Kimi no yasashisa ga kikoetekuru yo (I can hear your kindness)
Title: Kimi no yasashisa ga kikoetekuru yo (I can hear your kindness)
Pairing/Focus: Nino/Aiba
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Summary: Aiba is having worries in his drama Mikeneko Holmes no Suiri. Nino comes to comfort him in his own way.
Notes: mentions of scenes from past TV shows. You can ask me if you are not familiar with mentioned events.
written for tonieboo0013 for Nino's exchange :)
Special thanks to augustfai for agreeing to beta my fic! :) you're awesome!! :)
-=-=-
Wearing a dirty white cap, a mask and a not-so-apparent limp, Nino visited the set of Mikeneko Holmes no Suiri and contented himself with just watching Aiba from afar, not wanting to disturb the flow of the filming.
The set was that of the living room of the Katayama residence where, in the drama, they brainstorm regarding the case. The chairs were arranged in a semi-circular fashion, with a portable blackboard nearby where the names and pictures of those involved in the case - both suspects and victims - were neatly placed.
Nino thought it was probably break time since no other actors and actresses were in sight besides Aiba, who was leaning forward while sitting, resting his elbows on his knees, and eyebrows scrunched in sheer concentration. Nino observed the motion in Aiba’s lips, which he thought to be in the act of recalling the script his best friend had just memorized. Despite Aiba being carefree during variety shows, he was actually pretty serious in his own dramas and stage plays.
The sudden visit was brought about by Nino’s worry.
-=-
Right after the filming of Hey3x where Arashi performed their new single Face Down, the group returned to the greenroom with a heavy atmosphere as Nino limped, with Jun by his side to support him.
With worry painted on their faces, the other four could hardly forget the pain Nino was in while he forced his body to dance to the difficult choreography. Perhaps it was not quite noticeable to the audience, but Nino’s pain was apparent to them who had known him for more than ten years.
Upon reaching the greenroom, Jun gently deposited Nino to the couch to allow the latter to rest and lie down comfortably. Once in a while, the other four stole short glances at Nino, who didn’t notice since he rested his forearm over his eyes to further block the light.
Sho with a News Zero meeting, Ohno with a drama filming, and Jun with a magazine interview, the three reluctantly left the greenroom, but not without a stern reminder for Nino to rest, rest and rest. Nino had a magazine interview and photoshoot scheduled along with Jun, and a little voice in his head he’d like to call ‘professionalism’ urged him to go despite his condition. However - or perhaps thankfully - Nino’s manager strictly prevented him from going.
After a long argument coupled with sour whines from the idol, Nino submitted to his manager’s wishes for him to stay at home and rest. Since the matter concerned his health, Nino knew he wouldn’t win the argument in the first place; his manager would definitely solicit the help of the other members, making the score 5 against 1.
Having no more work scheduled for the day, Aiba stayed in the greenroom to keep Nino company and heard the exchange between Nino and his manager. He volunteered himself to babysit the younger idol: making Nino drink his anti-inflammatory medicines, applying warm compress on the site of injury, preparing food and attending to Nino’s needs. Aiba eagerly enumerated with his fingers what had to be done. Nino’s manager eyed Aiba warily. He was aware of Aiba’s reputation of being careless and clumsy, but he resigned that having someone with Nino was for the best. He arranged for Aiba to stay at Nino’s house for the night.
Nino had tried to reassure Aiba countless times that he was alright, that Aiba need not worry too much, but that didn’t help at all. Nino guessed that some of his own stubbornness had rubbed off on his friend.
Aiba proposed that they play one of Nino’s new games in Play Station where they were sent out in missions to battle against aliens and protect the civilians. Midway through the game, Nino started to harbor deeper appreciation for it because gaming only required his brain and hands, perfect for his current predicament, and perfect for resting but still enjoying at the same time. The two played and played just like old times, and before they realized it, it was already 2 o’clock in the morning. Fatigue eventually took its toll on them; Nino fell asleep on the couch while Aiba on the living room rug.
They were woken up by the endless ringing of Aiba’s cell phone. Aiba sleepily took the call, and upon hearing his manager’s frantic yells that everyone was already waiting for Aiba on set, every trace of sleepiness was wiped off from the idol’s face. He hastily dressed up and sprinted to the door, ready to accept scolding from his manager who was waiting outside.
