Setback
Title: Setback
Rating: PG13-ish
Pairing: OT5, Nino/Arashi
Disclaimer: I guess Johnny’s technically owns Arashi, huh? Not me.
Summary: Nino doesn't want to bring Arashi down, but Arashi doesn't want to lose him either.
Notes: This is a fic trade with alexxasick who asked for Nino-centric OT5-ness. :D Actually this was also an excuse for me to write Arashi dating each other in a slightly doctoggy-like style. Not betaed and slightly AU (set a few years back).
Nino had managed to make it through another filming of VS, but he knew it was only a matter of time until he wouldn’t be able to. He didn’t have the time to go to a doctor or something, though, and he didn’t want to take work off to do so because then Arashi would know, and that was the last thing he wanted. He didn’t need his dear friends worrying over him when they all had full schedules, just like he did (and sometimes even fuller than his own), so he would just put up with the pain and hope that it would go away.
Even though he knew that wasn’t going to happen, and that waiting might even be dangerous.
But Nino felt like he didn’t have a choice, so he waited.
The other members were already giving him suspicious looks as they walked off set, and Nino tried to force a smile, but all he could think about was his pain killer back in the break room, so he didn’t even notice that their Leader was the only one with him when they finally managed to retreat.
Ohno watched attentively when Nino grabbed the bottle from his bag and basically tore the cap off, but he was desperate enough not to care, wanting to feel better for the group date they had planned after this, something he had been looking forward to for weeks.
“I’m fine,” he answered after taking a swallow out of his water bottle, because he knew the question was coming and it was better to get over the topic before the others caught up to them and got more nosy than Oh-chan was. “I just hit my thumb weird today-it’s not anything that will affect my performance tonight, okay?” Even as the lie came out his back twinged sharply as if to reprimand him for it, and remind him of the truth.
“Nino, I don’t think that’s the problem…” Ohno replied tentatively, biting his lip, and Nino turned to face him (trying not to let his eyes pinch up like they were about to), taking the older man by the shoulders and attempting to give him a believable look.
But before he could get anything out, Sho and Aiba were standing in the doorway, looking like Nino wasn’t fooling anyone, and that made him even more nervous (since Aiba hardly ever seemed that sober).
“You do realize there was a reason I volunteered for Cliff Climb, right?” Sho asked, folding his arms and looking almost more angry than worried. Actually, Nino had simply thought that had been luck on his side, and the realization that he was wrong made him start to sweat much more than he already was, since the pain medicine wouldn’t kick in for a few more minutes.
He turned away to try to hide his expression, but ended up feeling another jolt of pain for his trouble and actually winced this time, although he prayed that his face was concealed enough to hide it from the other three idols.
“I promise I’m fine,” he mumbled, though he knew that Sho, at least, wasn’t going to believe him. Jun was going to be the real stickler, though, if he came back before this all got resolved.
And of course he did. Even worse, because Nino’s manager was right behind him.
Nino stared at them with wide eyes, already knowing where this was going before they said anything.
“Matsu-“ he started desperately, already jumping right to begging him, since that always worked the fastest (although Nino hated to beg, but then again, he hated missing nights with the other members even more). But, of course, the younger man cut in with a hard glare and lowered eyebrows.
“I thought you would take care of it yourself, so I didn’t push you. But obviously I was wrong.”
Nino’s eyes widened a bit at the realization that Jun knew about his back problem, and then it hit him (hard) that all of them must have known.
His manager, just as sober and unmoving as the rest of Arashi, stepped forward to stand next to Jun and solemnly said, “I’ll take you to the hospital now.”
With a look at him as he stepped forward, Nino quickly changed his gaze to Jun (the one who was really in charge of this situation; if he let it drop, his manager would too), and pulled him by the arm farther into the room so they could whisper in the corner without being overheard.
“I’m not missing tonight, Jun,” he said in a desperate low voice. “It’s been a fucking month since I’ve been with any of you.”
Jun appeared not to care.
He waited for the next argument, but Nino didn’t have anything else but the obvious: screwing up his schedule, chances of rumors, hospital bills, etc. And none of those mattered nearly as much to him as losing the next few hours.
When nothing came back, Jun finally replied, his eyes turning slightly more compassionate than before. “We canceled already, Kazunari. We all agreed that you’re more important in the long run than whatever would happen tonight.”
Nino’s eyes watered up, although he couldn’t tell for which reason exactly, and this time he didn’t resist when Jun handed him his bag and pulled him back towards the door, right to his manager who patted his shoulder gently before leading him out of the room.
He didn’t look back, unable to stand the painful look in his friends’ eyes.
+++
As expected, he had been at the hospital most of the night as they took various scans and x-rays, but in the end he was only recommended bed-rest and given a slightly stronger painkiller than his current one. It was probably worth it, as Johnny’s would need proof that he had been to a doctor, and Nino had enough vacation days saved up to last (he never used them, although he had been hoarding them in hopes of something bigger and maybe with four other people along). The real question was, would he really get better with just that?
There were a few other recommendations, like the fact that his manager had bought him a heat pad, and there were some stretching exercises that were a joke, because Nino did those and a million others simply to warm up for a dance practice, and massages, although Nino wasn’t allowed out of his apartment (mostly by Jun, but partly because of the doctor) and he wasn’t willing to let a stranger in no matter how God-like their hands were.
So the next day Nino could be found in his bed, sweating like crazy under the blankets with a heat pad on his back, playing his DS, which he had had to plug into an outlet more than an hour ago before the battery had run out on him. That’s how Sho found him, unwashed and cranky, not to mention pissed off at the world for making things come to this.
He pulled up a chair and ended up waiting patiently by his side for fifteen minutes until Nino finally glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, almost guiltily, played for another five minutes, then turned it off and proceeded to stare at his feet that were only small mounds of blanket at the bottom of his bed.
“I have your new schedule,” Sho started with gently, and Nino only frowned deeper. “I bought a planner and wrote in all the times for you. For all the jobs we’ve required a thirty minute break every three hours as well as a bed or couch for you to lay on, so those are scheduled as well. I managed to get all the full days off for you I could, but there were some things that were too important.”
Sho looked from Nino down to the leather bound book he had been carrying, and opened it up to check what was written on a few of the pages, barely catching any of Nino’s attention (and that was mostly just because he was wondering when he was going to stop talking about it and change to a more important topic, like what had happened last night without Nino).
“Of course when you’re with us we’ll make sure you don’t push yourself, so all of our variety shows are still on, although a little delayed, but your new commercial was pushed back until next month luckily enough. And your manager is going to drive you everywhere you have to go, so you don’t have to drive yourself, or worry about parking.”
After a checking a few more things silently (Nino knew that Sho had probably checked the thing seven or eight times already to make sure it was all right, and even though that effort made him feel a little fuzzy on the inside, Nino also wished he would have done something for himself with that same time), he finally closed the schedule book and handed it over to Nino, who didn’t take it, so Sho ended up sitting it on his lap instead, not put off at all with his pouting.
There was silence for a few minutes as Sho watched Nino who watched his feet, and finally when it seemed right, Nino gave in and asked the question that he had been dying to since before he had even taken one step into the hospital.
“So… you guys really didn’t get together last night?” Of course he didn’t want to be left out, but it was rare for them to all have a time slot open at the same time, so he also hoped that they had done something, just to make use of the opportunity.
But maybe the feeling of wanting to be included was stronger.
Sho sighed once before he replied in a light but chiding voice, “You know we didn’t. We were too worried about you to do anything even if we had wanted to anyway.”
As intended, Nino felt ashamed, but this was exactly the reason he had put off getting his back taken care of for so long. He didn’t want to disappoint anyone, and he didn’t want to disrupt his life either.
After a few more minutes Sho asked less confidently, “You are okay, right?”
