April Drabbles
30 Drabbles of various pairings, including het.
Many of these drabbles aren't the proper 100 words, because it wasn't until halfway through the month that I realized the word counter I used was counting improperly.
I. In Dreams
Prompter: augustfai
Prompt: Ohno goes to Sho for dream interpretation.
"But what if there are teeth?" Ohno says very seriously, unblinking. "They're always very dainty teeth," he adds, "but maybe that's me mixing them up with his hands?"
Sho is sitting awkwardly on the couch, his knees spread and his pants bunched up along his thighs. He's running his fingers through his hair, a nervous habit. "Um. Really, Satoshi, it sounds like you just want him to fuck you."
Ohno thinks about that. In his dreams, Nino's teeth are always in the most ticklish places. "Oh," he says, and crosses his legs so Sho can't see.
~
II. We'll Pretend It Never Happened
Prompter: rinalin
Prompt: Arashi - House meeting following some sort of disaster in the 5 bdrm houseshare.
"That's disgusting." Matsujun's expression is even more repulsed than his tone. Sho makes a note: not Matsujun.
"Are these flavored?" Aiba asks, and gets Nino's elbow in his ribs. "What!"
"Look," says Sho. "I don't care who did it, but stop flushing them. I don't want to be calling a plumber for this shit."
"Are we really having this much sex?" Ohno wonders aloud.
"Who are you asking?" says Nino.
"Gross," Matsujun mutters. It's his mantra.
"Let's have a house watch!" Aiba suggests, hand already up in the air. "I'll bring the cameras."
Sho puts a stop to that immediately.
~
III. Those Eyes
Prompter: wainscotting
Prompt: Aiba discovers Nino's stash of Final Fantasy doujin.
Nino knew he shouldn't have left Aiba unattended in his room. The pocky fiasco should have taught him.
"What," Aiba breathes, "is this?" Nino can see the cover. It's the one from 7 where Cloud has bigger eyes than a comic book princess.
"I didn't know Sephiroth was so--" Aiba pauses, and squints. "Wow."
He must be on page six, thinks Nino.
Aiba slowly closes the book, being more careful than he is with Nino's guitar.
"Aiba-chan," Nino says, but really, he has no explanation.
~
IV. Things Work This Way
Prompter: phrenk
Prompt: Ohno/Sho, Sho initiating things.
Sho makes a flow chart, with Aiba's help. All the arrows point where he wants them to go, but the more he stares the more he realizes that arrows and bubbles won't mean anything to Satoshi. With him, it's all gut.
Sho's gut is tied in triple knots.
"I think," he says, and "What if we," and "So listen," and Ohno's hands are folded neatly on the table and he's listening with his eyes open.
When Sho gives up and just kisses him, Satoshi's hands unfold like origami bird wings, lost in the air. Sho folds them into his own.
~
V. Nothing Else in the World
Prompter: blufox_o7
Prompt: Nino/Arashi, where Nino is dumped by his girlfriend and Arashi's there for support
There's a magic here that cards don't have, thinks Nino. Aiba holds his hand, fingers wound through Nino's to keep him down in reality.
He's laughing. Sho is laughing. Jun isn't, but his eyes are full of sparks.
Ohno has panties on his head, and though Nino can think of a world of insults, all he wants to do is hug him.
If it weren't for Arashi, he'd be drowning. Of course he'll never forget the dimples in her cheeks, but there are things more important than that.
And tomorrow when he wakes, he'll have them by his side.
~
VI. Night Reflection
Prompter: Jadeswallow
Prompt: asami x aiba x becky, something related to the press conference
Asami. Aiba smiles, and shakes his head. The inside of his chest squeezes, twists, and aches.
He sits in the back of his van after the conference, watching what he can of the sky as they wind through tall buildings towards his apartment. It always hurts to lie with a smile. It hurts worse to lie about Asami, because he knows she'll hear about it.
She'll say she doesn't care, but Aiba cares. Aiba cares when she's sick, when she's angry, when she's vulnerable and hitting him so he won't see her cry.
But lying is all he can do.
~
VII. And If You Win
Prompter: Tangiblewhimsy
Prompt: Aiba/Nino and the bets they make over video games a few beers when they're 16.
"I don't like betting," Aiba says, sloshing the beer at the bottom of his can. "I always lose."
"I can't think of any better reason to bet," Nino says. He caresses his controller for a moment, the familiar buttons raised shapes under his fingertips.
"Hey," Aiba says, moments later.
"If I win this, you're loaning me all your porn for a week," Nino says. It's in the bag.
Aiba actually flushes. "You won't want all of it," he says.
Nino discovers Aiba is right when Aiba has to make three trips with five shopping bags to deliver it all.
~
VIII. It's All in the Love Chain
Prompter: primroseshows
Prompt: Arashi as the Sailor Scouts. [Sorry to kind of end up using the English translated version. Kindasorta.]
"I'm obviously the best at this," Jun says. She is fire red, and Aiba almost sees devil horns hidden behind her tiara. "I don't get why the klutz is in charge."
