Gift Fic for junjun_pon
To: junjun_pon
From: santa_johnny
Title: Resounded with You
Pairing/Group: Arashi. Ohno/Nino
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Notes: Dear junjun_pon, this was rather unexpected but total fun nonetheless. I hope you enjoy this subtle magick AU of Ohmiya. And thanks to A for beta-ing this amazingly. :)
Summary: (This) Nino is not the only one commuting with Sobu-sen, unlicensed aural-wizard Ohno does too.
Somehow, Ohno half-heartedly wishes it were pouring rain at this hour.
At least the platform will be less crowded, and he would be getting a better chance in standing in a corner, without needing to stand up so close to strangers. He straightens his back carefully and absently prepares himself for a long ride-he doesn’t wait for the next rapid one, but goes on this one instead. It’s a long way home after all. Plus it’s better to enjoy his seat while he’s still able. Soon enough, Ohno knows he needs to give his seat to those who board later-if he doesn’t fall asleep that is.
The door closes and Ohno feels the familiar sway of momentum and off they go. Just as announcement came-the next station is Tsudanuma-An unfamiliar vibration washes upon him.
Ah. That was close!
Only because of ingrained reflex, he manages to keep his head down, focusing on a coat button in his lap as he clasps his fingers together in front of him. It takes all his will-and magic-power to not bounce the vibe harshly. Someone in the train shares his sonic space? Someone is talking to him, he panics-to be exact, someone is talking in his head on this train, someone who’s strong enough to have himself heard, singling out the frequency he has learned to control and keep private.
The murmur of said voice in his head lingers, resonant in its soft yet high-pitched tone, of the man complaining about how he has to run to finally catch the train.
Nothing comes after that, but Ohno can still feel the reverb; it’s a warm buzz to accompany him-especially when his front vision is blocked by a large man and two women who seem to be attached to each other.
The train comes into a gradual halt, swaying the people towards the front, and Ohno uses the opportunity to try turning as much as he is able without drawing attention. He could only see a thin crowd of people; nothing looks suspicious to him. He sighs and leans against his seat, lowering his head and waiting for the next vibration to come.
The hardest part about hearing people’s thoughts in his head is that one cannot choose. Ohno has stopped questioning this quirk of his ability long ago-just after he was a teen and he was bleeding through his ears because he was forcing himself to concentrate and taking a glimpse of his crush’s inner mind. That went south, plus he had to go through not only detention but also his mother’s wrath. Since then, or due to the required program he had to participate in, he fully realized that magick is not as fun as he used to imagine. There comes a lot of fuss along with the ability and that’s why he wasn’t keen on using his power freely. People always misunderstand-and Ohno decides that to keep standing back, along with the shadows, not rejecting but also not accepting. By not using his power, Ohno believes that’d be best for everyone.
The train arrives in Funabashi and that’s when the vibration amplifies again. Ohno feels the connection stronger this time; something clicks-not that Ohno hears a certain clicking sound, but more like a sound wave that goes through him when the man, or he presumes so, speaks again.
“Ouch. Watch your step.”
Then as sudden as it comes, he can hear the voice again, clear and rather accusingly. “And you. Yes, you. Did you think you could escape my senses?”
Ohno jolts at the question ringing in his head-or it might be his reflex as the train leaves for Nishi-Funabashi. He is not used to having anyone talk back in his head-the experience isn’t something comfortable to begin with. And he doesn’t think that he is going to ever be used to the sensation.
Those early years were difficult, and it still is now. But learning to live with it is also a thing he hates. At the end, since he couldn’t get it out of his head, he begins to learn about blocking things out-it doesn’t always work but nowadays it is certainly way better than the past. This hasn't happened in a long while, and Ohno has been gradually better. He had enough of those night lessons and pricey consultation sessions, and once he got the hang of everything, he decided to quit.
No fuss, he never wants any fuss.
