[fic] Mitsukaru High - Ch 8 Part 1
Title: Mitsukaru High
Author/Artist: mido_ban04 and tennis_dudez
Link: Winglicans Thread
Warnings/Rating:T (Suitable for teens, 13 years and older, with some violence, minor coarse language, and minor suggestive adult themes)
Series/Pairing(s): TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki
Notes: Our second forum roleplay revolving around the two couples that we did over at Winglicans.
An alternative universe type of fanfiction, my partner and I take you to how the two couples began during their days in Senior High, with Takigawa and Kimeru in their 2nd year, and Shirota and Aiba in their 1st. This fanfiction will run from that setting until Shirota and Aiba’s graduation from Senior High two years later. Most of the information here are either altered, made-up or real altogether. For clarifications on such information, feel free to contact me through Y!M (snoopeRJ_04).
Hints of other pairings shall also be introduced, therefore expect to be seeing other members of the TeniMyu cast to show up in this Mitsukaru Senior High setting. This is meant to serve as a prequel to our fanfiction ’Anything for You’.
As my partner seems to be having problems with posting, I shall also be posting the chapters of this prequel. This is an edited version of our roleplay over at the forum (or rather, a cleaner and grammatically correct version), open to reviews. I have also opened this to be viewable by the general public.
Here is the 8th chapter entitled School Productions. This chapter focuses on Mitsukaru putting on a musical production for the quarter, managed by the Student Council. The chosen production was Broadway’s RENT. With Takigawa and Shirota as part of the cast, Kimeru and Aiba share different views with their respective partner’s involvement in the musical.
Shirota and Aiba share their sweet kisses with one another when they visit each other - Aiba teaching Shirota tango for the musical, and Shirota helping Aiba move back in with his family. Kimeru, now alone in the dorm, moves in with Takigawa.
However, because of the length of this chapter, I am forced to divide it into two parts. This is part 1.
**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.
(cross-posted to tenimyu_slash)
Come Monday, Aiba had arrived early once again. He looked around and noticed that no one else was there. He sat at his desk and waited for Shirota. He had spoken to his family the day before and he decided that it would be easier for him to leave the dorms and come back home.
Kimeru knew about this already, and he didn't complain; the junior had anticipated it happening since Aiba told him that he was in touch with his family again.
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Lunch time had strolled around and Takigawa had thought of going to visit Kimeru in his classroom for a change. He peeked into the room before Nagayan pulled him inside.
"WE WERE WAITING FOR YOU!!" he said brightly, sitting him beside Kimeru. "Here, talk with him. He's feeling upset and he won't tell us about it."
Takigawa blinked, unsettled for a moment before he turned to Kimeru. "Eh... So..."
Kimeru glanced at him before turning his attention to the empty seat in front of him and sighing heavily. "Aiba is moving out of the dorms," he stated simply.
"So you lost your roommate... It's not as if you had trouble living on your own in the dorms last year, right?" Takigawa offered.
"I didn't..." Kimeru said. "But that's because I slept at Nagayan's place at least three times a week." He looked at Nagayan and glared at him. "…and apparently I won't be able to do it now since he's dating some guy from section one that practically lives with them right now."
"Oh, you mean Tuti?" Takigawa inquired innocently, grinning at him. "Don't forget that I'm from the same section."
Kimeru's eyes went wide as he looked at Takigawa before turning his attention to Nagayan. "You're dating that nerd?!" he exclaimed.
Nagayan frowned before motioning towards Takigawa. "And you're not?" he asked.
Kimeru grinned. "Takigawa isn't just a nerd, he's also a jock rolled into one," he said. "Kidding, Takigawa," he added quickly.
"But still....Tuti?!"
Nagayan shrugged. "He's a good guy... Hey… are you trying to turn to spotlight towards me? I'm not the one with the problem here," he said.
"I don't recall there ever being a problem to begin with..." Takigawa admitted. "Unless you're not used to being alone..." he added.
"I'm used to being alone!!!" Kimeru snapped. Nagayan and the others looked at him and he frowned. ".....fine I'm not..." he admitted.
Takigawa patted Kimeru on the shoulder before he got to his feet. "You'll find some way to get by, Kime-kun. Saa, I have to go help make some final arrangements to this quarter's Council project with Moriyama-senpai and Shirotan. Ja!" He nodded to the group before leaving the 2-3 classroom and headed off to the Council Room.
"Why didn't you just ask him?!" Daisuke asked as soon as Takigawa went out.
"Ask him what?" Kimeru asked, looking at Daisuke.
"Ask if you can just stay with him! Honestly Kimeru...sometimes you're just too slow to pick up---" Daisuke was cut off when Kimeru threw the thick science book at him.
"Shut up, Daisuke!" he snapped. He frowned as he looked at Daisuke who was now being helped to his feet by Furukawa. "Wait a minute..." he suddenly said, and everyone looked at him. “Did he just call me Kime-kun?" he asked.
Everybody made a mental face palm. 'Slow!' they thought.
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Aiba looked at his lunch before turning his attention to Shirota. "Shirota-kun...do you want to help me move back in with my family?" he asked suddenly.
Shirota was halfway to his feet. "Ah, so you've decided to move back with them, then?" he said, smiling at him before nodded. "Sure, Aibacchin. But can we talk more about this later? I have to meet with Moriyama-senpai and Takigawa-senpai about the Council's big project for the quarter," he explained, slipping his empty tupperware into his bag as he rose to his feet. "Ja." With that, he left.
"Sure," Aiba said with a smile before waving at Shirota as he left.
"So.....Aibacchin..." Endo started.
"Don't call me that!" Aiba snapped at him.
"Er...sure…so...Aiba..." Endo continued. “Are you and Shirota together?"
"You'll have to get him to answer that one, Endo-kun," Aiba answered as he turned his attention back to his lunch.
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In the Council Room, the rest of lunch break for the members of the Student Council were spent making revisions and final plans with the musical. After much debate, Shirota presented the list of the students who would take part - one from each class besides themselves.
Moriyama took the list and read it. "This should be about right. We'll schedule a meeting with them all tomorrow after school," he announced. "You two can head back to your classrooms. Thanks for the help."
Takigawa and Shirota nodded and stood, bowing to their president before exiting the Council Room.
"Looks like you and I have a shot at being in a musical, Eiji-kun," Shirota teased.
Takigawa slapped the boy on the head. "Like I'm going to be a part of the cast..." he stated.
"It could happen. Your voice isn't so bad, after all..." Shirota reassured the older boy, patting him on the shoulder as Takigawa shrugged.
They parted ways and returned to their respective classrooms. Takigawa, upon reaching his classroom, was confronted by Furukawa. Blinking for a moment, Takigawa asked, "What's wrong with Kimeru now?"
"What happened to calling him 'Kime-kun'?" Furukawa teased. "I'll cut to the chase Takigawa-kun," he started. "We -as in Kimeru's friends and yes that involves Daisuke too- want you to ask Kimeru to stay with you if it's possible." He looked at Takigawa seriously. "Kimeru really can't be trusted to take care of himself. That was why Nagayan had to look after him at least thrice a week and when Aiba-kun came along he was the one who kept an eye on him," he said. "You can even ask Aiba-kun about it, I'm sure he'd tell you." He paused. "So I think that's it," Furukawa said as the smile came back. "Do keep in mind what I just said, Takigawa-kun." He bowed a bit before heading back to his seat.
Takigawa's eyes followed Furukawa as he returned to his seat. Pursing his lips, he stepped back into the room and took his own seat. 'Not that I mind, though...' he thought to himself, the hint of a smirk appearing on his own features.
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Fortunately, the teacher after lunch for first year section one was absent, thus giving them a free period. "Oi, Shirota!!" Endo called out.
"Doushita, Endo-kun?" Shirota inquired as he re-entered the classroom.
Endo walked up to him. "Do you and Aiba have a thing for each other?" he asked bluntly.
“E...Eh?" Shirota stammered.
"Aiba told us to ask you," Yanagi added, walking up beside Endo, folding his arms across his chest.
Shirota looked over to Aiba for a moment before sighing, eventually nodding. "Aa. We do," he replied clearly.
"U-SO!!" Endo and Yanagi stated in momentary disbelief at the same time before grinning to one another. "WE KNEW IT!"
Zukki, who heard this a few seats down, stared at the Endo and Yanagi. "Really Shirota-kun?! You and Aiba-kun?" he asked.
Aiba sighed. "Yes, so now stop making a big deal about it!!" he told the rest of the class who were either giving each other high fives or were handing each other certain amounts of money.
"WAIT!!" Zukki suddenly yelled, effectively grabbing the attention of the class. "So are you two together?" he asked, all eyes fell on Aiba and Shirota.
Aiba smirked before standing up to walk towards Shirota. "What do you think?" he asked before taking hold of Shirota's hand.
"It took a while..." Shirota began. "But yes... we are..." he finished, nodding to the rest of his classmates, who proceeded to cheer in applause. Shirota turned to Aiba. "Who knew this would turn into such a big thing, huh?" he said with a nervous chuckle. "Saa, about those plans of you moving back with your family..." he continued, moving to their desks.
Aiba grinned. "Aa...it would seem that we were obvious enough to let everyone notice the tension between us," he said. "So anyway...I was planning to move back this Saturday. I'm sure my mother would be pleased to see you again…" he began as he proceeded to tell Shirota of his plans.
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The next day after school, Aiba was heading to the school auditorium. He was assigned by Yagami to cover the preparations of the upcoming school musical, along with the musical itself. He opened the door and looked inside.
"Aiba-kun, just in time," Yagami said as he waved at Aiba.
"Er...hai..." Aiba said as he approached him.
"I've already talked to the people in charge and they said that it's fine with them," Yagami said as he led him to the front row seats. "Here you go. Pay attention, Aiba-kun," he said before joining the other people onstage.
Aiba nodded before looking at the group. "Hmm...Yanagi-kun....Kazuki-kun and Shiozawa-kun from the first years..." he muttered as he took down notes. "Toru-senpai, Kawai-senpai and Sota-senpai for the second years and Yagami-senpai, Takumi-senpai and Moriyama-senpai for the seniors...that's strange...they said that there were 11 people in the cast...I only see 9..." he said before looking around.
"Check over there," Takigawa's voice called from backstage as he stepped out. "The previous production used it before, so it shouldn't be hard to---"
"FOUND IT!!" Shirota exclaimed, cycling onto the stage, circling the others before coming to a stop.
"It's dangerous!" Kazuki yelled, pointing threateningly at Shirota. "That bicycle is not to be trusted!"
Shirota put down the break stand and got off the bike. "A-re? Why not?" he inquired.
"Because Kazuki fell off that same bike during last year's production. Quite a number of times," Takumi supplied.
"You didn't have to bring that up!" Kazuki stated heatedly.
Aiba heard a familiar voice, causing him to look up. "SHIROTA-KUN?! TAKIGAWA-SENPAI?!" he exclaimed, standing up in surprise.
Shirota and Takigawa turned to Aiba. "Doushita?" they inquired simultaneously.
"I'm telling you, we don't need to use this!" Kazuki complained.
"Yes we do!" Shirota fired back, turning his attention to Kazuki, taking hold of the bike before Kazuki could push it offstage. "You won't be the one riding it!" Shirota added, causing Kazuki to stop.
"Oh..."
Takigawa approached Moriyama and handed him a piece of paper. “Here's the final list you wanted me to print out..." he muttered.
"What's wrong? You don't like the casting?" Moriyama inquired, a grin spread across his face as he took the paper and scanned through it.
Takigawa glared over to Moriyama but said nothing.
Aiba shook his head and sat back down. '....now I know why Yagami-senpai assigned me here instead of Adachi...' he thought with a frown. He looked at his notebook, which was a replacement of his old one which he lost a few days back, and listed down the last two cast members.
"Yosh!" Moriyama announced, clapping his hands together and getting everybody's attention. "I'll now be announcing the cast list and the corresponding roles for our rendition of the musical RENT." He consulted the list for a minute. "Oh yes, Baba Toru and Shiozawa Hidemasa shall be directing this production alongside me. So, onto our cast! Playing the role of Benny, we have Kawai Ryunosuke!" he began, gesturing to the second year.
Ryunosuke merely nodded in recognition.
"Next, playing the role of Collins, Aoyama Sota!" Moriyama continued.
"Isn't he that philosophy professor...?" Sota inquired as Moriyama nodded.
"Yagami Ren shall be playing the role of Angel!"
Yagami smiled fondly at this decision but said nothing, allowing Moriyama to continue.