Aiba twists her fingers sheepishly. "But Jun-chan, I didn't mean to blow up the building."
"That's the PROBLEM!" bursts out Jun.
"I can settle this," Nino says, wrapping her love chain around Jun's neck. "No one denies you're hot stuff, but what about making Ohchan leader?"
Jun balks, but Sho leaps. "Brilliant."
"Me?" Ohno squeaks, looking much smaller.
And so it was that Mercury killed Queen Beryl.
~
IX. Matsujun
Prompter: Maiaide
Prompt: Jun questions his level of success in life after meeting up with old classmates who are married with kids already.
He's twenty-six, and where has it gotten him? All over magazines, all over the television. But 'home' is something foreign.
Jun is no closer to being married than he was when he was sixteen. His journey hasn't been romantic; it's been a storm of winds and rains.
His phone is a solid weight in his hand. There's a message from Nino, half made of smirks and half hearts. This is what he has in the place of a lover.
It's okay, he thinks, though his heart is heavy. It's okay, because this is the most important thing in his life.
~
X. But What Is It?
Prompter: wainscotting
Prompt: Sho gets an embarrassing tattoo whilst intoxicated. Arashi have mixed reactions.
"That's kinda sexy, Sho-chan," Nino says, head craned to the side.
Jun's angry stare has pinned Sho down well enough that he feels like a butterfly on a tray.
"Now wait a second! I'm sure there's a great explanation," Aiba says, too eager.
Sho honestly can't think of one. All he remembers is too many bottles of JD and a good amount of vomiting. He can't think of an excuse, either.
Ohno's finger traces the plastic cover on his back, and Sho almost shivers. His skin aches, his head hurts. "It's fine," Ohno says.
Sho wonders if it will be.
~
XI. Tactics
Prompter: phrenk
Prompt: Nino/Toda Erika, teasing Ryo on the set of Ryuusei. (Possibly by embarrassing him with PDA when he's the only other person in the room.)
Ryo is watching. He likes that about Ryo--he's subtle. He sees more than he talks about.
What he doesn't see is Erika's smile that's hidden against Nino's shoulder, and what he doesn't hear is the whisper: "Is he fidgeting yet?"
"No," Nino answers into the shell of her ear. His fingers walk up the back of her thigh to the hem of her skirt. "He will be. Wait."
This tease grants double satisfaction: Erika's breasts tight against his chest, and Ryo's hands deeper in his pockets. He knows they've won when Erika kisses him, and Ryo retreats to the bathroom.
~
XII. The Lights Go Down
Prompter: primroseshows
Prompt: Arashi: This is the moment we knew we'd last forever.
There are afterimages of prismatic lights on the backs of Aiba's eyelids, and the feathers of his costume are tickling his chin.
Matsujun's grin is toothy and dangerously innocent. Even Nino looks like he's been blown away by the wind into a faerie kingdom from his games.
Aiba feels it in his bones, deeper than blood. It's not what he expected, but then nothing is these days. He likes it, though. He likes Sho's proud smile and Ohno's intensely quiet presence.
Their throats are raw from singing, their legs sore from toe to hip, but they're glowing.
This is it.
~
XIII. Hello, My Name Is...
Prompter: blufox_o7
Prompt: Jun/Nino, where Jun drops by the bakery and to buy some bagels but gets melon bread instead
It's an expensive bakery, and Jun wouldn't visit it so often but for the fact that the cashier is ridiculously hot. He's got flyaway hair and hands that parcel the bread into neat packages quick as you please. His cheap plastic nametag informs Jun that is name is Ninomiya, and Jun has played a guessing game with himself for the last six months as to what his first name might be.
"You should try the melon bread," says Ninomiya, startling Jun out of his coin counting. He's wearing a smile that curls and questions.
Jun does, and never regrets it.
~
XIV. I Know You
Prompter: augustfai
Prompt: The rest of Arashi find out that Aiba and Becky are seeing each other.
When Jun sits Aiba down on the couch in the Tensai greenroom and gets that look on his face, Aiba knows he's figured it out. Jun doesn't say anything though, he just stares, and Aiba's innocent smile wibbles and wobbles and finally he's saying, "Yes, okay, three months ago after she guested on the VIP room. I can't keep anything from you." He's a little sulky about it.
"You shouldn't try," Jun says, patting Aiba's knee, oddly sympathetic. "You're useless at secrets."
Aiba is quiet for a moment. "I'm happy."
"Good," says Jun. "That's all I needed to know."
~
XV. The Edge
Prompter: Phrenk
Prompt: Nino/Inoue Mao, Mao keeps comparing him to Jun (and Jun keeps coming out on top.)
"Jun-kun wouldn't make me carry this," Mao gripes. She means the handfuls of glossy shopping bags, hundreds of dollars worth of money spent.
"Jun-kun is the perfect lover, or so say all the magazines," Nino agrees blandly. He doesn't want to, or need to, be Jun.
Mao's face is hidden behind her dark hair all the way to the car. Nino can't tell what she's thinking, but hopes it isn't about Jun. He doesn't want to hear it.
The sky is dark; they're on the edge of a storm. Nino looks up and feels the first splash of rain.
