When You Were Young / Home (FINAL)
When You Were Young - Chapter 9 (FINAL)
Chaptertitle: Home
Pairing: Sakurai Sho & Aiba Masaki
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: I don't own Sakuraiba. Just the plot.
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Home
Chapter 9
It’s been a long time since Aiba was back in Chiba - back at his parents’ home. To be precise it had been exactly four years since he graduated from high school and moved deep into the city center of Tokyo to focus on his future, on his own dream. For almost four years now he worked at a television station as the handyman and personal assistant - or slave as Yusuke loved to describe it - for the director of a popular animal show. In some way the term slave fit pretty well, but for Aiba all the torture of carrying cables, cleaning the guest’s rooms, making coffee and setting up the decoration for the studio did not discourage him; on the contrary he knew that someday his dream of him taking over the job as the director would become true. And the first step into that direction was made today when he got promoted as the assistant director of the show.
It made him even happier when he saw how his family beamed the probably brightest smiles he ever saw on him. Aiba’s father was patting his son on the shoulder, his watery eyes speaking for itself whereas his mother already broke out into tears, glowing with pride. Yusuke and Mai were just smiling at him, their hands locked and her head lightly leaning on her boyfriend’s shoulder while she was watching how happy and proud Aiba’s parents were. And even if being in this kind of surrounding with the most precious people in his life meant the most to the young man, he knew exactly that someone special was missing.
Lost in thoughts he wandered through the house and looked at old pictures that were hanging on the wall, remembering past times. Each place in the house brought back a different memory - for example the door of his parents’ bed room that had a big scratch on it. When Aiba and Yusuke were still kids they got into a big fight about who is the next to play with their new Game Boy and none of them wanted to give in - in the end it slipped out of their hands and crashed against the bed room door, leaving a scratch mark and a broken Game Boy behind. Aiba had to laugh when he thought about how much he and his brother were crying back then, blaming the other one for breaking it.
The smile on his face lightly faded when he suddenly stood in front of his old room. Never in those past four years did he enter it even once - somehow he was too afraid to face the memories that he made in there. Hesitantly he touched the wooden door, caressing it while he smirked sadly - why couldn’t he just go in there?
“I remember when you always locked yourself up in there for hours and played with your animal figures… and that awfully dirty and worn cuddly dog toy that you loved so much.” Aiba turned his head in surprise when he heard the loving voice of his mother who smiled at him and put her palm on his shoulder.
“I didn’t change anything after you left, you know. I think except for me nobody did ever enter the room since you moved out. Everybody respected your privacy, even if you are not living here anymore.” Her bright giggle filled the atmosphere around them “But I guess we are just one weird family, right?” Lovingly his mother tightened the grip on his shoulder and smirked again, her eyes almost closed entirely. Aiba felt sorry for forgetting how encouraging and positive his mother was, always cheering him up when he needed it the most. He exhaled deeply and gave her a short, determined nod before he pulled the door handle down and stepped into his room.
It felt like he entered a total different world - as if he travelled through time and experienced his life as a teenager one more time. All the books and games and CDs were bringing back memories, but what intrigued him the most was the faint scent that was lying in the air. He could swear that this particular sweet scent was Sho’s… But at the same time Aiba shook his head and lowered it a bit. My pathetic wishful thinking.
But the imaginary scent that was somehow still lying in the air was not the only thing that stung right into Aiba’s heart. He had to gulp hard when he found old pictures of him and Sho on his bookshelf… and the school books on his desk with Sho’s hand writing all over it… and… those bed clothes… the exact same ones that they spent their last night together in it. Yeah definitely, he remembered how Sho covered him carefully with them when the younger man started to shiver from the coldness outside.
Right now, at that moment he would have probably already broke out into tears, but he didn’t want to show his mother how much he suffered from missing Sho and wanting to be with him again. What he didn’t know was that she knew exactly how hurt her son was; the expression on his face being her confirmation.
“You miss him, am I right?”
Aiba just nodded lightly and turned his face away from his mother; he definitely didn’t want her to see him like that right now.
“I guess it’s just hard to compete with England” he laughed bitterly and let his fingers glide over the bedclothes.
“At first everything went so well… we talked almost everyday, he wrote me and sent me pictures… I somehow knew that at a certain point the contact would cool off and that maybe we would only hear from each other like once a week. But you know… it’s been almost one year now since I talked properly to him… after that… we exchanged mails, then short messages and now… nothing.“
Aiba lightly grabbed the bed sheets underneath his hand.
“I don’t know what went wrong so badly. I know that he has to focus on his studies and he found new friends but… It’s just… I don’t even know if we’re like… you know… friends anymore…“
The word ‘boyfriend’ kept stuck in his throat, not able to say it out loud in front of his mother whom he still didn’t tell that he and Sho were connected in a much closer relationship than just friendship.
His mother sighed quietly and smiled gently, turning her son so that he faced her.
“I’m sure he does… I don’t think that Sho is that kind of person who just forgets about his boyfriend.” Aiba’s eyes that looked down on the bed shot up immediately, now gazing at his mother when he heard her say that one particular word. What he received was a heartwarming smile.
“Don’t underestimate motherly instincts, Masaki. I am probably one of those people on earth who know you the best. And next to that… I am not blind. You two were head over heels for each other.” She chuckled and somehow lightly blushed.
“Mum…” Aiba whispered and quickly embraced her. Deep inside him he really hoped that his mother was right and that Sho didn’t forget about him.
***
When Aiba was on the train back from Chiba to Tokyo, he thought about what his mother said and drifted once again off in thoughts. The imagination itself that Sho didn’t love him anymore broke his heart. Even if the older boy was not there for those past years, Aiba was still as deeply in love with Sho as he was when they still were in high school. When he searched for an apartment in Tokyo he thought about what kind of flat Sho would like to live in and chose explicitly one that the older man would also love.
