[Fic] You are welcome to stay (in this silence)
Title : [Fic] You are welcome to stay (In this silence) - Part 2
Pairing : Ohno/Nino (past Okada/Nino)
Rating : R
Summary : For years, he thought he could live with just loving him from afar. But his friend’s death didn’t only turn their lives around, it was bound to change his life forever.
Word count : around 1890 words
Note : Stay safe, everyone!
(You are welcome to stay - Part 1)
“How did you know I’d be here?” Nino heard Ohno asked, as he went through the motion of putting on the visitors’ slippers there, vaguely aware of Ohno behind him. He felt compelled to look back as he answered Ohno’s obviously confused question, but thought better of it.
He couldn’t, yet, especially with the way his heart was behaving in his chest as if it was trying it’s best to jump out of his ribcage and eventually kill him. To be fair, it wasn’t something he wasn’t accustomed with; being around Ohno always made him feel kind of nervous, for reasons he hadn’t meant to admit to himself (or anyone, for that matter) back then, at least until after Junichi’s death.
Well, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t known. It was hard not to notice that when even his own boyfriend did, and was so vocal about the fact that it ought to be annoying for a while until he kind of just gotten used to it. The realization hadn’t been as comical as it supposed to be, simply because Nino had been kind of upset of Junichi’s teasing, as if he didn’t care about his best friend crushing on his very own boyfriend.
And he guessed that that knowledge made him cautious around Ohno, and for a very good reason. Junichi’s kind of an asshole when he’s in the mood to tease, and that always happened after Ohno had dropped by for a visit.
Still, that wasn’t something he’d thought to entertain before. He and Junichi had been together for years, and they were happy. That was more than enough reason for him not to worry about his boyfriend’s best buddy and partner eyeing him as if he wanted to devour him when the guy thought he wasn’t looking.
But then Junichi died, and despite his unwillingness to allow it the power to change his life, his priorities, his plans and his feelings, it still did.
Somehow, he guessed that that, too, was an inescapable inevitability.
“Will it upset you if I tell you I called Sakurai-san earlier to check?” he said when he’d finally managed to swallow past the lump in his throat, and hoping he didn’t sound as shaky as he felt. He stood still, allowing Ohno the chance to walk past him for propriety’s sake, and when Ohno did, he realized he was smiling, enjoying the view of Ohno’s back facing him before following the older man towards the direction of the living room.
From the looks of it, Ohno didn’t seem too pleased. “I was just talking to him before you arrived. He didn’t mention anything.” Ohno said, before he quickly disappeared to the kitchen, obviously to deposit the beers Nino brought with him.
When Ohno came back, he was carrying two cans of beers and a box of what Nino suspected was chocolates.
Brows arched, he watched as Ohno placed them on the low table there, then he reached over to grab two cushions and placed them on the floor before he gestured Nino over. Nino walked over wordlessly and sat, watching Ohno as he mimicked Nino’s action, sitting opposite him.
Sliding one of the beer cans over, Ohno’s eyes surveyed him. Nino felt that all-too-familiar twisting in his stomach and the way it knotted its way up his chest and settled warmly there.
“You’re saying Sakurai told you I’d be here?” Ohno prompted, as he absently grabbed the other can and twisted it open. Nino made no move to do the same on the beer can he was offered and nodded instead.
“I told him not to tell you,” he said, shrugging his shoulders noncommittally. “Please don’t be mad at him. It was my fault, really. I told him I planned to surprise you anyway, since I’m sure you weren’t planning on showing up to dinner tonight. I guess I made a good point and convinced him to tell me where I could find you. Truthfully, I didn’t expect it would be here.”
Ohno looked kind of pale as he took a quick swig of his beer, some of the liquid drabbling past his mouth to his chin. He lifted his hand to wipe it off, hastily, and something about the way Ohno’s hand looked when he did the action made Nino’s gut churn, but not in a bad way.
Also, there was heat in those eyes that made Nino conscious in a way he normally didn’t, and the answering spread of liquid heat pooling around his middle was making him queasy.
“You forgot to mention you’re on leave?” he followed, before he could talk himself out of it.
That clearly surprised Ohno, though he obviously tried not to show it.
“I - didn’t think it’s that important,” Ohno said, mouth quirking. “Besides, I planned on meeting you tomorrow, for lunch, right? I thought we…could catch up then.”
