[mult chap] Step and Go
Title: Step and Go
Rating: PG13 (some language)
Pairing: Eventually Juntoshi (side pairing! Sakuraiba)
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: I guess Johnny’s technically owns Arashi, huh? Not me.
Chapter: Three of about ten
Summary: Nino convinces Ohno to participate in a “who can seduce Jun first” contest after a particularly troublesome rehearsal. Drama ensues.
Previous: Prologue, One, Two
Chapter 3
Now Ohno knew what Jun felt like. Having someone follow you around for a week, bugging the hell out of you, was really taxing. His patience was wearing thin, and that was saying something considering his usual easy-going attitude.
“Ohno, please? Is it Kobayashi-san, the girl you’re filming Maou with?”
Ohno suppressed his Naruse-like murderous intentions and instead sighed.
“I already told you no. There is no one I like.” He said this in a monotonous voice, since he had lost track of how many times he’d told the same thing to Jun since the night they’d been out drinking.
Jun leaned in a little closer to him. They were alone in the hallway (where they had been heading to the Himitsu no Arashi-chan set) and Ohno was desperately trying to get away from “the person he liked.”
“Leeeeeeader” he said, elongating the first syllable, “I know you like someone, you acted so shy when I asked you. You can’t lie to me. I know.” Ohno was still trying to figure out how Jun was so sure of himself. Yes, Leader had been surprised by the question and probably had not given the most satisfactory reaction, but it was quite nerve-wracking when it was the object of your affection who asked who you liked. It had never happened to him before.
The obvious answer was to confess his affections, but Ohno didn’t think he could do that.
Honestly, he was afraid, like Nino. Not only of Jun rejecting his affections but also of the effect it would have on the band. Besides, what would he say to Kazu if he did that?
But…confessing seemed more and more like the only way to get Jun to leave him alone. He should have been smart and named a famous, ridiculous comedian, but Jun’s sudden question had caught him off guard. And the more times he refused the answer, the more obvious he was. Ohno understood that much, at least. But there was no going back now. No way to change the situation he had created.
As for Jun’s persistence… Ohno thought after the first hundred times he would have stopped.
Jun always did have a Leader complex, though. For as long as he could remember, Jun had insisted on knowing everything about him. If he saw a magazine article in which Ohno said something Jun didn’t know, there would be a confrontation right away.
It usually went like this:
“Why didn’t you tell me that?!”
“You never asked.”
But that was a long time ago. Ohno had thought (hoped, really) that Jun had gotten over that. He had stopped looking like a lost puppy who had found someone to give him affection, now he needed to act like it.
The two of them continued towards the set, Ohno now blatantly refusing to answer Jun’s questions.
“Is it Kimika-san?” He’d already asked that one once, so apparently he was running out of ideas.
Ohno pushed open the studio door calmly, trying not letting his emotions show. Actually, maybe he should start looking a little pissed because Jun might back off.
Surprisingly, there was no Sakuraiba today. That was probably due to the fact that Nino was sitting next to Sho and Aiba on the couch, effectively preventing them from starting anything. They seemed to be chatting about a script, Nino waving his arms around in wide motions. Trying to explain what, Ohno didn’t know, but at least Jun would be leaving him alone now.
He thought Jun would be leaving him alone now.
Instead, when he took his seat next to Kazu, Jun immediately look the seat next to him, despite the rest of the band having to scoot over to accommodate him. Jun had enough decency to look away sheepishly, picking up one of the loose papers on the table and Ohno tried so, so hard not to sigh. If he looked like he was breaking, Jun would probably only try harder.
Nino glanced at Jun and then raised his eyebrow at Ohno. Ever since Jun had started following Leader around Nino had backed off, confused by the change of events. Ohno wasn’t sure whether Kazu really knew the reason behind Jun’s actions; his friend’s eyes only told him it hurt. But Nino had continued to put on his usual acting facade, fooling the rest of the group into thinking the whole thing had simply been a prank that he had grown tired of. That was exactly as he had planned it, right?
Still holding the paper in one hand and looking it over, Jun raised the other one to rest it behind Ohno’s shoulder and on the back of the couch.
