:: 10 :: Fic for Piggywhale
Title: A world without you is not possible
Pairing: Ohno x Aiba (main), Nino x Sho (side)
Rating: R (just to be safe)
Words: 6200
Summary: Ohno has just come back from work when he is assigned a new job - a job that changes his “life”.
Dear piggywhale, I hope this story somehow suits your taste. I tried my best to include your wishes but somehow the story didn't become as angsty as I wanted it to be. This might be because Aiba is a sunshine!^^
Anyway, have fun with the story! <3
When Ohno entered his room, he immediately fell into bed.
He had had a busy week. He had guided several people and helped them to solve their most urgent matters.
As always, he had felt a mix of sadness and accomplishment when he left his customers. It had always been like that in his job and he had learned to live with it.
He was just about diving into a sleeplike state when he heard his name being called.
“Shinigami-kun #413, there is a new job for you.”
Frustrated, Ohno propped himself on his arms. Weren't there any other Shinigamis available to take this job?
“Shinigami #413, I'm waiting.”
Grumbling, Ohno stood up and fixed his little bow tie before he left his room. It was better to not let his boss wait. It happened to Ohno once as he simply forgot that he had an appointment with his boss and when he finally showed up in his office, he had been scared to death when he looked at his angry boss … literally.
When Ohno entered his superior's room, he tried to look exhausted, which didn't require much acting as he really was, but his boss had always been kind of cold and indeed, Ohno wasn't given any time to rest.
“Look at your book. A new name has appeared. I want you to get over with this death without any great involvement of yours. Just do what is necessary and not more. Don't get involved in any human matter. If you would finally stop doing this, you wouldn't be that exhausted.”
Ohno couldn't help but raising an eyebrow. So his boss HAD recognized his dark circles around the eyes.
“Now leave and inform the human of his death and guide him over the border.”
With this, Ohno was dismissed. Although his boss obviously noticed his serious need for sleep, he seemed not to take any interest in the Shinigami's condition. Well, Ohno thought, he couldn't die from being sleep-deprived … or could he?
Yawning, Ohno opened his book to read the name of his new client.
“Aiba Masaki ...”
The name had a very nice sound to it, Ohno noted. He really hoped that this man was someone highly uninteresting so that he could follow his boss' advice of not getting involved in any human matter.
After watching the human for less than five minutes, Ohno had to admit that this human was rather highly interesting than the opposite.
The Shinigami was sitting in a really nice and cosy coffee shop that was run by the said man. There was a long queue of people waiting for their “coffee to go” and the Shinigami had wondered why they did not just buy their drink a few shops further, but as he watched Aiba Masaki serving his customers, he immediately understood.
This man was pure sunshine. His sparkling eyes and smile, that showed a whole row of perfect white teeth, lightened up everyone's mood. It was like magic though it was just a simple smile, a nice word, a light pat on the shoulder or an encouraging handshake.
You would easily accept ten minutes of waiting time just to come near this man who was radiating happiness.
Ohno sighed. He had checked the name tag on the barista's chest several times, but his eyes did not betray him. This beaming human perfection was Aiba Masaki.
How could he take something like this away? The world needed people like him. It would be a huge mistake to rob them of him.
Still, work was work and needed to be done, so Ohno waited until the shop was closed to approach the happily humming man who was just filling the coffee machine with new beans.
He coughed and was hit straight by a smile when the other man turned around.
“Oh, I'm sorry we are closed.”
Ohno took a deep breath. His body had started to prickle weirdly ever since the man had smiled at him.
He had to have looked pretty unhappy as Aiba continued to speak.
“But that's not a problem. I can still make you some coffee. What would you like?”
Ohno took a sharp breath in order to pull himself together but this, again, was misinterpreted by Aiba.
“I know it's hard to decide. I'll make you our special blend. You'll like it for sure.”
The man began to click some buttons and Ohno's tongue finally started to stop feeling like a cold snail and moved according to what the brain was telling him.
“You don't have to...”
“Why don't you just sit over there. I'll bring you the coffee in a minute.”
Ohno followed the man's suggestion, knowing that it was no use to oppose the man.
When Aiba came with the coffee, a nice smell hit his Ohno's nostrils. Coffee and a very special scent of someone who is entirely satisfied with his life.
“Here you are. I hope you like it.”
“Thanks.” Aiba smiled, making Ohno's hands feel shaky, so he had to put the cup down.
“Do you mind if I sit down as well?” Aiba asked and Ohno shook his head. This was actually heading into a nice direction. Having people sit down when he was telling the news to them was something Ohno had learned ever since the woman, who had been his first client, had collapsed and Ohno had nearly lost her before the scheduled time.
“So what are you doing here this late?”
Ohno looked up into the friendly eyes in front of him.
“Actually, I am here to speak to you.”
“I'm sorry. I think I don't know you.”
Aiba crooked his head and Ohno felt his body heating up involuntarily.
“You don't know me. But I am here to tell you something important.”
Aiba's expression suddenly became curious and the smile appeared on his face again.
“What is it?”
Upon seeing Aiba that thrilled, Ohno suddenly wasn't sure if he could handle this situation well. How could he tell someone that excited that he was going to die after 42 hours had passed. He just couldn't do this... he would have to ask someone else to take the job... yes, he would...
“Are you a Shinigami?”
Ohno's mouth fell open as he looked at Aiba.
“How...”
“Well, you have this notebook and my name is in there and I read manga, so I know...”
Ohno looked down at his hands. While he had been wondering how not to tell Aiba he had reached for the book unconsciously and had opened it. It was an old habit of his to start playing with things when he was nervous. A stupid habit, he knew and he should have gotten rid of it long ago... Now it was too late.
“I am.”
Aiba nodded.
“So you're going to tell me I'll die soon.”
“I'm sorry.”
Ohno breathed out the air he had been holding and had to pull himself together not to reach out to the man and take his hand as he had seen him doing so many times that day.
However, he nearly jumped off his chair when he felt Aiba's hand closing around his.
“It's okay. It cannot be changed, right?”
It didn't feel right that a human was comforting a Shinigami. It should be the other way round but Ohno enjoyed the warmth coming from Aiba's hand very much.
“No, I cannot change it.”
He shook his head, but Aiba's eyes were soft.
“It's okay. If it hadn't been me, it might have been someone else, so it's best that way.”
Ohno had to choke back his tears. Aiba Masaki couldn't be real. Such a human could not exist in this cruel world. How was this man even possible...
“Will you stay by my side until … the end?”
Aiba's eyes showed Ohno how much the human hoped the answer would be “yes” and although he would have done it anyway, he felt a rush of happiness going through his body, knowing that his presence was really wanted.
“Yes. You don't have to go through this alone.”
“Thanks!”
Aiba squeezed the Shinigami's hand once more before he pulled back.
“Let's go home!”
Ohno nodded. He watched Aiba finishing the last cleaning before he locked the coffee shop.
Silently, they walked down the street.
Aiba's apartment was just a few blocks away.
“Nino-chan, I am home!”
An unidentifiable sound came from the living room. Aiba headed straight towards this room.
“You have no idea what just happened to … NINO!”
Aiba rushed to the slumped figure that was lying on the sofa. He needed to use some force to make his flatmate turn around and face him.
