[FIC] going home. arashi, aiba-centric. pg. angst. 4264 words.
Title: Going Home
Group: Arashi
Pairing/genre: Ohno/Sho background pairing; this is just general angst
Rating: PG
Word Count: 4264 words
Summary: Aiba doesn't know what to do when Ohno turns up on his doorstep, distraught. So he takes him home for some family companionship.
Notes: When I started to remix __sine's amazing Triptych, I had lots of false starts before I got to Distractions. This one was nearly 3000 words when I abandoned it, so I sent it to __sine and received some lovely feedback. I decided to finish it off, so here it is! Many thanks to wannatee_1984 for the quick beta :D
It's twilight over Tokyo, and Aiba is sitting on his back balcony watching the sunset. He doesn't usually spend time on his balcony, because someone always takes a photo, but after an unnaturally busy Sunday he needs to connect with something larger than the world of being an idol. There's a chill in the air, even though the spring days are lovely and warm, so he's curled on a chair under a blanket and he can feel his eyelids getting heavier as the sun sinks in the sky. "Time to sleep," he mumbles to himself, though he hasn't had dinner or prepared for tomorrow, and gives up the battle with gravity and lets his eyes close.
A few moments later, Aiba is jolted awake by his doorbell ringing insistently. The sky dark when he opens his eyes. "Shit," he mumbles as the doorbell sounds again, "shitshitshit." In his half-asleep state, he panics and thinks he's late for something, so he scrambles out from under his blanket and races to the door. It's only when he opens it to see Ohno - and not his manager - that he remembers he's done for the day. Then he furrows his brow.
"Oh-chan," he says, confused, and looks at Ohno properly. His eyes are an angry red, but the look behind them is sad, and Aiba panics again. Other people's feelings always scare him, because he never knows how to handle them. So he doesn't say anything, just opens the door wider to invite Ohno inside.
Ohno shuffles for a second, looking down at his feet, before he steps over the threshold. Aiba closes the door behind them and shuffles back into his slippers, waiting patiently for Ohno to take off his shoes and find his slippers amongst the guest pairs. It's a little bit awkward, but Aiba's pretty sure that Ohno isn't paying any attention to the silence. Aiba doesn't know what happened, but he knows that whenever he's sad and angry, his mind tends to buzz loud enough to drown out awkward silences.
Eventually, Ohno slips into his navy blue slippers and joins Aiba out of the genkan. Aiba doesn't know what to say, but Ohno speaks first anyway. "Do you have any beer?"
They're drunk before eight, yelling at variety shows on NTV and discussing the relative merits of Tegoshi Yuya. It's pretty easy to forget that anything was wrong, with Ohno giggling at silly puns on the couch next to him, but Aiba notices the stiff silence that falls as one of their group commercials plays during a break. It's a thirty second spot, but it stretches far longer, and Aiba finally asks the question he's had since Ohno arrived.
"Oh-chan, what's wrong?" Aiba doesn't think about how he sounds - he barely thinks about what he says when he's drunk - but it comes out softer than he meant it to. He'd wanted to sound casual, more of a 'what's up' tone, but instead the dread of finding out what was wrong seeps into his tone. Ohno looks over at him and whatever mirth had been there is erased. He looks as though he's about to cry, and it makes Aiba want to run away, but he can't. Not when it's Ohno.
Ohno doesn't say anything for a moment, just stares, and Aiba's about to take the question back when Ohno speaks. "I went to Sho's house after work and found him making out with Nino." Something cold grips Aiba's heart and makes him shiver. None of them have ever talked to Ohno and Sho about their relationship (Jun always threatened), so each of them formed their own imagination of it. Aiba's had been fairly stable - they were, after all, the yama to their kaze, the mother and father of their group, and that wasn't just for the fans - so he couldn't help his own feelings of betrayal.
But it's not really about him. It's about Ohno, and the tears still glistening in his eyes, right in front of him, and Aiba doesn't know what to say. He doesn't know if he should ask more questions, try to console him, or just offer him more beer. There's only one thing he knows to do in situations like these. "Get up," he says, doing so himself. "We've got two hours before the restaurant closes."
The trip isn't that long on a limited express line - which is good, because it's awkward as hell - and they arrive at Aiba's parents' restaurant before the dinner rush is even over. Aiba sneaks them in the back door, through the kitchen where he greets everyone loudly and they chorus back at him, the whole place abuzz with motion and movement and noise. The perfect distraction from the pain of heartbreak.
His brother is at the pass, shouting orders and asking for times on dishes. Aiba's heart swells with pride and he races over to Yuusuke and traps him in an enthusiastic hug before the kid can stop him. Ohno ambles over as Aiba pulls away, Yuusuke turning his shouting skills on his brother. Aiba doesn't pay him any attention, though, and grins as he slings his arm around his brother's shoulders. "Yuusuke," he says, and Yuusuke stops yelling, grudgingly, "this is Ohno-san. We work together."
"No shit," Yuusuke replies, and Aiba hits him over the back of the head. Yuusuke looks over at Ohno and nods politely. "Nice to meet you, Ohno-san. I've always liked your solo songs much better than Maa-chan's." He ducks out of the way of another slap on the head and Ohno smiles. Aiba feels a little better, seeing that smile, and misses the rest of the pleasantries as Ohno ducks his head in return.
