Voice Chapter 1/?
Title: Voice
Author: hippiefox
Pairing: Ohmiya, Sakuraiba, Aimiya, Jun/OC
Rating: PG-13ish for now
Genre: AU, romance, attempted humour, drama
Summary: Almost four years later, things can only change.
This is the sequel to Words! You may want to read that to understand parts of Voice :)
Disclaimer: "......"
Chapter 1:
Growing Pains
"And... you just left?"
"Yeah! I wasn’t going to stay around after that!"
"But... what about all your stuff? And didn’t your parents ask what happened when they found you passed out on their doorstep?"
Aiba scowled down at the coffee pot he was holding and thought it over. He didn’t really remember the day before, after he had drunk himself sick. Of course, he blamed it all on Sho, really it was all his fault, not his own.
"I... was hoping that... you’d help me pick up my stuff?" Aiba asked slowly, raising his eyes to meet Jun’s and grinned widely. Jun set down his cup and sighed.
"I’m not getting into the middle of your breakup again." Jun said in a final tone, picking up his cup again. Growing a bit frantic, Aiba fell into the seat next to Jun and grabbed at his arm.
"Please? I don’t wanna go back over there by myself! Remember all the other times? He’ll suck me back in!" Aiba nearly wailed.
"It’s your fault anyway! Both of you have been off and on a billion times! And that’s only in this year! Maybe you two will finally agree to just end it." Jun hissed, grabbing the coffee pot from Aiba and refilling his own cup. Aiba gasped and shook his head rapidly.
"I don’t want to end it!" Aiba exclaimed, earning a few curious glances from the customers in the cozy restaurant. The next thing Aiba knew, he had a towel being thrown in his face roughly. He grabbed the towel and found himself face to face with his high-strung boss.
"I’m not paying you to whine about your problems to MatsuJun. If you’re not wanting to work properly, go wipe down the counter." he growled. Aiba stood up sadly and apologized before taking his coffee pot and towel and walking away.
Jun watched the man rub his eyes tiredly before taking over Aiba’s previous seat next to him.
"Why are you so pissed today? His flight was delayed only by-"
"I know. And I still haven’t had time to do anything."
Jun smiled at the man over his coffee cup.
"Nino-chan... you’re nervous." Jun teased, snickering into his coffee. Nino glared at him and crossed his arms angrily.
"I’m not nervous. I... just have lots of junk and there’s no room for Satoshi’s stuff." Nino grumbled, fixing his red apron absentmindedly.
"I still can’t believe how easily you got Ohno-kun’s parents to agree to having him move in with you." Jun laughed quietly.
"I had a spare room and I was low on money! Having Oh-chan live with me would help us both." Nino pouted, still trying to believe his own lie.
"You have no spare room and you have more money than anyone I know. And the only way it’ll help you both is the sex." Jun chuckled as Nino turned a bright red.
"That… hasn’t happened… and don’t talk about it here!" Nino hissed in embarrassment. While Jun was laughing to himself and Nino was trying to stop blushing, slow, sad shuffles of feet were heard and then a heavy thump as Aiba fell into an empty seat.
Both Nino and Jun stared at Aiba, who was on the verge of crying his heart out. Sighing softly and smiling in adoration, Nino’s cold mood melted.
"Do you realize how stupid both of your fights really are?" he asked Aiba. Jun snorted and Aiba made a pitiful whimpering sound.
"They are not! He’s just stupid!" Aiba cried and buried his face into his arms as tears finally broke through. Nino scooted closer to his friend and dropped a lazy, but comforting, arm around his shoulders.
Over the past years that Ohno had left for school overseas, the remaining four had to go about their lives without him. Sho, who had been accepted into a very prestigious university for business, was currently finishing his last year of college and working as an apprentice with one of the top presidents of a large, multimillion dollar construction corporation. He was the rising star of the corporation and was rumoured to already have a seat on one of the CEOs inner circle of councilmen. Sho, of course, never spoke about it outside of work and had a hard time balancing out work, school and his relationship with Aiba.
Amazingly, Aiba had managed to graduate high school and tried to enter the same college as Sho on a basketball scholarship. This dream, however, only lasted until Aiba failed to pass any entrance exams and somehow ended up hurting himself on the way home from the store. So while Aiba sat at home in his miserable state, Sho finally took the step in their relationship that Aiba had been trying to do for the past year. Once the two had finally moved in together, that’s where the problems had started. With Sho being more and more busy with school and Aiba struggling to find work, tension had risen much higher than normal and their household became very unstable.