“Oh, Kazu, you fought with Sho again.”
Aiba used his thumb to sweep Nino's tears away and pulled him into a soft hug, patting his back reassuringly.
Ohno felt weirdly out of place as if he was intruding a really intimate scene.
According to what he had just heard, Ohno concluded that Nino was in a relationship with Sho and something had gone wrong.
“He's an asshole.”
“Don't say that Kazu. You know you love him.”
Aiba spent the next hour to convince Nino that this Sho was the love of his life and that although he was a jerk sometimes, he loved Nino more than anything in this world. Aiba even managed to make Nino promise to call Sho the next day (because after what he had done Sho deserved to be ignored until the next morning).
Ohno pitied the unknown man who had written about 100 messages and called every minute.
After Aiba had rocked Nino to sleep, he seemed to remember Ohno's presence again.
“I'm sorry. This happens quite a lot. These two love each other but they have different ideas of the concept of a relationship, which leads them to fight. They simply need to understand each other better and then all their problems will be gone. But this needs time … which we don't have.”
Aiba suddenly got hectic.
“We have to go to Sho tomorrow. I need to make sure Nino will be taken good care of!”
“But it's going to be your last day. Don't you want to do something you always wanted to do? Isn't there anything?”
Ohno couldn't quite follow Aiba. All the other people he had guided until now had concentrated on doing something that was at the top of their bucket list. He couldn't understand that Aiba did not want to do something for himself but rather spend his last day helping his friends.
However, Aiba's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
“Oh, there are a lot of things that I want to do. But there is no time for that now. Nino needs me and I won't let him down.”
Ohno was getting more and more impressed with this man.
“And, I am sorry, I don't know about you, but I am really tired. Please make yourself comfortable here. You can use everything, I really don't mind.”
“Thank you!”
Aiba threw a last smile at Ohno before he vanished into his bedroom.
The Shinigami took a look around the flat. There were many pictures with Aiba and Nino, some with a man that held Nino pretty close so Ohno assumed that this was Sho. And there was another man in the pictures. He had prominent eyebrows but this just added to his beauty.
In every picture they were smiling, Aiba's smile being the widest and happiest. He seemed to love his friends very much.
When Ohno passed Aiba's room in his search of more pictures, he heard a sound. He moved closer to the door, listening to the sounds coming from behind the door.
Ohno felt his insides twisting in terror when he realised that these sounds were Aiba's stifled sobs. Aiba was crying and Ohno felt like the worst thing on earth and beyond because he was the cause …
Aiba had been up very early the next morning and Ohno knew that the man hadn't slept very much. However, Aiba was back to his usual cheerful self, not giving away his feelings.
Nino hadn't shown up when Aiba, with Ohno on his heels, had left the flat. According to Aiba their only chance to have a chat with Sho was before he started work. After listening to Aiba talking about Sho Ohno got the impression that this man was a real workaholic and this was probably the reason why his relationship with Nino didn't always work out that well.
“Why do you think that Sho will change his mind about spending more time with Nino after you talked to him today?”
Ohno wanted to make sure that Aiba wasn't just wasting his precious time. He had come across people like Sho that put work above anything else. They had literally worked themselves to death but Ohno had liked these people as they were quite an easy job. He simply had to watch them brooding over papers or hammering on their keyboards.
However, he could not imagine someone simply changing their minds about work and time they spend with it just because someone showed up and was trying to convince them to spend more time with their partner.
“Because I am going to tell him something I had promised Nino not to.”
Aiba was as mysterious as it wasn't helpful, so Ohno had to ask again.
“What is it?”
“Nino and I were raised in a children's home. I was there before he arrived. I cannot remember my parents as they abandoned me when I was a baby. However, Nino had been living with his mum until she had killed herself right in front of him. She was addicted to drugs and most of the time she was in a trance-like state. She would either be overly kind to him or get angry at him, punishing him for things he didn't do. However, Nino is still convinced that his mum was right to get angry at him and therefore he always tries to please the people that are important to him. But in return he needs their love. He wants to be needed by someone and it breaks his heart whenever Sho cancels their dates because of work.
Since Sho doesn't know all this, he cannot understand why Nino is that unhappy with his actions. But I want to make him understand. He is a clever man and I am sure he will get it.”
Aiba stopped in front of a tall apartment building.
“Here we go! Wish me luck!”
Aiba pressed one of the many buttons and after he said his name, the door opened and he disappeared.
Ohno stayed outside. He felt like he shouldn't be there. It was Nino's story and he was not supposed to hear more of it.
Instead, Ohno's thoughts once more wandered to Aiba.
It was hard to understand for Ohno how someone with such a dark past could become so cheerful and happy. Aiba was a miracle to Ohno and he felt himself getting more and more attracted to this man.
Aiba came back half an hour later followed by a good looking man in a black suit. They shook hands before the man walked towards an expensive looking car.
Aiba came back humming a song Ohno liked immediately.
“I think he got it.”
The failed wink Aiba threw Ohno, caused his body to shiver in amusement and Ohno was sure he hadn't seen anything cuter than that (and he had seen a lot of things!).
“So, what do you want to do now?”
Ohno was happy that the day had only started and they still had a lot of time to do what Aiba had always wanted to do. He was looking forward spending time with the man, watching him having fun.
“We're going to meet with Jun. He's going to a casting for a role in a theater play and he always gets so nervous although he's an amazing actor. He tends to be his own worst enemy in such situations as he thinks too much about his performance. So I promised to go with him to keep him from being overly nervous. I'm his lucky charm, you know. Whenever I go with him he gets the role...”
Aiba's expression suddenly changed from happy to thoughtful. He had obviously remembered that this was the last time he could accompany Jun to an audition.
“Seems like today though we will have to change our procedure.”
Aiba pressed his lips together, trying to come up with a new plan.
“Jun won't like that ...”
When Jun opened the door Ohno immediately recognized him as the beauty from the pictures in Aiba's and Nino's flat. Seeing him in person reinforced his earlier impression of Jun being one of the most beautiful human beings. Jun was simply breathtaking.
However, right now he seemed to be really nervous as he was fixing his hair which was perfectly in shape every other minute.
“Aiba-chan. I'm so glad you're here. I think I'll die. I cannot do this.”
Aiba simply patted Jun's shoulder and smiled at him.
“Don't be silly. You're more than perfect for this role. You have prepared for it the last weeks and I am absolutely convinced that nobody in the entire world can portray Hamlet better than you.”
With that, Aiba took Jun's bag and pushed him outside the flat towards his car.
Jun seemingly had gotten better upon these words. His face wasn't that pale anymore and a small smile had appeared on his lips.
Ohno didn't know much about acting, but he agreed with Aiba, this man was a perfect Hamlet.
During the whole car ride Jun was talking about how he'd portray Hamlet in the scene that he had to show for the audition. He told Aiba every single detail on how he would hold his hand. He also pondered for about five minutes if it was better to have his palm up or down.
Aiba simply listened, nodded when it was appropriate and threw in some tiny remarks of approval.
It seemed to be a normal routine for the two and Ohno began to wonder when Aiba would change it.
The Shinigami had to wait until they were just about to enter the theater. Aiba suddenly excused himself and left Jun to himself, who was muttering his lines.
