we are one
Title: we are one
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~1900
Pairing(s): Aimiya
Summary: in which people are oblivious- or, five times people didn't realise Nino and Aiba were dating, and one time they did
Notes: I was writing Aiba's part in names, and this came out instead. Oops?
(on ao3)
1.
“Hey! Doumyouji-kun!”
Jun rolls his eyes as he turns around, his castmates snickering around him as he does. He rolls his eyes in greeting at Aiba, and blinks as he takes in the scrawny figure walking beside him on the sidewalk.
“How the hell did you get Nino to come out?” he says, impressed. Aiba gives him a thumbs-up.
“I told him that it’s our date night!” he says, proud. Beside him, Nino rolls his eyes, looking irritated.
“We could stay in, Masaki, it’s not like we don't go outside enough,” he complains, ducking a little closer to the broader boy as someone shuffles by them on the street. Aiba, almost unconsciously, tugs him closer by their hands. “You just didn't want to keep getting your ass kicked on Mario, you coward.”
Mao smiles at them, a little shy. “Would you like to get some drinks with us then? I mean, if it’s not a ‘two of you’ thing…”
She trails off, a bit flushed at the interaction. Shun grins his agreement, and him and Shota start cajoling them to come along. Nino glances at Aiba, who Jun can only tell is reluctant with years of familiarity. Nino shrugs, and Jun cuts in before he can speak.
“Nah, I see their faces every day,” he says, waving loosely at them. Shun makes a noise of disappointment. “I’m getting kind of sick of it.”
“Not everyone can look as pretty as you, J-sama,” Nino snipes back, following his cue like clockwork. He quirks a kind smile at Mao. “Some other time, Mao-chan.”
“Don't be such a loser, Jun-kun,” Shota complains, grinning. “We hardly ever get to see them- are you going to deprive us of being in the presence of Arashi?”
“You’re always in the presence of Arashi,” Jun retorts, as Nino takes Aiba’s wrist and starts tugging him along again, launching into a demand for him to pay for his drinks - “It’s only right, Masaki, for forcing me outside like this.”
“They get along very well, huh,” Shun says from beside him. “They’re good friends.”
Jun snorts, starting to walk again. “Yeah, that’s one way to put it.”
2.
“Aaaaaannnnnddddd- cut!”
Sho slouches slightly as the cameras tilt down, the tension from his shoulders releasing as he finishes filming for the day. From beside him, Ariyoshi does the same.
“Camouflage, huh?” his college asks, smirking slightly. “Think we should use that instead of your usual suit? Maybe change it up a bit?”
For the nth time, Sho wonders why he surrounds himself with- for the lack of a better word, Nino’s. Is it too much to ask to go through a single day without having a sharp retort for everything that he does?
“That’s just my private clothes,” he says, long-suffering. “I understand that work clothes need to be formal, but do we really need to pick on what I wear in private?”
“You’ve been in this business for what, two decades? You know that there’s no such thing as privacy, especially for a super idol.” Ariyoshi looks amused, but mercifully changes the topic. “You got lucky with the single room, huh? Guess even Arashi can't afford to get all their members swanky single hotel suites.”
Sho looks over at him, confused. “We...did?”
“But,” Ariyoshi blinks. “Aiba and Nino said that they were going back to ‘their’ room, right?”
“Yeah,” Sho confirms. “But that’s them. I’m pretty sure that was Aiba’s room- they only ever game in Nino’s”
Ariyoshi opens his mouth, then closes it. “...right,” he says. “Arashi- you guys are really close, huh?”
It’s nothing Sho hasn’t heard before a dozen times, and he just shrugs. “I guess so- everybody seems to say so, anyways.”
His co-host laughs a little, pats his arm. “Trust me, you are. If I didn't know you guys any better, I’d be worried for your collective virtues.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s a bit late for that,” Sho says, amused, and that’s the end of that.
3.
Ohno feels vaguely fuzzy, pleasantly buzzed in the way that a few beers and good food tends to make him. Beside him, Oguri-san is talking about something, and Ohno tunes back in just in time to hear “- you, Aiba? Met any cute girls?”
“Nino’s cute,” he feels compelled to say. “Right, Aiba-chan? Nino’s super cute.”
“That’s not what I-” Oguri-san starts, but Aiba’s already off on a tangent.
