UCM 30
Title: Undecided College Major: How to Explore Potential Degrees/Romantic Partners (30/32)
Author: r_tenou
Genres: Friendship, Romance, Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Matsumiya, Ohmiya, Sakuraiba, Sakumoto
Disclaimer: None of this really happened. Who would have thought?
Summary: Ohno likes marshmallows, Aiba has good news, and Jun was wondering what that smell was
A/N: Not to ruin anyone's images or anything... but lately I've been curious as to how everyone sees the characters in this fic. When I started, and even now, I had their Crazy Moon-era hairstyles in mind while writing. Jun with his seemingly unkempt mass of curls and Ohno with his deliciously light brown hair standing up (I have a secret infatuation with Ohno's forehead), just seemed a perfect fit for the images I was going for. ^_^ But naturally, that's a little late for them to be in college isn't it? Some people might picture them as they were at the near-beginning and some people might picture them as they are now. What do you think??
Love and hugs and lots of good thoughts for my beta,eva_lee . I hope you're feeling even a fraction better today.
Chapter 30
It was quiet, Ohno noticed immediately as he stepped into the house via the backdoor, a bucket in hand. He'd carefully packed his poles away in the shed; Jun never liked it when he brought them in, much less his catch. The fish needed ice though, so they could be filleted properly later, and a hole would need to be dug out back so he could bury the parts they weren't using. Aiba said it was good to bury them around the orchids, that way they'd produce nicer blooms - and that would make Jun happy.
But just to be sure, Ohno would offer an extra loud "umai!" at dinnertime.
He emptied the twin ice trays over his catch, leaving the bucket by the back door and the trays in the sink without bothering to refill them. It wasn't intentional - he'd even issued himself a soft reminder to take care of it when he came back inside - but his mind was absorbed with playing in the dirt and the crispy, crunchy leaves that no one had bothered to rake up. He was glad though; they made fun noises under his feet while he was roaming around the yard.
The door made a swooshing sound against the breeze as he slid it open, the cool air chilling him immediately, even through his faded blue parka. Jun said it made him look like a giant, walking marshmallow - the kind children ate at Easter, dyed a soft sky blue and with the faintest sparkling of sugar crystals. They came shaped like rabbits and ducks and exploded when put in the microwave for more than fifteen seconds, or so Aiba had learned the hard way. Jun laughed a little every time he put the jacket on, but Ohno didn't mind; he liked marshmallows and rabbits and ducks and sometimes even sugar crystals.
It wasn't quite noon, and the sun wasn't quite at the peak of the sky, but it was a warm presence against the cool temperatures of middle December. At least Ohno thought it was middle December; it felt about that late in the year, but he wasn't really sure what the actual date was. He wasn't sure what day of the week it was either, but it wasn't exactly pressing at the moment. He'd check the floral printed calendar Jun had brought in later... maybe. The thought was lost as he knelt by the base of the orchid patch, the leaves weary and yellowed and bloom-less. The fish parts would do them good.
The ground was moist under his fingers, raking it back with his free hand while handling a nearby garden shovel in the other. He was careful not to accidentally slice a root in the process, but not careful enough to keep the mess of wet soil from covering his shoes and the bottom of his jeans. He'd wanted to do some painting later anyway, so a mess was probably inevitable. There was a scene in his mind that he wanted to get out on canvas, stored in his imagination like a moving photograph, but with no guarantee that his memory would save it for tomorrow.
Then again, there was no guarantee that his memory would save it in the next five minutes, let alone the next day, but he wanted to make sure there would be less for Jun (who seemed to be in a perpetual bad mood lately) to complain about.
A set of wooden sticks appeared before his vision, but Ohno wasn't startled much. He hadn't remembered digging anywhere near a tree root, nor did tree roots really look like a collection of paintbrushes, but the thought crossed his mind nonetheless. A squeal came along with the image and Ohno followed the length of the sticks with his eyes, only to find that they were attached to a hand, which was attached to an arm and so on and so on until he realized that someone was standing next to him.
"Oh, it's you," he said to the neighbor girl and motioned to the paintbrushes she held in her hand with a nod of his head. "You don't have to ask to borrow. I already told you to take what you like."
She stared back at his blank expression with one of giddiness, laughter in her eyes as she knelt down next to him, balancing on the toes of her bare feet. They soles of her feet were covered in paint - greens and blues and if he looked closely enough, a smidge of red here and there. He glanced behind her to see a trail of paint-covered leaves that marked the pathway from her backyard into his.
The girl hummed her appreciation in a tune lacking any sort of melody, nodding her head in a voiced "fu-fu-fu" as though she already knew, but was trying to be courteous anyway. That's how Ohno tended to translate her strange wordless language, anyway.
"You don't have to ask for anything," he repeated, for no real reason that he could fathom. He sat in the dirt, staring at her odd movements as though he understood each and every one, as though she was actually speaking.
