fic for kanu_x
For: kanu_x
From: clipsie
Title: The Night Shift
Pairing/Focus: Ninomiya Kazunari/Aiba Masaki with Ninomiya Kazunari/Matsumoto Jun sidepairing
Rating: PG
Warnings: Spiders and accidents.
Summary: Memory lane. Everyone has one. Everyone enters the space when they’re alone, even if their situation is a bit odd.
Notes: I hope this is enjoyable for you! I’m never sure if it will be enjoyable for anyone. Thank you to the mod for putting up with me yet again, and to my beta for always being there to beta and hear my cries. Also, thank you for your prompt. I came up with the idea immediately, even though the concept turned out oddly challenging for me to fight through! Also, there may feel like some loose ends, but this is from Nino’s perspective and I tried to make it as Nino as possible, so while it is a loose end to the reader, it isn’t to Nino.
Night shift workers. Lonely wards of the night, allowing safety to those that really need it. Well, at least that’s how a lot of people would like to imagine it. Then there is Ninomiya Kazunari, although he’ll just tell you to call him Nino, or Nino-san if you’re unlucky enough to encounter him when he’s grumpy and he hasn’t taken an instant liking to you. If you ask Nino, I’m sure he’ll tell you his opinion on night shifts: that they’re too long. They take away from valuable slacking time. Mind, he’ll also tell you this while battling monsters or saving a princess from some dude on his portable game system.
Unfortunately, today has to be the day he forgets his charger in his room. He lives on site, so it would be easy to get it, but it’s SO far away and it’s 3 am. He thinks to himself about how the light isn’t blinking quite yet, and then it begins to blink. Of course, always when you’re glad something hasn’t happened, it happens. Sighing, he closes his system and leans on his hands, watching the door. Thinking. Three in the morning is a dangerous time for that. A time when most people are remembering past mistakes as they try to get to sleep, and perhaps those that are living are haunted by ghosts of their past, although, considering the war, that isn’t so unusual.
=
The year was 198X. It was a time of peace, of friendship. A time when two young boys could play outside whenever they’d like. Play in the creek, catching frogs whenever they’d like, as two young boys would do. Okay, in this case, maybe it was just one of them, but the point still stood as much as the frogs would croak.
“Nino! Nino!” shouted the muddy child as he ran up the bank with his hands together. Reaching his friend sitting on the grass, he smiled and shoved them in his face. “LOOK!”
A croak.
“Masaki!” Nino cried, looking at the frog cross-eyed. “Get that out of my face.”
“Fine, fine!” Masaki said, turning on his heel with a smile. He set the frog on the grass towards the creek and patted it on the butt, causing it to leap forward. “Be free!”
Plopping down beside Nino, Masaki lay down and pouted, “Why don’t you ever want to play in the mud with me?”
“Because it’s dirty, and unlike you, I’ll get scolded,” Nino said as he looked at his friend lying on the ground, “and I’m going to get muddy anyway.”
“Oh? How so?” Masaki asked, patting the spot beside him for Nino to lie down.
Rolling his eyes, Nino complied and looked at his friend. “I think you know how.”
“No, not at all,” Masaki said, smearing his hand all over Nino’s face.
“See!” Nino shrieked. “Every time!”
Masaki laughed a breathy laugh and sat up. “Do you want to catch a salamander?”
“If I catch it, can I push you in the mud?” Nino asked, also sitting up.
Masaki stood up and simply shrugged before running down to the creek. Caught off guard, Nino scrambled to catch up, yelling, “Wait!”
The two of them searched through the mud and water for a half hour before Nino came up behind Masaki with a salamander. Smirking, he pushed Masaki, who turned over to look at him with a shocked face. Nino simply bent down and placed the salamander on Masaki’s chest before walking up the bank. Masaki did a quick double take before letting out another breathy laugh.
“Hurry up, or we’ll be late for dinner,” Nino said, looking back at him with a smile.
Scrambling, Masaki placed the salamander on the bank and ran up to Nino. “How does mapo tofu sound?” he asked.
“Again? Seriously? Masaki, you need variation,” Nino said, stepping forward and placing his hands behind his head.
“We run a Chinese restaurant…” Masaki said.
“I know, I know,” Nino replied as he turned around to look at Masaki before running away. “Last one there is a rotten egg!”
“Wait, what?” Masaki yelled after him, “Nino!”
=
A sudden clap of thunder and the pounding of rain outside rouses Nino from his thoughts. Looking at the clock, he sighs and sinks into the desk, hand over the far edge. It’s only 3:30 am. He’s off at seven. It’s still way too long until he gets to be finished and he’s tired. Sometimes he wishes he could go back to that simpler time. When he didn’t have a care in the world. When he wasn’t an adult.
A sudden ringing of the doorbell brings him out of his internal complaining. Two figures stand at the glass door, waving. They look relatively harmless, so he hits the button to demagnetize the lock.
“Hello, welcome to Sheamus Inn,” Nino says, not exactly smiling. Well, it isn’t a five. More like a three.
