A Fine Line (Chapter 7)
Title: A Fine Line
Group/pairing: Arashi/ Sakumiya
Word Count: 3447 words
Rating: PG
Summary: Sakurai Sho and Ninomiya Kazunari are rivals as neighbours and as work colleagues. As time wears on, the line between love and hate grows thinner and thinner...
Disclaimer: So far I only own two photosets of Sho and a set of Arashi playing cards. I wish I'd own Arashi, but no. I don't. ._.
Author note: I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! D: Things got really busy as uni modules selections started and as I ended my super-busy work just a few days ago. (I suck. I know T^T ) But I think after this really really long chapter, it would probably be worth the long wait, if I do say so myself. *evil cackle over hills of yarn balls* Enjoy! ^^
Chapter 7: Crossing the line
* 6 more days*
The next morning, a dressed and ready Sho walked into Nino's room. Disguising his smile at seeing Nino's sleeping form, he went over and shook Nino's shoulder.
When Nino made no response, he woke Nino up wordlessly by stripping the blankets off his sleeping form before walking away. Nino only glared after him, but said nothing as he felt the weight of their heated argument the night before hang in the air.
Nino shuffled lazily out of his room in time to hear the main door close. He looked to see that the dining table already has some breakfast prepared. There was an accompanying note by his porridge bowl and chopsticks.
"I've prepared breakfast.
Hurry up with this while it's hot and while you're still early.
Sho"
"Tsk, this idiot," Nino murmured with a pout, "if you're not mad, say something. If you're mad, don't cook me breakfast. What kind of a stupid idiot does this to confuse me?"
Sho sighed as he waited for the elevator that morning.
"Great. To think that we would be working right in front of each other. How in the world am I going to face him after yesterday?"
"Because I can't stand you!"
" I can't stand the fact that I've been coerced to sleep early without gaming for as long as I wanted to! I can't stand that I have to do my own laundry and fail every damn time! I can't stand it that I can't cook, and even when I try to eat cup ramen or snacks, you just won't let me! Why do you have to come in, mess up my life and then leave as if nothing happened?!"
"... Maybe I'll just try and stay out of the way," Sho mumbled.
"Stay out of whose way?" a cheerful voice asked.
Sho jumped at the response and turned to see Aiba smiling at him.
"Good morning, Sho-kun! You're early today," Aiba greeted cheerfully and Sho nodded with a weak smile.
"Good morning, Aiba-san," Sho said.
"So.. getting out of whose way, exactly?" Aiba asked with eager puppy eyes. Sho laughed at his eagerness.
"No one," he answered simply as the lift doors slide open and they filed inside it.
"Alright. Won't ask who, but what happened? You had a fight with someone?" Aiba asked.
Sho nodded slowly, "well, my roommate. I don't know what to do, now that I'm moving back to another apartment in the next 6 days. Like, how would you face someone like that?"
Aiba hummed lightly in thought.
"Even if you are leaving in 6 days and it probably won't matter anymore, it'd still be best if you can make up with your roommate, ne?" Aiba said, patting Sho on the back, "after all, he had probably helped you in some ways, didn't he?"
Sho pursed his lips as he pondered over Aiba's advice. He was right. He could remember Nino's attempts at cooking porridge so as to aid him in recovering from his cold. He also remembered how Nino had helped around the house, even though he wound up cleaning after Nino's mess most of the time.
"Anyway, Sho-chan! I know a great ramen place just outside of work, so why not we go and eat there?" Aiba asked excitedly, "if you don't want to go back to face your nasty roommate yet, you can always slurp up tonkotsu ramen with me."
Sho laughed at his joke. "Alright. I'll take you up on that offer. Oh, the elevator is here."
The two men entered the lift just as Nino trudged in heavily into the building. It was only 6 more days till Sho left his house, and they already had a fight.
He sighed again just as he waited for the elevator.
"You know, if you keep doing that, your happiness will escape through your mouth. "
Nino turned to see Ohno behind him.
"Something happened?" Ohno asked.
"Oh..nothing much, really, " Nino answered vaguely and smiled.
Ohno only nodded quietly and smiled back, allowing Nino some silence and space.
"I'm thinking of eating outside tonight, " Nino said, "any recommendations? "
Ohno gave a thoughtful look. "Yeah.. I do know one place. I'll bring you there later."
Nino grinned cheekily, "thank you for the treat!"
