[fic] Step by Step; Light and Shade - (9/?)

May 26, 2011 11:23

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 | Step02 | Step03 | Step04 | Step05 | Step06 | Step07 | Step08 |


NOTE: I've tried to do my research but I am neither a dancer or a business person, so please excuse any incorrect information!!

Step 9.

Aiba had been worried about meeting up with Nino again. Nino had to work that Saturday afternoon, and Aiba had decided to corner him there so they could talk. But, to Aiba’s surprise, Nino didn’t try to run or make excuses. Standing behind the register, he raised his head when Aiba entered, looking not the least bit surprised to see him, and greeted him with a tired smile and a quiet “Welcome”.

Nino looked more worn out than Aiba had seen him since the aftermath of his last three-days-without-sleep gaming marathon, but he didn’t dodge the subject at all. In fact, he was the one to jump right into it from the start.

“About last night, I want to apologize.”

“No, I’m the one that should apologize.” Aiba countered.

Nino raised a dubious brow. “Not unless you changed your mind and do want to date me all of a sudden.”

Aiba lowered his gaze, feeling bad even though Nino seemed to be teasing him the same as he always did. “… I shouldn’t have left so suddenly, or something. I think I was kinda harsh…”

Nino chuckled and shook his head. “Not at all. It’s my fault for jumping you out of nowhere like that. It was stupid of me. Anybody would have taken off running. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d punched me off.”

“I’m not mad.” Aiba assured him, half wanting to laugh at the absurdity that would be punching Nino over a kiss.

“Well then I’m lucky I’ve got such an understanding friend.” Nino smirked.

Aiba smiled back at him. “Best friend.”

Nino rolled his eyes and only objected halfheartedly when Aiba hugged him with fierce relief over the top of the counter.

“I’m glad you’re still Nino-chan.” He mumbled into Nino’s shoulder.

“… If you cry all over my uniform, I’m going to pinch you. Seriously. Snot smears will totally show up on black.”

Aiba laughed so giddily his whole body shook. His life was pretty much back to normal, and he couldn’t be more relieved.
+++

“There.” Jun announced, needing to raise his voice over the volume of the incessant barking outside of the door to Sho’s study. “Now you just need to wait for someone to reply.”

“Thanks, Jun-kun. You’re a lifesaver.” Sho sighed, watching Jun close the browser window on his laptop that advertised his need for a pet-sitter.

Jun snorted, letting Sho escort him to the hall. “It’s not that complicated, really. I have no idea why you’re so inept with this sort of thing.”

“I just don’t think of it, for some reason.” As soon as they left the study behind, a ball of yapping fur with sharp puppy teeth launched itself at Jun’s leg and clung there. “Chubby, no! Bad!” Sho scolded, prying the dog off and carrying him squirming the rest of the way down to the first floor. “I’m sorry, I have no idea why he hates you so much.”

Jun grimaced. “I don’t get along with most animals, I don’t think it’s just your dog.” He slipped his shoes on in the entranceway while Sho locked the dog into the kitchen with a couple of baby gates. The barking didn’t stop even after Sho returned. “Let me know if you get any replies, ‘k? I can help you interview people if you want. Hopefully we’ll find somebody who’s brave enough to take on the job once they meet your little demon.”

Sho laughed, but it was tinged with a bit more hysteria than humor. “Yeah. I’ll let you know.”

By Monday evening they had three people to interview. Only one of them threw in the towel before the interview had finished. And of the other two, Sho hired the lady that looked least likely to rob him blind while he was out.

Knowing he could relax with his monstrosity of a pet under someone else’s watch let him get more work done Tuesday than he had in several long days. And he even had time to sneak a nap in under his desk before heading home for the day. Life was definitely looking better.
+++

Nino had made plans with Aiba to meet for lunch outside of the convenience store because their schedules had matched up. This plan had been made Sunday, via text message, because they would both be too busy to hang out up until Tuesday. And yet it was Tuesday, Nino’s lunch break was almost over, and Aiba had yet to show up.

Frowning, Nino shoved the cold remains of his boxed lunch into the bag it had come with and screwed the cap back onto his green tea. It wasn’t like Aiba to stand him up without even a text message of apology, and he couldn’t help but worry. The only recent text messages in his cell’s inbox were from Matsumoto Jun -most of them he hadn’t even replied to.

Nino shoved all thoughts of the dance instructor from his mind as he trudged back to work. He didn’t see the point in flirting with the man anymore. In fact, it was starting to feel downright wrong. Especially when that girl acquaintance of Sakurai’s was obviously trying to compete with him for Jun’s affections. Nino wasn’t an idiot, and he wanted no part in that competition when he didn’t really ‘qualify’ to participate in the first place. The only problem was that Matsumoto was damn persistent with his texting, and almost as oblivious of the Inoue woman’s advances as he was of Nino’s sudden lack of interest.

Basically, Nino had decided that he just wanted to get through however many classes remained without causing any more drama.

“Excuse me? Could you help me find the science fiction section…?”

“Yeah, sure. Right over here.” Nino led the customer down the right aisle, shaking his head as though it would clear his worries away, and decided to focus for the next few hours on doing his job.

His worries returned, however, when he stopped by the pet shop at the end of his shift. “Is Aiba still around?” He asked a part-timer (he could never remember the kid’s name) cleaning near the rodent cages. “That idiot forgot he was supposed to meet me for lunch earlier.”

“Aiba stood you up?” Becky called from behind him, laughter clear in her voice. “Poor Nino-chan.”