“I know, right? Isn’t he? Isn’t he super cute? The cutest! I’m glad that the costume ladies but him in that sweater, wasn't he soft? He was so nice to touch and cuddle and-”
“- aaannnddd that’s enough from you, Masaki, your drunken pervert’s showing.” Nino says, clearly fond, as he plucks the bottle out of Aiba’s hand. The other boy makes a sound of protest, collapsing face-first onto Nino’s neck, nuzzling it slightly as he whines. Nino holds the bottle out to a bored-looking Matsujun, who gulps the remainders out in a smooth motion. “Actually, so’s Leader’s. We’d better get out of here before somebody records this on their phones and sells it to the press. We don't want more orgy rumors.”
Aiba pokes his head up. “Sho-chan would protect us, right, Sho-chan?”
Normally, Sho would look horrified at being part of this conversation. Three beers, however, has worn down that disapproval. “I’ll protect you!” he declares, flushed. Sho-chan’s a lightweight. “I’ll go- to the news! And report them!”
“You’re supposed to be protecting us from the news, Sho-chan,” Nino tells him indulgently. “Though I can appreciate fighting fire with fire.”
“What am I fighting?” Sho asks, confused, and Matsujun forces another bottle into his hands.
“Not important- for now, another drink!”
As they cheer, Oguri-san shakes his head fondly. “I guess you guys have more important things than romance right now, huh?” he says fondly.
Ohno is vaguely aware that there’s some crossed wires in this conversation- but that’s every conversation for him, really, and so he just raises his glass in reply.
4.
“Ah! Ninomiya-san!”
Nino turns around to face the voice calling him, coming face-to-face with the choreographer for the「untitled」album. The woman looks a bit confused.
“What is it?” he asks, and she holds up a familiar sheet of paper.
“It’s about the prompts for the choreography,” she says. “Uh, for you and Aiba-san’s duet…?”
“Is there anything wrong with it?” he asks, keeping his voice steady. She nods, then frowns, shakes her head.
“I just- it says here that you want to incorporate a, um, a couple’s sweater?”
“Oh, that. It’s a metaphor. For the unit baths. Like two people fitting into one bathtub.” he smiles a little at her look. “It was Aiba-chan’s idea.”
“O-kay,” she says. “But you understand that this would be difficult to maneuver in, right? Especially for the kinds of moves you suggested? You two would need to be very comfortable with each other-”
“I don't think that’ll be a problem,” he mutters, then gives her his brightest smile. “Well, we’ll just have to put in some extra practise, don't we? It’ll be fine- at least we don't have miniskirts.”
She laughs, startled out of her idol-smile induced daze. “That’s true, I guess. Sakurai-san, Ohno-san and Aiba-san are going to have to be careful in that dance.”
“Wouldn't want to tarnish Arashi’s family-friendly reputation,” Nino agrees, and casually steers her away from the topic. As they chat, he casually takes out his cellphone.
Couple’s sweater? Really?
it’s cute, nino! and i’ve always wanted to wear couple’s clothing!
Nino sighs, feels a swell of unfortunately familiar affection.
The things I do for love, he returns, just because he knows that it’ll make Aiba laugh.
5.
“You look like you’re floating on clouds,” Watabe-san comments, looking amused. “That excited for our special?”
“Nino’s coming!” Aiba tells him, positively vibrating out of his skin. Sawabe laughs at him.
“Yeah, yeah, so you’ve said. Multiple times.” he smiles at him the way everyone does when he starts talking about Arashi, like they’re looking at a pomeranian or something. Nino didn't like pomeranians, says they’re too messy to keep around. Aiba was talking him around to the idea of a bulldog though, to be grumpy right beside Nino. Sawabe continues. “You’re really excited to see your bandmates, huh? Shame that nobody else gets the Arashi treatment.”
“I’m excited to see Nino,” Aiba says, because he is. Not that he wouldn't have been ecstatic to see any one of Arashi, but it was Nino! “I get to make soba for him!”
“No pranks, right? Just straight-up soba?” Watabe confirms. Aiba looks at him with wide eyes.
“We can't do that,” he stresses. “Nino would get us back so hard, you have no idea.”
“You two know each other pretty well, huh?” Watabe says, grinning. “I guess it’s to be expected, for Arashi.”
“I mean, yeah, but Nino especially.” Aiba grins. “Because he’s special. I love him.”
