Nino hadn't really given himself time to think, between running out of the studio, hailing a taxi and giving them the slip of paper Kimura had written the address on. If he thought about it, he'd psych himself out. This was pretty crazy, especially for him. Nino didn't like big productions, he didn't like ultra romantic gestures or girly stuff like this. But for some reason, here he was, speeding down the highway on his way to Ohno's house, no real clue as to what was going on back at the studio (not that he cared anymore) or what he was going to find once he got there.
The taxi pulled up outside Ohno's parent's home much faster than Nino had hoped. His heart leapt into his throat as he paid the driver and exited the car, watching his only escape route drive away around the corner. People always said things like 'now or never.' Nino only now understood what that term truly meant.
He meandered his way towards the door, taking as much time as possible, thoughts racing through his head unbidden. What if Ohno kicked him out? What if he had only thought of him as a close friend? Had Nino ruined what they had with his constant dishonesty with his feelings? If there was one thing that the whole incident with Ryo had taught him, it was that there was no one that cared for him like Ohno had cared for him. If he had somehow wrecked that, he didn't know if he could forgive himself.
He reached out to knock but before he could manage, the door opened of it's own accord. Nino blinked, surprised. The figure on the other side was not Ohno but shared his same sleepy eyes, although a giant smile was lighting up her face. She was youthful, pretty too and Nino was fairly certain that this had to be Ohno's sister.
"Ninomiya?" the woman asked, grinning like the cat that caught the canary. Nino was still a bit dazed but managed a nod, sending the older girl into another flurry of smiles and silent giggling. She reached forward, grabbing his arm and pulling him inside, all the while muttering things like 'come in, come in' and 'took you long enough.' Nino wasn't entirely sure what was going on but managed to slip out of his shoes and into the slippers the woman offered him, just the same.
"I'm Ohno's sister, Mina," the woman finally explained, probably realizing at this point that Nino wasn't entirely sure what was going on.
"The married one that comes to visit for Wii tournaments?" Nino asked, connecting dots in his brain. He was rewarded with a smile.
"The very one! He's talked about me? I hope he didn't say anything bad. That kid just says whatever enters his mind sometimes." She was complaining but her eyes sparkled as she spoke and Nino recognized the affection in them. It made him feel a little better, seeing how much Ohno's family liked each other.
"No, no. He just said that you like to come over for nabe and that your mother always wins when you guys play. Nothing bad at all." Mina smiled, something like relief in her face. "By the way," Nino added, "how exactly did you know who I am?"
The older woman looked a bit surprised, almost like she'd forgotten something important but quickly covered it up with a big grin, accompanied by a wink and an elbow nudge. It didn't surprise him that Ohno's family was just as weird as the man himself and funnily enough, he kind of liked it.
"He's talked about you, too," she teased. "Who else could you be but my little brother's boyfriend?"
"We're not dating," Nino replied kind of gruffly. Mina wasn't accepting it, giving him that kind of look that everyone was giving him lately.
"Sure, sure," she waved her hand. "Anyways, I assume you're here to see him?" Nino nodded. "Well, he's down the hall in his studio. Third door on the left." Nino thanked Ohno's sister, getting a 'good luck!' in response and began making his way down the hall.
He passed an open doorway to the living room and saw that CoKoi's finale was playing. Well, that explained where Mina knew him from. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on on the screen, either. There was a quick flash (didn't they have more practice at transitions?) and then Sho was onscreen, looking rather flustered. He disappeared for a second before pulling Aiba up onstage. The television was muted but he could see Sho say something to Aiba and then his best friend was being handed three brightly colored balls that he then attempted to juggle. What kind of programming was this? He thought Kimura was better than this. Maybe it was a good thing that Nino had left.
Pretty soon, the wooden door of Ohno's studio loomed in front of him. Here went nothing. He knocked lightly on the door, opening it when he heard a vague grunt from inside.
Ohno stood, back to him, working on a canvas that was angled just slightly so that it couldn't be seen from Nino's position at the door. He was adding what looked like bold brushstrokes, completely ignoring Nino as he was pretty absorbed in his own world. Not that this was very different from normal.
"Hey," Nino said, not entirely sure how to start. Ohno glanced up abruptly at his voice, looking shocked. Nino just walked farther inside, closing the door behind him.
"What are you doing here?" Ohno asked, setting his brush down without looking, eyes never leaving Nino's face. Nino swallowed, gathering some strength before smirking at the older man.
"I could ask you the same question. Don't you have work today?"
Ohno scratched the back of his head, still looking very confused as to why Nino was in his studio. Nino took this chance to walk even farther into the room, noticing as he did that Ohno had a laptop on the table next to his paints.
"I quit," Ohno answered Nino's question, regaining the power of speech, if only slightly.
"I heard," Nino nodded. "Kind of a lame time to quit, don't you think? There was only one episode left."
Ohno didn't say anything, just watched Nino come a little bit closer slowly. Nino wasn't entirely sure where this courage was coming from but he wasn't going to question it.
He glanced at the laptop that was now next to him. It was open to the JTV forums. He gave Ohno an amused smile (the older man was still staring at him in confusion) before leaning over to read a little bit.
