Arashi - AU - Voyager 9/12
Title: Voyager
Chapter: 9
Fandom: Arashi
Pairing: ohmiya etc.
Word count: 3413
Notes: This chapter got a little out of hand during my rewrite. From 1800 words to 3400 words... uh.
earlier chapters:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7.5 | 8
09. Now is the right time
Jun had watched how Sho had built the binding spell over the two Travellers. The power of the spell had crackled in the room, making the hairs in the back of his neck stand up. Sho was so full of energy that he wondered how he didn't burst from it, or at least glow brightly, blinding everyone in the room. Jun wasn't sure he could have been able to gather that much energy without going mad.
Sho really was one of the most powerful mages he had ever met. But then there were things that Sho didn't notice at all, so Jun couldn't bring himself to be very jealous of him. It all seemed to balance out. But that meant that he would have to add something more to the mix. Jun weaved his own spell delicately into Sho's, taking care that he wouldn't notice. Maybe his little boost was the thing that would keep Ohno from getting lost, wherever he was going.
Then the spell was complete, snapping shut in his mind, and Jun could sense four heartbeats in the room quickening, marking the spell successful. His and Sho's hearts were beating from the exertion and adrenaline and Nino's and Ohno's from the magic, gradually adjusting their rhythms to each other. Only Aiba's remained as calm as always.
Then his senses slowly faded into their normal state and the heartbeats stopped echoing in his ears.
"Okay, that was that," Sho said, a little out of breath. "Now we'll go and make the amulets for you." He glanced at Jun, who nodded to him, gathering his supplies from the kitchen table. (Two small, white stones that Ohno and Nino had collected from the garden, a small bowl of water and a wooden spoon.) Then he followed Sho into the room Nino had told them to use. It was in the traditional part of the house and Jun hummed his approval. The tatami floor felt somehow just right for the spell.
They were being incredibly stupid, Jun knew this. They were attempting high level magic in the shortest time possible, but Sho had all the power they needed and Jun had the precision. Yes, it was foolish, but probably also necessary. And if Jun was honest with himself, he just couldn't pass up a chance to work with one of the Sakurai family. Well, no, if he was completely honest, he didn't want to pass up a chance to work with this particular member of the Sakurai family.
He wondered about their whispered conversation from last night. There was something in Sho that Jun recognised, that his magic recognised. It was like the flows of their magic somehow blended together, almost harmonized like skilfully played musical instruments.
The feeling of harmony just increased when Jun leaned forward, sealing his mouth on Sho's. He breathed in Sho's exhale and felt the borrowed power slide into him effortlessly, like it was the easiest thing in the world to manage.
"Huh," Sho said when Jun had finally had enough, his veins crackling with Sho's power. "That was remarkably easy."
"Lucky me," Jun said dryly. "I guess we're compatible then." He turned his attention to the objects he had brought with him, carefully avoiding looking at Sho's face. He dropped the two pebbles into the bowl of water and muttered a short spell. There was a flash of purple light and Jun could hear a small popping sound, like someone pulling the cork off of a wine bottle.
"Is your amulet making always this flashy?" Sho asked, with a slightly amused tone of voice. Jun didn't bother answering him; he was concentrating on the two small stones, slowly rotating in the water. Jun felt his magic surge forward and then the pebbles were slowly rising from the bowl, each inside their own sphere of water. They watched in silence how the stones rotated inside the crystal clear water bubbles.
"Whenever you're ready," Jun said, tilting his head to the side, watching Sho, who seemed transfixed on the amulets.
Sho blinked. "Oh, yeah, the binding spell. Of course," he muttered and then the electric feeling was back. Jun had to pull himself a little away from Sho. His skin was prickling all over and the tips of his fingers felt numb.
"Okay, now we can get to the main thing," Jun sighed. "This is going to be tedious." He put the spoon down in between them on the floor. "Now, concentrate on this spoon and start chanting."
Sho sighed, sounding resigned. "So much for retaining some of my dignity, then."
