Always Here For You
Jun. 17th, 2018 06:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
learashiPairing: Ohmiya
Genre: The fluffiest of fluff
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I make no claim over Arashi (especially Ohmiya) – this is purely fiction
Summary: “I don't know why it took you so long to finally notice that I’m always here for you, and I really hope that you remember this conversation when you're sober, because I don't think I can do this anymore,” Nino said quietly, pressing his palm to the spot where Ohno’s lips had been and reliving that brief moment of warmth.
Notes: So this is my birthday fic for Nino. I just realised that the last time I wrote Ohmiya was back in September last year, so please be gentle with me. Happy Birthday Neen.
Nino shuffled across his apartment without bothering to switch on the light. The space was so small that he knew every square millimetre of it, or so he thought until he stubbed his toe on the leg of his low table. “Ow! Son of a…”
Hopping on one foot and clutching his throbbing big toe with one hand, Nino wrenched open his front door with the other. “What the hell do you think you're doing bashing on my door in the middle of the night?”
A dishevelled figure blinked blearily at Nino before collapsing in a heap at his feet.
Nino was worried for a moment, until he caught a whiff of the alcoholic fumes which surrounded his friend in a noxious cloud. He was tempted to just close the door and go back to bed, leaving Ohno in a snoring pile in the corridor, but Nino was weak when it came to the older man.
“Wake up,” Nino poked Ohno’s chubby cheek none too gently. “You're too heavy for me to carry.”
Ohno stirred and blinked blearily up at Nino, who sighed and bent down, offering his hand to Ohno, dragging him to his feet. Nino banged his elbow on the door jamb, swearing loudly, as they staggered into the darkened apartment.
“Shhhh,” Ohno grumbled. “I’m trying to sleep.”
“Less sleeping and more walking would help right now,” Nino complained as he flicked on the light with his undamaged elbow.
“This hotel is really messy,” Ohno grumbled, pushing a dirty sock that was lying on the seat of the sofa next to him off onto the floor to join its crumpled mate. “You should complain to housekeeping.”
“I’ll have words with the maid when she comes in to clean in the morning,” Nino replied with a sarcastic roll of his eyes.
Ohno nodded and slumped over to one side, sliding down into a drunken puddle with his head resting against the armrest. He shivered and tried to close the front of his jacket, but his fingers couldn't grip the fabric properly making him whine with frustration.
“Here.” Nino flung a blanket hard into Ohno’s face, making his unexpected guest splutter at the taste of musty wool.
With a contented sigh, Ohno pulled the blanket over his head, leaving the rest of his body uncovered, and almost immediately began to snore. Nino muttered to himself and tugged the blanket down over Ohno’s body, knowing from experience that his friend struggled in the cold. Nino went to move away but it was impossible for him to ignore the sight of the tanned strip of bare skin above Ohno’s waistband where his shirt had ridden up when he flopped over. Nino’s eyes widened and the tip of his tongue emerged, unconsciously wetting his bottom lip. For a brief moment Nino imagined what it would feel like to stroke the smooth skin, savouring its warmth and his fingers twitched longingly, but common sense prevailed and he contented himself with smoothing down the blanket before switching off the light and returning to his own small bed.
++
Nino was in the middle of a dream where Ohno was in bed with him, when he realised that Ohno was actually in bed with him. Nino shrieked and pulled the covers tightly up around his neck. “What the hell do you think you're doing?”
Ohno snuggled closer and draped his arm over Nino’s stiff body. “Cold,” he mumbled.
“You can't stay here!” Nino squeaked. He barely dared to breathe as he desperately willed his nether regions to not become over excited at the sensation of Ohno’s muscular body pressing firmly against his back.
“Why not?”
“B-because this is a single bed.”
“But we both are single.” Ohno’s breath puffed warmly against the back of Nino’s neck, making Nino shiver.
“I meant that there isn’t enough room for two of us, you idiot.”
“Yes there is,” Ohno replied muzzily. He grabbed Nino around the waist and rolled over onto his back, so that Nino ended up on top of him. A moment later Ohno’s mouth dropped open and a loud snore reverberated around the room, and unfortunately for Nino, directly into his ear.
Torn between wanting to reach into Ohno’s mouth and tear out the tongue which was vibrating against the back of Ohno’s throat and causing the headache inducing noise, and enjoying his position on top of his friend, Nino was frozen by indecision. His body rose and fell slightly with each one of Ohno’s gargling beery breaths, and Nino found himself almost lulled back to sleep by the gentle motion, despite the noises still issuing from Ohno.
“FISH!”
Ohno flailed in his sleep, dislodging Nino onto the mattress and rolling over on top of him. “Such a sexy big tuna,” Ohno muttered as he slid his hands down Nino’s sides.
“Aaaaargghh! Get off me!” Nino shoved Ohno with enough force to knock him straight over the edge of the bed and onto the floor. It was hard enough for Nino to survive on a daily basis while having a crush on his best friend, without these extra temptations being placed in front of him, and in his own bed, no less.
“OW! Why ‘m I on the floor?” Ohno slurred. He rubbed the back of his head and blinked blearily up at Nino.
“You fell out of bed.”
“If you hadda bigger bed this wouldn't hap’n.” Ohno began trying to drag himself back into bed with Nino, who blocked him with a well-placed foot to the chest.