At least he had stopped asking about a girlfriend (if only temporarily). Ohno took one second to entertain thoughts of the look Jun would give him when he said “it’s you.”
+ + +
The time had come.
Three more days had passed since Ohno had first really considered telling Jun “the person he liked” was the star himself.
Matsujun had taken extreme measures in order to find out who this secret person was, going so far as to bring up a scandal that had occurred a few years ago. Minami had been in his butai “Tensei Kunpu” and they two had gotten along so well that every other rumor magazine had had an article about them. Of course they had never been “dating” or even had a romantic relationship, but the publicity had been good for the butai, so they were lenient in expelling the rumors.
When Ohno assured Jun that, no, it wasn’t her either, the two of them hadn’t even seen each other in the last year, Jun looked skeptical, but eventually gave up (much to Ohno’s relief). But, after losing another potential candidate, Jun simply began pointing out every woman they passed in the hallway, (a member of the production staff, a star working in another studio, even one girl who just appeared to be lost) and would whisper in his ear “Is it her? How about her?”
Ohno couldn’t take it anymore; not only that Jun was still being extremely annoying, but also the fact that he only pointed out women. Obviously, he was trying to validate his own sexuality through Ohno, since Leader was the only other band mate that hadn’t blatantly been all over another man in the last month. Ironic seeing how Jun hadn’t left him alone for over a week now.
Well, the younger man would understand soon enough. Maybe if he told Jun he was gay, the other star would stop bugging him about the secret he was holding. The fact that the person he liked was a man might be enough to scare him off, but not quite enough to upset the group. Jun would just have to learn to be more understanding. He would probably be fine with it anyway, once his schedule died down and he could relax a little. Hana Yori Dango Final was wrapping up, since the release date was so close, and although Jun still had a little bit of promoting to do, he wouldn’t be expected to show up to things like advertising photo shoots or interview panels.
Ohno hoped everything would go back to normal soon, as Jun’s schedule lessened.
It didn’t seem that way, but he could hope.
After a particularly exhausting meeting outlining their filming and concert schedule for the next month, Ohno finally snapped and dragged Matsujun into an unused recording room. Although Jun had been serious during the meeting, taking care of business and contributing some fantastic ideas, afterwards he went right back to asking Ohno about his love life. Not only was Ohno getting tense from his own schedule picking up, but after beating the topic for so long, Matsujun was now suggesting he had a secret girlfriend whom he only saw when he went Kyoto to visit his friends.
Leader curtly closed the door and (as gently as he could in his state) pushed Jun up against the wall. He stood less than a foot away from his surprised counterpart, resting his right hand against the wall next to Jun’s shoulder. This was probably a ridiculous looking position, taking their height different into account, but Ohno was too determined to get this over with to back off quite yet.
“Okay, I’ll tell you.” Jun’s look of surprise immediately shifted into happiness.
“Really?” He looked like he’d just been given the lead role in the hottest new drama.
Ohno swallowed, unable to think. How was he going to say this? What was a vague yet decisive way to-
“It’s you.”
The words came out before his brain could process the action.
Suddenly the silence of the recording room was suffocating.
Ohno tried not to panic. What had he done?! He hadn’t meant to say that, he was going to say “I’m gay” or something like that, not admit that it was Jun that he wanted.
Oh God, oh God, what was he going to do? How was he going to fix this?
His body, once again, moved without direction from his brain.
Jun looked quite stiff and terrified, now leaning back against the wall for support. So without any resistance, Ohno took two steps back, gave the other star a finalized look, then promptly and coolly walked back to the entrance of the room.
He didn’t give Jun a second glace before pulling the door open and leaving.
At least he’d gotten out of the situation without making a fool of himself, although that would have been nothing compared to what he had just done to himself and Arashi.
+ + +
Needless to say, Jun avoided him quite religiously after that. Although it was a relief for Ohno to be alone again, he couldn’t help but feel both guilty and anxious.
Jun hadn’t said anything to the rest of the band about the confession, and although they had sensed the change (and noted the fact that Jun had stopped following Leader around) no one had brought up the subject.
