fic for gomushroom (4/6)
For: gomushroom
From: 64907
Part 3
It’s a testament to their professionalism that they don’t speak of it in the next cycles. It wasn’t a bad kiss-Nino would even admit that he enjoyed it (because he did kiss Sho back and they kept at it until they ran out of breath)-, it was simply unexpected. If ever he is confronted, he would deny that he finds Sakurai Sho attractive, even endearing at times. But since no one is asking, no denial is happening on his part.
At least, Sho had the prudence to be spontaneous when the security personnel of the ship was preoccupied with observing the hyperdrive repairs on engineering. Nino confirmed it with Matsuoka (one of these days he’s going to use the nickname Aiba has for the man) that at that time, all security cameras were directed on engineering to oversee the repairs. No one had turned on the ones on the corridors and the observation deck, on account of it being the graveyard shift at the time.
No one saw, and Nino was honestly thankful for that. Aiba had told him that bets were going on behind their backs, that since Grenus, people were wondering if their Ilarian marriage turned out to be a real one. Yuriko’s account of the incident only fanned the flames, and Nino doesn’t think he can deal with questions shoved in his face when he hasn’t figured things out for himself.
He stands in front of the mirror in his refresher, fixing his hair after drying it off with a towel. He picks up his comb, its teeth digging a little in his palm as he tries to find his parting. When he does, he runs the edges of the comb through it and makes a clean cut, shoving strands where they belong. Doing something routine helps him think, and he starts questioning himself as he continues fiddling with his hair.
He does find Sakurai Sho attractive, and weirdly enough, that’s not the terrifying thing about this. It’s also not the fact that Sho saw him as a rival and had this marked dislike for him in those first missions.
It’s the reality that Nino has no idea where this is headed, and he doesn’t find the idea of flying blind entertaining. He’s been doing that all his life. He spent three days thinking before going “fuck it” and applying for a translator job because he had gotten sick of being a bar patron and part time bartender in clubs close to Earth’s spaceports. He got the job with zero interviews and found himself shipped to the space station two weeks later. And now he’s here, wasting precious minutes on his hair because he needs time to reconsider, reevaluate. He’s never been good at planning. He’s the “wing it” type.
He hates how a part of him wants to think about it despite knowing nothing good will come out of thinking. His head is a scary place, even for him. He does spend time shushing his own thoughts when they become too much. His only consolation is the knowledge that Sho is the bigger thinker between them, and if he’s already lingering this much, how much more for Sho?
When his hair is perfect according to his own standards (he does have to look presentable being an interpreter for Jun, who always looks more than presentable-Jun is dashing, arrestingly so, more often than what Nino believes to be necessary), he shakes his head at his own reflection. Jun is conducting a meeting in a few minutes, a peer evaluation of sorts given that they already had three missions. Since he will spearhead the event, there is that small comfort that maybe Jun won’t notice something.
Not that there’s anything worthy of his attention, Nino thinks.
He dresses up for the meeting quickly and makes his way to the conference room, passing by familiar faces currently on alpha shift. He nods in acknowledgement at some and returns the smiles of others before finally reaching the designated floor.
The doors swoosh open to reveal Aiba who enthusiastically waves at him, and Nino takes a seat beside him.
“Who else will be here?” he asks. He forgot to ask Sho, and that was because he was otherwise preoccupied. The kiss in the observation deck wasn’t the only one they shared these past cycles. It was the start of sneaking and seeing how much they can get away with for now, like they were teenagers again and afraid of discovery.
“Everyone who’s been on a mission plus the bridge crew who has seen the transmission from Zura when we made contact,” Aiba answers, oblivious to his concerns. Nino prefers it that way. “Jun-chan likes to have everybody’s opinion so he makes time to hear what everyone has to say.”
“I did notice that about him,” Nino says. Aiba is included in the meeting even if all he does is ferry the away party to the meetup places and bring them back to the ship. “How does he do it? If I were in his shoes I would have time for nothing else.”
“And that’s why he has Sho-chan to plan everything for him,” Aiba says. Nino’s ears grow warmer at the name and he hopes Aiba doesn’t notice it.
“That’s another job I would hate to have,” Nino comments, and Aiba laughs but agrees with him.
“Well, I think you do like your job,” Aiba tells him, flashing him that blinding smile. He always smiles really big, like it can make flowers grow and cure the ailing. “I mean, it involves a lot of tongue, right?” Aiba’s eyebrows wiggle.
It’s a pathetic joke, something Nino has made himself many cycles ago, but he can’t stop his face from coloring a little when he inevitably recalls the events of the past cycles. There had been tongue involved, and certainly not in the way Aiba is thinking.
He plays it cool by shrugging his shoulders as nonchalantly as he can manage. “I get to see more of space as a bonus so yeah, maybe I do like it a little bit.”
He can feel Aiba’s gaze zero in on him. He pointedly ignores it, but then Aiba’s face gets so close to him that he’s probably counting Nino’s pores.
“What?” he huffs, annoyed.
“You’re hiding something from me, Kazu-kun,” Aiba says, accusatory finger repeatedly pointing at his face. Nino wills his expression not to betray anything. “Yeah, you are. I haven’t the slightest idea what it might be, but you are.”
Nino hates Aiba’s exceptional ability to read through him. Aiba has been able to do that since they became roommates in the space station. The guy completely knows how to interpret his body language with frightening accuracy. Nino doesn’t need to utter a word and Aiba simply knows.
He holds Aiba’s gaze for as long as he can, channeling impassiveness. Aiba grins. “Do I even want to know?”
“Actually no,” Nino tells him. He’s tempted to outline how talented Sho’s tongue is versus his own, but he’d rather do it with beer or brandy in hand so he can see it all splatter on Aiba’s smug face as he drops the punchline.
Aiba turns away, smiling to himself. “Maybe I placed my bets on the wrong side,” he mumbles to himself. “Leader’s going to win again.”
Nino’s about to ask what he means when the doors slide open, revealing Jun who looks like he’d rather roll in bed than be here. Sho once told him that Jun isn’t a morning person, and seeing it always makes Nino smile. Sho is right at Jun’s heels, and his eyes immediately meet Nino’s across the room.
Aiba’s sudden intake of breath from beside him breaks the spell, and Nino kicks him under the table.
“Shut up,” Nino warns at the corner of his mouth.
Aiba makes a zipping motion over his lips but his eyes tell Nino that he’s in for a lot of prodding. Nino’s positive he has to avoid Aiba for the upcoming cycles. The idiot will pester him for details because that’s how their friendship goes.
They all move to stand up when Jun approaches his designated seat, and Jun just waves them off.
“Most of you know the purpose of this meeting,” Jun says, then he gives Nino a brief nod. “But for those who are unfamiliar, this is where I listen to all concerns you might have now or might have had during the mission that weren’t addressed. I would also like your feedback on the past three missions we’ve had. Should it be necessary, I will relay your concerns to the Union in my next transmission with them.”
Yuriko is the first one who speaks up, raising her hand. Jun only nods for her to proceed. “I’d like to request the inclusion of a scientist under my department for the subsequent missions. The Grenus mission proved to be educational for the anthropological community, and I believe with the inclusion of a researcher in the away parties, we can also improve on the existing articles and studies that the Union has about the other planets.”
“I support that,” Nino says with the lift of his hand. “Yuriko-chan knew exactly how to talk to the Grenus even if they can only speak basic standard. If we have a scientist or an expert for every away team, we can also lessen the chances of a cultural misunderstanding occurring.”
Jun nods. “Noted,” he says, and beside him Sho is already typing things on a data pad. “I will make the proposal to the Union as soon as possible.” He turns to Yuriko. “I commend you for your work on the Grenus mission.”
Yuriko merely gives her thanks, and Jun proceeds with other concerns anybody else on the meeting might have. Personally, Nino has nothing noteworthy to add; most of the problems they encounter in each mission are rooted in their lack of understanding regarding practices, beliefs, and culture. As long as they work to address that in order to prevent it from happening, he’s good.
He stays quiet through the rest of the meeting, sneaking glances once in a while at Jun’s hardworking secretary. He has caught Sho’s gaze for a few times, but thankfully everyone’s attention is on Jun so nobody really notices.
Except Aiba.
As soon the meeting concludes, Aiba wraps an arm around his shoulders and leads him all the way to the mess hall. They don’t exchange a word but Aiba has that happy, carefree smile on his face that warns Nino of the things to come. They stand in front of a replicator and Aiba keys in Nino’s favorite: hamburger steak with vegetables on the side because Aiba keeps looking out for him and is against his supposed unhealthful habits.
Nino holds up a finger before Aiba can open his mouth.
“For the record, Aiba-shi,” he says, keeping his voice down since the rest of the gamma shift are still having their meals in the mess, “I don’t kiss and tell.”
Aiba grins so wide Nino believes his face must hurt. “So you did kiss him!”
He smacks Aiba at the back of the head. “Shut up,” he hisses, looking around. No one appears to have heard them. “And keep your voice down.”
Aiba has a hand over his mouth, like he’s trying to prevent himself from getting too excited. Which is useless in Nino’s opinion since the man is a ball of neverending energy. “Happily married now, huh?”
“Fuck off,” Nino says, snatching a tray and dumping his replicated food on it.
“So it’s fairly new? Oh man. You know that I betted on you and Sho-chan doing it behind our backs because I thought you were pretty smooth and all? That you must be laughing at us because you’ve been boning him the entire time and only putting on an act?” Aiba asks, sounding disappointed. He gives Nino this look that says ‘I trusted you’. “Oh-chan betted you haven’t gone that far. I guess that means he’s winning right now.”
“You and Ohno-san need to find a better hobby,” Nino says, shaking his head at him. “Stop snooping on people’s married lives.”
“And I told you, it’s such a small ship!” Aiba chuckles. “Isn’t it weird,” he says, keying in the code for a tuna sandwich in the replicator, “that you got hitched first before you started doing all this stuff?”
Nino shrugs, looking for a vacant table. “Space is weird.”
“Well, not as weird as actually liking what you didn’t intend to sign up for, right?” Aiba says, wrapping his arm around Nino’s shoulders again, his sandwich in his other hand.
“No,” Nino says as they walk towards the nearest set of empty chairs, “not as weird as that, I guess.”
--
The next time Nino finds himself pressed against Sho is also the first time he gets inside Sho’s quarters, when Jun apparently gave them a joint set of reading materials for the next mission. Nino believes that is something Sho just made up, that he thought of it himself and suggested to Jun that he’s going to need help. Jun would agree of course, because Sho does have work piling up, but that really doesn’t matter when Sho has him trapped right between his body and the wall next to the door.
“Just so it’s out there,” Nino says, smiling, “I knew this would happen.”
“Aiba-chan gave me a thumbs up and tried to wink at me four cycles ago,” Sho tells him, expression contemplative. “Mind explaining that?”
“Am I here to talk about Aiba-shi with you or are you going to do what you planned to do?” Nino asks, raising an eyebrow, trying to look bored but utterly failing. They’re so close, and Nino’s very, very interested in the way Sho’s looking at him. The past few cycles kept them apart, with Sho conducting performance reviews for every department with Jun, Nino polishing his grammar and intonation for the languages he had lied about on his résumé. It never hurts to be prepared.
