[fic] Step by Step; Light and Shade - (11/?)
TITLE: Step by Step; Light and Shade
PAIRINGS: Sakuraiba, Matsumiya, Aimiya, Ohmiya, ShoxMaki, and JunxMao
LENGTH: Multi-chaptered
BANDS: Arashi (with Horikita Maki and Inoue Mao)
GENRE: Romance, drama... etc.
RATING (by chapter): PG-13/14
WARNINGS: AU, language and potentially sexual situations in later chapters.
SUMMARY: "To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak" - Indian Proverb
Sakurai Sho is the Chief Financial Officer for a large corporation, he has a loving girlfriend, a strange (but friendly) co-worker, and a best friend who teaches a ballroom dance class (which Sho has been guilted into attending). At the class, Sho's encounter with another unorthodox dancer -and his partner- will be the spark needed to kindle new relationships and end others.
PREVIOUS: Step01 | Step02 | Step03 | Step04 | Step05 | Step06 | Step07 | Step08 | Step09 | Step10 |
NOTE: I've tried to do my research but I am neither a dancer or a business person, so please excuse any incorrect information!!
Step 11.
“Did you turn him down?” Aiba asked, twirling the phone cord around his index finger and leaning against the kitchen wall.
“Well, not exactly… I didn’t actually give him an answer. He got all flustered and embarrassed, even though I was just teasing. It was pretty amusing.” Nino chuckled.
Aiba frowned. “So… you think he really wasn’t trying to hit on you?”
“Um, no? I think he was just being a gentleman.”
Aiba snorted. “Right.”
“Let’s not make things confusing, alright? You’re the one that told me it was a bad idea to fall for people while I’m being a woman.” Nino grumbled.
“Yeah, I know. Sorry.” Aiba chuckled. “You know I’m only teasing you.”
“Hm.” Nino grunted. “So, how’re things at home?”
“Okay I guess. Mum hasn’t been responding to the treatment for her ulcers, so they’re doing more tests to try and figure out what’s causing them. She went in for another biopsy yesterday. Things are okay at the restaurant though.”
“I see…”
“Yeah.” Aiba shrugged. “I’m trying not to worry about it too much.”
“That’s good… I hear you’ve been getting along well with Sakurai-san.”
“Yeah!” Aiba perked up. “We’ve been making a lot of progress!”
“…” Nino’s raised eyebrow was practically audible. “How far have you gotten?”
“We-“ Aiba broke off and frowned. Nino’s muffled snickering was definitely audible. “Very funny. I meant progress with training Chubby.”
“Sure.”
“I’m serious. I’m not thinking about Sakurai that way at all. I’m being very professional.”
“But he is attractive, you can’t deny that. Attractive in an awkward, stick-up-his-ass sort of way.”
“I wouldn’t say he has a stick up his ass.” Aiba frowned. “Sure, he’s a little stiff sometimes, but-“
“But I’m sure you can take care of that.”
Aiba scowled at the phone receiver. “You’re not funny, Ninomiya.”
Nino cackled.
“Fine, I get it. I won’t tease you about Ohno anymore. Happy?”
“Very. But even if Ohno is off-limits for me, there’s no reason you have to be so uptight about Sakurai.”
“Um, yes there is actually.”
“And what reason would that be? We’ve already established that he’s attractive, and that you’re willing to overlook his… awkwardness.”
“Yes, but-“
“And you’ve got full access to him. Well, at least to his house. He gave you a spare key, didn’t he?”
“Yeah, but he-“
“So obviously he likes you on some level.”
“Nino, I’m sure that level is very platonic. You’re forgetting he has a girlfriend.”
“Oh really? Have you seen her at all lately? It seems to me like his relationship went south with her weeks ago, Masaki.”
“… I’m going to hang up.”
Nino laughed. “Sorry. You know I’m half-messing with you.”
“You’re putting ideas into my head. Jerk.”
“My apologies… though, maybe someday you’ll thank me for it.”
“Please shut up?” Aiba whined, trying not to smile even though Nino couldn’t see him. “I actually do have to hang up. I’ve got a restaurant to clean up.”
“Okay. Night, Masaki.”
“Good night! I’ll probably see you on Monday.”
