Sho never thought the dreadful day would come when his parents visited him in jail. His parents always expected more of him and behind their eyes; he was never the same to them anymore. He knows they are playing fake pity, but his sister and brother were the most worried. 

 

“It’s ok Mai,” Sho speaks through the telephone. “You can visit me anytime you want.” But he didn’t want her to; he didn’t want her to see him in such a wrong place.

 

He hears his sister sniff, knowing she had cried from hearing his voice in a long time. “Ok,” She breathes. “I-I’ll be t-there to-tomorrow.”

 

“Bye,” Sho sighs and hangs up the phone. It pained him to hear his sister’s sad voice over the phone and letting her know how bad a person he is. When he grew up with his sister, she always looked up to her brother and she even worked on the same firm as him. He didn’t mind this because he loved his little sister, and she was the next best thing to him. Then there was his little brother. What will he say to him?

 

“Hey!” a man with gruff voice grabbed him roughly by the arm. “You have a visitor.”

 

It’s been a long time since he had a visitor, other than his parents. They always dropped by on Mondays during the afternoon; never was it they dropped by in the middle of the week. “Who is it?” Sho asks the guard.

 

The guard doesn’t answer, and just pushes him harshly into the visitor’s room. He could see other prisoners being visited to as he wasn’t the only one. Some prisoners looked like they cried as he sees them holding their child in their arms. Sho pitied them more than himself. Walking the large room, he spots a table that was unoccupied of a prisoner and sat there, waiting for his unexpected visitor.

 

Someone taps him from behind, and Sho is immediately startled when he sees the familiar face. “Aiba-san?”

 

“Yup,” the tall male sat on the other side of the table. “I came to visit you.”

 

“I can see that,” Sho nods his head. “But don’t you hate me?”

 

Then he sees Aiba look down so he couldn’t see the latter’s expression. “I wanted to,” he pauses, “but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was only mad for a second, and then regretted it when I left you…”

 

“Oh.”
 

As time passed the two talked on and on about whatever, the topic always changing from one another, their breathes never dying down. Unfortunately, the guard said that his hour was up and so he was forced back in his jail cell. He never got to say goodbye as he knows he’ll see him everyday.

 

+

 

And so the cycle continued: Sho’s parents would visit him on Mondays, his siblings would visit him a day after, and Aiba would visit in the other days. While Aiba was around, Sho always laughed unlike with his parents, he was more serious. It irritated him how his parents were asking him if he considers taking his job back, and helping his family. But his parents are people that only cared for money and power. On the other hand, his sister and brother were what he missed the most. They were the two that always reminded him that he was a brother.

 

“You didn’t tell me you have a sister!” Aiba gasps as Mai sat down next to Sho. “And a little brother!”

 

“Oh yeah,” Sho remembered. “I never did.”
 

“It’s ok,” Aiba pats him in the shoulder. “At least we know each other now.”

 

Sho had asked his siblings to come and visit since he had the urge to let his siblings now Aiba. He didn’t even know himself why, but he felt elated just seeing the three get along so well. However, Sho didn’t want Aiba to ever meet his parents. He’s afraid that they will talk foul about Aiba and blame him because Sho refuses to go back to work, but he knows Aiba wasn’t the reason why he refuses. 
 

+

 

“Sakurai Sho!” The judge called his name. “You are free to go.”

 

It didn’t feel like 3 months at all. He felt like he’s been in jail for a month and got visited by the people he enjoyed. Maybe it was his surroundings?

 

“Thank you,” Sho bows. “I’ll go now.” With his sister and brother besides him, he fixed his tie and left the court. He could finally be free from the hell hole, and never have to eat their disgusting prison food. In retrospect, Sho had forgotten the reason of going to prison, and what he had done. The name Jun and Nami didn’t even ring a bell.

 

“Come!” his thirteen year old brother dragged him. “Can we go out?”

 

Sho grabbed his brother and hugged him tightly. “Sure where to?”

 

“Hmm…” His brother was thinking. “Can we go somewhere with Aiba-san?”

 

“Yeah!” his sister pulled on his arm. “Can we?”

 

“Geez,” Sho slaps both of their hands from him. “You guys aren’t kids anymore. And sure, I’ll just call Aiba-san ok? Wait here.”