~
XVI. Inseparable
Prompter: primroseshows
Prompt: Ohno and Nino: Yuji and Taka have to go back to space.
"It's time to say goodbye, Taka," Nino says, sliding his whole self against Ohno's side.
Ohno nods, and raises his hand in traditional rapper salute. "We're going on an adventure," he informs Sho gravely.
Sho's mouth is open like he wants to talk, but doesn't know what to say.
Nino kisses Ohno's cheek. "To the space ship!" he declares, falling on top of Ohno as Ohno drops onto the couch.
"The couch is our space ship," Ohno translates. Nino squirms familiarly atop him, and they dissolve into a giggling mess.
Sho hides his smile behind the safety of his paper.
~
XVII. The Dangerous One
Prompter: narusaku4vr
Prompt: JunBa - Jun becomes a guest on Tensai Shimura Doubutsen
"I have to touch it?" Jun is not subtle when displeased. His hands are white on the edge of the aquarium.
"Now, now, Matsujun, it's just a snake," Aiba says with all the bravado he doesn't feel. He maintains a healthy distance from both the tank and from Jun, just in case Jun gets any bright ideas.
"You're standing awfully far away," Jun declares, eyes slicing dark and familiar across the studio floor.
"Self-preservation," Aiba informs him, and the audience laughs. Aiba's ears feel hot. Jun will get him back for this later, he knows.
~
XVIII. Doorway
Prompter: augustfai
Prompt: Jun meets Nino's sister for the first time.
Jun had expected her to be tiny. Nino's size, with his mouth and his chin and god, maybe even a mole somewhere. But she isn't. She's two sizes larger with a perky, upturned nose. She wears her makeup beautifully, glitter on her eyelids.
The effect is rather spoiled by her red-cheeked drunkenness. "Mattsun," she says, and then gets herself confused. "No, what are you doing here?"
It's Nino's sister, he reminds himself. "Nice to meet you," he introduces himself, politeness and smiles.
"Right," she drawls, and suddenly she's the spitting image of Nino, coyness included, as she pulls him inside.
~
XIX. Not in My House
Prompter: blufox_o7
Prompt: Aiba, where Aiba experiments on putting an eggplant on the washer to see if the color of his clothes will change.
The broccoli had been a dud. Aiba draws a sloppy X on his clipboard and writes: pulpy mess, do not attempt again. It'll take hours to pluck the bits out of his underwear, but he only wastes seconds on that thought.
Eggplant time.
The washing machine tumbles and burps, and beeps half an hour later. He's scientifically nosing around at the tangle of shirts when his mom pokes her head in: "Masaki, what are you doing to my laundry machine?"
"It's science, mom," he says.
Aiba spends the next two days cleaning up white goo, which isn't science at all.
~
XX. Jangle
Prompter: Primroseshows
Prompt: Aiba and Nino: Teach me how to play harmonica.
"It looks easy," Nino insisted, prying the harmonica from Aiba's hands. "I'm sure I can do it."
Aiba watched as Nino's mouth glided along silver and shimmering notes broke through the air. They were so off-key that he only recognized the song by the fact that he'd been addicted to it in third grade. "Very nice," he said, and Nino hit him.
"So teach me," he said, pressing the harmonica hard into Aiba's palm.
Aiba could still see the print of Nino's lips on the high end. He set his mouth there, felt the warmth. An indirect kiss. He blew.
~
XXI. Not Just For Girls
Prompter: phrenk
Prompt: Aiba/Becky, Aiba can't stop thinking about what kind of underwear Becky has on under her voluminous skirts.
Maybe pink, Aiba thinks. Becky is swishing ahead of him, taking up the whole corridor with her frills and strawberry scent. She's girly enough, she likes pink.
Aiba likes pink too. And if she's wearing pink, they'd match, though Aiba's underwear has zoo animals, and the probability of having the same underwear down to the print is slim.
Too bad, she'd be cute in them.
Aiba imagines it: Becky standing in his room, in his boxers.
He almost runs into her when she stops in the doorway. "Sorry," he breathes, and she looks up at him with her blue eyes.
~
XXII. Art in a Window
Prompter: Maiaide
Prompt: Ohno/Sho and thunderstorms.
Sho doesn't like thunder, but Ohno does, and Sho likes the Ohno that stares out the window, flashes of light illuminating his cheekbones in off-second intervals. He looks younger than his visible years, like a child fascinated by the fantasy of the dark unknown.
Sho won't say "Come back to bed" until the flash-storm has passed. Then, with the tireless rain running rivers down their windows, he'll welcome Ohno back, maybe with a kiss, maybe with fingertips that tickle questions down his ribs. And Sho will discover that he does like thunder after all, when it sounds in his heart.
~
XXIII. The Weight of the World
Prompter: Phrenk
Prompt: Aiba/Ohno, Ohno wants to tell his mom about their relationship but Aiba hasn't come out to anyone else and opposes it.
"Your mom?" Aiba says. This must be why Ohno offered to buy the drinks tonight. "But--but why?"