"The roles of Joanne and Maureen will be played by Kato Kazuki and Saito Takumi respectively."
Kazuki and Takumi glared over to one another before simultaneously exclaiming, "WHAT?!?!?!"
Moriyama chuckled. "The role of Mark will be played by Shirota Yuu!"
Shirota grinned over nervously to Aiba before nodding. "Aa..."
"Next, the role of Mimi will be taken by Yanagi Kotaro!" Moriyama shouted, pointing to the freshman.
Yanagi pointed to himself. "M...Me?" he asked in disbelief.
"And finally, the role of Roger will be played by Takigawa Eiji!" Moriyama finished.
Aiba simply smiled at Shirota before giving him a thumbs-up sign.
"Takigawa is who?!" Kimeru asked loudly as he burst into the room. He was about to charge at Moriyama when four pairs of hands held him back and dragged him out of the auditorium.
"Er...give us a minute," Nagayan said before closing the door.
Aiba blinked and stared at the closed doors for while, and after a few moments it opened again and in walked the band club along with Kimeru who was a bit calmer.
"Band Club's here for the songs!" Konishi announced, leading the group towards the stage area.
"Ah, very good, very good..!" Moriyama stated, moving to the edge of the stage to meet with them. "Here's the list of the songs we'll be using for the musical," he explained, handing out another piece of paper to Konishi.
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Shirota returned to the bike and examined it. "But seriously, I don't think you'd hate a bike just because you kept falling down, Kazuki..." he reasoned, getting on it and was about to take off around the stage again before Kazuki stopped him.
"That bike is cursed!" Kazuki proclaimed. "I kept falling down because--"
"Because you didn't know how to use the brakes properly," Takumi finished.
Kazuki turned to Takumi, glaring dangerously at the senior. "WHY DO YOU KEEP TELLING THEM THESE THINGS?!" he demanded. "Takumi-senpai!"
A chase scene between the two members of the drama club started as Toru and Shiozawa began talking about the script.
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Kimeru looked at Aiba. "You don't mind it?" he asked the freshman.
Aiba shook his head. "No... Should I mind it?" he inquired.
Kimeru frowned. "Whatever Aiba..." he said as he joined the rest of the band club who was looking at the list of songs.
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Shirota cycled another round around the stage to test out the bike some more.
Takigawa sat down on the stage, heaving a sigh of relief.
"You do know the musical we're doing, right? Takigawa-senpai..." Yanagi inquired, approaching the second year.
Takigawa nodded. "Aah. The songs, however, were decided by Moriyama-senpai..." he explained.
As if waiting for that cue, Konishi looked up from the paper he was holding. "Attention, please! We're going to play some of the songs we have on the list so that you already have an idea of the tune," he said before nodding at the band, the members of which were just about finished setting up the instruments.
"Oi, Kime! Catch!" Nagayan said as he threw Kimeru one of the microphones while Ken'ichiro had the other one.
"Okay...this will be the line-up of the songs we will be playing: Seasons of Love and La vie Boheme by the whole cast, Tango Maureen by Mark and Joanne, One Song Glory by Roger and Light my Candle by Roger and Mimi," Konishi said as he consulted the list once more. "Yosh! Let's begin!" he nodded again to the band before they started playing.
Shirota stopped when the band started playing and got off the bike to listen to the songs. He paused when he realized that he would be doing a duet with Kazuki, who had stopped chasing after Takumi to listen as well.
Suddenly, a thought struck them both before pointing at one another incredulously. "AHH!! THAT MEAN'S WE HAVE TO DANCE TOGETHER!!!" they declared.
"Oi, quiet down so we can listen to the songs," Sota complained, effectively hushing the two freshmen.
Aiba had to hold back his laughter when he heard Kazuki and Shirota speak up.
Kimeru was looking at Yanagi dangerously as he sang the songs.
As the club was singing excerpts of each song after re-introducing who was going to sing them, Takigawa rubbed the back of his head in frustration. "Of all the times for me to get a solo..." he muttered to himself.
Yanagi blinked as he subconsciously stepped away from Takigawa as he noticed Kimeru glaring at him. The freshman approached the nearest person to him besides the second year - Moriyama.
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After performing parts of the songs, Konishi spoke again. "If any of you would like help on the songs feel free to approach any of the band members," he said with a smile; the band nodded in agreement.
Ken'ichiro approached Shirota and handed him a copy of Tango Maureen. "Good luck memorizing the song and the tango steps, Shirota-kun. I had a hard time with that dance back in junior high," he said.
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Kimeru walked up to Takigawa and gave him the copy of Light my Candle and One Song Glory before walking towards Yanagi to hand him a copy of the first song as well. "Here..." he said as he gave the paper to the freshman.
Takigawa reviewed the songs and paused when he read the notes for his solo. "But... I don't know how to play the guitar..." he admitted, looking over to Kimeru.
"I can teach you....or better yet...why don't you ask Shirota-kun to teach you?" Kimeru suggested.
Takigawa looked over to Shirota and considered it; after all, the younger boy was fond of composing songs and brought his guitar along to their sleep over when he was in the middle of completing a song. Blinking, he looked back over to Kimeru. "How did you know that Shirotan knows how to play?"
Kimeru grinned. "We were scouting the first years if there was anyone worthy enough to become a band member," he said. "It was too bad that Shirota-kun was more inclined to soccer."
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Shirota took the lyrics and nodded. "Let's just hope I don't mess them up, na?" he mused lightly.
Moriyama approached him. "Can I assume that you know how to--"
Shirota immediately shook his head. "Not in the least."
Moriyama frowned before turning to the crowd at large. "Oi, anybody know how to tango here?" he asked.
The band looked at one another before shaking their heads. Aiba raised his hand. "I know how to dance the tango..." he said.
Both Shirota and Moriyama turned to Aiba as the latter of the two grinned.
"Excellent!" he said brightly, patting Shirota on the shoulder. "I leave Shirota-kun with you then, Aiba-kun!" he said before looking around for Kazuki. "Kazuki! Do you need someone to teach you how to--"
"I KNOW HOW!" Kazuki barked out in reply, stopping momentarily from running after Takumi.
"Just checking..." Moriyama called before looking around. "Yosh... Everything seems to be in order now... Toru-kun! Shiozawa-kun! Can I expect the scripts to be ready for distribution by tomorrow?" he asked as Toru nodded.
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"So that's why..." Takigawa trailed off and nodded. "I'll ask him about it, then... Which reminds me... About our earlier discussion about you not having a roommate once Aiba-kun leaves... You could always stay with me if you want to..."
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Aiba smiled at Shirota. "I can teach you Shirota-kun," he said. "When would you like to start practicing?" he asked.
Shirota nodded. "I'd appreciate it, Aibacchin," he said with a grin. "And probably--"
"Ne, why can Shirota call you Aibacchin and we can't?" Yanagi interjected, walking towards his classmates, the lyrics to his duet with Takigawa in hand.
Aiba looked at Yanagi and glared. "That's because you're not Shirota-kun," he said.
Shirota laughed to clear the tension, patting Yanagi on the shoulder. "Saa, can I take a look at that song for a minute, Yanagi-kun?" he said distractedly, leading Yanagi to a side of the stage so he could recover from Aiba's response.
Aiba smirked before turning his attention back to his notebook.
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Kimeru stared at Takigawa for a while. "Are...are you serious?!" he asked in disbelief.
Takigawa nodded. "I wouldn't have offered otherwise," he replied pointedly.
Kimeru smiled. "That's great! I mean sure! I mean....argh darn it..." he said before deciding to hug Takigawa. "Thank you!" he exclaimed, causing the others to look at them.
"You're welcome," Takigawa replied sheepishly.
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Shirota was looking through the lyrics from Yanagi's copy before looking over to Takigawa and Kimeru, his eyes widening in surprise.
Aiba looked at the two juniors as well. "Takigawa-senpai and Kimeru-senpai...they sure don't waste any time don't they?" he muttered.
Shirota returned the lyrics to Yanagi and headed over to Aiba, leaning forward to whisper in the boy's ear. "That's because they've been admiring each other from afar since Junior High..." he explained quietly to the boy.
"Junior High? I understand that you heard Takigawa-senpai's side but how did you find out about Kimeru-senpai?" Aiba asked, staring at his two senpais that seemed like they were slow dancing due to the lighting.
"It was when I helped bring Takigawa-senpai and Kimeru-senpai to the clinic after they were involved in that morning fight..." Shirota explained, looking over at the two and grinning. "I'm sure they're happy they're finally able to express their feelings so openly now."
Aiba nodded. "Aa. It's nice to see Kimeru-senpai stop being such a jerk..." he said with a grin.
Shirota returned his attention to Aiba. "Ne, about those practices..." he said, scratching his cheek. “Is Thursday alright with you?" he inquired.
"Thursday sounds fine with me," Aiba answered. "So I'm assuming that we'd do it at your place?" he asked.
Shirota nodded. "Aa. Nobody will be home then, so we'll have the place to ourselves..." he explained.
Aiba nodded. "Then Thursday it is, then," he said with a smile.
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That evening, Shirota was at Takigawa's place as was their usual tradition. Takigawa had approached Shirota after their orientation in the auditorium today to ask the boy to teach him how to play the guitar for the musical. Agreeing, Shirota passed by his house and picked up both of his guitars before meeting up at Takigawa's place.
After dinner, Shirota and Takigawa were in the living room as the younger of the two began teaching him the basic notes and proper strumming.
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"You don't mind any of this?" Kimeru suddenly asked as he looked at Aiba who was typing away on his laptop.
"Mind what, senpai?" Aiba asked, not looking up from his work.
"That Shirota-kun will have to dance around stage with another guy?"
That statement made Aiba stop to look at the junior for a moment. "...No...Why would I mind?" Aiba asked.
Kimeru stared at him in disbelief. "W-What??!" Kimeru exclaimed.
Aiba shrugged. "I trust Shirota-kun to not do anything stupid," he said. "...and I suggest that you trust Takigawa-senpai as well, Kimeru-senpai."
Kimeru frowned. "I guess you're right," he answered.
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"It would be good if I could get the chords from Konishi-senpai so I know which ones you should be learning..." Shirota stated as they took a break from their guitar lessons.
Takigawa tossed a water bottle over to Shirota before opening his own and drinking its contents. "I'll ask him about it tomorrow," he reassured the boy, sitting back down on the couch.
"But I'm surprised you've already gotten how to do most of the notes on your first night, Eiji-kun!" Shirota said encouragingly.
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The next day passed by quickly; the day followed its usual routine with the exception of the practices for the play after classes. By the end of the day, Moriyama had announced that the next practice would be on Monday due to the fact that the script wasn't ready yet.
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When Thursday came along, Aiba had already thought about what to do with Shirota after school while Kimeru had asked Takigawa the day before if he could stay the night, and fortunately he was allowed to do so.
After classes that day, Aiba found himself back at the Shirota residence. "Okay...so you place your hand here…" he instructed as he placed Shirota's right hand on his waist. “…and the other one you use to hold my other hand," he said as he placed his left hand on Shirota's shoulder, not realizing that they were really close to one another. "Okay. Let's start."
A blush came upon Shirota's cheeks. "I apologize in advance if I cause you some injuries, Aibacchin," Shirota told him.
"Don't worry about it," Aiba said with a smile. "Okay...let's go...just take a few steps towards me. Left foot first," he instructed as he took a step back with his right foot.
Shirota hesitatingly took a step forward with his left foot and proceeded to do so slowly with the others.
"You're going too slow Shirota-kun…" Aiba said. "Don't hesitate…" he said as he slowly turned them towards another direction. “Don't take a double step---" he was cut off when Shirota stepped and slid his foot forward when they turned, causing Aiba to lose his balance and fall to the floor, pulling Shirota down with him. "Itai..." he said before opening his eyes which he had instinctively closed during the fall. “Are you alright, Shirota---" he was cut off when he realized how close their faces were.
The fall was almost expected. Shirota instinctively brought both palms down firmly on the ground, as well as a knee as he gritted his teeth at the pain before he opened his eyes and paused at how close they were. A blush showed itself once again as Shirota hovered over Aiba for a lingering moment before he muttered, "Gomen..." and proceeded to push himself off the other boy.
Aiba pulled himself up. "N-No it's fine," he said as he looked at Shirota. "Let's try again, shall we?"
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After half an hour, Shirota had managed to get the basic steps.
"Okay, Shirota-kun...now we have to get you used to some steps that you're going to use for the musical," Aiba said. "First, the dip," he said as he guided Shirota's hand that was on his waist to the small of his back. "I'm going to lean back, Shirota-kun... Try to support my weight the best you can. You have to lean forward towards me but not too much so we won't fall."
