Gift fic for rainbow_teatime 4/4

[stormymood]

A piece of rainbow for rainbow_teatime Part 4

Shortly after, Nino followed him to join Ohno, Aiba and the rest of the boys - except Jun who seemed to have drawn back for now - for a last chat before going to bed. About an hour later, just when they were about to settle back in their tents, Aiba suddenly turned up in front of Sho, Ohno and Nino's tent, with a worried look on his face.

"What's wrong, Aiba-kun?" Sho asked, frowning.

"Did you see Jun-kun?" the other boy asked. "I thought he would be waiting in the tent but he's not there and I can't see him anywhere…"

"Did you check if he's by the river, brushing his teeth maybe?" Ohno suggested.

"He's not there," Aiba shook his head. "And I can't reach him by phone," he added when he saw Sho typing on his phone's screen.

Sho groaned, putting his phone away. "Great… What is he doing?!"

"Did something happen again?" Aiba asked Sho carefully.

Of course, he knew that there was a fight between the two friends, which caused Jun to flee to Aiba's tent the first evening they arrived at the camp, but he probably didn't know any details and honestly, Sho would appreciate if it stayed that way.

"It's getting late, it's dark, we probably should go search for him," Nino suggested nervously when Sho exchanged a look with him. Ohno and Aiba nodded in agreement.

"OK, I'll tell the teacher and ask if some of the others can help us with the search," Sho added before he ran towards the teacher's tent.

When Sho came back to take Nino with him, Aiba had already left together with some other boys, while Ohno was still waiting for his friend, his arms crossed and a strict look on his face. When Sho arched an eyebrow as he saw him like that, Ohno rolled his eyes.

"Nino told me what happened," Ohno said and Sho darted a wondering look at Nino just before Ohno continued speaking. "Well, not everything, don't worry, but he told me that Jun has seen the two of you together and you know what, it's not that hard to guess what you must be doing to scare Jun away like this..."

"Satoshi...," Sho lowered his head.

"Do you now get what's wrong with Jun, at least?" the older student finally asked, but Sho didn't reply. "You've really been blind, haven't you?" Ohno sighed. "Jun is in love with you, you idiot! He's in love with you for years and you just..."

"If you knew," Sho started, pouting, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Will that change anything?" Ohno asked back. "Will it change the fact that you've fallen for Nino?"

Sho looked at Nino, who averted his eyes in embarrassment. Then, Sho looked back at Ohno, shaking his head determined. "It wouldn't change my feelings towards Nino. But maybe I wouldn't have been such a jerk in front of Jun..."

But regret wouldn't be of any help right now. The boys ran into the forest, so shortly after, everyone was out somewhere, helping to search for Jun. Equipped with torches, some boys had teamed up to walk along the river, checking if the boy took a stroll further away from the camp, others walked into the woods. Sho and Nino were already quite deep in the forest, wondering if Jun had really gone that far, when they arrived at a fork, the path splitting in two narrow paths, one guiding up, the other down, towards another river, judging from the sound of the gurgling water. Nobody else was there, the boys all spread through the dark, creepy forest. From the distance, a few calls of Jun's name could be heard.

"Let's take the left way first," Sho suggested and Nino nodded.

Reaching back to take Nino's hand, Sho stepped forward and the two boys slowly went down the steep narrow path in the dark, only the light of the torch guiding their way.

"Do you really think he went down here? It's a very dangerous path," Nino asked a few minutes later. "Or what if he got hurt?"

"Don't say anything about it, Nino, please," Sho said, the nervousness audible in his voice. "He'll be fine…"

"Wait," Nino reached at Sho's shoulder, stopping him. "Isn't that a light?"

"Where?"

Nino pointed into a direction and indeed, in the distance there seemed to be a small light. It could either be one of the boys searching for Jun, or Jun himself.

"Jun?!" Sho shouted into the dark forest, louder, again and again, the closer they came, accompanied by Nino's "Matsumoto!".

Then, finally there was a reaction. At first, Sho couldn't understand it but the closer they approached, the better he could recognize Jun's voice calling his name. The path was still steep and narrow, but Sho and Nino tried to speed up, the light of their torch shaking wildly as they walked along the path towards the light as fast as they could. And soon, they arrived, Sho knelt down to pick up a torch which must have been dropped there in front of a huge root, while Nino quickly turned towards a large rock. A figure was crouching there.

"Matsumoto!" Nino exclaimed, the relief in his voice obvious. Sho, a few steps away, turned one of the torches he was holding into the direction from which Nino's voice was coming. Nino looked down at the boy who was holding his ankle. "Hey… oh no, you're hurt? Let me see…"

But instead of letting the boy come close, Jun lifted his hand and pushed Nino slightly backwards as the student bent down towards him. "Go away, Ninomiya, I don't want to see you!"

"Matsumoto… please, let me help you," Nino said in a desperate voice.

"I said, leave me alone!" Jun yelled at him. "I hate you! You took Sho away from me! And why are you so nice suddenly?! You're not supposed to be nice, you're a grumpy troublemaker without any friends so why…," his fierce voice broke. "Why does Sho… why you and not me?"

Sho wasn't able to say anything at that moment. The light from the torch which was directed at Nino and Jun showed enough to make him realize that Jun was crying and Sho wasn't sure if it was because of the injury Nino was referring to or because Sho broke his heart. He felt horrible. It was never his intention to hurt his friend. He wasn’t in the mood for jealousy and drama, that was true, but he never wanted to really hurt Jun. However, the inevitable had happened and now, apologizing was probably the only thing to do, because Sho knew that his feelings wouldn't change and nobody could blame him for that.