"She's my mom," Ohno says, as if it's simple. And maybe it is. But not to Aiba. Because if Ohno's mom knows, then Aiba's mom should know, because Aiba loves his mom too, really he does.
"Not yet," he says. "I'm not ready yet."
Ohno looks at him, and Aiba feels the world spin slowly on its axis. "I don't think you will be," he says. And he's right.
Aiba nods, and when Ohno takes his hand, feels just a little bit better.
~
XXIV. Eerie and New
Prompter: augustfai
Prompt: Aiba walks in on Nino composing a new song. (Aiba/Nino.)
Nino's back is a bell-curve, his cardigan flaring out against the couch to complete the metaphor. He's strumming, strumming, and Aiba knows this is a song he's never heard before.
He knows Nino sees him--Nino sees everything--but he tries to be quieter than a shadow so that he can inhale every sound and feel Nino's song through the unreachable places of his body. The chords are minor, and echo in Aiba's bones. This is an unrequited love song, wordless and waiting.
"Aiba-chan," Nino says when he's done, and Aiba can still see the music in him, rippling beneath his skin.
~
XXV. Life
Prompter: blufox_o7
Prompt: Ohno/Nino, where Ohno reassures Nino of the obvious (and it's Ohno who loves Nino more)
Ohno never says what he thinks. He stores it behind his eyes, his eyelashes curtains to contain it. Nino never knows what he's thinking, or so he says.
So Ohno tries to use his hands, even when Nino jumps away like a cat. Ohno tries to use his mouth in the dark corners of night, kissing away tears before they form. Ohno doesn't know what else to use, even when Nino looks at him like he's a puzzle with no end and no beginning.
To Ohno, Nino is as water, pure and dirty and necessary. One day, Nino will know.
~
XXVI. I Could Be a Knight
Prompter: phrenk
Prompt: Aiba/Becky, she picks him first in Mannequin Five and afterward he presents himself to her because she "bought" him.
He catches her as she's strapping on her sandals. "You're not going home, are you?"
"Sure am," Becky says, hefting her bag. It's almost as big as Nino's, Aiba thinks.
"Then I'm going too," he says.
She blinks. "No, you aren't. What?"
"I'm yours now," he says. He gets down on his knees.
"You're crazy," Becky whispers, holding her bag tighter. "I just liked your outfit!"
"These are new rules," he says. They are alone in the room; all he sees is her.
The seconds stretch, each one a heartbeat, until she raises her hand, and lets him take it.
~
XXVII. You'll Land Among the Stars
Prompter: wainscotting
Prompt: Jun is offered a chance to go into space as part of the first Japanese moon expedition.
The sun is rising over the edge of the Earth. Rimmed with the rhinestone of stars, it's just as majestic as in every video Jun has ever seen. He takes a deep breath, and floats another step.
"Matsujun, can you hear us?" It's Sho's voice, in his ear. They're hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, and still together as Jun plants the Japanese flag.
His heart is bright. He can feel it radiating, soaking up the reality of what his world has become. "Yes, I hear you," he says.
He looks up, and up. What world will they conquer next?
~
XXVIII. Duel
Prompter: primroseshows
Prompt: Nino and Ohno: The one and only time they get into a fight.
"On your guard," Nino says. He raises his weapon. There is death in his eyes.
Ohno, with his blue balloon sword, takes up the stance. Silence swallows them. Ohno can hear his heart beating, even though he wants to laugh and laugh until Nino laughs with him.
Nino's balloon smacks his cheek, and Nino's teeth flash in the backstage lights. "Slow!"
So Ohno spins, and ducks, and their balloons squeal against each other like fingers on a blackboard. Nino's pops.
"I win by default?" Ohno says.
The world rights itself when Nino steps into his space and kisses his cheek.
~
XXIX. Static
Prompter: augustfai
Prompt: Is there a cure for insomnia? (Aiba/Jun.)
There's sweat in Aiba's sheets, under his arms, and behind his knees. The world seems to be pressing down on him, but all his thoughts are lighter than air, rushing and swimming in circles. He can't chase after them. He has to sleep.
Aiba fingers his cell.
At night, phones ring louder. "Jun," he says. "I'm sorry."
He can hear Jun stretch; all the muscles under his skin must be tight with tension. "Mmn," he says. "Masturbation didn't help?"
"I didn't try," Aiba says, the heat lacing through him.
"Try now," says Jun, staying on the phone a little longer.
~
XXX. No Is Not a Word I Know
Prompter: blufox_o7
Prompt: Nino/Aiba, where Nino indulges Aiba because well... they're BFFs.
Nino doesn't mind, really. Aiba lights up his life. Aiba was his first best friend. He can't say no to Aiba.
So when Aiba's fingers brush down his spine, Nino lets it curve. When Aiba's hand envelopes his elbow, Nino lets him pull. When Aiba is above him, Nino lets him in.
Nino doesn't mind. He likes the way Aiba breathes against his throat, the way Aiba giggles through kisses, and the way Aiba's eyes close when he comes, his heart thumping happiness against Nino's chest. Nino won't say no to that, not ever. Because Aiba is his best friend.
