:: 5 :: Fic for nino1711azuki
Title: When Fairy Tale Turns Reality
Pairing : Junba, Sakumoto, Aimiya, Ohmiya, Sakuraiba
Genre: Fantasy, AU, Angst, Fluff
Summary: Aiba took home a stray dog only to experience something wicked later
Disclaimer: Johnny owns Arashi. Plot is mine
Note: Dear nino1711azuki, I know this doesn’t really goes as what you’ve expected. I’m so sorry for the quality of the fic. But I do hope you enjoy this ridiculous idea that I poured into this one. Thank you. To all other readers, I hope you enjoy this as well
Prologue
The story began centuries ago.
Matsumoto Jun was in line to become the next King for a beautiful country named as Cassia. However, there was a rule that he needed to do before he can become one. He needed to get married.
Young Matsumoto Jun was well-known for his attitude as a playful heartbreaking prince. He poured line after line of sweet words on the beautiful women he had met in the kingdom before he left them hopeless and heartbroken.
Worried for the future of the country, the King and the Queen of Cassia decided to arrange a marriage of their only son with a princess from the neighbor country, Naina.
Despite how pleased everyone was about the news, Matsumoto Jun was never fond of the idea of marriage, let alone marrying someone whom he never knew aside from her name being Shoko.
Still, their engagement kept going and everyone in the palace wished for a happy ending for them. Except on the day where the marriage took place, Jun decided to run away from the palace, abandoning the grace and the pride of the Kingdom.
Or so he thought.
He was sure he was far enough from the palace when he decided to take a little break by a big tree. His sleepiness almost took over him when he heard a woman's voice shrieking at him, jolting him up from him sleepiness
“You’re a dickhead!”
“Shoko!” His voice a pitch higher as he acknowledged her presence. Shoko showed her palm in front of his face, stopped him from saying anymore words.
“Don’t you Shoko me, Matsumoto! You left me walking like an idiot by the aisle only to realize the man whom I was supposed to marry with wasn’t even there! You’re a jerk.”
Jun took a few steps back as he saw Shoko walked towards him. With a wand in her hand, and Jun knew this won’t end well.
Even worse, he won’t end well.
“How can I marry you, Sho- Shoko?” Jun said, stuttering. “I- I don’t love you. Marriage is about working on a relationship with the person you love. Responsible to the person you love. I don’t love you. I- I don’t even know if I can love you. This shouldn’t happened before it could turn any worse.”
Shoko chuckled.“Excuses, Matsumoto. I don’t buy them. I am mad, and you know what will happen when I am mad!”
As he watched her point her wand at him, Jun felt his stomach shrinking.
“Please. At least make my hair fancy?” Jun pleaded in a shaky voice.
Shoko smirked. “I will Matsumoto.”
She waved her wand at him, face burning red with anger as she cursed him.
“I’m turning you into a dog. Your growth will stopped even until years passed, and you’ll regain your body again once you find someone who will love you the way you love him or her. Your look will stay as your age now, and you’ll start aging accordingly once your curse ends.”
In a blink of an eye, a dog with a fluffy shiny fur appeared in front of Shoko. She chuckled, satisfied with her work, while throwing the now cursed Matsumoto Jun a mocking smile.
“I told you I’ll make your hair- oh, fur fancy, Matsumoto,”
Shoko turned around, hearing the sound of the dog growling behind her. She chuckled at first before her laughter echoed in the forest as she heard the mind of the cursed doggy.
“How am I supposed to fall in love with a witch like you!”
2015
Ohno was torn. He was in a situation that he didn’t even know the right decision to make. His eyes pleaded at Nino, who was looking at him with this annoyed look.
“Please-“ he pleaded.
“No, Satoshi! You should never let that dog inside the house!”
Here, Aiba had it enough.
“Ninomiya! For god fucking sake, I bear all the sound you’ve made at night every time you sneaked into this house to make love with my own housemate! This is my house!”
Nino scoffed. Aiba didn’t even bother to take back his words.
True, this was his house. His own house that he had bought by his very own money. But thinking about how living alone in a house in the middle of the city where the expenses doubles in every way, Aiba decided to find someone who won’t be so much trouble to share the house with him.
And so he invited Satoshi, his classmate who had just landed a job and couldn’t find a place to stay. Well, Satoshi was a nice guy. He didn’t live in the house for free, and he didn’t really cross over any line of privacy that Aiba had shown subtly or not. He’s a perfect housemate. Until Satoshi found a boyfriend, and that was how Aiba's life turned upside down.
But sometimes, Nino could be a good influence for both of them. Especially when the two of them are quite passive in some matters.
But in this matter, Aiba knew he had to fight for this.
“Guys, look. Look. Don’t you guys feel pity to this little doggy here?”
Nino threw him a mocking frown. “No?”
Aiba clicked his tongue. How he wished he had a power so that he could extinguish Ninomiya’s existence from his life.
“Look, Masaki. I know you’re heartbroken. I know you need someone, something just so you can put your mind away from thinking that- that- What’s the name of that jerk once again?”
“Sakurai-“
“Yes. Sakurai Sho. That jerk,” Nino just ignored Aiba as he made an uncomfortable gesture in his seat. “But believe me, Masaki. Having a dog won’t make you forget him in a blink of time. Instead, you’ll-“
“Who says about forgetting though? God, seriously Nino. I don’t even care about him that I don’t even bother to remember. I want a dog in my house and that’s what I’ll get now. I. WANT.A.DOG. Deal with it or Oh-chan, sorry, maybe you can stay in Nino’s house if the doggy bothers him most.”
It was a brief moment of silence and staring at each other without words leaving their mouths. Aiba, however, didn’t need words to know what the other two might be thinking. Finding a new house would be troublesome for Ohno, and of course Nino would never agree to let Ohno to stay with him because he lived with his mother. Not that his mother was even bothered about the fact that her son was having a relationship with a guy. No, she never bothered about it. But taking the fact into his consideration, that’s the reason why Nino never wanted Ohno to stay with him. His mother would tease him if it ever happen.
Nino clicked his tongue in annoyance at the same, surrendering.“Fine then. Just make sure it won’t bark.”
Aiba smirked.“Ah, I’m sure it will-“
That earned him a hard smack on his head, but Aiba just laughed at this.
***
Aiba didn’t know what attracted him so much to the dog. True. He’s an animal lover and that’s undeniable. But the fact that he had allergies against animal fur prevented him from taking one home.
But with J (Nino named the dog as J because according to both of him and Ohno, the dog has this weird crooked tail that has the shape of the letter J, hence they named it as J and Aiba had nothing to say against it), Aiba couldn’t let the poor dog alone in the park, wet in the rain. Or maybe Nino was right. He was messed up after Sakurai broke up with him and that his mind refused to think a proper decision.
But then, who said taking J home was a bad decision?
At least by the time he got home, he would be greeted by the little doggy who will look at him as if inviting him to kiss and hug the little one.
He would then pour an amount of food into the dog bowl and let J eat them. Just that it wasn’t as easy as it seemed.
For the first week, J didn't eat those foods. But when J entered his second week in the house, Aiba started to worry about J refusing to eat anything except fancy food. Something fancy like a grilled steak or maybe grilled salmon. Of course, it made him curious and he had to voice it out to Ohno.
“It’s weird,” he said, eyeing the sleeping dog at the couch as he finished talking to Ohno about it.
“It is. Even Nino pointed out about it,” Ohno responded, eating the crackers while on his lap was the fishing magazine. “Don’t you realize it, Aiba-chan? Ever since we took J in, our house was no longer messy like before. It was like someone was doing the chores for us.”
Aiba frowned upon Ohno’s statement. Quietly, he observed his surroundings, starting to take Ohno’s words into his head.
“Eh, so it wasn’t you?” Aiba asked, as surprised as Ohno who replied next.
“I don’t have time for the chores, Aiba-chan.”
“What about the food every morning on the table?”
“I can’t cook, remember? Remember that time when I happened to burn the food I cooked for Nino and he made me swear to never touch the stove again?”
Aiba chuckled.
“So?” Aiba frowned, but he gasped when he finally got the idea. “Wait, Oh-chan. You don’t say that J can turn into a human when we’re not at home? That sounds like a fairy tale!”
