Arashi - AU - Thank You for the Rain - 23/30
Title: Thank You for the Rain
Chapter: 23
Fandom: Arashi
Pairing: sho/nino, nino/ohno, ohno/sho, tba
Word count: 2169
Notes: Long time without an update. I hope you haven't completely forgotten about this yet.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | e1 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | e2 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22
23. Ohno: Slow.
Nino was already waiting for him at the train station when Ohno trudged there after getting his things from home. He wondered how Nino had been able to be so quick, but the thought of Nino hurrying for him somehow made him happy. But feeling like this when he saw Nino just made him even more confused than he already was.
After kissing Nino Ohno had somehow become more aware of him, like every move he made, every time they touched, even when it was just a casual brush of shoulders, everything Nino did had now more significance to Ohno. He hadn't meant to, but when even a simple brush of shoulders made his heart start beating faster in his chest, he had started to shy away from Nino's touch. Just to keep his sanity. And if his heart started beating faster, he could also do something revealing and the others would pick up on it. And if the others found out, anyone could find out. Ohno wasn't quite ready for something like that. The people at school already thought he was weird.
He didn't even want to think about Morita and Sakamoto.
"Got everything?" Nino asked cheerfully.
Ohno nodded.
"Let's go then. The train's going to be here soon," Nino said and moved slightly closer. Ohno took a subtle step back.
"I've never slept over at someone else's home before," he confessed when they were sitting in the train. Nino's thigh was pressed comfortably against his and it was hard to concentrate on anything else. Still, Ohno couldn't pull away. It was strange how he wanted to get closer to Nino and at the same time wanted to get away from him.
"Really?" Nino asked, amused. "Don't worry, if you get homesick I can comfort you," he grinned, making Ohno's heart skip a beat. His ears felt hot and he wished that his whole face wasn't red. He wished that Nino would stop joking about things like that.
He kept a distance between them when they walked the short way from the station to Jun's home. He wondered if Nino wanted to hold his hand and the thought made him anxious but it also made him hope for it. But they were in public and anyone could see. He had no doubts when it came to wanting to kiss Nino or to keep him close when they were alone. Walking down a street holding hands was completely different. He couldn't tell Nino that, though. Nino would think that he was stupid. Nino didn't care about what other people thought while Ohno couldn't stop worrying about it.
Ohno wondered when he could ask Nino to visit him again. He had liked having Nino around, even before there had been the possibility of kissing.
"Ohno?" Nino said suddenly, his voice low, like he was going to tell a secret.
"Hm?"
"Can I sleep next to you tonight?" Nino asked, not looking at Ohno.
"Huh?" To his surprise, Ohno realized that he hadn't even considered any other option. Nino gave him a quick sideways glance and Ohno thought that he looked worried. "Of course," he said, nodding and fixing his eyes somewhere around the rooftops of the nearby houses.
Nino opened his mouth, about to say something (and Ohno couldn't really explain how he was able to see it when he was definitely not looking at Nino right then) but then decided not to and just smiled at Ohno. "Okay."
There was a new tight knot in the pit of Ohno's stomach now. And it was stupid - he was stupid - he would only be sleeping next to Nino; it was nothing that exciting, but Ohno couldn't shake the feeling.
When they arrived at Jun's house, they were greeted by an enthusiastic but slightly nervous Jun.
"You're the first ones here. I bet Aiba's gotten lost."
"My mom says hi," Ohno said and handed over the plastic bag he had been carrying. "She made those for us."
"Ooh, food! Thanks!" Jun smiled to him and took the offered bag. "I'll take these to the kitchen. You can go to the living room. It's just through there," Jun nodded towards a doorway behind him.
"Jun. Your house is huge," Nino said when Jun joined them in the living room. "I've never lived in a house. I've only lived in apartments. I want to live in a house."
Nino scooted closer to Ohno on the couch, giving Jun a little more sitting space than was really necessary for a small boy like him. Ohno didn't mind, since Nino felt comfortable against his side and Jun didn't seem to notice anything unusual about it.