Many of these drabbles aren't the proper 100 words, because it wasn't until halfway through the month that I realized the word counter I used was counting improperly.
I. In Dreams
Prompter: augustfai
Prompt: Ohno goes to Sho for dream interpretation.
"But what if there are teeth?" Ohno says very seriously, unblinking. "They're always very dainty teeth," he adds, "but maybe that's me mixing them up with his hands?"
Sho is sitting awkwardly on the couch, his knees spread and his pants bunched up along his thighs. He's running his fingers through his hair, a nervous habit. "Um. Really, Satoshi, it sounds like you just want him to fuck you."
Ohno thinks about that. In his dreams, Nino's teeth are always in the most ticklish places. "Oh," he says, and crosses his legs so Sho can't see.
~
II. We'll Pretend It Never Happened
Prompter: rinalin
Prompt: Arashi - House meeting following some sort of disaster in the 5 bdrm houseshare.
"That's disgusting." Matsujun's expression is even more repulsed than his tone. Sho makes a note: not Matsujun.
"Are these flavored?" Aiba asks, and gets Nino's elbow in his ribs. "What!"
"Look," says Sho. "I don't care who did it, but stop flushing them. I don't want to be calling a plumber for this shit."
"Are we really having this much sex?" Ohno wonders aloud.
"Who are you asking?" says Nino.
"Gross," Matsujun mutters. It's his mantra.
"Let's have a house watch!" Aiba suggests, hand already up in the air. "I'll bring the cameras."
Sho puts a stop to that immediately.
~
III. Those Eyes
Prompter: wainscotting
Prompt: Aiba discovers Nino's stash of Final Fantasy doujin.
Nino knew he shouldn't have left Aiba unattended in his room. The pocky fiasco should have taught him.
"What," Aiba breathes, "is this?" Nino can see the cover. It's the one from 7 where Cloud has bigger eyes than a comic book princess.
"I didn't know Sephiroth was so--" Aiba pauses, and squints. "Wow."
He must be on page six, thinks Nino.
Aiba slowly closes the book, being more careful than he is with Nino's guitar.
"Aiba-chan," Nino says, but really, he has no explanation.
~
IV. Things Work This Way
Prompter: phrenk
Prompt: Ohno/Sho, Sho initiating things.
Sho makes a flow chart, with Aiba's help. All the arrows point where he wants them to go, but the more he stares the more he realizes that arrows and bubbles won't mean anything to Satoshi. With him, it's all gut.
Sho's gut is tied in triple knots.
"I think," he says, and "What if we," and "So listen," and Ohno's hands are folded neatly on the table and he's listening with his eyes open.
When Sho gives up and just kisses him, Satoshi's hands unfold like origami bird wings, lost in the air. Sho folds them into his own.
~
V. Nothing Else in the World
Prompter: blufox_o7
Prompt: Nino/Arashi, where Nino is dumped by his girlfriend and Arashi's there for support
There's a magic here that cards don't have, thinks Nino. Aiba holds his hand, fingers wound through Nino's to keep him down in reality.
He's laughing. Sho is laughing. Jun isn't, but his eyes are full of sparks.
Ohno has panties on his head, and though Nino can think of a world of insults, all he wants to do is hug him.
If it weren't for Arashi, he'd be drowning. Of course he'll never forget the dimples in her cheeks, but there are things more important than that.
And tomorrow when he wakes, he'll have them by his side.
~
VI. Night Reflection
Prompter: Jadeswallow
Prompt: asami x aiba x becky, something related to the press conference
Asami. Aiba smiles, and shakes his head. The inside of his chest squeezes, twists, and aches.
He sits in the back of his van after the conference, watching what he can of the sky as they wind through tall buildings towards his apartment. It always hurts to lie with a smile. It hurts worse to lie about Asami, because he knows she'll hear about it.
She'll say she doesn't care, but Aiba cares. Aiba cares when she's sick, when she's angry, when she's vulnerable and hitting him so he won't see her cry.
But lying is all he can do.
~
VII. And If You Win
Prompter: Tangiblewhimsy
Prompt: Aiba/Nino and the bets they make over video games a few beers when they're 16.
"I don't like betting," Aiba says, sloshing the beer at the bottom of his can. "I always lose."
"I can't think of any better reason to bet," Nino says. He caresses his controller for a moment, the familiar buttons raised shapes under his fingertips.
"Hey," Aiba says, moments later.
"If I win this, you're loaning me all your porn for a week," Nino says. It's in the bag.
Aiba actually flushes. "You won't want all of it," he says.
Nino discovers Aiba is right when Aiba has to make three trips with five shopping bags to deliver it all.
~
VIII. It's All in the Love Chain
Prompter: primroseshows
Prompt: Arashi as the Sailor Scouts. [Sorry to kind of end up using the English translated version. Kindasorta.]
"I'm obviously the best at this," Jun says. She is fire red, and Aiba almost sees devil horns hidden behind her tiara. "I don't get why the klutz is in charge."
Aiba twists her fingers sheepishly. "But Jun-chan, I didn't mean to blow up the building."