“I know it sounds-“
“It is ridiculous! There’s no possible way that J could be a cursed prince. Even if he did, isn’t he in thewrong hands?”He paused, gulped down his saliva, and continued again as he saw the frown on Ohno’s face.“I mean, shouldn’t he find a girl instead of a man to break the curse?”
Ohno chuckled. “He didn’t find you, remember? It was you who found him. And if the curse can be broken by true love, then he doesn’t need a girl to be the curse breaker.”
It has been two years since Ohno had lived in the house. For the first time within those two years, Ohno’s words left Aiba pondering over the idea for the whole day.
***
Things got even more wicked from there.
The house was cleaner and always clean than before that Aiba found it amusing and creepy at the same time. But somehow, no matter how hard he tried to link everything to that little doggy, he just couldn’t.
“Impossible,” was what he always said inside his mind.
But the next time, he observed how J kept sleeping for at least two days without waking up (Aiba almost thought J had died) before he found out the reason to the behavior. He found an empty bottle of his luxurious wine that he got from Sakurai next to the little furry creature.Aiba couldn’t get any more curious than that.
He frowned having all the thoughts inside his head but not for long. All of sudden, he felt something fluffy next to him on the sofa before he acknowledged J's presence on his lap and Aiba patted him softly on his head.
“It’s impossible for you to change into a human, isn't it, J?” Aiba asked as he petted the dog only to get nothing in response.
***
His curiosity just trailed off for at least a few weeks. Nothing weird or abnormal happened, and Aiba didn’t bother to do any detective work despite all the ideas Ohno and Nino has been putting in his head.
J was still the same to him. It didn’t bother to eat anything else aside from the fancy food Aiba had to buy with at least half of his salary a month.The house was kept clean, and Aiba had started to adapt to the condition.
But then, an unexpected meeting made Aiba start to question his doubt.
It was that one night. He was alone in the house when someone knocked on the door, startling him. Slowly, he put J onto the sofa next to himand headed straight to the door.He opened it only to reveal his ex-boyfriend standing elegantly in front of him.
“What-?“ He stopped when Sakurai, not even bothering to see on how hard Aiba tried to stop him entered his house while scanning his surroundings.
“I see nothing has changed,” Sakurai said with a smirk after a while of scanning. “They say if you didn’t change the position inside your house, it means you never moved on. Have you ever heard about that?”
“I don’t-“
“Tsk. So stubborn. Masaki, we-“
“Don’t. Call. Me. Masaki. You dickhead! Two years of being together and you broke up with me by telling me you can’t move on from your past! And now you expect me to follow your steps by hanging onto the past with you? That is so wrong, Sakurai. I won’t.”
Sakurai mockingly pouted at him. Slowly, he made a few steps towards Aiba, pinning him to the wall.
“You know you love me, Masaki,”
“I d-“
And Aiba was shut with a kiss. A heated one that he didn’t even realize he was running out of air by the time Sakurai broke away.
“You didn’t even push me when I kissed you, Masaki. And you still bother to deny that you’re still in love with me.”
“I told you, Sakurai! I don’t love you. Not anymore. We’re over. So stop being a jerk who came only to see if I had move on from you.”
Aiba meant it. Not that he had fully moved on from the man but for god sake, there’s no reason for Aiba to love someone who didn’t even bother to love him the way he deserved. He deserved happiness, and he knew someday he’ll get the chance to love again. It’s a possibility but…
His monologue stopped as he heard a growling sound below them. Slowly, Sakurai pulled himself away from Aiba, his face grimaced in annoyance as he watched Aiba take J into his arms.
“You got yourself a dog? Masaki, your health-“
“Sakurai. This should be the end. I won’t care whatever you’re going to say about me having a dog as a pet. We broke up, and I can do whatever I want. J will stay-“
“You named him J?” Sakurai asked, frowning.
“Yes. So-“
“Nothing. It’s just… too surreal.”
Aiba didn’t like the way Sakurai answered him. Let alone the way how Sakurai threw J this indescribable look. For a moment, Sakurai kept staring at J who growled in Aiba’s hand too. After a while, Sakurai sighed once, shrugging as he made his way to the door.
“Well then. Just, take care of the little one there,” Sakurai said, pouting at the dog, defeated in his tone.
Aiba, however, wasn’t sure of what Sakurai gave up from.
***
“J didn’t like Sakurai.”
“Me too, Aiba-san. Stop stating the obvious.” Laziness could be heard at the end of the line. “Say, Aiba-san. I’m heading to your house tonight. Let’s just continue our conversation about J and his obvious hate towards Sakurai Sho once I arrive at your house later?”
Nino could hear the man at the other endgrunting at his suggestion. For god sake, it was 1 AM in the morning. Everyone was supposed to be sleeping by now yet Aiba had called him just to tell him that his dog showed a dislike towards his ex-boyfriend.
Aiba really needed to be considerate, that was what he thought.
He wasn’t sure what was Aiba saying next before the line ended silent (or maybe he heard the man snore in his sleep). He ended the call andhailed a taxi before he headed towards Aiba’s house.
It was pretty dark when he first arrived the apartment, obviously because everyone has fallen asleep. Except later on, Nino heard a movement in the dark. And all of sudden, all the ideas he had been putting inside Aiba’s head sounded creepy in his head.
His hand instinctively reached for the switch on the wall to see…
A handsome man in his 20'sstood with a feather duster and Aiba’s clothes on his other hand. The man looked as shocked as Nino; his face paled as he saw Nino entering the house at an unexpected time.
“WAIT! WHAT THE HELL!!!” Nino yelled out loud in shock.
But the man acted much faster than Nino could think. He stormed towards where Nino stood, ignoring the fact that Nino was yelling out loud for help. He didn’thave any intentions on attacking Nino at all. Instead, the stranger switched off the light and the next time the house turn bright again, the stranger was no longer there.
Only both sleepy Aiba and Ohno looked at him in dissatisfaction, and Nino blinked with confusion.
“It’s rude to enter someone's house in the middle of the night only to make noise,” Aiba said in annoyance.
“For god sake, there’s a stranger in your house, Aiba-san. He was there-“ Nino said, pointing at one spot in the living room, “-standing there with a feather duster and a bundle of your clothes in his hand,”
Ohno chuckled. “That doesn’t sound like a serial killer to me? Can someone kill by using a feather duster?”
“This is not the time for a joke, Oh-chan!” Nino snapped, glaring at his lover. But then he fell silent. His eyes widen in surprise, perhaps upon his realization too.
Slowly, the three of them took a look at the place where Nino pointed at.
J was sleeping there in his dog bed.
****
The next morning was an awkward breakfast time for them.
Nothing left Nino’s mouth throughout the time. Once in a while, he peeled off the cool fever on his forehead and replaced it onto his neck before he put it back on his forehead.
Ohno at his side kept putting more food onto Nino’s plate but he never touched it.
Aiba, on the other hand, ate in silence and refused to bother the other existences in the house.
They had one serious discussion last night with Nino defending himself about what he had seen.
Aiba wasn’t mad of the idea. Perhaps, Nino was right. But who on earth believed in this kind of fairy tale anymore? He’s 28 for god sake. If anyone’s going to believe that kind of story, shouldn’t it be the children? Or someone with too many imaginations in which he wasn’t one of them.
And when Nino started to suggest things in order to strengthen his points, Aiba couldn’t stop himself from feeling annoyed.
“I won’t install a camera for this stupid imagination of yours, Nino. Cut the crap. Seriously. Now.”
“But-“
“And stop talking about this because I won’t believe you. And believe me the more you talk about this, the more it drives you mad.”
And he ended their conversation last night as he ignored Nino calling for him by heading straight to his bedroom, locking his door and his mind from anymore silly ideas.
But obviously that didn’t ended last night. In front of him now, Nino was obviously too shocked from last night's happening that he got a fever because of it. Watching Nino’s current condition, Aiba couldn’t help but laugh inside his head.
The laughter stopped when Nino suddenly spoke, pushing Ohno’s hand away from putting anymore food onto his plate.
“I apologize,” Nino paused, finally taking a bite of the bread on his plate before he continued again. “I might be imagining things last night,” Nino said, his hand folded onto the table as he stared straight at Aiba. He noticed how Aiba’s lips formed a smirk; Aiba seemed to be mocking at him with that smirk, and it ticked him off. But Nino still has a favor to ask from the man, so he suppressed his annoyance from bursting out.
