[One shot] His stranger
Tittle: His stranger (Aiba's POV of Stalkers)
Author: B
Genre: fluff? Romance?
Pairing: Sakuraiba
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own them, since owning people is illegal. All of this is work of fiction.
Summary: This is the other version of Stalkers from Aiba's POV.
A/N: This has been forgotten in my fics folder for a while, so I thought it was about time that I post it... since I'm so awfully blocked and can't write a line lately. And since K. posted one of hers the other day. I have another one done, so will try to take time to post it this week... and to finish the ones I have on-going to finally post them! Well, I really hope you enjoy it! <3 <3
He still could remember the day he saw him for the first time. He had recently switched jobs and that made him change his routine, having to take a new route to go to work every morning. It was then when he saw him for the first time, on his first day of work.
He had just walked pass him, not even looking at him, but something had attracted Aiba from the first minute he saw him, walking pass him with his important person aura.
Aiba had tried to keep that thought away, what were the possibilities of seeing him again? So instead, he focused on giving his best at his new job, it was his first time working on a fashion store and he had to get a hold of it.
It was that same day, when he saw him for the second time, as he was walking back home, and Aiba found himself staring at him again.
Day by day, it became like a routine, like something he needed to be able to face the day. Every day, at the same time, he would walk cross him. He had learnt where he worked, that he smoked, that he used to speak too loud on the phone, and that his laugh could make Aiba smile.
Every day, he would wake up just thinking about keeping his daily routine so he could see him again, and in those 4 months and 10 days, he had just missed that daily “dates” two times because he was too ill to get out of his bed.
He would always wonder what the other did on his weekends. Would he like to just relax at home? Or maybe he was a fan of movies and would spend his free time on the cinema? What if the weekends were to spend time with his loved one? After all, he knew nothing about him apart of where he worked.
During all that time, Aiba was aware of the other looking at him, and the thought that he may be doing it because he knew he had a crush on him made him be extremely cautious with when he looked at his stranger, afraid of the other thinking he was a creep.
That day, finally, he had managed to drag Ohno, his best friend, along to show him the guy that would fill his mind most of the time, even when he didn’t know him.
“I’m so curious about him, Aiba-chan, I think you’ve been talking enough about him that I feel as if I stalk him too…”
“I’m not stalking him!!”
“Okay, you’re not. But, why don’t you try to talk to him?”
“Eeeeeh? Impossible! Impossible!! I bet he already thinks I’m a creep for always look at him.”
It was not that Aiba hadn’t thought about talking to him, he was dying to have the opportunity to do so, but truth to be told, he was scared. He had played in his mind lots of times, how would be to do it … to have something with him. But the fear of getting rejected was too big to take the step of talking to him. In Aiba’s mind it made full sense to avoid that for the sake of being able to dream that something between them was possible.
As they were getting closer to his building, Aiba gave Ohno explanations about who he was while trying not to look at him, but couldn’t avoid to laugh at the comment of “Doesn’t he have like a chipmunk face?” from his friend.
He was still giggling when the next thing he heard from his friend almost made him drop all he had in his hands.
“You know? He was really staring at you… and don’t say it’s because he thinks you’re a creep! You should have more confidence and talk to him…” Aiba opened his mouth to reply to that when the other kept talking “Aiba-chan, is it enough to see him 5 minutes per day?”
Aiba knew his friend was right, but he was too scared to face that none of the things he had dreamt about the other guy were possible, and at least, without forcing a clear rejection, he could dream freely. That was, in Aiba’s mind, all he could aspire to respect the other. He was what? A guy that would not get a job better than his actual one, and his stranger was a worker of a big office building, carrying a high brand suitcase.
After Ohno left, he went to sleep, wondering if someday he’d have the courage to talk to his stranger. In the morning, he got ready careful to follow everyday’s schedule, he had his time carefully planned to not miss seeing him again.
After one last check in the mirror, he got out and started to walk in the same direction as always. But there was no sight of him yet, maybe he had overslept… or he had his day off so he wouldn’t see him. After all, it wasn’t that they had accorded the times… well, they hadn’t even talked yet.
But as Aiba was looking around, checking the entry of his building while thinking that maybe it was him the one that was late, when he crashed against somebody. His heart almost stopped when he saw who the person was.
“I'm really sorry, are you okay? I'm sorry, I was just looking for my phone and didn't see you and..." Aiba couldn’t stop himself from talking, it always happened to him when he was nervous, and oh God, now he was hysteric. But the face the other was showing him made him stop, he was totally behaving like an idiot.