“Go back to your sofa, you drunken idiot. Or better still; go back to your own apartment. I don't know why you come here every time you get drunk anyway; your place is much closer.”
“Coz roommate said he would chop up all favourite fishing magazines if I wake him up in the middle of the night,” Ohno mumbled sadly to himself. Maudlin tears welled in his eyes at the thought of his prized collection being turned into mulch.
“That's because Jun is obviously more sensible than I, since I always let you in here every time you're drunk after some work function.” Nino gave up on getting back to sleep, and tugged Ohno up off the floor to sit beside him on the bed. “What was the occasion this time anyway? Hatch, match, or despatch?”
Ohno’s large department seemed to have at least one party per week for colleagues who were either becoming a parent, getting married, or leaving to take up another job. This meant that Ohno spent almost as much time sleeping at Nino’s place as he did at his own apartment, which made his roommate very happy indeed, since it spared him from Ohno’s door rattling snores, and allowed him a decent night’s sleep without the use of earplugs.
“N-none of the above. I mean, did go to a party but I was mostly trying to pluck up the courage to talk to you, but I guess I didn't find them after all.”
“Huh? Find ‘them’?”
Ohno turned to Nino and at once his eyes were sharply focused. “The words to tell you that I love you.”
There was a brief beat as Nino’s sleep deprived brain took in Ohno’s words and then his fist swung out and he punched Ohno in the face as hard as he could.
++
“I think you broke it,” Ohno mumbled around the giant wad of toilet paper Nino was pressing a little too firmly to his throbbing nose in an attempt to stem the bleeding.
“Only fair,” Nino muttered, squeezing hard enough to make Ohno yelp. “You damaged my heart so I damaged your nose.”
“I don't understand.” Ohno was still slightly drunk and very bewildered.
“And that's precisely the problem. You can't just suddenly tell someone that you love them…”
“But you love me, so I thought you would be happy! OW!” Ohno jerked his head away from Nino’s grip which had tightened even further as he spoke.
Nino’s cheeks were pink with embarrassment, but his eyes were angry. “You know? For how long?”
“I didn't know until recently, honest. It was when you let me gut that tuna in your kitchen sink after Jun found me in his kitchen with it and threw us both out of the apartment.” Ohno still regretted that the taste of the tuna had suffered after Jun had flung the fish out into the corridor.
Nino shuddered at the memory, and his anger flared further when he realised that the tuna incident had occurred over six months ago. “That was over half a year ago and since then you’ve been coming here at least once a week and now even crawling into bed with me under false pretences, you worm!”
“I honestly wanted to say something, but the time never seemed right.” Ohno’s eyes drooped sleepily and he slumped heavily against Nino, who sat stiffly, but wrapped an arm around his friend and gently lowered him down on the sofa. At the last second Ohno sat up and pressed a kiss to Nino’s lips, which were compressed into a thin angry line, before flopping down and snoring loudly once more.
“I don't know why it took you so long to finally notice that I’m always here for you, and I really hope that you remember this conversation when you're sober, because I don't think I can do this anymore,” Nino said quietly, pressing his palm to the spot where Ohno’s lips had been and reliving that brief moment of warmth.
++
Nino’s nose twitched as he woke; it almost smelled as if someone was cooking breakfast.
“Scrambled eggs make the best hangover cure,” Ohno said as he shoved a plate under Nino’s nose.
“I’m not hungover.”
Ohno sat down on the edge of Nino’s bed and commenced shovelling his own mountain of eggs into his mouth. “You might not be, but I certainly am.”
Nino unenthusiastically picked at his own food; the nervous lump in his throat was making swallowing difficult. “You certainly were drunk last night. Do remember much about what happened?”
“Mmm, I had the most delicious sashimi at Chinen-kun’s farewell dinner,” Ohno replied with a dreamy expression.
It was suddenly much harder for Nino to breathe. “Do you remember what happened after you turned up here?” He asked in a poor attempt at sounding casual.
“Not really. It’s pretty much a blur. Did I do something embarrassing?”
Nino’s heart sank as he placed his barely touched plate down on the floor. It seemed as if Ohno’s confession had been a drunken joke. Once again he locked his feelings into a tiny secret compartment deep within himself, forced a smile onto his face and made a joke. “I wouldn’t describe it as completely embarrassing. You were mostly in tune when you sang that Perfume song, and you looked quite fetching with your underpants on your head as you performed all the dance moves.”
Obviously Nino wasn’t as clever as he thought. Instead of Ohno laughing, he pinned Nino down with a searching stare. “So there wasn’t any kissing?”
Unable to look Ohno in the eye, Nino laughed hollowly and closely examined a stain on the carpet. “You were drunk, but not as drunk as you would obviously need to be before you would want to kiss me.”
Before Ohno had the chance to reply, Nino jumped up and grabbed his plate from the floor. Despite the fact that Ohno hadn’t finished eating, Nino snatched the plate from his hands and stalked off to the kitchen.
Taking his frustration out on the dirty dishes, Nino was clattering cutlery when a pair of hands wrapped themselves around his waist. An involuntary squeak of surprise popped out of his mouth as Ohno spun him around and kissed him on the cheek. “So I didn't kiss you here?”
“NO!” Nino tried to wriggle out of Ohno's grasp.
“How about here?” A smacking kiss landed on Nino’s forehead.
“Let me go,” Nino snarled.
“Because I remember the taste of a pair of very soft lips, and they were definitely attached to your face.”