“Ha. Ha.” Nino turned and scowled at her. “Did he leave already?”

“He didn’t come in today.” She said seriously, and then held up the hand that wasn’t full of dog toys to keep him from retorting. “And before you start saying ‘Of course he did, I memorize his schedule so I know where he is all the time, blah, blah, etc. etc.’,” Nino frowned, on the verge of countering that that really wasn’t the case at all, “He called yesterday morning and said he couldn’t come in then or today either.” She shrugged. “And don’t ask me why. All he said was that he had something personal to see to.”

Nino’s brow creased with worry, his urge to bicker with Becky completely forgotten. Aiba hadn’t texted him at all Monday either, but Nino had just assumed he was busy with work and spent his own day off in his own world, completely immersed in the Mario & Sonic game. “…Thanks.” He muttered, rushing out of the shop and sprinting across the parking lot to catch the bus just pulling up at the curb.

His worries doubled when he found that no amount of pounding on Aiba’s apartment door was getting him a reaction from within, and Aiba’s landlord came out to complain about the racket and told him Aiba had left in a rush Monday morning and not been back since. Nino sent him several texts on the train ride back to his own residence, and called multiple times as well. Each time it went to voicemail, and he left angry messages demanding that Aiba explain his absence immediately.

It was just past midnight and Nino was drifting off in a tangle of his bed covers when he heard his phone begin ringing and buzzing on the bedside table. Immediately, he jolted awake and turned his lamp on, struggling to reach the phone and bring it to his ear. The number on the caller display wasn’t one he recognized, but the voice on the other end of the line was.

“Hey,”

“AIBA.” Nino barked. “What the hell?!”

“Sorry… my phone was on silent mode…” Nino felt dread creep in and chase away some of his relief at the soft, weary tone of Aiba’s voice. “…I saw all your messages, but my cell’s battery is low so I didn’t want to call you on it. Sorry for making you worry.”

Nino took a second to swallow and sort out the most important question he wanted to ask. “…Where the hell did you disappear to?”

“Chiba. I went home, but I’m coming back to Tokyo in the morning.”

Nino frowned; he was still drowsy, and more than a little confused. “You’re at your parent’s place?”

“Yeah. I was at the hospital earlier, but I’m calling from the house now.”

“Hosp-?!”

“Wait, no! Don’t panic! I’m fine.” Aiba assured him, letting a quiet huff of amusement hit the phone’s receiver and then falling silent for a long moment.

A different kind of dread sunk into Nino’s bones, and it was icy. “… Is your family okay?”

A beat of silence passed, and then Aiba sighed. “It’s my mom. She hasn’t been doing too well for a while now, apparently. When I heard they were taking her to the hospital, I thought I should come down and help out. Even if I just run the restaurant for them while they take her to see the doctors and such… I just would have felt too far away and useless back in Tokyo with all this going on, you know?” He sighed again.

Nino ran a hand through his hair and slumped back against the headboard. “…You didn’t tell me your mom was sick.”

“I didn’t realize it was serious. They didn’t tell me the details ‘cause they didn’t want me to worry.” He let out a strained chuckle. “Didn’t want me running off to Chiba in a panic, I guess.”

Nino sighed. “Masaki… Are you okay?”

Aiba made a soft affirmative noise. “I don’t really know what to think yet… She was sick, and she thought it would pass, but the symptoms just got worse. They think it’s a bad stomach ulcer, but they’re still waiting on some test results. They’ve got her on medications to treat it for now anyway...”

“You’re still worried.” Nino observed.

“Well, yeah. I mean, she’s my mom…” He sighed again. “... Anyway, we’ll hear the test results in a day or two.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah…” Aiba was silent again for a long minute. “Oh, sorry. It’s late, huh? I must be keeping you up.”

“S’okay.” Nino replied, trying to muffle a yawn. In truth he was starting to drift off, but he didn’t want to leave Aiba alone on the other end of the line. “…What are you doing right now?”

Aiba chuckled quietly. “Sitting in the attic above the restaurant. On my old bed.”

“Your room was in the attic?”

“No, but my brother claimed my room after I moved out. All the old junk my family hasn’t bothered throwing away is stored up here.”

“Cozy?” Nino smiled, turning off the lamp and rolling onto his side with the phone still cradled to his ear.

“Kind of lonely, actually.” Aiba replied with a wry laugh, and then a long yawn. “…And dusty too.”

“You’re tired.” Nino observed.

“Probably can’t sleep. I couldn’t last night, anyway.” He mumbled, and then yawned again.

“Maybe.” Nino chuckled. “But I’ll stay on the line if you want to try again.”

Aiba was silent for a moment. “…’K. I put you on speakerphone.”

Nino did the same, and set his cell phone down on the pillow beside him. “Night, Masaki.”

“G’night… I’ll call you when I get back tomorrow…” Nino could hear him shifting around on the other end of the line, and when he spoke again his voice was thick with the exhaustion that was clearly catching up with him. “…Probably… won’t be ‘til later on though…”

Nino listened to Aiba’s breathing even out for as long as he could, until sleep finally claimed him as well.
+++

“Matsumoto-kun!” Ohno called for the waiter’s attention, waving a hand in the air.

“Yes? Can I get you anything?”

“Could you tell our server that I’m actually going to need my sandwich to go, if it’s no trouble?”

Jun eyed his and Mao’s matching innocent expressions with suspicion, but nodded. “It’s no trouble. Yours too, Mao-chan?”