His mother's voice cuts through the din. "Masaki, what are you doing hiding in the kitchen?" Aiba releases his brother and turns to see his mother, smiling even though her voice his scolding. "Come on, bring Satoshi into the dining room. You'll end up smelling like dishwater if you stay in there too long, and then what would the fans think?"
Aiba grins over at Ohno and gestures for him to follow his mother out into the dining room. Ohno does, and Aiba crowds him jovially as he calls to his mother, "You should really call him Ohno-kun, mom; you haven't even met him yet."
She turns and swats him over the head with a menu, then looks at Ohno. "You don't mind, do you, Satoshi?"
Aiba can't see the smile, but he hears it in Ohno's voice when he speaks. "Not at all, Aiba-kaa-san."
She grins again and pats him on the head. "Just 'kaa-san' is fine." She looks at Aiba, who is grinning as well, and gives him a smile he knows well. It fills him with warmth and courage, and he hopes it does the same for Ohno. "Now go and sit over there by your cousins. I'll bring you some food."
They weave their way through the tables, getting stopped at almost every one by people who have been coming to the restaurant for years. Aiba remembers each of them, even though he hasn't been home for any extended period of time in far too long, and in the end it takes him and Ohno ten minutes to cross the cramped dining room to the table with his cousins. It feels like a homecoming, warm and comfortable and easy, but he knows it can't be that way for Ohno. Not yet, anyway.
Aiba doesn't know what Ohno's family is like, but he knows why Ohno didn't go to them. Your own family has questions, and sometimes the last thing you want to do is give answers. Aiba only hopes that his family can give Ohno all the warmth and stability that a trip home is meant to have without asking any questions. They seem to do a good job, at least while Aiba is there: everyone prompts them to eat more and they ask Ohno about Tokyo and Kyoto and his art and fishing; everything but the other members. It's a relief, and Aiba spends the evening soaking up every smile his family gets from Ohno until the restaurant closes and they have to wash their dishes and head back home to sleep.
Ohno sleeps in Aiba's bed that night, at the insistence of Aiba and his mother, and Aiba sleeps on a futon beside the bed. He could have slept on the couch, or on the floor of Yuusuke's room, but Ohno didn't look like he wanted to be alone. Aiba understands, because he hates being alone at the best of times, let alone when there's something emotional lurking in the background, so he happily takes the futon. "I hope the weather is okay tomorrow, for the beach," he says as he fishes out some old pyjamas for Ohno to use. "It's really lovely in the spring."
Ohno takes the worn pile of cotton garments from Aiba and smiles softly. "I'll be okay," he says, which makes Aiba stop abruptly. Aiba opens his mouth to deny he had thought otherwise, but Ohno speaks before he can. "Thank you. This is perfect." Something in Aiba relaxes, just as it had when he saw Ohno first smile in the kitchen, and he just nods in response.
He sleeps better that night, knowing that he's brought Ohno to the right place.
---
The next day at the beach is fine; the weather is nice, and Aiba's mother gives them karaage and warm soy milk for their walk. They play shiritori for a while, and then 'I Spy', but they're silent when they get to the beach. Aiba doesn't notice who stops talking first, but it doesn't bother him because he's always quiet for walks on the beach. He likes to contemplate the ocean and the sand; things as big and small as those ground him. Family's great at reminding him what comfort really is, but nature tends to remind him that his problems aren't as eternal as he thinks. He hopes Ohno's thinking the same thing, as he chases a hermit crab across the wet sand with a stick.
They snack while murmuring about how everything tastes saltier on the beach, and it's only when they start trying to guess the time by the angle of the sun that Aiba realizes he's going to be late for a television show appearance. "Abe-san will kill you," Ohno says, stuffing the last piece of karaage in his mouth as they pack up as quickly as they can.
Aiba isn't late, but he isn't early, and Abe-san glares at him in a way only a manager can. He only just has time to get through wardrobe, hair and makeup before he's thrust on set to do a solo interview. He hates solo interviews, and this one isn't any easier. He knows the answers and what to say, but he ties himself up in his words and his energy levels get wonky without anyone to hit him over the head or tell him the flub will be cut from the final edit. He misses the rest of Arashi when he's on his own like this, and he barely remembers what he said when he finally gets off set and is allowed to stop for a moment.
Back in his own clothes and waiting in the hallway for Abe-san, everything starts to settle around him. He hasn't really stopped moving since the evening before, between worrying about Ohno, hoping that his family could take care of him, trying to keep the mood just right at the beach, and the shot-out-of-a-cannon television appearance. Now that he has a few moments to himself, he wonders what the rest of Arashi is doing. What happened to Sho and Nino once Ohno left? Why were they even making out in the first place? Have they tried to contact Ohno? What are their work schedules today? Does Jun even - Jun, holy crap.
Jun answers the phone after four exceedingly long rings. "Aiba-chan, what is it?" He doesn't sound angry, but not exactly pleased, either. Aiba can hear a director shouting at a lighting person in the background and remembers that Monday is shooting day for Jun's new drama. Thrown back into the reality of work, Aiba's stuck for words. He doesn't know how to explain, doesn't even know if he should, so he opens his mouth but no words come out. "Hello? Aiba-chan? Are you there?"