"Matsumoto… I'm really sorry," Nino said, surprisingly being the first to apologize. "It wasn't my intention to take Sho away from you. I never planned to become his friend or anything, but Sho... he is the first one who was willing to get to know me better and to help me," the boy continued, his voice low and sounding a bit weak. "I'm not as tough as I pretend to be, obviously. I don't want to be the troublemaker that everyone sees me as. Sho gave me a chance and we… I… I really fell in love with him and apparently he fell in love with me too and you have no idea but…," Sho inhaled deeply when he heard his boyfriend speaking such words, with so much honesty and so much feelings in them. "It's fine if you hate me but this thing with Sho, it really is the only good thing in my life so please… please don't ruin it."

There was silence between the three boys, nobody able to speak anymore. Sho was still holding his breath, and his heart was beating like crazy. His look was switching from Nino back to Jun, who was looking at Nino with desperate eyes, before he broke down in new tears. Nino lowered his head, apologetically and Jun didn't say a word. He didn't fight Nino any longer though. The boy finally reached out his hands and started examining Jun's ankle which must be sprained, according to his assumption. He waved at Sho, who took a closer look, cringing.

"Jun, we've all been worried for you," Sho said in a soft voice. "Are you OK? Can you walk?"

After sobbing a few more times, wiping his tears with his dirty hands, Jun replied. "I don't know…"

"Come," Sho said, turning around and offering his back to his friend. "Hop on, I'll carry you back."

"What?" Jun asked surprised, "But the path is dangerous, you can't carry me -"

"We'll manage, don't worry," Sho smiled. "Nino will help us, right Nino?"

Nino nodded, his lips curling into a small smile too.

Just a few seconds later, Jun was on Sho's back and Nino was behind them, his hand on Jun's back to support the two boys in front of him, climbing the way. From behind, he lighted the way with one of the torches and slowly, step by step, they made their way back up to the main path, which guided them right back into the camp. Nino had called Aiba, telling him that he and Sho had found Jun, and Aiba immediately offered to call the other students, who were still searching, to spread the happy news.

Besides that, the walk back was completely silent until finally, just a few minutes before the boys would reach the camp, Sho suddenly spoke up. He had been searching his mind for the right words to tell his friend, to set things right, even if he knew that for Jun nothing might feel right at the moment. However, he couldn't let things stay the way they were right now, or their friendship might suffer more sooner or later. He didn't want to risk that. He didn't want to lose his best friend.

"Jun," Sho started in a soft voice. Jun slightly shifted his head, which he had bedded between Sho's strong shoulder blades, tiredly, when he heard his friend speaking to him. "Listen, you are my best friend since childhood and if it's OK for you, that will stay forever, I promise. I'm sorry I cannot offer more to you and I hope you'll be able to accept it so that things between us can go back to what they were before." He made a pause. Nobody said a word. "I hope I'm not asking for too much..."

When Sho felt Jun shaking his head in his back, a weight lifted from his heart. Nino, who was now walking in front of the two boys, looked at them and when his eyes met Sho's, they exchanged a smile. With that, Sho knew that everything would be OK.

+ + +

At least things with Jun were OK again after what happened that night during the summer camp. As soon as Jun, Sho and Nino had arrived back at the camp, the teacher had scolded Jun for suddenly disappearing into the dark forest in the middle of the night, without telling anybody about his plans. Sho had protected his friend and taken the blame, explaining that they had a fight and it wasn't Jun's fault alone. The teacher had scratched the back of his head and swallowed it, with Jun promising that he would never ever do something like that again.

That night, far beyond midnight, after Sho had taken proper care of Jun's injury and Jun had thanked all the others for helping to search him, Jun for the first time slept in the same tent as Sho, Nino and Ohno.

The teacher was nice enough not to wake any of the boys too early the next morning, after such a long and exciting night. Apparently, Jun had lost his cell phone somewhere in the forest, which he only realised after a late breakfast when he wanted to set a call to his parents. Aiba generously offered to carry Jun, who still felt pain when he tried to walk, and go search for the device together with him. When they returned, Aiba's face was flushed red and he threw suspicious looks at Sho and Nino who had teamed up to cook lunch (OK, Sho was only assisting) at the campfire. Jun must have poured his heart out to the kind guy and Sho couldn't blame him. He only hoped that his and Nino's secret - since they both didn't want to make it too public that they were a couple now - would be safe with his basketball team mate.

The last few days in the camp went by smoothly without any further unpleasant events, as the friends tried to make the best out of the remaining time together. While most of them enjoyed the warm days with playing ball games and swimming, Jun had to watch, due to his injured leg. However, Nino, who wasn't interested in neither swimming nor ball games apparently, joined him and slowly but surely, they seemed to warm up to each other too, much to Sho's delight. When Jun couldn't bear the guilt anymore, he even confessed to Nino that it was him who stole his toothbrush on the first evening. Nino only chuckled and offered Jun a small smile.

On the morning of their departure from the camp, when they went for a last stroll through the forest just as the two of them, Nino seemed visibly nervous. Sho asked him if it had something to do with his mother and if he was scared of getting scolded by her when he returned home, but the boy refused to talk about it and tried his best to pretend to be fine. In the end, Sho repeated his offer that he once made - whenever Nino needed him, he would be there for him. Nino thanked him with a loving kiss before they headed back to camp to help taking down the tents and packing the rest of the stuff into the bus that came to pick them up again.

+ + +

Sho knew that things were definitely not OK when Nino showed up in front of his house late in the evening of the same day and his forehead was bleeding.

Nino had been quiet during the bus ride home, mostly, he seemed to have fallen asleep, his head bedded on Sho's shoulder as they were sharing a row (Jun was sharing with Aiba, and Ohno had taken a whole row for himself behind them for lying down and taking a proper nap) and with his headphones on. Sho wondered though, if his boyfriend was faking.