"Are you okay? Did I bump into you that hard?" Aiba kept stating at him, he had been looking at him for a long time, but it was the first time staying face to face with him.
"N-no, no, no, it’s... no. I wasn't looking, it's my fault. I... yeah... sorry."
Aiba didn’t know what to say or to do. He was there, in front of him, and he couldn’t think anything to say but “Are you all right?”
"Y-yeah, don't worry, it’s okay. I’m just… not feeling great today, it’s just that."
Aiba took a closer look to him, he hadn’t notice before, but he really looked more tired that day…
"Oh, well, now that you mention it, you look paler than normally and you have panda eyes, or well, more than normally but..."
"Eh?"
Aiba would have slapped himself at that moment, he couldn’t believe himself. If what he was trying was to look like a creep, he was doing such a great job.
"Ah, no, it's not like I stalk you or something, it's just that we have been walking across each other for the last four months and eleven days-“ Great, way to solve it, Masaki!
If he had little chances before, now he had zero. Everything that kept coming out of his mouth was worse than the previous thing, and he needed to escape. How could he be that stupid? Exposing himself like that... He knew talking to him was a bad idea, he should leave before it got worst.
“…well, maybe I should leave? So I won't keep bothering you and so, and I'm sorry again."
Aiba was about to start running, he had really screwed it. Now the other was thinking he is a freak for sure.
"Wait! This... I'm Sakurai Sho."
Aiba froze, not sure if keep his plan of running away or start bouncing at that same place. Had he just introduce himself?
"Oh! Nice to meet you! Aiba Masaki."
Aiba shook his hand, feeling a shock of electricity running through his spine. It sounded stupid, but his hand felt exactly as he had always dreamt. He would have stayed like that forever, but he’d be late for work. At least now, he knew his name.
"Well, I guess I should be leaving now…"
"Yeah... uhmmm... I was wondering if you'd like to go for a drink later... maybe?"
It took an instant to Aiba to analyze that. Was he really asking him out…? If he hadn’t started bouncing before, he was about to do it now.
"Sure… I'll meet you at the door of your building later?"
“S-sure.”
Aiba’s day passed by in a blur, not really aware of what he was doing or if he was working properly. But he didn’t care, he was having a date with him… with Sho. Now he finally had a name. He would have never dreamt about making such an advance in that little time.
When he realized, he was running all the way out of the metro station, feeling like a hormonal teenager going to meet his crush. But to his surprised, as he got out, Sho was already there, looking around constantly and hoping from one foot to the other.
“Hi.” Aiba’s voice seemed to startle the other and he chuckled softly. “I’m not late, right?”
“No, no… it’s okay. Do you want to go somewhere?”
“I… no… anywhere is fine?”
“Then, what about just walk?”
“Okay, yes.”
They started walking, but Aiba just stared at him, not sure what to say. He had played in his mind what he’d tell him during a long time, and now no word would come out of to his mouth at that moment. What if he acted all stupid and the other decided to call it off? He would have to live the rest of his life seeing the other everyday knowing the other thought he was stupid and boring. No way! He would have to quit his job to avoid that! And then he would have to move out… But the moment the other grabbed his hand, he knew it’d be fine.
It had been two weeks since that first date, and many other had followed that first one. Now they wouldn’t just cross paths in the morning as strangers, but as lovers. And that night, they were out for dinner with Oh-chan and Sho’s friends from work. The dinner was fun, even when at some point it had turned out into a “let’s make fun of the two morons that keep flailing one over the other and didn’t dare to talk to each other for months, yey!”.
Somehow, all the conversations during dinner made Aiba realize all the time they’d wasted to be together, and how his relationship would be by now if any of them would have gotten the courage to take the first step sooner.
“You had fun today?”
Aiba smiled at him and got closer, they were going back to Aiba’s house since Sho insisted on walking him home despite his protests of “I’m not a girl, Sho-chan!”
“I actually did… despite the mocking.”
Sooner that they had expected, they were already in front of Aiba’s building, but Aiba didn’t want that to be the end, after all, they had wasted enough time chasing each other for months…
“Won’t… won’t you stay tonight?”
Aiba didn’t know where to look at. That was what he thought, but he had no idea what was in Sho’s mind, what if the other felt he was rushing it all? But again, that hand was back squeezing his, and Aiba felt it again, that feeling that made him sure everything would always be okay if he had him by his side. Aiba looked back at Sho in time for the answer.
“Yes… But not just tonight, every night of my life if you want me to.”