Soba Stall AU - 1st Part
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sanoyuukiTitle: (Actually this fic doesn't have a title for now. If you have one, please tell me XD)
Author: Me aka Yuuki
Beta: the lovely Destiny (thank you so much for helping me with this!)
Pairing: Sakuraiba, Juntoshi (just hinted)
Genre: AU, Romance, Fluff, some Humor here and there
Rating: PG and NC-17 (is not "up to". The "and" is on purpose, go read the notes)
Length: One shot
Summary: It is just another normal and boring day in the life of Sakurai Sho, when his eyes catch a little soba stall in an alley. At first he is just attracted by the calm atmosphere around it, but soon that soba stall will be the most addictive thing he could have ever discovered. (Sorry, I suck at summaries >.<)
Warning: might be cheesy in some points (if you ever read one of my fic you know that I love cheesy stuff)
Disclaimer: wish I could own them but sadly I don't
Notes: So! Finally I'm here to post this. Exams got in the way so everything was delayed. Anyway, back to business! This fic is, of course, inspired by the Sakuraiba Manabu who blessed all the fandom (especially Sakuraiba shippers) in May. I started immediately to write down something and this is what came out. To be frank, I'm not really sure about it, I think that I could have write something better. Still, I hope that you'll enjoy it anyway! Also, I wrote two developments for this fic: one PG and one NC-17. I tried to make them as similar as possible so if you don't want to read the both of them, you won't miss anything ^^
It was a hot Monday morning in Tokyo. Spring was coming faster than everyone expected. Well, truth to be told, Sho was the only one thinking that. It was already May so it was only normal that it was hot. Still, Sho couldn’t accept that.
Working in a company meant wearing suit and tie every month of the year and with the passing of them, this was starting to get on Sakurai’s nerves.
Like every morning, Sho was walking down the street to reach his company. His apartment was near it so he didn’t need to take any public transportation, luckily for his mental health as he never liked crowds.
He actually didn’t like Tokyo at all since the beginning. He wished he could return to his Maebashi and just live there for the rest of his life. Well, Maebashi was still a city, and even the capital of Gunma Prefecture, so it was basically like Tokyo. But still, it was his birthplace and he couldn’t help but love it despite all the crowds that were there.
Turning to the left at the usual corner where there was a fishing shop, as always closed at that early hour, Sho could already catch a glimpse of the tall skyscraper where he worked. He sighed, already thinking about the tiring day ahead of him. He averted his gaze, unable to bear that sight, and started to look around.
He never did that. Looking around. After all, he would always find the same things. People looking down at their phones, too busy with their jobs or personal lives to even bother about where they’re walking. People having the same tired face as him, even though the working day hasn’t started yet. Groups of students walking towards the school and already anticipating the moment they would be out again. People entering their shops and start to settle everything they needed.
As everyone walked thinking about their own lives and their own struggles, everything seemed to be rushing. There were loads of cars in the street. There were heaps and heaps of people on the sidewalk. All kinds of rumors reached Sho’s ears as he kept on walking, his head already aching. He wished he could just put everyone and everything on mute, making time stop and take a single breath for once. And it was at that moment, that his eyes decided to follow a leaf that had been flying in the air for quite some time.
His eyes ended up to the other side of the street, where there seemed to be an alley. When he found himself directly in front of it, even though he was still on the other side, he could see that at the end of that alley there was some kind of old house, which had a soba stall in front of it. From where he was standing he could see a man working what seemed be the usual buckwheat flour used for it. Before being swept away from the crowd, he noticed two people already waiting for their order.
“So, people have even time to eat a proper breakfast out, it seems,” he stated mentally.
After some minutes, he turned to the left at another usual corner, where there was a boutique which was still closed, and finally reached the street where his company was. Before entering the building, he took a deep breath and for just some seconds in his mind was pictured that soba stall from before. For some reason, he wished to have been able to stare at it some time more. There the time seemed as if… still.
While entering the elevator, Sho started to wonder if he should pay a visit or not to that soba stall.
“Thank you for the report Sakurai-san, you may go.”
“Thank you, sir. Then, I will be leaving. Good work today.”
After giving his report to his boss and greeting him with a bow, Sho went to his desk and started to gather his things. When he reached the elevator he let out a loud sigh of relief. He managed to survive another day, he didn’t know how himself, and all he wanted now was to go out from that building and reach his home as soon as possible.
He strolled on that same path, not nervous like in the morning, and found himself looking not ahead of him but at the side. Particularly, his eyes seemed to search for something and when they found it, they immediately sent the information to Sho’s feet. Before he could realize, he was already walking towards the alley he saw that morning.
When he finally reached it, he hesitated a bit unsure about what to do. He didn’t know what he was doing there, but he did know that he was hungry.
Gradually, he started to walk up to the stall until he stopped some meters before reaching it. The man in the stall was working what seemed to be the last serve of soba of the day. His hands were mixing the flour and the water gently but still vigorously. When he was rolling out the dough his hands were firm but still careful.
Since the beginning until the moment the man was preparing for cutting the dough, Sho stared at his hands. He had quite long and slim fingers and from where he was standing, Sho could already tell how much manual skill they had. Sho wondered how they would feel if he touched them...
Before cutting the dough, the man lifted his gaze and made a slight bow to Sakurai with his head, already welcoming him before he returned his gaze to the dough. It was then that Sho’s eyes started to focus on the other’s face.
He noticed how his face was fully concentrated on what he was doing yet he still had a relaxed expression. It was clear that he was used to this, but that singular wrinkle he had on his forehead showed that he still was putting a lot of attention on what he was doing. And then there was that hint of a smile. Was he thinking about someone? Was he thinking about something that made him smile? Or, was he just enjoying what he was doing?
