Arashi - AU - Thank You for the Rain - 22/30
Title: Thank You for the Rain
Chapter: 22
Fandom: Arashi
Pairing: sho/nino, nino/ohno, ohno/sho, tba
Word count: 2264
Notes: Stuff actually happens in this chapter! Plot thickens etc. :P I think I need to take a break from writing TYR, though. I haven't written anything else in such a long while.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | e1 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | e2 | 19 | 20 | 21
22. Sho: Announcement.
Sho hadn't really known what to expect from a sleepover. He guessed this was pretty normal, though.
When he had arrived with Aiba, Jun's sister had vanished out the door almost immediately (gone to stay with her boyfriend, Jun told them) and they had got the whole house for themselves.
They were in Jun's living room, he, Jun and Nino sitting on the couch while Aiba and Ohno were sprawled on the floor, their noses almost attached to the TV screen. They were watching a movie (with a lot of zombie heads exploding, apparently) but Sho couldn't really concentrate. He didn't know if it was only because the movie was horrible or if it had something to do with how he was sitting next to Nino, so close that he could feel Nino's body heat radiating against his side. Nino seemed to be completely relaxed, little by little sinking further into the couch. He was resting his feet on Aiba's back and Aiba wasn't complaining. Sho watched how Nino curled his toes against Aiba's shirt and wondered if he could get away with getting a little bit closer to Nino. He wanted to press his thigh against Nino's and feel his warmth properly, not just this vague teasing sensation that made him lose all ability to concentrate.
"Aiba. This movie sucks," Nino complained, poking Aiba weakly with his toes.
"But that's the point," Aiba answered without turning away from the screen. "Hey, look, Satoshi! Did you see that? Awesome, right!"
"Yeah," Ohno nodded enthusiastically. Sho took a moment to be surprised that Ohno actually seemed to like these kinds of movies. He turned to give an amused look to Nino, but Nino wasn't looking at him. He was pouting and staring straight ahead. So Sho glanced over at Jun, who gave him something resembling half a grin and half a grimace, shaking his head.
Nino had been in a sour mood all night. Something was bothering him, but Sho couldn't think of a way to ask him about it. For one, he couldn't seem to get Nino alone for long enough to have a conversation with him and he was also convinced that Nino wouldn't give him a proper answer even if he managed to ask. Nino was quieter than normally, somehow subdued. He let Aiba do most of the talking, not even commenting when Aiba said something particularly silly. He looked tired and Sho worried that he had caught Aiba's cold.
He leaned closer to Nino when there was a particularly noisy scene in the movie (now their shoulders were brushing) and whispered to Nino: "Are you okay?"
Nino glanced up at him quickly before turning his eyes away again. "Sure," he muttered. Sho watched how Nino's eyes flicked around the room, from Jun to Aiba to Ohno, before settling back on the TV. Sho didn't move. He continued to watch Nino, hoping that the boy would say something more. But Nino didn't seem to want to. He just sank a little further into the couch and kept staring at the TV, chewing his lower lip.
Sho sighed and pulled away from Nino. "I have an announcement," he said to the room.
"Aw, Sho, can't it wait until the end of the movie?" Aiba moaned.
"Uh, I guess?" Sho said, feeling a little bit embarrassed.
"Just pause it if you don't want to miss anything. I'm sure the next scene will be very important," Nino said, his voice dripping sarcasm, and toed Aiba on the back again.
"Yeah. Some of us are bored," Jun offered from the other side of Nino.
"What is it, Sho-chan?" Ohno asked, his quiet voice cutting through the general noises of protest from Aiba and Nino's teasing. Ohno somehow always managed to quiet Nino, even when Sho had been sure that the younger one hadn't even heard Ohno talk. It worked this time too, and when Nino settled down, Aiba fell silent with him.
"Uh. It's nothing really big, though," Sho said, now even more embarrassed when everyone's eyes were on him, paying attention. "I quit soccer today."
