NANO DAY OMG I KIND OF GAVE UP
So I kind of failed. XD Well, I'm not entirely surprised. My objective seemed easy but I also really suck at this whole writing regularly thing. XD Oh well. Still kind of proud of myself for reaching the 5k mark. :D!
Here's a bunch of words written over the past couple weeks!
Day Whatever
Writer Nino is still stuck on the island - Fic snippet
As it turns out, Aiba didn’t lie about either the Chinese food or the all you can eat. Aiba’s mother is apparently so excited at having a new mouth to feed that she starts bringing plate after plate of warm and delicious food to their table, which Nino is grateful for because by the time they reach the restaurant he realises he is starving.
“Which one is it then?” Aiba asks between two mouthfuls. “Music? I could totally see you as the tortured folksy type.”
The corner of his eyes are crinkled in amusement, eyes sparkling with mischief. Nino reaches over the table to hit him over the head, even if only to hear that giggle again. This is still so far from home, so different, yet he can’t help but think he accidentally stumbled upon the one thing on this island that makes him want to pause his brooding and self-pity for a moment to just enjoy.
“Am I right? I am right, aren’t I?” Aiba says excitedly. “Will you play something for me?”
Nino grins. “Wong answer,” he says, making an X with his arms. Then he laughs at the face Aiba makes. “I’m a writer,” he says, reaching for his iced tea. “Novelist.”
“Ooh, cool!” Aiba says, then, “Wait! Mom, what’s the name of that writer you really like?” he calls, and Nino feels his whole body tense up.
“Nakamura Kenichi-san,” Aiba’s mother replies from the kitchen, and both Nino and Aiba burst out laughing.
“Guess not.”
*
Chapter 28
The Hidden Key
Though he had managed to conceal his true intentions thus far, Satoshi could not
Nino stares at the cursor on his screen, blinking and blinking and never missing a beat. Two and a half hours of sitting here and those pathetic few words are all he has to show for it. This is truly getting frustrating.
That guy did it. The End, he types vindictively, then shuts off his laptop. It’s pointless.
Downstairs, Uesugi-san greets him with a smile and immediately sets up to make him coffee.
“Sakurai-san called,” she says.
“Did he?” Nino says, taking a seat at one of the tables. A quick check reveals that Sho hasn’t called him.
“He said he hasn’t heard from you in a few days. I told him you’re coming out of your shell,” she says, depositing a small cup of coffee in a little saucer in front of him. Her face is kind, but her smile is a little too amused.
“I made a friend with a PS3 and an Xbox,” Nino sends to Sho in a text message.
Sho’s response is almost instantaneous. “Look at you making friends already, I’m so proud of you!”
Nino replies with a picture of himself making a rude gesture. He loves Sho, really, but he’s also not quite over hating him.
*
Days go by and Nino eases into his new routine. He wakes up, stares at the ceiling for about an hour, then goes downstairs for coffee without bothering to turn on his laptop. After breakfast, he goes out, takes the truck up to the North shore or walks into the city. It’s not much more than a village, really, but people here are so proud that he doesn’t dare break their illusions.
Sometimes he meets with Aiba. They plays games together or take Mochi out to play. Aiba tells him about life on the island, about some people who came and went, about some of the people who stayed. Nino mostly listens, nodding and laughing in all the right places and taking mental notes for future characters that he’s never actually going to use. This is not his scene, those are not his stories.
Sho calls Uesugi-san on a daily basis, but he only texts Nino every two or three days. Nino wonders if that’s Sho’s attempt at giving him space, but he thinks it’s kind of silly. He’s got a whole island and an ocean of space now, and he mostly definitely doesn’t more. So he starts sending random updates.
12 words.
18.
42.
Scratch that, 31. That whole sentence didn’t make sense.
Nothing.
Sho always responds, because he can’t help it. Undying support and long-suffering encouragement, patient pressure, patient patience and just the right amount that won’t stand for Nino’s bullshit. That’s why Nino chose him as his agent. And Nino will never admit that Sho is one of the main reasons why he keeps trying.