A few minutes later, Aiba came back, showing a sad expression.
“I'm so sorry Jun-chan, I cannot stay this time. The coffee shop just called me. One of the staff who was on the morning shift had an accident and they need someone to help out.”
Panic appeared on Jun's face and he rushed towards Aiba and grabbed his arm.
“Can't someone else do it? I need you here! I CANNOT do this without you!”
Aiba gently loosened Jun's fingers around his arms and took the other one's hand into his. With a caring smile he looked at Jun.
“I am sorry. They need me over there. I know that you can do this by yourself! You'll do great for sure!”
Jun threw Aiba a distressful look but realised that he couldn't change Aiba's thoughts.
Aiba pulled Jun into a tight embrace before he smiled at him again.
“Call me when you know more! I'll be with you in my thoughts!”
Nodding, but looking awfully pale again, Jun went a step back before he took a deep breath and turned towards the entrance.
He turned around one last time, receiving a beaming smile from Aiba.
“I believe in you!”
A few minutes later, Jun disappeared into the theater and as soon as he was out of sight, Aiba slumped.
“I hope he'll be okay.”
“I'm sure he will be.”
Ohno patted Aiba on his shoulder and nodded. The man nodded.
“All right, let's go.”
“Where to?”
“To the coffee shop.”
Ohno couldn't quite follow Aiba.
“It's actually really my shift.”
“You want to work today?”
Aiba looked at Ohno with a serious expression.
“I love my job. It's my happiness. I love to talk to people, to see the smile on their face when I hand them their favourite coffee. I want to spend my last day with lots of people around me. People, I know, people I've never seen but can talk to for a few minutes. I just … don't want to be alone.”
Ohno was slightly unhappy upon hearing this. He would stay with Aiba until his last minute, but he understood that he didn't count as the best company.
Aiba, who would always watch people around him closely, caught Ohno's expression and immediately started to apologize.
“I didn't mean it that way. You're very welcome to come to the shop too.”
“It's alright. I might check on Jun a bit and follow after.”
“You would do that? Thank you so much! If you're with him, he'll be fine!”
Ohno smiled. He actually just wanted to give Aiba some space but knowing that he'd do him a favour, he was really proud about his idea.
“I'll take good care of him.”
“Thanks! See you later then!”
They parted and Ohno watched Aiba's back getting smaller.
This man was so unusual, so wonderful, so warm and gentle that Ohno simply couldn't believe such people really existed.
When Aiba was finally out of sight, Ohno turned back towards the theater and looked for Jun.
He just made it in time and when he saw Jun walking onto the stage with shaking knees and a still white face, he got really worried.
In order for Aiba to feel reassured, Jun needed to succeed. Only then Aiba would be able to end his life smoothly.
Jun started with his speech, but it was pretty bad and Ohno could see what Aiba meant when he said that Jun was his own worst enemy. He needed to do something. First of all to help out Jun, but mainly for Aiba.
Then it hit him. Jun needed to be reminded that although Aiba wasn't physically here, he was still with Jun in his thoughts.
Therefore, Ohno moved closer to Jun and changed his voice into Aiba's (as he was sucking up every word Aiba had been saying the last day, he was able let his sound exactly as this man's).
“I believe in you.”
Jun's eyes popped open and he looked around but couldn't see anyone.
Still, it had the effect Ohno had hoped for. Jun's posture changed. He seemed to grow and now he really seemed like the prince he was portraying.
He was perfect. And when he ended his performance, he got lots of applause.
Satisfied, Ohno left the theater. He had heard that it would take some time until they would decide on who was getting the role, but there wasn't much more Jun (or he) could do.
Ohno strolled through the town. He intentionally took his time before he went back to the coffee shop. He thought that his presence would remind Aiba about his upcoming death and he could imagine that Aiba wasn't looking forward to that.
It was already getting dark when he finally entered the shop. Aiba was serving the last customers but he spotted Ohno immediately and threw him a warm smile.
Ohno felt this tingle in his whole body again. Due to his occupation he usually wouldn't be greeted with a smile. It was a wonderful feeling to be welcome.
He waited until Aiba finished his work and had cleaned the machines. The moment he put the cloth he was using away, his mobile phone rang.
Aiba's expression during the phone call lightened up until he was beaming. When he ended the call he turned towards Ohno.
“It was Jun. He got the role!”
“That's amazing! Congratulations!”
“He said that when he entered the stage and started, he knew he was going to suck. But then he heard my voice and this helped him to pull himself together so he could do a decent job.”
Ohno grinned.
“Is it possible for Shinigamis to change their voice.”
Ohno just kept grinning and a few seconds later, Aiba did too.
“Thank you!”
“No problem!”
They walked back to Aiba's and Nino's apartment and Ohno felt like dancing. Knowing that Aiba was happy just because of his doing (and because Jun was really talented) caused a really euphoric feeling.
Also, Aiba seemed to have forgotten about what was going to happen the next day and was talking about Jun and the roles he got.
Their walk to the apartment was short, but really precious to Ohno.
When they opened the door, Nino was just about to leave. He had a bag in his hand and was humming a song. He seemed to be happy.
“Nino-chan, where are you going to?”
“Sho-chan invited me over. He said he'd finish work earlier today and we could cook together and have a nice evening.”
“That's awesome, isn't it.”
“Yes.”
Nino grabbed his bag, hugged Aiba before he left the flat.
When the door closed behind him Ohno turned towards Aiba.
“You don't want to tell him?”
Aiba shook his head.
“No. He would be devastated. Also, it'd be better if he's around Sho when he hears about it.”
“But it's going to be around lunch time tomorrow.”
Ohno couldn't help. It was his job to make sure his clients knew when it was going to happen and he didn't want Aiba's plan to go wrong.
“I know. I convinced Sho to take the day off tomorrow and spend the time with Nino.”
Ohno was amazed by how Aiba made sure that his friend was taken care of. He hadn't spent a single thought about himself today. Such a great man!
“I'm relieved. Jun is able to survive auditions by himself now that he did it once. And Nino is taking good care of by Sho now. They don't need me anymore, so I can go.”
Ohno was pretty sure that Nino and Jun and even Sho would still need Aiba in their lives. The biggest problems may have been solved but they would miss this sunshine of a man for sure. However, he wouldn't tell Aiba. It seemed that the other one needed to know his friends were safe to be able to look calmly towards the next day.
“I know I said that I do not wish for anything today, but there is something. Can you do me one favour?”
Ohno nodded. He would do everything for this man in front of him and he didn't care at all if his boss would approve this or not.
“You know … I never had a partner before, so I was never able to spend the night with someone. I … I want to know how it feels before I … I leave this world tomorrow. Could you spend the night with me?”
Ohno's eyes popped open. This was something his boss would definitely NOT approve of. However, he would not let the opportunity to spend the night with Aiba slip away as he was pretty sure Aiba didn't mean falling asleep next to each other.
“If you don't want to it's not a problem. I was just wondering ...”
Ohno took a step towards Aiba, who stopped talking and blushed.
Being only a few centimeters away from the most adorable and beautiful man the world had to offer, Ohno threw all his sense away and closed the gap.