Nino finally met his gaze, all animosity melting, and he reached out to touch his friend on the knee, the only part he could reach in this position without moving. But Sho gripped his hand tightly, and Nino pulled him closer so that he was almost out of his seat.
“I’m really okay, Sho-chan. I’ll rest like they told me to,” he conceded in a soft voice. It was the least he could do for causing the rest of them so much trouble.
Finally, Sho shifted to sit on the bed, although there was barely room for him next to Nino, and took the smaller hand in both of his own. “Tell me what they said. Everything.”
And he did. About every scan and every poke, and every word the doctor had uttered although there was really no way he had remembered everything, but he tried to because he knew it would put them at ease.
As expected, at the diagnosis that wasn’t really anything, Sho frowned and pushed his hand through his hair in irritation, glancing down in thoughtfulness and furrowing his brows in a way that would usually make Nino smile, except for the fact that this wasn’t really anything to smile over.
“I’m really sorry, Sho-chan,” he whispered after a while, feeling his vision wavering with emotion, but Sho’s eyes shot back to him and he leaned forward, running his hand through Nino’s hair now, which was gross with sweat and grease.
“You need to take care of yourself, Kazu,” came the reply, which was just as soft and heavy with feeling. “We work so much that even the smallest thing could bring us down. You know that.”
Now he really did feel like crying, although he supposed he deserved every word of it.
With another sigh, Sho leaned closer so that his face was next to Nino’s, going out of his way to avoid putting any pressure on the smaller man, and he closed his eyes for just a second.
“We can’t lose you, Kazu. So don’t take this lightly.”
Nino managed a small nod and sniffed, feeling so small under his pile of blankets with an aching back.
“Promise me you’ll properly recover,” Sho insisted when there was no verbal reply, both hands now holding Nino’s face firmly, his thumbs brushing his eyes lightly to wipe away anything that might have formed there.
“I promise,” Nino squeaked back, covering Sho’s hands with his own. “Now you’d better kiss me,” he managed to get out in a snarky tone, recovering a little, “Or I’m not going to use that schedule book that you spent way too much money on.”
Sho smirked back at him. “I bought an expensive one because I knew you wouldn’t throw it away, you old miser,” he explained in an amused voice, but leaned forward to kiss him anyway, and Nino was glad at least that part of their private life wasn’t affected by his bad back. Although the thought of not getting laid for another month or longer was painful just to think about.
Transferring his hands to Sho’s face, Nino kept him close and Sho let him deepen the kiss, so Nino took everything he could in the sparse few minutes that they had (because Sho was too busy to stay for long, and since it was still only early evening that no doubt meant he had stopped between appointments) and was glad he did, since that really was the most he got for a while.
+++
It was about a week after the hospital visit and Aiba was coming over tonight to give Nino a massage, which meant two things: one, he could finally have a massage, and two, Nino might be able to get a little action, since Aiba was pretty easy to get worked up, and less strict than either Jun or Sho.
He wasn’t sure whether Aiba had taken the afternoon off intentionally or if he had simply been lucky, but the older man showed up in the late afternoon with plenty of food (most of it instant, thank God) and bentos, which they ate for dinner before Aiba took over Nino’s bedroom, lighting candles, playing soft music on his computer, and laying towels all over his bed.
“Okay, Nino! I’m ready!” he called out, and Nino managed to pull himself off of the couch slowly despite how much he had been looking forward to his second visitor. (Of course Arashi had had filming and they had all coddled him during the whole thing, but that was different than being alone with any or all of them.)
As expected, everything appeared to be a mess, but Nino was willing to look past this for the time being (in fact, his room often got messed up with Aiba came over), and instead made his way to the man himself, who was dressed in only a short sleeved t-shirt and sweat pants. He reached for him in hopes of starting something quickly, but Aiba giggled and shook his head.
“Take off all your clothes and lay down on the bed while I finish getting ready. On your stomach,” he directly lightly, then turned away to where several bottles were waiting on a table in the corner. Nino didn’t see any lubricant, but he supposed massage oil worked just as well.
He began taking his clothes off (he had dressed up for Aiba, since he had only had work three times in the past week, wearing his favorite skinny jeans that showed off his legs and a shirt than hung low on his collar), and even went as far to remove his underwear just to make things simpler. Although Sho had warned him about taking it easy, he’d been doing so for a week, and he knew Aiba would be gentle with him.
Once Nino settled into his bed, on top of the towels which seemed to be placed so that nothing would get on his sheets (which he was gracious for, even if he didn’t and would never say so), and laid his head against the pillow, closing his eyes automatically. Now the soft music was obvious, since Aiba wasn’t making much noise himself, and the gentle smell of the candles was just right, making Nino wonder how his friend had been able to plan everything so perfectly. As far as he knew Aiba didn’t do this on a regular basis (although he was infamous for his touchy-feely massages, even if sometimes those were more for Aiba than whoever he had chosen to give them to), so he had obviously gone out of his way for Nino tonight.
“Is it warm enough?” Aiba’s voice mixed in the music so melodiously that he almost didn’t process the question correctly. It was plenty warm, since Aiba had turned up the heat beforehand, and it was about to get hotter if Nino had any say in things.
“Mm,” was all he mumbled back, and he felt Aiba approach him before a warm hand slicked with oil gently slid across his shoulder.
“Let me know if you want anything. Remember, this is for you to relax, Kazu.”
Nino would certainly let him know when he wanted more, and he knew just how to push Aiba’s buttons to get his way too, but he wanted the massage first, so he wasn’t going to go there quite yet.
So he stayed silent and allowed Masaki to work his magic on him, starting with a firm massage of his shoulders and arms, lathering the oil on so that he was warm even when his hands weren’t touching him. He was cautious with Nino’s back at first, working his side muscles more before moving his way downward, kneaded his ass for a few minutes before thoroughly taking care of each leg and foot, then moved back up his spine once more, taking time there and relaxing Nino more than he had felt in a very long time.
Before long his conscious started fading, lulled by the soft music of the beach and Masaki’s occasional humming, and warmed by the oil and familiar hands, and without meaning to, he completely drifted off to sleep.
Aiba didn’t stop when he realized it, just used the opportunity to massage a few more spots that he was worried about, and even when he was finished, Nino didn’t wake up.
He looked so cute like that, his lips slightly parted and nose red from heat, plus he probably needed the rest anyway, so Aiba left him with only a chaste kiss on the fore head (even though he had actually been hoping for a little action too, mostly because he knew that Nino had been without any for a while and that he needed it). After covering him with another large towel (he would probably get mad at him later for using them all, but it had saved him a lot of stains, so it was better than how it would have ended otherwise) and a spare blanket from the closet, Aiba killed time putting things away in the kitchen and watching TV for almost an hour before it was obvious that Nino wasn’t going to wake up again.
But not wanting to leave suddenly, he wrote a note on a piece of paper along with a half-assed drawing of Mario (since that was the closest video game around) telling Nino how much he loved him and to email him when he could, and to take care of himself. He was sure that Sho had covered that enough, but it never hurt to convey his own worries.
+++
The bed rest had done some good, but he still wasn’t recovering as quickly as they would have liked, so Jun took a day off himself and insisted on bringing Nino to his chiropractor, who also happened to know acupuncture.
Actually, he didn’t really want to go, partly because he didn’t think he needed to and mostly because he didn’t trust chiropractors with their weird twisting and jerking and dangerous neck-breaking sort of practices. And don’t even get him started on needles.
But Jun insisted and even came to pick him up, so Nino went and even behaved (besides complaining the whole way) because when he demanded that Jun hold his hand, he did, and when he could barely stand to get up out of the chair (not only his back, but his whole body aching), Jun was there to support him. Jun paid for the visit and for takeout (no eating out since Nino was supposed to stay at home, and thank God for that, because he didn’t think he could anything but lay down right now), and babied Nino back to his apartment and into his bed with a cold pack this time, which moved from his back to his shoulder to his neck and back down to his back again, trying to cover all the areas that hurt.