Shirota nodded as Aiba leaned back as he did everything Aiba had instructed him to do and managed to hold the pose for at least 10 seconds before pulling Aiba back upright.
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Takigawa was in the middle of preparing dinner - some Chicken Cheese dish -; he had just put the pre-cooked dish into the oven before he emerged from the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in about half an hour, Kimeru," he stated with a small smile.
Kimeru, who was playing with Pearl in the living room, nodded. "Hai~~" he answered.
"I wonder how Shirotan's doing with his Tango lessons..." Takigawa thought out loud.
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"Now for the more awkward positions," Aiba said, pausing a bit to think about the steps.
"A...Awkward?" Shirota repeated, frowning at the thought.
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Kimeru chuckled. "He might be blushing a lot right now," he mused.
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"Hai...moves like this," Aiba said as he moved them a few steps back before hooking one of his legs on Shirota's hip and placed both his hands behind the other boy's neck.
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"And I wouldn't be surprised if they end up kissing halfway through the lesson," Kimeru added as he looked at Takigawa.
Takigawa chuckled. "I wouldn't count on Shirota doing that just yet... Unless it was by accident," he stated, moving to Q's cage. "It's unsettling enough having Aiba teaching him how to dance..."
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A crimson blush came onto Shirota's face before a soft "I see" escaped his lips. ’Will you calm down Yuu? This is Aibacchin... Nothing to be bashful about...' he told himself firmly. 'He's teaching you to dance...'
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Kimeru laughed. "That kid sure does have some self control," he said playfully.
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Aiba smiled. 'Good…he's taking the positions quite well,' he thought as he demonstrated the other positions he had to do for the musical.
After one last run-through, Aiba decided that they were done for the day. "I think that's all we can tackle for--" Aiba was cut off when a clap of thunder was heard followed by the sudden pour of heavy rain. He jumped and subconsciously took hold of Shirota's arm in surprise.
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Takigawa nodded. "Either that or he'd shed off all of his pride and express his feelings. But he'd usually do that with his siblings. When he's around others, he manages to control himself efficiently. In Aiba's case, we have yet to find out," he explained before checking the time. "I believe our dinner's about done," he announced before strolling back into the kitchen as the downpour of rain outside began.
----------
Shirota blinked at the sight of Aiba latching onto his arm before his attention was brought to the storm outside the window, causing him to frown. "Well, this was unexpected..." he stated.
Aiba looked out the window. "At this rate I don't think I'll be able to go back to the dorms yet..." he said.
----------
"Aiba still has his defenses up around Shirota. It would be fun to see the both of them lose the barriers for once..." Kimeru said as he looked out the window "The weather report wasn't kidding when it said that the storm would arrive tonight..." he muttered. “Hey...wait a minute...storm...Aiba at Shirota-kun's place..." he grinned when he realized something. "This might be interesting…"
----------
"I guess you can spend the night here..." Shirota offered.
"...But I didn't bring any extra clothes..." Aiba said.
"We'll make do with mine, I guess..." Shirota stated, looking Aiba over. "Though they might be a little bigger than what you're used to..." he added before checking the time. “Ah, it's about time for dinner."
Aiba sighed. "I guess it will have to do for now," he answered.
----------
Takigawa pulled the baked dish out from the stove and brought it out to the dining table. "Let's eat while it's fresh from the oven, Kimeru," he called.
"Sure!" Kimeru said as he patted Pearl before getting up and heading to the dining room. "I think Aiba will be stuck with Shirota-kun tonight...and that Shirota-kun will discover one of Aiba's well guarded secrets," he said slyly.
"Well-guarded secrets?" Takigawa repeated as he helped himself to a serving of the dish.
Kimeru nodded. "Aiba doesn't like storms," he said. "One time there was a thunderstorm outside and he almost beheaded the panda plushie he had because of how tight he was holding it...and in the middle of the night he asked me if he could sleep next to me," he grinned at the memory. "Who would have thought that Aiba had that side of him?"
----------
Shirota nodded. "I've got to get dinner started..." He looked down at Aiba's grasp on his arm. "Can you let go of my arm so I can head to the kitchen?" he asked quietly.
Aiba blinked before looking at his hands. "G-Gomen!" he said as he immediately let go of Shirota's arm. "Can I help make dinner? It's the least I can do," he offered.
A smile came across Shirota's face. "Aa," he replied before heading into the kitchen before another clap of thunder resounded outside.
Aiba jumped when he heard the thunder. 'Not good....of all the days...and I don't have my panda!' he thought grimly as he followed Shirota to the kitchen.
----------
Takigawa sat back down. "I'm sure Shirotan will know just what to do if he figures it out," he replied, taking a bite of the food.
Kimeru chuckled. "I'm sure he will." he said before starting to eat.
----------
Shirota looked over his shoulder. "Aibacchin..." he began as he headed to the fridge. “You're not afraid of thunderstorms, are you?"
"Of course I'm not!" Aiba said loudly before another clap of thunder was heard, this time louder than the first two, causing him to run to Shirota and latch onto his arm again. "I am! I am!! I am!!"
Shirota smiled softly, pulling Aiba into a protective embrace, rubbing the boy's back, chuckling. "It's understandable. Don't worry... I'll stay with you..."
"H-Hai....Arigatou..." Aiba said quietly and he pulled away after a few minutes. "We should get started on dinner..." he said.
Shirota nodded as they headed off to make something together. After, Shirota had led them to his room, fixed up the futon and lent Aiba some of his clothes before they retired to bed.
==========
The next day, Shirota woke up early, knowing that his brother Jun would be returning from his bandmate's place despite the weather. He had started on breakfast before Jun came in through the door, shedding off his raincoat and closing his umbrella.
"I'm back!" Jun called. He smirked when he saw Shirota in the kitchen and moved inside. "So classes are suspended 'cause of this thunderstorm. Did you get home okay yesterday, Yuu?" he asked.
Shirota nodded as he flipped the pancake. "I got home before it began," he replied.
----------
Aiba yawned; he looked around and noticed that he wasn't in the dorms. He panicked a bit before remembering that he slept over at Shirota's place. It was still raining heavily outside and it still looked like it was evening but the clock on Shirota's desk said otherwise.
Aiba stood up to fix the futon that he slept on. He looked in the mirror and saw that he wasn't wearing his clothes either. The shorts Shirota managed to find for him were about the right size but the shirt was way too big. He sighed before deciding to head downstairs to look for Shirota. He was still a bit sleepy when he reached the foot of the stairs. He looked around and froze when he saw Shirota Jun. 'Uh oh...and I'm wearing Shirota-kun's clothes....' he thought.
Jun nodded before turning to get his things settled before he paused, blinking at the sight of Aiba at the foot of the stairs. "Y...Yuu?"
Shirota turned from the stove as soon as he had turned off the fire. "Ha---" He paused when he saw Aiba. "Oh, I forgot to mention that Aiba-kun came over. He was helping me practice last night but he couldn't get back to his dorm so I offered that he stay the night," Shirota explained.
Aiba simply nodded and bowed politely.
Jun pointed to Aiba's clothes. "Those are yours, aren't they Yuu?" Jun inquired.
Shirota nodded. "With good reason that Aiba didn't foresee about staying over..." he replied. “Which reminds me…" He headed towards the stairs. "I can wash your clothes so you can wear them when you head back, Aibacchin..." he offered.
"Thanks Yuu-kun. I'd appreciate that," Aiba answered with a smile.
Shirota nodded. "I'd better get started on it, then," Shirota said. "You go on and have breakfast with my brother," he said as he headed upstairs.
Jun smiled as he brought the stack of pancakes Yuu had just finished making from the kitchen and set them down on the dining table. "Don't worry, I won't bite you," he reassured the younger boy as he took a seat at the table.
"Aa..." Aiba answered as he followed Jun to the dining room to join him for breakfast.
Jun watched Aiba sit down as he helped himself to a pancake and was spreading butter over it. "Ne, Aiba-kun..." he began. “Confirm something for me, would you?" he inquired off-handedly.
----------
Shirota headed to his bedroom and looked around before spotting where Aiba had neatly placed his clothes, which were resting atop his bag. The boy took them, returned downstairs and immediately went into the laundry room. It would take at least an hour or so for all of Aiba's clothes to be washed, dried and ironed, so he started with the whites and set them into the washing machine.
----------
Aiba blinked at Jun before nodding, "Sure, Jun-san..." he said.
"About you and Yuu..." Jun began, pouring syrup over his pancake now. "Are you..?"
Aiba eyes widened as he accidentally choked on what he was drinking -which was just water.
Jun grinned. "I figured as much," he replied as he cut a portion of his pancake and ate it.
Aiba just continued eating his breakfast quietly. '.....how did he know..?' he thought.
"There were a few signs that made it quite clear. Coming from the both of you," Jun answered, as if reading Aiba's mind.
"Signs?" Aiba asked, looking up from his food.
"Well, on Yuu's part it was more of what he shared with me. Like when he spent half of his week's allowance on your yakiniku dinner a few weeks ago..." Jun explained.
Aiba looked at him in surprise. "H-He spent half?!" he said. "...Now I know I should've paid him back..." he muttered.
Jun waved a hand in front of him. "Don't bother. Once he does that on a whim, whether conscious or not, it means he considers you a special person worth paying for," he explained.
Aiba sighed. "I'm sure I'll think of some way to pay him back..." he said as he continued eating.
"Good luck with that, then," Jun chimed as Yuu appeared, taking his seat at the table.
"I'm leaving the laundry alone for a bit... I'm hungry," he reported as he took a pancake and transferred it to his plate.
Aiba nodded and smiled at Shirota as soon as he joined them. After breakfast, Aiba offered to do the dishes.
Thanking Aiba for the offer, Shirota showed Jun out to the living room. "Don't tell me you--"
"Relax. I find it pretty obvious already, so there's no point you should be bashful about admitting it. Especially to me and Dai-ani," Jun interjected, patting his younger brother on the shoulder.
----------
Aiba sighed as he started washing the dishes. 'And here I thought that the class noticed because we were with them every day.... apparently not,' he thought.
----------
Shirota nodded wordlessly before attending to the laundry once more to finish up washing Aiba's uniform.
----------
After Aiba was done he looked around for Shirota and eventually found him in the laundry room. "You think it's going to rain all day?" he asked.
Shirota looked up from ironing Aiba's pants before returning his attention to his work before nodding. "Most probably… If the rain gets weaker, I can walk you back to your dorms," he offered as he set the iron aside and took up the pants. "These should be fine." He folded it and placed it on top of the pile of the other items of clothing that comprised Aiba's uniform before handing everything to him. "There you go," he said, smiling over to Aiba.
Aiba smiled. "Hey, thanks," he said. "I'll go change now and I'll probably return your clothes next week so that I can wash them."
Shirota nodded. "Sure," he replied as he fixed the things in the laundry room.
"I'm home!" Maria called from the front door.
Shirota paused, abandoning the iron and headed out to meet with his sister. "Why are you home this early?" he demanded.
Maria blinked, halfway from shedding off her raincoat. "What's wrong with me coming over at this time?" she asked defensively.
Aiba groaned inwardly. 'First his brother and now his sister...I better go change before someone else comes...' he thought as he tried to sneak upstairs.
Maria looked past Shirota before raising her eyebrows. "A-ra? Aiba-kun's here?" she inquired, spotting the boy.
Aiba froze, but instantly recovered to bow respectfully at Maria. "H-Hai...I was sort of trapped here due to the sudden rain last night." he explained.
"Ahh, I see..." Maria said, a small smile spreading on her face as she looked back to her brother. "Well, I came early because I received a text last night from tou-san."
Shirota's mouth gaped. "W...What?"
"He says he's coming over today to check up on things since he wasn't too busy with work," she explained.
Aiba looked at Shirota, then at Maria before looking back at Shirota again. "Er...maybe I should go and dress up so that I can go back to the dorms now..." he said.
"The rain won't let up," Maria informed him. "You'll have to wait until the afternoon, at least," she added before proceeding to take off her rain coat and hang it on the coat rack.
Shirota turned to Aiba and smiled. "Feel free to change, though," he told him.
Aiba went silent for a moment before looking at Shirota. "Are you sure it's okay for me to wait the rain out? I can seriously just go back to the dorms after I change," he said.
"That would ruin Yuu's efforts of washing your clothes for you," Jun offered, returning from upstairs before nodding to his older sister.