Aiba makes a strangled sort of noise and then nods, neither of which are helpful in a phone conversation. "Yes, I'm here. Jun, sorry to call you at work. I just... well, Leader's in Chiba with my family, okay?"
Jun's "..." is audible even over the phone."Okay," he says slowly, which is Jun-speak for 'please elaborate'.
"Something terrible happened." Which, while true, makes it sound as though there had been a death or something, so Aiba amends his statement quickly. "I mean, nothing really terrible, just... pretty bad."
Jun huffs and Aiba can tell he's not doing a good job of this. "Aiba, I don't have much longer on break, can you just spit it out or keep it to yourself?"
"Sho cheated on Ohno with Nino. Ohno found them last night and came to me, so I took him to Chiba where my family is looking after him." The words come out in a tumble, awkward and messy but true. Maybe someone else should have been the one to tell Jun; in Aiba's hands the information is hear-say, nothing he can personally attest to. But Jun knows as well as Aiba that just because the two of them aren't involved doesn't mean it won't affect them.
The silence on the other end of the phone goes on for too long, but just as Aiba opens his mouth, Jun speaks. "I'm going to kill Nino," he growls with feeling.
Aiba blinks. "Nino? Why Nino?" The question escapes his lips as he thinks it. He doesn't know what happened, really, and he hasn't thought it through, but he's pretty sure they should all be wanting to kill Sho. Sho was the one who decided to cheat, to cross that line, and unless Nino had drugged him (or maybe if there was a lot of alcohol involved; they'd all been there), Aiba can't really look over that.
"Because," Jun whispers fiercely, and Aiba can hear that he's walking quickly away from the set, "Nino's been in love with Sho for ages. And Ohno, but I guess he made his choice."
Aiba blinks again. "What?" This is news to him, and it hurts a little that he didn't know, that nobody told him. Well, he might have been able to guess the Ohno thing, but he'd always written it off as fan service, like most of Nino's bizarre displays of affection.
Aiba can practically hear Jun roll his eyes. "Please tell me you've noticed. He does so much to impress Sho, and I don't even know how to begin explaining his adoration of Ohno if you can't see it. But it doesn't really matter. Clearly, Nino has decided to fuck everything up and I am not even close to wanting to deal with this. So I think I'll kill him."
"I don't think that would help," Aiba says reasonably.
He can hear the grudging smile in Jun's subsequent exhalation. "How's Leader holding up?"
Aiba shrugs. "He seems okay. Mom will know what to do. He probably just needs some time."
Aiba thinks back to when one of his girlfriends cheated on him. It was painful, but he had understood. He was a bad boyfriend, and didn't see her enough, so he understood why she'd done it; he just ended up wishing she'd broken up with him first. The reflection doesn't help, though, because this isn't some girl from outside the industry. Sho, Ohno and Nino are together all the time, have been for years and (if this doesn't serve to break them) will continue to be so for years to come. Whether they like it or not, they're married, professionally, and they can't break up. Time in Chiba might have been all Aiba needed to forget Maiko, but Ohno has to forgive Sho and Nino, and that might take a lot more.
"Let's hope so," Jun replies, calmer now that he has gotten over his urge to murder Nino. "Look, I really do have to get back to set. But thanks for telling me. Say hi to your family for me. I know your mother will do wonders for Ohno."
---
Aiba returns to Chiba that evening after a read-through for his stage play, filling in Myojo survey questions and writing a Wink Up message board note to Yoko on the train home, and it feels like he's gone back in time to when he was living at home. Almost, except that when he calls "I'm home!" from the genkan, Ohno's voice joins Yuusuke's in calling back "welcome back!" They're both sitting in the living room, peeling mikans in front of the television, and Aiba takes one from the bowl and sits down beside Ohno silently.
The evening slides away from them in comfortable near-silence, and Aiba forgets that Ohno is working through some serious heartbreak. It comes back to him in a rush at the end of the night when, as they're getting ready for bed, Aiba realizes that Ohno's phone has been on his desk, powered off, for the entire day. Ohno turns it on and it starts buzzing furiously; Aiba can't help but count the sounds in the silence of the room as he's changing into his pyjamas, and it comes close to fifty before Ohno has finished clicking around and powers the phone off again.
When they're settled in their respective beds, lights off and huddled under blankets, Aiba can't help but speak. There's something in the dark silence that makes it easier to talk, and he hopes Ohno feels the same way. "Can I ask -?" he begins, but cuts himself off before he says any more. He doesn't want to undo anything that being here has done for Ohno, not with careless words, even if they do feel more comfortable under the cover of darkness, so he doesn't say anything more, just leaves the half-questions hanging in the air.
Ohno rustles, and Aiba can see the silhouette of his cocooned body against the moonlight struggling through his bedroom curtains. "Don't worry," Ohno says quietly, mumbling into Aiba's pillow. "You take care of Aiba-chan, and I'll take care of Ohno-chan. Everything will be fine in a little while." It seems wrong, that Ohno is there to reassure Aiba, and Aiba opens his mouth to say something else. Ohno cuts him off this time. "You're doing fine." he says, and shuffles to lie on his other side, facing away from Aiba.
