MARCH CONTEST 05
TITLE: Cool and Friendly-like
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: Smooching, bright sweaters, and holiday traditions.
They'd been dancing around each other, testing the boundaries of friendship and Arashi with constant nudges of careful fingers. Well, to be accurate, most of the dancing was done by Sho. Nino mainly teased and retreated and frustrated Sho to no end.
In the past few months Sho had thrown his dignity away with both hands (to which Nino thought he was getting suspiciously accustomed) and pursued Nino recklessly. At first he'd been open about it; he confessed, with red ears and a stammer and bright, nervous eyes.
Nino only laughed and hugged him tightly before skipping away across the park back to the shoot and yet another 10th anniversary cake.
After two more confessions (by Sho) and evasions (by Nino) Sho gave up. Or so Nino thought. Nino watched him carefully from the corner of his eye, wondering if this was it, if it was over. For long days, he tried to feel relieved.
Then it was December and they were at Aiba's for an impromptu birthday/Christmas party. Aiba had gathered everyone he could (and given that it was Aiba, his apartment was packed with people.) Nino was lounging lazily against a wall, people-watching through bleary eyes. Whatever Aiba had put in the punch packed an awful kick.
Nino'd been tracking Sho furtively as he mingled; the bright red of Sho's sweater made him easy to spot. It was also soft, softer than Nino wanted to think about, and clung to Sho's upper body lovingly. Nino had knocked back his glass on more than one occasion after spotting someone running their hands across Sho, his Sho.
And then there was a shriek of laughter and a small space grew around Sho as the crowd parted to let Aiba through.
"Sho-chan, Sho-chan! You're standing under the mistletoe!" Aiba cried gleefully.
Nino's eyes shot up to the offending green parasite and he stood up straight, only to settle back down nonchalantly when he felt Sho and Aiba looking at him, Sho with wide eyes and Aiba with a smug grin.
Nino shrugged. Aiba narrowed his eyes at Nino and shrugged back before turning to Sho and kissing him thoroughly to the approving cheers of the crowd. Sho struggled in Aiba's hold but only succeeded in winding himself and making everyone laugh. Nino tried to burn a hole in Aiba's head with his brain.
Aiba released Sho, giggling and wiping his mouth. Then he spotted someone across the room and threw a mischievous glance back at Nino before shouting again.
"Captain! Sho-kun's under the mistletoe, you have to kiss him!"
Nino growled and pushed off from the wall, stalking unsteadily over. Sho looked-well, Nino wasn't looking at Sho; he walked right past the two idiots and to Ohno before latching on to Ohno's wrist and towing him away from Sho's all too tempting lips. Aiba's laughter followed him.
The next morning he stumbled to the bathroom only to trip over a multitude of legs. Sho was cuddled up with Toma and Jun, snoring away. Someone (Aiba) had covered them with a blanket and Sho's mouth looked puffy. It also had more than one color of lipstick smudged on it. Nino made sure to knock Aiba's toothbrush in the toilet before he relieved himself.
It was a few days later when Nino realized (while stewing over the events of the party during his monster evisceration time) that Sho had stood in that one particular spot for quite a long time before getting mauled. He had stayed when his conversational partners had left and when he got bumped by the unruly crowd he had made sure to get back in just the same place. Nino's lips curved up into a smirk and he stopped sending Aiba mail about every gruesome step that went into making his beloved fried chicken.
When Sho came back from Vancouver Nino clung a little tighter and chose his lap more frequently. Sho didn't question it, just held on as best he could without clinging back, because clinging to Nino was sure to end in Nino across the room giving his attention to someone else.
On Valentine's Day Nino waited expectantly for Sho to confess again. He had been losing sleep (and games he should have won) thinking about Sho and he was tired of it. He was ready to take the risk and let what happened happen. But Sho didn't confess. He acted normally and leaned into Nino's touches and laughed with Ohno and soothed Aiba and discussed his drama with Jun but he never pulled Nino aside and told Nino what he wanted to hear.
Nino's face must have betrayed his feelings because the next thing he knew Matsujun was ruffling his hair and not looking entirely unsympathetic, although his words ("Too bad there isn't mistletoe on Valentine's Day") and the suggestive leer that accompanied them led Nino to disbelieve his gesture. It also led Nino to throw a box of tissues at Jun's hair, which had just been meticulously styled, and the dressing room devolved into Aiba and Sho holding Jun back as he spat insults and Ohno placidly sitting on Nino to keep him from venting any of his disappointment on Jun.