“Oh, no.” Ohno shook his head. “I, unfortunately, have to go back for an emergency meeting. Mao can stay and finish her lunch though.” He turned to the girl across the table with an extremely apologetic expression. “I’m sorry, Mao-chan. I wish I didn’t have to leave you here with no one to keep you company…”

Mao’s lips twitched with amusement before she pasted on an exaggerated look of disappointment. “That’s okay…” She pouted.

Jun tried not to roll his eyes. “…I’ll go get you a takeout container.” He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

“That was quick!” Ohno spoke up when Jun returned with the Styrofoam box. “I guess you’re hurrying to get out of here?” He studied his watch. “Since your shift’s going to be over in… less than a minute.”

Jun frowned, closing the lid of the boxed sandwich with a quiet snap. “…Sho’s been feeding you information about my schedule?”

“Hey!” Ohno grinned, ignoring Jun’s accusation -it was true. “I have an idea! Why don’t you keep Mao-chan company?”

“Me?”

Before Jun could protest, Ohno was on his feet with his sandwich in hand. “Great! I owe you one. Here,” He tossed some bills onto the table and thumped the waiter on the shoulder. “Buy yourself a coffee or something, okay?” He beamed and strode off to pay for his food.

Jun blinked in confusion at the exchange that had just gone down, and Mao gestured at the vacant seat across from herself with a pleased smile. “Sit, Jun-kun. We should catch up.”

Jun sighed and did as directed. “… You’ve been coming here an awful lot lately.”

She shrugged. “The food’s good. We like the atmosphere here.”

“Jun-kun?” A passing waiter stopped to frown at him in confusion. “Your shift’s over?”

“Yeah, can I get a coffee?”

“Sure. Coming right up.” The waiter wrote down the order and left with a curious glance between the two of them.

Jun sighed again and raised his gaze to the young woman across from him. “… You look nice today.” He commented, because she seemed to have put more effort into her appearance than usual. Her clothes were a little brighter, her hair was down long and a little wavy, and there were sparkles in her lip-gloss. “Is Ohno-san taking you somewhere special later?”

She shook her head, blushing. “No, but thank you.”

He nodded and looked out across the café awkwardly. Somehow, he wasn’t sure of what he should say.

Mao cleared her throat. “… So, do you regret letting me dance with you again?” She fiddled with her utensils, poking at her salad without really eating any of it. “I didn’t mean to make things awkward.”

Jun ran his tongue over his lips thoughtfully. “No… I don’t regret it. You just caught me off guard.” He folded his arms on the table. “I’m not sure what to think about your intentions, though I’m very grateful for the teaching help.”

She nodded understandingly and leaned forward in her seat. Her elbows braced on the table, splayed fingertips pressed together and tapping pensively against her chin. “Then let me be clear, if that’s okay.”

“Here’s your coffee. Cream or sugar?”

“No, black is fine. Thanks.” The waiter excused himself and Jun met her gaze. “Please go ahead.”

She took a deep breath. “I like you, quite a bit.” Jun raised his eyebrows. “I don’t want to be weird about it though. My offer to help you teach the class still stands, even if you aren’t interested in me as a partner off of the dance floor. I like you, but I like dancing with you too.” She smoothed a hand self-consciously through her hair. “You were a good friend to me in high school, and I was just as content to remain friends with you back then as I am now. That’s what I want to say.”

“… Mao-chan,” Jun paused, searching for words. “I…”

“Jun-kun, it’s obvious that you’ve got something going on with that Ninomiya lady, and I’m not going to try and sabotage that. I was pretty sure that confessing to you wouldn’t end in a relationship today, but I want you to know how I feel anyway. Just in case.”

“You mean in case things don’t work out with Kazuko?”

“Well, more like in case you wake up someday and realize you don’t love her anymore, or that you never really did. You know, just in case.” She smiled reassuringly when there remained a troubled crease in Jun’s brow. “Hey, no pressure. I’ve liked you since I was a teenager; waiting’s not going to make me fall apart. I’m stronger than I look, you know?”

Jun smiled back and took a sip of his coffee. “I know you are.” The dark, bitter, roast settled into his taste buds and warmed him to his core as he savored another mouthful. “Mao-chan,” He spoke, watching a drip trail down the side of the porcelain mug. “Thanks for telling me.”

“Thanks for listening.” She grinned and speared a forkful of lettuce. “Now, let’s talk dance.” Her grin widened excitedly. “I’ve got an idea that might be fun…”
+++

“Sho-kun~” Ohno sung the syllables out as he strolled into the ninth floor reception area. The secretary at the desk was putting down the phone, and she smiled coyly in Ohno’s direction as she reached for the intercom mic.

“Sakurai-san, you have a phone call on line one.”

“Who is it?” Sho’s voice came back a moment later. He sounded sleepy, like perhaps he’d been napping through his lunch hour again. Ohno smirked at the thought.

“Matsushima Nahomi, sir. She said it’s urgent.” The secretary relayed. “Also, Ohno-san from Marketing is here to see you.”

“S-send him in.” Was Sho’s panicked response.

The secretary raised an eyebrow but nodded in Ohno’s direction. “Go ahead, Ohno-san.”

“Thank you.” Ohno smiled charmingly and hurried into his friend’s office. Sho was already on the phone when he walked in and closed the door quietly behind himself.