“Good for you to admit that. So can we stop talking about those ridiculous things from now on?”
“I will-" was what Aiba wanted to hear. After all, having the same topic spoken again and again was tiring for him. But when he saw the way Nino looked at him, Aiba knew.
Maybe the topic won’t be off any sooner.
“I will stop talking about it until we're convinced enough about it,” Nino said. His face showed not a single hint of jokes in his words. Aiba knew Nino enough. He knew Nino’s face when he made a joke. But when he was serious, his gaze will lock into the other person’s eyes, convincing them how serious he was.
And Aiba saw it again today.
“Fine then. Go ahead with whatever plan you had in your mind. But if within a week, you can’t find a single proof to convince me, stop everything.”
Nino nodded.
“And one more thing, not now. I’ll take J for a walk today. Maybe you can do it while we’re out,”
Nino nods again, this time even eagerly.
***
It’s not even a week.
***
It was 3 AM in the morning.
At this point, Aiba couldn’t even give a damn that he had work to attend in three hours from now. The house, which once occupied three humans, now held four.
There was a long sofa that could fit three persons at a time. But Aiba, Ohno, and Nino decided to share the single sofa, eyeing the stranger that Nino claimed to see last night.
“I told you. I’m not imagining things!” Nino said. “What?” He asked when Ohno nudged at him until he saw that look on Aiba’s face.
A look of disbelief, betrayal, and maybe annoyance.
Five minutes past with an awkward silence. One hour ago, burglars had entered the house, threatening the three of them to behave. A knife was on Aiba’s neck and the only thing he could do was shiver in place, closing his eyes as he hoped that everything would end soon. But later on, the knife was gone. The sounds of J growling and showing his sharp teeth distracted the two burglars from whatever they were doing.
It happened way too fast. The next thing Aiba saw was a knife in one of the burglar's hand and storming towards J. Aiba yelled; he remembered he did. But the next thing he saw shocked him the most.
J was no longer there. The one who fought with the burglars was another man. A tall and good-looking man. Someone who looked like a prince. Someone astonishing to him. He looked for J everywhere, but then he realized that Nino was right.
His fairy tale had just turned into reality.
Aiba didn’t know what pissed him off. There’s no reason for him to feel mad. It’s no one’s fault. But whatever happened now, he just couldn’t accept it that easily.
Thank goodness Ohno broke the silence.
“Young man,” Ohno began. Aiba watched how J, now in his human form stopped wriggling in his seat, raised up his head to meet everyone’s gaze. “Why don’t you introduce yourself? I’m sure everyone here is curious to know more about you.”
J rubbed his hands again and again. To be honest, he didn’t know how he should begin. He needed to carefully arrange his words. One wrong word and he knew he will be in a very tough situation.
Taking one deep breath, he started.
“I was born as a prince. It was centuries ago. Maybe, I’ve lost counting. But I was cursed. But I swear, I didn’t have any intentions to manipulate anyone.”
“No one said so,” Nino cut him. “In what way you can manipulate us, Mr-?”
“Matsumoto Jun. I’m glad you called me J. It doesn’t deviate a lot from my real name.”
“Yeah. Whatever,” Nino replied, earning him another nudge from Ohno. There’s still no other response from Aibathough. Seeing this, Nino spoke again. “Why were you cursed though?”
Jun sighed once. “Because according to the one who had cursed me, I never learned to love. She cursed me so that I will learn to love. I was supposed to marry her, but how could I marry the one whom I never set my heart to? Hence, on the day of our marriage, I ran away.”
It sounded unbelievable. Of course it is. It was centuries ago when all this kind of fantasy was true. But they’re in the 21st century. Everyone had become more realistic. But for Jun, he’s just desperate to break the curse. But was Aiba the right person to break it?
“I’m sorry it doesn’t make sense. But -“
“But what?” Aiba retorted. “Do you think that I will be the one to break the curse for you?”
“Aiba-chan!”
“No seriously. Think logically!”
“I know it doesn’t make sense, Aiba-san,” Jun repeated again. He sounded desperate.Aiba heard that in his tone, his plead. But how could he? Even when Jun continued, Aiba couldn’t find an idea how. It’s not possible.
“Give me a chance, please. I won’t force you to love me now, but-“ Jun said only to be cut again by him.
“There’s no but, J- Matsumoto-san! It’s impossible!”
Silence.
“There’s no possible way I can fall in love with a dog.”
That one statement from Aiba, even though it is reasonable enough, hurtJun more than he wished to die instantly.
***
Jun didn’t realize when he had changed back into his fur form. The next thing he realized, he curled himself on the sofa, trying to ignore the stabbing pain he felt inside his chest. Especially when Aiba’s words a few days ago seemed to echo inside his head.
Jun didn’t blame Aiba for whatever pain he felt now. Aiba was right. He was being reasonable. Who on earth would like to get involved in a romantic relationship with a dog? He was one. It didn't matter if he was cursed/ And he didn’t have the right to hope for love from someone like Aiba. He didn’t deserve him, especially when his life as a human before was nothing other than a heartbreaker.
But at the same time, how could he stop himself from falling in love with Aiba? Someone who was so kind to him. Someone whose smile will soothe every worries he had. Someone who never whined despite the ridiculous amount of trouble he caused ever since Aiba took him home.
Day by day, his love towards the man grew. He was sure enough that Aiba would be the one to break the curse. But then, he was wrong.
It has been three days since Aiba ignored him. Jun didn’t even dare to change into his human form, bearing in his mind that Aiba must be hating him now.
There’s steak or maybe a grilled salmon on his plate, but how could he eat them when Aiba didn’t even show like he was sincerely taking care of him anymore?
Sad wasn’t the right word to explain how Jun felt every time Aiba walked away when he saw J trying to approach him. His gaze will never fall on the dog again, and that was when Jun realized it’s time for him to leave.
Hence that night, he decided.
The house was pitch black when he transformed again into his human form. There’s a trail of tears on his cheeks, and he wiped them away before he entered Aiba’s bedroom.
It calmed him watching the man’s sleeping face. He wanted to caress him, but Jun stopped his intention thinking that the man would possibly wake up if he did. For a while, he kept watching the man. Maybe for a few minutes-or hours-but the moment he felt like it’s almost dawn, Jun walked towards the man.
He leaned in. His courage led him to caress the man’s hair, and he swept the man’s bangs away before he dropped a kiss on the man's temple. His tears fell on Aiba’s cheek as he whispered to the man’s ear.
“Maybe you’re not the one to break the curse,” he said, his heart beating fast as he saw Aiba stirring in his sleep. “But still, thank you for teaching me to love. I understand it now. It hurts.”
****
Aiba only realized J was missing a day later when the dog’s plate looked untouched, and he couldn’t find J anywhere in the house.
Ever since he said those harsh words, both Nino and Ohno never bothered to talk to him at all. Well, Ohno did talk to him sometimes, but Nino just ignored him completely. The last time they had talked, Nino had labeled him inconsiderately.
“He’s a human for god sake. If you can’t see any possibilities for you to love him, then those harsh words are not the right way to turn him down.”
Aiba never knew his own reasoning. He was never this harsh. Perhaps, after what happened between him and Sakurai before, it has caused him to stop believing in love. And if he couldn’t love right, how could he break the curse for the man?
J should find the right person now that he’s not the one to do it. That was what he thought.
But he was wrong. All of sudden, he felt longing. He remembered how J used to snuggle close to him once he came back from work. That calmed his bad day. Or when J played a trick just to make him laugh. And not to mention how the house was so damn clean since J was there with them. In the end, he just admitted to Nino that he indeed needed J back into his life, cursed or not.
He knew J had left the house when Nino showed him the recording from the camera he installed earlier. His guilt conquered him that he was determined to bring J back. He promised to take care of J once again, or maybe he’ll learn to love J in order to break the curse. That was what he promised.
Hence, here he was at the park where he first met J.
It’s hopeless, that’s what he thought. Not even a glimpse or a shadow of the dog could be seen in the darkness. Even if the dog was there, Aiba knew the possibility of him to meet J again was almost none.
He walked along the park, trying to find the little creature. But then, maybe their fate has spoken in a cruel way for them.
All of sudden, he could heard footsteps approaching him from behind. Before he could turn to see the owner of those footsteps, something sharp and cold pressed against his nape. His movement went on halt as he heard the stranger's threats.
