City Love [Fishing_mj exchange]

[rainbow_teatime]

Title: City Love
Pairing: Ohmiya
Rating: G-PG
Summary: Ohno could not remember life before Nino came around.
A/N: This one-shot was written for an_jung for the fishing_mj exchange. I actually wrote this while inspired by a song by John Mayer with the same name and it was quite surprising how all the plot lines I thought about for this story fell into place with this song. And I actually scrapped another story I was working on and tried to write this within seven days to the deadline. I miraculously succeeded. XD Welp, enjoy~


Ohno Satoshi looked out of the window of the cafe he sat in, his hands tracing out rough sketch lines on the plain white page of his sketchbook. He worked meticulously, shaping every small line into the image he was having in his mind.

First, a perfect oval.
Then, the two intersecting lines that cut the oval into neat quadrants.
That was how he starts sketches of his boyfriend every single time.

Ohno smiled at his sketchbook as he paused for a moment to sip on his coffee, his brown eyes looking deep into the dark coffee as he savoured that small, peaceful moment. He looked outside at the soft drizzle of raindrops on the window, waiting for his college friend.

"Ninomiya Kazunari," he whispered softly to himself. He picked up his pencil once again and continued his work.

That man came into his life like a whirlwind.

Thinking back, he could hardly even figure out how exactly they managed to hit it off that well. What he DID remember was that he had only been minding his own business that one fateful evening, nursing a small glass of whiskey on the rocks while sitting beside a complete stranger.

In the next moment, the stranger had started ranting and talking to him, spilling out his life story (no doubt because of the numerous glasses of apple martini), which consisted of typical complaints of an underpaid salaryman and a string of failed relationships. Oddly enough, he did not mind. Everyone has a share of bad days every now and then and he completely understood the man's need for a stranger's listening ear. So, he listened and spoke in careful, measured amounts. Soon enough, when he realised that the stranger had stopped responding, he turned to see him face down on the bar counter with his martini glass completely empty.

For the first time in his life, he had helped a drunk stranger out of the bar into a taxi, letting it drive them to his own apartment. It took a good deal of effort to bring the sleeping man out of the taxi, up the lift, and finally into his apartment. He let the the man sleep on his bed with his jacket off and blanket on before shuffling to a couch on one side of his room and sleeping the night away.

The next morning, he awoke to see a porcelain-smooth face with a pair of curious, brown-gold eyes looking at him. It took him a second of two to register the fact that he DID have a guest over for the night.

Not exactly an invited one, but still.

"Did you take me here last night?" the man asked, and Ohno stretched in his couch as he sat up.

"Yeah. I couldn't just leave you to fall asleep on the bar counter after all."

The man gave him a slightly awkward smile as he rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, visibly embarrassed for having to impose himself on a stranger. Needing some other place to go, he shuffled away out of the room and headed for the kitchen.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Ohno called as he hurried after him.

"Is it okay for me to use the kitchen?" the man asked as he pointed to the fridge, "I.. erm... I want to at least thank you by cooking you something."

"Ah it is not necessary," Ohno said as he reached for the fridge, "I have some painkillers and water, so you should go rest ins-"

"No no no no It's fine. I.. erm.. I don't like owing favours," the man said sheepishly, "and I did give you quite a bit of trouble last night, I expect. So please. It is the least I could do."

Ohno saw that there was no way he could ever get the man to do otherwise and relented.

"Well, alright. I think some fried eggs would do," Ohno said," thank you, erm.. sorry. I didn't catch your name."

The man looked over from the kitchen, his smile more illuminating than the sunlight streaming in from behind him.

"Ninomiya Kazunari. But call me Nino."

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It had not been long, and Ohno was pleasantly surprised at how far their friendship had gone. Ninomiya-no-'Nino' and him had been texting each other often over every random thing under the sun almost every single day. Be it boring moments at work, famous ramen places and bars to check out or the latest fishing news, Ohno felt as if Nino was the definite go-to person to share all of that with because he just knew he would do the same thing. And he did- albeit with his own share of boredom and gaming news. And just like the first time when they met at the bar, they would meet up every now and then for a light drink.

Sometimes when they DID binge a little (usually on Friday nights), Nino would make it a point to stay over at Ohno-kun's place. Therefore, it was no surprise to Ohno soon enough when he saw bits of Nino's things starting to appear in his place.

