Title: Somewhere In Between
Rating: M
Pairing: Noiz/Aoba
WARNING: THIS STORY DEPICTS MALE/MALE RELATIONSHIPS.
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ATTENTION
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Sagta, username 'junjoupureheart' on Tumblr, will be illustrating this fic! To see her wonderful drawings, please find this story on Archive Of Our Own under the author 'realmspinner'. Thanks!
CHAPTER 02
A sweet aroma had slithered through the air, rose up the stairs, and seeped under the crack of Aoba's bedroom door. The minute it hit his nostrils, Aoba halted his mission to put a shirt on and took a big wiff.
That could be nothing but his grandma's famous donuts.
He hurriedly slipped his arm through the armhole and jogged downstairs, where the aroma only grew stronger. Tae must have just taken them out of the frier, for the oil was still bubbling.
"Morning grandma," Aoba greeted cheerfully. Tae glanced at him before turning the faucet on to wash her hands.
"It's hardly morning," Tae grunted. She quickly did a 180-degree turn and slapped the hand Aoba had reached out to grab a donut with. Aoba opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off. "They are too hot; you'll burn your fingers."
"I could handle it," Aoba pouted, staring forlornly at the fried treats. He quickly shook his hand back and forth to get the water off. Tae had hit him with a wet hand.
"Hmph," Tae said, clearly communicating what she thought of that. "You need to eat something more substantial anyway. This sleep schedule is ridiculous."
Aoba busied himself by getting a glass of milk.
"I can't help that I have a job where I'm out passed midnight," Aoba said. He frowned and shook the nearly-empty milk carton. Looked like a trip to the store would be coming up soon.
"And how is that job going?" Tae asked, sitting at the dining room table. Aoba grabbed his glass of milk and sat across from her, taking a refreshing gulp.
"Good. Same as always," Aoba said. There was no need to mention the recent questionable instances. He was already well aware Tae did not approve of this job. In fact, he would bet that the only reason Tae didn't raise more of a fuss was because Koujaku worked there too.
That, and Sei always stuck up for Aoba. Even if they were twins, Aoba could not even come close to the puppy-dog eyes Sei could pull off.
"I see. Do you work this Friday?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Sei is off. He'll be taking me to the hospital," Tae explained, and Aoba tensed.
"Wait, what for? Did they find something in the last scan?" Aoba asked. Tae waved a hand in the air like it was no big deal.
"Those doctors just want to squeeze as much money as they can out of their patients. It's ridiculous," Tae grumbled. "If they're not looking for this, they're looking for that."
Aoba frowned. Tae was no longer a young woman. Even if her personality was as strong as ever, her body was starting to fall behind. Hospital visits were becoming more frequent.
It was a reality Aoba didn't even want to think about.
"Call my cell phone after the appointment. I'll leave it with Koujaku," Aoba said.
"You never learn anything right after an appointment. Don't worry about it," Tae replied. Aoba sighed.
"Fine," he relented, finishing off his milk. He got up to put the glass in the sink, and then walked back over to the table to hug Tae's shoulders from behind. "I'm getting ready for work. I'll see you tomorrow."
"The coddling is unnecessary," Tae mumbled, but Aoba just smiled and kissed her cheek before letting her go. Aoba was almost out of the kitchen before she spoke up again. "Aoba."
"Hm?"
"One donut."
"Yes!"
Sometimes, television shows were too captivating. Especially when you're getting ready for work and an extra twenty minutes slip by without your knowledge.
Woops.
Aoba rushed inside Glitter, outfit in hand. He quickly weaved through the crowd and slipped behind the bar and around the corner, where the time clock was waiting for him.
"Running late?" Koujaku commented with a grin.
"Just a bit," Aoba grinned back, looking out at the floor as he clocked in.
There he was again.
Always in that last seat on the end of the bar. He never really talked to anyone, or had anyone with him. It seemed his hobbies were playing on his phone, aggravating Koujaku, and... well, staring at Aoba... every day... since two days ago when he made an outrageous offer of one-thousand dollars for Aoba to go home with him.
Aoba was still trying to wrap his mind around that amount of money.
He ripped his gaze away from the blond man and ran to the back to change. Koujaku was waiting for him when he came back out, with a frown on his face.