Time seemed to stand still while the two were exploring each other and Ohno quickly realised that Aiba wasn't just pretty from the inside, but a whole beauty in itself.
The birthmark on his shoulder was the most beautiful thing Ohno had ever seen and he couldn't stop kissing it.
Their bodies adjusted to one another perfectly in every possible position and when they were finally joined, nothing else than the other one mattered.
They experienced their high together and enjoyed the aftermath. Ohno gently rocked Aiba to sleep in his arms, but couldn't come to rest by himself. He simply couldn't understand how such a perfect human being as Aiba was, who was liked by everyone and who was needed by so many people should leave this world way too early.
It was not fair!
In the morning, Aiba woke up on Ohno's chest. He smiled shyly at the Shinigami.
“Good morning!”
“Good morning.”
Aiba stretched like a cat and looked overly relaxed and content until his memories came back and clouded his happy expression.
“Let's have a nice breakfast.”
Ohno sat up, realising they were still naked. He looked over to Aiba who was watching the Shinigami.
“I have an even better idea. Let's have breakfast in bed.”
With that, Ohno climbed out of the bed. He ignored Aiba's protest and went to the kitchen. He wasn't the best cook but he had observed humans cooking for a long time. He assumed that Aiba needed some time for himself and therefore spent quite a while in the kitchen.
When he was done, he shuffled over to Aiba's bedroom, the tray with scrambled eggs, toast, baked tomatoes and soup in his hands.
Aiba looked up when Ohno came back, smiling at him. This simple gesture made Ohno feel a little bit relieved. Usually, he had no problem being around people that were about to die in the next hours. However, with Aiba it was different. He didn't want him to die and probably because he cared that much, he didn't know what to do or say.
“It looks awesome.”
Aiba had spotted the breakfast and Ohno put the tray besides the bed. He settled down next to Aiba who was already enjoying the food Ohno had made.
“It's delicious.”
Ohno laughed upon watching Aiba gobbling down his breakfast. He was happy that Aiba liked it.
They stayed in bed a little bit longer, shared a few kissed and some more hugs.
Aiba's death was scheduled for two minutes past twelve (p.m.). Quickly the minutes ticked away and when it was only one hour left, Aiba suddenly expressed a wish.
“Let's go outside. I want to see the sun again and breathe the fresh air.”
“Sure.”
They got dressed and Aiba took a last look around the flat. He took a deep breath and closed the door behind him. Ohno took his hand and they walked away from the apartment.
Aiba brought Ohno to a small park close to their apartment. The sun was indeed shining and the birds were singing. It was a peaceful day and Ohno nearly laughed about the irony. Nobody should die on such a beautiful day but it seemed exceptionally wrong to have Aiba lose his life on such a perfect day.
They walked, still holding hands, through the park until they reached a crossroads. Suddenly Aiba screamed.
“What's that on the street?”
Ohno had to narrow his eyes to see what Aiba was pointing at.
“A kitten?”
Aiba nodded.
“It's a really tiny one. It shouldn't be on the street. I'll go and get it.”
With this, before Ohno could stop him, he ran onto the street towards the tiny animal. He was so focused on the animal that he didn't see the truck coming. However, Ohno did.
“Aiba, watch out!”
However, it was too late. The truck driver saw Aiba too late and couldn't brake anymore. With an incredible speed he was moving straight towards Aiba who was kneeling on the street, pressing the little kitten to his chest.
“Aiba, no~ “
When Aiba woke up he immediately realised that his arm hurt a lot. Quickly, he remembered being on the street, holding the little kitten while a huge truck was directly coming into his direction. He also remembered a scream - a really panic-stricken scream.
“Aiba?”
Upon hearing his name being called, Aiba slowly opened his eyes. It was white around him and it took some seconds until his eyesight was focused again.
When he saw Nino standing on his bedside he tried to hug him, but the pain shot through his arm again.
“Baka, stay still. Your arm is broken.”
Aiba looked down onto the said body part and indeed it was covered with a white cast.
“Though you can be lucky that it was only your arm being hurt.”
Jun appeared next to Nino and it cost Aiba all his willpower not to try and hug him as well.
“Why is that?”
“Well, usually, if you're sitting in the middle of a street with a heavy truck directly steering towards you, YOU WOULD BE DEAD WHEN IT HITS YOU!!!”
Nino was seriously mad.
“What were you thinking running onto the street without looking first?”
“The kitten … “
“Who cares about the kitten, we COULD HAVE LOST YOU!”
Nino was crying by now and Aiba could see Sho appearing behind Nino to take him into his arms.
But somehow, something in Nino's words seemed to ring a bell … DEAD!
He should have been dead. Why wasn't he? Why was he here, talking to Nino and Jun?
“What happened?”
With a glance at Nino and Sho, Jun decided it would be better to do the talking.
“We only know what the paramedic told us. Apparently, when the truck was close to hit you, someone ran onto the street and pushed you out of the way. Due to this obviously pretty hard push you broke your arm.”
Aiba gasped. Someone … he needed to make sure …
“Who?”
“We don't know him. Apparently, nobody knows him as they couldn't find any family.”
Aiba's heart started to beat faster upon Jun's words.
“He's in the next room. He has quite a cute face with really chubby cheeks.”
Sho grumbled over Nino's words who quickly placed a kiss on his partner's cheeks.
Aiba couldn't wait anymore. He ignored the pain and pushed himself up.
“What are you doing? The doctor said you have to stay in bed.”
Aiba ignored his friend's protest, got out of bed as quickly as he could and hurried over to the next room. He opened the door, hoping, he wasn't wrong.
“Aiba. You're all right!”
Tears clouding his sight, Aiba moved towards the man lying in the bed. He looked pretty bad. His arm was also in a cast as well as one of his legs and he had lots of scratches on his face. His head was covered by a white bandage, but he was smiling.
“You saved me!”
Aiba sat on the bed and took Ohno's hand.
“How did you do that? I thought if a name is written in your book, it's determined.”
Ohno shook his head.
“I can erase the name. However, there needs to be a balance of dead and living humans, so there needs to be another name put down.”
Aiba looked shocked.
“You killed someone else instead of me?”
Smiling, Ohno shook his head again.
“I knew that you wouldn't like the idea, so I put down my name.”
“You exchanged my name with yours? That would kill you.”
“I actually thought so too. I've been told that if I ever change something in this book, the worst penalty will come upon me.”
Ohno paused just to see Aiba looking at him worriedly.
“I thought I would vanish from this world and never come back again.”
Aiba shook his head.
“You did this although you knew you would be dead?”
“Well, it was the only way to save you.”
Ohno grinned when Aiba dived down to pull him into a tight hug. However, Aiba quickly released the man again and looked at him with a frowning expression.
“But you're still here.”
“Apparently, I am.”
“Why?”
“It seems that the worst penalty was to become human. In my case though … “
Ohno made a pause and Aiba nearly fell over because he was too anxious to hear what Ohno wanted to say.
“ … it was the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
Aiba squealed and pulled Ohno into a hug again.
“However, it'll only be the best thing that has ever happened to me if you'll stay by my side.”
Ohno felt his cheeks getting wet. Aiba was crying.
“I will.”
“You know, I am jobless now … “
Aiba giggled, wiping his tears away.