--
Aiba wasn't very good at waiting, especially when he felt this useless. Jun had locked himself in one of the numerous unused rooms of Nino's house with Sho and told Aiba not to disturb them. That it could even be a bit dangerous to go there when they were in the middle of a spell. It left Aiba wondering what the making of the amulets exactly required from the mages. He kind of hoped that it was something really dull and not at all interesting. He didn't really like the idea of Jun doing exciting things without him. Even only the thought made him want to have an adventure of his own.
Not that he would find any adventures here. The house had suddenly got very boring.
Aiba walked into the living room. Nino was there, sitting on the bigger one of the two couches with Ohno pressed against his side, like there wasn't enough room to fit two people on the couch that could have sat all five of them. Nino had a big leather bound book open in his lap and they were both reading it quietly. Aiba could have gone there to read with them and press himself against Nino's other side, but the quiet only made him even more restless today.
He wandered into the traditional part of the house and opened a sliding door that faced a small Japanese garden. He sat on the porch and watched how the sun set slowly behind the western wing of the house. It was almost dark when he heard footsteps behind him.
"Masaki?" Jun asked when he sat down next to Aiba. "Is everything all right?"
Aiba shrugged and then rested his head on his knees. "I'm just worried. And no one has told me how I could help..." He didn't really want to complain, though, so he changed the subject. "How is the amulet making going?"
"It's going really well. Sho is... really good."
Aiba sighed and leaned over, putting his hands behind Jun's neck, pulling him close. He pressed his lips softly on Jun's for a moment before pulling away, not even giving Jun enough time to answer the kiss. "I'm not jealous, okay? I'm just..."
Jun leaned over for another kiss, his tongue running over Aiba's lower lip. "I know," he muttered against his lips. Aiba could feel how Jun's mouth curled into a smile. "Don't worry."
Aiba grinned, catching Jun's lip between his teeth and nibbling at it before deepening their kiss. "I wonder," he said in between kisses, "after this is over," he continued, moving his mouth to trail the curve of Jun's jaw, "if Sho-chan would like to have a threesome with us."
Jun pulled away, laughing, and smacked him on the head.
--
Ohno kept asking him questions.
He didn't ask them out loud, they were more... implied. But Nino found himself answering anyway. He had been talking about the house and then Ohno tilted his head and then he would suddenly be explaining what it had been like when his grandfather had been alive and his mother and sister had still lived there with him. When things had been... normal. Good.
"When I was a kid I used to love going exploring around the house," Nino said, leaning against the couch, trying to relax his body. Ohno shifted next to him, his knee accidentally brushing against Nino's leg when he turned to face him, obviously interested in what Nino was saying. "It didn't feel so..." Nino shrugged. "Dead. Back then. I guess it was because there were two kids and my messy mom running around," he grinned.
Then his sister had grown up, fallen in love and married. And then she hadn't wanted anything to do with the house or the Door or anything in Nino's world. After their mother had vanished, she had tried to get Nino to leave the mansion too. She had never understood. Nino braced himself, thinking about how to avoid Ohno's questions about her, but it didn't matter. Ohno didn't ask.
Ohno had settled comfortably next to him on the couch and Nino couldn't help but lean a little closer, attach more of him to Ohno. He pressed his leg against Ohno's and they fit together comfortably, from knee to hip. Nino could feel the warmth spreading from Ohno to him, both dull and burning at the same time. He wondered if Ohno realized how weird it was, being pressed against someone like this, and he briefly thought how odd it would look to anyone entering the room now.
Ohno smiled at him lazily, his body relaxed against Nino and the couch, his expression soft and completely unconcerned. Nino could have pulled away then, but it felt too difficult to put that distance between their bodies, so he didn't. Nino realized that he didn't really care how it looked. It was probably the spell, because this craving to be close to Ohno wasn't natural. It was too sharp and unavoidable in his mind. Unfortunately, all that did to him was to make him even more nervous about the following night.
Nervous, and stupidly eager.
--
Nino didn't manage to get any sleep until two hours after Ohno had fallen asleep with his back turned to him. And when he finally did, he almost didn't notice, not until he was definitely dreaming. He was momentarily confused about where he was because the transition had been so smooth. But the colours around him were vivid, stronger than they should have been and shifting a little, and he felt weightless.
And then Ohno was there, awake, watching him, looking just as confused as Nino felt.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, taking a step nearer to Ohno. "How did you get here?"
