Things Nino Never Thought Could Happen
Birds chirped and cars honked as the sun slowly woke up from its long slumber.
Nino, being the light sleeper he is, woke up from the birds chirping, right outside his window.
He looked at Ohno lying next to him, dead asleep, and felt his lips curve into a smile. A smile with so much fondness, no one who has seen this smile, could ever doubt how much Nino loves Ohno.
The sun rose slowly, bathing Ohno in the bright yellowy morning light.
It was at times like these that Nino felt his heart melt. He had always read romance books, thinking the descriptions of love were way too over exaggerated. That was, until he met Ohno.
1999
"Starting from today, you guys are Arashi."
That was what Johnny said to the five of them before sending them to their hotel room to rest for their press conference tomorrow.
How could Johnny do this to them? All of a sudden, make the five of them debut. Nino didn't even know Ohno Satoshi, or Sakurai Sho. Well, of course he knew them, they were legends, but he's never talked to them before and now they're debuting together.
Nino wondered how long this group was going to last, as he was wandering the halls in the hotel. He didn't think Ohno or Sakurai would want to spend the rest of their careers with three kouhais they didn't even know. What if both of them quit because of that? What if they didn't want to debut with them? Nino knew how much Jun wanted to debut. Aiba probably wanted to debut, too. It was just Nino out of all four of them from M.A.I.N. who wanted to quit Johnny's. He wasn't too keen on being on camera all the time, with no privacy. The paparazzi was already following him around, and he wasn't even famous yet! Nino wanted to study abroad, become a director. Nino had been planning on quitting before the end of the year. Yet, suddenly, Johnny-san is forcing him to debut. "Maybe Johnny-san can read minds," Aiba had said, "he doesn't want you to quit, that's why he's making us debut." Nino had replied, "That's stupid. Even if he did that, why couldn't it have been just MAIN? Why with Ohno and Sakurai? We don't know them, they don't know us."
Nino sighed, looking at the fuzzy red carpet as he walked along the hall.
"N-ninomiya-kun?"
Nino looked up. Ohno was leaning halfway out of the doorway to his room.
"Hi, Ohno-san"
"Are you ok? Come inside, you look terrible."
Nino's heart skipped a beat. Maybe Ohno does want to debut with them.
"My mother is really excited for our debut," Ohno said absently as he closed the door.
"Oh, is that so?" Nino wanted to slap himself. Why couldn't he ever sound nice?
Ohno didn't seem to mind. Or he just didn't notice.
"Did you tell your parents yet, Ninomiya-kun?"
"Ah! Y-You could just call me Nino," he flushed a bright red,"that's what everyone calls me, and no, not yet."
Nino wondered why he was so flustered around Ohno.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They were recording their debut song, A.RA.SHI.
You are my Soul! Soul!
Itsumo sugu soba ni aru
Nino never thought he could fall in love with someone's voice.
Yuzurenai yo daremo jama dekinai
Karadajuu ni kaze wo atsumete makiokose
A-ra-shi a-ra-shi for dream....
"Nino, why are you smiling so much?" Aiba asked.
"Because he's in loooove," Jun teased.
"Am not!" Nino turned around to glare at them.
"Oh? Then explain why you were giggling like a teenage girl when you came back from Ohno's room the other night."
"What? Jun-kun how'd you know I was at Ohno's room? And I was NOT giggling like a teenage girl."
"AWW! MY LITTLE NINO-CHAN'S GROWING UP! Oh! I'm tearing up! This must be the beauty of parenthood!" Aiba fake sobbed.
"You guys are idiots," Nino growled.
"Nino-kun?" A voice came from behind them.
A smile bloomed on Nino's face as he spun around.
Aiba made kissy faces and Jun smirked at Nino.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2003
Nino had wondered for a while.
Jun and Aiba had confronted him about it, while Sho just gave him this incomprehensible look every time he touched Ohno.
Had he, Ninomiya Kazunari, fallen in love with Ohno Satoshi? No, no, that can't be right. Ohno was merely his best friend. Nothing more. He brushed the thought to back of his mind.
"Hey, Oh-chan!" Nino bounded into the green room.
Jun, Aiba, and Sho stared. Nino was never this bouncy.
"Hey Nino-chan," Ohno smiled sweetly at him.
"I've been thinking," Nino started, playing with Ohno's hands.
"Hmm?"
"Why don't we form a combi and perform it during our concerts?"