They arrived back at school in the afternoon. When they had taken out all their things from the bus's storage space, and Nino got back his bicycle, he seemed a bit hesitant to go home and so Sho decided to stay with him for a bit longer. They chatted a bit with Jun, Ohno and Aiba before they got picked up by their parents or headed for the bus station.

"If you want, I can come with you and we talk to your mom together," Sho offered when he and Nino were the last ones left.

"Thanks, but that's not necessary," Nino said, shaking his head.

"You seem seriously troubled, Nino. Do you think she'll become that mad?" Sho asked, worried, his hand holding Nino's since they were alone. His boyfriend would probably have to endure a lot of scolding and some sharp comments by his mother, Sho was sure that that woman wouldn't treat her son nicely after he left for the camp without permission a week ago. "I could insist on coming along."

"No, really, there's no need to," Nino exclaimed, his expression serious. "I have to do this on my own."

Sho didn't have a choice but to respect Nino's decision. It was Nino's family after all, it wasn't his right to intrude. Still, he couldn't help but worry.

"Call me once you're home, I need to know that you're fine, OK?" the older boy said, kissing his boyfriend on the cheek lovingly and Nino nodded before they parted ways.

When Nino's call finally came, it was dark already. Sho, who was watching a movie together with his mother in the living room, was staring at his phone for hours, worried like hell after Nino didn’t pick up any of his calls. He was just about to jump up and go to Nino's place when his phone finally rang and he almost dropped it. Judging from the boy's voice, Nino was far from being fine. Sho's heart sank and when his boyfriend asked him to come outside, the student was there faster than Nino could add any explanation.

Nino was there, standing in the driveway to Sho's house that was half-lit by streetlamps, looking like a picture of misery and pressing something against his left temple with one hand while holding his bicycle with the other. His look was lowered and his eyes hidden behind his black bangs. When Sho ran towards him, he could see that the thing Nino was holding was a handkerchief, and the fabric seemed darkened.

"Nino, oh my gosh," Sho murmured shocked, immediately reaching his hand to his boyfriend's face. "Did you ride here like that?! What happened? Let me see that…"

The younger boy cringed at the student's touch but pulled the handkerchief away, and once Sho had carefully brushed away some sticky strands of hair, he exposing a bleeding cut. He swallowed. The worst pictures of how this might have happened were now rushing through Sho's head. His heart was pounding nervously. He reached his hand to take the piece of fabric and searched for a clean corner, which he used to dab some more blood. Nino pulled in some air sharply, but didn't complain.

"Nino, what happened?" Sho asked in a soft voice. He had to hear it from him.

"I… I'm sorry, I didn't know where to go… I…," the boy murmured.

"What happened?" the other boy repeated, slightly pressing the drenched piece of fabric against the wound.

"Ah… uhm…," Nino still hesitated to tell him, obviously.

"Please don't try to make me believe nothing happened," Sho said, his voice still soft since he didn't want to scold the other, but the worry was obviously there. "You're bleeding…"

"It's - it's OK, really," Nino started; his voice small and throaty. "I just tripped and fell and hit my head and -"

Sho knew it was a lie but he didn't expose it. "We should go to the hospital to have you checked. It might need stitches," he said instead, but then Nino lifted his free hand, grabbing Sho's t-shirt and he looked at him, horrified.

"No!" he pressed. "Please! I don't want to!"

Sho tried not to look too pitiful at his boyfriend when his reaction just seemed to strengthen his suspicion, which was heart-breaking. He wanted to pull Nino into a hug, immediately, but first they really should take care of his injury.

"Then at least come in and let my mom check you, OK?" he asked Nino, who, after hesitating for another few seconds, finally agreed with a hum.

They parked Nino's bicycle in front of the garage and then Sho took Nino's hand to guide him inside of the house. His mother, who was still confused by her son's sudden disappearance, looked surprised when Sho brought another boy with him. She was an elegant woman, even when wearing only a casual cardigan over her pyjama and when she saw the drenched handkerchief pressed against the boy's temple, she seemed to understand the situation immediately. She stood up, facing the two boys with a worried look.

"I'm sorry for intruding…," Nino murmured before introducing himself to Sho's mother.

"Don't worry, Sho's friends are always welcome here. You got hurt?" she asked friendlily, immediately offering a smile. Nino didn't reply but Sho guided him a few steps further until they could sit down on the couch. "Oh my, come here and let me see this," Sho's mother said. "How did this happen?"

"I tripped…," Nino murmured. "Fell down… hit my head at the table… I'm an idiot…"

The woman knelt down in front of the boy, lifting her hands to examine his wound carefully, just like Sho had done a few minutes before. "Good, it's not bleeding much anymore. Does your head hurt? Do you feel dizzy?"

"A bit… not too bad though," Nino replied before the woman conducted a few small tests for his reaction and finally nodded.

"Good, seems it's just a cut and a mild concussion probably," she said, smiling relieved. "We'll disinfect the wound, I'll make a few stitches and you'll be as new as before. Continue pressing the handkerchief against the wound for now, it will make the bleeding stop." The woman stood up and headed out of the room.

"That's great, isn't it, Nino?" Sho said, leaning a bit forward to meet his boyfriend's eyes.

"Do you want me to call your parents?" Sho's mother asked when she came back with a first aid kit in her hands.

"No!" Nino whimpered, immediately.

"Nino…," Sho sighed. The younger boy was holding his hand tightly and his body had started shaking. When their eyes met and Nino's were filled with horror, Sho had a hard time not to blurt out his thoughts.