“I can’t believe you made me do that,” he pretended to sniff, even though his pout was genuine enough, and allowed Jun to feed him in an attempt to make him feel better. He had been putting his foot down for a few weeks now, so it was no surprise that he was finally giving in and spoiling Nino a bit to try to make up for being so mean before.
“You’ll feel better when the pain wears off,” Jun countered lightly, holding out a chunk of rice with his chopsticks for Nino to eat (and he did, because it was rare for Jun to fall this low for him). “We should go back in a week.”
“Hell no!” he whined in return, although he knew that if Jun persisted that he would. It hadn’t been as bad as he thought it might be, after all.
They bantered back and forth flippantly until they were finished eating, then Jun packed away the rest of the food into the fridge and checked on a few things, but he had the rest of the evening and night with Nino since he had rearranged his other obligations, so he quickly made his way back to his friend’s side, unsure of what to do with himself while he let Nino relax.
After staring at each other in silence for a minute or two, Nino smiled gently and asked sweetly, “How about a massage, Jun-kun?”
With a half smile of his own, the younger man replied, “Are you serious? You know I’m not nearly as talented as Masaki at stuff like that.”
It was true, but Nino countered him simply with, “I just want to feel you.”
That comment seemed to catch Jun by surprise, but his smile widened and he scooted onto the bed, where Nino had left enough room for him, only under one blanket this time (and that was mostly to counter the ice pack, which had made his back completely numb).
“Where do you want to feel me?” Jun teased, and Nino grinned at the first image that came to his mind, but he knew Jun would say no to that right away, so instead he settled on bringing Jun’s hand to his cheek and prompting something from there.
They spent a few minutes with him just leaning over him like that, gently stroking his face and hair with both hands and Nino soaked in the feeling like a dehydrated man would water, since he barely saw any of them on his regular schedule anyway, and even less now that he was at home most of the time. So instead of wasting his afternoon complaining more than he already had, or playing games, or something else that didn’t involve the two of them like this, he was going to enjoy the little that he could.
“Miss you,” Jun eventually whispered, then leaned closer and kissed him lightly on the forehead.
“Miss you too,” he replied and closed his eyes, trying to pull Jun closer although it was obvious that he was being cautious of doing anything that might put pressure on Nino’s back, just like Sho had been.
Eventually they compromised and Jun laid down next to him under the blanket, pressing their legs together and propping himself up with one hand while the other casually ran through Nino’s hair and then down his neck unconsciously. But Nino only lasted a few minutes until he was quivering at the touches, unable to do much in return as they were… not that Jun would let him.
It seemed like Jun was either not thinking or unable to control his own body, though, because his hand brushed across his collar next, Nino’s chest only covered by the plain shirt that he had worn to their appointment, and then lower, eventually tickling his stomach, which turned him on more than distracted him, as it usually would have.
Nino leaned his head into Jun’s, tangling their hair together a bit, and breathed, “Please,” desperately, unwilling to move any other part of his body for fear that the touches would stop. He was already completely hard, even though he had jerked off several times (keeping his back in mind of course), but alone was never as satisfying as if he had Jun, Sho, Ohno, or Aiba with him (or all of them in any combination, and especially when they were able to get together as five).
It was nearing two months now and his addiction hadn’t lessened at all. When he had missed his chance with Aiba he had reprimanded himself for over three days, so there was no way he was letting Jun escape, especially when he had been the one to start it.
“Damn, you’re really worked up,” the sensual voice whispered in his ear, causing another shiver because Nino knew how much Jun liked to see his effect on people, especially them. “Is it really this bad?” he whispered, and Nino wasn’t honestly sure whether he was teasing him or not.
“Please Jun, I need it… something, anything,” he gasped, trying not to wiggle his hips as he felt the hand cautiously touch the band of his sweat pants.
It actually took Jun several seconds to decide (probably via an internal struggle) but he eventually gave in with a warning. “Only if you promise not to move at all.”
Nino laughed breathily. “Sounds like something you’d say even if I wasn’t on probation.”
+++
“Okay, Oh-chan,” Nino said, panting slightly, “I give in. Let’s do it.”
Ohno brightened up. “Really? I’ll call everyone else-“ he started to reply, but Nino pulled his arm a little and shook his head, not quite willing to say what he knew he had to.
“No. You know I can’t handle all of you, one right after another. I’m not that recovered.”
As much as he wanted to.
“But Nino… don’t you want to do this with the others here?” he asked one more time just to make sure, touching the younger man’s cheek lightly, but Nino knew it was just as much Ohno feeling guilty over not sharing as empathy for what Nino was going through, being so long without them.
“I think it’s better this way… I think it’s better with just you, Oh-chan,” he said quietly, then stole a quick kiss before Leader could move away (and he stayed right there for him, matching Nino’s pressure with his own).
“Well, then,” Ohno said quietly as soon as they broke apart, a light flush on his chubby cheeks. “Do you have all your stuff ready to leave in the morning?”
“Just give me a few minutes,” Nino replied, slowly walking into his room to find his overnight bag, and the two of them spent the last remaining (few hours) of the night sleeping together in Nino’s bed.
Early the next morning, they left Nino’s apartment with intertwined hands before the sun even rose, making their way to Ohno’s car, the older man slightly more awake due to his other hobbies which often made him wake up at unbelievable hours. Actually, Leader had been gracious enough to give up one of his hoarded fishing days (he even hoarded them from Arashi) and told Nino he wanted to take him to an onsen hotel in order to speed up his healing (although it wasn’t clear whether this was with Jun’s consent or not). Nino wasn’t actually sure if driving an hour just to get there was worth it when just being with Ohno was enough, but he couldn’t reject him after all the effort he had put into the plans, and it wasn’t like he would have a bad time there.
But he had to be careful. After their last filming they had had a short private meeting that clarified a few things, and gave Nino a bit of motivation as well.
It had been a little over a month since his jobs had been basically cut in half, and although he was feeling much better (Jun insisted it was the chiropractor, but Nino insisted it was love), they were all convinced that he still needed a few weeks before he would be back to his full health (and he knew that even then he’d have four other people breathing down his neck at all hours of the day). So they had come to an agreement.
Nino would have a weekly checkup at his regular physician for three weeks, and if there were no complications, no problems, and most importantly if Nino felt no pain (of course they had promised heavy punishments for lying), they would lift the unintended celibacy ban. Actually, Nino discovered from Jun right after he had given him a little relief that none of them had gotten together even in pairs like they usually would, because they were too worried about Nino and didn’t want to have what they knew he couldn’t. So there was a non-verbal promise for something amazing when he was better, and even if Nino was only watching (he knew they wouldn’t let him do too much), it would be enough.
His first check had come back positive yesterday, the initial hurdle, and Nino was feeling great, but overly cautious because it would be stupid to have something happen now that he had put so much effort into getting better, and with a juicy prize at the end as well.
So he used a small pillow to cushion his back in the passenger’s seat of Ohno’s stylish but small car, and reclined a bit as well, settling in for the hour ride through heavy city traffic. Actually, now that he thought about it, Ohno had probably had to look pretty hard to find one so close, and Nino’s perception of the day suddenly changed a bit.
“There’s Oden for lunch…” Ohno started quietly just as they pulled out onto the street, although Nino could tell he was excited to get out for a while, even if he wasn’t fishing. “And a massage parlor if you feel like it.”
He knew that nothing would ever top Masaki, but it was better than nothing, and helpful for his back anyway, so maybe they would do it together.
“We’ll see,” Nino replied casually as he looked out the window, glad for one advantage of it being early: usually it would take a good hour to get to the highway from here, but instead it only took twenty minutes. The scenery was certainly different when you were moving, comparing to sitting in one place for several minutes before inching forward.
The silence stretched on after that, neither one of them up for much talk even though both were smiling contently and in high spirits, and it gave Nino time to think about what he had almost messed up just because he was too concerned about short term pleasure compared with a lasting relationship between them all.