"I- I don't know," Ohno frowned. "I didn't mean to." There was a pause while they both just stared at each other. "Are you sure you aren't in my dream?" he then asked.
"Of course I'm not in your dream! Why would I want to go there?" Nino hated it when people just pushed their way in his dreams without permission, so he certainly wouldn't do that to anyone. Except to Sho, but that was different. Idiotic best friends just didn't count.
"I didn't do anything!" Ohno insisted.
"Fine, if you didn't do anything and I certainly didn't go anywhere, then you are just a figment of my imagination. Even if I don't usually just dream up people I know without any reason." It was a completely logical reason, and Nino wasn't going to concern himself with thinking otherwise. The other options send his mind reeling, making him uncomfortable.
"I'm not a dream!" Ohno sighed, frustrated.
"I've probably been thinking about you too much," Nino said, ignoring the dream-Ohno. "It's just nerves and having you around all the time. And the spell. Stupid mages and their amulets and their ‘bonds'."
"You've... been thinking about me?" the dream-Ohno asked quietly.
"It's kind of hard not to," Nino said because it was true. And it wasn't just because of what Ohno was - that he was a stranger and something new. It was also because of that nagging feeling in the back of his mind and inside his ribcage. It was something that Nino couldn't really understand - or possibly didn't want to understand.
"What do you think about me?"
Nino didn't know what he thought about him.
"You're pretty nosy for a dream," Nino grumbled, feeling a little embarrassed. Even if this was just a dream-Ohno, this was still awkward. "But since you're just a dream, I guess it doesn't matter what I do." As ideas went, this was probably one of his most moronic ones. But it stuck with him, not letting go once he had thought about it. Besides, this was only a dream, so there would be no harm done.
"What you... do?" the dream-Ohno repeated, sounding alarmed.
"Yeah. I can probably do anything I want."
"Anything?"
"Hm. For example," Nino said and leaned over to kiss him.
"Oh," Ohno said against his lips and kissed back. Ohno's mouth trailed warmth over his skin, at first hesitantly and then, suddenly, Nino could feel Ohno's long fingers twisting in his hair, tugging and pulling him deeper into the kiss.
At first he thought that this was proof that he was kissing just something his imagination put into his dream, because he was sure the real Ohno Satoshi wouldn't have kissed back. Not like this anyway. Not this enthusiastically and this intensely. Nino opened his mouth and teased Ohno's lips apart with his tongue, and Ohno pushed against him, bringing their chests and hips together, hands still tightly in Nino's hair.
Then, when their tongues brushed together and Ohno made a sound into the kiss, Nino realized that he could still feel Ohno's hands in his hair. And he definitely wasn't concentrating on them, so he really shouldn't have. He should have forgotten all about hands at this point. "Huh," he said, pulling away from Ohno. "You feel exactly like the real one."
Ohno blinked at him, blushed deep red and then vanished completely.
"Huh," Nino repeated.
--
Ohno woke up suddenly, shocked back into reality. His heart was pounding in his chest and he could still taste Nino in his mouth. He looked over at Nino's side of the bed when the younger man sighed softly in his sleep, turning his back to Ohno.
He had messed things up now, hadn't he? But how could he have known that something like this could happen?
No, there was no way he could have known that this would happen, but he should have been more alert. When he had seen Nino on the couch with Sho that first evening and felt the little twinge of something sharp hooking into his chest, he should have just turned around and walked back through the Door.
Now he had really ruined everything.
--
Nino didn't say anything to Ohno about the dream the next day. He was still almost convinced that it had just been a dream, not an actual visit from an actual person. (He still kept hoping that was true anyway.) He wasn't completely ready to think about what that would mean yet. They spent the day much like the day before it: Nino did what he usually did and Ohno followed him around the house. They didn't talk very much, but Nino could feel Ohno's closeness. Today the silence between them remained uncomfortable.
They didn't see the others much. Aiba seemed to be sulking and Sho and Jun emerged from their room only to eat. Nino thought Sho looked tired.
"Are you all right?" he asked, poking Sho on the shoulder.
"I'm fine," Sho mumbled, lazily prodding the plate of curry in front of him.
