Whiskey and Wine
Title: Whiskey and Wine
Pairing: ohmiya
Summary: He came on a summer's day, bringing gifts from far away, but he made it clear, he couldn't stay; no harbor was his home.
Notes: For Nino's birthday. Heavily inspired by the song Brandy by Looking Glass.
It's times like these, as Nino walks along the half dead streets late in the night, fingering the gold chain around his neck, that he wonders why exactly he has taken to living in a dock town, especially with how much he hates the ocean. All the shops are closed, the few sailors not headed out the next day already having a good enough time as it is, but the dull roar of the ocean can still be heard from a street as inland as this. Nino's beginning to wonder if perhaps the water is haunting him.
It's not just the seasickness that plagues him that has inbred this deep hatred of the sea. It was the ocean that made his father move them to this town when he was young and it was the same ocean that had taken his father from them. With nowhere left to go, they stayed, his sister marrying a local innkeeper and taking care of their mother. Nino got a job in one of the bars by the water, the kind where the whiskey was always flowing and the men were always merry. He had started young and all the sailors knew him by now, bringing him back treasures from their voyages and trying to regale him and the rest of the staff with tall tales from distant waters. Nino was never quite sure if he believed all these stories but they were fun, just the same.
The wind picks up a bit and Nino pulls his coat closer around his shoulders, walking with purpose towards the inn and the promise of warmth in his room. It's still two blocks away and the ocean seems to be laughing at him, quiet booming laughter that mocks him as he walks.
As he turns the key to open the back entrance, he sends one last glance to where he knows the ocean to be. He feels a small weight on his breastbone, under his shirt and grimaces; the damnable water has stolen everything from him.
~
It wasn't often that someone came into the bar that Nino didn't recognize. Although all the sailors were from different ports of call, they all passed through his town a few times a year and most were distinguishable enough that Nino remembered at least a few details. But on one particular day a few years back, Nino glanced up as the doors opened into eyes he didn't know.
The man walked with purpose, as if this weren't his first time here and he knew exactly where he was going. He sat down at the bar and glanced around a bit, taking in his surroundings. Finally noticing Nino in one of the corners, he waved him over with an awkward hand gesture.
"Can I help you?" Nino asked, still trying to figure out if this was a stranger or simply a regular that he, for some reason, couldn't recognize. The man's features were rather distinctive, though, a deep tan and chubby cheeks that made him look younger and less serious than he probably was. Something inside him chided, 'you would have remembered him.'
"Whiskey, please," the man replied, fixing Nino with an odd grin. Nino felt that he should have been slightly annoyed with the way this man seemed to think he ran the joint but he simply wasn't. He just nodded and made his way behind the counter to pour the drink.
The man accepted the glass with another smile and Nino felt something strange in the bottom of his stomach. It might have been the beginnings of a cold but Nino knew it wasn't.
"I haven't seen you around before," he tried, curious as to this strange man. The customer simply nodded, taking a sip of his drink.
"This is the first time we've taken this route," he replied. "It's supposed to be faster than our normal way but I don't know. I'm not familiar with these waters so I'm not feeling too good about it."
"Trader?" Nino asked, a knowing tone in his voice.
"Yeah, something like that," the other man replied with that same odd grin.
Nino could hear some grumbling from the other end of the room and knew this conversation had probably gone on longer than it should of. Damn his curiosity.
"Well, I'm Nino and I'm here about every night so if you ever need anything, just holler."
"I will, Nino," the man nodded. "Thanks."
~
He came back the next night and the night after. There were some ill winds by the next port, he had heard, and they were waiting a few days in hope the weather would clear up. Nino learned that his name was Ohno, that he captained a smallish boat that nonetheless took "great profit," and that he was from far from here, although he never specified where. Nino found he wasn't particularly curious about that aspect of Ohno; he was here now and that's what mattered.
Nino had taken a liking to the strange man. He wasn't anything like the normal patrons. He wasn't really rough and tumble, although he would happily watch Nino try and break up the bar fights that sometimes erupted over trivial things late at night. He didn't really share many stories about the sea but was always eager to listen to the other mens', eyes wide and attentive. Most of all, though, he actually treated Nino like a person and not like Nino from the bar.
"Have you ever thought about sailing?" he asked Nino one slow night over a serving of wine. He was leaving soon, the day after next, and Nino found himself talking more and more to Ohno than he was taking care of the customers. He also found he didn't really care.
"I get horribly seasick," Nino frowned. "I don't think anyone would want me." He thought about his mother's face when pieces of his father's boat had washed ashore but didn't share.
"Well, we're short a deckhand," Ohno began, apprehensively. "Kid went and got married on us and his new wife is making him take over the family butcher shop." He paused. "You can't stay in the bar forever, you know."