"Do you know that brat at the end of the bar?" Koujaku asked, pointing to Mr. One Thousand. Aoba hesitated. Koujaku didn't know about the offer.
"... not really. I mean he's said a few words to me," Aoba said. Nothing he said was a lie. He was just conveniently leaving out some things.
"He is constantly staring at you," Koujaku spoke distastefully. "And he's a major asshole. Avoid him if you can, alright?"
Aoba smiled and patted Koujaku on the shoulder.
"Thanks for the concern, but I'll be fine," Aoba assured. He took three steps before remembering something. "Oh, Koujaku?"
"Yeah?"
"Before I forget to ask... you like birds, right?"
A few miles away, birds of all species and colors were fluttering their wings and hopping on their perches as they impatiently waited for their caretaker. Sei was going from cage to cage, checking the food and water, and the cleanliness of both the animals and cages.
"How are you all doing today?" Sei asked with a smile as he filled a feeder. The birds inside the cage chirped at him as if greeting him. One hopped over to the side of the cage, peaking its beak between the bars. Sei used a finger to massage its head, and the bird leaned into the touch without hesitation.
The place was called Companion Stop; a small pet store located at the end of a busy shopping center. Sei had worked here for about four years now, and found himself rather attached to a lot of the animals. Of course, in this line of business, he saw many of them come and go, so he often passed his time playing with them while he could.
Animals had always seemed to love him, ever since he was a child.
The bell over the door rang, signaling someone had stepped into the shop.
"Hey Seeeei!" Came a loud, boyish greeting.
Unfortunately, another thing that happened to love him were these three neighborhood siblings. Turning away from the cages, Sei observed the three with a pensive smile.
He liked them.
He really did.
But sometimes they were quite the handful.
"Kio. Nao. Mio," he greeted. The eldest, Kio, came running up to him with a big grin on his face and a bag clutched in his hand.
"Hey, hey, I have a magic trick to show you!" Kio announced, opening his bag and pulling out random props.
"Do you?" Sei asked, glancing up at the other two. They looked to be observing some of the puppies.
"I learned this the other day; dad taught me!" Kio explained. He had a top hat and everything. Sei had to chuckle at that. "You gotta pay attention, okay?"
"Alright," Sei agreed. There was always a trick behind magic. Sei challenged himself to catch the trick.
However, unbeknownst to Sei, Nao and Mio were waiting for the split second Sei was enraptured in the magic trick. They looked at each other, devious smiles running across their lips, and nodded.
Quietly, they began unlatching the puppy's cages, and lifting some of the puppies out of the open boxes. Nao scurried behind Sei's back and stood on his tip-toes to open some of the bird cages.
"TA-DA!" Kio exclaimed as his magic trick was complete. Mio quickly ran over to the bunnies while Sei began clapping, and slid the door open. As soon as Sei looked over to observe the shop, Kio dipped into his bag and pulled out a horn. Taking a deep breath, he blew into it, hard. The loud sound reverberated off the walls and left their ears ringing.
"Wha-" Sei tried to say, but the sound of flapping wings and small running feet made his body tense up. The noise had bothered the animals too, and there were now birds flying around, puppies running, and bunnies hopping all across the store! "Ah!"
The children laughed with glee, running around with the animals.
Frantically, Sei managed to catch one of the puppies and hoist it in his arms. He was hardly even aware of the bell above the shop door chiming again.
"Kids... grab them!" Sei yelled.
"Waaaah! Let's get out of here!" Nao exclaimed, making a dash for the door. Mio followed close behind, but before she knew it, one of the puppies came running around the corner, heading straight for her!
"Aaah!" Mio screamed as the pup slammed into her legs. She flailed her arms as she lost balance and fell forward, squeezing her eyes shut to brace for the impact.
It never came.
Something was holding her around the stomach.
She looked up to see someone she'd never seen before... an older guy with blond, choppy hair and green eyes. She continued to stare as he brought her to her feet.
"Things don't always go as planned, huh," Noiz spoke, raising an eyebrow down at her. He happened to be passing by right before the incident occurred, and had been persuaded to stop when he saw the bunnies through the glass window.
Mio flushed red.
"Mio!" Nao yelled at the entrance.
"Hurry up!" Kio joined him.