Nino narrowed his eyes and leaned closer. "Really?" He could feel more than see Ohno shifting beside him, but he kept his attention on Sho.
"Just a little tired," Sho finally said.
Nino hoped Sho wasn't straining himself too much. He left his hand on Sho's arm, feeling the warmth seeping from Sho and into him, reassuring and real.
--
The next night started exactly like the night before. Right after Nino fell asleep, he saw Ohno again.
"What the hell?" Nino asked, examining the dream-Ohno closely. He looked embarrassed and refused to meet Nino's eyes.
"I'm not doing this on purpose," Ohno said.
"I don't believe it," Nino said. "Tell me something about yourself. Anything at all."
"Uh. I... like ramen?"
"That is so stupid. Who doesn't?" Nino said and forced himself to wake up. When he slowly opened his eyes, back in his dark bedroom, he could hear Ohno moving next to him, also waking up. "Hey, Ohno," Nino said, reaching out a hand to shake him fully awake. "Do you like ramen?" he asked when Ohno looked up and blinked at him.
"I just told you," Ohno said. "I really like ramen."
Nino drew his hand away from Ohno's shoulder like he had been burned. This was impossible. "So, it was you?" he asked. Ohno nodded. "Yesterday too?" he asked. Ohno nodded again.
Nino made a small, strangled noise and dove under the covers, pulling them over his head. "But it's impossible," he insisted, feeling how the blush spread over his face. He wrapped the blanket tighter around himself.
"Nino?" Ohno said uncertainly. Nino could feel his hand over the covers as a warm spot somewhere around his shoulder.
"I have barriers," Nino told Ohno, still keeping his head hidden under the blanket out of sheer embarrassment. "And you said that you didn't do anything. Unless you lied. But you couldn't have lied because I would have felt the barriers breaking. So this is impossible."
"Why did you kiss me yesterday?" Ohno asked.
Of course Ohno wanted to know that. Of course. It wasn't like Ohno cared about the other things like Nino's crumbling sanity and the way this whole situation shouldn't have been possible. And now he was running out of air under the blankets so he would have to stop hiding in a moment.
He had a vague feeling that all of this was actually Sho's fault. Magic was unreliable and Sho's magic, however talented the man was, was even more unreliable. He let out a soft curse and peeked out from under the covers. He could see Ohno looking at him, eyes wide with worry and face hovering a little too close to his.
Nino bit his lip. He had kissed Ohno because he had really wanted to, but it was a completely different thing to tell it to the face of the real Ohno or to even think about doing it again, in reality.
Ohno looked at him expectantly.
"Can we... just go back to sleep?" Nino asked weakly. He could see the disappointment in Ohno's eyes before he turned away.
"I guess," Ohno said, turning his back to Nino.
Of course, when he was finally able to fall asleep again, he found Ohno in his dream. Ohno looked at him for a moment before reaching out, pulling him closer and pressing their lips together.
Well, the damage had already been done, Nino thought and kissed him back.
--
The second day was even more awkward than the day before. Nino really wanted to avoid Ohno but he couldn't. They had to do this properly or something could go wrong with the amulets and Nino really wasn't at the point where he would risk anyone's life because he felt uncomfortable. But Ohno didn't mention anything about last night, even if they had spent most of it just making out. Well, it had technically been a dream, so maybe Ohno was treating it like one. Nino wasn't sure if he could do the same. He wasn't sure he even wanted to. Not anymore.
Nino felt it was almost impossible to concentrate on anything when Ohno was close. He wanted to touch Ohno. His fingers, hands and even arms kept itching to have some kind of contact to the quiet man. He needed someone to distract him, but Aiba had been out ever since the morning and the others were still locked up in their room, doing whatever magic they did. He had only Ohno for company.
Nino was very close of giving up and just flinging himself into Ohno's lap when Sho and Jun emerged from their room for dinner. Sho looked even more tired than yesterday and Jun wasn't looking very fresh either.
"Tomorrow," Sho said, sitting down heavily on his chair. "The amulets will be ready tomorrow."
Nino reached out and rubbed his thumbs gently over the dark patches under Sho's eyes. Sho's skin felt cold to his touch.
So. One more night.
Nino wasn't sure if he could handle it.