“Those people exist then. People who still like their job after years and years of doing it, no matter how many times they do the exact same things,” Sho found himself thinking.
He blinked, focusing again on the dough, but he saw the other’s hands still. Not even a hint of moving. When he looked at him, he found the man looking back at him.
He smiled to him and asked gently, “This is for myself, would you like some too, sir?”
Sho just nodded.
“How much, sir?”
“Just how much you’re doing for yourself. And please, drop the ‘sir’, no need to be polite with someone who probably has your same age,” he casually replied.
The stall owner laughed, and Sho would lie to himself if he said that his heart didn’t skip a beat.
“I’m doing quite a lot for me since I’m very hungry,” the other informed him.
“I skipped lunch, so just imagine yourself how much hunger I am feeling,” he replied.
Again, the other laughed. Again, Sho’s heart skipped a beat.
The man looked at the dough and seemed to think for a while before starting to cut it again.
“I’m making myself zaru soba, you would like this too?”
“Anything is fine.”
After the dish was finished and everything was put in the two seats in front of him, the man went around the counter and stopped right in front of Sakurai.
“Please, take a seat,” he said, his left hand stretched towards the stall.
When Sho didn’t give any sign of moving, the man gently put an arm around his waist and led him to the counter. Sho found himself going along with that sudden physical contact, something he usually hated, and let the other guide him.
He sat on the stool and placed his briefcase on the one next to him. Some seconds after the man joined him, sitting on the stool on his left.
They quietly started to eat and as soon as Sho tasted the soba, his eyes widened. He wouldn’t think that this guy could be this good at making soba. But if he wasn’t he wouldn’t have this stall running after all...
Still, Sho couldn’t stop thinking that this guy next to him was amazing. He himself couldn’t even put something on a pan without letting it burn, let alone make something like soba. Plus, he did all this while being calm and relaxed making everything seems so easy and peaceful.
“You’re different,” he blurted out.
“What do you mean?” the other replied after staring at Sho for some seconds.
“You’re not rushing to go anywhere.”
“Should I rush somewhere?” he asked, chuckling.
“No, I mean… Every morning I feel like everyone is hurrying. We think about ourselves, about what we have to go through during the day, about what we hate about our jobs or the place we live in. We just keep on thinking and thinking while trying to be on time for work and… When you look from the outside, you see how everything goes so fast that you can’t keep up with it.”
There was silence after Sho explained what he had been keeping on thinking since weeks before.
Since the other wasn’t replying, Sho decided to move on with his, most probably delirious, speech.
“And then there is you. Here, in this soba stall making the time stop. You’re just working at your own pace, calm and relaxed, you don’t care about what the world is doing because your world is right here.”
“I’m not making the time stop, you know,” the other finally replied before adding, “It’s you who are making it seem short.”
At that moment they both looked at each other. Seeing the confusion in Sho’s eyes, the man started to explain what he meant with that sentence.
“Since you have to do everything fast in the morning to arrive at work on time, you feel as if you’re running out of time. And this is added to the fact that you’re absent minded while walking, so you don’t even think about time. And then when you glance at the clock, you feel that time passed by too quickly and you’re still far from where you have to go.”
“That may be… possible,” Sho muttered, looking down.
“Time is the same for everyone. It’s how you perceive it that matters. If you feel that time is not enough then it’s obvious that you feel like you’re rushing. It’s not the world, it’s you yourself that makes you feel like that.”
Sho stayed silent, thinking about the last words spoken by the other.
“I thought that a salaryman was smarter than this. Guess I was wrong.”
After that no one spoke again. They resumed their dinner quietly.
“So, for how long have you been observing me?”
Sho woke up suddenly from his thoughts as he had finished and paid for his dinner and was picking up his briefcase. He looked at the other with an eyebrow raised in question.
“You talked about me and how I work, so I guess you’ve been checking on me for some time now,” he explained while gathering all the dishes and bringing them to the other side of the counter.
“Actually, this morning was the first time that I saw this stall.”
“So what, you kept thinking about it since then?” he asked amused.
“Not really, but I do admit that this stall came to mind quite a few times today,” Sho confessed.
The stall owner just nodded smiling while starting to sort out everything he had on the counter and starting to wash the dishes. Sho’s eyes found again the other’s hands, especially the fingers. He didn’t know why but something about them made him unable to avert his gaze. If before he wondered how they would feel if he touched them… Now he was thinking how it would feel if they were touching him.
“Well that actually happened when he led me to the stall… Damn I wasn’t focused so I don’t remember how his touch felt-,“ he stopped his train of thoughts immediately, afraid of thinking something he totally shouldn’t.
Sho’s cheeks started to blush suddenly and he understood that it was better for him to go home already. So, he took some step backwards ready to go but still found himself unable to. There was something he needed to ask before going away.
“What are your opening hours?”
“It depends, but I wake up really early so usually I’m already open at 8. For the closing time, it depends too but usually around 22 I’m already ready to close.”
“Then why you are closing earlier today? It’s just past 20,” Sho asked curious.
“You see that window over there?” the man asked, pointing at a window that was in the building at Sho’s right.
“I’m invited at a birthday party. An old man that usually comes here for eating turns 75 today. It seems that he’s quite fond of me so he invited me over for a drink after dinner,” he replied.
“So, it’s going to be only you and his family?” he said bewildered.
“Plus some of his friends that have more than 70 years.”
“It’s going to be an interesting night for you,” Sho joked.
The other couldn’t help himself and burst out laughing, understanding how weird and amusing the situation could seem from the outside. And for the damn third time, Sho’s heart skipped a beat.
