[multi-chap] Song of Storm - Chap. 7/?
Title: The Song of Storm - side story/sequel to You think You know Me
Pairing: OhMiya (main), Sakuraiba (side), Aimiya
Rating: PG-13 - R (not sure, might change as the story goes on) - R this time for suggestive theme... XD
Genre: AU, fluff, romance, angst (a lot!)
Summary: Nino's life was always full with ups and downs. But he desereves to be happy too, right? Who knew that'd be a stormy road to reach that...
A/N: starts before the other fic in timeline. no special need to read the other fic to understand this but feel free to do so XD yoroshiku, ne? m(-.-)m
A/N2: age-gap between Ohno and Nino is 10-years. Enough to be an excuse but not too much to make Oh-chan look like a total perv XD
Previous chapters:
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 C hapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6
Chapter 7:
“I need your help!”
“With what?” Nino asked back without tearing his eyes from the TV screen.
Aiba had a rare day-off and he stuck to Nino’s side ever since he woke up the skinny boy at an un-godly hour in the morning.
“With getting rid of him!”
“Getting rid of who?” Nino asked again monotonously.
“The chipmunk-manager!” Aiba snapped impatiently stomping over where his friend sat on the couch playing his Wii. “And would you please pay attention to me when I’m talking to you? This is serious!” he complained.
Nino finally turned his face to his friend studying him thoughtfully. Aiba stared back at him angrily.
“I don’t get why you are so desperate to get rid of him. He seems to do his job just fine” he said in the end and turned back to his game.
Sometimes he really couldn’t follow Aiba’s way of thinking. That was true that he had a bunch of stupid idiot as a manager so far but Sho seemed to be different. It was childish how much Aiba wanted him to leave…
“You don’t get it? What’s there not to get? He’s ugly, stupid, annoying and incapable to do anything right! And most of all: he should have quitted months ago like all the others did! Yet almost half a year passed and he is still here!” Aiba foamed with rage and collapsed next to Nino. “What should I do to make his quit finally? I was annoying, cold, bratty, I offended him more than any normal person can stand yet HE IS STILL HERE!”
Nino in the meanwhile continued his game peacefully while listened to Aiba’s ramblings that he barely hears him anymore.
“From where I stand it looks like pretty much that you’re attracted to him…” Nino commented eyes glues to the TV screen again.
“Don’t say disgusting things!” Aiba protested immediately but blushed.
Nino sighed and stopped his game to turn to his friend. This was a sure sign that he was serious this time. He needed to cause Aiba was too much a child, too innocent to this world. Too blind to see what’s right before him…
“Look, Aiba-chan, I wasn’t joking. Even if you don’t want to admit you have the hots for your manager and this is why you’re so bothered with the fact that you can’t actually drag him on strings like some kind of puppet, that he even dares to talk back to you instead being all ‘Yes, Aiba-san, as you wish…’” Nino said looking into Aiba’s eyes sternly; actually he started fed up with his friend’s constant whining and complaining.
Aiba looked back at him as if he slapped him on the face. He opened his mouth to retort but he didn’t find his voice for minutes.
“Since when did you become a fucking psychologist? I don’t have hots for that chipmunk-face! If you don’t want to help me just say that!” Aiba shouted and got up from the couch angrily. “Forgive me that I thought you were my best friend…” he mumbled hurt obvious in his voice and left shutting the front door of Nino’s apartment loudly.
Nino sighed and dropped his head back at the headrest. Probably he was too harsh with Aiba this time. It’s just… he lost his patience and said things without thinking. He sighed again.
‘I have to fins out something how to fix it before that baka does something extremely stupid…’ he thought.
“That’s for the whole day long Wii playing…” he murmured pouting and turned off the TV before got up to go after Aiba…
But when he arrived to Aiba’s dorm it truned out he wasn’t the only one looking for the young idol.
“Aiba-san!”
“There’s no meaning to try that…” Nino interrupted Sho who was about to knock on Aiba’s door to the nth time probably.
The manager turned around dropping his hand.
“Ninomiya-san?” Sho asked obviously surprised by the presence of Nino there.
“When he’s like that he won’t change his mind easily. And pushing him just worsens things usually. He’s pretty stubborn but I guess there’s no need to me telling this to you…” Nino said smirking at Sho; he didn’t even felt guilty that Aiba took out his anger on the manager though it was him who caused it.
“But…” Sho started looking at the door again with worry and confusion in his round eyes.
