[fic] To Quit This Act (6/14)
TITLE: To Quit This Act (6/14)
PAIRING: Ohmiya (Ohno SatoshixNinomiya Kazunari)
LENGTH: Multi-chaptered (14 chapters total)
BANDS: Arashi
GENRE: Drama? It's a roller-coaster, folks.
RATING: Overall R
WARNINGS: Language and sexual themes/situations in later chapters.
SUMMARY: He did the things he did as a joke, and for years that was fine... but turning it into a prank changed everything entirely.
PREVIOUS PARTS: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 |
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“It’s… a story about two brothers who move back to the countryside from the city once their mother dies. Their grandparents and the other older people in the town are all very old-fashioned in their thinking and ideals and the brothers have a hard time adjusting to their new life and these family members they haven’t seen since they were very little, while coping with their own problems as well. It’s a story about family and the gaps in understanding between people… It’s a good cast. I play the younger brother, Fujiwara Nobuto.”
“Yes, it really does seem to be a star-studded cast. Oguri Shun-san plays Fujiwara Yasuo, the older brother.”
“Right. I’m looking forward to working with him again.”
“And, we’ve heard your fellow group member, Ohno-san, plays an important role as well… He wasn’t available for the interview today, but could you tell us more about that?”
“Uh… yeah. Ohno-kun plays Yamamoto Shunsuke. He’s a guy who has spent his life living in the countryside. His family owns a small fishery and he likes working for them but is always daydreaming about the world outside of his little hometown… Ohno-kun’s a pretty good fit for him, and he’s really excited to be playing a fisherman.”
“Interesting, but, Ninomiya-san, we’ve heard rumors about the relationship between your two characters.”
“Haha… rumors?”
“Yes, isn’t there a romantic plotline between Nobuto and Shunsuke?”
“Oh… Haha, yeah, there is that… See, um, Nobuto has never told anyone about his orientation, and he doesn’t plan to until he ends up falling for Shunsuke. Then the problem of whether or not their families and the community will accept them comes up, because it’s a small town with a really old-fashioned way of doing things… But even if they try to keep it secret, somebody’s bound to find out sooner or later, you know? There’s that kind of conflict. And because it’s Shunsuke’s hometown, Nobuto doesn’t want to ruin Shunsuke’s relationships with his family and neighbors, so he’s not sure if it’s even something worth pursuing at all…”
“Wow! That sounds really dramatic. So it’s going to be a very emotion-packed film.”
“Yes, definitely.”
“Are you concerned about it?”
“…Hm?”
“Are you worried about it being awkward, between you and Ohno-san?”
“Oh… No, not really... Because it’s Oh-chan, we’ve known each other long enough that we’re pretty comfortable together, right? So I think it will be a lot less awkward with him than it would be if any other actor were playing that role.”
“Ah, yes. That’s understandable. Well, that’s all the time we have. Thank you for giving us a little insight into your new film project.”
“Thank you for having me.”
“Filming for ‘Orenji no Sora no Shitano Aoi Umi’ (Blue Seas under Orange Skies) begins this week. The film is expected to be released early next year.”
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Nino’s answer to the last question had been mostly bullshit, if he was being honest. Acting such a duo with Ohno was going to be both really awkward, and not particularly at all… it depended on how he looked at it. On one hand, getting into the character of someone in love with Ohno’s character was going to be much more difficult for him to do than it should be, given their current situation off camera… On the other hand, he wondered if it was even possible for things to get more awkward than they already were… He considered that pretending to be in love with him on camera would likely be much less stressful than it was to continue doing so behind the scenes.
It seemed too convenient, like some higher powers were conspiring with everybody he knew to make his life even more hellish than he himself had done. He almost fainted when he heard how the casting for the film had turned out. Where did the last minute decision to cast Ohno come from?! If he didn’t respect the director as much as he did he would have complained and started raving about conspiracies and the like. As it was, he came very close to letting Kato-san down and dropping out of the production, but he knew his manager would have been angry with him for doing so, and Ohno would probably be suspicious if he couldn’t come up with a good enough reason for doing so at such a late stage in the game.