+++
It was Sunday evening when Aiba got back to Tokyo. He got off the train at the station closest to Sakurai’s neighborhood and walked through the quiet streets with his kitbag slung over his shoulder. He called before he left Chiba to tell Sho that he would stop by when he returned, and he briefly considered calling again now as a heads up that he was on his way, but it was a cold night and he didn’t like the thought of taking his hands out of his coat pockets.
The lights were still on in Sakurai’s house when Aiba crossed the yard and climbed the porch steps. He turned his key in the lock and opened the door as quietly as he could, not wanting to set Chubby into a barking fit. Sakurai could very well be working, after all. “I’m back…” He said quietly, clicking the door shut behind himself and toeing off his shoes. Sakurai’s shoes were scattered all over the entrance and tangled up with Chubby’s leash. Aiba chuckled, putting his own shoes neatly beside each other despite the mess.
When he stepped into the living room, he had to put a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Sakurai wasn’t working, the snoring coming from somewhere behind the couch was the first indication of that -the second being the feet sticking out from behind it. One sock was half on and the other missing all together. Aiba rounded the furniture to find Sho sprawled across the floor in the space between the couch and coffee table. There was a throw pillow under his head, a newspaper forgotten on his chest, and Chubby was snoozing across his legs with a sock in his mouth. The dog stirred at Aiba’s presence. Aiba grimaced, quickly crouching down and putting a finger to his lips, but of course that didn’t work. Chubby took one bleary-eyed look at him (out of his good eye) and exploded into a burst of frenzied yipping and wiggling.
“Shh, Chubby.” Aiba whispered, catching the puppy in his arms and trying to calm him down with reassuring petting.
Chubby didn’t understand the meaning of quiet though. Another loud bark was all it took for Sakurai to jolt awake, flying halfway into a sitting position before cracking his head off the corner of the coffee table and crashing back to the floor with a yelp to rival his dog’s.
Aiba clapped a hand over his mouth in wide-eyed alarm. “…Oh my god.” Putting Chubby down, he rushed around the table to kneel above Sakurai’s head and assess the damage. “Are you okay?!”
Sakurai blinked slowly up at him, face twisted in pain and confusion. “… I think I just blacked out.” He said, reaching up to touch his forehead and wince at what he felt.
“…You’re bleeding.” Aiba observed anxiously.
Sho grimaced at the red liquid on his fingertips. “Ouch.”
“I’m sorry.” Aiba apologized. “I tried not to wake you but I ended up surprising Chubby… Um, do you have any first aid stuff here?”
“Upstairs.” Sho answered, voice a little strained. “In the cupboard above the sink.”
“Okay. Stay here. I’ll get it.” Aiba nearly tripped over his feet in his hurry to scramble away to the stairs.
Chubby chased after him, no doubt mistaking his hurry for a game of chase. Sakurai’s first aid materials were seriously lacking. Aiba managed to find some disinfectant, cotton balls, and the sorry remains of a box of Band-Aids.
“I guess this will have to do.” Aiba said as he returned to the living room, being careful not to trip over Chubby and tumble down the stairs. He set everything down on the offending coffee table and knelt down again, gently pushing Chubby aside before he could clamber over Sakurai’s face. “You should probably sit up a little…” He reached out to help Sakurai up by the shoulders but stopped immediately when Sho’s face went pale. “…Or, maybe this is good enough for now.” He murmured, letting Sho rest his head on his lap instead. He began fumbling with the bottle of disinfectant, putting the cap aside on the table and soaking a cotton swab with a generous amount.
Sho grimaced a little as Aiba began dabbing at the cut on his forehead. The disinfectant bubbled as it cleaned the wound but didn’t sting much, and Aiba was being as gentle as possible. Sho was soon able to relax and lose himself in watching Aiba work. His concentrated face was endearingly serious and amusing at the same time. Aiba’s brow was pulled together with focus and concern, and his tongue poked slightly out of the corner of his mouth. Sho chuckled under his breath. “Thanks for patching me up.” He said.
“O-of course.” Aiba said quickly. “This is my fault anyway. I’m so sorry, Sakurai-san.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Sho assured him. “It’s just a cut.”
Aiba bit his lip and set the reddened cotton ball aside. He rustled around in the Band-Aid box and then looked apologetically down at the man in his lap. “… I’m sorry, the cut isn’t very big, but… you don’t have any normal sized bandages left.” He held up the only option, a bandage half the size of Sho’s forehead, and winced apologetically.
