Three Steps Over Heaven [12/15]
Author: Veridanya (軽 and 暗)
Length: Multi-chapter
Genre: Drama, Romance, Friendship, AU
Rating: PG
Pairing: Sakuraiba, Sakumoto [friendship], Aimiya [friendship], Ohba [brotherhood]
Disclaimer: We don't own them as much as we wish for it, they are people and slavery is illegal. The story is inspired on the novel Tre metri sopra il cielo by Federico Moccia [English title: Three steps over heaven] but will have changes in it.
Summary: The red thread of destiny always manage to join 2 distant things. Even when those things look to have nothing in common... call it coincidence, we'll call it destiny
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There is love of course. And then there's life, its enemy.
Jean Anouilh
Sho's life had made a complete turn the last months since he met Aiba, but during all this time he has lived more than ever, not worrying about anything... just enjoying his time. Even as days passed by, he was getting more and more close to the other guy, he couldn't believe that he would mean that much for him. He was his first, the first person he'd truly loved. But lately, he couldn't avoid thinking where his life was going. He loved Aiba, he truly loved him, but when he stopped to think about it, his life was getting totally upside down. In the last months, his grades had gone low, lower than ever, and he couldn't stand being at home because every minute spent there was a new argue with his parents. But still, he wanted to be with Aiba, no matter what.
It was another night like the rest, they'd hang out, drink, cause some mess and go to Aiba's step brother's apartment to sleep when it was almost morning. In its own way, it was always eventless, despite the messy nights. But that night was going to be different. It all started as always, and all was calm until a group of guys Sho had never seen appeared, but well, that wasn't weird, people came and leave constantly, but somehow, by the way the rest reacted looked like they've known each other for a long time. Sho was sitting calmly drinking when he saw one of the guys going to Aiba, so he asked the rest who he was.
"Ah, he's Aiba's... ex? I don't even know if he can be considered an ex with what they had... but something like that"
Something inside Sho's mind clicked, and all the stories about Aiba's sexual life before meeting him came to his mind, but after struggling with himself, he decided to trust Aiba, there was no reason for not doing it. He kept observing Aiba talking to the guy for a while, and he had to admit that he was getting extremely jealous about how close the guy was getting to Aiba while talking, and he couldn't stop his anxiousness until he saw the guy walking away from Aiba.
Some minutes later, he found the guy from before face to face with him.
"So, you are the new guy, huh?"
"Sorry?"
What was that guy even talking about?
"Well, I'll tell you something preppy boy, sooner or later, Aiba will finally realize he's getting tired of you and come back to me. What could he see in somebody like you?"
Shou couldn't believe his ears, what was he trying to say.
"Well, I'll bet he'll just fuck you some more, but I can assure you, he'll be back to me. There is nothing you can give him---"
At that moment something exploded inside of Sho and he found himself jumping over the over and hitting him as hard as he could until a pair of arms dragged him away.
Immediatly Sho noticed it was Aiba the one dragging him, he fought trying to get out of his grip.
"Let me go!" he said, but the grip of Aiba didn't loosen a bit, until they were outside the bar.
"It's ok, Sho" Said the other guy, hugging him while rubbing his back trying to calm him.
Some minutes passed before Sho finally relaxed and Aiba broke the embrace, looked at his eyes and asked him in a soft voice what was wrong.
Sho took a few minutes, before replying.
"I...I'm sorry, but he was just…I..."
"I'm not talking about that, Sho. But this is not you, so tell me what's bothering you?" Aiba hugged him once again and kissed his forehead.
"It's just...I don't know if this is for me..." he snapped and immediately turned to look at Aiba who had a surprised face "Please don't take this the wrong way, I love spending time with you, and be me with you, not the perfect boy everyone expects...is just...lately I have been thinking, we..I can keep going like this forever, getting drunk every day, fighting...I have never fought in my life before! And in top of that, all the issue with my parents, never have hated going home as much as I do now, every single day there're argues Masaki, I just don't know how to handle it..."
Sho looked at Aiba expectantly, especially when the other took a few minutes to reply.
"I imagined you have never fought before..." Aiba giggled and Sho relaxed a bit "but don't mind him Sho, that guy is resentful and doesn't know what he's talking about. I love you and there's no way I could leave you. You know it right?"
Sho nodded, he knew Aiba's feeling but somehow listening one more time was a nice reassurance.
"Now, I understand what you meant, I have always known somehow this is not for you, but we can change...I can change Sho, I would do anything for you, and I don't want to be one of the causes why you are troubled. I'll behave and we can always do something else to have fun, ok?"