“Everyone around here has more than 60 years. It can’t be helped,” he tried to explain still laughing.
“That’s why you opened your stall here. The elders like this kind of things so they come to your stall, eat soba and talk with their friends. You showed again to be pretty smart,” Sho teased, smirking at him.
He laughed and gave him what Sho thought to be some kind of weird wink, before returning to the dishes.
Sho waited a bit, watching as the guy finished cleaning the stall. Just at that moment it came to his mind that he didn’t know the name of the other. And he wanted to know it.
“I’m Sakurai Sho. Sorry if I didn’t introduce myself before.”
“I’m Aiba Masaki. And don’t worry, it’s okay,” he replied politely, giving him a wide smile.
When Sakurai turned and started to walk away, Aiba called him. He turned, wondering on what the other had to say.
“This ‘everyone is rushing’ thing you talked about… I never saw that. If I have to go out, I go very early or very late,” he said before adding, “what about one of these days, you show me this sight, Sakurai-san?”
And with a sincere smile, from both parties, they said their goodbyes. Both returning to their own things, but still thinking about that weird but interesting encounter.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Passing by the fishing shop, the next morning, Sho caught a glimpse of himself and blushed immediately.
For some kind of reason, he woke up earlier than usual and instead of going back to sleep, he got ready for work and left his house half an hour earlier than he used to do everyday. And the most embarrassing thing was that the first thing that came to his mind was, “Maybe I could pass by Aiba’s stall.”
In the end, he crossed the street and reached the alley from the night before. As soon as he stepped in it, he saw Aiba preparing the soba. And just like the day before, as he walked up to where he was, Sakurai stared at him closely.
He was charmed by the other’s expression, absorbed so much in his actions that it seemed like he wasn’t even paying attention to his surroundings. But when Sho stopped his walk before the little yard where the stall was located, Aiba looked up beaming.
“Good morning, Sakurai-san,” he greeted him.
“Good morning.”
“I’m happy that you decided to come here again,” he continued while beginning to roll out the dough.
“I just woke up earlier and didn’t have breakfast,” he said, not saying that he didn’t eat on purpose so he could have a plausible reason for going to him.
“Then, what would you like?” the stall owner asked.
“Mori soba. That will do it.”
“Understood. Please take a seat while I finish preparing it” he told him while getting ready to cut the dough.
So, like the night before, Sho put his briefcase on the nearby chair and sat on a stool. More precisely, he sat on the stool right in front of Aiba. But he wouldn’t admit it that he did that on purpose… yet.
“I think that I need to apologize to you,” he started, his hands running on his trousers nervously.
“For what?”
“Yesterday I said things that didn’t have much sense. I guess it was just the tiredness that made me talk nonsense.”
“Don’t worry, I had customers who said even more delirious stuff. Compared to theirs, your thoughts at least had a logical thread.”
And then he laughed, and again Sho’s heart skipped a beat. He wished that he could put a stop to this.
For the whole time in which Aiba prepared his dish, he stared at him with dreamy eyes. There was something in him that attracted Sakurai more than it should.
“Here is your breakfast,” Aba announced.
While passing him the tray, their fingers brushed and it was at that moment that they both looked properly in the other’s eyes. It was as if a connection was born between them which made them not break both the physical and eye contact. Sho’s lips curved naturally in a smile that was soon returned by the Aiba.
This intense moment though was interrupted by someone greeting Aiba.
“Good morning Aiba-chan,” a man said while taking a seat some stools away from Sho.
Both Sho and Masaki blinked and returned to reality, the first putting his breakfast on the counter and eating it while the second greeting back his customer.
“The usual one, right?” Aiba said while starting to prepare the new order.
“Right,” the guy, who had probably the same age as them, replied before asking, “Satoshi didn’t come yet?”
“No, he didn’t. He probably overslept a bit.”
“As expected of him,” he commented chuckling.
The man, waiting for his order, started to look around but stopped when he took notice of the glances that his friend was throwing at the customer next to him. Staring a bit, he also noticed that there was some kind of tension between the two.
“Did I interrupt something here?” he questioned, interested.
“Eh? Ah- No! Absolutely not!” Aiba replied seeming troubled.
“Nothing at all,” Sho added shaking his head.
The man tried holding back his laughter and just nodded.
“I’m Matsumoto Jun by the way, I’m Aiba’s friend. I have a boutique nearby,” he introduced himself.
“Sakurai Sho, nice to meet you,” he replied, his tone confused since he didn’t understand that sudden introduction.
Matsumoto caught it and explained himself.
“Guessed that I needed to introduce myself, since I have the feeling that I’m going to see you around here many times from now onwards,”
At that moment Sakurai’s and Aiba’s cheeks blushed slightly. They looked at each other embarrassed before directing their gazes elsewhere.
“I meant it for Aiba-chan’s soba. It is pretty addictive once you have tasted it,” Jun added later, not wanting to make the others uncomfortable.
Sakurai nodded and after that proceeded on finishing his breakfast in silence, while the two friends chatted casually.
He left the money on the counter and picked up all his things, ready to go.
“Then, I’m off to work,” he announced.
“I hope to see you again soon,” Aiba said politely, bowing to him.
“I will,” Sho said.
He began to walk away but then paused and bit his lower lip. He gathered up all his courage and turned towards the other.
“You know Matsumoto-san, the soba is not the only addictive thing here,” he affirmed half smirking.
Matsumoto and Aiba were left speechless, the former totally amazed while the latter surprised and flustered.
He gave one last look at Aiba, who had his eyes and mouth open, before resuming on going away.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Sho discovered for real how addictive that stall could be very quickly.
