Chocolate fic for azraqey
To: azraqey
From: phrenk
Title: Impulse
Pairing: Ohno Satoshi/Kobayashi Ryoko
Rating: PG
Summary: After two years, Ohno meets Kobayashi Ryoko again by chance.
A/N: Written for azraqey, with heartfelt thanks to my beta. ♥
A swirl of blue and green caught Ohno's attention as he stepped into an aisle of towering bookshelves. The pattern, so abstract it hardly registered as a pattern at all, was one he remembered. Back on that night he'd gone out with the cast of Maou, despite his exhaustion, in large part because Ryoko had been the one to ask him. She'd worn a blue-green skirt and smiled so eagerly that his priorities rearranged themselves from 1. sleep, 2. fishing, to 1. Ryoko, 2. Ryoko smiling just like that, although there was still 3. sleep, and 4. fishing.
He stood in the used bookstore and smiled, looking softly at the familiar skirt and wishing the familiar girl was there, too. It'd been more than two years since they'd spoken and he wondered if he could use this as an excuse to send a mail saying hello. Before he gathered enough motivation his mind continued down his old list of priorities to think of fishing, as it was wont to do, and he was soon daydreaming away about the open sea and a boat, maybe someday a boat of his own, maybe someday with--
"Ohno-san?"
Ryoko.
Ohno came back to himself to realize his imagined fishing partner was indeed staring at him, eyes looking even bigger than usual in her delicately-featured face.
"Ryoko-chan," he mumbled, caught off-guard. "I was going to mail you about your skirt, except it's really yours."
She looked confused but she was smiling, and he remembered again why that had always had the power to focus his thoughts on her.
"It's been a long time," Ryoko said, not exactly shy. Her hair was shorter now, and Ohno couldn't decide if it made her look younger or older.
"How have you been?" he mustered, feeling like an old man tripping over his tongue in the presence of a beautiful girl.
"Busy," she said, sounding pleased. "And you? What are you doing in my favorite bookstore?"
"It looked deserted," Ohno answered, though the adjective he used in his head was safe. Looking down at the slip of paper in his hands he brightened, saying, "I'm here to buy a book."
Ryoko looked around at the shelves brimming with books of all sizes and colors. "No way," she deadpanned, but then she giggled, and he couldn't help chuckling along.
"It's my sister's birthday soon and Mom said she wouldn't do my birthday shopping any longer," Ohno said sadly. "But then she told me what to buy, so here I am."
"She told you what to buy?" Ryoko asked, sounding amused.
"I threw myself on her mercy. Whined a lot."
She hadn't laughed this much during their drama, Ohno thought, but maybe she'd been nervous. Hearing her laugh now was making him wish he was better at being funny on purpose.
"Let me see," Ryoko requested, hand reaching out for the paper. After humming to herself she led him down the aisle, peering right and left searchingly. She stopped walking and trailed her fingers along a row of books. When she held out a book to him a moment later it was with a triumphant grin that had him grinning right back.
"We should--" he started impulsively before wondering how he could finish that sentence. What would make it all right for them to hang out together? He imagined telling the story to the rest of Arashi and decided that it would have to be with him cast in the kindly uncle-type role and Ryoko as the friendly young lady who looked up to him as her senior in the industry. Or pitied him, although he'd never gotten the feeling she thought of him as ancient. Kindly uncle-type... "Get ice cream?" he finished falteringly, cursing himself for treating her like she was twelve.
Ryoko's smile faded a bit. Ohno scrambled for another idea.
"Go for a drink?" he tried.
Her face softened. "You don't have to risk a scandal for me, Ohno-san."
He remembered that about her, that she'd never called him anything but Ohno-san. He didn't know why but most people didn't last a week before dropping the formality, which made him more comfortable anyway. Ryoko had blushed when he'd told her to call him Oh-chan. He'd never brought it up again, afraid that if he saw her blush like that once more he'd have to tell her just how sweet he thought she was and make the set uncomfortable for everyone who had to work with a pretty young girl and a perverted older man.
They weren't on a set now, though, and she was staring at him, clearly waiting for him to speak.
"My studio space is near here," he said on a whim, not letting himself think too much on it. "We could have a drink there instead, and maybe you'd like to see my photographs? I know you used to take your own..."
"You remember," she said, looking surprised. She considered for a bare moment before: "Let's do it, Ohno-san."
"It's Oh-chan," he said, watching her carefully behind a blank expression.
She blushed.
---
They'd agreed to meet at Ohno's studio. Ohno had plans to clean it up a bit before he had company and Ryoko was going to buy the alcohol, figuring it would be easier for her than Ohno and definitely better than the two of them together.
The early evening breeze was refreshing against Ohno's skin as he walked down the street toward the room he rented for a studio. He felt light and anticipatory and didn't bother reining that feeling in yet. He could indulge his fantasies before he came back to his more realistic plans of having a drink with Ryoko and saying goodbye.
When his phone rang he felt too dreamy to bother checking who it was before answering.
"Come for a drink," came Nino's voice snappishly. "I expect you here in half an hour."
Ohno smiled giddily. "Nino-chan," he crooned and giggled a little bit because he had plans with Ryoko and he hadn't thought he'd ever get to have that happiness.
"Thirty minutes, Leader."
"I won't be there," Ohno said, matter-of-fact. He wasn't keeping up the veto on drinking alone with Nino on purpose but as it kept working out that way he wasn't exactly fighting it, either.
He couldn't see anyone around so he let himself give a half-skip as he stepped over a curb.
Nino harrumphed. "Fine, Aiba-chan is here, too, okay?"
Ohno laughed. Nino thought everything people did was on purpose, which made Ohno do a lot more things on purpose than he did with anyone else, just to keep up with the illusion. It was fun.
"Hey, Nino, is it weird for a 30-year-old to get drinks with a 21-year-old?" He hoped he didn't sound too anxious. It wouldn't do to incite Nino's protective instincts and he'd be sure to call in nagging reinforcements.
There was a yelp and the sound of a scuffle before an answer came in the form of Aiba, who sounded excited. "Leader, Leader, do we know this girl?" Ohno pictured Aiba and Nino with their heads huddled tightly together around the phone and wished for a second he was there with them.
"None of you have worked with her," Ohno hedged. Answer the question, he thought, mind still working on it and body nearly to the studio.
