[fic] Step by Step; Light and Shade - (2/?)
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.
PREVIOUS: Step01 |
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 2.
“Just for tonight, so you won’t fall behind. Just make sure you both remember to bring a partner for next week, okay?”
And Jun had turned such pleading eyes on him, even if he wasn’t far too aware of what falling behind would do to his already low skill-level, Sho couldn’t possibly have refused.
“So…” His temporary partner said awkwardly, turning to face him as Jun began introducing himself to the class. “I’m Aiba Masaki.”
“Sakurai Sho.” Sho inclined his head slightly. He would have added ‘nice to meet you’, except he wasn’t quite sure if that was true at the moment.
“Great, now let’s get started right away.” Sho could tell Jun was nervous, but he was keeping himself very together. Had Sho not known him for so long he wouldn’t have had the slightest idea. “Please face your partner. Men,” his eyes flickered to Sho’s and Sho noted the mix of amusement and wariness there, “or the leading partner, should take their partner’s right hand in their left. Yeah, and then he should place his right hand on his partner’s shoulder blade.” He paused to correct what one of the couples near him was doing.
“Whoa, hold on.” Sho stepped back, dropping Aiba’s hand as the other made to place his right one on Sho’s back. “I’m dancing the lead part.”
“What?”
“You can be the girl. You’re prettier than me anyway.” Sho clarified, reaching for him again.
“Thank-wait, no. I’m taller than you, Sakurai-san. Wouldn’t it make more sense for me to be leading?”
“Height doesn’t matter.”
“Then what does?”
Sho stared at him determinedly, and his expression said clearly that he wasn’t going to be swayed. “I am leading.” He said, taking Aiba’s hand and pulling him close again, winding his hand around to rest on the other man’s shoulder blade before Aiba could protest. “Please cooperate.”
“…Okay, and then the second partner, the one following the lead, should place his or her hand flat on their partner’s shoulder… Good. Now posture is really important. You have to stand tall and confidently, look over your partner’s shoulder…”
Aiba looked indecisive for a moment before sighing and placing his hand accordingly upon Sho’s shoulder. “Fine, I don’t care, but this is probably going to be really awkward.”
Sho knew he meant the height difference, but he figured that it was bound to be painfully awkward anyway, so there wasn’t much difference.
“Now, to do a simple waltz we start with the most basic of steps. The box step. As the name suggests, you step in the shape of a box. The man steps forward, the woman -or, I mean, the following partner-steps back and then follow up like so…” he demonstrated as though he were dancing with an invisible partner, changing sides after a round to demonstrate the other partner’s point of view. “It’s simple once you get the hang of it. What’s helpful is to count ‘one, two, three’ to help keep you and your partner on tempo. Like this. One, two, three, one, two, three. Everybody try it, please.”
Sho took a deep breath, “…Ready?” Aiba nodded so he stepped forward. For a moment they were fine, and then their knees smashed together rather painfully.
“Ah, you’re standing wrong…” Jun said, approaching them as he wandered around to observe the other couples. “The one dancing what is generally the female’s part should actually stand just a bit to the right of the man…” Jun reached out, taking Aiba by the waist and pulling him slightly in the right direction. “There… now if you can keep that up you should be able to avoid those kind of collisions.” He smiled, looking moderately apologetic before wandering away again.
“Try again?” Aiba suggested, receiving a curt nod before they began moving once more.
It was awkward, but at least they managed not injure each other any further. Aiba giggled nervously every time they fumbled up or he accidentally attempted to lead, and Sho was sure his own face was stuck in a perpetual state of red. The other couples around them -who, for the most part, were nearly as terrible as the male/male team was- kept grinning and snickering at them, which made the experience that much worse. On his rounds of the dance floor, Jun kept stopping to encourage them and remind them to move gracefully, and not like stiff robots, but he stopped mentioning it once they reverted to awkward shuffling for the fifth time that evening.
“Okay, if you feel like you’ve got the hang of that, you can start doing the same step, but turn slightly so you’re moving in a circle… Of course, the leading partner should be the one to initiate this. The following partner should just follow their guide, okay? Good… Take your time though,” Jun added, and his words seemed to be mostly directed to the male duo in the back, though he tried not to glance pointedly in their direction. “Make sure you’re comfortable with the box step on its own before you take it up a level…”
The rest of the class went by quickly, thankfully, and before they knew it the clock had struck nine and Jun was thanking everybody for coming.
“Same time next week, okay? And don’t be afraid to practice what we’ve learned between now and then. Not to be rude, but you all need it.” He chuckled with the rest, much more comfortable with the crowd than he had been at the beginning of the class. “And once you’ve got these basics down we’ll be able to learn more complex steps. Everything builds from here. Have a safe trip home, everyone!”
The crowd began moving for the coat racks by the door, but both Sho and Aiba hung back a bit. There was no way they’d get anywhere near their coats until more people had left anyway, and Jun was clearly making his way in their direction.
“Was that terrible?” He asked with a wince.
Sho shook his head. “You’re a good teacher.”
“Very good! Thank you for letting me stay, Matsumoto-san.” Aiba bowed thankfully, looking embarrassed.