They hadn't been sitting there for long when the doorbell rang. Jun jumped up immediately and hurried to the door. Nino glanced at Ohno and grinned, getting up slower. "I think Jun's acting a bit twitchy. I wonder what's gotten into him..." he drawled, raising his eyebrows, amused. He offered a hand to Ohno, who took it and allowed himself to be pulled up from the couch. Nino didn't let go but Ohno pulled his hand away before they reached Jun, Sho and a cheerfully chattering Aiba.
~
It was his own fault. If he was better at reading the atmosphere he wouldn't have gone to the bathroom before they started to watch the movie. But he hadn't even thought about it. He had gotten up and walked to the bathroom and now, when he came back, he found Sho sitting on the couch next to Nino. He almost told Sho to go sit somewhere else, but that would have been weird. Then he wished that Nino would shoo Sho away, but he didn't. So Ohno sat on the floor next to Aiba, trying not to feel disappointed over something like that, and forced his whole attention to the movie.
The movie was noisy and didn't make much sense but somehow it fit his mood and he actually got into it, forgetting about his problems for a while. Then Sho dragged him back into reality with his announcement.
Of course Sho spending more time with them made him happy, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to show the right amount of enthusiasm about the news. So he let Aiba, Jun and Nino get noisy and just watched from where he sat on the floor.
Ohno watched how Nino relaxed against Sho when Aiba pushed him there. He wasn't prepared for the sharp pang of jealousy he felt when Sho looked down at Nino and smiled. Was Sho looking at Nino somehow differently? Ohno wasn't sure what made him suspicious, but something in Sho's behaviour was... strange. And when Sho caught him looking, he seemed guilty. Sho's expression made him restless.
They were two of his best friends and they had seemed to dislike each other at first. He had wanted them to get along. But that had been before... Now, he didn't want Sho looking at Nino like that. And Nino looked so comfortable there, against Sho. Like he belonged there.
Ohno turned his eyes away from them.
Then Nino let out a surprised yell and Ohno's eyes snapped back.
"Aiba you idiot, you kicked me!" Nino complained, getting on his feet and walking to Ohno. "I'm going to get a huge bruise on my leg!" he moaned, sitting next to him on the floor.
"There, there," Ohno muttered, patting Nino on the knee, because he needed to establish some connection between them again. It felt like Nino had been too far away for too long. Still, he didn't let his touch linger longer than was necessary. But Nino inched slightly closer and bumped his knee against Ohno's, making his heart flip in his chest.
"Look on the bright side," Jun said. "At least now it'll match your face."
"Do you want to have one of your own?" Nino asked casually from Jun.
Ohno frowned. The others hadn't asked about the black eye and Ohno had already thought that they wouldn't bring it up at all. He had been glad about it since it really had been his fault that Nino was hurt. And if Nino had wanted to tell them what had happened, he would have already told them everything. He hadn't. "Uh, let's just finish the movie," he said hurriedly. Judging by the expressions on Jun's and Nino's faces, a real fight wasn't far away. Ohno really wanted to avoid that as much as he could. "I want to see what happens next."
The rest of the movie was lost on Ohno. Nino had gradually gotten closer to him on the floor and moved his arm so that it was out of the sight of the others, between Ohno's back and the couch. Nino's fingers found bare skin between the waist of his jeans and the hem of his shirt and kept stroking there gently, sliding his fingers against Ohno's skin. It was very distracting. Ohno wasn't sure if he wanted to lean closer to Nino or get as far away from him as he could. He was relieved when Aiba made them spread out their futons on the floor and he could move away from Nino for a while.
He just needed to get his heart rate back to normal. He walked to the kitchen, thinking of getting something to drink. All this worrying was making him feel thirsty. He got himself a glass of water and when he turned around, he saw Nino leaning against the counter opposite of him, watching him with a peculiar expression on his face. Nino's eyes looked dark and serious. Ohno offered a shaky smile to him and took a sip of water from his glass.
"I want to kiss you," Nino said and Ohno almost choked on his water.
"What? Now?" he asked stupidly and watched how Nino smiled and took a step closer to him. Ohno's cheeks felt hot and he knew he was blushing, but he didn't say anything. He just kept watching how Nino got closer and closer until he was able to put his hands on Ohno's waist and Ohno could feel his breath on his skin, but he couldn't think about anything else than "what if someone walks in right now?" so he let out a nervous laugh and wriggled his way out of Nino's arms. "I'm, um, going to help Aiba with the futons," he mumbled, not daring to lift his eyes to look at Nino, and fled the kitchen.