“You’re so direct,” Sho says, face close to his, and Nino rolls his eyes.
“I think you like that about me,” he breathes before giving in.
They don’t share anything more than kisses though. Sho wants to take it slow, and it’s clear in the way he leaves Nino wanting more, pulling away before Nino’s contented, depriving him and looking smug each time. Nino figures that’s because Sho hasn’t done this in a while-Sho has been in space for years now, after all. He has zero problems with taking their time, really, because Sho has this mouth that he has long wondered how it would feel like against his own. It will take him some time to get used to having that so easily now.
It turns out that Sho wasn’t lying about Jun giving them a job to do together, and when he finally extracts himself away from Nino, he gestures to the set of data pads on his desk. Nino groans.
“You need to stop using your mouth to distract me,” Nino says dejectedly as Sho approaches the only seat in front of his desk and beckons him closer. He goes anyway, shaking his head all the while.
“How else am I going to get you to do what I want?” Sho asks, already picking up a data pad and handing it to Nino.
“Did I marry you for this? Does this truckload of work come with you all the time?” Nino asks, powering it on and finding the details for the next mission neatly outlined. Sho has been working hard. Nino smirks. No wonder he wanted a break.
“I’m the Ambassador’s secretary,” Sho says, not without a hint of pride. “And what you’re seeing is not even half of it.”
“Yeah, I figured,” Nino says, perching himself on the desk and spreading his legs so Sho’s right between them. He reads the first few lines and hears Sho powering up a data pad of his own. “I’d really hate to have your job,” he adds, shooting a look of distaste on the stack of unfinished work.
“You’re not going to get it so no need to worry,” Sho tells him, not even looking up from what he’s typing.
“Keep talking and I’ll see myself out,” Nino threatens.
Sho thankfully stays silent at that, and for a long while there is nothing but the hum of the climate control in the room as they work through reading completed evaluation forms and familiarizing themselves with the next assignment. The Union is sending the Masquerade to an industrial colony where a delegate of a coalition formed by the settlements close to the outer rim is waiting. It would take them nearly four weeks to reach their destination, which gives them ample time to prepare in Jun’s opinion. Maybe Jun thought Nino ought to be ready since it’s a colony they’re going to visit, and his last time on one was Nyx VII.
When his position starts to hurt his back, he groans and stretches his limbs, cracks his neck joints. He winces when he twists his trunk, one hand going around to support his lower back as he does. He catches Sho shooting him a concerned look and he just shrugs.
“I’ve had back pain since I hit thirty,” he explains. “I think it’s because I hardly saw the necessity to do anything back when I was on Earth.”
Sho powers down his data pad, pinching his nasal bridge. Nino sneaks a glance at the chronometer perched at his left and sees that it’s almost time for gamma shift on the ship. It’s late, and they really shouldn’t be up at this hour. But for Sho staying up this late seems to be the norm.
“What did you do while you were on Earth?” Sho asks him. They both need a break, and Nino can see that Sho’s eyes are hurting from looking at illuminated screens for hours.
“Bartending when I felt like it,” Nino says, powering down his own data pad and balancing it carefully on his lap. “It was what mainly taught me the languages I know. I became fluent in Zuran through that job. I wasn’t very good at it though. The manager only kept me around because I entertained his patrons with card magic.” He smiles. “That, Sho-chan, I’m really good at.”
“Did you bring cards with you here?”
“No. I thought I’d have to look professional all the time.”
There’s a ghost of a smile on Sho’s face before it disappears. Nino can’t take it anymore.
“How come you don’t smile or laugh when I’m with you?” he asks. He’s been wondering about it from the moment they met. He has only seen Sho do it once, when Aiba cracked that joke about high salaries. In all their private moments together, though there haven’t been plenty of those so far, Sho never did it.
Sho looks away, but Nino clicks his tongue. “None of that. Don’t evade me now.”
“You’re really annoying,” Sho tells him, but it lacked bite. He sounds affectionate even.
“And you like me, so come on, answer the question.”
Sho sighs, and Nino waits as patiently as possible. Then Sho licks his lips, and Nino pretends to not have seen it. “We once went to a planet where smiling was taboo.”
Nino nods. “Yeah, I remember Jun-kun telling me something about that. Not in detail though. He just mentioned it in passing once.”
“Aiba-chan was part of the away team back then, because it was a planet that had aerial domes and we needed a shuttle to get to certain places. There was no one else the Ambassador would trust to pilot for us.”
Nino snorts. “You call Jun-kun that even when you’re not on duty?”
“If you let me finish, Nino, you’re going to understand why,” Sho says, raising an eyebrow at him.
Nino raises his hands in surrender. “Okay.” He doesn’t apologize, knowing Sho doesn’t want to hear it. “Then?”
“We didn’t know that they interpreted human smiles as feral,” Sho continues. “You know how Aiba-chan is. He tries to be friendly and accommodating to everyone. We needed fuel to make the return flight, and when we got it, he flashed me a thumbs up to indicate that we were good to go. I smiled, and suddenly they were all over us.”
“Sounds like Grenus,” Nino says, but Sho shakes his head.
“No. It’s very different from that. You see, they thought I was going to attack Aiba-chan.” Sho is no longer looking at him. “They thought I was going to harm him, not them. They flanked Aiba-chan on the sides and tried to protect him from me, and at that time none of us understood what was happening. I spoke their language, but all my words fell on deaf ears.”
Nino suddenly wishes he had been there. He could’ve done something. The way Sho talks about it makes it seem like a memory of long ago, but it’s clear that he has never forgotten.
“How did you get out of it?” Nino asks.
“The Ambassador prostrated himself in front of them. It was considered as the act of humblest apology in their culture. He did it without hesitation as soon as he knew what was going on. They treated him as an honorary guest, and to see him doing that...” Sho trails off, staring at his hands now, which lay unmoving over the screen of his data pad. “He didn’t speak their tongue, but his actions got through them. As soon as the misunderstanding was cleared, we were all free to go.”
Sho purses his lips. “I only smile in front of Aiba-chan because he worries that I never forgot the incident. I do it to tell him otherwise.”
“You don’t do it in front of Jun-kun?”
“Not as often as I should. I think he knows the truth behind it. I’ve been working for him for years. Besides, he did mention it to you.” Sho exhales. “That’s why I always call him Ambassador. I owe him, my life included on numerous occasions. That is not an exaggeration. So even if I end up doing many, many things for him, there’s not a single part of me that wants to complain. I will do anything he asks for.”
Nino can only look at Sho, at this person Jun has on his side. Jun did say that he relies on Sho heavily, but Nino can see now that they attribute to each other the same amount of respect. Their relationship is more than just an Ambassador and his secretary. Jun protects the people working for him to the best of his ability; Sho always wants to be useful to him, to possibly repay him for all he’s done. Nino can’t help admiring them. He wonders if he can ever have so much respect for someone else.
“If I ask you to smile for me now, would you do it?” he asks quietly after the silence that lingered between them. He keeps his tone light so if Sho wants to refuse, he can.
“You’re not saying anything funny,” Sho tells him. “It would be odd if I did it out of the blue.”
“I think you should laugh more,” Nino says honestly, reaching out to stroke the corner of Sho’s eye with his thumb. “You have these lines that I like looking at. I think it’ll suit you, and don’t you think it’s about time that you stop pretending for Aiba-shi?”
“You said it once, that what you experienced on Nyx VII stayed with you as a kid,” Sho says carefully. He doesn’t shy away from Nino’s touch, and Nino likes how his warmth mingles with Sho’s. “Some things remain.”
“How old were you when that happened?” Nino asks.
“I was only a year into working for the Ambassador back then. He was twenty-five. I was twenty-six.”
“I never asked how you came to work for Jun-kun.”
There is a pause, as if Sho is contemplating what to say. Before Nino can give him a way out though, he opens his mouth. “I approached him and volunteered for the position myself. He wasn’t looking for an assistant at the time despite the urgency of hiring one. He claimed he was still adjusting to his job as Earth’s Ambassador and wouldn’t have time to personally guide an untrained secretary.”
Nino frowns. “He said that to you?” It was hard to imagine.
“The Ambassador of those days is very different from the man you know now. He has always been frank, the type to speak his mind, but it took him years to curb his tongue and phrase his thoughts in a more socially acceptable manner.” Sho shakes his head once. “I don’t hold it against him. He was telling the truth at the time. I had no prior experience before I went up to him.”
“What made him take you in?” Nino assumes there hadn’t been much on Sho’s résumé, and from the way Sho put it, Jun never bothered to check his credentials.
“He took one look at me and said to my face, ‘You are actually serious with your offer,’ as if he thought the opposite before. Then he told me to follow him and the next moment, I had a stack of data pads in my arms and a deadline of the entirety of the then-upcoming night cycle to finish everything in them.”
Nino is a bit overwhelmed. “Why does he sound like the kind of boss I would hate to have?” Jun did say he is a difficult man to work for, but hearing it from Sho is another thing entirely.
“It took him years to be more carefree, to loosen up, as you would likely put it,” Sho says. “But I approached him because I knew he is the kind of person I can put my faith in. That belief was reinforced when he asked for apology on my behalf, even though I had only worked for him for a year and often caused him frustration given my inexperience.”
“And you’re thirty-four now and it’s been nearly a decade since that incident,” Nino points out, laughing a little at the way Sho scrunches his nose at the mention of his age. “You’re not getting any younger, but I’m not really asking you to start doing it immediately. But when something is funny, when you think it’s worth laughing over, do it. If you don’t want others to see, then don’t. If you feel comfortable enough to let someone witness it, go for it. Little by little, Sho-chan.”
Sho inclines his head at him. “Is that how you handled yours?”
Nino takes a deep breath, hand falling back on top of his data pad. He knows Sho meant the aftermath of Nyx VII. To be honest, of the two of them, Nino thinks it’s Sho who’s handling it better. It’s only been eight years for him. For Nino, it was twenty-two, close to twenty-three.
“Some things remain,” he says, nodding. “That’s true. But I found out that while they do stick with you, your perception of them changes over time. I told you before, I was a kid then. I thought like a kid, I acted like a kid. I’m not a kid anymore, so it’s different now. The way of coping changes with it.”
“How?” Sho asks, blinking at him.
“Well, for instance, I actually decided to leave Earth.” He smiles. “It only took me, what, twenty-something years to do it, but I did it. In the end it doesn’t matter how long, at least I did it. I can’t say I’m good with all the things out here in space, but I’m seeing things differently now and hopefully it is for the better.” He meets Sho’s eyes. “You know I’m not the planning type, right?”
“I gathered that the moment I read your résumé.” Sho’s eyes narrow at him. “You don’t really speak Elioni, do you?”
Nino groans, throwing his head back in exaggeration. “Ah shit, don’t tell Jun-kun.”
When he looks down again, he stops. There’s this lopsided smile on Sho’s face, the corner of his lips upturned, barely perceptible but their closeness allows Nino to see it.
It’s a good look on him, Nino decides.