“I’m sorry you guys had to be put in an awkward situation like that.” Jun apologized, deftly hiding the pleased smile all the praise was threatening to paste on his features. “Hopefully you both were able to learn the basics anyway, and you can come with your own partners next time.”
“It wasn’t that bad, really.” Aiba assured him.
Sho just smiled and nodded.
Jun smiled slyly back. “So I guess this means I’ll be meeting Maki-chan?”
Sho chuckled. “Yeah, I guess. I didn’t even tell her I was taking this class…”
“Well, hopefully she’ll be pleasantly surprised. It’s kind of romantic anyway, ballroom dancing.”
+++
“Ballroom dancing? Really?”
“Yeah, well my friend Jun is teaching it so…”
“Oh, Sho that’s really romantic.” She grinned, tip-toeing to press a kiss to his lips. “When does it start?”
“Well… yesterday?”
“We missed the first class?” She looked surprised and a little disappointed.
“No, well, I can probably teach you what we learned. We just went over the basic steps…” He reached for her hand, pulling her into the same position he’d held Aiba in the day prior.
“Wait, you went?”
“Yeah, Jun wanted me to go, so…”
She stopped him mid-box step. “I thought you had to work late…?”
Sho blinked, having forgotten the lie over the phone. “Uh… yeah. That wasn’t true…”
“Obviously not.” She frowned.
“Look, Maki-chan, to be honest I was a little embarrassed about the whole thing. I would never have gone if Jun hadn’t wanted me to go so badly, and you know I’m not the most orthodox or graceful person even when I’m not dancing…”
“Who was your partner?”
“My-… What?”
“Your partner, Sho. You can’t waltz without a partner. Who was she? A friend from work?”
“No!” He exclaimed. I didn’t even know him… “I didn’t have one.” He stated and then hurried to continue before she could protest. “I mean, it didn’t occur to me that a partner would be necessary until I got there, but Jun suggested I stay so I wouldn’t be behind for next week so I sat off to the side and watched. That’s all.”
“Really?...”
He leant down to kiss her, not giving her the opportunity to see the lie in his eyes. He didn’t think he’d done anything wrong by dancing with Aiba, but he doubted she would perceive it any other way. “Really.” He murmured against her lips. She sighed and leaned back into him as they abandoned dancing for the time being in favor of his living room couch.
+++
“Ugh… what the hell…?” Nino rolled out of his bed, nearly falling face-first before he righted himself and rubbed blearily at his eyes. His glasses were on the nightstand and he shoved them on his face before reaching for the cell phone that’s buzzing had been half the reason he was awake. Fourteen missed calls and several texts, all in caps and from the same person, which demanded that he ‘OPEN THE DOOR D8’ immediately.
Ah, that’s right. Someone was still trying to break his door down with a battering ram.
“Aiba, I’m going to kill you if you’re not dying.” Nino growled as he reached the threshold of his apartment. He was mildly surprised to find no rams of any sort in sight, and just a disheveled and distressed looking best friend with his fists raised to continue pummeling the door.
“Nino! This is an emergency!”
“By normal people standards, I doubt it.” Nino grumbled, pulling the door open wider all the same.
Aiba kicked his shoes off haphazardly before storming into his shorter friend’s living room like the world was about to end if he didn’t collapse on the couch in record time. Nino followed wearily, wishing he were sleeping until noon on this particular Saturday off, rather than feeling obligated to listen to Aiba’s latest ‘crisis’.
“If this has anything to do with puppies. No. I’m not allowed to keep pets in this building, and I’ve already told you that.”
“No puppies this time. This is not an animal problem, I promise!”
“Then what?” Nino questioned, perching on the edge of the coffee table. His expression suddenly went dark and horrified. “Oh god, a ‘science’ problem? If you blew something up I am not getting involved this time!”
“No no no! This is a people problem!”
“Seriously?... What, like a boy problem?” Nino raised an eyebrow.
“No, actually… A girl problem.”
Nino nearly toppled off of his seat. “W-what? But you-! Since when!?”
“Look!” Aiba tossed a small red notebook at him, which smacked Nino in the chest before he could get his hands around it.
“An address book?...”
“Most of the women in there are only acquaintances!” Aiba nearly wailed, rolling so he was sprawled across the couch on his back. “Why do I only have male friends?!”
“Um… because as far as I knew up until a minute ago, you were the gayest person I’ve ever met? And you told me you get nervous and uncomfortable around girls because they usually hit on you and its ‘weird’….?”
“So?!” Aiba sighed heavily. “I’m so stupid! Why didn’t I foresee this would be a problem if I ever decided to dance in pairs?!”
Both of Nino’s eyebrows shot up. “…. So, wait… you need to find a girl friend… as in a female friend… to be your dance partner?”
“Yes. What else would I have meant?”
Nino tried not to smile, glad that everything still seemed to be right with the world. “Beats me.”
“I need your help Nino-chan…” Aiba continued to whine. “Hook me up with someone you know?”
“Sorry.” Nino sighed. “I don’t have many friends in general, let alone of the female variety. None that I could possibly ask to spend copious amounts of time in the close proximity of my crazy best friend anyway.” He stood, stretching and stifling a yawn before wandering out of the room. “Breakfast?”