~
Ohno woke up when Nino got up, but he didn't stir, wishing that he could just go back to sleep. But his thoughts snapped right back to where they had been when they had went to sleep. Did he really like Nino? His skin kept tingling every time Nino touched him, and the close proximity of the younger boy made his heart flutter nervously. He almost squirmed when he remembered the feel of Nino's hand on his lower back and Nino's fingers stroking his skin there. Ohno rolled around and pulled his covers over his head. He liked the feeling of Nino touching him, but he couldn't decide if it was because of the touch or because of Nino.
He heard Sho groan in his sleep and then there was a change. Ohno was sure Sho was now awake, and the rustle of the sheets confirmed it.
Ohno peeked from under his covers to see Sho head for the bathroom. He was about to go back to sleep when he heard a muffled squeak from the living room doorway and a surprised whisper from Nino. He couldn't hear what they were talking about but he could see it when the silhouette of Sho moved, pushing Nino backwards, against the wall. For a moment Ohno thought they were fighting, but Sho didn't stop moving until his lips touched Nino's.
The thud his heart made in his chest echoed in his ears, deafening.
He counted four heartbeats and still the two shadows in the doorway stayed close. Nino wasn't protesting. His hands went up to rest on Sho's shoulders, and still Nino wasn't pushing him away.
Ohno squeezed his eyes closed and pulled the covers back over his head. He didn't want to watch anymore. It felt like something was carving him hollow. He wanted to know why Nino now wanted to kiss Sho and not him. Was it because he had been too slow? Or too distant when Nino had tried to kiss him earlier? Was it because Sho was better looking and funnier and friendlier and cleverer? Of course it was. Of course Nino liked Sho better than him - everyone liked Sho. And no one ever liked him.
Ohno bit his lip not to let out a sob. He wasn't going to cry over something like this. It was his own fault for believing stupidly that maybe Nino had liked him more than he liked anyone else.
Ohno wanted to go home.
Chapter: 23
Fandom: Arashi
Pairing: sho/nino, nino/ohno, ohno/sho, tba
Word count: 2169
Notes: Long time without an update. I hope you haven't completely forgotten about this yet.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | e1 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | e2 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22
23. Ohno: Slow.
Nino was already waiting for him at the train station when Ohno trudged there after getting his things from home. He wondered how Nino had been able to be so quick, but the thought of Nino hurrying for him somehow made him happy. But feeling like this when he saw Nino just made him even more confused than he already was.
After kissing Nino Ohno had somehow become more aware of him, like every move he made, every time they touched, even when it was just a casual brush of shoulders, everything Nino did had now more significance to Ohno. He hadn't meant to, but when even a simple brush of shoulders made his heart start beating faster in his chest, he had started to shy away from Nino's touch. Just to keep his sanity. And if his heart started beating faster, he could also do something revealing and the others would pick up on it. And if the others found out, anyone could find out. Ohno wasn't quite ready for something like that. The people at school already thought he was weird.
He didn't even want to think about Morita and Sakamoto.
"Got everything?" Nino asked cheerfully.
Ohno nodded.
"Let's go then. The train's going to be here soon," Nino said and moved slightly closer. Ohno took a subtle step back.
"I've never slept over at someone else's home before," he confessed when they were sitting in the train. Nino's thigh was pressed comfortably against his and it was hard to concentrate on anything else. Still, Ohno couldn't pull away. It was strange how he wanted to get closer to Nino and at the same time wanted to get away from him.
"Really?" Nino asked, amused. "Don't worry, if you get homesick I can comfort you," he grinned, making Ohno's heart skip a beat. His ears felt hot and he wished that his whole face wasn't red. He wished that Nino would stop joking about things like that.
He kept a distance between them when they walked the short way from the station to Jun's home. He wondered if Nino wanted to hold his hand and the thought made him anxious but it also made him hope for it. But they were in public and anyone could see. He had no doubts when it came to wanting to kiss Nino or to keep him close when they were alone. Walking down a street holding hands was completely different. He couldn't tell Nino that, though. Nino would think that he was stupid. Nino didn't care about what other people thought while Ohno couldn't stop worrying about it.
