[multi-chapter] Remarkable [Ohmiya / Sakuraiba] [21]
Title: Remarkable - The Same Difference
Pairing: Ohmiya | Sakuraiba
Rating: PG-13 for chapter 00 - 15 | starting from chapter 16: R
Genre: alternative, angst, mystery
Summary: Ohno Satoshi - newly hired host in a men's club - was slowly losing his hopes for a better life. Then one day he met a mysterious customer and his whole being suddenly hoped that his life would take a turn for the better. But Ohno couldn't even imagine the consequences this no doubt important meeting would have.
Warning: AU (Alternative Universe), RPS (Real Person Slash)
Translator:
lady_alesha♥
Beta: nanao253♥
Prologue | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20
I have a little announcement to make. I will be on vacation from 10.10 - 24.10 and I don't know if I'll be able to post the next chapters then ;__; I'll try it but I can't promise you .___.
But therefor you get a chapter now which is full of Sakuraiba ^_____^~ ♥
EDIT: Haha, I was a little confused XDDD' I'm still here next friday.. so you'll definitely get one more chapter before my vacation! XD'
Chapter 21
“Then you better leave as soon as possible.”
At first Sho didn’t know what had made him say that. Aiba had been really nice to him, had taken care of him and even saved his life a few times. They had been lying on the bed next to each other for hours now, talking as if they were old friends.
But still he told him to leave. And his words hadn’t been those said when sending someone home, knowing that one would see him again soon. They were final, Sho had understood that at once.
But he had a good reason for them.
“Satoshi… is starting to cling to Ninomiya. The longer this lasts, the harder it will be for him once you’re gone.”
From the corner of his eye, the host saw Aiba nod slowly but he kept his gaze fixed on the ceiling. His eyes were restless. They moved to Aiba, from Aiba to the ceiling, then they roamed around the room. It was as if his eyes were looking for something he couldn’t find.
“I’ll talk to him soon,” was the vampire’s short answer.
Sho gave up hope to find something he could fix his gaze on in the room and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he said quietly: “If that’s… all, I should probably go.”
A second later he was on his feet and wanted to storm out of the room and leave the sudden tension behind. But he had no idea where he was at the moment.
He stopped in the middle of the room and shyly spoke again.
“How… do I get back to the corner where… well… you know…,” he murmured hesitantly, heightening the tension even more. Strange.
“I can drive you… if you want me to,” Aiba answered slowly, as if the former customer wasn’t sure if Sho wanted to stay in his company any longer.
Something, Sho wasn’t sure about himself.
But there was something in his head stopping him from thinking, stopping him from doubting his decision or realizing how dangerous it could be.
“If you want to.”
Only a short while later he sat in the vampire’s car.
He didn’t know why, he only had a vague suspicion that it could be because of the unpleasant silence between them, but he wasn’t sure why his thoughts ran away with him.
He was even more surprised by where they ended up.
‘I don’t think… I’ll ever see him again after I get out of this car. Why should I? Why should I even want to see him again? He nearly… killed me.’
But one thing was clear to him, and he was more aware of it with every minute that passed.
He couldn’t blame Aiba for anything anymore.
At the same time there were some things he still didn’t understand, questions he needed answers for, but didn’t dare ask.
But now seemed to be his last chance.
“Masaki-san… you… well, there’s something I’ve been wondering for a while…,” he began carefully, despite the weird feeling he got from breaking the silence.
“Hm?”
Aiba didn’t say anything else, this one sound made it clear that he didn’t mind Sho asking, but he kept his eyes fixed on the street. Even though they were stopping at a red light.
“There are two of you, you and… Ninomiya. And this hunter is alone. Why… why don’t you just fight him? You should be… able to take him, right?”
And again there was silence, uncomfortable like never before , making Sho’s stomach clench painfully. Wrong question, no doubt about it. But he needed an answer.
Aiba sighed quietly and continued driving when the light changed to green.
“There are… two kinds of vampires, Sho-kun. Vampires like Nino and I that were bitten by another vampire and turned… and pure vampires, those that were born vampires,” Aiba pronounced the words carefully, his voice deep and quiet, making Sho shiver.
“He’s a pure vampire.”
And the host could watch Aiba grip the wheel harder until his knuckles turned white.
“That’s why he’s more powerful than we are… and that’s why we fear him…”
They were passing the alley that had been the scene of the attack. Sho touched his throat involuntarily, caressing the soft bandage for a few seconds.
He didn’t want to think about how cruel this vampire had to be, if someone as ruthless as Ninomiya was afraid of him.
Another reason to never see the vampire next to him ever again.