To chapter 10
Chapter: 9
Fandom: Arashi
Pairing: ohmiya etc.
Word count: 3413
Notes: This chapter got a little out of hand during my rewrite. From 1800 words to 3400 words... uh.
earlier chapters:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7.5 | 8
09. Now is the right time
Jun had watched how Sho had built the binding spell over the two Travellers. The power of the spell had crackled in the room, making the hairs in the back of his neck stand up. Sho was so full of energy that he wondered how he didn't burst from it, or at least glow brightly, blinding everyone in the room. Jun wasn't sure he could have been able to gather that much energy without going mad.
Sho really was one of the most powerful mages he had ever met. But then there were things that Sho didn't notice at all, so Jun couldn't bring himself to be very jealous of him. It all seemed to balance out. But that meant that he would have to add something more to the mix. Jun weaved his own spell delicately into Sho's, taking care that he wouldn't notice. Maybe his little boost was the thing that would keep Ohno from getting lost, wherever he was going.
Then the spell was complete, snapping shut in his mind, and Jun could sense four heartbeats in the room quickening, marking the spell successful. His and Sho's hearts were beating from the exertion and adrenaline and Nino's and Ohno's from the magic, gradually adjusting their rhythms to each other. Only Aiba's remained as calm as always.
Then his senses slowly faded into their normal state and the heartbeats stopped echoing in his ears.
"Okay, that was that," Sho said, a little out of breath. "Now we'll go and make the amulets for you." He glanced at Jun, who nodded to him, gathering his supplies from the kitchen table. (Two small, white stones that Ohno and Nino had collected from the garden, a small bowl of water and a wooden spoon.) Then he followed Sho into the room Nino had told them to use. It was in the traditional part of the house and Jun hummed his approval. The tatami floor felt somehow just right for the spell.
They were being incredibly stupid, Jun knew this. They were attempting high level magic in the shortest time possible, but Sho had all the power they needed and Jun had the precision. Yes, it was foolish, but probably also necessary. And if Jun was honest with himself, he just couldn't pass up a chance to work with one of the Sakurai family. Well, no, if he was completely honest, he didn't want to pass up a chance to work with this particular member of the Sakurai family.
He wondered about their whispered conversation from last night. There was something in Sho that Jun recognised, that his magic recognised. It was like the flows of their magic somehow blended together, almost harmonized like skilfully played musical instruments.
The feeling of harmony just increased when Jun leaned forward, sealing his mouth on Sho's. He breathed in Sho's exhale and felt the borrowed power slide into him effortlessly, like it was the easiest thing in the world to manage.
"Huh," Sho said when Jun had finally had enough, his veins crackling with Sho's power. "That was remarkably easy."
"Lucky me," Jun said dryly. "I guess we're compatible then." He turned his attention to the objects he had brought with him, carefully avoiding looking at Sho's face. He dropped the two pebbles into the bowl of water and muttered a short spell. There was a flash of purple light and Jun could hear a small popping sound, like someone pulling the cork off of a wine bottle.
"Is your amulet making always this flashy?" Sho asked, with a slightly amused tone of voice. Jun didn't bother answering him; he was concentrating on the two small stones, slowly rotating in the water. Jun felt his magic surge forward and then the pebbles were slowly rising from the bowl, each inside their own sphere of water. They watched in silence how the stones rotated inside the crystal clear water bubbles.
"Whenever you're ready," Jun said, tilting his head to the side, watching Sho, who seemed transfixed on the amulets.
Sho blinked. "Oh, yeah, the binding spell. Of course," he muttered and then the electric feeling was back. Jun had to pull himself a little away from Sho. His skin was prickling all over and the tips of his fingers felt numb.
"Okay, now we can get to the main thing," Jun sighed. "This is going to be tedious." He put the spoon down in between them on the floor. "Now, concentrate on this spoon and start chanting."
Sho sighed, sounding resigned. "So much for retaining some of my dignity, then."
--
Aiba wasn't very good at waiting, especially when he felt this useless. Jun had locked himself in one of the numerous unused rooms of Nino's house with Sho and told Aiba not to disturb them. That it could even be a bit dangerous to go there when they were in the middle of a spell. It left Aiba wondering what the making of the amulets exactly required from the mages. He kind of hoped that it was something really dull and not at all interesting. He didn't really like the idea of Jun doing exciting things without him. Even only the thought made him want to have an adventure of his own.