"But you have?" Aiba said curiously. "Wait..."
Nino's voice came from what sounded like a little ways away from the phone. "Is it Koba-chan? She's twenty-one now, right?"
"Leader, it's not weird! Leader, it's your crush! You look younger than you are anyway," Aiba said encouragingly, sounding like he might be bouncing up and down.
"What," Ohno said, not feeling up to articulating all of his questions. He could hear Nino laughing in the background.
"Sho-chan and I used your phone one time," Aiba explained. "We found that music video she was in."
Nino's voice piped in, "Did you learn how to put videos on your phone just for that one, Leader?"
Ohno ignored that because he had. "She was a schoolgirl..."
Nino must have stolen the phone back from Aiba because he was the one to say, "And we all judge you for liking that too much, you pervert. But in real life, she's an adult, just like you. More than you, maybe, I bet she even has a driver's license."
"Yeah, and I bet she buys her own clothes!" Aiba exclaimed loudly in the background.
"Tat-chan said she's a good kisser," Nino said teasingly.
Ohno hung up.
A minute later he had a new message from Nino and he opened it to see: leader, don't you like her, haven't you always? when you talk about fate, aren't you thinking about her?&1114 -- This is Nino. Aiba-chan stole my phone but I'm sending this anyway, because this time he's accidentally right. Don't be a dumbass, Leader, and call later so he can sob over your happy ending.
Ohno mused as he walked on, nearing his destination. He thought that Nino agreeing with advice from Aiba was a kind of luck all on its own, though he wished his feelings would let him know for himself what was right. He didn't reply to the message, or the one after that which said only: I mean really, I figured he'd say 'doesn't she make your pants feel tight'.
---
The knock at the door of his studio ten minutes later had Ohno's heart rabbiting in his chest. When he opened it to find Ryoko, holding up two bottles of wine and beaming at him, he felt like something had to give.
"Ryoko-chan," he said slowly. "I'm thirty years old."
That was not what he'd meant to say. Her beam disappeared quickly, though, so she must have understood something of what he meant.
"I know that," she said, pushing past him with an assertiveness he wouldn't have expected of her. The fact that her frustration meant she probably had feelings for him had guilty elation filling his chest even as he tried to tamp it down.
"You can still act as a high schooler," Ohno said helplessly, watching her put the wine and plastic cups on the small table next to his workbench.
She didn't answer until she'd walked back over to him, reaching around him to close the door before looking him in the eye.
"I don't think that means anything, Kaibutsu-kun," she said, visibly upset but clearly trying to stay calm.
Ohno, despite himself, was pleased that she'd kept up with what he was doing. Still... "I--"
"Look," Ryoko interrupted. "Do you want to get married soon?"
"No," Ohno answered automatically, distracted. He had always loved Ryoko's simple sweetness but this more forceful Ryoko was someone for whom he could feel himself developing a marked fondness, he thought ruefully, feeling the corners of his eyes crinkle as he smiled involuntarily.
Ryoko took a deep breath. "Oh-chan," she said, and Ohno gave up the fight at the sound of her voice saying that for the first time. "I like you."
"Ryoko-chan--"
"Let's date," she interrupted again, words starting to come out too quickly. "Let's get to know each other. I like you, okay, let's just--"
"Yes," Ohno cut in gently, feeling his mind and heart come to an agreement on that one word. She stilled, and he reached out, fingers smoothing a strand of her hair away from her temple. He took a step closer. "Yes," he repeated. "I've wanted to say for years..."
She sighed softly, eyes slipping shut, barely leaning into his touch. He wondered if this would have happened no matter when or how they'd met again.
"That you're so sweet," Ohno managed at last. "That I like you."
He watched as she smiled, eyes not opening even as she moved toward him. One hand came up to grasp his, moving it away from her face and lacing her fingers through his own.
Finally her eyes opened, those eyes that fascinated him and showed her feelings so clearly. She said, "You can't take it back," before leaning in, to his shock, to kiss him. She wasn't that much shorter and caught his lips easily, resting her free hand softly on his jaw as she held the kiss for an endless moment.
Ohno was used to having to catch up to situations and pulled her closer with his hand on the small of her back. If he could have had second thoughts before she kissed him, he certainly couldn't after. The warmth of her lips was intoxicating, and he leaned into her instinctively, feeling the softness of her shirt under his hand and already wishing it was the softness of her skin.
She broke away, and he naturally followed before catching himself and standing up straight. She looked stunned and fragile. Only the memory of her leaning in to kiss him kept him from feeling dirty. Then her eyes focused on him, and her mouth quirked up to one side, the mood lightening with it. Her hands reached out to trace the features of his face and then she gave a girlish giggle, arms coming across her stomach naturally.
"Your face," she said helplessly, laughing. "You look so surprised!"
Ohno could feel that whatever his look of surprise had been, it was morphing into a pout. He let it, liking the way it was making Ryoko laugh even harder.
When she straightened it was to move back to the table and regather the wine and cups, maneuvering them into the crook of one arm. She held her other hand out to him.
"Come on," she said, edging toward shyness again. "Let's go to my place."
He must have pulled another shocked face because she laughed again and clarified, "Let's go drink wine and I'll teach you how to bake bread, all right? I remember how much you love bread so I--" She didn't finish her sentence, looking pink again.
"You learned how to bake bread for me?" Ohno asked, feeling smug.
"No, just, well, because I wanted to," she said quickly, not meeting his eyes.
He hugged her; he couldn't not. He tugged her in and grabbed on tight.
"You're going to make me drop the wine," she whispered, but she tucked her face into his neck and let him hold her.
"I forgot to buy the book," he whispered back, realizing it only then, but he made no move to let her go. Her hair brushed against his skin and her shoulder blades felt delicate under his palms.
He thought the next time he was asked about fated love on a variety show he would try to say that it was sealed with a kiss, even though he'd probably hear a chorus of ehhhhs for his effort, with his bandmates louder than anyone else. Sometimes foolish honesty was worth it for the faces people pulled in response.
---
They walked hand in hand through deserted streets. Ohno felt reckless even with his hat pulled low over his face.
"Here," Ryoko said and handed over a face-mask, trading it for the bag in which they'd put the wine.
He didn't thank her aloud but squeezed her hand tightly before letting go to don the mask. An awkward moment passed while he thought of grabbing her hand again, wondering where his courage was.
