Bits and Pieces prologue
Title: Bits and Pieces
Pairing: Aimiya bff, Matsumiya, Sakuraiba, Ohmiya, OhnoxOFC
Summary: Beginnings, endings, attachments and separations. Throughout everything Aiba and Nino remain the constant in each other's life.
[A/N]
A/N: Another one from a ton of unfinished Arashi fics on my harddrive and another attempt to dump it onto lj to force myself to finally complete this. I'll try to update as much as I can. Minor details of the story subject to edits and change.
Prologue
01.
In the beginning, they were young and honest. They were schoolmates and took the same route from home to school and back home, but they were not friends. Not yet because even though Aiba gave away many smiles and a few easy tears he was indefinitely shy while Nino remained aloof.
Changes set in motion when during recreational activities Aiba noticed that Nino sat alone in the shade while most of the boys in his class played without him. The girls too ignored him. Nino sat alone, ate alone, and played with no one. He did not speak, not even to his teachers unless asked a question. Young Aiba was curious and wondered. When he asked his own friends why, they laughed at his naivety and Aiba did not understand their laughter. He was still shy, but when he walked home with Nino he tried to walk closer to the younger boy so that Nino wouldn't look so alone.
Since then Aiba's same friends alienated him. He wanted to sit, eat and play with them, but they denied him. The girls and boys in his class turned their eyes away and his isolation went unhindered. He spoke less and his smiles became uneasy. His tears fell much more often until they stopped altogether and his eyes became dry. When Aiba walked home, he stopped walking close to Nino because he feared Nino did not want to walk with him too. He was dirty, ugly and no one wanted to be seen with him; the monstrous words had been written on his notebook in big, hateful letters. He'd thrown it away, hurt by the malice propagated by his old friends and classmates.
Then Nino caught up to him and gave Aiba the very same notebook Aiba had thrown away. Someone, Nino, had tediously scribbled at the nasty words until they were almost indecipherable. Aiba took the notebook and he cried. It had been so long since he shed tears, so long since someone approached him with kindness first, that he couldn't contain the outburst. He heard sniffling and he saw that Nino, quiet and unexpressive Nino, cried too.
"It's so mean," Nino whimpered in between heartfelt sobs.
He grabbed Aiba's sleeve near the wrist and tugged on it as if to say it didn't matter what they thought, he still wanted Aiba near. Nino tightened his hold on Aiba's sleeve and together they walked home.
02.
Sakurai Sho became a staple in their lives. He was Nino's tutor and upperclassman at his university. Naturally, Nino introduced him to his best friend when they happened to meet outside his apartment on a late evening. Aiba had not dated seriously before and he'd left a trail of half-broken hearts behind him, but when Nino saw the way Aiba and Sakurai smiled at each other he knew this meeting would begin a path that was different.
What started was an exchange of deep affection, never-ending longing and complete contentment; of endearing moments filled with sweet shyness and precious touches and whispers.
"I'm scared," Aiba confessed to Sakurai one night when they slept tangled together under the bed sheets. He was afraid that his feelings would drown him and drive him crazy.
Sho had planted a soft kiss on Aiba's forehead. "Me, too."
Even so, Sakurai soon understood that Aiba was not entirely his. He only had a piece of Aiba; a part of Aiba belonged to Nino, a bit he could never touch, and although it initially hurt him he eventually realized it had nothing to do with him and everything to do with what Aiba and Nino had. He learned to accept that the person he cared for was cared for as much by another person.
03.
When Nino met Ohno at a night club, for the first time in a long time his wicked smiles turned bashful. For the first time instead of willfully springing forward he could only throw shy looks at the other admired person. Thereafter, for consecutive weeks he dragged Aiba with him to the night club to spy on the target of his infatuation. A disapproving Sakurai accompanied them after a month of little progress. Unaccustomed with Nino's hesitation, Sakurai urged him into action.
"You should just seduce him. It's no work for you," he said while impatiently sipping his third drink of the night.
Nino threw wistful glances at Ohno sitting with his friends at a table and wilted. "I can't. He's most likely ninety-nine-point-nine percent straight." He slumped against the bar counter nursing his own drink and hid himself in his arms.
Aiba looked around Sakurai and over Nino's bowed head. He caught Ohno's eyes across the distance. Ohno gave him a soft smile and his eyes briefly loitered on the unhappy Nino, then his gaze wavered and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat before he turned his eyes elsewhere. Aiba's instincts kicked in. He reached around Sho and tugged on the edge of Nino's sleeve.
"If you're not going to talk to him, I will," he said.