"You're welco-... oi.." Ohno pouted and Nino laughed, poking his puffy cheeks as they entered the lift.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Nino breezed into the office, and locked eyes with Sho.
"G...good morning, " Nino stammered a greeting as he took his seat.
Sho nodded quietly and resumed his work.
An awkward, stifling silence descended in the room as the two men worked. Nino could almost feel it unsettling his stomach. He had to break the silence in some way.
"Hey, erm. .." Nino called awkwardly and Sho looked over at him, "I ... I'm. .. I'm eatingouttonight, so.... don't cook dinner, okay? "
Sho blinked twice at Nino's sudden statement, but soon nodded slowly.
"...sure. I'll eat out as well then, " Sho said and then resumed work.
Nino exhaled and inwardly kicked himself.
"What the hell? ! I was supposed to say I was sorry! Stupid me!" He cursed silently as he carefully peeked over at Sho, whose face currently wore no emotion.
".. darn it. Now he's pissed. Again." Nino thought resignedly as he typed up a report, praying that lunch time would come swiftly so he could finally relax around Ohno and Aiba.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Nino went ahead with a plate of spaghetti to the cafeteria where Ohno and Aiba were waiting.
"Sho-kun isn't with you this time?" Aiba asked.
"He said he's busy with work," Nino answered and Aiba nodded understandingly.
"Well I'll be seeing him later for dinner, so that's okay, " Aiba remarked.
Nino instantly choked on his spaghetti, and Ohno started patting his back and handing him water.
"Wh-what? You're eating dinner with him later?" Nino asked in astonishment.
"What? Is that surprising? ... Ah .. you must be mad that I didn't ask you too! You can come along if you like, you know!"
"Actually, no. He's having dinner with me later," Ohno answered.
"Ah.. I see. Then it'll just be me and Sho-kun then," Aiba said and went back to his food, "I'll be he mumbled with a pout.
showing him my favourite ramen place."
"Oh, the one that has your favourite tonkotsu ramen?" Ohno asked. Aiba nodded excitedly.
"That very same one that we frequented in our college days. Ah yes, and do you remember..."
The rest of the lunch conversation was drowned out of Nino's ears as he absorbed in the fact that it was the first time he had heard of Sho having dinner with someone else other than him. Sure, he had expected that he had his own circle of friends, but knowing his inability to cook, Sho had always been home to either teach him a few dishes or even cook for them both.
"Why is everything so different now?" he wondered as his fork stayed untouched for the rest of the lunch hour.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Nino shuffled out to the lift lobby. Work after lunch was pretty much no different from their morning. That same stiff silence hung in the air, only diffused from time to time by the plastic click-clacks of their keyboards and the shuffling of papers. But it still wore him out being around Sho, who showed no signs of wanting to speak with him.
"This is getting tiring..."
"What is getting tiring?" Ohno's voice asked from behind him, surprising him out of his thoughts.
"Oh! Er... shall we go?" Nino said nervously as he directed Ohno away.
Little did he know, Sho had walked out of the lift with Aiba at that moment and saw them walking away together.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"This... really isn't what I expected," Ohno said as they stood outside a hamburger joint with a queue that snaked itself down a few blocks of shops.
"I didn't think so," Nino said, equally surprised as they stood in line, " I think I'll starve to death before I get to halfway down this queue..."
"We can try this one when it's less crowded on weekends, I suppose," Ohno said, "let's go somewhere else. I know a place that sells good ramen..."
And that was how, in a matter of 10 minutes, the pair found themselves facing a confused Sho and a beaming Aiba in the same ramen shop.
"I knew we should have asked you along!" Aiba said cheekily.
"Yeah well, stuff happened," Nino said weakly as he picked up the menu and looked up the dishes.
Sho pursed his lips and looked down at his own menu, trying to direct his stray thoughts from his housemate to the ramen dishes.
His eyes wandered over to a particular dish that was familiar to him by now, his mind wandering back to one of the first times when he taught Nino how to cook..
* Flashback: 1 week back*
"This is one of the most basic side dishes and it is fairly easy to make," Sho described with arms akimbo at the sides of his apron, "so let's get started. Firstly-"
"Hold it," Nino said, "you are not about to tell me that we are only having gyoza for dinner now, are you? You might want a diet but I sure don't need one."
Sho eyed him questioningly.
"With that one-pack of yours? You need it more than I do," Sho answered and returned his eyes to the ingredients, "so, we'll firstly need to prepare the meat filling. You have the easy job of mixing up everything."