“Satoshi… Thank you for taking me,” Nino almost whispered, not looking over at the older man because of embarrassment. He was rarely so open, especially with the other members, because he didn’t want to be seen as weak, or worse yet, fawned over because of a slight comment like that, but Ohno was different. Just like now, he would just smile happily and gently pat Nino on the arm as if to say, I know, you don’t have to tell me, and Nino would feel just as warm and fuzzy as if Sho was fussing over him, or Aiba cuddling him, or Jun seducing him.
“But Jun said no ‘funny business,’” Leader suddenly replied in a neutral tone, and Nino let out a genuine, loud laugh that made his cheeks and stomach hurt.
+++
The final doctor’s check had been that morning right before VS Arashi filming and Nino was brimming with enthusiasm. Not only did this mean he could get back on his regular schedule (that was regular, not kill yourself making up for the time you were gone), but he could also resume his group dates with the other member, hopefully starting tonight.
But just because Nino had been looking forward to this day for so long didn’t mean that everything was going to work out perfectly for him, or the others. He knew they had been looking forward to it too, if only because that also meant that Nino was better, but he crashed back to reality from the dream world he’d been living in for recovery when Sho left the green room in a flurry without as much as a word of warning. It had just been an assumption for Nino that as soon as filming was complete that they would all go over to his house, and he stared at the open door in shock for a full five seconds.
“He’s got another appointment,” Jun explained in response to Nino’s questioning look, and Nino tried not to appear too depressed over it, but then Aiba rushed out a few minutes later with a quick wave and kiss for Nino (“I’m glad you’re better, Kazu!”). “Unfortunately I’m leaving as well,” Jun sighed as soon as Masaki was gone. “My manager should be waiting.”
Nino sighed and simply watched with heavy eyes as Jun finished changing his clothes and completed his preparations. Before he left he approached the shorter man and grasped his shoulders lightly, giving him a meaningful look. “I promise we’ll get together soon. When there’s more time.”
There was no reply because Nino didn’t want to make Jun feel worse than he already was, but he didn’t want to concede to being abandoned on his first night free from the restrictions his back had caused either. So he accepted the quick kiss that Jun usually never gave him outside of their own apartments as an apology and let him dart out the door without any qualms, just like the previous two.
Finally he turned to Ohno as if he expected him to leave as well, but Leader only ruffled his hair a little and smiled back, taking Nino’s hand in his.
“Whenever you’re ready. I’m all yours tonight.”
A wave of relief passed through him and Nino sighed before smiling back. It wasn’t about who was there for him, he told himself, it was simply about timing, and he knew that he had already pushed the others as hard as he could when he had been forced to stay at home. They had covered for him, and now he couldn’t repay that kindness by being upset because of one night. There would be other chances, just like Jun had promised.
“Okay. Let’s go home, then.”
Ohno nodded and the two of them collected their belongings and wrapped up everything before leaving through the same door as the previous three.
“Want to get something to eat?” Ohno offered casually when they had only taken a few steps out of the building.
“We’ve never been out together, just the two of us,” Nino said suddenly as realization hit him. “Why break that habit now?” he laughed. “Let’s just have instant ramen at my place.”
Appearing as if that was the best idea in the world, Ohno nodded, but before they got out to his car (Nino still wasn’t allowed to drive) he suddenly looked thoughtful and rubbed his chin, slowing his pace.
“I didn’t bring anything with me today. Mind if we stop by my place first so I can get my clothes and things?” he asked Nino with eyes shining from the lights overhead, and that wasn’t an unusual request, since Ohno was just as forgetful as Aiba was about that sort of thing. (Although Aiba tended to just borrow Nino’s clothes, except he stretched them out and was banned from all but four or five items in the end, whereas Ohno was particular enough that he would rather take the time to go back to his house to get his own things than borrow something. But luckily enough Ohno seemed to realize this situations before they got messy and tired, which was a plus side.)
So they stopped and Ohno’s mother tried to feed them dinner, but Ohno pushed her off by saying they had other plans (although he didn’t mention that it was simply instant ramen). They still left with beer and bags of chips at her insistence, but Nino didn’t mind, even if there was no way that only two of them would make it through the amount she had presented him with.
Dealing with Mrs. Ohno and searching through Ohno’s clothes had costed them an hour, but Nino didn’t mind, easily able to hold himself off for a little longer… after all, he had already waiting this long. The ride to his house was relaxed instead of tense, and now Nino was even debating whether he had the energy to do anything with Oh-chan tonight, other than sit on the couch and snuggle. Maybe he could even hold out for a few more days, until the time where they could all get together came.
“Hey Kazu,” Leader said in his same quiet voice when they were about ready to pull into the parking garage. “I know the doctor said you’re okay, but do you really feel okay? You’re not lying, right?” he asked worriedly, glancing over at the younger man who had been unconsciously giving off a depressed vibe, even though he was trying hard to cheer up and have a good evening with his favorite fisherman.
“Don’t worry, Oh-chan,” he forced his voice to sound energetic. “I’ve rested a lot, and I think that Jun’s ‘alternative medicine’ crap helped a little after all. Besides, you guys seemed to know better than me how I feel,” he finished with an almost bitter laugh.
Ohno frowned but didn’t reply, and in a few minutes they were out of the car and standing in front of Nino’s door.
His own key was buried at the bottom of his messenger bag, so instead he turned to Ohno, who had been fiddling with his set since the car, not putting them away even after five minutes.
“Open the door would you?” Nino smirked, poking him lightly in the side and getting a smile in return for his effort. All of them had each others’ keys because they trusted Arashi with much more than simply their apartments, and they came in handy anyway (much more than times when Nino was just being lazy).
Ohno shuffled up behind him and pressed into Nino’s back, reaching past him to stick his key into the lock and resting his head on Nino’s shoulder along the way, making the younger man chuckle. “Hey, no funny business out here!” he chided, trying to mimic Jun’s voice.
Only a hum of amusement answered him, and the door swung open soon enough, allowing the idols to enter.
It wasn’t until Nino had his shoes off that he noticed two strange things: one, the kitchen light was on, just visible through the crack on the bottom of the door, and two, that there was a nice smell coming from there as well.
He froze, suddenly overwhelmed with the realization, and raised his hands to his eyes as tears suddenly started to form out of nowhere. There was a gentle hand on his shoulder and Ohno was looking at him with a warm gaze lit up by the little light that there was.
“What’s-“ Nino started to ask in a low voice, but it cracked and he couldn’t get the rest of the words out.
Ohno seemed to read his mind as always, though, and replied, “They really did have other things to take care of, but we wouldn’t do that to you, Kazu.” The explanation was obvious, and Nino had even been expecting… no, hoping, desperately hoping, that this would happen, that they had just wanted to surprise him, but it was easier to expect nothing because then he wouldn’t be disappointed when his wish didn’t come true.
As he took a deep breath to steady himself and wiped his face just in case, feeling overwhelmingly happy, Aiba’s high pitched giggle came through the door followed by Jun’s reprimands and Sho’s amused laughter, and Nino pulled Ohno by the hand towards where the others were waiting.
“You guys better not be making a mess!” he called out as he stomped down the hallway, trying to keep a huge smile off of his face as feelings of gratitude washed over him. He wasn't sure how he had gotten so lucky, but he had, and he would do anything he had to in order to keep Arashi.
+++
A/N: This was pretty similar to doctoggy's story, I think, but I couldn't help it! I love that universe! I also feel like it was a short length for the content, so I hope it doesn't seem like it went by too fast. As for the facts of this story... I have nothing. I've heard rumors that Nino had/has a back problem, but I haven't seen any official sources. I thought I would use that as my Nino-centric focal point anyway, so there you are. Cute and fluffy OT5-ness. I keep promising more posts, but I can't seem to get around to it, so I'm sorry. m(__)m
Rating: PG13-ish
Pairing: OT5, Nino/Arashi
Disclaimer: I guess Johnny’s technically owns Arashi, huh? Not me.