“I don't care!”
Pairing: Ohno x Aiba (main), Nino x Sho (side)
Rating: R (just to be safe)
Words: 6200
Summary: Ohno has just come back from work when he is assigned a new job - a job that changes his “life”.
Dear piggywhale, I hope this story somehow suits your taste. I tried my best to include your wishes but somehow the story didn't become as angsty as I wanted it to be. This might be because Aiba is a sunshine!^^
Anyway, have fun with the story! <3
When Ohno entered his room, he immediately fell into bed.
He had had a busy week. He had guided several people and helped them to solve their most urgent matters.
As always, he had felt a mix of sadness and accomplishment when he left his customers. It had always been like that in his job and he had learned to live with it.
He was just about diving into a sleeplike state when he heard his name being called.
“Shinigami-kun #413, there is a new job for you.”
Frustrated, Ohno propped himself on his arms. Weren't there any other Shinigamis available to take this job?
“Shinigami #413, I'm waiting.”
Grumbling, Ohno stood up and fixed his little bow tie before he left his room. It was better to not let his boss wait. It happened to Ohno once as he simply forgot that he had an appointment with his boss and when he finally showed up in his office, he had been scared to death when he looked at his angry boss … literally.
When Ohno entered his superior's room, he tried to look exhausted, which didn't require much acting as he really was, but his boss had always been kind of cold and indeed, Ohno wasn't given any time to rest.
“Look at your book. A new name has appeared. I want you to get over with this death without any great involvement of yours. Just do what is necessary and not more. Don't get involved in any human matter. If you would finally stop doing this, you wouldn't be that exhausted.”
Ohno couldn't help but raising an eyebrow. So his boss HAD recognized his dark circles around the eyes.
“Now leave and inform the human of his death and guide him over the border.”
With this, Ohno was dismissed. Although his boss obviously noticed his serious need for sleep, he seemed not to take any interest in the Shinigami's condition. Well, Ohno thought, he couldn't die from being sleep-deprived … or could he?
Yawning, Ohno opened his book to read the name of his new client.
“Aiba Masaki ...”
The name had a very nice sound to it, Ohno noted. He really hoped that this man was someone highly uninteresting so that he could follow his boss' advice of not getting involved in any human matter.
After watching the human for less than five minutes, Ohno had to admit that this human was rather highly interesting than the opposite.
The Shinigami was sitting in a really nice and cosy coffee shop that was run by the said man. There was a long queue of people waiting for their “coffee to go” and the Shinigami had wondered why they did not just buy their drink a few shops further, but as he watched Aiba Masaki serving his customers, he immediately understood.
This man was pure sunshine. His sparkling eyes and smile, that showed a whole row of perfect white teeth, lightened up everyone's mood. It was like magic though it was just a simple smile, a nice word, a light pat on the shoulder or an encouraging handshake.
You would easily accept ten minutes of waiting time just to come near this man who was radiating happiness.
Ohno sighed. He had checked the name tag on the barista's chest several times, but his eyes did not betray him. This beaming human perfection was Aiba Masaki.
How could he take something like this away? The world needed people like him. It would be a huge mistake to rob them of him.
Still, work was work and needed to be done, so Ohno waited until the shop was closed to approach the happily humming man who was just filling the coffee machine with new beans.
He coughed and was hit straight by a smile when the other man turned around.
“Oh, I'm sorry we are closed.”
Ohno took a deep breath. His body had started to prickle weirdly ever since the man had smiled at him.
He had to have looked pretty unhappy as Aiba continued to speak.
“But that's not a problem. I can still make you some coffee. What would you like?”
Ohno took a sharp breath in order to pull himself together but this, again, was misinterpreted by Aiba.
“I know it's hard to decide. I'll make you our special blend. You'll like it for sure.”
The man began to click some buttons and Ohno's tongue finally started to stop feeling like a cold snail and moved according to what the brain was telling him.
“You don't have to...”
“Why don't you just sit over there. I'll bring you the coffee in a minute.”
Ohno followed the man's suggestion, knowing that it was no use to oppose the man.
When Aiba came with the coffee, a nice smell hit his Ohno's nostrils. Coffee and a very special scent of someone who is entirely satisfied with his life.
“Here you are. I hope you like it.”
“Thanks.” Aiba smiled, making Ohno's hands feel shaky, so he had to put the cup down.
“Do you mind if I sit down as well?” Aiba asked and Ohno shook his head. This was actually heading into a nice direction. Having people sit down when he was telling the news to them was something Ohno had learned ever since the woman, who had been his first client, had collapsed and Ohno had nearly lost her before the scheduled time.
“So what are you doing here this late?”
Ohno looked up into the friendly eyes in front of him.
“Actually, I am here to speak to you.”
“I'm sorry. I think I don't know you.”
Aiba crooked his head and Ohno felt his body heating up involuntarily.
“You don't know me. But I am here to tell you something important.”
Aiba's expression suddenly became curious and the smile appeared on his face again.
“What is it?”
Upon seeing Aiba that thrilled, Ohno suddenly wasn't sure if he could handle this situation well. How could he tell someone that excited that he was going to die after 42 hours had passed. He just couldn't do this... he would have to ask someone else to take the job... yes, he would...
“Are you a Shinigami?”
Ohno's mouth fell open as he looked at Aiba.
“How...”
“Well, you have this notebook and my name is in there and I read manga, so I know...”
Ohno looked down at his hands. While he had been wondering how not to tell Aiba he had reached for the book unconsciously and had opened it. It was an old habit of his to start playing with things when he was nervous. A stupid habit, he knew and he should have gotten rid of it long ago... Now it was too late.
“I am.”
Aiba nodded.
“So you're going to tell me I'll die soon.”
“I'm sorry.”
Ohno breathed out the air he had been holding and had to pull himself together not to reach out to the man and take his hand as he had seen him doing so many times that day.
However, he nearly jumped off his chair when he felt Aiba's hand closing around his.
“It's okay. It cannot be changed, right?”
It didn't feel right that a human was comforting a Shinigami. It should be the other way round but Ohno enjoyed the warmth coming from Aiba's hand very much.
“No, I cannot change it.”
He shook his head, but Aiba's eyes were soft.
“It's okay. If it hadn't been me, it might have been someone else, so it's best that way.”
Ohno had to choke back his tears. Aiba Masaki couldn't be real. Such a human could not exist in this cruel world. How was this man even possible...
“Will you stay by my side until … the end?”
Aiba's eyes showed Ohno how much the human hoped the answer would be “yes” and although he would have done it anyway, he felt a rush of happiness going through his body, knowing that his presence was really wanted.
“Yes. You don't have to go through this alone.”
“Thanks!”
Aiba squeezed the Shinigami's hand once more before he pulled back.
“Let's go home!”
Ohno nodded. He watched Aiba finishing the last cleaning before he locked the coffee shop.
Silently, they walked down the street.
Aiba's apartment was just a few blocks away.
“Nino-chan, I am home!”
An unidentifiable sound came from the living room. Aiba headed straight towards this room.
“You have no idea what just happened to … NINO!”
Aiba rushed to the slumped figure that was lying on the sofa. He needed to use some force to make his flatmate turn around and face him.