“Wait, wait Matsushima-san… Are you serious? He-?... No, I’m terribly sorry. Are you okay?... I mean physically, are you all right?” He heaved a sigh of relief, eyes closing and shoulder’s sagging. “Thank goodness… I’m really so sorry. It won’t happen again. I’ll… do something to make sure it doesn’t.” He paused and then frowned, immediately straightening up in his seat. “What?... No, no!” He leapt to his feet and then jerked back into the chair when the phone’s cord didn’t reach far enough to allow his attempt at pacing. “Matsushima-san, please! You can’t-“ He gaped, looking like the world was crumbling around his feet. “You can’t just abandon-…”

Ohno grimaced, not liking the sounds of whatever was going wrong. Whatever it was, it was clearly going terribly wrong. Sho’s face had lost all its color, and he looked like he might start crying or screaming if the situation at all worsened.

“I’ll pay you double.” He offered weakly. “…Then, triple-!” He bit his lip and let the hand holding the phone slip away from his ear. For a long moment he just stared down at his desk, and then, with a deep breath, put the receiver back in the cradle.

“Sho-kun?...” Ohno tried warily.

“She hung up.” Sho muttered, and shook his head like he couldn’t believe the situation. “I’m so screwed.”

“… Was that an important client?” Ohno winced, but Sho frowned at him.

“Huh? No, that was my dog-sitter. She just quit.” He sighed heavily. “This is getting out of hand.”

Ohno’s eyebrows raised sharply. “Jeez, what the heck did that little guy do to her?”

“Escaped. That’s his latest gimmick.” Sho growled. “You open the door for even a second and he starts trying to worm his way out. That’s what happened today, and she chased him through the neighborhood and across an intersection. Apparently, she’s lucky she wasn’t run over, and she’s never coming back.”

Ohno whistled. “And is Houdini okay?”

Sho rolled his eyes. “Of course he is. That little devil…” He shook his head. “I really thought I was saved, you know? And now I don’t know what I’m going to do. Try to find someone else, I guess. But I’ll be blacklisted in the pet-sitting world at this rate.”

Ohno hummed thoughtfully. “You know what you need?”

“A miracle? Yes, I’m aware.”

“No, a night out!”

Sho scowled. “No. I really don’t. Every time I leave the house I come home to expensive damages.”

“Come on, Sho-kun. You should relax a bit. Your stress levels are worrisome.”

“Why are you here, anyway?” Sho grouched.

“Because I’m getting used to eating lunch with other people, and I didn’t want to go back and eat this in my office alone.” He held up a Styrofoam takeout box with a grin that instantly made Sho feel bad for wanting to chase him out. “I’ll share if you want. You can have the half I didn’t bite yet.” He offered, popping the lid open.

“No thanks, Ohno-kun.” Sho sighed, rubbing his temples. “…Where’s Mao-chan?”

“With Jun. We set him up.”

Sho raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? She’s really going after him?”

“You have no idea.” Ohno chuckled. “Though, you would if you’d been at the dance class last week. She’s impressively brave.” He took a large bite out of his sandwich and took a thoughtful moment to chew and swallow it. “Yum.” He said, and then: “Hey, you should come tomorrow night!”

“Ohno-kun, you may not have realized, but Maki and I aren’t really on great terms right now.”

“Yeah, and I’m concerned about that, but I think you should still come anyway. I always just sit and watch, right? You can too! Or, if you’d rather, I’ll be your partner.” He grinned mischievously, anticipating the rush of blood to Sho’s cheeks and ears.

Sho scowled through his blush. “No thank you.”

“Seriously though, you should come. It’d be good for you to see everyone again. Aiba-san was asking about you last week.”

Sho frowned nervously. “…Why?”

“Wanted to thank you for passing out those posters, and tell you that the dog was adopted.” Ohno chuckled. “He doesn’t know you’re the proud puppy-daddy?”

“No, and I’m not exactly proud. The dog’s a puppy delinquent.”

“Maybe he just needs some love and patience. Same as moody kids.”

“Or, he could have a few screws loose. I’m half tempted to buy him sedatives. Or maybe Ritalin… Do you think he’s got ADHD?”

Ohno shrugged. “Maybe, but I’d go with love and patience before you start drugging him up.”

Sho sighed, frustrated with the whole problem.

“Aiba-san knows a lot about pets, especially that one.” Ohno pointed out, mouth full. “Maybe you can ask him for advice… if you come to the class tomorrow.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“…Just eat your sandwich.”

Ohno shrugged again and chomped off another mouthful.
+++

“… Any word about your mother?” Nino asked, struggling to keep his balance as the crowd in the train car jostled them around.

Aiba frowned and clenched his fist in the strap hanging above his head. “Not really… She’s got a few ulcers apparently. They’re not sure what’s causing them yet though. Could be stress…”

“But they’re treatable?”

“Yeah, they’ve got her on medications now.” He adjusted the bag strap on his shoulder and sighed. “The biggest worry is that she might have stomach cancer or something… They’re checking for that.”

Nino exhaled heavily through his nose. “… Hope she doesn’t.”

Aiba nodded. “She waited so long to see a doctor, if it’s cancer it’d be in its late stages… But in any case, it looks like she might be in and out of the hospital a lot from now on.”

“Can your father handle the restaurant on his own?” Nino frowned.

Aiba shrugged. “My brother will help out, but he’s busy with university so he doesn’t have a lot of free time. Mom’s worried he’ll neglect his classes to try and be a help at home.” He looked annoyed. “She should be worrying about herself, but that’s how my mom is. Though I’m worried about Yusuke for the same reasons…”

“You think he’ll put school second too?”