Ohno was happy that Jun was at least getting along with the rest of the band better now. He had started sitting next to Nino at every turn, probably thinking that he was now the safest member of the band to befriend.
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t jealous of the redirection of Jun’s attention, but it was something Ohno had learned to deal with a long time ago. Besides, he’d just ruined their friendship. Jealousy wasn’t a luxury for him to experience anymore.
“Well, I’m off to Shibuya for another interview,” Jun stood up from the couch they had been occupying, looking everywhere but where Ohno was. The captain wasn’t surprised that Jun’s posture told him how relieved he was to have other work to do outside of Arashi.
Aiba smiled and sent him off with a wave, and the band watched as the idol glided through the door, not bothering to even turn and look back at them.
“He’s still so busy, ne?” Aiba said, oblivious to the tense atmosphere that Sho and Nino had picked up on. Sho’s face slowly relaxed and he gave Aiba an amused look that said “I can’t believe you don’t see what’s going on here.” But, his posture said it was one of the things that Sho liked so much about the animal lover.
Ohno felt a smile comfortably cross his face. He felt a little more at ease now that Jun was gone. Maybe he should use Nino’s excuse and tell them all it was a contest between the two of them. Jun probably wouldn’t believe him, but the star would surely force a laugh and say something like “so it was a prank after all.” With some effort from the two of them, they might be able to piece Arashi back together.
“Neee, Sho-chan.” Aiba was leaning against his boyfriend, their hands linked together. Sho looked down at him, and hummed a questioning response. “Wanna get some kara-age for lunch today?”
“Ah, sure. That sounds good.” He looked quickly over at the comedy duo, but they both smiled and waved their hands, discouraging the newscaster from inviting them along. Nino and Ohno both knew the lovebirds liked their alone time, but that they also felt bad about leaving the other members out.
A few minutes of organizing papers and grabbing bags later, Ohno and Nino were alone.
It look exactly 15 seconds for Nino to bring up the subject Ohno was dreading.
“So, what did you do to him?”
Ohno swallowed. He knew Nino was listening, but he couldn’t stop his body from showing how tense he was.
“N-nothing, really.” He’d only stutter for Nino. If his friend got the truth out of him, about his confession to Jun, he would die. They’d have to have a funeral here on the set.
“Leader,” Nino said in a heavy tone, scooting closer to Ohno on the couch. Ohno continued to look between his hands cradled in his lap and the papers still scattered across the coffee table. “Something happened between you two.” Nino was simply stating the obvious. Ohno was sure everyone else had figured that out, too.
When Leader remained silent, Nino leaned his head back against the couch, looking up at the ceiling. Ohno snuck a glance at him, realizing that Kazu might really be upset, over this or something else. The star was smiling, but it was a bitter smile, the one he usually wore when he had to talk with someone that annoyed him. It was the smile that Ohno didn’t like to see.
“Damn, I thought for sure that you had found some way to win our contest.” Nino raised the hand opposite of Ohno and covered his eyes, sending the captain into a panic again.
That posture told Ohno that Nino was really, really upset.
And he knew the reason.
Ohno had done something to take Jun away from him. Although he’d given him back already, Nino could see the difference in Jun, the confliction that was apparent in his eyes. He could see the pain of having to give up Ohno when Jun had spent so much of his life trying to gain his approval. The look of having lost his best friend.
Even Ohno hadn’t realized how much Jun still admired him until this strange situation had happened.
And that was why Nino was upset. Because of the realization that he could never replace the spot that Jun had made in his heart for Ohno.
“Kazu… It’s not…” Ohno forced himself to talk. He had to say something, anything. He had to say that it wasn’t true, that everything would be okay, that Jun loved Nino, that Ohno hadn’t done something horrific to break up their group. He had to say that everything would go back to the way it was months ago.
Nino’s hand that pressed against his eyes was shaking. Ohno knew that his friend understood the situation quite clearly. Even if Ohno said all those lies, it wouldn’t fix the damage he’d done to their friendship, to the whole group.
Ohno cleared his throat. What could he say? What could he do to make this situation disappear?
“Kazu. It’s nothing like that.” Ohno somehow got the words out. If he didn’t say something, even if it was only half true, his friend would deduce the truth (if he hadn’t already).