“Seriously, don’t tell him,” he says, choosing not to point out that Sho’s gradually agreeing to his request. It thrills him that Sho is willing to try. “Elioni is one of those big-time languages so I thought it was going to give my résumé the attention it needed.”
“It did get the Ambassador’s attention,” Sho says, looking amused now. “And mine. He had me sift through all the applicants and one of his requirements was someone who spoke not less than fifteen languages, in which a minimum of five must be spoken fluently.” Sho’s eyebrow quirks. “You had seven, I recall. At least you didn’t claim you’re fluent in Elioni. I had my suspicions when I read that bit on your résumé, but I didn’t know you then. How is it, really?”
“My Elioni is shit,” Nino says, and he swears he’s not imagining things when he hears a snort from Sho-the tiniest hint of a laugh. “If you speak it to me I’m just going to stare at you, smile, and nod. I know the alphabet and I can syllabicate, but I can’t get the deep rumbling they do for each word. I sound like I dislocated my jaw and swallowed my tongue every time I try to do it.”
The way Sho’s looking at him right now makes him feel warm despite the cool ambience of the room. “Anything else you lied about in your résumé?”
Nino gives Sho this offended look, putting a hand over his heart. “How dare you. I didn’t lie. I merely exaggerated. There’s a difference.”
Sho purses his lips. “All right. Anything else you exaggerated about?”
Nino smiles sweetly at him, leaning down so his face is somehow level with Sho’s. “Find out on your own. Isn’t it more fun that way?”
“Never a dull time with you, husband?” Sho asks, already craning his neck.
Nino pretends to think about it. “Never.”
When Sho meets him halfway, Nino can feel him grinning against his mouth. He counts it as a small victory.
--
Nino has no idea how his sister on Earth found out about his married status (because he’s under the impression that the Union doesn’t know it yet), but he wakes up to a transmission of her asking him to introduce his husband once the ship returns to the space station above Earth.
He doesn’t even make the effort to reply. He marks the transmission as viewed and sends it straight to his junk folder, not wanting to see it again. She sounded more excited than him, so enthusiastic to meet her brother-in-law and Nino doesn’t know how to explain to her that he’s currently in the early stages of a relationship with said husband, that they are doing things in reverse. Aiba was right. It is weird.
Nino, despite his uncanny ability to detach himself from his surroundings, tries to put in a bit of effort of maintaining communications with his family. His sister didn’t come with him to the colony at that time. When he was thinking of joining the roster, he did it without his family’s knowledge, listing himself as an orphan out of his desires to escape his tormentors in the form of nasty children hellbent on making him feel sorry for himself. He desired to be independent. It turned out that it was too early for him to do such a thing, but who was to know at that time? If anything, Nino was grateful that none of his family members had joined him on Nyx VII. They would have undoubtedly died if they did. He survived because he had been a child at the time and the governor, somehow, despite his utter madness during the last weeks of the colony, decided to spare the children.
Upon his return to Earth, his mother and sister cried at the sight of him. He was so detached at the time but he can remember their tears, the way they touched him as if he was going to disappear again. They didn’t chastise him for that impulsive decision that had changed his life, but Nino had no idea which he would prefer. In the end, he spent more than two decades on Earth jumping from one odd job to another until he decided to put his translation skills to use.
That, he at least had the sensitivity to inform his family about. But he did it when he was on his way to the nearest spaceport, dropping a quick “I’m off to space to translate for some bigshot you guys probably don’t know, but my comm details are the same so you can holler whenever, I guess” for a parting note.
He has been avoiding communication with his family ever since he and Sho started this thing, because he doesn’t want them to snoop so soon, not when he finally has something good. He had been a little cynical at the thought, but that’s likely caused by his unfortunate experience the last time he had been in space.
But now that space comes with a high paying, rewarding job and a husband that he has a developing relationship with, he thinks he can begin liking it out here.
Doesn’t mean his sister has to know though. He thinks he wants to keep this, and he has this unreasonable fear that if he talks about it, it might all go to shit afterwards. That was what had transpired the last time. He had been so excited over having a good life in the colony that he sent a transmission that said “Nyx VII is really worth it, I’m never coming back to Earth again!!!” to his sister. That message haunted him for years because of the possibilities it had entailed that he had no idea of back then.
Besides, even if Nino wanted to say something, there’s nothing much he can tell his sister. He and Sho are taking it awfully slow, exchanging quick kisses every time Nino is in Sho’s quarters to help him with whatever pile of work he has left. When things grow a little heated, it’s Sho who pulls away first. Sometimes, because Nino is still insecure over a couple of things, he thinks it’s about him. Maybe Sho is not attracted enough that he can exercise restraint whenever they are pressed so close together. Being with Sho is addicting, because while he is still the polite asshole Nino has known since the day he saw the man’s back in the Ambassador’s level in the space station, in private, when all his attention is on Nino alone, he shows it with the way his hands roam, clutching everything, only stopping when he’s close to leaving marks.
He makes Nino feel wanted, even if he’s always the first one who extracts himself before they both get carried away. Work, Sho always says, we have to work. Nino sometimes dislikes how they can never have a moment to themselves, but he thinks he himself is partly at fault there-he did hook up with the Ambassador’s secretary, the most sleep-deprived man on the ship.
During the past cycles, he and Sho continue with the work Jun assigned them with, reviewing all available information about the colonies with members of said coalition. Jun commended their progress when Sho presented a preliminary report with Nino’s assistance in Jun’s office. Nino supplemented every time Sho missed a thing they had discussed beforehand, and by the end of the report, Jun had been giving him odd looks.
Nino ignored them all.
He’s lying comfortably on the couch in Sho’s quarters when he asks out of nowhere if Jun knows something. He doesn’t turn to look at Sho, fingers still typing on the data pad that is carefully balanced on his stomach. He’s finalizing a revision he overlooked.
“What do you mean ‘something’?” Sho asks from his place in front of his desk. He never leaves that spot unless he’s feeling hungry or sleepy enough that he has to replicate either food or a strong dose of caffeine.
“You know,” Nino says with a wave of his hand, not wanting to elaborate.
“If his recently-hired translator is fraternizing with a crew member?”
Nino rolls his eyes. “I can’t believe you put it that way.” Then he reconsiders. “Actually, you are the only one who would put it that way. Are you really not half-android?”
“Do I look like one to you?” Sho asks, peering at him curiously.
“Well, I’ve never seen you naked so who can tell? Who knows if you’re all synthetic skin under those layers? Maybe if you remove your shirt I’m going to hear fans whirring to keep you from overheating or some gears grinding and devices beeping.” Nino gives Sho this meaningful look for a second before facing his data pad once more.
“You know if that’s what you want,” Sho begins, and now he definitely has Nino’s attention, “you should simply ask.” There’s this rather mischievous look in Sho’s eyes. “Nicely, of course.”
Nino laughs, shaking his head. He gets back to work. “You’re such an asshole. I’ve known that you are since day one, by the way.”
“I’m only like that with you,” Sho points out.
“Such sweet things you say,” Nino says airily. “You never answered my question.”
“I never talk about private matters with the Ambassador,” Sho admits.
“Yeah, I figured. And that’s because you don’t talk to anyone about private things, I know. But that’s because you don’t have to.”
Sho has this puzzled look that makes Nino grin. “You’re quite transparent, Sho-chan. I have a talent for figuring out people without saying a word, but I’m sure Jun-kun knows more given your long history of working together. Plus, he keeps giving me these strange, almost knowing looks and I think it’s only a matter of time before he demands answers or starts dropping hints.”
Sho frowns at that. “He won’t do that.” He pauses for a few moments. “On second thought…”
Nino chuckles. “He does have access to everything on this ship, right?”
“Yes. He has an override to everything-from door security to manual control of the entire ship, even replicator and database history. I think it’s only the hyperdrive that he doesn’t have access to.”
“Ah he definitely knows then.” Nino points to the replicator near the wall. “I’ve been keying nothing but junk food ever since you allowed me inside your room.” Nino has memorized the codes for all available processed foods in the replicator memory banks. “I think he knows. Jun-kun’s really smart when it comes to subtle prying.” Aiba can learn a thing or two from Jun, Nino thinks. Every time he sees Aiba in the halls of the ship, the pilot never fails to ask if he and Sho ‘already consummated’ their marriage, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.
Truthfully, Nino is impressed Aiba knows the word consummated.
Sho remains silent for a while, then Nino hears him ask, “Do you mind if he knows?”
Nino faces Sho, frowning at him. “Do I look like the type who would mind if my boss finds out I’m-” he’s blanking out a little, they’re not fucking yet and there’s no other name for what they have aside from trysts occurring in frequency, “-with his secretary? We’re married. Everyone in this ship thinks we’re sleeping together. What difference does it make?”
He sees Sho licking his lips. “The difference,” he says, and Nino notes how his voice dropped to a low and meaningful timbre, “is that we are not.” He inclines his head to the side. “Yet.”
“Well that’s comforting,” Nino says, ignoring the warmth pooling on his cheeks. His pale complexion is more honest than he will ever be. “I thought you had zero intentions of inviting me to your bed. It’s good to know that you have that planned at least. Will you even tell me when?”
Sho doesn’t say anything, only looks at him with such intensity and focus that Nino has to power down his data pad and glare at him.
“Fuck, you really want to play this now?” he asks, incredulous. There are three data pads left on Sho’s desk-three performance reviews he has to audit that he asked for Nino’s help on. They saved the engineering, bridge, and maintenance reviews for last because those are always the longest and most meticulous.
“What time is your next shift, Nino?” Sho asks, and he’s still using that deep voice that makes Nino’s insides burn, veins alight with lust.
“I have to meet Ohno-san for certain adjustments to the replicator in my room,” he says, squinting at the nearest chronometer. “That’s...more than twelve hours from now.” He finally convinced Ohno to tweak at the miso soup coding. He can’t make the man wait outside his quarters. Ohno is definitely the type who would leave if Nino didn’t open his door in less than twenty seconds.
He gives Sho a warning look. “Don’t make me late.”
“Does that mean I have your complete, undivided attention for more than twelve hours?” Sho asks. He has abandoned his data pad, turning his chair around to face Nino, his legs crossed. Nino hates how he looks so proud of himself.
And good. Sho looks really good in that dark blue sweater he chose to wear tonight. Nino is in his private clothes too: a faded t-shirt that has the word ‘sushi’ on it and a drawing of curry underneath. It made Sho smile a little when he first saw it.
“It means,” Nino says, putting the data pad aside (to the nearest flat surface because he doesn’t want to drop it) and swinging his legs down to sit on the couch with his legs spread, “that the clock is ticking, and if we’re really doing this, it would work better if you’re closer to me.”
Sho hums in mock thought and Nino lets out a laugh at his antics.
“You’re such a dick,” he accuses.
“You’re not being nice,” Sho says, and Nino picks up the throw pillow on his left and chucks it in Sho’s direction. It hits him square on the chest, and when he meets Sho’s gaze, he knows he definitely did the right thing; Sho’s eyes are darker now, and Nino tilts his head in challenge.
When Sho still doesn’t make a move, Nino’s patience wears thin. He reaches for the hem of his shirt, silently wishing he wore something with buttons; it would be more seductive and definitely get his point across.
