(no subject)
Title: First
Pairing: Sakuraiba
Rating: PG
Note: Wrote it for the Sakuraiba-thon
1.
The first thing Aiba hears the moment he wakes up that afternoon was the sound of Sho's voice. Slightly hoarse from the overwhelming amount of rehearsals Arashi has, Sho's voice sounds weaker than what he's accustomed to. The smell of freshly picked daisies masks the overly sanitized scent of the hospital room. He blinks once, then twice.
"Ah, he's awake!" Sho exlaims, half-whisper and half-scream.
He eyes the four men sitting close to his bedside-- all of them are holding on to him tightly, brows furrowed and eyes laced with mixed emotions. Ohno seems to just have recently woken up; then again, who is he to judge? On the other hand, Jun is starting to look like a shoujo manga character with all those tears welling up in his eyes. Aiba's bedridden state of mind felt the need to point them out.
"Sho-chan," Aiba attempts to say in between snickers. "I love you."
Sho turns beet red all the way to the tip of his ears, and finds this the right time to smack him right on the head.
"Go back to sleep," Sho mutters. "You have to get well soon."
That was the first time Aiba confessed to Sho.
2.
The digital sounds of the gadget resound throughout the room. The only source of light present is the flat screen television sitting on the cold, hard ground. The last bit of the monster's health points reflect in the boy's eyes, as his character makes the final swing of his weapon of choice. The boy's thumbs are sore from all the hours he has spent on this level's final boss, and here he is, buttons away from defeating it.
His phone rings--'veeeery danger!' Maybe he should’ve put it on Silent before playing.
For a second there, he was distracted. A second, however, is a lot more meaningful in this stage, and he has wasted it. The sight of the monster's agile movements and the sound of his character's cry bring him to drop his game console's controller and rush towards the phone in question. He glares at it, but knowing that doing so would not change a thing makes his blood boil with anger. Or very, very good ideas.
04:32 am
Recipients: Me, Princess, Oh-chan, Chesuto
From: Aibaka
-----------------------
I love Arashi!!1! 8DDDDD
--end of message---
He nearly throws his cellphone. That, however, would be a waste of time (and money). He, instead, decides to change clothes and pay someone a visit. He trusts his gamer instincts full on, and deciphers a map Aiba gave him the other day. The writings all look like scribbles and the word 'street' is even misspelled. That aside, he is now in the vicinity of his victim's house.
He decides against ringing the doorbell, and enters. The first thing he finds is a drunken man on the floor, with a cellphone in hand. He takes the phone, types, then takes his leave.
The following day, Sho receives a message from Aiba.
06:27 am
Recipients: Me
From: Masaki
--------------------------
Will you be the syrup to my pancakes?
----end of message----
That day too, Aiba is greeted by a smack on the forehead first thing in the morning.
3.
Beads of rain slither along his hair as he rushes towards the nearest shelter. His newly-bought boots are now soiled. Well, he supposes it's going to be fine now that he found himself inside a shop that sells umbrellas. Out of the many different colors available, he chooses red.
He giggles at the thought. He somehow found himself buying it on impulse. He wonders why, though. He settles at a nearby cafe, and orders cappuccino, and all-appropriate cake. The man served his cappuccino and cake along with today's newspaper, and so he decides to skim. However, the words are too complicated and the sentences are too long. He simply folds it and places it on the desk.
"How does Sho-chan read this stuff?"
He takes small sips from his warm cappuccino. Its bittersweet taste and strong scent calm him, as he listens to the rain's pitter-patter on the windows of the rundown cafe. His eyes gaze at the mist forming outside and at the people rushing about. He sees one man in particular that catches his attention. He seems to be in a state of panic-- hands digging furiously inside a bag and feet shuffling on the slippery street.
"Are you okay?" Aiba says, holding out his own recently-bought red umbrella to the man.
"Aiba!"
"Sho-chan!" Aiba exclaims, acting surprised. As if he would do this for any other man, anyway.
