[fic] step by Step; Light and Shade - (14.2/?)
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): G-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 Step11 Step12 Step13 Step14.1
+++
“How’ve you been?” Maki asked politely. “Still going to the dance class?”
“I’m good.” Aiba smiled. “I go when I have the time. Things have been hectic lately though. How are you?”
“I’m fine.” She paused, mouth open as though she would continue. Instead, she just shrugged. It was Chubby who broke the awkward silence a moment later by nosing her pant leg for attention. Maki smiled and crouched to pet him. “Is he your dog?”
Aiba’s smile faltered. “Ah. No, he’s… He’s Sho’s dog, actually. I just look after him while he’s working.”
“Oh.” Predictably, another silence fell. “Do you know if he’s doing okay?”
“Yeah, I think so. He’s cheered up a lot since… whatever it was that happened between you two. I don’t really know the details.”
“I gave him an ultimatum, to make a decision about the future of our relationship, and he hasn’t contacted me since.” She sighed. Chubby leaned into her hand as she scratched under his collar. “I didn’t expect him to give up on me.”
“I don’t think he gave up on you. It’s not really my place to say, I know, but I think he gave up on himself. He told me his relationships had always failed because of his own doing, and that he felt he was ‘hopeless’.”
Maki frowned and shook her head. “I’m an idiot. I’ve known Sho for years. I should have known how he would react to being pushed into a corner.” She stood up. “I really want to see him so we can have a real discussion about all this, and figure out if there’s anything left in our relationship to pursue. I’ve loved him for years, you know? I don’t want to give up until we’ve talked it all out.”
“I can tell him that if you want.”
“Would you?” She lit up, immediately digging in her purse to pull out a business card and a pen. She scrawled something on the back and handed it over to Aiba. “I assume he still has my phone number, but that’s my new address on the back. I moved a couple weeks ago. Tell him to stop by whenever he can. He doesn’t even need to give me a heads up if he doesn’t want to, I work from home most of the time anyway.”
“Okay.” He carefully pocketed the card.
“Thank you so much, Aiba-san.” She put a hand on his arm. “And tell him that he’s not hopeless. Even if it still doesn’t work out between us, I know first-hand that he’s a great guy.”
“Yeah.” Aiba smiled back at her. “I’ll make sure he knows.”
+++
“You there! Stop!” Mrs. Inoue barked, catching Nino by the arm as he and Ohno tried to make their escape.
Nino yelped, nearly stumbling as she brought him to an abrupt halt, but before he had even regained his balance, Ohno had already come between them both.
“Let go of her, please.” He said firmly. And Nino had never seen Ohno’s sleepy teddy bear face look so severe.
Mrs. Inoue did let go, but she wasn’t shaken.
“I need to have a word with you, young lady.” She said the last word with obvious derision. “What kind of respectable woman pretends to be friends with someone, and then steals her man behind her back? It’s heartless, shameful behavior! Any girl with respectable upbringing would know better. It’s only a matter of time before the people around you realize what you really are, a conniving bitc-“”
“I’ll stop you there.” Ohno snapped, voice surprisingly low and menacing. “You have absolutely no right to talk to her like that. You don’t know her, and you certainly don’t know the full story.”
“And you only think you know her. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you, Ohno Satoshi. You’re not innocent either. How dare you hurt my daughter like this! You must have known how she felt about you?”
Ohno nodded. “Oh yes. She made it very clear from day one that she had no interest, then or in the future, in having a romantic relationship with me. And I agreed with her! Do you know why?” He demanded through clenched teeth, reaching over and wrapping his arm possessively around Nino’s waist. “Mao-chan is a good friend and I would never hurt her, but I am in love with this woman right here. Ninomiya Kazuko. And if you have a problem with my girlfriend, then you can just fuck off, because it’s none of your god damn business.”
Nino felt like he was in a daze, his heart was beating so fast he felt like it would burst out of his chest and smack Mao’s mother in the face (which would be unfortunate but hilarious). He barely registered Ohno murmuring ‘Come on, let’s get out of here’, too distracted by the chaste kiss on the cheek that followed and by trying not to stumble as he was led out of the hotel. Vaguely, he thought he could hear some people in the crowd behind them breaking into applause. They were already in the back of a moving taxi when Nino finally regained the ability to speak.