But he has to make do. He runs his fingers over and over the stitching before he starts to slowly pull it up, gradually revealing skin. Maybe he should start spending time on the ship’s recreation halls-if he had this really toned, shredded stomach worth bragging about then he would no longer be sitting here alone.
But then again, he must look just fine in Sho’s eyes, because he can feel Sho’s heated gaze following the movement of his hands. He hikes his shirt up to his torso, hem resting right under his nipples, then he throws Sho this exasperated look.
“Come here.”
Sho doesn’t need to be told twice, a fact that Nino’s glad for, because he immediately gets up from his chair and approaches Nino in two hasty strides. He’s already discarding his sweater aside, and Nino only manages a cocky grin before Sho descends on him, mouth eager and demanding.
It’s a tight fit on the couch and it takes them a couple of tries to figure out where their limbs should go, but eventually Sho maneuvers them so Nino’s entire body is perfectly trapped under his own, his legs on either side of Nino’s hips. Sho’s hands waste no time, his palms already mapping Nino’s stomach, making Nino jolt under his touch and moan against his lips, the sound lost in each kiss they share.
Sho pulls away to help him pull his shirt off, and they discard it together somewhere on Sho’s floor. Nino couldn’t care any less, not when Sho’s mouth attaches itself to his jaw and starts tasting him there.
He cards his fingers through Sho’s hair and shuts his eyes as he pushes Sho’s face closer to his skin. It’s starting to get warm in the room now, and Nino orders for the lights to dim in quickened breaths.
He can feel Sho smirking against his neck at that before he sucks at the pulse, making Nino draw in a sharp breath, body involuntarily bucking back, wanting more, just more. It’s been a while for him, and with the way Sho’s trying to touch and taste everything, Nino can tell that it’s been longer for Sho’s case.
He wants to do something about that.
Sho begins moving lower, dropping quick kisses to the ridges formed by his throat, the dip formed by his collarbones, down to his breastbone. Nino only presses himself closer to him, curving his spine, head thrown back and mouth open in a silent, wordless cry.
A tongue flicks over one of his nipples and he hisses, just as Sho reaches up to trap the other one between his fingers. Nino can feel himself considerably harden at the attention Sho’s giving him, with every touch being done deliberately and every kiss delivered with purpose.
He lets out a quiet uninhibited moan when Sho’s plump lips close over his nipple and starts sucking while his fingers playfully pinch the other. He must have said something like Sho’s name because he seems to have encouraged Sho, teeth now running over certain patches of flesh, his tongue giving soothing licks afterwards. Sho’s knee finds its way in between Nino’s thighs and Nino can’t help bucking back, pressing his erection against Sho’s thigh.
Sho’s personal comm beeps with an incoming transmission and they both freeze, Nino with his hands firmly grasping Sho’s shoulders, Sho with his mouth hovering over Nino’s heart.
“Sho-kun,” Jun says in a voice transmission, and Nino groans, banging his head repeatedly against the couch, shutting his eyes in frustration. “My office, now. The Union has finally approved my request for shore leave after the colony visit and I want you to verify all the copies of the request form I printed out with the original ones you kept before we inform the rest of the crew about it.”
The transmission ends after that and Nino opens his eyes, staring disbelievingly at the ceiling.
“I hate him,” he says, meaning every word. “I fucking hate him.”
Sho’s weight slumps against him, his face buried on Nino’s chest.
“And I fucking hate you too. What, you don’t put his transmissions on hold if you can’t answer them? He’s set on automatic play?!”
Sho moves up to slot his face in the junction formed by Nino’s neck and shoulder. Nino can feel him inhaling his scent. “He’s my boss. Anytime he needs me, I have to be there,” Sho mutters, voice still husky.
“Yeah, and that’s why I hate him,” Nino says, the back of his hand resting over his eyes as he clicks his tongue repeatedly. “I am never going to forgive him. Matsumoto ‘certified erection killer’ Jun.”
There’s a puff of air against his jaw, and Nino takes comfort in the fact that Sho is currently chuckling against his neck, a deep, rumbling sound of amusement that he wants to hear again and again.
“We are never doing this with work in the way,” Nino vows, and he feels Sho press a lingering kiss to the angle of his jaw. “Never again. I don’t want to hear Jun-kun’s voice the day my mouth is on you. I might actually kill him if that happens.”
Sho is laughing now, shoulders shaking and breath coming out in gasps. Nino wishes he can see his face, the lines that must be surrounding his eyes as he quakes in undeniable mirth.
“I don’t think I have read about anyone in space dying of blue balls,” Sho says unhelpfully.
Nino pinches Sho’s side lightly. “Just go. He’s waiting, the biggest cockblock in the universe.”
Sho obeys, moving off him and picking up their discarded clothes off the floor. They tug their clothes back on in silence, though Nino still keeps shaking his head in disappointment.
“My hair look okay?” Sho asks, blinking at him. He is disheveled-hair tousled and lips swollen-and he has no idea. The sight of it is so endearing that Nino pulls him in for a quick peck.
“No. Take a quick trip to the refresher before you go.”
Sho does, spending a few seconds running a comb through the hair Nino made a mess of. Nino picks up the forgotten data pad and stalks towards Sho’s bed, plopping himself on it with little grace.
When Sho emerges, he looks around in confusion and Nino calls out to him.
“I’m going to sleep on your bed and you can’t make me leave,” he says, crossing his legs under him as the data pad reboots and illuminates his face. “Not after everything you put me through tonight.”
“I would actually hate to see you leave,” Sho says sincerely, feet already moving towards the exit. “Especially after tonight.”
“Oh, get out of here already,” Nino says, shooing him with a wave of his hand. He contents himself with following the curve formed by Sho’s ass with his eyes, something Sho’s loose baggy sweats are unable to hide.
Sho finally makes his way out, doors swooshing shut behind him, and Nino whistles before shaking his head, turning his attention back on the data pad in his hands.
--
He ends up meeting Ohno in the corridor right outside his quarters in the early hours of the day cycle, and Ohno looks genuinely surprised to see him outside, his finger already hovering over the console to buzz him.
“Why are you-” Ohno begins, then he seems to realize something, because the next thing he says is “well, I guess Aiba-chan’s beliefs aren’t as unfounded as I thought,” mostly to himself.
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Nino says, keying in his security code. They both step inside as soon as the doors open, and he leads Ohno to where the replicator is. “It’s too early for this.”
“You’re the one who wanted me to make changes to the miso soup programming,” Ohno points out, not even remotely apologetic. “But if you’d rather be in Sho-kun’s room right now, I can take a hint.”
Nino is a little late because he did sleep in Sho’s bed. He was already asleep by the time Sho came back from his impromptu meeting with Jun, and when the chronometer reminded him of his appointment with Ohno, he woke up with Sho’s arm wrapped around his middle, Sho not wanting him to go just yet.
He glares at Ohno and the man just picks his nose with his pinky.
“One day I’m going to airlock you and Aiba,” he threatens, leaning against the wall as Ohno crouches down to begin removing the plating on his replicator. “Together. Without any protective suit or gear.”
“Harsh,” is all Ohno says. He’s pulling out instruments from the waist pouch he’s wearing, laying them neatly on the floor. Ohno doesn’t say anything else and Nino just observes him as he starts working, deft hands moving with practiced ease. Ohno doesn’t bother to converse with him and Nino finds the occasional clink of tools against his replicator a little soothing.
He walks back to his desk, picking up a discarded holorecord about eugenics theory and controlled breeding to improve society. He only heard of it once, back when the governor was declaring their fates through the speakers, but when he finally had the courage to look more into it, Sho asked him to come over and he couldn’t say no.
He glances at Ohno once, finding the man frowning at his replicator as he unhooks some intricate wiring, and when he’s sure that Ohno is currently someplace else, he sets the holorecord down and hits play.
The holorecord is about 45 minutes long and he listens to it without doing anything else, just sitting on his desk with his back straight, eyes fixed on a spot on the table surface. He focuses on the words of the narrator, at the emphasized text bits he’s seeing every now and then as the discussion goes on.
The speaker is carefully outlining the cores of improving the genetic quality of any given population, and Nino feels he’s getting a glimpse of what was in the governor’s head at the time. He made the resounding declaration of executing half of the colony’s population based on his own theory of eugenics, with the exception of the children. Most adults in the colony that Nino had come to know were all put in front of a firing squad in order to save whatever was left of their food stock. It had been a horrific thing to hear. He didn’t see it happen, only heard the deafening rain of gunfire, the screams that were silenced. He had already been hiding away with the other kids when they began the executions.
After that, there was the smell. The smell of bloodshed and fire, of thick smoke looming over the cliffs in tall, black clouds. The scent of famine, death, and lost hope was everywhere, but there was also the feeling of resistance in the air. He was alive, hiding with the other kids, lying to them to save them in any way he could. The fact that he was alive was something he held on to.
Then the Union came with their emergency shuttles, a few days too late, but still. Nino was saved. He never heard from any of the kids he had looked after ever again. Maybe they all put Nyx VII behind them. Maybe some of them don’t even remember it anymore.
Ohno only disturbed him once with a light tap on his shoulder to ask for his specifications regarding the saltiness of the miso soup programming. The more he gathers, the more he is convinced that the governor was a madman. The Union had the governor locked up in an asylum for life, no visitors allowed. As the holorecord continues to play, Nino begins to feel that maybe the governor got what he deserved. People back then rallied for him to be put to death, but the Union was never in favor of capital punishment. For Nino, as long as he is locked away in an obscure part of space, it’s good. Space is big enough anyway. He doesn’t need to be exceptional at math to know that the possibilities of the man escaping and crossing paths with him are close to nothing.
He pauses the holorecord with determined fingers, sees that he has only managed to finish 28 minutes of it. He takes a deep breath followed by another, remembering his colors. Blue, green, brown. Again. And again.
Then he picks up the holorecord and walks towards the nearest recycler, not hesitating when he drops it inside. The crunch he hears as the thing gets compacted is satisfying, and he exhales before walking away.
Ohno is looking at him with a puzzled expression, and Nino only smiles at the engineer.
“What was that?” Ohno asks, expression genuinely curious. He doesn’t seem to be concerned about Nino’s behavior, and Nino thinks that’s a good thing.
“Burning bridges,” Nino says. It’s the most suitable explanation he can think of. He has been carrying his questions, doubts, and fears for almost twenty-three years. He returned to space to find out some of the answers for himself, and now that they are within reach, he realizes that they don’t matter anymore. It’s all behind him. It has always been behind him-it’s just that he keeps looking back.
It’s time to let it all go.
Ohno only nods, then he holds out his hand, a bowl of replicated miso soup in it. It’s steaming hot, spring onions floating on the surface, and the only way Ohno can hold on to it for so long is because he has calloused fingertips from his days as an engineer.
Nino carefully takes the bowl from him with both hands and takes a demure sip, licking his lips to obtain a better grasp of the taste.
Ohno tilts his head in question, an uncertain smile on his face.
Nino grins at him, raising the bowl slightly in toast. “Thanks, Oh-chan.”