"No… please, no, she… my mother might be sleeping already and I don't want to wake her up and I… I'm just an idiot, that's all…," Nino blabbered, trying to smile at Sho's mother, failing miserably.

"Nino, you're shaking…," Sho said in a low voice. The worry was eating him up.

"I'm not, everything's OK," Nino pretended.

"But -"

"It's OK, Sho," the boy's mother chimed in. "Let us just take care about his wound for now, OK?"

Sho looked at his mother. He wasn't sure if she was suspecting the same as he was. He never really talked about Nino to her, wanting to keep everything about the boy for himself for the time being. She didn't know how things were at Nino's home. But she had been active as a doctor for a long time years ago and she still sometimes assisted her husband in the hospital if needed. She surely saw many more things in her life than Sho, probably, her experience could tell…

"Do you want to stay over tonight?" Sho finally asked Nino before he turned to his mother. "It's OK, right, Mom?"

The woman nodded. "Of course! We can lay out a futon in Sho's room for you."

To Sho's relief, Nino seemed to relax a bit and after hesitating shortly, he nodded. "That would be great, thank you very much."

"Once we patched you up, I'll make you guys some cocoa and then you will go to bed, OK? How does that sound, Nino?"

Sho was sure that there were tears in Nino's eyes when the boy looked up to the woman and slightly parted his dry lips to reply in a throaty voice. "That sounds very good, Sakurai-san… thank you."

It didn't take long until cursing could be heard from the Sakurai's living room, caused by the disinfectant burning Nino's skin, followed by an embarrassed "Sorry" for his cursing. Then, soon after - after slurping their promised cocoa - the two boys were in bed, ready to sleep. As planned, a futon was laid out in Sho's room for Nino and the boy had changed into one of Sho's t-shirts that he could wear for sleeping.

After Nino's aversive reaction to the proposal of contacting his mother, Sho's mother told her son that they should probably wait till the next morning until the boy had calmed down and Sho agreed. Nevertheless, it was hard for him to pretend that nothing happened. Of course. After all, his boyfriend had shown up in front of his door with a bleeding forehead, shaking, and not willing to talk about his probably drunken mother, who he most likely had a fight with, that may not be only on a verbal basis…

Sho swallowed hard when he tried to imagine the scene in Nino's apartment. He knew that he might be concluding things too fast, but he knew Nino, and he had seen his mother, and piece after piece the puzzle was slowly but surely clicking together, portraying a picture of horror…

Sho tried to supress a deep sigh. He could understand why Nino might not want to talk about it. For the boy, things were most likely much more complex and complicated than Sho could ever imagine. But he wanted him to trust him, to tell him what was going on, so that he could help him. The student, who had been lying on his back and staring up to the ceiling of his room, turned to his side. The small light on the nightstand was still on, so he could see Nino lying there on his futon, his eyes opened and a bit glassy, his look staring into a far distance. It was a picture that Sho had seen so often and this time, the wish to be where Nino was was even stronger than usual. He wanted to be by his side...

Slowly, Sho crawled further to the edge of his bed and reached out his hand to find his boyfriend's. When he intertwined his fingers with Nino's, the younger blinked, apparently coming back from whatever place his thoughts had brought him to. He turned his head, facing Sho.

"Your mom is really nice...," the boy said. "I thought as the mother of an elite student like you she must be super strict and stiff but... she's nothing like that."

"She really is a nice woman," Sho replied and they fell silent until he parted his lips again. "Nino? Are you alright?" the boy asked in a soft voice, his thumb brushing caressingly over the back of Nino's hand.

Nino swallowed and pressed Sho's hand firmly as he turned a bit to the side to be able to face him better too. "I don't know, Sho," he finally whispered before his eyes overflowed and a sob escaped from his lips.

"Are you crying?" Sho asked in a whisper, knowing that it was unnecessary to state the obvious.

Nino didn't reply but the tears running down his cheeks were saying more than needed. Sho didn't hesitate. He flipped back his blanket, crawling out of bed and down onto the futon next to Nino, and slipped underneath the blanket. He let go off Nino's hand just to have his hands free to wrap him into a tight hug. Nino's arms automatically wrapped around Sho's body too and he buried his face into the soft fabric of Sho's shirt. When Nino’s sobbing turned heavier, Sho just pressed his boyfriend closer, rubbed his back and caressed his hair while he let him cry his heart out until he calmed down again. Sho loosened their embrace a bit just to be able to look at Nino who was lying there, exhausted and desperate, a few silent tears still running down his cheeks. Sho leaned a bit forward to kiss them away, before he started talking again.

"You know you can tell me everything, right? If you're ready…"

"I know…," Nino took a deep breath. "I want to tell you but… it's so hard, Sho…"

"If you can't say it… let me guess and just nod if I'm right or shake your head if I'm wrong. OK?" Sho suggested.

After considering the option for a few seconds, while looking deep into Sho's eyes which almost made the other's heart burst, he finally nodded slowly.

"OK…," Sho said, relieved. Trying to find the right things to ask, he took another few seconds, before he started. "Did you have a fight with another student or some delinquents?"

Nino shook his head. "Never," he added in a low voice. Sho knew.

"You didn't trip, right?"

Nino nodded and Sho's heart started beating faster. He knew that too. He didn't want to be right. But he had to find out the truth to be able to help his boyfriend.

"Did someone hurt you?" he continued asking, his throat feeling thick. "Push you?"

Nino nodded.

Sho took a deep breath and after another pause, he finally dared to ask the inevitable question. "Was it your mother?"

Nino froze in his arms and this was enough. He didn't even need to nod. Sho swallowed hard and again he pulled Nino tighter into their embrace. Nino's fingers buried deeper into the fabric of Sho's clothes.