Aiba sighed. “He probably will if we let him. I don’t plan on it though.” He paused for a long minute while the doors opened and more passengers piled in. “… I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“To stop him?”

“I’ve been thinking maybe I should go down to Chiba myself. If I was there, he wouldn’t need to worry.”

“Masaki, your mother probably doesn’t want you neglecting your life either.” Nino pointed out. “You have a job, you can’t be leaving for Chiba every few days. I know your boss is a nice guy, but…”

Aiba nodded. “I know.” He ran a hand through his hair, sifting the brown strands through his fingers and pushing them away from his face. “Maybe Shimura-san will let me take some time off. Or cut my hours down to part-time… That might be manageable. If not, I guess I’ll just quit and find a new job once everything back home gets settled.”

“And do you plan on selling your apartment too? You’re barely scraping rent together as it is. And don’t deny it.” Aiba’s face fell and Nino reached out to poke him in the arm apologetically. “…If you do, you’re welcome to bum around at my place.”

Aiba laughed. “Thanks. I’ll talk to my boss tomorrow… Are you working tomorrow?”

“No. I’m spending tomorrow with Mario and Sonic.”

“Sounds fun.” Aiba chuckled. “I’ll see you tomorrow night then. I’ll tell you what Shimura-san says.”

Nino smiled at him. The train slowed down at his stop. “You’ll figure something out.”
+++

“They seem to be getting along well.” Sho commented quietly, slouching on the bench at the back of the room beside his colleague. Mao and Jun were demonstrating some sort of turn, and they worked in perfect unison with each other. “You’d think they were telepathic.”

“Hm, yeah.” Ohno muttered distractedly. “Last week was a lot more entertaining, but it’s nice to see them being friendly too.” He rolled his neck a little to work out a kink. “I think she might have spilled her heart to him at lunch the other day, at least that’s the impression I got from what she’d tell me.”

Sho was surprised. “… Does that mean they’re together now?”

Ohno frowned and shook his head. “I don’t think. Probably they’re still just friends.”

“Oh.” Sho’s face fell. “Well that’s too bad.”

“…Matsumoto seems fond of Ninomiya.” Ohno commented casually.

Sho sighed. “He is.”

“And you’re not?” Ohno questioned, catching Sho’s bothered tone.

“…I don’t really know her.” Sho clarified, dropping his voice and glancing towards Aiba and Ninomiya. The pair was tottering awkwardly through the steps Jun and Mao had just so gracefully demonstrated. “But Aiba-san told me weeks ago that she’s the type to flirt with guys even when she’s not interested in pursuing a relationship.”

Ohno considered this. “… You think she’s being serious with Matsumoto-kun?”

Sho shrugged and frowned. “Aiba doesn’t think so.”

Ohno hummed understandingly.

Jun glanced at his watch and then raised his voice. “Okay! Good job, everybody! You’re all catching on pretty quickly.” There was murmuring as the class members stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to their instructor. “Mao-chan came up with an idea that we both thought would be interesting, so I looked into it… and…” She passed him a stack of colorful papers and he held up the one on the top for everyone to see. “Tada!” He beamed proudly. “It’s a ballroom dance competition, because the real fun of ballroom dance comes from performing and showing off. Now, before you start worrying, I’ll tell you that this is a very small competition. A lot of the competitors will be beginners, just like all of you.”

“And there’s still lots of time left to practice before the day.” Mao encouraged. “You don’t have to participate if you don’t want to, but it will be fun.”

“Exactly. I’ll have a sign up sheet in the class for the next three weeks, so you can just write your names on it if you want to join. I’m also willing to work privately with couples that want a little extra help with their routines for the competition. Just let me know if you’re interested and we can try to work something out.”

“Cool?” Mao asked with a grin, wandering to the back of the room while Jun fielded questions.

“This was your idea?” Ohno questioned, and was met with a shrug. “I’m going to assume this is part of your sneaky plan to win Matsumoto-kun’s heart.”

She laughed and held a finger up to her lips.

“A dance competition sounds like fun.” Aiba spoke up, approaching the group with Ninomiya in tow. “Hey, we should sign up.”

Ninomiya frowned up at him and crossed her arms. “Aren’t you going to be travelling a lot from now on?”

“Well, in between trips it looks like I’m going to have a lot of free time. I think we could do it!”

“The pet store has you travelling now?” Sho asked curiously, getting to his feet.

“Uh… Well, no. I quit that job, actually. Just earlier today.”

“Oh.” Sho blinked in surprise. “… Sorry, I shouldn’t have-“

“No, no, no!” Aiba waved the apology off. “It’s fine. I’ve just got some family stuff to deal with at my parent’s house, so I’ll be making a lot of trips back there. Probably for the next month or two.” Aiba smiled pleasantly. “Oh! I wanted to thank you for passing out those posters. Did Ohno-san tell you that Chubby got adopted just in time?”

“Er, yeah. I-“

“Hey guys!” Jun beamed, brandishing a signup sheet. “Looks like this is going to be a huge success. We’ve got three couples already!” He clapped a hand friendlily on Mao’s shoulder. “Thanks for the idea, Mao-chan.”

“Nino and I will sign up too!” Aiba announced excitedly.

Nino scowled. “I don’t remember agreeing to this.”

“Come on, it’ll be fun.” Aiba laughed at his partner’s dubious expression and turned to Jun. “You can put our names down.”

Jun chuckled and did so. “Great. The more the merrier, right?”