The miso soup tastes better today.
Part 5
From: 64907
Part 3
It’s a testament to their professionalism that they don’t speak of it in the next cycles. It wasn’t a bad kiss-Nino would even admit that he enjoyed it (because he did kiss Sho back and they kept at it until they ran out of breath)-, it was simply unexpected. If ever he is confronted, he would deny that he finds Sakurai Sho attractive, even endearing at times. But since no one is asking, no denial is happening on his part.
At least, Sho had the prudence to be spontaneous when the security personnel of the ship was preoccupied with observing the hyperdrive repairs on engineering. Nino confirmed it with Matsuoka (one of these days he’s going to use the nickname Aiba has for the man) that at that time, all security cameras were directed on engineering to oversee the repairs. No one had turned on the ones on the corridors and the observation deck, on account of it being the graveyard shift at the time.
No one saw, and Nino was honestly thankful for that. Aiba had told him that bets were going on behind their backs, that since Grenus, people were wondering if their Ilarian marriage turned out to be a real one. Yuriko’s account of the incident only fanned the flames, and Nino doesn’t think he can deal with questions shoved in his face when he hasn’t figured things out for himself.
He stands in front of the mirror in his refresher, fixing his hair after drying it off with a towel. He picks up his comb, its teeth digging a little in his palm as he tries to find his parting. When he does, he runs the edges of the comb through it and makes a clean cut, shoving strands where they belong. Doing something routine helps him think, and he starts questioning himself as he continues fiddling with his hair.
He does find Sakurai Sho attractive, and weirdly enough, that’s not the terrifying thing about this. It’s also not the fact that Sho saw him as a rival and had this marked dislike for him in those first missions.
It’s the reality that Nino has no idea where this is headed, and he doesn’t find the idea of flying blind entertaining. He’s been doing that all his life. He spent three days thinking before going “fuck it” and applying for a translator job because he had gotten sick of being a bar patron and part time bartender in clubs close to Earth’s spaceports. He got the job with zero interviews and found himself shipped to the space station two weeks later. And now he’s here, wasting precious minutes on his hair because he needs time to reconsider, reevaluate. He’s never been good at planning. He’s the “wing it” type.
He hates how a part of him wants to think about it despite knowing nothing good will come out of thinking. His head is a scary place, even for him. He does spend time shushing his own thoughts when they become too much. His only consolation is the knowledge that Sho is the bigger thinker between them, and if he’s already lingering this much, how much more for Sho?
When his hair is perfect according to his own standards (he does have to look presentable being an interpreter for Jun, who always looks more than presentable-Jun is dashing, arrestingly so, more often than what Nino believes to be necessary), he shakes his head at his own reflection. Jun is conducting a meeting in a few minutes, a peer evaluation of sorts given that they already had three missions. Since he will spearhead the event, there is that small comfort that maybe Jun won’t notice something.
Not that there’s anything worthy of his attention, Nino thinks.
He dresses up for the meeting quickly and makes his way to the conference room, passing by familiar faces currently on alpha shift. He nods in acknowledgement at some and returns the smiles of others before finally reaching the designated floor.
The doors swoosh open to reveal Aiba who enthusiastically waves at him, and Nino takes a seat beside him.
“Who else will be here?” he asks. He forgot to ask Sho, and that was because he was otherwise preoccupied. The kiss in the observation deck wasn’t the only one they shared these past cycles. It was the start of sneaking and seeing how much they can get away with for now, like they were teenagers again and afraid of discovery.
“Everyone who’s been on a mission plus the bridge crew who has seen the transmission from Zura when we made contact,” Aiba answers, oblivious to his concerns. Nino prefers it that way. “Jun-chan likes to have everybody’s opinion so he makes time to hear what everyone has to say.”
“I did notice that about him,” Nino says. Aiba is included in the meeting even if all he does is ferry the away party to the meetup places and bring them back to the ship. “How does he do it? If I were in his shoes I would have time for nothing else.”
“And that’s why he has Sho-chan to plan everything for him,” Aiba says. Nino’s ears grow warmer at the name and he hopes Aiba doesn’t notice it.
“That’s another job I would hate to have,” Nino comments, and Aiba laughs but agrees with him.
“Well, I think you do like your job,” Aiba tells him, flashing him that blinding smile. He always smiles really big, like it can make flowers grow and cure the ailing. “I mean, it involves a lot of tongue, right?” Aiba’s eyebrows wiggle.
It’s a pathetic joke, something Nino has made himself many cycles ago, but he can’t stop his face from coloring a little when he inevitably recalls the events of the past cycles. There had been tongue involved, and certainly not in the way Aiba is thinking.
He plays it cool by shrugging his shoulders as nonchalantly as he can manage. “I get to see more of space as a bonus so yeah, maybe I do like it a little bit.”
He can feel Aiba’s gaze zero in on him. He pointedly ignores it, but then Aiba’s face gets so close to him that he’s probably counting Nino’s pores.
“What?” he huffs, annoyed.
“You’re hiding something from me, Kazu-kun,” Aiba says, accusatory finger repeatedly pointing at his face. Nino wills his expression not to betray anything. “Yeah, you are. I haven’t the slightest idea what it might be, but you are.”
Nino hates Aiba’s exceptional ability to read through him. Aiba has been able to do that since they became roommates in the space station. The guy completely knows how to interpret his body language with frightening accuracy. Nino doesn’t need to utter a word and Aiba simply knows.
He holds Aiba’s gaze for as long as he can, channeling impassiveness. Aiba grins. “Do I even want to know?”
“Actually no,” Nino tells him. He’s tempted to outline how talented Sho’s tongue is versus his own, but he’d rather do it with beer or brandy in hand so he can see it all splatter on Aiba’s smug face as he drops the punchline.
Aiba turns away, smiling to himself. “Maybe I placed my bets on the wrong side,” he mumbles to himself. “Leader’s going to win again.”
Nino’s about to ask what he means when the doors slide open, revealing Jun who looks like he’d rather roll in bed than be here. Sho once told him that Jun isn’t a morning person, and seeing it always makes Nino smile. Sho is right at Jun’s heels, and his eyes immediately meet Nino’s across the room.
Aiba’s sudden intake of breath from beside him breaks the spell, and Nino kicks him under the table.
“Shut up,” Nino warns at the corner of his mouth.
Aiba makes a zipping motion over his lips but his eyes tell Nino that he’s in for a lot of prodding. Nino’s positive he has to avoid Aiba for the upcoming cycles. The idiot will pester him for details because that’s how their friendship goes.
They all move to stand up when Jun approaches his designated seat, and Jun just waves them off.
“Most of you know the purpose of this meeting,” Jun says, then he gives Nino a brief nod. “But for those who are unfamiliar, this is where I listen to all concerns you might have now or might have had during the mission that weren’t addressed. I would also like your feedback on the past three missions we’ve had. Should it be necessary, I will relay your concerns to the Union in my next transmission with them.”
Yuriko is the first one who speaks up, raising her hand. Jun only nods for her to proceed. “I’d like to request the inclusion of a scientist under my department for the subsequent missions. The Grenus mission proved to be educational for the anthropological community, and I believe with the inclusion of a researcher in the away parties, we can also improve on the existing articles and studies that the Union has about the other planets.”
“I support that,” Nino says with the lift of his hand. “Yuriko-chan knew exactly how to talk to the Grenus even if they can only speak basic standard. If we have a scientist or an expert for every away team, we can also lessen the chances of a cultural misunderstanding occurring.”
Jun nods. “Noted,” he says, and beside him Sho is already typing things on a data pad. “I will make the proposal to the Union as soon as possible.” He turns to Yuriko. “I commend you for your work on the Grenus mission.”
Yuriko merely gives her thanks, and Jun proceeds with other concerns anybody else on the meeting might have. Personally, Nino has nothing noteworthy to add; most of the problems they encounter in each mission are rooted in their lack of understanding regarding practices, beliefs, and culture. As long as they work to address that in order to prevent it from happening, he’s good.
He stays quiet through the rest of the meeting, sneaking glances once in a while at Jun’s hardworking secretary. He has caught Sho’s gaze for a few times, but thankfully everyone’s attention is on Jun so nobody really notices.
Except Aiba.
As soon the meeting concludes, Aiba wraps an arm around his shoulders and leads him all the way to the mess hall. They don’t exchange a word but Aiba has that happy, carefree smile on his face that warns Nino of the things to come. They stand in front of a replicator and Aiba keys in Nino’s favorite: hamburger steak with vegetables on the side because Aiba keeps looking out for him and is against his supposed unhealthful habits.
Nino holds up a finger before Aiba can open his mouth.
“For the record, Aiba-shi,” he says, keeping his voice down since the rest of the gamma shift are still having their meals in the mess, “I don’t kiss and tell.”
Aiba grins so wide Nino believes his face must hurt. “So you did kiss him!”
He smacks Aiba at the back of the head. “Shut up,” he hisses, looking around. No one appears to have heard them. “And keep your voice down.”
Aiba has a hand over his mouth, like he’s trying to prevent himself from getting too excited. Which is useless in Nino’s opinion since the man is a ball of neverending energy. “Happily married now, huh?”
“Fuck off,” Nino says, snatching a tray and dumping his replicated food on it.
“So it’s fairly new? Oh man. You know that I betted on you and Sho-chan doing it behind our backs because I thought you were pretty smooth and all? That you must be laughing at us because you’ve been boning him the entire time and only putting on an act?” Aiba asks, sounding disappointed. He gives Nino this look that says ‘I trusted you’. “Oh-chan betted you haven’t gone that far. I guess that means he’s winning right now.”
“You and Ohno-san need to find a better hobby,” Nino says, shaking his head at him. “Stop snooping on people’s married lives.”
“And I told you, it’s such a small ship!” Aiba chuckles. “Isn’t it weird,” he says, keying in the code for a tuna sandwich in the replicator, “that you got hitched first before you started doing all this stuff?”
Nino shrugs, looking for a vacant table. “Space is weird.”
“Well, not as weird as actually liking what you didn’t intend to sign up for, right?” Aiba says, wrapping his arm around Nino’s shoulders again, his sandwich in his other hand.
“No,” Nino says as they walk towards the nearest set of empty chairs, “not as weird as that, I guess.”
--
The next time Nino finds himself pressed against Sho is also the first time he gets inside Sho’s quarters, when Jun apparently gave them a joint set of reading materials for the next mission. Nino believes that is something Sho just made up, that he thought of it himself and suggested to Jun that he’s going to need help. Jun would agree of course, because Sho does have work piling up, but that really doesn’t matter when Sho has him trapped right between his body and the wall next to the door.
“Just so it’s out there,” Nino says, smiling, “I knew this would happen.”
“Aiba-chan gave me a thumbs up and tried to wink at me four cycles ago,” Sho tells him, expression contemplative. “Mind explaining that?”
“Am I here to talk about Aiba-shi with you or are you going to do what you planned to do?” Nino asks, raising an eyebrow, trying to look bored but utterly failing. They’re so close, and Nino’s very, very interested in the way Sho’s looking at him. The past few cycles kept them apart, with Sho conducting performance reviews for every department with Jun, Nino polishing his grammar and intonation for the languages he had lied about on his résumé. It never hurts to be prepared.