“What’s wrong with doing that tonight instead?” he asked, without taking his eyes off of Ohno. Ohno squirmed on his seat and darted his gaze; Ohno looked uncomfortable, sitting there that a part Nino felt strangely triumphant, watching Ohno looking so awkward sitting there, as if he was considering bolting to the door the very first chance he got.
He eyed Ohno surreptitiously, feeling strangely calm despite the warmth settling across the vicinity of his heart. This, too, was nothing out of the ordinary. For some reason, despite the awkwardness between them when they got together before, Junichi included, he knew deep inside that Ohno was someone he could trust, someone who made him feel safe.
That hadn’t changed, even after Junichi’s death, and it certainly wasn’t something he would question now. He knew that much to be sure he wasn’t about to make the biggest mistake of his life for braving the consequences to be here, and that was that.
“Ah, but that’s - I mean -“ Ohno said, more like stuttered, before he paused for another drink.
“Well, that could be easily arranged, you see. I mean, if you want me to, I can leave.” He said, casually, watching Ohno’s expression changed drastically from one of uncertainty to confusion and fear.
“No! I - that’s not what I meant, Nino. I mean - I mean you don’t have to leave. I - God, I’m so sorry. I’m being an ass, I know, I’m really sorry. I just -“
“Tired?” he cut in, offering Ohno a smile before he leaned over on the low table to give Ohno a look. “You know you’re working too hard, Oh-chan, right? You deserve to take a break from time to time, you know?”
Ohno shrugged. “I hope that’s the only reason,” he said, meaningfully, and Nino realized he was grinning despite himself.
“You’re not saying it’s because of a person, yeah? Are you dating someone now, Oh-chan?” he asked, knowing for certain that Ohno was not. Sakurai-san was thankfully helpful about so many things, especially when it involved Ohno. And Nino was glad.
Ohno shook his head and Nino watched, in awe, as Ohno’s mouth tilted upwards into a would-be grin, the expression making him look boyish and a hundred times more charming. Nino felt so inclined to reach over and touch that smile, wondering how it would feel blossoming under his fingertips, but he held himself.
“Not really,” Ohno murmured, before he was once again grabbing his beer and downing the contents of it in one go. “But if one day it happened, I promise you’ll be the first to know.”
He chuckled. “I’ll take your word for it, then.”
“You bet,” Ohno winked at him, then eyed his still untouched beer. “Aren’t you going to drink that?”
“Um, maybe later. I did say I haven’t had dinner yet, right? I was kinda hoping you have something in your fridge that we could eat?”
Ohno’s smile turned somewhat shy, sitting upright just as he slid the box of chocolates over. “I’ll check if I still have instant ramen left in the cupboard, though I urge you not to expect much. I rarely go home these days, you know, so shopping for groceries is kind of a rarity for me, really. But let me check. Otherwise, we could probably order in, if you want. It might take more than an hour to reach here though.” Ohno said, before he stood, walking slowly towards the direction of his kitchen. Nino watched him carefully as he did so, wondering how it was possible for Ohno to look this good when Nino had known him for so long it was kind of ridiculous.
Then like an afterthought, Ohno pivoted and pointed at the box of chocolate sitting on the table.
“For now, just eat those chocolates,” Ohno said, smiling teasingly. “Matsumoto-san gave all the guys in our unit one box each when he came back from Dubai. Said it’s a famous brand.”
Nino took the box and held it carefully. “Patchi?” he read aloud, looking back up at Ohno.
Ohno nodded. “Yep. He said those are better-than-sex chocolates,” he was grinning, and for some reason, Nino wondered why he felt compelled to follow through. If Ohno was joking, then, too bad; Nino didn’t come here to laugh.
He made a quick work on the box and pulled it open, reached down inside and took whatever his fingers caught and popped it into his mouth without even checking it out. He held Ohno’s gaze as he chewed, brows raised at Ohno’s wistful expression.
“Well?” Ohno prompted as Nino chewed, the bittersweet taste of the chocolate lingering in his tongue.
“No,” he said, as he swallowed.
Ohno chuckled, feigning disappointment. “No? Really?”
Nino nodded. “Yeah, totally. Better than sex? This? Seriously, not even close.” He pointed out.