---
Aiba tries to put it out of his mind. On the one hand, he doesn't want to forget that Ohno is processing some emotional turmoil, but on the other hand, Ohno made it clear that he didn't want Aiba to fuss over him. Which is easy the next day, as Aiba has a full day of preparation for his stage play - costume fitting in the morning, a read-through with the full cast, and a promotional photo-shoots - and he returns to Chiba on the last train home. When he gets there, his parents have gone to bed, but Yuusuke is sitting at the kitchen bench reading through their father's worn recipe book, expertly cutting slices out of an apple and eating them off the knife without even looking.
Aiba shuffles into the kitchen and steals the apple out of Yuusuke's hand, taking a rough bite out of the side. Yuusuke brandishes the knife at him, but Aiba just grins and puts the apple back in his brother's hand. "How was your day?" he asks as he chews, sitting down in the stool next to Yuusuke.
Yuusuke shrugs. "I took Ohno-san to the beach. We collected dried cuttlefish for Mrs Kuragawa's parakeet and did a bit of pier fishing. When we got back, there were spring rolls and kungpao chicken waiting." Aiba tries not to grin too much when he notices his brother's highlights are food-related, and nods. "And you?"
"Busy. You know how a stage play is - busy and nerve-wracking every day until performance time." Aiba casts his mind back to the first time he'd been cast a significant role in a stage play; he'd been a wreck, and had taken most of it out on Yuusuke. He'd apologized, of course, but he's sure that Yuusuke will never forget it; he changes the subject quickly. "How did Oh-chan seem?"
Yuusuke shrugs again. "He's Ohno-san, you know? Quiet. I couldn't tell what he was thinking... if he was even thinking. But he seemed okay." Aiba nods, thankful for the update, and steals the apple from Yuusuke's hand again. He gives it up willingly and puts his knife down, speaking just as Aiba takes a bite. "What happened?"
Aiba shakes his head as he chews on his mouthful of apple. "I really shouldn't tell -"
"Come on, Masaki," Yuusuke admonishes. "I'm your brother."
Aiba eyes his brother, and he knows he shouldn't feel so conflicted. He and Yuusuke have never been close, but he knows he can trust Yuusuke with anything. But this isn't his to talk about. He had only told his mother that Ohno had been hurt by someone he loved, and even that felt like speaking out of turn. Yuusuke obviously knows something is wrong, but Aiba can't tell him the whole story.
"Betrayal," Aiba says instead, putting the apple down on the counter and shifting off of the stool to retrieve his things from the front door.
Yuusuke follows him, abandoning the apple. "Who?" he asks insistently, and Aiba rounds on him, trying to look angry and defiant but all he can think about is the swirl of emotions he had felt when Ohno first told him what had happened. Yuusuke stops in his tracks, and Aiba can tell that his brother sees right through him. "One of the others?" he says vaguely, and Aiba knows he doesn't have to nod to tell him he's right.
"Don't say anything," Aiba says, slouching his bag over his shoulder and heading to his room.
---
On the third day, they wake up early and Aiba borrows Yuusuke's car to drive them out to the beach. It's too early in the season for swimming, though, so he takes Ohno to his favorite seaside restaurant for an early lunch overlooking the water. He has to be back in the city later in the afternoon, but he wants to show Ohno at least one of his favorite places, since the rest of his family will be working at their own restaurant during the day.
The drive is quiet, and they're listening to Aiba's "happy" playlist (from which Aiba carefully deleted any Arashi songs before they left) through the car radio with the windows rolled down. Ohno stares out of the window for the most part, not saying anything when Aiba sings along spiritedly. Aiba worries about the silence, but when they get to the restaurant, Ohno is the one who starts a conversation.
"How is work?" Ohno says after their food has arrived. Aiba has just tucked into his bowl of rice and has to wash his mouthful down with some tea before he can speak. He didn't expect a question about work, but he hopes this means that Ohno is almost ready to come back; it's almost time for filming, after all.
Aiba doesn't know exactly what to say, so he shrugs. "Busy. Stage plays, you know how it is."
Ohno nods, and takes a sip of tea, and then speaks again. "Have you seen the others? Or is it just stage play work?"
Aiba almost wishes he had seen one of the other members, because he's sure a conversation like this would be good for Ohno, but he can't lie. "No, I haven't seen anyone. I called Matsujun, though." He tries to keep his tone light, but he knows that Ohno can see through him just as well as Yuusuke.
"Oh?" Ohno enquires lightly, but Aiba knows the sound is ringing just as loudly in Ohno's head as in his own.
"I just called to tell him that you were staying in Chiba. He was in the middle of filming, though. He's so busy with that drama. But I guess we're all busy these days." Aiba knows he's rambling, but he can't help himself. He doesn't want to bring up the topic head-on, even if Ohno's hinting at it.
But Ohno's had enough, too, and he nods before looking away from Aiba. "I guess so."
---
That night, Aiba returns home to his mother and father sitting in the living room, laughing over some sheets of paper Aiba quickly notices are Ohno's drawings. He joins them and picks up one of Yuusuke in the restaurant kitchen in an oversized chef's hat, grinning to himself. "Where's the artist?" he inquires, and his parents' laughter fades.
His mother smiles and reaches over to fuss with his hair. "Satoshi went home tonight." Aiba panics a little that he's run away, but his mother presses her hand to his cheek. "Don't worry, he's ready."
