Come On! Koibito! 15/21
The mass text message woke Nino up around seven in the morning, something that shouldn't have even been humanly possible. He'd stayed up the night before, dueling Ohno and then Aiba on Street Fighter into the wee hours. Both, despite their looks, had put up a fairly good fight. Aiba was used to it, had been a vehicle for Nino to vent upon virtually for years and always somehow managed to pull out the right button smash combination. Ohno, they were pretty sure after viewing his "first time playing," was some kind of video game idiot savant. After seeing how distressed Nino was with every lost match, however, he somehow magically lost his ability to play in an accident involving a can of beer and a bag of pistachios that had somehow gotten stuck in the door frame. The absurdity of it made it kind of adorable. Not that Nino was paying attention. Well, okay, fuck, he was.
The past few days or so had become somehow devoted to spending time with Ohno, something Nino was pretty sure was partly Aiba's fault but didn't particularly care. A few weeks ago, it would have been a bad thing, too painful and tempting for Nino to deal with. But ever since he (kind of) admitted his feelings to Aiba a few days prior, it was like a weight was lifted off his chest. It became okay to feel this way. And yeah, maybe he couldn't confess but the end of that sentence had changed from "ever" to "yet" in his mind. Yes, if he could just stick out this contest, he was sure that after he and Jun had gotten their kicks (and by kicks, he meant he split the money down the middle with Jun and waltzed off with his half), he had already planned to show up on Ohno's doorstep with a bag of paints, both oil and body. If he didn't lose his nerve, that was.
But the past few days, at least, had been wonderful. Aiba kept pushing them to do things together, finding excuses to not show up at the last minute, most of them relying on some perfect timing by Yoko, leading Nino to believe that they must rehearse during the night to get it perfect. Nino wasn't complaining, though; although he was no longer allowed off property for non-television purposes (another wonderful clause of the no tv and internet agreement), they had managed to find things to do, from board games to talking to actually playing catch outside, something that lasted all of about five minutes before Nino declared the outdoors much too cold for his taste and marched them back inside. And now he found himself, in a tangled pile of limbs belonging to his cameraman and his best friend, all passed out on the floor, Playstation controllers strewn about the rubble. Nino blinked and patted his hand about, searching for the offending phone.
Aiba groaned in his sleep as Nino dragged his phone closer and blinked sleep out of his eyes so that he could read the message. DOWNSTAIRS NOW. COME IN YOUR PAJAMAS IF YOU MUST. DON'T GO BACK TO SLEEP. Well, that was certainly pushy.
"Get up," Nino groaned, shoving Aiba off him with a foot and gingerly removing one of Ohno's arms from his stomach. Ohno made sounds of protest as Aiba stretched, looking almost like a cat, all length and strange angles. Ohno's hair was sticking up in something resembling a cowlick and Nino chuckled before smoothing it out himself.
"Why do we have to get up?" Ohno protested sleepily, swatting at Nino's hand and rolling over. "There is no reason they need us right now."
"Message was in all caps. Has to be important," Nino shrugged, not particularly awake himself but somehow the most coherent of the bunch. Aiba made a sound that seemed disapproving but began pulling a sweatshirt he had grabbed from a pile on the floor over his head, eyes still half closed.
"I can stay, can't I?" Ohno continued, grasping at straws that would let him sleep. "I mean, they probably just want the contestants. I'm not even supposed to be on set yet."
"Nope," Nino said plainly, grabbing Ohno's arm and pulling as hard as he could. "Don't care. If we have to get up, you have to get up." Ohno made an annoyed noise in the back of his throat but allowed himself to be drug to his feet.
The phone buzzed again. "NOW"
"I think they need us," Nino laughed humorlessly, tossing the phone at Aiba who read the message with the vague passing interest that comes with being sleep deprived. He made a vague sound of acknowledgement and slipped a pair of slippers on. Nino was beginning to wonder if there was a time limit that Aiba could not speak before.
The three shuffled out of Nino's room and joined the sleepy parade down the steps into the main foyer. Junpei was closest and Aiba knocked shoulders with him on the way down. He didn't say anything, just made a questioning noise, furthering Nino's suspicions. Junpei, however, seemed to understand somehow.
"I have no idea. I just got the message like you guys." Junpei ran a hand through his hair and stifled a yawn. He finally noticed Ohno out of the corner of his eye. "You're here early?"
