Arashi - AU - Thank You for the Rain - 15/30
Title: Thank You for the Rain
Chapter: 15
Fandom: Arashi
Pairing: sho/nino, nino/ohno, tba
Word count: 1481
Notes: I have surprisingly little to say about this chapter. (To tell you the truth, I'm not very satisfied with it.) I'm suspecting I've now written about half of the fic. So that would mean I have about 15 more chapters to write. Let's see if I can finish this year. :P
chapter 1 | chapter 2 | chapter 3 | chapter 4 | chapter 5
chapter 6 | chapter 7 | chapter 8 | chapter 9 | chapter 10
chapter 11 | chapter 12 | extra 1 | chapter 13 | chapter 14
15. Nino: Mistake
The day hadn't been very good. That morning, Nino had woken up to the sound of his alarm clock, only to realize that he had barely slept three hours. He was feeling light-headed and grumpy, and he could only blame himself for it. No one had told him to play Final Fantasy all night. Being annoyed by his own stupidity wasn't a good way to start the day.
The day didn't continue to get any better. Aiba was still sick and he didn't see Sho on the way to school, so he was forced to be alone. Nino didn't like that. It didn't matter that he really wasn't in the mood for conversation; he would take Sho and Aiba's company over solitude any day.
The whole day was sluggish. Something heavy was hanging in the air and it was harder than usual to pay attention to anything. It was one of those days when Nino would have wanted to pretend to be sick, skip school and just sleep all day. The only reason he had bothered to get out of bed was Ohno. It was partly because there was a chance of him getting into trouble if he wasn't there. Nino had noticed how the two bullies seemed to hang around, waiting for them to leave Ohno unattended. It worried him. Something had to be done about them before it would get out of hand. He couldn't always be watching Ohno.
Mostly he just wanted to see him, though. Bullies or no bullies, he was unable to leave Ohno alone. It worried him. His dad had been hinting about moving again. Nino really didn't want to leave. It seemed that his mother shared his feelings; he had heard her fighting with dad about it. But she was only tired of moving again, while Nino felt like he actually belonged here more than anywhere else. It was a weird feeling, making him both happy and sad at the same time.
He spent the day in a daze and when the final bell rang he jumped up and almost ran into Ohno's and Sho's class.
Of course, when he wasn't paying attention, things usually got rapidly worse. It took only one stupid mistake and everything crumbled into pieces.
When he saw the two boys with Ohno in the playground, his initial reaction wasn't fear or panic. He only felt very, very angry. Angry at them and angry at himself. He saw the sketchbook in Morita's hands and he got so angry that it was hard to see straight. He was vaguely aware that his hands were balled into fists, his fingernails digging into the soft skin of his palms.
"What are you doing?" he said, his voice surprisingly steady and low.
And then Morita let go of the sketchbook. It fell and Nino could only watch. When he heard Ohno's quiet sob, he forgot that there were two against him, he forgot that they were older and bigger and he forgot that it would be foolish to start fighting and that he would probably get badly hurt if he went against them. None of that mattered anymore. No one was allowed to make Ohno cry.
He moved fast and had punched Morita on the nose before the two boys had even realized what was happening. Morita yowled from the pain and Nino could see a satisfying trickle of blood coming out of his nose. The other one got hold of him, but Nino didn't care. He had fought countless times before this. He could see the punch coming and moved his head just in time to avoid his nose getting broken. He knew how to move to avoid punches and he knew how to get out of someone's grip. These two were not very used to being fought back. He stamped his foot down on Sakamoto's toes as hard as he could and at the same time he twisted his body so that Sakamoto's wrists were turned painfully into the wrong direction.
Then, to his surprise, Ohno helped him. Soon he was free and running, Ohno gripping his hand tightly, dragging him away from the playground. He almost fought back, wanting to stay and fight, but Ohno's voice urged him forward and away.
By the time they reached Ohno's house, they were both completely soaked with the rain and Nino was still furious. Ohno's eyes were red and he tried to wipe away tears when he thought Nino wouldn't notice. It made Nino want to kick things. Preferably the two guys they had left behind.
His cheek was stinging from the spot where he had been hit and his pants were muddy up to the knees. His left wrist was also sore from when they had twisted it behind his back. The only pain he didn't mind was the stinging in the knuckles of his right hand. Hitting that boy on the nose had been very satisfying. It didn't matter if his knuckles hurt. He could bet that that boy's nose was hurting a lot more.
Ohno sniffed, his back turned to Nino, bringing him out of his thoughts. Nino noticed that Ohno's hands were shaking when he put the key into the front door lock.
"Are you okay?" Nino asked as soon as the door had been shut safely behind them. "They didn't hurt you?"
Ohno dropped his backpack and sketchbook on the floor and shook his head. "No." He glanced quickly at Nino before lowering his eyes again. "But they hit you," he said quietly. Then, even more quietly: "I'm sorry."