She shrugged jerkily, her shoulder nearly knocking into her ear, but her smile did not fade. Slowly, she took one of the brushes into her free hand and turned it over; Ohno recognized it as one of his favorites, or it had been until Junko had used the end of it for a plaything. It had been cute though, so Ohno hadn't complained at the time, only cooed alongside Aiba and the destruction of yet another brush.
She shook the brushes in front of his face and he was forced to look again, staring almost cross-eyed at the splintered wood. Barely any hair was left at the bristled end and he was about to suggest to her that there were better brushes inside, but she turned it up on end and stuck the wooden handle into the earth, guiding it along in easy movements until a word was formed and then another and then another.
Are you sure? :) was spelled in the dirt, complete with emoticon, in their own personal, messy text message.
It was the first time she'd actively said anything to him, besides the usual squeals and strange sounds (all that he'd known about her condition had been explained to him by her mother one day when he'd gone to offer them an extra bucket of fish) and Ohno marveled unblinkingly at the simplicity of it all. With the tiniest hint of a smile on his face, he took one of the other brushes from her hand and very carefully wrote just under her message: I'm very sure. :)
The curly haired one won't mind? she spelled out without looking up. Her concentration was fierce as she worked the brush against the ground in her left hand, though her right was dominant.
Ohno's brows shifted in thought before he realized whom she was talking about. A soft laugh escaped barely parted lips as he exhaled. Jun-kun didn't mean it. He's sorry.
I know. She added a smiling face made of tiny pebbles next to her words. Tapping them against the earth, she looked to him with a sideways glance, shyer than he'd ever seen her before. It was only then that he noticed she was wearing Jun's glasses atop her head, tangled up in her messy hair. He wondered if she was planning to make the younger man something else as a peace offering.
He thought about telling her that she might not want to put anything in the fridge again; Jun almost never appreciated it and they always ended up smelling like Aiba's cabbage. Instead, he brushed the dirt where they'd already written, forming a clean slate against the ground with more room to write. He began again. So there's no need to ask.
I can take anything? She looked up, almost mischievously, and he wanted to ask her if she'd gotten red paint on her face again or if, perhaps, she was getting hot sitting under the sun in her giant puffy-pink jacket. Suddenly Ohno understood what Jun had meant when he spoke of marshmallows. Ohno liked marshmallows.
His own face felt oddly warm, so he turned his attention back to the ground and their words. He poked at the dirt before answering with what he hoped was a definite: anything. She giggled and scribbled again with her paintbrush, but Ohno's attention was busy with the pebbles she'd formed into a heart shape beforehand.
A kiss?
Before he could process what she'd written, small hands grasped at the sides of his face and brought his line of vision forward and a mouth was pressed against his. He stared back at closed eyes, her brows pinched in her uncertainty, and the only word that came to mind was: soft.
It was over before he knew it and as he sat blinking in the dirt, she was skipping across the yard, away from his own bewildered presence. His mouth hung open like the fish he'd caught earlier, barely breathing as his mind fought to catch up with his thoughts. Blinking seemed to tick the seconds away until he was no longer actually looking anywhere in particular.
He shrugged helplessly and turned back to the mound of dirt at his feet.
"Captain!" Aiba shouted from the backdoor, startling Ohno with the swooshing sound of metal against metal being pushed open. There was a possibility that Aiba couldn't see him crouched down at the corner of the house, so Ohno wasn't surprised when Aiba called out once again. "Captain Ohno of the S. S. Cleared Name!"
"Masaki! You're going to ruin the surprise!" Ohno could barely hear Sho inside the house, but he could see him peeking out into the yard, searching for him as well.
"Oh there you are!" Aiba said as he stepped out into the yard in socks without shoes. He reached forward for Ohno, pulling the shorter man up by both hands and leading him forward. Ohno complied instantly. "You need to come inside while everyone's here and alive. There's no telling when MatsuJun or Nino might kill the other." He paused in thought just outside the door. "Although truthfully, my bets are on Jun-kun this time."
"Everyone's here?" Ohno stared up in a daze at Aiba's glaringly ecstatic face. A wide, bright smile greeted him and Ohno couldn't help but return it; not because he was particularly happy, but because it was Aiba and smiling seemed to be a natural reaction in his presence. It was unavoidable and Ohno found himself only too willing to bask in the glow.
"Everyone." Aiba nodded enthusiastically. "They might not be happy about it, but everyone's here."
"That's good."
"Come on, Captain!" Aiba pulled him forward, his grip gentle, yet firm, as though it was more than a request, but not quite a command. Either way suited Ohno; he doubted if he could ever deny the taller man anything. "Your ship awaits!"
Ohno nearly tripped over the step up into the house as an afterthought hit him. "But I don't have a boat..." he said in a mumble. Was someone giving him a boat? He'd always wanted a boat. The sea captain had a boat, and he let Ohno tag along on many of his fishing adventures, but the old man was getting even older and didn't bother to get out of bed on days when his arthritis was acting up. On those days Ohno was forced to fish from the pier; and though relaxing at best, it wasn't the same as riding the waves. Yes, Ohno would like a boat very much.