Ohno just shrugged. Junpei dropped it, not particularly caring.
The foyer was filled with half asleep men, partially dressed and not looking very happy. It wasn't much of a surprise. Even Nagase looked like he hadn't had much rest, standing up in front with a clipboard, making lopsided check marks. After a few seconds, with everyone down the stairs and standing nearby, he coughed and Kimura shuffled onstage, eyes downcast for once in his life. It was unnerving.
"Good morning, everyone," he began, looking down at his hands. "I know it's early but I called you all down here for a reason. If you could--"
Kimura was interrupted by the loud click of a door opening from behind the assembled gallery. Much to Nino's surprise, in walked Jun, completely unaware and looking bedraggled, hair sticking up at odd angles and still clad in a pajama pants. Okada was leading him by the arm, giving a thumbs up to Nagase who returned it.
"Jun!" Kimura smiled, almost sadly. "I'm glad you made it. This is an announcement that effects everyone, not just the contestants." Kimura's shoulders slumped a bit as if something were weighing them down. Nino frowned. This was obviously a big announcement but he couldn't really picture anything that was worse than barring television, internet and going off site.
"There's not really any easy way to say this," Kimura began. "Unfortunately for us, this season of CoKoi hasn't been pulling in the ratings that the past few seasons have garnered. Production called me a few weeks ago and warned me that if I couldn't get the ratings up and soon, we were facing cancellation. If you've been noticing that the challenges have been getting stranger and stranger, well, that's the reason and I apologize for that.
Anyways, I just received the call this morning. I tried my best, I really did, we all did, but I guess it just wasn't enough. Production is officially halted and we're pending cancellation."
"WHAT?" an astonished voice called from Nino's right. He glanced over to see Tegoshi, eyes wider than he had previously thought humanly possible, looking as if a bus had just hit a person in front of him. It was like watching someone's dream actually die.
"No one's more upset than I am," Kimura sighed, leaving no doubt that his words were true. "There's just nothing more I can do at this point. I've done...I've done everything."
Nino was tempted, severely tempted to see this as a joke, some new challenge. It was hard, though, when everyone, even Ohno, looked so crestfallen. Even Jun's face, someone Nino was sure would be told if this were merely a joke, looked shocked. The show ... the show was cancelled?
"I'm really sorry, everyone," Kimura was saying. "Production has given us clearance to pay you guys a severance check, our attempt at a congratulations for making it so far in the game. I guess you seven tied. We won't be able to get them to you for a few days, however. The decision was just made, you know? However, we do have the house rented for the rest of the week so I really encourage you guys to use it until the lease runs out. Might as well use it if we have it, right? And if you're all here, it'll make it easy for us to get our last checks to you."
"This is ridiculous," Tegoshi muttered, drawing attention to himself again. Everyone else continued to look like they were in shock.
"Once again, everyone, I'm so sorry," Kimura continued on as if he hadn't heard Tegoshi. "I really wish it wouldn't end like this. Especially you, staff. I'll do my best to get you guys assigned to other shows. I'm already in talks with some of the dramas and news programs. I wouldn't leave you guys hanging. You've been a great team."
With that, Kimura tipped his hat and walked off, as if he couldn't handle it anymore. He probably couldn't. Everyone was very much aware that CoKoi was Kimura's brainchild and there was nothing more disappointing than having to leave behind your own personal project.
"This is stupid. It can't be true. It can't be!" Tegoshi was having a minor freakout to their right but no one was aware enough to restrain him.
"Calm down," Nagase's strong voice boomed from behind them.
"Why? What's the point anymore? Why are we even here?" he continued, not heeding the warning that was implicit in Nagase's tone, something done at one's own peril.
"You can leave if you want," Nagase's voice was deadly, threatening Tegoshi to take him up on it. Something Tegoshi seemed not to notice.
"Fine!" He announced, voice cracking with anger and disappointment. "I will!" And he spun around, stomping off towards his room as if the cancellation was solely to annoy him. Prat.
"It's ... over?" a dazed voice spoke up from the left and Nino looked over to see realization dawn on Jun's face. Jun, who had almost nothing to do with this whole process, who had been remade from man to prize and now had nothing to show for it. Nino almost felt sorry for him, almost.