“Hi,” says the one with silver hair and, as Nino ponder to himself, a swish of a tail? “We’d like a room for two days.”
“A single or a double?” Nino asks, bringing up the room list on the computer.
“A single is fine,” the other, slightly taller one with a deeper voice says.
“Got it,” Nino replies, typing in the requirements. “Whom should I put this under?”
“Put it under ‘Nakayamada’ please,” the one with the deeper voice says with a grin.
The silver haired man rolls his eyes. “Seriously, Yuma, do you have to?”
Turning to look at his companion, he puts on his best innocent face. “Have to do what, Yama-chan?”
“Ugh,” Yamada says, crossing his arms.
Yuma grins at that and fluffs his hair. “You love it, you fox.”
Nino turns to grab the key, letting the two of them bicker slightly before coughing for attention. When they turn their eyes toward him, he speaks. “So, your room will be 139. Check out will by noon on your departure day. Do either of you have a credit card to put this on?”
“OH! Yeah,” Yuma says as he digs in his pocket, “here.”
“Thank you,” Nino says as he processes it, continuing when he returns it. “Please enjoy your stay here at Sheamus Inn.”
“Thank you,” Yuma and Yamada say together before heading down the hallway to their room.
Nino watches as they go down the hall, noting that it was, indeed, a swish of a tail. A fox tail.
So many odd characters come around this area, Nino thinks to himself. Settling in, he waits for more time to pass.
==
Middle school with Masaki was always interesting. Masaki was always just on time, which exhausted Nino, who sat in front of him during second year. Masaki also regularly fell asleep in class, unless it was Phys. Ed. Sometimes Nino really wondered why they were friends.
Take, for example, this day. Masaki was actually late. It was concerning. He was never late for class. Sighing, Nino continued to pay attention to the lesson the teacher was giving. It was mathematics. Nino was good at that, but he wasn’t looking forward to explaining it to Masaki later.
At lunchtime that day, Masaki came flying in, bag and saxophone clutched in his hands. When he sat down, Nino turned away from his lunch to look at him.
“What the hell?” Nino said.
“Sorry!” Masaki exclaimed. “There was a cat, and then I dropped my saxophone in a puddle and had to get that cleaned up. My dad contacted the school. It’s okay.”
Nino just shook his head fondly and reached for his lunch to place on Masaki’s desk. “Of course there was a cat.”
“A very cute cat!” Masaki clarified. “It reminded me of you. Prickly and loving.”
“Masaki…” Nino began before he was interrupted.
“I took a picture, wanna see?”
“Yes,” Nino said, taking a bite of his onigiri.
Masaki brought out his phone and showed Nino a picture. It was a black and white cat. The cat wasn’t the only thing Nino noticed, though. Masaki’s knuckles were rather red, and that definitely didn’t come from cleaning a saxophone or petting at cat.
Nino and Masaki hung out later that afternoon, going to the arcade to play some games, which Masaki ultimately lost at for the most part, except Dance Dance Revolution. For some strange reason Masaki was way stronger at the game. Nino blamed it on him actually making an effort.
Walking home after the arcade, Masaki and Nino joked around quite a bit. Despite this, they were careful at crosswalks. Or, at least that’s what Nino thought. The next thing he knew, he felt like he was getting hit by a freight train, and he passed out.
---
The next thing he remembered was the sound of the heart monitor beeping beside him, his rhythm fine. He was in the hospital.
When he slowly opened his eyes, he spotted Masaki sleeping beside his bed. Fine, although looking at him, Nino wondered if that was blood on his shirt. Turning back to stare at the ceiling, he sighed. He could hear his mother outside. Just a muffle, but so distinctly HER based on the rhythm. He shifted a bit and groaned. He was in pain everywhere.
He kept shifting until he felt a hand on his arm. It was Masaki, who had awoken to his groans of pain. Smiling softly, Masaki said, “Settle down, you were hit by a speeding car.”
“Eh?” Nino replied, surprised as he didn’t remember any headlights when he was struck, “I hope you got his licence plate.”
“I wish,” Masaki said, sitting back down in his chair, “but everything will be all right.”
It was then the doctor walked in with his mother, smiling gently. The doctor. Brilliant. Glowing. Did he have wings?
==
Again, Nino is roused from his thoughts, the doorbell of the Inn ringing once again. Looking outside, he sees a man with glowing eyes. Sho, it seems. He’s always showing up late after all. Buzzing him in, Nino brings up the account. Sho shows up every month. He’s a long time friend of the baker at the Inn, Ohno. It’s just that it’s easier for him to show up at night, being a newscaster and all.
When Sho approaches the counter, Nino smiles, greeting him with, “The regular, Sho-san?”
“Of course,” Sho replies with a smile. Nino likes him, even if he seems a bit high strung at times.
“It should all be okay, and Ohchan should be heading to the bakery soon if you want to meet him. It’s… Four-forty-five… He should already be there… What the hell?” Nino says, confused.
“Boring night?” Sho asks, laughing a bit.