“One wrong move, I’ll kill you.”
He couldn’t do anything when the stranger started to take everything he had including his wallet and his car keys. He could only stand there, hoping that the stranger would take everything and just leave him alone there. But that was what he hoped.
He struggled hard to break free from the stranger's grip as he was dragged towards the bushes. Aiba knew the possibilities of what’s going to happen next. Two possibilities: either he’s going to be kill or rape. Both possibilities mean the end of the world for him.
He barely distinguished who was screaming. His head screamed for the stranger to let him go; his mouth begged for the same. But the stranger ignored him. The man yelled at him to shut up as he slapped Aiba’s face again and again. Aiba swore he tried so hard to break free, but the stranger was way too strong for him that even with all his strength couldn’t help get out of this whole mess.
It happened too fast. He didn’t know what was happening when he heard the man on him screaming in pain before Aiba was free from him. From the little light at the park, he could see a figure attacking the stranger, trying to chase the man away from Aiba.
That was when Aiba realized J was saving him again.
“Go away, you filthy dog!” The stranger stomped on his feet, trying to shoo the dog away, but not even a step made the dog move. J growled, showing his teeth towards the stranger, as the man threatened him again with the knife.
That was when it happened.
Maybe J couldn’t think of anything else aside from saving his previous owner. The dog then stormed towards the stranger attacking him again that night. Aiba heard the stranger scream painfully but only for a while though. Before he knew it, he saw J being thrown away before the stranger fled away from the scene.
His chest felt like bursting. He heard the dog's whimpers; the knife buried in its stomach. Blood oozed out of the wound and from the way J whimpered, Aiba knew.
He’s going to lose J again.
“No, no. J. You can’t leave me again. I can’t let you. Please, please,” he pleaded, wailing as he took the dog into his embrace.
“Kiss him, Masaki,” a panicked voice from behind instructed him.
“Not this time, Sakurai!”
“This is the time. It has a very low possibility, but at least you need to try!” Sakurai insisted, clicking his tongue when Aiba glared murderously at him. “Trust me, Masaki. I was the one who cursed him in my previous life. Only true love can save him now.”
Aiba’s eyes widen upon Sakurai’s statement. It is so hard for him to believe Sakurai’s words now, but still, he did it with hesitation. It’s not his love towards the dog that he hesitated. It was the result whether it’s going to work or fail.
He kissed the dog lovingly on its head. His tears fell on the dog's fur. He could see how J was looking at him with its eyes brimming with tears. But the moment he saw the dog close its eyes, its final breath escaped its lung. Aiba just know he had failed.
“I’m sorry, Masaki. But J’s dead,” Sakurai said when he checked the dog. But Aiba chose to ignore him, leaving the place almost instantly as his tears fell upon his cheeks, unable to stop despite how many times he wiped them away.
Epilogue
Thirty days had passed since the happening.
Aiba knew how both Ohno and Nino were worried about him. Within those thirty days, they could count how many times Aiba hadn't had his proper meals.It worried them even more when Aiba didn’t even stop his routine from buying all of J’s favorite foods. It was like Aiba couldn’t move forward since the day J past away.
They were literally right. He couldn’t move forward. Not when the only thing he felt now was guilt. Guilt for not treating J right. Guilt for not being the one to break the curse. It hurt him more than the time he had broken up with Sakurai.
Nino had suggested him to find a new dog. As a companionship, was what Nino had told him now that Nino’s mom had insisted for Ohno to move in with them or she would arrange a marriage for Nino. Aiba could only smile hearing Nino’s suggestion. He didn’t reply though. He just wished the two of them happiness, and at the same time he wished silently for his own too.
He couldn’t stop hoping for a miracle. If J was cursed into a dog, which is impossible to everyone’s brain, why couldn’t he hope for another impossible thing: for J to be alive?
He never stopped hoping. Despite the days that passed, not a single dog was seen at the park when he came back every day. He almost lost hope.
Until his savior came.
“Ma~saki!”
Aiba didn’t know if he should be grateful or just strangle the man to death. Slowly he turned, facing the owner of the voice. Sakurai was there, grinning like an idiot that Aiba felt like throwing him something and hitting him straight at his head.
“It took you a week to move on from me. But for that little doggy-,” Sakurai said.
“Have respect, Sakurai,” Aiba snapped. “Even if you had cursed him before, he’s still a human.”
“In a dog form-“
Aiba had enough. He didn’t care if he’s going into jail for hurting the man. It's worth it, Aiba had the thought inside his head. Instantly, he collected a few small stones, having the intention to hit the man hard on his head, having the urge to hurt the man, for all the things that happened now.
Hence, he threw one towards the man while spitting out his anger.
“Only if you didn’t break up with me last time, Sakurai, I would never be this hurt.”
It missed, and it pissed Aiba even more. He threw another one towards the man. This time it barely hit Sakurai’s forehead.
“Only if you didn’t curse him in your past life, I wouldn’t be the one regretting for not being the one to break the curse.”
Aiba gritted his teeth, annoyance and anger mixed as one as he yelledhis anger towards the man again.
“Fu*k you and your curse. I want J back into my life, so MAKE IT HAPPEN!”
The stone he threw made a hit. Someone yelped, but it’s not Sakurai. The man did not even show any form of pain expression.
Instead, he’s laughing.
“You heard that Jun? I was right. He never hated you.”
Jun snorted.
“But I definitely hate you even more now,Shoko, i mean, Sho-san” Jun said, changing the way he called the man as he saw the way Sakurai was glaring at him. He appeared behind Sakurai while holding his head. His hurt expression showed as his gaze met Aiba’s. “That hurt, Maa-chan!”
Aiba’s eyes widen.
He hoped for an impossible and it happened now. In front him now was Jun, alive and in his human form. Aiba was tongue-tied. Before he knew it, he ran into Jun’s embrace, crying.
“I don’t understand,” Aiba said in between his sobs. “I saw you die. The knife. The blood. You’re dead. Even Sakurai said so. Why? How? This is unbelievable,” he cried, burying his face into Jun’s chest. He felt warm and comfortable. Being in Jun’s embrace calmed him, just like J did before.
But his curiosity wasn’t answered. Not even bothering to let go of Jun, he turned to take a look at Sakurai, making a gesture that he still needed his answer. As much as he was annoyed watching Sakurai's smug, Aiba suppressed his annoyance. He needed his answer, and staying calm will help him better.
Sakurai smiled watching the two. Taking a breath, he started explaining.
“I didn’t lie when I told you it died. But the one who’s dead was Jun in his dog form. And he died saving you, which is a form of love. Hence, the curse was over and he was revived as a human,”
Aiba looked up towards J. “And yet, you never bother to come back to me?”
“How could I? I thought you hated me,” Jun said in return.
“Are you kidding me? These past thirty days, I thought of nothing except grieving your death. I was late, but heck! I love you!”
There, Aiba said it. His face burning red with embarrassment, but Aiba couldn’t help thinking that perhaps this was the love he’s been looking for when hearing Jun's laughter.
It took them a few seconds of silence and staring admiringly at each other before Sakurai started again.
“Sorry to break you staring contest, lovebirds. But hear me now, Matsumoto. With your curse over, you will now live as a human. Your growth will start from your last age before you were cursed, and you’ll start to live like a normal man.”
Sakurai paused.
“And beware. Never hurt Masaki or I’ll-“
“What?” Jun cut him, annoyed. "You’re going to curse me again?”
Sakurai rolled his eyes. But later, he grinned.
“It can’t be help then,” Sakurai said, pulling out his wand. “I’m sorry Masaki. ButI’m going to curse the both of you now.”
“Wait-“
“What?”
The two tried to protest, but Sakurai chose to ignore them instead. He waved his wand towards the two before beautiful sparkles fell upon them
“I hereby curse the both of you with true love. You are going to live happily ever after, that in sick or happiness, you’ll stay by each other's side, just how true loves supposed to be.”
Aiba and Jun blushed. And then they saw how Sakurai was blushing, perhaps being embarrassed by his own words.
“He’s failing, isn’t he?”Aiba couldn’t help but laugh as he asked.
Jun chuckled. “He is. But who cares. As long as you’re here by my side.”
The two of them smiled. Aiba could feel his heart beating so hard as he expected what’s going to happen next.
But before his lips could meet Jun’s, they heard Sakurai’s whining behind them.