But it was becoming harder and harder to deal with this thought, even though he couldn’t say why.
When they reached his house, he didn’t want to get out.
‘That’s it, huh…? After everything we’ve been through? After he… saved me? And now we just say goodbye?’
And Sho knew this couldn’t be it.
He looked at Aiba seriously until Aiba looked back at him, sadness and surprise in his eyes.
“Do you… want to come in…?” Sho asked the almost obvious question, but shut his mouth right away, feeling caught and embarrassed. He didn’t know why.
Aiba seemed to be as surprised as Sho himself.
“Uhm… yes,” Aiba answered, surprise obvious in his voice. Only a second later both of them got out of the car and stood in front of Sho’s apartment. Sho’s fingers shook when he opened the door.
Something was very wrong here.
Or maybe it was just right?
“Have a seat.”
And Aiba sat down on the sofa in Sho’s living room. He sat there and looked as if he was listening deep inside himself.
The host quickly shook the thought off and tried to regain his composure.
“Do you want something to drink?” he asked quickly, slowly retreating into the kitchen. But he wasn’t expecting Aiba’s answer.
“Why are you doing this?” Surprised brown eyes turned on him, more than confused.
Sho stopped, turned back to the vampire and returned his gaze no less confused. But Aiba didn’t give him time to answer.
“Why did you ask me inside? Why are you offering me something to drink? Shouldn’t you be happy to see me go?”
They had reached a point, at which Sho couldn’t deny that nothing was happening the way it was supposed to.
It was now that he needed to finally get a hold of himself.
“Because I’m polite,” he answered curtly, watching Aiba critically for a moment.
“I don’t have to be afraid of you. Not like I am of Ninomiya.”
Then he turned around and walked into the kitchen. Even if the vampire didn’t want a drink, Sho needed something to do. He needed a short break before he could deal with his guest again.
Making tea helped.
Armed with two steaming mugs of tea, the host went back into the living room, finding Aiba looking as confused as he had been when Sho had left him. If the situation hadn’t been so serious and tense, Sho would have laughed.
But Sho had gotten enough of his composure back to smile at Aiba while holding out the mug to him.
“Besides… you’d be alone at home and I would be alone here.”
And the vampire couldn’t think of anything to say in response.
For a while they just sat there, occasionally looking at each other, then looking back down at their hands, sipping on their tea, before getting lost in thought again and allowing their gazes to wander around the room.
This time Aiba ended the silence.
“If you’re… not afraid of me… would it be alright, if I… came to the club every now and then? When I want company…?”
Sho hesitated, a strange thought at the forefront of his mind.
‘My company?’
But that wasn’t what he meant. Right? They didn’t have that kind of connection yet - and they never would develop it either; they didn’t have enough time.
Sho looked at the vampire curiously, before inclining his head to the side and suppressing those thoughts.
“I thought you’re only into women…?”
He shrugged then continued, he knew that he wouldn’t get an answer out of Aiba right away. Why should he, when his question was more rhetorical than anything else?
“If you want to… you can come. I’m sure it’ll be different to have a customer whose hands don’t go for certain spots at once,” Sho said dryly. He sipped on his tea, never looking away from Aiba.
His neutral answer seemed to make the vampire relax and Sho was once again gifted with his smile. The smile Masaki had smiled when he had first met him in the club.
“Well, if that’s what this is about… it’s been a while since my hands were in certain spots. Maybe I need that again.” The former customer grinned widely, but Sho could hear that he was only joking in every word.
But that didn’t stop him from grinning himself.
“I can arrange that for you. You could be a trainee at the club for one day. You just have to say the word.”
He sipped at his tea again, thought for a moment, but then continued the game Aiba had started. What did he have to lose after all?
“Or you can put your hands on those spots right here. But that’ll cost you.“ His voice sounded challenging, even though it was lacking seriousness.
Aiba laughed quietly.
“With your hourly wages, you’d have to hurry; I don’t have that much cash on me.” Aiba continued the game, his grin growing with every word.
Somehow both of them were glad that the mood was lighter now. Pleasant. Bearable.
Of course Sho didn’t doubt for a moment that either of them would forget what had happened.
“I take checks, too. But don’t forget, every special request will cost you more.” Sho leaned back on the sofa nonchalantly, fixing Aiba with his insistent gaze, enjoying the good humor in Aiba’s eyes.
“Well then you can take your time…” Having spoken these words, Aiba laughed again, quietly but audibly. “Special requests? Am I right in thinking you can offer me a host of nice experiments?”
Sho couldn’t keep himself from grinning again.
