Two can play this game (Chapter 5)
Title: Two can play this game
Group/pairing: Arashi/ Sakumiya
Genre: Romance, Humour
Length: Chaptered
Chapter: 5
Prompt: Boundaries
Summary: Nino's dreams are driving him wild.. and thus he decided to take action.
Word Count: 1882 words
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I only own a LOVE photoset of Sho and the story plot- nothing else XD
Author note: IM BACK PEOPLEEEEE. Just so we can celebrate my return.. I'm releasing two chapters in one shot. :D
Chapter 5: Strategise
Nino's eyes concentrated hard on the TV, the electronic sounds of his game filling the living room. He exclaimed to himself in surprise as Mario barely made it past a huge gap in the ground. Finally, Mario hopped up the familiar flight of steps and leapt off into the air, landing on top of the flagpole.
"Yosh!" Nino cheered as the victory jingle played. Just then, two strong arms pulled him back against an all-too-familiar warmth.
"Good job, Nino," Sho whispered in his ear, nuzzling his nose into the back of his neck."
Nino smiled and leaned back as Sho made himself comfortable behind him on the sofa, making Nino sit on his lap.
"Ne, I'm hungry..." Sho complained as his stomach rumbled behind Nino. Nino laughed.
"Shall we go out and eat then?" Nino suggested, placing the controller down on the table. Sho then shifted and started to recline on the sofa horizontally. Nino scooted closer to Sho's foot, poking it playfuly.
"Hmm, sure. What shall it be? Ramen?" Sho asked, flexing his foot playfully to evade Nino's prodding fingers.
"Sounds great," Nino agreed. He was about to get up and prepare to go out when Sho tugged him back down on the sofa, pulling his upper body close to his own.
"Before that..." Sho whispered as he hugged Nino from behind and moved him so that Nino was straddling him from above. Nino smirked.
"Now? Before dinner?" Nino questioned, amused. Sho chuckled and pulled him down for a gentle kiss and then hugged him.
"No," he replied softly, "just felt like cuddling."
Nino smiled and buried his face into the crook of Sho's neck as they stayed there on the sofa for a while, their bare feet resting comfortably against each other.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Nino stretched lazily in his bed, his mind blissfully hazy from the dream he just had of Sho. It was not racy and frisky like those he used to have. Rather, it was sweet and warm. He could almost feel Sho's arms wrapped around his body. He smiled at the memory.. and paused.
He had forgotten to count the scores.
"Ahhh... let's see," he mumbled, scratching his head tiredly, "on the boat, I..."
He remembered he did nothing more than clinging on to the seats for dear life. Goodness knows what would have happened if Sho did not take care of him.
Sho- 2 Nino- 3.
And then there was the barbecue. While he was the one who started the conversation... Nino's mind wandered off to remembering the feel of Sho's head on his right shoulder, his soft hair tickling his neck lightly. He smiled to himself as he decided to award another point to Sho for making him blush at the memory.
Sho- 3, Nino- 3.
Nino took a deep breath. They both tied.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Eh? You'll be going off to Sochi for the Winter Olympics? Next month? " the four members exclaimed in surprise.
"Yep! I'm going to be the newscaster there, so it's going to be really busy!" Sho confirmed excitedly.
"Ahh, but that will be you'll be away for quite some time, ne..." Aiba said, his eyes glancing fleetingly at Nino.
"Yeah, but it won't be too long. Awww, you're going to miss me, aren't you, Aiba-kun~" Sho teased, patting Aiba on the head.
"Oi, it's not just him, you know!" Jun said, poking Sho's shoulder. Nino could only smile gently as the three members poked fun at Sho. As always, he mentally added.
He felt a comforting arm slide around his shoulder.
"You're going to miss him a lot more, aren't you? " Ohno asked.
Nino snorted and turned away huffly, but Ohno could catch a slight blush and a tiny smile on Nino's face. Ohno gave Sho a short glance before grinning widely at Nino.
"You have nothing else after this, right?" he asked.
Nino looked back at him, surprised. "Well, no... but why d-"
"Let's go for a drink, alright? You look like you could use one." Ohno said, poking Nino fondly on the cheek. Nino scrunched up his nose in mock annoyance and nodded.
"Ne ne, Leader! Can I come along~?" Aiba chimed in, only to be stopped by Nino.
"Oi. Don't ruin our Ohmiya SK moments, Aiba-chan," Nino replied brattily.
"Aaahh so mean! Sho-chan, Nino is bullying me and he is not letting me come along!" Aiba whined, tugging at Sho's sleeve.
"It's okay, We should leave Taka and Yuuji alone or they may never return on the concert stage again," Sho spoke, patting a pouting Aiba on the head.
"You guys, seriously.." Jun spoke up, shaking his head as he headed towards the door of the green room, "I'm buying us some drinks. You guys want anything?"
"Oh, I'm coming along with you, Jun-kun!" Sho spoke urgently and hurried towards Jun, who now looked at him, confused.
"Uhm, oka-" before Jun could reply, Sho had pulled him out of the door. Nino and Ohno stared at the door, completely surprised.
"... Sho-kun is acting really weird, isn't he?" Ohno said. Nino nodded slowly, wondering why he felt his heart clench a little.
