Fic ~ Where Aiba Makes Pervy Jokes And Conffetti
Tada! Oh look, it’s Chapter Two of Recoil. And it’s a bit tamer than its predecessor, but that won’t last long…trust me. There really isn’t much to say about this chapter except that it was kind of fun to write. But then, writing about all five members discussing the pros and cons of linoleum versus vinyl would probably be amusing to me too….. ¬_¬ Anyway, Sakurai confronts Nino with the truth and things decsend from there.
Title: Recoil (Chapter Two ~ Implications)
Series Rating: NC-17
Genre: Romance/Smut
Characters: Arashi
Word Count: 2,500
Type: Multi-Chapter/Series
Summary: When all five members of Arashi gather in one place, it sure gets lively. But that joie de vivre seems to be masking something deeper beneath the surface.
Disclaimer: I own nothing dammit!
Progress:
Prologue - Precedent - HERE
Chapter One - Duality - HERE
Recoil
Chapter Two ~ Implications
The three eldest members of the Idol group known as Arashi were already on stand-by in the greenroom when Ninomiya and Matsumoto arrived straight from hair and make-up that morning. Ohno Satoshi knelt at the low table, flipping through the pages of a magazine at a speed that would have made Superman jealous had the man actually bothered to read the articles. Sat on the couch directly behind the diffident male, Aiba Masaki amused himself by tearing up small pieces of tissue paper and flicking them towards Ohno’s head.
Satoshi tolerated the treatment with silent grace; only shaking his head to be rid of the errant paper when Aiba landed a piece in the hood of his jacket and jumped to his feet to declare it a “goal”. Sharing the couch with the tall man, Sakurai Sho patiently ignored the grinning Idol as he boasted of his tissue paper prowess, and returned to watching the live news feed on his iPod.
Having already exchanged cursory greetings in passing earlier, the two newcomers settled into the scene without much fuss. Matsumoto grabbed one of the magazines discarded by the oldest man and slotted himself into the space left on the couch. Ninomiya joined Ohno at the table and took a pack of cards from his pocket. Positioned directly opposite their leader, the young man dipped his head trying to catch Ohno’s eye.
When that failed, Ninomiya simply placed his card on top of the page Satoshi had finally settled on reading and waited expectantly.
“What?” Ohno asked blankly, looking between the cards and Ninomiya’s face in confusion.
His bid to get Ohno’s attention successful, the man gave a sly grin. “I have a new card trick I want to try out on you.” It was not a request; Ninomiya knew that Ohno would not refuse; the accommodating young man never did.
True to form, Ohno slid the magazine aside. “OK.”
But before Ninomiya could begin, a stray piece of tissue landed in the middle of the table. Peering pointedly over Ohno’s head, Kazunari glared at the tall nuisance. “Would you stop being such a pest?” He scolded the man.
“Leader doesn’t mind…” Aiba stated cajolingly. “Do you Leader?”
The older man ducked slightly as if trying to escape the question. “Uh… well, not really…” He mumbled.
“Haven’t you got anything better to do?” Ninomiya continued even as he reached over to brush the white flecks from Ohno’s carefully styled hair.
“Nope” Aiba replied simply.
Sitting back and leaning heavily on his hands, the would-be magician rolled his eyes with a sigh. “My DS is in my bag.” He offered. “You can borrow it if you want.”
“Oh, I do!” Aiba jumped to his feet and headed straight for the younger mans belongings. “Thanks Nino-chan.”
“Mmm… I recommend the Brain Training.” He suggested pleasantly. “It seems like you need it.”
Beaming, Aiba returned with the device and flopped back into his seat. “As expected of Nino-chan,” He laughed. “You always take such good care of me.” As soon as he uttered the words, Aiba clamped his mouth shut and his smile faltered.
Ninomiya could not have failed to see the fugitive glance that Masaki shot towards his boyfriend then. Nor could he have mistaken the cause of Aiba’s sudden contrition. Obviously, the couple had discussed his role in Aiba’s past recently, and Aiba was clearly uncertain what sort reaction his thoughtless choice of words might elicit.
Matsumoto seemed to hold his breath right along with Ninomiya as Sho chose that moment to removed his earphones and turn towards him. “That reminds me…” The well-spoken young man murmured. While those dark orbs fixed him in their sights, Kazunari tried desperately to appear casual. “Ninomiya-kun?”
Being address so formally startled the man far more than he cared to admit. “Y-yes?” He wanted to sound relaxed, but his voice hitched slightly. Last night, he had been so sure that nothing would come of the incident. He had been certain that Sakurai would brush it off as easily as Aiba had done so all those years ago. Now that the moment of confrontation was upon him, however, his belief wavered. He felt a sense of unfamiliar dread creep along his spine, forcing him to sit up straight as he waited for Sho to continue.
“I want to apologise to you.”
“Eh!?”