“Wait, are you going to end my character this way?”
Pairing : Junba, Sakumoto, Aimiya, Ohmiya, Sakuraiba
Genre: Fantasy, AU, Angst, Fluff
Summary: Aiba took home a stray dog only to experience something wicked later
Disclaimer: Johnny owns Arashi. Plot is mine
Note: Dear nino1711azuki, I know this doesn’t really goes as what you’ve expected. I’m so sorry for the quality of the fic. But I do hope you enjoy this ridiculous idea that I poured into this one. Thank you. To all other readers, I hope you enjoy this as well
Prologue
The story began centuries ago.
Matsumoto Jun was in line to become the next King for a beautiful country named as Cassia. However, there was a rule that he needed to do before he can become one. He needed to get married.
Young Matsumoto Jun was well-known for his attitude as a playful heartbreaking prince. He poured line after line of sweet words on the beautiful women he had met in the kingdom before he left them hopeless and heartbroken.
Worried for the future of the country, the King and the Queen of Cassia decided to arrange a marriage of their only son with a princess from the neighbor country, Naina.
Despite how pleased everyone was about the news, Matsumoto Jun was never fond of the idea of marriage, let alone marrying someone whom he never knew aside from her name being Shoko.
Still, their engagement kept going and everyone in the palace wished for a happy ending for them. Except on the day where the marriage took place, Jun decided to run away from the palace, abandoning the grace and the pride of the Kingdom.
Or so he thought.
He was sure he was far enough from the palace when he decided to take a little break by a big tree. His sleepiness almost took over him when he heard a woman's voice shrieking at him, jolting him up from him sleepiness
“You’re a dickhead!”
“Shoko!” His voice a pitch higher as he acknowledged her presence. Shoko showed her palm in front of his face, stopped him from saying anymore words.
“Don’t you Shoko me, Matsumoto! You left me walking like an idiot by the aisle only to realize the man whom I was supposed to marry with wasn’t even there! You’re a jerk.”
Jun took a few steps back as he saw Shoko walked towards him. With a wand in her hand, and Jun knew this won’t end well.
Even worse, he won’t end well.
“How can I marry you, Sho- Shoko?” Jun said, stuttering. “I- I don’t love you. Marriage is about working on a relationship with the person you love. Responsible to the person you love. I don’t love you. I- I don’t even know if I can love you. This shouldn’t happened before it could turn any worse.”
Shoko chuckled.“Excuses, Matsumoto. I don’t buy them. I am mad, and you know what will happen when I am mad!”
As he watched her point her wand at him, Jun felt his stomach shrinking.
“Please. At least make my hair fancy?” Jun pleaded in a shaky voice.
Shoko smirked. “I will Matsumoto.”
She waved her wand at him, face burning red with anger as she cursed him.
“I’m turning you into a dog. Your growth will stopped even until years passed, and you’ll regain your body again once you find someone who will love you the way you love him or her. Your look will stay as your age now, and you’ll start aging accordingly once your curse ends.”
In a blink of an eye, a dog with a fluffy shiny fur appeared in front of Shoko. She chuckled, satisfied with her work, while throwing the now cursed Matsumoto Jun a mocking smile.
“I told you I’ll make your hair- oh, fur fancy, Matsumoto,”
Shoko turned around, hearing the sound of the dog growling behind her. She chuckled at first before her laughter echoed in the forest as she heard the mind of the cursed doggy.
“How am I supposed to fall in love with a witch like you!”
2015
Ohno was torn. He was in a situation that he didn’t even know the right decision to make. His eyes pleaded at Nino, who was looking at him with this annoyed look.
“Please-“ he pleaded.
“No, Satoshi! You should never let that dog inside the house!”
Here, Aiba had it enough.
“Ninomiya! For god fucking sake, I bear all the sound you’ve made at night every time you sneaked into this house to make love with my own housemate! This is my house!”
Nino scoffed. Aiba didn’t even bother to take back his words.
True, this was his house. His own house that he had bought by his very own money. But thinking about how living alone in a house in the middle of the city where the expenses doubles in every way, Aiba decided to find someone who won’t be so much trouble to share the house with him.
And so he invited Satoshi, his classmate who had just landed a job and couldn’t find a place to stay. Well, Satoshi was a nice guy. He didn’t live in the house for free, and he didn’t really cross over any line of privacy that Aiba had shown subtly or not. He’s a perfect housemate. Until Satoshi found a boyfriend, and that was how Aiba's life turned upside down.
But sometimes, Nino could be a good influence for both of them. Especially when the two of them are quite passive in some matters.
But in this matter, Aiba knew he had to fight for this.
“Guys, look. Look. Don’t you guys feel pity to this little doggy here?”
Nino threw him a mocking frown. “No?”
Aiba clicked his tongue. How he wished he had a power so that he could extinguish Ninomiya’s existence from his life.
“Look, Masaki. I know you’re heartbroken. I know you need someone, something just so you can put your mind away from thinking that- that- What’s the name of that jerk once again?”
“Sakurai-“
“Yes. Sakurai Sho. That jerk,” Nino just ignored Aiba as he made an uncomfortable gesture in his seat. “But believe me, Masaki. Having a dog won’t make you forget him in a blink of time. Instead, you’ll-“
“Who says about forgetting though? God, seriously Nino. I don’t even care about him that I don’t even bother to remember. I want a dog in my house and that’s what I’ll get now. I. WANT.A.DOG. Deal with it or Oh-chan, sorry, maybe you can stay in Nino’s house if the doggy bothers him most.”
It was a brief moment of silence and staring at each other without words leaving their mouths. Aiba, however, didn’t need words to know what the other two might be thinking. Finding a new house would be troublesome for Ohno, and of course Nino would never agree to let Ohno to stay with him because he lived with his mother. Not that his mother was even bothered about the fact that her son was having a relationship with a guy. No, she never bothered about it. But taking the fact into his consideration, that’s the reason why Nino never wanted Ohno to stay with him. His mother would tease him if it ever happen.
Nino clicked his tongue in annoyance at the same, surrendering.“Fine then. Just make sure it won’t bark.”
Aiba smirked.“Ah, I’m sure it will-“
That earned him a hard smack on his head, but Aiba just laughed at this.
***
Aiba didn’t know what attracted him so much to the dog. True. He’s an animal lover and that’s undeniable. But the fact that he had allergies against animal fur prevented him from taking one home.
But with J (Nino named the dog as J because according to both of him and Ohno, the dog has this weird crooked tail that has the shape of the letter J, hence they named it as J and Aiba had nothing to say against it), Aiba couldn’t let the poor dog alone in the park, wet in the rain. Or maybe Nino was right. He was messed up after Sakurai broke up with him and that his mind refused to think a proper decision.
But then, who said taking J home was a bad decision?
At least by the time he got home, he would be greeted by the little doggy who will look at him as if inviting him to kiss and hug the little one.
He would then pour an amount of food into the dog bowl and let J eat them. Just that it wasn’t as easy as it seemed.
For the first week, J didn't eat those foods. But when J entered his second week in the house, Aiba started to worry about J refusing to eat anything except fancy food. Something fancy like a grilled steak or maybe grilled salmon. Of course, it made him curious and he had to voice it out to Ohno.
“It’s weird,” he said, eyeing the sleeping dog at the couch as he finished talking to Ohno about it.
“It is. Even Nino pointed out about it,” Ohno responded, eating the crackers while on his lap was the fishing magazine. “Don’t you realize it, Aiba-chan? Ever since we took J in, our house was no longer messy like before. It was like someone was doing the chores for us.”
Aiba frowned upon Ohno’s statement. Quietly, he observed his surroundings, starting to take Ohno’s words into his head.
“Eh, so it wasn’t you?” Aiba asked, as surprised as Ohno who replied next.
“I don’t have time for the chores, Aiba-chan.”
“What about the food every morning on the table?”
“I can’t cook, remember? Remember that time when I happened to burn the food I cooked for Nino and he made me swear to never touch the stove again?”
Aiba chuckled.
“So?” Aiba frowned, but he gasped when he finally got the idea. “Wait, Oh-chan. You don’t say that J can turn into a human when we’re not at home? That sounds like a fairy tale!”
“I know it sounds-“
“It is ridiculous! There’s no possible way that J could be a cursed prince. Even if he did, isn’t he in thewrong hands?”He paused, gulped down his saliva, and continued again as he saw the frown on Ohno’s face.“I mean, shouldn’t he find a girl instead of a man to break the curse?”