Like his toothbrush. Nino had complained about that foul sensation in his mouth when he did not brush his teeth after the first night they met.

There was also his acoustic guitar which lay beside one of his few painting easels. Nino had brought it over once for composing some songs on a lazy weekend and found it to be a hassle to bring it back home when he was going to come over every now and then anyway.

Nino had only partially moved himself into his home but to Ohno Satoshi, Nino had seemed to have moved into a huge part of his life.

His clothes have started disappearing too- little by little.

"...Nino?" Ohno asked once as Nino stepped into his home on another one of their nights together, "isn't that my shirt?"

"No, I happened to buy one just like it."

"No no no that is too coincidental! I bought that one in L.A, you know!"

"Hey, I go to L.A too!" Nino protested with a teasing grin before giving Ohno a once-over.

"Now that I think about it," Nino said as he edged closer to Ohno, "you and I are about the same build, right?"

"Really?"

Nino nodded and placed his hands on Ohno's arms, positioning themselves toe to toe as they stood up straight. Ohno felt his pulse rate accelerate as he found himself staring straight at eye-level at Nino's long eyelashes, the soft, gentle warmth of Nino's body radiating off his body. His face flushed slightly as he watched Nino bring his hand over to his hair to press down gently on his head.

"Huh.. looks around the same height..." Nino commented as he compared their height, "but I guess you are a bit chubbier."

"Wh-what, are you saying that I'm getting fat?" Ohno barked hastily as he shuffled away from Nino, who chuckled in response before lazing about on the living room sofa. Ohno fanned his cheeks in the kitchen as he tried to get that moment out of his head.

That physically close moment.

Oh God. The more he tried to forget, the more he could not help but remember.
He decided to speak a little less that night for fear of embarrassing himself even further than he probably might have.

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"Satoshi-kun,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Sorry for not being able to celebrate with you today.
As you probably know, I am overseas in Russia right now.
As soon as I get back, though, we should meet up and celebrate for real, yeah?

Sakurai Sho"

Ohno smiled faintly before putting away his phone. So far, he had received birthday messages from his family and small group of close friends.

Nothing quite yet from Nino.

"Nothing YET," he murmured quietly with some trace of hope under his breath.

That self-assurance had done nothing to calm the loud beating of his heart. He had not heard from the man himself for the past few days now. He would have gone to look for him himself but it occurred to him that he had no idea where Nino lived.

Or where he worked.

That fact stirred up a question in his mind.
"Just how well do I know him?" Ohno wondered as he worked.

Sure, they had hung out quite a number of times.
They text each other a lot.
He knows that he likes hamburgers, gaming and songwriting.
He knows that Nino is a whimsical guy who tends to do just as he pleases.
He also knows that Nino is not the kind who opens up easily on the actual, personal things that matter- he was the same.
That still did not change the fact that technically speaking, Nino was essentially just a random, mysterious stranger he had known from a bar.

But...
But.

"I want to know more about him," the forlorn thought came up from within into a soft whisper as Ohno stood up from his desk and looked outside the glass windows of his office building. His phone lay on the desk behind him, as dormant and still as the huge weight of his feelings in his heart.

Nino's presence in his life had been sudden, and yet it felt so...natural. For the first time in his life, he had no idea as to how he should spend his time alone on his own like he always had.

He sighed against the glass window, his breath fogging up his line of vision that saw nothing but miniature cars, traffic lights and overcast skies.

That night, he had bought a six-pack of his favourite beer and went back home on his own, fully prepared to spend the rest of his quiet evening alone in front of the television. He had already decided on his luurious birthday dinner- a mini sesame hotpot with shabu shabu pork, beef and other bits of his favourite food. He hurried home quickly as he heard the low rumble of thunder above his head.

He managed to get back home just as the rain started to pour. He was about to start cooking when he heard his doorbell ring, accompanied by someone knocking hurriedly on the door. Ohno strode cautiously to the peephole.

His heart leapt in his chest as he caught sight of the rain-soaked visitor standing by his door. He pulled the door open to reveal a drenched Nino, who held something he had wrapped in his jacket.

"Come in quick!" Ohno said worriedly as he ushered him inside his home towards his bathroom, "I probably might have some clothes that will fi-oh right. You steal my clothes every now and then so they probably WILL fit..."

Nino only laughed and patted him reassuringly on the shoulder.

"Anything simple and dry would do, really."

