[Fic] Slow Burn
Title : [Fic] Slow Burn
Pairing : Ohno/Girl!Nino
Rating : PG
Summary : Crossfire AU. She was the flame that ignites the fire within him; his girl, his angel, his everything.
Lunch break rolls around and Nino still hasn’t figured out what in hell happened to her that morning. She did her work as if on autopilot, but doing so obviously has its horrible downside because she’s obviously not herself.
Her boss, Taichi-san, immediately noticed it, apparently after the seventh time in a row she brought him coffee.
“Look,” Taichi-san looks stressed, and possibly a little worried as Nino sits there contemplating about going home early. She can’t do that, though. Taichi-san has a scheduled meeting with the marketing executives of Samiijima Industries where she’s expected to attend, too.
“I know it’s not my business, but - Nino, are you okay?” Taichi-san asks, frowning at her from where he’s perched himself on the edge of Nino’s table, staring Nino down.
“I - of course! Why wouldn’t I be? Hmm, is there something wrong? It’s lunch break, aren’t you going to eat?”
Taichi-san gives her a look. “I should ask you the same thing,” he says.
She shakes her head. “I’m not hungry.”
“No shit,” Taichi-san counters, and Nino grins despite herself.
“I’m - on a diet?” she tries, knowing her boss is someone who’s not easily deterred. She’s only been working for him for under a year, but she swears she enjoys her job more than she could dare to admit because of Taichi-san himself. He’s comfortable to work with, and Nino could readily admit that she’s never had a boss like the man himself, whom she could consider a friend despite him also being her superior.
“Don’t give me that bullshit, Ninomiya. We both know you don’t need it. Come have lunch with me. Whatever it is that’s bothering you, you can either share it with me or lock it away in your drawer forever. Let’s go.”
Shaking her head and grabbing her purse, and her phone, she forces herself upright knowing that Taichi-san isn’t going anywhere without her. She heaves a sigh and follows Taichi-san to the door.
+
They ended up at a Chinese Restaurant a couple of blocks over. Thankfully, Taichi-san had stopped asking questions about Nino’s unusual behavior once the food arrived. Nino had to force herself to eat, all the while remembering the way Ohno-san had held her close as he kissed her, and distracting herself from it when she realized how silly she must look as she daydreamed about him.
On the way back to the office, her phone vibrates in her hand. Taichi-san is still talking aloud about the upcoming meeting - the documents in his desk that need polishing, reminding Nino to call Samiijima’s office for confirmation - and Nino sort of just shuts him out as she checks her phone.
It’s from an unknown number. It simply reads, Are you free tonight? Have dinner with me… feeling her pulse skyrocketing in answer realizing who the message is from. She doesn’t remember giving him her number, so, how in the world did he manage to get it?
Shaking her head, she locks her phone and shoves it in her pocket just in time to catch Taichi-san turning to her to ask her if he has leftover parsley in between his teeth.
He does.
“If I say no, does that mean you’re foregoing brushing your teeth before the meeting?” she says.
Taichi-san’s scowl is so funny Nino can’t help but crack a smile in return.
+
The meeting is going to be held on Samiijima Industry’s Marketing Department on the fifty first. On the way there, Nino notices Taichi-san’s uneasiness, which she finds endearingly amusing despite the fact that it’s normal.
She gets it, somehow; this proposal, if it gets through, is going to take Taichi-san places. And Nino is honestly thrilled that she’s part of the team that made it happen.
“Oh crap, my hands are sweating,” Taichi-san mutters when they step out of the elevator, heading towards the door to Samiijima’s Marketing department office. “Nino, are you sure we’ve got everything in there? We didn’t forget anything, did we?”
“Taichi-san, relax. Everything’s fine. We’ve triple checked everything, and I swear they’re all here. Just calm down, okay?”
“Jesus, easy for you to say.” Taichi-san says, heaving a deep breath as they stand in front of the Samiijima office door. It took him a few seconds to compose himself before he found the courage to ring the intercom.
The door slides open as if on cue.
She braces herself as he takes the first, tentative steps into the door.
“Here we go.”
+
Somehow, to say that Nino is surprised to see Ohno-san there doesn’t even quite cut it.
The man looks just as surprised seeing her, but he’s obviously better at hiding it. Nino, on the other hand, is caught completely off-guard.
“Ohno-san, good afternoon. I am Kokubun Taichi, and this is my assistant, Ninomiya Kazuko. We’re here for the presentation of the - “
“Ah, Kokubun-san, yes, of course,” Ohno-san cuts in, meeting them halfway to shake their hands. When he takes her hand, however, Nino knows she’s shaking as he eyes her warmly.
“Ninomiya-san, nice to see you again.”
“Wait, you two know each other?” Taichi-kun sputters, before he could probably bite his tongue. Nino would have laughed at her boss for it but finds it difficult to do so, especially when all her senses have somewhat refocus themselves on the man standing before her, on the way he’s caressing her palm like nothing exists in the world save from the two of them.
And to be fair, as Nino swallows the urge to do something that would surely embarrass them both, it feels exactly that way right now.
