[fic] Step by Step; Light and Shade - (1/?)
TITLE: Step by Step; Light and Shade
PAIRINGS: Sakuraiba, Matsumiya, Aimiya, Ohmiya, ShoxMaki, and JunxMao
LENGTH: Multi-chaptered
BANDS: Arashi (with Horikita Maki and Inoue Mao)
GENRE: Romance, drama... etc.
RATING (by chapter): PG-13/14
WARNINGS: AU, language and potentially sexual situations in later chapters.
SUMMARY: "To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak" - Indian Proverb
Sakurai Sho is the Chief Financial Officer for a large corporation, he has a loving girlfriend, a strange (but friendly) co-worker, and a best friend who teaches a ballroom dance class (which Sho has been guilted into attending). At the class, Sho's encounter with another unorthodox dancer -and his partner- will be the spark needed to kindle new relationships and end others.
NOTE: I've tried to do my research but I am neither a dancer or a business person, so please excuse any incorrect information!! That said, I have no idea what possessed me to start this, but I have most of the plot figured out and I do intend to finish it. Hope you enjoy! :)
Step 1.
Matsumoto Jun was a confident man. He knew he was smart, witty, rather fit, and good-looking enough to capture the hearts of most women he met. Therefore, it was with long strides and a head held high that he made his way towards his old friend’s home in a familiar residential neighborhood. Yes, he gave off a very confident air, but little would anyone else know that he was actually, at the moment, a little nervous and maybe just a tad bit self-conscious. He wasn’t about to admit that though.
Up a short set of steps, across a quaint little porch. His feet stilled on the doormat and he shifted the armful of little blue papers he was carrying to the crook of his left arm, using his right to ring the doorbell and rap sharply on the door. He waited and then did so again, and repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
The door opened, revealing a groggy but familiar face. “Sho.” Jun said, smiling despite his impatience. “You weren’t sleeping at this hour, were you?”
“Jun…?” The man called Sho pushed his messy dark hair out of his eyes and frowned into the early afternoon sunlight. He didn’t answer the question, as it was pretty obvious by his t-shirt and boxers that he had been. “What are you doing here?” He paused, looking at the other man’s armful and then making room in the doorway. “Come in…”
Jun did so, toeing off his shoes and following Sho into the high ceilinged living room. He set his papers down on the coffee table by a stack of newspapers and sat gingerly on a black leather couch while Sho brought him a glass of water and wandered off to get dressed.
Despite the mess (Sho obviously had not anticipated visitors) there was something very empty and un-lived in about Sakurai Sho’s home. Jun had always felt so, though he would never tell the older man that he disliked coming over because the atmosphere was a little weird. It was an old house, Sho had paid a fortune to get it and then renovate the whole thing to give it a very sleek and modern feel. Everything was sharp contrasts, crisp lines and accents of chrome instead of any real color. Even with newspapers, books, dirty dishes and a few articles of clothing strewn around, Jun couldn’t help but feel like everything seemed a little sterile and uncomfortable. He likened it to the feeling he got from being in a hospital.
He lifted his gaze, able to see the railed hallway of the second floor that looked over the living room. Sho exited his room, black sweater thrown open over a white-collared shirt and dark designer jeans. His hair had been combed into slightly wavy and stylishly messy locks. “So,” The man exhaled loudly, stretching his arms over his head as he came down the stairs and re-entered the room. “What brings you here unannounced?” He smiled friendlily, not looking a thing like the serious and wealthy financial executive he actually was.
“I’ve actually got a new job…” Jun began, reaching for the papers.
Sho raised his eyebrows. “You quit the café?”
“No, this is part time. Every Thursday night.” He pulled one of the little blue sheets free from the pile and leaned forward to pass it to his older friend.
Sho’s brow furrowed slightly as he read the text before he smiled appreciatively. “A dance class? Congratulations, Jun. You’ve been wanting to teach one yourself for a while, right?”
Jun nodded, biting his lip to keep a large grin under control. “Yeah, thanks.” Sho extended his arm to hand the flyer back and Jun paused before continuing, neglecting to take it from him. “Actually… I was hoping you’d come.”
It almost took a second for that to sink in, and when it did Sho’s expression jolted into one of surprise and confusion. “Me?... Uh, Jun, you know I’m not a dancer…”
“It’s a beginner’s class, Sho. Ballroom dance isn’t that hugely popular, so I don’t know if we’ll attract many people…”
“But, Jun…”
Jun reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a little envelope and setting it on the coffee table between them. “Your first three months are paid for. Consider it a gift.”