Ohno chuckled. “He didn’t find you, remember? It was you who found him. And if the curse can be broken by true love, then he doesn’t need a girl to be the curse breaker.”
It has been two years since Ohno had lived in the house. For the first time within those two years, Ohno’s words left Aiba pondering over the idea for the whole day.
***
Things got even more wicked from there.
The house was cleaner and always clean than before that Aiba found it amusing and creepy at the same time. But somehow, no matter how hard he tried to link everything to that little doggy, he just couldn’t.
“Impossible,” was what he always said inside his mind.
But the next time, he observed how J kept sleeping for at least two days without waking up (Aiba almost thought J had died) before he found out the reason to the behavior. He found an empty bottle of his luxurious wine that he got from Sakurai next to the little furry creature.Aiba couldn’t get any more curious than that.
He frowned having all the thoughts inside his head but not for long. All of sudden, he felt something fluffy next to him on the sofa before he acknowledged J's presence on his lap and Aiba patted him softly on his head.
“It’s impossible for you to change into a human, isn't it, J?” Aiba asked as he petted the dog only to get nothing in response.
***
His curiosity just trailed off for at least a few weeks. Nothing weird or abnormal happened, and Aiba didn’t bother to do any detective work despite all the ideas Ohno and Nino has been putting in his head.
J was still the same to him. It didn’t bother to eat anything else aside from the fancy food Aiba had to buy with at least half of his salary a month.The house was kept clean, and Aiba had started to adapt to the condition.
But then, an unexpected meeting made Aiba start to question his doubt.
It was that one night. He was alone in the house when someone knocked on the door, startling him. Slowly, he put J onto the sofa next to himand headed straight to the door.He opened it only to reveal his ex-boyfriend standing elegantly in front of him.
“What-?“ He stopped when Sakurai, not even bothering to see on how hard Aiba tried to stop him entered his house while scanning his surroundings.
“I see nothing has changed,” Sakurai said with a smirk after a while of scanning. “They say if you didn’t change the position inside your house, it means you never moved on. Have you ever heard about that?”
“I don’t-“
“Tsk. So stubborn. Masaki, we-“
“Don’t. Call. Me. Masaki. You dickhead! Two years of being together and you broke up with me by telling me you can’t move on from your past! And now you expect me to follow your steps by hanging onto the past with you? That is so wrong, Sakurai. I won’t.”
Sakurai mockingly pouted at him. Slowly, he made a few steps towards Aiba, pinning him to the wall.
“You know you love me, Masaki,”
“I d-“
And Aiba was shut with a kiss. A heated one that he didn’t even realize he was running out of air by the time Sakurai broke away.
“You didn’t even push me when I kissed you, Masaki. And you still bother to deny that you’re still in love with me.”
“I told you, Sakurai! I don’t love you. Not anymore. We’re over. So stop being a jerk who came only to see if I had move on from you.”
Aiba meant it. Not that he had fully moved on from the man but for god sake, there’s no reason for Aiba to love someone who didn’t even bother to love him the way he deserved. He deserved happiness, and he knew someday he’ll get the chance to love again. It’s a possibility but…
His monologue stopped as he heard a growling sound below them. Slowly, Sakurai pulled himself away from Aiba, his face grimaced in annoyance as he watched Aiba take J into his arms.
“You got yourself a dog? Masaki, your health-“
“Sakurai. This should be the end. I won’t care whatever you’re going to say about me having a dog as a pet. We broke up, and I can do whatever I want. J will stay-“
“You named him J?” Sakurai asked, frowning.
“Yes. So-“
“Nothing. It’s just… too surreal.”
Aiba didn’t like the way Sakurai answered him. Let alone the way how Sakurai threw J this indescribable look. For a moment, Sakurai kept staring at J who growled in Aiba’s hand too. After a while, Sakurai sighed once, shrugging as he made his way to the door.
“Well then. Just, take care of the little one there,” Sakurai said, pouting at the dog, defeated in his tone.
Aiba, however, wasn’t sure of what Sakurai gave up from.
***
“J didn’t like Sakurai.”
“Me too, Aiba-san. Stop stating the obvious.” Laziness could be heard at the end of the line. “Say, Aiba-san. I’m heading to your house tonight. Let’s just continue our conversation about J and his obvious hate towards Sakurai Sho once I arrive at your house later?”
Nino could hear the man at the other endgrunting at his suggestion. For god sake, it was 1 AM in the morning. Everyone was supposed to be sleeping by now yet Aiba had called him just to tell him that his dog showed a dislike towards his ex-boyfriend.
Aiba really needed to be considerate, that was what he thought.
He wasn’t sure what was Aiba saying next before the line ended silent (or maybe he heard the man snore in his sleep). He ended the call andhailed a taxi before he headed towards Aiba’s house.
It was pretty dark when he first arrived the apartment, obviously because everyone has fallen asleep. Except later on, Nino heard a movement in the dark. And all of sudden, all the ideas he had been putting inside Aiba’s head sounded creepy in his head.
His hand instinctively reached for the switch on the wall to see…
A handsome man in his 20'sstood with a feather duster and Aiba’s clothes on his other hand. The man looked as shocked as Nino; his face paled as he saw Nino entering the house at an unexpected time.
“WAIT! WHAT THE HELL!!!” Nino yelled out loud in shock.
But the man acted much faster than Nino could think. He stormed towards where Nino stood, ignoring the fact that Nino was yelling out loud for help. He didn’thave any intentions on attacking Nino at all. Instead, the stranger switched off the light and the next time the house turn bright again, the stranger was no longer there.
Only both sleepy Aiba and Ohno looked at him in dissatisfaction, and Nino blinked with confusion.
“It’s rude to enter someone's house in the middle of the night only to make noise,” Aiba said in annoyance.
“For god sake, there’s a stranger in your house, Aiba-san. He was there-“ Nino said, pointing at one spot in the living room, “-standing there with a feather duster and a bundle of your clothes in his hand,”
Ohno chuckled. “That doesn’t sound like a serial killer to me? Can someone kill by using a feather duster?”
“This is not the time for a joke, Oh-chan!” Nino snapped, glaring at his lover. But then he fell silent. His eyes widen in surprise, perhaps upon his realization too.
Slowly, the three of them took a look at the place where Nino pointed at.
J was sleeping there in his dog bed.
****
The next morning was an awkward breakfast time for them.
Nothing left Nino’s mouth throughout the time. Once in a while, he peeled off the cool fever on his forehead and replaced it onto his neck before he put it back on his forehead.
Ohno at his side kept putting more food onto Nino’s plate but he never touched it.
Aiba, on the other hand, ate in silence and refused to bother the other existences in the house.
They had one serious discussion last night with Nino defending himself about what he had seen.
Aiba wasn’t mad of the idea. Perhaps, Nino was right. But who on earth believed in this kind of fairy tale anymore? He’s 28 for god sake. If anyone’s going to believe that kind of story, shouldn’t it be the children? Or someone with too many imaginations in which he wasn’t one of them.
And when Nino started to suggest things in order to strengthen his points, Aiba couldn’t stop himself from feeling annoyed.
“I won’t install a camera for this stupid imagination of yours, Nino. Cut the crap. Seriously. Now.”
“But-“
“And stop talking about this because I won’t believe you. And believe me the more you talk about this, the more it drives you mad.”
And he ended their conversation last night as he ignored Nino calling for him by heading straight to his bedroom, locking his door and his mind from anymore silly ideas.
But obviously that didn’t ended last night. In front of him now, Nino was obviously too shocked from last night's happening that he got a fever because of it. Watching Nino’s current condition, Aiba couldn’t help but laugh inside his head.
The laughter stopped when Nino suddenly spoke, pushing Ohno’s hand away from putting anymore food onto his plate.
“I apologize,” Nino paused, finally taking a bite of the bread on his plate before he continued again. “I might be imagining things last night,” Nino said, his hand folded onto the table as he stared straight at Aiba. He noticed how Aiba’s lips formed a smirk; Aiba seemed to be mocking at him with that smirk, and it ticked him off. But Nino still has a favor to ask from the man, so he suppressed his annoyance from bursting out.
“Good for you to admit that. So can we stop talking about those ridiculous things from now on?”
