once again, More coffee, sir?
Sho-chan will nod and offer his mug and mutter gruffly, Thanks.
Just once, Aiba will like to catch Sho-chan actually smiling.
Why? Ohno passively asks Aiba the very good question and Aiba doesn't know why.
Because he's different. Because he's interesting. Because it's important to me.
And then because Ohno keeps asking Aiba realizes, Because I like him.
It's the way Sho-chan's face lights up whenever Nino comes, or his voice carries conviction when he speaks to Nino, or the way he offers his own coffee and blushes, even after so many times it's happened, whenever Nino's lips touch the rim of the cup where his lips had been. It's the way after Nino is gone, and the table falls into silence again, that Sho-chan holds the warm coffee mug tightly as if trying to feel the warmth where Nino's hands had been.
But, most importantly, what wrenches at Aiba's heart is the reason the light in Sho-chan's eyes die; how Sho-chan will pretend to be uninterested whenever the person they call Matsumoto enters and how, when they leave with Nino finally stowing his phone away to playfully knock his arm into Matsumoto's side, Sho-chan will desperately grab at his newspapers so that he won't see them leave through that door together. It's the yearning, the struggle and despair in the very set of his shoulders; it's the way Nino so effortlessly, incidentally breaks Sho-chan's heart each time.
Aiba wishes he can gather each fragment, little by little, and piece them together for Sho-chan, to show it to him and say, I put it back together for you. Please give it to me. I will treasure it. But he can't. Because Sho-chan only has eyes for Nino and Sho-chan will only smile at Nino. Even Aiba, despite how diligent he is, has never seen Sho-chan smile.
Yet, Nino tells Sho-chan over a cup of shared coffee one day, I'm leaving with J. He's opening a dance studio in New York and asked me to move with him. Sho-chan congratulates them and asks him questions about his work and their plans, but Nino and Matsumoto has it all figured out and they're already set to depart. When Matsumoto comes and they invite Sho-chan for a final date and they leave, Aiba sees the devastation on Sho-chan's face. It's the end, they both know.
Aiba won't let it happen and for once he runs out of the shop after Nino and Matsumoto. Before they reach the crosswalk, he interrupts their conversation and they turn to stare at him with lingering smiles on their lips. That's when Aiba knows he can't help Sho-chan, even if it kills him, because Nino and Matsumoto belong together and not even Sho-chan's love can destroy what is whole. He returns to the shop and Ohno allows him to sit in the kitchen with his head in his arms.
At noon, Aiba is not ready to return to work, but he does because he cannot leave Ohno to manage alone. He is suprised when he finds Sho-chan still in his seat at the back. Even after hours, Sho-chan stares hopelessly at his newspapers and cold coffee; the pieces of his heart lay scattered and withered and Nino will never come back to fix it. And once more Aiba feels crushed all over. Maybe Aiba will never hear Sho-chan laugh again. Maybe he'll never get the chance to see Sho-chan smile.
He goes to the table and when Sho-chan looks up at him with dead eyes, he doesn't offer coffee.
Aiba sits down opposite him, in the chair Nino used to sit, and he looks at the unhappy Sho-chan and all of a sudden he wants to cry. Even if it's broken, he wants the pieces of that heart. If Sho-chan will give it to him, he'll gladly take it and love it; he'll treasure it beyond anything else. Maybe it's the misery so blatantly etched on his face because Sho-chan's lifeless eyes flicker for a second and then he grabs his cup of cold coffee and kindly offers it to Aiba without a word.
Aiba takes it gratefully, reverently, and touch his lips to the rim where Sho-chan's lips had been. The indirect kiss is cold and bittersweet, just like the coffee, but Aiba's emotions wells up until he's at bursting point. He looks up and gazes into Sho-chan's face and he speaks the first words of a beginning that he hopes is for them, "Sho-chan, I like you very much."
One day, he'll see Sho-chan smile because he promises he'll make it happen.
* *
[A/N]
A/N: So I said in the past that I might never write Sakuraiba again after having such a hard time writing them for the first time, but a miracle happened. I wanted to write something for the challenge to get out of the writing dumps I'm in, but I didn't have a particular pairing (or plot) in mind so I put all ArashixArashi pairings in a hat and wanted to pick out the top 5 to which I would narrow down to 3 then the winning one. The first four picks were Sho pairings! So maybe I was fated to write about Sho and decided to stop at four picks for the first round. In the end, I ended up with Sakuraiba which was the hardest for me. Probably it was a good thing.
Title: Preludes
Pairing: Sakuraiba, Sakumiya, Matsumiya
Summary: Aiba have always been watching Sho
* *
Every weekday morning, he never fails to show up. He'll always take a seat at the furthest table in the back corner. He orders a large breakfast and coffee and will pore over several different newspapers as customers walk in and out in the morning rush. Aiba notices him. Aiba notices almost everything; the way his eyes never leaves the printed pages, the way he chews slowly, how he sips his coffee languidly; but he always finishes on time, five minutes before seven.