"Come on. I can handle myself with a knife," Nino said stubbornly and took a knife, starting to chop up the ginger and spring onions. Sho bit his lip as he winced at the sight of Nino's stubby hands holding it. As Nino's right hand moved to scrape off ginger skin, the blade slipped, nicking his finger.
"Ah!" Nino exclaimed, and Sho hurried over.
"See?! You need to be more careful with the knife!" Sho scolded and grabbed Nino by the hand, bringing him to the sink and letting the tap water clean up his wound. Nino blinked as he felt the cold tap water mix together with the warmth of Sho's hand.
"Let me do the hard stuff next time," Sho said as he went to get a plaster, "at least until you can cut up ginger without cutting yourself." Nino sulked with a slightly red face but nodded a little as he watched Sho's fingers carefully wrap a waterproof plaster over his finger.
"Alright, I think I'll do the mixing and all. Wait for me to finish. I'll teach you to wrap the gyoza later," Sho ordered as he took on the knife and started chopping up the ingredients skillfully.
*** *** ***
"It's here!"
Aiba's excited voice jolted Nino out of his daze. He looked to see a plate of 20 gyozas in front of him.
"So, we'll each take 5?" Ohno suggested.
Sho nodded and slowly picked up his chopsticks, eyeing a gyoza on the plate. Just then, his chopsticks clashed with another pair. He looked up to see Nino reaching for the same one as him. Nino pursed his lips stubbornly and snatched it up, eating it. Sho narrowed his eyes at Nino and simply took another gyoza, chewing it slowly.
"Ahh.." Nino remarked with a smile, "this is really good, unlike someone's gyoza."
Sho could feel the comment hammer itself on his head. He glared at him and retorted, "Well someone liked someone's gyoza so much that he finished the nearly the whole plate of it!"
"That was because someone was hungry as hell after struggling with a knife!"
"But it should be to someone's tastes, right? Because the first time someone cooked it, someone asked him to teach him to make it."
"Well someone is moving out in the next few days and someone needed to learn. Someone should not read too much into it!"
"Can someone not be so unreasonable?!"
"It's someone who is the unreasonable one!"
"Uh... who is the someone?" Aiba asked.
"IT'S NO ONE!" Sho and Nino yelled in unison before glaring at each other. Ohno and Aiba only blinked at ate their dinner in slight shock and surprise.
**4 days before **
"Ah! Aiba-san!" Sho picked up a call over lunch at home on a Saturday morning.
"Sho-kun! I'm at the mall now picking some clothes for work and I need a third opinion. Want to join me?" Aiba asked excitedly as he petted his dog in his apartment. His dog woofed in approval as it ate its food.
"Sure, after which I'd like to go meet your friend who just woofed in the background."
Aiba laughed. "Ah.. you heard that? Okay! I'll introduce you to Yuki-chan after shopping!"
Sho nodded with a smile. " Okay. I look forward to meeting you and Yuki-chan later!" He then hung up, just as Nino looked over from the kitchen and his pot of boiling instant noodles.
"Going out?" Nino called.
"Yup," Sho answered briefly as he got ready and headed out of the door.
"... Yuki-chan... huh..." Nino murmured as he went back into the kitchen, "not like it's any of my business anyway."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Still not talking with your roommate?" Aiba asked as Sho picked out a couple of work shirts.
"... rather than that.. I just don't know how to. Not anymore," Sho said as he tried it on himself, "it's like, I've only known how to bicker and pick fights with him but I have no idea how to make a normal conversation with him."
"Hmm I've seen people like that," Aiba commented, "but maybe that's how you get along."
"I don't know," Sho mumbled, "he seems to hate me for that. He told me that he couldn't stand me."
"Well firstly, I'm not so sure that he hates you. He gets irritated with you, sure, but hate... well.." Aiba said, "some people just don't know how to be honest with their feelings, I think."
"I wonder..." Sho said softly as he looked down at his checked shirt in contemplation.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Later that night, Nino stepped out of the shower to see Sho in the living room, busy with a couple of cardboard boxes of books. The reality that he was moving sunk in once more.
"How was Aiba-san today?" Nino asked.
"Well, he was alright. I met his dog as well," Sho answered as he took a few of his books and packed it in.
".. Aiba-san has a dog?!" Nino exclaimed.