Ohno wondered when he could ask Nino to visit him again. He had liked having Nino around, even before there had been the possibility of kissing.
"Ohno?" Nino said suddenly, his voice low, like he was going to tell a secret.
"Hm?"
"Can I sleep next to you tonight?" Nino asked, not looking at Ohno.
"Huh?" To his surprise, Ohno realized that he hadn't even considered any other option. Nino gave him a quick sideways glance and Ohno thought that he looked worried. "Of course," he said, nodding and fixing his eyes somewhere around the rooftops of the nearby houses.
Nino opened his mouth, about to say something (and Ohno couldn't really explain how he was able to see it when he was definitely not looking at Nino right then) but then decided not to and just smiled at Ohno. "Okay."
There was a new tight knot in the pit of Ohno's stomach now. And it was stupid - he was stupid - he would only be sleeping next to Nino; it was nothing that exciting, but Ohno couldn't shake the feeling.
When they arrived at Jun's house, they were greeted by an enthusiastic but slightly nervous Jun.
"You're the first ones here. I bet Aiba's gotten lost."
"My mom says hi," Ohno said and handed over the plastic bag he had been carrying. "She made those for us."
"Ooh, food! Thanks!" Jun smiled to him and took the offered bag. "I'll take these to the kitchen. You can go to the living room. It's just through there," Jun nodded towards a doorway behind him.
"Jun. Your house is huge," Nino said when Jun joined them in the living room. "I've never lived in a house. I've only lived in apartments. I want to live in a house."
Nino scooted closer to Ohno on the couch, giving Jun a little more sitting space than was really necessary for a small boy like him. Ohno didn't mind, since Nino felt comfortable against his side and Jun didn't seem to notice anything unusual about it.
They hadn't been sitting there for long when the doorbell rang. Jun jumped up immediately and hurried to the door. Nino glanced at Ohno and grinned, getting up slower. "I think Jun's acting a bit twitchy. I wonder what's gotten into him..." he drawled, raising his eyebrows, amused. He offered a hand to Ohno, who took it and allowed himself to be pulled up from the couch. Nino didn't let go but Ohno pulled his hand away before they reached Jun, Sho and a cheerfully chattering Aiba.
~
It was his own fault. If he was better at reading the atmosphere he wouldn't have gone to the bathroom before they started to watch the movie. But he hadn't even thought about it. He had gotten up and walked to the bathroom and now, when he came back, he found Sho sitting on the couch next to Nino. He almost told Sho to go sit somewhere else, but that would have been weird. Then he wished that Nino would shoo Sho away, but he didn't. So Ohno sat on the floor next to Aiba, trying not to feel disappointed over something like that, and forced his whole attention to the movie.
The movie was noisy and didn't make much sense but somehow it fit his mood and he actually got into it, forgetting about his problems for a while. Then Sho dragged him back into reality with his announcement.
Of course Sho spending more time with them made him happy, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to show the right amount of enthusiasm about the news. So he let Aiba, Jun and Nino get noisy and just watched from where he sat on the floor.
Ohno watched how Nino relaxed against Sho when Aiba pushed him there. He wasn't prepared for the sharp pang of jealousy he felt when Sho looked down at Nino and smiled. Was Sho looking at Nino somehow differently? Ohno wasn't sure what made him suspicious, but something in Sho's behaviour was... strange. And when Sho caught him looking, he seemed guilty. Sho's expression made him restless.
They were two of his best friends and they had seemed to dislike each other at first. He had wanted them to get along. But that had been before... Now, he didn't want Sho looking at Nino like that. And Nino looked so comfortable there, against Sho. Like he belonged there.
Ohno turned his eyes away from them.
Then Nino let out a surprised yell and Ohno's eyes snapped back.
"Aiba you idiot, you kicked me!" Nino complained, getting on his feet and walking to Ohno. "I'm going to get a huge bruise on my leg!" he moaned, sitting next to him on the floor.
