Eye of the Storm (Nobuta wo Produce)
For thawrecka, for getting this prompt out of my head and into words. Procrastination has never been so much fun!
Eye of the Storm | 686 words | PG | Shuuji to Akira to Nobuta | Nobuta wo Produce
It still surprises Nobuta that she didn't even make a sound. Her eyes widen and she clenches her fists almost unconsciously, ducking swiftly back behind the wall she had nearly walked out from behind. It must have been barely a second, hardly a glimpse, but it was enough. If she squeezes her eyes shut, she can still see it in her mind like she's standing right in front of them.
Shuuji's eyes were closed, but Akira's were open, wide-open and taking in everything like he would never get another chance. His hands framed Shuji's face, thumbs stroking slow circles on Shuuji's temples and fingers tangled in Shuuji's hair. Their faces are touching, noses brushing, foreheads touching and most of all - Nobuta scoots carefully further down the hallway, because she can hear things, even if she can't see anything - Akira's lips, pressed against Shuuji's, Shuuji kissing back. They've done this before, is her first thought, because Shuuji would have pushed Akira away, at least once. He wouldn't have known how to give in right away.
But then again, it looked like some things had changed in the time they had spent apart.
Nobuta steels herself and walks back into the living room as noisily as she can, but there is no need. Shuuji is leaning against the wall, looking slightly breathless, but composed. Nobuta likes the way he looked at her when she walked into the room with her chin held high and her eyes meeting everyone in the room; it was a mixture of pride and happiness that made his eyes light up and a smile tug at the corners of his lips, even as awkward as his expression was now. Akira was lounging on his back on a large red pillow near the balcony, thrusting his feet into the air in a random, upside-down dance.
"It's quiet here," Nobuta settles down close to Akira, her elbow brushing near his ankle. He won't look at her and she wants to somehow let him know it's stupid to be so twitchy.
"Did you want to go down to the ocean again?" It was the first thing that Shuuji had shown her when she arrived, arms flung wide and beaming, as if to give her the gift of a swollen grey sky over rumbling, dark waves and the screech of seagulls circling high above the wet sand.
Shuuji sounds almost desperate, so she smiles and agrees. He doesn't say anything in reply, just - stares and she realizes that behind her, Akira is craning his neck to stare at her as well. It's hard to remember sometimes that they aren't Mariko, and her smiles are still new to them, unlike Mariko, who accepts them and returns them like she's expected them all along.
"So, let's go, then!" Akira breaks the silence after a minute, jumping off the pillow in a stumbling motion that nearly knocks Nobuta against the coffee table. His apartment is small and crowded, but warm and it has a good view of the beach. "Shuuji-kuuuuuun." He clings just a moment too long, and then drops his hand away, glancing back at Nobuta. Shuuji busies himself with his shoes and pretends not to notice.
Nobuta tells news from back home while they walk down to the beach, about how Bando and her boyfriend finally had a huge screaming match and then broke up for good, how Shittaka had his cast off and was walking fine. She doesn't mention Aoi, because that's complicated and she's learned that it sets Shuuji's mouth in a grim line and makes Akira's eyes narrow, even when she mentions how hard Aoi is trying to be nice. She pretends not to notice Shuuji's arm brush against Akira's whenever the opportunity arises, or how Akira watches Shuuji like he's something new and precious. She doesn't know how to tell them what she sees and she doesn't know how to tell them that it's okay.
But it is the three of them again, and the sky is high and quiet above them. They have time, now, for things like that to wait a while longer.
cross-posted to nobuta_power
Eye of the Storm | 686 words | PG | Shuuji to Akira to Nobuta | Nobuta wo Produce
It still surprises Nobuta that she didn't even make a sound. Her eyes widen and she clenches her fists almost unconsciously, ducking swiftly back behind the wall she had nearly walked out from behind. It must have been barely a second, hardly a glimpse, but it was enough. If she squeezes her eyes shut, she can still see it in her mind like she's standing right in front of them.
Shuuji's eyes were closed, but Akira's were open, wide-open and taking in everything like he would never get another chance. His hands framed Shuji's face, thumbs stroking slow circles on Shuuji's temples and fingers tangled in Shuuji's hair. Their faces are touching, noses brushing, foreheads touching and most of all - Nobuta scoots carefully further down the hallway, because she can hear things, even if she can't see anything - Akira's lips, pressed against Shuuji's, Shuuji kissing back. They've done this before, is her first thought, because Shuuji would have pushed Akira away, at least once. He wouldn't have known how to give in right away.
But then again, it looked like some things had changed in the time they had spent apart.
Nobuta steels herself and walks back into the living room as noisily as she can, but there is no need. Shuuji is leaning against the wall, looking slightly breathless, but composed. Nobuta likes the way he looked at her when she walked into the room with her chin held high and her eyes meeting everyone in the room; it was a mixture of pride and happiness that made his eyes light up and a smile tug at the corners of his lips, even as awkward as his expression was now. Akira was lounging on his back on a large red pillow near the balcony, thrusting his feet into the air in a random, upside-down dance.
"It's quiet here," Nobuta settles down close to Akira, her elbow brushing near his ankle. He won't look at her and she wants to somehow let him know it's stupid to be so twitchy.
"Did you want to go down to the ocean again?" It was the first thing that Shuuji had shown her when she arrived, arms flung wide and beaming, as if to give her the gift of a swollen grey sky over rumbling, dark waves and the screech of seagulls circling high above the wet sand.
Shuuji sounds almost desperate, so she smiles and agrees. He doesn't say anything in reply, just - stares and she realizes that behind her, Akira is craning his neck to stare at her as well. It's hard to remember sometimes that they aren't Mariko, and her smiles are still new to them, unlike Mariko, who accepts them and returns them like she's expected them all along.
"So, let's go, then!" Akira breaks the silence after a minute, jumping off the pillow in a stumbling motion that nearly knocks Nobuta against the coffee table. His apartment is small and crowded, but warm and it has a good view of the beach. "Shuuji-kuuuuuun." He clings just a moment too long, and then drops his hand away, glancing back at Nobuta. Shuuji busies himself with his shoes and pretends not to notice.
Nobuta tells news from back home while they walk down to the beach, about how Bando and her boyfriend finally had a huge screaming match and then broke up for good, how Shittaka had his cast off and was walking fine. She doesn't mention Aoi, because that's complicated and she's learned that it sets Shuuji's mouth in a grim line and makes Akira's eyes narrow, even when she mentions how hard Aoi is trying to be nice. She pretends not to notice Shuuji's arm brush against Akira's whenever the opportunity arises, or how Akira watches Shuuji like he's something new and precious. She doesn't know how to tell them what she sees and she doesn't know how to tell them that it's okay.
But it is the three of them again, and the sky is high and quiet above them. They have time, now, for things like that to wait a while longer.
cross-posted to nobuta_power