“My fist is going to be attached to your face if you don’t let me go right now,” Nino threatened.
Dropping his hands, Ohno moved to a safe distance away from Nino. He blinked at Nino with a confused expression and his lips formed a pout. “And I thought that Jun was the grumpy one first thing in the morning.”
“I am not grumpy. Why on earth would I have a reason to be grumpy when the only person I have ever loved and have been too scared and pathetic to tell him so for two long years finally told me that he felt the same way about me and then forgot about the entire conversation and he obviously didn’t mean what he said in the first place since he only said it when he was drunk and now that he is sober it is nothing more than a joke?”
Nino stood red-faced and panting slightly after this rambling outpouring of words, while Ohno looked confused as he tried to decipher the exact meaning of Nino’s jumbled sentence.
Ohno ran his fingers through his already messy hair and tried to get his thoughts in order. He was having difficulty understanding what Nino had just said, with a brain still dehydrated from the night before. “No, no, no. It was a joke!”
Nino grabbed Ohno’s elbow and steered him out of the kitchen area and towards the front door. “Right then, in that case I’d better be getting ready for work. Don't forget to collect your coat on the way out.”
Ohno tried again, digging in his heels and refusing to move. “I meant the me not remembering the kiss part was a joke; not the telling you that I love you bit.”
“Why didn't you tell me this before now?”
“Because I wasn't sure if you felt the same way until that garbled confession just now. You are always kind of cranky when I come over.” Ohno was genuinely puzzled after finding out that Nino had liked him for almost two years and never even given him the slightest hint of his feelings.
“Of course I am angry when you come over in the middle of the night, wake me up, fill my apartment with alcohol fumes and then eat my food in the morning.”
“But I bought you that whole tuna…”
“Yes, and I couldn't get the smell of fish guts out of the place for an entire week.”
“Oh, but I figured that because you didn't toss me out of your bed, it meant that you liked me too.”
“I did kick you out. Don't you remember hitting the floor?”
“I also remember you laying on top of me.” Ohno responded indignantly. “And I might be really hungover but didn't you just say that you’ve loved me for ages?”
Nino scowled, but the red flush of his cheeks betrayed him. “Shut up.”
“I think we should both stop talking now, actually,” Ohno said, rubbing his head and wincing. “I already had a headache when I woke up and you punching me in the face last night didn't help.”
“It’s not my fault you have the constitution of an old man, and reflexes to match.”
Ohno slid his arms reluctantly into the coat that Nino was insistently holding out for him. “So what are we going to do about this situation?”
“Right now, you are going to leave, and I am going to go to work.” Nino said firmly as he shoved Ohno to the door. “Just forget everything I said. It isn't important anyway.”
“Nino, I…” Ohno blinked as the door was slammed in his face. His head was spinning with confusion, and he needed a drink.
++
Ohno winced as Jun slammed the mug down in front of him. After leaving Nino’s place, he’d gone straight to Jun’s café in search of sympathy.
“Serves you right. You know you can't hold your drink,” Jun scolded, wiping the countertop next to Ohno with unnecessary vigour.
“I’m a paying customer, aren’t you supposed to be friendly?”
“Not when you are being a complete idiot. Not only have you been oblivious to Nino’s feelings, but now that you finally know that he wants more than friendship, you just walk away from him.”
“I told you that he shoved me out the door…”
“Nino, with his tiny little skinny arms manhandled you out of his apartment, and you couldn't stop him?” Jun asked, poking Ohno in the bicep with a very pointy finger.
“Ow, that hurt,” Ohno pouted, rubbing his arm. “And anyway I was confused and I didn't know what to do.”
“And now? Do you know now, because Nino is hard to impress, especially after you stuffed up so monumentally.”
“Not yet, but maybe after another coffee and a slice of that chocolate cake over there?” Ohno said, pointing to a triple layer cream filled gateaux sitting under a glass dome on top of the display cabinet filled with sandwiches and mini quiche.
Jun sighed, but served Ohno a large piece anyway; he knew from experience that his friend’s brain worked more efficiently when his stomach was full.
++
Nino yawned and squinted at his watch as he trudged up the stairs to his apartment. He hated his job at the best of times, and days like this where he was forced to work overtime hours made things nearly impossible for him to bear. Nino only continued to work there because Aiba-san was so sweet, never berating Nino for being regularly late in the mornings, and Sakurai-san bought the employees lunch on a regular basis.
The lighting in the corridor was dim at the best of times and another bulb had obviously blown as Nino shuffled along in the semi-darkness. The plastic bag containing a single lonely instant cup ramen rustled in his hand as he fumbled in his pocket for his keys. It was far too late for Nino to even contemplate cooking anything else and the noodles could be eaten while he caught up with his favourite late-night drama series.
Nino was still fumbling with his key ring and juggling his work bag and shopping bag when he reached his apartment. Unfortunately he failed to see the person wearing a black hoodie sitting with his back leaning against his door until it was too late. He tripped over a pair of outstretched legs, landing face first on the floor and unfortunately also landing on his noodles, squashing the foam cup flat with his chest.
“What the crap?” Nino sprang back to his feet, brandishing his keys as a makeshift weapon and getting ready to run. “Who are you and what do you want?”
“Hi Nino.” The hoodie was pushed back revealing Ohno, who stretched and yawned widely. “I fell asleep.”
