Bits and Pieces 02
ONE
Bits and Pieces 02
01.
They were cuddled together in Aiba's bed, their bodies pressed flush against each other and their arms folded. The presence and warmth of the other was familiar and comforting and Nino's tears stopped eventually.
"Sometimes you cry yourself to sleep when you miss Sho-chan," Nino murmured against Aiba's neck, stifling his sniffling to speak. "Does it lessen the pain in the morning?"
"No," Aiba answered.
"But it's still not the same," Nino murmured. "Sho-chan didn't lie to you."
Aiba had nothing to say to that. He had thought better of Ohno. In the past Aiba had felt envious of what Ohno and Nino had. Ohno and Nino loved each other, lived together, and theirs was a relationship of seven years seeing each other almost every day. They were fortunate and Aiba had been happy for them. The conclusion to that belied what had been.
"Maybe it's my fault," Nino broke in, the volume of his voice lessening even further. He couldn't explain, couldn't tell even Aiba that in the very beginning he'd always somehow known that Ohno would escape from him.
He'd always known Ohno was afraid to be what he was, to commit himself to what Nino had willingly accepted. Nino had seen the signs and he was to blame for denying it, believing that he could make Ohno happy. But even then, even if it was his fault, Ohno betrayed him and Nino couldn't forgive him. He buried his face in Aiba's shirt again, muffling his own sobs he couldn't control because even if Ohno betrayed him, for seven years he'd loved Ohno, and as much as he hated Ohno he still loved him ten times more.
"I hope they never find happiness," he sobbed bitterly under his breath.
Aiba wrapped his arms around Nino's thin, trembling shoulders and caressed his damp hair.
02.
With Nino asleep at last, Aiba extricated himself and pulled a blanket over him. He sat on the floor leaning against his bed and pulled a framed picture from the bedside drawer. In the darkness, Aiba gently pressed his fingers against the face starting back at him from the picture. He crouched low over the frame he lovingly held close to his chest.
"Sho-chan," he said in the lowest of whispers to the person in the picture, "Ohno-san hurt Kazu today. I didn't know he was like that." Aiba closed his eyes and pressed the picture against his cheek. His skin touched smooth glass. "Sho-chan, what can I do for Kazu?" he asked.
Silence rang through the room after his question. After a few more seconds, Nino shifted on the bed and a small sob escaped from his throat. Aiba returned the picture to its drawer and climbed back into bed. He pulled Nino to him and with his best friend in his arms, tried to sleep.
03.
Aiba woke in the early afternoon hours later. The sun was at it's peak and sunshine beamed through a gap in his curtain. He sat upright sluggishly and looked around. He wondered why he felt a gaping void in his chest. Then he remembered, as always, that Sakurai wasn't there. Sakurai hadn't been there for years. He took a deep breath to relieve himself of the reminder. He would carry on as usual. He should be used to it by now. But why was there a shape in the pillows next to him? Belatedly, he remembered the events of the night before.
Aiba groaned into his palm and climbed out of bed.
He found Nino settled on his couch in the sitting room, his legs folded underneath him as he watched the television with a blank expression. Aiba knew his friend saw nothing of what happened on the screen. Nino was lost in his thoughts.
"Coffee?" he offered anyway as he went into the kitchen to start the machine.
"I have to go back to the apartment," Nino muttered from his seat, staring listlessly down at the floor in front of him. "What if Ohno-san comes back?"
Aiba couldn't help that his hands began to tremble. The desperation and despair in his friend's voice was so strong, it caused him pain to hear it. He walked over to the couch and crouched down in front of his friend. He gently grasped Nino's face and forced his head down so their eyes met.
"Kazu," he started in a small whisper and tried to smile, "let's go do something today."
"Do you think he's with Mii-chan?" Nino asked, his voice a monotone.
Aiba's smile wavered. He swallowed and continued what he'd been saying, "I'll take off tonight and we can do whatever we want for the rest of the day. Okay?"