“Why don’t we go somewhere to celebrate?” Ohno spoke up suddenly. “There’s a club on the next block over. I used to go there pretty frequently…”

“Sounds like fun.” Mao announced, and Jun nodded his agreement.

“Aiba-san and Ninomiya-san should come too.” Jun invited, much to Aiba’s delight and Mao’s chagrin.

Ohno laughed quietly at her. “The more the merrier.” He said, and she sighed.

“Sho-kun, you should too.” Jun added.

Sho grimaced. “I’d better not… I have, uh, stuff I should be doing at home…”

Jun rolled his eyes and began tugging his friend towards the door. “You’re coming. I worry about you locking yourself up in that house all the time. It’s not healthy.”
+++

The club was packed, lit only by colored spotlights and the occasional strobe. The music was loud, the bass vibrating through the scuffed floor and up into their bones as they ordered drinks and found an unoccupied table to crowd around.

“You seem tense, Sakurai-san.” Aiba pointed out, leaning against the wall beside him and raising his voice quite a bit to be heard over the thumping music. “You should relax. Cheers!” He knocked their bottles together and took a swig.

“Thanks.” Sho sighed and loosened his tie. “This week has just been pretty rough…”

“Tell me about it!” Aiba exclaimed.

Sho nodded and then turned to him curiously. “What made you quit your job, anyway? You seemed to like it.”

Aiba frowned. “They can’t afford to keep me on part time, and I might have to travel to Chiba a lot at short notice for the next little while.” He shrugged. “Family stuff. My mom’s kinda sick. Anyway, I figured quitting would be the easiest thing to do for now. I’ll try to find some work I can do off and on for the time being.”

Sho considered this. “…Sorry about your mother.”

Aiba shook his head and smiled. “Nah, don’t be. She’s not dying or anything… I don’t think.” He laughed wryly.

“Come on guys, let’s dance!” Mao laughed, tugging Jun by his sleeve towards the mass of gyrating bodies out on the floor.

“Yeah, good idea!” Jun laughed, catching Ninomiya by the elbow and dragging the disgruntled looking woman away from the table.

Mao rolled her eyes, and Ohno followed the trio with an amused grin.

Aiba chuckled, following their progress. “…You were right about Nino having feelings for me, by the way.” Sho raised his eyebrows. “It’s all sorted out now though. I think we’re on the same page.”

“You turned her down?”

Aiba nodded. “But we’re still friends.”

“… So what’s going on between her and Jun, then?”

Aiba laughed and shrugged. “That I don’t know. Matsumoto-san texts a lot, but I’m sure Nino isn’t even a little bit interested. He’s just not catching onto the hints, I guess.”

Sho nodded. “Jun’s stubborn, and determined.”

They fell quiet, nursing their drinks and watching their friends out on the floor.
+++

Nino was sure that his smile was turning into a grimace with each passing minute. The dance floor was almost unbearably hot and humid with body heat, the stink of sweat and booze was everywhere, and the blasting volume of the music was making his ears ring and his temples throb. Clubs were not at all Nino’s scene, and he felt completely out of place with the three people he sort of knew in the throng of dancing bodies. They’d all had a few drinks, and Matsumoto wasn’t even trying to be inconspicuous with his advances -or the direction of his gaze- anymore.

Nino pulled the neckline of his shirt up over his fake cleavage self-consciously and tried not to scowl. “I’m not really in the mood to dance right now!” He called, and it was nothing but the truth. Jun was someone he didn’t want the crowd around them to be pushing him up against, Mao was obviously not on good enough terms with him to allow him to stick with her instead, and Ohno -while seemingly very friendly- still made Nino paranoid that his cover would be blown.

“Come on, Kazuko-chan.” Jun grinned charmingly, grabbing his hand and pulling him into a turn. “Just relax.”

“Easier said than done.” Nino grumbled, forced up against the instructor’s chest by the lack of space to go anywhere else. Still with their fingers twined together, Jun’s other hand settled on his hip, directing Nino to sway along with him. Nino sighed and let himself be led begrudgingly. Jun had a nice sort of spicy smell, but it was hard to enjoy it when he could feel Mao’s eyes boring into his back from somewhere in the crowd.

“You know,” Jun said close to his ear, surprising Nino with his proximity. “I think you’re a really interesting woman.”

Nino swallowed nervously. “I’m not. Honestly.”

Jun’s thumb smoothed gently over his knuckles. “You’re not seeing anyone right now, are you?”

Nino sighed. He’d expected this conversation would happen soon enough. “No, but I’m really not interested in-“ The woman dancing behind him caught him in the ankle with one of her heels, and he broke off with a wince. “Ouch…” He hissed quietly.

“We should go out sometime.” Jun continued, sounding hopeful. “Maybe grab coffee, or go out to eat somewhere. I’d like to talk with you more, just the two of us.”

Nino bumped rather forcefully into the couple behind him in order to put some space between himself and Jun’s soft, earnest, voice. “I’m sorry, Matsumoto-san.” He said, needing to raise his voice again to be heard. “But I’m just not interested.” Jun frowned, and Nino took a deep breath. The air was stuffy, and he was finding it a little difficult to find oxygen. “I’m- I’m just gonna go get some air. Sorry.”

A side door opened into a little secluded alley. It was narrow, and empty save for a few trashcans at the far end. The air still smelled of booze, and also vomit and cigarette smoke, but the crisp November air that cooled the sweat on his skin was unbelievably refreshing. Sighing, Nino readjusted his wig and dug around in his purse for a smoke on the off chance that he might find one.