Nino watched him thoughtfully. It was obvious that Sho was worried about Aiba but it didn’t seem to be the usual ‘manager-worry’. It seemed that he actually cared for him…
“Believe me, the best thing you can do now to leave him alone. He’ll be fuming for a few hours then it’ll pass… or at least he works like this most of the time…” Nino said digging his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels.
“I see…” Sho mumbled giving in but still didn’t feel better.
Nino stared at Sho some more. Maybe…
“You’re free now, right?” Nino asked suddenly.
“Eh?... Oh, yeah, it looks like that… Since Aiba-san refuses to talk to me now…” Sho said nodding.
“Great! Come with me!” Nino said and walked to the elevator immediately, obviously not accepting ‘no’ as an answer from Sho…
Fifteen minutes later Sho and Nino was sitting in a café both of them had a cup of coffee in front of them yet none of them touched it. Neither of them talked so far. Sho was watching the other guy curiously wondering what he could want from him?
“You know how Aiba-chan got into the company?” Nino asked finally.
Sho blinked. He didn’t expect this question.
“Like everyone else. Auditioning, I guess…” the manager answered.
‘Okay, may be he’s not…’ Nino thought sarcastically rolling his eyes mentally.
“Yeah… well, no” Nino said glancing at Sho. “I know that’s what’s in the company database but actually, that’s fake…”
“Fake?” Sho interrupted not wanting to believe his ears.
Nino looked at him rather discontent weighing whether Sho’s deaf or just simply stupid? Maybe Aiba’s right about him…
“Yeah, that’s what I just said or didn’t I? Now, I guess you’d want to know the truth then, right?” Nino’s eyes lingered on the older man till that nodded hesitantly. “Aiba-chan was musically talented ever since he was a kid and it was obvious to everybody around him. From his young age all his teachers suggested to his parents to give him into adequate school so he can become something big… But he never wanted to do so, neither wanted to enter the entertainment industry obviously. But he had no choice. As he finished the elementary school his parents sold him to the company…”
“Sold him?” Sho echoed Nino’s words; not believing that there’re parents who’d do such thing.
“Yup. In exchange of a huge amount of money that was needed to save their family business they were ready to sell their very own son to a company which made an idol out him against his will” Nino tried to seem and sound to be based on facts but couldn’t completely hide the anger coloring his voice. He was sure even Sho noticed that too. “Of course they couldn’t keep it from Aiba why he was the only one among the trainees who had no connection at all with his family. And ever since he knew the truth he hates the whole world because of what his parents and this company did to him” Nino finished. “The thing that he had debuted rather fast only two years after he got into the company and that he debuted solo though most of the boys around that time and even now debut in bands, these things separated him more from the people around him and it didn’t help either… Even though he started liking his job as time passed by he keeps rebelling against everything to show he’s not forgiving…”
“Nino-chan! Neen-cha~n!”
The groggy voice and the obnoxious, disturbing knocking woke Nino from his peaceful sleep. It pissed him twice, first cause it was 2 AM, second… cause it was the first time he could actually sleep tight ever since… ever since Ohno turned him down… Four months ago… At first he wanted to ignore whoever was at the door but it didn’t work.
“Neen-cha~n!” the intruder cried and knocked some more.
Groaning Nino dragged himself out of bed to punch whoever was waking him up.
“Neen! I misseded you sooooo mush!” Aiba blurted out as soon as the door was opened and threw himself at the skinny boy.
“Wh… Masaki?... What… are you… Uwa! What’s this smell?... Did you… drink?...” Nino choked out while he tried to wriggle out of Aiba’s death-hug.
Aiba giggled and mostly unconsciously loosened his arms around Nino’s neck.
“A little… maybe…” the idol-boy giggled some more. “You should… try it too…”
“Uwa… No, thanks… I guess…” Nino shook his head disgusted. His friend really reeked! “How did you get alcohol at all?...” he asked. His sleepy-state flew out of the window officially. “Wait…! I don’t wanna know, I guess…” he mumbled frowning.
“Aww, Nino-chan… Don’t be mean…” Aiba whined stupidly. “Hey, Neen-cha…! You’re such a cuttie…” the taller boy babbled collapsing back onto Nino’s shoulder and started to plant open mouthed kisses on Nino’s neck and collarbone that peeked out the oversized T-shirt that the other boy wore.
“Wha…?” Nino gasped surprised. “Ma… saki… what… are you… doing…?”
Nino clutched his fingers into Aiba’s shirt. He was surprised, shocked but undeniably turned on by the taller man’s ministration…
“And… how does someone like you… know these things?”
Sho’s question dragged Nino out of his compromising memories. When he grasped the meaning of the words he laughed out.
“I’m the heir of the company of course I know these things” he answered taking his mug in his hand finally.