"I called Ohno-san as soon as I woke up," Nino went on, ignoring Aiba's request. "He wouldn't pick up. So I called Mii-chan and she did. She cried, you know. Masaki, she cried. As if she wasn't at fault, too. As if I was the one who had hurt her. Ohno-san's going to marry her, you know."
"Kazunari!" Aiba took his shoulders and shook him gently. After last night, he had prayed Nino would have gotten a better hold of himself. He was wrong. It devastated him even more. He was afraid he couldn't do anything for his best friend.
"If I go find Ohno-san and I cried too and begged, do you think he will come back to me?" Nino asked Aiba sincerely.
Aiba hung his head. He had wanted to be the strength for the both of them during Nino's difficult time, but he couldn't. His lips quaked and he wept.
"Why are you crying?" Nino asked and covered his face with his hands, trying to hold back his own tears. "You can't hate him as much as I do."
04.
For the entire day, they sat in front of the television. Aiba understandably allowed Nino his space, but kept his best friend company by silently sitting with him. He shoveled a few forkful of food into Nino when he had to, but did not demand that they do much else.
When night fell, Aiba turned off the television and pulled Nino up to lead him back into the bedroom. Despite their uneventful day, Nino slumped with exhaustion and moved sluggishly.
"I have work tomorrow," Nino reminded himself as he allowed himself to be put into bed. "I need my things. I don't want to go back there."
Aiba understood. He pulled the bed sheets over Nino and said, "Go to sleep. I'll get the things you need from your apartment tonight."
Before Aiba walked away, Nino took his hand and Aiba turned back around to look down into his face. Nino held Aiba's gaze steadily and asked quietly, "Masaki, can I stay here?"
Aiba's fingers curled around Nino's and he tried to smile. "We always wanted to try being roommates, but you moved out on your own before we had the chance. We'll have so much fun living together."
Reassured, Nino closed his eyes to rest and Aiba felt his gratitude without his having to say it. Aiba eased apart their clasped hands and softly bid his best friend a goodnight before walking out.
THREE
Bits and Pieces 02
01.
They were cuddled together in Aiba's bed, their bodies pressed flush against each other and their arms folded. The presence and warmth of the other was familiar and comforting and Nino's tears stopped eventually.
"Sometimes you cry yourself to sleep when you miss Sho-chan," Nino murmured against Aiba's neck, stifling his sniffling to speak. "Does it lessen the pain in the morning?"
"No," Aiba answered.
"But it's still not the same," Nino murmured. "Sho-chan didn't lie to you."
Aiba had nothing to say to that. He had thought better of Ohno. In the past Aiba had felt envious of what Ohno and Nino had. Ohno and Nino loved each other, lived together, and theirs was a relationship of seven years seeing each other almost every day. They were fortunate and Aiba had been happy for them. The conclusion to that belied what had been.
"Maybe it's my fault," Nino broke in, the volume of his voice lessening even further. He couldn't explain, couldn't tell even Aiba that in the very beginning he'd always somehow known that Ohno would escape from him.
He'd always known Ohno was afraid to be what he was, to commit himself to what Nino had willingly accepted. Nino had seen the signs and he was to blame for denying it, believing that he could make Ohno happy. But even then, even if it was his fault, Ohno betrayed him and Nino couldn't forgive him. He buried his face in Aiba's shirt again, muffling his own sobs he couldn't control because even if Ohno betrayed him, for seven years he'd loved Ohno, and as much as he hated Ohno he still loved him ten times more.
"I hope they never find happiness," he sobbed bitterly under his breath.
Aiba wrapped his arms around Nino's thin, trembling shoulders and caressed his damp hair.
02.
With Nino asleep at last, Aiba extricated himself and pulled a blanket over him. He sat on the floor leaning against his bed and pulled a framed picture from the bedside drawer. In the darkness, Aiba gently pressed his fingers against the face starting back at him from the picture. He crouched low over the frame he lovingly held close to his chest.