Sho winced too. “Oh. Well, that’ll have to do I guess…” He said with a laugh. “It’s my own fault for not buying more.”
Aiba peeled the backing off and carefully stuck the ginormous bandage over the right side of Sho’s forehead, looking incredibly guilty as he did so. “There.” He said when he was done, and reached for the bottle of disinfectant to put the cap back on it.
Sho smiled up at him. “Thanks, Aiba-san.”
“Really, you don’t have to thank-“ Aiba started, but was cut off as Chubby leapt on his back out of nowhere with enough force to send a splash of the liquid in the bottle out of the bottle… and down onto Sho’s face.
Aiba gaped in horror as Sho let out a noise somewhere between a yelp and a howl of pain, rolling off of Aiba’s lap and covering his left eye. And, to make things worse, he rolled right into the leg of the coffee table.
+++
Mao couldn’t help but feel nervous in the empty dance studio as Jun got the music ready in the stereo. It was quiet save for the sound of traffic passing on the street below, and they’d only bothered turning on some of the lights so the edges of the room were still full of shadows. It was a strange experience to be here without any of the couples in the class, and on a Sunday night instead of a Thursday. Jun pressed play and turned back to her as the opening notes of Frank Sinatra’s Moon River began playing through the speakers, reverberating in the empty room and enveloping the two of them in rich sound. She took a deep breath and braced herself. It wasn’t like they hadn’t already started working on their routine together, it was just that the atmosphere had never felt this intimate when they were brainstorming.
“Ready?” Jun asked, only looking mildly apprehensive as he stopped in front of her with his hand raised.
She nodded and put her hand in his, her other on his arm, and tried not to shiver when his hand settled on her waist. This was no time to lose her professionalism, even if Jun was warm and smelled absolutely fantastic up close.
Jun stepped forward, and she stepped back with the fluid grace of years of lessons. By the time he swept her into the first turn she had lost herself in the ebbing rise and fall of the dance and smooth baritone of Sinatra’s voice. With the song on repeat it was easy to completely forget the time and just keep practicing, dipping and turning around the room in tempo with the song right up until a cough from the doorway startled them back to reality.
“O-oh.” Jun said as they came to a stop, turning to the woman in the doorframe. Mao checked her watch and was shocked to see that more than two hours had already passed. No wonder her feet were aching. “Yamamoto-san.” Jun continued, bowing to the woman in greeting. “I’m sorry. I hope it’s okay for us to use this space for practice. I know there’s no other classes here on Sundays so I thought it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“No, no. It’s fine, Matsumoto-san.” Yamamoto said, stepping into the room. Mao could see her easier away from the bright lights of the hallway, and she seemed like a kind looking older woman, even if she was carrying herself a little stiffly. “I just wasn’t expecting to find anyone here.”
“Sorry.” Jun bowed his head again, and then turned to Mao. “This is my friend, Inoue Mao. She’s been helping me instruct the class by being my partner. Oh, entering the competition was her idea.”
“Nice to meet you, Inoue-san.” Yamamoto said and bowed, and Mao mirrored the sentiment. “That was a lovely idea, dear.”
“Thank you.” Mao smiled, pleased that Jun looked rather proud out of the corner of her eye.
“Yamamoto-san is the owner of the dance school. My boss.”
“It’s more of a program, than a school.” Yamamoto corrected with a smile. “I…” She trailed off, and her smile faded.
Jun frowned. “Is everything alright?”
Yamamoto pursed her lips and turned to him with an apologetic look in her eyes. “… I was going to talk to you later this week, but since you’re here now I might as well get it over with. I’m sorry this is going to be sudden, and it’s not good news either.” She took a deep breath while Jun’s brow furrowed further. “I love this building, I’ve been running my dance program here for fifteen years, and I was hoping to keep you as a full-time instructor from now on if you were interested. But, there’s a ballet school that wants to buy this property for an extension of their programs… They’ve been pushing for a while now, and my husband has been ill lately. The school offered enough money that we wouldn’t have to worry about making ends meet for a long time.”
Jun blinked, stunned by this information. “… So, you’re closing?”
She nodded and bowed guiltily. “I'm going to accept their offer. I’m sorry, Matsumoto-san.”
Jun hurriedly reached out to urge her to straighten up. “I understand, of course. You don’t need to apologize, Yamamoto-san. I just-…” He took a moment to swallow. “When?”