"... hmph," Mio said before ripping her gaze from Noiz and rushing to catch up with her brothers.
With the brats gone, Sei let out an exasperated sigh, and Noiz looked down when a bunny hopped right onto his foot. He blinked, and then leaned down to pick it up.
"I'm terribly sorry about the shop's state right now!" Sei apologized, placing the puppy back in its pin. Noiz followed suit, bringing the bunny back to where it belonged.
"Nice kids," Noiz commented, following after another bunny. Despite being frazzled, Sei laughed.
"Angels," Sei commented, worriedly looking up at the birds. They were perching on things much too high to reach.
With Noiz's help, most of the animals were back in their cages in no time. Only a couple of the birds stayed stubbornly out of reach.
"Thank you so much for your help. Again, I'm sorry about the scene you walked in on," Sei said, somewhat embarrassed. Noiz shrugged and casually looked down at the bunnies. Sei quietly observed him, slightly surprised at the silence. "Was there something in particular you came here for?"
"No," was all Noiz offered.
"Ah," Sei said, for lack of anything better to say. He looked back and forth between Noiz and the bunnies. Had this guy merely stepped in the store to help round up the animals? That was awfully nice of him.
"... that one," Noiz suddenly muttered, pointing down at the bunnies. "It's different from the rest."
Sei had a bit of a problem following Noiz's finger, but knew which bunny he was speaking of as soon as he said that.
"Ah, yeah. All her brothers and sisters were sold already," Sei explained. The one black and white bunny was sitting in the corner, twitching its pink nose. Sei clasped his hands behind his back. "Would you like to hold her?"
Noiz glanced at him, but quickly looked back down.
"... not really," Noiz answered. Sei lifted an eyebrow and smiled.
"Well," Sei began, leaning down and scooping the rabbit up in one hand, "I think Cookie wants to be held."
Before Noiz could protest, Sei was pushing the bun into Noiz's chest. Noiz quickly took hold of her, frowning. That frown gradually melted, though, as he gently stroked her fur.
'He's very gentle with her. I thought so,' Sei thought, pleased with himself. The guy could easily be deemed suspicious, with all those piercings and loose clothing combined with a reserved demeanor. Sei also noticed his knuckles were rough, flaunting a few scrapes.
Holding that bunny, however, his expression was anything but threatening.
"Cookie, huh?" Noiz mumbled to himself. He traced her ears with his fingertip, making her shake her head. The corner of his lips quirked upward at the sight. "Somehow fitting."
Sei nodded in agreement.
"She seems to like you. Sure you didn't come here for anything?" Sei asked. It was almost comical how the blond suddenly looked caught off-guard, like a kid who just got his hand caught in the cookie jar.
".. yes, I'm sure," Noiz said, immediately holding Cookie back out to Sei. Sei chuckled and took the bunny back.
"Who knows how much longer she'll be here," Sei taunted with a smile. Noiz said nothing, just turned to exit. Sei rubbed behind Cookie's ears with a finger and sighed. It was obvious the guy loved animals, or at least rabbits. He wondered what was stopping him from owning one. An apartment that didn't allow pets? Living with someone who had allergies?
He put Cookie back with the rest of the bunnies and looked up at the still-stubborn birds with a frown.
Outside of the shop, Aoba and Koujaku were walking down the sidewalk, enjoying their day off. Aoba knew Sei's pet shop had been low on business lately, and it would make Sei look good if he was the one who made a few sales. Koujaku had always been a fan of birds, so what better time to drag him to buy one while Sei was working?
"I'm still not sure about this," Koujaku spoke, seeing the pet shop sign up ahead.
"Oh come on, you live alone. I'd be nice to have a pet around," Aoba persuaded.
"Exactly, I live alone and I work. What about leaving the poor thing alone?" Koujaku reasoned. Even as he half-heartedly argued, he knew he was going to buy a bird anyway. To be honest, he'd always wanted one, and who was he to turn down something Aoba wanted?
"That's why a bird is a good choice. They don't need constant care like a dog or something," Aoba replied. He cast his gaze in front of him as they walked, taking in the pet shop sign, the buildings, the road, the pedestrians...
Wait.
Was that...?
That guy.
He had just seen that blond from the club round a corner and walk out of sight. Though it was at somewhat of a distance, he was positive it was the guy that offered him the thousand dollars.
