“Get out, please,” Sho whispered, painfully, brokenly.
Jun and Nino had already gone. They had left when Sho began shouting for them to leave, to get out, to leave him in his stupidity and idiocy and shame. Aiba had seen the worry in Nino’s eyes, but knew that Nino was angry at Sho, too. And Jun, who always put ARASHI first and foremost, who loved all of them fiercely, stared in confusion and sadness and hurt, and it was only when Sho slammed a fist into the wall beside Jun that Jun had fled, trying to take Aiba with him, but Aiba had refused.
Aiba took it, stayed, even when Sho had turned his anger on him and was now breathing shallowly because Sho had punched him in the gut when Aiba initially refused to leave. “I will not leave you, Sho chan,” Aiba had said, his breath coming in pained gasps. “I won’t leave until I know you’re okay, inside and out.”
And Sho had looked at him with defeated eyes, and he sank to the floor, looking out into space, and Sho had begun to cry.
Aiba shook his head, stroking his friend’s hair. He did not know how long they had been sitting on the floor, how long Sho had been crying with his strong arms around Aiba’s neck, sobbing into his shoulder and chanting “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” in broken gasps. Aiba knew that Sho was sorry. Aiba knew that whatever Sho had done wrong, he was sorry for it. He was sorry to his soul, and he felt the pain and heartache.
Aiba closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, too, Sho chan,” he said, very softly. “Just cry it out. I’m here.”
And Sho hugged him tighter, and cried harder, and Aiba let himself cry a little, too.