Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Aiba felt like the biggest hypocrite. For the longest time, his luck calendar had been predicting unlucky days to come, and he knew exactly why. He felt ashamed. After trying to make things right between him and Sakurai, he still fell under his own vicious cycles of trying to predict things before they even happened, and this time, he’d gone too far.

He had invaded Sakurai’s privacy and stepped over a boundary even though the other had yet to open up to him, and all because of his fear of getting hurt if he wasn’t able to predict things that came his way. But in trying to spare his own pain, he ended up hurting Sakurai in the process instead. It seemed as if nothing could go right whenever they were together and he’d begun to believe something must have been wrong. The universe was not making sense anymore.

He knew it was bad luck to question the ways of Fate, but for all that time, he couldn’t help it. He was unable to rationalize a possible answer to his misfortunes other than how Fate must have been mistaken this time. Sakurai clearly wasn’t interested in him, and surely he believed getting involved with Aiba was nothing but trouble. Aiba listened to no one but his instincts and he was blinded by the way of the cosmos trying to predict his future when he should have been living in the moment. He had been careless and stubborn. Not even Fate could find him someone who loved him.

Love. Aiba had been thinking of this word since the last moment he saw Sakurai. How it was all connected to the energies each human exchanged with one another. It was one of the constant concepts that existed in all astrological readings, and yet it was probably the concept that was most mysterious to him. 

The meaning of Love could not be explained by the stars. It was only the human mind that had named such deep-rooted sentiments that controlled all feelings and emotions in one’s life. And it was not just in the mind, it was deep in the soul. It had the power to caress the heart and stab it at the same time. It could heal all wounds and reopen them once again.

Aiba’s heart cramped in pain whenever he thought about Sakurai, about how he lost him because of his own selfish actions. How he will probably never be trusted by the other again. And yet, before he could even tell what he was doing, Aiba stood in front of Sakurai’s apartment as if he’d lost his way home. 

He didn’t know what had pushed him to come, but the thought of having Sakurai hate him was unbearable. He needed to prove to the other that he was better than this, he just had never fallen in love with someone like he had with him, and he didn’t want things to go wrong. To be fair, he thought everything would be perfect, but he fooled himself with fantasies of how love could ever be a simple thing. Love was never explained in his books, therefore Aiba had not learned its real meaning until he met Sakurai.

Aiba’s hands were shaking, sweating for fear that he would be rejected by the other, but he understood now that the moment that happened, he had to let it go. He would’ve had his answer and he would need to give it up. He hoped it didn’t have to come to this. There was still something in him that told him there was still a chance, but if he waited too long, he might just lose it forever.

Aiba knocked, but some of the strength in his knuckles was still holding back. He tried again, this time making sure even Sakurai’s neighbor would hear him knock, but by the lack of noise coming from inside, Aiba thought he must not have heard him.

“Sakurai?” Aiba called out from the other side of the door. “It’s me. I just want to talk.” Aiba wondered if these were the right words to get him to open the door, or if he needed to try harder to convince the other. “I’m sorry. I... I was wrong. I didn’t consider your feelings… and I ruined everything.” Aiba sighed, his breath shaking, hoping his humiliation would be enough proof of his remorse. “I wish you would talk to me again. I… really miss you.”

There was no other way Aiba could put it into words and yet there was no indication from inside that Sakurai would respond any time soon. After all, Aiba must have been too late. His efforts had been in vain and all he’d ever hoped for had been lost because of his own stupid actions. But no matter what, he couldn’t say he didn’t try. 

He was about to turn around when the door unlocked from the inside and the door swung open, almost startling Aiba, who could have sworn no one was really listening, or at least not the person he wanted to. There was someone inside after all, but not someone he expected to see.

For a long moment, Aiba found himself blinking at the person who had received him at the door, trying to connect dots in his head that just wouldn’t connect right away. 

“Can I help you?” The old woman seemed a little abashed that she had heard Aiba’s intimate words, and this was probably the reason why she didn’t answer the door right away.

“Um… I’m sorry,” Aiba was confused. “Is this… the Sakurai residence?”

“It is.” She showed him a kind smile. “But I’m afraid Sho is not here at the moment.”

“Oh… I see.” Aiba’s look fell. His bad luck was getting to him again. He knew he should have called or texted first, but then, he was afraid Sakurai would never answer.

“May I know who is asking for him?” the old woman asked.

“Y-Yes, sorry. My name is Aiba Masaki. I’m…” Aiba held back on the words ‘friend’, not knowing if Sakurai would even appreciate him calling himself as such. “I’m an acquaintance of Sakurai’s.”

The old woman’s eyes widened, taken aback by the sound of Aiba’s name. “Aiba?” she repeated.

“Yes, miss,” Aiba was quite used to people recognizing him from his father’s company. He had even been mentioned in the newspaper a few times, so her surprise was all but unwarranted. “Do you know when Sakurai will be back?”

“I’m… afraid I don’t,” the old woman said. Aiba just couldn’t get a break from bad luck. 

“Then, would you let him know I came by today?”

“O-Of course,” the woman was still a little dumbstruck, she agreed without thinking. 

Aiba formally apologized, ready to turn away when the words finally jumped out of the old woman. “W-Would you like to come in?”

~

Sho had not been to his father’s home in so long, and yet nothing had changed. The taxi dropped him off at the gate where he had to identify himself through the intercom. The security guard on the other side recognized him right away and opened the automatic gate for him to come in. He hated all these excessive regulations, but he knew it was never enough for his father.

At the front entrance to what could easily be considered a mansion, a pair of servants opened the door for him, revealing the tall ceilings and dazzling decor of his childhood home. Everything was bright and free of dust, even if each piece of decoration seemed as if it hadn’t been moved in years. 

“Young master,” Sho heard that headache-inducing voice coming down the grand flight of stairs. His father’s assistant Takizawa had not changed in the least. Sho would have sworn his old man had already got rid of him, but he was hard to separate from his father. Even the smile he wore on his lips as he greeted Sho felt like a forced flex of muscles that must have been hurting his face. “We… weren’t expecting your visit.”

“Where’s my father?” Sho went straight to the point as he knew Takizawa would try to prevent him from taking another step into what was once his home.

“He is busy at the moment, but I can let him know you stopped by.” In other words, Takizawa wanted him out.

“He wanted to see me, so I came. I’m not leaving until I meet with him.”