“I see…” Sho nodded. “EH? What?” he shrieked when the meaning of Nino’s words sank in.
Nino just laughed at him again, truly amused by Sho’s behavior.
“Come on, what did you think who I am?”
“Aiba-san’s best friend…” Sho muttered under his breath.
“This company is not the place where mere commoners can walk in and out just like I did. Best friends or not…” he said on scolding-pitying tone then sipped his coffee watching the manager. “Maybe Aiba-chan was right and you’re totally incapable to be someone’s manager… You didn’t even check my background…” Nino mocked smugly.
‘These stupid, spoiled brats! What did I fault to have to babysit them?’ Sho thought fuming with anger. And just to make things worse, he felt his cheeks heat up in blush.
“Anyway…” Sho took a deep breath and changed the subject in order to be able to ignore Nino’s comment. “Why did you tell me these?”
“I don’t know… Why not?” Nino asked back shrugging his shoulder. “Whatever my reason was the information is yours now, do whatever you want with it” he said then got up. “Thanks for the treat, Sakurai manager-san!” he winked at the older man and walked out the coffee leaving the bill to Sho to pay…
As Nino walked away from the café he wondered I it was a good idea to tell all these to Sho. He wanted to believe he did the right thing. Sho didn’t seem the type who’ll run to the tabloids to spill the story about Aiba for some ‘pocket-money’ but one can’t be sure…
“I’ll break your face if you hurt him, Sakurai!” Nino mumbled through his teeth.
He couldn’t help but feel overprotective when it came down to Aiba…
Nino’s thoughts were cut through by his phone.
“What is it?” he asked picking up with a sigh when he saw the name of his uncle’s assistant flashing on the screen.
“Ninomiya-san! Excuse me for bothering you but…” Tackey started earning another sigh from the boy.
“Tackey, I don’t have all day! Spill it!” Nino said impatiently.
“Okay, so juniors” manager’ meeting was rescheduled…”
“When?”
“Tomorrow. 11.30 AM…” Tackey answered immediately.
“Got it. Be there, tell uncle, Tackey!” Nino hang up before the assistant had the chance to utter another word.
“Great! Just what I needed…” Nino muttered bitterly and headed home sulkily…
“Okay, gentlemen, let’s get finished with this quickly!” Nino said sitting in the chair at the head of long meeting table, pretending he didn’t see the bored, disdainful looks the managers shot to him.
“The latest statistic says that the popularity of our juniors’ is going down. Which also had a bad affect on our three freshly debuted bands as well” one of the managers reported on a flat tone and didn’t even strain to look at Nino, his chief manager. Not that Nino wasn’t used to that…
“Okay, so we have to work on changing that” Nino summed.
The managers hummed incoherently and nodded grudgingly.
“All right. The three bands that debuted already are not out business. Let their own managers handle their reputation. Any ideas what to do with the juniors?” he asked looking sternly at each of the present managers.
Another set of murmuring wave was the only answer to his question and it started to piss Nino off. These men always did the same; too proud to cooperate with him just because he was younger. What was professional of that?
“Okay. We already claimed TV for them with the weekly Shounen Club. Matsuda, find a way to spice it up!” Nino ordered looking at the said man.
“How should I do that?” he asked back bored, not looking at Nino.
“I don’t care! Use your head! Be creative! Stole idea from another channel, program whatever! But come up with something till the next shooting cause this is what you get your payment for! But if you don’t want that, feel free to leave through that door and look for a new job…” Nino threatened without batting an eyelash. He was too fed up with these useless idiots. “And look at me when I’m talking to you!”
The man turned to look at Nino but his eyes were full of hatred for the public indignity coming from the boy.
“Kashikomarimashita, Ninomiya-san…” Matsuda sputtered the words but Nino didn’t care. All he needed was him doing what was told to him.
“All right then. For the next we should focus on other media as well… Nakamura! Our magazine should start a next section this month! Every month one of our juniors gives a 4-pages interview with pictures. Bring them closer to the fans!”
“But Ninomiya-san! The deadline for this month’s issue is the day after tomorrow!” the said man tried to protest.
“Then you have two days to do it. The first one to appear in it will be Yabu-kun” Nino ordered. “Handle the rest! Also you’ll be in charge of this new section from now on. The section title… ‘Rising stars’… that’d work…”
“I’ll do my best, Ninomiya-san…” the man side sighing.
“Good” Nino nodded shortly. “We’ll claim the radio as well. Starting a radio show where every week 5 of our juniors appears as hosts. The usual stuff, fan-letters, music, giving advices… Yamada! Find a radio station to cooperate with us!”
