A Single Footprint in the Snow (01)
Title: A Single Footprint in the Snow
Pairing: Aiba/Nino
Rating: R
Summary: Ninomiya Kazunari wakes up next to a stranger whose identity changes his entire life, or his life as he had known it.
[A/n]
A/n: I have a ton of unfinished Arashi fics on my harddrive and out of all of them, I pulled out this one and dumped it onto lj to try to force myself to finally complete this. I don't know how long it'll take me to finish this. Let's just hope it doesn't take years. I'll try to update as much as I can. Minor details of the story subject to edits and change.
ONE: THE TRUTH IS A LIE
Nino admits he is a boring guy. His entire life up until the present can be summarized in one unsurprisingly mundane paragraph:
He grew up in a middle-class family spoiled to bits by his older sister, mother and step-father. He hung out with a few close friends and was generally well-liked at school. Through-out mandatory education, he consistently scored decent grades. He played games and did sports, mainly baseball, just like the average boy. He entered a well-to-do university, graduated in a timely manner, eventually found a desk job at a well-off company, and every so often he went out to drink with co-workers. He is currently single, but have had a few girlfriends in high-school and university.
Looking back, nothing stands out in Ninomiya Kazunari's steady and dull life. Even in the present, nothing has changed.
Ordinarily he goes out for a drink with his co-workers again. His life is stagnant and drastically uneventful.
When Nino wakes up in the morning in his own apartment, he finds a naked man sleeping next to him on the bed. He realizes he is also naked. His lower half is throbbing as well as his head and every part of his body is sore. His entire body though hums pleasantly with an afterglow only achievable after a night of amazing sex. Nino inwardly curses.
I had a one night stand with a stranger and it's with a man.
He fumbles to get out of bed and drops hard onto the floor when his legs refuse to hold him up.
The mysterious man stirs and feels for Nino on the other side of the bed. He realizes Nino is no longer there and wakes up with a groan. The man scratches his head and sits upright, the covers falling off him as he looks around. Through sleepy half-opened eyes he sees Nino on the floor.
Nino gasps once the man is facing him properly. The man he slept with is gorgeous, with his symmetrical features, perfectly shaped plump lips, eyes framed by long lashes, and his mussed bed-hair that forms a heavenly hazel brown halo around his head. The uncovered upper half of his body reveals a broad back, slim waist and soft muscles.
The man raises an eyebrow at Nino's breathless reaction. "Kitten, we're not going to your parents' house until this evening," he croaks, his voice scratchy from having just woken up. "It's only six in the morning. Come back to bed."
What did you just call me? Nino thinks and what actually comes out of his mouth is a thoroughly confused, "Huh?"
The man sighs and runs a hand down his face as if it would help rouse him. "Eh? Did you forget about the family dinner for our engagement? I reminded you last night. Then again, maybe you were too drunk to hear me."
The entire announcement is befuddling to Nino and on top of his nausea. He clutches his stomach, wanting to throw up. He barely manages to answer and only does because the reality is too horrifying to set aside for a more opportune moment. "Excuse me, but did we get married last night while I was drunk?" he asks, not bringing up the fact that two men can't even get married in modern day Japan.
The man gives Nino an exasperated look, his brows slightly drawing together. "Kazu, the wedding's in a month." He moves to Nino's side of the bed and peers over the edge at Nino still haphazardly arranged on the floor. Concern replaces his previous exasperation. "Hey, are you feeling okay?"
At least the stranger had stopped calling him stupid cat endearments, Nino thinks. He rubs the bridge of his nose and mutters the obvious, "No, I'm not okay. I have a headache and you’re insane. We are not getting engaged or married. Who the fuck are you?"
The man does a double take before scrambling out of bed. He lands on the floor beside Nino and grips Nino by the shoulder. Nino doesn't even have time to gasp at how ridiculously beautiful the man is up close or at how painful his grip becomes. The stranger is suddenly leaning in to scrutinize him and touching his forehead to check his temperature. "Kitten, what's wrong?" he asks. "Don't joke around like that."
Nino releases a deep breath and reluctantly pulls away out of the man's grasp. He clings onto the bed and tries to stand again. He makes it onto his unsteady legs and sits on the edge of the bed. Only then does he realize he's still fully naked and self-consciously pulls the bed covers to wrap around his middle. He stares up at the man who, also fully naked and looking gloriously male, stands to face him.
Nino swallows with difficulty and says, "I'm not joking around. I'm sorry if I made any promises to you last night because I honestly don't remember. I was drunk. I don't know who you are. And lastly, don't call me kitten or whatever. It's disgusting."
To Nino's surprise, he sees hurt cross the man's face. The man claps a hand to his chest and breathes deeply, as if just taking one breath is painful. He steps towards Nino, but when Nino warily moves back he stops. Again, he looks hurt and Nino cannot fathom it.