Sho gaped for a moment before pursing his lips. “You shouldn’t have, Jun… Seriously.” He was more than capable of paying for his own lessons, whereas Jun was now working two jobs to comfortably pay the bills. Of course, he knew Jun had paid for him simply as a way to back him into a corner.
Jun sighed. “I want you to come. Most of the people who come will have little or no dance experience. I’ll teach you.” He looked imploringly up at Sho, eyes going large and vulnerable. “It would mean a lot to me if you could be there, Sho-kun.”
Sho met his gaze for a long moment before sighing exasperatedly and looking away. “…Thursday?”
Jun grinned victoriously, getting to his feet and gathering up all his blue flyers. “See you then! Wear something nice!”
Sho waved him off irritably; letting Jun see himself out the door while he worried his lip and envisioned the clumsiness and humiliation he was going to have to put up with on a weekly basis now.
+++
There was nearly a skip in Jun’s step as he walked back through the tree-lined streets of Sho’s subdivision, tucking flyers in mailboxes along the way. He would feel a lot better about instructing a group of strangers for the first time if he knew he had at least one friend in the crowd.
Out of the residential area, he made his way to a bus stop on a busier city street. The bus came rattling along towards them and he shifted all the little papers to one arm to dig through his pockets for his bus pass. A car swerved into the closest lane at that moment, roaring past and creating a gust of wind that swept a handful of the flyers away.
“Ah!” Jun saw them go, but could do nothing except hold the messy stack a little tighter as the bus pulled up and everybody began piling on. Hopefully, someone would find them and they wouldn’t go to waste after all…
+++
“Hey there Chubby-chan! I’ve got more water for you!” Aiba Masaki, as his paw-shaped nametag read, stepped over the wall of the little pen to pour a water bottle’s contents into a little metal dish. He crouched down, laughing softly and goofily as a chubby, tawny-colored puppy ran over and stumbled around his legs, tiny tail wagging furiously as he peeked over the rim of the bowl and clambered up to drink some of the clear liquid inside. “Ah!” Aiba laughed, scrunching his eyes up with amusement. “Don’t swim! Look, you’re all wet.” He stood up, carefully climbing back out of the pen and wandering across the pet store in search of a towel.
Chubby-chan, as he’d nicknamed him, was the runt of an otherwise perfect litter. Aiba personally thought he was adorable, but he guessed that -compared to his siblings- none of the customers had thought so. Chubby also, besides being a little fat, was loud and hyper and mostly blind in one of his eyes. So far, nobody had wanted a dog that required so much maintenance when the other puppies in the litter were quieter, well behaved, cuddly, and free of such a serious health problem.
He felt his heart sink as he returned to the pen and saw the sale price tagged to the front of it. Other puppies were coming in, they’d be taking up all the pens, and Chubby would be taking up needed space… If he wasn’t adopted soon, the poor little guy would be in trouble.
“Come here, you little troublemaker…” He chided fondly, picking the small dog up in the towel and attempting to dry him while he squirmed and chewed playfully on his fingers. He turned as the door to the shop opened and the chirpy little bell went off. “Welcome!” He smiled widely at the group of customers filing in. “This is Blue-Bone Pet Depo! Can I help y-Ah!“ Chubby bit down particularly hard on his ring finger, and Aiba fumbled, falling to his knees to avoid dropping him from high off the ground as the puppy wriggled out of his hands. “Chubby! No!” he exclaimed, alarmed as the scruffy ball of wet fur and energy hurtled towards the door, which had yet to swing closed as the last person passed through it.
Aiba clambered to his feet, stumbling as he chased after the puppy and then slipping on the trail of water left in Chubby’s wake. His feet slid out from under him and he rolled in the fall, skidding backwards into the doorway on his stomach just as Chubby veered to the side, running smack into the manager’s leg and being scooped up before he could cause anymore chaos.
“Aiba.” The aged man said warningly, putting the rambunctious puppy back in his pen. “Clean up that water.” He gestured at the mess all over the floor and turned his attention to the customers. “Sorry about that. Can I help you?”
“Yes… what other puppies do you have?”
Aiba sighed, picking himself up and assessing the wet, dirty streaks on his apron. He felt worse for Chubby than he did for himself. Brushing himself off, he turned to pull the door closed behind himself, only to have a piece of blue paper blow straight into his face and stick there. “Ah!” He exclaimed, flailing a little before he could calm down and peel it off. “What’s-…” He frowned, looking at it properly. “…Ballroom dance…? Oh! It’s for beginners! Fun!” He beamed, folding it hurriedly and shoving it into his pocket. “That’s not far from where I live too. This is like fate~!”
The shop door closed with a twinkle of bells.