Aiba smiles and puts his hand over his mother's. "Thank you."
Group: Arashi
Pairing/genre: Ohno/Sho background pairing; this is just general angst
Rating: PG
Word Count: 4264 words
Summary: Aiba doesn't know what to do when Ohno turns up on his doorstep, distraught. So he takes him home for some family companionship.
Notes: When I started to remix __sine's amazing Triptych, I had lots of false starts before I got to Distractions. This one was nearly 3000 words when I abandoned it, so I sent it to __sine and received some lovely feedback. I decided to finish it off, so here it is! Many thanks to wannatee_1984 for the quick beta :D
It's twilight over Tokyo, and Aiba is sitting on his back balcony watching the sunset. He doesn't usually spend time on his balcony, because someone always takes a photo, but after an unnaturally busy Sunday he needs to connect with something larger than the world of being an idol. There's a chill in the air, even though the spring days are lovely and warm, so he's curled on a chair under a blanket and he can feel his eyelids getting heavier as the sun sinks in the sky. "Time to sleep," he mumbles to himself, though he hasn't had dinner or prepared for tomorrow, and gives up the battle with gravity and lets his eyes close.
A few moments later, Aiba is jolted awake by his doorbell ringing insistently. The sky dark when he opens his eyes. "Shit," he mumbles as the doorbell sounds again, "shitshitshit." In his half-asleep state, he panics and thinks he's late for something, so he scrambles out from under his blanket and races to the door. It's only when he opens it to see Ohno - and not his manager - that he remembers he's done for the day. Then he furrows his brow.
"Oh-chan," he says, confused, and looks at Ohno properly. His eyes are an angry red, but the look behind them is sad, and Aiba panics again. Other people's feelings always scare him, because he never knows how to handle them. So he doesn't say anything, just opens the door wider to invite Ohno inside.
Ohno shuffles for a second, looking down at his feet, before he steps over the threshold. Aiba closes the door behind them and shuffles back into his slippers, waiting patiently for Ohno to take off his shoes and find his slippers amongst the guest pairs. It's a little bit awkward, but Aiba's pretty sure that Ohno isn't paying any attention to the silence. Aiba doesn't know what happened, but he knows that whenever he's sad and angry, his mind tends to buzz loud enough to drown out awkward silences.
Eventually, Ohno slips into his navy blue slippers and joins Aiba out of the genkan. Aiba doesn't know what to say, but Ohno speaks first anyway. "Do you have any beer?"
They're drunk before eight, yelling at variety shows on NTV and discussing the relative merits of Tegoshi Yuya. It's pretty easy to forget that anything was wrong, with Ohno giggling at silly puns on the couch next to him, but Aiba notices the stiff silence that falls as one of their group commercials plays during a break. It's a thirty second spot, but it stretches far longer, and Aiba finally asks the question he's had since Ohno arrived.
"Oh-chan, what's wrong?" Aiba doesn't think about how he sounds - he barely thinks about what he says when he's drunk - but it comes out softer than he meant it to. He'd wanted to sound casual, more of a 'what's up' tone, but instead the dread of finding out what was wrong seeps into his tone. Ohno looks over at him and whatever mirth had been there is erased. He looks as though he's about to cry, and it makes Aiba want to run away, but he can't. Not when it's Ohno.
Ohno doesn't say anything for a moment, just stares, and Aiba's about to take the question back when Ohno speaks. "I went to Sho's house after work and found him making out with Nino." Something cold grips Aiba's heart and makes him shiver. None of them have ever talked to Ohno and Sho about their relationship (Jun always threatened), so each of them formed their own imagination of it. Aiba's had been fairly stable - they were, after all, the yama to their kaze, the mother and father of their group, and that wasn't just for the fans - so he couldn't help his own feelings of betrayal.
But it's not really about him. It's about Ohno, and the tears still glistening in his eyes, right in front of him, and Aiba doesn't know what to say. He doesn't know if he should ask more questions, try to console him, or just offer him more beer. There's only one thing he knows to do in situations like these. "Get up," he says, doing so himself. "We've got two hours before the restaurant closes."
The trip isn't that long on a limited express line - which is good, because it's awkward as hell - and they arrive at Aiba's parents' restaurant before the dinner rush is even over. Aiba sneaks them in the back door, through the kitchen where he greets everyone loudly and they chorus back at him, the whole place abuzz with motion and movement and noise. The perfect distraction from the pain of heartbreak.
His brother is at the pass, shouting orders and asking for times on dishes. Aiba's heart swells with pride and he races over to Yuusuke and traps him in an enthusiastic hug before the kid can stop him. Ohno ambles over as Aiba pulls away, Yuusuke turning his shouting skills on his brother. Aiba doesn't pay him any attention, though, and grins as he slings his arm around his brother's shoulders. "Yuusuke," he says, and Yuusuke stops yelling, grudgingly, "this is Ohno-san. We work together."
"No shit," Yuusuke replies, and Aiba hits him over the back of the head. Yuusuke looks over at Ohno and nods politely. "Nice to meet you, Ohno-san. I've always liked your solo songs much better than Maa-chan's." He ducks out of the way of another slap on the head and Ohno smiles. Aiba feels a little better, seeing that smile, and misses the rest of the pleasantries as Ohno ducks his head in return.