Nino sat upright instantly and hissed at his best friend. "No! I will."
Reluctantly, Nino slid off his stool. Across the room Ohno did the same. They met in the middle of the room as if an agreement had been settled beforehand. Nino met Ohno's eyes and sucked in a breath. He felt winded, but when Ohno bashfully smiled he found his courage and returned the smile.
"May I kiss you?" Nino asked.
Surprised, Ohno faltered. He looked at his feet. "I've never done this before. Not with someone like you."
Nino had known it would be this way, after all he always had the misfortune of choosing the doubtful, but he decided to throw all caution into the wind and closed the gap between them. He pressed his lips to Ohno's. Startled, Ohno's eyes wandered up to his face when they parted. Nino tried not to let his anxiety show.
"May I kiss you again?" Nino asked.
Finally, Ohno indulged him with another smile. They kissed again and a single high-pitched loud cheer rang above the clatter of voices and music.
04.
When after many more hesitations and unsettled fears Ohno committed himself to Nino fully at last and they loved as deeply as they were able, when all were able to laugh comfortably together hand in hand with Aiba and Nino connected at the center, it was almost as if their unit was complete. Almost.
Words had been spoken honestly and feelings shared, but a beginning had a middle and an uncertain thereafter.
As much as Sakurai loved Aiba and understood that a large part of his own life belonged to his partner, like the bits and pieces of Aiba another part of himself belonged to his dreams. And Aiba knew as much as well, understood as much as Sakurai understood him. To Sakurai, Aiba smiled and told Sakurai to never give up his dreams. To Nino he nestled into the warmth of the smaller man and cried. The ring on his finger, the promise from Sakurai, and his yearning for the other man became their sacred link when Sakurai left to travel the world.
"I'll come back to you," Sakurai had promised. One day.
"When I miss him too much when he's gone and I think I can't go on anymore," Aiba whispered against Nino's neck, "will you remind me about how much he loves me?"
At night, in the apartment they had moved into together a year earlier, Nino had too nestled into Ohno's side and pressed his cheek against Ohno's shoulder. He wasn't Aiba, he did not have Aiba's strength, and so he asked for Ohno's promise, a different one. He pleaded, "Don't leave me."
That night, Ohno did not answer him. He'd already fallen asleep. Many years later, that plea remained unanswered.
ONE
Pairing: Aimiya bff, Matsumiya, Sakuraiba, Ohmiya, OhnoxOFC
Summary: Beginnings, endings, attachments and separations. Throughout everything Aiba and Nino remain the constant in each other's life.
[A/N]
A/N: Another one from a ton of unfinished Arashi fics on my harddrive and another attempt to dump it onto lj to force myself to finally complete this. I'll try to update as much as I can. Minor details of the story subject to edits and change.
Prologue
01.
In the beginning, they were young and honest. They were schoolmates and took the same route from home to school and back home, but they were not friends. Not yet because even though Aiba gave away many smiles and a few easy tears he was indefinitely shy while Nino remained aloof.
Changes set in motion when during recreational activities Aiba noticed that Nino sat alone in the shade while most of the boys in his class played without him. The girls too ignored him. Nino sat alone, ate alone, and played with no one. He did not speak, not even to his teachers unless asked a question. Young Aiba was curious and wondered. When he asked his own friends why, they laughed at his naivety and Aiba did not understand their laughter. He was still shy, but when he walked home with Nino he tried to walk closer to the younger boy so that Nino wouldn't look so alone.
Since then Aiba's same friends alienated him. He wanted to sit, eat and play with them, but they denied him. The girls and boys in his class turned their eyes away and his isolation went unhindered. He spoke less and his smiles became uneasy. His tears fell much more often until they stopped altogether and his eyes became dry. When Aiba walked home, he stopped walking close to Nino because he feared Nino did not want to walk with him too. He was dirty, ugly and no one wanted to be seen with him; the monstrous words had been written on his notebook in big, hateful letters. He'd thrown it away, hurt by the malice propagated by his old friends and classmates.
Then Nino caught up to him and gave Aiba the very same notebook Aiba had thrown away. Someone, Nino, had tediously scribbled at the nasty words until they were almost indecipherable. Aiba took the notebook and he cried. It had been so long since he shed tears, so long since someone approached him with kindness first, that he couldn't contain the outburst. He heard sniffling and he saw that Nino, quiet and unexpressive Nino, cried too.
"It's so mean," Nino whimpered in between heartfelt sobs.