"That's the PROBLEM!" bursts out Jun.
"I can settle this," Nino says, wrapping her love chain around Jun's neck. "No one denies you're hot stuff, but what about making Ohchan leader?"
Jun balks, but Sho leaps. "Brilliant."
"Me?" Ohno squeaks, looking much smaller.
And so it was that Mercury killed Queen Beryl.
~
IX. Matsujun
Prompter: Maiaide
Prompt: Jun questions his level of success in life after meeting up with old classmates who are married with kids already.
He's twenty-six, and where has it gotten him? All over magazines, all over the television. But 'home' is something foreign.
Jun is no closer to being married than he was when he was sixteen. His journey hasn't been romantic; it's been a storm of winds and rains.
His phone is a solid weight in his hand. There's a message from Nino, half made of smirks and half hearts. This is what he has in the place of a lover.
It's okay, he thinks, though his heart is heavy. It's okay, because this is the most important thing in his life.
~
X. But What Is It?
Prompter: wainscotting
Prompt: Sho gets an embarrassing tattoo whilst intoxicated. Arashi have mixed reactions.
"That's kinda sexy, Sho-chan," Nino says, head craned to the side.
Jun's angry stare has pinned Sho down well enough that he feels like a butterfly on a tray.
"Now wait a second! I'm sure there's a great explanation," Aiba says, too eager.
Sho honestly can't think of one. All he remembers is too many bottles of JD and a good amount of vomiting. He can't think of an excuse, either.
Ohno's finger traces the plastic cover on his back, and Sho almost shivers. His skin aches, his head hurts. "It's fine," Ohno says.
Sho wonders if it will be.
~
XI. Tactics
Prompter: phrenk
Prompt: Nino/Toda Erika, teasing Ryo on the set of Ryuusei. (Possibly by embarrassing him with PDA when he's the only other person in the room.)
Ryo is watching. He likes that about Ryo--he's subtle. He sees more than he talks about.
What he doesn't see is Erika's smile that's hidden against Nino's shoulder, and what he doesn't hear is the whisper: "Is he fidgeting yet?"
"No," Nino answers into the shell of her ear. His fingers walk up the back of her thigh to the hem of her skirt. "He will be. Wait."
This tease grants double satisfaction: Erika's breasts tight against his chest, and Ryo's hands deeper in his pockets. He knows they've won when Erika kisses him, and Ryo retreats to the bathroom.
~
XII. The Lights Go Down
Prompter: primroseshows
Prompt: Arashi: This is the moment we knew we'd last forever.
There are afterimages of prismatic lights on the backs of Aiba's eyelids, and the feathers of his costume are tickling his chin.
Matsujun's grin is toothy and dangerously innocent. Even Nino looks like he's been blown away by the wind into a faerie kingdom from his games.
Aiba feels it in his bones, deeper than blood. It's not what he expected, but then nothing is these days. He likes it, though. He likes Sho's proud smile and Ohno's intensely quiet presence.
Their throats are raw from singing, their legs sore from toe to hip, but they're glowing.
This is it.
~
XIII. Hello, My Name Is...
Prompter: blufox_o7
Prompt: Jun/Nino, where Jun drops by the bakery and to buy some bagels but gets melon bread instead
It's an expensive bakery, and Jun wouldn't visit it so often but for the fact that the cashier is ridiculously hot. He's got flyaway hair and hands that parcel the bread into neat packages quick as you please. His cheap plastic nametag informs Jun that is name is Ninomiya, and Jun has played a guessing game with himself for the last six months as to what his first name might be.
"You should try the melon bread," says Ninomiya, startling Jun out of his coin counting. He's wearing a smile that curls and questions.
Jun does, and never regrets it.
~
XIV. I Know You
Prompter: augustfai
Prompt: The rest of Arashi find out that Aiba and Becky are seeing each other.
When Jun sits Aiba down on the couch in the Tensai greenroom and gets that look on his face, Aiba knows he's figured it out. Jun doesn't say anything though, he just stares, and Aiba's innocent smile wibbles and wobbles and finally he's saying, "Yes, okay, three months ago after she guested on the VIP room. I can't keep anything from you." He's a little sulky about it.
"You shouldn't try," Jun says, patting Aiba's knee, oddly sympathetic. "You're useless at secrets."
Aiba is quiet for a moment. "I'm happy."
"Good," says Jun. "That's all I needed to know."
~
XV. The Edge
Prompter: Phrenk
Prompt: Nino/Inoue Mao, Mao keeps comparing him to Jun (and Jun keeps coming out on top.)
"Jun-kun wouldn't make me carry this," Mao gripes. She means the handfuls of glossy shopping bags, hundreds of dollars worth of money spent.
"Jun-kun is the perfect lover, or so say all the magazines," Nino agrees blandly. He doesn't want to, or need to, be Jun.
Mao's face is hidden behind her dark hair all the way to the car. Nino can't tell what she's thinking, but hopes it isn't about Jun. He doesn't want to hear it.
The sky is dark; they're on the edge of a storm. Nino looks up and feels the first splash of rain.