“You’re so direct,” Sho says, face close to his, and Nino rolls his eyes.
“I think you like that about me,” he breathes before giving in.
They don’t share anything more than kisses though. Sho wants to take it slow, and it’s clear in the way he leaves Nino wanting more, pulling away before Nino’s contented, depriving him and looking smug each time. Nino figures that’s because Sho hasn’t done this in a while-Sho has been in space for years now, after all. He has zero problems with taking their time, really, because Sho has this mouth that he has long wondered how it would feel like against his own. It will take him some time to get used to having that so easily now.
It turns out that Sho wasn’t lying about Jun giving them a job to do together, and when he finally extracts himself away from Nino, he gestures to the set of data pads on his desk. Nino groans.
“You need to stop using your mouth to distract me,” Nino says dejectedly as Sho approaches the only seat in front of his desk and beckons him closer. He goes anyway, shaking his head all the while.
“How else am I going to get you to do what I want?” Sho asks, already picking up a data pad and handing it to Nino.
“Did I marry you for this? Does this truckload of work come with you all the time?” Nino asks, powering it on and finding the details for the next mission neatly outlined. Sho has been working hard. Nino smirks. No wonder he wanted a break.
“I’m the Ambassador’s secretary,” Sho says, not without a hint of pride. “And what you’re seeing is not even half of it.”
“Yeah, I figured,” Nino says, perching himself on the desk and spreading his legs so Sho’s right between them. He reads the first few lines and hears Sho powering up a data pad of his own. “I’d really hate to have your job,” he adds, shooting a look of distaste on the stack of unfinished work.
“You’re not going to get it so no need to worry,” Sho tells him, not even looking up from what he’s typing.
“Keep talking and I’ll see myself out,” Nino threatens.
Sho thankfully stays silent at that, and for a long while there is nothing but the hum of the climate control in the room as they work through reading completed evaluation forms and familiarizing themselves with the next assignment. The Union is sending the Masquerade to an industrial colony where a delegate of a coalition formed by the settlements close to the outer rim is waiting. It would take them nearly four weeks to reach their destination, which gives them ample time to prepare in Jun’s opinion. Maybe Jun thought Nino ought to be ready since it’s a colony they’re going to visit, and his last time on one was Nyx VII.
When his position starts to hurt his back, he groans and stretches his limbs, cracks his neck joints. He winces when he twists his trunk, one hand going around to support his lower back as he does. He catches Sho shooting him a concerned look and he just shrugs.
“I’ve had back pain since I hit thirty,” he explains. “I think it’s because I hardly saw the necessity to do anything back when I was on Earth.”
Sho powers down his data pad, pinching his nasal bridge. Nino sneaks a glance at the chronometer perched at his left and sees that it’s almost time for gamma shift on the ship. It’s late, and they really shouldn’t be up at this hour. But for Sho staying up this late seems to be the norm.
“What did you do while you were on Earth?” Sho asks him. They both need a break, and Nino can see that Sho’s eyes are hurting from looking at illuminated screens for hours.
“Bartending when I felt like it,” Nino says, powering down his own data pad and balancing it carefully on his lap. “It was what mainly taught me the languages I know. I became fluent in Zuran through that job. I wasn’t very good at it though. The manager only kept me around because I entertained his patrons with card magic.” He smiles. “That, Sho-chan, I’m really good at.”
“Did you bring cards with you here?”
“No. I thought I’d have to look professional all the time.”
There’s a ghost of a smile on Sho’s face before it disappears. Nino can’t take it anymore.
“How come you don’t smile or laugh when I’m with you?” he asks. He’s been wondering about it from the moment they met. He has only seen Sho do it once, when Aiba cracked that joke about high salaries. In all their private moments together, though there haven’t been plenty of those so far, Sho never did it.
Sho looks away, but Nino clicks his tongue. “None of that. Don’t evade me now.”
“You’re really annoying,” Sho tells him, but it lacked bite. He sounds affectionate even.
“And you like me, so come on, answer the question.”
Sho sighs, and Nino waits as patiently as possible. Then Sho licks his lips, and Nino pretends to not have seen it. “We once went to a planet where smiling was taboo.”
Nino nods. “Yeah, I remember Jun-kun telling me something about that. Not in detail though. He just mentioned it in passing once.”
“Aiba-chan was part of the away team back then, because it was a planet that had aerial domes and we needed a shuttle to get to certain places. There was no one else the Ambassador would trust to pilot for us.”
Nino snorts. “You call Jun-kun that even when you’re not on duty?”
“If you let me finish, Nino, you’re going to understand why,” Sho says, raising an eyebrow at him.
Nino raises his hands in surrender. “Okay.” He doesn’t apologize, knowing Sho doesn’t want to hear it. “Then?”
“We didn’t know that they interpreted human smiles as feral,” Sho continues. “You know how Aiba-chan is. He tries to be friendly and accommodating to everyone. We needed fuel to make the return flight, and when we got it, he flashed me a thumbs up to indicate that we were good to go. I smiled, and suddenly they were all over us.”
“Sounds like Grenus,” Nino says, but Sho shakes his head.
“No. It’s very different from that. You see, they thought I was going to attack Aiba-chan.” Sho is no longer looking at him. “They thought I was going to harm him, not them. They flanked Aiba-chan on the sides and tried to protect him from me, and at that time none of us understood what was happening. I spoke their language, but all my words fell on deaf ears.”
Nino suddenly wishes he had been there. He could’ve done something. The way Sho talks about it makes it seem like a memory of long ago, but it’s clear that he has never forgotten.
“How did you get out of it?” Nino asks.
“The Ambassador prostrated himself in front of them. It was considered as the act of humblest apology in their culture. He did it without hesitation as soon as he knew what was going on. They treated him as an honorary guest, and to see him doing that...” Sho trails off, staring at his hands now, which lay unmoving over the screen of his data pad. “He didn’t speak their tongue, but his actions got through them. As soon as the misunderstanding was cleared, we were all free to go.”
Sho purses his lips. “I only smile in front of Aiba-chan because he worries that I never forgot the incident. I do it to tell him otherwise.”
“You don’t do it in front of Jun-kun?”
“Not as often as I should. I think he knows the truth behind it. I’ve been working for him for years. Besides, he did mention it to you.” Sho exhales. “That’s why I always call him Ambassador. I owe him, my life included on numerous occasions. That is not an exaggeration. So even if I end up doing many, many things for him, there’s not a single part of me that wants to complain. I will do anything he asks for.”
Nino can only look at Sho, at this person Jun has on his side. Jun did say that he relies on Sho heavily, but Nino can see now that they attribute to each other the same amount of respect. Their relationship is more than just an Ambassador and his secretary. Jun protects the people working for him to the best of his ability; Sho always wants to be useful to him, to possibly repay him for all he’s done. Nino can’t help admiring them. He wonders if he can ever have so much respect for someone else.
“If I ask you to smile for me now, would you do it?” he asks quietly after the silence that lingered between them. He keeps his tone light so if Sho wants to refuse, he can.
“You’re not saying anything funny,” Sho tells him. “It would be odd if I did it out of the blue.”
“I think you should laugh more,” Nino says honestly, reaching out to stroke the corner of Sho’s eye with his thumb. “You have these lines that I like looking at. I think it’ll suit you, and don’t you think it’s about time that you stop pretending for Aiba-shi?”
“You said it once, that what you experienced on Nyx VII stayed with you as a kid,” Sho says carefully. He doesn’t shy away from Nino’s touch, and Nino likes how his warmth mingles with Sho’s. “Some things remain.”
“How old were you when that happened?” Nino asks.
“I was only a year into working for the Ambassador back then. He was twenty-five. I was twenty-six.”
“I never asked how you came to work for Jun-kun.”
There is a pause, as if Sho is contemplating what to say. Before Nino can give him a way out though, he opens his mouth. “I approached him and volunteered for the position myself. He wasn’t looking for an assistant at the time despite the urgency of hiring one. He claimed he was still adjusting to his job as Earth’s Ambassador and wouldn’t have time to personally guide an untrained secretary.”
Nino frowns. “He said that to you?” It was hard to imagine.
“The Ambassador of those days is very different from the man you know now. He has always been frank, the type to speak his mind, but it took him years to curb his tongue and phrase his thoughts in a more socially acceptable manner.” Sho shakes his head once. “I don’t hold it against him. He was telling the truth at the time. I had no prior experience before I went up to him.”
“What made him take you in?” Nino assumes there hadn’t been much on Sho’s résumé, and from the way Sho put it, Jun never bothered to check his credentials.
“He took one look at me and said to my face, ‘You are actually serious with your offer,’ as if he thought the opposite before. Then he told me to follow him and the next moment, I had a stack of data pads in my arms and a deadline of the entirety of the then-upcoming night cycle to finish everything in them.”
Nino is a bit overwhelmed. “Why does he sound like the kind of boss I would hate to have?” Jun did say he is a difficult man to work for, but hearing it from Sho is another thing entirely.
“It took him years to be more carefree, to loosen up, as you would likely put it,” Sho says. “But I approached him because I knew he is the kind of person I can put my faith in. That belief was reinforced when he asked for apology on my behalf, even though I had only worked for him for a year and often caused him frustration given my inexperience.”
“And you’re thirty-four now and it’s been nearly a decade since that incident,” Nino points out, laughing a little at the way Sho scrunches his nose at the mention of his age. “You’re not getting any younger, but I’m not really asking you to start doing it immediately. But when something is funny, when you think it’s worth laughing over, do it. If you don’t want others to see, then don’t. If you feel comfortable enough to let someone witness it, go for it. Little by little, Sho-chan.”
Sho inclines his head at him. “Is that how you handled yours?”
Nino takes a deep breath, hand falling back on top of his data pad. He knows Sho meant the aftermath of Nyx VII. To be honest, of the two of them, Nino thinks it’s Sho who’s handling it better. It’s only been eight years for him. For Nino, it was twenty-two, close to twenty-three.
“Some things remain,” he says, nodding. “That’s true. But I found out that while they do stick with you, your perception of them changes over time. I told you before, I was a kid then. I thought like a kid, I acted like a kid. I’m not a kid anymore, so it’s different now. The way of coping changes with it.”
“How?” Sho asks, blinking at him.
“Well, for instance, I actually decided to leave Earth.” He smiles. “It only took me, what, twenty-something years to do it, but I did it. In the end it doesn’t matter how long, at least I did it. I can’t say I’m good with all the things out here in space, but I’m seeing things differently now and hopefully it is for the better.” He meets Sho’s eyes. “You know I’m not the planning type, right?”
“I gathered that the moment I read your résumé.” Sho’s eyes narrow at him. “You don’t really speak Elioni, do you?”
Nino groans, throwing his head back in exaggeration. “Ah shit, don’t tell Jun-kun.”
When he looks down again, he stops. There’s this lopsided smile on Sho’s face, the corner of his lips upturned, barely perceptible but their closeness allows Nino to see it.
It’s a good look on him, Nino decides.