He only had to say something to take care of the situation he’d gotten into right now, and then hope the rest would disappear by itself.
“We just had a fight because he’s been following me around.” Nino didn’t reply, so Ohno continued. “I finally got mad and yelled at him a little. I guess he took it too hard.”
Ohno looked away sheepishly when Nino finally removed his hand from his eyes and looked at Leader. They were both silent, Ohno sneaking a glance at Nino from the corner of his eyes and looking away again. He wanted to seem embarrassed so that his friend would drop the subject.
Nino sighed and leaned on Ohno’s shoulder. “So that’s what this drama is all about?” He sounded more relaxed now, but Ohno could easily tell that Nino didn’t believe him. But if he was willing to let the subject drop, so was Ohno.
“It’s just Jun being Jun.”
“I don’t think you’ve ever gotten mad at him before.” Nino’s tone sounded surprised, but it also implied evidence to reveal Ohno’s lie.
But Ohno wasn’t in Johnny’s for his good looks alone. His acting skills were top of the line and usually his band mates couldn’t even tell the difference.
Ohno forced out a laugh that sounded quite genuine. “He was getting really annoying, you know? He followed me home one night to see who my neighbors were.” Of course the band had realized the topic of Jun’s inquiries since he hadn’t been very subtle when asking Ohno his questions, although they weren’t sure how the situation had really come about in the first place. They had all laughed about it for about a day, but Jun’s persistence began wearing on the rest of the band as well.
Nino laughed in return. “Well, he likes you a lot, you know. Since the beginning he’s liked you.” Ohno was picking up on the undertones again. Nino knew what the unsaid topic was, but Leader was going to pretend he didn’t know what was going on. That was a simple and effective way to get out of things he didn’t want to do, and his usual method.
“What do you want to get for lunch?” Ohno smiled at Kazu and leaned forward to stand up. Nino gave Ohno a probing look, but eventually returned the smile, if somewhat half-heartedly, and patted his back.
“Ramen sounds good.”
+ + +
On to chapter four!!
Rating: PG13 (some language)
Pairing: Eventually Juntoshi (side pairing! Sakuraiba)
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: I guess Johnny’s technically owns Arashi, huh? Not me.
Chapter: Three of about ten
Summary: Nino convinces Ohno to participate in a “who can seduce Jun first” contest after a particularly troublesome rehearsal. Drama ensues.
Previous: Prologue, One, Two
Chapter 3
Now Ohno knew what Jun felt like. Having someone follow you around for a week, bugging the hell out of you, was really taxing. His patience was wearing thin, and that was saying something considering his usual easy-going attitude.
“Ohno, please? Is it Kobayashi-san, the girl you’re filming Maou with?”
Ohno suppressed his Naruse-like murderous intentions and instead sighed.
“I already told you no. There is no one I like.” He said this in a monotonous voice, since he had lost track of how many times he’d told the same thing to Jun since the night they’d been out drinking.
Jun leaned in a little closer to him. They were alone in the hallway (where they had been heading to the Himitsu no Arashi-chan set) and Ohno was desperately trying to get away from “the person he liked.”
“Leeeeeeader” he said, elongating the first syllable, “I know you like someone, you acted so shy when I asked you. You can’t lie to me. I know.” Ohno was still trying to figure out how Jun was so sure of himself. Yes, Leader had been surprised by the question and probably had not given the most satisfactory reaction, but it was quite nerve-wracking when it was the object of your affection who asked who you liked. It had never happened to him before.
The obvious answer was to confess his affections, but Ohno didn’t think he could do that.
Honestly, he was afraid, like Nino. Not only of Jun rejecting his affections but also of the effect it would have on the band. Besides, what would he say to Kazu if he did that?
But…confessing seemed more and more like the only way to get Jun to leave him alone. He should have been smart and named a famous, ridiculous comedian, but Jun’s sudden question had caught him off guard. And the more times he refused the answer, the more obvious he was. Ohno understood that much, at least. But there was no going back now. No way to change the situation he had created.
As for Jun’s persistence… Ohno thought after the first hundred times he would have stopped.