Summary: Nino doesn't want to bring Arashi down, but Arashi doesn't want to lose him either.
Notes: This is a fic trade with alexxasick who asked for Nino-centric OT5-ness. :D Actually this was also an excuse for me to write Arashi dating each other in a slightly doctoggy-like style. Not betaed and slightly AU (set a few years back).
Nino had managed to make it through another filming of VS, but he knew it was only a matter of time until he wouldn’t be able to. He didn’t have the time to go to a doctor or something, though, and he didn’t want to take work off to do so because then Arashi would know, and that was the last thing he wanted. He didn’t need his dear friends worrying over him when they all had full schedules, just like he did (and sometimes even fuller than his own), so he would just put up with the pain and hope that it would go away.
Even though he knew that wasn’t going to happen, and that waiting might even be dangerous.
But Nino felt like he didn’t have a choice, so he waited.
The other members were already giving him suspicious looks as they walked off set, and Nino tried to force a smile, but all he could think about was his pain killer back in the break room, so he didn’t even notice that their Leader was the only one with him when they finally managed to retreat.
Ohno watched attentively when Nino grabbed the bottle from his bag and basically tore the cap off, but he was desperate enough not to care, wanting to feel better for the group date they had planned after this, something he had been looking forward to for weeks.
“I’m fine,” he answered after taking a swallow out of his water bottle, because he knew the question was coming and it was better to get over the topic before the others caught up to them and got more nosy than Oh-chan was. “I just hit my thumb weird today-it’s not anything that will affect my performance tonight, okay?” Even as the lie came out his back twinged sharply as if to reprimand him for it, and remind him of the truth.
“Nino, I don’t think that’s the problem…” Ohno replied tentatively, biting his lip, and Nino turned to face him (trying not to let his eyes pinch up like they were about to), taking the older man by the shoulders and attempting to give him a believable look.
But before he could get anything out, Sho and Aiba were standing in the doorway, looking like Nino wasn’t fooling anyone, and that made him even more nervous (since Aiba hardly ever seemed that sober).
“You do realize there was a reason I volunteered for Cliff Climb, right?” Sho asked, folding his arms and looking almost more angry than worried. Actually, Nino had simply thought that had been luck on his side, and the realization that he was wrong made him start to sweat much more than he already was, since the pain medicine wouldn’t kick in for a few more minutes.
He turned away to try to hide his expression, but ended up feeling another jolt of pain for his trouble and actually winced this time, although he prayed that his face was concealed enough to hide it from the other three idols.
“I promise I’m fine,” he mumbled, though he knew that Sho, at least, wasn’t going to believe him. Jun was going to be the real stickler, though, if he came back before this all got resolved.
And of course he did. Even worse, because Nino’s manager was right behind him.
Nino stared at them with wide eyes, already knowing where this was going before they said anything.
“Matsu-“ he started desperately, already jumping right to begging him, since that always worked the fastest (although Nino hated to beg, but then again, he hated missing nights with the other members even more). But, of course, the younger man cut in with a hard glare and lowered eyebrows.
“I thought you would take care of it yourself, so I didn’t push you. But obviously I was wrong.”
Nino’s eyes widened a bit at the realization that Jun knew about his back problem, and then it hit him (hard) that all of them must have known.
His manager, just as sober and unmoving as the rest of Arashi, stepped forward to stand next to Jun and solemnly said, “I’ll take you to the hospital now.”
With a look at him as he stepped forward, Nino quickly changed his gaze to Jun (the one who was really in charge of this situation; if he let it drop, his manager would too), and pulled him by the arm farther into the room so they could whisper in the corner without being overheard.
“I’m not missing tonight, Jun,” he said in a desperate low voice. “It’s been a fucking month since I’ve been with any of you.”
Jun appeared not to care.
He waited for the next argument, but Nino didn’t have anything else but the obvious: screwing up his schedule, chances of rumors, hospital bills, etc. And none of those mattered nearly as much to him as losing the next few hours.
When nothing came back, Jun finally replied, his eyes turning slightly more compassionate than before. “We canceled already, Kazunari. We all agreed that you’re more important in the long run than whatever would happen tonight.”
Nino’s eyes watered up, although he couldn’t tell for which reason exactly, and this time he didn’t resist when Jun handed him his bag and pulled him back towards the door, right to his manager who patted his shoulder gently before leading him out of the room.
He didn’t look back, unable to stand the painful look in his friends’ eyes.
+++
As expected, he had been at the hospital most of the night as they took various scans and x-rays, but in the end he was only recommended bed-rest and given a slightly stronger painkiller than his current one. It was probably worth it, as Johnny’s would need proof that he had been to a doctor, and Nino had enough vacation days saved up to last (he never used them, although he had been hoarding them in hopes of something bigger and maybe with four other people along). The real question was, would he really get better with just that?
There were a few other recommendations, like the fact that his manager had bought him a heat pad, and there were some stretching exercises that were a joke, because Nino did those and a million others simply to warm up for a dance practice, and massages, although Nino wasn’t allowed out of his apartment (mostly by Jun, but partly because of the doctor) and he wasn’t willing to let a stranger in no matter how God-like their hands were.
So the next day Nino could be found in his bed, sweating like crazy under the blankets with a heat pad on his back, playing his DS, which he had had to plug into an outlet more than an hour ago before the battery had run out on him. That’s how Sho found him, unwashed and cranky, not to mention pissed off at the world for making things come to this.
He pulled up a chair and ended up waiting patiently by his side for fifteen minutes until Nino finally glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, almost guiltily, played for another five minutes, then turned it off and proceeded to stare at his feet that were only small mounds of blanket at the bottom of his bed.
“I have your new schedule,” Sho started with gently, and Nino only frowned deeper. “I bought a planner and wrote in all the times for you. For all the jobs we’ve required a thirty minute break every three hours as well as a bed or couch for you to lay on, so those are scheduled as well. I managed to get all the full days off for you I could, but there were some things that were too important.”
Sho looked from Nino down to the leather bound book he had been carrying, and opened it up to check what was written on a few of the pages, barely catching any of Nino’s attention (and that was mostly just because he was wondering when he was going to stop talking about it and change to a more important topic, like what had happened last night without Nino).
“Of course when you’re with us we’ll make sure you don’t push yourself, so all of our variety shows are still on, although a little delayed, but your new commercial was pushed back until next month luckily enough. And your manager is going to drive you everywhere you have to go, so you don’t have to drive yourself, or worry about parking.”
After a checking a few more things silently (Nino knew that Sho had probably checked the thing seven or eight times already to make sure it was all right, and even though that effort made him feel a little fuzzy on the inside, Nino also wished he would have done something for himself with that same time), he finally closed the schedule book and handed it over to Nino, who didn’t take it, so Sho ended up sitting it on his lap instead, not put off at all with his pouting.
There was silence for a few minutes as Sho watched Nino who watched his feet, and finally when it seemed right, Nino gave in and asked the question that he had been dying to since before he had even taken one step into the hospital.
“So… you guys really didn’t get together last night?” Of course he didn’t want to be left out, but it was rare for them to all have a time slot open at the same time, so he also hoped that they had done something, just to make use of the opportunity.
But maybe the feeling of wanting to be included was stronger.
Sho sighed once before he replied in a light but chiding voice, “You know we didn’t. We were too worried about you to do anything even if we had wanted to anyway.”
As intended, Nino felt ashamed, but this was exactly the reason he had put off getting his back taken care of for so long. He didn’t want to disappoint anyone, and he didn’t want to disrupt his life either.
After a few more minutes Sho asked less confidently, “You are okay, right?”
Nino finally met his gaze, all animosity melting, and he reached out to touch his friend on the knee, the only part he could reach in this position without moving. But Sho gripped his hand tightly, and Nino pulled him closer so that he was almost out of his seat.