Jun flew through high school without a hitch, gaining popularity from local modeling agencies and talent scouts for anything he did. But when the time came for his choice in a career path, Jun shocked everyone and decided to open his own host club with the money he saved from modeling and commercial jobs. And a few months after Jun had graduated, Naked had become the most sought after place to go on the weekends and offered more than thirty-five hosts, all handpicked by Jun, of course. But no matter how many girls he entertained, when the doors closed and it was time to go home, only one girl remained in Jun’s heart.
While the others went through life with whatever came at them, Nino spent his last high school days dreaming big. He shed blood and tears getting to the top of his young baseball career, getting calls from scouts as they all offered him professional positions on teams, whether it be in Japan or America, but every time, Nino refused. He knew he could do better and he would do better. Nino was striving to be a household name and was waiting for the calls of the top teams to offer him a position. But his overseas relationship with Ohno wore him down towards the end of his high school days.
Fights, loneliness, misunderstandings and just being a million miles away from Ohno brought him down every day. The first time Nino shouted at Ohno over the phone and ending their relationship, was the first time Nino ever snapped at an opposing player and caused a fight that ended up making them forfeit the game and suspend Nino for an entire season. The calls from scouts came to a halt and Nino found himself alone.
And on the first game of the new season, Nino called it quits and decided to sleep in for the rest of the day after telling his coach "Fuck it! I’m tired!" Losing his spot on the team and ignoring Ohno’s calls, Nino hung out with Aiba most of the days, rebuilding their friendship and turning to each other during the hard times. It wasn’t a year after Nino graduated that a new opportunity was forced on him. Strolling by a park one afternoon to meet up with a sullen Aiba, Nino came upon a little league baseball team, throwing and hitting baseballs completely wrong. Completely furious when he spotted a kid catching a ball with his un-mitted hand, Nino crashed the team practice and was made co-coach by the eighty-eight year old man who happened to be the coach and a huge fan of Nino.
Two months later, the man died and left his great-grand son’s little league team and his old family restaurant, to nobody else but Coach Ninomiya.
Completely bewildered by the sudden possessions and bombarded by the man’s relatives who bitched about Nino knowing nothing of business, Nino decided to prove them all wrong and went straight to Sho to help him open up the restaurant again after it closed forty-five years ago.
And with the help of Jun, who shamelessly promoted the restaurant at Naked, and of Ohno, who heard the news from Sho, made a handpainted sign for Nino to hang up outside, Aozora was open for business. Needing help to manage the place, Nino hired several of the man’s relatives and reluctantly hired on Aiba, who nearly begged Nino for a job.
When the night after the grand re-opening came around, Nino collapsed on his bed in his tiny and cheap apartment ready for sleep, only to have the phone start ringing. It was Ohno, congratulating Nino on his success. And against his better judgment, Nino fell in love with Ohno all over again.
So, after three years of growing up in the world, three fifths of the group sat in the old restaurant, comforting a bawling Aiba, who claimed he had nowhere to live. This responsibility automatically fell onto Jun.
"Stay with me for awhile, okay? Just until things calm down." Jun said softly, patting Aiba’s head. Aiba tried to refuse weakly, wiping his wet face all over his sleeves and sniffling loudly until he finally "gave in". Nino smiled as Aiba threw himself into Jun, the overwhelming nausea of seeing Ohno once again subsiding just for a moment.
Nino splashed water on his face for the billionth time since they’ve reached the airport and stared at his pale complexion in the mirror. Why was he so nervous now? He had spoken to Ohno over the phone only a day ago and he knew the man hadn’t changed. Their relationship had been stable for the last year and a half with almost no fights at all, so what was Nino worrying about? Nino closed his eyes and hung his head over the sink as he tried to calm down once again.
"Nino?" the bathroom door opened and Nino looked behind him to see a worried Aiba walking towards him. Straightening himself up, Nino tried to play down his nervousness.
"Are you okay? You’ve been in here for a long time." Aiba said, leaning up against the wall.