Before he found it his phone rang again. It was Aiba.
"What?" Ohno answered, trying to sound irritable but in too good of a mood to sustain it.
It wasn't Aiba who replied. "Leader, really, where are your manners," Jun said brusquely. Then he choked out a laugh, and Ohno had heard that particular laugh too many times not to know that Jun was drunk.
"Matsujun," he said fondly.
"Leader," Jun drawled back.
Aiba's voice came in near the phone, saying, "Okay, let's let the sober people talk, Jun-kun. No, don't hit me, ack--"
Ohno caught Ryoko giving him a curious glance and narrated for her. "Aiba-chan just tried to take the phone from Matsujun but is getting clobbered for it. Nino's laughing at them."
"You're all off tonight?" she wondered.
"It's weird," he said, listening to the tussle on the other end of the phone line. "It's 'cause we have to be in the car on the way to a photoshoot before dawn tomorrow." He frowned a bit thinking about that but stopped when Ryoko started frowning with him, because Ryoko frowning could not fail to be cute.
When the tussling noises subsided a voice that Ohno didn't expect came through the phone. "All right!" Sho said, sounding winded. "Aiba-chan and Matsujun are restrained."
"Hmm?" Ohno said, finding it hard to be as curious as he should be when Ryoko had just taken his hand again.
"I'm sitting on Aiba-chan," Sho said proudly. "And Nino has pinned Matsujun."
"... Is anyone around to take pictures?"
Sho ignored this. "I hear congratulations are in order, Satoshi-kun. Nino called us here to celebrate on your behalf. And probably to pay. And probably to annoy Matsujun. And probably because he was piqued that you wouldn't come. Satoshi-kun, why aren't you talking," Sho finished with frustration.
"We're going to make bread," Ohno said happily, playing with Ryoko's fingers. "And not get married." He could probably clarify that but it didn't seem worth the effort. "Bye, Sho-kun!"
Ryoko didn't hide her smile, swinging the bag of wine on one side of her body and their joined hands on the other.
"That's my car," she said after a minute, motioning with both of their hands toward a small, blue car on the side of the road.
"Ah, you have your license, then," Ohno said, half dismayed and half pleased.
Ryoko gave a tiny wheeze of a laugh before smoothing her expression completely.
She leaned in close and said seriously, "Oh-chan. You're thirty years old."
Her mimicry of his tone from earlier that night was excellent but as he tickled her it broke, turning into a barely muffled shriek. She poked at his sides in retaliation, trying not to drop the bag with the wine.
"You can't win, grandpa," she said and darted away to the driver's side of the car, leaving him slumped and shaking with laughter.
---
Driving together felt less dangerous than walking and Ohno breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing into the passenger's seat.
"You could call me other things, too," he said, relishing the time he got to spend with her and the idea that there would be a great deal more of it. "Like Satoshi."
"I was thinking of calling you Leader," Ryoko said mischievously, hands sure on the wheel.
Ohno resisted the urge to peek over at her before saying, "Only in bed," but then had to look as she spluttered, head dropping so that her hair covered her face.
He figured he'd give her a moment to let go of the embarrassment before he changed the subject but then she spoke, startling him.
"I figured I'd call you someone else's name in bed," she said. "Pretend you're someone younger. Toma has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
"Have you kept up with him?" Ohno asked, unperturbed.
"I haven't," Ryoko said, sounding like she wished she had.
"Maki-chan probably wouldn't appreciate you using his name."
"Tat-chan it is, then," she sighed.
"Sa. To. Shi," Ohno said, trying to sound firm despite his increasing sleepiness from being in a car.
"You can try to convince me later," Ryoko said playfully.
He drifted off thinking of ways he might do just that.
---
"Oh-chan."
Ohno woke from a pleasant dream, finding himself buckled into a seat in a car and thus on the way to some sort of work.
"Are we there yet?" he asked Jun, surely somewhere close to him.
A quiet chuckle, and then, "Naruse-san?"
Ohno blinked open his eyes, finding his pleasant dream to be reality and Ryoko standing outside the open passenger door, looking in at him. She held out her hand as if she were his chauffeur and he needed help out of the car.
"Thank you, my dear," Ohno said regally, taking her hand and getting out. His knees creaked but Ryoko only smirked prettily and held onto his hand. They were in a parking garage and heading for an elevator before Ohno's brain started to catch up to the situation, remembering the hand, becoming more familiar every time he held it, remembering holding her close, remembering kissing her...
He tugged off his face-mask and swung Ryoko around, kissing her before she could draw in a breath to speak. She dropped the wine, arms coming up around his neck and mouth responding to him.
Part of Ohno's mind registered the clink of bottles rolling on pavement but that part was dwarfed by his sensations of Ryoko, who opened her mouth to him shyly but bit his bottom lip firmly right after, who teased his tongue with hers but gave a full-body shiver when he slipped a hand underneath her shirt to rest against her skin, just as soft and inviting as he'd imagined.
He dropped his forehead to hers, mouth clinging to hers for a second through shared dampness. His breathing was ragged and he wanted to pick her up and take her somewhere, anywhere he could keep kissing her without fear of interruption.
"Bread," he said, though it was neither what he meant to say nor what he wanted right then.
"Yesterday I hadn't talked to you for two years," Ryoko said breathlessly, pulling him tighter against her.
He could feel her breath on his lips and wanted to kiss her again desperately.
So he did, more gently this time, trying to communicate things he knew he couldn't put into words. His arm pulling her close said that it wouldn't be years before they saw each other again. His thumb stroking her jaw meant he was willing to try to make this work with her despite the issues. Pulling back for a moment just so he could lean in and kiss her again was his way of saying he wanted to kiss her every day from now on.
His phone rang.
"I am going to kill them," he murmured against Ryoko's lips.
This time she was the one to say, "Bread," and then she pulled away, giggling even though her hair was mussed and shirt askew. He willed himself to have control.
He answered his phone.
"Did you buy the book, Satoshi?"
Ohno's eyes widened. "Mom," he said, arousal dying with barely a sputter. Ryoko gave a little gasp that he filed away to think of as adorable later.
"I forgot," he said honestly. Then he realized something and added, "Plus I lost the paper with the name."