“I will-" was what Aiba wanted to hear. After all, having the same topic spoken again and again was tiring for him. But when he saw the way Nino looked at him, Aiba knew.
Maybe the topic won’t be off any sooner.
“I will stop talking about it until we're convinced enough about it,” Nino said. His face showed not a single hint of jokes in his words. Aiba knew Nino enough. He knew Nino’s face when he made a joke. But when he was serious, his gaze will lock into the other person’s eyes, convincing them how serious he was.
And Aiba saw it again today.
“Fine then. Go ahead with whatever plan you had in your mind. But if within a week, you can’t find a single proof to convince me, stop everything.”
Nino nodded.
“And one more thing, not now. I’ll take J for a walk today. Maybe you can do it while we’re out,”
Nino nods again, this time even eagerly.
***
It’s not even a week.
***
It was 3 AM in the morning.
At this point, Aiba couldn’t even give a damn that he had work to attend in three hours from now. The house, which once occupied three humans, now held four.
There was a long sofa that could fit three persons at a time. But Aiba, Ohno, and Nino decided to share the single sofa, eyeing the stranger that Nino claimed to see last night.
“I told you. I’m not imagining things!” Nino said. “What?” He asked when Ohno nudged at him until he saw that look on Aiba’s face.
A look of disbelief, betrayal, and maybe annoyance.
Five minutes past with an awkward silence. One hour ago, burglars had entered the house, threatening the three of them to behave. A knife was on Aiba’s neck and the only thing he could do was shiver in place, closing his eyes as he hoped that everything would end soon. But later on, the knife was gone. The sounds of J growling and showing his sharp teeth distracted the two burglars from whatever they were doing.
It happened way too fast. The next thing Aiba saw was a knife in one of the burglar's hand and storming towards J. Aiba yelled; he remembered he did. But the next thing he saw shocked him the most.
J was no longer there. The one who fought with the burglars was another man. A tall and good-looking man. Someone who looked like a prince. Someone astonishing to him. He looked for J everywhere, but then he realized that Nino was right.
His fairy tale had just turned into reality.
Aiba didn’t know what pissed him off. There’s no reason for him to feel mad. It’s no one’s fault. But whatever happened now, he just couldn’t accept it that easily.
Thank goodness Ohno broke the silence.
“Young man,” Ohno began. Aiba watched how J, now in his human form stopped wriggling in his seat, raised up his head to meet everyone’s gaze. “Why don’t you introduce yourself? I’m sure everyone here is curious to know more about you.”
J rubbed his hands again and again. To be honest, he didn’t know how he should begin. He needed to carefully arrange his words. One wrong word and he knew he will be in a very tough situation.
Taking one deep breath, he started.
“I was born as a prince. It was centuries ago. Maybe, I’ve lost counting. But I was cursed. But I swear, I didn’t have any intentions to manipulate anyone.”
“No one said so,” Nino cut him. “In what way you can manipulate us, Mr-?”
“Matsumoto Jun. I’m glad you called me J. It doesn’t deviate a lot from my real name.”
“Yeah. Whatever,” Nino replied, earning him another nudge from Ohno. There’s still no other response from Aibathough. Seeing this, Nino spoke again. “Why were you cursed though?”
Jun sighed once. “Because according to the one who had cursed me, I never learned to love. She cursed me so that I will learn to love. I was supposed to marry her, but how could I marry the one whom I never set my heart to? Hence, on the day of our marriage, I ran away.”
It sounded unbelievable. Of course it is. It was centuries ago when all this kind of fantasy was true. But they’re in the 21st century. Everyone had become more realistic. But for Jun, he’s just desperate to break the curse. But was Aiba the right person to break it?
“I’m sorry it doesn’t make sense. But -“
“But what?” Aiba retorted. “Do you think that I will be the one to break the curse for you?”
“Aiba-chan!”
“No seriously. Think logically!”
“I know it doesn’t make sense, Aiba-san,” Jun repeated again. He sounded desperate.Aiba heard that in his tone, his plead. But how could he? Even when Jun continued, Aiba couldn’t find an idea how. It’s not possible.
“Give me a chance, please. I won’t force you to love me now, but-“ Jun said only to be cut again by him.
“There’s no but, J- Matsumoto-san! It’s impossible!”
Silence.
“There’s no possible way I can fall in love with a dog.”
That one statement from Aiba, even though it is reasonable enough, hurtJun more than he wished to die instantly.
***
Jun didn’t realize when he had changed back into his fur form. The next thing he realized, he curled himself on the sofa, trying to ignore the stabbing pain he felt inside his chest. Especially when Aiba’s words a few days ago seemed to echo inside his head.
Jun didn’t blame Aiba for whatever pain he felt now. Aiba was right. He was being reasonable. Who on earth would like to get involved in a romantic relationship with a dog? He was one. It didn't matter if he was cursed/ And he didn’t have the right to hope for love from someone like Aiba. He didn’t deserve him, especially when his life as a human before was nothing other than a heartbreaker.
But at the same time, how could he stop himself from falling in love with Aiba? Someone who was so kind to him. Someone whose smile will soothe every worries he had. Someone who never whined despite the ridiculous amount of trouble he caused ever since Aiba took him home.
Day by day, his love towards the man grew. He was sure enough that Aiba would be the one to break the curse. But then, he was wrong.
It has been three days since Aiba ignored him. Jun didn’t even dare to change into his human form, bearing in his mind that Aiba must be hating him now.
There’s steak or maybe a grilled salmon on his plate, but how could he eat them when Aiba didn’t even show like he was sincerely taking care of him anymore?
Sad wasn’t the right word to explain how Jun felt every time Aiba walked away when he saw J trying to approach him. His gaze will never fall on the dog again, and that was when Jun realized it’s time for him to leave.
Hence that night, he decided.
The house was pitch black when he transformed again into his human form. There’s a trail of tears on his cheeks, and he wiped them away before he entered Aiba’s bedroom.
It calmed him watching the man’s sleeping face. He wanted to caress him, but Jun stopped his intention thinking that the man would possibly wake up if he did. For a while, he kept watching the man. Maybe for a few minutes-or hours-but the moment he felt like it’s almost dawn, Jun walked towards the man.
He leaned in. His courage led him to caress the man’s hair, and he swept the man’s bangs away before he dropped a kiss on the man's temple. His tears fell on Aiba’s cheek as he whispered to the man’s ear.
“Maybe you’re not the one to break the curse,” he said, his heart beating fast as he saw Aiba stirring in his sleep. “But still, thank you for teaching me to love. I understand it now. It hurts.”
****
Aiba only realized J was missing a day later when the dog’s plate looked untouched, and he couldn’t find J anywhere in the house.
Ever since he said those harsh words, both Nino and Ohno never bothered to talk to him at all. Well, Ohno did talk to him sometimes, but Nino just ignored him completely. The last time they had talked, Nino had labeled him inconsiderately.
“He’s a human for god sake. If you can’t see any possibilities for you to love him, then those harsh words are not the right way to turn him down.”
Aiba never knew his own reasoning. He was never this harsh. Perhaps, after what happened between him and Sakurai before, it has caused him to stop believing in love. And if he couldn’t love right, how could he break the curse for the man?
J should find the right person now that he’s not the one to do it. That was what he thought.
But he was wrong. All of sudden, he felt longing. He remembered how J used to snuggle close to him once he came back from work. That calmed his bad day. Or when J played a trick just to make him laugh. And not to mention how the house was so damn clean since J was there with them. In the end, he just admitted to Nino that he indeed needed J back into his life, cursed or not.
He knew J had left the house when Nino showed him the recording from the camera he installed earlier. His guilt conquered him that he was determined to bring J back. He promised to take care of J once again, or maybe he’ll learn to love J in order to break the curse. That was what he promised.
Hence, here he was at the park where he first met J.
It’s hopeless, that’s what he thought. Not even a glimpse or a shadow of the dog could be seen in the darkness. Even if the dog was there, Aiba knew the possibility of him to meet J again was almost none.
He walked along the park, trying to find the little creature. But then, maybe their fate has spoken in a cruel way for them.
All of sudden, he could heard footsteps approaching him from behind. Before he could turn to see the owner of those footsteps, something sharp and cold pressed against his nape. His movement went on halt as he heard the stranger's threats.
“One wrong move, I’ll kill you.”