Somehow, the warmth of Jun’s body against his own and the timbre of his voice in his ear had almost made him forget that the instructor was off limits.

“It’s been way too long since I last got laid.” Nino grumbled, pulling out a slightly crumpled cigarette but no lighter. He glared at it. “Just my luck.”

The metal door opened, and Nino sighed again when Ohno’s round cheeks and sleepy eyes came into view. “Hey,” He greeted, taking in Nino’s bad posture and limp cigarette. “…Need a light?” He pulled a lighter from his pocket and sauntered over with it outstretched.

Nino accepted the little flame gratefully. “Thanks.”

Ohno nodded and tucked the lighter away again before leaning against the cement wall opposite him. The alley was so narrow that there was still only a foot and a half or so between them. “So.” He said simply. “I suggested Jun dance with Mao for a bit before I left, but I don’t know if he will or not.”

Nino raised an eyebrow. “Before you left to come chasing after me?”

Ohno shrugged. “Yeah. You rejected him?”

“I tried.” Nino exhaled a plume of smoke through his nose. “Did he take it well?”

“Well, I don’t think he took it at all…” Ohno chuckled. “Pretty sure he just thinks you’d rather go on a group date. He asked me if I’d be interested in joining you guys, and then I figured I should come let you know.”

Nino slumped against the wall in frustrated dejection. “Shit. Is he stupid or something?”

“Maybe he’s not used to being rejected.” Ohno smiled lopsidedly. “You might have to spell it out.”

“This is driving me crazy. It was a stupid idea to flirt with him in the first place…”

“Why did you?”

Nino shook his head. “I don’t know… Because I was bored, maybe?”

“Oh~…” Ohno chuckled. “So you’re that type.”

Nino narrowed his eyes. “What type?”

“The type that always flirts around from one guy to another, never sticking to one person for too long.”

“I am not.” Nino frowned.

“I wouldn’t hold it against you.” Ohno assured him. “I’m probably that type too.”

“Trust me, Ohno-san, I have definitely stuck to one person for far too long.” He crossed his arms to suppress a shiver. The heat of the club had worn off and the cold was starting to make goose bumps appear all over his exposed skin. “Matsumoto-san was just a stupid lapse in judgment. I didn’t expect him to get so attached…”

“I guess you’re more alluring than you give yourself credit for.” Ohno chuckled and then shrugged off his suit jacket. “Here. You’ll freeze out here.”

“Thanks.” Nino ground the cigarette out beneath his toe before letting Ohno drape the jacket around his shoulders. “So, is it this allure of mine that made you follow me out here? You’re trying to pick me up?”

Ohno laughed and moved back a step. Nino noted the earthy, woody, smell that clung to him and his clothes. It was an understated scent, and much calmer compared to Matsumoto’s. “Not at all. I was just curious about your situation.” He ran long, tanned, fingers through the sweaty spikes of his brown hair. “I can ask Sho-kun to talk to Matsumoto-kun if you want, but Sho-kun doesn’t seem to think he’ll listen to him.” He smiled apologetically. “You’ll probably still have to deal with him yourself.”

“Great. Now that’s a conversation I can’t wait to avoid.”

The door opened again with a loud creak, spilling the noise of the club out into the alley. “Kazuko-chan, are you still out here?” It was clearly Jun’s voice, though he was still hidden from sight by the door.

“Kill me now.” Nino groaned quietly, turning a pained expression back in Ohno’s direction.

But Ohno kissed him instead.

Nino went wide-eyed when he felt the warmth of plush lips against his own. Ohno’s long fingers were wrapped loosely around his arm and brushing against his jaw. His kissing wasn’t even remotely forceful, but definitely persistent. Nino reached out and fisted his hands in Ohno’s shirt with the intention of pushing him away with a scandalized curse, but Ohno pulled back a fraction and whispered “go with it” against his lips at the same time that Jun spoke up again, and everything clicked into place.

“You’ve been gone a while, so I was worried-“

Nino caught Jun’s startled expression in his peripheral vision and immediately shut his eyes to avoid seeing the hurt that was probably about to follow. He let Ohno coax his lips open and reached a hand up to tangle in his hair and pull him closer, letting out a hum of appreciation when Ohno obliged and pressed close against him.

Nino got so lost in the slide of another tongue against his own and the heat of another body being so intimately close, that he was completely disoriented when Ohno pulled abruptly away from him. “What-?” He murmured dazedly, and turned his head just in time to see the door to the club clicking closed. Jun was gone.

“Sorry.” Ohno apologized. His expression was sheepish, but his hair and clothes were rumpled, his lips were slick and a little bruised, and his chest was heaving for air. “I should have asked first.”

Nino laughed shortly, still out of breath and feeling bewildered by the whole situation. He was sure he looked just as ravaged as Ohno did, and could only hope that his wig and boobs were still in place. “… Are you sure you’re not trying to pick me up? Because this looks a lot like you are.”

Ohno smiled, still looking embarrassed. “I’m definitely not, but I’m glad you think it looks that way.”

Nino raised a curious eyebrow, attempting to smooth the wrinkles out of his shirt.

“You might not have to worry about Matsumoto-kun anymore.”

“True.” Nino laughed shakily and walked back towards the door to the club. He reached for the handle and then slipped the jacket off of his shoulders and held it back out to the businessman behind him. “But you might.”