“Oh, Kazu, you fought with Sho again.”
Aiba used his thumb to sweep Nino's tears away and pulled him into a soft hug, patting his back reassuringly.
Ohno felt weirdly out of place as if he was intruding a really intimate scene.
According to what he had just heard, Ohno concluded that Nino was in a relationship with Sho and something had gone wrong.
“He's an asshole.”
“Don't say that Kazu. You know you love him.”
Aiba spent the next hour to convince Nino that this Sho was the love of his life and that although he was a jerk sometimes, he loved Nino more than anything in this world. Aiba even managed to make Nino promise to call Sho the next day (because after what he had done Sho deserved to be ignored until the next morning).
Ohno pitied the unknown man who had written about 100 messages and called every minute.
After Aiba had rocked Nino to sleep, he seemed to remember Ohno's presence again.
“I'm sorry. This happens quite a lot. These two love each other but they have different ideas of the concept of a relationship, which leads them to fight. They simply need to understand each other better and then all their problems will be gone. But this needs time … which we don't have.”
Aiba suddenly got hectic.
“We have to go to Sho tomorrow. I need to make sure Nino will be taken good care of!”
“But it's going to be your last day. Don't you want to do something you always wanted to do? Isn't there anything?”
Ohno couldn't quite follow Aiba. All the other people he had guided until now had concentrated on doing something that was at the top of their bucket list. He couldn't understand that Aiba did not want to do something for himself but rather spend his last day helping his friends.
However, Aiba's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
“Oh, there are a lot of things that I want to do. But there is no time for that now. Nino needs me and I won't let him down.”
Ohno was getting more and more impressed with this man.
“And, I am sorry, I don't know about you, but I am really tired. Please make yourself comfortable here. You can use everything, I really don't mind.”
“Thank you!”
Aiba threw a last smile at Ohno before he vanished into his bedroom.
The Shinigami took a look around the flat. There were many pictures with Aiba and Nino, some with a man that held Nino pretty close so Ohno assumed that this was Sho. And there was another man in the pictures. He had prominent eyebrows but this just added to his beauty.
In every picture they were smiling, Aiba's smile being the widest and happiest. He seemed to love his friends very much.
When Ohno passed Aiba's room in his search of more pictures, he heard a sound. He moved closer to the door, listening to the sounds coming from behind the door.
Ohno felt his insides twisting in terror when he realised that these sounds were Aiba's stifled sobs. Aiba was crying and Ohno felt like the worst thing on earth and beyond because he was the cause …
Aiba had been up very early the next morning and Ohno knew that the man hadn't slept very much. However, Aiba was back to his usual cheerful self, not giving away his feelings.
Nino hadn't shown up when Aiba, with Ohno on his heels, had left the flat. According to Aiba their only chance to have a chat with Sho was before he started work. After listening to Aiba talking about Sho Ohno got the impression that this man was a real workaholic and this was probably the reason why his relationship with Nino didn't always work out that well.
“Why do you think that Sho will change his mind about spending more time with Nino after you talked to him today?”
Ohno wanted to make sure that Aiba wasn't just wasting his precious time. He had come across people like Sho that put work above anything else. They had literally worked themselves to death but Ohno had liked these people as they were quite an easy job. He simply had to watch them brooding over papers or hammering on their keyboards.
However, he could not imagine someone simply changing their minds about work and time they spend with it just because someone showed up and was trying to convince them to spend more time with their partner.
“Because I am going to tell him something I had promised Nino not to.”
Aiba was as mysterious as it wasn't helpful, so Ohno had to ask again.
“What is it?”
“Nino and I were raised in a children's home. I was there before he arrived. I cannot remember my parents as they abandoned me when I was a baby. However, Nino had been living with his mum until she had killed herself right in front of him. She was addicted to drugs and most of the time she was in a trance-like state. She would either be overly kind to him or get angry at him, punishing him for things he didn't do. However, Nino is still convinced that his mum was right to get angry at him and therefore he always tries to please the people that are important to him. But in return he needs their love. He wants to be needed by someone and it breaks his heart whenever Sho cancels their dates because of work.
Since Sho doesn't know all this, he cannot understand why Nino is that unhappy with his actions. But I want to make him understand. He is a clever man and I am sure he will get it.”
Aiba stopped in front of a tall apartment building.
“Here we go! Wish me luck!”
Aiba pressed one of the many buttons and after he said his name, the door opened and he disappeared.
Ohno stayed outside. He felt like he shouldn't be there. It was Nino's story and he was not supposed to hear more of it.
Instead, Ohno's thoughts once more wandered to Aiba.
It was hard to understand for Ohno how someone with such a dark past could become so cheerful and happy. Aiba was a miracle to Ohno and he felt himself getting more and more attracted to this man.
Aiba came back half an hour later followed by a good looking man in a black suit. They shook hands before the man walked towards an expensive looking car.
Aiba came back humming a song Ohno liked immediately.
“I think he got it.”
The failed wink Aiba threw Ohno, caused his body to shiver in amusement and Ohno was sure he hadn't seen anything cuter than that (and he had seen a lot of things!).
“So, what do you want to do now?”
Ohno was happy that the day had only started and they still had a lot of time to do what Aiba had always wanted to do. He was looking forward spending time with the man, watching him having fun.
“We're going to meet with Jun. He's going to a casting for a role in a theater play and he always gets so nervous although he's an amazing actor. He tends to be his own worst enemy in such situations as he thinks too much about his performance. So I promised to go with him to keep him from being overly nervous. I'm his lucky charm, you know. Whenever I go with him he gets the role...”
Aiba's expression suddenly changed from happy to thoughtful. He had obviously remembered that this was the last time he could accompany Jun to an audition.
“Seems like today though we will have to change our procedure.”
Aiba pressed his lips together, trying to come up with a new plan.
“Jun won't like that ...”
When Jun opened the door Ohno immediately recognized him as the beauty from the pictures in Aiba's and Nino's flat. Seeing him in person reinforced his earlier impression of Jun being one of the most beautiful human beings. Jun was simply breathtaking.
However, right now he seemed to be really nervous as he was fixing his hair which was perfectly in shape every other minute.
“Aiba-chan. I'm so glad you're here. I think I'll die. I cannot do this.”
Aiba simply patted Jun's shoulder and smiled at him.
“Don't be silly. You're more than perfect for this role. You have prepared for it the last weeks and I am absolutely convinced that nobody in the entire world can portray Hamlet better than you.”
With that, Aiba took Jun's bag and pushed him outside the flat towards his car.
Jun seemingly had gotten better upon these words. His face wasn't that pale anymore and a small smile had appeared on his lips.
Ohno didn't know much about acting, but he agreed with Aiba, this man was a perfect Hamlet.
During the whole car ride Jun was talking about how he'd portray Hamlet in the scene that he had to show for the audition. He told Aiba every single detail on how he would hold his hand. He also pondered for about five minutes if it was better to have his palm up or down.
Aiba simply listened, nodded when it was appropriate and threw in some tiny remarks of approval.
It seemed to be a normal routine for the two and Ohno began to wonder when Aiba would change it.
The Shinigami had to wait until they were just about to enter the theater. Aiba suddenly excused himself and left Jun to himself, who was muttering his lines.