Aiba let out a soft sigh in front of him, shaking his head in a simple gesture, though his brilliant smile never wavered. "I'm talking about the house, Ohno-kun."
"Oh." Ohno nodded in half-understanding. "I'm pretty sure it can't float."
Aiba giggled. "Figuratively, Ohno-kun."
The door slid behind them and Ohno wondered how it did that when Aiba’s hands were still wrapped around his, pulling loosely. He hadn't remembered closing the door himself, but all was revealed when he stole a quick glance to his side and saw Sho there, sliding the door to and ridding them of the cool breeze outside. "Oh," Ohno sounded softly, whether to his own revelation or to Aiba's airy giggles, he didn't know.
He was ushered into the living room, Aiba in front of him and Sho behind, pressing lightly against the small of his back. "Here he is! Man of the hour!" Aiba called out as they stumbled through the first entryway, tripping over one another's feet in the process.
"Not so loud, Aiba-chan." Jun clicked his tongue from where he sat at one end of the couch, arms crossed in defiance as he pretended not to notice that Nino sat at the opposite end. Ohno sank down onto the middle cushion and pretended not to notice that they were both very aware of his presence between them.
It wasn't hard to do when Aiba was dancing around the living room, hopping on one foot as he punched a fist into the air. "Mou. I'm just excited!" he replied. Ohno wondered if it was someone's birthday. He didn't remember an upcoming birthday - Jun always wrote it down on the calendar - but then again, he'd already established that he had no idea what the date was. His lips pursed as he told himself that he should've looked after all.
"Well, we all have things to do. Tomorrow is the last day of the play," Jun said flippantly to Ohno's right, waving his hand in dismissal and causing the older man to turn his way with a blank expression. Ohno was barely listening as it was, contemplations of birthdays and floral-printed calendars taking up the majority of this thoughts.
"It's Sunday, Jun-kun," Sho said as placatingly as he could. "You should relax."
"Can we just get on with this?" Nino snapped, glaring daggers at both Aiba and Sho where they stood, side by side in front of them. Ohno wondered how he could be so harsh when Aiba looked so completely cute like that: all smiles and happiness as he took hold of a blushing Sho's arm. The tallest of the pair couldn't seem to keep still in his giddiness.
"You shouldn't be so mean, Nino-chan," Sho replied with a cheeky smile. "No one will like you that way."
A laugh escaped Ohno's lips, light and short, and the room turned to peer at him just as Junko jumped into his lap from the back of the couch. Jun clicked his tongue and Nino let out a disgruntled noise as though to signal a round of "oh. It's only the cat. We thought you might actually be paying attention for once."
Junko purred against his hand and so Ohno really did stop paying attention, losing himself in the depths of the cat's round, green eyes. The patches of multi-colored fur, from a deep brown to a copperish red and a pure white reminded Ohno of brushstrokes and he was absently reminded that he wanted to paint something - but he'd already forgotten what. Maybe he'd paint Junko; Junko and a lot of fish - tiny fish in a deep blue pond. He'd give it to Jun for his birthday... whenever that was.
"Jaa, I have a present for Ohno-kun," he heard Aiba say and thoughts of painting were once again far removed.
Ohno looked up with wide, unknowing eyes. "I don't need a present, Aiba-kun."
"Trust me. You need this one," Aiba replied with a secretive smile. He nudged Sho's side once, twice, before coughing into his own hand violently. Ohno thought he heard "now Sho-chan" somewhere in Aiba's forced hack, but he couldn't be absolutely sure.
"Oh! Right." An imagined light bulb seemed to flicker above Sho's head as realization dawned and he knelt to dig through the school bag at his feet. "Where's it at? Where's it at?" he asked repeatedly as his fingers filed through not-so-carefully stashed papers and books. When he didn't find it within the first three minutes, he looked up to offer the group a hesitant, forgiveness-asking smile, nervous in its entirety.
"You gave it to him for safekeeping?" Jun asked incredulously beside Ohno as they continued to watch Sho dig through his unorganized bag.
Nino snickered on his other side. "It's better than letting Aiba hold on to it, though. Whatever it is."
"I suppose so," Jun replied with a short laugh.
"Oi!" Aiba called out in front of them, a finger waggling between pointing at Jun and Nino. "There's no reason for that."
They both erupted in laughter on either side of him and for a moment Ohno almost forgot that the two had not been on speaking terms for over a week now, partly his fault, but mostly due to the pair's inability to properly communicate. For a second, their eyes met over Ohno and he felt invisible; it was almost hopeful.
"Here it is!" Sho shouted triumphantly in the background as he held up a haphazardly folded gathering of printed papers.
"A newspaper?" Jun leaned forward to examine the papers Sho displayed so proudly. His eyes were squinting and Ohno wondered briefly if he was wearing his contacts. The image of the neighbor girl, Jun's glasses tangled in her messy hair, came to mind and Ohno imagined that Jun didn't have many more pairs to spare. "You got him a newspaper?" Jun continued.