"Oh? Really?" Aiba turned to him, suddenly looking very interested. His eyes had a sharp look in them that seemed to demand an explanation. Sho nodded.
"You didn't like it that much, did you?" Nino said, poking his elbow into Sho's side. "I was right, wasn't I?"
"But I thought you liked soccer?" Jun asked, frowning.
Ohno stayed quiet, watching Sho with mild interest.
"Well... Uh. Yeah, I like soccer well enough, but..." Sho stuttered, knowing that his reason would sound stupid when he said it aloud. "I kind of... uh. I like to hang out with you guys more," he finished quickly.
Of course he hadn't given that explanation to his father when he had asked about his reasons. He had talked about wanting to go to a good university and needing to concentrate on studying, which wasn't a complete lie, but it definitely wasn't the whole truth either.
Aiba laughed and launched himself on the couch, sliding his body across Nino's and Sho's laps and stretching his arms into Jun's. Nino laughed then too, the first genuine laugh Sho had heard from him all evening, and attacked Aiba's sides, tickling him mercilessly. "That's true!" Aiba said between his giggles, while trying to catch Nino's wrists. "Now you have a lot more time to hang out with us!"
"Get off me!" Jun grumbled and tried to push Aiba off the couch. The situation was becoming chaotic and Sho couldn't do anything else than laugh while Aiba squirmed to sit between Nino and Jun, pushing Nino against Sho on his way.
Nino kept laughing and leaning against Sho while Aiba attacked Jun, making the youngest squeak and giggle. Sho stared at the top of Nino's head, willing himself to relax. He needed to act normally and not like his every nerve was busy feeling Nino's body against his. It was really hard when Nino was shaking from laughter, his head resting against Sho's chest and their legs pressed tightly together. Sho wanted to wrap his arms around Nino's waist and press his nose into Nino's hair and this was getting ridiculous.
When he lifted his gaze from the top of Nino's head, he found Ohno looking at him.
Ohno was still sitting on the floor, a little bit away from the commotion. He wasn't laughing. He wasn't even smiling. There was no real expression on his face, he was just looking at Sho like he didn't really see him there. But Ohno turned away quickly after Sho had noticed him watching.
Nino gave a yelp and jumped up, effectively drawing Sho's attention back to him. "Aiba you idiot, you kicked me!" he complained, stepping away from the couch.
"I didn't! It was Jun!" Aiba protested, stopping tickling Jun long enough for the youngest to catch his breath.
"I only kicked you because Aiba was tickling me!" Jun countered and pushed Aiba away from him, sending him sprawling over Sho instead. "Quit it!"
Sho grabbed Aiba's shoulders and helped him get upright, his eyes still on Nino, who had wandered to sit next to Ohno, moaning about his injuries.
"I'm going to get a huge bruise on my leg!"
"There, there," Ohno muttered, absently patting Nino's knee.
"Look on the bright side," Jun said. "At least now it'll match your face."
Sho sat up straighter and kept his eyes on Nino. They had carefully avoided asking about the bruise on his cheek and Nino hadn't seemed to want to talk about it either. He glanced down at Aiba who had settled so that his head was resting on Sho's thigh and his legs were in Jun's lap. Aiba bit his lip and gave him a small shrug of his shoulders.
"Do you want to have one of your own?" Nino asked casually from Jun.
"Uh, let's just finish the movie." It was Ohno who spoke, surprising Sho. "I want to see what happens next."
"Yeah!" Aiba nodded enthusiastically. "Nino! The remote, please!"
Nino sighed, tossing the remote to Aiba. "You guys are ridiculous," he said and leaned his back against the foot of the couch, gradually relaxing.
They watched the movie and then spread out their futons on the floor of the living room. ("I know it isn't yet time to go to sleep, but I think it's cosier this way," Aiba had said.)
"So," Sho said, lying on his back on the futon he had spread between Nino and Aiba. "What do you want to do after you graduate?"
"College, of course," Aiba said. "I don't know what I want to study though."