~
XVI. Inseparable
Prompter: primroseshows
Prompt: Ohno and Nino: Yuji and Taka have to go back to space.
"It's time to say goodbye, Taka," Nino says, sliding his whole self against Ohno's side.
Ohno nods, and raises his hand in traditional rapper salute. "We're going on an adventure," he informs Sho gravely.
Sho's mouth is open like he wants to talk, but doesn't know what to say.
Nino kisses Ohno's cheek. "To the space ship!" he declares, falling on top of Ohno as Ohno drops onto the couch.
"The couch is our space ship," Ohno translates. Nino squirms familiarly atop him, and they dissolve into a giggling mess.
Sho hides his smile behind the safety of his paper.
~
XVII. The Dangerous One
Prompter: narusaku4vr
Prompt: JunBa - Jun becomes a guest on Tensai Shimura Doubutsen
"I have to touch it?" Jun is not subtle when displeased. His hands are white on the edge of the aquarium.
"Now, now, Matsujun, it's just a snake," Aiba says with all the bravado he doesn't feel. He maintains a healthy distance from both the tank and from Jun, just in case Jun gets any bright ideas.
"You're standing awfully far away," Jun declares, eyes slicing dark and familiar across the studio floor.
"Self-preservation," Aiba informs him, and the audience laughs. Aiba's ears feel hot. Jun will get him back for this later, he knows.
~
XVIII. Doorway
Prompter: augustfai
Prompt: Jun meets Nino's sister for the first time.
Jun had expected her to be tiny. Nino's size, with his mouth and his chin and god, maybe even a mole somewhere. But she isn't. She's two sizes larger with a perky, upturned nose. She wears her makeup beautifully, glitter on her eyelids.
The effect is rather spoiled by her red-cheeked drunkenness. "Mattsun," she says, and then gets herself confused. "No, what are you doing here?"
It's Nino's sister, he reminds himself. "Nice to meet you," he introduces himself, politeness and smiles.
"Right," she drawls, and suddenly she's the spitting image of Nino, coyness included, as she pulls him inside.
~
XIX. Not in My House
Prompter: blufox_o7
Prompt: Aiba, where Aiba experiments on putting an eggplant on the washer to see if the color of his clothes will change.
The broccoli had been a dud. Aiba draws a sloppy X on his clipboard and writes: pulpy mess, do not attempt again. It'll take hours to pluck the bits out of his underwear, but he only wastes seconds on that thought.
Eggplant time.
The washing machine tumbles and burps, and beeps half an hour later. He's scientifically nosing around at the tangle of shirts when his mom pokes her head in: "Masaki, what are you doing to my laundry machine?"
"It's science, mom," he says.
Aiba spends the next two days cleaning up white goo, which isn't science at all.
~
XX. Jangle
Prompter: Primroseshows
Prompt: Aiba and Nino: Teach me how to play harmonica.
"It looks easy," Nino insisted, prying the harmonica from Aiba's hands. "I'm sure I can do it."
Aiba watched as Nino's mouth glided along silver and shimmering notes broke through the air. They were so off-key that he only recognized the song by the fact that he'd been addicted to it in third grade. "Very nice," he said, and Nino hit him.
"So teach me," he said, pressing the harmonica hard into Aiba's palm.
Aiba could still see the print of Nino's lips on the high end. He set his mouth there, felt the warmth. An indirect kiss. He blew.
~
XXI. Not Just For Girls
Prompter: phrenk
Prompt: Aiba/Becky, Aiba can't stop thinking about what kind of underwear Becky has on under her voluminous skirts.
Maybe pink, Aiba thinks. Becky is swishing ahead of him, taking up the whole corridor with her frills and strawberry scent. She's girly enough, she likes pink.
Aiba likes pink too. And if she's wearing pink, they'd match, though Aiba's underwear has zoo animals, and the probability of having the same underwear down to the print is slim.
Too bad, she'd be cute in them.
Aiba imagines it: Becky standing in his room, in his boxers.
He almost runs into her when she stops in the doorway. "Sorry," he breathes, and she looks up at him with her blue eyes.
~
XXII. Art in a Window
Prompter: Maiaide
Prompt: Ohno/Sho and thunderstorms.
Sho doesn't like thunder, but Ohno does, and Sho likes the Ohno that stares out the window, flashes of light illuminating his cheekbones in off-second intervals. He looks younger than his visible years, like a child fascinated by the fantasy of the dark unknown.
Sho won't say "Come back to bed" until the flash-storm has passed. Then, with the tireless rain running rivers down their windows, he'll welcome Ohno back, maybe with a kiss, maybe with fingertips that tickle questions down his ribs. And Sho will discover that he does like thunder after all, when it sounds in his heart.
~
XXIII. The Weight of the World
Prompter: Phrenk
Prompt: Aiba/Ohno, Ohno wants to tell his mom about their relationship but Aiba hasn't come out to anyone else and opposes it.
"Your mom?" Aiba says. This must be why Ohno offered to buy the drinks tonight. "But--but why?"