“Sadly, I can’t let you do that, but if you provide us your schedule, I can arrange a time for you to--”

Sho didn’t let another second go to waste as he walked right past Takizawa and headed towards the stairs himself. Takizawa just let him be. It would look bad if the other servants of the house said he tried to kick out the master of the house, especially when their boss was quite fond of him.

Sho knew there were only a few possibilities of where his father might be, so he tried each of his studios and offices before he found him on the third door of the second floor. His office had not changed a bit either. The carpets were the same old ones as always, where he used to roll around the floor, making a mess with his toys before getting yelled at to go out. And his father was always behind his old desk, never really paying attention to what went on around him, too drowned in his readings and papers to ever pay attention to his family. 

Sho closed the door behind him, making sure no other servant of the house was walking around the hallways, and trying to make his father look up from his desk.

His arched back looked much more in pain than before. Perhaps it was his old age finally getting to him. It was hard to think but it had been so long since he last entered that room, he almost felt nostalgic. 

“Who was at the door, Takizawa?” his father asked without looking up.

“Father, it’s me,” Sho answered, capturing the attention of his father off the papers and towards him. He’d never seen him more surprised to see him in a room with him before.

“Sho… I was not expecting you to visit,” his old and raspy voice said. Sho could tell he was tired. He had never been the kind to take sleep much seriously, but it was easier to see as he’d become older.

“Well, you wanted to see me so bad you bribed my friend into convincing me to come. Since when do you have minions doing your work for you?”

His father set his pen over his desk and removed his glasses to clean them. “It was the only way I could think of to reach you.”

“Then… I’m here. What do you want?” Sho was not planning to waste time.

“Why don’t you have a seat?” His father gestured to the couch nearest to his desk. 

“I can’t stay for long. I have places to be. Just tell me what you want and I’ll be on my way.” His father looked surprised by his straightforward attitude. This was not something he’d remember of his son, and yet they had only met briefly before. There wasn’t much he knew about the current Sho, but he was willing to be surprised.

“Very well.”

~

Aiba found himself sitting in Sakurai’s living room not a minute later. The old woman had moved to the kitchen, pulling out a teapot to boil water and make him a drink. Yet Aiba felt like an intruder, knowing very well he was there without Sakurai’s knowledge and he could see into the privacy of his home, although he tried to fix his gaze down as for his curiosity not to wander off. The woman finally returned and set down a cup of steaming tea for him on the coffee table. As he thanked her, he couldn't help but stare at the striking resemblance she shared with the one he couldn’t stop thinking about.

“Excuse me, miss?” Aiba addressed her, and she listened with a smile on her lips. “Are you… Sakurai’s mother?”

Her smile widened. “That’s right.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be resting? You were discharged from the hospital not too long ago.”

She giggled subtly and she moved around the small apartment. “You sound just like him,” she said. “He is always so worried, regardless of how much I tell him not to be. Always trying to take care of me, when he barely takes care of himself,” her voice came from behind the sofa, where she began to rummage through Sakurai’s messy bookshelves. “He has no sense of cleaning,” it sounded as if she was complaining now. “Although I can’t say I’m not at fault for that. I should have taught him some manners…”

Aiba could no longer follow as her voice trailed off. When he tried to peek on what she was doing, she’d already found what she was looking for and returned to the sofa, where she took a seat by Aiba’s side. 

She sighed, slightly tired from all the scavenging she’d done. “I knew he still kept this.” In her lap lay what looked like a picture album. The front cover was a dark red with water stains that made it look like a wine red. There was nothing written on it as she opened it and began to pass pages of what Aiba recognized as a young Sakurai. Old and somewhat faded pictures, from when he was just a child. Aiba then felt that he was looking at something he shouldn’t. “Ah! Here it is!” she exclaimed several pages over. 

There was a single large picture that took a whole page. There was no sort of captions, but the image explained itself quite well. Aiba recognized young Sakurai, probably still in middle school, and behind him was the same woman that was by his side, except that, in the picture, she shined differently. Aside from everyone in the picture looking much younger, their appearance was significantly groomed, styling fancy haircuts and clothes that were surely in-style at that time. Not a single hair was out of place, not even from the man that stood next to them both, the man Aiba had recognized from that time at the hospital: Kamida Shun.

“He must have been at least 12 years old in this picture,” she recalled with great nostalgia. “Sho had quite a temper back then, he was always causing trouble for himself. He always wanted his father’s attention, but he never really did much to raise him. It was around this time that his father started running compatibility tests for him.” Her voice became heavy with feelings of regret. “He wasn’t fully developed, but his father insisted he would take over his business once he finished his studies. And part of that was knowing Sho had a chance of marrying into a wealthy family with whom he could do business and gain as much benefit as possible. Sho’s father hired great consultants and Astrologists with whom he met non-stop, trying to find Sho’s Destined One. But he was doing it all wrong.” her eyes saddened with guilt.

“He would not let his son determine who he chose to be with. Instead, he made it so that he could predict the candidates with the strongest compatibility with Sho before their paths would even cross. Until he finally came across you.” She looked at Aiba with kind eyes, noticing the clear confusion in Aiba’s expression. “Tell me, have you and Sho connected?”

“Um.. yeah, but I don’t understand,” Aiba said. 

“Between the Astrologists and the consultants his father had hired, they all reached a common conclusion on a sole individual that would be the perfect match for Sho, and that was you, Aiba Masaki.”

Hearing about his compatibility with Sakurai was perhaps not as shocking for Aiba as thinking that they had known of their match for around 20 years while Aiba had found out on his own barely months ago. He didn’t know if he should think this was reassuring when everything kept going wrong between them, but perhaps she had an answer to that too that she had yet to arrive at. 

“Yet, regardless of your incomparable match with Sho, his father wasn’t very pleased about it. You see… he wanted Sho to have a family and continue his lineage, and of course, for that, Sho would have to marry a woman instead. Not long after, his father ordered all the Astrologists to get rid of their predictions and discard the tests they had run to prove your compatibility with Sho and decided he would take care of the match himself. When Sho first entered college, we introduced him to a beautiful young lady named Aoi. They had a steady relationship, but I knew it wasn’t love. After some years, when Sho’s father had determined Sho was ready to begin his training to take over the company, he made him marry her.”

“They were married?” 