Aiba flashes his usual smile, and receives one in return. They walk in tandem, side by side, shoulders bumping against each other casually. They chat like they usually do. They laugh light-heartedly. They smile brightly. This feels nice, Aiba thinks.
He halts his movements. The sunlight is starting to fill the previously dim streets, and the rain is just drizzling now. The atmosphere is a lot lighter than what feels like hours ago. He reaches for Sho's hands, and holds them in his. He smiles yet again, but this time, it looks more relaxed, more honest. For a moment, everything just stopped. For a moment, everything is silent. For a moment, all they could hear are their own breaths. It feels like an eternity.
"I love you."
"What?" Sho removes one of the two earphones plugged to his ears. "Did you say something?"
That is the time he first realized his love for the other man.
4.
"What are you doing?" Sho feels the need to ask.
Today is the filming for the last episode of My Girl. The staff members are anything but free. They are everywhere at the same time, and so are the cast. The entire place is filled with very busy people talking at very fast rates. The director is talking to the lighting staff. The wardrobe manager is doing last minute checking. Aiba, however is right in front of him, doing something. This something is questionable.
"I'm warming up!" Aiba chirps.
He points the camera at every living thing he sees in front of him and takes the shot. Sadly, Sho is a living, breathing human being, thus belonging to the 'living thing' category. Then again, he took pictures of rocks a while ago. Luckily, Sho only has a number of lines to say. Aiba, however, is a different matter altogether.
Before he can lecture the naughty child, the director calls for them.
The filming ends successfully, and while they are all happy, Aiba is preoccupied. His mind is wandering elsewhere and it shows when he bumps into the wall for the seventh time. And he's sober.
Aiba clears the lump in his throat and approaches Sho.
"Sho-chan, let's drink at my apartment!" Aiba exclaims, pumping his fists in the air.
Sho courteously takes his leave from the huge crowd of inebriated staff members and the like.
"Sure."
They arrive at his apartment promptly, and Aiba feels butterflies in his stomach. Or maybe at this point, bats. He rushes inside, successfully locking the other man out. He rushes back to the door and slips his head through the small space he creates when he opens the door, "Wait," he pleads.
"Wait for a wh-while," Aiba stutters, as he pokes his head out of the door yet again.
A while and ten minutes later, the door opens. Skeptically, Sho enters the said room and sees bits of daisies on the floor. That same kind from years ago, when Aiba was lying on a hospital bed, helpless and fragile. Nostalgic, Sho feels. Aiba makes his appearance in a dubious state-- red dress, long brown hair, and pouty, red lips. Pretty is what he is. She? Not exactly the best time to correct speech, Sho thinks.
"Sho-chan doesn't like men, ne? This is the best I could do, sorry," he-she says apologetically.
Sho decidedly stays silent and looks around the room. The dining table has a scarlet red table cloth, and a stunning bouquet of, well, newspapers. Each bit of newspaper scrunched up and twisted around and folded over in different ways, made to look like a daisy. Aiba wasn't exactly the artistic one, but he did his best. He steps further into the room and eyes the wall adjacent to where Masaki- Masako, is leaning. Pictures both clear and unclear spread throughout, little words, no, phrases scribbled on them. 'The rocks those kids threw at Sho-chan,' one reads.
"I love you, Sho-chan," Aiba says, quite calmly, and with a gentle smile.
Sho feels his heart jump to his throat, and the hairs at the back of his neck rise. He clenches his fist and scrambles towards the door. Not one glance back at him, Aiba thinks.
The door slams, and Aiba is completely alone in the quiet room. The ambiance is getting to him. He feels cold, wet tears line his perfectly rosy-red cheeks.
His first heartbreak.
5.
"Hinnaaaaa," is the first thing Murakami Shingo hears early Thursday morning. His body is tired from yesterday's filming, and his throat is dry from this week's rehearsals.
"I know, I know. I heard you," Hina mutters. "Why are you expecting me, of all people, to give you an advice?"