“You’ve never seen my bedroom, Masaki-san. Beneath my bed… there’s room for all kinds of toys. And in extreme cases, there’s always the basement.”
Sho made sure to over-emphasize certain words. It was all just a joke anyway.
No host ever took his customer home, after all. That was taboo.
Aiba started to relax now, too. He linked his fingers behind his head and leaned back a little further. The amused grin never left his lips.
“Always be prepared, huh? That paints a whole new picture of your job.” But these words sounded almost too serious, making Sho look surprised for a second. Maybe Masaki just didn’t know much about his job, didn’t know that it was the norm to sleep with your customers.
“But I think I’m a rather normal customer… a comfortable bed and a nice partner are enough for me.”
Sho burst out laughing.
“Then you’re far from normal.”
He drank the last of his tea, leaned forward slowly and put the mug back on the table. When he looked back up, Aiba’s grin had vanished.
“Then it has become unusual to just sleep with each other…?”
The sudden seriousness made Sho look at the vampire confused for a moment. He took a deep breath before answering.
“Well… most customers are cautious at first. But when they come more often, they start having more requests and those requests become… more and more exotic. The customer is king, ne…”
The host’s gaze was fixed on his mug while he spoke.
“Lately there are more customers that have unusual requests. It’s been a long time that a customer just wanted to have normal sex.”
He heard Aiba breathe in sharply. The conversation had taken a different, unpleasant turn. It was about time to change that.
“Have you ever slept with a man, Masaki-san?”
Sho looked back up at Aiba, the grin back on his face.
“Hai, I have,” he answered Sho’s rather personal question dryly.
Sho hadn’t expected this answer, if he was being honest with himself.
And he didn’t know, what to say to that.
“Huh…? You’ve had sex with a man? But didn’t you say you were only interested in women?” he asked quickly, surprised, but not wanting to show his surprise.
But he felt the sudden need to know more, to find out what was really going on in the vampire’s head.
Maybe it was this curiosity that made him go on, that brought his smile back.
“Or it was bad enough that you switched teams after?” he continued cheekily, his chin propped up on his hand playfully, never looking away from Masaki.
“I bet I could change your mind.”
Maybe he should have noticed sooner that Aiba hadn’t been sporting a grin ever since their conversation had turned serious. Maybe Sho had known deep down, but ignored it.
No matter the reason, it made him lose composure when he heard the vampire’s answer:
“Try.”
next chapter
Pairing: Ohmiya | Sakuraiba
Rating: PG-13 for chapter 00 - 15 | starting from chapter 16: R
Genre: alternative, angst, mystery
Summary: Ohno Satoshi - newly hired host in a men's club - was slowly losing his hopes for a better life. Then one day he met a mysterious customer and his whole being suddenly hoped that his life would take a turn for the better. But Ohno couldn't even imagine the consequences this no doubt important meeting would have.
Warning: AU (Alternative Universe), RPS (Real Person Slash)
Translator:
lady_alesha♥
Beta: nanao253♥
Prologue | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20
I have a little announcement to make. I will be on vacation from 10.10 - 24.10 and I don't know if I'll be able to post the next chapters then ;__; I'll try it but I can't promise you .___.
But therefor you get a chapter now which is full of Sakuraiba ^_____^~ ♥
EDIT: Haha, I was a little confused XDDD' I'm still here next friday.. so you'll definitely get one more chapter before my vacation! XD'
Chapter 21
“Then you better leave as soon as possible.”
At first Sho didn’t know what had made him say that. Aiba had been really nice to him, had taken care of him and even saved his life a few times. They had been lying on the bed next to each other for hours now, talking as if they were old friends.
But still he told him to leave. And his words hadn’t been those said when sending someone home, knowing that one would see him again soon. They were final, Sho had understood that at once.
But he had a good reason for them.
“Satoshi… is starting to cling to Ninomiya. The longer this lasts, the harder it will be for him once you’re gone.”
From the corner of his eye, the host saw Aiba nod slowly but he kept his gaze fixed on the ceiling. His eyes were restless. They moved to Aiba, from Aiba to the ceiling, then they roamed around the room. It was as if his eyes were looking for something he couldn’t find.
“I’ll talk to him soon,” was the vampire’s short answer.
Sho gave up hope to find something he could fix his gaze on in the room and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he said quietly: “If that’s… all, I should probably go.”
A second later he was on his feet and wanted to storm out of the room and leave the sudden tension behind. But he had no idea where he was at the moment.
He stopped in the middle of the room and shyly spoke again.
“How… do I get back to the corner where… well… you know…,” he murmured hesitantly, heightening the tension even more. Strange.