"Kazu, don't..." he begins and trails off, the continuation much too difficult for him.
"I'm sorry," Nino repeats, really meaning it. The man is beautiful and most likely an amazing lover, the condition of Nino’s body proves it, but this night is the first extraordinary thing Nino has done so far and he isn't sure he's ready to make the leap into turning his life around for just one guy. He adds, "Maybe you should leave."
The man takes another deep breath and his shoulders heave up and down angrily. His hands clench into fists and Nino is surprised.
"This is my apartment, too. Why should I leave?" he demands.
"What?" Nino asks. Who is this person trying to kid? "Unless we signed an agreement yesterday while I must have been fucking wasted, you don't live here."
The man blows out steam and he leans against a wall while glowering at Nino. "Kazu, what is wrong with you?"
"What is wrong with you?" Nino snaps. He is getting tired of this and tired of a stranger calling him by his first name, and not only his first name but his nickname used by close friends. "I don't know who you are, but I'm not going to live with a stranger who I only met once and had sex with."
The man slams his fist against the wall, making Nino flinch. "Don’t do this to me, Kazu,” he pleads. "We've known each other most of our lives. Our parents live right next to each other. We're childhood friends. We went to school together. I'm your boyfriend and we've been living together for eight years. We're even getting married in a month."
Throughout his entire speech, goose flesh forms over Nino’s body. He stares at the man who goes silent after his impassioned outburst. Their eyes hold onto each other across the short distance. Nino sees the honesty on the stranger’s face. Petrified, he asks, "What's my mother's name?"
The man rolls his eyes and runs a hand through his short, hazel brown hair. "Ninomiya Kazuko."
"What high school did we go to?" Nino continues.
"Storm High," the man answers.
The answers are all correct.
Nino swallows and asks, "Who was the first girl I dated?" It was a trick question. He had told no one, not even his closest friends, and the girl and he had broken up a month later.
Sighing for another time, the man replies in exasperation, "Asano Miho. You confessed to her on the school rooftop."
Nino's heart pound loudly in his ears and his body begins to tremble. He gaze locks with the strange man across from him again. A wave of emotions washes over him. He doesn't know what to think. Nino licks his dry lips and clutches his quivering hands in front of him on his lap. His throat catches and his next words are hard to give voice to.
"That's right. I...I remember all of that." Nino swallows painfully. "B-but why can't I remember you?"
* *
TWO
Pairing: Aiba/Nino
Rating: R
Summary: Ninomiya Kazunari wakes up next to a stranger whose identity changes his entire life, or his life as he had known it.
[A/n]
A/n: I have a ton of unfinished Arashi fics on my harddrive and out of all of them, I pulled out this one and dumped it onto lj to try to force myself to finally complete this. I don't know how long it'll take me to finish this. Let's just hope it doesn't take years. I'll try to update as much as I can. Minor details of the story subject to edits and change.
ONE: THE TRUTH IS A LIE
Nino admits he is a boring guy. His entire life up until the present can be summarized in one unsurprisingly mundane paragraph:
He grew up in a middle-class family spoiled to bits by his older sister, mother and step-father. He hung out with a few close friends and was generally well-liked at school. Through-out mandatory education, he consistently scored decent grades. He played games and did sports, mainly baseball, just like the average boy. He entered a well-to-do university, graduated in a timely manner, eventually found a desk job at a well-off company, and every so often he went out to drink with co-workers. He is currently single, but have had a few girlfriends in high-school and university.
Looking back, nothing stands out in Ninomiya Kazunari's steady and dull life. Even in the present, nothing has changed.
Ordinarily he goes out for a drink with his co-workers again. His life is stagnant and drastically uneventful.
When Nino wakes up in the morning in his own apartment, he finds a naked man sleeping next to him on the bed. He realizes he is also naked. His lower half is throbbing as well as his head and every part of his body is sore. His entire body though hums pleasantly with an afterglow only achievable after a night of amazing sex. Nino inwardly curses.
I had a one night stand with a stranger and it's with a man.
He fumbles to get out of bed and drops hard onto the floor when his legs refuse to hold him up.
The mysterious man stirs and feels for Nino on the other side of the bed. He realizes Nino is no longer there and wakes up with a groan. The man scratches his head and sits upright, the covers falling off him as he looks around. Through sleepy half-opened eyes he sees Nino on the floor.
Nino gasps once the man is facing him properly. The man he slept with is gorgeous, with his symmetrical features, perfectly shaped plump lips, eyes framed by long lashes, and his mussed bed-hair that forms a heavenly hazel brown halo around his head. The uncovered upper half of his body reveals a broad back, slim waist and soft muscles.