“Very. My game basically died, and you know how J is if I try to wake him up for something like that,” Nino explains. “So I’ve been thinking a lot. A lot about the past, which, ugh. I can’t wait to be done to just sleep, or just charge my game and play a bit. I haven’t decided.”
“You should come join us when the bakery opens,” Sho says.
“You know, maybe I will.” Nino smiles, handing the key to the room over to Sho. “Everything should be in order. See you around seven?”
“See you then,” Sho replies, taking the keys and heading to his room.
Nino watches him leave before settling back in. Putting his legs on the counter, he thinks about what he can see. When the accident happened, which he is highly confident wasn’t an accident with a car at this point, he woke up able to see things hidden to most humans. Sho, for instance, is a shapeshifter, so while he has a default shape, one that Nino knows him by only, his eyes still constantly glow. It would really be unsettling if Nino weren’t used to it at this point.
The only person that really knew of his condition was the doctor that treated him that night, Dr. Nagano. It’s not like Nino wasn’t obvious, staring at the wings. When they were alone, the doctor had asked about it, and told Nino to never tell anyone about it, lest they treat him like an other.
He was a gentle doctor and Nino liked him. Angelic, even, and gone the next week, never to be seen again.
===
A friendship for the ages, that’s what Masaki’s parents always joked about. They were always together. Even when they both gained new friends and got placed in different classes. It also couldn’t stop Nino from feeling things.
One of those things was the confusion as to whether he felt insanely strongly about their friendship, or if it was actually love. Was he in love with Masaki? He wrestled with this feeling. Even when Masaki was dating Mizukawa and Nino insisted that he should actually spend time with her, he wrestled with it. During their third year of high school, Masaki and Mizukawa did break up, although they remained friends, and Nino got to know her, finding out she was a jorogumo, not that he asked. He just got a better look at her extra legs and looked it up in the various books he had started collecting.
When Masaki began showing interest in the exchange student, Maruyama, Nino decided he needed to do something. All he heard about was Maruyama for weeks. How cool Maruyama was. How nice. How talented. How attractive. It didn’t end until Maruyama turned down Masaki, citing he had someone at home but they could still be friends, and Nino was there to pick up the pieces, even though it was mostly okay.
It was another month before Nino gained the courage to confront Masaki. It was two months before graduation when they were hanging out in Nino’s room playing Mario Kart 64.
Laughing, Nino chose the Star Cup before turning to Masaki.
“Masaki, let’s make a bet. If I win, you tell me something, and if you win, I tell you something. Something that neither of us has told the other,” Nino stated, always a betting man, confident in his talent for games.
“Sounds good!” laughed Masaki, turning his attention to the screen.
Nino was good at games. It’s just that this time, he wasn’t. Worst of all, it wasn’t even on purpose.
“Oh my fucking god!” Nino said, throwing his controller onto his bed. Dramatically, he threw his head back and covered his face with his hands.
Turning to look at him with a smile (not that Nino could see it, but Masaki radiated smiles and charm all the time) Masaki poked Nino. “So, what did you want to tell me?”
Dragging his hands down his cheeks and lingering at his mouth to pull it down into an agonized face, Nino looked at him. He quickly moved his hands back up his face before removing them.
“Yes, what did I want to tell you?” Nino asked himself. “You know, I don’t think I can remember. Want to play the Special Cup?” He grabbed his controller again.
Placing his hand on Nino’s, Masaki looked at him softly. “Something has been bothering you. Please tell me.”
Nino sighed and dropped the controller. “Fine...” he said with a shaky voice. Taking a deep breath, he focused on Masaki’s face. “I really like you. Like, like you, like, you.” As he finished he looked away. “But I understand if you don’t feel the same.”
Masaki looked at his averted face with a soft expression. Grabbing Nino’s face, he turned it towards himself. “I really like you too,” he said.
Nino smiled, leaning in to kiss Masaki. Masaki in turn did the same. It lasted for a few minutes, and Nino was sure it was the happiest he’d been in a long time. Happier than the time he pushed Masaki into the creek. But, as quick as it began, it was over with Masaki pulling back, a sad expression on his face.
“I like you, but I can’t,” Masaki whispered before standing up. “I have to go now.”
He left.
Masaki didn’t show up at school the next day.
Masaki’s family restaurant was abandoned.
Masaki didn’t show up at school for the rest of the year.
Three months later, the war started.
---
It was an awful war. The world seemed to change overnight. Tensions between Russia and the United States of America had finally snapped. Dangerous weapons were used, and concerns of a nuclear winter arose.
Of course, that was the war most people saw. Hidden from the rest of the world was the almost supernatural war. It seemed, to Nino at least, that the world leaders were almost possessed. A black cloud hung over them when he saw them on television.
Five years later, the war was over, both sides tired of the casualties and many places in the world in ruins. Parts of the United States of America were gone, such as Washington DC, along with parts of Canada, who had sided with the States. Even Japan had suffered a loss, specifically of Okinawa.
After, the tensions in the political world still remained high.