*
His third week on the island, Nino meets Jun.
It’s late and Nino is just coming in after a day out with Aiba. They took Mochi out - the typical excuse - and ended up drinking on the beach long after sunset, walking back to Aiba’s bike with their arms around each other like life-long buddies. Nino’s not drunk, but there’s definitely a slight sway in his step. A happy stagger.
And then he sees him, dark and shiny and everything that this island is not, and his mere presence sends a pang of homesickness straight to Nino’s heart.
Their eyes meet, and Nino swallows. This one, he could write pages about. A whole series maybe. The manicured nails. The confident line of his shoulders. The impatient jut of his hips. The eyebrows. The hair.
“Ninomiya-kun,” Uesugi-san waves him over, forcing Nino out of his daze cheerfully. “Please come and meet my grandson,” she says.
Nino’s image shatters into confused pieces that he leaves behind as he politely - curiously - steps into the foyer.
“Jun, this is the boy I was telling you about,” Uesugi-san is saying in a quiet voice, her eyes smiling warmly as Nino approaches. “Ninomiya-kun, please let me introduce you to my grandson.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Matsumoto Jun,” Jun says, extending a hand like any good city boy would.
“Ninomiya Kazunari,” Nino responds with a slight bow before shaking Jun’s hand.
“Jun-kun is visiting from Tokyo,” Uesugi-san explains. “He moved out there for work, but he visits us whenever he can. He grew up here, you know. He and Aiba-kun went to school together.”
Nino’s eyes widen.
“Grandma says you’re from Tokyo?” Jun says, and Nino nods. There’s an amused spark in Jun’s eyes that seems to tell that he understands how Nino isn’t here by choice. “Well, this isn’t a bad place to be.”
“If you like this sort of thing,” Nino replies, and the corner of Jun’s lips quirk up.
“Let’s go out for coffee tomorrow,” Jun says easily. “If you have time,” he adds, his tone implying that he knows how Nino’s schedule has been filled with nothing but free time since he first arrived on this island.
Back in his room, Nino flips open his laptop and writes 6,500 words.
Here's a bunch of words written over the past couple weeks!
Day Whatever
Writer Nino is still stuck on the island - Fic snippet
As it turns out, Aiba didn’t lie about either the Chinese food or the all you can eat. Aiba’s mother is apparently so excited at having a new mouth to feed that she starts bringing plate after plate of warm and delicious food to their table, which Nino is grateful for because by the time they reach the restaurant he realises he is starving.
“Which one is it then?” Aiba asks between two mouthfuls. “Music? I could totally see you as the tortured folksy type.”
The corner of his eyes are crinkled in amusement, eyes sparkling with mischief. Nino reaches over the table to hit him over the head, even if only to hear that giggle again. This is still so far from home, so different, yet he can’t help but think he accidentally stumbled upon the one thing on this island that makes him want to pause his brooding and self-pity for a moment to just enjoy.
“Am I right? I am right, aren’t I?” Aiba says excitedly. “Will you play something for me?”
Nino grins. “Wong answer,” he says, making an X with his arms. Then he laughs at the face Aiba makes. “I’m a writer,” he says, reaching for his iced tea. “Novelist.”
“Ooh, cool!” Aiba says, then, “Wait! Mom, what’s the name of that writer you really like?” he calls, and Nino feels his whole body tense up.
“Nakamura Kenichi-san,” Aiba’s mother replies from the kitchen, and both Nino and Aiba burst out laughing.
“Guess not.”
*
Chapter 28
The Hidden Key
Though he had managed to conceal his true intentions thus far, Satoshi could not
Nino stares at the cursor on his screen, blinking and blinking and never missing a beat. Two and a half hours of sitting here and those pathetic few words are all he has to show for it. This is truly getting frustrating.
That guy did it. The End, he types vindictively, then shuts off his laptop. It’s pointless.
Downstairs, Uesugi-san greets him with a smile and immediately sets up to make him coffee.