"... Just..go into the shower," Ohno said as he walked towards his wardrobe," your hands are so cold. If you aren't careful, you might catch a flu."

After tossing Nino's wet clothes into the dryer, he proceeded with preparing dinner- this time for two people.

By the time Nino had finished his warm shower, he was already setting out some bowls of rice and plates of sliced meat on the table.

"Ah, I have some beer. We can share it later."

"Oh! This is a grand spread," Nino remarked at the sight of the steaming hotpot, "you were planning to eat all this without me, you meanie?"

Ohno laughed as he took their cutlery, his eyes resting on the white cardboard box that had been wrapped by Nino's wet jacket earlier in the rain.

"What is in that box anyway?" Ohno asked as he sat down opposite Nino. Nino gave him a thoughtful look before heading over to the white cardboard box and prying it open. He peeked inside and gave a visible sigh of relief. He then opened up the box completely and fished out from within a small chocolate cake with a candle and a "Happy Birthday" decoration on it.

"Actually... I was inside a cake shop near this area just now and I wanted to get you a birthday cake," Nino said with a slightly bashful look on his face, "but on my way over, it suddenly started to pour, so to keep the cake dry I used my jacket to wrap around it. It got me wet, of course but at least it worked."

Ohno swallowed the lump of emotion in his throat as he felt overwhelmed by a flood of feelings. He sniffled lightly as he placed the cake down on the table and gave Nino a light hug.

"Thanks a lot, Nino," Ohno said, relishing the warmth of the slighter man's body against his own, "really. Thanks."

He felt Nino laugh before returning the hug, giving him a light pat on the back.

"Wow, getting emotional over the cake? You are easily moved," Nino teased as he went off to look for a lighter.

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"You know what you remind me of, Ohno-kun?" Nino slurred as they lounged lazily on the couch afterwards with some cans of beer, "a bear."

"A bear?" Ohno laughed in amusement as he stretched, his feet accidentally kicking over some empty cans.

"Yep! A big, cuddly grizzly bear," Nino remarked, reaching out a finger to poke at Ohno's cheeks, "who goes fishing. Doesn't it suit you well?"

"If I'm a grizzly bear, you are probably a...hmm..." Ohno pondered, "a cat."

"A cat?"

"Yeah..." Ohno murmured as he stared into vacant space, "you look like one when you sleep. You pretty much do anything you feel like doing. You are also a very intelligent person...and...yeah and all that."

"Ehhh~" Nino chuckled, "so I'm THAT catty?"

"Ah, but that's why I love you, so it's all fine," Ohno thought aloud with a smile as he took a swig of beer.

It was only when Nino gave him a slightly surprised look that he realised he had vocalised his affectionate sentiments aloud, all thanks to the influence of alcohol on his tongue.

"You.." Nino was about to say something when Ohno stood up abruptly as he felt the relaxed atmosphere in the room grow increasingly tense and awkward.

"I.. I'll be checking on your clothes. They must be dry now, so..uh.." he stammered hurriedly before running to the kitchen, his heart in his mouth.

His stupid, mindless blunder had now sobered him up.
He had done it now.
He had screwed things up with his stupid, drunk mouth.

"Would he think of it as drunken speech?" Ohno wondered as he gave a slight, careful peek over at Nino, who sat motionlessly right where he was while looking down at his can of beer.

"Well shit," Ohno cursed silently under his breath, his mind associating Nino's uncanny silence to the worst case scenario. The only ideal scenario in this situation was that Nino would make absolutely no mention of what he had just told him. At worst, he would tell him when he got back that he just did not feel that way, and in response to that he would fake a smile saying he understood. After which, Nino would go home and he would cry himself to sleep while hoping that he would forget-

"Erm, Ohno-kun?"

Ohno snapped out of his thoughts as he hurried to his clothes dryer, trying not to meet the eyes of Nino, who stood by the entrance to his kitchen.

"Yeah, erm I think your clothes are dry now! You can wear them!" he responded hastily as he bundled the dried clothes into his arms and very nearly shoved the clothes into Nino's arms, his eyes not meeting his the entire time.

"But Ohno-kun, I.."

"Don't worry about it! I completely understand, you know," Ohno yelled, embarrassment evident on his face,"...forget I said anything. That was just a slip of the tongue. That's it."