"I'll worry about that when I'm actually closer of graduating," Jun snorted, coming from the kitchen, carrying a tray with him. He handed out glasses of juice to everyone, but Aiba got a mug of tea instead. "What about you, Sho?"
"College. I want to study economics."
"Huh. That sounded like you're completely sure about that," Nino said lazily and sipped from his glass.
"Maybe because I am completely sure," Sho smiled to him. "What about you, Nino?"
"Me?" Nino grinned. "After I graduate I want to... do something irresponsible."
"Hey, hey!" Aiba exclaimed, rolling onto his stomach so that he could drink his tea. "What is the most irresponsible thing you've ever done?"
The conversation deteriorated from there, but Sho didn't really mind. Listening to Aiba talk about how he had once climbed into an animal enclosure in a zoo was entertaining enough.
~
Sho woke up in the middle of the night, groggy and disoriented. The first thing he noticed was an empty space next to him. He could hear Aiba's soft breaths behind his back and when he glanced over his shoulder he could see Jun sleeping next to Aiba, arm thrown over his face, covering his eyes. Ohno was still there too, curled into a small ball, his covers tugged over him so that only the top of his head was visible. Only Nino wasn't there.
Suddenly Sho felt nervous again. It was amazing that he had fallen asleep while Nino had been so close to him. He got up, careful not to wake up the others, and padded his way towards the bathroom.
He almost ran straight into Nino in the hallway.
"Sho?" Nino whispered, surprised.
Sho pressed one hand over his heart and the other on Nino's shoulder, steadying himself. His fingers met warm skin and suddenly it was really hard to pull away. So Sho kept his hand where it was. "You scared me," he whispered to Nino.
Nino's eyes flickered to the hand resting on his shoulder and then back to Sho's face. "Sho?" he repeated.
"This is it," Sho thought. "This might be my only chance." He pushed Nino gently against the wall and stepped closer.
Nino's eyes grew huge and his mouth dropped open. But he wasn't protesting. He didn't even try to push him away. So Sho got even closer and pressed his lips quickly on Nino's, worried that if he stopped to think, he would get too scared to do it.
Nino let out a small sound of surprise and Sho could feel him tensing. Sho waited for a reaction, any reaction really, so he kept his lips on Nino's, not moving. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was sure that his whole face was completely red. Few incredibly long seconds passed and Nino still wasn't responding. Sho had been able to gather some courage and he opened his mouth, taking Nino's lower lip between his lips, sucking lightly. Nino's hands went up to Sho's shoulders and he answered the kiss for a brief moment, his lips moving against Sho's, sending shivers running down his spine.
Then Nino moved his head to the side and away and the small flash of happiness vanished, leaving Sho's head buzzing. "I really like you, you know," Sho whispered, feeling his cheeks heat up again.
Nino drew a deep breath and didn't look Sho in the eye. He had suspected it before, but now he was sure he was going to get rejected. Nino didn't smile. Sho had been preparing himself for this, but the look in Nino's eyes still stung.
"I like Ohno," Nino whispered.
That wasn't what he had been expecting. He took a step back in confusion. "You... like... Ohno," he repeated, keeping his voice as low as Nino's.
"...Yeah."
Sho didn't know what to say. He had no idea how to react in a situation like this. All he could think of was: "Why?"
Nino sighed softly. "Like I could give you a reason. But Ohno is the most interesting person I've ever met."
"What about him?" Sho asked then. He wasn't sure why it mattered to him, but he wanted to know. "Does he like you?"
Nino didn't answer. He just laughed and turned away from Sho. Sho reached out for him but the way Nino jerked away from his hand made him back away again.
"It doesn't matter," Nino said. "None of this matters anymore."
"Why?" Sho asked again, now slightly alarmed. What was Nino talking about?
Nino just shook his head and returned to his futon, pulling the covers over his head.
When Sho returned from the bathroom, Nino seemed to be asleep already and Aiba had rolled from his futon on to Sho's, unmovable and drooling on his pillow. So Sho moved to lay on Aiba's futon instead, trying to sleep, even if he knew it was useless.