"Yup. Yuki," Sho said as he stood up and walked past Nino, "I'll be taking a shower."
Nino could only watch as yet another day went by without them saying much of a word.
**2 days before**
"What is with you and Sho and terrible roommates?" Ohno asked amusedly as Nino downed a glass of beer after work.
"What, you know he has a roommate?" Nino asked.
"Aiba-kun spoke to him recently," Ohno said, "ah.. though I think you should know better. He probably told you about it during work or so, right?"
"Him? Hah," Nino snorted, "that workaholic does nothing but work during work hours. He's such a bore."
"Other people like our CEO Matsumoto-san would call that being 'responsible'," Ohno said and patted him lightly on the shoulder.
"I call it trying too hard till you drive yourself sick," Nino slurred as he rested his head down on the bar table with a short whine.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sho was cooking dinner when Nino stumbled in the door. He rolled his eyes at the sight.
"Good Lord, you reek. Get a shower to sober up, and fast," Sho complained as he shoved Nino into the bathroom, keeping some of his dinner to be reheated the next morning.
When Nino started his drunken singing in the shower, Sho could not help himself and kicked the bathroom door a few times to shut him up.
After about 30 minutes, Nino was slightly more sober and awake and was recovering his bearings with a little bit of Mario Kart.
Sho walked into Nino's room, knocking lightly on the door.
"Oi. Just saying that I'll leave some food on the table tomorrow. Rice and soup and stuff like that. Just put them together for breakfast, okay?"
Nino looked over at him and directed his eyes back at the screen. "You could just cook, you know," Nino said.
"Well... "Sho said with a sigh, "I won't be cooking in a matter of days when I move out, remember? I'd like you to get used to making stuff on your own, if possible."
Nino only shrugged, his eyes glued to the screen. After a long moment of silence, Sho sighed awkwardly, lightly kicking his slippers against the floor in the doorway. He was about to turn when Nino spoke up.
"Want to play?"
Sho frowned and looked over at him. "What?"
Nino held up a game. "Mario Kart. If you win, I'll cook and I'll seriously learn how to do everything on from now on."
Sho pondered over the challenge.
"... Best 2 out of 3?"
Nino grinned.
Nino readied himself as he caught sight of his Mario character in his car. Beside him, Sho gulped as he tried to get used to the controls of the Wii remote in hand.
The countdown started, and the two men commenced their fierce battle.
Nino swiftly gained the lead as he breezed up the ramps and speed strips, clearing the first lap in no time. Sho, on the other hand, struggled to catch up as he tried to swerve and dodge banana skins and green shells. Just then, he smiled and unleashed a blue shell on Nino, stopping him just short of an air jump.
"WHAT THE?!"
Sho only smirked as he whizzed past Nino and crossed the finish line into the second lap. He was happily clearing ramps and jumping on mushrooms when lightning struck him and shrunk his character.
"HEY!"
Nino grinned as he soon unleashed a squid attack on him and Sho glared at him as he crossed into the final lap.
Sho sighed as he struggled to catch up with Nino, and grinned as he found a homing red shell. The red shell shot out, homing in towards Nino's car, stopping him just a short distance away from the finish line. Sho quickly caught up and crossed the line just a split second ahead of Nino.
"YES!!!!!" Sho yelled in triumph as he pumped a fist into the air.
"You are going to get it later," Nino growled as he started the next round.
True to his word, Nino gained and maintained his lead in the next round, and Sho frowned as he tried to wrap his head around how tough this particular lap was.
"Oi, I hope you didn't choose this one on purpose just so you could win," Sho grumbled as Nino bounced in his bed in glee.
"... Fine. I'll let you choose the last one. Don't you dare tell me that I was not playing fair. I'll get us some drinks," Nino said sulkily as he stood up and went to the kitchen, taking out a set of 6 beer cans and bringing them to the room.
"Alright, you're on!" Sho said, picking out a stage. Nino only smirked.
"Are you sure you want this one? I can beat you at this one. I guarantee it," Nino said, snatching up Sho's controller and started choosing a stage while handing over a can of beer to Sho.
"What are you talking about? If I let YOU choose, I'll definitely lose! Hand it over!" Sho grumbled after a gulp of beer and grabbed the controller back from him, choosing the stage he had picked before.
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," Nino said and placed their cans aside before starting up the next round.
Ten minutes later, Sho groaned as he watched Nino's car cross the finish line.