The man raises an eyebrow at Nino's breathless reaction. "Kitten, we're not going to your parents' house until this evening," he croaks, his voice scratchy from having just woken up. "It's only six in the morning. Come back to bed."
What did you just call me? Nino thinks and what actually comes out of his mouth is a thoroughly confused, "Huh?"
The man sighs and runs a hand down his face as if it would help rouse him. "Eh? Did you forget about the family dinner for our engagement? I reminded you last night. Then again, maybe you were too drunk to hear me."
The entire announcement is befuddling to Nino and on top of his nausea. He clutches his stomach, wanting to throw up. He barely manages to answer and only does because the reality is too horrifying to set aside for a more opportune moment. "Excuse me, but did we get married last night while I was drunk?" he asks, not bringing up the fact that two men can't even get married in modern day Japan.
The man gives Nino an exasperated look, his brows slightly drawing together. "Kazu, the wedding's in a month." He moves to Nino's side of the bed and peers over the edge at Nino still haphazardly arranged on the floor. Concern replaces his previous exasperation. "Hey, are you feeling okay?"
At least the stranger had stopped calling him stupid cat endearments, Nino thinks. He rubs the bridge of his nose and mutters the obvious, "No, I'm not okay. I have a headache and you’re insane. We are not getting engaged or married. Who the fuck are you?"
The man does a double take before scrambling out of bed. He lands on the floor beside Nino and grips Nino by the shoulder. Nino doesn't even have time to gasp at how ridiculously beautiful the man is up close or at how painful his grip becomes. The stranger is suddenly leaning in to scrutinize him and touching his forehead to check his temperature. "Kitten, what's wrong?" he asks. "Don't joke around like that."
Nino releases a deep breath and reluctantly pulls away out of the man's grasp. He clings onto the bed and tries to stand again. He makes it onto his unsteady legs and sits on the edge of the bed. Only then does he realize he's still fully naked and self-consciously pulls the bed covers to wrap around his middle. He stares up at the man who, also fully naked and looking gloriously male, stands to face him.
Nino swallows with difficulty and says, "I'm not joking around. I'm sorry if I made any promises to you last night because I honestly don't remember. I was drunk. I don't know who you are. And lastly, don't call me kitten or whatever. It's disgusting."
To Nino's surprise, he sees hurt cross the man's face. The man claps a hand to his chest and breathes deeply, as if just taking one breath is painful. He steps towards Nino, but when Nino warily moves back he stops. Again, he looks hurt and Nino cannot fathom it.
"Kazu, don't..." he begins and trails off, the continuation much too difficult for him.
"I'm sorry," Nino repeats, really meaning it. The man is beautiful and most likely an amazing lover, the condition of Nino’s body proves it, but this night is the first extraordinary thing Nino has done so far and he isn't sure he's ready to make the leap into turning his life around for just one guy. He adds, "Maybe you should leave."
The man takes another deep breath and his shoulders heave up and down angrily. His hands clench into fists and Nino is surprised.
"This is my apartment, too. Why should I leave?" he demands.
"What?" Nino asks. Who is this person trying to kid? "Unless we signed an agreement yesterday while I must have been fucking wasted, you don't live here."
The man blows out steam and he leans against a wall while glowering at Nino. "Kazu, what is wrong with you?"
"What is wrong with you?" Nino snaps. He is getting tired of this and tired of a stranger calling him by his first name, and not only his first name but his nickname used by close friends. "I don't know who you are, but I'm not going to live with a stranger who I only met once and had sex with."
The man slams his fist against the wall, making Nino flinch. "Don’t do this to me, Kazu,” he pleads. "We've known each other most of our lives. Our parents live right next to each other. We're childhood friends. We went to school together. I'm your boyfriend and we've been living together for eight years. We're even getting married in a month."
Throughout his entire speech, goose flesh forms over Nino’s body. He stares at the man who goes silent after his impassioned outburst. Their eyes hold onto each other across the short distance. Nino sees the honesty on the stranger’s face. Petrified, he asks, "What's my mother's name?"
The man rolls his eyes and runs a hand through his short, hazel brown hair. "Ninomiya Kazuko."
"What high school did we go to?" Nino continues.
"Storm High," the man answers.
The answers are all correct.
Nino swallows and asks, "Who was the first girl I dated?" It was a trick question. He had told no one, not even his closest friends, and the girl and he had broken up a month later.
Sighing for another time, the man replies in exasperation, "Asano Miho. You confessed to her on the school rooftop."
Nino's heart pound loudly in his ears and his body begins to tremble. He gaze locks with the strange man across from him again. A wave of emotions washes over him. He doesn't know what to think. Nino licks his dry lips and clutches his quivering hands in front of him on his lap. His throat catches and his next words are hard to give voice to.
"That's right. I...I remember all of that." Nino swallows painfully. "B-but why can't I remember you?"
* *
TWO