“Seriously, don’t tell him,” he says, choosing not to point out that Sho’s gradually agreeing to his request. It thrills him that Sho is willing to try. “Elioni is one of those big-time languages so I thought it was going to give my résumé the attention it needed.”
“It did get the Ambassador’s attention,” Sho says, looking amused now. “And mine. He had me sift through all the applicants and one of his requirements was someone who spoke not less than fifteen languages, in which a minimum of five must be spoken fluently.” Sho’s eyebrow quirks. “You had seven, I recall. At least you didn’t claim you’re fluent in Elioni. I had my suspicions when I read that bit on your résumé, but I didn’t know you then. How is it, really?”
“My Elioni is shit,” Nino says, and he swears he’s not imagining things when he hears a snort from Sho-the tiniest hint of a laugh. “If you speak it to me I’m just going to stare at you, smile, and nod. I know the alphabet and I can syllabicate, but I can’t get the deep rumbling they do for each word. I sound like I dislocated my jaw and swallowed my tongue every time I try to do it.”
The way Sho’s looking at him right now makes him feel warm despite the cool ambience of the room. “Anything else you lied about in your résumé?”
Nino gives Sho this offended look, putting a hand over his heart. “How dare you. I didn’t lie. I merely exaggerated. There’s a difference.”
Sho purses his lips. “All right. Anything else you exaggerated about?”
Nino smiles sweetly at him, leaning down so his face is somehow level with Sho’s. “Find out on your own. Isn’t it more fun that way?”
“Never a dull time with you, husband?” Sho asks, already craning his neck.
Nino pretends to think about it. “Never.”
When Sho meets him halfway, Nino can feel him grinning against his mouth. He counts it as a small victory.
--
Nino has no idea how his sister on Earth found out about his married status (because he’s under the impression that the Union doesn’t know it yet), but he wakes up to a transmission of her asking him to introduce his husband once the ship returns to the space station above Earth.
He doesn’t even make the effort to reply. He marks the transmission as viewed and sends it straight to his junk folder, not wanting to see it again. She sounded more excited than him, so enthusiastic to meet her brother-in-law and Nino doesn’t know how to explain to her that he’s currently in the early stages of a relationship with said husband, that they are doing things in reverse. Aiba was right. It is weird.
Nino, despite his uncanny ability to detach himself from his surroundings, tries to put in a bit of effort of maintaining communications with his family. His sister didn’t come with him to the colony at that time. When he was thinking of joining the roster, he did it without his family’s knowledge, listing himself as an orphan out of his desires to escape his tormentors in the form of nasty children hellbent on making him feel sorry for himself. He desired to be independent. It turned out that it was too early for him to do such a thing, but who was to know at that time? If anything, Nino was grateful that none of his family members had joined him on Nyx VII. They would have undoubtedly died if they did. He survived because he had been a child at the time and the governor, somehow, despite his utter madness during the last weeks of the colony, decided to spare the children.
Upon his return to Earth, his mother and sister cried at the sight of him. He was so detached at the time but he can remember their tears, the way they touched him as if he was going to disappear again. They didn’t chastise him for that impulsive decision that had changed his life, but Nino had no idea which he would prefer. In the end, he spent more than two decades on Earth jumping from one odd job to another until he decided to put his translation skills to use.
That, he at least had the sensitivity to inform his family about. But he did it when he was on his way to the nearest spaceport, dropping a quick “I’m off to space to translate for some bigshot you guys probably don’t know, but my comm details are the same so you can holler whenever, I guess” for a parting note.
He has been avoiding communication with his family ever since he and Sho started this thing, because he doesn’t want them to snoop so soon, not when he finally has something good. He had been a little cynical at the thought, but that’s likely caused by his unfortunate experience the last time he had been in space.
But now that space comes with a high paying, rewarding job and a husband that he has a developing relationship with, he thinks he can begin liking it out here.
Doesn’t mean his sister has to know though. He thinks he wants to keep this, and he has this unreasonable fear that if he talks about it, it might all go to shit afterwards. That was what had transpired the last time. He had been so excited over having a good life in the colony that he sent a transmission that said “Nyx VII is really worth it, I’m never coming back to Earth again!!!” to his sister. That message haunted him for years because of the possibilities it had entailed that he had no idea of back then.
Besides, even if Nino wanted to say something, there’s nothing much he can tell his sister. He and Sho are taking it awfully slow, exchanging quick kisses every time Nino is in Sho’s quarters to help him with whatever pile of work he has left. When things grow a little heated, it’s Sho who pulls away first. Sometimes, because Nino is still insecure over a couple of things, he thinks it’s about him. Maybe Sho is not attracted enough that he can exercise restraint whenever they are pressed so close together. Being with Sho is addicting, because while he is still the polite asshole Nino has known since the day he saw the man’s back in the Ambassador’s level in the space station, in private, when all his attention is on Nino alone, he shows it with the way his hands roam, clutching everything, only stopping when he’s close to leaving marks.
He makes Nino feel wanted, even if he’s always the first one who extracts himself before they both get carried away. Work, Sho always says, we have to work. Nino sometimes dislikes how they can never have a moment to themselves, but he thinks he himself is partly at fault there-he did hook up with the Ambassador’s secretary, the most sleep-deprived man on the ship.
During the past cycles, he and Sho continue with the work Jun assigned them with, reviewing all available information about the colonies with members of said coalition. Jun commended their progress when Sho presented a preliminary report with Nino’s assistance in Jun’s office. Nino supplemented every time Sho missed a thing they had discussed beforehand, and by the end of the report, Jun had been giving him odd looks.
Nino ignored them all.
He’s lying comfortably on the couch in Sho’s quarters when he asks out of nowhere if Jun knows something. He doesn’t turn to look at Sho, fingers still typing on the data pad that is carefully balanced on his stomach. He’s finalizing a revision he overlooked.
“What do you mean ‘something’?” Sho asks from his place in front of his desk. He never leaves that spot unless he’s feeling hungry or sleepy enough that he has to replicate either food or a strong dose of caffeine.
“You know,” Nino says with a wave of his hand, not wanting to elaborate.
“If his recently-hired translator is fraternizing with a crew member?”
Nino rolls his eyes. “I can’t believe you put it that way.” Then he reconsiders. “Actually, you are the only one who would put it that way. Are you really not half-android?”
“Do I look like one to you?” Sho asks, peering at him curiously.
“Well, I’ve never seen you naked so who can tell? Who knows if you’re all synthetic skin under those layers? Maybe if you remove your shirt I’m going to hear fans whirring to keep you from overheating or some gears grinding and devices beeping.” Nino gives Sho this meaningful look for a second before facing his data pad once more.
“You know if that’s what you want,” Sho begins, and now he definitely has Nino’s attention, “you should simply ask.” There’s this rather mischievous look in Sho’s eyes. “Nicely, of course.”
Nino laughs, shaking his head. He gets back to work. “You’re such an asshole. I’ve known that you are since day one, by the way.”
“I’m only like that with you,” Sho points out.
“Such sweet things you say,” Nino says airily. “You never answered my question.”
“I never talk about private matters with the Ambassador,” Sho admits.
“Yeah, I figured. And that’s because you don’t talk to anyone about private things, I know. But that’s because you don’t have to.”
Sho has this puzzled look that makes Nino grin. “You’re quite transparent, Sho-chan. I have a talent for figuring out people without saying a word, but I’m sure Jun-kun knows more given your long history of working together. Plus, he keeps giving me these strange, almost knowing looks and I think it’s only a matter of time before he demands answers or starts dropping hints.”
Sho frowns at that. “He won’t do that.” He pauses for a few moments. “On second thought…”
Nino chuckles. “He does have access to everything on this ship, right?”
“Yes. He has an override to everything-from door security to manual control of the entire ship, even replicator and database history. I think it’s only the hyperdrive that he doesn’t have access to.”
“Ah he definitely knows then.” Nino points to the replicator near the wall. “I’ve been keying nothing but junk food ever since you allowed me inside your room.” Nino has memorized the codes for all available processed foods in the replicator memory banks. “I think he knows. Jun-kun’s really smart when it comes to subtle prying.” Aiba can learn a thing or two from Jun, Nino thinks. Every time he sees Aiba in the halls of the ship, the pilot never fails to ask if he and Sho ‘already consummated’ their marriage, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.
Truthfully, Nino is impressed Aiba knows the word consummated.
Sho remains silent for a while, then Nino hears him ask, “Do you mind if he knows?”
Nino faces Sho, frowning at him. “Do I look like the type who would mind if my boss finds out I’m-” he’s blanking out a little, they’re not fucking yet and there’s no other name for what they have aside from trysts occurring in frequency, “-with his secretary? We’re married. Everyone in this ship thinks we’re sleeping together. What difference does it make?”
He sees Sho licking his lips. “The difference,” he says, and Nino notes how his voice dropped to a low and meaningful timbre, “is that we are not.” He inclines his head to the side. “Yet.”
“Well that’s comforting,” Nino says, ignoring the warmth pooling on his cheeks. His pale complexion is more honest than he will ever be. “I thought you had zero intentions of inviting me to your bed. It’s good to know that you have that planned at least. Will you even tell me when?”
Sho doesn’t say anything, only looks at him with such intensity and focus that Nino has to power down his data pad and glare at him.
“Fuck, you really want to play this now?” he asks, incredulous. There are three data pads left on Sho’s desk-three performance reviews he has to audit that he asked for Nino’s help on. They saved the engineering, bridge, and maintenance reviews for last because those are always the longest and most meticulous.
“What time is your next shift, Nino?” Sho asks, and he’s still using that deep voice that makes Nino’s insides burn, veins alight with lust.
“I have to meet Ohno-san for certain adjustments to the replicator in my room,” he says, squinting at the nearest chronometer. “That’s...more than twelve hours from now.” He finally convinced Ohno to tweak at the miso soup coding. He can’t make the man wait outside his quarters. Ohno is definitely the type who would leave if Nino didn’t open his door in less than twenty seconds.
He gives Sho a warning look. “Don’t make me late.”
“Does that mean I have your complete, undivided attention for more than twelve hours?” Sho asks. He has abandoned his data pad, turning his chair around to face Nino, his legs crossed. Nino hates how he looks so proud of himself.
And good. Sho looks really good in that dark blue sweater he chose to wear tonight. Nino is in his private clothes too: a faded t-shirt that has the word ‘sushi’ on it and a drawing of curry underneath. It made Sho smile a little when he first saw it.
“It means,” Nino says, putting the data pad aside (to the nearest flat surface because he doesn’t want to drop it) and swinging his legs down to sit on the couch with his legs spread, “that the clock is ticking, and if we’re really doing this, it would work better if you’re closer to me.”
Sho hums in mock thought and Nino lets out a laugh at his antics.
“You’re such a dick,” he accuses.
“You’re not being nice,” Sho says, and Nino picks up the throw pillow on his left and chucks it in Sho’s direction. It hits him square on the chest, and when he meets Sho’s gaze, he knows he definitely did the right thing; Sho’s eyes are darker now, and Nino tilts his head in challenge.
When Sho still doesn’t make a move, Nino’s patience wears thin. He reaches for the hem of his shirt, silently wishing he wore something with buttons; it would be more seductive and definitely get his point across.