Aiba sees his point, and decidedly cuts him off and calls the next contact in his address book.
"Matsujuuuuuun," he moans, pouting as if the man will hear it. "Let's play!"
Jun clears his throat before refusing, and then adds 'I'm busy, try asking riida instead." Jun knows his schedule like the back of his hand. There's not even enough time to have a nap. He could make up for it some other time, anyway. Besides, Aiba also has his hands full today. He sighs and drops the subject. This is the only sleep he'll get in a while, after all.
After an hour and thirty minutes of attempting to sleep and miraculously failing each time, Jun thinks he needs a break. Clearly, this thing between Sho and Aiba are getting to his nerves. He takes a relatively quick shower and an even quicker change of clothes. He takes his hat and promptly puts it on to hide his too-styled-hair-in-its-unstyled-state. He gets his phone and stuffs it in his bag, then takes his leave.
"Matsujuuuuuun," Aiba purrs as he gives him a manly man-hug. "You came for meeee!"
Jun feels a pang of guilt coming at him for turning the man down a while ago. Aiba looks as if something swallowed him whole and barfed him out with his messy hair and equally messy clothes. His choice clothes are of questionable origin, sporting a wild zebra-cheetah-tiger patterned top and a pair of neon green pants. Oh, and a sparkly sequined jacket.
"I don't understand why I had to come, too," Nino mutters bitterly. "Jun and Oh-chan are clearly enough to cheer this jumbo-sized kid anyway."
"You had your chance," Jun retorts just as bitterly.
Aiba feels a gentle pat on his right shoulder and hears Ohno softly whisper, "Don't give up." Before any of them could resist, they are pulled into a tight embrace. "I knew I could count on you guys," Aiba says weakly.
Silence.
Then, they are suddenly in front of a department store. Jun gasps, Nino twitches and Ohno shrugs. Aiba beams. They make a beeline for the women's clothing area as Aiba declares, "I'll be the prettiest girl today!" and much to their despair, loudly enough for all the innocent bystanders to hear.
Arashi (or at least four of five), being accustomed to the world of cosplay, are definitely trustworthy in this line of work. Jun and Nino finally seem to have explained to themselves the earlier phenomenon, calming down from its unforeseen shock. Ohno was already tranquil in the first place, reasoning out that he heard of other groups having been manipulated one way or another. That would be creepier, wouldn't it?
"Excuse me sir, what size are you looking for?" The sales lady inquires with a fake smile plastered on her face. Must be from working so much. An idol would know.
"My size!" Aiba says nonchalantly, beaming at the sales lady with a brilliant after-crying smile on his face. A blush creeps on Jun's face.
Ohno wordlessly brings out an intense crimson red corset with ivory black trimmings, and a matching semi-long slit Dirndl skirt and presents it to the stunned sales lady. Her expression can be categorized somewhere between suddenly finding out that her boyfriend whose proposal she has accepted is actually an ex-convict on the run and suddenly being told that she won today's lottery. Precious, Nino thinks, completely disregarding his own expression just moments ago.
Jun serves as tonight's cupid. He flips his sleek new cellphone open and makes the call. He puts it on loud speaker, and Sho's voice is clearly irritated. It is still 9 in the morning. “What do you need?”
Jun gulps. “There’s this pretty lady I met earlier, and she’s totally your type,” Pause. Acting really has its uses, Nino surmises. “She said she’ll meet you at that fancy Italian restaurant in Roppongi. About six or seven tonight.” Jun adds.
“Sure,” Sho utters, voice deep and breathy, much to Aiba’s pleasure.
They feel the heavy weight on their shoulders vanish. Jun makes his way towards the cashier and sighs as he pays for Masako’s entire outfit. The other three didn’t bring money. Nino and Ohno would be understandable, but for the man who dragged them out here, it’s definitely inexcusable.
The next stop is Ohno’s place. It’s the closest, and probably the best. It’d be too scary to face the reimbursements Nino or Jun will impose on them after this mild situation, afterall.