He ended up going to that stall the next morning, and the next evening too, and again the morning after and again many mornings and evenings after. He enjoyed way too much Aiba’s company, he liked way too much Aiba’s soba, and he loved way too much Aiba. Yes, because by now, it became pretty obvious.
Even Aiba’s usual customers figured it out. And well, not like Sho was hiding his flirting. He was actually pretty blunt about it.
“Today is our monthiversary, want me to buy you something?” he asked smirking.
“First, we are not going out. Second, monthiversary?” Masaki asked while he was preparing the serve for one of his customers and close friend, Ohno Satoshi, the owner of that corner’s fishing shop.
“It’s been a month since I started to woo you seriously and two and a half months in total since we met,” Sakurai explained while finishing his dinner.
“Has it been a month?! Didn’t you start two weeks ago?” Aiba questioned surprised.
“Thanks for noticing all my attempts to win you over. Really, I appreciate it,” he joked faking a smile.
“Ma-kun you’re really the worst. How can you not realize that someone is courting you? Especially someone like Sakurai-san that has been pretty straightforward since the beginning.”
“There is a reason for it,” Aiba declared.
At that moment Sho’s phone rang. He excused himself after saying “You have to tell me after” and going at the entrance of the alley to answer the call.
Ohno noticed how Aiba looked at Sho the whole time since he started to walk away until he stopped.
“So? What’s this reason?” he asked.
Aiba sighed and closed his eyes before opening them again and facing the other.
“I didn’t want to raise my hopes up. I like him way too much and I was afraid that those advances he made daily were just my imagination,” he confessed.
“But then, why you didn’t tell him how you felt when he confessed to you?”
“Actually, I tried. But we were interrupted and eventually he went home. The next day I tried to talk about that but I was too shy and I didn’t find the courage to bring it up,” he clarified Ohno’s doubts, but still something was missing for him.
“And then why you still keep quiet about it? I mean, he flirts so much and you never go along with him.”
“What if… What if after having obtained me, he will lose interest and stop coming to the stall? Think about this Oh-chan, just how many times people left me as soon as they had me or as soon as they got to know me?” he retorted back putting his hands on the counter.
“But no one has chased you as long as Sho. He’s still here after more than two months and I bet that he got to know you pretty much. He won’t be like the others,” he tried to make him reason.
“How do you know this? How can you be so sure?”
“Because of his gaze,” he replied immediately.
Aiba looked at him confused, eyebrows knitted together.
“You may not notice this, but he looks at you as if you’re the only thing that matters to him. As if you are his own whole world,” Ohno said sincerely, looking at Aiba in his eyes.
The latter remained in silence, glancing at Ohno but actually being lost in the other’s gaze and words.
Ohno’s phone which was on the encounter suddenly vibrated, signaling an incoming message. After looking at it, the man finished fast his dinner and got up from his seat.
“Sorry, I have to go. Jun is already home and I promised to come back before the episode of that medical drama starts. I still don’t get why he likes so much that evil guy.”
“He is hot, admit it.”
“But he’s evil! You all should like that resident!” he retorted back.
“We like him too, but you can’t deny that the surgeon is hot.”
Ohno looked at him shaking his head in disappointment making the younger laugh.
“Well, I should go now. See you tomorrow!” Ohno said before walking away.
“I really wish to be like you guys. Happy and in love, cuddling on a couch while watching a TV drama. You two are really special to be able to be like that,” Aiba said while raising his hands and hugging himself.
Ohno turned around and looked at him with a serious expression which soon became soft.
“We’re not special. We just gave each other a chance”
He looked at his friend one last time before finally going away. Aiba watched as he and Sho exchanged a look as a goodbye.
“Give each other a chance...” Aiba repeated absentmindedly.
Since the first day, he knew that something would have blossomed between the two of them yet he was too afraid of losing Sho that he preferred to leave things as they were. But again, as Ohno said, Sakurai had been after him for almost three months. He would have been already tired if he wasn’t serious about Aiba, plus, he would have already found some weird or bothering detail that he couldn’t bear.
“If he’s still here, it means that he won’t leave me after, right?” he tried to convince himself.
At that moment Sho looked at him and made a sign with his hand, making him understand that he would be done soon with his call. Somehow, that glance was all he needed.
He started cleaning the stall as fast as he could. By the time Sho finished his call Aiba was already finishing sorting out the last things.
“Sorry for the wait. It was a call related to work,” Sakurai said once he came back to the stall.
“Do you work even on Saturdays’ nights now?”
“No, it was just a misunderstanding between me and my co-worker. But now everything is settled so now I’m all yours,” he said putting his phone in his briefcase so he can give all his attention to the other.
“All mine?” Aiba asked, teasing him.
“Yeah, we could go to my house or-“ he stopped himself before continuing, “Why am I even asking even if the answer is ‘No’. I guess I’ll just go. You have already closed after all.”
He was ready to pick up his bag and go home but Aiba blocked him, putting a hand on it.
“Why don’t you go to the convenience store and buy some ice cream?” Aiba proposed to him, smiling kindly.
“Ice cream?” Sho asked to make sure he understood correctly.
“Yeah, what’s the problem?” he asked back.
“Nothing, it just felt strange that for once you’re actually going along with me.”
Aiba looked down biting his lower lip, before removing his hand from Sho’s briefcase.
“Buy even the spoons, the ones I have at home are still in the sink waiting to be washed. After buying all this, return here.”
Sho replied with a military greeting, getting a smile out of Aiba, before turning.
“Wait, aren’t you going to ask which flavor I want?” the man behind the counter asked.
“I already know,” the other only replied before exiting the alley.
This time, it was Aiba’s heart that skipped a beat.