===
Nino is brought back to the sound of a spider crawling across the roof and the smell of freshly baked melon pan in front of him. Masao is making his normal morning delivery. Saluting the spider, he picks up the melon pan and takes a bite. It’s delicious, as per usual. Ohno always makes the most delightful snacks.
The bliss is interrupted by the sound of a shot ringing through the air and a spider’s leg landing in front of him. Looking up, he sees Masao scurry off, back to the safety of the bakery. Making sure Masao is around the corner, Nino looks at the figure before him. The figure, having clearly broken into his (okay, his boss’) establishment. Leader is going to be so disappointed that this happened.
The figure, wearing what Nino considers a ridiculous amount of leather, and what the fuck is with the wide brimmed floppy hat on his head anyway? He holsters the gun he had used.
Leaping out of his chair, Nino goes off. “What the fuck do you think you are doing? He was dropping off my fucking breakfast. Ohchan is going to be so sad. You’ve turned Masao into a disfigured David Throne drawing!”
The man lifts his head and takes off his hat, his face in distress. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I didn’t realise. I thought it was a monster up to no good. I’ll be more careful next time, but I really need a place to… Nino?”
“Aiba-san?” Nino asks when he gets a good look at his face. Backing up, he hits the wall behind him. “No…”
“‘Aiba-san?’” The distress on his face increases. “I… I’ve been reduced to my last name, really?”
“You left…” Nino whispers before yelling again. “And you hurt someone that lives here! Tell me why I shouldn’t just throw you out and ban you!”
“I can explain!” Aiba exclaims.
“I sure as hell hope so,” Nino says back, calmer, before they’re interrupted.
“What’s going on?” asks a man rubbing his eyes. “It’s six in the morning. You’re going to wake up the whole hotel…”
“Ahh, sorry Yuto,” Nino apologises. “Do you think you could start your shift early? I need to talk to this…” Nino gestures at Aiba, “…man.”
“Fine. Give me five,” Yuto says, turning back to his room.
“Nino… Are you sure he’s safe?” Aiba hisses in hushed tones.
“Of course he’s safe, Aiba-san,” Nino says, looking at him sceptically. “Why?”
“He’s an elf… Elves aren’t necessarily safe…”
Nino is taken aback, unsure how to proceed. How would he know Yuto is an elf, anyway? “I know he’s an elf, but why do YOU know he’s an elf? Why do YOU care that he’s an elf? Like, what the hell are you getting at?” Nino hisses.
“I…” Aiba begins, stopping.
“I’m waiting!” Nino exclaims.
Yuto comes back in exactly five minutes, and the two of them move to the bakery. Going to the back, Nino quickly checks on Ohno and Masao, noting the spider in the corner, cowering.
Rejoining Aiba in the seated area, he settles in for the explanation, which is slow going. There’s a lot to talk about, it seems. Aiba begins with Nino’s accident, which, as Nino expected, wasn’t related to a car at all. He’d been possessed. Aiba had saved him. Aiba the hunter, which is difficult to wrap his head around, although it does explain the bruises and cuts that he had passed off as simply being clumsy. That was the entire reason Aiba had left Nino; he didn’t want him to be hurt.
Nino merely looks at him sadly, especially since that seems to be what had made up the rest of Aiba’s life. Hell, he can’t even play the saxophone anymore due to an incident involving his lung being punctured.
Sighing, Nino looks at Aiba. “I’ll see about talking Leader into letting you stay. You didn’t know this was a safe place for everyone.”
“I really am sorry!” Aiba says, loudly. “I really didn’t know! Ever since the war, some inns have been more selective with their clientele. Is Masao okay?”
“I’m sure he’ll survive,” Ohno says, coming up behind them to hand them some rolls to eat. “Also, can you be a little quieter? The table over there is giving you looks, especially Chinen. He’s just scowling, the little guy.”
Nino looks over to spot the group of three. He waves at the glaring Chinen, who waves back, and notes Yuma and Yamada with him. They must be friends.
“I’m also sure it’ll be fine if you stay, but you’ll have to lock your weapons away in the safe,” Ohno continues before turning away. “Leader will be in at ten.”
Aiba stands up and bows at Ohno, “Thank you, Ohno-san! I’m really sorry for injuring Masao!”
Ohno doesn’t respond as he walked into the back.
“Aiba-san!” Nino exclaimed to dead ears. Sighing, he glares and says, “Masaki, sit the fuck down, please!”
“Okay!” Masaki says with a smile to talk some more, and talk they do, even if they’re interrupted by Jun’s prying questions when he comes down at eight for his serving shift. Nino has never seen him so jealous and tells him as much.
Masaki has returned mostly unchanged. Nino’s overwhelmed at this point, a little upset Masaki took off without explaining anything at the time, and really unsure where his feelings stand,. Even if he is happy with Jun, it affects a guy. He’s even a bit annoyed at all the reminiscing he had just done for someone he figured was probably dead at this point, but mostly he’s happy. Nino’s happy, although he needs to sleep soon.