A scowl marred his lips.
Maybe it was just a coincidence but... he hoped he didn't have a stalker on his hands. The guy was already nerve-wracking enough, staring him down at the club ever since the night they met. It wouldn't be a surprise, nor would it be the first time, that some person with stalker-tendencies took a liking to him. In fact, another Glitter dancer had a similar case just two weeks ago that ended with a restraining order.
"Aoba?" Koujaku asked. Aoba halted, realizing he was about to walk right passed the pet shop.
"Oh.. woops, got a little lost in my thoughts," Aoba brushed it off, opening the door for Koujaku. The bell chimed above them. Koujaku gave him a weird look but made his way inside.
No reason to spoil the mood right now.
Aoba would deal with that guy later.
"Wel- Koujaku! Aoba!" Sei said with a big smile when he saw familiar faces.
"Yo, Sei," Koujaku greeted as Aoba waved.
"You didn't tell me you were coming," Sei said to Aoba as he walked over to them.
"Wasn't sure this guy would agree on getting a bird," Aoba explained. At the word 'bird', Sei glanced up.
"Well, due to an incident with the Trio, some of them are unavailable at the moment."
Aoba's face immediately went sour.
"Those three kids? Sometimes I'm glad I work somewhere that only allows twenty-one and over," Aoba said honestly.
"What do you mean, sometimes? You're lucky I got you a job," Koujaku teased, to which Aoba pouted.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm very grateful to you," Aoba spoke with sarcasm, but they both knew his words were sincere.
"So! Show me these birds," Koujaku said. Sei gestured them over toward the bird cages, but they didn't get very far.
There was a flutter of wings, and Koujaku stopped in mid-step when he felt a light weight settle on his shoulder. All three men looked at the small red sparrow in surprise. It was one of the birds that had been resting near the ceiling, but it now looked completely content snuggling down onto Koujaku's shoulder.
Aoba started laughing.
"Rather than you picking a bird, I think the bird picked you!" Aoba chuckled. Koujaku grinned.
"I don't know about this. This little guy looks like he'd run my household," Koujaku joked, tentatively reaching a finger toward the sparrow. He flicked his wings, cocked his head, and then jumped from Koujaku's shoulder to his finger. "What do you call this guy?"
"Beni," Sei answered with a smile. "Should I give you the play-by-play on what you'll need to buy with him?"
"That would be much appreciated," Koujaku agreed.
"See, I told you this was a good idea," Aoba gushed.
"Now if only we can get that last bird down here, everything would be normal again," Sei sighed.
It took the three men eight minutes to gather the works for Beni, and another ten minutes to stand around and chat before Koujaku and Aoba left the shop. Koujaku carried the cage with his newly-found friend inside, while Aoba carried the bag of bird feed and other knick-knacks.
"Want to stop by? I think we still have some donuts left," Aoba asked as they neared the intersection where they would have to part ways. Koujaku's expression look tortured.
"As much as I hate to turn that down, I have an appointment in an hour," Koujaku explained apologetically.
"Hair cut?" Aoba asked. Even without educational training, Koujaku had always been ridiculously good at cutting hair. The people around his neighborhood knew this, and he would accept reservations on his days off.
"Dye job, too," Koujaku added. When they got to the intersection, Aoba handed him what he officially called the 'birdie bag'.
"Take care of this guy, alright?" Aoba asked. Koujaku scowled when he realized Aoba was talking to the bird, and Aoba grinned.
A ring tone suddenly filtered through the area around them, and Koujaku looked down at his pocket in surprise.
"Could you..." Koujaku asked, gesturing toward it. His hands were full.
"Pff," Aoba replied, reaching in Koujaku's front pocket to retrieve the phone. He was merely going to press a button to make it shut up, but his eyes caught the name of the texter.
Immediately after, Aoba's own phone started ringing. He quickly snatched it and opened the text.
'Hey you two. I'm making arrangements to come visit the old hometown. Let me know when I'd be able to hang out with you. -Mizuki.'
Thank you for reading! Sorry if this was a boring chapter; more Noiz/Aoba interaction is in the next chapter!
Also, I'm not sure sparrows are allowed to be sold in the US, but let's just let that slide, okay? Okay.