His mother's voice cuts through the din. "Masaki, what are you doing hiding in the kitchen?" Aiba releases his brother and turns to see his mother, smiling even though her voice his scolding. "Come on, bring Satoshi into the dining room. You'll end up smelling like dishwater if you stay in there too long, and then what would the fans think?"
Aiba grins over at Ohno and gestures for him to follow his mother out into the dining room. Ohno does, and Aiba crowds him jovially as he calls to his mother, "You should really call him Ohno-kun, mom; you haven't even met him yet."
She turns and swats him over the head with a menu, then looks at Ohno. "You don't mind, do you, Satoshi?"
Aiba can't see the smile, but he hears it in Ohno's voice when he speaks. "Not at all, Aiba-kaa-san."
She grins again and pats him on the head. "Just 'kaa-san' is fine." She looks at Aiba, who is grinning as well, and gives him a smile he knows well. It fills him with warmth and courage, and he hopes it does the same for Ohno. "Now go and sit over there by your cousins. I'll bring you some food."
They weave their way through the tables, getting stopped at almost every one by people who have been coming to the restaurant for years. Aiba remembers each of them, even though he hasn't been home for any extended period of time in far too long, and in the end it takes him and Ohno ten minutes to cross the cramped dining room to the table with his cousins. It feels like a homecoming, warm and comfortable and easy, but he knows it can't be that way for Ohno. Not yet, anyway.
Aiba doesn't know what Ohno's family is like, but he knows why Ohno didn't go to them. Your own family has questions, and sometimes the last thing you want to do is give answers. Aiba only hopes that his family can give Ohno all the warmth and stability that a trip home is meant to have without asking any questions. They seem to do a good job, at least while Aiba is there: everyone prompts them to eat more and they ask Ohno about Tokyo and Kyoto and his art and fishing; everything but the other members. It's a relief, and Aiba spends the evening soaking up every smile his family gets from Ohno until the restaurant closes and they have to wash their dishes and head back home to sleep.
Ohno sleeps in Aiba's bed that night, at the insistence of Aiba and his mother, and Aiba sleeps on a futon beside the bed. He could have slept on the couch, or on the floor of Yuusuke's room, but Ohno didn't look like he wanted to be alone. Aiba understands, because he hates being alone at the best of times, let alone when there's something emotional lurking in the background, so he happily takes the futon. "I hope the weather is okay tomorrow, for the beach," he says as he fishes out some old pyjamas for Ohno to use. "It's really lovely in the spring."
Ohno takes the worn pile of cotton garments from Aiba and smiles softly. "I'll be okay," he says, which makes Aiba stop abruptly. Aiba opens his mouth to deny he had thought otherwise, but Ohno speaks before he can. "Thank you. This is perfect." Something in Aiba relaxes, just as it had when he saw Ohno first smile in the kitchen, and he just nods in response.
He sleeps better that night, knowing that he's brought Ohno to the right place.
---
The next day at the beach is fine; the weather is nice, and Aiba's mother gives them karaage and warm soy milk for their walk. They play shiritori for a while, and then 'I Spy', but they're silent when they get to the beach. Aiba doesn't notice who stops talking first, but it doesn't bother him because he's always quiet for walks on the beach. He likes to contemplate the ocean and the sand; things as big and small as those ground him. Family's great at reminding him what comfort really is, but nature tends to remind him that his problems aren't as eternal as he thinks. He hopes Ohno's thinking the same thing, as he chases a hermit crab across the wet sand with a stick.
They snack while murmuring about how everything tastes saltier on the beach, and it's only when they start trying to guess the time by the angle of the sun that Aiba realizes he's going to be late for a television show appearance. "Abe-san will kill you," Ohno says, stuffing the last piece of karaage in his mouth as they pack up as quickly as they can.
Aiba isn't late, but he isn't early, and Abe-san glares at him in a way only a manager can. He only just has time to get through wardrobe, hair and makeup before he's thrust on set to do a solo interview. He hates solo interviews, and this one isn't any easier. He knows the answers and what to say, but he ties himself up in his words and his energy levels get wonky without anyone to hit him over the head or tell him the flub will be cut from the final edit. He misses the rest of Arashi when he's on his own like this, and he barely remembers what he said when he finally gets off set and is allowed to stop for a moment.
Back in his own clothes and waiting in the hallway for Abe-san, everything starts to settle around him. He hasn't really stopped moving since the evening before, between worrying about Ohno, hoping that his family could take care of him, trying to keep the mood just right at the beach, and the shot-out-of-a-cannon television appearance. Now that he has a few moments to himself, he wonders what the rest of Arashi is doing. What happened to Sho and Nino once Ohno left? Why were they even making out in the first place? Have they tried to contact Ohno? What are their work schedules today? Does Jun even - Jun, holy crap.
Jun answers the phone after four exceedingly long rings. "Aiba-chan, what is it?" He doesn't sound angry, but not exactly pleased, either. Aiba can hear a director shouting at a lighting person in the background and remembers that Monday is shooting day for Jun's new drama. Thrown back into the reality of work, Aiba's stuck for words. He doesn't know how to explain, doesn't even know if he should, so he opens his mouth but no words come out. "Hello? Aiba-chan? Are you there?"