From: clipsie
Title: The Night Shift
Pairing/Focus: Ninomiya Kazunari/Aiba Masaki with Ninomiya Kazunari/Matsumoto Jun sidepairing
Rating: PG
Warnings: Spiders and accidents.
Summary: Memory lane. Everyone has one. Everyone enters the space when they’re alone, even if their situation is a bit odd.
Notes: I hope this is enjoyable for you! I’m never sure if it will be enjoyable for anyone. Thank you to the mod for putting up with me yet again, and to my beta for always being there to beta and hear my cries. Also, thank you for your prompt. I came up with the idea immediately, even though the concept turned out oddly challenging for me to fight through! Also, there may feel like some loose ends, but this is from Nino’s perspective and I tried to make it as Nino as possible, so while it is a loose end to the reader, it isn’t to Nino.
Night shift workers. Lonely wards of the night, allowing safety to those that really need it. Well, at least that’s how a lot of people would like to imagine it. Then there is Ninomiya Kazunari, although he’ll just tell you to call him Nino, or Nino-san if you’re unlucky enough to encounter him when he’s grumpy and he hasn’t taken an instant liking to you. If you ask Nino, I’m sure he’ll tell you his opinion on night shifts: that they’re too long. They take away from valuable slacking time. Mind, he’ll also tell you this while battling monsters or saving a princess from some dude on his portable game system.
Unfortunately, today has to be the day he forgets his charger in his room. He lives on site, so it would be easy to get it, but it’s SO far away and it’s 3 am. He thinks to himself about how the light isn’t blinking quite yet, and then it begins to blink. Of course, always when you’re glad something hasn’t happened, it happens. Sighing, he closes his system and leans on his hands, watching the door. Thinking. Three in the morning is a dangerous time for that. A time when most people are remembering past mistakes as they try to get to sleep, and perhaps those that are living are haunted by ghosts of their past, although, considering the war, that isn’t so unusual.
=
The year was 198X. It was a time of peace, of friendship. A time when two young boys could play outside whenever they’d like. Play in the creek, catching frogs whenever they’d like, as two young boys would do. Okay, in this case, maybe it was just one of them, but the point still stood as much as the frogs would croak.
“Nino! Nino!” shouted the muddy child as he ran up the bank with his hands together. Reaching his friend sitting on the grass, he smiled and shoved them in his face. “LOOK!”
A croak.
“Masaki!” Nino cried, looking at the frog cross-eyed. “Get that out of my face.”
“Fine, fine!” Masaki said, turning on his heel with a smile. He set the frog on the grass towards the creek and patted it on the butt, causing it to leap forward. “Be free!”
Plopping down beside Nino, Masaki lay down and pouted, “Why don’t you ever want to play in the mud with me?”
“Because it’s dirty, and unlike you, I’ll get scolded,” Nino said as he looked at his friend lying on the ground, “and I’m going to get muddy anyway.”
“Oh? How so?” Masaki asked, patting the spot beside him for Nino to lie down.
Rolling his eyes, Nino complied and looked at his friend. “I think you know how.”
“No, not at all,” Masaki said, smearing his hand all over Nino’s face.
“See!” Nino shrieked. “Every time!”
Masaki laughed a breathy laugh and sat up. “Do you want to catch a salamander?”
“If I catch it, can I push you in the mud?” Nino asked, also sitting up.
Masaki stood up and simply shrugged before running down to the creek. Caught off guard, Nino scrambled to catch up, yelling, “Wait!”
The two of them searched through the mud and water for a half hour before Nino came up behind Masaki with a salamander. Smirking, he pushed Masaki, who turned over to look at him with a shocked face. Nino simply bent down and placed the salamander on Masaki’s chest before walking up the bank. Masaki did a quick double take before letting out another breathy laugh.
“Hurry up, or we’ll be late for dinner,” Nino said, looking back at him with a smile.
Scrambling, Masaki placed the salamander on the bank and ran up to Nino. “How does mapo tofu sound?” he asked.
“Again? Seriously? Masaki, you need variation,” Nino said, stepping forward and placing his hands behind his head.
“We run a Chinese restaurant…” Masaki said.
“I know, I know,” Nino replied as he turned around to look at Masaki before running away. “Last one there is a rotten egg!”
“Wait, what?” Masaki yelled after him, “Nino!”
=
A sudden clap of thunder and the pounding of rain outside rouses Nino from his thoughts. Looking at the clock, he sighs and sinks into the desk, hand over the far edge. It’s only 3:30 am. He’s off at seven. It’s still way too long until he gets to be finished and he’s tired. Sometimes he wishes he could go back to that simpler time. When he didn’t have a care in the world. When he wasn’t an adult.
A sudden ringing of the doorbell brings him out of his internal complaining. Two figures stand at the glass door, waving. They look relatively harmless, so he hits the button to demagnetize the lock.
“Hello, welcome to Sheamus Inn,” Nino says, not exactly smiling. Well, it isn’t a five. More like a three.