Courtesy of his charitable mother, Ohno has in his undeniably beautiful hands, make up paraphernalia. They take approximately four hours and thirty seven minutes (eating and gaming time excluded) to complete the Masako makeover. When they see their finished masterpiece though, they all know it was worth it.
*
It is already dusk, with the sun setting and the night sky growing dark. Aiba has practiced his female voice well over the time the others were spending on prettying him (her?) up for tonight’s appointment. “6:14 p.m.” he reads aloud in his feminine voice.
Tonight's dinner was dazzling. The Italian restaurant they have reserved for the night is extravagant, and the ambiance is definitely romantic. Majority of the place is dim-lighted; the only source of light being the small candles that lies in the middle of the tables. Aiba is impressed with Jun’s choice of restaurant. He is however, somewhat worried with today’s budget.
“The food is amazing,” Sho points out. His eyes are shining brilliantly. Is it the lighting or the food?
Aiba is a little jealous over the food. Why does it get complimented by Sho? He slowly, carefully slices the tender meat and takes a small, lady-like bite, “UMAI!”
He blushes a little, or maybe a lot, when he realizes how he just blew his cover. Sho, too, is blushing. It is a very exquisite dish from a very sophisticated restaurant. He’s waiting for a smack on the head anytime now. Conversely, he is greeted by Sho’s powerful laugh.
“That’s so cute,” he says charmingly.
Aiba is completely captivated. His breath is caught in his throat, and his heart is beating faster than Michael Schumacher in the 2004 Formula One Race. His skin tingles every time Sho’s hand brushes his own.
“I love you,” he blurts out at the spur of the moment.
Sho lightly chuckles, and subsequently grins, “There’s someone else I like.”
His first time to be dumped twice.
6.
The consecutive rejections hit Aiba quite badly. In front of the camera, he is as bouncy as ever. Behind the scenes, though, the make-up artists are having great difficulty covering his deep eye bags. The other four are worried, of course.
“When will this so-called confession be, genius?” Nino says irritatedly, eyes looking menacingly at Sho.
“J-just trust me,” Sho stutters.
“Sure, and maybe by the time you confess, pigs start flying,” Nino says pointedly.
“I heard Masuda flew during their tour,” Sho retorts.
“Oh, and Tegomass had those giant swings,” Ohno added, in between mouthfuls of today’s lunch.
“Oh, maybe we should have giant see-saws in the next concert,” Jun says absently.
“That’s beside the point!” Nino says, arms flailing about.
*
When the filming for this week’s episode of Arashi ni Shiyagare ends, Aiba just wants to head home and sleep. He’s hungry, but eating is too much work. Surely his stomach would understand, he thinks, as he pats his stomach lightly.
“Tadaima,” he says resignedly when he opens the door to his apartment’s room.
“Okaeri,”
Aiba blinks once, then twice. He turns around and closes the door, then reopens it. Then blinks again. He flicks the switch to the light open, and sees his table covered with a dark pine green tablecloth and complementary scarlet red wine glasses.
“Okaeri,” Sho repeats.
Aiba eyes the man, and scans him thoroughly from head to toe. He looks warm and fuzzy, perfect for his currently unenthusiastic mood. He has a playful pout on his luscious lips, and a heartwarming gaze in his eyes. Comfy, Sho looks.
“You like animals,” Sho declares adamantly. “So I thought it’d be perfect for the occasion.”
True that, Aiba thinks. A dog is a man’s best friend afterall. Wait, eh? Best Friend?
Sho notices a torn expression on Aiba’s face. His actions must have aggravated the situation. He smiles just as practiced, and takes Aiba’s hands in his.
Before any more after-consecutive-rejections thoughts come to his panicked state of mind, Aiba is pulled into a chaste kiss. “I love you,” Sho says, fingers lingering along Aiba’s jaw line.
Aiba simply giggles. Sho was never the artistic one, but he can be romantic sometimes.
“But you have to get rid of those pictures,” Sho says. “They’re creepy.”