“I’m really okay, Sho-chan. I’ll rest like they told me to,” he conceded in a soft voice. It was the least he could do for causing the rest of them so much trouble.
Finally, Sho shifted to sit on the bed, although there was barely room for him next to Nino, and took the smaller hand in both of his own. “Tell me what they said. Everything.”
And he did. About every scan and every poke, and every word the doctor had uttered although there was really no way he had remembered everything, but he tried to because he knew it would put them at ease.
As expected, at the diagnosis that wasn’t really anything, Sho frowned and pushed his hand through his hair in irritation, glancing down in thoughtfulness and furrowing his brows in a way that would usually make Nino smile, except for the fact that this wasn’t really anything to smile over.
“I’m really sorry, Sho-chan,” he whispered after a while, feeling his vision wavering with emotion, but Sho’s eyes shot back to him and he leaned forward, running his hand through Nino’s hair now, which was gross with sweat and grease.
“You need to take care of yourself, Kazu,” came the reply, which was just as soft and heavy with feeling. “We work so much that even the smallest thing could bring us down. You know that.”
Now he really did feel like crying, although he supposed he deserved every word of it.
With another sigh, Sho leaned closer so that his face was next to Nino’s, going out of his way to avoid putting any pressure on the smaller man, and he closed his eyes for just a second.
“We can’t lose you, Kazu. So don’t take this lightly.”
Nino managed a small nod and sniffed, feeling so small under his pile of blankets with an aching back.
“Promise me you’ll properly recover,” Sho insisted when there was no verbal reply, both hands now holding Nino’s face firmly, his thumbs brushing his eyes lightly to wipe away anything that might have formed there.
“I promise,” Nino squeaked back, covering Sho’s hands with his own. “Now you’d better kiss me,” he managed to get out in a snarky tone, recovering a little, “Or I’m not going to use that schedule book that you spent way too much money on.”
Sho smirked back at him. “I bought an expensive one because I knew you wouldn’t throw it away, you old miser,” he explained in an amused voice, but leaned forward to kiss him anyway, and Nino was glad at least that part of their private life wasn’t affected by his bad back. Although the thought of not getting laid for another month or longer was painful just to think about.
Transferring his hands to Sho’s face, Nino kept him close and Sho let him deepen the kiss, so Nino took everything he could in the sparse few minutes that they had (because Sho was too busy to stay for long, and since it was still only early evening that no doubt meant he had stopped between appointments) and was glad he did, since that really was the most he got for a while.
+++
It was about a week after the hospital visit and Aiba was coming over tonight to give Nino a massage, which meant two things: one, he could finally have a massage, and two, Nino might be able to get a little action, since Aiba was pretty easy to get worked up, and less strict than either Jun or Sho.
He wasn’t sure whether Aiba had taken the afternoon off intentionally or if he had simply been lucky, but the older man showed up in the late afternoon with plenty of food (most of it instant, thank God) and bentos, which they ate for dinner before Aiba took over Nino’s bedroom, lighting candles, playing soft music on his computer, and laying towels all over his bed.
“Okay, Nino! I’m ready!” he called out, and Nino managed to pull himself off of the couch slowly despite how much he had been looking forward to his second visitor. (Of course Arashi had had filming and they had all coddled him during the whole thing, but that was different than being alone with any or all of them.)
As expected, everything appeared to be a mess, but Nino was willing to look past this for the time being (in fact, his room often got messed up with Aiba came over), and instead made his way to the man himself, who was dressed in only a short sleeved t-shirt and sweat pants. He reached for him in hopes of starting something quickly, but Aiba giggled and shook his head.
“Take off all your clothes and lay down on the bed while I finish getting ready. On your stomach,” he directly lightly, then turned away to where several bottles were waiting on a table in the corner. Nino didn’t see any lubricant, but he supposed massage oil worked just as well.
He began taking his clothes off (he had dressed up for Aiba, since he had only had work three times in the past week, wearing his favorite skinny jeans that showed off his legs and a shirt than hung low on his collar), and even went as far to remove his underwear just to make things simpler. Although Sho had warned him about taking it easy, he’d been doing so for a week, and he knew Aiba would be gentle with him.
Once Nino settled into his bed, on top of the towels which seemed to be placed so that nothing would get on his sheets (which he was gracious for, even if he didn’t and would never say so), and laid his head against the pillow, closing his eyes automatically. Now the soft music was obvious, since Aiba wasn’t making much noise himself, and the gentle smell of the candles was just right, making Nino wonder how his friend had been able to plan everything so perfectly. As far as he knew Aiba didn’t do this on a regular basis (although he was infamous for his touchy-feely massages, even if sometimes those were more for Aiba than whoever he had chosen to give them to), so he had obviously gone out of his way for Nino tonight.
“Is it warm enough?” Aiba’s voice mixed in the music so melodiously that he almost didn’t process the question correctly. It was plenty warm, since Aiba had turned up the heat beforehand, and it was about to get hotter if Nino had any say in things.
“Mm,” was all he mumbled back, and he felt Aiba approach him before a warm hand slicked with oil gently slid across his shoulder.
“Let me know if you want anything. Remember, this is for you to relax, Kazu.”
Nino would certainly let him know when he wanted more, and he knew just how to push Aiba’s buttons to get his way too, but he wanted the massage first, so he wasn’t going to go there quite yet.
So he stayed silent and allowed Masaki to work his magic on him, starting with a firm massage of his shoulders and arms, lathering the oil on so that he was warm even when his hands weren’t touching him. He was cautious with Nino’s back at first, working his side muscles more before moving his way downward, kneaded his ass for a few minutes before thoroughly taking care of each leg and foot, then moved back up his spine once more, taking time there and relaxing Nino more than he had felt in a very long time.
Before long his conscious started fading, lulled by the soft music of the beach and Masaki’s occasional humming, and warmed by the oil and familiar hands, and without meaning to, he completely drifted off to sleep.
Aiba didn’t stop when he realized it, just used the opportunity to massage a few more spots that he was worried about, and even when he was finished, Nino didn’t wake up.
He looked so cute like that, his lips slightly parted and nose red from heat, plus he probably needed the rest anyway, so Aiba left him with only a chaste kiss on the fore head (even though he had actually been hoping for a little action too, mostly because he knew that Nino had been without any for a while and that he needed it). After covering him with another large towel (he would probably get mad at him later for using them all, but it had saved him a lot of stains, so it was better than how it would have ended otherwise) and a spare blanket from the closet, Aiba killed time putting things away in the kitchen and watching TV for almost an hour before it was obvious that Nino wasn’t going to wake up again.
But not wanting to leave suddenly, he wrote a note on a piece of paper along with a half-assed drawing of Mario (since that was the closest video game around) telling Nino how much he loved him and to email him when he could, and to take care of himself. He was sure that Sho had covered that enough, but it never hurt to convey his own worries.
+++
The bed rest had done some good, but he still wasn’t recovering as quickly as they would have liked, so Jun took a day off himself and insisted on bringing Nino to his chiropractor, who also happened to know acupuncture.
Actually, he didn’t really want to go, partly because he didn’t think he needed to and mostly because he didn’t trust chiropractors with their weird twisting and jerking and dangerous neck-breaking sort of practices. And don’t even get him started on needles.
But Jun insisted and even came to pick him up, so Nino went and even behaved (besides complaining the whole way) because when he demanded that Jun hold his hand, he did, and when he could barely stand to get up out of the chair (not only his back, but his whole body aching), Jun was there to support him. Jun paid for the visit and for takeout (no eating out since Nino was supposed to stay at home, and thank God for that, because he didn’t think he could anything but lay down right now), and babied Nino back to his apartment and into his bed with a cold pack this time, which moved from his back to his shoulder to his neck and back down to his back again, trying to cover all the areas that hurt.