“Hi,” says the one with silver hair and, as Nino ponder to himself, a swish of a tail? “We’d like a room for two days.”
“A single or a double?” Nino asks, bringing up the room list on the computer.
“A single is fine,” the other, slightly taller one with a deeper voice says.
“Got it,” Nino replies, typing in the requirements. “Whom should I put this under?”
“Put it under ‘Nakayamada’ please,” the one with the deeper voice says with a grin.
The silver haired man rolls his eyes. “Seriously, Yuma, do you have to?”
Turning to look at his companion, he puts on his best innocent face. “Have to do what, Yama-chan?”
“Ugh,” Yamada says, crossing his arms.
Yuma grins at that and fluffs his hair. “You love it, you fox.”
Nino turns to grab the key, letting the two of them bicker slightly before coughing for attention. When they turn their eyes toward him, he speaks. “So, your room will be 139. Check out will by noon on your departure day. Do either of you have a credit card to put this on?”
“OH! Yeah,” Yuma says as he digs in his pocket, “here.”
“Thank you,” Nino says as he processes it, continuing when he returns it. “Please enjoy your stay here at Sheamus Inn.”
“Thank you,” Yuma and Yamada say together before heading down the hallway to their room.
Nino watches as they go down the hall, noting that it was, indeed, a swish of a tail. A fox tail.
So many odd characters come around this area, Nino thinks to himself. Settling in, he waits for more time to pass.
==
Middle school with Masaki was always interesting. Masaki was always just on time, which exhausted Nino, who sat in front of him during second year. Masaki also regularly fell asleep in class, unless it was Phys. Ed. Sometimes Nino really wondered why they were friends.
Take, for example, this day. Masaki was actually late. It was concerning. He was never late for class. Sighing, Nino continued to pay attention to the lesson the teacher was giving. It was mathematics. Nino was good at that, but he wasn’t looking forward to explaining it to Masaki later.
At lunchtime that day, Masaki came flying in, bag and saxophone clutched in his hands. When he sat down, Nino turned away from his lunch to look at him.
“What the hell?” Nino said.
“Sorry!” Masaki exclaimed. “There was a cat, and then I dropped my saxophone in a puddle and had to get that cleaned up. My dad contacted the school. It’s okay.”
Nino just shook his head fondly and reached for his lunch to place on Masaki’s desk. “Of course there was a cat.”
“A very cute cat!” Masaki clarified. “It reminded me of you. Prickly and loving.”
“Masaki…” Nino began before he was interrupted.
“I took a picture, wanna see?”
“Yes,” Nino said, taking a bite of his onigiri.
Masaki brought out his phone and showed Nino a picture. It was a black and white cat. The cat wasn’t the only thing Nino noticed, though. Masaki’s knuckles were rather red, and that definitely didn’t come from cleaning a saxophone or petting at cat.
Nino and Masaki hung out later that afternoon, going to the arcade to play some games, which Masaki ultimately lost at for the most part, except Dance Dance Revolution. For some strange reason Masaki was way stronger at the game. Nino blamed it on him actually making an effort.
Walking home after the arcade, Masaki and Nino joked around quite a bit. Despite this, they were careful at crosswalks. Or, at least that’s what Nino thought. The next thing he knew, he felt like he was getting hit by a freight train, and he passed out.
---
The next thing he remembered was the sound of the heart monitor beeping beside him, his rhythm fine. He was in the hospital.
When he slowly opened his eyes, he spotted Masaki sleeping beside his bed. Fine, although looking at him, Nino wondered if that was blood on his shirt. Turning back to stare at the ceiling, he sighed. He could hear his mother outside. Just a muffle, but so distinctly HER based on the rhythm. He shifted a bit and groaned. He was in pain everywhere.
He kept shifting until he felt a hand on his arm. It was Masaki, who had awoken to his groans of pain. Smiling softly, Masaki said, “Settle down, you were hit by a speeding car.”
“Eh?” Nino replied, surprised as he didn’t remember any headlights when he was struck, “I hope you got his licence plate.”
“I wish,” Masaki said, sitting back down in his chair, “but everything will be all right.”
It was then the doctor walked in with his mother, smiling gently. The doctor. Brilliant. Glowing. Did he have wings?
==
Again, Nino is roused from his thoughts, the doorbell of the Inn ringing once again. Looking outside, he sees a man with glowing eyes. Sho, it seems. He’s always showing up late after all. Buzzing him in, Nino brings up the account. Sho shows up every month. He’s a long time friend of the baker at the Inn, Ohno. It’s just that it’s easier for him to show up at night, being a newscaster and all.
When Sho approaches the counter, Nino smiles, greeting him with, “The regular, Sho-san?”
“Of course,” Sho replies with a smile. Nino likes him, even if he seems a bit high strung at times.
“It should all be okay, and Ohchan should be heading to the bakery soon if you want to meet him. It’s… Four-forty-five… He should already be there… What the hell?” Nino says, confused.
“Boring night?” Sho asks, laughing a bit.