Chapter: 22
Fandom: Arashi
Pairing: sho/nino, nino/ohno, ohno/sho, tba
Word count: 2264
Notes: Stuff actually happens in this chapter! Plot thickens etc. :P I think I need to take a break from writing TYR, though. I haven't written anything else in such a long while.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | e1 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | e2 | 19 | 20 | 21
22. Sho: Announcement.
Sho hadn't really known what to expect from a sleepover. He guessed this was pretty normal, though.
When he had arrived with Aiba, Jun's sister had vanished out the door almost immediately (gone to stay with her boyfriend, Jun told them) and they had got the whole house for themselves.
They were in Jun's living room, he, Jun and Nino sitting on the couch while Aiba and Ohno were sprawled on the floor, their noses almost attached to the TV screen. They were watching a movie (with a lot of zombie heads exploding, apparently) but Sho couldn't really concentrate. He didn't know if it was only because the movie was horrible or if it had something to do with how he was sitting next to Nino, so close that he could feel Nino's body heat radiating against his side. Nino seemed to be completely relaxed, little by little sinking further into the couch. He was resting his feet on Aiba's back and Aiba wasn't complaining. Sho watched how Nino curled his toes against Aiba's shirt and wondered if he could get away with getting a little bit closer to Nino. He wanted to press his thigh against Nino's and feel his warmth properly, not just this vague teasing sensation that made him lose all ability to concentrate.
"Aiba. This movie sucks," Nino complained, poking Aiba weakly with his toes.
"But that's the point," Aiba answered without turning away from the screen. "Hey, look, Satoshi! Did you see that? Awesome, right!"
"Yeah," Ohno nodded enthusiastically. Sho took a moment to be surprised that Ohno actually seemed to like these kinds of movies. He turned to give an amused look to Nino, but Nino wasn't looking at him. He was pouting and staring straight ahead. So Sho glanced over at Jun, who gave him something resembling half a grin and half a grimace, shaking his head.
Nino had been in a sour mood all night. Something was bothering him, but Sho couldn't think of a way to ask him about it. For one, he couldn't seem to get Nino alone for long enough to have a conversation with him and he was also convinced that Nino wouldn't give him a proper answer even if he managed to ask. Nino was quieter than normally, somehow subdued. He let Aiba do most of the talking, not even commenting when Aiba said something particularly silly. He looked tired and Sho worried that he had caught Aiba's cold.
He leaned closer to Nino when there was a particularly noisy scene in the movie (now their shoulders were brushing) and whispered to Nino: "Are you okay?"
Nino glanced up at him quickly before turning his eyes away again. "Sure," he muttered. Sho watched how Nino's eyes flicked around the room, from Jun to Aiba to Ohno, before settling back on the TV. Sho didn't move. He continued to watch Nino, hoping that the boy would say something more. But Nino didn't seem to want to. He just sank a little further into the couch and kept staring at the TV, chewing his lower lip.
Sho sighed and pulled away from Nino. "I have an announcement," he said to the room.
"Aw, Sho, can't it wait until the end of the movie?" Aiba moaned.
"Uh, I guess?" Sho said, feeling a little bit embarrassed.
"Just pause it if you don't want to miss anything. I'm sure the next scene will be very important," Nino said, his voice dripping sarcasm, and toed Aiba on the back again.
"Yeah. Some of us are bored," Jun offered from the other side of Nino.
"What is it, Sho-chan?" Ohno asked, his quiet voice cutting through the general noises of protest from Aiba and Nino's teasing. Ohno somehow always managed to quiet Nino, even when Sho had been sure that the younger one hadn't even heard Ohno talk. It worked this time too, and when Nino settled down, Aiba fell silent with him.
"Uh. It's nothing really big, though," Sho said, now even more embarrassed when everyone's eyes were on him, paying attention. "I quit soccer today."
"Oh? Really?" Aiba turned to him, suddenly looking very interested. His eyes had a sharp look in them that seemed to demand an explanation. Sho nodded.