"I guess it wasn't the first time, was it?" Sho sighed.

"You knew?" Nino finally whispered against his boyfriend's chest.

"I got a bad feeling at the very least when you refused to let us call your mother and started shaking like crazy," Sho said. "I'm sorry… I wished I was wrong."

The younger boy took a deep breath and looked up to meet Sho's eyes in the dimmed room. "It's not her fault, Sho," he started, sounding desperate. "She was drunk and she was angry at me - of course, I left her alone for a whole week without permission and-"

"Nino, stop," Sho said determined, cupping the boy's face with his hands, looking at him intensely. "There is no excuse for a parent to hit or push their child or to harm them in any way. This is serious; it can't go on like this. We need to tell my mom."

Nino's eyes filled with tears again. "You… you can't do that. They will call the police…"

"Probably."

"And then? What will happen then?" Nino panicked. "They will separate me and my mom and they will send me away!" he hissed, fear dominating his voice. "She is my only family, Sho! I need her and she needs me! And if Mom and I can't be together… I'm a minor, I can't live on my own, they will send me away… I don't want that, Sho, please!"

The boy was shaking again and Sho pressed a kiss onto Nino's forehead, trying to make him calm down.

"No, they won't take you away, I promise!" he said. "I'll talk to my parents and we'll make sure they won't send you away. I'll make sure you'll stay here. With me. OK?"

"Sho, you have no idea how much I wished I could stay with you forever but what if they don't let me?" Nino sobbed, his voice breaking. "I'm scared."

"You don't need to be scared," the older boy said, affirmative. "I'm with you. I will always be with you. I'll protect you," he said, right next to Nino's ear.

When Sho heard another sob by the boy in his arms, he pressed him even closer, rolled him onto his back and then lifted his head, just enough to be able to look down on him, into that sad, tear smeared face. His chest was aching when he imagined what a horrible day this must have been for Nino and he wished with all his heart that maybe, just maybe, his presence could make it a tiny bit more bearable for him. Sho let his fingers carefully brush over Nino's cheek, who closed his eyes slowly, and a second later, he leaned down and sealed his boyfriend's lips with his, trying to put all of his feelings for the boy into that kiss, to show him, that he was wanted, that he was needed, that he was loved.

Nino's lips were dry and soon started shaking when the boy started crying again, but he didn't break the kiss. Instead, he lifted his hands to put them around Sho's neck and all the despair he must be feeling transformed into passion and they didn't stop kissing, sharing one kiss after another. For a long time, their bodies pressed close, their hearts just a heartbeat separated from another.

This night, they fell asleep, embracing each other. Sho did not even think about returning to his own bed. He held Nino in his arms until the boy's mind slipped into a deep sleep, the exhaustion from the past day overwhelming him completely. Sho couldn't sleep for probably another hour, his mind too busy with the happenings, his heart too busy with worrying about his boyfriend. He hated that his suspicion about Nino's mother was true. He hated that Nino had to suffer so much because of her. He knew that the boy was scared about what would happen next, but things had to change. For the better. Now, everything left for Sho was to hope that he would be able to hold the promise that he made to Nino.

That they would be able to stay together.

+ + +

Next morning, Sho had to convince Nino one more time to go talk to Sho's mother and tell her the circumstances in order to get appropriate help for Nino. After laying out the facts again to his boyfriend, Sho finally got Nino's OK. The boy was nervous, and not only terrified, but in the end he himself had to agree that it would be for the best. Sho took his hand and together, they went downstairs, where Sho's mother was already preparing breakfast for the two boys. The smell was delicious.

"Oh, good morning, you two," the woman said when they entered the kitchen. "I hope you slept well? How are you feeling, Nino? Does your head still hurt?"

"It's OK, thanks, Sakurai-san," Nino replied, shaking his head.

"I hope you like pancakes?" Sho's mother asked with a wide smile, but when she saw the boys' troubled faces, her expression lost its light.

"Mom… we need your help," Sho finally said, pressing Nino's hand. "We have to tell you something about Nino's injury…"

As if she knew what would follow, Sho's mother nodded. They all sat down together around the kitchen table after the woman pulled the pan from the stove in order not to let the pancakes burn, and Sho told Nino's story on behalf of his boyfriend. The woman just listened quietly, understanding, reaching out to put her hand on top of Nino's in between to give him some of her strength. Nino didn't say much, trusting the talking to his boyfriend entirely, to whom he had told everything. How his father was gone for years, how his mother gradually became more and more addicted to alcohol and less and less caring about their home, about her reputation, about her son. How she started throwing things at the boy when he did something wrong or when she was just drunk, frustrated and needed to vent her feelings in some way. He had spoken about how she started blaming him for the fact that the man she loved had left her and her child behind. How she started hitting him.

A few hours later, Sho's mother had called the respective authorities and then it was Nino's turn to tell his story to a very friendly youth protection officer and the psychologist who accompanied him. They patiently listened to everything he had to tell. Sho and his mother had provided them the dining room for this purpose and after a while they had to be excused to go and wait outside. Sitting on a bench in the garden together, they were now awaiting the outcome of the conversation.

It was warm and a day much too beautiful when considering that on this very day a family would be officially torn apart. The sun was shining, the flowers were in full bloom and the gurgling of the small fountain in the pond in one corner of the garden and the singing of birds were the only things that broke the silence. A silence that was only existing on the outside, Sho thought, because inside of his head it was loud and full of questions that wanted to get out.

"Did you know it already?" Sho finally dared to ask his mother. "That he didn't just fall...?"

"I was suspicious due to his behaviour, to be honest," the woman admitted, sighing.