Nino scowled. "What are you apologizing for?" he snapped before he could control himself. Ohno didn't look up. Instead his shoulders hunched a little more. It really wasn't a good idea to take his anger out on Ohno. The boy really didn't deserve it. Instead, he decided to change the subject.
"I'm soaked," Nino sighed, running his fingers through his hair. His pulse was still high and the anger hadn't vanished, but he tried to calm himself down for Ohno's sake. "I'm going to drip all over your home. Could I maybe get a towel and borrow some clothes?"
Now Ohno raised his eyes. "Sure," he said, looking at Nino cautiously, like he was anticipating Nino to blame it all on him. Then he went to fetch a towel while Nino took off his shoes and peeled away his jacket. Even the shirt under it was thoroughly wet.
Ohno appeared again with towel and some clothes. "You can change in the bathroom," he said.
"Okay," Nino said and then grinned. "You might want to change too. You're all muddy." On a whim, he reached out and rubbed a speck of dirt off Ohno's cheek with his thumb. Right after he had done it, he realized how embarrassing that was. His pulse picked up again. It felt like his heart was beating twice as fast as before.
It was worrying, how he constantly forgot to keep himself in check around Ohno.
Last time he had been this touchy had been three schools ago, but his friends there had all been freaks anyway. And it had been different back then. Hiroki, Shun or even Tomohisa had never looked at him like Ohno, making his head buzz and stomach flutter.
It was distracting, Nino thought while he changed his clothes. He had never been one to fall for people very quickly. Not just for pouty lips and a pair of pretty eyes. Still, there was really no use in denying it. Not when he spent most of his time wanting to attach himself on Ohno and to never let go.
He wasn't usually this sappy either.
He checked himself on the bathroom mirror. His cheek felt raw to the touch but thankfully there wasn't that much swelling. He'd probably get a nice bruise, though. He didn't really mind. If someone asked about it he could always claim that Aiba had hit him accidentally with a door. Sad thing was that it was a completely believable excuse.
He found Ohno in the living room after he had cleaned himself up. Ohno was wearing a simple blue long sleeved shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. His hair was sticking up from the back, still moist despite the obvious furious towelling. There was a small sketchpad in his lap and he was drawing.
Always with the drawing, Nino thought and smiled. He sat next to Ohno on the couch, so close to him that their arms were touching, and peered at the sketchpad. It was a drawing of a boy, his face turned slightly away so that only part of his profile was showing. It still looked too much like someone familiar that it made Nino a little bit anxious. The warm feeling in his chest quickly vanished.
It looked too much like Sakurai Sho.
Chapter: 15
Fandom: Arashi
Pairing: sho/nino, nino/ohno, tba
Word count: 1481
Notes: I have surprisingly little to say about this chapter. (To tell you the truth, I'm not very satisfied with it.) I'm suspecting I've now written about half of the fic. So that would mean I have about 15 more chapters to write. Let's see if I can finish this year. :P
chapter 1 | chapter 2 | chapter 3 | chapter 4 | chapter 5
chapter 6 | chapter 7 | chapter 8 | chapter 9 | chapter 10
chapter 11 | chapter 12 | extra 1 | chapter 13 | chapter 14
15. Nino: Mistake
The day hadn't been very good. That morning, Nino had woken up to the sound of his alarm clock, only to realize that he had barely slept three hours. He was feeling light-headed and grumpy, and he could only blame himself for it. No one had told him to play Final Fantasy all night. Being annoyed by his own stupidity wasn't a good way to start the day.
The day didn't continue to get any better. Aiba was still sick and he didn't see Sho on the way to school, so he was forced to be alone. Nino didn't like that. It didn't matter that he really wasn't in the mood for conversation; he would take Sho and Aiba's company over solitude any day.
The whole day was sluggish. Something heavy was hanging in the air and it was harder than usual to pay attention to anything. It was one of those days when Nino would have wanted to pretend to be sick, skip school and just sleep all day. The only reason he had bothered to get out of bed was Ohno. It was partly because there was a chance of him getting into trouble if he wasn't there. Nino had noticed how the two bullies seemed to hang around, waiting for them to leave Ohno unattended. It worried him. Something had to be done about them before it would get out of hand. He couldn't always be watching Ohno.
Mostly he just wanted to see him, though. Bullies or no bullies, he was unable to leave Ohno alone. It worried him. His dad had been hinting about moving again. Nino really didn't want to leave. It seemed that his mother shared his feelings; he had heard her fighting with dad about it. But she was only tired of moving again, while Nino felt like he actually belonged here more than anywhere else. It was a weird feeling, making him both happy and sad at the same time.
He spent the day in a daze and when the final bell rang he jumped up and almost ran into Ohno's and Sho's class.
Of course, when he wasn't paying attention, things usually got rapidly worse. It took only one stupid mistake and everything crumbled into pieces.