“Not until the new year, so our dancers will still get the classes they paid for.”
“Well,” Jun smiled. “That’s not too sudden then. I was afraid you’d say it was all over after this week.”
Yamamoto returned the smile but she still clearly felt bad about delivering this news. “You’re a good teacher, Matsumoto-san. If you ever need a reference please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’d be more than happy to help you however I can.” She pat him almost motherly on the arm before backtracking to the door. “I’ll let you get back to practicing.”
“Thank you.” Jun said and bowed. “I hope your husband gets well soon.” The smile melted off of Jun’s face once she had left, and his shoulders slumped.
Mao pursed her lips, eyeing his posture with concern. “I’m sorry, Jun-kun.” She said softly. “I know you loved teaching here.”
He sighed and forced a chuckle. “I’m just sick of looking for part-time jobs.”
Mao sighed too and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “… Let’s call it a night, okay?” She said, stepping away and gathering her coat and purse. “Come on. You pick the bar, and I’ll pay the tab.”
+++
Sho sighed as they came to a stop on the sidewalk in front of the Hospital Emergency Room entrance. From the corner of his eye, he watched Aiba chew on his lips and fiddle anxiously with his hands. “… It’s okay, you know.” Sho attempted to reassure him. “No permanent damage done.”
Aiba took a deep, shuddering breath, looking like he might be trying not to cry. “You have no idea how sorry I am, Sakurai-san.”
Sho shrugged. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. I’m not mad.”
“…Does it still hurt?” Aiba asked tentatively, inching a little closer to peer at Sho’s irritated eye. It was unbelievably bloodshot, and the skin around it was puffy.
“It stings a little, and itches, but it’s not too bad.” Sho answered, resisting the urge to rub at it and no doubt make things worse. “Thanks for taking me to the hospital.”
Aiba frowned dejectedly. “You wouldn’t have been injured at all if I wasn’t so clumsy.”
“Trust me, Aiba-san, I’m clumsy too.” Sho chuckled, stepping closer to the curb and waving down an approaching taxicab. “I wouldn’t have been out of Band-Aids if that wasn’t the case.”
Aiba chuckled too. “I guess that’s true.”
The taxi door opened and Sho gestured for Aiba to get in ahead of him.
“Oh, no. It’s okay. I’ll just walk to the station.”
Sho frowned and checked his watch. “You won’t make it before the last train leaves.” He said, but Aiba still hesitated. “Come on.” Sho reached for his arm and pulled him towards the car. “I insist.”
Aiba sighed, clambering into the taxi and sliding to the far side of the seat so Sho could get in beside him. “My apartment is out of your way though.”
Sho shook his head and gave the driver his own address. “Forget it. You’re supposed to show up at my house in a few hours anyway. You might as well just stay over.”
The cab pulled out of the Hospital parking lot and merged into traffic, heading in the opposite direction of Aiba’s apartment. Aiba fidgeted awkwardly in his seat, picking at a rip in the knee of his jeans and staring down at his lap.
Sho chuckled, nudging Aiba’s arm with his elbow. “Relax, Aiba-kun. It’s not like you’re a bother to have around. I enjoy your company.”
Aiba could only meet Sho’s sincere smile for a moment before stumbling over a ‘thanks’ and facing the window. There was an unexpected jolt of hot electricity in his chest, and distracting himself by counting streetlights seemed like the best way to quell the feeling.
That said, Aiba ended up spending what was left of the night laying sleepless on Sho’s living room couch, buzzing with an unwanted mixture of lingering guilt and warm fuzzy feelings. He hadn’t lied when he told Nino he was adamantly ignoring Sho’s attractive male qualities, so of course he would be caught off guard by the sudden and powerful onset of attraction towards him. “We’re just friends.” He whispered to himself. “And only barely! Don’t screw that up!” Despite the order, he couldn’t keep his gaze from drifting up past the second floor banister and settling on Sho’s closed bedroom door. He sighed, willing his imagination to stop being so overactive so he could get at least a little rest before Sho got up for work.
He blamed this situation entirely on Ninomiya, of course.
+++
Ohno looked up slowly when Mao burst into his office. He blinked sleepily between the tense pacing she immediately commenced in front of his desk, and the clock on his computer screen. “…Why is everybody coming in so late today?” He wondered aloud. “Even Sho-kun called the morning off sick, apparently. And that’s not like him.”
