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Aiba missed Sho.
It was a strange thing to think, especially when Sho was in the kitchen, talking to Aiba mother. Sho loved Aiba’s mother. After meeting Sho’s, Aiba could understand why. Since they had gotten back together, Aiba had always been wary of bringing Sho to his parents’ place too often, not wanting them to suspect anything, but with his family, Sho was still the boy he used to be. Absolutely charming when talking to Aiba’s mother, and very serious and eager to discuss his thoughts with Aiba’s father. Aiba’s parents were the ones Sho never had, after all. Sho would always be the same boy around them.
But they didn’t know the other Sho, the one Aiba did.
That Sho was shy and stuttering when Aiba teased him, and had a quick temper that Aiba was a little wary of. That Sho would get into shouting matches with him sometimes, over stupid things like Aiba spending too much time with Nino. Of course, looking back now, Aiba realised that Sho had been a little jealous of his relationship with Nino. Back then Sho had just been a little on the irrational side, sometimes. He had been too practical, too, though, at other times. That was when Aiba did most of the yelling, although it was usually done late at night or early morning, when he’s alone in his room or on the phone with Nino. They had fought a lot, especially in the later years of their relationship. Aiba had never realised he could feel so much for anyone until Sho. He thought that Sho had been indifferent, that Sho didn’t care, just because Sho hadn’t been able to say all the things he always wanted to hear.
Now, seven and a half years later, he knew that he had been wrong. Words weren’t what he wanted after all. What he wanted was Sho - that Sho, the one who obviously adored Aiba to distraction even if he was never able to bring himself to say so, that Sho who would skip rehearsals to go on theme park rides that scared him shitless just because it made Aiba happy, that Sho who would take out his savings to buy Aiba a guitar just because Nino said Aiba would love it.
It was that Sho that Aiba missed.
})i({
“You’ve been kind of quiet today,” Sho commented, as he held the door open for Aiba. Aiba slid into the passenger seat, and didn’t say a word, even when Sho had shut the door and walked over to the other side to get into the driver’s seat. “Is something wrong?” Sho asked again.
Aiba shook his head, but asked, “did you lose your ‘switch off’ button or something?”
Sho laughed. “What are you talking about?”
“Nothing,” Aiba amended. “I was just thinking of something, and it doesn’t really make sense, so lets forget about it.” He couldn’t complain to Sho about being too perfect. It sounded silly, even to him. So he smiled widely and said, “you know, I was really tempted to suddenly announce to my parents that we’re dating, just now.”
‘That’ Sho would have been horrified. ‘That’ Sho would have noticed that Aiba’s smile wasn’t entirely sincere. This Sho just smiled, amused.
“I don’t think it would bother them, really. Maybe at first, but they’ll get used to it. They love you too much not to.” He didn’t add that he thought Aiba’s mother already suspected, anyway.
})i(({
Sho dropped Aiba off in front of his apartment building, and said something about how great Aiba looked that night. When Aiba pulled away before Sho could kiss him good night, Sho didn’t pursue it. He just said that he would call the next day around noon before Red Shift (without Sho) was scheduled to go on a radio show, and Aiba knew that Sho would be calling at noon on the dot. Sho was predictable that way.
As soon as Sho’s car was out of sight, Aiba took out his phone, and hesitated. Nino was out that night, and Aiba didn’t want to bother him when they could talk later. But he wanted to talk to someone now.
He scrolled down his contact list, looking for Jun’s number.
})i{(
Sho missed Aiba.
It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with Aiba now, because to Sho, having Aiba in any way at all was already more than he probably deserved. But Aiba had been more quiet than not of late, and Sho found himself missing the old Aiba.
He missed the Aiba who would talk endlessly about things that may not even make sense. He missed the Aiba whose smile was more sincere. He missed the Aiba who laughed loudly and fought with his brother at the dinner table instead of politely asking Yuu-chan to hand over the lentils, which as far as Sho knew, he didn’t even like to eat. He missed the Aiba that was just a little bit crazy, and the Aiba who made Sho do things he never thought he would do.
Most of all, he missed the Aiba who loved him back.