"Whoever raised you must have had a hell of a time," his mother sighed. "Well, I already wrapped a present from you anyway, you'll just have to make a card for her, all right?"
"I can do that," he said, shamefaced but grateful.
"Also, Satoshi, I received the damndest mail from Nino telling me I should congratulate you--"
"What?" Ohno yelped, blood running cold.
"Do I want to know what for or shouldn't I ask?"
"I... Mom..." All Ohno could think was I am thirty years old and it had never sounded as pathetic in his head as it did right then.
"I'll see you Sunday, then. Wash your towels," she said and hung up. He blinked.
"You look like you could use some wine," Ryoko said.
---
Flour covered Ohno's hands as he watched Ryoko demonstrate the proper way to knead the dough. This meant he was even more inclined to ignore the alerts of his phone, mails he was getting from someone who just couldn't take a hint.
He'd counted five received before he stopped counting and focused entirely on Ryoko. (And bread.)
When she finally slid the pan into the oven Ohno washed his hands and reached for his neglected phone.
Twelve messages, all from Aiba. He read the first one out loud without thinking ("kiss her") and felt his face heat, looking up to see Ryoko carefully looking away. He read the next eleven out loud just because he liked that giddy expression on Ryoko's face.
did you kiss her already//omg you did didn't you//was it good//of course it was omg, you are probably kissing right now//are you kissing right now//jun-chan is really drunk//nino and sho-chan keep putting pieces of napkin in his beer//kissing is better than watching jun drink dissolved-napkin-beer//but only because kissing is really awesome because this is pretty great too//we love you leader//tell koba-chan it's okay, you dress like a schoolgirl sometimes, too
Ryoko was laughing enough that she had forgotten to take off her oven mitts. Ohno wanted to cuddle her close. Before he did, because he could now, she said, "If you wear a schoolgirl's uniform for me I'll call you Satoshi in bed."
Ohno didn't answer, only opened a new mail to Aiba and typed out a message while reading it aloud, "do we still have that schoolgirl uniform?? Done," he said to Ryoko.
He got a picture mail back almost immediately and opened it to find Sho and Jun with their heads tipped together drunkenly, all four thumbs enthusiastically up. Then he saw an extra pair of hands giving Vs on either side of their heads and realized they must be squashing Nino, probably to bitter complaints.
"So that's Arashi, huh," Ryoko said, peering at the phone.
"Yeah," Ohno said, smiling. "How long until the bread is done?"
"Half an hour."
He tugged her out of the kitchen and into the living room and onto the couch, cuddled into the curve of his arm. His phone beeped again where he'd left it but he ignored everything but Ryoko until the oven timer went off.
---
"I should tell you that the bread I make is never any good."
Ryoko's confession didn't faze Ohno. He took a bite, looking up to see her watching him hopefully, eyes luminous in the soft lighting and stray streaks of flour in her hair.
He swallowed, grinned, and said, "Tasty."
She smiled. "Take it home with you then, Ohno--Oh-chan, whenever you go."
He heard the invitation and wavered, wanting nothing more than to stay with her as long as possible. It was with regret that he remembered the photoshoot in the morning.
"I should go home soon. The van will be honking outside my building before I know it."
"Let me take you home," she said softly. He put down the bread and leaned over to kiss her, just as a reminder that they hadn't seen the last of each other even though reality was pushing its way in.
"I can take the train, Ryoko-chan. When... are you free tomorrow night? My filming should end by ten at the latest."
She leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek before saying, "I have plans tomorrow. How about the next day?"
He chuckled and kissed her on the forehead, mumbling, "I have to go home for my sister's birthday."
"This is a good rule," Ryoko said. "Since it's going to be hard to make time for each other. Every time one of us can't, that person owes the other a kiss."
"We're going to build up a lot of kisses," Ohno said, looking at her rosy lips. She tilted toward him shyly, offering, and there was no way to say no to something like that.
Long minutes passed before they broke apart reluctantly, wanting to part less than ever.
"Tuesday night," Ohno said quietly, feeling like the room was warm and close around them.
"All right. Here?" Ryoko tucked her hair behind her ears, looking tired but lovely.
"Okay. I'll send you a mail before I come."
"Send one before that, Oh-chan."
"It's going to upset Arashi, that I'll send you messages but ignore theirs," he said, looking forward to it with amusement.
"You don't send them messages?"
"Not when they want me to," he said, pleased when she snickered.
---
Ohno spent the train ride dwelling on the lingering embrace goodbye, though he tried to distract himself by thinking of what message to send when he arrived home.
Letting himself into his empty apartment, he tapped away on his phone.
thanks for the bread, Ryoko-chan. I'll bring the schoolgirl uniform Tuesday~~ Your Satoshi
---
--- (Epilogue.)
It was hard to get up in the morning, not least because his dreams had been of fishing on his own boat and a particular person as his first mate.
Wedging himself sleepily into the van he saw that he was the last member to be retrieved. He nodded instead of saying good morning, knowing they'd understand.
"Leader," Aiba whispered with a wary look at a hungover-looking Matsujun wearing very large sunglasses. Ohno reached out and took the bag Aiba was handing him, opening it to find a familiar costume.
"Aiba-chan, how did you--"
Jun's growl ended Ohno's question abruptly.
Aiba had less of a self-preservation instinct. "Nino sent mails to all our managers last night, to see if they could--" Jun's hand whipping out and landing hard over Aiba's mouth ended the explanation.
As Aiba whined around Jun's palm Ohno turned to the back seat where Nino and Sho were curled into themselves and half-conscious. He gave a thumbs-up to Nino, who only blinked sleepily for a second before his lips quirked in what Ohno recognized as a barely-suppressed grin. Ohno turned the thumbs-up to Sho, who looked full of sleep-deprived irritation that softened into a look so fond Ohno wanted to vault over the seat and smother him in a hug.
He reached into his pocket and got out his phone, typing a message to Ryoko even though it was far too early to send it.
"Is he... is he using his phone voluntarily," Jun rasped.
"What," Nino said from the back. "Leader, you little shit."
Ohno just smiled happily, far too pleased with everything for five in the morning.
"So sappy, Leader," Aiba said, sounding approving and leaning into Ohno's shoulder.
"Can we all shut up until the sun rises," Sho grunted.
Ohno clutched the bag with the uniform and fell asleep with his head on Aiba's shoulder, thirty years old and happier than ever.