When he saw the two boys with Ohno in the playground, his initial reaction wasn't fear or panic. He only felt very, very angry. Angry at them and angry at himself. He saw the sketchbook in Morita's hands and he got so angry that it was hard to see straight. He was vaguely aware that his hands were balled into fists, his fingernails digging into the soft skin of his palms.
"What are you doing?" he said, his voice surprisingly steady and low.
And then Morita let go of the sketchbook. It fell and Nino could only watch. When he heard Ohno's quiet sob, he forgot that there were two against him, he forgot that they were older and bigger and he forgot that it would be foolish to start fighting and that he would probably get badly hurt if he went against them. None of that mattered anymore. No one was allowed to make Ohno cry.
He moved fast and had punched Morita on the nose before the two boys had even realized what was happening. Morita yowled from the pain and Nino could see a satisfying trickle of blood coming out of his nose. The other one got hold of him, but Nino didn't care. He had fought countless times before this. He could see the punch coming and moved his head just in time to avoid his nose getting broken. He knew how to move to avoid punches and he knew how to get out of someone's grip. These two were not very used to being fought back. He stamped his foot down on Sakamoto's toes as hard as he could and at the same time he twisted his body so that Sakamoto's wrists were turned painfully into the wrong direction.
Then, to his surprise, Ohno helped him. Soon he was free and running, Ohno gripping his hand tightly, dragging him away from the playground. He almost fought back, wanting to stay and fight, but Ohno's voice urged him forward and away.
By the time they reached Ohno's house, they were both completely soaked with the rain and Nino was still furious. Ohno's eyes were red and he tried to wipe away tears when he thought Nino wouldn't notice. It made Nino want to kick things. Preferably the two guys they had left behind.
His cheek was stinging from the spot where he had been hit and his pants were muddy up to the knees. His left wrist was also sore from when they had twisted it behind his back. The only pain he didn't mind was the stinging in the knuckles of his right hand. Hitting that boy on the nose had been very satisfying. It didn't matter if his knuckles hurt. He could bet that that boy's nose was hurting a lot more.
Ohno sniffed, his back turned to Nino, bringing him out of his thoughts. Nino noticed that Ohno's hands were shaking when he put the key into the front door lock.
"Are you okay?" Nino asked as soon as the door had been shut safely behind them. "They didn't hurt you?"
Ohno dropped his backpack and sketchbook on the floor and shook his head. "No." He glanced quickly at Nino before lowering his eyes again. "But they hit you," he said quietly. Then, even more quietly: "I'm sorry."
Nino scowled. "What are you apologizing for?" he snapped before he could control himself. Ohno didn't look up. Instead his shoulders hunched a little more. It really wasn't a good idea to take his anger out on Ohno. The boy really didn't deserve it. Instead, he decided to change the subject.
"I'm soaked," Nino sighed, running his fingers through his hair. His pulse was still high and the anger hadn't vanished, but he tried to calm himself down for Ohno's sake. "I'm going to drip all over your home. Could I maybe get a towel and borrow some clothes?"
Now Ohno raised his eyes. "Sure," he said, looking at Nino cautiously, like he was anticipating Nino to blame it all on him. Then he went to fetch a towel while Nino took off his shoes and peeled away his jacket. Even the shirt under it was thoroughly wet.
Ohno appeared again with towel and some clothes. "You can change in the bathroom," he said.
"Okay," Nino said and then grinned. "You might want to change too. You're all muddy." On a whim, he reached out and rubbed a speck of dirt off Ohno's cheek with his thumb. Right after he had done it, he realized how embarrassing that was. His pulse picked up again. It felt like his heart was beating twice as fast as before.
It was worrying, how he constantly forgot to keep himself in check around Ohno.
Last time he had been this touchy had been three schools ago, but his friends there had all been freaks anyway. And it had been different back then. Hiroki, Shun or even Tomohisa had never looked at him like Ohno, making his head buzz and stomach flutter.
It was distracting, Nino thought while he changed his clothes. He had never been one to fall for people very quickly. Not just for pouty lips and a pair of pretty eyes. Still, there was really no use in denying it. Not when he spent most of his time wanting to attach himself on Ohno and to never let go.
He wasn't usually this sappy either.
He checked himself on the bathroom mirror. His cheek felt raw to the touch but thankfully there wasn't that much swelling. He'd probably get a nice bruise, though. He didn't really mind. If someone asked about it he could always claim that Aiba had hit him accidentally with a door. Sad thing was that it was a completely believable excuse.
He found Ohno in the living room after he had cleaned himself up. Ohno was wearing a simple blue long sleeved shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. His hair was sticking up from the back, still moist despite the obvious furious towelling. There was a small sketchpad in his lap and he was drawing.
Always with the drawing, Nino thought and smiled. He sat next to Ohno on the couch, so close to him that their arms were touching, and peered at the sketchpad. It was a drawing of a boy, his face turned slightly away so that only part of his profile was showing. It still looked too much like someone familiar that it made Nino a little bit anxious. The warm feeling in his chest quickly vanished.
It looked too much like Sakurai Sho.