“You almost gave me a heart attack,” squeaked Nino as he tried to stop his heart from pounding its way out of his chest. “What are you doing here in the middle of the night? What stupid drinking party have you been to this time?“
Ohno scratched his head and looked at his watch. “It wasn’t the middle of the night when I arrived here, and I haven’t been drinking at all.”
“Then why aren’t you at your own home annoying Jun, instead of bothering me? Go away.” Nino gathered up his ruined dinner and pushed past Ohno who trailed along behind him into the apartment anyway.
“I bought you a gift as an apology.” Ohno pulled a cardboard box out of his bag and waggled it under Nino’s nose before placing it down on Nino’s small table.
“I bet Jun told you to buy it.”
“Kind of,” Ohno said, adding a six pack of beer. “But he suggested flowers.”
Nino wrinkled his nose at the thought. “Eww.”
“That’s what I thought, so I bought something that I know is close to your heart.” Ohno pushed the box a little closer to Nino, who was glaring at him with narrowed eyes.
“I don’t want anything from you. Keep it,” Nino muttered as he regretfully tossed his ruined dinner into the bin.
Ohno shrugged and lifted the lid from the box, revealing a foil container which was packed to the brim with hamburgers covered with a cheese sauce. A rich tantalising smell wafted in Nino’s direction, making his stomach rumble loudly.
Ohno opened another box to reveal a container of rice and some salad as well. “They are lasagne style hamburgers from that really popular restaurant in Tokyo they showed on television a few weeks ago. I remembered you telling me about them.”
“But since that restaurant was on TV it’s been impossible to get into.” Nino’s feet moved him a little closer to the food and Ohno without him even realising it.
“I admit the wait was kind of long, but worth it if it makes you happy.”
“How long is long?” Nino asked, trying to ignore the grumbling noises issuing from his stomach.
“I meant to get there early, but I slept through the alarm, so unfortunately it was lunchtime before I arrived. It took me a while to find the end of the queue since it was around the corner and halfway up the block, but once I lined up it only took me four hours to get into the restaurant itself,” Ohno replied, with a barely concealed yawn.
“But didn't you have work today?”
“I told them that it was an emergency.”
“Buying hamburger is an emergency?”
“We both know that this isn't about hamburger,” Ohno said grimly. “I know you think I am an insensitive idiot, and I am really bad with words, but I love you. I’m just asking for the chance to prove it.”
Nino’s attempt to remain cold failed miserably as he heard the sincerity in Ohno’s voice and saw the tired creases around his eyes. “Sit down and I’ll get us some plates.”
Ohno immediately perked up. “So I can stay?”
“Don't get too carried away. It’s just hamburgers.”
But as their eyes met across the table, they both knew that it was about so much more.
“So, am I forgiven?” Ohno asked as he shovelled rice onto his plate and reached for the hamburgers.
Nino stabbed at Ohno’s hand with his chopsticks. “Just because you apologised, it doesn't mean you can get your hands on my hamburger.”
“To be perfectly honest, I would rather get my hands on your sausage. ..OW!” Ohno rubbed the red mark on his knuckles where Nino had just whacked him with his chopsticks, and looked at Nino with a hurt expression.
“Don’t give me those puppy eyes Oh-chan,” Nino said firmly. “My sausage is definitely off limits too.”
Ohno hid his smile as Nino relented, plopping a fat hamburger patty onto Ohno’s plate while glaring at him as if daring him to comment.
++
Ohno stretched and yawned, shifting slightly on his chair, and picking the last remnants of rice out of the corner of the container. “I guess I’d better be going.”
Nino glanced at the clock hanging on the wall next to the fridge. “Jun will kill you if you arrive home at this time of night. You know how much he values his beauty sleep.”
“So I can stay?”
“I guess you have to. I don’t want Jun to be mad at me. Last time he withheld my free coffee privileges for a month,” Nino said offhandedly in an attempt to disguise the flutter his heart gave at the thought. “But on the couch.”
Grateful for the slight thawing of Nino’s attitude Ohno cheerfully accepted. Nino retrieved a blanket and spare pillow and tossed them in Ohno’s general direction before retreating to his bed. Nino jumped in bed and told Ohno, “Turn the lights out when you’ve cleaned up the rubbish.”
++
Once again in the midst of a dream about Ohno, Nino only half woke when a warm body slid into bed with him. A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves tightly around Nino’s chest as a cold nose burrowed into the longer strands of hair that gathered at his nape.
With a sigh, Nino rolled over to face Ohno, nuzzling his face into the front of his bare chest, and winding his arms around Ohno’s waist. “Get out of my bed and get back on your couch.”
“Nope, won’t do it,” Ohno murmured. “You told me that I wasn’t allowed to climb into your bed drunk, and I am definitely sober right now.”
“That is a mere technicality.” Nino slung his leg over Ohno’s hip, welding their bodies tightly together. “Move.”
“Sure.” Not wanting to disobey Nino, Ohno did indeed move, squishing himself even closer, until it was impossible to tell where one person ended and the other began.
“That isn’t what I meant, and you know it,” Nino whispered sleepily.
“I’ll leave then.” Ohno replied softly, running his fingers through Nino’s hair.
Ohno tried to dislodge himself from Nino, but he found himself caught in a surprisingly strong grip as Nino clung to him like a limpet. “Annoying,” Nino huffed.
“Love you too,” Ohno whispered, as they fell asleep in a tangled embrace.