“It’s almost one…”
Nino blinked. So he had slept ‘til noon after all. Whattya know… “Lunch, then?” He amended. Aiba agreed.
+++
Sho cursed as he left the cell phone repair shop. He’d dropped his phone on the way home from work the day before and the black interference on the screen had made it impossible to check his calls or text messages, the two main ways people from work used to get in contact with him. He was having terrible luck with technology lately. His laptop had caught some sort of virus and was in ‘intensive care’ at the computer place near the grocery store he frequented and his iPod had fallen from his pocket, off a footbridge, and into a stream while he was on a jog through the park the previous Wednesday. In short, he had been completely reliant on his cell phone, and was sure to have catching up to do now that it was usable once again.
Sure enough, he had three missed calls and several unread emails. Most of these were from a certain Ohno Satoshi.
Sakurai-san,
Sorry to disturb you at home but this is rather urgent. I’ve more information for you regarding the funding for the RedLight campaign. This changes everything, really, and I’m going to need to talk everything out with you as soon as possible so we can settle on a price. I was sorta hoping to have this done before Monday, if possible, so could you please respond this time? Seriously, I’ve been mailing you all night. Don’t make me worry, please.
- CMO, Ohno Satoshi
The rest were all more of the same, and Sho couldn’t help but frown at the way the professionalism all but disappeared from the mails by the time they each ended. Sometimes, he seriously thought the youngest Ohno was doing it intentionally to grate on his nerves.
His home number, address, and email address were included in the email, so Sho hurriedly dialed the number.
…
Hey, if you’re looking for Ohno Satoshi, I’m not here. Sorry. If you’re looking for someone else and … uh, still listening for some reason, then you should try again. You probably dialed the wrong number. Or maybe somebody gave you it wrong, or you misheard them… But I’m not here. And my name is Ohno Satoshi, by the way… Oh wait. I said that at the beginning……. Oh! Leaveamessageatthebeep---BEEP
Sho left one explaining why he’d been out of touch and telling the painfully disorganized Chief of Marketing to please call him back immediately. He proceeded to send an email as well and returned home waiting for a reply in one form or another.
When it hadn’t come three hours later, he sighed in exasperation and got back in his car. If the man wasn’t even home, he was going to kill him.
He knocked politely and a moment later the door was opened. “Hey, Ohno-san-“ He broke off, realizing that the person staring demurely back at him was actually not his co-worker. The woman looked like him though, just more feminine and with makeup, women’s clothing, and shoulder-length hair. “Uh, sorry.” He apologized sheepishly. “Is Ohno Satoshi-san here?”
She smiled brightly and nodded, stepping aside so he could enter. “I’m his sister, Mina.”
“Oh, nice to meet you. I’m Sakurai Sho.” Sho set his shoes carefully aside and she led him further into the house. “You look a lot alike, I was a little surprised.”
She laughed softly. “We even used to have similar haircuts when we were little. It was more convenient than it was a nuisance though.”
“Oh? For playing tricks, or…?”
“Yes, exactly. And our parents put us in lessons but I always wanted to take what Satoshi was in, and he would always have preferred to take mine, so we tended to switch.” She stopped in front of a door. “He’s in here. I’m leaving in just a minute, so I won’t disturb you any more.” She winked, laughing a light, twinkly sort of laugh. “Sorry, I stop by a lot to make sure he’s eating and keeping the place tidy, but I didn’t realize he was expecting anyone. You’ll have the place to yourselves now though so don’t mind me.”
Sho frowned; a little confused about the way she’d phrased her sentences as he watched her walk away and around the corner. Shaking his head to get himself back into work-mode, he knocked once before opening the door to what he assumed must be his colleague’s study.
“Ohno-san? I got your messages but-“
It was not a study; it was a bedroom. Sho stopped mid-sentence with his mouth hanging open as he took this in. Ohno Satoshi was sprawled on his stomach across the double bed, tangled in the sheets and wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. He was snoring softly and drooling a little on the dog he was hugging to his face. The large, golden retriever lifted it’s head to stare sleepily at Sho with an expression that was frightfully similar to it’s master’s, and that’s when Sho snapped out of his shock, backtracked and shut the door firmly behind himself.
Mina looked surprised to see him when he found his way, red-faced, to the living room where she was gathering her coat and purse.
“He’s asleep.” He answered her silent question.
She continued to frown. “You didn’t want to join him?”
“What? No!”
“Then… you could have just woken him up, Sakurai-san. I’m sure he’d be happy to see you.”
“Yes? But, well, he’s hardly dressed, you know. And we don’t know each other very well. I mean, I’ve never seen him outside of work before and even in work… It just seems like it would be strange of me to intrude when he’s asleep and… not entirely decent…”
“Oh… OH.” Mina’s eyes widened. “Oh! You’re a friend of his from work?!”
“Well, friend might be too strong a term…”
She laughed outright, eyes crinkling up. “Oh, oh I’m so sorry! I thought you must have been his boyfriend! That was silly of me to assume that, I’m sorry Sakurai-san.”
“B-boyfriend?...” Sho’s cheeks reddened again. And he’d thought coming to his colleague’s house on its own would be venturing into personal territory. Now he was going to leave knowing what the other man looked like without the majority of his clothes on and what his sexual orientation was. And to think he’d only been there a few minutes.