When Nino got home, holding back from being in a huff by force of will, he found a package on his doorstep with the address in Sho's elegant hand. After ripping open the packaging he found a small box filled with fancy, store-bought chocolate. The note read, "Sorry I didn't have time to make these for you myself. Happy Valentine's Day! You're my best friend. --Sakurai Sho"
Nino slumped to the floor. Best friend.
Nino didn't give Sho any chocolate on White Day.
A couple days after that, after a Monday and Tuesday with Nino trying to believe that Sho was sending hurt looks in his direction, Nino came into their green room to find Aiba matching the name. He was dressed, hat-to-shoes, in green, and he beamed at Nino.
"Happy Patrick Day!" he yelled, and then peered at Nino. He poked and prodded and pored over Nino's clothes before announcing, "No green!" in English and giving Nino a smacking kiss on the mouth. After whacking Aiba upside the head, Nino got the scoop on "Patrick Day" and settled in to observe the tradition.
When Ohno came in Aiba repeated the treatment, causing much giggling from their Leader, and then the same for Jun, who hit Aiba without bothering to remove his rings. When the door opened and Sho appeared, Aiba left off rubbing his head sulkily and bounded up to him, only to stop short at the sight of Sho's cheerful green sweater.
After a heartfelt sigh and a sly glance at Nino, Aiba came back to the couch and promptly fell asleep with his head on Ohno's lap. Sho sent confused looks around the room but let it go in favor of coffee.
When the studio needed Aiba, Jun, and Ohno first, Nino tried not to let his heart beat faster. Sho was reading his newspapers intently, not paying any attention to Nino. Then all of a sudden he looked up. Nino watched in fascination as Sho's face turned a deep pink and only then remembered to look at his DS instead of Sho's face.
"Ah, it's hot in here," Sho muttered. Nino glanced up again to find Sho stripping off his sweater and dropping it to the arm of the couch. Sho immediately turned back to his paper but Nino's mind had latched on.
Sho: had blushed. Was wearing green. And then, when Nino was the only other person in the room, was not wearing green any longer.
Before he let himself think about it any further Nino moved across the couch and pushed Sho back before dropping into his lap. Sho barely twitched, only craning his neck around to still be able to read, but Nino grabbed his chin and made him meet his eyes. Sho looked amused and fond and so very Sho and Nino kissed him.
Sho made a soft, surprised noise into Nino's mouth. Nino had his eyes tightly closed, hoping, hoping, and then Sho raised a hand to Nino's jaw and kissed him back. They settled into each other, testing out something much sweeter than boundaries, and only broke apart when they needed to catch their breath.
Nino smiled victoriously, even though Sho couldn't see it with their foreheads pressed warmly together.
"I knew it," he started, and at Sho's questioning noise, "I knew you wanted me to kiss you."
"... it took you this long to catch on?" Sho sounded cross. Nino pulled back to find Sho looking cross, and it made him feel so affectionate he couldn't resist a peck on Sho's cheek, and then one on his mouth, cutting off the grumbling about having confessed "EIGHT MONTHS AGO."
"I mean today, Sho-chan. Aiba-chan told me all about it, about how if you're not wearing green it means you want someone to kiss you."
Sho's brow looked like it would never unfurrow. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"It's Patrick Day!" There was a long pause. Sho snorted, then chuckled, then broke out into a full-body guffaw. Nino rode it out with poor grace, trying not to smile back just because Sho was so radiantly happy.
"That's Saint Patrick's Day, Nino, and it has nothing to do with kissing."
Nino frowned. "But Aiba-chan-"
"-is not exactly an expert on Western holidays, is he?" Sho finished, looking like he wanted to hug Aiba and Nino and everyone in the building who wouldn't take it as an invitation to grope his ass. "On Saint Patrick's Day, in America, if you're not wearing something green you get pinched."
"Pinched?" Nino was thinking that maybe Aiba could use some pictures of the chickens immediately after they were slaughtered. Perhaps tucked into his next bento.
He felt a sharp pressure through the seat of his jeans and yelped, twisted only to see that Sho had pinched his ass.
"Happy Saint Patrick's Day, Nino," Sho murmured, and then pushed Nino down on his back and settled on top of him. They didn't look up again until Aiba came running in and leaped on top of them with a victory cheer, followed by Ohno, who looked confused but vaguely happy, and Matsujun, who locked the door behind them and immediately began to lecture about "PUBLIC PLACES."