"It's over," Nagase commented gruffly, trying to make all the contestants break out of their daze and accept the reality of the situation. They were on a show. But now the show was over. Nino allowed himself to sneak a peek at Ohno from the corner of his eye. Maybe, maybe this was for the best.
"Should we -- Another game of Street Fighter?" Ohno asked weakly, grasping for something to hold onto, something rooted in normalcy. The idea of cancellation was way too much to process right then. Nino nodded, lightly threading his right hand through Ohno's left and leading the older man up the stairs. In the distance, he could have sworn he heard Taka yelling something about paying up.
-------
"So what do we do now?" Aiba sighed, fiddling with his stuffed dog from the desk chair, not making eye contact with Nino who seemed to be seriously considering things. A day had passed and everyone was trying to come to terms with the new state of affairs.The game had changed now; there were no more cameras, no more restrictions and considerations and conditions. There was only the there and the now without the possibility of consequences. It was strange and kind of unsettling.
Ohno had spent the night again the night before, another video game session that was less fun and more the desperate need for distraction. Nino had been very quiet since the announcement, as if he had spent hours pondering silently while the other two went on with their lives, trying to make the best of it. He had found a note from Yoko on his door the following morning, saying that he was glad they had become friends but with the news of the cancellation, he was taking the weekend off. There was a number written on the bottom that Aiba had quickly copied into his cell phone, smiling.
"We hang around until we get our severance checks," Nino vocalized from the bed, searching his desk drawer for his DS. "Then we jet, back to our very exciting lives full of animals and anime. I know you've been missing it." Nino sounded distracted but it was obvious that he knew there was more to it, more that he was intentionally leaving out. Aiba wasn't about to let that idea go unvoiced.
"But don't you think this is a chance?" he spoke up, looking for some kind of reassurance in Nino's eyes. "Shouldn't we act on this?"
"What do you mean?" Nino asked quietly, although Aiba was sure Nino knew exactly what he meant. Nino's eyes were down and to the side, an obvious sign that he had considered the exact same thing that Aiba was currently thinking but had, for some reason, dismissed it. This was almost stereotypical: Nino would dream and dream about a circumstance, of a chance, but when the moment came and there was a possibility to act on it, he would always chicken out at the last possible second. It was disheartening and Aiba wasn't about to let it happen again.
"Think Sho's on set?" Aiba asked, trying to draw Nino's attention back towards him. It worked; the younger man looked up, the mixed emotions of awe, hope and reserve on his face.
"He might be," Nino conceded, eyeing Aiba as if he were unsure what the older man might do. But Aiba knew exactly what had to be done. This was an opportunity and he wasn't going to waste. Not for him and not for the example he was going to set.
"Well, I think I'll just go and look," he smiled at his friend, grabbing a jacket off his chair and slipping a pair of sandals on. Nino didn't say anything; he didn't have to. His hopes and fears had collided to breakdown the mask of indifference he had taken to wearing over the past few weeks, letting all of the emotions show plainly. And Aiba knew he was doing the right thing.
-------
"I can't believe you didn't tell me the show was in danger," Jun complained angrily to Sho downstairs. "You knew! You had to know! Nagase's always talking to you about one thing or the other."
"He did give me a bit of a heads up a few weeks ago," Sho conceded, looking at the ground as if ashamed. As he should be, Jun thought, anger still foremost on his mind. He was the goddamn star of this show, for goodness' sake and he should have been fucking informed if they were planning on taking it off the air. What was he doing this all for, anyway?
Sho looked properly reprimanded, as was only appropriate, considering he was the closest thing Jun had to a friend on set. Everyone else treated him as just another variable, a thing to be placed where needed and not a human being. Sho hung out with him, came over to chat and just spend time with him. So why hadn't he felt the need to mention, if only lightly, that there was a chance the show might on its last legs?
"You're right," Sho spoke up, waking Jun from his reverie. "I should have said something. But I know that Kimura was just fighting so hard for this and they had just voted Matsuda out and they told me to just act like everything was normal. I'm sorry, Jun. I owed you more than that. We all did." Sho just looked so repentant and genuinely sorry that Jun felt a little bad for his earlier tirade.
"Sorry, Sho," Jun ran a hand through his hair. "It's just a lot to take in right now."
"Of course it is," Sho readily agreed. "Kimura only let a few of us know, anyway. Everyone's taking it hard."