For five seconds, Nino almost said yes. The words were caught in his throat, waiting to escape.
"I can't."
Ohno's eyes held something Nino couldn't place.
"I understand."
~
Ohno left on schedule, without any sure idea if he were ever coming back. Nino took it worse than he expected himself to. The owner yelled at him for moping a few times and even some of the regulars started telling worse jokes than usual, trying to cheer him up.
After a few months, he was back to himself, joking with the patrons and fixing drinks. No one questioned him about his off phase and Nino was grateful. Something was missing, though, and he knew exactly what it was.
~
He came back six months later. He was tanner than before and his pockets were bulging the first time he came back in the bar.
"We were super successful," he explained needlessly, handing silly trinkets out to the surrounding crowd. "I thought I'd bring presents."
Nino simply smiled; as corny as it sounded, Ohno being back was the only thing he needed. Despite that thought, however, he found himself being tugged to a corner booth later in the night by a newly arrived sailor that had a few drinks in him.
"Nino," Ohno grinned, pulling the younger man into his lap. Nino knew Ohno had to be a little gone, if not completely, but he couldn't help the blush that tinged his cheeks at their position. "I got you a special present."
"I don't need a present," Nino tried to protest. "Just tell me about your trip. That's enough for me."
"But I got it special," Ohno pouted and Nino had to laugh, not used to that side of his favorite trader.
"Fine, then," he relented with a smile. "What did you get me?"
Ohno didn't answer; he simply fished a hand into one of his pockets and pulled out a gold locket on a chain. It had to be worth more than Nino made in a year but for once, he found he couldn't say anything. Mute, he just watched as Ohno undid the buckle to fasten it around his neck. With a plop, the locket landed on his chest and he looked down cautiously, fingers twisting the locket towards him for a better view.
"Ohno, this is too much," he whispered, still in awe of the gift. Ohno didn't say anything, just smiled, and rubbed his forehead in Nino's shoulder. Nino watched as his fingers ran themselves through Ohno's hair, felt how soft it was. Ohno looked up at him, caught his eye, and that was it.
~
Ohno was there for two weeks this time. He spent most of his time now with Nino, either at the bar or helping him run errands. Nino kept asking if there was something Ohno should be doing, not that he wanted him gone but he did happen to be captain of a ship and all, but Ohno always shook his head with a grin and continued on his way.
Nino was getting used to having Ohno around and he knew it was going to be even harder when he left this time. Therefore, he attempted not to think about it.
Ohno tried again, the night before he left. He pulled Nino to a deserted corner of the bar, held both of his hands over the table, and said 'come with me.'
Every fiber of his being wanted to go. He wanted to watch Ohno captain a boat, meet the people he knew, explore strange new places with him. He simply wanted to be with him. But he couldn't. He simply couldn't.
Ohno's expression was unfathomable after Nino spoke. He said nothing but stood, walking out and pulling Nino with him by their still entwined hands. Nino didn't question, just followed.
He led them to the edge of town, to the docks where his ship waited. They both looked out for a long moment, saying nothing and everything.
"I'm going."
"I know."
Ohno turned and Nino only had a split second to register his intent before he felt lips on his, soft and insistent. He could do nothing but reply, opening his mouth slightly, melting into Ohno.
"Remember," Ohno spoke after eons, lips still on Nino's, "you're mine."
"Of course I am," Nino breathed.
Ohno smiled, pressing a kiss to Nino's forehead and then, tugging on the chain, a quick kiss to the locket. Nino automatically tucked the locket back into his shirt, making sure it sat neatly against his chest. When he looked up, Ohno was walking away, looking slightly defeated.
~
He came into town about once every six months. Every time Nino welcomed him with a smile and a kiss when no one was looking. He would check into a room at the local inn but after a time, Ohno began to spend his few weeks in town in Nino's bed. Each visit was much too short.
Every parting went the same: Ohno would beg Nino to come with him. Nino would say no. And they knew.
Perhaps one day things would change. Nino would no longer feel the sense of responsibility to stay for his mother, to not leave her like his father. Ohno would grow tired of wandering the planet in an old ship that had seen better days, would grow tired of traveling and wish to stay at the port with Nino. But both knew better than that and took every two weeks as a lifetime.
~~~~
Sorry to go so long between updates, guys. I wrote this on the plane yesterday for Nino's birthday. I've been writing this epic one shot I had planned to get done for the event but ... it didn't happen. It'll be up whenever it finally gets done. Also, if anyone is curious, Agent 22 will be updated in the future. I have the whole thing planned; it's the writing it out that's the trouble. Happy birthday, Nino!