“It wasn’t for long… Sho was terribly unhappy, but his father had fabricated compatibility results to prove he was meant to be with her. And yet he felt miserable. The heart knows what it wants, and his Fate was with someone else. I couldn't bear to watch. I wanted to tell him, I truly did, but his father wouldn't permit me to say a word. His father divorced me not too long after and I couldn't return to the house, nor communicate with Sho. He must have become terribly lonely back then, and he eventually couldn't’ take it any longer. He divorced Aoi and left the house. He was disowned from the family and went looking for me. Since then, he has taken my maiden name, Sakurai, and he’s been providing for us both.”

“But you never told him.” Aiba finally said. “You never told him I was his match.”

“I couldn’t,” she said. “It would’ve disturbed the orders of Fate and it would have caused a world of hurt for him, just like it did when his father forced his prediction and made him go into a marriage without love. I didn’t want to see him so miserable again, but I knew it would take time for his fated path to heal and redirect itself. Regardless, I had seen the predictions that first named you as his Destined One, and I believed it would eventually bring him back to you no matter what. And here you are…” She searched for Aiba’s eyes, and in her gaze lay the feeling that she’d been waiting to see him all this time. “Saturn must have returned,” she said in the form of a saying Aiba had heard a few times before, although he’d never truly come to understand its meaning until then. 

He could tell she felt everything was finally coming together in her eyes, but still, Aiba felt like he’d messed it all up. If Sakurai never spoke to him again, it would mean even their fateful meeting had been hopeless and his destiny would never be fixed. 

Aiba tried to imagine a life where the ways of the cosmos had been corrupted, a life where nothing worked out the way it was supposed to, and he couldn't begin to imagine the sort of things Sakurai must have been through. A loveless marriage… must have been the most dreadful thing for Sakurai. Even Aiba preferred to take control of all his love predictions business instead of letting his family help him. He knew he needed to be the one to see his match all the way through, and he could not depend on anyone else to take care of it. That is why Matsumoto was different from other Astrologists. He believed a Destined One had to be found first by the individual before proceeding to run compatibilities. But in the case of Sakurai, all of those steps that would follow the order of the cosmos were ignored. No wonder he didn’t believe in Fate or in any astrological signs. His universe had been turned upside down by someone else’s vicious will. It was almost as if he’d been cursed. But only time could heal a broken destiny and restore in him the balance he needed to rely on the stars once again. 

Aiba always thought that Fate had forgotten about his place in the universe and that he would never be matched with anyone, but If Sakurai’s mother was right, their encounter was anything but late. The time he’d spent all alone was all because he needed to wait until Sakurai finally healed. And he was not waiting for any other potential matches, he was waiting for his soulmate.

~

“You want me to work for you,” Sakurai summed up his father’s long explanations, arriving at the conclusion that it was exactly what he expected it to be.

“It won’t be for long. I only need you as a resource to reassure my investors. I’m not asking you to take over.”

“Why don't you just look for someone else and let them take over?”

“I’m… still working on that--”

“What about Takizawa?”

“Takizawa is many things, but he cannot be a businessman.” Sho said nothing to that. At least he and his father were on the same page about something. “I am asking you to do this just once. You know the business, I trained you myself, and I believe you will leave a great impression on our investors. It is only for the meantime until I decide on the right candidate,” his father said.

If Sho didn’t know better, he would think his father just wanted him to try out the job to prove he was the only true candidate to take over the company, and he would expect Sho to change his mind once he tried out the job, But his father knew Sho was not easy to change his mind and that he wouldn’t do this if it weren’t for the fact that he’d offered him some aid.

“What’s in it for me?” Sho asked.

“I will return you your part of my inheritance, which I’m sure will help you provide for your mother. And for the time being, you’ll be welcomed here again as my son.”

It all sounded too easy, he knew there must be some dire consequence to all of it. To be fair, every time he got involved with his father, something was bound to go wrong, but there was one slight difference from then and who he was now. He was old enough to assume control over his life and he had his own rules to play by. 

“I’ll accept, on one condition.” His father braced himself. He did not expect any less from his own son. “I’ll go wherever you need me, but you’ll stay out of my personal life. Whatever I do when I’m not with you is none of your business.”

His father leaned back on his chair with a heavy sigh exhaling from his nose. He thought things over as if there were something to think over, but eventually, he realized that it was this or nothing, and he was not planning on choosing the latter option.

~

The next day after he’d talked to Sakurai’s mother and had failed to see Sakurai, Aiba had been texting Matsumoto all day, trying to set a time to meet with him. Matsumoto only texted back once, saying he could not set a formal session with him if his things were gone and that he hadn’t even gotten a chance to work on the compatibility test he’d asked for, but Aiba didn’t want any of that. He knew Matsumoto had only been trying to avoid him all this time because he felt sorry and embarrassed, but Aiba had really started to miss him. Staying mad forever was not going to solve anything and if he couldn’t get any advice from his Astrologist, he would rather have a conversation with his friend.

It took some convincing, but persuaded by Aiba’s urgency, Matsumoto finally agreed to see him that night. Although he could not see him in his office, he invited Aiba to his veranda, hoping the open space would make things less uncomfortable between them. Aiba had to admit, it worked. The clear night sky made the stars easy to gaze at, and just by fixing his gaze on them, it was enough for Aiba’s thoughts to clear out for the first time in a long time.

“Aiba…” Matsumoto called for his attention. He’d just come back with drinks, thinking that perhaps a cup of wine would make it more bearable for his words to flow. “I’m so sorry about what happened last time. It was very unprofessional of me--”

“You shouldn’t be sorry if that’s how you feel,” Aiba interjected. “I know you were only trying to be honest with me, regardless of what that cost.” Now that he had a clear mind, Aiba was really able to speak to him reasonably. “I’m sorry if I said anything hurtful to you last time. I was… rather shocked.”

“Yeah… I’m sorry about that. It was… not the right time.” he was deeply sorry and still quite ashamed, but Aiba didn’t want him to be uncomfortable around him because of it. He just wished they could talk like they always did.

“Any news about your things?” Aiba asked, and Matsumoto’s mood didn’t seem to improve.

“My license was suspended for the time being,” he said regrettably. “Whoever these people are, they really didn’t want me to work.”

“That’s unfair. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Aiba said, but Matsumoto wasn’t so sure of it considering all the trouble he was going through.

“It’s hard to say.”

“Why? What do you think it may have caused it?”

“To be honest… I didn’t think I would have much luck accessing Kamida Sho’s files.”