“That… was amazing!” He breathed.
Ohno laughed a little shakily. “Yeah, I think Mao and Sho-kun gave us a standing ovation.”
“Gave you a standing ovation.” Nino corrected. “I was petrified.”
Ohno looked guilty. “I’m sorry.” He said, voice quietly sincere. “It was a stupid idea to drag you there tonight. I hope you can forgive me.”
Nino took a deep breath, his heart was still racing but he felt more giddy than traumatized. “It wasn’t so bad.” He replied. “We survived, after all. And I didn’t agree to do this for free, remember? You still owe me a dance… lesson.”
“That’s true.” Ohno smiled back at him, looking a little more at ease. “When are you next free?”
“Well, I’m free right now -if you are.” Nino replied immediately, relishing the look of surprise on Ohno’s face. “I’m a little too high on adrenaline to go home right now, I think.”
“Oh.” Ohno blinked. “Well, I had planned on renting a proper studio space, but it’s probably too last minute to find somewhere now…”
“We could just go to your place.” Nino blurted, shocked at his own bravery. He could blame the adrenaline. “Or mine, if you’d rather.” Ohno’s eyes widened a fraction, and Nino watched his gaze flicker from feature to feature on Nino’s face. Searching for something. “Just to teach me how to dance.” Nino clarified. “I swear I’m not suggesting anything else. Well, maybe we could have a drink or two as well. I could use a drink right about now. Mao wouldn’t let me have any at the party.” He grumbled. “But that’s it! I promise I’m not coming on to you, Ohno-san, nor do I plan to.” He chuckled, though some part of his brain warned him ‘don’t make promises you can’t keep!’.
Another part of his mind wondered if he should be offended that Ohno was evidently so off-put at the thought of pursuing or being pursued by him.
Ohno’s expression visibly relaxed a fraction. “Okay… My place? I’ve got a space I think we could use.” He chuckled. “I’ve also got a well stocked liquor cabinet we can pillage. I could use a drink too. Or maybe a few.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Nino smiled amiably while Ohno leaned forward to give the address of their new destination to the cabbie.
+++
“I am incredibly displeased.” Mrs. Inoue practically snarled towards Ohno’s family as she strode out of the building.
“Understatement of the year?” Jun suggested quietly. Ohno’s father looked like he might either collapse or explode.
“Try century.” Mao sighed, standing from the bar. “Excuse me for a minute?”
“Darling, try to breath for me? I can practically see your blood pressure rocketing.” Mrs. Ohno was fussing, rubbing her husband’s shoulders in an attempt to calm him. “Come on, I think this party is over, don’t you? Let’s just go home.”
Mina chewed her lip, watching him with clear wariness in her eyes. The man with his arm around her waist, presumably her husband, nodded and strode into the crowd. Mao could hear him politely telling guests that the event was closing early, apologizing with a friendly smile and seeing them out to the coat check.
“Um, hello Ohno-san.” Mao greeted, approaching carefully and blocking their route to the exit. “I need to apologize for everything that went wrong tonight.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t need to take responsibility for your mother, or our son.” Mrs. Ohno gave her a small smile, pity showing in her face. “It’s okay.”
“No, please just hear me out. It was actually my idea that Satoshi bring a date tonight. He didn’t even want to do it, but I convinced him it was the best way to solve our problem.” She sighed. Mina and Mrs. Ohno looked surprised, Mina was possibly even impressed, but Ohno Senior looked even more distressed. “I really like your son.” She continued. “But only as a friend, and I know he feels the same way about me. The problem is that my mother won’t listen to me! I’ve tried to tell her, but she thinks she knows what’s best for me. Frankly, I don’t think she really knows anything about me at all… Sorry, I’m ranting now.” She ran a hand through her hair anxiously, no doubt disrupting the way she’d carefully styled it earlier. “What I mean to say is that I’m so sorry this got so out of hand. I’ll do everything I can to explain the situation to my mother. You have my word. Just please don’t blame Satoshi-kun.”
To her surprise, Ohno’s father just nodded. He looked numb, his gaze forlorn and a little far away. He loosened his tie a little and began his slow walk to the exit. “Good night, Inoue-san.” He said quietly, sounding every bit like a man defeated.