‘It has to be a bright place. With lots of windows. And I want a piano… yeah, I’m totally gonna get a piano! And then I will play something just for you, Ma-kun!’
Aiba had to giggle when he thought about Sho’s words back then. It took the young man almost two years to save some money for the small shiny piano that was now standing right next to the biggest window in the apartment where the rays of sunshine could fall on the black instrument and illuminate it perfectly. Aiba even furnished a work room where his boyfriend could read newspaper, work on his notebook or just relax from a tiring day full of work.
Yeah, I’m really pathetic, Aiba thought when he searched for the keys to his apartment, smiling lightly. When he opened the door, he knew immediately that something was wrong. He raised his head and saw that the light was switched on in the living room, the confusion now spreading on his face. Did he forget to turn it off when he left? But he never had to switch the light on in the morning, because the brightness of the sun outside would lighten up the room by itself… But if as the light problem wasn’t irritating him enough already, he suddenly heard a strange sound. Well it was not strange; it was more like… a clear, beautiful melody. Approximately five seconds passed until he finally realized that the sound was coming from the piano - yes, somebody was definitely playing the piano that was standing in the living room.
Slowly he sneaked through the hallway, following the beautiful music and peeped at the instrument to see what was going on. And as he thought, somebody was sitting on the stool and playing the piano like it was totally normal… But Aiba knew that this somebody wasn’t just a random burglar… it was him.
Even though the man had brown hair, his upper body was more proportioned and his clothing style different now - Aiba knew immediately that it had to be Sho. The young man didn’t even notice when his bag fell down to the floor, making a loud noise which made Sho stop playing and turning himself around. Their eyes met and Aiba felt how his heart started to race faster in an indescribable speed, the butterflies in his stomach fluttering stronger than ever before.
Both of them slowly approached the other one, making small steps until they were standing in front of each other, only a small gap separating them.
“Your brother gave me the spare keys to your apartment… I hope you don’t mind…”
Aiba had to gulp when he heard Sho’s voice. How long has it been? When was the last time that he heard it? When was the last time he faced Sho like this? Why didn’t he call him or write him or just told him once in a while that he was still there?
“You idiot” Aiba whispered quietly and looked into Sho’s eyes, the despair and longing overcoming him “Were you living on a desert island for the last months or what? Do you know how long I waited for a text or a call or a smoke signal or god knows what? I can’t explain how much of an idiot you are!”
Aiba started to tremble; he had to suppress all of his held in anger and disappointment, but also the feeling of just wanting to kiss Sho from his forehead down to his legs. He wanted to caress his hair, inhale his scent and hug him as tightly as he could. And as if Sho could read Aiba’s mind, he automatically put his arms around the tall man’s figure and pulled him in an embrace, pressing him almost too tight on his chest.
“I’m so so so sorry” Sho mumbled into his boyfriend’s hair while he kissed it impatiently, rolling his eyes in pleasure when he finally was able to touch Aiba again “I shouldn’t have just stopped calling you… Or writing you those last months… I was so focused on my last year at university and how I wanted to be on top and make all of you proud… but in the end I hurt you and-“
“Sho just-” the taller man interrupted and shoved Sho away from him, gripping his left wrist. Aiba was about to yell and maybe even slap him, but the familiar feeling underneath his fingers stopped him. Slowly Aiba lowered his head and looked down on Sho’s wrist, finding the leather bracelet that his boyfriend presented them both shortly before he left. It looked worn, lost a bit of its colour and was hanging loose on the wrist; Aiba looked up confused and stared into Sho’s face.
“I wore it all the time” the older man smiled at the wristband “I only took it off when I was about to take a shower. Maybe that’s why it looks like that now… I didn’t even take if off when I went to sleep… I should have been more careful…” he put a hand behind his head and smiled lightly ashamed, a blush spreading all over his face.
All the time.
He wore it all the time.
Quickly Aiba snatched away his hand from Sho and put his palm on his own wrist, caressing his own bracelet and feeling the SM initials with his finger tips.
“Do you still love me?” Aiba couldn’t believe that those words were suddenly escaping his mouth, but that question was lingering on his mind for too long.
“Of course I do, Ma-kun!” Sho squeaked in a high, almost offended tone “Never for one second have I stopped loving you, I am so sorry for not calling… I was such a fool and-“
Aiba interrupted him again when he put a finger on Sho’s lips to silence him, a relieved smile appearing on his face before he hugged the shorter man.
“Are you back… for good now?”
Sho smiled brightly and nodded, his palm caressing the tall man’s warm cheek. The stone plopping from Aiba’s heart was as huge as the relief he was feeling. In that moment he promised to himself that he would never let go of Sho ever again. Never.
Their faces were only separated by a few millimeters, Sho the one who closed the gap between them when he placed his lips on Aiba’s. Both of them cupped each other’s faces now and opened their mouths, so that they were able to deepen the kiss even more. If one of them had to describe that kiss, they probably would have addressed it as a firework that finally after four years of waiting has been set off. And it didn’t matter how cheesy or hopelessly in love it would sound, because it was exactly how this kiss was feeling.
When they eventually broke the kiss, Aiba smiled at Sho and his fingers found the new brownish hair, a few blonde locks still shining through the new hair colour.
I love you, Sho-chan, the younger man conveyed his feelings through the glittering spark in his eyes, Sho understanding immediately what it meant.
I love you too, Ma-kun.
The loving expression on Sho’s face made Aiba shed a few tears that were now freely rolling down his cheeks, a big smile lying on his face.
“Welcome home."
Sho imitated the bright smile and kissed every single part of Aiba’s face without noticing that he was now also crying because of them finally being together again.
“I’m back.”
***
We can't wait for our future to begin.