Over the years
Nino sat on the chair beside Aiba’s bed, trying very hard to stifle his sobs. The others have left long ago for work and other things they needed to attend which only left Aiba and Nino. Nino had nothing he had to do for the rest of the days and he had promised to keep the others up to date. Also, it was hard for him to leave Aiba all alone in this bare hospital room.
Aiba’s parents were on his way but it was hard with Aiba’s little brother and the restaurant for them to rush over, which Nino was sure they wanted to do. But he had told them that Aiba would be okay and that he would stay until they managed and call the moment Aiba woke up.
It had been fine for as long as the rest had been there. He had glared at Aiba, scolded him for being so stupid as to not take care of his body until he collapsed. He had raged and ranted all the time, making the other three crazy. He had only fallen silent when the doctor had come and against all better judgement told them what was wrong with Aiba and promised them that he would be fine in a bit but needed to be more careful in future.
The adults had exchanged worried looks, and discussed in hushed voices how to continue with Arashi if Aiba wouldn’t get his full control over his lungs back until Sho and Ohno had raised their voices. Nobody was allowed to even imply that Aiba wouldn’t get fully back to health. They could only be Arashi if they were five, all of them were sure of it and Ohno’s threatening glare had at least shut them up.
Nino had been glad when they were allowed in the room, just the four of them, until one after the other had left, asking him to promise to message them any updates as they did.
Even when he was all alone in this silent room, the beeping of the machines had comforted him. They were regular and even if Nino had no idea what they meant he had watched enough medical dramas to know that regular sounds were good, the problems came when they were loud or changed suddenly so he was alerted for that, but so far nothing had happened, thankfully.
“Stupid, stupid Masaki,” Nino whispered into the silence, wishing so much that Aiba would finally pout and glare at him for the words, but nothing happened. He was sure he was already sitting there for hours. He rubbed his already red eyes with the tears he tried to hold back so hard, angry for every tear that slipped out. Aiba was not dead! There was no reason to cry, dammit!
“I am not supposed to be the crybaby,” he muttered sullenly as he finally gave up and let the tears run freely.
“You’re the biggest one,” Aiba suddenly answered. His voice was weak and huskier than Nino was used to as if Aiba was out of breath.
“Liar,” Nino sniffled as he jumped up from his chair to get to the bed without thinking. Aiba groaned slightly at his weight but his hug was still as warm and calming as ever and Nino cherished every moment of it. “Never do such a thing again I’ll kill you,” he threatened, ignoring the chuckle from Aiba as the promise was way more important to him.
-
Sho sighed as he watched how Nino was curled up on the sofa. His arm was close to his body as if he needed to protect it the best he could. And yes, Sho could also understand why Nino felt the need to do so.
“How bad is it?”
“Don’t worry, it’s okay,” Nino mumbled through gritted teeth.
“I can call manager-san.”
“He said he will get me as soon as he can, but there is a meeting, and the rest is not ready yet. It is silly if I go on my own,” Nino said. A whimper escaped him as he moved to meet Sho’s eyes.
“Nino…” Sho sighed and came over to ruffle his hair before sitting beside him. They were all not happy with the way Nino forced himself to attend their concerts and as many other things as he could. The rest of the time - and most of the time - he was in the hospital getting treated for his lymphangitis that had hit the boy hard.
In a way, Sho hated how the shots made it possible for Nino to ignore the pain for the two hours their concert ran, but he feared that even without Nino would go to do them. Sho patted his hair, smiling at how puppy-like Nino rubbed his face against the palm of his hand but frowned as he felt the temperature on his face.
“You’re running a fever,” he scolded and Nino shrugged.
“I am going back to the IV it’s fine, they’ll also deal with the fever,” he mumbled. “I am tired.” Nino’s voice was very small at the end, and Sho sighed softly.
“I know,” he whispered and carefully moved Nino. The boy whimpered again, tears clinging to his eyes as the movement rattled his arm uncomfortably, but he relaxed as Sho’s arms closed around him in a comforting hug, playing with his slightly sweaty hair, since Nino’s energy hadn’t been enough for the other to shower. All he had cared for was to change out of his sticky clothes and wear a comfortable cardigan, that hurt his arm the least. The pain was still there, never fully away as long as something was touching the inflamed skin.
“It’ll be over soon. We have a longer break now. It’s okay, you can rest as much as you want now,” He whispered against his ear when Nino moved until he was lying comfortably against Sho, knowing for sure that anything or anybody could not touch his arm, since he knew that Sho would make sure of that, even if he fell to sleep now he would get safely to his hospital bed.
-
Nino stared at his suitcase a bit lost as to what to pack as he smoothed out the last shirt he had put in. Was that enough? Would he need more, how long was he going to stay anyway?