"Besides, it's still pouring outside," Maria added, gesturing to the window. "Stay for lunch, at least," she offered.
Shirota grinned. "You might even get to meet my father..." he said carefully.
Aiba thought about it for a moment before nodding. "I guess that's okay..." he said before looking at his clothes. “I'll go change, please excuse me," he said before heading upstairs to change.
The three siblings watched Aiba head off before Maria took her youngest brother by the arms. "Have the two of you--"
"Technically speaking..." Yuu interjected.
"They have!" Jun declared, walking up to them with a grin on his face.
"Oi, don't go to conclusions like--" Yuu began to argue.
"It's true, isn't it?" Jun cut him off effectively, leaving Yuu to blush, looking away from both his older siblings in the process.
----------
Aiba sighed as he finished putting on his school uniform. He decided to leave out the necktie and blazer before looking at himself in the mirror. "This would have to do…" he said before going back downstairs.
----------
"I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT WAS ALL WE DID!!" Yuu bellowed. "Now untie me from this chair!" he demanded. Jun had decided to tie Yuu down to a chair again, this time with a few sets of jump ropes - which were kept away in the closet for reasons even Yuu did not understand.
"Why don't I believe you?" Jun inquired, grinning as he messed up the boy's hair.
"I already told you... I'm part of the school play this quarter... And I'm supposed to know how to do the Tango and Aibacchin offered to teach me... Nothing out of line happened, if that's what you're curious about!" Yuu explained.
"Er....." Aiba said when he saw the scene.
Both Yuu and Jun turned to Aiba before the latter grinned, turning back to his brother. "Fine, I'll believe you this time," he stated, moving to undo the ropes tying Yuu to the chair. "Just because you keep insisting that you didn't do anything..."
Once Jun had undone the ropes, he gathered them up and returned them to their rightful place. Yuu stayed on the chair a few minutes longer, heaving a huge sigh before bringing a hand to his face.
Aiba walked up to Shirota. "Are you okay?" he asked him.
Shirota nodded. "Aa... Call that his way of interviewing me..." he explained quietly.
Aiba frowned. "Interviewing or interrogating?" he asked before sighing. "In any case...I heard some of the things he was asking...I wonder why he assumed that we did something.... inappropriate for the moment," he said.
Shirota chuckled. "Interrogating might be a better term with the style he uses..." he admitted. “But he's been under the assumption that something is going on between us... Which was why he knows about the dinner we had together..."
"And by saying 'something' what do you mean exactly?" Aiba asked.
Shirota got to his feet slowly. "I think that's obvious enough..." he muttered with a small smile before moving past Aiba and heading to the stairs. “I'll just go and change," he announced.
Aiba felt himself blush a bit upon realization. "Oh..." he said before Shirota went upstairs. He looked at the chair where Shirota was tied down to a few minutes ago before deciding to sit on the couch to just watch the rain pour.
----------
Shirota returned downstairs minutes later in casual attire that included jeans and a white sweater. He spotted Aiba and joined him on the couch. "Ne, did you want to do anything besides watching the rain?" he inquired with a grin.
Aiba looked at him and grinned back. "Of course I do. It's just that nothing has come to mind yet," he said as he faced Shirota.
"You could help me with the song," Shirota offered, pulling out the lyrics.
"That could work," Aiba said as he looked over. "So which one would you want to try? You have two songs that you have to take part in…" he said.
"The duet..." Shirota replied. "Better to know the song now before I mix it with the dance..." he explained.
Aiba nodded as he looked at the lyrics. "So I'll do Joanne and you do your part....." he said. "Don't laugh at me ok? I don't have a good singing voice.”
Shirota chuckled. "I won't fault you for that, I swear," he promised.
"Then let's get started..." Aiba started before singing Joanne's part.
----------
After doing the song Aiba smiled, "Looks like you got it in one try," he said.
Shirota brought his fingers to his throat. "It pays to watch the original, then," he said with a nervous chuckle.
Aiba smiled. "I was able to watch the play with my sister before and I have to admit, it was a good play," he said. "Which reminds me....about Kimeru-senpai…he seems uncomfortable with the character list." he said.
"Is it because Eiji-kun's doing Roger?" Shirota inquired with a frown.
"Maybe....by the looks of it, Kimeru-senpai is jealous..." Aiba said.
"Ahh... That's probably because he's paired up with Yanagi," Shirota explained with a shrug before he turned to Aiba. "What about you..?"
Aiba looked at him and smiled. "I don't mind. It's just a play anyway," he said. "Unless....I have a reason to be jealous?" he asked.
Shirota shook his head. "No, you don't..." he replied with a contented smile.
"Yuu! Aiba-kun! Lunch is on the table!" Maria called.
Shirota got to his feet. "Well, that was productive. Maria-neesan just reminded me how hungry I am now," he said, grinning.
Aiba chuckled. "Glad to hear it," he said before they were called to lunch.
During lunch, the three Shirota siblings and Aiba were enjoying a meal prepared by Maria before the doorbell rang. Jun got up from the table, excusing himself before he went to answer it. Upon opening the door, he stepped back in surprise. "T...Tou-san?!" he exclaimed.
Shirota Mitsuo smiled as he closed his umbrella and stepped inside. "That's not a nice way to greet me, Jun. After all, I did tell Maria that I was coming today," he replied in mock hurt as he stepped past his second son, handing him the umbrella.
Both Yuu and Maria got to their feet and bowed, the latter of the two rising from the table and approaching their father. "I hope you didn't have any trouble, tou-san?" she inquired.
Aiba turned around and saw Shirota's father enter. He was a bit unsure of what to do so he decided to stand up as well when Yuu and Maria did.
Mitsuo shook his head. "The only problem I had was braving this storm," he commented as he turned to the table. "Ahh, I see we have a guest!"
Shirota gestured to Aiba. "This is my classmate Aiba Hiroki," he introduced.
"Pleased to meet you," Aiba said as he smiled and bowed politely.
"Yuu's classmate, huh?" Mitsuo repeated, nodding curtly to the boy.
"We've just started on lunch, tou-san. I'll go and get you a plate," Maria announced, rushing into the kitchen.
Shirota sat back down as Mitsuo joined them at the head of the table as Maria placed a plate and some utensils for him to use before re-taking her seat.
Aiba sat back down and turned his attention back to his food.
All was quiet during lunch. Nobody spoke much and before they knew it, Maria had offered to do the dishes and was clearing the table.
Mitsuo turned to Aiba and his youngest son. "So Yuu, what brings... Aiba, was it?" Shirota nodded. "What brings Aiba over?"
"He slept over last night..." Shirota explained. "He was helping me out with a few things for the school's upcoming musical..."
Aiba nodded to this and added. "Yuu-kun has been selected to play a lead role in the musical," he said.
Mitsuo smirked. "Good for you then, Yuu!" he complimented.
Shirota nodded. "Arigatou, tou-san..." he thanked, nodding to him as he rose to his feet. “If you would excuse us, there are a few things we need to rehearse upstairs," he announced.
Mitsuo nodded. “Of course, of course, go ahead."
Aiba bowed once more before heading upstairs with Shirota. He sighed before sitting on the bed. "What do you want to rehearse?" he asked.
Shirota locked the door behind him as they reached his room. "The dance," he answered.
"Okay," Aiba said as he got to his feet and approached Shirota. "Let's see if we can have one whole run-through of it," he said with a smile as he placed his hand on Shirota's shoulder, the other taking hold of the taller boy's hand.
"After things went last night, I'm pretty sure I get the steps now," Shirota said with a grin, getting into position.
Aiba nodded. "Let's start then, Shirota-kun..." he said as they started the routine.
To Shirota's surprise, he found himself able to keep up with Aiba throughout the routine. When everything was through Shirota was lying on the ground as he let out a sigh of relief, pumping a fist into the air. "Yosh!" he cheered.
Aiba clapped his hands as he smiled. "Good Job, Shirota-kun," he said.
Shirota pushed himself to sit up and gave Aiba a thumbs-up. "Thanks for all your hard work, Aibacchin," he said, grinning.
"You're a quick learner," Aiba said with a smile as he looked out the window. "Oh look…the rain is letting up. I think I can head back to the dorms now."
Shirota followed his gaze to the window and nodded before he got to his feet. "Alright, I'll walk you," Shirota said as he moved to the door and unlocked it. Pulling the door open, he jumped back in surprise to see his father there. "T...Tou-san! What are you--"
Shirota Mitsuo grinned and pulled his youngest son into a headlock, messing up the boy's hair. "You could've told me sooner that you were with him!" he said happily.
Shirota blinked. "E...Eh?!" he stuttered.
"Jun told me about it earlier when I asked about you," Mitsuo explained.
'Jun-ani...' Shirota thought darkly.
Aiba felt himself blush when he heard this, he quickly turned around to fuss with his bag so that none of the two Shirota's would see him flustered.
Mitsuo turned to Aiba and smiled before releasing his grip on his son. "I apologize for this sudden outburst, Aiba-kun," he said, nodding to him. "I just don't come home to this kind of news very often."
"I would have told you eventually..." Shirota commented.
Aiba turned around and smiled nervously. "Aa...it's alright, Shirota-san…" he said.
Mitsuo smirked before his phone rang. "Excuse me..." He pulled out his phone and read the text before groaning, stepping back out into the hall.
Shirota sighed. "I knew I should've told Jun-ani to keep his mouth shut... Not that he'd listen to me, though..." he said hopelessly.
Aiba chuckled as he took his bag and patted Shirota on the shoulder. "I'm a bit surprised that your family is taking this well...then again, it's a good thing, ne?" he said.
Shirota nodded. "Aa. Shall we go?" he offered, moving out of the room, bowing to his father as they passed before heading downstairs.
As soon as they reached the door, Aiba pulled out his umbrella. "Don't bother yourself with going outside Shirota-kun," he said with a smile before opening the door. "I'll see you tomorrow then.." he said before looking around once; he saw that no one was there so he kissed Shirota on the cheek before hurriedly walking outside. “Ja ne!" he called out as he opened his umbrella and went his way.
Shirota blinked; Aiba's kiss stunned him into shocked silence until Aiba walked out into the rain before he regained himself, shaking his head and called out. "IT'S SATURDAY TOMORROW!!" he reminded the boy.
Aiba frowned. "BAKA! YOU'RE HELPING ME MOVE BACK IN!!" he yelled over his shoulder before speeding up a bit. 'Stupid idiot....' he thought with a frown; then he remembered what he did a few moments ago that might have caused the boy to space out. Aiba smirked.
Shirota blushed before smacking himself lightly on the forehead. 'That's right... I can't believe I forgot that so easily...' he scolded himself.
Aiba paused a bit to catch his breath as he turned around a corner. "Oi!! Aiba!!" he heard someone call out. He looked around and saw Kimeru walking towards him.
"Heading back to the dorms?" the junior asked.
Aiba nodded. "Hai. And you?" Kimeru nodded as well. "Let's go then!"
Kimeru blinked. 'Is it me...or is he a bit...too happy,' he thought.
Shirota closed the door behind him before the phone rang. "I'll get it!" he announced to the house as he took the phone and brought it to his ear. "Hello?"
"Is Aiba still there?" Takigawa inquired.
"Ah, Eiji-kun!" Shirota replied cheerfully. "No, he just left. Why?"
"No reason. Kimeru just left here himself. At least they can accompany each other back to the dorms without trouble," Takigawa explained.
"I see..."
----------
As soon as Aiba got back to the dorms, he lied back on his bed and took the panda plushie that was on it.
"Too bad that you didn't bring it with you yesterday," Kimeru teased.
"That's okay...Shirota-kun was there anyway," Aiba answered.
Kimeru stared at him. "Alright...who are you and what did you do to Aiba?" he asked.
Aiba rolled his eyes. "Whatever senpai..."
----------
"I've got a serious question to ask you, Shirotan," Takigawa continued.
"What?"
"Has anything more than a hug been exchanged between you and Aiba?" Shirota blushed for five seconds before Takigawa laughed. "I guess silence means yes?"
----------
"Oi, Aiba...you seem happy," Kimeru said.
"Way to point out the obvious, senpai," Aiba said as he turned his back on Kimeru.
Kimeru threw a pillow at him. "Spill! What happened between you and Shirota at his place?" he asked.
Aiba glanced at him. "Nothing...I just taught him how to tango," he answered.
"That's all?" Kimeru asked. "How about before you left?"
Aiba shrugged. "I kissed him..."
"I KNEW--"
"…on the cheek."
"WHAT?!"