“Eh?”
Pairing: Sakuraiba
Rating: PG
Note: Wrote it for the Sakuraiba-thon
1.
The first thing Aiba hears the moment he wakes up that afternoon was the sound of Sho's voice. Slightly hoarse from the overwhelming amount of rehearsals Arashi has, Sho's voice sounds weaker than what he's accustomed to. The smell of freshly picked daisies masks the overly sanitized scent of the hospital room. He blinks once, then twice.
"Ah, he's awake!" Sho exlaims, half-whisper and half-scream.
He eyes the four men sitting close to his bedside-- all of them are holding on to him tightly, brows furrowed and eyes laced with mixed emotions. Ohno seems to just have recently woken up; then again, who is he to judge? On the other hand, Jun is starting to look like a shoujo manga character with all those tears welling up in his eyes. Aiba's bedridden state of mind felt the need to point them out.
"Sho-chan," Aiba attempts to say in between snickers. "I love you."
Sho turns beet red all the way to the tip of his ears, and finds this the right time to smack him right on the head.
"Go back to sleep," Sho mutters. "You have to get well soon."
That was the first time Aiba confessed to Sho.
2.
The digital sounds of the gadget resound throughout the room. The only source of light present is the flat screen television sitting on the cold, hard ground. The last bit of the monster's health points reflect in the boy's eyes, as his character makes the final swing of his weapon of choice. The boy's thumbs are sore from all the hours he has spent on this level's final boss, and here he is, buttons away from defeating it.
His phone rings--'veeeery danger!' Maybe he should’ve put it on Silent before playing.
For a second there, he was distracted. A second, however, is a lot more meaningful in this stage, and he has wasted it. The sight of the monster's agile movements and the sound of his character's cry bring him to drop his game console's controller and rush towards the phone in question. He glares at it, but knowing that doing so would not change a thing makes his blood boil with anger. Or very, very good ideas.
04:32 am
Recipients: Me, Princess, Oh-chan, Chesuto
From: Aibaka
-----------------------
I love Arashi!!1! 8DDDDD
--end of message---
He nearly throws his cellphone. That, however, would be a waste of time (and money). He, instead, decides to change clothes and pay someone a visit. He trusts his gamer instincts full on, and deciphers a map Aiba gave him the other day. The writings all look like scribbles and the word 'street' is even misspelled. That aside, he is now in the vicinity of his victim's house.
He decides against ringing the doorbell, and enters. The first thing he finds is a drunken man on the floor, with a cellphone in hand. He takes the phone, types, then takes his leave.
The following day, Sho receives a message from Aiba.
06:27 am
Recipients: Me
From: Masaki
--------------------------
Will you be the syrup to my pancakes?
----end of message----
That day too, Aiba is greeted by a smack on the forehead first thing in the morning.
3.
Beads of rain slither along his hair as he rushes towards the nearest shelter. His newly-bought boots are now soiled. Well, he supposes it's going to be fine now that he found himself inside a shop that sells umbrellas. Out of the many different colors available, he chooses red.
He giggles at the thought. He somehow found himself buying it on impulse. He wonders why, though. He settles at a nearby cafe, and orders cappuccino, and all-appropriate cake. The man served his cappuccino and cake along with today's newspaper, and so he decides to skim. However, the words are too complicated and the sentences are too long. He simply folds it and places it on the desk.
"How does Sho-chan read this stuff?"
He takes small sips from his warm cappuccino. Its bittersweet taste and strong scent calm him, as he listens to the rain's pitter-patter on the windows of the rundown cafe. His eyes gaze at the mist forming outside and at the people rushing about. He sees one man in particular that catches his attention. He seems to be in a state of panic-- hands digging furiously inside a bag and feet shuffling on the slippery street.
"Are you okay?" Aiba says, holding out his own recently-bought red umbrella to the man.
"Aiba!"
"Sho-chan!" Aiba exclaims, acting surprised. As if he would do this for any other man, anyway.