But he has to make do. He runs his fingers over and over the stitching before he starts to slowly pull it up, gradually revealing skin. Maybe he should start spending time on the ship’s recreation halls-if he had this really toned, shredded stomach worth bragging about then he would no longer be sitting here alone.
But then again, he must look just fine in Sho’s eyes, because he can feel Sho’s heated gaze following the movement of his hands. He hikes his shirt up to his torso, hem resting right under his nipples, then he throws Sho this exasperated look.
“Come here.”
Sho doesn’t need to be told twice, a fact that Nino’s glad for, because he immediately gets up from his chair and approaches Nino in two hasty strides. He’s already discarding his sweater aside, and Nino only manages a cocky grin before Sho descends on him, mouth eager and demanding.
It’s a tight fit on the couch and it takes them a couple of tries to figure out where their limbs should go, but eventually Sho maneuvers them so Nino’s entire body is perfectly trapped under his own, his legs on either side of Nino’s hips. Sho’s hands waste no time, his palms already mapping Nino’s stomach, making Nino jolt under his touch and moan against his lips, the sound lost in each kiss they share.
Sho pulls away to help him pull his shirt off, and they discard it together somewhere on Sho’s floor. Nino couldn’t care any less, not when Sho’s mouth attaches itself to his jaw and starts tasting him there.
He cards his fingers through Sho’s hair and shuts his eyes as he pushes Sho’s face closer to his skin. It’s starting to get warm in the room now, and Nino orders for the lights to dim in quickened breaths.
He can feel Sho smirking against his neck at that before he sucks at the pulse, making Nino draw in a sharp breath, body involuntarily bucking back, wanting more, just more. It’s been a while for him, and with the way Sho’s trying to touch and taste everything, Nino can tell that it’s been longer for Sho’s case.
He wants to do something about that.
Sho begins moving lower, dropping quick kisses to the ridges formed by his throat, the dip formed by his collarbones, down to his breastbone. Nino only presses himself closer to him, curving his spine, head thrown back and mouth open in a silent, wordless cry.
A tongue flicks over one of his nipples and he hisses, just as Sho reaches up to trap the other one between his fingers. Nino can feel himself considerably harden at the attention Sho’s giving him, with every touch being done deliberately and every kiss delivered with purpose.
He lets out a quiet uninhibited moan when Sho’s plump lips close over his nipple and starts sucking while his fingers playfully pinch the other. He must have said something like Sho’s name because he seems to have encouraged Sho, teeth now running over certain patches of flesh, his tongue giving soothing licks afterwards. Sho’s knee finds its way in between Nino’s thighs and Nino can’t help bucking back, pressing his erection against Sho’s thigh.
Sho’s personal comm beeps with an incoming transmission and they both freeze, Nino with his hands firmly grasping Sho’s shoulders, Sho with his mouth hovering over Nino’s heart.
“Sho-kun,” Jun says in a voice transmission, and Nino groans, banging his head repeatedly against the couch, shutting his eyes in frustration. “My office, now. The Union has finally approved my request for shore leave after the colony visit and I want you to verify all the copies of the request form I printed out with the original ones you kept before we inform the rest of the crew about it.”
The transmission ends after that and Nino opens his eyes, staring disbelievingly at the ceiling.
“I hate him,” he says, meaning every word. “I fucking hate him.”
Sho’s weight slumps against him, his face buried on Nino’s chest.
“And I fucking hate you too. What, you don’t put his transmissions on hold if you can’t answer them? He’s set on automatic play?!”
Sho moves up to slot his face in the junction formed by Nino’s neck and shoulder. Nino can feel him inhaling his scent. “He’s my boss. Anytime he needs me, I have to be there,” Sho mutters, voice still husky.
“Yeah, and that’s why I hate him,” Nino says, the back of his hand resting over his eyes as he clicks his tongue repeatedly. “I am never going to forgive him. Matsumoto ‘certified erection killer’ Jun.”
There’s a puff of air against his jaw, and Nino takes comfort in the fact that Sho is currently chuckling against his neck, a deep, rumbling sound of amusement that he wants to hear again and again.
“We are never doing this with work in the way,” Nino vows, and he feels Sho press a lingering kiss to the angle of his jaw. “Never again. I don’t want to hear Jun-kun’s voice the day my mouth is on you. I might actually kill him if that happens.”
Sho is laughing now, shoulders shaking and breath coming out in gasps. Nino wishes he can see his face, the lines that must be surrounding his eyes as he quakes in undeniable mirth.
“I don’t think I have read about anyone in space dying of blue balls,” Sho says unhelpfully.
Nino pinches Sho’s side lightly. “Just go. He’s waiting, the biggest cockblock in the universe.”
Sho obeys, moving off him and picking up their discarded clothes off the floor. They tug their clothes back on in silence, though Nino still keeps shaking his head in disappointment.
“My hair look okay?” Sho asks, blinking at him. He is disheveled-hair tousled and lips swollen-and he has no idea. The sight of it is so endearing that Nino pulls him in for a quick peck.
“No. Take a quick trip to the refresher before you go.”
Sho does, spending a few seconds running a comb through the hair Nino made a mess of. Nino picks up the forgotten data pad and stalks towards Sho’s bed, plopping himself on it with little grace.
When Sho emerges, he looks around in confusion and Nino calls out to him.
“I’m going to sleep on your bed and you can’t make me leave,” he says, crossing his legs under him as the data pad reboots and illuminates his face. “Not after everything you put me through tonight.”
“I would actually hate to see you leave,” Sho says sincerely, feet already moving towards the exit. “Especially after tonight.”
“Oh, get out of here already,” Nino says, shooing him with a wave of his hand. He contents himself with following the curve formed by Sho’s ass with his eyes, something Sho’s loose baggy sweats are unable to hide.
Sho finally makes his way out, doors swooshing shut behind him, and Nino whistles before shaking his head, turning his attention back on the data pad in his hands.
--
He ends up meeting Ohno in the corridor right outside his quarters in the early hours of the day cycle, and Ohno looks genuinely surprised to see him outside, his finger already hovering over the console to buzz him.
“Why are you-” Ohno begins, then he seems to realize something, because the next thing he says is “well, I guess Aiba-chan’s beliefs aren’t as unfounded as I thought,” mostly to himself.
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Nino says, keying in his security code. They both step inside as soon as the doors open, and he leads Ohno to where the replicator is. “It’s too early for this.”
“You’re the one who wanted me to make changes to the miso soup programming,” Ohno points out, not even remotely apologetic. “But if you’d rather be in Sho-kun’s room right now, I can take a hint.”
Nino is a little late because he did sleep in Sho’s bed. He was already asleep by the time Sho came back from his impromptu meeting with Jun, and when the chronometer reminded him of his appointment with Ohno, he woke up with Sho’s arm wrapped around his middle, Sho not wanting him to go just yet.
He glares at Ohno and the man just picks his nose with his pinky.
“One day I’m going to airlock you and Aiba,” he threatens, leaning against the wall as Ohno crouches down to begin removing the plating on his replicator. “Together. Without any protective suit or gear.”
“Harsh,” is all Ohno says. He’s pulling out instruments from the waist pouch he’s wearing, laying them neatly on the floor. Ohno doesn’t say anything else and Nino just observes him as he starts working, deft hands moving with practiced ease. Ohno doesn’t bother to converse with him and Nino finds the occasional clink of tools against his replicator a little soothing.
He walks back to his desk, picking up a discarded holorecord about eugenics theory and controlled breeding to improve society. He only heard of it once, back when the governor was declaring their fates through the speakers, but when he finally had the courage to look more into it, Sho asked him to come over and he couldn’t say no.
He glances at Ohno once, finding the man frowning at his replicator as he unhooks some intricate wiring, and when he’s sure that Ohno is currently someplace else, he sets the holorecord down and hits play.
The holorecord is about 45 minutes long and he listens to it without doing anything else, just sitting on his desk with his back straight, eyes fixed on a spot on the table surface. He focuses on the words of the narrator, at the emphasized text bits he’s seeing every now and then as the discussion goes on.
The speaker is carefully outlining the cores of improving the genetic quality of any given population, and Nino feels he’s getting a glimpse of what was in the governor’s head at the time. He made the resounding declaration of executing half of the colony’s population based on his own theory of eugenics, with the exception of the children. Most adults in the colony that Nino had come to know were all put in front of a firing squad in order to save whatever was left of their food stock. It had been a horrific thing to hear. He didn’t see it happen, only heard the deafening rain of gunfire, the screams that were silenced. He had already been hiding away with the other kids when they began the executions.
After that, there was the smell. The smell of bloodshed and fire, of thick smoke looming over the cliffs in tall, black clouds. The scent of famine, death, and lost hope was everywhere, but there was also the feeling of resistance in the air. He was alive, hiding with the other kids, lying to them to save them in any way he could. The fact that he was alive was something he held on to.
Then the Union came with their emergency shuttles, a few days too late, but still. Nino was saved. He never heard from any of the kids he had looked after ever again. Maybe they all put Nyx VII behind them. Maybe some of them don’t even remember it anymore.
Ohno only disturbed him once with a light tap on his shoulder to ask for his specifications regarding the saltiness of the miso soup programming. The more he gathers, the more he is convinced that the governor was a madman. The Union had the governor locked up in an asylum for life, no visitors allowed. As the holorecord continues to play, Nino begins to feel that maybe the governor got what he deserved. People back then rallied for him to be put to death, but the Union was never in favor of capital punishment. For Nino, as long as he is locked away in an obscure part of space, it’s good. Space is big enough anyway. He doesn’t need to be exceptional at math to know that the possibilities of the man escaping and crossing paths with him are close to nothing.
He pauses the holorecord with determined fingers, sees that he has only managed to finish 28 minutes of it. He takes a deep breath followed by another, remembering his colors. Blue, green, brown. Again. And again.
Then he picks up the holorecord and walks towards the nearest recycler, not hesitating when he drops it inside. The crunch he hears as the thing gets compacted is satisfying, and he exhales before walking away.
Ohno is looking at him with a puzzled expression, and Nino only smiles at the engineer.
“What was that?” Ohno asks, expression genuinely curious. He doesn’t seem to be concerned about Nino’s behavior, and Nino thinks that’s a good thing.
“Burning bridges,” Nino says. It’s the most suitable explanation he can think of. He has been carrying his questions, doubts, and fears for almost twenty-three years. He returned to space to find out some of the answers for himself, and now that they are within reach, he realizes that they don’t matter anymore. It’s all behind him. It has always been behind him-it’s just that he keeps looking back.
It’s time to let it all go.
Ohno only nods, then he holds out his hand, a bowl of replicated miso soup in it. It’s steaming hot, spring onions floating on the surface, and the only way Ohno can hold on to it for so long is because he has calloused fingertips from his days as an engineer.
Nino carefully takes the bowl from him with both hands and takes a demure sip, licking his lips to obtain a better grasp of the taste.
Ohno tilts his head in question, an uncertain smile on his face.
Nino grins at him, raising the bowl slightly in toast. “Thanks, Oh-chan.”
The miso soup tastes better today.
Part 5