And connection hasn’t happened often before to let Ohno become familiar with the sense of warmth and silkiness he’s experiencing right now. The voice rings, not annoyingly, in his head but floating up with grace and leaving a pleasant sensation. Nothing too harsh and dizzying like his training sessions back then, but something that he almost, dare he say it, craves.
He can only mumble-projecting is never easy but it’s something that he doesn’t mind doing now-the first thing that comes into his mind. “Hi.”
The respond comes bouncing quickly. This time Ohno knows the exact sensation to expect when the voice rings in his head, giving a sensation of reverberating chuckles. “So you’ve really been rudely listening,” the voice says. “I’m Nino. Who are you? Name?”
Ohno frowns at the answer. “Why are you giving out that information easily? I could be a stalker or some bad person,” he replies. The movement of his mouth is unavoidable as he mutters his answer to amplify the wave-he doesn’t think that this conversation needs to be further amplified, it’s just something he is used to doing when he talks back to other people through his head.
“A stalker wouldn’t announce himself as much as saying hi.” Is that a chuckle he heard from this Nino-ringing nicely in his head? It probably is. “And a bad person would just sneak up on me right now. Which is impossible since I’m sitting on the far corner and have a full view of the door. So there’s that.”
Ohno chuckles at that. “Same here. The corner seat, I mean.”
“I can’t see you anywhere in this train. You are in this train, right? Please tell me that I’m not so strong that I can communicate with you when you’re in a different car. It would mean that I would need to register a power surge and that would be a headache. Imagine that, going to the Magick Re-Registration Office near Christmas time. I’d have a headache just thinking about it.”
“Is there such thing as a Re-Registration Office?”
And Ohno can almost see it; the intake of sharp breath, the shocked gasp and, he bets, a proper eye roll that goes along with it. “How have you lived your magick life when you’ve never heard of the Re-Registration Office?”
“Are you sure that there’s a Re-Registration Office? It sounds like a sham to me.”
“Are you even licenced? If you can hear me, it means you’re on my level, or probably higher. You couldn’t survive all this long without the office. Like seriously?”
“I never heard of such an office. Re- Re-Registration?” Ohno doesn’t want to talk about the office anymore, he’s more interested in talking about anything else but. This Nino seems to be an interesting person, and what a waste of his time to spend their train woe with the talk of that office-really, does that office really exist? “You need to go to the city hall for a yearly check up. That’s all, right?”
“Unbelievable. You’re unbelievable.”
After that only the reverb remains in Ohno’s head; he has nothing else to say, he finds out, and somehow sharing said sonic space with another person is rather relaxing-he keeps the connection, knowing that there’s this Nino on the other end of the train, adding the layer of the sound of the train rushing through another station.
Akihabara.
Many of the passengers rush through the door in front of him. Split second later, another group enters the train. It was just a slight sigh that Ohno has a significant space before he is backed out to the wall again. A new set of people, with their different bags, different coats, and all, fills his vision. It’s still impossible to see through them and see that Nino, that’s what the man his name is, on the other side of the train. Ohno then remembers that he hasn’t reply the introduction. “It’s Ohno, by the way.”
“What is?”
“My name.”
“Oh. I thought you would never tell.”
“I got distracted.”
“Well, who doesn’t?” this Nino says. “Nice to hear you, Ohno-san.”
Ohno finds himself nodding at the greeting and waits for another chance.
As the train enters Ichigaya station, it begins to drizzle outside. Droplets of water splatter on the train window and Ohno sighs. He did half-heartedly wish for it but now that the rain starts outside the crowded train, the wish doesn’t appeal to him anymore.
This Nino starts again. “If you don’t have anything else to talk about, can we return to the magick topic? If you don’t mind that is, I just can’t put it all together. But I think you won’t mind since you were listening to my thoughts in the first place.”
Ohno shifts aside a little bit to accommodate the elbow of the man next to him. Apparently this Nino still wants to pursue that topic. Maybe he should have half-heartedly wished for a better topic-but he answers anyway. “Sure.”
“How come you didn’t know about the Re-Registration Office? You were lying about that, no?”