“I can drive you… if you want me to,” Aiba answered slowly, as if the former customer wasn’t sure if Sho wanted to stay in his company any longer.
Something, Sho wasn’t sure about himself.
But there was something in his head stopping him from thinking, stopping him from doubting his decision or realizing how dangerous it could be.
“If you want to.”
Only a short while later he sat in the vampire’s car.
He didn’t know why, he only had a vague suspicion that it could be because of the unpleasant silence between them, but he wasn’t sure why his thoughts ran away with him.
He was even more surprised by where they ended up.
‘I don’t think… I’ll ever see him again after I get out of this car. Why should I? Why should I even want to see him again? He nearly… killed me.’
But one thing was clear to him, and he was more aware of it with every minute that passed.
He couldn’t blame Aiba for anything anymore.
At the same time there were some things he still didn’t understand, questions he needed answers for, but didn’t dare ask.
But now seemed to be his last chance.
“Masaki-san… you… well, there’s something I’ve been wondering for a while…,” he began carefully, despite the weird feeling he got from breaking the silence.
“Hm?”
Aiba didn’t say anything else, this one sound made it clear that he didn’t mind Sho asking, but he kept his eyes fixed on the street. Even though they were stopping at a red light.
“There are two of you, you and… Ninomiya. And this hunter is alone. Why… why don’t you just fight him? You should be… able to take him, right?”
And again there was silence, uncomfortable like never before , making Sho’s stomach clench painfully. Wrong question, no doubt about it. But he needed an answer.
Aiba sighed quietly and continued driving when the light changed to green.
“There are… two kinds of vampires, Sho-kun. Vampires like Nino and I that were bitten by another vampire and turned… and pure vampires, those that were born vampires,” Aiba pronounced the words carefully, his voice deep and quiet, making Sho shiver.
“He’s a pure vampire.”
And the host could watch Aiba grip the wheel harder until his knuckles turned white.
“That’s why he’s more powerful than we are… and that’s why we fear him…”
They were passing the alley that had been the scene of the attack. Sho touched his throat involuntarily, caressing the soft bandage for a few seconds.
He didn’t want to think about how cruel this vampire had to be, if someone as ruthless as Ninomiya was afraid of him.
Another reason to never see the vampire next to him ever again.
But it was becoming harder and harder to deal with this thought, even though he couldn’t say why.
When they reached his house, he didn’t want to get out.
‘That’s it, huh…? After everything we’ve been through? After he… saved me? And now we just say goodbye?’
And Sho knew this couldn’t be it.
He looked at Aiba seriously until Aiba looked back at him, sadness and surprise in his eyes.
“Do you… want to come in…?” Sho asked the almost obvious question, but shut his mouth right away, feeling caught and embarrassed. He didn’t know why.
Aiba seemed to be as surprised as Sho himself.
“Uhm… yes,” Aiba answered, surprise obvious in his voice. Only a second later both of them got out of the car and stood in front of Sho’s apartment. Sho’s fingers shook when he opened the door.
Something was very wrong here.
Or maybe it was just right?
“Have a seat.”
And Aiba sat down on the sofa in Sho’s living room. He sat there and looked as if he was listening deep inside himself.
The host quickly shook the thought off and tried to regain his composure.
“Do you want something to drink?” he asked quickly, slowly retreating into the kitchen. But he wasn’t expecting Aiba’s answer.
“Why are you doing this?” Surprised brown eyes turned on him, more than confused.
Sho stopped, turned back to the vampire and returned his gaze no less confused. But Aiba didn’t give him time to answer.
“Why did you ask me inside? Why are you offering me something to drink? Shouldn’t you be happy to see me go?”
They had reached a point, at which Sho couldn’t deny that nothing was happening the way it was supposed to.
It was now that he needed to finally get a hold of himself.
“Because I’m polite,” he answered curtly, watching Aiba critically for a moment.
“I don’t have to be afraid of you. Not like I am of Ninomiya.”
Then he turned around and walked into the kitchen. Even if the vampire didn’t want a drink, Sho needed something to do. He needed a short break before he could deal with his guest again.
Making tea helped.
Armed with two steaming mugs of tea, the host went back into the living room, finding Aiba looking as confused as he had been when Sho had left him. If the situation hadn’t been so serious and tense, Sho would have laughed.
But Sho had gotten enough of his composure back to smile at Aiba while holding out the mug to him.
“Besides… you’d be alone at home and I would be alone here.”
And the vampire couldn’t think of anything to say in response.
For a while they just sat there, occasionally looking at each other, then looking back down at their hands, sipping on their tea, before getting lost in thought again and allowing their gazes to wander around the room.