He sighed and rubbed his face as he decided that this had to do. He was not going to drag a heavy bag behind him if he didn’t need to and he was sure he could get his clothes cleaned there. His eyes wandered to the other things that he had put out with the help of his mother, trying to decide what was a necessity and what he didn’t need. His game console and phone were going into his backpack he would carry with him all the time. He should bring a laptop, maybe, but they were so heavy and Nino was not sure if he had any use of it.
But his phone was not very up to date and he feared that it wouldn’t connect to the internet over in America so maybe a laptop to be sure but that would also go into his backpack. He threw in some of his favourite snacks for late-night snacking when filming dragged on and he missed dinner. He sighed as he checked the case again, deciding that it had to do. Taking pictures was silly after all. He would not be gone forever. Probably not even that long. He grimaced as he imagined how much he would miss the rest of Arashi, wondered if fans would miss him, what about the rest of the guys?
Maybe they were happy if he went away and never came back. That was always a possibility. He was a brat and not a very important part after all. Not in his mind at least. For him the other four were the unit, it was all he normally saw outside of the few pictures he came across since he didn’t make it a habit of checking photoshoots or recordings of their shows or performances. That also felt somehow off.
He was still contemplating if he had everything packed and not sure as to what to do. Maybe get an early night of sleep but he felt slightly fidgety. He winced when he heard the bell and stood, his knees cracking as he did so, to open the door curiously.
“Nino~” he was greeted by a slightly drunk Ohno and he couldn’t help the smile that crept upon his face.
“You do know that I am gone from tomorrow on?” he said as he ushered their leader in. It was normal that Ohno would end up at his home in various states of drunkenness.
“Nino~ I love you, I miss you.”
“Stupid,” Nino groaned as Ohno draped his arms around his shoulders. He dragged him inside more and with a shout fell back on his futon, Ohno’s body now a comfortable weight above him and in a slightly too tight, but still nice.
“Come back fast.”
“Stupid,” he repeated, slightly choked up now.
“Buy something nice with the pocket money I got you.”
Nino chuckled as Ohno’s body grew even heavier, his arms not letting go of the hug. “Sure thing leader,” he mumbled deciding to put the 5000 yen as silly as they were in as soon as Ohno would let him go the next day.
-
Jun sat down beside Nino on the sofa and stared at the slightly older man who ignored him the best he could.
Jun cleared his throat a few times until Nino sighed. “What do you want J?”
“Are you okay?”
“Sure,” Nino snorted and glanced at him.
Jun didn’t look convinced and Nino couldn’t fault him. Not really at least. It was hard to be okay some days.
“Everything just sucks,” he said then with a sigh and Jun hummed in understanding. Normally it made Nino angry to be treated like that but he couldn’t bring himself to be like that. Not today. He was tired, he was in pain and he was way too warm.
“It doesn’t though,” Jun said and Nino snorted, but nodded in agreement. “You are just frustrated.”
“Maybe.”
“You are angry at yourself.”
“I hate you.”
“No you don’t,” Jun said and Nino sighed as he leaned against Jun, his eyes closing for a second as he tried to come up with a snarky remark, but he was really tired and in pain. Oh, so much pain. It kinda sucked.
“What do you think about tonight?”
“I’ll be okay… I am okay,” Nino said and Jun clicked his tongue, his arm wandering around his shoulders in a one-armed maybe slightly awkward hug. But Jun’s hugs were still very comforting and steady.
“I will check up on you during lunchtime again. We will make sure everything is perfect for tonight. You just rest and let us do it.”
Nino hummed, as he knew that it would be fruitless for him to argue, also he was too tired to do so. The night had been sleepless as every movement had hurt and it had been hard to find a comfortable position if not impossible even.
“I have someone come in to massage you, okay?”
“Yeah, but I might fall asleep.”
“That would be not the worst thing,” Jun said. Squeezing his body for a second. “I brought water, make sure to finish at least three bottles until I check up on you for a late lunch.”
“Yes, sir,” he chuckled. “Stop worrying I won’t stand in the way of your perfect concert.”
“I’m not worried about that but about you, you stupid.”
“No need. Go or the others will start to go looking for you and you wouldn’t want them to see you this soft, right?”
Jun snorted and swatted his head softly. “Yeah, you’re fine.”
-
They all shared tears at the last group hug right after midnight.
The thought of not having the other four around him all the time for comfort was strange to Nino. He didn’t like changes that much and this was a scary one, but also a needed one. As they stepped back, their eyes meeting one more time, he knew that they would not be gone though.
A small smile appeared on his face, sure that he could count on all of them. A giggle on his lips as his shoulder was slightly bumped by Ohno, his arm wandering over his elbow, tickling down the inside of his arm and palm until the hand closed around his wrist in the end. Ohno was giddy and so happy for his so much needed break. For him, everything was worth it all and more. Always for their leader.