“Sorry,” she apologized again, “he doesn’t talk much to us about who he’s with lately, so we don’t know.” She gestured for Sho to take a seat on the couch. “I thought he was being secretive or something, but maybe he’s actually just single for once?” Another laugh. “Who knows. But anyway, I’ll go get him up for you. Make yourself comfortable, okay?”
Mina was back a minute later, dog at her heels, but she didn’t stay, apologizing to Sho again before excusing herself and leaving the stylish apartment. Sho sat alone for another several minutes, attempting to keep the big dog from snuffling at his crotch, before Ohno appeared in a wrinkled t-shirt and paint stained jeans. His hair was sticking up at all angles and he looked half asleep, though that wasn’t exactly unusual for him.
“Hey,” He greeted, yawning behind his hand. “Sorry about that, I was up half the night waiting to hear back from you.” He chuckled, and it was apparent that the comment was just the truth, and not meant to be a jibe. He sat comfortably on the loveseat across the coffee table from Sho and the dog curled up on the cushion beside him with its tail wagging.
“My phone broke on Friday and I haven’t been able to access my mail up until this morning. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“Not at all.” Ohno waved a hand. “You made it in time anyway.”
“In time?”
“I was worried I wouldn’t hear from you before Sunday, er, tomorrow I mean.” He smiled a little crookedly, rubbing his head and making the mess of his hair worse. “I was planning a fishing trip. My friend has a boat, and we go out on it together whenever we can find some free time. I haven’t seen him in a couple of weeks now, let alone to go fishing.”
“Your secret boyfriend?” Sho’s eyes widened as the words left his mouth. He’d thought them, but certainly hadn’t meant to say them out loud.
Ohno’s eyes widened slightly and he raised his eyebrows at the comment. The hand in his hair stilled and a definite pink flush appeared on his cheeks. “Ehh… no, actually. He’s just a friend…” He paused uncertainly.
“Sorry, sorry I shouldn’t have- I… that just popped out, I’m sorry.” Sho apologized, turning beet red. “Your sister was here and she said she thought you were seeing someone secretly and… Wow, I’m really sorry I said that…”
Ohno laughed at his expression, seeming almost put back at ease as he got to his feet. “It’s fine. You just surprised me… Do you want something to drink? Tea? Water? ...I think I bought some juice the other day…”
“Water is fine, t-thank you.” Sho managed, still shocked at himself. Luckily, he managed to calm himself down by the time Ohno returned with two glasses. “Thanks…”
“No problem.” Ohno smiled, sitting down and taking a large gulp from his own glass. “So, the reason I called you here was about that finance proposal. There have been some complaints about the location of the billboards we already have up, so I think we’ll need to factor in the costs of taking them down. They’re not really effective where they are and they’re being a target for graffiti artists.” He had leant forward while he was talking, and the dog had shuffled closer to stick its snout into the glass and lap up some of the water within. Sho tried not to grimace when Ohno paid no mind to this and took another large mouthful himself.
+++
“What?...”
Aiba slurped his instant ramen noisily, staring blatantly at his friend over the rim of the cup.
“What?” Nino demanded, unnerved by the attention while he was trying to eat.
“Nino-chan… you’re kind of little, for a guy…”
Nino frowned darkly at him. “…Excuse me?”
“No, I mean… you’re built kind of… well, not really, but kind of girlishly, aren’t you?”
“Gee, thank you Aiba. Just because I’m short-“
“-And a little narrow shouldered. And, actually, your voice is relatively high too…”
Nino pursed his lips. “And I thought you wanted my help?”
“You already said you couldn’t help me anyway though.”
“I honestly can’t! You don’t have to be mean…”
“No! No, I’m not trying to be mean, Nino-chan. I’m just thinking.”
Nino scoffed.
There was a long pause. “… Have you ever considered cross-dressing?”
Nino choked on his noodles. “Ahck-! What?!” He spluttered then paused. A realization was dawning on him and he got to his feet, backing across the kitchen with his chopsticks raised like a weapon as Aiba advanced on him. “Oh no… No! I am not- Aiba, no!”
“Please, Nino-chan? I’ll pay you! I’ll play games with you whenever you want! I’ll say you look pretty every day!”
“NO. I don’t want you to say I’m pretty! Aiba!~” He whined as his back hit the counter and Aiba pushed the chopsticks aside to take him by the shoulders. “No means no…” He tried almost pathetically, unable to struggle much as Aiba pulled him into a hug.
“Please, Nino-chan? For me?”
If he didn’t know Aiba better he would have thought the man was using some twisted tactic to guilt him into agreement, but Aiba wasn’t like that. Nino sighed heavily, relaxing into the tight embrace. “…I hate you.”
Aiba squeezed him slightly, letting out a happy squeak. “Ahh I love you Nino-chan!” He exclaimed, not noticing the way Nino stiffened slightly in his arms. “You’re my best friend ever!”
“Yeah…” If he hadn’t known Aiba better, he would think the declaration had been meant to hurt. “You’re buying me that new Mario game,” he growled into the taller man’s chest, “just so you’re aware.”
+++
to be continued...
Comments and Criticisms are greatly appreciated!! Thanks for reading!