“I wasn’t lying. I just don’t know about it.”
“Which brings me back to the question, how could you live your magick life all these years? Or at least, tell me that you have license?”
Ohno doesn’t give any response or answer.
“You gotta be kidding me! If I were an officer, you would have been arrested within seconds. There’s a waiting pause from this Nino before he asks again with a low tone. Seriously?”
“But you’re not an officer, right?” Ohno says, not liking how their discussion is turning out. He has a slight worry now that this Nino keeps on talking about this official subject. Why would it become their topic anyway? Was it because he was, as this Nino pointed out, rudely listening to his loud thought? Which is entirely not his fault, since he wasn’t planning to eavesdrop to begin with, it was, mostly-if Ohno can point back-this Nino’s fault.
“You’re lucky that I’m not.”
Ohno doesn’t have a respond. Why being unlicensed suddenly being such a hot topic? Now that they are properly introduced-as proper as sonic space conversation goes-couldn’t they talk about something else? Perhaps the rain for a change.
But this Nino is persistent. “If you then want to give me silent treatment-haha-fine. But you were the one who started this, and now that I think we agree on the assumption that you’re not a stalker, you should at least explain why you are listening to me.”
“I don't know about reason. All I know is that I can hear you. It started when you entered the train, just before Tsudanuma.”
“Makuhari-Hongo.”
“What?”
“The station name.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“And?”
“And what?”
There’s another pause, along with a distant bit of movement on the back of this Nino’s head. “Why do you keep listening to me then?”
“I don’t know. You’re warm.”
“I’m what?”
“Warm and somehow vibrant.”
“Really?”
“All I can see is that your mind is resonating with so many sounds and they all whirl busily around one solid and warm core.”
“Are you sure you’re not licensed? You’re using wizard words like you’re used to them.” This Nino is laughing, in Ohno’s head-and if that’s how the man’s laughter sounds in real wave, Ohno can only hope that he can hear the voice over and over again.
“You asked why. I answer.” For Ohno the reason is simple.
“I think I should take necessary precaution and avoid you. I should’ve been asking you to stay out of my head, you unlicensed guy.”
“It’s not like that.”
“What is it like then?”
“I didn't answer because I didn’t know how to answer that office question. I just don’t know.”
“I seriously think you need some serious help.”
“Maybe,” Ohno says, with a shrug-since no one notices anyway now that the train is less crowded. “Or maybe not.”
“I truly hope this is not only a ploy to get me even more curious and meet you when all this commuting hell is over. Is your stop next?”
“No. It’s not a ploy and mine is not the next one.”
“You better tell me if you’re getting off.”
“I will,” Ohno says. “And I’m curious, too.”
“You’d better.”
This Nino doesn’t say anything else after that and Ohno doesn’t feel the need to further the conversation. The train passes one station after another, people are slowly getting off at their stations-Shinjuku, then Higashi-Nakano. Without looking up, Ohno keeps holding on to the frequency, knowing that this Nino is absently looking outside the window still with the question and curiosity lingers in his mind.
The next station is Koenji, the speaker announces and Ohno finally looks up to turn and take a short glance to the other side of the train.
Now that he has full sight of who are sitting on the far end of train, it isn’t hard to deduce. There’s not much of a choice except for a woman with her shopping bags, clutching the pole getting ready for the next station, two old salary men who are dozing quietly on the priority seat section, and this Nino.
This Nino who is staring back at him with a raised eyebrow and a-Ohno only hopes his eyes aren’t deceiving him-smile.
“Okay. This confirms it. You are definitely not a stalker. You’re too cute to be one.”
Ohno chuckles at that, now that his attention is focused on the figure. He hasn’t had a chance to see the man, didn’t even try to build a mental image of the voice. And now that he’s able, now that he has the reason of waiting for an answer, he can look openly and fixedly at this Nino.
“And it takes forever to wait for you to lift that head of yours out of your fake-sleep.”
“I wasn’t sleeping,” Ohno replies, a beat too quick.