Speaking of which, the weight of the new video game in the bag he was carrying was providing at least some sort of comfort. He had every intention of going home and spending the next couple of days he had off completely immersed in blasting robots and walking skeletons until the first day of shooting for the movie. He sighed deeply, leaving the electronics section and wandering slowly towards the nearest exit of the department store. He was almost there, the automatic doors were in sight, when he saw a familiar female figure standing just to their left, facing his direction and picking through a clothes rack.
Oh no! No, no, no, NO!
He backpedaled immediately, sluggish limbs taking him a step back and then another, but he couldn’t turn away and run for it quite fast enough.
“Ah! Ninomiya-kun?!”
He had the sense not to curse out loud, instead forcing a polite smile on his previously panicked expression. “Ohno Kaa-san, how are you?”
Ohno Satoshi’s mother smiled warmly, eyes crinkling the same way her son’s did, and beckoned him over. “I’m wonderful! Come over here and let me have a look at you!”
Nino obeyed, itching to excuse himself and make a dash for the exit behind her but forcing himself to stay calm. This was way too awkward for his liking, but it was hard not to have a soft spot for Ohno’s mother.
“Oh my, you look exhausted! Have you been sleeping well, Ninomiya-kun?”
“I’m fine.” He smiled at her concern. “Work has just been a little stressful lately.”
“Right, Satoshi told me he’s going to be in a movie with you!” She laughed quietly, speaking behind her hand as though passing on a secret, even if there was nobody else around. “I think he’s nervous, you know? He keeps going on about how talented you are, Mr. Hollywood.” A giggle, she straightened up again, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You’ll have to give him some pointers, okay?”
“Ah, but he’s a very good actor too… He doesn’t need to be nervous about that…”
“You’re right, not as long as Ninomiya-kun is looking out for him, ne?” She winked. Nino hoped his smile didn’t look too much like a grimace. “So,” She said, turning back to the clothes rack and pulling out a blue and gray sweater. “How do you think this would look on Satoshi?...”
Nino smiled, of course she was shopping for Ohno. He really wasn’t surprised. “You’re still buying his clothes for him?” He asked anyway, his amusement making it apparent that the remark was meant to tease.
“You know my son about as well as I do. He’s hopeless without somebody around to take care of him.” She sighed with fond exasperation. “I’m glad he can count on you, Ninomiya-kun.”
“…Huh? Me?”
“I can look out for him at home, you know. But there are some things even Satoshi doesn’t want to share with his mother. You’ve been very good to my son all these years… I don’t think I’ve ever brought it up before, but I’m very thankful to you Ninomiya-kun.”
“O-oh… that’s-… You don’t have to thank me, really…”
“Oh, look at us getting all sappy in the menswear section!” She laughed, holding the sweater up to Nino’s front and squinting at it. “You two are about the same size… Looks like a good fit, right? I’m just not sure about the color… Do you think it suits him?”
Nino studied the sweater slowly. It looked like it would be loose -but fitted, not baggy. The V-neck wasn’t too low, but would be just enough to expose some of his collarbones, and the fine woolen material was thick and sturdy but looked like it was probably soft and really comfortable. Without realizing what he was doing, Nino reached out and fingered the sleeve to see if his suspicions were correct. He concluded that they were, and he imagined Ohno -with his lean, dancer’s body- would probably look amazing in it, in a stylishly casual way.
“…Definitely.” He answered, dropping his hand back to his side. “It’ll look great on him.”
Ohno’s mother smiled warmly at him, draping the sweater over her arm with the other couple of things she was planning to purchase. Nino shifted uneasily, unable to help feeling that there was something sly and knowing about her expression. He couldn’t shake the feeling the whole trip home, and it actually took him three tries to beat the first level of his game, which was unheard of!
