Happiness Through the Storm 1
Title: Happiness through the Storm
Rating: PG
Member/Pairing: Sho/OC/Aiba
Author: clarielejsg_ohnolove
I am Aikawa Yuri, twenty-four years old, have been working as a staff member for Arashi for two years. What can I say? Being with the group has been yet the best thing I have done since I started working. I grew so close with all of them. Actually, I never thought that this would be my calling since I have always wanted to work on a company. Don’t get me wrong but I have never regretted working for them. The monthly pay was more than enough to cover my expenses for two months and I gained many friends. How could I forget that one of Arashi members, Sho Sakurai, is my best friend? Well, at first I had a crush on him because being an outstanding student when I was young; Sho’s type was my ideal lover: Good looks, smart, good family name, etc. but when I learned who he was, I thought I shouldn’t have looked on him by his background. He’s such a great man, indeed.
“Hey, Sho-kun, great moves there!” I called him out, trying to cheer him up as I pitied him while looking on his tired face. He just ended his dance rehearsal while the others are still on the stage.
“Thank you, Yuri-chan. Those calming words lightened me a bit.” He replied, smiled and sighed on relief in the end as he sat on the nearest available chair.
When I reached him, I handed him his towel and water, hoping he could be refreshed. “Here. I wish you could be cleared up.”
“Waah! As expected, Yuri’s the best!” I heard him exclaimed as those words struck my heart as it sparked me happiness.
“What are friends for if I won’t help you at least when you are tired?” I replied in quite sarcasm or realization as I mildly massaged his forehead, we do this to each other when one gets tired. Last time he massaged my foot well so I think I owe him one. And then, I looked up the stage. “Aiba-chan is a great dancer, ne?”
“Yes, he is. Even he acts like that, when he gets it right, he performs it well.” He replied as I saw him close his marble eyes. He’s right about his comment about Aiba Masaki. I knew that since Aiba is second to Sho on my friends list. I saw him look on his wrist watch and spaced out for a bit. “Are you free after this?”
I looked on my own watch, remembering it was the watch he gave me last Christmas, our picture making ‘peace sign’ together imprinted as the design, it says ‘7:00 PM’, I thought of today’s schedule and remembered that today’s a Friday and this is my last task. “Yes. Why?”
“I’m hungry; just want to eat dinner… with you.” He glanced at me as he flashed another eye-closing shining smile. Inside, I was happy that he wanted my presence on dinner. “You know, I don’t want… don’t want to be alone.” Though it obviously was an alibi, I felt I was crushed on the ground because I felt that he had given me a chance and suddenly threw it off. “Okay, but can I have one favor?”
I grew curious to his favor. “Anything for my BFF.”
“Can you cook for me at your place? Please, Yuri-chan. I miss your cooking now and our Kyuu-kun.” He pleaded as he clasped his hands together. I wonder what’s with him that he missed my simple cooking and ‘our’ Kyuu-kun. Did he just treat Kyuu-kun a property of both of us? Anyway, Kyuu-kun was the fish he had given me as my birthday present. It might be kind of childish but it was totally sweet for me.
“Let me think it over.” I acted sarcastically as I placed my hand on my hip.
“Please, Yuri-chan, please?” He pleaded even harder, now his forehead was already wrinkled cutely.
“Wait, let me think.” I acted more sarcastically as I even pointed my finger on my head. I heard him laugh, I know I look like an idiot now but I am happy I made him happy after such long tiring day for him.
“Yuri-chan.” He stood as he grabbed and swung my free hand like a spoiled kid to his mom.
“Okay, okay, as long as it’s Sho-kun.” I finally gave up.
For one hour of both our free time, we had filled the break as we chatted over a lot of things and laughed so hard even over the most clichéd jokes we both cracked. After the hour, the head choreographer announced that we all could already leave. Of course, as a sign of respect, he first bid goodbyes to his group mates then we left and reached for his car. Inside we continued our talk and after five minutes, we had already arrived at my apartment.
I walked straight to the kitchen and opened my refrigerator to see that I could cook for him his favorite sushi and the onigiri I have been wanting for the moment.
“Sho-kun, sushi and onigiri, is that fine?” I peeped through the space between the refrigerator door and the dining room seeing him smiling as he watched Kyuu-kun swim back and forth.
“Of course, that’s my favorite!” He beamed as he turned into my direction, leaving Kyuu-kun for a while. “Kyuu-kun had become very big since I gave him to you, ne?”
“Oh, I have Sake!” I rejoiced, not minding his Kyuu-kun subject anymore as he sat comfortably on one of the chairs.
“Are you sure we can drink tonight?”
“Why not? It’s a Friday, remember?”
“Okay, okay, you’re the boss.”
When I was done with readying everything we needed. I walked to the not-so-far distance of the kitchen to the living room. “Sho-kun, let’s eat here, it’s more comfortable. The couch is good for your aching body. It would help you relax a bit.”
Soon, he stepped in the living room, two iced glasses at hand. How could I forget that he loved drinking super ice cold Sake?
I prepared his sushi and onigiri on the center table as he sat comfortably on a lazy position on the couch as I handed him every sushi I finished preparing. Later, I ate my share and grabbed my glass, seeing he already poured Sake in.
“Yuri-chan, once again you did another great job for having me eat the best sushi and onigiri of my life.” His voice was quite drunk already.
“Best? Won’t that be unfair to your mother?” I asked him.
“Oh, I forgot the ‘mother’ thing.” said the not-so-aware-of-the-world Sho.
“Kyuu-kun looked well and healthy. So, I see you’ve done a great job as a mother, ne?”
Was I hearing it right? He had put the ‘me being mother to Kyuu-kun’ again. Was he thinking that we were Kyuu-kun’s parents? In my life, I’ve never looked on being a mother to a fish but I once looked up as Sho to be the Father of my kids.
“Kanpai to Yuri-chan for being a great mother, Kanpai!” He raised his glass and put it on the table at once. “With that you deserve a reward!”
I can’t believe where he was now. I don’t know what to say. All I know right now is that my heart is beating faster than it normally does. I know the reason. It’s because of his passionate reward. His warm lips touching mine.