He couldn’t do anything when the stranger started to take everything he had including his wallet and his car keys. He could only stand there, hoping that the stranger would take everything and just leave him alone there. But that was what he hoped.
He struggled hard to break free from the stranger's grip as he was dragged towards the bushes. Aiba knew the possibilities of what’s going to happen next. Two possibilities: either he’s going to be kill or rape. Both possibilities mean the end of the world for him.
He barely distinguished who was screaming. His head screamed for the stranger to let him go; his mouth begged for the same. But the stranger ignored him. The man yelled at him to shut up as he slapped Aiba’s face again and again. Aiba swore he tried so hard to break free, but the stranger was way too strong for him that even with all his strength couldn’t help get out of this whole mess.
It happened too fast. He didn’t know what was happening when he heard the man on him screaming in pain before Aiba was free from him. From the little light at the park, he could see a figure attacking the stranger, trying to chase the man away from Aiba.
That was when Aiba realized J was saving him again.
“Go away, you filthy dog!” The stranger stomped on his feet, trying to shoo the dog away, but not even a step made the dog move. J growled, showing his teeth towards the stranger, as the man threatened him again with the knife.
That was when it happened.
Maybe J couldn’t think of anything else aside from saving his previous owner. The dog then stormed towards the stranger attacking him again that night. Aiba heard the stranger scream painfully but only for a while though. Before he knew it, he saw J being thrown away before the stranger fled away from the scene.
His chest felt like bursting. He heard the dog's whimpers; the knife buried in its stomach. Blood oozed out of the wound and from the way J whimpered, Aiba knew.
He’s going to lose J again.
“No, no. J. You can’t leave me again. I can’t let you. Please, please,” he pleaded, wailing as he took the dog into his embrace.
“Kiss him, Masaki,” a panicked voice from behind instructed him.
“Not this time, Sakurai!”
“This is the time. It has a very low possibility, but at least you need to try!” Sakurai insisted, clicking his tongue when Aiba glared murderously at him. “Trust me, Masaki. I was the one who cursed him in my previous life. Only true love can save him now.”
Aiba’s eyes widen upon Sakurai’s statement. It is so hard for him to believe Sakurai’s words now, but still, he did it with hesitation. It’s not his love towards the dog that he hesitated. It was the result whether it’s going to work or fail.
He kissed the dog lovingly on its head. His tears fell on the dog's fur. He could see how J was looking at him with its eyes brimming with tears. But the moment he saw the dog close its eyes, its final breath escaped its lung. Aiba just know he had failed.
“I’m sorry, Masaki. But J’s dead,” Sakurai said when he checked the dog. But Aiba chose to ignore him, leaving the place almost instantly as his tears fell upon his cheeks, unable to stop despite how many times he wiped them away.
Epilogue
Thirty days had passed since the happening.
Aiba knew how both Ohno and Nino were worried about him. Within those thirty days, they could count how many times Aiba hadn't had his proper meals.It worried them even more when Aiba didn’t even stop his routine from buying all of J’s favorite foods. It was like Aiba couldn’t move forward since the day J past away.
They were literally right. He couldn’t move forward. Not when the only thing he felt now was guilt. Guilt for not treating J right. Guilt for not being the one to break the curse. It hurt him more than the time he had broken up with Sakurai.
Nino had suggested him to find a new dog. As a companionship, was what Nino had told him now that Nino’s mom had insisted for Ohno to move in with them or she would arrange a marriage for Nino. Aiba could only smile hearing Nino’s suggestion. He didn’t reply though. He just wished the two of them happiness, and at the same time he wished silently for his own too.
He couldn’t stop hoping for a miracle. If J was cursed into a dog, which is impossible to everyone’s brain, why couldn’t he hope for another impossible thing: for J to be alive?
He never stopped hoping. Despite the days that passed, not a single dog was seen at the park when he came back every day. He almost lost hope.
Until his savior came.
“Ma~saki!”
Aiba didn’t know if he should be grateful or just strangle the man to death. Slowly he turned, facing the owner of the voice. Sakurai was there, grinning like an idiot that Aiba felt like throwing him something and hitting him straight at his head.
“It took you a week to move on from me. But for that little doggy-,” Sakurai said.
“Have respect, Sakurai,” Aiba snapped. “Even if you had cursed him before, he’s still a human.”
“In a dog form-“
Aiba had enough. He didn’t care if he’s going into jail for hurting the man. It's worth it, Aiba had the thought inside his head. Instantly, he collected a few small stones, having the intention to hit the man hard on his head, having the urge to hurt the man, for all the things that happened now.
Hence, he threw one towards the man while spitting out his anger.
“Only if you didn’t break up with me last time, Sakurai, I would never be this hurt.”
It missed, and it pissed Aiba even more. He threw another one towards the man. This time it barely hit Sakurai’s forehead.
“Only if you didn’t curse him in your past life, I wouldn’t be the one regretting for not being the one to break the curse.”
Aiba gritted his teeth, annoyance and anger mixed as one as he yelledhis anger towards the man again.
“Fu*k you and your curse. I want J back into my life, so MAKE IT HAPPEN!”
The stone he threw made a hit. Someone yelped, but it’s not Sakurai. The man did not even show any form of pain expression.
Instead, he’s laughing.
“You heard that Jun? I was right. He never hated you.”
Jun snorted.
“But I definitely hate you even more now,Shoko, i mean, Sho-san” Jun said, changing the way he called the man as he saw the way Sakurai was glaring at him. He appeared behind Sakurai while holding his head. His hurt expression showed as his gaze met Aiba’s. “That hurt, Maa-chan!”
Aiba’s eyes widen.
He hoped for an impossible and it happened now. In front him now was Jun, alive and in his human form. Aiba was tongue-tied. Before he knew it, he ran into Jun’s embrace, crying.
“I don’t understand,” Aiba said in between his sobs. “I saw you die. The knife. The blood. You’re dead. Even Sakurai said so. Why? How? This is unbelievable,” he cried, burying his face into Jun’s chest. He felt warm and comfortable. Being in Jun’s embrace calmed him, just like J did before.
But his curiosity wasn’t answered. Not even bothering to let go of Jun, he turned to take a look at Sakurai, making a gesture that he still needed his answer. As much as he was annoyed watching Sakurai's smug, Aiba suppressed his annoyance. He needed his answer, and staying calm will help him better.
Sakurai smiled watching the two. Taking a breath, he started explaining.
“I didn’t lie when I told you it died. But the one who’s dead was Jun in his dog form. And he died saving you, which is a form of love. Hence, the curse was over and he was revived as a human,”
Aiba looked up towards J. “And yet, you never bother to come back to me?”
“How could I? I thought you hated me,” Jun said in return.
“Are you kidding me? These past thirty days, I thought of nothing except grieving your death. I was late, but heck! I love you!”
There, Aiba said it. His face burning red with embarrassment, but Aiba couldn’t help thinking that perhaps this was the love he’s been looking for when hearing Jun's laughter.
It took them a few seconds of silence and staring admiringly at each other before Sakurai started again.
“Sorry to break you staring contest, lovebirds. But hear me now, Matsumoto. With your curse over, you will now live as a human. Your growth will start from your last age before you were cursed, and you’ll start to live like a normal man.”
Sakurai paused.
“And beware. Never hurt Masaki or I’ll-“
“What?” Jun cut him, annoyed. "You’re going to curse me again?”
Sakurai rolled his eyes. But later, he grinned.
“It can’t be help then,” Sakurai said, pulling out his wand. “I’m sorry Masaki. ButI’m going to curse the both of you now.”
“Wait-“
“What?”
The two tried to protest, but Sakurai chose to ignore them instead. He waved his wand towards the two before beautiful sparkles fell upon them
“I hereby curse the both of you with true love. You are going to live happily ever after, that in sick or happiness, you’ll stay by each other's side, just how true loves supposed to be.”
Aiba and Jun blushed. And then they saw how Sakurai was blushing, perhaps being embarrassed by his own words.
“He’s failing, isn’t he?”Aiba couldn’t help but laugh as he asked.
Jun chuckled. “He is. But who cares. As long as you’re here by my side.”
The two of them smiled. Aiba could feel his heart beating so hard as he expected what’s going to happen next.
But before his lips could meet Jun’s, they heard Sakurai’s whining behind them.
“Wait, are you going to end my character this way?”