Sawabe and Watabe both look at him for a few long seconds, then laughs.
“Don't let the other members hear that,” Watabe snorts out. “They might get jealous!”
Aiba grins back. “They already know!"
+1
“Wait, you’re dating?”
Nino looks up from his DS, momentarily distracted. “Wait, what?”
“It’s our two-year anniversary!” Aiba says, flashing them a thumbs-up. Sho still looks a bit like somebody just flashed him, and Ohno is tilting his head, brows furrowed in deep thought.
“You didn't know?” Nino continues, undeterred, as Sho says: “You’ve been dating since you were fourteen?”
Nino just stares at them, then down at his place on Aiba’s lap, then back up. “Wow, Arashi’s running pretty low on observational skills, huh? We weren't trying to hide it, or anything.”
Sho sputters, and Jun pats him on the shoulder. The older boy turns to him. “You knew?”
“I’ve been in the same unit as them since I was thirteen, how could I not have known?” he says, his smugness at being in on the joke only mostly tempered by his excitement at actually touching Sakurai-san.
“Sho-chan, you- I talk about him to you! I ask you about date ideas! You’ve seen us in bed together.” Nino stills seems confused at his best friend’s apparent obliviousness, and Aiba buries his giggles in his shoulder. Sho stares helplessly.
“But- you-” his eyes flit from him to Ohno, and Nino scowls.
“Seriously?” he demands, and Ohno also tilts his head.
“That’s just me and Nino,” he says, as if it explains everything. Sho stares at Jun in askance, and the younger boy can only offer a helpless shrug in response. Aiba nods sagely.
“Don't worry, Sho-chan! Nino and I are super lovey-dovey!” he says, earning a poke in the ribs from a red Nino. “Him and Leader are just because, well, it’s him and Leader!”
“I hate you people,” Nino announces, and curls his arms around Aiba’s neck. “Masaki, take me away from these losers.”
Aiba laughs and scoops him up in a bridal hold, earning himself a kiss on the cheek as he carries him out. Sho stares at their back.
“In hindsight,” he tells the room. “I really should’ve seen this.”
Jun continues to pat his shoulder, but doesn't disagree.
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~1900
Pairing(s): Aimiya
Summary: in which people are oblivious- or, five times people didn't realise Nino and Aiba were dating, and one time they did
Notes: I was writing Aiba's part in names, and this came out instead. Oops?
(on ao3)
1.
“Hey! Doumyouji-kun!”
Jun rolls his eyes as he turns around, his castmates snickering around him as he does. He rolls his eyes in greeting at Aiba, and blinks as he takes in the scrawny figure walking beside him on the sidewalk.
“How the hell did you get Nino to come out?” he says, impressed. Aiba gives him a thumbs-up.
“I told him that it’s our date night!” he says, proud. Beside him, Nino rolls his eyes, looking irritated.
“We could stay in, Masaki, it’s not like we don't go outside enough,” he complains, ducking a little closer to the broader boy as someone shuffles by them on the street. Aiba, almost unconsciously, tugs him closer by their hands. “You just didn't want to keep getting your ass kicked on Mario, you coward.”
Mao smiles at them, a little shy. “Would you like to get some drinks with us then? I mean, if it’s not a ‘two of you’ thing…”
She trails off, a bit flushed at the interaction. Shun grins his agreement, and him and Shota start cajoling them to come along. Nino glances at Aiba, who Jun can only tell is reluctant with years of familiarity. Nino shrugs, and Jun cuts in before he can speak.
“Nah, I see their faces every day,” he says, waving loosely at them. Shun makes a noise of disappointment. “I’m getting kind of sick of it.”
“Not everyone can look as pretty as you, J-sama,” Nino snipes back, following his cue like clockwork. He quirks a kind smile at Mao. “Some other time, Mao-chan.”
“Don't be such a loser, Jun-kun,” Shota complains, grinning. “We hardly ever get to see them- are you going to deprive us of being in the presence of Arashi?”
“You’re always in the presence of Arashi,” Jun retorts, as Nino takes Aiba’s wrist and starts tugging him along again, launching into a demand for him to pay for his drinks - “It’s only right, Masaki, for forcing me outside like this.”
“They get along very well, huh,” Shun says from beside him. “They’re good friends.”