Mrs. Inoue hurried along with him, arm hooking through his own. She looked over her shoulder as they passed and smiled a little sadly. “Thank you, dear.” She said softly.
Mao returned the smile as best she could while guilt churned in her gut. It took her a moment to realize Mina hadn’t moved, and she was regarding Mao with her head cocked slightly and brows furrowed curiously. “If you’re the mastermind behind this, then I suppose that means I don’t need to worry about my brother breaking Ninomiya-san’s heart?”
Mao shook her head. “Their ‘relationship’ is actually just an exchange of services. Ninomiya agreed to pretend to be his girlfriend in exchange for some help with a dance routine she’s working on. Her partner has been pretty absent as of late, and she needed someone to practice with.” She shrugged. “They hardly know each other, actually.”
Mina visibly relaxed. “Well, that’s good to hear.” She chuckled. “You know, if Ohno was ever going to be interested in settling down with a woman, I think I’d be very disappointed if he chose anyone other than you.”
“Me?”
Mina laughed outright, no doubt at the blatant unease on her face. “Don’t worry, I’m well aware that it’s never going to happen. But I think you’d be a pretty cool sister-in-law.”
Mao laughed too. “You wouldn’t be so bad yourself.”
Mina grinned. “Hopefully I’ll see you around. Good luck talking to your mother.” She bid.
“Thanks.” Mao couldn’t help letting her smile fall once Mina had turned away, searching her husband out in the crowd. “I’m definitely going to need all the luck I can get.” She muttered with a sigh.
+++
“After you, miss.” Ohno gestured, holding the door open for Nino to slip inside.
Nino shucked his shoes immediately and followed Ohno into the open concept kitchen/living area. “I didn’t say so earlier, but your apartment is pretty amazing.”
“Thanks.” Ohno smiled, pulling glasses from the rack above the island counter. “You should be complimenting my sister though. She picked out all the furniture and paint colors and such. I don’t know anything about interior decorating.” He chuckled. “Wine?” He asked, brandishing a bottle from the fridge.
“Sure”
Ohno poured two generous glasses and set them on the counter dividing the kitchen from the living room. “Cheers.” He said, clinking one glass against the other as Nino reached out to take it. A deep woof from somewhere further in the apartment nearly made Nino choke mid-swallow.
“Oh, excuse me for a second.” Ohno looked sheepish and amused by Nino’s brief startled reaction as he hurried down the hall.
“I almost forgot you had a dog.” Nino spoke up, hearing a door open and the frantic clicking of nails on hardwood as the big retriever came scurrying towards him.
“This is Lady.” Ohno introduced her. Smiling when Nino set his glass aside to scratch the dog behind her floppy ears. “The most important lady in my life, aside from the ladies I’m related to.” He chuckled. Lady pressed her face into Nino’s thigh; tail wagging so hard her whole body wriggled.
“Hello Lady.” Nino greeted. The dog turned away suddenly, throwing herself excitedly at Ohno and nearly knocking him over. He had to stumble back a step to accommodate her weight. “So,” Nino grinned, reaching for his wine again and watching her lick long wet stripes up Ohno’s cheek. “If this is Lady, does that make you the Tramp?”
“Haa ha.” Ohno rolled his eyes but grinned back. “Want to see the rest of the apartment?” He asked, urging Lady back down on all fours. She got the hint quickly and swaggered off to curl up on the couch, tail still wagging.
Nino nodded, taking another sip of his wine. It was sweet and pale golden. He’d never been much of a wine drinker, but this was delicious.
“Bring your glass with you.” Ohno grabbed his own glass and tucked the bottle under his arm. With a grin, he led the way down the hall.
+++
“Well, tonight was hellish, to say the least.”
Jun nearly jumped out of his skin. Having expected everyone to be long gone by now, he hadn’t noticed the slim figure crouched in the shadows alongside the building. “Jesus Mao.” He hung his head, getting his pulse under control again. “You’ve really got to stop sneaking up on me like that.”
“Sorry.” She chuckled. “Wasn’t my intention, I assure you.”
He saw the flash of her teeth as she smiled in the dark, and then noticed the orange glow. He frowned. “You’re smoking?”