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.
PREVIOUS: Step01 |
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 2.
“Just for tonight, so you won’t fall behind. Just make sure you both remember to bring a partner for next week, okay?”
And Jun had turned such pleading eyes on him, even if he wasn’t far too aware of what falling behind would do to his already low skill-level, Sho couldn’t possibly have refused.
“So…” His temporary partner said awkwardly, turning to face him as Jun began introducing himself to the class. “I’m Aiba Masaki.”
“Sakurai Sho.” Sho inclined his head slightly. He would have added ‘nice to meet you’, except he wasn’t quite sure if that was true at the moment.
“Great, now let’s get started right away.” Sho could tell Jun was nervous, but he was keeping himself very together. Had Sho not known him for so long he wouldn’t have had the slightest idea. “Please face your partner. Men,” his eyes flickered to Sho’s and Sho noted the mix of amusement and wariness there, “or the leading partner, should take their partner’s right hand in their left. Yeah, and then he should place his right hand on his partner’s shoulder blade.” He paused to correct what one of the couples near him was doing.
“Whoa, hold on.” Sho stepped back, dropping Aiba’s hand as the other made to place his right one on Sho’s back. “I’m dancing the lead part.”
“What?”
“You can be the girl. You’re prettier than me anyway.” Sho clarified, reaching for him again.
“Thank-wait, no. I’m taller than you, Sakurai-san. Wouldn’t it make more sense for me to be leading?”
“Height doesn’t matter.”
“Then what does?”
Sho stared at him determinedly, and his expression said clearly that he wasn’t going to be swayed. “I am leading.” He said, taking Aiba’s hand and pulling him close again, winding his hand around to rest on the other man’s shoulder blade before Aiba could protest. “Please cooperate.”
“…Okay, and then the second partner, the one following the lead, should place his or her hand flat on their partner’s shoulder… Good. Now posture is really important. You have to stand tall and confidently, look over your partner’s shoulder…”
Aiba looked indecisive for a moment before sighing and placing his hand accordingly upon Sho’s shoulder. “Fine, I don’t care, but this is probably going to be really awkward.”
Sho knew he meant the height difference, but he figured that it was bound to be painfully awkward anyway, so there wasn’t much difference.
“Now, to do a simple waltz we start with the most basic of steps. The box step. As the name suggests, you step in the shape of a box. The man steps forward, the woman -or, I mean, the following partner-steps back and then follow up like so…” he demonstrated as though he were dancing with an invisible partner, changing sides after a round to demonstrate the other partner’s point of view. “It’s simple once you get the hang of it. What’s helpful is to count ‘one, two, three’ to help keep you and your partner on tempo. Like this. One, two, three, one, two, three. Everybody try it, please.”
Sho took a deep breath, “…Ready?” Aiba nodded so he stepped forward. For a moment they were fine, and then their knees smashed together rather painfully.
“Ah, you’re standing wrong…” Jun said, approaching them as he wandered around to observe the other couples. “The one dancing what is generally the female’s part should actually stand just a bit to the right of the man…” Jun reached out, taking Aiba by the waist and pulling him slightly in the right direction. “There… now if you can keep that up you should be able to avoid those kind of collisions.” He smiled, looking moderately apologetic before wandering away again.
“Try again?” Aiba suggested, receiving a curt nod before they began moving once more.
It was awkward, but at least they managed not injure each other any further. Aiba giggled nervously every time they fumbled up or he accidentally attempted to lead, and Sho was sure his own face was stuck in a perpetual state of red. The other couples around them -who, for the most part, were nearly as terrible as the male/male team was- kept grinning and snickering at them, which made the experience that much worse. On his rounds of the dance floor, Jun kept stopping to encourage them and remind them to move gracefully, and not like stiff robots, but he stopped mentioning it once they reverted to awkward shuffling for the fifth time that evening.
“Okay, if you feel like you’ve got the hang of that, you can start doing the same step, but turn slightly so you’re moving in a circle… Of course, the leading partner should be the one to initiate this. The following partner should just follow their guide, okay? Good… Take your time though,” Jun added, and his words seemed to be mostly directed to the male duo in the back, though he tried not to glance pointedly in their direction. “Make sure you’re comfortable with the box step on its own before you take it up a level…”
The rest of the class went by quickly, thankfully, and before they knew it the clock had struck nine and Jun was thanking everybody for coming.
“Same time next week, okay? And don’t be afraid to practice what we’ve learned between now and then. Not to be rude, but you all need it.” He chuckled with the rest, much more comfortable with the crowd than he had been at the beginning of the class. “And once you’ve got these basics down we’ll be able to learn more complex steps. Everything builds from here. Have a safe trip home, everyone!”
The crowd began moving for the coat racks by the door, but both Sho and Aiba hung back a bit. There was no way they’d get anywhere near their coats until more people had left anyway, and Jun was clearly making his way in their direction.
“Was that terrible?” He asked with a wince.
Sho shook his head. “You’re a good teacher.”
“Very good! Thank you for letting me stay, Matsumoto-san.” Aiba bowed thankfully, looking embarrassed.