We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)
Author/Artist: mido_ban04 and tennis_dudez
Link: Winglicans Thread
Warnings/Rating:T (Suitable for teens, 13 years and older, with some violence, minor coarse language, and minor suggestive adult themes)
Series/Pairing(s): TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki
Notes: Our second forum roleplay revolving around the two couples that we did over at Winglicans.
An alternative universe type of fanfiction, my partner and I take you to how the two couples began during their days in Senior High, with Takigawa and Kimeru in their 2nd year, and Shirota and Aiba in their 1st. This fanfiction will run from that setting until Shirota and Aiba’s graduation from Senior High two years later. Most of the information here are either altered, made-up or real altogether. For clarifications on such information, feel free to contact me through Y!M (snoopeRJ_04).
Hints of other pairings shall also be introduced, therefore expect to be seeing other members of the TeniMyu cast to show up in this Mitsukaru Senior High setting. This is meant to serve as a prequel to our fanfiction ’Anything for You’.
As my partner seems to be having problems with posting, I shall also be posting the chapters of this prequel. This is an edited version of our roleplay over at the forum (or rather, a cleaner and grammatically correct version), open to reviews. I have also opened this to be viewable by the general public.
Here is the 8th chapter entitled School Productions. This chapter focuses on Mitsukaru putting on a musical production for the quarter, managed by the Student Council. The chosen production was Broadway’s RENT. With Takigawa and Shirota as part of the cast, Kimeru and Aiba share different views with their respective partner’s involvement in the musical.
Shirota and Aiba share their sweet kisses with one another when they visit each other - Aiba teaching Shirota tango for the musical, and Shirota helping Aiba move back in with his family. Kimeru, now alone in the dorm, moves in with Takigawa.
However, because of the length of this chapter, I am forced to divide it into two parts. This is part 1.
**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.
(cross-posted to tenimyu_slash)
Come Monday, Aiba had arrived early once again. He looked around and noticed that no one else was there. He sat at his desk and waited for Shirota. He had spoken to his family the day before and he decided that it would be easier for him to leave the dorms and come back home.
Kimeru knew about this already, and he didn't complain; the junior had anticipated it happening since Aiba told him that he was in touch with his family again.
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Lunch time had strolled around and Takigawa had thought of going to visit Kimeru in his classroom for a change. He peeked into the room before Nagayan pulled him inside.
"WE WERE WAITING FOR YOU!!" he said brightly, sitting him beside Kimeru. "Here, talk with him. He's feeling upset and he won't tell us about it."
Takigawa blinked, unsettled for a moment before he turned to Kimeru. "Eh... So..."
Kimeru glanced at him before turning his attention to the empty seat in front of him and sighing heavily. "Aiba is moving out of the dorms," he stated simply.
"So you lost your roommate... It's not as if you had trouble living on your own in the dorms last year, right?" Takigawa offered.
"I didn't..." Kimeru said. "But that's because I slept at Nagayan's place at least three times a week." He looked at Nagayan and glared at him. "…and apparently I won't be able to do it now since he's dating some guy from section one that practically lives with them right now."
"Oh, you mean Tuti?" Takigawa inquired innocently, grinning at him. "Don't forget that I'm from the same section."
Kimeru's eyes went wide as he looked at Takigawa before turning his attention to Nagayan. "You're dating that nerd?!" he exclaimed.
Nagayan frowned before motioning towards Takigawa. "And you're not?" he asked.
Kimeru grinned. "Takigawa isn't just a nerd, he's also a jock rolled into one," he said. "Kidding, Takigawa," he added quickly.
"But still....Tuti?!"
Nagayan shrugged. "He's a good guy... Hey… are you trying to turn to spotlight towards me? I'm not the one with the problem here," he said.
"I don't recall there ever being a problem to begin with..." Takigawa admitted. "Unless you're not used to being alone..." he added.
"I'm used to being alone!!!" Kimeru snapped. Nagayan and the others looked at him and he frowned. ".....fine I'm not..." he admitted.
Takigawa patted Kimeru on the shoulder before he got to his feet. "You'll find some way to get by, Kime-kun. Saa, I have to go help make some final arrangements to this quarter's Council project with Moriyama-senpai and Shirotan. Ja!" He nodded to the group before leaving the 2-3 classroom and headed off to the Council Room.
"Why didn't you just ask him?!" Daisuke asked as soon as Takigawa went out.
"Ask him what?" Kimeru asked, looking at Daisuke.
"Ask if you can just stay with him! Honestly Kimeru...sometimes you're just too slow to pick up---" Daisuke was cut off when Kimeru threw the thick science book at him.
"Shut up, Daisuke!" he snapped. He frowned as he looked at Daisuke who was now being helped to his feet by Furukawa. "Wait a minute..." he suddenly said, and everyone looked at him. “Did he just call me Kime-kun?" he asked.
Everybody made a mental face palm. 'Slow!' they thought.
----------
Aiba looked at his lunch before turning his attention to Shirota. "Shirota-kun...do you want to help me move back in with my family?" he asked suddenly.
Shirota was halfway to his feet. "Ah, so you've decided to move back with them, then?" he said, smiling at him before nodded. "Sure, Aibacchin. But can we talk more about this later? I have to meet with Moriyama-senpai and Takigawa-senpai about the Council's big project for the quarter," he explained, slipping his empty tupperware into his bag as he rose to his feet. "Ja." With that, he left.
"Sure," Aiba said with a smile before waving at Shirota as he left.
"So.....Aibacchin..." Endo started.
"Don't call me that!" Aiba snapped at him.
"Er...sure…so...Aiba..." Endo continued. “Are you and Shirota together?"
"You'll have to get him to answer that one, Endo-kun," Aiba answered as he turned his attention back to his lunch.
----------
In the Council Room, the rest of lunch break for the members of the Student Council were spent making revisions and final plans with the musical. After much debate, Shirota presented the list of the students who would take part - one from each class besides themselves.
Moriyama took the list and read it. "This should be about right. We'll schedule a meeting with them all tomorrow after school," he announced. "You two can head back to your classrooms. Thanks for the help."
Takigawa and Shirota nodded and stood, bowing to their president before exiting the Council Room.
"Looks like you and I have a shot at being in a musical, Eiji-kun," Shirota teased.
Takigawa slapped the boy on the head. "Like I'm going to be a part of the cast..." he stated.
"It could happen. Your voice isn't so bad, after all..." Shirota reassured the older boy, patting him on the shoulder as Takigawa shrugged.
They parted ways and returned to their respective classrooms. Takigawa, upon reaching his classroom, was confronted by Furukawa. Blinking for a moment, Takigawa asked, "What's wrong with Kimeru now?"
"What happened to calling him 'Kime-kun'?" Furukawa teased. "I'll cut to the chase Takigawa-kun," he started. "We -as in Kimeru's friends and yes that involves Daisuke too- want you to ask Kimeru to stay with you if it's possible." He looked at Takigawa seriously. "Kimeru really can't be trusted to take care of himself. That was why Nagayan had to look after him at least thrice a week and when Aiba-kun came along he was the one who kept an eye on him," he said. "You can even ask Aiba-kun about it, I'm sure he'd tell you." He paused. "So I think that's it," Furukawa said as the smile came back. "Do keep in mind what I just said, Takigawa-kun." He bowed a bit before heading back to his seat.
Takigawa's eyes followed Furukawa as he returned to his seat. Pursing his lips, he stepped back into the room and took his own seat. 'Not that I mind, though...' he thought to himself, the hint of a smirk appearing on his own features.
----------
Fortunately, the teacher after lunch for first year section one was absent, thus giving them a free period. "Oi, Shirota!!" Endo called out.
"Doushita, Endo-kun?" Shirota inquired as he re-entered the classroom.
Endo walked up to him. "Do you and Aiba have a thing for each other?" he asked bluntly.
“E...Eh?" Shirota stammered.
"Aiba told us to ask you," Yanagi added, walking up beside Endo, folding his arms across his chest.
Shirota looked over to Aiba for a moment before sighing, eventually nodding. "Aa. We do," he replied clearly.
"U-SO!!" Endo and Yanagi stated in momentary disbelief at the same time before grinning to one another. "WE KNEW IT!"
Zukki, who heard this a few seats down, stared at the Endo and Yanagi. "Really Shirota-kun?! You and Aiba-kun?" he asked.
Aiba sighed. "Yes, so now stop making a big deal about it!!" he told the rest of the class who were either giving each other high fives or were handing each other certain amounts of money.
"WAIT!!" Zukki suddenly yelled, effectively grabbing the attention of the class. "So are you two together?" he asked, all eyes fell on Aiba and Shirota.
Aiba smirked before standing up to walk towards Shirota. "What do you think?" he asked before taking hold of Shirota's hand.
"It took a while..." Shirota began. "But yes... we are..." he finished, nodding to the rest of his classmates, who proceeded to cheer in applause. Shirota turned to Aiba. "Who knew this would turn into such a big thing, huh?" he said with a nervous chuckle. "Saa, about those plans of you moving back with your family..." he continued, moving to their desks.
Aiba grinned. "Aa...it would seem that we were obvious enough to let everyone notice the tension between us," he said. "So anyway...I was planning to move back this Saturday. I'm sure my mother would be pleased to see you again…" he began as he proceeded to tell Shirota of his plans.
==========
The next day after school, Aiba was heading to the school auditorium. He was assigned by Yagami to cover the preparations of the upcoming school musical, along with the musical itself. He opened the door and looked inside.
"Aiba-kun, just in time," Yagami said as he waved at Aiba.
"Er...hai..." Aiba said as he approached him.
"I've already talked to the people in charge and they said that it's fine with them," Yagami said as he led him to the front row seats. "Here you go. Pay attention, Aiba-kun," he said before joining the other people onstage.
Aiba nodded before looking at the group. "Hmm...Yanagi-kun....Kazuki-kun and Shiozawa-kun from the first years..." he muttered as he took down notes. "Toru-senpai, Kawai-senpai and Sota-senpai for the second years and Yagami-senpai, Takumi-senpai and Moriyama-senpai for the seniors...that's strange...they said that there were 11 people in the cast...I only see 9..." he said before looking around.
"Check over there," Takigawa's voice called from backstage as he stepped out. "The previous production used it before, so it shouldn't be hard to---"
"FOUND IT!!" Shirota exclaimed, cycling onto the stage, circling the others before coming to a stop.
"It's dangerous!" Kazuki yelled, pointing threateningly at Shirota. "That bicycle is not to be trusted!"
Shirota put down the break stand and got off the bike. "A-re? Why not?" he inquired.
"Because Kazuki fell off that same bike during last year's production. Quite a number of times," Takumi supplied.
"You didn't have to bring that up!" Kazuki stated heatedly.
Aiba heard a familiar voice, causing him to look up. "SHIROTA-KUN?! TAKIGAWA-SENPAI?!" he exclaimed, standing up in surprise.
Shirota and Takigawa turned to Aiba. "Doushita?" they inquired simultaneously.
"I'm telling you, we don't need to use this!" Kazuki complained.
"Yes we do!" Shirota fired back, turning his attention to Kazuki, taking hold of the bike before Kazuki could push it offstage. "You won't be the one riding it!" Shirota added, causing Kazuki to stop.
"Oh..."
Takigawa approached Moriyama and handed him a piece of paper. “Here's the final list you wanted me to print out..." he muttered.
"What's wrong? You don't like the casting?" Moriyama inquired, a grin spread across his face as he took the paper and scanned through it.
Takigawa glared over to Moriyama but said nothing.
Aiba shook his head and sat back down. '....now I know why Yagami-senpai assigned me here instead of Adachi...' he thought with a frown. He looked at his notebook, which was a replacement of his old one which he lost a few days back, and listed down the last two cast members.
"Yosh!" Moriyama announced, clapping his hands together and getting everybody's attention. "I'll now be announcing the cast list and the corresponding roles for our rendition of the musical RENT." He consulted the list for a minute. "Oh yes, Baba Toru and Shiozawa Hidemasa shall be directing this production alongside me. So, onto our cast! Playing the role of Benny, we have Kawai Ryunosuke!" he began, gesturing to the second year.
Ryunosuke merely nodded in recognition.
"Next, playing the role of Collins, Aoyama Sota!" Moriyama continued.
"Isn't he that philosophy professor...?" Sota inquired as Moriyama nodded.
"Yagami Ren shall be playing the role of Angel!"
Yagami smiled fondly at this decision but said nothing, allowing Moriyama to continue.
"The roles of Joanne and Maureen will be played by Kato Kazuki and Saito Takumi respectively."