Although it should have come as no surprise, Aiba could not believe how he had failed to see it. His father had mentioned it before too, how the Kamidas were not any other typical business. The privacy in their family must be sacred, like the same kind of boundaries he’d crossed with Sakurai again and again.  “Of course it was them...” 

“I wish I could have helped you more, but… it looks like I’ve reached the end of my road here.”

“You’ve done enough for me,” Aiba said with utmost honesty. “I think it’s about time I learn to take care of these sorts of things myself.”

“How’s that looking out for you?” Matsumoto asked.

Aiba laughed ironically. “I really screwed it up with Sakurai.” It was his turn to feel uncertain. “I know he was very difficult in the beginning, but I made it far worse for him without even realizing it.”

“He really made me think I had messed up your prediction, you know,” Matsumoto confessed.

“He wasn’t lying about his name. He changed it, after all. I guess he was just trying to bury his past, and I had to go ahead and dig it all out. I feel like an idiot. And now he might be gone… for good.”

“Why for good?” Matsumoto asked.

“I think I’ve been investing too much time on him. I’ve become a stalker. That’s not like me.”

“We all do crazy things when we’re in love.”

Aiba was still afraid to admit it, but he really didn’t understand yet what love meant. It embarrassed him to think he knew so much about the cosmos and nothing about the human nature of love. Yet, hearing Matsumoto name his actions as being love, he felt love could sometimes be a vicious and blinding thing.

He wondered if love was also the reason Sakurai’s father had chosen to hurt his son the way he did.

“I wanted to ask you something,” Aiba leaned on the veranda looking at the cup of wine he yet had to drink from. “This will probably be the last time we’ll get to meet like this for a while, and I wanted to make it count.”

Matsumoto granted him his attention, only hoping his question wasn’t too out of the ordinary and he would be able to give him an answer even without his resources at hand.

“Have you ever heard about the Saturn return?” Aiba asked.

“The event of the Saturn return? Yeah… I’ve read about it.”

“Can you explain it to me?”

Matsumoto thought about it for a moment, trying to recollect the memory of where he’d read it from and then he tried to put it into his own words. “Well, first of all, it is a cosmic event that we experience in our lives every 25 to 30 years starting from the moment we are born. It really just explains the moment Saturn completes its orbit around the Sun. A year on Earth is equivalent to 25.5 years in Saturn. But because of Saturn’s great mass, the amount of energy it carries influences the entire Solar System. It is said that the moment of Saturn returning to its original position at the time of our birth is a period of our lives where we are most conflicted with turmoil. Almost like a storm of energies. But this turmoil is necessary in order to be reborn under the planet Saturn.”

“How long does the Saturn return influence our lives?” Aiba asked.

“It is hard to say. It starts at our 25 years of life, but I’ve seen it last up to 10 years. It is different for each and every one of us.”

Aiba felt certain now that there could be no other explanation for what he’d lived in those recent years of his life, and the loneliness and experience. More and more, the concept of coincidences started to become a myth to him. There was really nothing accidental in the forces of the universe. Each path had been traced for an unknown purpose they all followed unconsciously and it was in the hands of Fate to guide them where they needed to be. 

Perhaps the sort of detour Sakurai’s life had taken had resulted in their encounter to arrive later than expected. As a result, this had caused their paths, not to cross, but to collide eventually and become a total disbalance. And yet, Fate made no mistakes.

If this was the way that the universe had resolved to fix Sakurai’s broken path, then, by all means, Aiba could wait a little bit longer. He just hoped that not everything was too late.

~

“Are you certain you’re okay with doing this?” His mother sounded worried regardless of Sho repeating again and again that he was. 

“It’s fine. It won’t be for long.” In repeating it so much to her, he’d started to believe it himself.

“I just want to make sure you are doing the right thing,” she said.

Sho stared out of the car window. His father had already called him to take care of some business and sent a car to his residence to pick him up and go to the company. That morning he’d requested a leave of absence from the university and had informed all of his students that he would be resuming his course online until further notice. There was much he was already sacrificing and he couldn’t tell if it was the right choice, but it was all he could do for now.

“I’ll be okay. Don’t worry,” was all he could say.

“Sho... there is something else I think I should tell you now.”

“Um… can it wait? I’ve almost arrived at the company,” Sakurai tried to cut her short, but she refused to leave it for later.

“Listen, Sho,” her voice became more serious. She was not taking no for an answer and Sho had no other choice. “Aiba Masaki came to your apartment the other day,” she began and she could tell it was much to his surprise that she would be mentioning him now. Sho had been trying to repress the thought of Aiba since he last saw him, although he didn’t think it was working out so well for him after a few sleepless nights. It was almost cruel to think he couldn’t get Aiba out of his head. His thoughts had even begun to convince him that the reason for their distance had become too silly for him to hold a grudge for so long. “I spoke with him for a while and I remembered something I’d kept to myself all this time. And I only kept it because I didn’t think you would be ready to hear it until now.”

Sho thought she had started to not make sense, but something kept him on the line, bracing himself for something unknown that made his heart accelerate. “I knew you were never meant to be with Aoi. Your father and I, we knew you were meant to be with someone else. That someone else, once they come to your life, you shouldn’t lose them no matter what. Regardless of the universe hurting you, I believe now is safe for me to say you have a second chance.”

The car had already stopped at the entrance of the company, but Sho didn’t have the strength to open the door. The feeling that had begun to grow in his chest now weighed like a rock, cutting his breath short. "You knew…?” His voice was raspy and breaking. He wished there would have been a better time for his mother to say any of this, but he could understand why she had chosen to do it now when he was about to do the one thing he swore he would never do: give his father another chance. And the only peace of mind she could afford to give him now before going back to his father was the truth. “You knew and you never told me?"

"Because I knew you would find your way back to each other."

Sho had to pull his phone away from his ear as he’d begun to breathe heavily. He tried to regain his composure by taking deep breaths, not letting his anger or upset take over. The dampness in his eyes would not let him see out the tinted window, where his father was waiting for him at the entrance of the company. Inside the car, his whole universe was turning, becoming more and more chaotic the more he breathed, and yet the only thought that soothed him and let him take a hold of himself was Aiba. It all went back to him and that last look Aiba had given him before he stormed out the last time they met. He pressed the phone back to his ear once his voice had returned. "I messed up... I pretended like I didn't care about him. But... I do."

"It's never too late to let him know. And he's been waiting for you for long enough."

Out the window, his father was waiting for him too and suddenly his next step felt like it could change the universe.