“I can’t believe you made me do that,” he pretended to sniff, even though his pout was genuine enough, and allowed Jun to feed him in an attempt to make him feel better. He had been putting his foot down for a few weeks now, so it was no surprise that he was finally giving in and spoiling Nino a bit to try to make up for being so mean before.
“You’ll feel better when the pain wears off,” Jun countered lightly, holding out a chunk of rice with his chopsticks for Nino to eat (and he did, because it was rare for Jun to fall this low for him). “We should go back in a week.”
“Hell no!” he whined in return, although he knew that if Jun persisted that he would. It hadn’t been as bad as he thought it might be, after all.
They bantered back and forth flippantly until they were finished eating, then Jun packed away the rest of the food into the fridge and checked on a few things, but he had the rest of the evening and night with Nino since he had rearranged his other obligations, so he quickly made his way back to his friend’s side, unsure of what to do with himself while he let Nino relax.
After staring at each other in silence for a minute or two, Nino smiled gently and asked sweetly, “How about a massage, Jun-kun?”
With a half smile of his own, the younger man replied, “Are you serious? You know I’m not nearly as talented as Masaki at stuff like that.”
It was true, but Nino countered him simply with, “I just want to feel you.”
That comment seemed to catch Jun by surprise, but his smile widened and he scooted onto the bed, where Nino had left enough room for him, only under one blanket this time (and that was mostly to counter the ice pack, which had made his back completely numb).
“Where do you want to feel me?” Jun teased, and Nino grinned at the first image that came to his mind, but he knew Jun would say no to that right away, so instead he settled on bringing Jun’s hand to his cheek and prompting something from there.
They spent a few minutes with him just leaning over him like that, gently stroking his face and hair with both hands and Nino soaked in the feeling like a dehydrated man would water, since he barely saw any of them on his regular schedule anyway, and even less now that he was at home most of the time. So instead of wasting his afternoon complaining more than he already had, or playing games, or something else that didn’t involve the two of them like this, he was going to enjoy the little that he could.
“Miss you,” Jun eventually whispered, then leaned closer and kissed him lightly on the forehead.
“Miss you too,” he replied and closed his eyes, trying to pull Jun closer although it was obvious that he was being cautious of doing anything that might put pressure on Nino’s back, just like Sho had been.
Eventually they compromised and Jun laid down next to him under the blanket, pressing their legs together and propping himself up with one hand while the other casually ran through Nino’s hair and then down his neck unconsciously. But Nino only lasted a few minutes until he was quivering at the touches, unable to do much in return as they were… not that Jun would let him.
It seemed like Jun was either not thinking or unable to control his own body, though, because his hand brushed across his collar next, Nino’s chest only covered by the plain shirt that he had worn to their appointment, and then lower, eventually tickling his stomach, which turned him on more than distracted him, as it usually would have.
Nino leaned his head into Jun’s, tangling their hair together a bit, and breathed, “Please,” desperately, unwilling to move any other part of his body for fear that the touches would stop. He was already completely hard, even though he had jerked off several times (keeping his back in mind of course), but alone was never as satisfying as if he had Jun, Sho, Ohno, or Aiba with him (or all of them in any combination, and especially when they were able to get together as five).
It was nearing two months now and his addiction hadn’t lessened at all. When he had missed his chance with Aiba he had reprimanded himself for over three days, so there was no way he was letting Jun escape, especially when he had been the one to start it.
“Damn, you’re really worked up,” the sensual voice whispered in his ear, causing another shiver because Nino knew how much Jun liked to see his effect on people, especially them. “Is it really this bad?” he whispered, and Nino wasn’t honestly sure whether he was teasing him or not.
“Please Jun, I need it… something, anything,” he gasped, trying not to wiggle his hips as he felt the hand cautiously touch the band of his sweat pants.
It actually took Jun several seconds to decide (probably via an internal struggle) but he eventually gave in with a warning. “Only if you promise not to move at all.”
Nino laughed breathily. “Sounds like something you’d say even if I wasn’t on probation.”
+++
“Okay, Oh-chan,” Nino said, panting slightly, “I give in. Let’s do it.”
Ohno brightened up. “Really? I’ll call everyone else-“ he started to reply, but Nino pulled his arm a little and shook his head, not quite willing to say what he knew he had to.
“No. You know I can’t handle all of you, one right after another. I’m not that recovered.”
As much as he wanted to.
“But Nino… don’t you want to do this with the others here?” he asked one more time just to make sure, touching the younger man’s cheek lightly, but Nino knew it was just as much Ohno feeling guilty over not sharing as empathy for what Nino was going through, being so long without them.
“I think it’s better this way… I think it’s better with just you, Oh-chan,” he said quietly, then stole a quick kiss before Leader could move away (and he stayed right there for him, matching Nino’s pressure with his own).
“Well, then,” Ohno said quietly as soon as they broke apart, a light flush on his chubby cheeks. “Do you have all your stuff ready to leave in the morning?”
“Just give me a few minutes,” Nino replied, slowly walking into his room to find his overnight bag, and the two of them spent the last remaining (few hours) of the night sleeping together in Nino’s bed.
Early the next morning, they left Nino’s apartment with intertwined hands before the sun even rose, making their way to Ohno’s car, the older man slightly more awake due to his other hobbies which often made him wake up at unbelievable hours. Actually, Leader had been gracious enough to give up one of his hoarded fishing days (he even hoarded them from Arashi) and told Nino he wanted to take him to an onsen hotel in order to speed up his healing (although it wasn’t clear whether this was with Jun’s consent or not). Nino wasn’t actually sure if driving an hour just to get there was worth it when just being with Ohno was enough, but he couldn’t reject him after all the effort he had put into the plans, and it wasn’t like he would have a bad time there.
But he had to be careful. After their last filming they had had a short private meeting that clarified a few things, and gave Nino a bit of motivation as well.
It had been a little over a month since his jobs had been basically cut in half, and although he was feeling much better (Jun insisted it was the chiropractor, but Nino insisted it was love), they were all convinced that he still needed a few weeks before he would be back to his full health (and he knew that even then he’d have four other people breathing down his neck at all hours of the day). So they had come to an agreement.
Nino would have a weekly checkup at his regular physician for three weeks, and if there were no complications, no problems, and most importantly if Nino felt no pain (of course they had promised heavy punishments for lying), they would lift the unintended celibacy ban. Actually, Nino discovered from Jun right after he had given him a little relief that none of them had gotten together even in pairs like they usually would, because they were too worried about Nino and didn’t want to have what they knew he couldn’t. So there was a non-verbal promise for something amazing when he was better, and even if Nino was only watching (he knew they wouldn’t let him do too much), it would be enough.
His first check had come back positive yesterday, the initial hurdle, and Nino was feeling great, but overly cautious because it would be stupid to have something happen now that he had put so much effort into getting better, and with a juicy prize at the end as well.
So he used a small pillow to cushion his back in the passenger’s seat of Ohno’s stylish but small car, and reclined a bit as well, settling in for the hour ride through heavy city traffic. Actually, now that he thought about it, Ohno had probably had to look pretty hard to find one so close, and Nino’s perception of the day suddenly changed a bit.
“There’s Oden for lunch…” Ohno started quietly just as they pulled out onto the street, although Nino could tell he was excited to get out for a while, even if he wasn’t fishing. “And a massage parlor if you feel like it.”
He knew that nothing would ever top Masaki, but it was better than nothing, and helpful for his back anyway, so maybe they would do it together.
“We’ll see,” Nino replied casually as he looked out the window, glad for one advantage of it being early: usually it would take a good hour to get to the highway from here, but instead it only took twenty minutes. The scenery was certainly different when you were moving, comparing to sitting in one place for several minutes before inching forward.
The silence stretched on after that, neither one of them up for much talk even though both were smiling contently and in high spirits, and it gave Nino time to think about what he had almost messed up just because he was too concerned about short term pleasure compared with a lasting relationship between them all.