+++
Sho sighed, staring at the crumpled flyer in his hands. His eyes kept flickering from there, to his calendar, to the wall clock. Another sigh and he slumped dejectedly in his seat. It was Thursday, and -for once- he didn’t want work to end so quickly.
His phone rang and he glanced at the caller ID before biting his lip and answering it. “Hello?... Tonight? I can’t, sorry… I’m, uh, working late. Seriously, you should see the papers I still have to go through… I know… I’m really sorry, but I’ll make it up to you.” There was a knock on the door and he straightened up. “Yeah, listen I have to go though. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” The door opened and a familiar colleague with short, spiked, brown hair entered. Sho pursed his lips. “Yeah, yeah…” He glanced up at the other man in the room, who was watching him silently with a completely blank expression. “…You too.” Sho muttered before putting the phone back in its cradle.
The man at the door moved, wandering a few steps further into the room, and the corners of his lips twitched upwards in faint amusement. “Your girlfriend, Sakurai-san?”
Sho frowned. “Did you want something from me, Ohno-san?”
Ohno sat across the desk from him, still with that faint smile and apparently ignoring Sho’s question entirely. “She came to visit you last week, right? I met her in the hall… You were in a meeting, I think…”
“Ohno-san. Are you here just to harass me, or was there something work related that you needed to talk about?”
“Oh… yes.” The brown-haired man pulled a file out from the small stack under his arm and began flipping through it in search of something. Sho refrained from rolling his eyes.
He’d never gotten along with Ohno Satoshi. Well, the guy had only been working at ShunTaro Inc. for a little under six months now, and Sho would admit that he didn’t know much about the man. It was what he did know he didn’t like. Ohno was the CMO, Chief Marketing Officer, for the corporation. Sho sometimes suspected he’d only gotten the executive title because his father was the CEO (but because the older Ohno was a man he greatly respected and admired, he’d never say so out loud), but apparently Satoshi had gone to some ivy league school overseas, and he’d heard that he was doing one hell of a job of running the marketing division. Still, looking at the unorganized, frequently spaced out, and just generally odd man in front of him made it hard for Sho not to doubt the good things he’d heard.
“Found it!” Ohno grinned triumphantly, sliding a stapled packet of papers across the table to Sho and proceeding to lean back and look rather dazed and pleased with himself while Sho looked the first few pages over. “…It’s a proposal I need you to approve.”
“Yes, I see that.” Sho tapped the title on the front page, ‘Finance proposal for Marketing Department’.
“Our latest ad campaign for RedLight antivirus software is being real successful.” He reached out, pushing Sho’s hands aside to turn to the third page and point to the sales chart he’d included. “Look.”
“… I see…” Sho forced his annoyance aside to study the numbers.
“What I’d like, is to increase the length and frequency of the television commercials we currently have going. Banner ads on the net would be a good direction to go too, and I’d like to put up at least four more billboards. I need you to finance it.”
“…Do you?” Sho mused distractedly, calculating everything in his head.
“Well… yeah. That’s your job.” Ohno said as if Sho were a little slow.
Sho frowned. He wasn’t the slow one. “Obviously I know that…” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and flipping to the next page.
“That’s roughly what I estimated everything would cost, but I’ll leave checking that out to you Sakurai-san.” Ohno stood. “Can you do it though? The sooner the better.”
“Yeah, I’ll get back to you tomorrow… You should be able to start production of this stuff sometime early next week.”
“Thanks, Sakurai-san.” Ohno turned to go, stopped, and turned back around to frown deeply down at the other executive.
“What?” Sho asked in confusion, even more weirded out when Ohno started smiling with obvious amusement. “…What?!” He demanded.
Ohno shook his head, turning and strolling casually to the door. “Nothing.” He said, pausing in the doorframe. “…It’s almost six though, Sakurai-san. Shouldn’t you be hurrying out of here if you don’t want to be late?”
The door closed behind him and Sho checked his watch. Sure enough, he’d barely have time to grab something to eat before Jun’s class started, and Jun would kill him if he came late. “Shit, shit!” He cursed, shoving things in his briefcase and grabbing his jacket. He was in such a rush, he didn’t have time to consider why Ohno knew he had somewhere to be.
+++
Aiba sighed contentedly as he left the pet shop. His shift was over and he was starving. He began wandering down the length of the parking lot. Next to the pet shop was a video rental store called ‘Choose Your Views’, and he spotted a familiar figure lurking in the growing shadows between the two buildings. “Nino!” He called, waving.
The man called Nino looked in his direction, pulling a half-finished cigarette from between his lips and smiling crookedly back at him before grinding it out beneath his heel and slouching over. “Aiba-chan, hey.” He greeted, slipping between two parked cars. “You’re finished your shift?”