Pairing: ohmiya
Summary: He came on a summer's day, bringing gifts from far away, but he made it clear, he couldn't stay; no harbor was his home.
Notes: For Nino's birthday. Heavily inspired by the song Brandy by Looking Glass.
It's times like these, as Nino walks along the half dead streets late in the night, fingering the gold chain around his neck, that he wonders why exactly he has taken to living in a dock town, especially with how much he hates the ocean. All the shops are closed, the few sailors not headed out the next day already having a good enough time as it is, but the dull roar of the ocean can still be heard from a street as inland as this. Nino's beginning to wonder if perhaps the water is haunting him.
It's not just the seasickness that plagues him that has inbred this deep hatred of the sea. It was the ocean that made his father move them to this town when he was young and it was the same ocean that had taken his father from them. With nowhere left to go, they stayed, his sister marrying a local innkeeper and taking care of their mother. Nino got a job in one of the bars by the water, the kind where the whiskey was always flowing and the men were always merry. He had started young and all the sailors knew him by now, bringing him back treasures from their voyages and trying to regale him and the rest of the staff with tall tales from distant waters. Nino was never quite sure if he believed all these stories but they were fun, just the same.
The wind picks up a bit and Nino pulls his coat closer around his shoulders, walking with purpose towards the inn and the promise of warmth in his room. It's still two blocks away and the ocean seems to be laughing at him, quiet booming laughter that mocks him as he walks.
As he turns the key to open the back entrance, he sends one last glance to where he knows the ocean to be. He feels a small weight on his breastbone, under his shirt and grimaces; the damnable water has stolen everything from him.
~
It wasn't often that someone came into the bar that Nino didn't recognize. Although all the sailors were from different ports of call, they all passed through his town a few times a year and most were distinguishable enough that Nino remembered at least a few details. But on one particular day a few years back, Nino glanced up as the doors opened into eyes he didn't know.
The man walked with purpose, as if this weren't his first time here and he knew exactly where he was going. He sat down at the bar and glanced around a bit, taking in his surroundings. Finally noticing Nino in one of the corners, he waved him over with an awkward hand gesture.
"Can I help you?" Nino asked, still trying to figure out if this was a stranger or simply a regular that he, for some reason, couldn't recognize. The man's features were rather distinctive, though, a deep tan and chubby cheeks that made him look younger and less serious than he probably was. Something inside him chided, 'you would have remembered him.'
"Whiskey, please," the man replied, fixing Nino with an odd grin. Nino felt that he should have been slightly annoyed with the way this man seemed to think he ran the joint but he simply wasn't. He just nodded and made his way behind the counter to pour the drink.
The man accepted the glass with another smile and Nino felt something strange in the bottom of his stomach. It might have been the beginnings of a cold but Nino knew it wasn't.
"I haven't seen you around before," he tried, curious as to this strange man. The customer simply nodded, taking a sip of his drink.
"This is the first time we've taken this route," he replied. "It's supposed to be faster than our normal way but I don't know. I'm not familiar with these waters so I'm not feeling too good about it."
"Trader?" Nino asked, a knowing tone in his voice.
"Yeah, something like that," the other man replied with that same odd grin.
Nino could hear some grumbling from the other end of the room and knew this conversation had probably gone on longer than it should of. Damn his curiosity.
"Well, I'm Nino and I'm here about every night so if you ever need anything, just holler."
"I will, Nino," the man nodded. "Thanks."
~
He came back the next night and the night after. There were some ill winds by the next port, he had heard, and they were waiting a few days in hope the weather would clear up. Nino learned that his name was Ohno, that he captained a smallish boat that nonetheless took "great profit," and that he was from far from here, although he never specified where. Nino found he wasn't particularly curious about that aspect of Ohno; he was here now and that's what mattered.
Nino had taken a liking to the strange man. He wasn't anything like the normal patrons. He wasn't really rough and tumble, although he would happily watch Nino try and break up the bar fights that sometimes erupted over trivial things late at night. He didn't really share many stories about the sea but was always eager to listen to the other mens', eyes wide and attentive. Most of all, though, he actually treated Nino like a person and not like Nino from the bar.
"Have you ever thought about sailing?" he asked Nino one slow night over a serving of wine. He was leaving soon, the day after next, and Nino found himself talking more and more to Ohno than he was taking care of the customers. He also found he didn't really care.
"I get horribly seasick," Nino frowned. "I don't think anyone would want me." He thought about his mother's face when pieces of his father's boat had washed ashore but didn't share.
"Well, we're short a deckhand," Ohno began, apprehensively. "Kid went and got married on us and his new wife is making him take over the family butcher shop." He paused. "You can't stay in the bar forever, you know."