From: phrenk
Title: Impulse
Pairing: Ohno Satoshi/Kobayashi Ryoko
Rating: PG
Summary: After two years, Ohno meets Kobayashi Ryoko again by chance.
A/N: Written for azraqey, with heartfelt thanks to my beta. ♥
A swirl of blue and green caught Ohno's attention as he stepped into an aisle of towering bookshelves. The pattern, so abstract it hardly registered as a pattern at all, was one he remembered. Back on that night he'd gone out with the cast of Maou, despite his exhaustion, in large part because Ryoko had been the one to ask him. She'd worn a blue-green skirt and smiled so eagerly that his priorities rearranged themselves from 1. sleep, 2. fishing, to 1. Ryoko, 2. Ryoko smiling just like that, although there was still 3. sleep, and 4. fishing.
He stood in the used bookstore and smiled, looking softly at the familiar skirt and wishing the familiar girl was there, too. It'd been more than two years since they'd spoken and he wondered if he could use this as an excuse to send a mail saying hello. Before he gathered enough motivation his mind continued down his old list of priorities to think of fishing, as it was wont to do, and he was soon daydreaming away about the open sea and a boat, maybe someday a boat of his own, maybe someday with--
"Ohno-san?"
Ryoko.
Ohno came back to himself to realize his imagined fishing partner was indeed staring at him, eyes looking even bigger than usual in her delicately-featured face.
"Ryoko-chan," he mumbled, caught off-guard. "I was going to mail you about your skirt, except it's really yours."
She looked confused but she was smiling, and he remembered again why that had always had the power to focus his thoughts on her.
"It's been a long time," Ryoko said, not exactly shy. Her hair was shorter now, and Ohno couldn't decide if it made her look younger or older.
"How have you been?" he mustered, feeling like an old man tripping over his tongue in the presence of a beautiful girl.
"Busy," she said, sounding pleased. "And you? What are you doing in my favorite bookstore?"
"It looked deserted," Ohno answered, though the adjective he used in his head was safe. Looking down at the slip of paper in his hands he brightened, saying, "I'm here to buy a book."
Ryoko looked around at the shelves brimming with books of all sizes and colors. "No way," she deadpanned, but then she giggled, and he couldn't help chuckling along.
"It's my sister's birthday soon and Mom said she wouldn't do my birthday shopping any longer," Ohno said sadly. "But then she told me what to buy, so here I am."
"She told you what to buy?" Ryoko asked, sounding amused.
"I threw myself on her mercy. Whined a lot."
She hadn't laughed this much during their drama, Ohno thought, but maybe she'd been nervous. Hearing her laugh now was making him wish he was better at being funny on purpose.
"Let me see," Ryoko requested, hand reaching out for the paper. After humming to herself she led him down the aisle, peering right and left searchingly. She stopped walking and trailed her fingers along a row of books. When she held out a book to him a moment later it was with a triumphant grin that had him grinning right back.
"We should--" he started impulsively before wondering how he could finish that sentence. What would make it all right for them to hang out together? He imagined telling the story to the rest of Arashi and decided that it would have to be with him cast in the kindly uncle-type role and Ryoko as the friendly young lady who looked up to him as her senior in the industry. Or pitied him, although he'd never gotten the feeling she thought of him as ancient. Kindly uncle-type... "Get ice cream?" he finished falteringly, cursing himself for treating her like she was twelve.
Ryoko's smile faded a bit. Ohno scrambled for another idea.
"Go for a drink?" he tried.
Her face softened. "You don't have to risk a scandal for me, Ohno-san."
He remembered that about her, that she'd never called him anything but Ohno-san. He didn't know why but most people didn't last a week before dropping the formality, which made him more comfortable anyway. Ryoko had blushed when he'd told her to call him Oh-chan. He'd never brought it up again, afraid that if he saw her blush like that once more he'd have to tell her just how sweet he thought she was and make the set uncomfortable for everyone who had to work with a pretty young girl and a perverted older man.
They weren't on a set now, though, and she was staring at him, clearly waiting for him to speak.
"My studio space is near here," he said on a whim, not letting himself think too much on it. "We could have a drink there instead, and maybe you'd like to see my photographs? I know you used to take your own..."
"You remember," she said, looking surprised. She considered for a bare moment before: "Let's do it, Ohno-san."
"It's Oh-chan," he said, watching her carefully behind a blank expression.
She blushed.
---
They'd agreed to meet at Ohno's studio. Ohno had plans to clean it up a bit before he had company and Ryoko was going to buy the alcohol, figuring it would be easier for her than Ohno and definitely better than the two of them together.
The early evening breeze was refreshing against Ohno's skin as he walked down the street toward the room he rented for a studio. He felt light and anticipatory and didn't bother reining that feeling in yet. He could indulge his fantasies before he came back to his more realistic plans of having a drink with Ryoko and saying goodbye.
When his phone rang he felt too dreamy to bother checking who it was before answering.
"Come for a drink," came Nino's voice snappishly. "I expect you here in half an hour."
Ohno smiled giddily. "Nino-chan," he crooned and giggled a little bit because he had plans with Ryoko and he hadn't thought he'd ever get to have that happiness.
"Thirty minutes, Leader."
"I won't be there," Ohno said, matter-of-fact. He wasn't keeping up the veto on drinking alone with Nino on purpose but as it kept working out that way he wasn't exactly fighting it, either.
He couldn't see anyone around so he let himself give a half-skip as he stepped over a curb.
Nino harrumphed. "Fine, Aiba-chan is here, too, okay?"
Ohno laughed. Nino thought everything people did was on purpose, which made Ohno do a lot more things on purpose than he did with anyone else, just to keep up with the illusion. It was fun.
"Hey, Nino, is it weird for a 30-year-old to get drinks with a 21-year-old?" He hoped he didn't sound too anxious. It wouldn't do to incite Nino's protective instincts and he'd be sure to call in nagging reinforcements.
There was a yelp and the sound of a scuffle before an answer came in the form of Aiba, who sounded excited. "Leader, Leader, do we know this girl?" Ohno pictured Aiba and Nino with their heads huddled tightly together around the phone and wished for a second he was there with them.
"None of you have worked with her," Ohno hedged. Answer the question, he thought, mind still working on it and body nearly to the studio.