"You didn't like it that much, did you?" Nino said, poking his elbow into Sho's side. "I was right, wasn't I?"
"But I thought you liked soccer?" Jun asked, frowning.
Ohno stayed quiet, watching Sho with mild interest.
"Well... Uh. Yeah, I like soccer well enough, but..." Sho stuttered, knowing that his reason would sound stupid when he said it aloud. "I kind of... uh. I like to hang out with you guys more," he finished quickly.
Of course he hadn't given that explanation to his father when he had asked about his reasons. He had talked about wanting to go to a good university and needing to concentrate on studying, which wasn't a complete lie, but it definitely wasn't the whole truth either.
Aiba laughed and launched himself on the couch, sliding his body across Nino's and Sho's laps and stretching his arms into Jun's. Nino laughed then too, the first genuine laugh Sho had heard from him all evening, and attacked Aiba's sides, tickling him mercilessly. "That's true!" Aiba said between his giggles, while trying to catch Nino's wrists. "Now you have a lot more time to hang out with us!"
"Get off me!" Jun grumbled and tried to push Aiba off the couch. The situation was becoming chaotic and Sho couldn't do anything else than laugh while Aiba squirmed to sit between Nino and Jun, pushing Nino against Sho on his way.
Nino kept laughing and leaning against Sho while Aiba attacked Jun, making the youngest squeak and giggle. Sho stared at the top of Nino's head, willing himself to relax. He needed to act normally and not like his every nerve was busy feeling Nino's body against his. It was really hard when Nino was shaking from laughter, his head resting against Sho's chest and their legs pressed tightly together. Sho wanted to wrap his arms around Nino's waist and press his nose into Nino's hair and this was getting ridiculous.
When he lifted his gaze from the top of Nino's head, he found Ohno looking at him.
Ohno was still sitting on the floor, a little bit away from the commotion. He wasn't laughing. He wasn't even smiling. There was no real expression on his face, he was just looking at Sho like he didn't really see him there. But Ohno turned away quickly after Sho had noticed him watching.
Nino gave a yelp and jumped up, effectively drawing Sho's attention back to him. "Aiba you idiot, you kicked me!" he complained, stepping away from the couch.
"I didn't! It was Jun!" Aiba protested, stopping tickling Jun long enough for the youngest to catch his breath.
"I only kicked you because Aiba was tickling me!" Jun countered and pushed Aiba away from him, sending him sprawling over Sho instead. "Quit it!"
Sho grabbed Aiba's shoulders and helped him get upright, his eyes still on Nino, who had wandered to sit next to Ohno, moaning about his injuries.
"I'm going to get a huge bruise on my leg!"
"There, there," Ohno muttered, absently patting Nino's knee.
"Look on the bright side," Jun said. "At least now it'll match your face."
Sho sat up straighter and kept his eyes on Nino. They had carefully avoided asking about the bruise on his cheek and Nino hadn't seemed to want to talk about it either. He glanced down at Aiba who had settled so that his head was resting on Sho's thigh and his legs were in Jun's lap. Aiba bit his lip and gave him a small shrug of his shoulders.
"Do you want to have one of your own?" Nino asked casually from Jun.
"Uh, let's just finish the movie." It was Ohno who spoke, surprising Sho. "I want to see what happens next."
"Yeah!" Aiba nodded enthusiastically. "Nino! The remote, please!"
Nino sighed, tossing the remote to Aiba. "You guys are ridiculous," he said and leaned his back against the foot of the couch, gradually relaxing.
They watched the movie and then spread out their futons on the floor of the living room. ("I know it isn't yet time to go to sleep, but I think it's cosier this way," Aiba had said.)
"So," Sho said, lying on his back on the futon he had spread between Nino and Aiba. "What do you want to do after you graduate?"
"College, of course," Aiba said. "I don't know what I want to study though."