"Not just any newspaper." Aiba snatched the paper away from Sho and waved it in Jun's face, causing the younger to back up in fear of a paper cut. "The campus news!" Aiba declared excitedly, pausing in front of Jun before he passed the paper onto Ohno.
Junko scampered off his lap at the sound of rustling pages.
"Because that makes it so much more special," Nino muttered beside him, but Ohno barely heard the younger man over the flurry of words and images presented to him.
"Just read it, please," Sho seemed to sigh, so Ohno read the caption under the first image that pulled at his attention. "Campus meals expected to rise by a dollar next semester..."
"Damn it!" Nino cursed, hitting the arm of the couch with the palm of his hand. "I knew they were going to pull something like this."
"Not that!" Sho said impatiently. "The headline."
"Head of Art Department Caught in Scandal." Ohno made sure to read carefully, making sure to read every word correctly. "Tanaka Hiro-sensei caught on recording, admitting to destroying a student's work, as well as framing another student for said destruction. Page 14..." Ohno looked up. "What is this?"
"Surprise!" Aiba pulled a party cracker from out of nowhere and yanked at the string, sending a popping echo throughout the silent room. He danced amidst the shower of confetti that fell around him, a litter of paper waving down to the floor where Junko proceeded to swat at it with his tiny paws.
"It means your name has been cleared," Sho clarified in a much calmer voice.
"How did this happen?" asked Nino.
Aiba ceased his jumping for the moment. "I planted a recorder in his office and Sho-chan and I snuck in and got it. We listened to it and then took it to the journalism department. Nino, you didn't tell me Toma-kun was on the newspaper staff!"
"I didn't know it was relevant to anything."
"Does the newspaper staff still have the recording?" Jun asked next. Ohno only looked back and forth as each person took turns asking and answering questions. It was all right though; his mind was still in a state of processing and it was unlikely anything he could ask would be any more in-depth than what they were already asking.
"No," Sho answered, shaking his head in the negative. "They copied it and then delivered it straight to the Dean of Arts and Sciences."
"And the professor cracked almost immediately!" Aiba cheered, resuming his dancing. “Evidently he was jealous over our Oh-chan’s artistic talents. The fact that you’d been called a prodigy rubbed at him the wrong way or something.”
“So it was done over envy?” Jun asked incredulously.
“And the fact that the professor’s own yearly exhibit had been cancelled because they wanted to showcase Satoshi’s art over the past summer,” Sho clarified.
Ohno looked between their smiles, all centered on him with blinding intensity, their happiness focused on him. He blinked slowly, repetitively, still trying to digest what had just happened. His name was clear, which meant he could go back to school, which meant that there was no reason to worry or hide, which meant that he'd acquired a group of really great friends without even noticing.
"Arigatou," Ohno said quietly, barely a whisper as his mind tried to take it all in.
Jun wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him to, ruffling his hair as he laughed genuinely. It was a nice feeling, and so Ohno smiled. "Isn't that great, Ohno-kun?" Jun asked. Ohno could think of no response good enough.
"You actually did something right for once, Aibaka," Nino said, as close as a congratulatory tone as he could get. The smile that threatened to break through his smirk was enough for the group, even as he threw a pillow at Sho.
"It wasn't all me though, Nino," Aiba corrected. "The entire thing was Jun's idea. I just followed his plans."
"I can't believe you didn't tell me," Jun half-scolded Aiba. He loosened his arm around Ohno until it was barely resting over the older man, playing with the soft hairs at the nape of his neck. "I've been so busy with the play lately... I should say I'm sorry."
"Not even, MatsuJun!" Aiba screeched.
Sho dropped the pillow he'd caught (with his face...) onto the floor and plopped down onto it, tugging at Aiba's arm as he went. The two made themselves more comfortable on the hardwood planks and Sho looked up to Ohno. "I'm really surprised that you hadn't heard anything about this before, Satoshi-kun."
"Hm?" Ohno returned the look with a dazed one of his own.
"You haven't gotten a phone call or anything?" Sho clarified. "From the school or the paper?"
Ohno pulled his blue cell phone from the pocket of his jeans, flipping it open with just a bit of difficulty, as though he didn't use it much at all. He pressed at the buttons, even holding the on/off button down to power it up just as his mother had shown him, but nothing flashed across the blank screen. "Oh," he said in quiet realization. "It's dead."
"No wonder," Sho commented lamely.
It was quiet for a moment as the five men sat smiling at one another, barely containing bubbling bouts of laughter and Ohno thought once more that he'd found some really good friends.
"Well then!" Jun said, sounding more upbeat than he had in a long while. He stood and stretched his arms to the ceiling. "Who wants lunch?" A chorus of "me!' rang through the room and Jun stepped over Sho and Aiba to get to the entryway. He paused, turning back. "Who wants to help me make lunch?"
He was met with silence. "I figured as much."
"I'll help you, Matsujun," Ohno said on a whim. He stood up lazily and tripped over Aiba and Sho. "There's fish in the bucket."
"I was wondering what that smell was," Jun complained just as Nino simultaneously offered his own miserable thoughts on the subject.