PG development NC-17 development
Author: Me aka Yuuki
Beta: the lovely Destiny (thank you so much for helping me with this!)
Pairing: Sakuraiba, Juntoshi (just hinted)
Genre: AU, Romance, Fluff, some Humor here and there
Rating: PG and NC-17 (is not "up to". The "and" is on purpose, go read the notes)
Length: One shot
Summary: It is just another normal and boring day in the life of Sakurai Sho, when his eyes catch a little soba stall in an alley. At first he is just attracted by the calm atmosphere around it, but soon that soba stall will be the most addictive thing he could have ever discovered. (Sorry, I suck at summaries >.<)
Warning: might be cheesy in some points (if you ever read one of my fic you know that I love cheesy stuff)
Disclaimer: wish I could own them but sadly I don't
Notes: So! Finally I'm here to post this. Exams got in the way so everything was delayed. Anyway, back to business! This fic is, of course, inspired by the Sakuraiba Manabu who blessed all the fandom (especially Sakuraiba shippers) in May. I started immediately to write down something and this is what came out. To be frank, I'm not really sure about it, I think that I could have write something better. Still, I hope that you'll enjoy it anyway! Also, I wrote two developments for this fic: one PG and one NC-17. I tried to make them as similar as possible so if you don't want to read the both of them, you won't miss anything ^^
It was a hot Monday morning in Tokyo. Spring was coming faster than everyone expected. Well, truth to be told, Sho was the only one thinking that. It was already May so it was only normal that it was hot. Still, Sho couldn’t accept that.
Working in a company meant wearing suit and tie every month of the year and with the passing of them, this was starting to get on Sakurai’s nerves.
Like every morning, Sho was walking down the street to reach his company. His apartment was near it so he didn’t need to take any public transportation, luckily for his mental health as he never liked crowds.
He actually didn’t like Tokyo at all since the beginning. He wished he could return to his Maebashi and just live there for the rest of his life. Well, Maebashi was still a city, and even the capital of Gunma Prefecture, so it was basically like Tokyo. But still, it was his birthplace and he couldn’t help but love it despite all the crowds that were there.
Turning to the left at the usual corner where there was a fishing shop, as always closed at that early hour, Sho could already catch a glimpse of the tall skyscraper where he worked. He sighed, already thinking about the tiring day ahead of him. He averted his gaze, unable to bear that sight, and started to look around.
He never did that. Looking around. After all, he would always find the same things. People looking down at their phones, too busy with their jobs or personal lives to even bother about where they’re walking. People having the same tired face as him, even though the working day hasn’t started yet. Groups of students walking towards the school and already anticipating the moment they would be out again. People entering their shops and start to settle everything they needed.
As everyone walked thinking about their own lives and their own struggles, everything seemed to be rushing. There were loads of cars in the street. There were heaps and heaps of people on the sidewalk. All kinds of rumors reached Sho’s ears as he kept on walking, his head already aching. He wished he could just put everyone and everything on mute, making time stop and take a single breath for once. And it was at that moment, that his eyes decided to follow a leaf that had been flying in the air for quite some time.
His eyes ended up to the other side of the street, where there seemed to be an alley. When he found himself directly in front of it, even though he was still on the other side, he could see that at the end of that alley there was some kind of old house, which had a soba stall in front of it. From where he was standing he could see a man working what seemed be the usual buckwheat flour used for it. Before being swept away from the crowd, he noticed two people already waiting for their order.
“So, people have even time to eat a proper breakfast out, it seems,” he stated mentally.
After some minutes, he turned to the left at another usual corner, where there was a boutique which was still closed, and finally reached the street where his company was. Before entering the building, he took a deep breath and for just some seconds in his mind was pictured that soba stall from before. For some reason, he wished to have been able to stare at it some time more. There the time seemed as if… still.
While entering the elevator, Sho started to wonder if he should pay a visit or not to that soba stall.
“Thank you for the report Sakurai-san, you may go.”
“Thank you, sir. Then, I will be leaving. Good work today.”
After giving his report to his boss and greeting him with a bow, Sho went to his desk and started to gather his things. When he reached the elevator he let out a loud sigh of relief. He managed to survive another day, he didn’t know how himself, and all he wanted now was to go out from that building and reach his home as soon as possible.
He strolled on that same path, not nervous like in the morning, and found himself looking not ahead of him but at the side. Particularly, his eyes seemed to search for something and when they found it, they immediately sent the information to Sho’s feet. Before he could realize, he was already walking towards the alley he saw that morning.
When he finally reached it, he hesitated a bit unsure about what to do. He didn’t know what he was doing there, but he did know that he was hungry.
Gradually, he started to walk up to the stall until he stopped some meters before reaching it. The man in the stall was working what seemed to be the last serve of soba of the day. His hands were mixing the flour and the water gently but still vigorously. When he was rolling out the dough his hands were firm but still careful.
Since the beginning until the moment the man was preparing for cutting the dough, Sho stared at his hands. He had quite long and slim fingers and from where he was standing, Sho could already tell how much manual skill they had. Sho wondered how they would feel if he touched them...
Before cutting the dough, the man lifted his gaze and made a slight bow to Sakurai with his head, already welcoming him before he returned his gaze to the dough. It was then that Sho’s eyes started to focus on the other’s face.
He noticed how his face was fully concentrated on what he was doing yet he still had a relaxed expression. It was clear that he was used to this, but that singular wrinkle he had on his forehead showed that he still was putting a lot of attention on what he was doing. And then there was that hint of a smile. Was he thinking about someone? Was he thinking about something that made him smile? Or, was he just enjoying what he was doing?