“Yeah, I’m just on my way to go grab a bento or something now. I’m so~ hungry.” Luckily, there was a convenience store right on the other side of Choose Your Views. Aiba was a pretty frequent customer there.
Nino chuckled. “You should come back and keep me company. My break’s almost over right now.” A grimace. “I don’t get off ‘til midnight again tonight.”
“You always stay up late and sleep in though, don’t you?”
“Yeah but I can’t stay up and play my games if I’m stuck here.”
“Right…” Aiba chuckled, not really understanding his friend’s attachment to video games. He slung his red apron over his shoulder and began walking across the pavement again. “I’ll be back in a minute then.”
Nino nodded, looking pleased as he turned and dragged his feet back into the brightly-lit building. Aiba arrived not five minutes later, already shoving mouthfuls of food hungrily into his mouth. He sat out of sight behind the counter, leaning against Nino’s leg and talking cheerily around mouthfuls of food while Nino listened, made sarcastic comments, and doodled on an old receipt.
“He’s great! I mean, he’s actually pretty bad, but he’s good at heart. He’s just a baby, Nino… I’m worried about him.”
“So? Up your game and get him sold if you’re so concerned.”
“It’s hard! It’s like he purposefully misbehaves whenever anyone comes to look at him… No one understands him like I do.”
“You sound like you’re dating it.”
“Him, not ‘it’, and obviously I’m not. He’s a dog.”
Nino chuckled, letting the subject drop.
“So how are y-?“ Aiba stopped short, tipping his head back wide-eyed to meet Nino’s confused gaze. “Ah! What time is it?!”
“… Ten to six. Why? Did you have to go somewhere?”
Aiba held up the crumpled blue flyer, letting Nino examine it while he shoved the last few mouthfuls of rice into his mouth.
“Ballr- Seriously?” Nino laughed loudly. “You’re going to this?”
“It hit me in the face on Saturday and I thought it’d be fun!” Aiba explained, standing up awkwardly and tossing his garbage into the trash bin. “You should come with me.”
“I’m working, remember? And no. Ballroom dancing is so…” He snorted and shook his head. “That’s definitely not my thing.”
“But it’ll be fun!”
“You said that already, but I know a lot more fun things I could be doing with my Thursday evenings.”
“You don’t get out enough.”
“And you’re crazy. But by all means, have fun.” Nino chuckled, clearly amused by Aiba’s pout. “If you don’t hurry you won’t have time to change out of your uniform before it starts.”
“Oh!” Aiba looked down at his state of dress. “You’re right!”
“Go, leave me to my lonely, ass-awful job.” Nino sighed melodramatically, making Aiba giggle.
“Okay then.”
“He does so willingly…” Nino muttered.
“I’ll call you later and tell you how it went!”
“Oh god, please don’t!” Nino called back.
Aiba just laughed and ran towards the bus stop across the parking lot while Nino watched inconspicuously through the window to make sure he got on okay.
+++
“Hey, Jun.” Sho panted, having run up three flights of stairs to get to where the dance studio was located. Jun turned around from the group of people he was chatting with, stylishly dressed in a black and charcoal pinstriped dress shirt -sleeves cuffed at his elbows- tucked into black slacks. “I’m not late, am I?”
Jun shook his head, wandering over. “Glad you could make it, Sho.” He frowned, looking past Sho to the empty doorway. “Where’s your partner?”
“…Partner?”
Jun sighed exasperatedly. “It’s ballroom dancing, Sho. You’re supposed to come in couples.” Sho’s eyes widened. He hadn’t even thought of that. “Why didn’t you bring your girlfriend?”
“I… I don’t know…” Sho shrugged. “Should I go then? It’s kind of pointless for me to be here now.”
For a second, Jun looked a little panicked. “N-no! Stay, the first class is important… If you miss it you’ll be way behind next time.” Jun looked thoughtful for a minute before seeming to light up upon reaching a brilliant conclusion. He turned quickly, tiptoeing to see over the small crowd that had formed. “What was his name…?” He muttered, thinking for a moment. “A-Aiba-san!” He called and gestured for a tall young man with wavy brown hair to come wandering over. “Don’t leave yet. I have someone to introduce you to.” He brought him over to stand next to Sho.
The two glanced at each other curiously before directing questioning and expectant gazes back to Jun, who looked mildly wary about what he had to say.
“For tonight…” Jun said slowly, “you two will be partners.”
For a moment his statement was met with stunned silence, and then the two ‘dance partners’ burst incredulously at the same time: “WHAT?!”
+++
to be continued...