Rubbing nervously at his neck, Sakurai took a deep breath. “The truth is… last night, I found out that I was the only one who didn’t know about the thing with you and Aiba-chan….”
As Sakurai trailed off, uncertain how to finish, Ohno looked around the room in bewilderment. “What thing?” He asked the room at large.
Aiba reached over to clap the man on the shoulder. “Like the night after our first concert.” He elaborated cryptically.
The simple reminder seemed to be enough for the older man. “Oh, I see.” He paused briefly. “Huh? Sho-kun, you didn’t know?” He repeated incredulously.
“No I di- That’s not the point!” Sakurai interrupted himself in exasperation “The point is: I owe Nino an apology.”
Ninomiya proceeded cautiously. “What for…?”
“Because, when I first heard about it, I felt angry. But after Masaki explained it to me…. Well, anyway, I’m sorry for thinking so badly of you.”
Before the man in question could respond, Matsumoto chimed in. “Hang on. So you’re apologising for being mad at him? Even though he didn’t know he made you mad in the first place and you stopped being mad before he could find out?”
“Uh, right.” Sho replied sheepishly. “I just felt like I should apologise…. And to you too Matsujun; for making you worry.”
Jun waved away his concern. “It’s fine. I’m just glad it didn’t cause you two any trouble.” He deliberately did not mention the events that had transpired after Sakurai had left his home that night.
Aiba shrugged easily. “After everything Sho-chan and I have been through, we’ve learned to talk to each other before jumping to conclusions.” He explained.
Ninomiya mentally relaxed and the tension that had held him rigid drained away. “Well that’s good.” He said sincerely. “I don’t think we could deal with any more drama from you two.”
Looking slightly abashed, Sakurai acknowledged the reminder of his relationship follies with a brief nod. Then, schooling his features into indifference, the well-built man continued on a teasing note: “We’re fine… unless there are any other former lovers that you need to tell me about Aiba-chan?” He directed the last at his boyfriend.
The taller man hesitated. “Well, there was Mr. Right…” He confessed.
For a moment, the room was stunned into silence. At length, Sakurai found his voice. “Mr. Right?” He repeated the English sounding name.
“Uh huh.” Slowly raising his arm and gaining a sly grin, Aiba gave a small wave. “Mr. Right.” He clarified, breaking down into giggles. As his friends loudly derided his lame joke, Aiba continued to chuckle.
Finally, Sakurai threw a cushion at his boyfriends’ head. “You’d better be careful Masaki.” He warned the man with feigned indignation. “Or you’ll find yourself getting reacquainted with Mr. Right in a hurry.”
“Aww~ Don’t say that.” The cheerful man whined. “What would I do without you?”
Ninomiya rolled his eyes at their antics. “This is getting gross.” He informed the pair dryly. Determinedly, he turned his attention back to his playing cards and tried to ignore his love-struck friends.
Not one to be ignored, however, Masaki bounded over to crouch beside his childhood friend. “I know!” He exclaimed excitedly. “If Sho-chan abandons me, Kazu-chan will look after me!”
“Idiot!” Ninomiya scolded the man sharply. But he wore a fond smile even as he shoved the bubbly man away. And Aiba dissolved into yet more laughter as he lost his balance and landed on the floor, clutching at his sides.
It was just a few minutes after the group had finally settled down when they were called to the set. Ninomiya never did manage to practice his magic trick that day.
* * *
As the recording came to a close and the staff began to pack up, the five celebrities returned to their dressing room once more. While the others began changing back into their day clothes, Ninomiya quickly excused himself and vanished into the adjacent bathroom. He had just finished and was busmy wiping his hands dry when Jun walked in.
“Hey…” The long-limbed Idol spoke in a conspiratorial whisper. “Are you all right?”
“Of course I am.” Kazunari answered truthfully. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Approaching his friend slowly and lowering his voice further, Matsumoto spoke gently. “I just thought - earlier - seeing Aiba-chan like that might have… upset you.”
“Actually, it made me realise something.” He replied normally. “The whole thing with Aiba-chan was a long time ago. Right know, it’s more fun just being his friend and I’m happy that he’s happy.”
“But- I thought you loved him?”
Ninomiya shrugged. “Sure. I probably always will. And sometimes - just sometimes - it gets to me a bit. But that doesn’t mean I’ll never love anyone else. Honestly, I moved on years ago, Matsujun, and put it behind me. What about you? When are you going to get over Oh-chan and get on with your life?”
The cynical young man never waited for an answer. Leaving Jun to stare, dumbstruck, at his own reflection in the mirror above the basin, Ninomiya strolled out. He changed his clothes quickly and headed out of the building in short order, following on the heels of Aiba and Sakurai.
Taking his time, only Ohno Satoshi remained in the dressing room less than ten minutes after filming had ended. Ever moving at his own pace, the diminutive Idol was content to go about his day slowly. Noticing Matsumoto’s belongings still sat in the corner, however, Ohno began to wonder what was keeping the younger man. Sensing something was amiss; he decided to check on his friend.