"Why didn't you ask him yesterday?" her son asked, curiously.

The woman sighed again before she started to explain. "It might scare him away if a stranger confronted him with this topic. You see, Sho," she turned towards her son. "Parents are people who children are supposed to trust the most, right? And no matter how they treat each other, in the end, there will always be some kind of connection between them, some kind of thread and when there is danger from outside, people will try to protect this thread with all their might, no matter how damaged or thin it might be." When Sho frowned, she continued. "He didn't want to tell you at first, right?"

"True...," Sho nodded. To be honest, he had wondered why. For him, things were clear. Nino's mother was a danger for the boy and he wasn't able to understand why Nino still wanted to protect her. Yes, they were family but still... that woman was hurting him!

"It's hard to admit that things are going wrong in a family," the boy's mother continued. "In most cases, children don't even know that the way their parents treat them is wrong. They don't know that they are victims of domestic violence, at least not for a long time, until they grow up and learn from somewhere else how things should really be. They think they deserve what they get. They think that they are in the wrong, even if it's mostly not the case. It was the same with Nino, right?"

Sho nodded. "He said it's not her fault..."

"In those cases, it's hard to find out and it's even harder to make them admit that their parents are doing bad things and that they need help," the woman concluded and her son had to agree. "Sho, I'm really proud of you," she then said, causing him to look at her, questioning. "You didn't look away when you saw your friend having a problem and you confronted him with it, because you want the best for him, even if it isn't easy, right? You're a very good friend to that boy and thanks to the trust between you two, we are now able to help him." She smiled.

"Will they separate him from his mother?" Sho then asked another question that was burning his mind.

"They will surely want to keep him away from that woman until things are examined properly," his mother started. "Not that I think Nino is lying, gosh, no, but... bureaucracy, you know? Anyway, in the end, it might be better for mother and child to be separated. His mother seems to have an alcohol problem and she probably is even mentally ill. She might be in need of professional help."

Sho swallowed. "What will happen to Nino then?"

"I think they will suggest for him to go into the care of his nearest relative," the woman replied. "Did he mention anyone to you? Older siblings, an aunt probably?"

Sho shook his head. "No, he didn't. Is it really necessary? I mean...," his heart was now pounding like crazy. "Can't… can't he stay with us?"

"…Maybe for a while," the woman said with a smile. "If he wants. I'd be happy to give him shelter. But in the end, it's probably the best to be with his family. So let's hope that there is someone who will be willing to take care of him like the family he deserves. Like every child deserves."

She was probably right, Sho thought. He would be more than willing to provide love and safety to his boyfriend, which he needed, but in the end, a child also needed a family. A safe place to grow up. Nino didn't have that for a long time of his life. Hopefully, he would be able to find such a place.

"Mom?" Sho asked once more, after a few minutes of silence.

"Yes?"

"I'm happy and grateful that our relationship is such a good one. Really!" the boy said.

"What are you talking about suddenly?" the woman looked at him surprised. "Of course it is. It's supposed to be, of course. You're a great son and your father and I try the best to be good parents for you and your siblings. Even if you probably think that we're a bit strict sometimes…"

Sho chuckled when he thought that in fact it wasn't that bad. Not when compared to other families. His parents had always been fair. He sighed. Now it was his turn to be fair.

"Is something troubling you?" his mother asked, getting an idea that there might be something else brewing in his mind.

"I think I should be more honest with you," Sho then said, determined. "I don't want to jeopardise this good relationship between us just because of a misunderstanding or something..."

His mother arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You see...," Sho took a deep breath to collect his courage. "There are two things I need to tell you and maybe, you won't like them."

"OK," the woman replied, still a bit surprised. "Tell me. I'm ready for everything you have to say."

Sho took another deep breath, the nervousness was overwhelming him. It's now or never, he thought, clearing his throat.

"First thing... Nino isn't just a friend. He's… my boyfriend. And I hope you and Dad won't have a problem with that because I don't plan to change that," Sho said, biting his lower lip. He felt his cheeks blushing and his heart beating in his throat, but he meant what he said. He was deadly serious.

Surprisingly, instead of being shocked, Sho's mother chuckled, causing her son to give her a puzzled look. "You know, I also had that suspicion the moment I saw you two holding hands. And I don't have a problem with it. My son is free to love who he wants. And I may say, you have a pretty cute boyfriend," she winked at her son. "I'm happy for you two."

"Thank you!" Sho smiled, embarrassed, but honestly relieved.

"And what is number two?" the woman asked, tilting her head curiously.

The boy swallowed, the lump in his throat was growing again from the nervousness. But he could tell her, he knew now. He could tell her everything and she would accept it. So he took a deep breath before he finally spat it out. "I don't want to become a doctor. I want to become a teacher!"

Sho was holding his breath, nervously, while he was watching his mother's reaction. The woman first widened her eyes in surprise and for maybe about three seconds, she didn't say anything. Then, her expression softened again and she offered him one of her typical warm smiles.

"I see, that's great," was everything she said.

"Is... is that OK with you?!" Sho asked, confused.

The woman simply nodded. "Sure, why not? Teacher is an honourable job, isn't it? I'm not too surprised that you might want to choose that path."

Still, her son gave her a perplex look. "But... you and Dad, sister, brother... Don't you expect me to become a doctor too?" he wanted to confirm.

"Sho," the woman said, softly. "I would be lying if I said that your father and I didn't wish for you to become a doctor like us, that's true. You're smart, you're kind-hearted, you would be an awesome doctor, I'm convinced. But if you want to take a different option, it's completely fine and we will support you. It's up to you. It's your future after all and I'm sure, you will be an even more awesome teacher," she concluded with a wide smile.