Pairing : Ohno/Girl!Nino
Rating : PG
Summary : Crossfire AU. She was the flame that ignites the fire within him; his girl, his angel, his everything.
Lunch break rolls around and Nino still hasn’t figured out what in hell happened to her that morning. She did her work as if on autopilot, but doing so obviously has its horrible downside because she’s obviously not herself.
Her boss, Taichi-san, immediately noticed it, apparently after the seventh time in a row she brought him coffee.
“Look,” Taichi-san looks stressed, and possibly a little worried as Nino sits there contemplating about going home early. She can’t do that, though. Taichi-san has a scheduled meeting with the marketing executives of Samiijima Industries where she’s expected to attend, too.
“I know it’s not my business, but - Nino, are you okay?” Taichi-san asks, frowning at her from where he’s perched himself on the edge of Nino’s table, staring Nino down.
“I - of course! Why wouldn’t I be? Hmm, is there something wrong? It’s lunch break, aren’t you going to eat?”
Taichi-san gives her a look. “I should ask you the same thing,” he says.
She shakes her head. “I’m not hungry.”
“No shit,” Taichi-san counters, and Nino grins despite herself.
“I’m - on a diet?” she tries, knowing her boss is someone who’s not easily deterred. She’s only been working for him for under a year, but she swears she enjoys her job more than she could dare to admit because of Taichi-san himself. He’s comfortable to work with, and Nino could readily admit that she’s never had a boss like the man himself, whom she could consider a friend despite him also being her superior.
“Don’t give me that bullshit, Ninomiya. We both know you don’t need it. Come have lunch with me. Whatever it is that’s bothering you, you can either share it with me or lock it away in your drawer forever. Let’s go.”
Shaking her head and grabbing her purse, and her phone, she forces herself upright knowing that Taichi-san isn’t going anywhere without her. She heaves a sigh and follows Taichi-san to the door.
+
They ended up at a Chinese Restaurant a couple of blocks over. Thankfully, Taichi-san had stopped asking questions about Nino’s unusual behavior once the food arrived. Nino had to force herself to eat, all the while remembering the way Ohno-san had held her close as he kissed her, and distracting herself from it when she realized how silly she must look as she daydreamed about him.
On the way back to the office, her phone vibrates in her hand. Taichi-san is still talking aloud about the upcoming meeting - the documents in his desk that need polishing, reminding Nino to call Samiijima’s office for confirmation - and Nino sort of just shuts him out as she checks her phone.
It’s from an unknown number. It simply reads, Are you free tonight? Have dinner with me… feeling her pulse skyrocketing in answer realizing who the message is from. She doesn’t remember giving him her number, so, how in the world did he manage to get it?
Shaking her head, she locks her phone and shoves it in her pocket just in time to catch Taichi-san turning to her to ask her if he has leftover parsley in between his teeth.
He does.
“If I say no, does that mean you’re foregoing brushing your teeth before the meeting?” she says.
Taichi-san’s scowl is so funny Nino can’t help but crack a smile in return.
+
The meeting is going to be held on Samiijima Industry’s Marketing Department on the fifty first. On the way there, Nino notices Taichi-san’s uneasiness, which she finds endearingly amusing despite the fact that it’s normal.
She gets it, somehow; this proposal, if it gets through, is going to take Taichi-san places. And Nino is honestly thrilled that she’s part of the team that made it happen.
“Oh crap, my hands are sweating,” Taichi-san mutters when they step out of the elevator, heading towards the door to Samiijima’s Marketing department office. “Nino, are you sure we’ve got everything in there? We didn’t forget anything, did we?”
“Taichi-san, relax. Everything’s fine. We’ve triple checked everything, and I swear they’re all here. Just calm down, okay?”
“Jesus, easy for you to say.” Taichi-san says, heaving a deep breath as they stand in front of the Samiijima office door. It took him a few seconds to compose himself before he found the courage to ring the intercom.
The door slides open as if on cue.
She braces herself as he takes the first, tentative steps into the door.
“Here we go.”
+
Somehow, to say that Nino is surprised to see Ohno-san there doesn’t even quite cut it.
The man looks just as surprised seeing her, but he’s obviously better at hiding it. Nino, on the other hand, is caught completely off-guard.
“Ohno-san, good afternoon. I am Kokubun Taichi, and this is my assistant, Ninomiya Kazuko. We’re here for the presentation of the - “
“Ah, Kokubun-san, yes, of course,” Ohno-san cuts in, meeting them halfway to shake their hands. When he takes her hand, however, Nino knows she’s shaking as he eyes her warmly.
“Ninomiya-san, nice to see you again.”
“Wait, you two know each other?” Taichi-kun sputters, before he could probably bite his tongue. Nino would have laughed at her boss for it but finds it difficult to do so, especially when all her senses have somewhat refocus themselves on the man standing before her, on the way he’s caressing her palm like nothing exists in the world save from the two of them.
And to be fair, as Nino swallows the urge to do something that would surely embarrass them both, it feels exactly that way right now.