Aiba flashes his usual smile, and receives one in return. They walk in tandem, side by side, shoulders bumping against each other casually. They chat like they usually do. They laugh light-heartedly. They smile brightly. This feels nice, Aiba thinks.
He halts his movements. The sunlight is starting to fill the previously dim streets, and the rain is just drizzling now. The atmosphere is a lot lighter than what feels like hours ago. He reaches for Sho's hands, and holds them in his. He smiles yet again, but this time, it looks more relaxed, more honest. For a moment, everything just stopped. For a moment, everything is silent. For a moment, all they could hear are their own breaths. It feels like an eternity.
"I love you."
"What?" Sho removes one of the two earphones plugged to his ears. "Did you say something?"
That is the time he first realized his love for the other man.
4.
"What are you doing?" Sho feels the need to ask.
Today is the filming for the last episode of My Girl. The staff members are anything but free. They are everywhere at the same time, and so are the cast. The entire place is filled with very busy people talking at very fast rates. The director is talking to the lighting staff. The wardrobe manager is doing last minute checking. Aiba, however is right in front of him, doing something. This something is questionable.
"I'm warming up!" Aiba chirps.
He points the camera at every living thing he sees in front of him and takes the shot. Sadly, Sho is a living, breathing human being, thus belonging to the 'living thing' category. Then again, he took pictures of rocks a while ago. Luckily, Sho only has a number of lines to say. Aiba, however, is a different matter altogether.
Before he can lecture the naughty child, the director calls for them.
The filming ends successfully, and while they are all happy, Aiba is preoccupied. His mind is wandering elsewhere and it shows when he bumps into the wall for the seventh time. And he's sober.
Aiba clears the lump in his throat and approaches Sho.
"Sho-chan, let's drink at my apartment!" Aiba exclaims, pumping his fists in the air.
Sho courteously takes his leave from the huge crowd of inebriated staff members and the like.
"Sure."
They arrive at his apartment promptly, and Aiba feels butterflies in his stomach. Or maybe at this point, bats. He rushes inside, successfully locking the other man out. He rushes back to the door and slips his head through the small space he creates when he opens the door, "Wait," he pleads.
"Wait for a wh-while," Aiba stutters, as he pokes his head out of the door yet again.
A while and ten minutes later, the door opens. Skeptically, Sho enters the said room and sees bits of daisies on the floor. That same kind from years ago, when Aiba was lying on a hospital bed, helpless and fragile. Nostalgic, Sho feels. Aiba makes his appearance in a dubious state-- red dress, long brown hair, and pouty, red lips. Pretty is what he is. She? Not exactly the best time to correct speech, Sho thinks.
"Sho-chan doesn't like men, ne? This is the best I could do, sorry," he-she says apologetically.
Sho decidedly stays silent and looks around the room. The dining table has a scarlet red table cloth, and a stunning bouquet of, well, newspapers. Each bit of newspaper scrunched up and twisted around and folded over in different ways, made to look like a daisy. Aiba wasn't exactly the artistic one, but he did his best. He steps further into the room and eyes the wall adjacent to where Masaki- Masako, is leaning. Pictures both clear and unclear spread throughout, little words, no, phrases scribbled on them. 'The rocks those kids threw at Sho-chan,' one reads.
"I love you, Sho-chan," Aiba says, quite calmly, and with a gentle smile.
Sho feels his heart jump to his throat, and the hairs at the back of his neck rise. He clenches his fist and scrambles towards the door. Not one glance back at him, Aiba thinks.
The door slams, and Aiba is completely alone in the quiet room. The ambiance is getting to him. He feels cold, wet tears line his perfectly rosy-red cheeks.
His first heartbreak.
5.
"Hinnaaaaa," is the first thing Murakami Shingo hears early Thursday morning. His body is tired from yesterday's filming, and his throat is dry from this week's rehearsals.
"I know, I know. I heard you," Hina mutters. "Why are you expecting me, of all people, to give you an advice?"