A few minutes later, Aiba came back, showing a sad expression.
“I'm so sorry Jun-chan, I cannot stay this time. The coffee shop just called me. One of the staff who was on the morning shift had an accident and they need someone to help out.”
Panic appeared on Jun's face and he rushed towards Aiba and grabbed his arm.
“Can't someone else do it? I need you here! I CANNOT do this without you!”
Aiba gently loosened Jun's fingers around his arms and took the other one's hand into his. With a caring smile he looked at Jun.
“I am sorry. They need me over there. I know that you can do this by yourself! You'll do great for sure!”
Jun threw Aiba a distressful look but realised that he couldn't change Aiba's thoughts.
Aiba pulled Jun into a tight embrace before he smiled at him again.
“Call me when you know more! I'll be with you in my thoughts!”
Nodding, but looking awfully pale again, Jun went a step back before he took a deep breath and turned towards the entrance.
He turned around one last time, receiving a beaming smile from Aiba.
“I believe in you!”
A few minutes later, Jun disappeared into the theater and as soon as he was out of sight, Aiba slumped.
“I hope he'll be okay.”
“I'm sure he will be.”
Ohno patted Aiba on his shoulder and nodded. The man nodded.
“All right, let's go.”
“Where to?”
“To the coffee shop.”
Ohno couldn't quite follow Aiba.
“It's actually really my shift.”
“You want to work today?”
Aiba looked at Ohno with a serious expression.
“I love my job. It's my happiness. I love to talk to people, to see the smile on their face when I hand them their favourite coffee. I want to spend my last day with lots of people around me. People, I know, people I've never seen but can talk to for a few minutes. I just … don't want to be alone.”
Ohno was slightly unhappy upon hearing this. He would stay with Aiba until his last minute, but he understood that he didn't count as the best company.
Aiba, who would always watch people around him closely, caught Ohno's expression and immediately started to apologize.
“I didn't mean it that way. You're very welcome to come to the shop too.”
“It's alright. I might check on Jun a bit and follow after.”
“You would do that? Thank you so much! If you're with him, he'll be fine!”
Ohno smiled. He actually just wanted to give Aiba some space but knowing that he'd do him a favour, he was really proud about his idea.
“I'll take good care of him.”
“Thanks! See you later then!”
They parted and Ohno watched Aiba's back getting smaller.
This man was so unusual, so wonderful, so warm and gentle that Ohno simply couldn't believe such people really existed.
When Aiba was finally out of sight, Ohno turned back towards the theater and looked for Jun.
He just made it in time and when he saw Jun walking onto the stage with shaking knees and a still white face, he got really worried.
In order for Aiba to feel reassured, Jun needed to succeed. Only then Aiba would be able to end his life smoothly.
Jun started with his speech, but it was pretty bad and Ohno could see what Aiba meant when he said that Jun was his own worst enemy. He needed to do something. First of all to help out Jun, but mainly for Aiba.
Then it hit him. Jun needed to be reminded that although Aiba wasn't physically here, he was still with Jun in his thoughts.
Therefore, Ohno moved closer to Jun and changed his voice into Aiba's (as he was sucking up every word Aiba had been saying the last day, he was able let his sound exactly as this man's).
“I believe in you.”
Jun's eyes popped open and he looked around but couldn't see anyone.
Still, it had the effect Ohno had hoped for. Jun's posture changed. He seemed to grow and now he really seemed like the prince he was portraying.
He was perfect. And when he ended his performance, he got lots of applause.
Satisfied, Ohno left the theater. He had heard that it would take some time until they would decide on who was getting the role, but there wasn't much more Jun (or he) could do.
Ohno strolled through the town. He intentionally took his time before he went back to the coffee shop. He thought that his presence would remind Aiba about his upcoming death and he could imagine that Aiba wasn't looking forward to that.
It was already getting dark when he finally entered the shop. Aiba was serving the last customers but he spotted Ohno immediately and threw him a warm smile.
Ohno felt this tingle in his whole body again. Due to his occupation he usually wouldn't be greeted with a smile. It was a wonderful feeling to be welcome.
He waited until Aiba finished his work and had cleaned the machines. The moment he put the cloth he was using away, his mobile phone rang.
Aiba's expression during the phone call lightened up until he was beaming. When he ended the call he turned towards Ohno.
“It was Jun. He got the role!”
“That's amazing! Congratulations!”
“He said that when he entered the stage and started, he knew he was going to suck. But then he heard my voice and this helped him to pull himself together so he could do a decent job.”
Ohno grinned.
“Is it possible for Shinigamis to change their voice.”
Ohno just kept grinning and a few seconds later, Aiba did too.
“Thank you!”
“No problem!”
They walked back to Aiba's and Nino's apartment and Ohno felt like dancing. Knowing that Aiba was happy just because of his doing (and because Jun was really talented) caused a really euphoric feeling.
Also, Aiba seemed to have forgotten about what was going to happen the next day and was talking about Jun and the roles he got.
Their walk to the apartment was short, but really precious to Ohno.
When they opened the door, Nino was just about to leave. He had a bag in his hand and was humming a song. He seemed to be happy.
“Nino-chan, where are you going to?”
“Sho-chan invited me over. He said he'd finish work earlier today and we could cook together and have a nice evening.”
“That's awesome, isn't it.”
“Yes.”
Nino grabbed his bag, hugged Aiba before he left the flat.
When the door closed behind him Ohno turned towards Aiba.
“You don't want to tell him?”
Aiba shook his head.
“No. He would be devastated. Also, it'd be better if he's around Sho when he hears about it.”
“But it's going to be around lunch time tomorrow.”
Ohno couldn't help. It was his job to make sure his clients knew when it was going to happen and he didn't want Aiba's plan to go wrong.
“I know. I convinced Sho to take the day off tomorrow and spend the time with Nino.”
Ohno was amazed by how Aiba made sure that his friend was taken care of. He hadn't spent a single thought about himself today. Such a great man!
“I'm relieved. Jun is able to survive auditions by himself now that he did it once. And Nino is taking good care of by Sho now. They don't need me anymore, so I can go.”
Ohno was pretty sure that Nino and Jun and even Sho would still need Aiba in their lives. The biggest problems may have been solved but they would miss this sunshine of a man for sure. However, he wouldn't tell Aiba. It seemed that the other one needed to know his friends were safe to be able to look calmly towards the next day.
“I know I said that I do not wish for anything today, but there is something. Can you do me one favour?”
Ohno nodded. He would do everything for this man in front of him and he didn't care at all if his boss would approve this or not.
“You know … I never had a partner before, so I was never able to spend the night with someone. I … I want to know how it feels before I … I leave this world tomorrow. Could you spend the night with me?”
Ohno's eyes popped open. This was something his boss would definitely NOT approve of. However, he would not let the opportunity to spend the night with Aiba slip away as he was pretty sure Aiba didn't mean falling asleep next to each other.
“If you don't want to it's not a problem. I was just wondering ...”
Ohno took a step towards Aiba, who stopped talking and blushed.
Being only a few centimeters away from the most adorable and beautiful man the world had to offer, Ohno threw all his sense away and closed the gap.