Not that he would find any adventures here. The house had suddenly got very boring.
Aiba walked into the living room. Nino was there, sitting on the bigger one of the two couches with Ohno pressed against his side, like there wasn't enough room to fit two people on the couch that could have sat all five of them. Nino had a big leather bound book open in his lap and they were both reading it quietly. Aiba could have gone there to read with them and press himself against Nino's other side, but the quiet only made him even more restless today.
He wandered into the traditional part of the house and opened a sliding door that faced a small Japanese garden. He sat on the porch and watched how the sun set slowly behind the western wing of the house. It was almost dark when he heard footsteps behind him.
"Masaki?" Jun asked when he sat down next to Aiba. "Is everything all right?"
Aiba shrugged and then rested his head on his knees. "I'm just worried. And no one has told me how I could help..." He didn't really want to complain, though, so he changed the subject. "How is the amulet making going?"
"It's going really well. Sho is... really good."
Aiba sighed and leaned over, putting his hands behind Jun's neck, pulling him close. He pressed his lips softly on Jun's for a moment before pulling away, not even giving Jun enough time to answer the kiss. "I'm not jealous, okay? I'm just..."
Jun leaned over for another kiss, his tongue running over Aiba's lower lip. "I know," he muttered against his lips. Aiba could feel how Jun's mouth curled into a smile. "Don't worry."
Aiba grinned, catching Jun's lip between his teeth and nibbling at it before deepening their kiss. "I wonder," he said in between kisses, "after this is over," he continued, moving his mouth to trail the curve of Jun's jaw, "if Sho-chan would like to have a threesome with us."
Jun pulled away, laughing, and smacked him on the head.
--
Ohno kept asking him questions.
He didn't ask them out loud, they were more... implied. But Nino found himself answering anyway. He had been talking about the house and then Ohno tilted his head and then he would suddenly be explaining what it had been like when his grandfather had been alive and his mother and sister had still lived there with him. When things had been... normal. Good.
"When I was a kid I used to love going exploring around the house," Nino said, leaning against the couch, trying to relax his body. Ohno shifted next to him, his knee accidentally brushing against Nino's leg when he turned to face him, obviously interested in what Nino was saying. "It didn't feel so..." Nino shrugged. "Dead. Back then. I guess it was because there were two kids and my messy mom running around," he grinned.
Then his sister had grown up, fallen in love and married. And then she hadn't wanted anything to do with the house or the Door or anything in Nino's world. After their mother had vanished, she had tried to get Nino to leave the mansion too. She had never understood. Nino braced himself, thinking about how to avoid Ohno's questions about her, but it didn't matter. Ohno didn't ask.
Ohno had settled comfortably next to him on the couch and Nino couldn't help but lean a little closer, attach more of him to Ohno. He pressed his leg against Ohno's and they fit together comfortably, from knee to hip. Nino could feel the warmth spreading from Ohno to him, both dull and burning at the same time. He wondered if Ohno realized how weird it was, being pressed against someone like this, and he briefly thought how odd it would look to anyone entering the room now.
Ohno smiled at him lazily, his body relaxed against Nino and the couch, his expression soft and completely unconcerned. Nino could have pulled away then, but it felt too difficult to put that distance between their bodies, so he didn't. Nino realized that he didn't really care how it looked. It was probably the spell, because this craving to be close to Ohno wasn't natural. It was too sharp and unavoidable in his mind. Unfortunately, all that did to him was to make him even more nervous about the following night.
Nervous, and stupidly eager.
--
Nino didn't manage to get any sleep until two hours after Ohno had fallen asleep with his back turned to him. And when he finally did, he almost didn't notice, not until he was definitely dreaming. He was momentarily confused about where he was because the transition had been so smooth. But the colours around him were vivid, stronger than they should have been and shifting a little, and he felt weightless.
And then Ohno was there, awake, watching him, looking just as confused as Nino felt.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, taking a step nearer to Ohno. "How did you get here?"