Kazuki and Takumi glared over to one another before simultaneously exclaiming, "WHAT?!?!?!"
Moriyama chuckled. "The role of Mark will be played by Shirota Yuu!"
Shirota grinned over nervously to Aiba before nodding. "Aa..."
"Next, the role of Mimi will be taken by Yanagi Kotaro!" Moriyama shouted, pointing to the freshman.
Yanagi pointed to himself. "M...Me?" he asked in disbelief.
"And finally, the role of Roger will be played by Takigawa Eiji!" Moriyama finished.
Aiba simply smiled at Shirota before giving him a thumbs-up sign.
"Takigawa is who?!" Kimeru asked loudly as he burst into the room. He was about to charge at Moriyama when four pairs of hands held him back and dragged him out of the auditorium.
"Er...give us a minute," Nagayan said before closing the door.
Aiba blinked and stared at the closed doors for while, and after a few moments it opened again and in walked the band club along with Kimeru who was a bit calmer.
"Band Club's here for the songs!" Konishi announced, leading the group towards the stage area.
"Ah, very good, very good..!" Moriyama stated, moving to the edge of the stage to meet with them. "Here's the list of the songs we'll be using for the musical," he explained, handing out another piece of paper to Konishi.
----------
Shirota returned to the bike and examined it. "But seriously, I don't think you'd hate a bike just because you kept falling down, Kazuki..." he reasoned, getting on it and was about to take off around the stage again before Kazuki stopped him.
"That bike is cursed!" Kazuki proclaimed. "I kept falling down because--"
"Because you didn't know how to use the brakes properly," Takumi finished.
Kazuki turned to Takumi, glaring dangerously at the senior. "WHY DO YOU KEEP TELLING THEM THESE THINGS?!" he demanded. "Takumi-senpai!"
A chase scene between the two members of the drama club started as Toru and Shiozawa began talking about the script.
----------
Kimeru looked at Aiba. "You don't mind it?" he asked the freshman.
Aiba shook his head. "No... Should I mind it?" he inquired.
Kimeru frowned. "Whatever Aiba..." he said as he joined the rest of the band club who was looking at the list of songs.
----------
Shirota cycled another round around the stage to test out the bike some more.
Takigawa sat down on the stage, heaving a sigh of relief.
"You do know the musical we're doing, right? Takigawa-senpai..." Yanagi inquired, approaching the second year.
Takigawa nodded. "Aah. The songs, however, were decided by Moriyama-senpai..." he explained.
As if waiting for that cue, Konishi looked up from the paper he was holding. "Attention, please! We're going to play some of the songs we have on the list so that you already have an idea of the tune," he said before nodding at the band, the members of which were just about finished setting up the instruments.
"Oi, Kime! Catch!" Nagayan said as he threw Kimeru one of the microphones while Ken'ichiro had the other one.
"Okay...this will be the line-up of the songs we will be playing: Seasons of Love and La vie Boheme by the whole cast, Tango Maureen by Mark and Joanne, One Song Glory by Roger and Light my Candle by Roger and Mimi," Konishi said as he consulted the list once more. "Yosh! Let's begin!" he nodded again to the band before they started playing.
Shirota stopped when the band started playing and got off the bike to listen to the songs. He paused when he realized that he would be doing a duet with Kazuki, who had stopped chasing after Takumi to listen as well.
Suddenly, a thought struck them both before pointing at one another incredulously. "AHH!! THAT MEAN'S WE HAVE TO DANCE TOGETHER!!!" they declared.
"Oi, quiet down so we can listen to the songs," Sota complained, effectively hushing the two freshmen.
Aiba had to hold back his laughter when he heard Kazuki and Shirota speak up.
Kimeru was looking at Yanagi dangerously as he sang the songs.
As the club was singing excerpts of each song after re-introducing who was going to sing them, Takigawa rubbed the back of his head in frustration. "Of all the times for me to get a solo..." he muttered to himself.
Yanagi blinked as he subconsciously stepped away from Takigawa as he noticed Kimeru glaring at him. The freshman approached the nearest person to him besides the second year - Moriyama.
----------
After performing parts of the songs, Konishi spoke again. "If any of you would like help on the songs feel free to approach any of the band members," he said with a smile; the band nodded in agreement.
Ken'ichiro approached Shirota and handed him a copy of Tango Maureen. "Good luck memorizing the song and the tango steps, Shirota-kun. I had a hard time with that dance back in junior high," he said.
----------
Kimeru walked up to Takigawa and gave him the copy of Light my Candle and One Song Glory before walking towards Yanagi to hand him a copy of the first song as well. "Here..." he said as he gave the paper to the freshman.
Takigawa reviewed the songs and paused when he read the notes for his solo. "But... I don't know how to play the guitar..." he admitted, looking over to Kimeru.
"I can teach you....or better yet...why don't you ask Shirota-kun to teach you?" Kimeru suggested.
Takigawa looked over to Shirota and considered it; after all, the younger boy was fond of composing songs and brought his guitar along to their sleep over when he was in the middle of completing a song. Blinking, he looked back over to Kimeru. "How did you know that Shirotan knows how to play?"
Kimeru grinned. "We were scouting the first years if there was anyone worthy enough to become a band member," he said. "It was too bad that Shirota-kun was more inclined to soccer."
----------
Shirota took the lyrics and nodded. "Let's just hope I don't mess them up, na?" he mused lightly.
Moriyama approached him. "Can I assume that you know how to--"
Shirota immediately shook his head. "Not in the least."
Moriyama frowned before turning to the crowd at large. "Oi, anybody know how to tango here?" he asked.
The band looked at one another before shaking their heads. Aiba raised his hand. "I know how to dance the tango..." he said.
Both Shirota and Moriyama turned to Aiba as the latter of the two grinned.
"Excellent!" he said brightly, patting Shirota on the shoulder. "I leave Shirota-kun with you then, Aiba-kun!" he said before looking around for Kazuki. "Kazuki! Do you need someone to teach you how to--"
"I KNOW HOW!" Kazuki barked out in reply, stopping momentarily from running after Takumi.
"Just checking..." Moriyama called before looking around. "Yosh... Everything seems to be in order now... Toru-kun! Shiozawa-kun! Can I expect the scripts to be ready for distribution by tomorrow?" he asked as Toru nodded.
----------
"So that's why..." Takigawa trailed off and nodded. "I'll ask him about it, then... Which reminds me... About our earlier discussion about you not having a roommate once Aiba-kun leaves... You could always stay with me if you want to..."
----------
Aiba smiled at Shirota. "I can teach you Shirota-kun," he said. "When would you like to start practicing?" he asked.
Shirota nodded. "I'd appreciate it, Aibacchin," he said with a grin. "And probably--"
"Ne, why can Shirota call you Aibacchin and we can't?" Yanagi interjected, walking towards his classmates, the lyrics to his duet with Takigawa in hand.
Aiba looked at Yanagi and glared. "That's because you're not Shirota-kun," he said.
Shirota laughed to clear the tension, patting Yanagi on the shoulder. "Saa, can I take a look at that song for a minute, Yanagi-kun?" he said distractedly, leading Yanagi to a side of the stage so he could recover from Aiba's response.
Aiba smirked before turning his attention back to his notebook.
----------
Kimeru stared at Takigawa for a while. "Are...are you serious?!" he asked in disbelief.
Takigawa nodded. "I wouldn't have offered otherwise," he replied pointedly.
Kimeru smiled. "That's great! I mean sure! I mean....argh darn it..." he said before deciding to hug Takigawa. "Thank you!" he exclaimed, causing the others to look at them.
"You're welcome," Takigawa replied sheepishly.
----------
Shirota was looking through the lyrics from Yanagi's copy before looking over to Takigawa and Kimeru, his eyes widening in surprise.
Aiba looked at the two juniors as well. "Takigawa-senpai and Kimeru-senpai...they sure don't waste any time don't they?" he muttered.
Shirota returned the lyrics to Yanagi and headed over to Aiba, leaning forward to whisper in the boy's ear. "That's because they've been admiring each other from afar since Junior High..." he explained quietly to the boy.
"Junior High? I understand that you heard Takigawa-senpai's side but how did you find out about Kimeru-senpai?" Aiba asked, staring at his two senpais that seemed like they were slow dancing due to the lighting.
"It was when I helped bring Takigawa-senpai and Kimeru-senpai to the clinic after they were involved in that morning fight..." Shirota explained, looking over at the two and grinning. "I'm sure they're happy they're finally able to express their feelings so openly now."
Aiba nodded. "Aa. It's nice to see Kimeru-senpai stop being such a jerk..." he said with a grin.
Shirota returned his attention to Aiba. "Ne, about those practices..." he said, scratching his cheek. “Is Thursday alright with you?" he inquired.
"Thursday sounds fine with me," Aiba answered. "So I'm assuming that we'd do it at your place?" he asked.
Shirota nodded. "Aa. Nobody will be home then, so we'll have the place to ourselves..." he explained.
Aiba nodded. "Then Thursday it is, then," he said with a smile.
----------
That evening, Shirota was at Takigawa's place as was their usual tradition. Takigawa had approached Shirota after their orientation in the auditorium today to ask the boy to teach him how to play the guitar for the musical. Agreeing, Shirota passed by his house and picked up both of his guitars before meeting up at Takigawa's place.
After dinner, Shirota and Takigawa were in the living room as the younger of the two began teaching him the basic notes and proper strumming.
----------
"You don't mind any of this?" Kimeru suddenly asked as he looked at Aiba who was typing away on his laptop.
"Mind what, senpai?" Aiba asked, not looking up from his work.
"That Shirota-kun will have to dance around stage with another guy?"
That statement made Aiba stop to look at the junior for a moment. "...No...Why would I mind?" Aiba asked.
Kimeru stared at him in disbelief. "W-What??!" Kimeru exclaimed.
Aiba shrugged. "I trust Shirota-kun to not do anything stupid," he said. "...and I suggest that you trust Takigawa-senpai as well, Kimeru-senpai."
Kimeru frowned. "I guess you're right," he answered.
----------
"It would be good if I could get the chords from Konishi-senpai so I know which ones you should be learning..." Shirota stated as they took a break from their guitar lessons.
Takigawa tossed a water bottle over to Shirota before opening his own and drinking its contents. "I'll ask him about it tomorrow," he reassured the boy, sitting back down on the couch.
"But I'm surprised you've already gotten how to do most of the notes on your first night, Eiji-kun!" Shirota said encouragingly.
==========
The next day passed by quickly; the day followed its usual routine with the exception of the practices for the play after classes. By the end of the day, Moriyama had announced that the next practice would be on Monday due to the fact that the script wasn't ready yet.
----------
When Thursday came along, Aiba had already thought about what to do with Shirota after school while Kimeru had asked Takigawa the day before if he could stay the night, and fortunately he was allowed to do so.
After classes that day, Aiba found himself back at the Shirota residence. "Okay...so you place your hand here…" he instructed as he placed Shirota's right hand on his waist. “…and the other one you use to hold my other hand," he said as he placed his left hand on Shirota's shoulder, not realizing that they were really close to one another. "Okay. Let's start."
A blush came upon Shirota's cheeks. "I apologize in advance if I cause you some injuries, Aibacchin," Shirota told him.
"Don't worry about it," Aiba said with a smile. "Okay...let's go...just take a few steps towards me. Left foot first," he instructed as he took a step back with his right foot.
Shirota hesitatingly took a step forward with his left foot and proceeded to do so slowly with the others.
"You're going too slow Shirota-kun…" Aiba said. "Don't hesitate…" he said as he slowly turned them towards another direction. “Don't take a double step---" he was cut off when Shirota stepped and slid his foot forward when they turned, causing Aiba to lose his balance and fall to the floor, pulling Shirota down with him. "Itai..." he said before opening his eyes which he had instinctively closed during the fall. “Are you alright, Shirota---" he was cut off when he realized how close their faces were.
The fall was almost expected. Shirota instinctively brought both palms down firmly on the ground, as well as a knee as he gritted his teeth at the pain before he opened his eyes and paused at how close they were. A blush showed itself once again as Shirota hovered over Aiba for a lingering moment before he muttered, "Gomen..." and proceeded to push himself off the other boy.
Aiba pulled himself up. "N-No it's fine," he said as he looked at Shirota. "Let's try again, shall we?"
----------
After half an hour, Shirota had managed to get the basic steps.
"Okay, Shirota-kun...now we have to get you used to some steps that you're going to use for the musical," Aiba said. "First, the dip," he said as he guided Shirota's hand that was on his waist to the small of his back. "I'm going to lean back, Shirota-kun... Try to support my weight the best you can. You have to lean forward towards me but not too much so we won't fall."