Time seemed to stand still while the two were exploring each other and Ohno quickly realised that Aiba wasn't just pretty from the inside, but a whole beauty in itself.
The birthmark on his shoulder was the most beautiful thing Ohno had ever seen and he couldn't stop kissing it.
Their bodies adjusted to one another perfectly in every possible position and when they were finally joined, nothing else than the other one mattered.
They experienced their high together and enjoyed the aftermath. Ohno gently rocked Aiba to sleep in his arms, but couldn't come to rest by himself. He simply couldn't understand how such a perfect human being as Aiba was, who was liked by everyone and who was needed by so many people should leave this world way too early.
It was not fair!
In the morning, Aiba woke up on Ohno's chest. He smiled shyly at the Shinigami.
“Good morning!”
“Good morning.”
Aiba stretched like a cat and looked overly relaxed and content until his memories came back and clouded his happy expression.
“Let's have a nice breakfast.”
Ohno sat up, realising they were still naked. He looked over to Aiba who was watching the Shinigami.
“I have an even better idea. Let's have breakfast in bed.”
With that, Ohno climbed out of the bed. He ignored Aiba's protest and went to the kitchen. He wasn't the best cook but he had observed humans cooking for a long time. He assumed that Aiba needed some time for himself and therefore spent quite a while in the kitchen.
When he was done, he shuffled over to Aiba's bedroom, the tray with scrambled eggs, toast, baked tomatoes and soup in his hands.
Aiba looked up when Ohno came back, smiling at him. This simple gesture made Ohno feel a little bit relieved. Usually, he had no problem being around people that were about to die in the next hours. However, with Aiba it was different. He didn't want him to die and probably because he cared that much, he didn't know what to do or say.
“It looks awesome.”
Aiba had spotted the breakfast and Ohno put the tray besides the bed. He settled down next to Aiba who was already enjoying the food Ohno had made.
“It's delicious.”
Ohno laughed upon watching Aiba gobbling down his breakfast. He was happy that Aiba liked it.
They stayed in bed a little bit longer, shared a few kissed and some more hugs.
Aiba's death was scheduled for two minutes past twelve (p.m.). Quickly the minutes ticked away and when it was only one hour left, Aiba suddenly expressed a wish.
“Let's go outside. I want to see the sun again and breathe the fresh air.”
“Sure.”
They got dressed and Aiba took a last look around the flat. He took a deep breath and closed the door behind him. Ohno took his hand and they walked away from the apartment.
Aiba brought Ohno to a small park close to their apartment. The sun was indeed shining and the birds were singing. It was a peaceful day and Ohno nearly laughed about the irony. Nobody should die on such a beautiful day but it seemed exceptionally wrong to have Aiba lose his life on such a perfect day.
They walked, still holding hands, through the park until they reached a crossroads. Suddenly Aiba screamed.
“What's that on the street?”
Ohno had to narrow his eyes to see what Aiba was pointing at.
“A kitten?”
Aiba nodded.
“It's a really tiny one. It shouldn't be on the street. I'll go and get it.”
With this, before Ohno could stop him, he ran onto the street towards the tiny animal. He was so focused on the animal that he didn't see the truck coming. However, Ohno did.
“Aiba, watch out!”
However, it was too late. The truck driver saw Aiba too late and couldn't brake anymore. With an incredible speed he was moving straight towards Aiba who was kneeling on the street, pressing the little kitten to his chest.
“Aiba, no~ “
When Aiba woke up he immediately realised that his arm hurt a lot. Quickly, he remembered being on the street, holding the little kitten while a huge truck was directly coming into his direction. He also remembered a scream - a really panic-stricken scream.
“Aiba?”
Upon hearing his name being called, Aiba slowly opened his eyes. It was white around him and it took some seconds until his eyesight was focused again.
When he saw Nino standing on his bedside he tried to hug him, but the pain shot through his arm again.
“Baka, stay still. Your arm is broken.”
Aiba looked down onto the said body part and indeed it was covered with a white cast.
“Though you can be lucky that it was only your arm being hurt.”
Jun appeared next to Nino and it cost Aiba all his willpower not to try and hug him as well.
“Why is that?”
“Well, usually, if you're sitting in the middle of a street with a heavy truck directly steering towards you, YOU WOULD BE DEAD WHEN IT HITS YOU!!!”
Nino was seriously mad.
“What were you thinking running onto the street without looking first?”
“The kitten … “
“Who cares about the kitten, we COULD HAVE LOST YOU!”
Nino was crying by now and Aiba could see Sho appearing behind Nino to take him into his arms.
But somehow, something in Nino's words seemed to ring a bell … DEAD!
He should have been dead. Why wasn't he? Why was he here, talking to Nino and Jun?
“What happened?”
With a glance at Nino and Sho, Jun decided it would be better to do the talking.
“We only know what the paramedic told us. Apparently, when the truck was close to hit you, someone ran onto the street and pushed you out of the way. Due to this obviously pretty hard push you broke your arm.”
Aiba gasped. Someone … he needed to make sure …
“Who?”
“We don't know him. Apparently, nobody knows him as they couldn't find any family.”
Aiba's heart started to beat faster upon Jun's words.
“He's in the next room. He has quite a cute face with really chubby cheeks.”
Sho grumbled over Nino's words who quickly placed a kiss on his partner's cheeks.
Aiba couldn't wait anymore. He ignored the pain and pushed himself up.
“What are you doing? The doctor said you have to stay in bed.”
Aiba ignored his friend's protest, got out of bed as quickly as he could and hurried over to the next room. He opened the door, hoping, he wasn't wrong.
“Aiba. You're all right!”
Tears clouding his sight, Aiba moved towards the man lying in the bed. He looked pretty bad. His arm was also in a cast as well as one of his legs and he had lots of scratches on his face. His head was covered by a white bandage, but he was smiling.
“You saved me!”
Aiba sat on the bed and took Ohno's hand.
“How did you do that? I thought if a name is written in your book, it's determined.”
Ohno shook his head.
“I can erase the name. However, there needs to be a balance of dead and living humans, so there needs to be another name put down.”
Aiba looked shocked.
“You killed someone else instead of me?”
Smiling, Ohno shook his head again.
“I knew that you wouldn't like the idea, so I put down my name.”
“You exchanged my name with yours? That would kill you.”
“I actually thought so too. I've been told that if I ever change something in this book, the worst penalty will come upon me.”
Ohno paused just to see Aiba looking at him worriedly.
“I thought I would vanish from this world and never come back again.”
Aiba shook his head.
“You did this although you knew you would be dead?”
“Well, it was the only way to save you.”
Ohno grinned when Aiba dived down to pull him into a tight hug. However, Aiba quickly released the man again and looked at him with a frowning expression.
“But you're still here.”
“Apparently, I am.”
“Why?”
“It seems that the worst penalty was to become human. In my case though … “
Ohno made a pause and Aiba nearly fell over because he was too anxious to hear what Ohno wanted to say.
“ … it was the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
Aiba squealed and pulled Ohno into a hug again.
“However, it'll only be the best thing that has ever happened to me if you'll stay by my side.”
Ohno felt his cheeks getting wet. Aiba was crying.
“I will.”
“You know, I am jobless now … “
Aiba giggled, wiping his tears away.
“I don't care!”