Aiba sees his point, and decidedly cuts him off and calls the next contact in his address book.
"Matsujuuuuuun," he moans, pouting as if the man will hear it. "Let's play!"
Jun clears his throat before refusing, and then adds 'I'm busy, try asking riida instead." Jun knows his schedule like the back of his hand. There's not even enough time to have a nap. He could make up for it some other time, anyway. Besides, Aiba also has his hands full today. He sighs and drops the subject. This is the only sleep he'll get in a while, after all.
After an hour and thirty minutes of attempting to sleep and miraculously failing each time, Jun thinks he needs a break. Clearly, this thing between Sho and Aiba are getting to his nerves. He takes a relatively quick shower and an even quicker change of clothes. He takes his hat and promptly puts it on to hide his too-styled-hair-in-its-unstyled-state. He gets his phone and stuffs it in his bag, then takes his leave.
"Matsujuuuuuun," Aiba purrs as he gives him a manly man-hug. "You came for meeee!"
Jun feels a pang of guilt coming at him for turning the man down a while ago. Aiba looks as if something swallowed him whole and barfed him out with his messy hair and equally messy clothes. His choice clothes are of questionable origin, sporting a wild zebra-cheetah-tiger patterned top and a pair of neon green pants. Oh, and a sparkly sequined jacket.
"I don't understand why I had to come, too," Nino mutters bitterly. "Jun and Oh-chan are clearly enough to cheer this jumbo-sized kid anyway."
"You had your chance," Jun retorts just as bitterly.
Aiba feels a gentle pat on his right shoulder and hears Ohno softly whisper, "Don't give up." Before any of them could resist, they are pulled into a tight embrace. "I knew I could count on you guys," Aiba says weakly.
Silence.
Then, they are suddenly in front of a department store. Jun gasps, Nino twitches and Ohno shrugs. Aiba beams. They make a beeline for the women's clothing area as Aiba declares, "I'll be the prettiest girl today!" and much to their despair, loudly enough for all the innocent bystanders to hear.
Arashi (or at least four of five), being accustomed to the world of cosplay, are definitely trustworthy in this line of work. Jun and Nino finally seem to have explained to themselves the earlier phenomenon, calming down from its unforeseen shock. Ohno was already tranquil in the first place, reasoning out that he heard of other groups having been manipulated one way or another. That would be creepier, wouldn't it?
"Excuse me sir, what size are you looking for?" The sales lady inquires with a fake smile plastered on her face. Must be from working so much. An idol would know.
"My size!" Aiba says nonchalantly, beaming at the sales lady with a brilliant after-crying smile on his face. A blush creeps on Jun's face.
Ohno wordlessly brings out an intense crimson red corset with ivory black trimmings, and a matching semi-long slit Dirndl skirt and presents it to the stunned sales lady. Her expression can be categorized somewhere between suddenly finding out that her boyfriend whose proposal she has accepted is actually an ex-convict on the run and suddenly being told that she won today's lottery. Precious, Nino thinks, completely disregarding his own expression just moments ago.
Jun serves as tonight's cupid. He flips his sleek new cellphone open and makes the call. He puts it on loud speaker, and Sho's voice is clearly irritated. It is still 9 in the morning. “What do you need?”
Jun gulps. “There’s this pretty lady I met earlier, and she’s totally your type,” Pause. Acting really has its uses, Nino surmises. “She said she’ll meet you at that fancy Italian restaurant in Roppongi. About six or seven tonight.” Jun adds.
“Sure,” Sho utters, voice deep and breathy, much to Aiba’s pleasure.
They feel the heavy weight on their shoulders vanish. Jun makes his way towards the cashier and sighs as he pays for Masako’s entire outfit. The other three didn’t bring money. Nino and Ohno would be understandable, but for the man who dragged them out here, it’s definitely inexcusable.
The next stop is Ohno’s place. It’s the closest, and probably the best. It’d be too scary to face the reimbursements Nino or Jun will impose on them after this mild situation, afterall.