It was going to be fine.
Aiba’s parents were on his way but it was hard with Aiba’s little brother and the restaurant for them to rush over, which Nino was sure they wanted to do. But he had told them that Aiba would be okay and that he would stay until they managed and call the moment Aiba woke up.
It had been fine for as long as the rest had been there. He had glared at Aiba, scolded him for being so stupid as to not take care of his body until he collapsed. He had raged and ranted all the time, making the other three crazy. He had only fallen silent when the doctor had come and against all better judgement told them what was wrong with Aiba and promised them that he would be fine in a bit but needed to be more careful in future.
The adults had exchanged worried looks, and discussed in hushed voices how to continue with Arashi if Aiba wouldn’t get his full control over his lungs back until Sho and Ohno had raised their voices. Nobody was allowed to even imply that Aiba wouldn’t get fully back to health. They could only be Arashi if they were five, all of them were sure of it and Ohno’s threatening glare had at least shut them up.
Nino had been glad when they were allowed in the room, just the four of them, until one after the other had left, asking him to promise to message them any updates as they did.
Even when he was all alone in this silent room, the beeping of the machines had comforted him. They were regular and even if Nino had no idea what they meant he had watched enough medical dramas to know that regular sounds were good, the problems came when they were loud or changed suddenly so he was alerted for that, but so far nothing had happened, thankfully.
“Stupid, stupid Masaki,” Nino whispered into the silence, wishing so much that Aiba would finally pout and glare at him for the words, but nothing happened. He was sure he was already sitting there for hours. He rubbed his already red eyes with the tears he tried to hold back so hard, angry for every tear that slipped out. Aiba was not dead! There was no reason to cry, dammit!
“I am not supposed to be the crybaby,” he muttered sullenly as he finally gave up and let the tears run freely.
“You’re the biggest one,” Aiba suddenly answered. His voice was weak and huskier than Nino was used to as if Aiba was out of breath.
“Liar,” Nino sniffled as he jumped up from his chair to get to the bed without thinking. Aiba groaned slightly at his weight but his hug was still as warm and calming as ever and Nino cherished every moment of it. “Never do such a thing again I’ll kill you,” he threatened, ignoring the chuckle from Aiba as the promise was way more important to him.
-
Sho sighed as he watched how Nino was curled up on the sofa. His arm was close to his body as if he needed to protect it the best he could. And yes, Sho could also understand why Nino felt the need to do so.
“How bad is it?”
“Don’t worry, it’s okay,” Nino mumbled through gritted teeth.
“I can call manager-san.”
“He said he will get me as soon as he can, but there is a meeting, and the rest is not ready yet. It is silly if I go on my own,” Nino said. A whimper escaped him as he moved to meet Sho’s eyes.
“Nino…” Sho sighed and came over to ruffle his hair before sitting beside him. They were all not happy with the way Nino forced himself to attend their concerts and as many other things as he could. The rest of the time - and most of the time - he was in the hospital getting treated for his lymphangitis that had hit the boy hard.
In a way, Sho hated how the shots made it possible for Nino to ignore the pain for the two hours their concert ran, but he feared that even without Nino would go to do them. Sho patted his hair, smiling at how puppy-like Nino rubbed his face against the palm of his hand but frowned as he felt the temperature on his face.
“You’re running a fever,” he scolded and Nino shrugged.
“I am going back to the IV it’s fine, they’ll also deal with the fever,” he mumbled. “I am tired.” Nino’s voice was very small at the end, and Sho sighed softly.
“I know,” he whispered and carefully moved Nino. The boy whimpered again, tears clinging to his eyes as the movement rattled his arm uncomfortably, but he relaxed as Sho’s arms closed around him in a comforting hug, playing with his slightly sweaty hair, since Nino’s energy hadn’t been enough for the other to shower. All he had cared for was to change out of his sticky clothes and wear a comfortable cardigan, that hurt his arm the least. The pain was still there, never fully away as long as something was touching the inflamed skin.
“It’ll be over soon. We have a longer break now. It’s okay, you can rest as much as you want now,” He whispered against his ear when Nino moved until he was lying comfortably against Sho, knowing for sure that anything or anybody could not touch his arm, since he knew that Sho would make sure of that, even if he fell to sleep now he would get safely to his hospital bed.
-
Nino stared at his suitcase a bit lost as to what to pack as he smoothed out the last shirt he had put in. Was that enough? Would he need more, how long was he going to stay anyway?
