[Series] A Little Bit More Than Just... 2
Title: A Little Bit More Than Just...
Series: Chapter 2 - ... Blood
Rating: PG (swearing)
Pairing: None here.
Notes: I suddenly missed writing. I still recall the pain of referring to Aiba as Masaki.
Links: Chapter 1
“A promise is a promise wherever and whenever, right Nino-san?”
“W-w-what’s wrong with me? What did the d-d-doctor say, Nino-san?”
“Nino-san, will you come?”
“Nino-san I… I c-can’t…”
“N-nino-s-san?”
“Ni-ni-ni-nin-n-n-no-s-“
Nino’s eyes snapped open, craving the comfort that could only come with light and familiarity, and the knowledge of what’s real and what’s not. He blinked, once, twice, before poorly stifled coughing reached his ears, “Oh fuck!” He almost fell from rushing out of his bed as he hurried to the room adjoining his. The graying door creaked as he barged into the room in panic.
The figure on the bed was doubled up in a fit of coughs, arms wringing a flimsy pillow. Nino’s eyes widened and he hurriedly grabbed an oxygen canister and some painkillers off a nearby table. Fitting the oxygen mask onto the coughing man’s face, he rubbed his back whispering, “Breathe slowly, Masaki. C’mon you can do it.”
When the fits had subsided, Nino offered the painkillers and some water but was turned down lightly, “I’m fine now, Nino-san. I’m sorry for bothering you.” He lay back down on the tattered bed, wheezing slightly.
Nino sat beside him, “I told you not to call me Nino-san anymore.”
Masaki briefly covered his eyes with one arm, “I don’t know what to call you other than Nino-san, Nino-san.”
“You never call me Onii-chan.”
“B-but…”
“Look, it doesn’t matter that you’re adopted,” Nino blurted out, slightly irritated. “Blood doesn’t necessarily mean family. That works the other way around too….. At least remove the -san.”
The wind swirled his words round across the room, trapping them in the tiny cracks in the walls. Nino slid down beside Masaki on the bed. They looked up at the dilapidated ceiling for a while, both thinking, neither talking. They watched as passing lights from taxis and cars danced briefly through the window into the room, followed by shadows of variety. Masaki’s breathing had normalized into a slow, calm pattern; he tugged a blanket over both of them. The blanket was too thin to give any warmth, but they found that it didn’t matter. Not to them. Not when they had each other. Masaki shifted, placing his head on Nino’s shoulder. Nino looked up momentarily and smiled at his brother, who had fallen asleep already.
He hoped, from the bottom of his heart, as he watched his brother’s chest rise up then down peacefully, that this, all of it, the peace, the warmth, the life, would last forever and that reality would fail to knock on their door at daybreak.
~~
“I’m back!”
Ohno Satoshi kicked off the tight leather shoes hugging his feet to death. Immediately, he was thrown off balance by a weight pressing onto him, “Welcome home son!” Ohno grinned widely. He loved how his mother greeted him every time he came home from school. It was like they hadn’t seen each other for a million years. She would hug him tight and indeed, it felt like he was home. She had pulled out of their tight hug and disappeared off to the small cluttered kitchen, bustling around, preparing their dinner. He followed her and put a small wrapped package on the table.
“Mama, I brought you something.”
She peered at the table and smiled at her son, “Oh, you didn’t have to get me anything. There’s no occasion dear.”
“I know, but I was saving up some money so I could buy you a gift. You’re the only one I have. You always take care of me and I wanted to say thank you.” He took the small box and looked at it happily, slightly blushing.
“Dear, I’m your mother. I love taking care of you.”
Ohno hugged his mom and pressed the small box into her hands, “C’mon Ma, open it.”
It was a silver locket that his mother had once shown him when they were passing by shops going to the market. He remembered looking at the window display and there was the silver locket lying on a dark blue pillow. His mother said that her late husband, his dead father, had given her a locket just like that one when he had married her. Ohno had saved over a year’s worth of his meager allowance to buy her that gift. He hoped she liked it.
Ohno-mama peeled the shy pink wrapping paper and opened the box. Her eyes watered just a little and a tear clung to the side of her lashes. She took the locket carefully from inside the small package. She opened it and inside, was a picture of them both, hugging and beside it an engraving: Always. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
The woman started crying quietly and she kissed her boy on his cheek, “Well, I’d better finish cooking dinner, dear. Why don’t you go and start on your homework?”
Ohno nodded and left the kitchen. He smiled to himself, content at his mother’s happiness. She was the only person he had in this entire world and he always wanted her to be happy. That’s why... He stretched a bit then sat down to start on his studies, pulling on his reading glasses. That’s why he had to get into a good university. For Mama.