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: Smooching, bright sweaters, and holiday traditions.
They'd been dancing around each other, testing the boundaries of friendship and Arashi with constant nudges of careful fingers. Well, to be accurate, most of the dancing was done by Sho. Nino mainly teased and retreated and frustrated Sho to no end.
In the past few months Sho had thrown his dignity away with both hands (to which Nino thought he was getting suspiciously accustomed) and pursued Nino recklessly. At first he'd been open about it; he confessed, with red ears and a stammer and bright, nervous eyes.
Nino only laughed and hugged him tightly before skipping away across the park back to the shoot and yet another 10th anniversary cake.
After two more confessions (by Sho) and evasions (by Nino) Sho gave up. Or so Nino thought. Nino watched him carefully from the corner of his eye, wondering if this was it, if it was over. For long days, he tried to feel relieved.
Then it was December and they were at Aiba's for an impromptu birthday/Christmas party. Aiba had gathered everyone he could (and given that it was Aiba, his apartment was packed with people.) Nino was lounging lazily against a wall, people-watching through bleary eyes. Whatever Aiba had put in the punch packed an awful kick.
Nino'd been tracking Sho furtively as he mingled; the bright red of Sho's sweater made him easy to spot. It was also soft, softer than Nino wanted to think about, and clung to Sho's upper body lovingly. Nino had knocked back his glass on more than one occasion after spotting someone running their hands across Sho, his Sho.
And then there was a shriek of laughter and a small space grew around Sho as the crowd parted to let Aiba through.
"Sho-chan, Sho-chan! You're standing under the mistletoe!" Aiba cried gleefully.
Nino's eyes shot up to the offending green parasite and he stood up straight, only to settle back down nonchalantly when he felt Sho and Aiba looking at him, Sho with wide eyes and Aiba with a smug grin.
Nino shrugged. Aiba narrowed his eyes at Nino and shrugged back before turning to Sho and kissing him thoroughly to the approving cheers of the crowd. Sho struggled in Aiba's hold but only succeeded in winding himself and making everyone laugh. Nino tried to burn a hole in Aiba's head with his brain.
Aiba released Sho, giggling and wiping his mouth. Then he spotted someone across the room and threw a mischievous glance back at Nino before shouting again.
"Captain! Sho-kun's under the mistletoe, you have to kiss him!"
Nino growled and pushed off from the wall, stalking unsteadily over. Sho looked-well, Nino wasn't looking at Sho; he walked right past the two idiots and to Ohno before latching on to Ohno's wrist and towing him away from Sho's all too tempting lips. Aiba's laughter followed him.
The next morning he stumbled to the bathroom only to trip over a multitude of legs. Sho was cuddled up with Toma and Jun, snoring away. Someone (Aiba) had covered them with a blanket and Sho's mouth looked puffy. It also had more than one color of lipstick smudged on it. Nino made sure to knock Aiba's toothbrush in the toilet before he relieved himself.
It was a few days later when Nino realized (while stewing over the events of the party during his monster evisceration time) that Sho had stood in that one particular spot for quite a long time before getting mauled. He had stayed when his conversational partners had left and when he got bumped by the unruly crowd he had made sure to get back in just the same place. Nino's lips curved up into a smirk and he stopped sending Aiba mail about every gruesome step that went into making his beloved fried chicken.
When Sho came back from Vancouver Nino clung a little tighter and chose his lap more frequently. Sho didn't question it, just held on as best he could without clinging back, because clinging to Nino was sure to end in Nino across the room giving his attention to someone else.
On Valentine's Day Nino waited expectantly for Sho to confess again. He had been losing sleep (and games he should have won) thinking about Sho and he was tired of it. He was ready to take the risk and let what happened happen. But Sho didn't confess. He acted normally and leaned into Nino's touches and laughed with Ohno and soothed Aiba and discussed his drama with Jun but he never pulled Nino aside and told Nino what he wanted to hear.
Nino's face must have betrayed his feelings because the next thing he knew Matsujun was ruffling his hair and not looking entirely unsympathetic, although his words ("Too bad there isn't mistletoe on Valentine's Day") and the suggestive leer that accompanied them led Nino to disbelieve his gesture. It also led Nino to throw a box of tissues at Jun's hair, which had just been meticulously styled, and the dressing room devolved into Aiba and Sho holding Jun back as he spat insults and Ohno placidly sitting on Nino to keep him from venting any of his disappointment on Jun.