"Well, dwelling on it isn't going to help," Jun decided suddenly, tired of the sitting around and doing nothing like he had been for the past thirty six or so hours. "Let's go and get dinner or something. This is ridiculous."
A knock on the door interrupted Sho's reply and an optimistically smiling Aiba stuck his head in slightly, the smile widening even more when he saw the two of them together.
"There you are, Sho!" Aiba grinned, letting himself into the room, not that either occupant particularly minded. "I was looking for you all around the house."
"You were?" Sho's voice was quiet, as if dreading what he thought he knew must be coming next. Jun frowned, not entirely sure where this uncomfortable air was coming from but Aiba didn't seem to notice.
"I was!" Aiba agreed. "I want to talk to you about something." He looked at Jun a little shyly. "That is, if Matsujun would give us a little privacy." Oh, so that's what this was about.
Jun smiled at Aiba, fully supportive of what he knew was about to happen and moved towards the door when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked up to see Sho, still looking at Aiba but holding him back. Jun tried to shake him off but Sho wouldn't let go.
"I don't think there's anything you can say that Jun couldn't hear," Sho began a little shakily.
"I think Aiba wants to talk to you alone and we should respect that," Jun frowned.
"Exactly!" Aiba agreed.
"I don't want Jun to leave," Sho stood his ground. "If you have something to say, say it."
Aiba frowned and shot a pleading look to Jun but there was nothing he could do. He simply shook his head a little sadly, trying to get it across to the other man that he would just have to say it. Aiba nodded slowly.
"Okay, I guess," Aiba shuffled farther in the room, trying to draw up a little courage with every step. Sho was stiff at Jun's side.
"You know, Sho, I--" Aiba began, finally stopping in front of the pair and drawing his eyes up to meet Sho's. That, apparently, was as much as Sho could handle as he suddenly let go of Jun's arm and looked Aiba straight in the eye.
"Don't," he said, voice firm. "I know what you're going to say and just don't. This isn't the time. This isn't the place."
"What the hell are you doing?" Jun yelled at Sho, seeing the way Aiba cowered at the harsh reply to a truth he hadn't even confessed yet.
"I'm saving him from making a really huge mistake," Sho said seriously, turning to give Jun a look before turning back to Aiba. "I know this sounds harsh but you'll understand later. I promise."
"But--"
"Nope. Just stop, Aiba. Trust me on this, just stop." And there was something in Sho's eyes that must have said something to Aiba because the other man just shut his mouth, looking a little betrayed and trudged out of the room slowly.
"I don't know what that was about," Jun turned to Sho, seeing his downcast face and body language but not caring, "but I hope it was worth it."
And with that, Jun jogged out the door after Aiba, intent to take him out for dinner. Sho had irreversibly lost his chance and Aiba needed it a lot more.
-------
His phone had beeped on the way out the door. He had intended to go fishing, clear his mind a little bit and stop thinking about what show JTV was going to assign him to now that CoKoi was over. He'd been on staff for a news program when he first joined the station but that was too much for him. There were considerations he didn't need and too much stationary and boring camerawork. Not that CoKoi was a cinematic masterpiece or anything, not by a long shot, but there was something a little bit more interesting when you were working with real human emotions and not simply the statement of facts.
He smiled when he looked down at the display, the id reading "Nino ♥", what the younger man had actually programmed into the phone himself while playing with it a few days before. It had originally read "God" but Ohno had made him change it later (even knowing it was a joke, it was a little intimidating to read text messages that said "I'm watching you" with God as the caller ID). He flipped his phone open to read.
"Hey~ ♥ I don't know if you're busy (@_@) but if you want to, you should come by my place (o^.^o)"
With a chuckle, he quickly turned around, returning his fishing supplies to their natural hiding places. Fishing would always be there but time with Nino was quickly running out. He was honestly a little surprised that he wasn't already over at the younger man's place, as it seemed like the past week or so had been spent almost entirely in Nino's presence. Not that that was a bad thing by any means, he enjoyed all his time with Nino, but his parents had called the night before, wondering if he was ever going to return home again and that had been that.
