Red Strings ¦¦ Chishiya Shuntarou x OC

Eighteenth String

-Two Years Ago-

A meeting with his father was always a challenge for Aoi. Since he was training to take over the company, everything had to be in perfection. And his father would always find minute details to fixate on and berate him for. The real struggle was coming out without a panic attack after.

He managed to reach the end of the hallway, collapsing on the floor as he was breaking down. He reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out, dialling Kurenai's number when he stopped himself. What if she was busy? Kurenai was always the tough love kind, and he did not want to face that right now.

Curling his knees up to his chest, Aoi started crying, gripping his sleeves.

Why must he be born a Chuya? If he was born in an ordinary family, he would be allowed to do whatever he liked. He would not be forced to take over an empire that he had no interest in. And why was he alone whenever he needed someone?

"Are...you okay?"

Shocked to hear someone, Aoi turned around and wiped his tears with his sleeves. He could not let anyone see him in this condition. Even though he hated it, he had to uphold the Chuya reputation.

"I-I'm fine..."

"You're clearly not."

The man sat down on the floor, stretching his legs across the hallway. Aoi looked over his shoulder, frowning a little. Why was he sitting down with him? And good Lord, how long were his legs?

"They said it's going to rain today. Did you bring an umbrella?"

"What?"

Confused, Aoi turned to face the man. Why was he suddenly talking about the weather?

"I said, it's going to rain today. Did you bring an umbrella?"

"No..."

"Hm...Then again, you probably have your own car, right? I guess that's an advantage to being rich."

For the next twenty minutes or so, the man kept talking to Aoi, asking him about whatnots. Although puzzled, Aoi still answered his questions and made conversations. Before he knew it, his tears had stopped and he was no longer thinking about his panic attack.

"Feeling better now?"

"Huh? Oh...yeah," Aoi said, only just realising that he had calmed down significantly. "Thanks," he smiled.

Reaching over, the man pressed his palms on Aoi's cheeks and squished them while smiling brightly at him. "That's better. Well, I've got to go now. If you need someone to talk to again, I'm Akiyama Toshiaki. This is my card."

He handed over a business card and got up on his feet, wobbling a little He steadied himself then looked down at Aoi and gave him one last smile before walking away.

Akiyama Toshiaki...

What a nice man.

Touching his own cheeks, Aoi could feel them burning up. His hands were really big, and warm too. And now that he was thinking about it, Toshiaki was really good looking. He was really well put together and while his suit was not the most expensive, it fitted him really well. He had a dimple too, when he smiled.

Gosh!

What the hell was he thinking about? This was no time to be distracted by a man!

That was when he started to see Toshiaki everywhere.

When it was lunch time and Aoi was returning to the office, he saw Toshiaki heading out to lunch with his coworkers; he stuck out like a sore thumb with his height. He had a bright smile on his face, just like that day when they first met, and he seemed to have a good relationship with his colleagues. He gave Aoi a big smile and a nod as they walked past, and Aoi went bright red once again.

When they had their monthly department meetings, Toshiaki was there too. He was the first to arrive, and he helped the secretary carry the coffees in. And when Aoi walked into the conference room, he greeted him with yet another big smile.

Why was he so happy all the time?

--

Ah...it's raining...

The one day Aoi did not drive, it rained. And he did not bring his umbrella. He was in a rush to head out for a meeting too. What luck...

"Forgot your umbrella?" Aoi recognised that voice. Akiyama Toshiaki!

"Oh! Yeah...I didn't bring one," Aoi said. He looked away, afraid to make eye contact with Toshiaki.

"Where are you heading?"

"To a taxi stand."

"Let's share then."

Pulling his umbrella out, Toshiaki opened it and started walking. As they were walking side by side, Aoi could feel his heart thumping hard. Could Toshiaki hear his heart beating? How embarrassing would that be?

Distracted by his deep thoughts, Aoi suddenly tripped but Toshiaki grabbed his arm to steady him just in time. That was when Aoi noticed that Toshiaki's left shoulder was completely soaked. Was he tilting the umbrella to Aoi's side so he would not get wet?

"You're a little clumsy, aren't you?" Toshiaki chuckled. As soon as he made a comment, however, Toshiaki tripped too.

"Guess you're clumsy too," Aoi laughed.

To be honest, he noticed Aoi quite a while ago though he probably saw him a little to how others did. Most of his colleagues would talk about Aoi as the heir of Chuya Group, how he was good looking, and how lucky they would be if he were to fall in love with them. All Toshiaki saw was a man who was in distress all the time.

His first time seeing Aoi laugh, and this time it was Toshiaki who blushed.

"Were you not heading somewhere?" Aoi asked.

When they got to the taxi stand, Toshiaki was still standing with him, holding the umbrella over him. Instead of answering, Toshiaki simply smiled. It was another ten more minutes before a taxi came by, and he watched as Aoi got onto the taxi, waving goodbye as he did.

Just as the taxi was driving off, Aoi saw Toshiaki going back the way they came. Did he walk him all the way to the taxi stand just to shield him from the rain? Shit...he was starting to fall hard for Toshiaki.

--

"Good morning," Toshiaki smiled. "Coffee?"

Walking into the lift, Aoi's cheeks flushed instantly at the sight of Toshiaki. How could he look so good all the time? And what did he eat to grow so tall?

"T-thanks," he said, taking the coffee.

"You changed your cologne today."

"Huh? Yeah, I did. It's a new one."

"This one suits you."

How could he not fall for Toshiaki when he was noticing small details about him?

When the lift arrived on Toshiaki's floor, he stepped out but just before the door closed, he stopped it with one hand. "I know I'm shooting my shot here, but...would you like to go on a date with me?"