He grabbed Aiba's sleeve near the wrist and tugged on it as if to say it didn't matter what they thought, he still wanted Aiba near. Nino tightened his hold on Aiba's sleeve and together they walked home.
02.
Sakurai Sho became a staple in their lives. He was Nino's tutor and upperclassman at his university. Naturally, Nino introduced him to his best friend when they happened to meet outside his apartment on a late evening. Aiba had not dated seriously before and he'd left a trail of half-broken hearts behind him, but when Nino saw the way Aiba and Sakurai smiled at each other he knew this meeting would begin a path that was different.
What started was an exchange of deep affection, never-ending longing and complete contentment; of endearing moments filled with sweet shyness and precious touches and whispers.
"I'm scared," Aiba confessed to Sakurai one night when they slept tangled together under the bed sheets. He was afraid that his feelings would drown him and drive him crazy.
Sho had planted a soft kiss on Aiba's forehead. "Me, too."
Even so, Sakurai soon understood that Aiba was not entirely his. He only had a piece of Aiba; a part of Aiba belonged to Nino, a bit he could never touch, and although it initially hurt him he eventually realized it had nothing to do with him and everything to do with what Aiba and Nino had. He learned to accept that the person he cared for was cared for as much by another person.
03.
When Nino met Ohno at a night club, for the first time in a long time his wicked smiles turned bashful. For the first time instead of willfully springing forward he could only throw shy looks at the other admired person. Thereafter, for consecutive weeks he dragged Aiba with him to the night club to spy on the target of his infatuation. A disapproving Sakurai accompanied them after a month of little progress. Unaccustomed with Nino's hesitation, Sakurai urged him into action.
"You should just seduce him. It's no work for you," he said while impatiently sipping his third drink of the night.
Nino threw wistful glances at Ohno sitting with his friends at a table and wilted. "I can't. He's most likely ninety-nine-point-nine percent straight." He slumped against the bar counter nursing his own drink and hid himself in his arms.
Aiba looked around Sakurai and over Nino's bowed head. He caught Ohno's eyes across the distance. Ohno gave him a soft smile and his eyes briefly loitered on the unhappy Nino, then his gaze wavered and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat before he turned his eyes elsewhere. Aiba's instincts kicked in. He reached around Sho and tugged on the edge of Nino's sleeve.
"If you're not going to talk to him, I will," he said.
Nino sat upright instantly and hissed at his best friend. "No! I will."
Reluctantly, Nino slid off his stool. Across the room Ohno did the same. They met in the middle of the room as if an agreement had been settled beforehand. Nino met Ohno's eyes and sucked in a breath. He felt winded, but when Ohno bashfully smiled he found his courage and returned the smile.
"May I kiss you?" Nino asked.
Surprised, Ohno faltered. He looked at his feet. "I've never done this before. Not with someone like you."
Nino had known it would be this way, after all he always had the misfortune of choosing the doubtful, but he decided to throw all caution into the wind and closed the gap between them. He pressed his lips to Ohno's. Startled, Ohno's eyes wandered up to his face when they parted. Nino tried not to let his anxiety show.
"May I kiss you again?" Nino asked.
Finally, Ohno indulged him with another smile. They kissed again and a single high-pitched loud cheer rang above the clatter of voices and music.
04.
When after many more hesitations and unsettled fears Ohno committed himself to Nino fully at last and they loved as deeply as they were able, when all were able to laugh comfortably together hand in hand with Aiba and Nino connected at the center, it was almost as if their unit was complete. Almost.
Words had been spoken honestly and feelings shared, but a beginning had a middle and an uncertain thereafter.
As much as Sakurai loved Aiba and understood that a large part of his own life belonged to his partner, like the bits and pieces of Aiba another part of himself belonged to his dreams. And Aiba knew as much as well, understood as much as Sakurai understood him. To Sakurai, Aiba smiled and told Sakurai to never give up his dreams. To Nino he nestled into the warmth of the smaller man and cried. The ring on his finger, the promise from Sakurai, and his yearning for the other man became their sacred link when Sakurai left to travel the world.
"I'll come back to you," Sakurai had promised. One day.
"When I miss him too much when he's gone and I think I can't go on anymore," Aiba whispered against Nino's neck, "will you remind me about how much he loves me?"
At night, in the apartment they had moved into together a year earlier, Nino had too nestled into Ohno's side and pressed his cheek against Ohno's shoulder. He wasn't Aiba, he did not have Aiba's strength, and so he asked for Ohno's promise, a different one. He pleaded, "Don't leave me."
That night, Ohno did not answer him. He'd already fallen asleep. Many years later, that plea remained unanswered.
ONE