Courtesy of his charitable mother, Ohno has in his undeniably beautiful hands, make up paraphernalia. They take approximately four hours and thirty seven minutes (eating and gaming time excluded) to complete the Masako makeover. When they see their finished masterpiece though, they all know it was worth it.
*
It is already dusk, with the sun setting and the night sky growing dark. Aiba has practiced his female voice well over the time the others were spending on prettying him (her?) up for tonight’s appointment. “6:14 p.m.” he reads aloud in his feminine voice.
Tonight's dinner was dazzling. The Italian restaurant they have reserved for the night is extravagant, and the ambiance is definitely romantic. Majority of the place is dim-lighted; the only source of light being the small candles that lies in the middle of the tables. Aiba is impressed with Jun’s choice of restaurant. He is however, somewhat worried with today’s budget.
“The food is amazing,” Sho points out. His eyes are shining brilliantly. Is it the lighting or the food?
Aiba is a little jealous over the food. Why does it get complimented by Sho? He slowly, carefully slices the tender meat and takes a small, lady-like bite, “UMAI!”
He blushes a little, or maybe a lot, when he realizes how he just blew his cover. Sho, too, is blushing. It is a very exquisite dish from a very sophisticated restaurant. He’s waiting for a smack on the head anytime now. Conversely, he is greeted by Sho’s powerful laugh.
“That’s so cute,” he says charmingly.
Aiba is completely captivated. His breath is caught in his throat, and his heart is beating faster than Michael Schumacher in the 2004 Formula One Race. His skin tingles every time Sho’s hand brushes his own.
“I love you,” he blurts out at the spur of the moment.
Sho lightly chuckles, and subsequently grins, “There’s someone else I like.”
His first time to be dumped twice.
6.
The consecutive rejections hit Aiba quite badly. In front of the camera, he is as bouncy as ever. Behind the scenes, though, the make-up artists are having great difficulty covering his deep eye bags. The other four are worried, of course.
“When will this so-called confession be, genius?” Nino says irritatedly, eyes looking menacingly at Sho.
“J-just trust me,” Sho stutters.
“Sure, and maybe by the time you confess, pigs start flying,” Nino says pointedly.
“I heard Masuda flew during their tour,” Sho retorts.
“Oh, and Tegomass had those giant swings,” Ohno added, in between mouthfuls of today’s lunch.
“Oh, maybe we should have giant see-saws in the next concert,” Jun says absently.
“That’s beside the point!” Nino says, arms flailing about.
*
When the filming for this week’s episode of Arashi ni Shiyagare ends, Aiba just wants to head home and sleep. He’s hungry, but eating is too much work. Surely his stomach would understand, he thinks, as he pats his stomach lightly.
“Tadaima,” he says resignedly when he opens the door to his apartment’s room.
“Okaeri,”
Aiba blinks once, then twice. He turns around and closes the door, then reopens it. Then blinks again. He flicks the switch to the light open, and sees his table covered with a dark pine green tablecloth and complementary scarlet red wine glasses.
“Okaeri,” Sho repeats.
Aiba eyes the man, and scans him thoroughly from head to toe. He looks warm and fuzzy, perfect for his currently unenthusiastic mood. He has a playful pout on his luscious lips, and a heartwarming gaze in his eyes. Comfy, Sho looks.
“You like animals,” Sho declares adamantly. “So I thought it’d be perfect for the occasion.”
True that, Aiba thinks. A dog is a man’s best friend afterall. Wait, eh? Best Friend?
Sho notices a torn expression on Aiba’s face. His actions must have aggravated the situation. He smiles just as practiced, and takes Aiba’s hands in his.
Before any more after-consecutive-rejections thoughts come to his panicked state of mind, Aiba is pulled into a chaste kiss. “I love you,” Sho says, fingers lingering along Aiba’s jaw line.
Aiba simply giggles. Sho was never the artistic one, but he can be romantic sometimes.
“But you have to get rid of those pictures,” Sho says. “They’re creepy.”
“Eh?”