Aiba makes a strangled sort of noise and then nods, neither of which are helpful in a phone conversation. "Yes, I'm here. Jun, sorry to call you at work. I just... well, Leader's in Chiba with my family, okay?"
Jun's "..." is audible even over the phone."Okay," he says slowly, which is Jun-speak for 'please elaborate'.
"Something terrible happened." Which, while true, makes it sound as though there had been a death or something, so Aiba amends his statement quickly. "I mean, nothing really terrible, just... pretty bad."
Jun huffs and Aiba can tell he's not doing a good job of this. "Aiba, I don't have much longer on break, can you just spit it out or keep it to yourself?"
"Sho cheated on Ohno with Nino. Ohno found them last night and came to me, so I took him to Chiba where my family is looking after him." The words come out in a tumble, awkward and messy but true. Maybe someone else should have been the one to tell Jun; in Aiba's hands the information is hear-say, nothing he can personally attest to. But Jun knows as well as Aiba that just because the two of them aren't involved doesn't mean it won't affect them.
The silence on the other end of the phone goes on for too long, but just as Aiba opens his mouth, Jun speaks. "I'm going to kill Nino," he growls with feeling.
Aiba blinks. "Nino? Why Nino?" The question escapes his lips as he thinks it. He doesn't know what happened, really, and he hasn't thought it through, but he's pretty sure they should all be wanting to kill Sho. Sho was the one who decided to cheat, to cross that line, and unless Nino had drugged him (or maybe if there was a lot of alcohol involved; they'd all been there), Aiba can't really look over that.
"Because," Jun whispers fiercely, and Aiba can hear that he's walking quickly away from the set, "Nino's been in love with Sho for ages. And Ohno, but I guess he made his choice."
Aiba blinks again. "What?" This is news to him, and it hurts a little that he didn't know, that nobody told him. Well, he might have been able to guess the Ohno thing, but he'd always written it off as fan service, like most of Nino's bizarre displays of affection.
Aiba can practically hear Jun roll his eyes. "Please tell me you've noticed. He does so much to impress Sho, and I don't even know how to begin explaining his adoration of Ohno if you can't see it. But it doesn't really matter. Clearly, Nino has decided to fuck everything up and I am not even close to wanting to deal with this. So I think I'll kill him."
"I don't think that would help," Aiba says reasonably.
He can hear the grudging smile in Jun's subsequent exhalation. "How's Leader holding up?"
Aiba shrugs. "He seems okay. Mom will know what to do. He probably just needs some time."
Aiba thinks back to when one of his girlfriends cheated on him. It was painful, but he had understood. He was a bad boyfriend, and didn't see her enough, so he understood why she'd done it; he just ended up wishing she'd broken up with him first. The reflection doesn't help, though, because this isn't some girl from outside the industry. Sho, Ohno and Nino are together all the time, have been for years and (if this doesn't serve to break them) will continue to be so for years to come. Whether they like it or not, they're married, professionally, and they can't break up. Time in Chiba might have been all Aiba needed to forget Maiko, but Ohno has to forgive Sho and Nino, and that might take a lot more.
"Let's hope so," Jun replies, calmer now that he has gotten over his urge to murder Nino. "Look, I really do have to get back to set. But thanks for telling me. Say hi to your family for me. I know your mother will do wonders for Ohno."
---
Aiba returns to Chiba that evening after a read-through for his stage play, filling in Myojo survey questions and writing a Wink Up message board note to Yoko on the train home, and it feels like he's gone back in time to when he was living at home. Almost, except that when he calls "I'm home!" from the genkan, Ohno's voice joins Yuusuke's in calling back "welcome back!" They're both sitting in the living room, peeling mikans in front of the television, and Aiba takes one from the bowl and sits down beside Ohno silently.
The evening slides away from them in comfortable near-silence, and Aiba forgets that Ohno is working through some serious heartbreak. It comes back to him in a rush at the end of the night when, as they're getting ready for bed, Aiba realizes that Ohno's phone has been on his desk, powered off, for the entire day. Ohno turns it on and it starts buzzing furiously; Aiba can't help but count the sounds in the silence of the room as he's changing into his pyjamas, and it comes close to fifty before Ohno has finished clicking around and powers the phone off again.
When they're settled in their respective beds, lights off and huddled under blankets, Aiba can't help but speak. There's something in the dark silence that makes it easier to talk, and he hopes Ohno feels the same way. "Can I ask -?" he begins, but cuts himself off before he says any more. He doesn't want to undo anything that being here has done for Ohno, not with careless words, even if they do feel more comfortable under the cover of darkness, so he doesn't say anything more, just leaves the half-questions hanging in the air.
Ohno rustles, and Aiba can see the silhouette of his cocooned body against the moonlight struggling through his bedroom curtains. "Don't worry," Ohno says quietly, mumbling into Aiba's pillow. "You take care of Aiba-chan, and I'll take care of Ohno-chan. Everything will be fine in a little while." It seems wrong, that Ohno is there to reassure Aiba, and Aiba opens his mouth to say something else. Ohno cuts him off this time. "You're doing fine." he says, and shuffles to lie on his other side, facing away from Aiba.