 

While he walked a distance from his siblings, Sho took out his cell phone that was brought in by his sister, and dialed Aiba’s number. It didn’t take Aiba long to answer the phone and Sho could hear Aiba’s breathing through the phone. “Aiba-san! Mai, Shuu, and I wanted to invite you to-”

 

Before Sho could even formally invite him, he could hear a loud whipping sound in the background followed by a muffled voice. “Aiba-san! Are you ok?!” Sho held his phone tighter. “What’s going on?!”

 

“It’s ok,” Aiba’s voice came out raspy. “I’m…fine.” 

 

“Doesn’t sound like it,” Sho said. “I’ll be there. Just wait for me.” With that said, Sho had to cancel their dinner plan, and rushed over to Aiba’s apartment. When he arrived, he saw a different car parked on Aiba’s parking space and rushed up to his apartment. 

 

“Aiba-san!” Sho pounded on the door. “Open up!” 

 

“What?!” a mean looking man opened the door. “Leave! Masaki has no reason to see you.”

 

“But I need to talk to him!” Sho pushed the man from the door and saw Aiba sprawled on the floor, unconscious. Aiba’s apartment was darker than it used to be, and every window was blocked closed. He could see Aiba’s body sprawled on the floor, unconscious and barely breathing. 

 

“Leave dammit!” The man pulled Sho back. “My son has nothing to do with you?!”

 

“Your son?” Sho glared at him. “How could you do this to your own son?”
 

“That kid,” Aiba’s father spat. “He has no right to live. His younger brother’s better than him. Now leave! You have no business with him.”
 

“Actually,” Sho’s hand landed on the latter’s shoulder. “I do.” Then Sho did the last thing he wanted to do on Earth by punching Aiba’s dad unconscious. He saw nothing wrong in what he did as he picked up Aiba’s body off the floor and rushed him back home.

 

+

 

The following morning, Sho woke up earlier than Aiba and made green tea for the taller male. As he waited for Aiba to wake up, he couldn’t help but notice the dark bruises, that weren’t there the day before, forming on his arms and face. When Sho touched it, he sees Aiba wince a little and pulled away.

 

“Sho-chan,” Aiba rubs his eyes with the back of his hands. “What am I doing here?”

 

Sho stayed quiet, and gave Aiba his already cold tea and a pain killer. After the latter had drunk it all, he left without saying anything and rushed to the bathroom far away from his room.

 

What was I thinking? Sho hits himself. Why am I always looking at him like that? Ever since Aiba told Sho that he didn’t hate him, Sho had always been soft around the guy. He would always smile the first thing when Aiba pops behind the door to the visiting room and would frown after Aiba left. Maybe it’s because he’s been alone for 3 damn months.

 

“Sho-chan,” He could hear Aiba’s voice. “Where are you?”

 

Straightening himself out and splashing water on his face, he quickly wiped it and left the bathroom to attend to Aiba’s side. What will he say when Aiba asks him again?

 

“Sho-chan,” Aiba plays with the food on his plate. “Why am I here?”

 

“Truth be told,” Sho played with his breakfast too. “I punched your dad yesterday and brought you here.”

 

“You what?!” Aiba stood up, the chopsticks falling on the floor. “I thought you were over violence!”

 

“I was,” Sho puts a small piece of egg in his mouth. “But your dad was…abusing you.”

 

“I-I have to go,” Aiba runs from the kitchen. “My dad will kill me if he finds out what you’ve done.”

 

It only took Sho a few seconds to react so he pulled Aiba back from the door, and sat the man down on his white couch. “Look,” Sho says. “I don’t know what’s going on, but please don’t go back.”

 

“Why?” Aiba asks him. “He’s my dad and I’m worried about him.”

 

“I know!” Sho pushes Aiba back down on the couch. “I just don’t…” Sho paused, his eyes looking somewhere else. “…want you hurt.”

 

“Oh,” he hears Aiba breathe. “I see. But I really need to go!”

 

“No!” Sho pushed the latter down. “Stay here.”

 

Neither Aiba nor Sho saw it coming. It was unexpected and Sho didn’t intend for it to happen this way. He left his eyes open and found himself closer to Aiba’s face, his lips on Aiba’s trembling mouth.

 

TBC