Things were not going well for him lately, and he was afraid to see what would happen next.
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Seagulls shriek, gliding above in a sky that is deep blue and dotted with puffy white clouds here and there. The water is fairly calm, disturbed only by small, gentle waves that lap against the shore and the wooden docks. Nobuto walks along the aged boardwalk, peering out at the few fishing boats bobbing along in the distance, surrounded by the sparkling of sunshine reflecting on the water. He sighs deeply, looking solemn as he continues on slowly. At length something catches his eye and he pauses, frowning curiously into the small red boat docked to the right of where he’s come to stand.
Shunsuke is lying on his back on the floor inside the small vessel, staring through dreamy, half-lidded eyes at the sky high above. He doesn’t move at all, and Nobuto frowns in concern.
“Excuse me…” Nobuto says hesitantly. “Are you okay?”
Shunsuke’s gaze moves to him slowly, blinking in surprise to find someone watching him. He smiles sheepishly, sits up and nods. “Yeah, I was just thinking.” He laughs quietly, runs a hand through his messy hair, and then begins to study Nobuto curiously. “…You’re not from here.” Is his observation.
“No, I’m new to the area.”
Shunsuke smiles brightly. “Well, I’m Yamamoto Shunsuke. Nice to meet you.” He greets with a friendly bow to accompany his introduction.
Nobuto pauses, eventually letting the corners of his mouth lift with a faint smile. “Fujiwara Nobuto.” He introduces himself with a bow and then hesitates for a brief second before straightening up and letting the smile return again. “Pleased to meet you too.”
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“CUT!” Kato-san yelled, looking pleased as the cameras stopped rolling and his actors relaxed. The director went to re-watch the footage on the monitor while Nino and Ohno lounged around awkwardly on the docks, waiting for further instruction that didn’t come for a few more minutes. “Perfect, guys!” The director called finally. “I think we’re done for today.”
There was a chorus of everybody congratulating everybody else on a job well done. The crew then began packing up all of their equipment and the actors moved over to grab refreshments or to change out of their costumes in the trailers.
Nino observed Ohno, standing at the drinks table in his ‘work clothes’ -a pair of dirty overalls and a button up shirt with the sleeves bunched up to the elbows-, from the corner of his eye and promptly hurried off to their trailer to change. Lately he hadn’t really been comfortable removing his clothing in front of the other man, as a result of recent events, and so had worked very hard to be sure that he never needed to change in front of him -either by waiting for Ohno to leave first or by rushing to be changed before he got there.
They hadn’t been alone with each other at all recently, both either busy with their own things or surrounded by the other Arashi members or staff. Nino wasn’t really trying to do that, it was just the way things worked out. There had been plenty of similar times in the past, and he had always missed hanging out with his best friend on such occasions. This time was actually no different, only Nino couldn’t help but feel weird about missing him.
Ohno knocked twice and walked in while Nino was finishing doing up his belt. “Hey.” He greeted with a light smile, pulling out his own clothes and beginning to slip out of his costume with the slowness that comes from being tired after a long, stressful, day.
Nino nodded to him in acknowledgment, turning his back on him while he pulled on his own t-shirt. He glanced in the mirror inconspicuously and was relieved to see that Ohno was paying him no attention. The older man looked deep in thought as he peeled the shirt away from his sweat damp skin and tossed it aside. The earlier afternoon had been grossly warm and humid, but a cool wind had come in off the water, and as the sun crept low towards the horizon, the temperature began to drop with it. Ohno stretched, skin stretching over his ribcage and tense muscles in his back bunching up and flattening out. Nino’s eyes followed the cat-like curve of his spine, and then darted away when he realized that Ohno had shoved the overalls off too and stood only in his dark briefs, fumbling around in search of his own jeans to wear home.