Series: Chapter 2 - ... Blood
Rating: PG (swearing)
Pairing: None here.
Notes: I suddenly missed writing. I still recall the pain of referring to Aiba as Masaki.
Links: Chapter 1
“A promise is a promise wherever and whenever, right Nino-san?”
“W-w-what’s wrong with me? What did the d-d-doctor say, Nino-san?”
“Nino-san, will you come?”
“Nino-san I… I c-can’t…”
“N-nino-s-san?”
“Ni-ni-ni-nin-n-n-no-s-“
Nino’s eyes snapped open, craving the comfort that could only come with light and familiarity, and the knowledge of what’s real and what’s not. He blinked, once, twice, before poorly stifled coughing reached his ears, “Oh fuck!” He almost fell from rushing out of his bed as he hurried to the room adjoining his. The graying door creaked as he barged into the room in panic.
The figure on the bed was doubled up in a fit of coughs, arms wringing a flimsy pillow. Nino’s eyes widened and he hurriedly grabbed an oxygen canister and some painkillers off a nearby table. Fitting the oxygen mask onto the coughing man’s face, he rubbed his back whispering, “Breathe slowly, Masaki. C’mon you can do it.”
When the fits had subsided, Nino offered the painkillers and some water but was turned down lightly, “I’m fine now, Nino-san. I’m sorry for bothering you.” He lay back down on the tattered bed, wheezing slightly.
Nino sat beside him, “I told you not to call me Nino-san anymore.”
Masaki briefly covered his eyes with one arm, “I don’t know what to call you other than Nino-san, Nino-san.”
“You never call me Onii-chan.”
“B-but…”
“Look, it doesn’t matter that you’re adopted,” Nino blurted out, slightly irritated. “Blood doesn’t necessarily mean family. That works the other way around too….. At least remove the -san.”
The wind swirled his words round across the room, trapping them in the tiny cracks in the walls. Nino slid down beside Masaki on the bed. They looked up at the dilapidated ceiling for a while, both thinking, neither talking. They watched as passing lights from taxis and cars danced briefly through the window into the room, followed by shadows of variety. Masaki’s breathing had normalized into a slow, calm pattern; he tugged a blanket over both of them. The blanket was too thin to give any warmth, but they found that it didn’t matter. Not to them. Not when they had each other. Masaki shifted, placing his head on Nino’s shoulder. Nino looked up momentarily and smiled at his brother, who had fallen asleep already.
He hoped, from the bottom of his heart, as he watched his brother’s chest rise up then down peacefully, that this, all of it, the peace, the warmth, the life, would last forever and that reality would fail to knock on their door at daybreak.
~~
“I’m back!”
Ohno Satoshi kicked off the tight leather shoes hugging his feet to death. Immediately, he was thrown off balance by a weight pressing onto him, “Welcome home son!” Ohno grinned widely. He loved how his mother greeted him every time he came home from school. It was like they hadn’t seen each other for a million years. She would hug him tight and indeed, it felt like he was home. She had pulled out of their tight hug and disappeared off to the small cluttered kitchen, bustling around, preparing their dinner. He followed her and put a small wrapped package on the table.
“Mama, I brought you something.”
She peered at the table and smiled at her son, “Oh, you didn’t have to get me anything. There’s no occasion dear.”
“I know, but I was saving up some money so I could buy you a gift. You’re the only one I have. You always take care of me and I wanted to say thank you.” He took the small box and looked at it happily, slightly blushing.
“Dear, I’m your mother. I love taking care of you.”
Ohno hugged his mom and pressed the small box into her hands, “C’mon Ma, open it.”
It was a silver locket that his mother had once shown him when they were passing by shops going to the market. He remembered looking at the window display and there was the silver locket lying on a dark blue pillow. His mother said that her late husband, his dead father, had given her a locket just like that one when he had married her. Ohno had saved over a year’s worth of his meager allowance to buy her that gift. He hoped she liked it.
Ohno-mama peeled the shy pink wrapping paper and opened the box. Her eyes watered just a little and a tear clung to the side of her lashes. She took the locket carefully from inside the small package. She opened it and inside, was a picture of them both, hugging and beside it an engraving: Always. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
The woman started crying quietly and she kissed her boy on his cheek, “Well, I’d better finish cooking dinner, dear. Why don’t you go and start on your homework?”
Ohno nodded and left the kitchen. He smiled to himself, content at his mother’s happiness. She was the only person he had in this entire world and he always wanted her to be happy. That’s why... He stretched a bit then sat down to start on his studies, pulling on his reading glasses. That’s why he had to get into a good university. For Mama.