For five seconds, Nino almost said yes. The words were caught in his throat, waiting to escape.
"I can't."
Ohno's eyes held something Nino couldn't place.
"I understand."
~
Ohno left on schedule, without any sure idea if he were ever coming back. Nino took it worse than he expected himself to. The owner yelled at him for moping a few times and even some of the regulars started telling worse jokes than usual, trying to cheer him up.
After a few months, he was back to himself, joking with the patrons and fixing drinks. No one questioned him about his off phase and Nino was grateful. Something was missing, though, and he knew exactly what it was.
~
He came back six months later. He was tanner than before and his pockets were bulging the first time he came back in the bar.
"We were super successful," he explained needlessly, handing silly trinkets out to the surrounding crowd. "I thought I'd bring presents."
Nino simply smiled; as corny as it sounded, Ohno being back was the only thing he needed. Despite that thought, however, he found himself being tugged to a corner booth later in the night by a newly arrived sailor that had a few drinks in him.
"Nino," Ohno grinned, pulling the younger man into his lap. Nino knew Ohno had to be a little gone, if not completely, but he couldn't help the blush that tinged his cheeks at their position. "I got you a special present."
"I don't need a present," Nino tried to protest. "Just tell me about your trip. That's enough for me."
"But I got it special," Ohno pouted and Nino had to laugh, not used to that side of his favorite trader.
"Fine, then," he relented with a smile. "What did you get me?"
Ohno didn't answer; he simply fished a hand into one of his pockets and pulled out a gold locket on a chain. It had to be worth more than Nino made in a year but for once, he found he couldn't say anything. Mute, he just watched as Ohno undid the buckle to fasten it around his neck. With a plop, the locket landed on his chest and he looked down cautiously, fingers twisting the locket towards him for a better view.
"Ohno, this is too much," he whispered, still in awe of the gift. Ohno didn't say anything, just smiled, and rubbed his forehead in Nino's shoulder. Nino watched as his fingers ran themselves through Ohno's hair, felt how soft it was. Ohno looked up at him, caught his eye, and that was it.
~
Ohno was there for two weeks this time. He spent most of his time now with Nino, either at the bar or helping him run errands. Nino kept asking if there was something Ohno should be doing, not that he wanted him gone but he did happen to be captain of a ship and all, but Ohno always shook his head with a grin and continued on his way.
Nino was getting used to having Ohno around and he knew it was going to be even harder when he left this time. Therefore, he attempted not to think about it.
Ohno tried again, the night before he left. He pulled Nino to a deserted corner of the bar, held both of his hands over the table, and said 'come with me.'
Every fiber of his being wanted to go. He wanted to watch Ohno captain a boat, meet the people he knew, explore strange new places with him. He simply wanted to be with him. But he couldn't. He simply couldn't.
Ohno's expression was unfathomable after Nino spoke. He said nothing but stood, walking out and pulling Nino with him by their still entwined hands. Nino didn't question, just followed.
He led them to the edge of town, to the docks where his ship waited. They both looked out for a long moment, saying nothing and everything.
"I'm going."
"I know."
Ohno turned and Nino only had a split second to register his intent before he felt lips on his, soft and insistent. He could do nothing but reply, opening his mouth slightly, melting into Ohno.
"Remember," Ohno spoke after eons, lips still on Nino's, "you're mine."
"Of course I am," Nino breathed.
Ohno smiled, pressing a kiss to Nino's forehead and then, tugging on the chain, a quick kiss to the locket. Nino automatically tucked the locket back into his shirt, making sure it sat neatly against his chest. When he looked up, Ohno was walking away, looking slightly defeated.
~
He came into town about once every six months. Every time Nino welcomed him with a smile and a kiss when no one was looking. He would check into a room at the local inn but after a time, Ohno began to spend his few weeks in town in Nino's bed. Each visit was much too short.
Every parting went the same: Ohno would beg Nino to come with him. Nino would say no. And they knew.
Perhaps one day things would change. Nino would no longer feel the sense of responsibility to stay for his mother, to not leave her like his father. Ohno would grow tired of wandering the planet in an old ship that had seen better days, would grow tired of traveling and wish to stay at the port with Nino. But both knew better than that and took every two weeks as a lifetime.
~~~~
Sorry to go so long between updates, guys. I wrote this on the plane yesterday for Nino's birthday. I've been writing this epic one shot I had planned to get done for the event but ... it didn't happen. It'll be up whenever it finally gets done. Also, if anyone is curious, Agent 22 will be updated in the future. I have the whole thing planned; it's the writing it out that's the trouble. Happy birthday, Nino!