Ohno grinned. "I don't see why not."
Sho groaned.
And thus, Ohmiya SK was born.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2004
"Ne, Nino-chan, why don't you just go out with Oh-chan, already?" Aiba said randomly one day, when it was Ohno's turn during a photoshoot.
Nino looked up from his Gameboy.
"Because I don't like him that way, stupid."
Jun laughed, "Nino, do you really think that?"
Nino looked at them, confused.
"Yeah, why would I lie about that?"
The staff came in to tell Nino it was his turn.
Sho looked up from his Economics textbook.
"Wow, I never thought Nino would be so innocent when it comes to love."
Aiba busted out laughing, "And you would be oh-so experienced in love, Sho-chan?"
Jun laughed and Sho scowled at him.
"I agree with Sho-kun though," Jun said, "Sho-kun even filmed them hugging as they slept, didn't you, ?"
"Yeah, it was for an interview. The whole country probably knows they’re in love with each other except for them," Sho rolled his eyes. He wondered how the intelligent Nino could be so stupid sometimes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2006
"Ohno and Ninomiya are really weird," Jun said to Tamori-san.
"Oh, really? How so?" Tamori-san asked.
"Well, Ohno-kun gets this really big smile on his face when Nino groped his butt, and shows a really sad face when he doesn't get groped..."
Nino giggled and curled up against Ohno. They were watching Music Station at Nino's house. Ohno's arm seemed to unconsciously settle itself around Nino's body. Nino could feel Ohno's heart beating through his warm body.
"It's so fun doing this to them, isn't it, Oh-chan?"
Ohno hummed in agreement, a light smile on his face
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
late 2006
Nino sighed. He hated airplanes. And yet, here he was. Stuck for 14 hours on a plane to America. Nino started to regret taking up the offer to film this movie--- no, he can't. He was doing this for Arashi after all. He can't regret this. He can't regret anything he has done or will do for Arashi.
"Welcome to America, Mr. Ninomiya," Clint Eastwood greeted Nino with a warm smile at the airport
Because of his not-so-great English, he smiled and shook Eastwood's hand.
"Thank you very much for having me as the cast."
"Oh, no, no," Eastwood chuckled ,"you are going to be perfect for this movie.”
It has only been 2 days, but Nino was already missing his friends and family. Or rather, he was missing Ohno. Ohno was all Nino thought about these past couple of days. He could picture the way Ohno’s mouth would be slightly open when he daydreamed, the way Ohno’s eyes lit up at the sight of food, the perfect way he fit against Ohno’s body. He wondered why. He didn’t think of Sho like this. Or Jun, or Aiba. Ohno was his best friend…. Or was he? Was he something more? No ,no ,no… that can’t be right.
Nino couldn’t stand it anymore. He couldn’t concentrate on filming. It’s been 4 days since he left Japan. Ohno was all that he was thinking about for the past 4 days. He called Sho that night just before going to sleep.
“Hello?” came Sho’s drowsy voice.
“Hello, Sho-chan?”
“Ah! Nino? How are you? How’s filming? Are you eating? Are you sleeping well?”
“Sho-chan! Calm down!” Nino laughed, “I’m fine. Yes I’m eating and sleeping. Filming’s fine.”
“Sorry. You know, I- We miss you.”
Nino giggled. “I’ve only been gone for four days, Sho-chan.”
“Y-yeah, I know,” Sho said lamely. “Filming’s so different with you gone. Ohno’s stopped talking altogether. You know you were the only one who could make him talk.”
Nino felt his heart clench.
“You know, Nino, you should call Oh-chan. I think he really misses you.”
At these words, Nino’s heart melted.
Is this what they call love? Maybe Nino really was in love with Ohno.
With a gasp, Nino bolted up from his bed.
“Sho-chan I’ll talk to you some other time, alright? I love you guys and I really, really miss you. But I really need to talk to Oh-chan. Bye-bye!”
Sho did a silent victory pose.
“Alright, Nino, good luck with fil-“The phone cut off.
Sho looked fondly at his phone as he put it next to his bedside.
Nino finally understood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just as the phone started ringing, the doubts crept in.
What if Ohno would just brush it off as a joke like the past 7 years? And if Ohno didn’t brush it off as a joke, would he feel the same way? What if Ohno rejected him? But then again, what would he do if Ohno didn’t reject him? What if-
“Hello?”