Welcome to JTV Forums! You are logged on as FishingFool99
....wait a second. Nino looked up, noticing a vague guilty look in Ohno's eyes.
"You're FishingFool99?" Nino asked, stunned. Ohno didn't answer but the look on his face said it all. And in that instant, Nino no longer had any doubt. Ohno had been there for him since the beginning, had been the very first person to ever cheer him on. That was everything he needed to know.
"I quit the show, you know," Nino mentioned offhandedly, running his fingers across the keyboard absentmindedly. He felt more than saw Ohno react, taking an unconscious step forward.
"You did? When?" His voice was confused, with something else mixed in that Nino couldn't quite place. It made him feel a little better.
"Oh, about forty five minutes ago. If you'd been watching the show, you would have seen it." Ohno didn't say anything so Nino continued. "I think I upset Sho a little bit."
"Why?" Ohno asked, now only a step away. Nino could feel his eyes on his face. He swallowed, bolstering his courage.
"Cause it didn't matter anymore."
"How could it not matter?" Ohno frowned. "You like Jun, right? And you didn't even give him the chance to choose you." At this, Nino turned, facing Ohno and frowning.
"Why do you think I like Jun?" It was an honest question, something that Nino had been wondering about on the whole car ride over. He'd tried to figure it out, it was the only reason Ohno would have quit, but how could he have possibly reached that conclusion?
"Well, you do, don't you?" Ohno looked tired. "You two are always joking around, teasing each other. And then the other day, at your house, you looked so happy. I just, I guess I just thought, I don't know." Ohno sighed, looking down at his hands. "I thought you'd made your choice."
Nino blinked. At his house? But the only time he'd been alone with Jun was...
The realization hit Nino with a bang and the younger man started laughing. He laughed until his eyes watered and he noticed that Ohno was giving him a look, obviously annoyed at Nino's response.
"It's not funny, you know," Ohno frowned.
"Yeah, it is," Nino replied, wiping tears from his eyes. "Are you talking about when Jun and I were talking in the hallway? When you had to come get us for shooting?"
Ohno nodded, still not looking very happy, although a little more unsure than he had before.
"You know what Jun was telling me?" Nino asked. Ohno shook his head. "He was telling me that he wasn't going to pick me."
Ohno was silent for a second, looking confused. "....but then why did you look so happy? Why were you laughing?"
Nino smiled, feeling a little shy but doing his best to ignore it. "Because of the other thing he said. Jun basically told me that I should stop pretending and just make out with you already. He's been cheering us on."
Ohno didn't say anything, the little wheels whirring in his brain as he tried to take in this information. Nino felt a little uncomfortable in the silence and could hear himself start to ramble.
"Of course, little does he know, we already have. But that's okay. It's the thought that counts, I guess. I wonder what he'd say if he could see this. He'd probably laugh at how lame I'm being. After my big dramatic run off the stage--"
"--So, you like me?" Ohno cut him off, his face set and determined.
"I like you," Nino confirmed.
"And you quit the show so that you could come here?" Ohno asked.
"I quit the show so I could come here," Nino nodded.
Ohno thought for a second and Nino felt a little nervous. His half of the confession was out and he was 99% sure that Ohno liked him back, that that was the reason things were so awkward. It was that wriggling 1%, though, that was filling his brain.
Suddenly, Ohno reached out and grabbed Nino's arm, pulling him a little bit to the side, away from the computer. Nino wasn't entirely sure what he was doing but knew better than to say anything, letting Ohno take him wherever he wanted.
The older man stopped when they reached the canvas he'd been working on when Nino came in. Nino gasped lightly in surprise because smiling back at him from the canvas was himself. Nino in the painting leaned against a tree, a soft smile on his face as he gazed forward. In the background, the sun reflected lightly off lake, making the scene look even more idyllic.
"It's pretty," Nino breathed. He hadn't been aware that Ohno was so talented. He'd always known in the back of his mind that Ohno was an artist, had seen a few of his works before but this? This took the cake. He kept staring at it, trying to take it all in, when he felt an arm wrap around his waist.
"You're pretty," Ohno grinned, using his arm to twist Nino around. Nino felt his stomach unravel with the look on Ohno's face and the next thing he knew, they were kissing.
It was like the whole awkward period had never happened, like they were back in Nino's room and were talking about Wii tournaments and nabe. Ohno's lips were soft and insisting, tugging at his bottom lip until he yielded to it, letting Ohno deepen the kiss. He felt his back hit the wall but didn't really mind, running one arm up Ohno's shirt, feeling the other man's muscles contract with his touch.
A yell of victory was heard from the other room and Ohno and Nino broke apart with a snap. Nino was breathing hard but Ohno recovered himself faster.
"Is everything all right?" he called towards the other room.
"Everything's fine," his sister yelled back. "Go back to whatever you were doing!"
Nino gave Ohno a look. Ohno shrugged.
"My sister's weird."
"It runs in the family," Nino grinned.
Ohno ignored that statement to begin kissing Nino again. Nino honestly didn't mind.
Continue to Epilogue?