“Very. My game basically died, and you know how J is if I try to wake him up for something like that,” Nino explains. “So I’ve been thinking a lot. A lot about the past, which, ugh. I can’t wait to be done to just sleep, or just charge my game and play a bit. I haven’t decided.”
“You should come join us when the bakery opens,” Sho says.
“You know, maybe I will.” Nino smiles, handing the key to the room over to Sho. “Everything should be in order. See you around seven?”
“See you then,” Sho replies, taking the keys and heading to his room.
Nino watches him leave before settling back in. Putting his legs on the counter, he thinks about what he can see. When the accident happened, which he is highly confident wasn’t an accident with a car at this point, he woke up able to see things hidden to most humans. Sho, for instance, is a shapeshifter, so while he has a default shape, one that Nino knows him by only, his eyes still constantly glow. It would really be unsettling if Nino weren’t used to it at this point.
The only person that really knew of his condition was the doctor that treated him that night, Dr. Nagano. It’s not like Nino wasn’t obvious, staring at the wings. When they were alone, the doctor had asked about it, and told Nino to never tell anyone about it, lest they treat him like an other.
He was a gentle doctor and Nino liked him. Angelic, even, and gone the next week, never to be seen again.
===
A friendship for the ages, that’s what Masaki’s parents always joked about. They were always together. Even when they both gained new friends and got placed in different classes. It also couldn’t stop Nino from feeling things.
One of those things was the confusion as to whether he felt insanely strongly about their friendship, or if it was actually love. Was he in love with Masaki? He wrestled with this feeling. Even when Masaki was dating Mizukawa and Nino insisted that he should actually spend time with her, he wrestled with it. During their third year of high school, Masaki and Mizukawa did break up, although they remained friends, and Nino got to know her, finding out she was a jorogumo, not that he asked. He just got a better look at her extra legs and looked it up in the various books he had started collecting.
When Masaki began showing interest in the exchange student, Maruyama, Nino decided he needed to do something. All he heard about was Maruyama for weeks. How cool Maruyama was. How nice. How talented. How attractive. It didn’t end until Maruyama turned down Masaki, citing he had someone at home but they could still be friends, and Nino was there to pick up the pieces, even though it was mostly okay.
It was another month before Nino gained the courage to confront Masaki. It was two months before graduation when they were hanging out in Nino’s room playing Mario Kart 64.
Laughing, Nino chose the Star Cup before turning to Masaki.
“Masaki, let’s make a bet. If I win, you tell me something, and if you win, I tell you something. Something that neither of us has told the other,” Nino stated, always a betting man, confident in his talent for games.
“Sounds good!” laughed Masaki, turning his attention to the screen.
Nino was good at games. It’s just that this time, he wasn’t. Worst of all, it wasn’t even on purpose.
“Oh my fucking god!” Nino said, throwing his controller onto his bed. Dramatically, he threw his head back and covered his face with his hands.
Turning to look at him with a smile (not that Nino could see it, but Masaki radiated smiles and charm all the time) Masaki poked Nino. “So, what did you want to tell me?”
Dragging his hands down his cheeks and lingering at his mouth to pull it down into an agonized face, Nino looked at him. He quickly moved his hands back up his face before removing them.
“Yes, what did I want to tell you?” Nino asked himself. “You know, I don’t think I can remember. Want to play the Special Cup?” He grabbed his controller again.
Placing his hand on Nino’s, Masaki looked at him softly. “Something has been bothering you. Please tell me.”
Nino sighed and dropped the controller. “Fine...” he said with a shaky voice. Taking a deep breath, he focused on Masaki’s face. “I really like you. Like, like you, like, you.” As he finished he looked away. “But I understand if you don’t feel the same.”
Masaki looked at his averted face with a soft expression. Grabbing Nino’s face, he turned it towards himself. “I really like you too,” he said.
Nino smiled, leaning in to kiss Masaki. Masaki in turn did the same. It lasted for a few minutes, and Nino was sure it was the happiest he’d been in a long time. Happier than the time he pushed Masaki into the creek. But, as quick as it began, it was over with Masaki pulling back, a sad expression on his face.
“I like you, but I can’t,” Masaki whispered before standing up. “I have to go now.”
He left.
Masaki didn’t show up at school the next day.
Masaki’s family restaurant was abandoned.
Masaki didn’t show up at school for the rest of the year.
Three months later, the war started.
---
It was an awful war. The world seemed to change overnight. Tensions between Russia and the United States of America had finally snapped. Dangerous weapons were used, and concerns of a nuclear winter arose.
Of course, that was the war most people saw. Hidden from the rest of the world was the almost supernatural war. It seemed, to Nino at least, that the world leaders were almost possessed. A black cloud hung over them when he saw them on television.
Five years later, the war was over, both sides tired of the casualties and many places in the world in ruins. Parts of the United States of America were gone, such as Washington DC, along with parts of Canada, who had sided with the States. Even Japan had suffered a loss, specifically of Okinawa.
After, the tensions in the political world still remained high.