Comments and criticisms are greatly appreciated! Thanks!
NEXT>>
PAIRINGS: Sakuraiba, Matsumiya, Aimiya, Ohmiya, ShoxMaki, and JunxMao
LENGTH: Multi-chaptered
BANDS: Arashi (with Horikita Maki and Inoue Mao)
GENRE: Romance, drama... etc.
RATING (by chapter): PG-13/14
WARNINGS: AU, language and potentially sexual situations in later chapters.
SUMMARY: "To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak" - Indian Proverb
Sakurai Sho is the Chief Financial Officer for a large corporation, he has a loving girlfriend, a strange (but friendly) co-worker, and a best friend who teaches a ballroom dance class (which Sho has been guilted into attending). At the class, Sho's encounter with another unorthodox dancer -and his partner- will be the spark needed to kindle new relationships and end others.
NOTE: I've tried to do my research but I am neither a dancer or a business person, so please excuse any incorrect information!! That said, I have no idea what possessed me to start this, but I have most of the plot figured out and I do intend to finish it. Hope you enjoy! :)
Step 1.
Matsumoto Jun was a confident man. He knew he was smart, witty, rather fit, and good-looking enough to capture the hearts of most women he met. Therefore, it was with long strides and a head held high that he made his way towards his old friend’s home in a familiar residential neighborhood. Yes, he gave off a very confident air, but little would anyone else know that he was actually, at the moment, a little nervous and maybe just a tad bit self-conscious. He wasn’t about to admit that though.
Up a short set of steps, across a quaint little porch. His feet stilled on the doormat and he shifted the armful of little blue papers he was carrying to the crook of his left arm, using his right to ring the doorbell and rap sharply on the door. He waited and then did so again, and repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
The door opened, revealing a groggy but familiar face. “Sho.” Jun said, smiling despite his impatience. “You weren’t sleeping at this hour, were you?”
“Jun…?” The man called Sho pushed his messy dark hair out of his eyes and frowned into the early afternoon sunlight. He didn’t answer the question, as it was pretty obvious by his t-shirt and boxers that he had been. “What are you doing here?” He paused, looking at the other man’s armful and then making room in the doorway. “Come in…”
Jun did so, toeing off his shoes and following Sho into the high ceilinged living room. He set his papers down on the coffee table by a stack of newspapers and sat gingerly on a black leather couch while Sho brought him a glass of water and wandered off to get dressed.
Despite the mess (Sho obviously had not anticipated visitors) there was something very empty and un-lived in about Sakurai Sho’s home. Jun had always felt so, though he would never tell the older man that he disliked coming over because the atmosphere was a little weird. It was an old house, Sho had paid a fortune to get it and then renovate the whole thing to give it a very sleek and modern feel. Everything was sharp contrasts, crisp lines and accents of chrome instead of any real color. Even with newspapers, books, dirty dishes and a few articles of clothing strewn around, Jun couldn’t help but feel like everything seemed a little sterile and uncomfortable. He likened it to the feeling he got from being in a hospital.
He lifted his gaze, able to see the railed hallway of the second floor that looked over the living room. Sho exited his room, black sweater thrown open over a white-collared shirt and dark designer jeans. His hair had been combed into slightly wavy and stylishly messy locks. “So,” The man exhaled loudly, stretching his arms over his head as he came down the stairs and re-entered the room. “What brings you here unannounced?” He smiled friendlily, not looking a thing like the serious and wealthy financial executive he actually was.
“I’ve actually got a new job…” Jun began, reaching for the papers.
Sho raised his eyebrows. “You quit the café?”
“No, this is part time. Every Thursday night.” He pulled one of the little blue sheets free from the pile and leaned forward to pass it to his older friend.
Sho’s brow furrowed slightly as he read the text before he smiled appreciatively. “A dance class? Congratulations, Jun. You’ve been wanting to teach one yourself for a while, right?”
Jun nodded, biting his lip to keep a large grin under control. “Yeah, thanks.” Sho extended his arm to hand the flyer back and Jun paused before continuing, neglecting to take it from him. “Actually… I was hoping you’d come.”
It almost took a second for that to sink in, and when it did Sho’s expression jolted into one of surprise and confusion. “Me?... Uh, Jun, you know I’m not a dancer…”
“It’s a beginner’s class, Sho. Ballroom dance isn’t that hugely popular, so I don’t know if we’ll attract many people…”
“But, Jun…”
Jun reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a little envelope and setting it on the coffee table between them. “Your first three months are paid for. Consider it a gift.”
Sho gaped for a moment before pursing his lips. “You shouldn’t have, Jun… Seriously.” He was more than capable of paying for his own lessons, whereas Jun was now working two jobs to comfortably pay the bills. Of course, he knew Jun had paid for him simply as a way to back him into a corner.