"But you have?" Aiba said curiously. "Wait..."
Nino's voice came from what sounded like a little ways away from the phone. "Is it Koba-chan? She's twenty-one now, right?"
"Leader, it's not weird! Leader, it's your crush! You look younger than you are anyway," Aiba said encouragingly, sounding like he might be bouncing up and down.
"What," Ohno said, not feeling up to articulating all of his questions. He could hear Nino laughing in the background.
"Sho-chan and I used your phone one time," Aiba explained. "We found that music video she was in."
Nino's voice piped in, "Did you learn how to put videos on your phone just for that one, Leader?"
Ohno ignored that because he had. "She was a schoolgirl..."
Nino must have stolen the phone back from Aiba because he was the one to say, "And we all judge you for liking that too much, you pervert. But in real life, she's an adult, just like you. More than you, maybe, I bet she even has a driver's license."
"Yeah, and I bet she buys her own clothes!" Aiba exclaimed loudly in the background.
"Tat-chan said she's a good kisser," Nino said teasingly.
Ohno hung up.
A minute later he had a new message from Nino and he opened it to see: leader, don't you like her, haven't you always? when you talk about fate, aren't you thinking about her?&1114 -- This is Nino. Aiba-chan stole my phone but I'm sending this anyway, because this time he's accidentally right. Don't be a dumbass, Leader, and call later so he can sob over your happy ending.
Ohno mused as he walked on, nearing his destination. He thought that Nino agreeing with advice from Aiba was a kind of luck all on its own, though he wished his feelings would let him know for himself what was right. He didn't reply to the message, or the one after that which said only: I mean really, I figured he'd say 'doesn't she make your pants feel tight'.
---
The knock at the door of his studio ten minutes later had Ohno's heart rabbiting in his chest. When he opened it to find Ryoko, holding up two bottles of wine and beaming at him, he felt like something had to give.
"Ryoko-chan," he said slowly. "I'm thirty years old."
That was not what he'd meant to say. Her beam disappeared quickly, though, so she must have understood something of what he meant.
"I know that," she said, pushing past him with an assertiveness he wouldn't have expected of her. The fact that her frustration meant she probably had feelings for him had guilty elation filling his chest even as he tried to tamp it down.
"You can still act as a high schooler," Ohno said helplessly, watching her put the wine and plastic cups on the small table next to his workbench.
She didn't answer until she'd walked back over to him, reaching around him to close the door before looking him in the eye.
"I don't think that means anything, Kaibutsu-kun," she said, visibly upset but clearly trying to stay calm.
Ohno, despite himself, was pleased that she'd kept up with what he was doing. Still... "I--"
"Look," Ryoko interrupted. "Do you want to get married soon?"
"No," Ohno answered automatically, distracted. He had always loved Ryoko's simple sweetness but this more forceful Ryoko was someone for whom he could feel himself developing a marked fondness, he thought ruefully, feeling the corners of his eyes crinkle as he smiled involuntarily.
Ryoko took a deep breath. "Oh-chan," she said, and Ohno gave up the fight at the sound of her voice saying that for the first time. "I like you."
"Ryoko-chan--"
"Let's date," she interrupted again, words starting to come out too quickly. "Let's get to know each other. I like you, okay, let's just--"
"Yes," Ohno cut in gently, feeling his mind and heart come to an agreement on that one word. She stilled, and he reached out, fingers smoothing a strand of her hair away from her temple. He took a step closer. "Yes," he repeated. "I've wanted to say for years..."
She sighed softly, eyes slipping shut, barely leaning into his touch. He wondered if this would have happened no matter when or how they'd met again.
"That you're so sweet," Ohno managed at last. "That I like you."
He watched as she smiled, eyes not opening even as she moved toward him. One hand came up to grasp his, moving it away from her face and lacing her fingers through his own.
Finally her eyes opened, those eyes that fascinated him and showed her feelings so clearly. She said, "You can't take it back," before leaning in, to his shock, to kiss him. She wasn't that much shorter and caught his lips easily, resting her free hand softly on his jaw as she held the kiss for an endless moment.
Ohno was used to having to catch up to situations and pulled her closer with his hand on the small of her back. If he could have had second thoughts before she kissed him, he certainly couldn't after. The warmth of her lips was intoxicating, and he leaned into her instinctively, feeling the softness of her shirt under his hand and already wishing it was the softness of her skin.
She broke away, and he naturally followed before catching himself and standing up straight. She looked stunned and fragile. Only the memory of her leaning in to kiss him kept him from feeling dirty. Then her eyes focused on him, and her mouth quirked up to one side, the mood lightening with it. Her hands reached out to trace the features of his face and then she gave a girlish giggle, arms coming across her stomach naturally.
"Your face," she said helplessly, laughing. "You look so surprised!"
Ohno could feel that whatever his look of surprise had been, it was morphing into a pout. He let it, liking the way it was making Ryoko laugh even harder.
When she straightened it was to move back to the table and regather the wine and cups, maneuvering them into the crook of one arm. She held her other hand out to him.
"Come on," she said, edging toward shyness again. "Let's go to my place."
He must have pulled another shocked face because she laughed again and clarified, "Let's go drink wine and I'll teach you how to bake bread, all right? I remember how much you love bread so I--" She didn't finish her sentence, looking pink again.
"You learned how to bake bread for me?" Ohno asked, feeling smug.
"No, just, well, because I wanted to," she said quickly, not meeting his eyes.
He hugged her; he couldn't not. He tugged her in and grabbed on tight.
"You're going to make me drop the wine," she whispered, but she tucked her face into his neck and let him hold her.
"I forgot to buy the book," he whispered back, realizing it only then, but he made no move to let her go. Her hair brushed against his skin and her shoulder blades felt delicate under his palms.
He thought the next time he was asked about fated love on a variety show he would try to say that it was sealed with a kiss, even though he'd probably hear a chorus of ehhhhs for his effort, with his bandmates louder than anyone else. Sometimes foolish honesty was worth it for the faces people pulled in response.
---
They walked hand in hand through deserted streets. Ohno felt reckless even with his hat pulled low over his face.
"Here," Ryoko said and handed over a face-mask, trading it for the bag in which they'd put the wine.
He didn't thank her aloud but squeezed her hand tightly before letting go to don the mask. An awkward moment passed while he thought of grabbing her hand again, wondering where his courage was.