"Eh~ There's always fish!"
Ohno laughed.
Author: r_tenou
Genres: Friendship, Romance, Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Matsumiya, Ohmiya, Sakuraiba, Sakumoto
Disclaimer: None of this really happened. Who would have thought?
Summary: Ohno likes marshmallows, Aiba has good news, and Jun was wondering what that smell was
A/N: Not to ruin anyone's images or anything... but lately I've been curious as to how everyone sees the characters in this fic. When I started, and even now, I had their Crazy Moon-era hairstyles in mind while writing. Jun with his seemingly unkempt mass of curls and Ohno with his deliciously light brown hair standing up (I have a secret infatuation with Ohno's forehead), just seemed a perfect fit for the images I was going for. ^_^ But naturally, that's a little late for them to be in college isn't it? Some people might picture them as they were at the near-beginning and some people might picture them as they are now. What do you think??
Love and hugs and lots of good thoughts for my beta,eva_lee . I hope you're feeling even a fraction better today.
Chapter 30
It was quiet, Ohno noticed immediately as he stepped into the house via the backdoor, a bucket in hand. He'd carefully packed his poles away in the shed; Jun never liked it when he brought them in, much less his catch. The fish needed ice though, so they could be filleted properly later, and a hole would need to be dug out back so he could bury the parts they weren't using. Aiba said it was good to bury them around the orchids, that way they'd produce nicer blooms - and that would make Jun happy.
But just to be sure, Ohno would offer an extra loud "umai!" at dinnertime.
He emptied the twin ice trays over his catch, leaving the bucket by the back door and the trays in the sink without bothering to refill them. It wasn't intentional - he'd even issued himself a soft reminder to take care of it when he came back inside - but his mind was absorbed with playing in the dirt and the crispy, crunchy leaves that no one had bothered to rake up. He was glad though; they made fun noises under his feet while he was roaming around the yard.
The door made a swooshing sound against the breeze as he slid it open, the cool air chilling him immediately, even through his faded blue parka. Jun said it made him look like a giant, walking marshmallow - the kind children ate at Easter, dyed a soft sky blue and with the faintest sparkling of sugar crystals. They came shaped like rabbits and ducks and exploded when put in the microwave for more than fifteen seconds, or so Aiba had learned the hard way. Jun laughed a little every time he put the jacket on, but Ohno didn't mind; he liked marshmallows and rabbits and ducks and sometimes even sugar crystals.
It wasn't quite noon, and the sun wasn't quite at the peak of the sky, but it was a warm presence against the cool temperatures of middle December. At least Ohno thought it was middle December; it felt about that late in the year, but he wasn't really sure what the actual date was. He wasn't sure what day of the week it was either, but it wasn't exactly pressing at the moment. He'd check the floral printed calendar Jun had brought in later... maybe. The thought was lost as he knelt by the base of the orchid patch, the leaves weary and yellowed and bloom-less. The fish parts would do them good.
The ground was moist under his fingers, raking it back with his free hand while handling a nearby garden shovel in the other. He was careful not to accidentally slice a root in the process, but not careful enough to keep the mess of wet soil from covering his shoes and the bottom of his jeans. He'd wanted to do some painting later anyway, so a mess was probably inevitable. There was a scene in his mind that he wanted to get out on canvas, stored in his imagination like a moving photograph, but with no guarantee that his memory would save it for tomorrow.
Then again, there was no guarantee that his memory would save it in the next five minutes, let alone the next day, but he wanted to make sure there would be less for Jun (who seemed to be in a perpetual bad mood lately) to complain about.
A set of wooden sticks appeared before his vision, but Ohno wasn't startled much. He hadn't remembered digging anywhere near a tree root, nor did tree roots really look like a collection of paintbrushes, but the thought crossed his mind nonetheless. A squeal came along with the image and Ohno followed the length of the sticks with his eyes, only to find that they were attached to a hand, which was attached to an arm and so on and so on until he realized that someone was standing next to him.
"Oh, it's you," he said to the neighbor girl and motioned to the paintbrushes she held in her hand with a nod of his head. "You don't have to ask to borrow. I already told you to take what you like."
She stared back at his blank expression with one of giddiness, laughter in her eyes as she knelt down next to him, balancing on the toes of her bare feet. They soles of her feet were covered in paint - greens and blues and if he looked closely enough, a smidge of red here and there. He glanced behind her to see a trail of paint-covered leaves that marked the pathway from her backyard into his.
The girl hummed her appreciation in a tune lacking any sort of melody, nodding her head in a voiced "fu-fu-fu" as though she already knew, but was trying to be courteous anyway. That's how Ohno tended to translate her strange wordless language, anyway.
"You don't have to ask for anything," he repeated, for no real reason that he could fathom. He sat in the dirt, staring at her odd movements as though he understood each and every one, as though she was actually speaking.
She shrugged jerkily, her shoulder nearly knocking into her ear, but her smile did not fade. Slowly, she took one of the brushes into her free hand and turned it over; Ohno recognized it as one of his favorites, or it had been until Junko had used the end of it for a plaything. It had been cute though, so Ohno hadn't complained at the time, only cooed alongside Aiba and the destruction of yet another brush.
