The Space Between Dreaming
The Space Between Dreaming
Pairing: Aimiya
Word Count: ~450
Summary: Aiba has a question, and Nino has an answer.
A/N: Written for A Kiss and All Was Said.
Nino is 24, it's 3:14 in the morning, and they're in the back of a van on their way home from filming. Aiba is next to him and smells like the earth, his legs stretched out in the tiny aisle. Nino can tell from the subtlety of his breathing that he's awake, even if his head is turned towards the window and Nino can't see his eyes.
Cross-traffic headlights slash across the ceiling of the van. One of the windows is cracked open; the summer night breeze is crawling over all of them, playing with their hair.
"Have you ever kissed Leader?" Aiba's voice is only a murmur.
Nino could pretend not to hear him; he doesn't. "Yeah," he says. "On the nose." And on the cheek, but Nino's kissed everyone on the cheek so that doesn't matter.
"What about a real kiss?" Aiba says. He turns his head, and his chin presses against his shoulder; he's slouched deep into the seat. Strange shadows slide over his face. "You knew what I meant."
"Can't slip anything past you," Nino remarks.
"C'mon," Aiba says. "I'll keep it a secret."
Nino would have expected a conversation like this the first time he walked down the hallway holding Ohno's hand; maybe the time Sho found them in bed together; possibly when Ohno first said "I love Nino" with a gravity that made Nino laugh with nervous surprise. Not now. Not eight years into this job, when it's all become par for the course and no one remembers to raise an eyebrow anymore.
"You've been curious this long?"
Aiba shrugs as best he's able. It's more with his hands than his shoulders. "There never seemed to be a good time. I can be tactful, you know."
"I haven't," Nino says. He's being honest.
Aiba sighs, but it's not a sigh of disappointment. It's a sigh of interest, and Nino wakes up a little more. "I never have either," Aiba says.
"I don't think anybody asked," Nino replies, the darkness softening his words.
He expects it before it comes. Aiba moves, his shoulder pressing against Nino's arm. A streetlight flashes through the window just as Aiba's lips cover Nino's. It's a warm kiss, a sleepy kiss, and Aiba's breath is a soft puff of air. Nino doesn't mind even when Aiba's tongue dips against his bottom lip; he answers with the same slow easiness.
"I beat Leader," Aiba whispers when he pulls back. He's still leaning against Nino's side, as if this shared experience means he can invade Nino's space permanently. Lucky for him Nino is too lazy to move.
"Is this a competition?" Nino asks. "Because I don't think Leader knows about it."
"He doesn't need to know, does he?" Aiba says.
"No," Nino says, drowsy, drowsy. He feels the car turn under them. Aiba's hand searches for his in the dark. "No, he doesn't."
Pairing: Aimiya
Word Count: ~450
Summary: Aiba has a question, and Nino has an answer.
A/N: Written for A Kiss and All Was Said.
Nino is 24, it's 3:14 in the morning, and they're in the back of a van on their way home from filming. Aiba is next to him and smells like the earth, his legs stretched out in the tiny aisle. Nino can tell from the subtlety of his breathing that he's awake, even if his head is turned towards the window and Nino can't see his eyes.
Cross-traffic headlights slash across the ceiling of the van. One of the windows is cracked open; the summer night breeze is crawling over all of them, playing with their hair.
"Have you ever kissed Leader?" Aiba's voice is only a murmur.
Nino could pretend not to hear him; he doesn't. "Yeah," he says. "On the nose." And on the cheek, but Nino's kissed everyone on the cheek so that doesn't matter.
"What about a real kiss?" Aiba says. He turns his head, and his chin presses against his shoulder; he's slouched deep into the seat. Strange shadows slide over his face. "You knew what I meant."
"Can't slip anything past you," Nino remarks.
"C'mon," Aiba says. "I'll keep it a secret."
Nino would have expected a conversation like this the first time he walked down the hallway holding Ohno's hand; maybe the time Sho found them in bed together; possibly when Ohno first said "I love Nino" with a gravity that made Nino laugh with nervous surprise. Not now. Not eight years into this job, when it's all become par for the course and no one remembers to raise an eyebrow anymore.
"You've been curious this long?"
Aiba shrugs as best he's able. It's more with his hands than his shoulders. "There never seemed to be a good time. I can be tactful, you know."
"I haven't," Nino says. He's being honest.
Aiba sighs, but it's not a sigh of disappointment. It's a sigh of interest, and Nino wakes up a little more. "I never have either," Aiba says.
"I don't think anybody asked," Nino replies, the darkness softening his words.
He expects it before it comes. Aiba moves, his shoulder pressing against Nino's arm. A streetlight flashes through the window just as Aiba's lips cover Nino's. It's a warm kiss, a sleepy kiss, and Aiba's breath is a soft puff of air. Nino doesn't mind even when Aiba's tongue dips against his bottom lip; he answers with the same slow easiness.
"I beat Leader," Aiba whispers when he pulls back. He's still leaning against Nino's side, as if this shared experience means he can invade Nino's space permanently. Lucky for him Nino is too lazy to move.
"Is this a competition?" Nino asks. "Because I don't think Leader knows about it."
"He doesn't need to know, does he?" Aiba says.
"No," Nino says, drowsy, drowsy. He feels the car turn under them. Aiba's hand searches for his in the dark. "No, he doesn't."