He sighed and rubbed his face as he decided that this had to do. He was not going to drag a heavy bag behind him if he didn’t need to and he was sure he could get his clothes cleaned there. His eyes wandered to the other things that he had put out with the help of his mother, trying to decide what was a necessity and what he didn’t need. His game console and phone were going into his backpack he would carry with him all the time. He should bring a laptop, maybe, but they were so heavy and Nino was not sure if he had any use of it.
But his phone was not very up to date and he feared that it wouldn’t connect to the internet over in America so maybe a laptop to be sure but that would also go into his backpack. He threw in some of his favourite snacks for late-night snacking when filming dragged on and he missed dinner. He sighed as he checked the case again, deciding that it had to do. Taking pictures was silly after all. He would not be gone forever. Probably not even that long. He grimaced as he imagined how much he would miss the rest of Arashi, wondered if fans would miss him, what about the rest of the guys?
Maybe they were happy if he went away and never came back. That was always a possibility. He was a brat and not a very important part after all. Not in his mind at least. For him the other four were the unit, it was all he normally saw outside of the few pictures he came across since he didn’t make it a habit of checking photoshoots or recordings of their shows or performances. That also felt somehow off.
He was still contemplating if he had everything packed and not sure as to what to do. Maybe get an early night of sleep but he felt slightly fidgety. He winced when he heard the bell and stood, his knees cracking as he did so, to open the door curiously.
“Nino~” he was greeted by a slightly drunk Ohno and he couldn’t help the smile that crept upon his face.
“You do know that I am gone from tomorrow on?” he said as he ushered their leader in. It was normal that Ohno would end up at his home in various states of drunkenness.
“Nino~ I love you, I miss you.”
“Stupid,” Nino groaned as Ohno draped his arms around his shoulders. He dragged him inside more and with a shout fell back on his futon, Ohno’s body now a comfortable weight above him and in a slightly too tight, but still nice.
“Come back fast.”
“Stupid,” he repeated, slightly choked up now.
“Buy something nice with the pocket money I got you.”
Nino chuckled as Ohno’s body grew even heavier, his arms not letting go of the hug. “Sure thing leader,” he mumbled deciding to put the 5000 yen as silly as they were in as soon as Ohno would let him go the next day.
-
Jun sat down beside Nino on the sofa and stared at the slightly older man who ignored him the best he could.
Jun cleared his throat a few times until Nino sighed. “What do you want J?”
“Are you okay?”
“Sure,” Nino snorted and glanced at him.
Jun didn’t look convinced and Nino couldn’t fault him. Not really at least. It was hard to be okay some days.
“Everything just sucks,” he said then with a sigh and Jun hummed in understanding. Normally it made Nino angry to be treated like that but he couldn’t bring himself to be like that. Not today. He was tired, he was in pain and he was way too warm.
“It doesn’t though,” Jun said and Nino snorted, but nodded in agreement. “You are just frustrated.”
“Maybe.”
“You are angry at yourself.”
“I hate you.”
“No you don’t,” Jun said and Nino sighed as he leaned against Jun, his eyes closing for a second as he tried to come up with a snarky remark, but he was really tired and in pain. Oh, so much pain. It kinda sucked.
“What do you think about tonight?”
“I’ll be okay… I am okay,” Nino said and Jun clicked his tongue, his arm wandering around his shoulders in a one-armed maybe slightly awkward hug. But Jun’s hugs were still very comforting and steady.
“I will check up on you during lunchtime again. We will make sure everything is perfect for tonight. You just rest and let us do it.”
Nino hummed, as he knew that it would be fruitless for him to argue, also he was too tired to do so. The night had been sleepless as every movement had hurt and it had been hard to find a comfortable position if not impossible even.
“I have someone come in to massage you, okay?”
“Yeah, but I might fall asleep.”
“That would be not the worst thing,” Jun said. Squeezing his body for a second. “I brought water, make sure to finish at least three bottles until I check up on you for a late lunch.”
“Yes, sir,” he chuckled. “Stop worrying I won’t stand in the way of your perfect concert.”
“I’m not worried about that but about you, you stupid.”
“No need. Go or the others will start to go looking for you and you wouldn’t want them to see you this soft, right?”
Jun snorted and swatted his head softly. “Yeah, you’re fine.”
-
They all shared tears at the last group hug right after midnight.
The thought of not having the other four around him all the time for comfort was strange to Nino. He didn’t like changes that much and this was a scary one, but also a needed one. As they stepped back, their eyes meeting one more time, he knew that they would not be gone though.
A small smile appeared on his face, sure that he could count on all of them. A giggle on his lips as his shoulder was slightly bumped by Ohno, his arm wandering over his elbow, tickling down the inside of his arm and palm until the hand closed around his wrist in the end. Ohno was giddy and so happy for his so much needed break. For him, everything was worth it all and more. Always for their leader.
It was going to be fine.