"I- I don't know," Ohno frowned. "I didn't mean to." There was a pause while they both just stared at each other. "Are you sure you aren't in my dream?" he then asked.
"Of course I'm not in your dream! Why would I want to go there?" Nino hated it when people just pushed their way in his dreams without permission, so he certainly wouldn't do that to anyone. Except to Sho, but that was different. Idiotic best friends just didn't count.
"I didn't do anything!" Ohno insisted.
"Fine, if you didn't do anything and I certainly didn't go anywhere, then you are just a figment of my imagination. Even if I don't usually just dream up people I know without any reason." It was a completely logical reason, and Nino wasn't going to concern himself with thinking otherwise. The other options send his mind reeling, making him uncomfortable.
"I'm not a dream!" Ohno sighed, frustrated.
"I've probably been thinking about you too much," Nino said, ignoring the dream-Ohno. "It's just nerves and having you around all the time. And the spell. Stupid mages and their amulets and their ‘bonds'."
"You've... been thinking about me?" the dream-Ohno asked quietly.
"It's kind of hard not to," Nino said because it was true. And it wasn't just because of what Ohno was - that he was a stranger and something new. It was also because of that nagging feeling in the back of his mind and inside his ribcage. It was something that Nino couldn't really understand - or possibly didn't want to understand.
"What do you think about me?"
Nino didn't know what he thought about him.
"You're pretty nosy for a dream," Nino grumbled, feeling a little embarrassed. Even if this was just a dream-Ohno, this was still awkward. "But since you're just a dream, I guess it doesn't matter what I do." As ideas went, this was probably one of his most moronic ones. But it stuck with him, not letting go once he had thought about it. Besides, this was only a dream, so there would be no harm done.
"What you... do?" the dream-Ohno repeated, sounding alarmed.
"Yeah. I can probably do anything I want."
"Anything?"
"Hm. For example," Nino said and leaned over to kiss him.
"Oh," Ohno said against his lips and kissed back. Ohno's mouth trailed warmth over his skin, at first hesitantly and then, suddenly, Nino could feel Ohno's long fingers twisting in his hair, tugging and pulling him deeper into the kiss.
At first he thought that this was proof that he was kissing just something his imagination put into his dream, because he was sure the real Ohno Satoshi wouldn't have kissed back. Not like this anyway. Not this enthusiastically and this intensely. Nino opened his mouth and teased Ohno's lips apart with his tongue, and Ohno pushed against him, bringing their chests and hips together, hands still tightly in Nino's hair.
Then, when their tongues brushed together and Ohno made a sound into the kiss, Nino realized that he could still feel Ohno's hands in his hair. And he definitely wasn't concentrating on them, so he really shouldn't have. He should have forgotten all about hands at this point. "Huh," he said, pulling away from Ohno. "You feel exactly like the real one."
Ohno blinked at him, blushed deep red and then vanished completely.
"Huh," Nino repeated.
--
Ohno woke up suddenly, shocked back into reality. His heart was pounding in his chest and he could still taste Nino in his mouth. He looked over at Nino's side of the bed when the younger man sighed softly in his sleep, turning his back to Ohno.
He had messed things up now, hadn't he? But how could he have known that something like this could happen?
No, there was no way he could have known that this would happen, but he should have been more alert. When he had seen Nino on the couch with Sho that first evening and felt the little twinge of something sharp hooking into his chest, he should have just turned around and walked back through the Door.
Now he had really ruined everything.
--
Nino didn't say anything to Ohno about the dream the next day. He was still almost convinced that it had just been a dream, not an actual visit from an actual person. (He still kept hoping that was true anyway.) He wasn't completely ready to think about what that would mean yet. They spent the day much like the day before it: Nino did what he usually did and Ohno followed him around the house. They didn't talk very much, but Nino could feel Ohno's closeness. Today the silence between them remained uncomfortable.
They didn't see the others much. Aiba seemed to be sulking and Sho and Jun emerged from their room only to eat. Nino thought Sho looked tired.
"Are you all right?" he asked, poking Sho on the shoulder.
"I'm fine," Sho mumbled, lazily prodding the plate of curry in front of him.