“My mother gave me a talk this morning.” Mao spoke up, continuing to pace back and forth agitatedly. Her boots made soft rhythmic thunking noises that Ohno found himself nodding along to. “She wants me to get a haircut.”
Ohno raised a curious eyebrow. “…Is that bad?”
“Apparently, your mother told my mother that you like girls with short hair.” Mao scowled.
Ohno snorted. “I’m sure she didn’t say anything about ‘girls’.”
“I’m sure you’re right. But my mother has no qualms with assuming these things. Just like she assumes I keep running off to spend time with you in secret every time I slip out to practice with Jun.”
Ohno winced at her tone. “She’s really determined to set us up, isn’t she?”
Mao nodded, finally dropping into the chair across from his desk. “Relentlessly. She thinks I’m crazy about you but too embarrassed and stubborn to admit it to her. I keep telling her that I’m not, but she just won’t listen! It’s been like this as long as I can remember. Mother knows what’s ‘best’ and won’t hear anything different.” She sighed heavily. “I don’t know how to get through to her, and we’ve got a deadline now.”
Ohno frowned. “…Deadline?”
“She’s inviting you and your family over for a dinner party at our place. This weekend coming. She’s all excited about it, wants me to get my haircut beforehand. I’m almost positive she’s going to outright announce that I’m in love with you and ask you to formally date me.”
“My god. She’s turning it into some sort of formal arrangement?” He felt his insides turn icy at the thought of such an awkward situation. “We’ll be put on the spot in front of everybody.”
“Literally everybody. She’s inviting the big shots from both companies to come too. The merger deal is almost closed, so she wants to celebrate coming to an agreement between the companies too.”
Ohno swore colorfully.
Mao nodded, understanding of his choice of words. “We’re totally frigged. Unless you want to announce that you’re gay and I want to announce that I’m in love with someone who makes less than the guy that drives my mother’s car and doesn’t even love me back, and we’re okay with embarrassing both of our families in front of several other important guests… we need to come up with a better plan. Fast.”
Ohno flipped the notepad open on his desk to a new page and readied his favorite ballpoint pen. “Let’s start thinking.”
+++
Sho took his time looping his tie into a neat knot while he waited for the coffee pot to finish brewing. It was refreshing to not be in a hurry to get out the door for once, and despite the shenanigans of the night before he actually felt well rested. Another rarity.
Chubby was still upstairs in his ‘nest’ on the bathroom floor. Sho would normally have let him run loose after going out for his morning pee, but Aiba was still sleeping soundly on the couch and Sho didn’t want Chubby to wake him. It was probably strange for Sho to feel bad for Aiba when he was the injured one, but the taller man had seemed really distraught over the whole ordeal and Sho wanted to let him rest as long as he could.
That time was running short though. After waking up with his alarm and seeing his reflection Sho had decided to call the morning off sick, but it was nearing the noon hour and about time for him to leave. Sho poured his mug of coffee and padded out into the living room, inhaling the steam and rich aroma wafting up at him from the liquid energy.
Aiba’s long limbs were stretched across the full length of the couch, one arm above his head and the other slung across his stomach. The blanket Sho had provided him with was bunched up and tangled around his legs and one of his socks had somehow nearly worked itself right off his foot during the night. Sho sat on the corner of the coffee table and smiled, amused by the quiet snores escaping Aiba’s parted lips. His hair was a wild mess, sticking out at unexplainable angles, and his sweater was pushed up past his stomach.
Sho’s chuckle died in his throat as he observed the hand splayed across Aiba’s lean abdomen, suddenly all too aware of the masculinity in each finger spread out on bared skin. His eyes zeroed in on the trail of dark hair just above his waistband before he could stop himself. Sho could already feel a hot flush of embarrassment and god knows what else burning his ears and cheeks. He tore his eyes away from Aiba’s midriff to land on his face, suddenly afraid to be caught staring. And why was he staring? Sitting here so content to watch another grown man sleep, even Sho knew that was creepy behavior. And Aiba was a grown man. Despite his usual childlike exuberance and affinity for puppies, those long dark eyelashes fluttering gently against strong cheekbones suddenly seemed nothing like those of a sleeping child’s.
Sho gulped, letting his eyes linger just a second longer before reaching out and nudging Aiba awake -perhaps with a little more force than necessary.