When Nino got home, holding back from being in a huff by force of will, he found a package on his doorstep with the address in Sho's elegant hand. After ripping open the packaging he found a small box filled with fancy, store-bought chocolate. The note read, "Sorry I didn't have time to make these for you myself. Happy Valentine's Day! You're my best friend. --Sakurai Sho"
Nino slumped to the floor. Best friend.
Nino didn't give Sho any chocolate on White Day.
A couple days after that, after a Monday and Tuesday with Nino trying to believe that Sho was sending hurt looks in his direction, Nino came into their green room to find Aiba matching the name. He was dressed, hat-to-shoes, in green, and he beamed at Nino.
"Happy Patrick Day!" he yelled, and then peered at Nino. He poked and prodded and pored over Nino's clothes before announcing, "No green!" in English and giving Nino a smacking kiss on the mouth. After whacking Aiba upside the head, Nino got the scoop on "Patrick Day" and settled in to observe the tradition.
When Ohno came in Aiba repeated the treatment, causing much giggling from their Leader, and then the same for Jun, who hit Aiba without bothering to remove his rings. When the door opened and Sho appeared, Aiba left off rubbing his head sulkily and bounded up to him, only to stop short at the sight of Sho's cheerful green sweater.
After a heartfelt sigh and a sly glance at Nino, Aiba came back to the couch and promptly fell asleep with his head on Ohno's lap. Sho sent confused looks around the room but let it go in favor of coffee.
When the studio needed Aiba, Jun, and Ohno first, Nino tried not to let his heart beat faster. Sho was reading his newspapers intently, not paying any attention to Nino. Then all of a sudden he looked up. Nino watched in fascination as Sho's face turned a deep pink and only then remembered to look at his DS instead of Sho's face.
"Ah, it's hot in here," Sho muttered. Nino glanced up again to find Sho stripping off his sweater and dropping it to the arm of the couch. Sho immediately turned back to his paper but Nino's mind had latched on.
Sho: had blushed. Was wearing green. And then, when Nino was the only other person in the room, was not wearing green any longer.
Before he let himself think about it any further Nino moved across the couch and pushed Sho back before dropping into his lap. Sho barely twitched, only craning his neck around to still be able to read, but Nino grabbed his chin and made him meet his eyes. Sho looked amused and fond and so very Sho and Nino kissed him.
Sho made a soft, surprised noise into Nino's mouth. Nino had his eyes tightly closed, hoping, hoping, and then Sho raised a hand to Nino's jaw and kissed him back. They settled into each other, testing out something much sweeter than boundaries, and only broke apart when they needed to catch their breath.
Nino smiled victoriously, even though Sho couldn't see it with their foreheads pressed warmly together.
"I knew it," he started, and at Sho's questioning noise, "I knew you wanted me to kiss you."
"... it took you this long to catch on?" Sho sounded cross. Nino pulled back to find Sho looking cross, and it made him feel so affectionate he couldn't resist a peck on Sho's cheek, and then one on his mouth, cutting off the grumbling about having confessed "EIGHT MONTHS AGO."
"I mean today, Sho-chan. Aiba-chan told me all about it, about how if you're not wearing green it means you want someone to kiss you."
Sho's brow looked like it would never unfurrow. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"It's Patrick Day!" There was a long pause. Sho snorted, then chuckled, then broke out into a full-body guffaw. Nino rode it out with poor grace, trying not to smile back just because Sho was so radiantly happy.
"That's Saint Patrick's Day, Nino, and it has nothing to do with kissing."
Nino frowned. "But Aiba-chan-"
"-is not exactly an expert on Western holidays, is he?" Sho finished, looking like he wanted to hug Aiba and Nino and everyone in the building who wouldn't take it as an invitation to grope his ass. "On Saint Patrick's Day, in America, if you're not wearing something green you get pinched."
"Pinched?" Nino was thinking that maybe Aiba could use some pictures of the chickens immediately after they were slaughtered. Perhaps tucked into his next bento.
He felt a sharp pressure through the seat of his jeans and yelped, twisted only to see that Sho had pinched his ass.
"Happy Saint Patrick's Day, Nino," Sho murmured, and then pushed Nino down on his back and settled on top of him. They didn't look up again until Aiba came running in and leaped on top of them with a victory cheer, followed by Ohno, who looked confused but vaguely happy, and Matsujun, who locked the door behind them and immediately began to lecture about "PUBLIC PLACES."