"So you're not disappointed?" Sho asked, still not believing what was going on. Where was the drama, where was the scolding he expected once he came out with the truth?

"Sho, I would never be disappointed in you. You are my beloved son. I'll support you, no matter what."

There was no drama and no scolding, there was not even a hint of disappointment in his mother's voice, Sho couldn't believe his luck. He realized that all the pressure he had put onto his shoulder, about having grades good enough for medical studies, about having to follow his parents' path, was only self-imposed. He remembered that his parents had been talking about how nice it would be to see him taking over the family hospital together with his brother, but browsing his memory, Sho did not find a single clue that hinted on them prohibiting him from choosing another job, if he liked.

Sho's heart felt like a ton lighter after having spilled out everything that was weighting on it. Things with Nino, things with his plans for the future. Nino had been right. His parents - because the boy was sure his father would agree with his mother and if not, she would convince him for sure - would accept his choice. Sho's heart was full of gratefulness.

When Nino's interview with the youth officer was finally finished, and Sho and his mother were asked to come back inside, Nino's eyes were red-shot. Sho immediately ran towards his boyfriend, and after receiving permission to leave with him, he brought him up to his room to take proper care of him. He immediately pulled him into a tight hug, not knowing what else he could do for the boy. Even if he knew that his chances were bad, Sho tried his best to cheer Nino up on that day. In the end, Nino didn't talk much, but when the two boys were cuddling under a blanket on top of Sho's bed, watching a movie on the student's TV screen, Nino leaned his head onto his boyfriend's shoulder and Sho knew that things would become better.

"It would be really nice to stay with you," Nino whispered when he pressed Sho's hand which was linked with his underneath the blanket. "Just like this, forever…"

+ + +

After the authorities checked the case of Nino and his mother properly, they found the still drunken woman at the Ninomiya's apartment. She was furious about the sudden disappearance of her son the day before, calling him names that no child should ever hear from their parents. The woman was admitted to a mental doctor, to check her mental health and for the time being, it was decided, that she and Nino should be separated, to guarantee the boy's safety.

Sho and his mother explained everything to Sho's father once he returned from work after an awfully long shift, and in the end, the man gave his permission for Nino to stay with the Sakurai's for the time being, making Sho beam and Nino bow in gratitude.

This would only be a temporary solution though, since the authorities had found out that there was an uncle of Nino, who would be willing to take over custody for the boy until he reached legal age and could be responsible for himself. Since his uncle was living in Tokyo, which was a couple of hours away from their town, staying with him would mean moving. Hence for now - to be exact until the end of the current school year to finish it properly - the Sakurai's home would also be Nino's.

To the boys' pleasant surprise, not only Sho's mother but also his father seemed to accept their relationship without problem. The man seemed a bit more disappointed than his wife about Sho's choice to become a teacher rather than a doctor though, but after receiving a strict look from the woman, Sho's father tried his best not to show it too obviously and in the end even admitted that teaching might probably be a job that fits Sho very well.

While the boy was studying hard for the next few months in order to be able to take the entrance exam to his university of choice, with his goal clearly in front of him, Nino had a bit more trouble figuring out what he wanted to do with his life. At least, he slowly but surely came to the conclusion that going to university probably wasn't such a bad idea. However, some of his grades would need a huge improvement if he really wanted to aim for a scholarship. Nino didn't plan to rely on his uncle too much financially, so studying properly was the only option. It was lucky that he had his smart boyfriend around, who offered his help as much as he could. Soon, Sho's friends even lovingly called the two of them simply the "nerd couple", giggling whenever they saw them studying together at school.

Nino's story became public, or at least it didn't stay a secret since with time, things spread naturally in the neighbourhood. Now, people weren't staring at him any longer because he was supposed to be a misfit and troublemaker at school, but because they pitied him. Nino hated it but Sho told him to just try and ignore it. After all, he didn't pay attention to what people were talking about him before, so why start now? Nino had to admit that his boyfriend was right.

The relationship between the two boys was promising, their love for each other growing every day. They were enjoying the opportunity to live together for a couple of months and were slowly but surely exploring their relationship, without rush but with excitement. It stayed a secret though, thankfully, at least it wasn't known outside of Sho's family or their circle of close friends that the two boys had become a couple during the summer camp.

Jun, after having no other choice but to accept that Sho's feelings for him would never surpass the friendship status, learnt to live with it. Instead of holding onto his unrequited crush, Jun soon seemed to start developing a deeper interest in Aiba, who was apparently a bit overwhelmed by the situation. However, he was too nice to say anything, so he would just have to get used to the idea of having a male admirer soon and who knew what the future would bring.

Of course, since he was an open-minded guy, and after the initial surprise, Aiba - who was by the way very happy to see Nino joining their basketball team's audience during practice more often - was also rooting for the couple, giving them a thumbs up whenever they crossed ways. It made Nino laugh, which caused Sho to smile happily.

Ohno seemed a bit troubled about the situation with Nino - not the fact that he and Sho were a couple, he was completely supportive regarding this, but he seemed to blame himself a little for not realizing the pain Nino went through the past years. Nino had waved Ohno's sorrows off, saying that it was natural that Ohno didn't suspect anything, since it was Nino who had distanced himself from his old school friend when things became hard to bear. Good thing though, since Nino was now part of Sho's circle of friends, he and Ohno were renewing their friendship too.

Time passed by faster than people wanted, exams were written and the school year was over in the blink of an eye. Sho got accepted to his university of choice, Nino's grades had improved remarkably, almost surpassing Jun who had turned his initial antipathy against Nino into a healthier rivalry now, and even Ohno had managed to get accepted into a college, without having Sho or anyone else to help him cheat in the entrance exam.