Before he found it his phone rang again. It was Aiba.
"What?" Ohno answered, trying to sound irritable but in too good of a mood to sustain it.
It wasn't Aiba who replied. "Leader, really, where are your manners," Jun said brusquely. Then he choked out a laugh, and Ohno had heard that particular laugh too many times not to know that Jun was drunk.
"Matsujun," he said fondly.
"Leader," Jun drawled back.
Aiba's voice came in near the phone, saying, "Okay, let's let the sober people talk, Jun-kun. No, don't hit me, ack--"
Ohno caught Ryoko giving him a curious glance and narrated for her. "Aiba-chan just tried to take the phone from Matsujun but is getting clobbered for it. Nino's laughing at them."
"You're all off tonight?" she wondered.
"It's weird," he said, listening to the tussle on the other end of the phone line. "It's 'cause we have to be in the car on the way to a photoshoot before dawn tomorrow." He frowned a bit thinking about that but stopped when Ryoko started frowning with him, because Ryoko frowning could not fail to be cute.
When the tussling noises subsided a voice that Ohno didn't expect came through the phone. "All right!" Sho said, sounding winded. "Aiba-chan and Matsujun are restrained."
"Hmm?" Ohno said, finding it hard to be as curious as he should be when Ryoko had just taken his hand again.
"I'm sitting on Aiba-chan," Sho said proudly. "And Nino has pinned Matsujun."
"... Is anyone around to take pictures?"
Sho ignored this. "I hear congratulations are in order, Satoshi-kun. Nino called us here to celebrate on your behalf. And probably to pay. And probably to annoy Matsujun. And probably because he was piqued that you wouldn't come. Satoshi-kun, why aren't you talking," Sho finished with frustration.
"We're going to make bread," Ohno said happily, playing with Ryoko's fingers. "And not get married." He could probably clarify that but it didn't seem worth the effort. "Bye, Sho-kun!"
Ryoko didn't hide her smile, swinging the bag of wine on one side of her body and their joined hands on the other.
"That's my car," she said after a minute, motioning with both of their hands toward a small, blue car on the side of the road.
"Ah, you have your license, then," Ohno said, half dismayed and half pleased.
Ryoko gave a tiny wheeze of a laugh before smoothing her expression completely.
She leaned in close and said seriously, "Oh-chan. You're thirty years old."
Her mimicry of his tone from earlier that night was excellent but as he tickled her it broke, turning into a barely muffled shriek. She poked at his sides in retaliation, trying not to drop the bag with the wine.
"You can't win, grandpa," she said and darted away to the driver's side of the car, leaving him slumped and shaking with laughter.
---
Driving together felt less dangerous than walking and Ohno breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing into the passenger's seat.
"You could call me other things, too," he said, relishing the time he got to spend with her and the idea that there would be a great deal more of it. "Like Satoshi."
"I was thinking of calling you Leader," Ryoko said mischievously, hands sure on the wheel.
Ohno resisted the urge to peek over at her before saying, "Only in bed," but then had to look as she spluttered, head dropping so that her hair covered her face.
He figured he'd give her a moment to let go of the embarrassment before he changed the subject but then she spoke, startling him.
"I figured I'd call you someone else's name in bed," she said. "Pretend you're someone younger. Toma has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
"Have you kept up with him?" Ohno asked, unperturbed.
"I haven't," Ryoko said, sounding like she wished she had.
"Maki-chan probably wouldn't appreciate you using his name."
"Tat-chan it is, then," she sighed.
"Sa. To. Shi," Ohno said, trying to sound firm despite his increasing sleepiness from being in a car.
"You can try to convince me later," Ryoko said playfully.
He drifted off thinking of ways he might do just that.
---
"Oh-chan."
Ohno woke from a pleasant dream, finding himself buckled into a seat in a car and thus on the way to some sort of work.
"Are we there yet?" he asked Jun, surely somewhere close to him.
A quiet chuckle, and then, "Naruse-san?"
Ohno blinked open his eyes, finding his pleasant dream to be reality and Ryoko standing outside the open passenger door, looking in at him. She held out her hand as if she were his chauffeur and he needed help out of the car.
"Thank you, my dear," Ohno said regally, taking her hand and getting out. His knees creaked but Ryoko only smirked prettily and held onto his hand. They were in a parking garage and heading for an elevator before Ohno's brain started to catch up to the situation, remembering the hand, becoming more familiar every time he held it, remembering holding her close, remembering kissing her...
He tugged off his face-mask and swung Ryoko around, kissing her before she could draw in a breath to speak. She dropped the wine, arms coming up around his neck and mouth responding to him.
Part of Ohno's mind registered the clink of bottles rolling on pavement but that part was dwarfed by his sensations of Ryoko, who opened her mouth to him shyly but bit his bottom lip firmly right after, who teased his tongue with hers but gave a full-body shiver when he slipped a hand underneath her shirt to rest against her skin, just as soft and inviting as he'd imagined.
He dropped his forehead to hers, mouth clinging to hers for a second through shared dampness. His breathing was ragged and he wanted to pick her up and take her somewhere, anywhere he could keep kissing her without fear of interruption.
"Bread," he said, though it was neither what he meant to say nor what he wanted right then.
"Yesterday I hadn't talked to you for two years," Ryoko said breathlessly, pulling him tighter against her.
He could feel her breath on his lips and wanted to kiss her again desperately.
So he did, more gently this time, trying to communicate things he knew he couldn't put into words. His arm pulling her close said that it wouldn't be years before they saw each other again. His thumb stroking her jaw meant he was willing to try to make this work with her despite the issues. Pulling back for a moment just so he could lean in and kiss her again was his way of saying he wanted to kiss her every day from now on.
His phone rang.
"I am going to kill them," he murmured against Ryoko's lips.
This time she was the one to say, "Bread," and then she pulled away, giggling even though her hair was mussed and shirt askew. He willed himself to have control.
He answered his phone.
"Did you buy the book, Satoshi?"
Ohno's eyes widened. "Mom," he said, arousal dying with barely a sputter. Ryoko gave a little gasp that he filed away to think of as adorable later.
"I forgot," he said honestly. Then he realized something and added, "Plus I lost the paper with the name."
"Whoever raised you must have had a hell of a time," his mother sighed. "Well, I already wrapped a present from you anyway, you'll just have to make a card for her, all right?"