Outside, Sho spoke softly to Jun. "Can we go for a drink later tonight?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So Oh-chan," Nino spoke over his beer, after telling him about the entire problem, "what should I do?"
Ohno looked at him hazily and nodded a little, somewhat understanding what Nino had told him.
"I... really think you should tell him," Ohno commented, his speech lightly slurred, "like, right out in his face," he continued, punctuating his speech with a clean-cut hand gesture. Nino snickered.
"Not helping, Oh-chan. I know that you know that I can't possibly do something like that," Nino said laughingly. Ohno laughed along with him.
"But isn't it the easiest way to get over with things?" Ohno asked as he took another gulp of his beer.
"Plus," he added, "Sho-kun likes someone who is honest."
Nino looked at him quizzically.
"I never lied to him.. yet..." Nino said.
"There's that," Ohno replied, "but he likes someone to be able to tell things to his face."
"Like 'Sho! Your cooking is horrible!' ? Like that?" Nino asked as he wheezed in laughter.
"That and 'Oi! Sho! Your drawing is horrible!'," Ohno added. And they started laughing like a bunch of lunatics.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jun stared at Sho, an eyebrow arched as he sipped on his tea.
"You know," Sho spoke, "I don't know why you're ordering tea when you can order beer."
"I think you ought to remember that once I drink I can't stop," Jun said, "it's a quirk of mine remember?"
"Ah right! You can totally keep drinking until the next morning!" Sho agreed.
"So, you must have something to discuss with me about, right?" Jun asked.
Sho sighed, scratching his head awkwardly.
"Actually, I'm here to discuss about Nino," Sho admitted.
"Nino?" Jun questioned.
"Yeah. Actually, I-" Sho was interrupted when his phone rang. He picked it up to see that Nino was calling him.
"Hello?"
"Ah! Sho! Hahaha. You picked up.." Nino's sing-song voice rang so loudly in his ears that Sho had to hold his phone far away from him.
"Nino? Are you okay? Are you drunk?" Sho asked.
"Drunk? Me? Oh no no no no no I'm not drunk! Leader here, however, is most defintely drunk!" Nino protested, trying in vain not to sound delirious. Sho glanced at Jun and shook his head with a smile.
"Oiii. Nino! That's not why you called him, right? Go on, tell him!" Sho could hear Ohno yelling at Nino.
"Oh riiiight. Haha. I remember. Sho! I need to tell you something!" Nino said.
Sho listened, his heart thumping hard in his chest.
"I... I..."
Sho's eyes lit up in surprise. "Yes? You...?" Sho urged, holding his breath.
"I...I think your cooking is real bad!" Nino blurted out. Sho could only freeze where he was in mild surprise.
"Oi! No! No! No! Not that!" he heard Ohno scold lightly, and after a short struggle tugged the phone away from Nino.
"Sho-kuuuuuuuun," Ohno greeted.
"Ne, Ohno-kun. Before anything else, can you tell me where you guys are?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sho and Jun had rushed to the bar that Ohno had told them, only to find that the two men were face down on the bar counter.
"Why am I always dealing with drunk idiots?" Jun muttered as he helped up Nino to his feet.
"Yeah, I wonder too," Sho muttered as he slung Ohno's hand over his shoulder.
"What, you're the one to talk- the last time it was you who was drunk and Nino helped you back!" Jun said.
"Ah, right.." Sho said, "then I'll take care of him this time," he said, reaching out to take Nino by the arm. Leaving Ohno to be supported by Jun, he escorted a drunk Nino out of the bar.
"... So it's me with leader again?!" Jun murmured as he drove him back.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Nino stumbled hard against Sho's door as Sho fumbled for his keys. He finally let them both in, and Nino chuckled as he zigzagged his way across Sho's living room. Sho hurriedly locked the door and proceeded to help him into his bedroom. Nino flopped on the bed with an audible thud. Sho proceeded to take off Nino's jacket and tie to make him sleep better. He heaved a short sigh as he started to get ready for bed himself. As he was about to leave for the bathroom, he felt Nino grab his hand hurriedly.
"Sho.." he moaned. Sho blinked and looked at him. Nino was in his bed, lying down with his right forearm covering his eyes.
"Yes?" Sho said, concerned.
"Maybe Oh-chan is right," Nino murmured. Sho looked at him, wondering what he had meant.
"I should be more honest," Nino continued in his sleep, "I should be more outright. It'd clarify things better than stupid mind games.."
Sho's heart thudded quickly in his chest.
"So, I'll be honest. Just so you'll get it. It'll be so simple that it's just right in your face," Nino blurted out.
Sho waited.
...
Nothng came.
Sho pursed his lips and strolled over to the bathroom. After he got ready, he opened up the fridge and took out two aspirin tablets. He took a jug of water and set it on the study table in his bedroom. He then crawled over to his bed and settled in beside Nino. Nino was lying in a foetus position, his sleeping face facing him. Sho let a small, affectionate smile stay on his face as he reached a hand over to stroke Nino's soft hair. His hand grew heavy and finally settled on the side of Nino's smooth neck as he fell asleep.