Nino stared adamantly at the floor in front of him, picking at his nails while he waited for some indication that Ohno was done changing. He nearly jumped out of his skin a minute later when a second pair of hands clasped over his, and he felt the warmth of another solid body pressed against his back. “…Oh-chan?”
“Mm…” Ohno hummed in reply, pressing his cheek against Nino’s shoulder blade and sighing. “I miss you.”
Nino looked down, comparing Ohno’s darker, more slender fingers to his own small and pale ones. “…Me too…” He said softly, honestly, though he felt guilty about it.
“…This is kind of weird isn’t it?”
Nino frowned, confused and worried. Had Ohno realized he was acting strangely? “…What is?”
“Acting these characters, for everyone to see…” Ohno elaborated. “It just seems kind of funny, and weird.”
“Oh… yeah, I guess.” He paused, and moved to turn around. “Oh-chan…?”
“Hm?” Ohno didn’t let go, just loosened his hold enough for Nino to face him and then cuddled in with his forehead resting on Nino’s shoulder.
“…Never mind.”
There was a long silence. With the setting sun darkening the trailer, lighting it with only an orangey pink glow coming in through the window behind them, and Ohno draped on him, arms wrapped around his waist and weight comfortably heavy and warm, Nino could almost have fallen asleep. If he hadn’t been standing he probably would have. His eyes closed and he hugged Ohno back, they’d always fit well together -being nearly the same height and all-, and it was easier not to lose his balance if he was returning the gesture.
Ohno sighed, his breath hot on Nino’s neck. “I like watching you act.” He said quietly, voice barely higher than a murmur. “You’re really good.”
“So were you, Oh-chan.”
Ohno shifted slightly, looking up with a hopeful expression. “…Really?”
Nino frowned. “Of course.”
Ohno dropped his gaze again, biting his lip to hide a smile but failing to hide his blush. “…Thanks.” He said softly, and then placed an equally soft kiss on the pale skin of Nino’s throat, lips lingering there for a second -while Nino thought his heart was going to stop and explode out of his chest in a fit of panic- before pulling away again. Again they fell silent. Ohno’s fingers fiddled slowly and mindlessly with the back of Nino’s shirt, fingers ever so often brushing against the skin just above the waistband of his jeans. Nino squeezed his eyes shut a little tighter, trying not to twitch or shudder at the light touch. “Nino…” Ohno breathed after a while, fingers stilling with one of his hands now splayed against Nino’s skin at the small of his back. “… Are you busy tonight?”
Nino felt panic hit him square in the chest at the implications of such a question. “Uh-um… yeah, sorry. My… mother’s coming over for a bit, I think.”
“Oh…” Ohno sounded rather disappointed but he smiled, straightening up and letting his arms rest back at his sides as he took a step back. “Really? That’s nice.” And, despite having been turned down, he still seemed like he meant it.
“Yeah…” Nino said and then frowned suddenly, distracted from his guilt and an oncoming awkward atmosphere by what Ohno was wearing. It was pretty dark in the trailer at that point, but he recognized the new sweater with just a bit of squinting. He’d been right about it too, and couldn’t help feeling smug about that fact. “That sweater looks really good on you.”
Ohno glanced down at himself and then smiled brightly. “Thanks, it’s new!”
Nino smiled back, refraining from saying ‘I know, I helped pick it out’ because somehow that was just way too weird, and because Ohno was already starting for the door. As much as Nino was enjoying the other man’s company (overlooking the occasional awkward ‘oh yeah, he thinks I’m his boyfriend’ moment), there was no need to prolong the conversation. They both had other places to be, sleep to catch up on, and, Nino reminded himself, his ‘mother’ was supposed to be expecting him.
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Notes:
I wish this was a real movie.... ahahah xD
The chapters are starting to get longer from here on out. Some of the last couple are monstrous...
Now we see how Aiba's plan is playing out, and Nino may be starting to show the Riida-love symptoms! :O
Next part is >> HERE<<