-=-
Nino’s sudden visit to the Mikeneko Holmes set was brought about by his worry for Aiba. He admitted that it was his fault that they slept late. He was the one who insisted that they play for hours, and Aiba had no choice but to agree to Nino’s wishes, taking it as a part of his babysitting duties.
Nino was not aware that Aiba had an early schedule that morning. He couldn’t help blaming himself - he should have asked!
While on set, Nino inadvertently heard a scrap of conversation that drove him to a state of annoyance, as if to add a cherry on top of his bothersome leg injury. His curious face turned into a furious scowl, with eyebrows creased in indignation. With arms folded across his chest, the grip of his hand on his arm tightened, his fingernails almost digging into the skin. The pain on his leg was momentarily forgotten as he focused on listening.
“As expected of idols, they are egoistic; they come in late without considering the precious time of their co-workers,” a staff member said in hushed tones. But the hint of malice did not escape Nino’s ears.
The staff guy was talking to his co-worker. “They think they are above everyone else, but we all know that they are only given lead roles so the drama will be popular.”
“Everybody is just being mum about that fact.”
“Maybe because it goes without saying…” They snickered together.
They were so engrossed with their conversation that they didn’t notice that someone in a disguise was eavesdropping, or perhaps they didn’t mind being overheard because they believed their opinions were true.
“Besides, they only get lead roles because of their pretty faces.”
“Because they’re ‘national idols’; who gives a damn anyway?”
“Especially among the five of them, that Aiba is the worst actor…”
Nino coughed loudly. That was his limit. At first he was curious about the views of the two members of the staff, since they were similar to the ones working on their regular TV shows and so possibly harboring the same sentiments as them. However, insulting his bandmate was foul and was already crossing the line. Even though Nino knew the conversation of the two was not meant to be overheard, by him nonetheless, he couldn’t just shrug it off and turn a deaf ear to it.
They turned to him, suddenly standing still, as if soldiers at attention when the general comes. Through the pathetic excuse of a disguise, they were instantly able to determine that it was Ninomiya Kazunari who heard their exchange. Arashi’s Ninomiya Kazunari! With knees trembling, palms profusely sweating, eyes bulging and mouth agape, they stared at Nino.
How Nino reacted was beyond their expectation. Knowing the so-called ‘brat’ of Arashi, they anticipated an inevitable blow, a harsh comeback, or a scolding, but most definitely not an apology.
“I apologize if Aiba-kun was late!” Nino addressed them with a polite bow, with his voice just the right volume for the two of them to impress the seriousness, but not loud enough to cause a commotion around and disturb the filming. “He was worrying about me because of my injured leg. And he somehow forgot the time.”
Nino maintained his bow and the two were perplexed what to do. As they were fidgeting on their stance, blindly fiddling with their fingers in nervousness, they waited for Nino to continue.
“Because the national idol group of Japan cares about each other that way.” Nino stood up and said with a delicate smile, trying to hide his sad resentment of why some people couldn’t understand that, or perceive it wrongly. “Oh, and just a suggestion, perhaps it would be a learning experience if you try acting before you criticize other people so you’ll realize that it’s no laughing matter.”
It was without regret but with sheer satisfaction that he walked out of that place, mindful that he was being followed by two pairs of eyes that Nino supposed were tinged with wariness.
-=-=-
Sharing a drama season with Ohno was tough because Aiba was continually bearing the burden of being compared to their leader. Even Aiba himself admitted that Ohno was undeniably a more capable and versatile actor than he was, but, in a way, that egged him on to give his all. Besides, all the members, most especially Ohno himself, showered him with encouraging words, both spoken and in mail.
Aiba Masaki had always lived with the principle that if you laugh and be happy, good things will come your way. Despite that, moments of frustration and feelings of defeat are inevitable, especially in Arashi’s line of work. Stress and pressure from his lead role in the drama, the inability to perfect the choreography of Face Down and dragging the others along, the worry about Nino; a lot of thoughts and emotions ran through his mind and he was almost at his breaking point.
After a filming session of multiple takes, in which he couldn’t help but blame his incompetence, and hours of sneers coming from some of the staff, all he longed for was to go home. Then he would be able to lie down on his comfortable mattress and dream of anything that would make him forget his worries and start anew.
Little did he expect to have a visitor at an untimely hour of night.
“Nino? What are you doing here?” Aiba asked tiredly, not really wanting to deal with Nino at the moment.