“I pawned it off one of the other guests while they were all leaving.” She sighed and stood up, dropping the cigarette to the pavement and grinding it out under her heel. “Haven’t smoked since I was eighteen, back when I had that brief rebellious phase.”
Jun smirked. “I don’t remember that. You were shy and kind of bookish when I knew you in high school.”
“Yeah, well I was so pissed about moving back to America that I decided to go punk-rock just to spite my mother. Blue hair, thick eyeliner, a smoking habit.” She lifted her hair out of the way. “I don’t know if you can see the scars, but I had a bunch of piercings in the shell of ear.” She giggled. “Mother was furious about it, but I didn’t keep it up for long.” She licked her lips and grimaced a bit. “I’ve never really liked smoking -makes my mouth taste like crap-, but it seemed like the right sort of moody thing to do while I waited out here.”
“Right… I didn’t realize you were waiting for me, or I might have finished up a little quicker.” He shifted, a little chilled. He was surprised Mao had sat out in the cold for so long.
“Yes, if I didn’t know better I’d think you were the last to leave!”
Jun looked sheepish. “Well, just about, actually. It’s only the cleaners left in there now.”
Mao rolled her eyes. “No wonder my fingers are numb.”
“Do you need a ride?”
She shrugged. “Or some company… I don’t really want to go home yet.”
“Sure.” Jun nodded thoughtfully, glancing at his watch. “… Do you want to go dancing?”
+++
Ohno’s tour was brief. It basically consisted of him opening doors, announcing the name of the room beyond, and apologizing for the mess before moving on to the next door. Nino hardly noticed the clutter. If he ever saw Mina again he would have to shower her skills with compliments. Everything was modern, sleek and classy. The bathroom was all black and white with the odd brightly colored accessory. The bathtub was the centerpiece of the room. It sat like a deep bowl in the middle of the room, certainly big enough for at least two people to share the space comfortably. Nino squashed that thought almost as soon as it entered his mind -still a second too late to keep a blush from rising to his cheeks.
The bedroom wasn’t nearly as stark. It had sleek black furnishes but the walls were a warm brown color and the covers on the bed were silky gold and rich burgundy. The bed itself -a large, sturdy four-poster- filled most of the space. The unmade covers spilled across the wide mattress and down onto the floor, and pillows and throws were scattered amongst the bedding in an almost artful arrangement. The whole room looked unbelievably regal, although the rest of the floor space was littered with clothes and dog toys.
The last room was the study. Ohno opened the door with a quick gesture and made to move on, but Nino stopped in his tracks.
There was a desk at the back of the room, housing a computer and several stacks of papers and books, but the rest of the room was absolutely teeming with art supplies. There were two easels, shelves of paints and brushes and sculpting tools, and countless canvasses stacked and leaning against every wall and available surface. To one side of the room was a pottery wheel, and a table covered in a large collection of little clay heads in various stages of completion.
“Holy… I didn’t know you were an artist.”
“I’m not really.” Ohno said, shuffling awkwardly in the doorway as Nino looked around the room. “It’s just a hobby of mine.”
“You’re really good!” Nino exclaimed, carefully inspecting the table covered in figurines. Each clay head had its own distinctive personality. “Are these based on real people?”
Ohno shrugged. “Some of them are.”
“They look very real. Almost like they’re alive.” Nino turned back to the door in time to see obvious color rising in Ohno’s cheeks. He looked a little surprised.
“Thank you.” He said quietly. “Um, should we finish the tour?”
“Yes, of course.” Nino stepped back out into the hallway. “Sorry, I got sidetracked there.”
Ohno just smiled and gestured to the solid metal door at the end of the hall. “After you.”
“Is this where I find out you have torture chamber?” Nino quipped, eyebrow raised. Ohno laughed, which wasn’t entirely reassuring, but Nino went ahead and turned the knob anyway.
A small gust of wind greeted him immediately, and Nino was startled just enough that he almost let the heavy door swing shut again rather than open it all the way.
The apartment opened up onto a private rooftop terrace with cobblestone flooring and wrought iron fencing. The view of the surrounding city was spectacular. Ohno flicked a light switch before stepping outside with him, and a myriad of little hanging bamboo deck-lights flickered to life, casting the terrace in a soft golden glow. Ohno topped up Nino’s wine glass while he stood there speechless, and then set the half-full bottle on the glass patio table.