This time Aiba ended the silence.
“If you’re… not afraid of me… would it be alright, if I… came to the club every now and then? When I want company…?”
Sho hesitated, a strange thought at the forefront of his mind.
‘My company?’
But that wasn’t what he meant. Right? They didn’t have that kind of connection yet - and they never would develop it either; they didn’t have enough time.
Sho looked at the vampire curiously, before inclining his head to the side and suppressing those thoughts.
“I thought you’re only into women…?”
He shrugged then continued, he knew that he wouldn’t get an answer out of Aiba right away. Why should he, when his question was more rhetorical than anything else?
“If you want to… you can come. I’m sure it’ll be different to have a customer whose hands don’t go for certain spots at once,” Sho said dryly. He sipped on his tea, never looking away from Aiba.
His neutral answer seemed to make the vampire relax and Sho was once again gifted with his smile. The smile Masaki had smiled when he had first met him in the club.
“Well, if that’s what this is about… it’s been a while since my hands were in certain spots. Maybe I need that again.” The former customer grinned widely, but Sho could hear that he was only joking in every word.
But that didn’t stop him from grinning himself.
“I can arrange that for you. You could be a trainee at the club for one day. You just have to say the word.”
He sipped at his tea again, thought for a moment, but then continued the game Aiba had started. What did he have to lose after all?
“Or you can put your hands on those spots right here. But that’ll cost you.“ His voice sounded challenging, even though it was lacking seriousness.
Aiba laughed quietly.
“With your hourly wages, you’d have to hurry; I don’t have that much cash on me.” Aiba continued the game, his grin growing with every word.
Somehow both of them were glad that the mood was lighter now. Pleasant. Bearable.
Of course Sho didn’t doubt for a moment that either of them would forget what had happened.
“I take checks, too. But don’t forget, every special request will cost you more.” Sho leaned back on the sofa nonchalantly, fixing Aiba with his insistent gaze, enjoying the good humor in Aiba’s eyes.
“Well then you can take your time…” Having spoken these words, Aiba laughed again, quietly but audibly. “Special requests? Am I right in thinking you can offer me a host of nice experiments?”
Sho couldn’t keep himself from grinning again.
“You’ve never seen my bedroom, Masaki-san. Beneath my bed… there’s room for all kinds of toys. And in extreme cases, there’s always the basement.”
Sho made sure to over-emphasize certain words. It was all just a joke anyway.
No host ever took his customer home, after all. That was taboo.
Aiba started to relax now, too. He linked his fingers behind his head and leaned back a little further. The amused grin never left his lips.
“Always be prepared, huh? That paints a whole new picture of your job.” But these words sounded almost too serious, making Sho look surprised for a second. Maybe Masaki just didn’t know much about his job, didn’t know that it was the norm to sleep with your customers.
“But I think I’m a rather normal customer… a comfortable bed and a nice partner are enough for me.”
Sho burst out laughing.
“Then you’re far from normal.”
He drank the last of his tea, leaned forward slowly and put the mug back on the table. When he looked back up, Aiba’s grin had vanished.
“Then it has become unusual to just sleep with each other…?”
The sudden seriousness made Sho look at the vampire confused for a moment. He took a deep breath before answering.
“Well… most customers are cautious at first. But when they come more often, they start having more requests and those requests become… more and more exotic. The customer is king, ne…”
The host’s gaze was fixed on his mug while he spoke.
“Lately there are more customers that have unusual requests. It’s been a long time that a customer just wanted to have normal sex.”
He heard Aiba breathe in sharply. The conversation had taken a different, unpleasant turn. It was about time to change that.
“Have you ever slept with a man, Masaki-san?”
Sho looked back up at Aiba, the grin back on his face.
“Hai, I have,” he answered Sho’s rather personal question dryly.
Sho hadn’t expected this answer, if he was being honest with himself.
And he didn’t know, what to say to that.
“Huh…? You’ve had sex with a man? But didn’t you say you were only interested in women?” he asked quickly, surprised, but not wanting to show his surprise.
But he felt the sudden need to know more, to find out what was really going on in the vampire’s head.
Maybe it was this curiosity that made him go on, that brought his smile back.
“Or it was bad enough that you switched teams after?” he continued cheekily, his chin propped up on his hand playfully, never looking away from Masaki.
“I bet I could change your mind.”
Maybe he should have noticed sooner that Aiba hadn’t been sporting a grin ever since their conversation had turned serious. Maybe Sho had known deep down, but ignored it.
No matter the reason, it made him lose composure when he heard the vampire’s answer:
“Try.”
next chapter