"It isn't fair! I don't understand! I chose the stage!" Sho complained.
"Well you prolly didn't take into account the fact that I might have practised some stages on my own already?" Nino said with a swig of beer, and then continued, "fine. Let's make this easier for you, since I clearly have the advantage. .. Best.. 3 out of 5 then."
"Sounds good," Sho agreed as he picked up his controller, "I definitely won't lose the next round then."
"Well, you'll have to pick a stage I have less practise with, but chances are they are more difficult," Nino quipped as he brought along two more cans of beer.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
One hour later, the beer cans around the pair grew from four cans to ten, and the rounds had then increased from five matches to ten. Everytime Nino seemed to gain a score edge over Sho, Sho would somehow be able to match up the score to a tie. Presently, the cars were already veering off the track and the two men were laughing at their crazy car antics, completely forgetting about the competition altogether. When they finally finished the race with Sho crossing the final line, Sho pumped a drunken fist into the air.
"YES! I WIN! FINALLY!" Sho cheered as he did a drunken dance in the room, not really caring that they were surrounded by ten empty beer cans, "you will finally have to do those household chores and learn how to cook. With an apron. Neeee~"
Nino giggled at that as he hobbled up on his feet. "Yes, sensei~"
"Ah... I have never ever done anything like this before..." Sho slurred as he sat down on Nino's bed, "getting drunk, playing games until the late night.. what time is it now, 3am?"
Nino grinned sheepishly and flopped down beside Sho.
"You have been a good boy for all your life, huh..." he murmured, "luckily for you, I broke you out of that."
"Don't give me that," Sho grumbled, slowing shoving Nino on the shoulder before lying back on his bed to rest his head. Nino looked over at Sho and leaned over, looking down at him from above. Sho's eyes flickered open as he found that Nino's face was just a few inches away from his own.
"... Want.. to.. play another round?" Nino asked in a low voice.
"Huh? Hahaha..." Sho laughed while patting him on the shoulder, "but I just won, didn't I? Suck it up, you. Don't be a sore loser."
"I know, you idiot!" Nino said in a frustrated tone, his eyes welling up slowly with tears, "but.. I..."
Sho blinked as he tried to sit up.
"Oi.. Ninomiya.."
"I want to win," Nino said with a trembling voice and flushed face, "I really do. I want you to keep doing all those chores and keep cooking for me."
Sho blinked, not quite getting what Nino was trying to say.
"I just..." Nino finally took a deep breath as he finally spoke what he had never dared to say for the past few days.
"I just.. don't want you to leave."
Before Sho could say anything, Nino had already wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace on the bed.
"Can you.. not leave?" Nino whispered, "can you stay here?"
Sho could feel his heart thudding fast in his chest as he pulled away to look Nino slowly in the eye, trying to see if he had meant everything he had just said.
"My life had been just as it had been for so long," Nino spoke with some tears rolling out of his eyes, "and it was all turned upside down when you came in."
"But.. you said you couldn't stand me, didn't you? Doesn't that mean that you hate me?"
"I didn't mean it!" Nino protested, "It's just... I just... I just didn't know what to do when I heard that you were leaving! You changed almost everything about my life here for the better and you were about to leave as if you never came. You confuse me so much, you know that?"
Sho blinked wordlessly and Nino continued, "sometimes I get so fed up with you and your prim, proper ways that completely go against my own, and yet... sometimes... I... sometimes I don't know why but I felt like ..."
"Like you could live these days for as long as you possibly could?" Sho answered for him, "and like you don't want to live these days with anyone else in any other way?"
Nino nodded slowly as he looked down at his lap, his cheeks flushing redder than ever.
"That's okay," Sho said and tightened his arms around Nino, returning his embrace, "I know how that feels."
"You don't," Nino said bitterly as he slowly pushed Sho away, "you probably only think that I'm drunk and spouting nonsense because I can't do everything on my own. You probably only think that I'm just relying on you for everything and not that I really li-"
Sho cut him off by cradling his face in his hands and bringing their lips together in a soft, light kiss. Nino blinked as the feather-light sensation left as soon as he came. Sho looked right into his eyes as he drew away.
"Am I... wrong?" Sho questioned seriously and meaningfully. Nino's eyes welled up with more tears as he shook his head and brought their lips together once again.
"I'll stay here for tonight," Sho whispered as they both rested on Nino's bed, with their arms wrapped around each other as their feelings finally crossed the fine line.