Jun always did have a Leader complex, though. For as long as he could remember, Jun had insisted on knowing everything about him. If he saw a magazine article in which Ohno said something Jun didn’t know, there would be a confrontation right away.
It usually went like this:
“Why didn’t you tell me that?!”
“You never asked.”
But that was a long time ago. Ohno had thought (hoped, really) that Jun had gotten over that. He had stopped looking like a lost puppy who had found someone to give him affection, now he needed to act like it.
The two of them continued towards the set, Ohno now blatantly refusing to answer Jun’s questions.
“Is it Kimika-san?” He’d already asked that one once, so apparently he was running out of ideas.
Ohno pushed open the studio door calmly, trying not letting his emotions show. Actually, maybe he should start looking a little pissed because Jun might back off.
Surprisingly, there was no Sakuraiba today. That was probably due to the fact that Nino was sitting next to Sho and Aiba on the couch, effectively preventing them from starting anything. They seemed to be chatting about a script, Nino waving his arms around in wide motions. Trying to explain what, Ohno didn’t know, but at least Jun would be leaving him alone now.
He thought Jun would be leaving him alone now.
Instead, when he took his seat next to Kazu, Jun immediately look the seat next to him, despite the rest of the band having to scoot over to accommodate him. Jun had enough decency to look away sheepishly, picking up one of the loose papers on the table and Ohno tried so, so hard not to sigh. If he looked like he was breaking, Jun would probably only try harder.
Nino glanced at Jun and then raised his eyebrow at Ohno. Ever since Jun had started following Leader around Nino had backed off, confused by the change of events. Ohno wasn’t sure whether Kazu really knew the reason behind Jun’s actions; his friend’s eyes only told him it hurt. But Nino had continued to put on his usual acting facade, fooling the rest of the group into thinking the whole thing had simply been a prank that he had grown tired of. That was exactly as he had planned it, right?
Still holding the paper in one hand and looking it over, Jun raised the other one to rest it behind Ohno’s shoulder and on the back of the couch.
At least he had stopped asking about a girlfriend (if only temporarily). Ohno took one second to entertain thoughts of the look Jun would give him when he said “it’s you.”
+ + +
The time had come.
Three more days had passed since Ohno had first really considered telling Jun “the person he liked” was the star himself.
Matsujun had taken extreme measures in order to find out who this secret person was, going so far as to bring up a scandal that had occurred a few years ago. Minami had been in his butai “Tensei Kunpu” and they two had gotten along so well that every other rumor magazine had had an article about them. Of course they had never been “dating” or even had a romantic relationship, but the publicity had been good for the butai, so they were lenient in expelling the rumors.
When Ohno assured Jun that, no, it wasn’t her either, the two of them hadn’t even seen each other in the last year, Jun looked skeptical, but eventually gave up (much to Ohno’s relief). But, after losing another potential candidate, Jun simply began pointing out every woman they passed in the hallway, (a member of the production staff, a star working in another studio, even one girl who just appeared to be lost) and would whisper in his ear “Is it her? How about her?”
Ohno couldn’t take it anymore; not only that Jun was still being extremely annoying, but also the fact that he only pointed out women. Obviously, he was trying to validate his own sexuality through Ohno, since Leader was the only other band mate that hadn’t blatantly been all over another man in the last month. Ironic seeing how Jun hadn’t left him alone for over a week now.
Well, the younger man would understand soon enough. Maybe if he told Jun he was gay, the other star would stop bugging him about the secret he was holding. The fact that the person he liked was a man might be enough to scare him off, but not quite enough to upset the group. Jun would just have to learn to be more understanding. He would probably be fine with it anyway, once his schedule died down and he could relax a little. Hana Yori Dango Final was wrapping up, since the release date was so close, and although Jun still had a little bit of promoting to do, he wouldn’t be expected to show up to things like advertising photo shoots or interview panels.
Ohno hoped everything would go back to normal soon, as Jun’s schedule lessened.
It didn’t seem that way, but he could hope.