"Sho-chan," he said in the lowest of whispers to the person in the picture, "Ohno-san hurt Kazu today. I didn't know he was like that." Aiba closed his eyes and pressed the picture against his cheek. His skin touched smooth glass. "Sho-chan, what can I do for Kazu?" he asked.
Silence rang through the room after his question. After a few more seconds, Nino shifted on the bed and a small sob escaped from his throat. Aiba returned the picture to its drawer and climbed back into bed. He pulled Nino to him and with his best friend in his arms, tried to sleep.
03.
Aiba woke in the early afternoon hours later. The sun was at it's peak and sunshine beamed through a gap in his curtain. He sat upright sluggishly and looked around. He wondered why he felt a gaping void in his chest. Then he remembered, as always, that Sakurai wasn't there. Sakurai hadn't been there for years. He took a deep breath to relieve himself of the reminder. He would carry on as usual. He should be used to it by now. But why was there a shape in the pillows next to him? Belatedly, he remembered the events of the night before.
Aiba groaned into his palm and climbed out of bed.
He found Nino settled on his couch in the sitting room, his legs folded underneath him as he watched the television with a blank expression. Aiba knew his friend saw nothing of what happened on the screen. Nino was lost in his thoughts.
"Coffee?" he offered anyway as he went into the kitchen to start the machine.
"I have to go back to the apartment," Nino muttered from his seat, staring listlessly down at the floor in front of him. "What if Ohno-san comes back?"
Aiba couldn't help that his hands began to tremble. The desperation and despair in his friend's voice was so strong, it caused him pain to hear it. He walked over to the couch and crouched down in front of his friend. He gently grasped Nino's face and forced his head down so their eyes met.
"Kazu," he started in a small whisper and tried to smile, "let's go do something today."
"Do you think he's with Mii-chan?" Nino asked, his voice a monotone.
Aiba's smile wavered. He swallowed and continued what he'd been saying, "I'll take off tonight and we can do whatever we want for the rest of the day. Okay?"
"I called Ohno-san as soon as I woke up," Nino went on, ignoring Aiba's request. "He wouldn't pick up. So I called Mii-chan and she did. She cried, you know. Masaki, she cried. As if she wasn't at fault, too. As if I was the one who had hurt her. Ohno-san's going to marry her, you know."
"Kazunari!" Aiba took his shoulders and shook him gently. After last night, he had prayed Nino would have gotten a better hold of himself. He was wrong. It devastated him even more. He was afraid he couldn't do anything for his best friend.
"If I go find Ohno-san and I cried too and begged, do you think he will come back to me?" Nino asked Aiba sincerely.
Aiba hung his head. He had wanted to be the strength for the both of them during Nino's difficult time, but he couldn't. His lips quaked and he wept.
"Why are you crying?" Nino asked and covered his face with his hands, trying to hold back his own tears. "You can't hate him as much as I do."
04.
For the entire day, they sat in front of the television. Aiba understandably allowed Nino his space, but kept his best friend company by silently sitting with him. He shoveled a few forkful of food into Nino when he had to, but did not demand that they do much else.
When night fell, Aiba turned off the television and pulled Nino up to lead him back into the bedroom. Despite their uneventful day, Nino slumped with exhaustion and moved sluggishly.
"I have work tomorrow," Nino reminded himself as he allowed himself to be put into bed. "I need my things. I don't want to go back there."
Aiba understood. He pulled the bed sheets over Nino and said, "Go to sleep. I'll get the things you need from your apartment tonight."
Before Aiba walked away, Nino took his hand and Aiba turned back around to look down into his face. Nino held Aiba's gaze steadily and asked quietly, "Masaki, can I stay here?"
Aiba's fingers curled around Nino's and he tried to smile. "We always wanted to try being roommates, but you moved out on your own before we had the chance. We'll have so much fun living together."
Reassured, Nino closed his eyes to rest and Aiba felt his gratitude without his having to say it. Aiba eased apart their clasped hands and softly bid his best friend a goodnight before walking out.
THREE