Genre: The fluffiest of fluff
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I make no claim over Arashi (especially Ohmiya) – this is purely fiction
Summary: “I don't know why it took you so long to finally notice that I’m always here for you, and I really hope that you remember this conversation when you're sober, because I don't think I can do this anymore,” Nino said quietly, pressing his palm to the spot where Ohno’s lips had been and reliving that brief moment of warmth.
Notes: So this is my birthday fic for Nino. I just realised that the last time I wrote Ohmiya was back in September last year, so please be gentle with me. Happy Birthday Neen.
Nino shuffled across his apartment without bothering to switch on the light. The space was so small that he knew every square millimetre of it, or so he thought until he stubbed his toe on the leg of his low table. “Ow! Son of a…”
Hopping on one foot and clutching his throbbing big toe with one hand, Nino wrenched open his front door with the other. “What the hell do you think you're doing bashing on my door in the middle of the night?”
A dishevelled figure blinked blearily at Nino before collapsing in a heap at his feet.
Nino was worried for a moment, until he caught a whiff of the alcoholic fumes which surrounded his friend in a noxious cloud. He was tempted to just close the door and go back to bed, leaving Ohno in a snoring pile in the corridor, but Nino was weak when it came to the older man.
“Wake up,” Nino poked Ohno’s chubby cheek none too gently. “You're too heavy for me to carry.”
Ohno stirred and blinked blearily up at Nino, who sighed and bent down, offering his hand to Ohno, dragging him to his feet. Nino banged his elbow on the door jamb, swearing loudly, as they staggered into the darkened apartment.
“Shhhh,” Ohno grumbled. “I’m trying to sleep.”
“Less sleeping and more walking would help right now,” Nino complained as he flicked on the light with his undamaged elbow.
“This hotel is really messy,” Ohno grumbled, pushing a dirty sock that was lying on the seat of the sofa next to him off onto the floor to join its crumpled mate. “You should complain to housekeeping.”
“I’ll have words with the maid when she comes in to clean in the morning,” Nino replied with a sarcastic roll of his eyes.
Ohno nodded and slumped over to one side, sliding down into a drunken puddle with his head resting against the armrest. He shivered and tried to close the front of his jacket, but his fingers couldn't grip the fabric properly making him whine with frustration.
“Here.” Nino flung a blanket hard into Ohno’s face, making his unexpected guest splutter at the taste of musty wool.
With a contented sigh, Ohno pulled the blanket over his head, leaving the rest of his body uncovered, and almost immediately began to snore. Nino muttered to himself and tugged the blanket down over Ohno’s body, knowing from experience that his friend struggled in the cold. Nino went to move away but it was impossible for him to ignore the sight of the tanned strip of bare skin above Ohno’s waistband where his shirt had ridden up when he flopped over. Nino’s eyes widened and the tip of his tongue emerged, unconsciously wetting his bottom lip. For a brief moment Nino imagined what it would feel like to stroke the smooth skin, savouring its warmth and his fingers twitched longingly, but common sense prevailed and he contented himself with smoothing down the blanket before switching off the light and returning to his own small bed.
++
Nino was in the middle of a dream where Ohno was in bed with him, when he realised that Ohno was actually in bed with him. Nino shrieked and pulled the covers tightly up around his neck. “What the hell do you think you're doing?”
Ohno snuggled closer and draped his arm over Nino’s stiff body. “Cold,” he mumbled.
“You can't stay here!” Nino squeaked. He barely dared to breathe as he desperately willed his nether regions to not become over excited at the sensation of Ohno’s muscular body pressing firmly against his back.
“Why not?”
“B-because this is a single bed.”
“But we both are single.” Ohno’s breath puffed warmly against the back of Nino’s neck, making Nino shiver.
“I meant that there isn’t enough room for two of us, you idiot.”
“Yes there is,” Ohno replied muzzily. He grabbed Nino around the waist and rolled over onto his back, so that Nino ended up on top of him. A moment later Ohno’s mouth dropped open and a loud snore reverberated around the room, and unfortunately for Nino, directly into his ear.
Torn between wanting to reach into Ohno’s mouth and tear out the tongue which was vibrating against the back of Ohno’s throat and causing the headache inducing noise, and enjoying his position on top of his friend, Nino was frozen by indecision. His body rose and fell slightly with each one of Ohno’s gargling beery breaths, and Nino found himself almost lulled back to sleep by the gentle motion, despite the noises still issuing from Ohno.
“FISH!”
Ohno flailed in his sleep, dislodging Nino onto the mattress and rolling over on top of him. “Such a sexy big tuna,” Ohno muttered as he slid his hands down Nino’s sides.
“Aaaaargghh! Get off me!” Nino shoved Ohno with enough force to knock him straight over the edge of the bed and onto the floor. It was hard enough for Nino to survive on a daily basis while having a crush on his best friend, without these extra temptations being placed in front of him, and in his own bed, no less.
“OW! Why ‘m I on the floor?” Ohno slurred. He rubbed the back of his head and blinked blearily up at Nino.
“You fell out of bed.”
“If you hadda bigger bed this wouldn't hap’n.” Ohno began trying to drag himself back into bed with Nino, who blocked him with a well-placed foot to the chest.
“Go back to your sofa, you drunken idiot. Or better still; go back to your own apartment. I don't know why you come here every time you get drunk anyway; your place is much closer.”