~

Aiba was called by his mother to let him know they would be holding a reception at their home for his father’s associates and other potential investors. That week, his father had also informed him that he would announce that Aiba would be given the permanent position as CEO in Foliage, and this only meant Aiba’s presence at their gathering was imperative. 

Aiba wasn’t particularly in the mood for parties, but when was he ever? He would have preferred to stay at home, curled up between the sheets and trying not to think about Sakurai for one night, only to fail miserably. Yet, between the chatter and drinks, this party seemed to be doing the trick just fine. It helped to distract him and get him out of his own mind, pulling off forced smiles for each of his father’s associates that approached him to congratulate him on his new position. They were all looking at him with great expectations, and surely their pressure helped Aiba to focus on other things, like his stress.

He did not tell his parents, but Aiba also had his own plans to make the most out of tonight, so he invited Matsumoto to their gathering. He figured Matsumoto had to get out of his apartment for a while, and seeing as he couldn’t do any work, Aiba was sure he would agree to come. It was the first time Matsumoto had seen such a large residence other than his own, and still, he was sure the Aiba family’s estate was bigger. 

Aiba finally had the chance to introduce Matsumoto to Ohno, which he felt was something that was long overdue. Being surrounded by friends felt like the most liberating thing for Aiba at that moment. Between their chatter and drinks, Aiba had begun to feel like himself for the first time in a while. 

~

Sho sat inside the car for long minutes, unsure of when was the right moment to step out. He watched the lights of the mansion lit up the night like a beacon, many guests coming in and out, dressed in their formal attire as if there were some event that night that was meant for celebration, but for Sho, it made no sense. It was just a gathering to meet potential investors and make business connections, but why did it all have to be through a stupendous and ridiculous party? Even he felt silly and overdressed in his own black suit, but it was the only outfit his father had sent to him that morning and he couldn’t look for another option in time.

His father had begun to text him. He had already arrived at the reception and was looking for him. He knew Sho would be nervous on his first night trying to fish for investors, so he wanted to make sure they would go in together. But in reality, Sho was much less nervous about talking business that night than going inside the Aiba residence. His father had failed to mention where the reception would be held, but as he was on his way, he happened to ask his driver where they were heading to. Hearing it was “the Aibas’ residence” surely felt like his mind was playing tricks on him. He was aware he couldn’t get Aiba out of his mind, but this surely meant he was going crazy.

By the time his father sent him a third text, Sho gathered all his strength and stepped out of the vehicle. Adjusting his suit, he walked to the entrance of the grand mansion and took a deep breath, sure that he could get through this.

He saw his father at the entrance, seemingly relieved by his arrival. “You took your time,” his father greeted him, although he was not one for greetings.

“There was traffic,” Sho said the first lie that popped in his head. “Shall we go in now?” Sho was ready to walk inside when his father held his arm before moving away. Going by the strength of his grip, Sho thought he was unsatisfied by his excuse, but he let him go, almost regretting having done something so forceful as an immediate reaction. 

“Before we do… I thought we should talk first,” his voice was not angry as he’d come to recognize in all the years he’d known him. Instead, it was low and strange, almost hesitant in a sense. “I think... it’s about time I address how I treated you in the past.”

Sho looked at his father like a stranger, unable to recognize the regret in his voice. 

“You’ve done well this week. You’ve already managed to impress many of our associates and that’s far more than what I expected in such a short time. I think it’s unfortunate that you won’t be doing this for long, and… I wish I could change your mind.”

“Do we have to do this right now?” Sho asked as he began to feel a heavy lump in his throat.

“Hear me out,” his father almost pleaded with him. Even if he knew he didn’t deserve to be listened to, he only hoped his actions now would help his son forgive him. “The hosts of this reception own an exceptional business named Foliage . They have made their own fortune, and I was selfish enough in the past to deny them our business, but tonight they might be our most important potential partner yet. I would like for you to get close to them.”

Sho didn’t understand. His father’s words felt as if they spoke of something beyond making business. He could see it through the regret in his eyes, the true meaning under his words and the intention behind his instructions. They felt like he knew about Sho’s need to see Aiba that night. Even the timing of his apology seemed as if he knew more than he showed. His confusing words reminded him of the same ones his mother had called him to reveal, and he had no doubt that there was something more beneath it.

~

Aiba was looking around when he caught a glimpse of someone who made him gasp and turn around in a nervous surprise. 

“What’s wrong?” Matsumoto noticed his reaction right away.

Aiba covered his mouth as if not to yelp. “What is he doing here?”

“Who?” Ohno asked.

“Ninomiya,” Aiba whispered.

“What?” Matsumoto was a little confused about who he meant, but as Aiba pointed out into the crowd of guests, Ohno and Matsumoto saw him as well. He was casually blending in with a circle of rich couples, drinking champagne as if it were his natural setting. 

“Oh... yeah it’s him.” It was not Ohno’s first time seeing him in the flesh, but he understood why Aiba had such a reaction.

“Wait, you don’t watch Nino-san , do you?” Matsumoto needed to confirm.

“I… may have seen it a few times,” Aiba confessed.

“He asked about you that one time I met him,” Ohno recalled from the meeting he’d had with Ninomiya and his production team for a possible sponsorship for his show.

“What? Really? W-Why was he asking about me?”

“Well you’re the company’s CEO, I didn’t think it was weird,” Ohno said.

“Wait, Aiba, you know this guy is a fraud,” Matsumoto wanted to make sure.

“I mean, yeah… of course, I know.” Aiba tried to compose himself, even when he couldn’t hold his excitement and he kept looking Ninomiya’s way. “But he is still kind of famous.”

“I wonder who invited him.” Ohno drank from his cup of wine and they all looked curiously at the TV personality in the middle of their investors’ reception.

~

Sho pulled Ninomiya by his arm, dragging him away from a group of people who seemed to have heard the funniest joke in their lives. Of course, Nino didn’t appreciate being interrupted when he was just starting to get into the conversation.

“Hey! Take it easy.” Ninomiya freed himself from Sho’s grip, readjusting his rented suit. 

“What are you doing here?” Sho asked behind clenched teeth.

“What does it look like I’m doing here?” Ninomiya answered with a question to which Sho could only shake his head in confusion. Ninomiya rolled his eyes at him. “Your father invited me,” he said as if it was the most obvious reason in the world. 

Sho felt the urge to roll his eyes as well. “Of course…”

“I think he might be adopting me soon. But, he probably just wanted me to give you some moral support. Though I hear you’ve been doing well at the company. You must be a natural. Maybe you do have some businessman vein in you after all.”