"I can do that," he said, shamefaced but grateful.
"Also, Satoshi, I received the damndest mail from Nino telling me I should congratulate you--"
"What?" Ohno yelped, blood running cold.
"Do I want to know what for or shouldn't I ask?"
"I... Mom..." All Ohno could think was I am thirty years old and it had never sounded as pathetic in his head as it did right then.
"I'll see you Sunday, then. Wash your towels," she said and hung up. He blinked.
"You look like you could use some wine," Ryoko said.
---
Flour covered Ohno's hands as he watched Ryoko demonstrate the proper way to knead the dough. This meant he was even more inclined to ignore the alerts of his phone, mails he was getting from someone who just couldn't take a hint.
He'd counted five received before he stopped counting and focused entirely on Ryoko. (And bread.)
When she finally slid the pan into the oven Ohno washed his hands and reached for his neglected phone.
Twelve messages, all from Aiba. He read the first one out loud without thinking ("kiss her") and felt his face heat, looking up to see Ryoko carefully looking away. He read the next eleven out loud just because he liked that giddy expression on Ryoko's face.
did you kiss her already//omg you did didn't you//was it good//of course it was omg, you are probably kissing right now//are you kissing right now//jun-chan is really drunk//nino and sho-chan keep putting pieces of napkin in his beer//kissing is better than watching jun drink dissolved-napkin-beer//but only because kissing is really awesome because this is pretty great too//we love you leader//tell koba-chan it's okay, you dress like a schoolgirl sometimes, too
Ryoko was laughing enough that she had forgotten to take off her oven mitts. Ohno wanted to cuddle her close. Before he did, because he could now, she said, "If you wear a schoolgirl's uniform for me I'll call you Satoshi in bed."
Ohno didn't answer, only opened a new mail to Aiba and typed out a message while reading it aloud, "do we still have that schoolgirl uniform?? Done," he said to Ryoko.
He got a picture mail back almost immediately and opened it to find Sho and Jun with their heads tipped together drunkenly, all four thumbs enthusiastically up. Then he saw an extra pair of hands giving Vs on either side of their heads and realized they must be squashing Nino, probably to bitter complaints.
"So that's Arashi, huh," Ryoko said, peering at the phone.
"Yeah," Ohno said, smiling. "How long until the bread is done?"
"Half an hour."
He tugged her out of the kitchen and into the living room and onto the couch, cuddled into the curve of his arm. His phone beeped again where he'd left it but he ignored everything but Ryoko until the oven timer went off.
---
"I should tell you that the bread I make is never any good."
Ryoko's confession didn't faze Ohno. He took a bite, looking up to see her watching him hopefully, eyes luminous in the soft lighting and stray streaks of flour in her hair.
He swallowed, grinned, and said, "Tasty."
She smiled. "Take it home with you then, Ohno--Oh-chan, whenever you go."
He heard the invitation and wavered, wanting nothing more than to stay with her as long as possible. It was with regret that he remembered the photoshoot in the morning.
"I should go home soon. The van will be honking outside my building before I know it."
"Let me take you home," she said softly. He put down the bread and leaned over to kiss her, just as a reminder that they hadn't seen the last of each other even though reality was pushing its way in.
"I can take the train, Ryoko-chan. When... are you free tomorrow night? My filming should end by ten at the latest."
She leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek before saying, "I have plans tomorrow. How about the next day?"
He chuckled and kissed her on the forehead, mumbling, "I have to go home for my sister's birthday."
"This is a good rule," Ryoko said. "Since it's going to be hard to make time for each other. Every time one of us can't, that person owes the other a kiss."
"We're going to build up a lot of kisses," Ohno said, looking at her rosy lips. She tilted toward him shyly, offering, and there was no way to say no to something like that.
Long minutes passed before they broke apart reluctantly, wanting to part less than ever.
"Tuesday night," Ohno said quietly, feeling like the room was warm and close around them.
"All right. Here?" Ryoko tucked her hair behind her ears, looking tired but lovely.
"Okay. I'll send you a mail before I come."
"Send one before that, Oh-chan."
"It's going to upset Arashi, that I'll send you messages but ignore theirs," he said, looking forward to it with amusement.
"You don't send them messages?"
"Not when they want me to," he said, pleased when she snickered.
---
Ohno spent the train ride dwelling on the lingering embrace goodbye, though he tried to distract himself by thinking of what message to send when he arrived home.
Letting himself into his empty apartment, he tapped away on his phone.
thanks for the bread, Ryoko-chan. I'll bring the schoolgirl uniform Tuesday~~ Your Satoshi
---
--- (Epilogue.)
It was hard to get up in the morning, not least because his dreams had been of fishing on his own boat and a particular person as his first mate.
Wedging himself sleepily into the van he saw that he was the last member to be retrieved. He nodded instead of saying good morning, knowing they'd understand.
"Leader," Aiba whispered with a wary look at a hungover-looking Matsujun wearing very large sunglasses. Ohno reached out and took the bag Aiba was handing him, opening it to find a familiar costume.
"Aiba-chan, how did you--"
Jun's growl ended Ohno's question abruptly.
Aiba had less of a self-preservation instinct. "Nino sent mails to all our managers last night, to see if they could--" Jun's hand whipping out and landing hard over Aiba's mouth ended the explanation.
As Aiba whined around Jun's palm Ohno turned to the back seat where Nino and Sho were curled into themselves and half-conscious. He gave a thumbs-up to Nino, who only blinked sleepily for a second before his lips quirked in what Ohno recognized as a barely-suppressed grin. Ohno turned the thumbs-up to Sho, who looked full of sleep-deprived irritation that softened into a look so fond Ohno wanted to vault over the seat and smother him in a hug.
He reached into his pocket and got out his phone, typing a message to Ryoko even though it was far too early to send it.
"Is he... is he using his phone voluntarily," Jun rasped.
"What," Nino said from the back. "Leader, you little shit."
Ohno just smiled happily, far too pleased with everything for five in the morning.
"So sappy, Leader," Aiba said, sounding approving and leaning into Ohno's shoulder.
"Can we all shut up until the sun rises," Sho grunted.
Ohno clutched the bag with the uniform and fell asleep with his head on Aiba's shoulder, thirty years old and happier than ever.