“Satoshi… Thank you for taking me,” Nino almost whispered, not looking over at the older man because of embarrassment. He was rarely so open, especially with the other members, because he didn’t want to be seen as weak, or worse yet, fawned over because of a slight comment like that, but Ohno was different. Just like now, he would just smile happily and gently pat Nino on the arm as if to say, I know, you don’t have to tell me, and Nino would feel just as warm and fuzzy as if Sho was fussing over him, or Aiba cuddling him, or Jun seducing him.
“But Jun said no ‘funny business,’” Leader suddenly replied in a neutral tone, and Nino let out a genuine, loud laugh that made his cheeks and stomach hurt.
+++
The final doctor’s check had been that morning right before VS Arashi filming and Nino was brimming with enthusiasm. Not only did this mean he could get back on his regular schedule (that was regular, not kill yourself making up for the time you were gone), but he could also resume his group dates with the other member, hopefully starting tonight.
But just because Nino had been looking forward to this day for so long didn’t mean that everything was going to work out perfectly for him, or the others. He knew they had been looking forward to it too, if only because that also meant that Nino was better, but he crashed back to reality from the dream world he’d been living in for recovery when Sho left the green room in a flurry without as much as a word of warning. It had just been an assumption for Nino that as soon as filming was complete that they would all go over to his house, and he stared at the open door in shock for a full five seconds.
“He’s got another appointment,” Jun explained in response to Nino’s questioning look, and Nino tried not to appear too depressed over it, but then Aiba rushed out a few minutes later with a quick wave and kiss for Nino (“I’m glad you’re better, Kazu!”). “Unfortunately I’m leaving as well,” Jun sighed as soon as Masaki was gone. “My manager should be waiting.”
Nino sighed and simply watched with heavy eyes as Jun finished changing his clothes and completed his preparations. Before he left he approached the shorter man and grasped his shoulders lightly, giving him a meaningful look. “I promise we’ll get together soon. When there’s more time.”
There was no reply because Nino didn’t want to make Jun feel worse than he already was, but he didn’t want to concede to being abandoned on his first night free from the restrictions his back had caused either. So he accepted the quick kiss that Jun usually never gave him outside of their own apartments as an apology and let him dart out the door without any qualms, just like the previous two.
Finally he turned to Ohno as if he expected him to leave as well, but Leader only ruffled his hair a little and smiled back, taking Nino’s hand in his.
“Whenever you’re ready. I’m all yours tonight.”
A wave of relief passed through him and Nino sighed before smiling back. It wasn’t about who was there for him, he told himself, it was simply about timing, and he knew that he had already pushed the others as hard as he could when he had been forced to stay at home. They had covered for him, and now he couldn’t repay that kindness by being upset because of one night. There would be other chances, just like Jun had promised.
“Okay. Let’s go home, then.”
Ohno nodded and the two of them collected their belongings and wrapped up everything before leaving through the same door as the previous three.
“Want to get something to eat?” Ohno offered casually when they had only taken a few steps out of the building.
“We’ve never been out together, just the two of us,” Nino said suddenly as realization hit him. “Why break that habit now?” he laughed. “Let’s just have instant ramen at my place.”
Appearing as if that was the best idea in the world, Ohno nodded, but before they got out to his car (Nino still wasn’t allowed to drive) he suddenly looked thoughtful and rubbed his chin, slowing his pace.
“I didn’t bring anything with me today. Mind if we stop by my place first so I can get my clothes and things?” he asked Nino with eyes shining from the lights overhead, and that wasn’t an unusual request, since Ohno was just as forgetful as Aiba was about that sort of thing. (Although Aiba tended to just borrow Nino’s clothes, except he stretched them out and was banned from all but four or five items in the end, whereas Ohno was particular enough that he would rather take the time to go back to his house to get his own things than borrow something. But luckily enough Ohno seemed to realize this situations before they got messy and tired, which was a plus side.)
So they stopped and Ohno’s mother tried to feed them dinner, but Ohno pushed her off by saying they had other plans (although he didn’t mention that it was simply instant ramen). They still left with beer and bags of chips at her insistence, but Nino didn’t mind, even if there was no way that only two of them would make it through the amount she had presented him with.
Dealing with Mrs. Ohno and searching through Ohno’s clothes had costed them an hour, but Nino didn’t mind, easily able to hold himself off for a little longer… after all, he had already waiting this long. The ride to his house was relaxed instead of tense, and now Nino was even debating whether he had the energy to do anything with Oh-chan tonight, other than sit on the couch and snuggle. Maybe he could even hold out for a few more days, until the time where they could all get together came.
“Hey Kazu,” Leader said in his same quiet voice when they were about ready to pull into the parking garage. “I know the doctor said you’re okay, but do you really feel okay? You’re not lying, right?” he asked worriedly, glancing over at the younger man who had been unconsciously giving off a depressed vibe, even though he was trying hard to cheer up and have a good evening with his favorite fisherman.
“Don’t worry, Oh-chan,” he forced his voice to sound energetic. “I’ve rested a lot, and I think that Jun’s ‘alternative medicine’ crap helped a little after all. Besides, you guys seemed to know better than me how I feel,” he finished with an almost bitter laugh.
Ohno frowned but didn’t reply, and in a few minutes they were out of the car and standing in front of Nino’s door.
His own key was buried at the bottom of his messenger bag, so instead he turned to Ohno, who had been fiddling with his set since the car, not putting them away even after five minutes.
“Open the door would you?” Nino smirked, poking him lightly in the side and getting a smile in return for his effort. All of them had each others’ keys because they trusted Arashi with much more than simply their apartments, and they came in handy anyway (much more than times when Nino was just being lazy).
Ohno shuffled up behind him and pressed into Nino’s back, reaching past him to stick his key into the lock and resting his head on Nino’s shoulder along the way, making the younger man chuckle. “Hey, no funny business out here!” he chided, trying to mimic Jun’s voice.
Only a hum of amusement answered him, and the door swung open soon enough, allowing the idols to enter.
It wasn’t until Nino had his shoes off that he noticed two strange things: one, the kitchen light was on, just visible through the crack on the bottom of the door, and two, that there was a nice smell coming from there as well.
He froze, suddenly overwhelmed with the realization, and raised his hands to his eyes as tears suddenly started to form out of nowhere. There was a gentle hand on his shoulder and Ohno was looking at him with a warm gaze lit up by the little light that there was.
“What’s-“ Nino started to ask in a low voice, but it cracked and he couldn’t get the rest of the words out.
Ohno seemed to read his mind as always, though, and replied, “They really did have other things to take care of, but we wouldn’t do that to you, Kazu.” The explanation was obvious, and Nino had even been expecting… no, hoping, desperately hoping, that this would happen, that they had just wanted to surprise him, but it was easier to expect nothing because then he wouldn’t be disappointed when his wish didn’t come true.
As he took a deep breath to steady himself and wiped his face just in case, feeling overwhelmingly happy, Aiba’s high pitched giggle came through the door followed by Jun’s reprimands and Sho’s amused laughter, and Nino pulled Ohno by the hand towards where the others were waiting.
“You guys better not be making a mess!” he called out as he stomped down the hallway, trying to keep a huge smile off of his face as feelings of gratitude washed over him. He wasn't sure how he had gotten so lucky, but he had, and he would do anything he had to in order to keep Arashi.
+++
A/N: This was pretty similar to doctoggy's story, I think, but I couldn't help it! I love that universe! I also feel like it was a short length for the content, so I hope it doesn't seem like it went by too fast. As for the facts of this story... I have nothing. I've heard rumors that Nino had/has a back problem, but I haven't seen any official sources. I thought I would use that as my Nino-centric focal point anyway, so there you are. Cute and fluffy OT5-ness. I keep promising more posts, but I can't seem to get around to it, so I'm sorry. m(__)m