“I have your spare key, remember?” Nino replied, jiggling said key connected to a fluffy dog key chain in front of him. “I came over to try the game I bought for you,” Nino said indicating the controller in his hands and pointing at the TV screen. Nino figured that he had to gesture more if he wanted to coherently talk to Aiba, who seemed too tired to correctly perceive of his surroundings.
“The game you bought for me with my own money, ne?” Aiba said lightly as he sat on the couch beside Nino and laid his head back, closing his eyes to rest.
Aiba may be worn out, but he was not in the habit of driving his guests away; that was in Nino’s character to do so. Besides, considering the number of times Nino had come over his place, they might as well be sharing a home.
“Nino, get me a beer.” Aiba prodded, eyes still closed so he couldn’t see Nino’s scowl. Real friends order each other around, right?
“On second thought, I’ll go get it.” Aiba said in panic as he remembered Nino’s condition. He scolded himself inwardly for his insensitivity. Seeing the expression on Aiba’s face, Nino knew that his friend was still worried about him. He hastily grabbed Aiba’s wrist to pull him back.
“Aiba-chan, it was just a muscle strain; rest was all I needed to recover. Besides, it already feels so much better after last night. No need to worry too much,” Nino said. “And rest is what you need as well. I’ll go get the beer.”
Aiba didn’t know how long Nino had been gone because he somehow dozed off. As he opened his eyes, he found Nino’s hand in front of him holding a cup. By the appearance and aroma of it, he figured it was tea. Aiba looked up at Nino questioningly for he was certain that he asked for beer.
“Drink. It will make you feel better,” Nino said as he handed Aiba the cup.
Aiba eyed Nino suspiciously. “What would you do if it’s not tea? What if this is just some weird-tasting drink you came up with?” Aiba asked, incapable of ignoring the certain gleam in Nino’s eyes that reminded him of Ni no Arashi pranks. Aiba may be the idiot character on television but he was actually meticulous to detail, and he had known Nino for a very long time, enough to know his idiosyncrasies. That fleeting playful glint in Nino’s eyes didn’t escape him.
Nino sighed at his best friend’s apparent distrust. He took the cup back and sipped it to convince the other that it was undoubtedly tea. “It’s tea,” he stated bluntly.
Aiba took in a huge gulp of the drink and then instantly spit it back into the cup. Normally, one would be grossed out at that but Nino just burst into a fit of laughter, remembering the A no Arashi era when they were all forcefully made to drink weird stuff concocted by none other than Aiba himself. Revenge was sweet indeed.
“It’s so bitter!” Aiba whined, marked with intense dislike as he briskly snatched the bottle of beer on the table, eager to replace the bitter taste with anything.
“Nino! Remind me again why I am friends with you...” Aiba said after he drained the contents of the bottle of beer until the last drop, not leaving any for Nino.
Nino just sat closely near Aiba with their sides touching as he leaned his head on the other’s shoulder. “Remember our filming of that Shiyagare episode with Kitajima-san?”
“Oh wow, eager to change the subject now, aren’t you?” Aiba said teasingly.
“Just shut up and go with the flow,” Nino said in mild annoyance. “Anyway, it somehow reminded me of Shukudai-kun, and of Aibaland.”
“Kitajima leading! Kitajima leading! He’s come in first goal! Kitajima has done it! It’s a gold!-love ballad style!” Aiba said rapidly, his excitement rising. “How can I forget?”
Nino laughed and clapped his hands in hilarity. “Sho-kun was really calm when he sung it, ne?”
“Yeah, even though it was incredibly embarrassing,” Aiba mused. He was purposely ignoring the fact that he was the one who insistently initiated that Improvisation Artist Game in the Aibaland corner in the first place. “Well, he embarrasses himself normally so that kind of injury was nothing.”
“Like what Suga-san said on one episode ‘If you do it properly you get hurt because you do it properly. And if you can’t do it, you get hurt because you can’t do it.’ That game was incredibly pointless! There wasn’t even a winner! All we did was embarrass ourselves,” Nino said, nostalgic of their former TV show-not that they weren’t doing pointless things in Shiyagare as well.
“Well that was the point, wasn’t it? That we make fools of ourselves… and then the viewers are the winners!” Aiba was already in his sentimental mode. And similar to a trance, there was no pulling him out of it. You just had to see it through to the end.