Jun sighed. “I want you to come. Most of the people who come will have little or no dance experience. I’ll teach you.” He looked imploringly up at Sho, eyes going large and vulnerable. “It would mean a lot to me if you could be there, Sho-kun.”
Sho met his gaze for a long moment before sighing exasperatedly and looking away. “…Thursday?”
Jun grinned victoriously, getting to his feet and gathering up all his blue flyers. “See you then! Wear something nice!”
Sho waved him off irritably; letting Jun see himself out the door while he worried his lip and envisioned the clumsiness and humiliation he was going to have to put up with on a weekly basis now.
+++
There was nearly a skip in Jun’s step as he walked back through the tree-lined streets of Sho’s subdivision, tucking flyers in mailboxes along the way. He would feel a lot better about instructing a group of strangers for the first time if he knew he had at least one friend in the crowd.
Out of the residential area, he made his way to a bus stop on a busier city street. The bus came rattling along towards them and he shifted all the little papers to one arm to dig through his pockets for his bus pass. A car swerved into the closest lane at that moment, roaring past and creating a gust of wind that swept a handful of the flyers away.
“Ah!” Jun saw them go, but could do nothing except hold the messy stack a little tighter as the bus pulled up and everybody began piling on. Hopefully, someone would find them and they wouldn’t go to waste after all…
+++
“Hey there Chubby-chan! I’ve got more water for you!” Aiba Masaki, as his paw-shaped nametag read, stepped over the wall of the little pen to pour a water bottle’s contents into a little metal dish. He crouched down, laughing softly and goofily as a chubby, tawny-colored puppy ran over and stumbled around his legs, tiny tail wagging furiously as he peeked over the rim of the bowl and clambered up to drink some of the clear liquid inside. “Ah!” Aiba laughed, scrunching his eyes up with amusement. “Don’t swim! Look, you’re all wet.” He stood up, carefully climbing back out of the pen and wandering across the pet store in search of a towel.
Chubby-chan, as he’d nicknamed him, was the runt of an otherwise perfect litter. Aiba personally thought he was adorable, but he guessed that -compared to his siblings- none of the customers had thought so. Chubby also, besides being a little fat, was loud and hyper and mostly blind in one of his eyes. So far, nobody had wanted a dog that required so much maintenance when the other puppies in the litter were quieter, well behaved, cuddly, and free of such a serious health problem.
He felt his heart sink as he returned to the pen and saw the sale price tagged to the front of it. Other puppies were coming in, they’d be taking up all the pens, and Chubby would be taking up needed space… If he wasn’t adopted soon, the poor little guy would be in trouble.
“Come here, you little troublemaker…” He chided fondly, picking the small dog up in the towel and attempting to dry him while he squirmed and chewed playfully on his fingers. He turned as the door to the shop opened and the chirpy little bell went off. “Welcome!” He smiled widely at the group of customers filing in. “This is Blue-Bone Pet Depo! Can I help y-Ah!“ Chubby bit down particularly hard on his ring finger, and Aiba fumbled, falling to his knees to avoid dropping him from high off the ground as the puppy wriggled out of his hands. “Chubby! No!” he exclaimed, alarmed as the scruffy ball of wet fur and energy hurtled towards the door, which had yet to swing closed as the last person passed through it.
Aiba clambered to his feet, stumbling as he chased after the puppy and then slipping on the trail of water left in Chubby’s wake. His feet slid out from under him and he rolled in the fall, skidding backwards into the doorway on his stomach just as Chubby veered to the side, running smack into the manager’s leg and being scooped up before he could cause anymore chaos.
“Aiba.” The aged man said warningly, putting the rambunctious puppy back in his pen. “Clean up that water.” He gestured at the mess all over the floor and turned his attention to the customers. “Sorry about that. Can I help you?”
“Yes… what other puppies do you have?”
Aiba sighed, picking himself up and assessing the wet, dirty streaks on his apron. He felt worse for Chubby than he did for himself. Brushing himself off, he turned to pull the door closed behind himself, only to have a piece of blue paper blow straight into his face and stick there. “Ah!” He exclaimed, flailing a little before he could calm down and peel it off. “What’s-…” He frowned, looking at it properly. “…Ballroom dance…? Oh! It’s for beginners! Fun!” He beamed, folding it hurriedly and shoving it into his pocket. “That’s not far from where I live too. This is like fate~!”
The shop door closed with a twinkle of bells.