“I don’t think this suits me at all,” Sho complained.

“Relax, you look great. Have a drink and loosen up a little. It’s a party, not a presentation.”

Sho was still anxious, unable to fix his attention on a single thing around him. His eyes kept scavenging the crowd of people without direction. 

“Are you nervous about seeing Aiba tonight?” Ninomiya just had to ask, which didn’t help to improve Sho’s state of mind. “Don’t worry. You’ll be alright,” Ninomiya assured him.

Sho breathed in and exhaled deeply, trying to shake away his nerves. “Yeah…”

For Ninomiya, the sight of Sho’s nervousness was almost funny to watch. “Tell me how you’ve been holding up so far,” Ninomiya asked, to help Sho distract him from everything else going around him.

“Well… honestly, I think my father just apologized to me,” Sho said, which left Ninomiya staring at him with a blank expression before bursting out into noisy laughter.

“You seriously need a drink,” Nino wrapped his arm around him to pull him up to the bar.

~

Aiba’s father had called him to engage with some of their guests as well, trying to introduce himself as the new CEO of Foliage and accept their congratulations for his promotion. He must have been doing it already for nearly an hour and he was starting to become quite tired. His cheeks ached from all the smiling and nodding he had to go through with each and every one of his father’s associates. Things would have flown much better if his father didn’t start to talk with whoever he was introducing to Aiba at that moment. But once they started a conversation, it seemed impossible for Aiba to put himself between them for long. He was starting to miss being by Ohno and Matsumoto’s side and conversing with them. Now, the time he had to keep quiet while his father talked, reminded him of the troubles in his own mind. He thought he could silence them if he just kept drinking, but his glass was running low on wine and now he had to go find one of the servants carrying drinks around. He excused himself from his father’s side briefly as he went around the salon to look for a drink, taking a breather from standing by his father’s side. 

He had not even crossed the salon before he saw a reflection in the corner of his eyes. He decided to pay no mind to it, having been fooled into thinking he thought he saw something but being disappointed each time. There were far too many people in their home at that very moment and thinking one more would be there was absurd, especially since he knew this was not the sort of setting he would ever see him in. 

He needed some fresh air. At this point in the evening, Aiba would be getting ready to leave, desperate to get home and get out of his suit and shoes, but he realized it would all be different from now on as he assumed other sorts of responsibilities. This probably meant he would no longer be able to enroll in any other university courses. 

And there he went again, thinking about him. He was getting quite tired of his own thoughts, but his subconscious wouldn’t listen when he told himself he could no longer be chasing after Sakurai. He would have to wait for Sakurai to be ready to see him, or at least accept their prediction. And he couldn't make any of that happen at that moment. He just had to learn to be patient, just like he’d learned from the stars. He just had to wait. And wait. And wait…

A thought began to grow inside of him, telling him to look, convincing him more and more it had not been another one of his illusions. He didn’t believe it much himself, but he had nothing to lose if he only looked that way. And he gathered the guts to do it, even if it hurt him to be disappointed in the end; he almost welcomed it. At least that would let him feel something .

Disappointment suddenly had a different sensation, like a recompense. Something like butterflies in his stomach, or a warm embrace, or the sound of a laugh, or the beginning of a song. It felt like the stars aligning and energies flowing. It felt like Saturn returning and never leaving again.

He could not explain what Sakurai was doing standing in the middle of his parent’s house, nor why he stood out from the rest of the guests in the salon, but Aiba had lost all ability to rationalize when Sakurai’s gaze fixed on him. The rest of the salon had emptied and their eyes were still meeting in the middle of the room, making everything else as minuscule as their existence in the universe, and yet it didn’t matter if it meant that they could see each other and think of nothing else. 

Sakurai had begun to shorten their distance, struggling against the multitude that set them apart. Aiba had begun to do the same, wanting to cut the space between them once and for all. But just when he thought they could finally reach each other, Aiba’s father came in their way.

“I was looking for you,” his father said, and Aiba felt as if he’d woken up from a lucid dream. “I wanted to introduce you to someone. Come, it won’t be long.” His father guided him to the opposite end of the room and Aiba barely had a chance to look back at Sakurai before he was pulled into another one of his father’s conversations. Yet, he could see Sakurai at the end of the room, still not having given up on him. 

Aiba waited for just the right moment to point to Sakurai their last resort; the doors to an isolated porch at the side of the house. If Sakurai could only give him a few minutes, he would meet him there. Sakurai finally understood and carefully walked to their meeting place unnoticed, where he would wait for Aiba for as long as he needed to.

~

“I know you.”

Matsumoto wouldn’t dare to acknowledge the voice by his side. It was far too recognizable for him to give him a moment of his time.

Ninomiya leaned on the bar counter trying to peek at Matsumoto’s face. “Yeah… you’re that one Astrologist that’s been trying to put me out of business.” He eyed Matsumoto up and down before chuckling ironically. “Didn’t know this was an astrology convention.”

“Like you have ever been to one,” Matsumoto spit back before taking a swig of his cocktail, though he knew he was probably going to need more to survive the night next to that individual.

“Didn’t you sue me one time?” Ninomiya asked, and Matsumoto stared at him as he tried to figure his thoughts out. “No… I might be confusing you with someone else.”

Matsumoto shook his head, unable to believe such a person could ever gain the attention of thousands.

“Although, I think I did hear you may have lost your license.” Ninomiya drank from his own glass.

“Where did you--” Matsumoto stopped himself, angry at the fact that he would let the other get to his nerves. 

Ninomiya shrugged. “Words get around quickly you know,”

Matsumoto was sure the other was certainly thrilled by his misfortune and getting to see him and rub it in his face must have been like the cherry on top of his evening. It was just like him. Getting on with others he felt inferior to him because they weren’t flaunting their success everywhere they went. But Matsumoto wanted to prove to him they were both very different. “I didn’t lose it, it was suspended.”

“Until further notice, huh? Sounds serious. Must have been some shady stuff you were getting involved in.”

“It was nothing.”

“You know… I could get it back for you.”

Matsumoto stared at the other who drank in silence, for a moment doubting that such a suggestion had even come out of his lips. “And why would you do that?”

“I don’t know. You don’t seem like a bad guy in person.” Ninomiya eyed him from head to toe before shooting him a smile. “You know… my production is usually looking for other Astrologists to participate in our panel. And your face is not too bad for TV. You could be a big hit.”