She shook the brushes in front of his face and he was forced to look again, staring almost cross-eyed at the splintered wood. Barely any hair was left at the bristled end and he was about to suggest to her that there were better brushes inside, but she turned it up on end and stuck the wooden handle into the earth, guiding it along in easy movements until a word was formed and then another and then another.
Are you sure? :) was spelled in the dirt, complete with emoticon, in their own personal, messy text message.
It was the first time she'd actively said anything to him, besides the usual squeals and strange sounds (all that he'd known about her condition had been explained to him by her mother one day when he'd gone to offer them an extra bucket of fish) and Ohno marveled unblinkingly at the simplicity of it all. With the tiniest hint of a smile on his face, he took one of the other brushes from her hand and very carefully wrote just under her message: I'm very sure. :)
The curly haired one won't mind? she spelled out without looking up. Her concentration was fierce as she worked the brush against the ground in her left hand, though her right was dominant.
Ohno's brows shifted in thought before he realized whom she was talking about. A soft laugh escaped barely parted lips as he exhaled. Jun-kun didn't mean it. He's sorry.
I know. She added a smiling face made of tiny pebbles next to her words. Tapping them against the earth, she looked to him with a sideways glance, shyer than he'd ever seen her before. It was only then that he noticed she was wearing Jun's glasses atop her head, tangled up in her messy hair. He wondered if she was planning to make the younger man something else as a peace offering.
He thought about telling her that she might not want to put anything in the fridge again; Jun almost never appreciated it and they always ended up smelling like Aiba's cabbage. Instead, he brushed the dirt where they'd already written, forming a clean slate against the ground with more room to write. He began again. So there's no need to ask.
I can take anything? She looked up, almost mischievously, and he wanted to ask her if she'd gotten red paint on her face again or if, perhaps, she was getting hot sitting under the sun in her giant puffy-pink jacket. Suddenly Ohno understood what Jun had meant when he spoke of marshmallows. Ohno liked marshmallows.
His own face felt oddly warm, so he turned his attention back to the ground and their words. He poked at the dirt before answering with what he hoped was a definite: anything. She giggled and scribbled again with her paintbrush, but Ohno's attention was busy with the pebbles she'd formed into a heart shape beforehand.
A kiss?
Before he could process what she'd written, small hands grasped at the sides of his face and brought his line of vision forward and a mouth was pressed against his. He stared back at closed eyes, her brows pinched in her uncertainty, and the only word that came to mind was: soft.
It was over before he knew it and as he sat blinking in the dirt, she was skipping across the yard, away from his own bewildered presence. His mouth hung open like the fish he'd caught earlier, barely breathing as his mind fought to catch up with his thoughts. Blinking seemed to tick the seconds away until he was no longer actually looking anywhere in particular.
He shrugged helplessly and turned back to the mound of dirt at his feet.
"Captain!" Aiba shouted from the backdoor, startling Ohno with the swooshing sound of metal against metal being pushed open. There was a possibility that Aiba couldn't see him crouched down at the corner of the house, so Ohno wasn't surprised when Aiba called out once again. "Captain Ohno of the S. S. Cleared Name!"
"Masaki! You're going to ruin the surprise!" Ohno could barely hear Sho inside the house, but he could see him peeking out into the yard, searching for him as well.
"Oh there you are!" Aiba said as he stepped out into the yard in socks without shoes. He reached forward for Ohno, pulling the shorter man up by both hands and leading him forward. Ohno complied instantly. "You need to come inside while everyone's here and alive. There's no telling when MatsuJun or Nino might kill the other." He paused in thought just outside the door. "Although truthfully, my bets are on Jun-kun this time."
"Everyone's here?" Ohno stared up in a daze at Aiba's glaringly ecstatic face. A wide, bright smile greeted him and Ohno couldn't help but return it; not because he was particularly happy, but because it was Aiba and smiling seemed to be a natural reaction in his presence. It was unavoidable and Ohno found himself only too willing to bask in the glow.
"Everyone." Aiba nodded enthusiastically. "They might not be happy about it, but everyone's here."
"That's good."
"Come on, Captain!" Aiba pulled him forward, his grip gentle, yet firm, as though it was more than a request, but not quite a command. Either way suited Ohno; he doubted if he could ever deny the taller man anything. "Your ship awaits!"
Ohno nearly tripped over the step up into the house as an afterthought hit him. "But I don't have a boat..." he said in a mumble. Was someone giving him a boat? He'd always wanted a boat. The sea captain had a boat, and he let Ohno tag along on many of his fishing adventures, but the old man was getting even older and didn't bother to get out of bed on days when his arthritis was acting up. On those days Ohno was forced to fish from the pier; and though relaxing at best, it wasn't the same as riding the waves. Yes, Ohno would like a boat very much.
Aiba let out a soft sigh in front of him, shaking his head in a simple gesture, though his brilliant smile never wavered. "I'm talking about the house, Ohno-kun."