“I’m in love with your apartment.” Nino announced. “It’s official.”
Ohno grinned. “I thought we could practice out here for a little bit. It’s cold, but it’ll keep us wide awake.”
Nino shivered as the wind blew again, shifting back and forth on his bare feet. The stone was damn cold. “Fine, for a little while… as long as you fetch my shoes and coat first.”
“Deal.” Ohno said, reaching for the door. “I’ll be right back.” While he was gone Nino took a few more sips of the wine, already feeling a little warmer as the alcohol gave him a bit of a buzz. “Here.” Ohno reappeared, setting Nino’s shoes down neatly in front of him and holding his jacket open for Nino to slip his arms into.
“Thanks.” Nino tried not to grimace at the heels. He had a newfound respect for women who wore them everyday. Ohno’s hands pulling the jacket over his shoulders was plenty distraction from the dull, anticipatory ache of his feet. The contact was brief, but Ohno’s hands were warm even through the thick wool.
Or maybe Nino was only imagining he could feel it. That was certainly more likely. Feeling silly, Nino hurriedly jammed his feet into his shoes.
While Nino shoved the hand that wasn’t numb and occupied by a wine glass into his coat pocket, dearly wishing he’d thought to wear gloves, Ohno pulled a remote from his own coat pocket and pressed a few buttons. A speaker on the wall by the door crackled to life and began playing music. Nino didn’t recognize the tune, something old and in English, but the gentle pulsing rhythm was recognizably a waltz.
Ohno put the remote away and smiled. “Shall we?”
Nino gulped another mouthful of wine before setting his glass aside and nodding. “Let’s.”
Ohno chuckled, following his lead and finishing off his own wine before offering his hand.
He really was warm. Up close, Ohno’s entire body radiated warmth. His bare hand, cradling Nino’s own, was particularly toasty. Suddenly, Nino was okay with not having his gloves. “You’re like a living radiator.” He mumbled, not having too much trouble with the progressive box step Ohno had begun leading them into.
Ohno huffed a quiet breath of amusement. “You’re not the first to say that.” His hand on Nino’s back dipped a little lower, pressed a little firmer. “Stand up straighter.” He directed quietly. “You should avoid watching your feet while you dance.”
“Hard to know what I’m doing with my feet if I can’t see them.” Nino grumbled.
Ohno laughed again. “Just follow the music and you’ll be fine.” He began humming along as the song finished and started over again on repeat.
“It’s a nice song.” Nino commented, feeling only a little ridiculous as he turned under Ohno’s arm.
Ohno smiled crookedly, pulling him back in close and continuing their slow dance across the rooftop. “Oh what I’d give for a moment or two, under the bridges of Paris with you~” He crooned along with the chorus in surprisingly decent English. “I studied in Canada for a while.” He explained, amused by the surprise written clearly on Nino’s face.
“Oh. You’re full of surprises.”
Ohno grinned. “Yes.” And pulled Nino into a sudden dip.
Nino yelped, clinging to his arms in a panic. “Jesus! Warn me next time, will you?”
Ohno laughed and righted him again. “Relax, Ninomiya-san. I’ve got you.”
Nino tried really, really hard not to turn noticeably red.
+++
“Come on!” Jun grinned, waiting for Mao to catch up.
“A nightclub? I had no idea that was what you meant.” Mao looked incredibly surprised, but she was grinning.
“Problem?”
“Not at all! Let’s do this.”
The line was thankfully quite short. It was only half past ten, but in the next half hour or so things would pick up considerably. After the coat-check, Jun led them straight to the bar. “Are you okay to drink any more?” He asked, not entirely sure how much she’d had to drink at the party.
Mao laughed. “Definitely. Let me buy the first round, yeah?” The first round turned out to be shots, one for her and two for him. He raised an eyebrow. “I know you weren’t drinking on the job. You’ve got to catch up, Jun-kun!”
He caught up pretty quickly, and before long they were out on the dance floor. Mao took his hand, not showing the least bit of self-consciousness as she led him into the midst of the throes of churning bodies. The music was electro with heavy bass and a pounding, driving rhythm. In the crowd there was no such thing as personal space. Everyone was bouncing, grinding, and twisting to the beat, the flashing lights were nearly blinding, making the bodies around them almost seem like faceless non-entities. It was easy to ignore the bodies at his back, pushing in from all sides and rocking them to the beat of the music.