“You’re flirting with me,” Matsumoto stated to which Ninomiya responded with a bashful laugh. Or was it a mocking one? He couldn’t even tell with him.

“I’m whatever you want me to be,” Ninomiya said with a low voice, leaning over the bar counter with a dashing smile. 

Matsumoto had heard of Ninomiya’s flirty nature, but it did surprise him how straightforward he was being with him. He almost sounded drunk. “Then… a job offer?”

Ninomiya sighed, letting his head hang heavily “You’re more boring than you look.” Regardless, something motivated Nino to pull out his card and offer it to Matsumoto “Something to think about.” 

Matsumoto stared at the card and back at him with great hesitation, wondering what sort of deals he was making with the devil if he accepted it. Yet, Ninomiya insisted and motivated him to take the card out of his hand, even if he were to throw it away later, and that’s exactly what Matsumoto was planning on doing. “And by the way, that’s my personal number. I am very exclusive, but I always answer my phone.”

Ninomiya eyed him a last time with a sly look on his eyes before moving away, leaving Matsumoto with a foul taste in his mouth the moment he left. Ninomiya’s card was nothing too luxurious and his personal number was handwritten in the corner of it. So he was flirting after all.

~

The open porch looked like a planetarium that night, a full moon glowing surrounded by the light of those stars that could tell stories and predict the future of those smaller souls that gazed at them. Sakurai had begun to understand the splendid light they left behind and for a moment he wished he knew more of how to accept the fate they led before him. But for tonight, it all felt right. 

When he saw Aiba coming out to the porch after he made his escape from his father’s side, Sakurai thought he had not seen a brighter star that night, and he was almost angry with himself that he had not noticed it sooner.

Their encounter drew nervous looks from each of them, but Aiba approached him, shortening the distance between them with confidence that nothing would stand in their way now. Despite feeling their hearts palpitate the longer their eyes fixed on one another, they could feel their energies align and everything else seemed meaningless in the universe.

“So... is this the real ‘you’?" Aiba asked. He couldn’t contain the urge to observe how well Sakurai fit into his black suit.

Sakurai had to look down at himself to be reminded of the attire that made him feel almost suffocated. "More like the ‘me’ I ran away from."

"I think this is the ‘you’ I was supposed to meet."Although he found confusion in Sakurai’s eyes, Aiba left his explanations for a later time. "You look... good. Your professor's clothes make you seem all washed out most of the time."

"That's... rude, coming from my own student," Sakurai said, although he had to admit he never really paid much attention to what he wore, as long as he was respected. Now he had a feeling it wasn’t quite working out. 

"I am only being honest. Everyone else thinks so too." His playful words provoked a smile out of Sakurai that Aiba thought would blind him. This must have been the first time he’d managed to make him laugh. Aiba didn’t think seeing Sakurai’s lips curl up would make him so joyous. Though other concerns arose with Sakurai’s presence at the party and the reason why he found it so hard to believe Sakurai was even there.

"Are you here on business with your father?” Aiba didn’t know if it was too soon to ask. “I overheard my father inviting Kamida to the gathering, but I never imagined you would be here too.”

Sakurai looked down at his hands, perhaps finding it hard to admit so himself. "Me neither.”

“Are you... working for him?” Aiba asked cautiously. He didn’t want to seem like he was trying to get so many answers out of him.

“Only for the time being.” Sakurai seemed well enough to provide him an answer without closing himself up to Aiba.

"What about the university? Isn‘t teaching your passion?”

"I'll go back. But for now, there are things I have to settle with my father first.“

Aiba could tell by Sho’s words that he had matured greatly. It no longer felt like a struggle to get an answer out of him, nor were Aiba’s words provoking any defensive stance that wouldn’t allow Sakurai to admit his own feelings. That intimacy he’d once closed off to everyone seemed like an open door now. 

"Saturn must have returned," Aiba said more to himself than to the one next to him, his eyes set on the night sky.

"I'm sorry?" Sakurai almost didn’t get to hear what Aiba had said and even less understood.

“Have you heard about the Saturn return?”

“I don’t think I have. You are actually the expert here.”

Aiba was flattered, and seeing Sakurai welcoming his explanation, he went on. “We call it the Saturn return when we reach a turning point in our lifetime and we face conflicts that seem to be overwhelming us. When Saturn approaches the position it once stood at the moment we were born, it’s a period of chaos and turmoil. Things just don’t seem to be going right. But once it’s all settled down… it’s like we’re born again.”

As Sakurai listened, he remembered the times he’d thought life had been so unfair: his family tracing a future for him, his marriage with a woman he never loved, his father distancing his mother from him, only to lose his own family name in the end. It was no wonder so many things had happened that threatened to change his life, if his universe was in chaos. His own denying of the ways of Fate must have also had a deep effect on his everyday life. At least now, he could be reassured it was not his fault. It was not the universe conspiring against him, but almost regenerating in a sense, to bring him where he was supposed to be, with the person by his side. Life had never made so much sense.

“I know you’ve been through a difficult time in your life and I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been. I just want you to know that I will wait until you are ready to come back.”

Sakurai caught something in his eyes, it was hard to see for a moment. “Thank you,” he brushed off what had gotten stuck in them, before returning a grateful look to Aiba. “That’s all I ever wanted to hear.”

Seeing the glimmering smile on Aiba’s lips made Sakurai’s curve up too. It felt almost silly to have spent so much time apart to understand one another and realize they were equally confused about the ways of Fate and the concepts of Destiny. Yet, now they could agree that not everything had to be explained to know when something was meant to be. And that even the most impossible of circumstances could feel real if their energies aligned.

Their distance began to shorten, gradually and delicately. Sakurai tried to reach for his hand, and in a moment of doubt Aiba suddenly paused. “You should know,” Sakurai stopped when Aiba spoke. “It’s a full moon. If we touch, it might hurt again.” Aiba explained, yet neither of them made the effort to pull back.

“It already hurts when I’m not with you.” Sakurai’s words felt warm against Aiba’s mouth, and after a moment of hesitation, their energies were restless to finally meet again in between the touch of their lips. 