"Oh." Ohno nodded in half-understanding. "I'm pretty sure it can't float."
Aiba giggled. "Figuratively, Ohno-kun."
The door slid behind them and Ohno wondered how it did that when Aiba’s hands were still wrapped around his, pulling loosely. He hadn't remembered closing the door himself, but all was revealed when he stole a quick glance to his side and saw Sho there, sliding the door to and ridding them of the cool breeze outside. "Oh," Ohno sounded softly, whether to his own revelation or to Aiba's airy giggles, he didn't know.
He was ushered into the living room, Aiba in front of him and Sho behind, pressing lightly against the small of his back. "Here he is! Man of the hour!" Aiba called out as they stumbled through the first entryway, tripping over one another's feet in the process.
"Not so loud, Aiba-chan." Jun clicked his tongue from where he sat at one end of the couch, arms crossed in defiance as he pretended not to notice that Nino sat at the opposite end. Ohno sank down onto the middle cushion and pretended not to notice that they were both very aware of his presence between them.
It wasn't hard to do when Aiba was dancing around the living room, hopping on one foot as he punched a fist into the air. "Mou. I'm just excited!" he replied. Ohno wondered if it was someone's birthday. He didn't remember an upcoming birthday - Jun always wrote it down on the calendar - but then again, he'd already established that he had no idea what the date was. His lips pursed as he told himself that he should've looked after all.
"Well, we all have things to do. Tomorrow is the last day of the play," Jun said flippantly to Ohno's right, waving his hand in dismissal and causing the older man to turn his way with a blank expression. Ohno was barely listening as it was, contemplations of birthdays and floral-printed calendars taking up the majority of this thoughts.
"It's Sunday, Jun-kun," Sho said as placatingly as he could. "You should relax."
"Can we just get on with this?" Nino snapped, glaring daggers at both Aiba and Sho where they stood, side by side in front of them. Ohno wondered how he could be so harsh when Aiba looked so completely cute like that: all smiles and happiness as he took hold of a blushing Sho's arm. The tallest of the pair couldn't seem to keep still in his giddiness.
"You shouldn't be so mean, Nino-chan," Sho replied with a cheeky smile. "No one will like you that way."
A laugh escaped Ohno's lips, light and short, and the room turned to peer at him just as Junko jumped into his lap from the back of the couch. Jun clicked his tongue and Nino let out a disgruntled noise as though to signal a round of "oh. It's only the cat. We thought you might actually be paying attention for once."
Junko purred against his hand and so Ohno really did stop paying attention, losing himself in the depths of the cat's round, green eyes. The patches of multi-colored fur, from a deep brown to a copperish red and a pure white reminded Ohno of brushstrokes and he was absently reminded that he wanted to paint something - but he'd already forgotten what. Maybe he'd paint Junko; Junko and a lot of fish - tiny fish in a deep blue pond. He'd give it to Jun for his birthday... whenever that was.
"Jaa, I have a present for Ohno-kun," he heard Aiba say and thoughts of painting were once again far removed.
Ohno looked up with wide, unknowing eyes. "I don't need a present, Aiba-kun."
"Trust me. You need this one," Aiba replied with a secretive smile. He nudged Sho's side once, twice, before coughing into his own hand violently. Ohno thought he heard "now Sho-chan" somewhere in Aiba's forced hack, but he couldn't be absolutely sure.
"Oh! Right." An imagined light bulb seemed to flicker above Sho's head as realization dawned and he knelt to dig through the school bag at his feet. "Where's it at? Where's it at?" he asked repeatedly as his fingers filed through not-so-carefully stashed papers and books. When he didn't find it within the first three minutes, he looked up to offer the group a hesitant, forgiveness-asking smile, nervous in its entirety.
"You gave it to him for safekeeping?" Jun asked incredulously beside Ohno as they continued to watch Sho dig through his unorganized bag.
Nino snickered on his other side. "It's better than letting Aiba hold on to it, though. Whatever it is."
"I suppose so," Jun replied with a short laugh.
"Oi!" Aiba called out in front of them, a finger waggling between pointing at Jun and Nino. "There's no reason for that."
They both erupted in laughter on either side of him and for a moment Ohno almost forgot that the two had not been on speaking terms for over a week now, partly his fault, but mostly due to the pair's inability to properly communicate. For a second, their eyes met over Ohno and he felt invisible; it was almost hopeful.
"Here it is!" Sho shouted triumphantly in the background as he held up a haphazardly folded gathering of printed papers.
"A newspaper?" Jun leaned forward to examine the papers Sho displayed so proudly. His eyes were squinting and Ohno wondered briefly if he was wearing his contacts. The image of the neighbor girl, Jun's glasses tangled in her messy hair, came to mind and Ohno imagined that Jun didn't have many more pairs to spare. "You got him a newspaper?" Jun continued.
"Not just any newspaper." Aiba snatched the paper away from Sho and waved it in Jun's face, causing the younger to back up in fear of a paper cut. "The campus news!" Aiba declared excitedly, pausing in front of Jun before he passed the paper onto Ohno.