---
Aiba tries to put it out of his mind. On the one hand, he doesn't want to forget that Ohno is processing some emotional turmoil, but on the other hand, Ohno made it clear that he didn't want Aiba to fuss over him. Which is easy the next day, as Aiba has a full day of preparation for his stage play - costume fitting in the morning, a read-through with the full cast, and a promotional photo-shoots - and he returns to Chiba on the last train home. When he gets there, his parents have gone to bed, but Yuusuke is sitting at the kitchen bench reading through their father's worn recipe book, expertly cutting slices out of an apple and eating them off the knife without even looking.
Aiba shuffles into the kitchen and steals the apple out of Yuusuke's hand, taking a rough bite out of the side. Yuusuke brandishes the knife at him, but Aiba just grins and puts the apple back in his brother's hand. "How was your day?" he asks as he chews, sitting down in the stool next to Yuusuke.
Yuusuke shrugs. "I took Ohno-san to the beach. We collected dried cuttlefish for Mrs Kuragawa's parakeet and did a bit of pier fishing. When we got back, there were spring rolls and kungpao chicken waiting." Aiba tries not to grin too much when he notices his brother's highlights are food-related, and nods. "And you?"
"Busy. You know how a stage play is - busy and nerve-wracking every day until performance time." Aiba casts his mind back to the first time he'd been cast a significant role in a stage play; he'd been a wreck, and had taken most of it out on Yuusuke. He'd apologized, of course, but he's sure that Yuusuke will never forget it; he changes the subject quickly. "How did Oh-chan seem?"
Yuusuke shrugs again. "He's Ohno-san, you know? Quiet. I couldn't tell what he was thinking... if he was even thinking. But he seemed okay." Aiba nods, thankful for the update, and steals the apple from Yuusuke's hand again. He gives it up willingly and puts his knife down, speaking just as Aiba takes a bite. "What happened?"
Aiba shakes his head as he chews on his mouthful of apple. "I really shouldn't tell -"
"Come on, Masaki," Yuusuke admonishes. "I'm your brother."
Aiba eyes his brother, and he knows he shouldn't feel so conflicted. He and Yuusuke have never been close, but he knows he can trust Yuusuke with anything. But this isn't his to talk about. He had only told his mother that Ohno had been hurt by someone he loved, and even that felt like speaking out of turn. Yuusuke obviously knows something is wrong, but Aiba can't tell him the whole story.
"Betrayal," Aiba says instead, putting the apple down on the counter and shifting off of the stool to retrieve his things from the front door.
Yuusuke follows him, abandoning the apple. "Who?" he asks insistently, and Aiba rounds on him, trying to look angry and defiant but all he can think about is the swirl of emotions he had felt when Ohno first told him what had happened. Yuusuke stops in his tracks, and Aiba can tell that his brother sees right through him. "One of the others?" he says vaguely, and Aiba knows he doesn't have to nod to tell him he's right.
"Don't say anything," Aiba says, slouching his bag over his shoulder and heading to his room.
---
On the third day, they wake up early and Aiba borrows Yuusuke's car to drive them out to the beach. It's too early in the season for swimming, though, so he takes Ohno to his favorite seaside restaurant for an early lunch overlooking the water. He has to be back in the city later in the afternoon, but he wants to show Ohno at least one of his favorite places, since the rest of his family will be working at their own restaurant during the day.
The drive is quiet, and they're listening to Aiba's "happy" playlist (from which Aiba carefully deleted any Arashi songs before they left) through the car radio with the windows rolled down. Ohno stares out of the window for the most part, not saying anything when Aiba sings along spiritedly. Aiba worries about the silence, but when they get to the restaurant, Ohno is the one who starts a conversation.
"How is work?" Ohno says after their food has arrived. Aiba has just tucked into his bowl of rice and has to wash his mouthful down with some tea before he can speak. He didn't expect a question about work, but he hopes this means that Ohno is almost ready to come back; it's almost time for filming, after all.
Aiba doesn't know exactly what to say, so he shrugs. "Busy. Stage plays, you know how it is."
Ohno nods, and takes a sip of tea, and then speaks again. "Have you seen the others? Or is it just stage play work?"
Aiba almost wishes he had seen one of the other members, because he's sure a conversation like this would be good for Ohno, but he can't lie. "No, I haven't seen anyone. I called Matsujun, though." He tries to keep his tone light, but he knows that Ohno can see through him just as well as Yuusuke.
"Oh?" Ohno enquires lightly, but Aiba knows the sound is ringing just as loudly in Ohno's head as in his own.
"I just called to tell him that you were staying in Chiba. He was in the middle of filming, though. He's so busy with that drama. But I guess we're all busy these days." Aiba knows he's rambling, but he can't help himself. He doesn't want to bring up the topic head-on, even if Ohno's hinting at it.
But Ohno's had enough, too, and he nods before looking away from Aiba. "I guess so."
---
That night, Aiba returns home to his mother and father sitting in the living room, laughing over some sheets of paper Aiba quickly notices are Ohno's drawings. He joins them and picks up one of Yuusuke in the restaurant kitchen in an oversized chef's hat, grinning to himself. "Where's the artist?" he inquires, and his parents' laughter fades.
His mother smiles and reaches over to fuss with his hair. "Satoshi went home tonight." Aiba panics a little that he's run away, but his mother presses her hand to his cheek. "Don't worry, he's ready."
Aiba smiles and puts his hand over his mother's. "Thank you."