Ohno chuckled awkwardly and followed him back inside. “...True.”
+++

“So he told me he’d been feeding her the Plus brand, which is advertised as being beef, but there’s still some chicken in that! If your pet has an allergy you’ve got to read the ingredients label.” Aiba shook his head. “And he wondered why she was still having seizures… Anyway, I told him which brand had no chicken, so he’s using that now. Problem solved.”

Sho nodded along but was distracted from the story when Jun emerged from the crowd around them looking shell-shocked. “Jun-kun?”

Jun grabbed his coat from the back of one of the chairs and pulled it on hurriedly. “Hey, sorry. I’m going to call it a night.”

Sho frowned. “Are you feeling okay?”

Jun nodded. “Yeah, fine.” He gave them a half-hearted smile. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, ‘k?” He waved shortly and disappeared just as fast as he’d come. Sho stared after him in concern.

“… Maybe something came up?”

“I guess I’ll find out from him tomorrow.” Sho sighed and turned back to the brown haired man he’d ended up spending the evening with. “Sorry, you didn’t have to keep me company all this while if you didn’t want to. I don’t mind if you want to go find the others.”

Aiba shook his head. “No, I’m kind of tired tonight anyway. It’s been a long day, you know? This whole week has been stressful.”

“I definitely know how you feel.” Sho admitted, and they fell into silence again. Sho considered the other man beside him and began a silent debate in his head. Aiba had spent most of the evening so far talking about different misadventures he’d either gotten into with Ninomiya, or while he was working at the pet store. It was clear that he did care a lot about the animals and his job, and that he wasn’t happy to be leaving the job behind. “… Aiba-san,” he began uncertainly, “I have a confession.”

Aiba regarded him with wide, curious, eyes. “Hm?”

Sho took a deep breath. “I’m the one that bought Chubby.”

Aiba’s eyes widened even further. “You’re the weird guy?!”

Sho frowned and he felt heat rush into his cheeks. “Weird? W-What?”

“Sorry! Not weird, sorry! I didn’t mean to say that.” Aiba looked mortified. “It’s just-… Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Sho shrugged uncomfortably. “I… don’t know.” He fiddled with his cuffs. “Anyway, I don’t even know what I was thinking when I bought him. I just did, and I don’t want to say that I’m regretting it, but…” He made a pained expression. “He’s really badly behaved, isn’t he?”

Aiba laughed. “You’re having trouble with him?”

Sho nodded. “I’ve got no experience with pets, so I don’t know what I’m doing at all…”

“It’s okay, even a more experienced pet owner would probably have trouble with him.” Aiba explained. “What’s going wrong?”

Sho took a moment to search for an answer. “… Everything? If he’s not sleeping, he’s causing chaos. And he doesn’t listen to me.”

Aiba pursed his lips thoughtfully.

“I hired a pet-sitter to take care of him while I’m at work, but he managed to terrorize her into quitting. And now I’m screwed.”

“Wow.” Aiba looked surprised. “That’s worse than I imagined.”

“Somehow that’s not reassuring…” Sho frowned.

Aiba laughed sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“…Listen, Aiba-san.” Sho continued. “I was just thinking that maybe, since you need some sort of off and on job, you might be willing to pet-sit for me? And, you know, maybe try to train him while you’re at it?” Sho clasped his hands together pleadingly. “Please? I’m at my wits end here.”

Aiba considered for a moment before nodding. “Okay, but I’m going to have to train you too.”

Sho’s brow furrowed. “Me?”

Aiba nodded. “So you can handle him on your own.”

“Oh.” Sho grinned, feeling relief settle into his bones and loosen out the tension in his muscles. “Great! When can you start?”

“Whenever you want me.” Aiba offered “Tomorrow’s fine.”

Sho grabbed a pen from his bag and a napkin from the table and wrote down his house address and phone number. “Here. Um, come by at around noon? I’ll go home for my lunch break so that I have the time to show you around and everything.”

Aiba nodded and pocketed the flimsy paper. “Sure. I’ll be there.”

“Masaki!” Ninomiya appeared, lipstick slightly smudged and clothes a little rumpled. “I think we should get going.”

Aiba took one look at her before frowning and agreeing. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Sakurai-kun.” He smiled before following the young woman out of the club.

Sho watched them go before pulling on his coat and shouldering his bag. When he turned around Ohno was standing behind him. Sho jumped in surprise. “Ohno-kun, you scared m-“ He broke off mid-complaint, eyeing his colleague’s messy hair, crooked tie, wrinkled shirt, and flustered expression. “...Did Ninomiya jump you?”

Ohno shook his head vaguely, a troubled frown creasing his brow.

Sho frowned too; the alternative situation was just too difficult to comprehend. “Then… should I ask what the hell happened here?”

Ohno flushed and shook his head. “Later.” He mumbled.

Sho took his word for it and let the subject drop.

+++
to be continued...
A/N: Well! There you go! I have no idea how this happened, when I'm supposed to be focusing on my exchange piece, but this chapter ended up being about 3000 words longer than all the other ones have been. o_O

Oh well! This chapter saw some big developments, anyway :) I'll try to get the next one out as soon as I can~
Thanks for reading!!

edit: Fail, half of my italics disappeared for some reason.... Fixed now!

NEXT>>>

pairing: junxmao, genre: au, pairing: ohnoxnino, pairing: junxnino, fic: step by step, pairing: shoxaiba, #fanfiction, pairing: shoxmaki, band: arashi, pairing: aibaxnino

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