+++
Sho sighed, staring at the crumpled flyer in his hands. His eyes kept flickering from there, to his calendar, to the wall clock. Another sigh and he slumped dejectedly in his seat. It was Thursday, and -for once- he didn’t want work to end so quickly.
His phone rang and he glanced at the caller ID before biting his lip and answering it. “Hello?... Tonight? I can’t, sorry… I’m, uh, working late. Seriously, you should see the papers I still have to go through… I know… I’m really sorry, but I’ll make it up to you.” There was a knock on the door and he straightened up. “Yeah, listen I have to go though. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” The door opened and a familiar colleague with short, spiked, brown hair entered. Sho pursed his lips. “Yeah, yeah…” He glanced up at the other man in the room, who was watching him silently with a completely blank expression. “…You too.” Sho muttered before putting the phone back in its cradle.
The man at the door moved, wandering a few steps further into the room, and the corners of his lips twitched upwards in faint amusement. “Your girlfriend, Sakurai-san?”
Sho frowned. “Did you want something from me, Ohno-san?”
Ohno sat across the desk from him, still with that faint smile and apparently ignoring Sho’s question entirely. “She came to visit you last week, right? I met her in the hall… You were in a meeting, I think…”
“Ohno-san. Are you here just to harass me, or was there something work related that you needed to talk about?”
“Oh… yes.” The brown-haired man pulled a file out from the small stack under his arm and began flipping through it in search of something. Sho refrained from rolling his eyes.
He’d never gotten along with Ohno Satoshi. Well, the guy had only been working at ShunTaro Inc. for a little under six months now, and Sho would admit that he didn’t know much about the man. It was what he did know he didn’t like. Ohno was the CMO, Chief Marketing Officer, for the corporation. Sho sometimes suspected he’d only gotten the executive title because his father was the CEO (but because the older Ohno was a man he greatly respected and admired, he’d never say so out loud), but apparently Satoshi had gone to some ivy league school overseas, and he’d heard that he was doing one hell of a job of running the marketing division. Still, looking at the unorganized, frequently spaced out, and just generally odd man in front of him made it hard for Sho not to doubt the good things he’d heard.
“Found it!” Ohno grinned triumphantly, sliding a stapled packet of papers across the table to Sho and proceeding to lean back and look rather dazed and pleased with himself while Sho looked the first few pages over. “…It’s a proposal I need you to approve.”
“Yes, I see that.” Sho tapped the title on the front page, ‘Finance proposal for Marketing Department’.
“Our latest ad campaign for RedLight antivirus software is being real successful.” He reached out, pushing Sho’s hands aside to turn to the third page and point to the sales chart he’d included. “Look.”
“… I see…” Sho forced his annoyance aside to study the numbers.
“What I’d like, is to increase the length and frequency of the television commercials we currently have going. Banner ads on the net would be a good direction to go too, and I’d like to put up at least four more billboards. I need you to finance it.”
“…Do you?” Sho mused distractedly, calculating everything in his head.
“Well… yeah. That’s your job.” Ohno said as if Sho were a little slow.
Sho frowned. He wasn’t the slow one. “Obviously I know that…” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and flipping to the next page.
“That’s roughly what I estimated everything would cost, but I’ll leave checking that out to you Sakurai-san.” Ohno stood. “Can you do it though? The sooner the better.”
“Yeah, I’ll get back to you tomorrow… You should be able to start production of this stuff sometime early next week.”
“Thanks, Sakurai-san.” Ohno turned to go, stopped, and turned back around to frown deeply down at the other executive.
“What?” Sho asked in confusion, even more weirded out when Ohno started smiling with obvious amusement. “…What?!” He demanded.
Ohno shook his head, turning and strolling casually to the door. “Nothing.” He said, pausing in the doorframe. “…It’s almost six though, Sakurai-san. Shouldn’t you be hurrying out of here if you don’t want to be late?”
The door closed behind him and Sho checked his watch. Sure enough, he’d barely have time to grab something to eat before Jun’s class started, and Jun would kill him if he came late. “Shit, shit!” He cursed, shoving things in his briefcase and grabbing his jacket. He was in such a rush, he didn’t have time to consider why Ohno knew he had somewhere to be.
+++
Aiba sighed contentedly as he left the pet shop. His shift was over and he was starving. He began wandering down the length of the parking lot. Next to the pet shop was a video rental store called ‘Choose Your Views’, and he spotted a familiar figure lurking in the growing shadows between the two buildings. “Nino!” He called, waving.
The man called Nino looked in his direction, pulling a half-finished cigarette from between his lips and smiling crookedly back at him before grinding it out beneath his heel and slouching over. “Aiba-chan, hey.” He greeted, slipping between two parked cars. “You’re finished your shift?”