Junko scampered off his lap at the sound of rustling pages.
"Because that makes it so much more special," Nino muttered beside him, but Ohno barely heard the younger man over the flurry of words and images presented to him.
"Just read it, please," Sho seemed to sigh, so Ohno read the caption under the first image that pulled at his attention. "Campus meals expected to rise by a dollar next semester..."
"Damn it!" Nino cursed, hitting the arm of the couch with the palm of his hand. "I knew they were going to pull something like this."
"Not that!" Sho said impatiently. "The headline."
"Head of Art Department Caught in Scandal." Ohno made sure to read carefully, making sure to read every word correctly. "Tanaka Hiro-sensei caught on recording, admitting to destroying a student's work, as well as framing another student for said destruction. Page 14..." Ohno looked up. "What is this?"
"Surprise!" Aiba pulled a party cracker from out of nowhere and yanked at the string, sending a popping echo throughout the silent room. He danced amidst the shower of confetti that fell around him, a litter of paper waving down to the floor where Junko proceeded to swat at it with his tiny paws.
"It means your name has been cleared," Sho clarified in a much calmer voice.
"How did this happen?" asked Nino.
Aiba ceased his jumping for the moment. "I planted a recorder in his office and Sho-chan and I snuck in and got it. We listened to it and then took it to the journalism department. Nino, you didn't tell me Toma-kun was on the newspaper staff!"
"I didn't know it was relevant to anything."
"Does the newspaper staff still have the recording?" Jun asked next. Ohno only looked back and forth as each person took turns asking and answering questions. It was all right though; his mind was still in a state of processing and it was unlikely anything he could ask would be any more in-depth than what they were already asking.
"No," Sho answered, shaking his head in the negative. "They copied it and then delivered it straight to the Dean of Arts and Sciences."
"And the professor cracked almost immediately!" Aiba cheered, resuming his dancing. “Evidently he was jealous over our Oh-chan’s artistic talents. The fact that you’d been called a prodigy rubbed at him the wrong way or something.”
“So it was done over envy?” Jun asked incredulously.
“And the fact that the professor’s own yearly exhibit had been cancelled because they wanted to showcase Satoshi’s art over the past summer,” Sho clarified.
Ohno looked between their smiles, all centered on him with blinding intensity, their happiness focused on him. He blinked slowly, repetitively, still trying to digest what had just happened. His name was clear, which meant he could go back to school, which meant that there was no reason to worry or hide, which meant that he'd acquired a group of really great friends without even noticing.
"Arigatou," Ohno said quietly, barely a whisper as his mind tried to take it all in.
Jun wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him to, ruffling his hair as he laughed genuinely. It was a nice feeling, and so Ohno smiled. "Isn't that great, Ohno-kun?" Jun asked. Ohno could think of no response good enough.
"You actually did something right for once, Aibaka," Nino said, as close as a congratulatory tone as he could get. The smile that threatened to break through his smirk was enough for the group, even as he threw a pillow at Sho.
"It wasn't all me though, Nino," Aiba corrected. "The entire thing was Jun's idea. I just followed his plans."
"I can't believe you didn't tell me," Jun half-scolded Aiba. He loosened his arm around Ohno until it was barely resting over the older man, playing with the soft hairs at the nape of his neck. "I've been so busy with the play lately... I should say I'm sorry."
"Not even, MatsuJun!" Aiba screeched.
Sho dropped the pillow he'd caught (with his face...) onto the floor and plopped down onto it, tugging at Aiba's arm as he went. The two made themselves more comfortable on the hardwood planks and Sho looked up to Ohno. "I'm really surprised that you hadn't heard anything about this before, Satoshi-kun."
"Hm?" Ohno returned the look with a dazed one of his own.
"You haven't gotten a phone call or anything?" Sho clarified. "From the school or the paper?"
Ohno pulled his blue cell phone from the pocket of his jeans, flipping it open with just a bit of difficulty, as though he didn't use it much at all. He pressed at the buttons, even holding the on/off button down to power it up just as his mother had shown him, but nothing flashed across the blank screen. "Oh," he said in quiet realization. "It's dead."
"No wonder," Sho commented lamely.
It was quiet for a moment as the five men sat smiling at one another, barely containing bubbling bouts of laughter and Ohno thought once more that he'd found some really good friends.
"Well then!" Jun said, sounding more upbeat than he had in a long while. He stood and stretched his arms to the ceiling. "Who wants lunch?" A chorus of "me!' rang through the room and Jun stepped over Sho and Aiba to get to the entryway. He paused, turning back. "Who wants to help me make lunch?"
He was met with silence. "I figured as much."
"I'll help you, Matsujun," Ohno said on a whim. He stood up lazily and tripped over Aiba and Sho. "There's fish in the bucket."
"I was wondering what that smell was," Jun complained just as Nino simultaneously offered his own miserable thoughts on the subject.
"Eh~ There's always fish!"
Ohno laughed.