This time, the electricity that ran through their bodies was most welcomed, as they felt it elevate their senses and lose themselves in each other’s caresses. There was no longer the ache of a long-lasting shock, but a balance of forces, and they felt their souls vibrate and become one. Giving in to their kiss, their beating hearts synchronized. Their hands tugged at each other’s clothes and rested on each other’s cheeks, looking for that sensation that was so hard to pull away from. Their smooth brushes left them more and more breathless with each second.  It was a wonder how their affection helped the energies inside them turn into indescribable chaos, but it was a feeling that elevated them into not wanting to let go. Like the attraction of the planets, so exceptional and perfect, there was no one else they would have ever rather be with than their soulmate.

With just their touch, they felt like they could count the stars in the universe and heal the broken paths of Fate that had once been harmed. Above their heads, the celestial objects seemed too small to be able to tell how much love they felt for one another, and reminding each other of how Fate never made mistakes, they both understood their love was worth the wait. 

~

Sakurai no longer minded the long motorcycle rides. It was especially in this time where he could feel connected to the wind, his astral element. It was also in these moments where he got to be with his Destined One, apart from everything else that might stand between them.

Aiba loved to take the scenic route with views of the shoreline, as looking at the sea and the beach wouldn’t fail to fascinate Sakurai. 

On some occasions, they would only take this road at night to have a date on the sand and under the stars, where they felt most connected to one another. They usually tried to keep it casual, but lately, Aiba had made a whole picnic out of their beach dates, bringing all sorts of snacks and wines to last the night together.

“Maybe I should find a new Astrologist,” Aiba was thinking out loud, hoping Sakurai would know how to answer his thoughts.

"I thought you said you wouldn't need one anymore."

"Well… yeah,” Aiba drew lines in the sand. “I guess if I have you, I could just bother you with whatever I’m thinking about.”

“So what’s really on your mind?” Sakurai drank from his wine.

“I think I want to write a book,” Aiba finally said.

“About astrology?”

Aiba noded. “And I sort of want to keep in touch with my astrological readings for it. Not in the searching for my soulmate kind of way, since astrology is much more than that, but more like my predictions.”

“Then… I don’t see why not,” Sakurai’s support was all Aiba wanted to hear. He really felt like he could do so much more with all the things he’d learned from his books, and there was so much left to explore in the universe. 

“Do you have an Astrologist?” Aiba asked, trying not to let his curiosity seem too obvious. He had recalled Sakurai going out to ‘appointments’ lately and he always wondered if it could ever be that. 

“I do,” Sakurai’s answer made it seem a much less big of a deal than it actually was.

“Oh, I see...” Aiba tried to contain his joy in learning about it, but he could not help himself from trying to find out more. “Well, if you're going to have one, I might as well have one too. We can have the same one and it'll be even better for them since we’re already matched.”

"I don't think you'll want mine though." Sakurai held some secrecy to his words, popping cheese cubes in his mouth, hoping that they would obstruct his words.

"Why? Are they not good?"

"He’s... an old friend of mine." He was not sure if he should even say.

"Oh! So it's someone who knows you well! I definitely want to meet them now! What's their name?"

"Ninomiya."

"Ninomiya? That's a rare name... I don't think I've heard of any Astrologist called Ninomiya before. And it sounds a whole lot like Nino, from Nino-san."

Sakurai remained silent, busying himself with the food in his mouth as he watched Aiba’s realization transform his whole face.

"Wait, what? You're not being serious! Nino-san doesn’t count. It’s just a TV show. Your Astrologist is supposed to be personal, someone who knows every extent of you."

"Well... I wouldn't say much about the extent but he has known me since we were kids and he is not the most delicate of people.” Sakurai wet his lips with wine before setting his cup down. “He would tell you straight away if he doesn't like something and he can be very judgemental. He really knows how to pull off that whole TV personality façade. He is very skilled at what he does, though you shouldn’t say that to his face cause you'll never hear the end of it. Actually, it's best not to even show you like anything related to him, it would only inflate his ego. I'm telling you, his whole friendly act from TV is not even half of the type of person he is. He is very self-absorbed and greedy. Incredibly greedy. I guess that's why he joined the celebrity business. But you can never trust what you see on TV. He might be charming and all, but deep down... he is a cheapskate.”

Aiba was staring at his drink, not really sure how to take any of the information Sakurai had laid before him. “ So… you do know him?”

“Yeah, well...” It almost embarrassed Sakurai to admit it, but there was no hiding the truth now.

“Oh please, you have to let me meet him now! I want him to be my Astrologist too! Come on! Please Sho? I’ve always wanted to meet him!”

“Sho?”

“I mean... Sakurai…” Aiba tried to correct himself. His attempt to try to let the use of the other’s first name go unnoticed failed miserably. He could see the embarrassment from Sakurai’s reaction. “Sorry… I just wanted to try it out.” Aiba smiled nervously, hoping he hadn’t done something too rushed. 

“Um… yeah, it’s… okay,” Sakurai said bashfully, diverting his eyes from meeting Aiba’s and letting him see how much it affected him.

“You could try using mine if you like,” Aiba suggested.

“R-Right now?” 

Aiba shrugged. It was not like they were waiting for anything in particular.

Sakurai realized that Aiba was now ready to hear him say his name, giving him his complete and full attention. He hadn’t felt this nervous since the first time he presented himself in a class full of students and he felt silly. It was only his name, but why did it have to feel like he was playing with some intimate part of Aiba?

“Masaki?” he said as if there was a wrong answer in the end, but he did it only to drive the nerves away before they would become worse. It did feel sort of better to say it and put it aside. Now, if he really was going to use it from now on, he couldn’t tell.

Aiba seemed satisfied enough, though not completely blown away. Perhaps he’d expected Sakurai to pronounce it like he meant it and not as if he were being tested.

“Can you say it one more time? I don’t think you’re saying it right.”

Sho felt mortified. Had he even said the right name? He was so used to calling him Aiba he’d actually managed to forget his first name? Or perhaps… this wasn’t the case, and he could see in Aiba’s subtle smile that the other was just teasing with him. It was his name, after all, he just really wanted to see him panic. 

Sakurai sighed, getting a hold of himself and saying it with much confidence this time. “Masak--”

Aiba caught his lips into a stolen kiss, not letting the last syllable escape from Sakurai’s mouth. Aiba trapped him into a hot and endearing sensation as he cupped his cheek to deepen their touches, showing Sakurai how much he loved to see him so flustered. 

When Aiba pulled away, Sakurai was still stunned, a little disappointed that he had not let him see to it in the end. 

“You got it,” Aiba said, and seeing Sakurai’s state, his lips curled in a smile that seemed to outshine all the stars in the sky.