“That’s why I said it’s fake,” this Nino says, with a laughter in his voice.
Ohno shrugs and continues staring, especially on how this Nino is bundled tight in winter wear. The khaki coat the man is wearing seems extremely warm, with a black muffler wrapping him; all ready for a cold and wet autumn night. And then comes the announcement for the last station, a longer one, reminding them to not forget their belongings and other things, but Ohno doesn’t mind it. He gets up from his seat, the one he ended up holding for the whole hour and a half, and walks to the center of the train.
This Nino also takes another step forward from his side of the train. Ohno now can see his backpack and the length of the coat. It’s yellow, the backpack and it was a knee length coat.
The train is coming to a full stop when they both meet in the middle, standing close to each other, eye to eye. The only thought Ohno can form is that this Nino looks nice, eyes warm and smile mischievous, really really nice.
The smile that accompanies the voice brightens. “Thank you,” is the first sound Ohno heard coming out from this Nino’s mouth; it sounds exactly the same and at the same time complete different from the one that he heard in his head. It’s then that Ohno realizes something else; thank you for what?
“Your compliments. They’re cute.”
Ohno could only blink at the answer. He’s sure that he didn’t say the compliment out loud, that it was only meant for him, that it was something he says in his head, how could-?
“You think you’re the only one who can reach another? I can, too. That’s partially the answer to why you could get in my head. It goes both ways, Ohno-san.”
“Oh.”
“Yes, oh,” this Nino says. “And by the way, out of all the stations around Tokyo, why do we end up so far on the west?”
“I live around here,” Ohno says mechanically. What this Nino has just said means that he was listening back to what Ohno thought about for the whole ride? Like really? But maybe that should make things easier for them. Who knows?
This Nino doesn’t seem to believe Ohno’s quick answer. “Here? Really?”
“Well, I deliberately missed my stop just now.”
“One station, huh?”
There’s something in Nino’s tone that Ohno doesn’t catch but he doesn’t pay any further attention. They’re here in an empty train on the platform of Mitaka station and maybe they could do something else? Ohno finds himself wanting to do something else, anything, more talking, or well, anything that involves real sound instead of reverb of mindtalk. “Yes. But, I can walk around the park and home is not very far.”
“Easy for you to say. I missed my stop, eleven stations ago.”
Ohno tries to do a mental calculation, fails, and looks up to the board above the door instead. Eleven stops? That’s a lot, and that would mean? “You’re supposed to get off at Sendagaya?”
He doesn’t get an answer but a vibration that resembles a huff of frustration is pretty telling.
“I’m sorry?” Ohno offers.
The sound of this Nino’s short chuckle in his head is making Ohno smile and the voice confirms it. “You should be.”
Ohno adds a small bow this time. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you going to use this train tomorrow?” he then asks hesitantly-at least he needs to ask, he tells himself, because even with the uneasiness that comes with this Nino’s question, Ohno still remembers the warm reverb they shared for the last hour, and wants to experience it again and futher.
“Maybe,” this Nino says with straight face. “Or maybe not. I haven’t decided.”
Ohno nods. He can deal with the answer, he’s the odd one tonight anyway-with his unlicensed self, and suddenly tapping into other’s mind-his mother taught him better than this. He takes a moment to absorb the bitterness that suddenly rises up in him, reflecting them in his head, hoping that it would reach this Nino. Even so, there’s nothing coming from the man in front of him. So, Ohno decides to try again, aiming for something much more simpler this time. “How about coffee? Now?”
This Nino seems to give his suggestion a lot of thought and Ohno waits without taking his eyes from the man in front of him. He keeps his mind open as he keeps on waiting, starting to get a little bit uneasy by the way this Nino keeps his silence-was it too many probabilities to weigh after all?
And then after what felt like a long wait, this Nino finally says, “What time does the last train bound for Iidabashi leave?”
This time, Ohno beams at the question.
Somehow, he now wholeheartedly wishes this will lead to where he wants this to lead.