===
Nino is brought back to the sound of a spider crawling across the roof and the smell of freshly baked melon pan in front of him. Masao is making his normal morning delivery. Saluting the spider, he picks up the melon pan and takes a bite. It’s delicious, as per usual. Ohno always makes the most delightful snacks.
The bliss is interrupted by the sound of a shot ringing through the air and a spider’s leg landing in front of him. Looking up, he sees Masao scurry off, back to the safety of the bakery. Making sure Masao is around the corner, Nino looks at the figure before him. The figure, having clearly broken into his (okay, his boss’) establishment. Leader is going to be so disappointed that this happened.
The figure, wearing what Nino considers a ridiculous amount of leather, and what the fuck is with the wide brimmed floppy hat on his head anyway? He holsters the gun he had used.
Leaping out of his chair, Nino goes off. “What the fuck do you think you are doing? He was dropping off my fucking breakfast. Ohchan is going to be so sad. You’ve turned Masao into a disfigured David Throne drawing!”
The man lifts his head and takes off his hat, his face in distress. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I didn’t realise. I thought it was a monster up to no good. I’ll be more careful next time, but I really need a place to… Nino?”
“Aiba-san?” Nino asks when he gets a good look at his face. Backing up, he hits the wall behind him. “No…”
“‘Aiba-san?’” The distress on his face increases. “I… I’ve been reduced to my last name, really?”
“You left…” Nino whispers before yelling again. “And you hurt someone that lives here! Tell me why I shouldn’t just throw you out and ban you!”
“I can explain!” Aiba exclaims.
“I sure as hell hope so,” Nino says back, calmer, before they’re interrupted.
“What’s going on?” asks a man rubbing his eyes. “It’s six in the morning. You’re going to wake up the whole hotel…”
“Ahh, sorry Yuto,” Nino apologises. “Do you think you could start your shift early? I need to talk to this…” Nino gestures at Aiba, “…man.”
“Fine. Give me five,” Yuto says, turning back to his room.
“Nino… Are you sure he’s safe?” Aiba hisses in hushed tones.
“Of course he’s safe, Aiba-san,” Nino says, looking at him sceptically. “Why?”
“He’s an elf… Elves aren’t necessarily safe…”
Nino is taken aback, unsure how to proceed. How would he know Yuto is an elf, anyway? “I know he’s an elf, but why do YOU know he’s an elf? Why do YOU care that he’s an elf? Like, what the hell are you getting at?” Nino hisses.
“I…” Aiba begins, stopping.
“I’m waiting!” Nino exclaims.
Yuto comes back in exactly five minutes, and the two of them move to the bakery. Going to the back, Nino quickly checks on Ohno and Masao, noting the spider in the corner, cowering.
Rejoining Aiba in the seated area, he settles in for the explanation, which is slow going. There’s a lot to talk about, it seems. Aiba begins with Nino’s accident, which, as Nino expected, wasn’t related to a car at all. He’d been possessed. Aiba had saved him. Aiba the hunter, which is difficult to wrap his head around, although it does explain the bruises and cuts that he had passed off as simply being clumsy. That was the entire reason Aiba had left Nino; he didn’t want him to be hurt.
Nino merely looks at him sadly, especially since that seems to be what had made up the rest of Aiba’s life. Hell, he can’t even play the saxophone anymore due to an incident involving his lung being punctured.
Sighing, Nino looks at Aiba. “I’ll see about talking Leader into letting you stay. You didn’t know this was a safe place for everyone.”
“I really am sorry!” Aiba says, loudly. “I really didn’t know! Ever since the war, some inns have been more selective with their clientele. Is Masao okay?”
“I’m sure he’ll survive,” Ohno says, coming up behind them to hand them some rolls to eat. “Also, can you be a little quieter? The table over there is giving you looks, especially Chinen. He’s just scowling, the little guy.”
Nino looks over to spot the group of three. He waves at the glaring Chinen, who waves back, and notes Yuma and Yamada with him. They must be friends.
“I’m also sure it’ll be fine if you stay, but you’ll have to lock your weapons away in the safe,” Ohno continues before turning away. “Leader will be in at ten.”
Aiba stands up and bows at Ohno, “Thank you, Ohno-san! I’m really sorry for injuring Masao!”
Ohno doesn’t respond as he walked into the back.
“Aiba-san!” Nino exclaimed to dead ears. Sighing, he glares and says, “Masaki, sit the fuck down, please!”
“Okay!” Masaki says with a smile to talk some more, and talk they do, even if they’re interrupted by Jun’s prying questions when he comes down at eight for his serving shift. Nino has never seen him so jealous and tells him as much.
Masaki has returned mostly unchanged. Nino’s overwhelmed at this point, a little upset Masaki took off without explaining anything at the time, and really unsure where his feelings stand,. Even if he is happy with Jun, it affects a guy. He’s even a bit annoyed at all the reminiscing he had just done for someone he figured was probably dead at this point, but mostly he’s happy. Nino’s happy, although he needs to sleep soon.