“Coz roommate said he would chop up all favourite fishing magazines if I wake him up in the middle of the night,” Ohno mumbled sadly to himself. Maudlin tears welled in his eyes at the thought of his prized collection being turned into mulch.
“That's because Jun is obviously more sensible than I, since I always let you in here every time you're drunk after some work function.” Nino gave up on getting back to sleep, and tugged Ohno up off the floor to sit beside him on the bed. “What was the occasion this time anyway? Hatch, match, or despatch?”
Ohno’s large department seemed to have at least one party per week for colleagues who were either becoming a parent, getting married, or leaving to take up another job. This meant that Ohno spent almost as much time sleeping at Nino’s place as he did at his own apartment, which made his roommate very happy indeed, since it spared him from Ohno’s door rattling snores, and allowed him a decent night’s sleep without the use of earplugs.
“N-none of the above. I mean, did go to a party but I was mostly trying to pluck up the courage to talk to you, but I guess I didn't find them after all.”
“Huh? Find ‘them’?”
Ohno turned to Nino and at once his eyes were sharply focused. “The words to tell you that I love you.”
There was a brief beat as Nino’s sleep deprived brain took in Ohno’s words and then his fist swung out and he punched Ohno in the face as hard as he could.
++
“I think you broke it,” Ohno mumbled around the giant wad of toilet paper Nino was pressing a little too firmly to his throbbing nose in an attempt to stem the bleeding.
“Only fair,” Nino muttered, squeezing hard enough to make Ohno yelp. “You damaged my heart so I damaged your nose.”
“I don't understand.” Ohno was still slightly drunk and very bewildered.
“And that's precisely the problem. You can't just suddenly tell someone that you love them…”
“But you love me, so I thought you would be happy! OW!” Ohno jerked his head away from Nino’s grip which had tightened even further as he spoke.
Nino’s cheeks were pink with embarrassment, but his eyes were angry. “You know? For how long?”
“I didn't know until recently, honest. It was when you let me gut that tuna in your kitchen sink after Jun found me in his kitchen with it and threw us both out of the apartment.” Ohno still regretted that the taste of the tuna had suffered after Jun had flung the fish out into the corridor.
Nino shuddered at the memory, and his anger flared further when he realised that the tuna incident had occurred over six months ago. “That was over half a year ago and since then you’ve been coming here at least once a week and now even crawling into bed with me under false pretences, you worm!”
“I honestly wanted to say something, but the time never seemed right.” Ohno’s eyes drooped sleepily and he slumped heavily against Nino, who sat stiffly, but wrapped an arm around his friend and gently lowered him down on the sofa. At the last second Ohno sat up and pressed a kiss to Nino’s lips, which were compressed into a thin angry line, before flopping down and snoring loudly once more.
“I don't know why it took you so long to finally notice that I’m always here for you, and I really hope that you remember this conversation when you're sober, because I don't think I can do this anymore,” Nino said quietly, pressing his palm to the spot where Ohno’s lips had been and reliving that brief moment of warmth.
++
Nino’s nose twitched as he woke; it almost smelled as if someone was cooking breakfast.
“Scrambled eggs make the best hangover cure,” Ohno said as he shoved a plate under Nino’s nose.
“I’m not hungover.”
Ohno sat down on the edge of Nino’s bed and commenced shovelling his own mountain of eggs into his mouth. “You might not be, but I certainly am.”
Nino unenthusiastically picked at his own food; the nervous lump in his throat was making swallowing difficult. “You certainly were drunk last night. Do remember much about what happened?”
“Mmm, I had the most delicious sashimi at Chinen-kun’s farewell dinner,” Ohno replied with a dreamy expression.
It was suddenly much harder for Nino to breathe. “Do you remember what happened after you turned up here?” He asked in a poor attempt at sounding casual.
“Not really. It’s pretty much a blur. Did I do something embarrassing?”
Nino’s heart sank as he placed his barely touched plate down on the floor. It seemed as if Ohno’s confession had been a drunken joke. Once again he locked his feelings into a tiny secret compartment deep within himself, forced a smile onto his face and made a joke. “I wouldn’t describe it as completely embarrassing. You were mostly in tune when you sang that Perfume song, and you looked quite fetching with your underpants on your head as you performed all the dance moves.”
Obviously Nino wasn’t as clever as he thought. Instead of Ohno laughing, he pinned Nino down with a searching stare. “So there wasn’t any kissing?”
Unable to look Ohno in the eye, Nino laughed hollowly and closely examined a stain on the carpet. “You were drunk, but not as drunk as you would obviously need to be before you would want to kiss me.”
Before Ohno had the chance to reply, Nino jumped up and grabbed his plate from the floor. Despite the fact that Ohno hadn’t finished eating, Nino snatched the plate from his hands and stalked off to the kitchen.
Taking his frustration out on the dirty dishes, Nino was clattering cutlery when a pair of hands wrapped themselves around his waist. An involuntary squeak of surprise popped out of his mouth as Ohno spun him around and kissed him on the cheek. “So I didn't kiss you here?”
“NO!” Nino tried to wriggle out of Ohno's grasp.
“How about here?” A smacking kiss landed on Nino’s forehead.
“Let me go,” Nino snarled.
“Because I remember the taste of a pair of very soft lips, and they were definitely attached to your face.”
“My fist is going to be attached to your face if you don’t let me go right now,” Nino threatened.