The train took an hour and a half or so, Ohno not having a driver's license, but he spent the way over trying to figure out what was going to happen to their friendship once the show had completely ended. It wasn't like they had met under normal circumstances that would make it easy to dictate how to act once the production had ended. He barely even knew what Nino did in real life, beside work at that store he'd only vaguely heard about and lounge about that apartment that he had visited quickly once to recover the Playstation. There was something intensely private and strange about seeing Nino's apartment for the first time without Nino. He felt almost as if he were seeing things he wasn't supposed to see, the "behind the scenes" of his close friend. And yet, there was something personal about the place that had made him smile, something that was just so intensely Nino that it charmed him without even trying.
The street out of the station that led to the mansion the show was leasing was lined with fast food stores and Ohno popped in a bento shop to grab something for the two of them to eat. His mother hadn't made anything for him that day, expecting him to go fishing and knowing Nino, he probably had spent the day playing video games and neglecting his general health. Paying for two bowls of donburi wasn't something he particularly liked doing but if it meant Nino ate, it was worth it.
Nino's smile when he opened the door was shy, something Ohno hadn't been expecting. Nino had been acting strangely the past few days, the news of the impending cancellation seeming to rest heavily on his mind. Why that was, Ohno wasn't entirely sure. Even though he knew that Nino was a contestant, it never seemed like Nino particularly liked Jun. Except for perhaps that personal date the week before but that had been an odd circumstance. Ohno had had strange stomach pains during the entire shoot, not even able to look Nino directly in the eyes and it was very disturbing. A part of him, a small, silent part of him, was kind of glad that CoKoi was cancelled, if only because then he would never have to film scenes like that again.
"What have you been up to?" Ohno asked with a grin, handing Nino the sack of food and awaiting a snarky reply or perhaps a brief recap of whatever RPG the younger man was currently playing. What he wasn't expecting was for Nino to set the bag down, grab Ohno's hand and lead him slowly to the bed. Not that he minded. No, he didn't mind at all, butterflies doing somersaults in his stomach in response to the light touch of Nino's adorably hamburger-esque hand.
"You know, Oh-chan," Nino began, sitting the two of them down on the edge of the bed and looking straight ahead, not at all at Ohno, who had focused his attention solely on the other man, "I've been thinking."
Ohno wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that, not quite aware what was going on at all but he felt like he shouldn't break Nino's momentum so he made a vague sound to prove he was listening.
"The show is cancelled," Nino continued. "That means no more cameras. And no more microphones. And no more worrying what the people at home think about me."
"Yeah, I guess that's right," Ohno agreed, not really seeing where this was going.
"And that means no more pretending. No more basing my actions on how they're going to look for television..." He trailed off a bit, looking nervous and biting his lip slightly. Ohno tried not to get distracted by that.
"You never should have done that in the first place, you know," Ohno chided gently, smiling when Nino sighed, knowing he was right. But then Nino turned to actually look him in the eye, and Ohno couldn't think logically anymore.
"Oh-chan, do you know what this means?" Nino's eyes were shining with something like hope and he was smiling lazily, promises of Sunday mornings in the corners of his grin. "It means I can do things I've always wanted to do."
"Like what?" Ohno asked in a whisper, leaning forward, anticipating and welcoming what he hoped Nino meant.
"This," Nino breathed, closing the distance between them in an instant, lips meeting his, soft and inquiring at first but becoming increasingly demanding with each passing second. Ohno gave into Nino, opening his mouth slightly to let the other's tongue slip inside, probing and tasting and oh, that felt nice.
Ohno had never been aware that there was anything finer in the world than a good catch on a beautiful day but this? This was quickly rising through the ranks. Kissing Nino was better than a good day fishing and finishing an art project put together. Ohno let out a sigh of contentment and Nino smiled against his mouth.
"Is this okay?" Nino asked, his forehead against Ohno's and a teasing smile on his face as he already knew the answer. Ohno didn't respond, simply resting his hands against Nino's chest and pushing him down onto the bed. Nino laughed in response, that same promise-filled smile on his face as his arms lazily snaked out to drape around Ohno's neck and pull him down, closer.
~
A day late and I apologize but I hope you forgive me as I gave you action~ ;D This update is coming from my friend's apartment in Eugene where we have been cool and bohemian and creative all day as I've been finishing up this chapter and she's been working on her graphic novel. It's both dorky and fun at the same time~ Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter (It's one of my favorites~), don't mind it's about a day late, and I'll see you again next week. :D