Sho smiled at him, he was glad he understood where he was coming from and didn't took it in the wrong way as he had feared it, and was the reason why he hadn't say anything before.
"Thank you Masaki"
"Don't be silly, why you thank me? And about your parents...I can go talk to them, explain them this is my fault if they want someone to blame is me, not you..."
"It's ok, I don't think that'd be a good idea" he replied apologetic. "can we go now?" Sho really didn't want to go back inside the bar, so he was thankful when Aiba grabbed his hand and walked him towards the bike.
A few days later, things were calmer, Aiba had kept his word of behave and slow the pace, somehow that made him feel less troubled, but still the situation at home was tense. One day during dinner, his father suddenly broke the awkward silence.
"There's a party tomorrow night, you should take a day away of those useless boys and go."
As soon as he heard that, Sho moved uncomfortable on his sit, he was tired of fighting but he wasn't going to let his parents to go back to impose things on him.
"I'll go, but only if Masaki can come with me"
He saw his parents exchanging awkward gazes and he was ready to defend his right to go with his boyfriend when his father surprised him with his answer.
"Fine, but he better doesn't do anything to embarrass us”
Sho couldn't believe what he was listening, really his father had agreed?.
"He won't!" he said and excused himself to leave the table, and head to his room.
Once there he dialed Aiba's number and told him all about the party, he was so excited to be able to take him with him, and Aiba although not very enthusiastic to the idea had agreed to do his best to not let him down.
AIBA’S POV:
Aiba'd been in a really good mood lately, and he completely knew what the reason was. He was enjoying every second he spent with Aiba. But lately, he'd been observing that Sho would start spacing off often, and he knew something was bothering him. That night, they were going to meet the guys again, hoping Sho could relax or at least would tell him what was bothering him.
They were already in the usual bar drinking when he saw a group of old friends arriving, and between them it was Kei, one of his last sex buddies before he met Sho. He couldn't avoid looking in Sho's direction, expecting Kei not to do anything that'd bother Sho in anyway. But for his bad luck, that was going to be difficult.
"Aiba-chan, been a long time"
Kei was getting closer to Aiba, clearly flirting with him, and Aiba could just think about Sho. Some months ago, he would let Kei have his way, not caring if he'd have a boyfriend or not, but not now. He had Sho now, he didn't need anybody else.
Aiba just nodded his head as a greeting.
"So, why don't we go out of here and have some fun?"
"Kei-chan, I have a boyfriend now"
"So, when has that been a problem?"
Kei just laughed at that. It was true, at other times that hadn't bothered Aiba. But now it was a completely different situation.
"Now it is, I love him, and I'm not gonna betray him"
"You've gotten boring"
Aiba finally breathed relieved once Kei walked away from him, still checking on Sho, wanting to check all was still fine.
After a little while, he went to the bathroom, he didn't know if stay much longer there or take Sho somewhere else, he knew Kei very well and remembered the guy didn't take a "no" as an answer. He didn't had time to think further than that when he heard a commotion outside and his first thought was to run to look for Sho.
As soon as he opened the door, he was shocked to see his well behaved boyfriend jumping to punch Kei, he immediately got close and pulled Sho back and started dragging him outside, not an easy task since Sho was so pumped out, he started fighting trying to free himself. Once outside, Aiba hugged him trying to calm him down, while rubbing his back, he wanted to go back and put Kei in his place, for whatever he had done to provoke Sho, but decided not to do it and, instead, focus on his boyfriend. He was so out of him, that he wasn't going to play more and wanted to know what was wrong one way or the other.
"What's wrong?" he asked in the softest way possible. Sho mumbled something about Kei, but Aiba stopped him. "I'm not talking about that, Sho. But this is not you, so tell me what's bothering you?" he hugged him one more time and kissed him in the forehead trying to make him feel more comfortable to open up.
"It's just...I don't know if this is for me..."
Sho said in an impulse and Aiba couldn't avoid the shock in his face with those words, although somehow he knew, he had knew since day one that was the reality and Sho didn't fit in this destructive life style, he tried to stay calm, but he knew sho had noticed the impact of his words, so he immediately started to explain himself, but it wasn't needed Aiba wasn't hurt by what Sho had said, but because he knew somehow all of this, and realize everything he had thought was somehow true it hurt, yet he tried to act calm for Sho, he listened him and took him a few minutes to come out with a proper reply to what his boyfriend had just said.