Dropping his hands, Ohno moved to a safe distance away from Nino. He blinked at Nino with a confused expression and his lips formed a pout. “And I thought that Jun was the grumpy one first thing in the morning.”
“I am not grumpy. Why on earth would I have a reason to be grumpy when the only person I have ever loved and have been too scared and pathetic to tell him so for two long years finally told me that he felt the same way about me and then forgot about the entire conversation and he obviously didn’t mean what he said in the first place since he only said it when he was drunk and now that he is sober it is nothing more than a joke?”
Nino stood red-faced and panting slightly after this rambling outpouring of words, while Ohno looked confused as he tried to decipher the exact meaning of Nino’s jumbled sentence.
Ohno ran his fingers through his already messy hair and tried to get his thoughts in order. He was having difficulty understanding what Nino had just said, with a brain still dehydrated from the night before. “No, no, no. It was a joke!”
Nino grabbed Ohno’s elbow and steered him out of the kitchen area and towards the front door. “Right then, in that case I’d better be getting ready for work. Don't forget to collect your coat on the way out.”
Ohno tried again, digging in his heels and refusing to move. “I meant the me not remembering the kiss part was a joke; not the telling you that I love you bit.”
“Why didn't you tell me this before now?”
“Because I wasn't sure if you felt the same way until that garbled confession just now. You are always kind of cranky when I come over.” Ohno was genuinely puzzled after finding out that Nino had liked him for almost two years and never even given him the slightest hint of his feelings.
“Of course I am angry when you come over in the middle of the night, wake me up, fill my apartment with alcohol fumes and then eat my food in the morning.”
“But I bought you that whole tuna…”
“Yes, and I couldn't get the smell of fish guts out of the place for an entire week.”
“Oh, but I figured that because you didn't toss me out of your bed, it meant that you liked me too.”
“I did kick you out. Don't you remember hitting the floor?”
“I also remember you laying on top of me.” Ohno responded indignantly. “And I might be really hungover but didn't you just say that you’ve loved me for ages?”
Nino scowled, but the red flush of his cheeks betrayed him. “Shut up.”
“I think we should both stop talking now, actually,” Ohno said, rubbing his head and wincing. “I already had a headache when I woke up and you punching me in the face last night didn't help.”
“It’s not my fault you have the constitution of an old man, and reflexes to match.”
Ohno slid his arms reluctantly into the coat that Nino was insistently holding out for him. “So what are we going to do about this situation?”
“Right now, you are going to leave, and I am going to go to work.” Nino said firmly as he shoved Ohno to the door. “Just forget everything I said. It isn't important anyway.”
“Nino, I…” Ohno blinked as the door was slammed in his face. His head was spinning with confusion, and he needed a drink.
++
Ohno winced as Jun slammed the mug down in front of him. After leaving Nino’s place, he’d gone straight to Jun’s café in search of sympathy.
“Serves you right. You know you can't hold your drink,” Jun scolded, wiping the countertop next to Ohno with unnecessary vigour.
“I’m a paying customer, aren’t you supposed to be friendly?”
“Not when you are being a complete idiot. Not only have you been oblivious to Nino’s feelings, but now that you finally know that he wants more than friendship, you just walk away from him.”
“I told you that he shoved me out the door…”
“Nino, with his tiny little skinny arms manhandled you out of his apartment, and you couldn't stop him?” Jun asked, poking Ohno in the bicep with a very pointy finger.
“Ow, that hurt,” Ohno pouted, rubbing his arm. “And anyway I was confused and I didn't know what to do.”
“And now? Do you know now, because Nino is hard to impress, especially after you stuffed up so monumentally.”
“Not yet, but maybe after another coffee and a slice of that chocolate cake over there?” Ohno said, pointing to a triple layer cream filled gateaux sitting under a glass dome on top of the display cabinet filled with sandwiches and mini quiche.
Jun sighed, but served Ohno a large piece anyway; he knew from experience that his friend’s brain worked more efficiently when his stomach was full.
++
Nino yawned and squinted at his watch as he trudged up the stairs to his apartment. He hated his job at the best of times, and days like this where he was forced to work overtime hours made things nearly impossible for him to bear. Nino only continued to work there because Aiba-san was so sweet, never berating Nino for being regularly late in the mornings, and Sakurai-san bought the employees lunch on a regular basis.
The lighting in the corridor was dim at the best of times and another bulb had obviously blown as Nino shuffled along in the semi-darkness. The plastic bag containing a single lonely instant cup ramen rustled in his hand as he fumbled in his pocket for his keys. It was far too late for Nino to even contemplate cooking anything else and the noodles could be eaten while he caught up with his favourite late-night drama series.
Nino was still fumbling with his key ring and juggling his work bag and shopping bag when he reached his apartment. Unfortunately he failed to see the person wearing a black hoodie sitting with his back leaning against his door until it was too late. He tripped over a pair of outstretched legs, landing face first on the floor and unfortunately also landing on his noodles, squashing the foam cup flat with his chest.
“What the crap?” Nino sprang back to his feet, brandishing his keys as a makeshift weapon and getting ready to run. “Who are you and what do you want?”
“Hi Nino.” The hoodie was pushed back revealing Ohno, who stretched and yawned widely. “I fell asleep.”