Sho and Ohno graduated smoothly and as tradition, they didn't only receive their graduation certificate on a wonderfully warm day in March the following year, but also gave away some of their uniform's buttons to their crushes. While in Ohno's case the boy got rid of all his buttons to spread them among his favourite girls, Sho stuck to giving away only the second of his buttons, which was the closest to his heart, - and of course, he gave it to Nino, who blushed and promised to keep it safe forever.

Soon after, all of them were confronted with taking the next step towards their future. As planned, Nino moved in with his uncle in Tokyo soon to attend the third year of high school there. He was already moaning the fact that he would have to leave not only Sho, but also the rest of the Sakurai's family behind, which had almost become like a real family to him, especially Sho's mother. He promised that he would never forget what they did for him and that he would be grateful until the end of his life.

While Nino - upon the recommendation of Sho's parents - had started visiting a psychological consultant every few weeks to work on his past, Nino's mother was admitted into therapy, treating her alcohol addiction as well as mental problem. For the time being, she wasn't allowed to see her son. She didn't seem to be too sad about it, which allowed Nino to slowly but surely stop feeling sad about it too. It wasn't known, if he and his mother would ever come together again, but for now, things were better the way they were.

Of course, the university of Sho's choice was located in Tokyo too, and like it was a great coincidence (or did he plan it?) the campus wasn't that far from Nino's new school. As planned, Nino would move to Tokyo first, about a week before the new school year would start, so that he and his uncle, who didn't have much contact with the boy in the past, would have the chance to get used to living with each other. Sho would follow a few days later, directly moving into his campus' dormitory.

However, it was a weird situation when Nino and Sho, who had shared a room in the Sakurai's house for more than half a year, started packing their stuff into packing cases, getting ready for moving. Things of course were particularly strange on the day of Nino's departure. Change was in the air and rather than exciting, for the time being it was scary for both of them.

After packing the last of his few items - not that Nino possessed that much stuff anyway - the boy had gone outside onto the balcony of Sho's room, leaning against the banister and looking down into the beautiful garden, which had started blooming only recently. He seemed to be enjoying the view but was pulled out of his thoughts once Sho joined him a few minutes later.

"About a year ago, who would have thought we would end up here together?" Sho asked as he leaned onto the balcony's banister right next to his boyfriend. He bedded his chin on top of his crossed arms and then turned his head to face Nino, smiling. "Do you remember the first time we met?"

"You scolded me for smoking, you were such a jerk, how could I forget that?" Nino chuckled and Sho joined his laughter before he nudged his boyfriend's side, enjoying the slight wittiness that was coming back slowly. Even if it had been part of Nino's mask initially, somehow it was a part of him afterwards and maybe, Sho even missed it a little.

"Hey, it's thanks to my jerkiness that you quit smoking and your lungs are safe now," Sho said, pursing his lips.

"Indeed, what would I do without you, Mr. Health Police," Nino replied, and if he intended to sound ironic, it didn't fully work. He looked at the taller boy who had already stepped closer, and in his eyes, Sho could see a mixture of sadness and love, and honesty. "I'll miss you," Nino whispered, almost inaudible as the wind threatened to carry away his words.

"I'll miss you too, Kazu," Sho said. "Even if we'll see each other again in less than a week... I'll miss sharing my room with you. I can't wait until you graduate from high school and follow me to university."

"What makes you think I'll choose the same university as you?" Nino smirked and arched an eyebrow at his boyfriend who then sneaked his arms around the younger boy's waist to pull him into an embrace.

"Because then, we'll have the opportunity to share rooms again," Sho replied, smirking too, and threw a wink at his boyfriend, causing him to burst into laughter again.

He then leant forward, to capture Nino's lips with his and they lost themselves in a wonderful, sensational kiss that both wished would never end.

"I'm glad we met, Sho-chan, I really am," Nino whispered when they broke their kiss and slightly pressed their foreheads together.

"Me too," Sho replied in a whisper, feeling his heart overflowing with love for the boy he was holding in his arms.

A lot of things had happened between them and Sho was still amazed how much had changed not only Nino but also his feelings for him since their first meeting. Back then, he was convinced that Nino was an unpleasant fellow, smoking at the young age of 16, not caring about ruining his lungs, cheeky and sharp-tongued. He had thought that Nino was up for no good when he kissed Sho just to irritate him during Ohno's party - even if Nino admitted afterwards that he had probably had a crush on Sho back then already. He had decided to give Nino a chance, despite the fact that they didn't seem to get on well in the beginning. Since then, he couldn't believe that he was that much of a misfit as others wanted to portray him. In the end, the simple wish of becoming friends with Nino developed into more when Sho had fallen for him helplessly. And since then, he was in love with that boy, every day, with every cell of his body and mind.

"Kazunari! Your uncle is here to pick you up!" the boys suddenly heard the voice of Sho's mother from downstairs.

They startled, none of them having heard any car approaching or even the doorbell ringing. Apparently, they had been so occupied with kissing each other, that they hadn't noticed anything around them.

"Alright, thank you!" Nino yelled back.

"Do you need help to carry down your stuff?" the woman asked.

"I'll help him, Mom, don't worry," Sho replied instead of the boy.

After taking a deep breath, Nino said in a low voice, "That's it for now, I suppose..."

"Seems so...," Sho added but still, he didn't let go of his boyfriend.

"We'll see each other in Tokyo next week," the younger then said. Happy anticipation was painted in his eyes already. "Don't miss me too much in the meantime." He smiled.

"Same to you." Sho mirrored the smile before he leant forward again to peck Nino's lips once more.

"I can't wait to see you again."

THE END