Nino knew that something emotional triggered this, and he had a shrewd idea that it was because of this morning. He continued the reminiscing, “Remember when Leader said that our appearance in 24 hour TV was like the Olympics? 2004, 2008, 2012.”
“It’s amazing, ne? We’re going to appear in it again this year.” Aiba said in wonder at the blessings that come their way. “It will be busy, but worth it.”
“I wonder who’s going to write a letter this time.” Nino said. It had been a tradition already in 24 hour TV that one member would write for the others. The first was from Aiba. The second was from Nino. The third was left to their speculation.
“Maybe it’s Leader!” Aiba exclaimed.
“If it is him, I bet he would say things in a roundabout way so that we would have to be the ones to explain to the audience what he was talking about. That would totally ruin the mood,” Nino pondered.
“But Leader’s like that, ne? He shows his affection in strange ways.” Aiba giggled. “If it’s Jun-kun, it would be a polite letter,” he said confidently.
“Polite, yup,” Nino said, nodding in approval. “But I bet midway, he would break down and cry.”
Aiba chuckled at the image of the stoic MatsuJun being emotional in public.
“You’re not in the position to laugh. You are as much of a crybaby as him.” A snide comment from Nino was unavoidable.
“I bet it would be Sho-chan!” Aiba exclaimed.
“But he’s busy with the London Olympics,” Nino countered.
“But writing a simple letter wouldn’t be too much addition to his workload,” Aiba pouted.
‘Wrong,’ Nino thought, remembering the time he wrote the letter. It was an emotional burden that spanned the length of weeks just to come up with the perfect words to accurately express his feelings and to convey what he really wanted to say. The number of drafts, the number of papers crumpled in frustration, the number of nights with diminished sleep seemed endless.
But Nino also believed that it was something Sho of all people could easily handle, being a man fluent with words.
Silence wafted between the two as they were left to their own thoughts.
“You remember what I said during one Shukudai-kun episode…that your appearance in dramas is like the Olympics?”
Aiba was taken aback by Nino’s sudden question, and his face fell. He didn’t want to talk about it. He was aware that people were talking behind his back.
‘Yes, I know already! My acting sucks! They only gave me the lead role because I am an idol, because I am in Arashi. I know your acting skills are Hollywood-level and praiseworthy; you don’t have to shove it to my face!’ Aiba thought in disdain, incapable of saying it directly to Nino. It was unfair to Nino to hear those words from Aiba just because the latter was having a bad day.
Aiba sported a grumpy face unlike his usual sunny character. On the other hand, Aiba was glad to have Nino around, to be able to let his guard down in front of his friend and just show how he really felt.
“You know the similarity between your appearance in dramas and the Olympics?”
“Nino, not now…” Aiba said weakly. He didn’t want to drift back to his former state of self-pity, not when they were in a good mood remembering the past and pleasantly wondering about the future.
“Oh come on, humor me…” Nino persisted, patiently waiting for Aiba’s reply.
“That they’re rare…” Aiba said softly in defeat and finality, in a tone that said, ‘it’s so obvious; do you want me to say it just to hurt me?’
“No.” Nino said tersely for dramatic emphasis. “The similarity with the Olympics, Arashi’s appearance in 24 hour TV and your dramas…”
Nino paused.
“What, you’re just thinking about it now? That’s not comforting at all,” Aiba said lightly, curious as to what Nino was trying to say.
“…is that they are all worth the wait,” Nino finished with a gentle smile. “And they are awesome to watch because they reflect the hard work of the people who made them happen.” Nino said purposely averting his gaze to give Aiba space to take in what he said.
“Nino… you can say really kind things sometimes.” Aiba said in amazement, reveling at the rarity of the event. “Why is it that during filmings, you turn into a cold-hearted guy with a sharp tongue?”
“But wouldn’t the viewers be freaked out if I suddenly turn into a kind person? They might suspect I have brain damage! They might come up with numerous tabloid articles about me. That would be bad for Arashi,” Nino said as he returned to his game, or to be accurate: the game that he made Aiba buy with Aiba’s own money just to know if it was interesting.
“And I can be the bratty character in private sometimes,” Aiba said mischievously as he walked in front of the television, not quite accidentally tripping on the cord of the Play Station and unplugging it from the power source.
This left Nino face to face with the blue screen of the TV and with a furious ready-to-kill temper akin to a game-freak who did not manage to save his game before it shut down.
“AIBA!!”