“You almost gave me a heart attack,” squeaked Nino as he tried to stop his heart from pounding its way out of his chest. “What are you doing here in the middle of the night? What stupid drinking party have you been to this time?“
Ohno scratched his head and looked at his watch. “It wasn’t the middle of the night when I arrived here, and I haven’t been drinking at all.”
“Then why aren’t you at your own home annoying Jun, instead of bothering me? Go away.” Nino gathered up his ruined dinner and pushed past Ohno who trailed along behind him into the apartment anyway.
“I bought you a gift as an apology.” Ohno pulled a cardboard box out of his bag and waggled it under Nino’s nose before placing it down on Nino’s small table.
“I bet Jun told you to buy it.”
“Kind of,” Ohno said, adding a six pack of beer. “But he suggested flowers.”
Nino wrinkled his nose at the thought. “Eww.”
“That’s what I thought, so I bought something that I know is close to your heart.” Ohno pushed the box a little closer to Nino, who was glaring at him with narrowed eyes.
“I don’t want anything from you. Keep it,” Nino muttered as he regretfully tossed his ruined dinner into the bin.
Ohno shrugged and lifted the lid from the box, revealing a foil container which was packed to the brim with hamburgers covered with a cheese sauce. A rich tantalising smell wafted in Nino’s direction, making his stomach rumble loudly.
Ohno opened another box to reveal a container of rice and some salad as well. “They are lasagne style hamburgers from that really popular restaurant in Tokyo they showed on television a few weeks ago. I remembered you telling me about them.”
“But since that restaurant was on TV it’s been impossible to get into.” Nino’s feet moved him a little closer to the food and Ohno without him even realising it.
“I admit the wait was kind of long, but worth it if it makes you happy.”
“How long is long?” Nino asked, trying to ignore the grumbling noises issuing from his stomach.
“I meant to get there early, but I slept through the alarm, so unfortunately it was lunchtime before I arrived. It took me a while to find the end of the queue since it was around the corner and halfway up the block, but once I lined up it only took me four hours to get into the restaurant itself,” Ohno replied, with a barely concealed yawn.
“But didn't you have work today?”
“I told them that it was an emergency.”
“Buying hamburger is an emergency?”
“We both know that this isn't about hamburger,” Ohno said grimly. “I know you think I am an insensitive idiot, and I am really bad with words, but I love you. I’m just asking for the chance to prove it.”
Nino’s attempt to remain cold failed miserably as he heard the sincerity in Ohno’s voice and saw the tired creases around his eyes. “Sit down and I’ll get us some plates.”
Ohno immediately perked up. “So I can stay?”
“Don't get too carried away. It’s just hamburgers.”
But as their eyes met across the table, they both knew that it was about so much more.
“So, am I forgiven?” Ohno asked as he shovelled rice onto his plate and reached for the hamburgers.
Nino stabbed at Ohno’s hand with his chopsticks. “Just because you apologised, it doesn't mean you can get your hands on my hamburger.”
“To be perfectly honest, I would rather get my hands on your sausage. ..OW!” Ohno rubbed the red mark on his knuckles where Nino had just whacked him with his chopsticks, and looked at Nino with a hurt expression.
“Don’t give me those puppy eyes Oh-chan,” Nino said firmly. “My sausage is definitely off limits too.”
Ohno hid his smile as Nino relented, plopping a fat hamburger patty onto Ohno’s plate while glaring at him as if daring him to comment.
++
Ohno stretched and yawned, shifting slightly on his chair, and picking the last remnants of rice out of the corner of the container. “I guess I’d better be going.”
Nino glanced at the clock hanging on the wall next to the fridge. “Jun will kill you if you arrive home at this time of night. You know how much he values his beauty sleep.”
“So I can stay?”
“I guess you have to. I don’t want Jun to be mad at me. Last time he withheld my free coffee privileges for a month,” Nino said offhandedly in an attempt to disguise the flutter his heart gave at the thought. “But on the couch.”
Grateful for the slight thawing of Nino’s attitude Ohno cheerfully accepted. Nino retrieved a blanket and spare pillow and tossed them in Ohno’s general direction before retreating to his bed. Nino jumped in bed and told Ohno, “Turn the lights out when you’ve cleaned up the rubbish.”
++
Once again in the midst of a dream about Ohno, Nino only half woke when a warm body slid into bed with him. A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves tightly around Nino’s chest as a cold nose burrowed into the longer strands of hair that gathered at his nape.
With a sigh, Nino rolled over to face Ohno, nuzzling his face into the front of his bare chest, and winding his arms around Ohno’s waist. “Get out of my bed and get back on your couch.”
“Nope, won’t do it,” Ohno murmured. “You told me that I wasn’t allowed to climb into your bed drunk, and I am definitely sober right now.”
“That is a mere technicality.” Nino slung his leg over Ohno’s hip, welding their bodies tightly together. “Move.”
“Sure.” Not wanting to disobey Nino, Ohno did indeed move, squishing himself even closer, until it was impossible to tell where one person ended and the other began.
“That isn’t what I meant, and you know it,” Nino whispered sleepily.
“I’ll leave then.” Ohno replied softly, running his fingers through Nino’s hair.
Ohno tried to dislodge himself from Nino, but he found himself caught in a surprisingly strong grip as Nino clung to him like a limpet. “Annoying,” Nino huffed.
“Love you too,” Ohno whispered, as they fell asleep in a tangled embrace.
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Date: 2018-06-17 07:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-06-19 09:13 am (UTC)Thanks for reading.