“Those people exist then. People who still like their job after years and years of doing it, no matter how many times they do the exact same things,” Sho found himself thinking.
He blinked, focusing again on the dough, but he saw the other’s hands still. Not even a hint of moving. When he looked at him, he found the man looking back at him.
He smiled to him and asked gently, “This is for myself, would you like some too, sir?”
Sho just nodded.
“How much, sir?”
“Just how much you’re doing for yourself. And please, drop the ‘sir’, no need to be polite with someone who probably has your same age,” he casually replied.
The stall owner laughed, and Sho would lie to himself if he said that his heart didn’t skip a beat.
“I’m doing quite a lot for me since I’m very hungry,” the other informed him.
“I skipped lunch, so just imagine yourself how much hunger I am feeling,” he replied.
Again, the other laughed. Again, Sho’s heart skipped a beat.
The man looked at the dough and seemed to think for a while before starting to cut it again.
“I’m making myself zaru soba, you would like this too?”
“Anything is fine.”
After the dish was finished and everything was put in the two seats in front of him, the man went around the counter and stopped right in front of Sakurai.
“Please, take a seat,” he said, his left hand stretched towards the stall.
When Sho didn’t give any sign of moving, the man gently put an arm around his waist and led him to the counter. Sho found himself going along with that sudden physical contact, something he usually hated, and let the other guide him.
He sat on the stool and placed his briefcase on the one next to him. Some seconds after the man joined him, sitting on the stool on his left.
They quietly started to eat and as soon as Sho tasted the soba, his eyes widened. He wouldn’t think that this guy could be this good at making soba. But if he wasn’t he wouldn’t have this stall running after all...
Still, Sho couldn’t stop thinking that this guy next to him was amazing. He himself couldn’t even put something on a pan without letting it burn, let alone make something like soba. Plus, he did all this while being calm and relaxed making everything seems so easy and peaceful.
“You’re different,” he blurted out.
“What do you mean?” the other replied after staring at Sho for some seconds.
“You’re not rushing to go anywhere.”
“Should I rush somewhere?” he asked, chuckling.
“No, I mean… Every morning I feel like everyone is hurrying. We think about ourselves, about what we have to go through during the day, about what we hate about our jobs or the place we live in. We just keep on thinking and thinking while trying to be on time for work and… When you look from the outside, you see how everything goes so fast that you can’t keep up with it.”
There was silence after Sho explained what he had been keeping on thinking since weeks before.
Since the other wasn’t replying, Sho decided to move on with his, most probably delirious, speech.
“And then there is you. Here, in this soba stall making the time stop. You’re just working at your own pace, calm and relaxed, you don’t care about what the world is doing because your world is right here.”
“I’m not making the time stop, you know,” the other finally replied before adding, “It’s you who are making it seem short.”
At that moment they both looked at each other. Seeing the confusion in Sho’s eyes, the man started to explain what he meant with that sentence.
“Since you have to do everything fast in the morning to arrive at work on time, you feel as if you’re running out of time. And this is added to the fact that you’re absent minded while walking, so you don’t even think about time. And then when you glance at the clock, you feel that time passed by too quickly and you’re still far from where you have to go.”
“That may be… possible,” Sho muttered, looking down.
“Time is the same for everyone. It’s how you perceive it that matters. If you feel that time is not enough then it’s obvious that you feel like you’re rushing. It’s not the world, it’s you yourself that makes you feel like that.”
Sho stayed silent, thinking about the last words spoken by the other.
“I thought that a salaryman was smarter than this. Guess I was wrong.”
After that no one spoke again. They resumed their dinner quietly.
“So, for how long have you been observing me?”
Sho woke up suddenly from his thoughts as he had finished and paid for his dinner and was picking up his briefcase. He looked at the other with an eyebrow raised in question.
“You talked about me and how I work, so I guess you’ve been checking on me for some time now,” he explained while gathering all the dishes and bringing them to the other side of the counter.
“Actually, this morning was the first time that I saw this stall.”
“So what, you kept thinking about it since then?” he asked amused.
“Not really, but I do admit that this stall came to mind quite a few times today,” Sho confessed.
The stall owner just nodded smiling while starting to sort out everything he had on the counter and starting to wash the dishes. Sho’s eyes found again the other’s hands, especially the fingers. He didn’t know why but something about them made him unable to avert his gaze. If before he wondered how they would feel if he touched them… Now he was thinking how it would feel if they were touching him.
“Well that actually happened when he led me to the stall… Damn I wasn’t focused so I don’t remember how his touch felt-,“ he stopped his train of thoughts immediately, afraid of thinking something he totally shouldn’t.
Sho’s cheeks started to blush suddenly and he understood that it was better for him to go home already. So, he took some step backwards ready to go but still found himself unable to. There was something he needed to ask before going away.
“What are your opening hours?”
“It depends, but I wake up really early so usually I’m already open at 8. For the closing time, it depends too but usually around 22 I’m already ready to close.”
“Then why you are closing earlier today? It’s just past 20,” Sho asked curious.
“You see that window over there?” the man asked, pointing at a window that was in the building at Sho’s right.
“I’m invited at a birthday party. An old man that usually comes here for eating turns 75 today. It seems that he’s quite fond of me so he invited me over for a drink after dinner,” he replied.
“So, it’s going to be only you and his family?” he said bewildered.
“Plus some of his friends that have more than 70 years.”
“It’s going to be an interesting night for you,” Sho joked.
The other couldn’t help himself and burst out laughing, understanding how weird and amusing the situation could seem from the outside. And for the damn third time, Sho’s heart skipped a beat.
“Everyone around here has more than 60 years. It can’t be helped,” he tried to explain still laughing.