*
From: santa_johnny
Title: Resounded with You
Pairing/Group: Arashi. Ohno/Nino
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Notes: Dear junjun_pon, this was rather unexpected but total fun nonetheless. I hope you enjoy this subtle magick AU of Ohmiya. And thanks to A for beta-ing this amazingly. :)
Summary: (This) Nino is not the only one commuting with Sobu-sen, unlicensed aural-wizard Ohno does too.
Somehow, Ohno half-heartedly wishes it were pouring rain at this hour.
At least the platform will be less crowded, and he would be getting a better chance in standing in a corner, without needing to stand up so close to strangers. He straightens his back carefully and absently prepares himself for a long ride-he doesn’t wait for the next rapid one, but goes on this one instead. It’s a long way home after all. Plus it’s better to enjoy his seat while he’s still able. Soon enough, Ohno knows he needs to give his seat to those who board later-if he doesn’t fall asleep that is.
The door closes and Ohno feels the familiar sway of momentum and off they go. Just as announcement came-the next station is Tsudanuma-An unfamiliar vibration washes upon him.
Ah. That was close!
Only because of ingrained reflex, he manages to keep his head down, focusing on a coat button in his lap as he clasps his fingers together in front of him. It takes all his will-and magic-power to not bounce the vibe harshly. Someone in the train shares his sonic space? Someone is talking to him, he panics-to be exact, someone is talking in his head on this train, someone who’s strong enough to have himself heard, singling out the frequency he has learned to control and keep private.
The murmur of said voice in his head lingers, resonant in its soft yet high-pitched tone, of the man complaining about how he has to run to finally catch the train.
Nothing comes after that, but Ohno can still feel the reverb; it’s a warm buzz to accompany him-especially when his front vision is blocked by a large man and two women who seem to be attached to each other.
The train comes into a gradual halt, swaying the people towards the front, and Ohno uses the opportunity to try turning as much as he is able without drawing attention. He could only see a thin crowd of people; nothing looks suspicious to him. He sighs and leans against his seat, lowering his head and waiting for the next vibration to come.
The hardest part about hearing people’s thoughts in his head is that one cannot choose. Ohno has stopped questioning this quirk of his ability long ago-just after he was a teen and he was bleeding through his ears because he was forcing himself to concentrate and taking a glimpse of his crush’s inner mind. That went south, plus he had to go through not only detention but also his mother’s wrath. Since then, or due to the required program he had to participate in, he fully realized that magick is not as fun as he used to imagine. There comes a lot of fuss along with the ability and that’s why he wasn’t keen on using his power freely. People always misunderstand-and Ohno decides that to keep standing back, along with the shadows, not rejecting but also not accepting. By not using his power, Ohno believes that’d be best for everyone.
The train arrives in Funabashi and that’s when the vibration amplifies again. Ohno feels the connection stronger this time; something clicks-not that Ohno hears a certain clicking sound, but more like a sound wave that goes through him when the man, or he presumes so, speaks again.
“Ouch. Watch your step.”
Then as sudden as it comes, he can hear the voice again, clear and rather accusingly. “And you. Yes, you. Did you think you could escape my senses?”
Ohno jolts at the question ringing in his head-or it might be his reflex as the train leaves for Nishi-Funabashi. He is not used to having anyone talk back in his head-the experience isn’t something comfortable to begin with. And he doesn’t think that he is going to ever be used to the sensation.
Those early years were difficult, and it still is now. But learning to live with it is also a thing he hates. At the end, since he couldn’t get it out of his head, he begins to learn about blocking things out-it doesn’t always work but nowadays it is certainly way better than the past. This hasn't happened in a long while, and Ohno has been gradually better. He had enough of those night lessons and pricey consultation sessions, and once he got the hang of everything, he decided to quit.
No fuss, he never wants any fuss.