After a particularly exhausting meeting outlining their filming and concert schedule for the next month, Ohno finally snapped and dragged Matsujun into an unused recording room. Although Jun had been serious during the meeting, taking care of business and contributing some fantastic ideas, afterwards he went right back to asking Ohno about his love life. Not only was Ohno getting tense from his own schedule picking up, but after beating the topic for so long, Matsujun was now suggesting he had a secret girlfriend whom he only saw when he went Kyoto to visit his friends.
Leader curtly closed the door and (as gently as he could in his state) pushed Jun up against the wall. He stood less than a foot away from his surprised counterpart, resting his right hand against the wall next to Jun’s shoulder. This was probably a ridiculous looking position, taking their height different into account, but Ohno was too determined to get this over with to back off quite yet.
“Okay, I’ll tell you.” Jun’s look of surprise immediately shifted into happiness.
“Really?” He looked like he’d just been given the lead role in the hottest new drama.
Ohno swallowed, unable to think. How was he going to say this? What was a vague yet decisive way to-
“It’s you.”
The words came out before his brain could process the action.
Suddenly the silence of the recording room was suffocating.
Ohno tried not to panic. What had he done?! He hadn’t meant to say that, he was going to say “I’m gay” or something like that, not admit that it was Jun that he wanted.
Oh God, oh God, what was he going to do? How was he going to fix this?
His body, once again, moved without direction from his brain.
Jun looked quite stiff and terrified, now leaning back against the wall for support. So without any resistance, Ohno took two steps back, gave the other star a finalized look, then promptly and coolly walked back to the entrance of the room.
He didn’t give Jun a second glace before pulling the door open and leaving.
At least he’d gotten out of the situation without making a fool of himself, although that would have been nothing compared to what he had just done to himself and Arashi.
+ + +
Needless to say, Jun avoided him quite religiously after that. Although it was a relief for Ohno to be alone again, he couldn’t help but feel both guilty and anxious.
Jun hadn’t said anything to the rest of the band about the confession, and although they had sensed the change (and noted the fact that Jun had stopped following Leader around) no one had brought up the subject.
Ohno was happy that Jun was at least getting along with the rest of the band better now. He had started sitting next to Nino at every turn, probably thinking that he was now the safest member of the band to befriend.
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t jealous of the redirection of Jun’s attention, but it was something Ohno had learned to deal with a long time ago. Besides, he’d just ruined their friendship. Jealousy wasn’t a luxury for him to experience anymore.
“Well, I’m off to Shibuya for another interview,” Jun stood up from the couch they had been occupying, looking everywhere but where Ohno was. The captain wasn’t surprised that Jun’s posture told him how relieved he was to have other work to do outside of Arashi.
Aiba smiled and sent him off with a wave, and the band watched as the idol glided through the door, not bothering to even turn and look back at them.
“He’s still so busy, ne?” Aiba said, oblivious to the tense atmosphere that Sho and Nino had picked up on. Sho’s face slowly relaxed and he gave Aiba an amused look that said “I can’t believe you don’t see what’s going on here.” But, his posture said it was one of the things that Sho liked so much about the animal lover.
Ohno felt a smile comfortably cross his face. He felt a little more at ease now that Jun was gone. Maybe he should use Nino’s excuse and tell them all it was a contest between the two of them. Jun probably wouldn’t believe him, but the star would surely force a laugh and say something like “so it was a prank after all.” With some effort from the two of them, they might be able to piece Arashi back together.
“Neee, Sho-chan.” Aiba was leaning against his boyfriend, their hands linked together. Sho looked down at him, and hummed a questioning response. “Wanna get some kara-age for lunch today?”
“Ah, sure. That sounds good.” He looked quickly over at the comedy duo, but they both smiled and waved their hands, discouraging the newscaster from inviting them along. Nino and Ohno both knew the lovebirds liked their alone time, but that they also felt bad about leaving the other members out.
A few minutes of organizing papers and grabbing bags later, Ohno and Nino were alone.
It look exactly 15 seconds for Nino to bring up the subject Ohno was dreading.
“So, what did you do to him?”
Ohno swallowed. He knew Nino was listening, but he couldn’t stop his body from showing how tense he was.