Jun snorts, starting to walk again. “Yeah, that’s one way to put it.”
2.
“Aaaaaannnnnddddd- cut!”
Sho slouches slightly as the cameras tilt down, the tension from his shoulders releasing as he finishes filming for the day. From beside him, Ariyoshi does the same.
“Camouflage, huh?” his college asks, smirking slightly. “Think we should use that instead of your usual suit? Maybe change it up a bit?”
For the nth time, Sho wonders why he surrounds himself with- for the lack of a better word, Nino’s. Is it too much to ask to go through a single day without having a sharp retort for everything that he does?
“That’s just my private clothes,” he says, long-suffering. “I understand that work clothes need to be formal, but do we really need to pick on what I wear in private?”
“You’ve been in this business for what, two decades? You know that there’s no such thing as privacy, especially for a super idol.” Ariyoshi looks amused, but mercifully changes the topic. “You got lucky with the single room, huh? Guess even Arashi can't afford to get all their members swanky single hotel suites.”
Sho looks over at him, confused. “We...did?”
“But,” Ariyoshi blinks. “Aiba and Nino said that they were going back to ‘their’ room, right?”
“Yeah,” Sho confirms. “But that’s them. I’m pretty sure that was Aiba’s room- they only ever game in Nino’s”
Ariyoshi opens his mouth, then closes it. “...right,” he says. “Arashi- you guys are really close, huh?”
It’s nothing Sho hasn’t heard before a dozen times, and he just shrugs. “I guess so- everybody seems to say so, anyways.”
His co-host laughs a little, pats his arm. “Trust me, you are. If I didn't know you guys any better, I’d be worried for your collective virtues.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s a bit late for that,” Sho says, amused, and that’s the end of that.
3.
Ohno feels vaguely fuzzy, pleasantly buzzed in the way that a few beers and good food tends to make him. Beside him, Oguri-san is talking about something, and Ohno tunes back in just in time to hear “- you, Aiba? Met any cute girls?”
“Nino’s cute,” he feels compelled to say. “Right, Aiba-chan? Nino’s super cute.”
“That’s not what I-” Oguri-san starts, but Aiba’s already off on a tangent.
“I know, right? Isn’t he? Isn’t he super cute? The cutest! I’m glad that the costume ladies but him in that sweater, wasn't he soft? He was so nice to touch and cuddle and-”
“- aaannnddd that’s enough from you, Masaki, your drunken pervert’s showing.” Nino says, clearly fond, as he plucks the bottle out of Aiba’s hand. The other boy makes a sound of protest, collapsing face-first onto Nino’s neck, nuzzling it slightly as he whines. Nino holds the bottle out to a bored-looking Matsujun, who gulps the remainders out in a smooth motion. “Actually, so’s Leader’s. We’d better get out of here before somebody records this on their phones and sells it to the press. We don't want more orgy rumors.”
Aiba pokes his head up. “Sho-chan would protect us, right, Sho-chan?”
Normally, Sho would look horrified at being part of this conversation. Three beers, however, has worn down that disapproval. “I’ll protect you!” he declares, flushed. Sho-chan’s a lightweight. “I’ll go- to the news! And report them!”
“You’re supposed to be protecting us from the news, Sho-chan,” Nino tells him indulgently. “Though I can appreciate fighting fire with fire.”
“What am I fighting?” Sho asks, confused, and Matsujun forces another bottle into his hands.
“Not important- for now, another drink!”
As they cheer, Oguri-san shakes his head fondly. “I guess you guys have more important things than romance right now, huh?” he says fondly.
Ohno is vaguely aware that there’s some crossed wires in this conversation- but that’s every conversation for him, really, and so he just raises his glass in reply.
4.
“Ah! Ninomiya-san!”
Nino turns around to face the voice calling him, coming face-to-face with the choreographer for the「untitled」album. The woman looks a bit confused.
“What is it?” he asks, and she holds up a familiar sheet of paper.
“It’s about the prompts for the choreography,” she says. “Uh, for you and Aiba-san’s duet…?”
“Is there anything wrong with it?” he asks, keeping his voice steady. She nods, then frowns, shakes her head.
“I just- it says here that you want to incorporate a, um, a couple’s sweater?”
“Oh, that. It’s a metaphor. For the unit baths. Like two people fitting into one bathtub.” he smiles a little at her look. “It was Aiba-chan’s idea.”