Shirota nodded as Aiba leaned back as he did everything Aiba had instructed him to do and managed to hold the pose for at least 10 seconds before pulling Aiba back upright.
----------
Takigawa was in the middle of preparing dinner - some Chicken Cheese dish -; he had just put the pre-cooked dish into the oven before he emerged from the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in about half an hour, Kimeru," he stated with a small smile.
Kimeru, who was playing with Pearl in the living room, nodded. "Hai~~" he answered.
"I wonder how Shirotan's doing with his Tango lessons..." Takigawa thought out loud.
----------
"Now for the more awkward positions," Aiba said, pausing a bit to think about the steps.
"A...Awkward?" Shirota repeated, frowning at the thought.
----------
Kimeru chuckled. "He might be blushing a lot right now," he mused.
----------
"Hai...moves like this," Aiba said as he moved them a few steps back before hooking one of his legs on Shirota's hip and placed both his hands behind the other boy's neck.
----------
"And I wouldn't be surprised if they end up kissing halfway through the lesson," Kimeru added as he looked at Takigawa.
Takigawa chuckled. "I wouldn't count on Shirota doing that just yet... Unless it was by accident," he stated, moving to Q's cage. "It's unsettling enough having Aiba teaching him how to dance..."
----------
A crimson blush came onto Shirota's face before a soft "I see" escaped his lips. ’Will you calm down Yuu? This is Aibacchin... Nothing to be bashful about...' he told himself firmly. 'He's teaching you to dance...'
----------
Kimeru laughed. "That kid sure does have some self control," he said playfully.
----------
Aiba smiled. 'Good…he's taking the positions quite well,' he thought as he demonstrated the other positions he had to do for the musical.
After one last run-through, Aiba decided that they were done for the day. "I think that's all we can tackle for--" Aiba was cut off when a clap of thunder was heard followed by the sudden pour of heavy rain. He jumped and subconsciously took hold of Shirota's arm in surprise.
----------
Takigawa nodded. "Either that or he'd shed off all of his pride and express his feelings. But he'd usually do that with his siblings. When he's around others, he manages to control himself efficiently. In Aiba's case, we have yet to find out," he explained before checking the time. "I believe our dinner's about done," he announced before strolling back into the kitchen as the downpour of rain outside began.
----------
Shirota blinked at the sight of Aiba latching onto his arm before his attention was brought to the storm outside the window, causing him to frown. "Well, this was unexpected..." he stated.
Aiba looked out the window. "At this rate I don't think I'll be able to go back to the dorms yet..." he said.
----------
"Aiba still has his defenses up around Shirota. It would be fun to see the both of them lose the barriers for once..." Kimeru said as he looked out the window "The weather report wasn't kidding when it said that the storm would arrive tonight..." he muttered. “Hey...wait a minute...storm...Aiba at Shirota-kun's place..." he grinned when he realized something. "This might be interesting…"
----------
"I guess you can spend the night here..." Shirota offered.
"...But I didn't bring any extra clothes..." Aiba said.
"We'll make do with mine, I guess..." Shirota stated, looking Aiba over. "Though they might be a little bigger than what you're used to..." he added before checking the time. “Ah, it's about time for dinner."
Aiba sighed. "I guess it will have to do for now," he answered.
----------
Takigawa pulled the baked dish out from the stove and brought it out to the dining table. "Let's eat while it's fresh from the oven, Kimeru," he called.
"Sure!" Kimeru said as he patted Pearl before getting up and heading to the dining room. "I think Aiba will be stuck with Shirota-kun tonight...and that Shirota-kun will discover one of Aiba's well guarded secrets," he said slyly.
"Well-guarded secrets?" Takigawa repeated as he helped himself to a serving of the dish.
Kimeru nodded. "Aiba doesn't like storms," he said. "One time there was a thunderstorm outside and he almost beheaded the panda plushie he had because of how tight he was holding it...and in the middle of the night he asked me if he could sleep next to me," he grinned at the memory. "Who would have thought that Aiba had that side of him?"
----------
Shirota nodded. "I've got to get dinner started..." He looked down at Aiba's grasp on his arm. "Can you let go of my arm so I can head to the kitchen?" he asked quietly.
Aiba blinked before looking at his hands. "G-Gomen!" he said as he immediately let go of Shirota's arm. "Can I help make dinner? It's the least I can do," he offered.
A smile came across Shirota's face. "Aa," he replied before heading into the kitchen before another clap of thunder resounded outside.
Aiba jumped when he heard the thunder. 'Not good....of all the days...and I don't have my panda!' he thought grimly as he followed Shirota to the kitchen.
----------
Takigawa sat back down. "I'm sure Shirotan will know just what to do if he figures it out," he replied, taking a bite of the food.
Kimeru chuckled. "I'm sure he will." he said before starting to eat.
----------
Shirota looked over his shoulder. "Aibacchin..." he began as he headed to the fridge. “You're not afraid of thunderstorms, are you?"
"Of course I'm not!" Aiba said loudly before another clap of thunder was heard, this time louder than the first two, causing him to run to Shirota and latch onto his arm again. "I am! I am!! I am!!"
Shirota smiled softly, pulling Aiba into a protective embrace, rubbing the boy's back, chuckling. "It's understandable. Don't worry... I'll stay with you..."
"H-Hai....Arigatou..." Aiba said quietly and he pulled away after a few minutes. "We should get started on dinner..." he said.
Shirota nodded as they headed off to make something together. After, Shirota had led them to his room, fixed up the futon and lent Aiba some of his clothes before they retired to bed.
==========
The next day, Shirota woke up early, knowing that his brother Jun would be returning from his bandmate's place despite the weather. He had started on breakfast before Jun came in through the door, shedding off his raincoat and closing his umbrella.
"I'm back!" Jun called. He smirked when he saw Shirota in the kitchen and moved inside. "So classes are suspended 'cause of this thunderstorm. Did you get home okay yesterday, Yuu?" he asked.
Shirota nodded as he flipped the pancake. "I got home before it began," he replied.
----------
Aiba yawned; he looked around and noticed that he wasn't in the dorms. He panicked a bit before remembering that he slept over at Shirota's place. It was still raining heavily outside and it still looked like it was evening but the clock on Shirota's desk said otherwise.
Aiba stood up to fix the futon that he slept on. He looked in the mirror and saw that he wasn't wearing his clothes either. The shorts Shirota managed to find for him were about the right size but the shirt was way too big. He sighed before deciding to head downstairs to look for Shirota. He was still a bit sleepy when he reached the foot of the stairs. He looked around and froze when he saw Shirota Jun. 'Uh oh...and I'm wearing Shirota-kun's clothes....' he thought.
Jun nodded before turning to get his things settled before he paused, blinking at the sight of Aiba at the foot of the stairs. "Y...Yuu?"
Shirota turned from the stove as soon as he had turned off the fire. "Ha---" He paused when he saw Aiba. "Oh, I forgot to mention that Aiba-kun came over. He was helping me practice last night but he couldn't get back to his dorm so I offered that he stay the night," Shirota explained.
Aiba simply nodded and bowed politely.
Jun pointed to Aiba's clothes. "Those are yours, aren't they Yuu?" Jun inquired.
Shirota nodded. "With good reason that Aiba didn't foresee about staying over..." he replied. “Which reminds me…" He headed towards the stairs. "I can wash your clothes so you can wear them when you head back, Aibacchin..." he offered.
"Thanks Yuu-kun. I'd appreciate that," Aiba answered with a smile.
Shirota nodded. "I'd better get started on it, then," Shirota said. "You go on and have breakfast with my brother," he said as he headed upstairs.
Jun smiled as he brought the stack of pancakes Yuu had just finished making from the kitchen and set them down on the dining table. "Don't worry, I won't bite you," he reassured the younger boy as he took a seat at the table.
"Aa..." Aiba answered as he followed Jun to the dining room to join him for breakfast.
Jun watched Aiba sit down as he helped himself to a pancake and was spreading butter over it. "Ne, Aiba-kun..." he began. “Confirm something for me, would you?" he inquired off-handedly.
----------
Shirota headed to his bedroom and looked around before spotting where Aiba had neatly placed his clothes, which were resting atop his bag. The boy took them, returned downstairs and immediately went into the laundry room. It would take at least an hour or so for all of Aiba's clothes to be washed, dried and ironed, so he started with the whites and set them into the washing machine.
----------
Aiba blinked at Jun before nodding, "Sure, Jun-san..." he said.
"About you and Yuu..." Jun began, pouring syrup over his pancake now. "Are you..?"
Aiba eyes widened as he accidentally choked on what he was drinking -which was just water.
Jun grinned. "I figured as much," he replied as he cut a portion of his pancake and ate it.
Aiba just continued eating his breakfast quietly. '.....how did he know..?' he thought.
"There were a few signs that made it quite clear. Coming from the both of you," Jun answered, as if reading Aiba's mind.
"Signs?" Aiba asked, looking up from his food.
"Well, on Yuu's part it was more of what he shared with me. Like when he spent half of his week's allowance on your yakiniku dinner a few weeks ago..." Jun explained.
Aiba looked at him in surprise. "H-He spent half?!" he said. "...Now I know I should've paid him back..." he muttered.
Jun waved a hand in front of him. "Don't bother. Once he does that on a whim, whether conscious or not, it means he considers you a special person worth paying for," he explained.
Aiba sighed. "I'm sure I'll think of some way to pay him back..." he said as he continued eating.
"Good luck with that, then," Jun chimed as Yuu appeared, taking his seat at the table.
"I'm leaving the laundry alone for a bit... I'm hungry," he reported as he took a pancake and transferred it to his plate.
Aiba nodded and smiled at Shirota as soon as he joined them. After breakfast, Aiba offered to do the dishes.
Thanking Aiba for the offer, Shirota showed Jun out to the living room. "Don't tell me you--"
"Relax. I find it pretty obvious already, so there's no point you should be bashful about admitting it. Especially to me and Dai-ani," Jun interjected, patting his younger brother on the shoulder.
----------
Aiba sighed as he started washing the dishes. 'And here I thought that the class noticed because we were with them every day.... apparently not,' he thought.
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Shirota nodded wordlessly before attending to the laundry once more to finish up washing Aiba's uniform.
----------
After Aiba was done he looked around for Shirota and eventually found him in the laundry room. "You think it's going to rain all day?" he asked.
Shirota looked up from ironing Aiba's pants before returning his attention to his work before nodding. "Most probably… If the rain gets weaker, I can walk you back to your dorms," he offered as he set the iron aside and took up the pants. "These should be fine." He folded it and placed it on top of the pile of the other items of clothing that comprised Aiba's uniform before handing everything to him. "There you go," he said, smiling over to Aiba.
Aiba smiled. "Hey, thanks," he said. "I'll go change now and I'll probably return your clothes next week so that I can wash them."
Shirota nodded. "Sure," he replied as he fixed the things in the laundry room.
"I'm home!" Maria called from the front door.
Shirota paused, abandoning the iron and headed out to meet with his sister. "Why are you home this early?" he demanded.
Maria blinked, halfway from shedding off her raincoat. "What's wrong with me coming over at this time?" she asked defensively.
Aiba groaned inwardly. 'First his brother and now his sister...I better go change before someone else comes...' he thought as he tried to sneak upstairs.
Maria looked past Shirota before raising her eyebrows. "A-ra? Aiba-kun's here?" she inquired, spotting the boy.
Aiba froze, but instantly recovered to bow respectfully at Maria. "H-Hai...I was sort of trapped here due to the sudden rain last night." he explained.
"Ahh, I see..." Maria said, a small smile spreading on her face as she looked back to her brother. "Well, I came early because I received a text last night from tou-san."
Shirota's mouth gaped. "W...What?"
"He says he's coming over today to check up on things since he wasn't too busy with work," she explained.
Aiba looked at Shirota, then at Maria before looking back at Shirota again. "Er...maybe I should go and dress up so that I can go back to the dorms now..." he said.
"The rain won't let up," Maria informed him. "You'll have to wait until the afternoon, at least," she added before proceeding to take off her rain coat and hang it on the coat rack.
Shirota turned to Aiba and smiled. "Feel free to change, though," he told him.
Aiba went silent for a moment before looking at Shirota. "Are you sure it's okay for me to wait the rain out? I can seriously just go back to the dorms after I change," he said.
"That would ruin Yuu's efforts of washing your clothes for you," Jun offered, returning from upstairs before nodding to his older sister.