"There, there," Ohno muttered, patting Nino on the knee, because he needed to establish some connection between them again. It felt like Nino had been too far away for too long. Still, he didn't let his touch linger longer than was necessary. But Nino inched slightly closer and bumped his knee against Ohno's, making his heart flip in his chest.
"Look on the bright side," Jun said. "At least now it'll match your face."
"Do you want to have one of your own?" Nino asked casually from Jun.
Ohno frowned. The others hadn't asked about the black eye and Ohno had already thought that they wouldn't bring it up at all. He had been glad about it since it really had been his fault that Nino was hurt. And if Nino had wanted to tell them what had happened, he would have already told them everything. He hadn't. "Uh, let's just finish the movie," he said hurriedly. Judging by the expressions on Jun's and Nino's faces, a real fight wasn't far away. Ohno really wanted to avoid that as much as he could. "I want to see what happens next."
The rest of the movie was lost on Ohno. Nino had gradually gotten closer to him on the floor and moved his arm so that it was out of the sight of the others, between Ohno's back and the couch. Nino's fingers found bare skin between the waist of his jeans and the hem of his shirt and kept stroking there gently, sliding his fingers against Ohno's skin. It was very distracting. Ohno wasn't sure if he wanted to lean closer to Nino or get as far away from him as he could. He was relieved when Aiba made them spread out their futons on the floor and he could move away from Nino for a while.
He just needed to get his heart rate back to normal. He walked to the kitchen, thinking of getting something to drink. All this worrying was making him feel thirsty. He got himself a glass of water and when he turned around, he saw Nino leaning against the counter opposite of him, watching him with a peculiar expression on his face. Nino's eyes looked dark and serious. Ohno offered a shaky smile to him and took a sip of water from his glass.
"I want to kiss you," Nino said and Ohno almost choked on his water.
"What? Now?" he asked stupidly and watched how Nino smiled and took a step closer to him. Ohno's cheeks felt hot and he knew he was blushing, but he didn't say anything. He just kept watching how Nino got closer and closer until he was able to put his hands on Ohno's waist and Ohno could feel his breath on his skin, but he couldn't think about anything else than "what if someone walks in right now?" so he let out a nervous laugh and wriggled his way out of Nino's arms. "I'm, um, going to help Aiba with the futons," he mumbled, not daring to lift his eyes to look at Nino, and fled the kitchen.
~
Ohno woke up when Nino got up, but he didn't stir, wishing that he could just go back to sleep. But his thoughts snapped right back to where they had been when they had went to sleep. Did he really like Nino? His skin kept tingling every time Nino touched him, and the close proximity of the younger boy made his heart flutter nervously. He almost squirmed when he remembered the feel of Nino's hand on his lower back and Nino's fingers stroking his skin there. Ohno rolled around and pulled his covers over his head. He liked the feeling of Nino touching him, but he couldn't decide if it was because of the touch or because of Nino.
He heard Sho groan in his sleep and then there was a change. Ohno was sure Sho was now awake, and the rustle of the sheets confirmed it.
Ohno peeked from under his covers to see Sho head for the bathroom. He was about to go back to sleep when he heard a muffled squeak from the living room doorway and a surprised whisper from Nino. He couldn't hear what they were talking about but he could see it when the silhouette of Sho moved, pushing Nino backwards, against the wall. For a moment Ohno thought they were fighting, but Sho didn't stop moving until his lips touched Nino's.
The thud his heart made in his chest echoed in his ears, deafening.
He counted four heartbeats and still the two shadows in the doorway stayed close. Nino wasn't protesting. His hands went up to rest on Sho's shoulders, and still Nino wasn't pushing him away.
Ohno squeezed his eyes closed and pulled the covers back over his head. He didn't want to watch anymore. It felt like something was carving him hollow. He wanted to know why Nino now wanted to kiss Sho and not him. Was it because he had been too slow? Or too distant when Nino had tried to kiss him earlier? Was it because Sho was better looking and funnier and friendlier and cleverer? Of course it was. Of course Nino liked Sho better than him - everyone liked Sho. And no one ever liked him.
Ohno bit his lip not to let out a sob. He wasn't going to cry over something like this. It was his own fault for believing stupidly that maybe Nino had liked him more than he liked anyone else.
Ohno wanted to go home.