“N-nothing, really.” He’d only stutter for Nino. If his friend got the truth out of him, about his confession to Jun, he would die. They’d have to have a funeral here on the set.
“Leader,” Nino said in a heavy tone, scooting closer to Ohno on the couch. Ohno continued to look between his hands cradled in his lap and the papers still scattered across the coffee table. “Something happened between you two.” Nino was simply stating the obvious. Ohno was sure everyone else had figured that out, too.
When Leader remained silent, Nino leaned his head back against the couch, looking up at the ceiling. Ohno snuck a glance at him, realizing that Kazu might really be upset, over this or something else. The star was smiling, but it was a bitter smile, the one he usually wore when he had to talk with someone that annoyed him. It was the smile that Ohno didn’t like to see.
“Damn, I thought for sure that you had found some way to win our contest.” Nino raised the hand opposite of Ohno and covered his eyes, sending the captain into a panic again.
That posture told Ohno that Nino was really, really upset.
And he knew the reason.
Ohno had done something to take Jun away from him. Although he’d given him back already, Nino could see the difference in Jun, the confliction that was apparent in his eyes. He could see the pain of having to give up Ohno when Jun had spent so much of his life trying to gain his approval. The look of having lost his best friend.
Even Ohno hadn’t realized how much Jun still admired him until this strange situation had happened.
And that was why Nino was upset. Because of the realization that he could never replace the spot that Jun had made in his heart for Ohno.
“Kazu… It’s not…” Ohno forced himself to talk. He had to say something, anything. He had to say that it wasn’t true, that everything would be okay, that Jun loved Nino, that Ohno hadn’t done something horrific to break up their group. He had to say that everything would go back to the way it was months ago.
Nino’s hand that pressed against his eyes was shaking. Ohno knew that his friend understood the situation quite clearly. Even if Ohno said all those lies, it wouldn’t fix the damage he’d done to their friendship, to the whole group.
Ohno cleared his throat. What could he say? What could he do to make this situation disappear?
“Kazu. It’s nothing like that.” Ohno somehow got the words out. If he didn’t say something, even if it was only half true, his friend would deduce the truth (if he hadn’t already).
He only had to say something to take care of the situation he’d gotten into right now, and then hope the rest would disappear by itself.
“We just had a fight because he’s been following me around.” Nino didn’t reply, so Ohno continued. “I finally got mad and yelled at him a little. I guess he took it too hard.”
Ohno looked away sheepishly when Nino finally removed his hand from his eyes and looked at Leader. They were both silent, Ohno sneaking a glance at Nino from the corner of his eyes and looking away again. He wanted to seem embarrassed so that his friend would drop the subject.
Nino sighed and leaned on Ohno’s shoulder. “So that’s what this drama is all about?” He sounded more relaxed now, but Ohno could easily tell that Nino didn’t believe him. But if he was willing to let the subject drop, so was Ohno.
“It’s just Jun being Jun.”
“I don’t think you’ve ever gotten mad at him before.” Nino’s tone sounded surprised, but it also implied evidence to reveal Ohno’s lie.
But Ohno wasn’t in Johnny’s for his good looks alone. His acting skills were top of the line and usually his band mates couldn’t even tell the difference.
Ohno forced out a laugh that sounded quite genuine. “He was getting really annoying, you know? He followed me home one night to see who my neighbors were.” Of course the band had realized the topic of Jun’s inquiries since he hadn’t been very subtle when asking Ohno his questions, although they weren’t sure how the situation had really come about in the first place. They had all laughed about it for about a day, but Jun’s persistence began wearing on the rest of the band as well.
Nino laughed in return. “Well, he likes you a lot, you know. Since the beginning he’s liked you.” Ohno was picking up on the undertones again. Nino knew what the unsaid topic was, but Leader was going to pretend he didn’t know what was going on. That was a simple and effective way to get out of things he didn’t want to do, and his usual method.
“What do you want to get for lunch?” Ohno smiled at Kazu and leaned forward to stand up. Nino gave Ohno a probing look, but eventually returned the smile, if somewhat half-heartedly, and patted his back.
“Ramen sounds good.”
+ + +
On to chapter four!!