“Yeah, I’m just on my way to go grab a bento or something now. I’m so~ hungry.” Luckily, there was a convenience store right on the other side of Choose Your Views. Aiba was a pretty frequent customer there.
Nino chuckled. “You should come back and keep me company. My break’s almost over right now.” A grimace. “I don’t get off ‘til midnight again tonight.”
“You always stay up late and sleep in though, don’t you?”
“Yeah but I can’t stay up and play my games if I’m stuck here.”
“Right…” Aiba chuckled, not really understanding his friend’s attachment to video games. He slung his red apron over his shoulder and began walking across the pavement again. “I’ll be back in a minute then.”
Nino nodded, looking pleased as he turned and dragged his feet back into the brightly-lit building. Aiba arrived not five minutes later, already shoving mouthfuls of food hungrily into his mouth. He sat out of sight behind the counter, leaning against Nino’s leg and talking cheerily around mouthfuls of food while Nino listened, made sarcastic comments, and doodled on an old receipt.
“He’s great! I mean, he’s actually pretty bad, but he’s good at heart. He’s just a baby, Nino… I’m worried about him.”
“So? Up your game and get him sold if you’re so concerned.”
“It’s hard! It’s like he purposefully misbehaves whenever anyone comes to look at him… No one understands him like I do.”
“You sound like you’re dating it.”
“Him, not ‘it’, and obviously I’m not. He’s a dog.”
Nino chuckled, letting the subject drop.
“So how are y-?“ Aiba stopped short, tipping his head back wide-eyed to meet Nino’s confused gaze. “Ah! What time is it?!”
“… Ten to six. Why? Did you have to go somewhere?”
Aiba held up the crumpled blue flyer, letting Nino examine it while he shoved the last few mouthfuls of rice into his mouth.
“Ballr- Seriously?” Nino laughed loudly. “You’re going to this?”
“It hit me in the face on Saturday and I thought it’d be fun!” Aiba explained, standing up awkwardly and tossing his garbage into the trash bin. “You should come with me.”
“I’m working, remember? And no. Ballroom dancing is so…” He snorted and shook his head. “That’s definitely not my thing.”
“But it’ll be fun!”
“You said that already, but I know a lot more fun things I could be doing with my Thursday evenings.”
“You don’t get out enough.”
“And you’re crazy. But by all means, have fun.” Nino chuckled, clearly amused by Aiba’s pout. “If you don’t hurry you won’t have time to change out of your uniform before it starts.”
“Oh!” Aiba looked down at his state of dress. “You’re right!”
“Go, leave me to my lonely, ass-awful job.” Nino sighed melodramatically, making Aiba giggle.
“Okay then.”
“He does so willingly…” Nino muttered.
“I’ll call you later and tell you how it went!”
“Oh god, please don’t!” Nino called back.
Aiba just laughed and ran towards the bus stop across the parking lot while Nino watched inconspicuously through the window to make sure he got on okay.
+++
“Hey, Jun.” Sho panted, having run up three flights of stairs to get to where the dance studio was located. Jun turned around from the group of people he was chatting with, stylishly dressed in a black and charcoal pinstriped dress shirt -sleeves cuffed at his elbows- tucked into black slacks. “I’m not late, am I?”
Jun shook his head, wandering over. “Glad you could make it, Sho.” He frowned, looking past Sho to the empty doorway. “Where’s your partner?”
“…Partner?”
Jun sighed exasperatedly. “It’s ballroom dancing, Sho. You’re supposed to come in couples.” Sho’s eyes widened. He hadn’t even thought of that. “Why didn’t you bring your girlfriend?”
“I… I don’t know…” Sho shrugged. “Should I go then? It’s kind of pointless for me to be here now.”
For a second, Jun looked a little panicked. “N-no! Stay, the first class is important… If you miss it you’ll be way behind next time.” Jun looked thoughtful for a minute before seeming to light up upon reaching a brilliant conclusion. He turned quickly, tiptoeing to see over the small crowd that had formed. “What was his name…?” He muttered, thinking for a moment. “A-Aiba-san!” He called and gestured for a tall young man with wavy brown hair to come wandering over. “Don’t leave yet. I have someone to introduce you to.” He brought him over to stand next to Sho.
The two glanced at each other curiously before directing questioning and expectant gazes back to Jun, who looked mildly wary about what he had to say.
“For tonight…” Jun said slowly, “you two will be partners.”
For a moment his statement was met with stunned silence, and then the two ‘dance partners’ burst incredulously at the same time: “WHAT?!”
+++
to be continued...
Comments and criticisms are greatly appreciated! Thanks!
NEXT>>