"Besides, it's still pouring outside," Maria added, gesturing to the window. "Stay for lunch, at least," she offered.
Shirota grinned. "You might even get to meet my father..." he said carefully.
Aiba thought about it for a moment before nodding. "I guess that's okay..." he said before looking at his clothes. “I'll go change, please excuse me," he said before heading upstairs to change.
The three siblings watched Aiba head off before Maria took her youngest brother by the arms. "Have the two of you--"
"Technically speaking..." Yuu interjected.
"They have!" Jun declared, walking up to them with a grin on his face.
"Oi, don't go to conclusions like--" Yuu began to argue.
"It's true, isn't it?" Jun cut him off effectively, leaving Yuu to blush, looking away from both his older siblings in the process.
----------
Aiba sighed as he finished putting on his school uniform. He decided to leave out the necktie and blazer before looking at himself in the mirror. "This would have to do…" he said before going back downstairs.
----------
"I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT WAS ALL WE DID!!" Yuu bellowed. "Now untie me from this chair!" he demanded. Jun had decided to tie Yuu down to a chair again, this time with a few sets of jump ropes - which were kept away in the closet for reasons even Yuu did not understand.
"Why don't I believe you?" Jun inquired, grinning as he messed up the boy's hair.
"I already told you... I'm part of the school play this quarter... And I'm supposed to know how to do the Tango and Aibacchin offered to teach me... Nothing out of line happened, if that's what you're curious about!" Yuu explained.
"Er....." Aiba said when he saw the scene.
Both Yuu and Jun turned to Aiba before the latter grinned, turning back to his brother. "Fine, I'll believe you this time," he stated, moving to undo the ropes tying Yuu to the chair. "Just because you keep insisting that you didn't do anything..."
Once Jun had undone the ropes, he gathered them up and returned them to their rightful place. Yuu stayed on the chair a few minutes longer, heaving a huge sigh before bringing a hand to his face.
Aiba walked up to Shirota. "Are you okay?" he asked him.
Shirota nodded. "Aa... Call that his way of interviewing me..." he explained quietly.
Aiba frowned. "Interviewing or interrogating?" he asked before sighing. "In any case...I heard some of the things he was asking...I wonder why he assumed that we did something.... inappropriate for the moment," he said.
Shirota chuckled. "Interrogating might be a better term with the style he uses..." he admitted. “But he's been under the assumption that something is going on between us... Which was why he knows about the dinner we had together..."
"And by saying 'something' what do you mean exactly?" Aiba asked.
Shirota got to his feet slowly. "I think that's obvious enough..." he muttered with a small smile before moving past Aiba and heading to the stairs. “I'll just go and change," he announced.
Aiba felt himself blush a bit upon realization. "Oh..." he said before Shirota went upstairs. He looked at the chair where Shirota was tied down to a few minutes ago before deciding to sit on the couch to just watch the rain pour.
----------
Shirota returned downstairs minutes later in casual attire that included jeans and a white sweater. He spotted Aiba and joined him on the couch. "Ne, did you want to do anything besides watching the rain?" he inquired with a grin.
Aiba looked at him and grinned back. "Of course I do. It's just that nothing has come to mind yet," he said as he faced Shirota.
"You could help me with the song," Shirota offered, pulling out the lyrics.
"That could work," Aiba said as he looked over. "So which one would you want to try? You have two songs that you have to take part in…" he said.
"The duet..." Shirota replied. "Better to know the song now before I mix it with the dance..." he explained.
Aiba nodded as he looked at the lyrics. "So I'll do Joanne and you do your part....." he said. "Don't laugh at me ok? I don't have a good singing voice.”
Shirota chuckled. "I won't fault you for that, I swear," he promised.
"Then let's get started..." Aiba started before singing Joanne's part.
----------
After doing the song Aiba smiled, "Looks like you got it in one try," he said.
Shirota brought his fingers to his throat. "It pays to watch the original, then," he said with a nervous chuckle.
Aiba smiled. "I was able to watch the play with my sister before and I have to admit, it was a good play," he said. "Which reminds me....about Kimeru-senpai…he seems uncomfortable with the character list." he said.
"Is it because Eiji-kun's doing Roger?" Shirota inquired with a frown.
"Maybe....by the looks of it, Kimeru-senpai is jealous..." Aiba said.
"Ahh... That's probably because he's paired up with Yanagi," Shirota explained with a shrug before he turned to Aiba. "What about you..?"
Aiba looked at him and smiled. "I don't mind. It's just a play anyway," he said. "Unless....I have a reason to be jealous?" he asked.
Shirota shook his head. "No, you don't..." he replied with a contented smile.
"Yuu! Aiba-kun! Lunch is on the table!" Maria called.
Shirota got to his feet. "Well, that was productive. Maria-neesan just reminded me how hungry I am now," he said, grinning.
Aiba chuckled. "Glad to hear it," he said before they were called to lunch.
During lunch, the three Shirota siblings and Aiba were enjoying a meal prepared by Maria before the doorbell rang. Jun got up from the table, excusing himself before he went to answer it. Upon opening the door, he stepped back in surprise. "T...Tou-san?!" he exclaimed.
Shirota Mitsuo smiled as he closed his umbrella and stepped inside. "That's not a nice way to greet me, Jun. After all, I did tell Maria that I was coming today," he replied in mock hurt as he stepped past his second son, handing him the umbrella.
Both Yuu and Maria got to their feet and bowed, the latter of the two rising from the table and approaching their father. "I hope you didn't have any trouble, tou-san?" she inquired.
Aiba turned around and saw Shirota's father enter. He was a bit unsure of what to do so he decided to stand up as well when Yuu and Maria did.
Mitsuo shook his head. "The only problem I had was braving this storm," he commented as he turned to the table. "Ahh, I see we have a guest!"
Shirota gestured to Aiba. "This is my classmate Aiba Hiroki," he introduced.
"Pleased to meet you," Aiba said as he smiled and bowed politely.
"Yuu's classmate, huh?" Mitsuo repeated, nodding curtly to the boy.
"We've just started on lunch, tou-san. I'll go and get you a plate," Maria announced, rushing into the kitchen.
Shirota sat back down as Mitsuo joined them at the head of the table as Maria placed a plate and some utensils for him to use before re-taking her seat.
Aiba sat back down and turned his attention back to his food.
All was quiet during lunch. Nobody spoke much and before they knew it, Maria had offered to do the dishes and was clearing the table.
Mitsuo turned to Aiba and his youngest son. "So Yuu, what brings... Aiba, was it?" Shirota nodded. "What brings Aiba over?"
"He slept over last night..." Shirota explained. "He was helping me out with a few things for the school's upcoming musical..."
Aiba nodded to this and added. "Yuu-kun has been selected to play a lead role in the musical," he said.
Mitsuo smirked. "Good for you then, Yuu!" he complimented.
Shirota nodded. "Arigatou, tou-san..." he thanked, nodding to him as he rose to his feet. “If you would excuse us, there are a few things we need to rehearse upstairs," he announced.
Mitsuo nodded. “Of course, of course, go ahead."
Aiba bowed once more before heading upstairs with Shirota. He sighed before sitting on the bed. "What do you want to rehearse?" he asked.
Shirota locked the door behind him as they reached his room. "The dance," he answered.
"Okay," Aiba said as he got to his feet and approached Shirota. "Let's see if we can have one whole run-through of it," he said with a smile as he placed his hand on Shirota's shoulder, the other taking hold of the taller boy's hand.
"After things went last night, I'm pretty sure I get the steps now," Shirota said with a grin, getting into position.
Aiba nodded. "Let's start then, Shirota-kun..." he said as they started the routine.
To Shirota's surprise, he found himself able to keep up with Aiba throughout the routine. When everything was through Shirota was lying on the ground as he let out a sigh of relief, pumping a fist into the air. "Yosh!" he cheered.
Aiba clapped his hands as he smiled. "Good Job, Shirota-kun," he said.
Shirota pushed himself to sit up and gave Aiba a thumbs-up. "Thanks for all your hard work, Aibacchin," he said, grinning.
"You're a quick learner," Aiba said with a smile as he looked out the window. "Oh look…the rain is letting up. I think I can head back to the dorms now."
Shirota followed his gaze to the window and nodded before he got to his feet. "Alright, I'll walk you," Shirota said as he moved to the door and unlocked it. Pulling the door open, he jumped back in surprise to see his father there. "T...Tou-san! What are you--"
Shirota Mitsuo grinned and pulled his youngest son into a headlock, messing up the boy's hair. "You could've told me sooner that you were with him!" he said happily.
Shirota blinked. "E...Eh?!" he stuttered.
"Jun told me about it earlier when I asked about you," Mitsuo explained.
'Jun-ani...' Shirota thought darkly.
Aiba felt himself blush when he heard this, he quickly turned around to fuss with his bag so that none of the two Shirota's would see him flustered.
Mitsuo turned to Aiba and smiled before releasing his grip on his son. "I apologize for this sudden outburst, Aiba-kun," he said, nodding to him. "I just don't come home to this kind of news very often."
"I would have told you eventually..." Shirota commented.
Aiba turned around and smiled nervously. "Aa...it's alright, Shirota-san…" he said.
Mitsuo smirked before his phone rang. "Excuse me..." He pulled out his phone and read the text before groaning, stepping back out into the hall.
Shirota sighed. "I knew I should've told Jun-ani to keep his mouth shut... Not that he'd listen to me, though..." he said hopelessly.
Aiba chuckled as he took his bag and patted Shirota on the shoulder. "I'm a bit surprised that your family is taking this well...then again, it's a good thing, ne?" he said.
Shirota nodded. "Aa. Shall we go?" he offered, moving out of the room, bowing to his father as they passed before heading downstairs.
As soon as they reached the door, Aiba pulled out his umbrella. "Don't bother yourself with going outside Shirota-kun," he said with a smile before opening the door. "I'll see you tomorrow then.." he said before looking around once; he saw that no one was there so he kissed Shirota on the cheek before hurriedly walking outside. “Ja ne!" he called out as he opened his umbrella and went his way.
Shirota blinked; Aiba's kiss stunned him into shocked silence until Aiba walked out into the rain before he regained himself, shaking his head and called out. "IT'S SATURDAY TOMORROW!!" he reminded the boy.
Aiba frowned. "BAKA! YOU'RE HELPING ME MOVE BACK IN!!" he yelled over his shoulder before speeding up a bit. 'Stupid idiot....' he thought with a frown; then he remembered what he did a few moments ago that might have caused the boy to space out. Aiba smirked.
Shirota blushed before smacking himself lightly on the forehead. 'That's right... I can't believe I forgot that so easily...' he scolded himself.
Aiba paused a bit to catch his breath as he turned around a corner. "Oi!! Aiba!!" he heard someone call out. He looked around and saw Kimeru walking towards him.
"Heading back to the dorms?" the junior asked.
Aiba nodded. "Hai. And you?" Kimeru nodded as well. "Let's go then!"
Kimeru blinked. 'Is it me...or is he a bit...too happy,' he thought.
Shirota closed the door behind him before the phone rang. "I'll get it!" he announced to the house as he took the phone and brought it to his ear. "Hello?"
"Is Aiba still there?" Takigawa inquired.
"Ah, Eiji-kun!" Shirota replied cheerfully. "No, he just left. Why?"
"No reason. Kimeru just left here himself. At least they can accompany each other back to the dorms without trouble," Takigawa explained.
"I see..."
----------
As soon as Aiba got back to the dorms, he lied back on his bed and took the panda plushie that was on it.
"Too bad that you didn't bring it with you yesterday," Kimeru teased.
"That's okay...Shirota-kun was there anyway," Aiba answered.
Kimeru stared at him. "Alright...who are you and what did you do to Aiba?" he asked.
Aiba rolled his eyes. "Whatever senpai..."
----------
"I've got a serious question to ask you, Shirotan," Takigawa continued.
"What?"
"Has anything more than a hug been exchanged between you and Aiba?" Shirota blushed for five seconds before Takigawa laughed. "I guess silence means yes?"
----------
"Oi, Aiba...you seem happy," Kimeru said.
"Way to point out the obvious, senpai," Aiba said as he turned his back on Kimeru.
Kimeru threw a pillow at him. "Spill! What happened between you and Shirota at his place?" he asked.
Aiba glanced at him. "Nothing...I just taught him how to tango," he answered.
"That's all?" Kimeru asked. "How about before you left?"
Aiba shrugged. "I kissed him..."
"I KNEW--"
"…on the cheek."
"WHAT?!"
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