"I'll worry about that when I'm actually closer of graduating," Jun snorted, coming from the kitchen, carrying a tray with him. He handed out glasses of juice to everyone, but Aiba got a mug of tea instead. "What about you, Sho?"
"College. I want to study economics."
"Huh. That sounded like you're completely sure about that," Nino said lazily and sipped from his glass.
"Maybe because I am completely sure," Sho smiled to him. "What about you, Nino?"
"Me?" Nino grinned. "After I graduate I want to... do something irresponsible."
"Hey, hey!" Aiba exclaimed, rolling onto his stomach so that he could drink his tea. "What is the most irresponsible thing you've ever done?"
The conversation deteriorated from there, but Sho didn't really mind. Listening to Aiba talk about how he had once climbed into an animal enclosure in a zoo was entertaining enough.
~
Sho woke up in the middle of the night, groggy and disoriented. The first thing he noticed was an empty space next to him. He could hear Aiba's soft breaths behind his back and when he glanced over his shoulder he could see Jun sleeping next to Aiba, arm thrown over his face, covering his eyes. Ohno was still there too, curled into a small ball, his covers tugged over him so that only the top of his head was visible. Only Nino wasn't there.
Suddenly Sho felt nervous again. It was amazing that he had fallen asleep while Nino had been so close to him. He got up, careful not to wake up the others, and padded his way towards the bathroom.
He almost ran straight into Nino in the hallway.
"Sho?" Nino whispered, surprised.
Sho pressed one hand over his heart and the other on Nino's shoulder, steadying himself. His fingers met warm skin and suddenly it was really hard to pull away. So Sho kept his hand where it was. "You scared me," he whispered to Nino.
Nino's eyes flickered to the hand resting on his shoulder and then back to Sho's face. "Sho?" he repeated.
"This is it," Sho thought. "This might be my only chance." He pushed Nino gently against the wall and stepped closer.
Nino's eyes grew huge and his mouth dropped open. But he wasn't protesting. He didn't even try to push him away. So Sho got even closer and pressed his lips quickly on Nino's, worried that if he stopped to think, he would get too scared to do it.
Nino let out a small sound of surprise and Sho could feel him tensing. Sho waited for a reaction, any reaction really, so he kept his lips on Nino's, not moving. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was sure that his whole face was completely red. Few incredibly long seconds passed and Nino still wasn't responding. Sho had been able to gather some courage and he opened his mouth, taking Nino's lower lip between his lips, sucking lightly. Nino's hands went up to Sho's shoulders and he answered the kiss for a brief moment, his lips moving against Sho's, sending shivers running down his spine.
Then Nino moved his head to the side and away and the small flash of happiness vanished, leaving Sho's head buzzing. "I really like you, you know," Sho whispered, feeling his cheeks heat up again.
Nino drew a deep breath and didn't look Sho in the eye. He had suspected it before, but now he was sure he was going to get rejected. Nino didn't smile. Sho had been preparing himself for this, but the look in Nino's eyes still stung.
"I like Ohno," Nino whispered.
That wasn't what he had been expecting. He took a step back in confusion. "You... like... Ohno," he repeated, keeping his voice as low as Nino's.
"...Yeah."
Sho didn't know what to say. He had no idea how to react in a situation like this. All he could think of was: "Why?"
Nino sighed softly. "Like I could give you a reason. But Ohno is the most interesting person I've ever met."
"What about him?" Sho asked then. He wasn't sure why it mattered to him, but he wanted to know. "Does he like you?"
Nino didn't answer. He just laughed and turned away from Sho. Sho reached out for him but the way Nino jerked away from his hand made him back away again.
"It doesn't matter," Nino said. "None of this matters anymore."
"Why?" Sho asked again, now slightly alarmed. What was Nino talking about?
Nino just shook his head and returned to his futon, pulling the covers over his head.
When Sho returned from the bathroom, Nino seemed to be asleep already and Aiba had rolled from his futon on to Sho's, unmovable and drooling on his pillow. So Sho moved to lay on Aiba's futon instead, trying to sleep, even if he knew it was useless.