With that, he stormed out of the kitchen, only to feel Nino's tight grip on his right wrist. In the next second he felt a violent force pull him in the opposite direction towards Nino, crashing hard and fast into a tight embrace that stole his breath away.

"That's it?" Nino's voice whispered against his shoulder, his soft, quiet voice sounding confused and slightly hurt, "is that really all it is to you? Just a slip of the tongue that you want to take back?"

Ohno said nothing, but felt himself relax as the comforting warmth of Nino's body calmed the bundle of nerves from his accidental confession.

He took a deep breath and straightened up from the hug, ready to apologise and talk out his feelings properly. But before he could utter out Nino's name, he was silenced promptly by Nino's lips kissing his own, the heat of the liplock searing itself into his senses and his memory.

Nino drew away soon after, letting his lips linger just an agonising inch away from Ohno's.

"Do you still want to take that back and forget you said anything?" Nino whispered, the short puffs of his breath warming up Ohno's cheeks, "personally I'd...I'd rather you didn't."

"T-then.." Ohno stammered, the blush on his face putting every red traffic light to shame, "y-you.. you also.."

"Oh I'm not spelling that out," Nino smirked playfully as he gave Ohno a playful peck. And then another.

This time, Ohno took the initiative to close the distance between their lips, backing Nino against the wall as he sought the indescribable sensation of their lips moulding together in a moment he hoped would last forever.

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"I don't exactly remember when I started liking you a lot, really," Ohno murmured as they spooned on his bed that night, "could be the first morning I saw you or whenever I see you stealing my clothes, but soon enough your presence was..well.. irreplaceable."

"I did think you would miss me these few days, but that much?" Nino teased as he turned behind him to give Ohno a soft boop on the nose, "huh...absence DOES make the heart grow fonder."

"Tch. Don't tell me you avoided me these days on purpose," Ohno complained with a pout. Nino rolled his eyes as he returned to his position, his back facing his boyfriend.

"I was busy juggling between work and songwriting these days," Nino explained, "...I meant to write you a song to accompany the cake, you know."

"EH!? Really?! Where is it?!"

Nino giggled at Ohno's outburst of enthusiasm.

"It will have to wait for some other day when I have a dry copy," Nino said, "the one that I had with me today was completely drenched and wiped out by the rain."

"Please? Just a little bit from your memory?" Ohno pleaded, and Nino chuckled before turning around in his arms to face him.

"Make me a good breakfast tomorrow and I will play a little of it for you."

"But it's my birthday present, isn't it!"

"Oi. Do you want to hear it or not?"

Ohno sighed before hugging Nino close.

"Alright, deal. For now, let's go to sleep. Goodnight, Nino."

"It's 'Kazu'. Do it again."

"... Goodnight.. Kazu."

"Goodnight, Oh-chan. ... .. .. Love you."

The pair shared a small kiss before falling asleep to the rustling of trees and the vaguely audible blaring of sirens in the distance.

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"Wow! I did not think you would be here so early as well!"

Ohno looked up from his deep, reflective thoughts to see his college friend standing in front of him.

"Ah! Sho-kun! Back from Russia?"

Sho nodded as he sat down opposite Ohno, taking out a small box that was meticulously gift-wrapped.

"I ran out of ideas, so I got you some smart wireless headphones instead. I'm pretty sure you will like it," Sho said as he held it out. Ohno took the box with a grateful smile and set it down beside him. He looked up again to see Sho grinning widely at him.

"What?"

"Nothing much," Sho said with an amused smile on his face, "you just seem a lot more.. well..cheerful I suppose."

"...Was I always a gloomy person?"

"Well not exactly," Sho said with a laugh, "but.. how do I describe it? Something about you seems very different. At least from the last time we met."

Ohno gave a soft chuckle, feeling a little shy because he knew exactly what had made things so different for him.

Ninomiya Kazunari.
Nino.
Kazu.

"So? Spill," Sho said, as he cast a knowing glance at Ohno's still-open sketchbook, "who is he?"

Ohno smiled wordlessly as he looked at the now-completed sketch of his boyfriend giving him the same illuminating smile as when he first introduced himself in Ohno's kitchen.

"It will be a very long story."

"I'm paying for your coffee and food today as your birthday present, so you have no excuses."

Ohno laughed as he took the sketch and looked at it fondly.

"His name is Ninomiya Kazunari," Ohno began as he looked up at an attentive Sho, "and I can't remember life before I ever met him."