And connection hasn’t happened often before to let Ohno become familiar with the sense of warmth and silkiness he’s experiencing right now. The voice rings, not annoyingly, in his head but floating up with grace and leaving a pleasant sensation. Nothing too harsh and dizzying like his training sessions back then, but something that he almost, dare he say it, craves.
He can only mumble-projecting is never easy but it’s something that he doesn’t mind doing now-the first thing that comes into his mind. “Hi.”
The respond comes bouncing quickly. This time Ohno knows the exact sensation to expect when the voice rings in his head, giving a sensation of reverberating chuckles. “So you’ve really been rudely listening,” the voice says. “I’m Nino. Who are you? Name?”
Ohno frowns at the answer. “Why are you giving out that information easily? I could be a stalker or some bad person,” he replies. The movement of his mouth is unavoidable as he mutters his answer to amplify the wave-he doesn’t think that this conversation needs to be further amplified, it’s just something he is used to doing when he talks back to other people through his head.
“A stalker wouldn’t announce himself as much as saying hi.” Is that a chuckle he heard from this Nino-ringing nicely in his head? It probably is. “And a bad person would just sneak up on me right now. Which is impossible since I’m sitting on the far corner and have a full view of the door. So there’s that.”
Ohno chuckles at that. “Same here. The corner seat, I mean.”
“I can’t see you anywhere in this train. You are in this train, right? Please tell me that I’m not so strong that I can communicate with you when you’re in a different car. It would mean that I would need to register a power surge and that would be a headache. Imagine that, going to the Magick Re-Registration Office near Christmas time. I’d have a headache just thinking about it.”
“Is there such thing as a Re-Registration Office?”
And Ohno can almost see it; the intake of sharp breath, the shocked gasp and, he bets, a proper eye roll that goes along with it. “How have you lived your magick life when you’ve never heard of the Re-Registration Office?”
“Are you sure that there’s a Re-Registration Office? It sounds like a sham to me.”
“Are you even licenced? If you can hear me, it means you’re on my level, or probably higher. You couldn’t survive all this long without the office. Like seriously?”
“I never heard of such an office. Re- Re-Registration?” Ohno doesn’t want to talk about the office anymore, he’s more interested in talking about anything else but. This Nino seems to be an interesting person, and what a waste of his time to spend their train woe with the talk of that office-really, does that office really exist? “You need to go to the city hall for a yearly check up. That’s all, right?”
“Unbelievable. You’re unbelievable.”
After that only the reverb remains in Ohno’s head; he has nothing else to say, he finds out, and somehow sharing said sonic space with another person is rather relaxing-he keeps the connection, knowing that there’s this Nino on the other end of the train, adding the layer of the sound of the train rushing through another station.
Akihabara.
Many of the passengers rush through the door in front of him. Split second later, another group enters the train. It was just a slight sigh that Ohno has a significant space before he is backed out to the wall again. A new set of people, with their different bags, different coats, and all, fills his vision. It’s still impossible to see through them and see that Nino, that’s what the man his name is, on the other side of the train. Ohno then remembers that he hasn’t reply the introduction. “It’s Ohno, by the way.”
“What is?”
“My name.”
“Oh. I thought you would never tell.”
“I got distracted.”
“Well, who doesn’t?” this Nino says. “Nice to hear you, Ohno-san.”
Ohno finds himself nodding at the greeting and waits for another chance.
As the train enters Ichigaya station, it begins to drizzle outside. Droplets of water splatter on the train window and Ohno sighs. He did half-heartedly wish for it but now that the rain starts outside the crowded train, the wish doesn’t appeal to him anymore.
This Nino starts again. “If you don’t have anything else to talk about, can we return to the magick topic? If you don’t mind that is, I just can’t put it all together. But I think you won’t mind since you were listening to my thoughts in the first place.”
Ohno shifts aside a little bit to accommodate the elbow of the man next to him. Apparently this Nino still wants to pursue that topic. Maybe he should have half-heartedly wished for a better topic-but he answers anyway. “Sure.”
“How come you didn’t know about the Re-Registration Office? You were lying about that, no?”