“That’s why you opened your stall here. The elders like this kind of things so they come to your stall, eat soba and talk with their friends. You showed again to be pretty smart,” Sho teased, smirking at him.
He laughed and gave him what Sho thought to be some kind of weird wink, before returning to the dishes.
Sho waited a bit, watching as the guy finished cleaning the stall. Just at that moment it came to his mind that he didn’t know the name of the other. And he wanted to know it.
“I’m Sakurai Sho. Sorry if I didn’t introduce myself before.”
“I’m Aiba Masaki. And don’t worry, it’s okay,” he replied politely, giving him a wide smile.
When Sakurai turned and started to walk away, Aiba called him. He turned, wondering on what the other had to say.
“This ‘everyone is rushing’ thing you talked about… I never saw that. If I have to go out, I go very early or very late,” he said before adding, “what about one of these days, you show me this sight, Sakurai-san?”
And with a sincere smile, from both parties, they said their goodbyes. Both returning to their own things, but still thinking about that weird but interesting encounter.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Passing by the fishing shop, the next morning, Sho caught a glimpse of himself and blushed immediately.
For some kind of reason, he woke up earlier than usual and instead of going back to sleep, he got ready for work and left his house half an hour earlier than he used to do everyday. And the most embarrassing thing was that the first thing that came to his mind was, “Maybe I could pass by Aiba’s stall.”
In the end, he crossed the street and reached the alley from the night before. As soon as he stepped in it, he saw Aiba preparing the soba. And just like the day before, as he walked up to where he was, Sakurai stared at him closely.
He was charmed by the other’s expression, absorbed so much in his actions that it seemed like he wasn’t even paying attention to his surroundings. But when Sho stopped his walk before the little yard where the stall was located, Aiba looked up beaming.
“Good morning, Sakurai-san,” he greeted him.
“Good morning.”
“I’m happy that you decided to come here again,” he continued while beginning to roll out the dough.
“I just woke up earlier and didn’t have breakfast,” he said, not saying that he didn’t eat on purpose so he could have a plausible reason for going to him.
“Then, what would you like?” the stall owner asked.
“Mori soba. That will do it.”
“Understood. Please take a seat while I finish preparing it” he told him while getting ready to cut the dough.
So, like the night before, Sho put his briefcase on the nearby chair and sat on a stool. More precisely, he sat on the stool right in front of Aiba. But he wouldn’t admit it that he did that on purpose… yet.
“I think that I need to apologize to you,” he started, his hands running on his trousers nervously.
“For what?”
“Yesterday I said things that didn’t have much sense. I guess it was just the tiredness that made me talk nonsense.”
“Don’t worry, I had customers who said even more delirious stuff. Compared to theirs, your thoughts at least had a logical thread.”
And then he laughed, and again Sho’s heart skipped a beat. He wished that he could put a stop to this.
For the whole time in which Aiba prepared his dish, he stared at him with dreamy eyes. There was something in him that attracted Sakurai more than it should.
“Here is your breakfast,” Aba announced.
While passing him the tray, their fingers brushed and it was at that moment that they both looked properly in the other’s eyes. It was as if a connection was born between them which made them not break both the physical and eye contact. Sho’s lips curved naturally in a smile that was soon returned by the Aiba.
This intense moment though was interrupted by someone greeting Aiba.
“Good morning Aiba-chan,” a man said while taking a seat some stools away from Sho.
Both Sho and Masaki blinked and returned to reality, the first putting his breakfast on the counter and eating it while the second greeting back his customer.
“The usual one, right?” Aiba said while starting to prepare the new order.
“Right,” the guy, who had probably the same age as them, replied before asking, “Satoshi didn’t come yet?”
“No, he didn’t. He probably overslept a bit.”
“As expected of him,” he commented chuckling.
The man, waiting for his order, started to look around but stopped when he took notice of the glances that his friend was throwing at the customer next to him. Staring a bit, he also noticed that there was some kind of tension between the two.
“Did I interrupt something here?” he questioned, interested.
“Eh? Ah- No! Absolutely not!” Aiba replied seeming troubled.
“Nothing at all,” Sho added shaking his head.
The man tried holding back his laughter and just nodded.
“I’m Matsumoto Jun by the way, I’m Aiba’s friend. I have a boutique nearby,” he introduced himself.
“Sakurai Sho, nice to meet you,” he replied, his tone confused since he didn’t understand that sudden introduction.
Matsumoto caught it and explained himself.
“Guessed that I needed to introduce myself, since I have the feeling that I’m going to see you around here many times from now onwards,”
At that moment Sakurai’s and Aiba’s cheeks blushed slightly. They looked at each other embarrassed before directing their gazes elsewhere.
“I meant it for Aiba-chan’s soba. It is pretty addictive once you have tasted it,” Jun added later, not wanting to make the others uncomfortable.
Sakurai nodded and after that proceeded on finishing his breakfast in silence, while the two friends chatted casually.
He left the money on the counter and picked up all his things, ready to go.
“Then, I’m off to work,” he announced.
“I hope to see you again soon,” Aiba said politely, bowing to him.
“I will,” Sho said.
He began to walk away but then paused and bit his lower lip. He gathered up all his courage and turned towards the other.
“You know Matsumoto-san, the soba is not the only addictive thing here,” he affirmed half smirking.
Matsumoto and Aiba were left speechless, the former totally amazed while the latter surprised and flustered.
He gave one last look at Aiba, who had his eyes and mouth open, before resuming on going away.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Sho discovered for real how addictive that stall could be very quickly.