Aiba’s long lashes blinked slowly in confusion at his surroundings, large brown eyes dark from sleep. “Sakurai-san…” He said after a moment, taking in Sho’s presence and battered appearance, and probably remembering the events of the previous night.
Sho forced away the confusion in his head and smiled as brightly as he could manage, fearing that Aiba’s tone and formality meant he was about to start apologizing again. “Good morning.” He greeted, getting to his feet with the intention of escaping as soon as possible. “I have to go to work now, but there’s coffee in the kitchen if you want some.” He gestured with his own mug and then gulped the contents down.
He quickly realized that it was still too hot to gulp comfortably.
+++
“…What if you brought a date?” Mao said, swallowing the last bite of her sandwich and dusting the crumbs off her hands and into the takeout box balanced on her lap.
Ohno frowned. “Why don’t you bring a date?” He retorted, taking a defiant slurp of his chocolate milk.
“No way will I find a suitable guy between now and Friday. And it’s not like he could fake it.” Mao rolled her eyes. “My mother would interrogate him, and probably have a background check done.”
“…Wow.”
“Seriously though, you could!”
“No way. Do you know what my father would do if I showed up at such a big occasion with a guy for a date? Have a heart attack, then fire and disown me on his way to the hospital.”
“Well I didn’t mean you should bring a guy. Can’t you find a girl to pretend to be your longtime secret girlfriend for one night?”
Ohno shook his head. “Mao-chan, you’re the only girl I know well enough to ask something like that. And I haven’t even known you for very long. Any acquaintance would probably not be very understanding if I dropped them after just one dinner party, or it became apparent that I was just using them.”
Mao looked thoughtful. “Then… do you know any believable looking cross-dressers?”
Ohno snorted. “None that aren’t still mad at me for breaking things off with them.”
“Oh.” Mao pouted. “There must be someone you can ask!”
“Honestly, I can’t think of anyone-“
“Ninomiya!” Mao exclaimed suddenly. “You were getting kinda friendly with her, weren’t you?”
“Oh god, no.” Ohno flushed. “No way in hell! Every time I run into her I just make a fool of myself. She probably thinks I’m some kind of pervert, always trying to make moves on her.”
“Whoa, have there been incidents beyond the kiss?” Mao raised an eyebrow.
“Not really ‘incidents’.” Ohno complained, scratching his head. “Just normal conversations where I say stupid suggestive sounding things. I offered to give her one-on-one help with her dancing last week! Of course she was suspicious of my intentions!”
Mao laughed loudly, throwing her head back against the top of the chair. “Smooth!”
Ohno pouted indignantly. “But I wasn’t even trying to be!” He protested.
“Did she accept though? Were you smooth enough to accidentally win her over?”
“Of course not.” His pout deepened. “And I don’t plan to, so forget it. Ninomiya is not an option.”
Mao’s exasperated sigh was cut off by a knock on the door.
“Come in!” Ohno called, and the door swung open.
“Hi.” Sho greeted them both, stepping inside the office. “I got a memo that you needed help with some sort of secret plan?...” He frowned, fixed with Ohno’s blank wide-eyed stare. Mao was covering her mouth, either in horror or an effort not to laugh. Sho felt his ears burning with embarrassment. “Sorry I’m late…” He tried, but Ohno remained petrified. “Christ, Ohno-kun. Is it that awful looking?” He touched the bandage on his forehead self-consciously, feeling his eye begin to itch again.
Ohno finally snapped out of it. “Sho-san…?”
“Yes.” Sho scowled, shoving his hands in his pockets to resist rubbing his swollen eye. “It’s me.”
Ohno exhaled like he’d been holding his breath since Sho came in. “Thank God. I thought the zombie apocalypse had started.” He said, honestly relieved.
Mao laughed so hard that she slid right out of her chair.
In revenge, Sho grumpily stole her seat.
+++
to be continued…
A/N: Another long wait, I know. Timely updates are not my forte, especially now as we start winding down to the end of this story, I've got to double check and re-think everything to make sure all the loose ends tie themselves up before it's over. Probably only a few chapters left to go! Of course I intend to get them written and posted as soon as I possibly can, but my life is a lot more hectic than it was when I started this story so I can't promise the updates will be quick. Hope you can stick with me anyhow! I'll try my best :)
As always, thanks for reading!
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