“I wasn’t lying. I just don’t know about it.”
“Which brings me back to the question, how could you live your magick life all these years? Or at least, tell me that you have license?”
Ohno doesn’t give any response or answer.
“You gotta be kidding me! If I were an officer, you would have been arrested within seconds. There’s a waiting pause from this Nino before he asks again with a low tone. Seriously?”
“But you’re not an officer, right?” Ohno says, not liking how their discussion is turning out. He has a slight worry now that this Nino keeps on talking about this official subject. Why would it become their topic anyway? Was it because he was, as this Nino pointed out, rudely listening to his loud thought? Which is entirely not his fault, since he wasn’t planning to eavesdrop to begin with, it was, mostly-if Ohno can point back-this Nino’s fault.
“You’re lucky that I’m not.”
Ohno doesn’t have a respond. Why being unlicensed suddenly being such a hot topic? Now that they are properly introduced-as proper as sonic space conversation goes-couldn’t they talk about something else? Perhaps the rain for a change.
But this Nino is persistent. “If you then want to give me silent treatment-haha-fine. But you were the one who started this, and now that I think we agree on the assumption that you’re not a stalker, you should at least explain why you are listening to me.”
“I don't know about reason. All I know is that I can hear you. It started when you entered the train, just before Tsudanuma.”
“Makuhari-Hongo.”
“What?”
“The station name.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“And?”
“And what?”
There’s another pause, along with a distant bit of movement on the back of this Nino’s head. “Why do you keep listening to me then?”
“I don’t know. You’re warm.”
“I’m what?”
“Warm and somehow vibrant.”
“Really?”
“All I can see is that your mind is resonating with so many sounds and they all whirl busily around one solid and warm core.”
“Are you sure you’re not licensed? You’re using wizard words like you’re used to them.” This Nino is laughing, in Ohno’s head-and if that’s how the man’s laughter sounds in real wave, Ohno can only hope that he can hear the voice over and over again.
“You asked why. I answer.” For Ohno the reason is simple.
“I think I should take necessary precaution and avoid you. I should’ve been asking you to stay out of my head, you unlicensed guy.”
“It’s not like that.”
“What is it like then?”
“I didn't answer because I didn’t know how to answer that office question. I just don’t know.”
“I seriously think you need some serious help.”
“Maybe,” Ohno says, with a shrug-since no one notices anyway now that the train is less crowded. “Or maybe not.”
“I truly hope this is not only a ploy to get me even more curious and meet you when all this commuting hell is over. Is your stop next?”
“No. It’s not a ploy and mine is not the next one.”
“You better tell me if you’re getting off.”
“I will,” Ohno says. “And I’m curious, too.”
“You’d better.”
This Nino doesn’t say anything else after that and Ohno doesn’t feel the need to further the conversation. The train passes one station after another, people are slowly getting off at their stations-Shinjuku, then Higashi-Nakano. Without looking up, Ohno keeps holding on to the frequency, knowing that this Nino is absently looking outside the window still with the question and curiosity lingers in his mind.
The next station is Koenji, the speaker announces and Ohno finally looks up to turn and take a short glance to the other side of the train.
Now that he has full sight of who are sitting on the far end of train, it isn’t hard to deduce. There’s not much of a choice except for a woman with her shopping bags, clutching the pole getting ready for the next station, two old salary men who are dozing quietly on the priority seat section, and this Nino.
This Nino who is staring back at him with a raised eyebrow and a-Ohno only hopes his eyes aren’t deceiving him-smile.
“Okay. This confirms it. You are definitely not a stalker. You’re too cute to be one.”
Ohno chuckles at that, now that his attention is focused on the figure. He hasn’t had a chance to see the man, didn’t even try to build a mental image of the voice. And now that he’s able, now that he has the reason of waiting for an answer, he can look openly and fixedly at this Nino.
“And it takes forever to wait for you to lift that head of yours out of your fake-sleep.”
“I wasn’t sleeping,” Ohno replies, a beat too quick.