“I’m sorry you guys had to be put in an awkward situation like that.” Jun apologized, deftly hiding the pleased smile all the praise was threatening to paste on his features. “Hopefully you both were able to learn the basics anyway, and you can come with your own partners next time.”
“It wasn’t that bad, really.” Aiba assured him.
Sho just smiled and nodded.
Jun smiled slyly back. “So I guess this means I’ll be meeting Maki-chan?”
Sho chuckled. “Yeah, I guess. I didn’t even tell her I was taking this class…”
“Well, hopefully she’ll be pleasantly surprised. It’s kind of romantic anyway, ballroom dancing.”
+++
“Ballroom dancing? Really?”
“Yeah, well my friend Jun is teaching it so…”
“Oh, Sho that’s really romantic.” She grinned, tip-toeing to press a kiss to his lips. “When does it start?”
“Well… yesterday?”
“We missed the first class?” She looked surprised and a little disappointed.
“No, well, I can probably teach you what we learned. We just went over the basic steps…” He reached for her hand, pulling her into the same position he’d held Aiba in the day prior.
“Wait, you went?”
“Yeah, Jun wanted me to go, so…”
She stopped him mid-box step. “I thought you had to work late…?”
Sho blinked, having forgotten the lie over the phone. “Uh… yeah. That wasn’t true…”
“Obviously not.” She frowned.
“Look, Maki-chan, to be honest I was a little embarrassed about the whole thing. I would never have gone if Jun hadn’t wanted me to go so badly, and you know I’m not the most orthodox or graceful person even when I’m not dancing…”
“Who was your partner?”
“My-… What?”
“Your partner, Sho. You can’t waltz without a partner. Who was she? A friend from work?”
“No!” He exclaimed. I didn’t even know him… “I didn’t have one.” He stated and then hurried to continue before she could protest. “I mean, it didn’t occur to me that a partner would be necessary until I got there, but Jun suggested I stay so I wouldn’t be behind for next week so I sat off to the side and watched. That’s all.”
“Really?...”
He leant down to kiss her, not giving her the opportunity to see the lie in his eyes. He didn’t think he’d done anything wrong by dancing with Aiba, but he doubted she would perceive it any other way. “Really.” He murmured against her lips. She sighed and leaned back into him as they abandoned dancing for the time being in favor of his living room couch.
+++
“Ugh… what the hell…?” Nino rolled out of his bed, nearly falling face-first before he righted himself and rubbed blearily at his eyes. His glasses were on the nightstand and he shoved them on his face before reaching for the cell phone that’s buzzing had been half the reason he was awake. Fourteen missed calls and several texts, all in caps and from the same person, which demanded that he ‘OPEN THE DOOR D8’ immediately.
Ah, that’s right. Someone was still trying to break his door down with a battering ram.
“Aiba, I’m going to kill you if you’re not dying.” Nino growled as he reached the threshold of his apartment. He was mildly surprised to find no rams of any sort in sight, and just a disheveled and distressed looking best friend with his fists raised to continue pummeling the door.
“Nino! This is an emergency!”
“By normal people standards, I doubt it.” Nino grumbled, pulling the door open wider all the same.
Aiba kicked his shoes off haphazardly before storming into his shorter friend’s living room like the world was about to end if he didn’t collapse on the couch in record time. Nino followed wearily, wishing he were sleeping until noon on this particular Saturday off, rather than feeling obligated to listen to Aiba’s latest ‘crisis’.
“If this has anything to do with puppies. No. I’m not allowed to keep pets in this building, and I’ve already told you that.”
“No puppies this time. This is not an animal problem, I promise!”
“Then what?” Nino questioned, perching on the edge of the coffee table. His expression suddenly went dark and horrified. “Oh god, a ‘science’ problem? If you blew something up I am not getting involved this time!”
“No no no! This is a people problem!”
“Seriously?... What, like a boy problem?” Nino raised an eyebrow.
“No, actually… A girl problem.”
Nino nearly toppled off of his seat. “W-what? But you-! Since when!?”
“Look!” Aiba tossed a small red notebook at him, which smacked Nino in the chest before he could get his hands around it.
“An address book?...”
“Most of the women in there are only acquaintances!” Aiba nearly wailed, rolling so he was sprawled across the couch on his back. “Why do I only have male friends?!”
“Um… because as far as I knew up until a minute ago, you were the gayest person I’ve ever met? And you told me you get nervous and uncomfortable around girls because they usually hit on you and its ‘weird’….?”
“So?!” Aiba sighed heavily. “I’m so stupid! Why didn’t I foresee this would be a problem if I ever decided to dance in pairs?!”
Both of Nino’s eyebrows shot up. “…. So, wait… you need to find a girl friend… as in a female friend… to be your dance partner?”
“Yes. What else would I have meant?”
Nino tried not to smile, glad that everything still seemed to be right with the world. “Beats me.”
“I need your help Nino-chan…” Aiba continued to whine. “Hook me up with someone you know?”
“Sorry.” Nino sighed. “I don’t have many friends in general, let alone of the female variety. None that I could possibly ask to spend copious amounts of time in the close proximity of my crazy best friend anyway.” He stood, stretching and stifling a yawn before wandering out of the room. “Breakfast?”