He ended up going to that stall the next morning, and the next evening too, and again the morning after and again many mornings and evenings after. He enjoyed way too much Aiba’s company, he liked way too much Aiba’s soba, and he loved way too much Aiba. Yes, because by now, it became pretty obvious.
Even Aiba’s usual customers figured it out. And well, not like Sho was hiding his flirting. He was actually pretty blunt about it.
“Today is our monthiversary, want me to buy you something?” he asked smirking.
“First, we are not going out. Second, monthiversary?” Masaki asked while he was preparing the serve for one of his customers and close friend, Ohno Satoshi, the owner of that corner’s fishing shop.
“It’s been a month since I started to woo you seriously and two and a half months in total since we met,” Sakurai explained while finishing his dinner.
“Has it been a month?! Didn’t you start two weeks ago?” Aiba questioned surprised.
“Thanks for noticing all my attempts to win you over. Really, I appreciate it,” he joked faking a smile.
“Ma-kun you’re really the worst. How can you not realize that someone is courting you? Especially someone like Sakurai-san that has been pretty straightforward since the beginning.”
“There is a reason for it,” Aiba declared.
At that moment Sho’s phone rang. He excused himself after saying “You have to tell me after” and going at the entrance of the alley to answer the call.
Ohno noticed how Aiba looked at Sho the whole time since he started to walk away until he stopped.
“So? What’s this reason?” he asked.
Aiba sighed and closed his eyes before opening them again and facing the other.
“I didn’t want to raise my hopes up. I like him way too much and I was afraid that those advances he made daily were just my imagination,” he confessed.
“But then, why you didn’t tell him how you felt when he confessed to you?”
“Actually, I tried. But we were interrupted and eventually he went home. The next day I tried to talk about that but I was too shy and I didn’t find the courage to bring it up,” he clarified Ohno’s doubts, but still something was missing for him.
“And then why you still keep quiet about it? I mean, he flirts so much and you never go along with him.”
“What if… What if after having obtained me, he will lose interest and stop coming to the stall? Think about this Oh-chan, just how many times people left me as soon as they had me or as soon as they got to know me?” he retorted back putting his hands on the counter.
“But no one has chased you as long as Sho. He’s still here after more than two months and I bet that he got to know you pretty much. He won’t be like the others,” he tried to make him reason.
“How do you know this? How can you be so sure?”
“Because of his gaze,” he replied immediately.
Aiba looked at him confused, eyebrows knitted together.
“You may not notice this, but he looks at you as if you’re the only thing that matters to him. As if you are his own whole world,” Ohno said sincerely, looking at Aiba in his eyes.
The latter remained in silence, glancing at Ohno but actually being lost in the other’s gaze and words.
Ohno’s phone which was on the encounter suddenly vibrated, signaling an incoming message. After looking at it, the man finished fast his dinner and got up from his seat.
“Sorry, I have to go. Jun is already home and I promised to come back before the episode of that medical drama starts. I still don’t get why he likes so much that evil guy.”
“He is hot, admit it.”
“But he’s evil! You all should like that resident!” he retorted back.
“We like him too, but you can’t deny that the surgeon is hot.”
Ohno looked at him shaking his head in disappointment making the younger laugh.
“Well, I should go now. See you tomorrow!” Ohno said before walking away.
“I really wish to be like you guys. Happy and in love, cuddling on a couch while watching a TV drama. You two are really special to be able to be like that,” Aiba said while raising his hands and hugging himself.
Ohno turned around and looked at him with a serious expression which soon became soft.
“We’re not special. We just gave each other a chance”
He looked at his friend one last time before finally going away. Aiba watched as he and Sho exchanged a look as a goodbye.
“Give each other a chance...” Aiba repeated absentmindedly.
Since the first day, he knew that something would have blossomed between the two of them yet he was too afraid of losing Sho that he preferred to leave things as they were. But again, as Ohno said, Sakurai had been after him for almost three months. He would have been already tired if he wasn’t serious about Aiba, plus, he would have already found some weird or bothering detail that he couldn’t bear.
“If he’s still here, it means that he won’t leave me after, right?” he tried to convince himself.
At that moment Sho looked at him and made a sign with his hand, making him understand that he would be done soon with his call. Somehow, that glance was all he needed.
He started cleaning the stall as fast as he could. By the time Sho finished his call Aiba was already finishing sorting out the last things.
“Sorry for the wait. It was a call related to work,” Sakurai said once he came back to the stall.
“Do you work even on Saturdays’ nights now?”
“No, it was just a misunderstanding between me and my co-worker. But now everything is settled so now I’m all yours,” he said putting his phone in his briefcase so he can give all his attention to the other.
“All mine?” Aiba asked, teasing him.
“Yeah, we could go to my house or-“ he stopped himself before continuing, “Why am I even asking even if the answer is ‘No’. I guess I’ll just go. You have already closed after all.”
He was ready to pick up his bag and go home but Aiba blocked him, putting a hand on it.
“Why don’t you go to the convenience store and buy some ice cream?” Aiba proposed to him, smiling kindly.
“Ice cream?” Sho asked to make sure he understood correctly.
“Yeah, what’s the problem?” he asked back.
“Nothing, it just felt strange that for once you’re actually going along with me.”
Aiba looked down biting his lower lip, before removing his hand from Sho’s briefcase.
“Buy even the spoons, the ones I have at home are still in the sink waiting to be washed. After buying all this, return here.”
Sho replied with a military greeting, getting a smile out of Aiba, before turning.
“Wait, aren’t you going to ask which flavor I want?” the man behind the counter asked.
“I already know,” the other only replied before exiting the alley.
This time, it was Aiba’s heart that skipped a beat.
PG development NC-17 development
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Date: Saturday, June 23rd, 2018 08:30 (UTC)