“Sakurai-san called,” she says.
“Did he?” Nino says, taking a seat at one of the tables. A quick check reveals that Sho hasn’t called him.
“He said he hasn’t heard from you in a few days. I told him you’re coming out of your shell,” she says, depositing a small cup of coffee in a little saucer in front of him. Her face is kind, but her smile is a little too amused.
“I made a friend with a PS3 and an Xbox,” Nino sends to Sho in a text message.
Sho’s response is almost instantaneous. “Look at you making friends already, I’m so proud of you!”
Nino replies with a picture of himself making a rude gesture. He loves Sho, really, but he’s also not quite over hating him.
*
Days go by and Nino eases into his new routine. He wakes up, stares at the ceiling for about an hour, then goes downstairs for coffee without bothering to turn on his laptop. After breakfast, he goes out, takes the truck up to the North shore or walks into the city. It’s not much more than a village, really, but people here are so proud that he doesn’t dare break their illusions.
Sometimes he meets with Aiba. They plays games together or take Mochi out to play. Aiba tells him about life on the island, about some people who came and went, about some of the people who stayed. Nino mostly listens, nodding and laughing in all the right places and taking mental notes for future characters that he’s never actually going to use. This is not his scene, those are not his stories.
Sho calls Uesugi-san on a daily basis, but he only texts Nino every two or three days. Nino wonders if that’s Sho’s attempt at giving him space, but he thinks it’s kind of silly. He’s got a whole island and an ocean of space now, and he mostly definitely doesn’t more. So he starts sending random updates.
12 words.
18.
42.
Scratch that, 31. That whole sentence didn’t make sense.
Nothing.
Sho always responds, because he can’t help it. Undying support and long-suffering encouragement, patient pressure, patient patience and just the right amount that won’t stand for Nino’s bullshit. That’s why Nino chose him as his agent. And Nino will never admit that Sho is one of the main reasons why he keeps trying.
*
His third week on the island, Nino meets Jun.
It’s late and Nino is just coming in after a day out with Aiba. They took Mochi out - the typical excuse - and ended up drinking on the beach long after sunset, walking back to Aiba’s bike with their arms around each other like life-long buddies. Nino’s not drunk, but there’s definitely a slight sway in his step. A happy stagger.
And then he sees him, dark and shiny and everything that this island is not, and his mere presence sends a pang of homesickness straight to Nino’s heart.
Their eyes meet, and Nino swallows. This one, he could write pages about. A whole series maybe. The manicured nails. The confident line of his shoulders. The impatient jut of his hips. The eyebrows. The hair.
“Ninomiya-kun,” Uesugi-san waves him over, forcing Nino out of his daze cheerfully. “Please come and meet my grandson,” she says.
Nino’s image shatters into confused pieces that he leaves behind as he politely - curiously - steps into the foyer.
“Jun, this is the boy I was telling you about,” Uesugi-san is saying in a quiet voice, her eyes smiling warmly as Nino approaches. “Ninomiya-kun, please let me introduce you to my grandson.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Matsumoto Jun,” Jun says, extending a hand like any good city boy would.
“Ninomiya Kazunari,” Nino responds with a slight bow before shaking Jun’s hand.
“Jun-kun is visiting from Tokyo,” Uesugi-san explains. “He moved out there for work, but he visits us whenever he can. He grew up here, you know. He and Aiba-kun went to school together.”
Nino’s eyes widen.
“Grandma says you’re from Tokyo?” Jun says, and Nino nods. There’s an amused spark in Jun’s eyes that seems to tell that he understands how Nino isn’t here by choice. “Well, this isn’t a bad place to be.”
“If you like this sort of thing,” Nino replies, and the corner of Jun’s lips quirk up.
“Let’s go out for coffee tomorrow,” Jun says easily. “If you have time,” he adds, his tone implying that he knows how Nino’s schedule has been filled with nothing but free time since he first arrived on this island.
Back in his room, Nino flips open his laptop and writes 6,500 words.