“O-kay,” she says. “But you understand that this would be difficult to maneuver in, right? Especially for the kinds of moves you suggested? You two would need to be very comfortable with each other-”
“I don't think that’ll be a problem,” he mutters, then gives her his brightest smile. “Well, we’ll just have to put in some extra practise, don't we? It’ll be fine- at least we don't have miniskirts.”
She laughs, startled out of her idol-smile induced daze. “That’s true, I guess. Sakurai-san, Ohno-san and Aiba-san are going to have to be careful in that dance.”
“Wouldn't want to tarnish Arashi’s family-friendly reputation,” Nino agrees, and casually steers her away from the topic. As they chat, he casually takes out his cellphone.
Couple’s sweater? Really?
it’s cute, nino! and i’ve always wanted to wear couple’s clothing!
Nino sighs, feels a swell of unfortunately familiar affection.
The things I do for love, he returns, just because he knows that it’ll make Aiba laugh.
5.
“You look like you’re floating on clouds,” Watabe-san comments, looking amused. “That excited for our special?”
“Nino’s coming!” Aiba tells him, positively vibrating out of his skin. Sawabe laughs at him.
“Yeah, yeah, so you’ve said. Multiple times.” he smiles at him the way everyone does when he starts talking about Arashi, like they’re looking at a pomeranian or something. Nino didn't like pomeranians, says they’re too messy to keep around. Aiba was talking him around to the idea of a bulldog though, to be grumpy right beside Nino. Sawabe continues. “You’re really excited to see your bandmates, huh? Shame that nobody else gets the Arashi treatment.”
“I’m excited to see Nino,” Aiba says, because he is. Not that he wouldn't have been ecstatic to see any one of Arashi, but it was Nino! “I get to make soba for him!”
“No pranks, right? Just straight-up soba?” Watabe confirms. Aiba looks at him with wide eyes.
“We can't do that,” he stresses. “Nino would get us back so hard, you have no idea.”
“You two know each other pretty well, huh?” Watabe says, grinning. “I guess it’s to be expected, for Arashi.”
“I mean, yeah, but Nino especially.” Aiba grins. “Because he’s special. I love him.”
Sawabe and Watabe both look at him for a few long seconds, then laughs.
“Don't let the other members hear that,” Watabe snorts out. “They might get jealous!”
Aiba grins back. “They already know!"
+1
“Wait, you’re dating?”
Nino looks up from his DS, momentarily distracted. “Wait, what?”
“It’s our two-year anniversary!” Aiba says, flashing them a thumbs-up. Sho still looks a bit like somebody just flashed him, and Ohno is tilting his head, brows furrowed in deep thought.
“You didn't know?” Nino continues, undeterred, as Sho says: “You’ve been dating since you were fourteen?”
Nino just stares at them, then down at his place on Aiba’s lap, then back up. “Wow, Arashi’s running pretty low on observational skills, huh? We weren't trying to hide it, or anything.”
Sho sputters, and Jun pats him on the shoulder. The older boy turns to him. “You knew?”
“I’ve been in the same unit as them since I was thirteen, how could I not have known?” he says, his smugness at being in on the joke only mostly tempered by his excitement at actually touching Sakurai-san.
“Sho-chan, you- I talk about him to you! I ask you about date ideas! You’ve seen us in bed together.” Nino stills seems confused at his best friend’s apparent obliviousness, and Aiba buries his giggles in his shoulder. Sho stares helplessly.
“But- you-” his eyes flit from him to Ohno, and Nino scowls.
“Seriously?” he demands, and Ohno also tilts his head.
“That’s just me and Nino,” he says, as if it explains everything. Sho stares at Jun in askance, and the younger boy can only offer a helpless shrug in response. Aiba nods sagely.
“Don't worry, Sho-chan! Nino and I are super lovey-dovey!” he says, earning a poke in the ribs from a red Nino. “Him and Leader are just because, well, it’s him and Leader!”
“I hate you people,” Nino announces, and curls his arms around Aiba’s neck. “Masaki, take me away from these losers.”
Aiba laughs and scoops him up in a bridal hold, earning himself a kiss on the cheek as he carries him out. Sho stares at their back.
“In hindsight,” he tells the room. “I really should’ve seen this.”
Jun continues to pat his shoulder, but doesn't disagree.