“That’s why I said it’s fake,” this Nino says, with a laughter in his voice.
Ohno shrugs and continues staring, especially on how this Nino is bundled tight in winter wear. The khaki coat the man is wearing seems extremely warm, with a black muffler wrapping him; all ready for a cold and wet autumn night. And then comes the announcement for the last station, a longer one, reminding them to not forget their belongings and other things, but Ohno doesn’t mind it. He gets up from his seat, the one he ended up holding for the whole hour and a half, and walks to the center of the train.
This Nino also takes another step forward from his side of the train. Ohno now can see his backpack and the length of the coat. It’s yellow, the backpack and it was a knee length coat.
The train is coming to a full stop when they both meet in the middle, standing close to each other, eye to eye. The only thought Ohno can form is that this Nino looks nice, eyes warm and smile mischievous, really really nice.
The smile that accompanies the voice brightens. “Thank you,” is the first sound Ohno heard coming out from this Nino’s mouth; it sounds exactly the same and at the same time complete different from the one that he heard in his head. It’s then that Ohno realizes something else; thank you for what?
“Your compliments. They’re cute.”
Ohno could only blink at the answer. He’s sure that he didn’t say the compliment out loud, that it was only meant for him, that it was something he says in his head, how could-?
“You think you’re the only one who can reach another? I can, too. That’s partially the answer to why you could get in my head. It goes both ways, Ohno-san.”
“Oh.”
“Yes, oh,” this Nino says. “And by the way, out of all the stations around Tokyo, why do we end up so far on the west?”
“I live around here,” Ohno says mechanically. What this Nino has just said means that he was listening back to what Ohno thought about for the whole ride? Like really? But maybe that should make things easier for them. Who knows?
This Nino doesn’t seem to believe Ohno’s quick answer. “Here? Really?”
“Well, I deliberately missed my stop just now.”
“One station, huh?”
There’s something in Nino’s tone that Ohno doesn’t catch but he doesn’t pay any further attention. They’re here in an empty train on the platform of Mitaka station and maybe they could do something else? Ohno finds himself wanting to do something else, anything, more talking, or well, anything that involves real sound instead of reverb of mindtalk. “Yes. But, I can walk around the park and home is not very far.”
“Easy for you to say. I missed my stop, eleven stations ago.”
Ohno tries to do a mental calculation, fails, and looks up to the board above the door instead. Eleven stops? That’s a lot, and that would mean? “You’re supposed to get off at Sendagaya?”
He doesn’t get an answer but a vibration that resembles a huff of frustration is pretty telling.
“I’m sorry?” Ohno offers.
The sound of this Nino’s short chuckle in his head is making Ohno smile and the voice confirms it. “You should be.”
Ohno adds a small bow this time. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you going to use this train tomorrow?” he then asks hesitantly-at least he needs to ask, he tells himself, because even with the uneasiness that comes with this Nino’s question, Ohno still remembers the warm reverb they shared for the last hour, and wants to experience it again and futher.
“Maybe,” this Nino says with straight face. “Or maybe not. I haven’t decided.”
Ohno nods. He can deal with the answer, he’s the odd one tonight anyway-with his unlicensed self, and suddenly tapping into other’s mind-his mother taught him better than this. He takes a moment to absorb the bitterness that suddenly rises up in him, reflecting them in his head, hoping that it would reach this Nino. Even so, there’s nothing coming from the man in front of him. So, Ohno decides to try again, aiming for something much more simpler this time. “How about coffee? Now?”
This Nino seems to give his suggestion a lot of thought and Ohno waits without taking his eyes from the man in front of him. He keeps his mind open as he keeps on waiting, starting to get a little bit uneasy by the way this Nino keeps his silence-was it too many probabilities to weigh after all?
And then after what felt like a long wait, this Nino finally says, “What time does the last train bound for Iidabashi leave?”
This time, Ohno beams at the question.
Somehow, he now wholeheartedly wishes this will lead to where he wants this to lead.
*