Every few songs they found their way to the bar again, downing drink after drink and giggling at the people dancing around them.
Back on the floor Mao was there in front of him, a close warm presence, smile and eyes sparkling with pure mischievous glee. The last time they’d been clubbing, that miserable night with the rest of the dance class, Jun had hardly noticed Mao’s presence in the crowd. He’d been so fixated on Ni- well, that was history. Now though, Mao was the center of his focus. She moved with remarkable fluidity. As the night wore on and they continued to laugh and dance so close together, her hands on his neck were grounding, and his own hands ran down her sides and settled on her hips as they continued to move together, pushed even closer by the growing crowd. They didn’t stop grinning and giggling at each other despite the intimacy of their position. It wasn’t until one of Mao’s hands slid up, tangling in the hair at his nape, that something snapped -electric-, and Jun dove in, lost in the rhythm of the music and the ebbing of the crowd and Mao’s lips pliant and hungry against his own.
+++
The television was on when Sho let himself in. Chubby pounded over to greet him, jumping up and down and wriggling happily. “Hey, good boy!” Sho smiled, pleased that he hadn’t barked. Aiba’s training was really paying off.
Aiba. Right.
Sho toed off his shoes and hung up his jacket. He rolled his shirtsleeves to his elbows and took a deep breath, standing a little straighter. “Okay.” He said, and Chubby looked expectantly at him. “Here goes…”
He was both amused and a little disappointed to find Aiba slouched on the couch, head back and breathing deeply. Sound asleep. Sho sighed, approaching the couch and perching on the cushion beside him. Chubby yawned, leaping up onto the armchair across from them and curling into a little ball.
“You guys really did wear yourselves out.” He shook his head, an overwhelming fondness growing in his chest. Aiba turned his head towards him and sighed in his sleep, eyebrows furrowing a little before smoothing out again. The urge to wake him was there, but it occurred to Sho that this was the perfect opportunity to take a good close look at the other man without drawing any sort of suspicion.
Sho swallowed, watching Aiba’s chest rise and fall and his eyelashes flutter. The man’s full lips were parted just slightly, his breath whispering quietly between them. With his head resting on the curved back of the couch his throat was stretched out, long and tanned, leading Sho’s eyes down to the sharp collarbones visible above the collar of his t-shirt.
It took a moment for Sho to realize that he’d leaned a little closer during his observation. At this proximity, Aiba smelled of shampoo and body wash, a decidedly manly fragrance but certainly not unattractive. It took another moment for Sho to recognize the smell, and another to reach out tentatively and discover Aiba’s hair was damp. His breath caught in his throat, the realization that Aiba had showered here after returning from his run, had used Sho’s shampoo and soap, sent a surprising jolt of heat down to the pit of his stomach. He barely stopped himself from burying his face in Aiba’s neck, just to see how different the fragrances would smell on Aiba’s skin as compared to his own.
He bit his lip, muffling a groan of frustration -and want? His fingers were still brushing against Aiba’s hair and, of their own volition, they slid in deep, threading through the damp strands along his scalp. Aiba hummed low in his throat, tilting his head further into the touch. He was completely turned towards Sho now, and Sho hadn’t even realized how close he himself had shifted until Aiba’s eyes fluttered open sleepily.
Sho felt he should back off and give him some space, well aware that his proximity was a little creepy, but he couldn’t bring himself to move.
Aiba looked mildly confused, still a little bleary with sleep. His lips quirked into a soft, curious smile. “Hey,” He said quietly, voice deep and surprisingly husky. “You’re home.”
Sho’s hand in his hair twitched just a little bit tighter, a little bit more confident, and his heart pounded and leapt into his throat as he inched forward to close the short distance between their mouths.
+++
to be continued....
A/N: Wellllll hopefully the length of this chapter and the developments within will make up (a bit) for my absence. You wouldn't believe the amount of shit that has gone down between last January and now, but things are finally looking up. My thanks go out to anyone patient enough to still be reading this after so long! I've said it before and I'll say it again, I will finish this fic come hell or high water. Hopefully soon. There's only a few chapters left to go~
-AC23
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