“It’s almost one…”
Nino blinked. So he had slept ‘til noon after all. Whattya know… “Lunch, then?” He amended. Aiba agreed.
+++
Sho cursed as he left the cell phone repair shop. He’d dropped his phone on the way home from work the day before and the black interference on the screen had made it impossible to check his calls or text messages, the two main ways people from work used to get in contact with him. He was having terrible luck with technology lately. His laptop had caught some sort of virus and was in ‘intensive care’ at the computer place near the grocery store he frequented and his iPod had fallen from his pocket, off a footbridge, and into a stream while he was on a jog through the park the previous Wednesday. In short, he had been completely reliant on his cell phone, and was sure to have catching up to do now that it was usable once again.
Sure enough, he had three missed calls and several unread emails. Most of these were from a certain Ohno Satoshi.
Sakurai-san,
Sorry to disturb you at home but this is rather urgent. I’ve more information for you regarding the funding for the RedLight campaign. This changes everything, really, and I’m going to need to talk everything out with you as soon as possible so we can settle on a price. I was sorta hoping to have this done before Monday, if possible, so could you please respond this time? Seriously, I’ve been mailing you all night. Don’t make me worry, please.
- CMO, Ohno Satoshi
The rest were all more of the same, and Sho couldn’t help but frown at the way the professionalism all but disappeared from the mails by the time they each ended. Sometimes, he seriously thought the youngest Ohno was doing it intentionally to grate on his nerves.
His home number, address, and email address were included in the email, so Sho hurriedly dialed the number.
…
Hey, if you’re looking for Ohno Satoshi, I’m not here. Sorry. If you’re looking for someone else and … uh, still listening for some reason, then you should try again. You probably dialed the wrong number. Or maybe somebody gave you it wrong, or you misheard them… But I’m not here. And my name is Ohno Satoshi, by the way… Oh wait. I said that at the beginning……. Oh! Leaveamessageatthebeep---BEEP
Sho left one explaining why he’d been out of touch and telling the painfully disorganized Chief of Marketing to please call him back immediately. He proceeded to send an email as well and returned home waiting for a reply in one form or another.
When it hadn’t come three hours later, he sighed in exasperation and got back in his car. If the man wasn’t even home, he was going to kill him.
He knocked politely and a moment later the door was opened. “Hey, Ohno-san-“ He broke off, realizing that the person staring demurely back at him was actually not his co-worker. The woman looked like him though, just more feminine and with makeup, women’s clothing, and shoulder-length hair. “Uh, sorry.” He apologized sheepishly. “Is Ohno Satoshi-san here?”
She smiled brightly and nodded, stepping aside so he could enter. “I’m his sister, Mina.”
“Oh, nice to meet you. I’m Sakurai Sho.” Sho set his shoes carefully aside and she led him further into the house. “You look a lot alike, I was a little surprised.”
She laughed softly. “We even used to have similar haircuts when we were little. It was more convenient than it was a nuisance though.”
“Oh? For playing tricks, or…?”
“Yes, exactly. And our parents put us in lessons but I always wanted to take what Satoshi was in, and he would always have preferred to take mine, so we tended to switch.” She stopped in front of a door. “He’s in here. I’m leaving in just a minute, so I won’t disturb you any more.” She winked, laughing a light, twinkly sort of laugh. “Sorry, I stop by a lot to make sure he’s eating and keeping the place tidy, but I didn’t realize he was expecting anyone. You’ll have the place to yourselves now though so don’t mind me.”
Sho frowned; a little confused about the way she’d phrased her sentences as he watched her walk away and around the corner. Shaking his head to get himself back into work-mode, he knocked once before opening the door to what he assumed must be his colleague’s study.
“Ohno-san? I got your messages but-“
It was not a study; it was a bedroom. Sho stopped mid-sentence with his mouth hanging open as he took this in. Ohno Satoshi was sprawled on his stomach across the double bed, tangled in the sheets and wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. He was snoring softly and drooling a little on the dog he was hugging to his face. The large, golden retriever lifted it’s head to stare sleepily at Sho with an expression that was frightfully similar to it’s master’s, and that’s when Sho snapped out of his shock, backtracked and shut the door firmly behind himself.
Mina looked surprised to see him when he found his way, red-faced, to the living room where she was gathering her coat and purse.
“He’s asleep.” He answered her silent question.
She continued to frown. “You didn’t want to join him?”
“What? No!”
“Then… you could have just woken him up, Sakurai-san. I’m sure he’d be happy to see you.”
“Yes? But, well, he’s hardly dressed, you know. And we don’t know each other very well. I mean, I’ve never seen him outside of work before and even in work… It just seems like it would be strange of me to intrude when he’s asleep and… not entirely decent…”
“Oh… OH.” Mina’s eyes widened. “Oh! You’re a friend of his from work?!”
“Well, friend might be too strong a term…”
She laughed outright, eyes crinkling up. “Oh, oh I’m so sorry! I thought you must have been his boyfriend! That was silly of me to assume that, I’m sorry Sakurai-san.”
“B-boyfriend?...” Sho’s cheeks reddened again. And he’d thought coming to his colleague’s house on its own would be venturing into personal territory. Now he was going to leave knowing what the other man looked like without the majority of his clothes on and what his sexual orientation was. And to think he’d only been there a few minutes.