"I’m fine…" Nino mumbled, not bothering to stop his pacing. Raising his brows curiously, Aiba stepped forward and caught Nino by the shoulders and grinned.
"You’re shaking! You really are scared!" Aiba laughed as Nino pulled away from him and yanked open the bathroom door.
"Did Sho finally get here?" Nino snapped, looking over Aiba next to him as they walked through the airport. Aiba’s face fell and nodded slowly.
"I couldn’t even look at him… so I went to find you." Aiba mumbled. Nino rolled his eyes and scanned for Ohno’s welcome home committee. He spotted them standing by the security check-in where he left them, talking quietly and looking rather serious.
"Can’t we wait somewhere else?" Aiba begged quietly, grabbing on to Nino’s arm and trying to pull him back. Slapping his hands away, Nino glared at Aiba.
"No! I made my point clear in the car! If you or anyone else ruins this, everyone’s going to pay!" Nino hissed, stalking over to Jun and Sho while Aiba whined behind him.
"Oh, Nino… are you okay? You look really pale." Sho asked once he saw Nino. Nodding once, Nino felt another nauseous wave come over him as the landing of Ohno’s plane was announced. Shoving his hands in his pockets in tight fists, Nino bounced on his heels and flashed his eyes to the clock every second. Jun, who was stuck in the middle of Sho and Aiba, glanced on either side of him, trying to breathe in the poisonous tension.
Then, finally, Nino felt all the air leave his lungs as Ohno was spotted walking towards them. He had a weary frown on his face as he juggled his many suitcases, but when he looked up and spotted everyone’s smiles, Nino thought he would surely start crying.
Sho and Jun were the first ones to move, grabbing Ohno’s luggage and hugging with laughs and blinding smiles.
Once Ohno was free of luggage, Aiba jumped onto him, both hugging so tightly and enthusiastically that they almost tripped over each other’s feet a few times. Aiba finally let go of Ohno and when he did, Nino was behind him, already feeling a little lightheaded.
Nino noticed at once how much Ohno had grown up, his hair a different shade, his skin a little darker and even a start of a scruffy beard on his chin. But when his broad grin he greeted everyone with softened and turned gentle, Nino knew he hadn’t changed at all.
"Welcome home, Satoshi." Nino said softly, biting down on his bottom lip to contain his grin. Ohno laughed quietly before grabbing Nino into a long and very much delayed hug. Burying his face into Ohno’s shoulder and neck, Nino’s long, built up emotions broke free, shaking his body as he cried.
Ohno laughed softly again, patting Nino’s head and lightly kissing any part of his face and neck he could reach.
After letting Nino cry everything out, Ohno drew Nino away from him, helping him dry his face with his fingers. Smiling bashfully, Nino looked down at his feet, sniffing back the remaining tears. He felt Ohno’s hand brush through his hair and still at the back of his neck. Nino looked up and met Ohno’s sparkling eyes and slight smile.
"Your hair is longer." Nino stared at Ohno for a long moment, wondering what he had just heard. Waiting patiently, Ohno watched as Nino’s bashful expression turned into the pout he missed more than anything.
"My hair is longer? Is that all you want to say?" Nino almost growled as Ohno started to laugh and hugged Nino tight again as he tried to pull away. But Ohno stopped and Nino met his eyes once again, his heart fluttering when he spotted Ohno lick his lips like he usually did before kissing.
So, Nino closed his eyes and parted his own lips, waiting for the kiss he longed for once again after nearly four years.
But as he leaned in, Nino only stumbled forward and heard a loud "Kaa-chan!" from behind. Snapping his eyes open, Nino found Aiba snickering at him, Jun doubled over in hysterics and Sho chuckling and pointing behind Nino. Whirling around in anger and feeling completely humiliated, Nino found Ohno engulfed in hugs and kisses from his family.
Ignoring Jun’s arm around his shoulders and Aiba’s breathless taunts, Nino glared at Ohno from afar but couldn’t seem to bring himself to be too mad at the man.
Nino sighed and managed a small smile. Ohno was finally home.
AN: Yay! New series :D and lots have happened~
Since school and job hunting are going to take up a good part of my time, i'll only be posting on the weekends until i can get more of the story written :( and there will most likely be delays in updates as well... but i will try to keep up XD
Next chapter! Ohmiya have some catching up to do :D
until then! <3