First he joked, teasing Sho about his fighting skills but quickly moved to the important subject.
"Now, I understand what you meant, I have always known somehow this is not for you, but we can change...I can change Sho, I would do anything for you, and I don't want to be one of the causes why you are troubled. I'll behave and we can always do something else to have fun, ok?"
He meant it, every single one of his words, he wanted to be with Sho and if for that he needed to change then he will do it. He saw the relief in Sho's eyes as he spoke, and then that smile he loved deeply before his boyfriend said.
"Thank you Masaki"
"Don't be silly, why you thank me? And about your parents...I can go talk to them, explain them this is my fault if they want someone to blame is me, not you..."
"It's ok, I don't think that'd be a good idea" he replied apologetic but Aiba understood. "Can we go now?" Sho continued and as all reply Aiba grabbed his hand and guided him to the bike.
Aiba was really trying to keep his promise about behaving better, he owed that to Sho... he wanted to do it for Sho. And after all, it's not like he couldn't, he was raised in a fine family and gone to fine schools, so he knew how to behave better.
The last days, they've been going out to normal places, to the cinema, and they'd hang on Ohno's home just enjoying his company. He would lie if he'd say he didn't miss his friends, but it was worth for having Sho.
Some days before, Sho had called him telling him he had to go to one of those posh parties, and that he wanted him to go with him. It wasn't that he didn't want to go with Sho, but honestly, that kind of parties wasn't his thing. But still, he'd do anyway for Sho, so he accepted and promised not to disappoint him.
Finally, the day of the party arrived and Aiba found himself looking at his reflection of the mirror and thinking how long it's been since the last time he'd wore that formal. He took a last look at himself and after surviving Ohno's and Nino's teasing, he went out to pick Sho and go to that party.
As soon as he arrived to pick Sho, he was greeted by his father, suddenly and without been able to help it he tensed it, he knew or at least imagined the concept Sho's parents must had of him.
He wanted to push himself to somehow soft the atmosphere, but was interrupted when Sho came down with his mother by his arm.
"Masaki!" the other said with a wide smile on his face.
He wanted to rush and kiss him but had to restrict himself, since thought that wouldn't be appropriate to his parents.
Quickly and after a short talk, they headed to the party, most of the way the four of them remained silence, at times Sho's father made a few questions that were a little harsh, but Aiba was prepared to that and more, after all it was going to be for one night, and Sho's hand entangled with his was a nice way to remain calm.
He sighed in relief as soon as the car stopped and they arrived to an elegant house, where they were received by a large number of people who quickly started to whisper wondering who he was, Aiba didn't need to know what they said, just by turning around he saw the curious gazes were fixed on him.
"We’ll leave soon" Sho said and smiled at him.
They didn't walk much when they found a familiar face.
"Hi baby, long time no see" Hiro the guy of the posh party said getting dangerously close of Sho. Aiba immediatly took a defensive position but Sho spoke fast.
"Ah right, since the day you asshole left me on the street, now get out of our way Hiro"
He almost burst in to laugh when saw the shocked face of the guy who quickly turned to look at him.
"What the fuck is doing this bastard here?"
"He's with me, and the only bastard here it's you, get lost Hiro" Sho said and started to walk, Aiba followed him.
"Oh, now you're his new slut, huh?" the guy shouted at Sho and that was it, Aiba lost it and turned around pushing the guy to the floor and started hit him. He could take anything, he was used to, but he wasn't going to let no one talk like that to Sho around him.
"Don't you ever talk to him like that" Aiba said but before he could punch him again, Sho grabbed his arm and the sight of his boyfriend's face made him come back to his senses.
"Enough Masaki" he said in a dry tone.
A part of Aiba was thankful for Sho to stop him, he knew how this would have ended if he didn't do it, but another was still angry and wanted to make that stupid boy to swallow his words, and yet there was a tiny voice that screamed inside his mind that he had ruined it all.
Everything happened so fast, people screaming, a pair of big guys dragging him out, the hurt look in Sho's eyes while his father shouted at him.
He listened something about cops, and although he knew if the police was involved he was ruined, he didn't care. He tried to go inside again, to talk with Sho but the 2 big guys didn't let him in.
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A/N: tan tan tan! Drama time! Hi! Hope you had enjoyed this epi! We only have a few more chapters to go, so let's see how things turn out huh?
Ah 暗 made a rant post earlier, where she explains why we are so slow updating and other things, if you want to read them is here.
Thanks for your comments!