“Sorry,” she apologized again, “he doesn’t talk much to us about who he’s with lately, so we don’t know.” She gestured for Sho to take a seat on the couch. “I thought he was being secretive or something, but maybe he’s actually just single for once?” Another laugh. “Who knows. But anyway, I’ll go get him up for you. Make yourself comfortable, okay?”
Mina was back a minute later, dog at her heels, but she didn’t stay, apologizing to Sho again before excusing herself and leaving the stylish apartment. Sho sat alone for another several minutes, attempting to keep the big dog from snuffling at his crotch, before Ohno appeared in a wrinkled t-shirt and paint stained jeans. His hair was sticking up at all angles and he looked half asleep, though that wasn’t exactly unusual for him.
“Hey,” He greeted, yawning behind his hand. “Sorry about that, I was up half the night waiting to hear back from you.” He chuckled, and it was apparent that the comment was just the truth, and not meant to be a jibe. He sat comfortably on the loveseat across the coffee table from Sho and the dog curled up on the cushion beside him with its tail wagging.
“My phone broke on Friday and I haven’t been able to access my mail up until this morning. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“Not at all.” Ohno waved a hand. “You made it in time anyway.”
“In time?”
“I was worried I wouldn’t hear from you before Sunday, er, tomorrow I mean.” He smiled a little crookedly, rubbing his head and making the mess of his hair worse. “I was planning a fishing trip. My friend has a boat, and we go out on it together whenever we can find some free time. I haven’t seen him in a couple of weeks now, let alone to go fishing.”
“Your secret boyfriend?” Sho’s eyes widened as the words left his mouth. He’d thought them, but certainly hadn’t meant to say them out loud.
Ohno’s eyes widened slightly and he raised his eyebrows at the comment. The hand in his hair stilled and a definite pink flush appeared on his cheeks. “Ehh… no, actually. He’s just a friend…” He paused uncertainly.
“Sorry, sorry I shouldn’t have- I… that just popped out, I’m sorry.” Sho apologized, turning beet red. “Your sister was here and she said she thought you were seeing someone secretly and… Wow, I’m really sorry I said that…”
Ohno laughed at his expression, seeming almost put back at ease as he got to his feet. “It’s fine. You just surprised me… Do you want something to drink? Tea? Water? ...I think I bought some juice the other day…”
“Water is fine, t-thank you.” Sho managed, still shocked at himself. Luckily, he managed to calm himself down by the time Ohno returned with two glasses. “Thanks…”
“No problem.” Ohno smiled, sitting down and taking a large gulp from his own glass. “So, the reason I called you here was about that finance proposal. There have been some complaints about the location of the billboards we already have up, so I think we’ll need to factor in the costs of taking them down. They’re not really effective where they are and they’re being a target for graffiti artists.” He had leant forward while he was talking, and the dog had shuffled closer to stick its snout into the glass and lap up some of the water within. Sho tried not to grimace when Ohno paid no mind to this and took another large mouthful himself.
+++
“What?...”
Aiba slurped his instant ramen noisily, staring blatantly at his friend over the rim of the cup.
“What?” Nino demanded, unnerved by the attention while he was trying to eat.
“Nino-chan… you’re kind of little, for a guy…”
Nino frowned darkly at him. “…Excuse me?”
“No, I mean… you’re built kind of… well, not really, but kind of girlishly, aren’t you?”
“Gee, thank you Aiba. Just because I’m short-“
“-And a little narrow shouldered. And, actually, your voice is relatively high too…”
Nino pursed his lips. “And I thought you wanted my help?”
“You already said you couldn’t help me anyway though.”
“I honestly can’t! You don’t have to be mean…”
“No! No, I’m not trying to be mean, Nino-chan. I’m just thinking.”
Nino scoffed.
There was a long pause. “… Have you ever considered cross-dressing?”
Nino choked on his noodles. “Ahck-! What?!” He spluttered then paused. A realization was dawning on him and he got to his feet, backing across the kitchen with his chopsticks raised like a weapon as Aiba advanced on him. “Oh no… No! I am not- Aiba, no!”
“Please, Nino-chan? I’ll pay you! I’ll play games with you whenever you want! I’ll say you look pretty every day!”
“NO. I don’t want you to say I’m pretty! Aiba!~” He whined as his back hit the counter and Aiba pushed the chopsticks aside to take him by the shoulders. “No means no…” He tried almost pathetically, unable to struggle much as Aiba pulled him into a hug.
“Please, Nino-chan? For me?”
If he didn’t know Aiba better he would have thought the man was using some twisted tactic to guilt him into agreement, but Aiba wasn’t like that. Nino sighed heavily, relaxing into the tight embrace. “…I hate you.”
Aiba squeezed him slightly, letting out a happy squeak. “Ahh I love you Nino-chan!” He exclaimed, not noticing the way Nino stiffened slightly in his arms. “You’re my best friend ever!”
“Yeah…” If he hadn’t known Aiba better, he would think the declaration had been meant to hurt. “You’re buying me that new Mario game,” he growled into the taller man’s chest, “just so you’re aware.”
+++
to be continued...
Comments and Criticisms are greatly appreciated!! Thanks for reading!
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