Sometimes though, another man joins him. He calls the man Nino. When Nino does come, he'll set his papers aside for once. They keep their voices low and talk even though Nino is more interested in the phone in his hands. Aiba sweeps by their table every now and then to offer him more coffee, which he shares with Nino. Aiba wants to know what Nino's so interested in on his phone, but Nino's always just playing games. It doesn't bother him in the least and he just talks while Nino plays.
Nino calls him Sho-chan.
It is the disconnect that draws Aiba's attention. The way Sho-chan's laughter will ring in his ears when his back is turned; in the background the exuberant chortle is music to his ears. But if Aiba loses to his curiousity and turns to look, Sho-chan calmly stares back at him over Nino's bowed head with bright eyes, lines of contained joy marking his face. Aiba will smile and politely ask once again, More coffee, sir?
Sho-chan will nod and offer his mug and mutter gruffly, Thanks.
Just once, Aiba will like to catch Sho-chan actually smiling.
Why? Ohno passively asks Aiba the very good question and Aiba doesn't know why.
Because he's different. Because he's interesting. Because it's important to me.
And then because Ohno keeps asking Aiba realizes, Because I like him.
It's the way Sho-chan's face lights up whenever Nino comes, or his voice carries conviction when he speaks to Nino, or the way he offers his own coffee and blushes, even after so many times it's happened, whenever Nino's lips touch the rim of the cup where his lips had been. It's the way after Nino is gone, and the table falls into silence again, that Sho-chan holds the warm coffee mug tightly as if trying to feel the warmth where Nino's hands had been.
But, most importantly, what wrenches at Aiba's heart is the reason the light in Sho-chan's eyes die; how Sho-chan will pretend to be uninterested whenever the person they call Matsumoto enters and how, when they leave with Nino finally stowing his phone away to playfully knock his arm into Matsumoto's side, Sho-chan will desperately grab at his newspapers so that he won't see them leave through that door together. It's the yearning, the struggle and despair in the very set of his shoulders; it's the way Nino so effortlessly, incidentally breaks Sho-chan's heart each time.
Aiba wishes he can gather each fragment, little by little, and piece them together for Sho-chan, to show it to him and say, I put it back together for you. Please give it to me. I will treasure it. But he can't. Because Sho-chan only has eyes for Nino and Sho-chan will only smile at Nino. Even Aiba, despite how diligent he is, has never seen Sho-chan smile.
Yet, Nino tells Sho-chan over a cup of shared coffee one day, I'm leaving with J. He's opening a dance studio in New York and asked me to move with him. Sho-chan congratulates them and asks him questions about his work and their plans, but Nino and Matsumoto has it all figured out and they're already set to depart. When Matsumoto comes and they invite Sho-chan for a final date and they leave, Aiba sees the devastation on Sho-chan's face. It's the end, they both know.
Aiba won't let it happen and for once he runs out of the shop after Nino and Matsumoto. Before they reach the crosswalk, he interrupts their conversation and they turn to stare at him with lingering smiles on their lips. That's when Aiba knows he can't help Sho-chan, even if it kills him, because Nino and Matsumoto belong together and not even Sho-chan's love can destroy what is whole. He returns to the shop and Ohno allows him to sit in the kitchen with his head in his arms.
At noon, Aiba is not ready to return to work, but he does because he cannot leave Ohno to manage alone. He is suprised when he finds Sho-chan still in his seat at the back. Even after hours, Sho-chan stares hopelessly at his newspapers and cold coffee; the pieces of his heart lay scattered and withered and Nino will never come back to fix it. And once more Aiba feels crushed all over. Maybe Aiba will never hear Sho-chan laugh again. Maybe he'll never get the chance to see Sho-chan smile.
He goes to the table and when Sho-chan looks up at him with dead eyes, he doesn't offer coffee.
Aiba sits down opposite him, in the chair Nino used to sit, and he looks at the unhappy Sho-chan and all of a sudden he wants to cry. Even if it's broken, he wants the pieces of that heart. If Sho-chan will give it to him, he'll gladly take it and love it; he'll treasure it beyond anything else. Maybe it's the misery so blatantly etched on his face because Sho-chan's lifeless eyes flicker for a second and then he grabs his cup of cold coffee and kindly offers it to Aiba without a word.
Aiba takes it gratefully, reverently, and touch his lips to the rim where Sho-chan's lips had been. The indirect kiss is cold and bittersweet, just like the coffee, but Aiba's emotions wells up until he's at bursting point. He looks up and gazes into Sho-chan's face and he speaks the first words of a beginning that he hopes is for them, "Sho-chan, I like you very much."
One day, he'll see Sho-chan smile because he promises he'll make it happen.
* *
[A/N]
A/N: So I said in the past that I might never write Sakuraiba again after having such a hard time writing them for the first time, but a miracle happened. I wanted to write something for the challenge to get out of the writing dumps I'm in, but I didn't have a particular pairing (or plot) in mind so I put all ArashixArashi pairings in a hat and wanted to pick out the top 5 to which I would narrow down to 3 then the winning one. The first four picks were Sho pairings! So maybe I was fated to write about Sho and decided to stop at four picks for the first round. In the end, I ended up with Sakuraiba which was the hardest for me. Probably it was a good thing.