Entering the bathroom and finding the man stood at the sink and apparently lost in thought, Ohno addressed the man quietly. “Matsujun?”
Matsumoto jumped at the sound of his name. “Leader?” Quickly, he recovered his composure. “Oh, sorry, I completely zoned out.”
“That’s fine.” Satoshi assured him with a knowing, lop-sided smile. “I just thought I’d let you know that everyone already left.”
“Oh. No problem. I’ll change now and get out of here too.”
There was something about the flat tonal quality of his reply that gave Ohno pause. As Matsumoto swept past him to reach the door, Ohno took him by the arm. “Jun?”
The tall man pulled away from the touch as if it burned. “It’s not important.” He sighed in response to his friends’ questioning look. “It’s been a rough day and I have a lot on my mind, that’s all.” Summoning a stilted smile to reassure the man, Jun continued. “You can go on ahead; I’m just going to go straight home later anyway.”
Still hesitant, but with nothing more he could do, Ohno accepted Jun’s words. Following the other mans advice; he left first - calling his manager to drive him home.
He spent the entirety of the journey in worried silence. He knew that something was deeply troubling his friend, but he knew neither the cause nor how to resolve it. As the unwilling leader of the group, Satoshi had become used to being ineffectual most of the time, but the helplessness he experienced now bothered him greatly. He might be useless as a leader, but he hated to be useless as a friend.
Beyond that, Ohno was also a little hurt by Matsumoto’s dismissive attitude to his concern. The smooth-cheeked artist considered Jun among his closest and most trusted friends and it had not occurred to him before that the younger man might not agree. It was especially galling when Ohno thought back on the intimacy he had shared with the man. It made no sense to him that they could be so open with each other sexually, but still feel the need to have secrets.
He expected the sex to be shallow and superficial, not the friendship.
As countless conflicting thoughts tumbled around his mind, Satoshi became gradually more confused and angry. Each new idea he conjured seemed to add to a growing list of unanswerable questions. He was only minutes away from his home when he realised that it would do him no good to obsess about this puzzle alone.
Sitting up, Ohno turned to his manager. “I changed my mind. Can you drop me off somewhere else?”
Mildly surprised, the aging businessman nonetheless took the request in stride. “Certainly. You want to go to the harbour instead?”
“Uh, no. Just take me to Nino’s place please.”
The greying man did not question his clients’ motives; he simply turned the vehicle around and did as requested. The only thing he asked of the young man was that Ohno make his own way back home later so that he could spend time with his own family without interruption. Later, as the man dropped his charge off and drove away, Ohno waved him off and approached Ninomiya’s door.
When Satoshi rang the doorbell, however, there was no response. He sighed; he had failed to entertain the possibility that Ninomiya would not go straight home after work. Briefly, he considered calling the sharp-tongued gamer to find out where he was, but thought better of it. The purpose of his visit was not truly urgent, nor did he want to disturb the man if he was busy.
Instead, Ohno decided he would wait for a while: if Ninomiya did not return in thirty minutes, he would call a taxi and get himself home. Mind made up, Ohno crouched with his back against the door and his elbows resting on his knees to await the younger man.
As the seconds ticked by and became long minutes, Ohno began to second-guess his spur of the moment decision to seek Kazunari’s council. What if Ninomiya did not understand? What if he thought Ohno was just being over-sensitive? The older man would never live it down in the eyes of the sardonic musician.
But Ninomiya had always been the one he could talk to about absolutely anything. It was not the same as getting advice from Sakurai about his worries or sharing his troubles with Aiba. Ohno could always count on his straight-talking friend to put things into perspective. He could not bring himself to just leave.
Even when thirty minutes turned into forty-five, he stayed put. And just as Ohno began to think it was hopeless, his ears caught the sound of footsteps approaching.
“Oh-chan?” Ninomiya stood just a few feet away, an expression of disbelief on his face and an armful of groceries in hand.
Quickly, Ohno scrambled to his feet. “Do you have a minute?” He asked.
Kazunari took one look at his friends’ apprehensive appearance and nodded. “You’d better come in.”
To be continued…
HERE
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Guess where this is going… XDDDD
Oh, just a heads up, gentle readers, because this series does/will contain copious amounts of butt-fuckery, I am trying my best to keep it from feeling repetitive. (But hey, sex is repetitive….in, out, in, out…shake it all about.) *Ahem* Anyway, as the story progresses, if you think things are starting to feel ‘samey’ just let me know, and I’ll try to fix it. ^_^
The next chapter will be posted on: Friday 19th February. *UPDATED* If you want to keep track of this story (and all my other works,) check out my master post [ HERE] I’ll keep it updated with any new information.
Comments, criticisms, opinions and ideas are all welcome! ♥