"She's my mom," Ohno says, as if it's simple. And maybe it is. But not to Aiba. Because if Ohno's mom knows, then Aiba's mom should know, because Aiba loves his mom too, really he does.
"Not yet," he says. "I'm not ready yet."
Ohno looks at him, and Aiba feels the world spin slowly on its axis. "I don't think you will be," he says. And he's right.
Aiba nods, and when Ohno takes his hand, feels just a little bit better.
~
XXIV. Eerie and New
Prompter: augustfai
Prompt: Aiba walks in on Nino composing a new song. (Aiba/Nino.)
Nino's back is a bell-curve, his cardigan flaring out against the couch to complete the metaphor. He's strumming, strumming, and Aiba knows this is a song he's never heard before.
He knows Nino sees him--Nino sees everything--but he tries to be quieter than a shadow so that he can inhale every sound and feel Nino's song through the unreachable places of his body. The chords are minor, and echo in Aiba's bones. This is an unrequited love song, wordless and waiting.
"Aiba-chan," Nino says when he's done, and Aiba can still see the music in him, rippling beneath his skin.
~
XXV. Life
Prompter: blufox_o7
Prompt: Ohno/Nino, where Ohno reassures Nino of the obvious (and it's Ohno who loves Nino more)
Ohno never says what he thinks. He stores it behind his eyes, his eyelashes curtains to contain it. Nino never knows what he's thinking, or so he says.
So Ohno tries to use his hands, even when Nino jumps away like a cat. Ohno tries to use his mouth in the dark corners of night, kissing away tears before they form. Ohno doesn't know what else to use, even when Nino looks at him like he's a puzzle with no end and no beginning.
To Ohno, Nino is as water, pure and dirty and necessary. One day, Nino will know.
~
XXVI. I Could Be a Knight
Prompter: phrenk
Prompt: Aiba/Becky, she picks him first in Mannequin Five and afterward he presents himself to her because she "bought" him.
He catches her as she's strapping on her sandals. "You're not going home, are you?"
"Sure am," Becky says, hefting her bag. It's almost as big as Nino's, Aiba thinks.
"Then I'm going too," he says.
She blinks. "No, you aren't. What?"
"I'm yours now," he says. He gets down on his knees.
"You're crazy," Becky whispers, holding her bag tighter. "I just liked your outfit!"
"These are new rules," he says. They are alone in the room; all he sees is her.
The seconds stretch, each one a heartbeat, until she raises her hand, and lets him take it.
~
XXVII. You'll Land Among the Stars
Prompter: wainscotting
Prompt: Jun is offered a chance to go into space as part of the first Japanese moon expedition.
The sun is rising over the edge of the Earth. Rimmed with the rhinestone of stars, it's just as majestic as in every video Jun has ever seen. He takes a deep breath, and floats another step.
"Matsujun, can you hear us?" It's Sho's voice, in his ear. They're hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, and still together as Jun plants the Japanese flag.
His heart is bright. He can feel it radiating, soaking up the reality of what his world has become. "Yes, I hear you," he says.
He looks up, and up. What world will they conquer next?
~
XXVIII. Duel
Prompter: primroseshows
Prompt: Nino and Ohno: The one and only time they get into a fight.
"On your guard," Nino says. He raises his weapon. There is death in his eyes.
Ohno, with his blue balloon sword, takes up the stance. Silence swallows them. Ohno can hear his heart beating, even though he wants to laugh and laugh until Nino laughs with him.
Nino's balloon smacks his cheek, and Nino's teeth flash in the backstage lights. "Slow!"
So Ohno spins, and ducks, and their balloons squeal against each other like fingers on a blackboard. Nino's pops.
"I win by default?" Ohno says.
The world rights itself when Nino steps into his space and kisses his cheek.
~
XXIX. Static
Prompter: augustfai
Prompt: Is there a cure for insomnia? (Aiba/Jun.)
There's sweat in Aiba's sheets, under his arms, and behind his knees. The world seems to be pressing down on him, but all his thoughts are lighter than air, rushing and swimming in circles. He can't chase after them. He has to sleep.
Aiba fingers his cell.
At night, phones ring louder. "Jun," he says. "I'm sorry."
He can hear Jun stretch; all the muscles under his skin must be tight with tension. "Mmn," he says. "Masturbation didn't help?"
"I didn't try," Aiba says, the heat lacing through him.
"Try now," says Jun, staying on the phone a little longer.
~
XXX. No Is Not a Word I Know
Prompter: blufox_o7
Prompt: Nino/Aiba, where Nino indulges Aiba because well... they're BFFs.
Nino doesn't mind, really. Aiba lights up his life. Aiba was his first best friend. He can't say no to Aiba.
So when Aiba's fingers brush down his spine, Nino lets it curve. When Aiba's hand envelopes his elbow, Nino lets him pull. When Aiba is above him, Nino lets him in.
Nino doesn't mind. He likes the way Aiba breathes against his throat, the way Aiba giggles through kisses, and the way Aiba's eyes close when he comes, his heart thumping happiness against Nino's chest. Nino won't say no to that, not ever. Because Aiba is his best friend.