Damn Nino really wanted to hug Ohno. He just sounded so sad.
“Oh-chan? It’s Nino.”
Ohno’s voice seemed to brighten a thousand times more.
“Nino-chan! How’s filming? I miss you.”
Nino could almost picture the way a smile would just bloom on Ohno’s face.
“Hey Oh-chan, what would you do you just suddenly realized you’ve been in love with your best friend for years?”
During that one second pause, Nino’s brain exploded with a million thoughts.
Oh. My. God. How much stupider could I have phrased that?? It’s so obvious I’m talking about myself. What’s Oh-chan gonna say? Please please oh, please let him be too sleepy to think. I don’t want my Oh-chan to go away… to avoid me because I just realized I fell in love with him. Oh no, oh no, what’ll I do---
“Kazu.”
Nino’s head jerked up. Ohno only ever called him that when he says something important.
Oh no , now this is the part where he tells me he doesn’t love me. But he doesn’t even know I’m talking about me. Why am I so girly? Maybe Ohno isn’t gay after all. I never even realized I was gay.
“Kazu, I know you’re talking about yourself. I love you, too. “
A beat, then,
“Like like love? Or just like love?”
Ohno laughed.
“I like like love you, Kazu.”
Nino’s heart felt lighter than it had been in ages. Ohno loves him.
“Oh-chan, oh-chan, oh-chan,” Nino crooned, half laughing, half crying.
“Kazu I love you, I love you, I love you. I’ll be waiting for you to come back. Come back soon. It’s about time for your filming isn’t it?” Ohno said with a smile.
“Oh-chan. I’m coming back soon. Wait for me. I’m gonna come back really soon.”
“I’ll be here waiting for you.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2 weeks later
“Is Nino-chan back yet?” Ohno whined.
“Ohno-san, you’ve been here for 15 minutes. Relax,” came Matsujun’s voice.
“Satoshi-kun, come on, let’s take a walk. It’ll be faster that way,” Sho took pity on Ohno.
Ohno and Sho left.
“I really hope Nino won’t screw this up,” Jun said.
“It’s gonna be okay, Mattsun. It’s Nino,” Aiba replied.
Jun was worried. They all were, actually. What would happen if Nino and Ohno broke up? Their group would fall apart. It couldn’t happen. Arashi was important to all of them, yes, but more important to Jun than all of them. He lived for Arashi. He couldn’t bear to even think what would happen to him if Arashi fell apart.
“Hey! Jun!! Nino’s back! Nino!! HEY NINO!” Aiba’s overly excited voice jerked Jun out of his stupor.
Jun looked up and sure enough, Nino’s slim figure was slinking towards them.
“Hey, Nino. Have you been eating?”
“Wow, Jun-pon. How mean. I don’t even get a ‘Welcome home’ or anything?”
“NINO~!!!” Aiba tackle hugged Nino, causing them to tumble into a heap on the ground.
“I missed you so much!!” Aiba bawled.
“Yes, yes, I missed you, too Aiba-chan, but I’ve just been stuck in a cramped plane for 14 hours….”
Aiba still hung on.
Jun sighed. “Aiba-chan, he’s telling you to get off!” he grabbed Aiba’s collar and dragged him up.
“Wa-waait, but but-“
“Kazu?” Ohno and Sho had come back.
Nino felt his heart explode.
“Hey,Oh-chan.”
Reading the atmosphere, the other three stepped back and let them go into their own world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Birds chirped and cars honked as the sun slowly woke up from its long slumber.
Nino, being the light sleeper he is, woke up from the birds chirping, right outside his window.
He was almost afraid of opening his eyes. It could have been all a dream. But the weight of an arm over him and the soft snores accompanying it convinced Nino it was all true.
He looked at Ohno lying next to him, dead asleep, and felt his lips curve into a smile.
It was all real. Ohno loves him back. Nino wanted to cry. He was so happy. Nino never thought he would feel his heart burst with so much emotion before Ohno snuffled in his sleep and Nino giggled.
Ohno, stirred awake by Nino’s giggle, looked at Nino with his sleep-laden eyes.
“Whatcha laughing at?”
A smile bloomed on Nino’s face as he tenderly stroked Ohno’s chubby cheeks.
“At how lucky I am to have you,” Nino leaned over and kissed Ohno.
~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Sorry for the crappy ending? D: How did you guys like it? :O
Thanks for reading :DD