Nino narrowed his eyes and leaned closer. "Really?" He could feel more than see Ohno shifting beside him, but he kept his attention on Sho.
"Just a little tired," Sho finally said.
Nino hoped Sho wasn't straining himself too much. He left his hand on Sho's arm, feeling the warmth seeping from Sho and into him, reassuring and real.
--
The next night started exactly like the night before. Right after Nino fell asleep, he saw Ohno again.
"What the hell?" Nino asked, examining the dream-Ohno closely. He looked embarrassed and refused to meet Nino's eyes.
"I'm not doing this on purpose," Ohno said.
"I don't believe it," Nino said. "Tell me something about yourself. Anything at all."
"Uh. I... like ramen?"
"That is so stupid. Who doesn't?" Nino said and forced himself to wake up. When he slowly opened his eyes, back in his dark bedroom, he could hear Ohno moving next to him, also waking up. "Hey, Ohno," Nino said, reaching out a hand to shake him fully awake. "Do you like ramen?" he asked when Ohno looked up and blinked at him.
"I just told you," Ohno said. "I really like ramen."
Nino drew his hand away from Ohno's shoulder like he had been burned. This was impossible. "So, it was you?" he asked. Ohno nodded. "Yesterday too?" he asked. Ohno nodded again.
Nino made a small, strangled noise and dove under the covers, pulling them over his head. "But it's impossible," he insisted, feeling how the blush spread over his face. He wrapped the blanket tighter around himself.
"Nino?" Ohno said uncertainly. Nino could feel his hand over the covers as a warm spot somewhere around his shoulder.
"I have barriers," Nino told Ohno, still keeping his head hidden under the blanket out of sheer embarrassment. "And you said that you didn't do anything. Unless you lied. But you couldn't have lied because I would have felt the barriers breaking. So this is impossible."
"Why did you kiss me yesterday?" Ohno asked.
Of course Ohno wanted to know that. Of course. It wasn't like Ohno cared about the other things like Nino's crumbling sanity and the way this whole situation shouldn't have been possible. And now he was running out of air under the blankets so he would have to stop hiding in a moment.
He had a vague feeling that all of this was actually Sho's fault. Magic was unreliable and Sho's magic, however talented the man was, was even more unreliable. He let out a soft curse and peeked out from under the covers. He could see Ohno looking at him, eyes wide with worry and face hovering a little too close to his.
Nino bit his lip. He had kissed Ohno because he had really wanted to, but it was a completely different thing to tell it to the face of the real Ohno or to even think about doing it again, in reality.
Ohno looked at him expectantly.
"Can we... just go back to sleep?" Nino asked weakly. He could see the disappointment in Ohno's eyes before he turned away.
"I guess," Ohno said, turning his back to Nino.
Of course, when he was finally able to fall asleep again, he found Ohno in his dream. Ohno looked at him for a moment before reaching out, pulling him closer and pressing their lips together.
Well, the damage had already been done, Nino thought and kissed him back.
--
The second day was even more awkward than the day before. Nino really wanted to avoid Ohno but he couldn't. They had to do this properly or something could go wrong with the amulets and Nino really wasn't at the point where he would risk anyone's life because he felt uncomfortable. But Ohno didn't mention anything about last night, even if they had spent most of it just making out. Well, it had technically been a dream, so maybe Ohno was treating it like one. Nino wasn't sure if he could do the same. He wasn't sure he even wanted to. Not anymore.
Nino felt it was almost impossible to concentrate on anything when Ohno was close. He wanted to touch Ohno. His fingers, hands and even arms kept itching to have some kind of contact to the quiet man. He needed someone to distract him, but Aiba had been out ever since the morning and the others were still locked up in their room, doing whatever magic they did. He had only Ohno for company.
Nino was very close of giving up and just flinging himself into Ohno's lap when Sho and Jun emerged from their room for dinner. Sho looked even more tired than yesterday and Jun wasn't looking very fresh either.
"Tomorrow," Sho said, sitting down heavily on his chair. "The amulets will be ready tomorrow."
Nino reached out and rubbed his thumbs gently over the dark patches under Sho's eyes. Sho's skin felt cold to his touch.
So. One more night.
Nino wasn't sure if he could handle it.
To chapter 10