“It’s meaningless. None will give us a timeslot where we can do it. Afternoon slots are the busiest even if they’ll give, these juniors wouldn’t stand the competition” the manager disagreed.
“They won’t agree or rather you’re incapable to negotiate it with them?” Nino snapped at him slamming his hands on the table hard, making the managers jump in surprise.
The only one who didn’t react was Yamada. He just stared back at Nino with an unreadable expression. Silent staring contest started between the two till the manger turned away yawning.
“Fine. I’ll handle that since you’re nothing but a bunch of incapable idiots!” Nino shouted at them. “Dismissed!”
They didn’t need to be told twice. All got up and headed to the door. Some murmured offended, dissatisfied; some just shot disdainful, angry glances at Nino who remained there, staring back at them hardly. There was no way he’ll let them see him weak. Even if he was…
“Those incapable idiots!” Nino cried out kicking the table’s leg which caused the glasses on top of it fell over and shatter in pieces spilling out water.
Ohno heard the noise as he passed by the meeting room and peeked through the slightly opened door.
“Nino?” the boy’s name slipped Ohno’s lips before he could stop it.
Nino turned around with the chair immediately when he heard his name. That voice…
“Oh-chan? What are you doing here?”
“I can ask the same question…” Ohno said pushing the door open and slouching closer to the younger boy carefully. “What’s wrong?” he asked looking at the ruined table.
“Wrong? Oh, well… I have to work with a bunch of incapable idiots so full with pride and self-center that they just can’t accept that their chief-manager is a 19-year-old!” Nino shouted turning back to kick the table’s leg once more.
“Nino…” Ohno wanted to say something but obviously Nino wasn’t finished yet:
“Did I ask for it? No! Hell, no! Why would’ve I? They should go to complain to uncle if they have a problem with that! But of course they don’t do that cause THEY ARE ALL COWARDS!”
Another kick. More water splashed down to the carpeted floor.
“What did they do?” Ohno asked gently.
“What did they do?” Nino shouted jumping up from his chair. “That’s the point! They do nothing! Nothing at all! And if I give them a charge they act all offended! What’s professional in that? What did I fault to deserve this?” Nino asked bitterly. “Well, I know I’m not an angel, I did a lot of things wrong and I used to pull pranks on people but…”
“Hey, hey, stop, Kazu! You did nothing wrong. You’re doing your best all the time and bite me if you’ll loose against a ‘bunch of incapable idiots’…” Ohno grinned at the boy so charming that should be punished.
But it worked. Nino felt his heart skipping beats while a smile crept on his face too. The Ohno-effect…
Ohno’s smile grew wider as he saw the angry frown disappear from Nino’s forehead. It was all he wanted; all he could do for him…
“I have to go, juniors’ practice starts in 10…” the dance instructor said apologetically.
“That’s okay, I should go too. I have classes at the university anyway…”
Nino followed Ohno to the door where the older man turned to the left to leave and Nino was about to turn to the right.
“Hey, Oh-chan!” Nino’s voice stopped the dance instructor. “Thanks!” the younger smiled brightly at him before kissed his cheek and rushed away…
Ohno stood there blushing and grinning stupidly for minutes before remembered where he should be. He turned on his heels and headed to his dance hall quickly but as he turned the corner he bumped right into Jun.
“Oh, hey there, Jun-kun! I didn’t see you…” Ohno said grinning.
“What was that?” the stylist attacked him.
“What?” Ohno asked back blinking innocently at the taller man.
“You said it was over! You promised it!” Jun said fuming!
“Eh?” Ohno still couldn’t follow why Jun was so angry.
“You and Ninomiya!” Jun hissed into Ohno’s face.
“Oh, that!” Ohno said.
“Oh, that?”
“We were just talking. He had a bad day…” Ohno said shrugging. He won’t apologize, not for this! This was all ha could do for Nino, he’ll do it without thinking or regretting and he won’t feel bad or apologizing for it!
“You call that talking? He was kissing you!” Jun gritted his teeth, eyes burning with anger.
“On. The. Cheek! Stop it already, would you?” Ohno shouted back stomping his foot childishly but he really didn’t want to listen to this right now. “I’d appreciate if you’d stop butting in my life!”
With that Ohno pushed Jun away and stomped down the corridor.
Half an hour later he sent an apologizing text to Jun, thanking him that he’s worrying about him…
A/N: jya~n! new chapter! how was it? with Tackey's apperance, some smuttish Aimiya and Juntoshi fight... quite a lot, ne? or is it just me to think that way? >.< anyway, hope you enjoyed it! ^-^