“That’s too bad,” Ohno said, like he meant it; Nino wondered if he really did. “Matsumoto-san sounded sure, though.”
“Whoever that Matsumoto-san guy is, he’s obviously hasn’t tried having sex yet,” he said, with a straight face. Ohno cracked up, and the sound of his laughter only served to fuel Nino’s desire to hear more, see more. “What? I’m serious, Oh-chan. No one in his sane mind would compare chocolates to sex. That’s just stupid, really.”
“Right, I believe you, Nino.”
“What, you sounded disappointed,” he quipped, and thus stopping Ohno from quickly disappearing to his kitchen. He stood, taking one more piece of chocolate from the box before crossing the short distance between him and Ohno. “I’m not lying. These chocolates are not better than sex. Here, try it.” He said, and without waiting permission from Ohno (and from his brain), he reached forward to feed Ohno the piece of chocolate in his hand, popping it into Ohno’s mouth.
He watched, throat dry as Ohno chewed, their eyes glued together. “Well?”
Ohno’s eyes were so, so dark it made Nino’s knees wobble. “Yeah, you’re right,” Ohno muttered, “It’s not better than sex.”
Nino didn’t realize he was reaching over until he did, when his fingertip touched the corner of Ohno’s lip where a faint trace of chocolate was left and he wiped it off, before bringing it to his lips. All the while, Ohno watched, throat bobbing with restraint as Nino shoved his finger to his mouth and licked, watching Ohno watch him. Ohno’s eyes darkened visibly.
Then, he pulled his finger out and licked around his lips, staring at Ohno pointedly. “Prove it.”
Pairing : Ohno/Nino (past Okada/Nino)
Rating : R
Summary : For years, he thought he could live with just loving him from afar. But his friend’s death didn’t only turn their lives around, it was bound to change his life forever.
Word count : around 1890 words
Note : Stay safe, everyone!
(You are welcome to stay - Part 1)
“How did you know I’d be here?” Nino heard Ohno asked, as he went through the motion of putting on the visitors’ slippers there, vaguely aware of Ohno behind him. He felt compelled to look back as he answered Ohno’s obviously confused question, but thought better of it.
He couldn’t, yet, especially with the way his heart was behaving in his chest as if it was trying it’s best to jump out of his ribcage and eventually kill him. To be fair, it wasn’t something he wasn’t accustomed with; being around Ohno always made him feel kind of nervous, for reasons he hadn’t meant to admit to himself (or anyone, for that matter) back then, at least until after Junichi’s death.
Well, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t known. It was hard not to notice that when even his own boyfriend did, and was so vocal about the fact that it ought to be annoying for a while until he kind of just gotten used to it. The realization hadn’t been as comical as it supposed to be, simply because Nino had been kind of upset of Junichi’s teasing, as if he didn’t care about his best friend crushing on his very own boyfriend.
And he guessed that that knowledge made him cautious around Ohno, and for a very good reason. Junichi’s kind of an asshole when he’s in the mood to tease, and that always happened after Ohno had dropped by for a visit.
Still, that wasn’t something he’d thought to entertain before. He and Junichi had been together for years, and they were happy. That was more than enough reason for him not to worry about his boyfriend’s best buddy and partner eyeing him as if he wanted to devour him when the guy thought he wasn’t looking.
But then Junichi died, and despite his unwillingness to allow it the power to change his life, his priorities, his plans and his feelings, it still did.
Somehow, he guessed that that, too, was an inescapable inevitability.
“Will it upset you if I tell you I called Sakurai-san earlier to check?” he said when he’d finally managed to swallow past the lump in his throat, and hoping he didn’t sound as shaky as he felt. He stood still, allowing Ohno the chance to walk past him for propriety’s sake, and when Ohno did, he realized he was smiling, enjoying the view of Ohno’s back facing him before following the older man towards the direction of the living room.
From the looks of it, Ohno didn’t seem too pleased. “I was just talking to him before you arrived. He didn’t mention anything.” Ohno said, before he quickly disappeared to the kitchen, obviously to deposit the beers Nino brought with him.
When Ohno came back, he was carrying two cans of beers and a box of what Nino suspected was chocolates.
Brows arched, he watched as Ohno placed them on the low table there, then he reached over to grab two cushions and placed them on the floor before he gestured Nino over. Nino walked over wordlessly and sat, watching Ohno as he mimicked Nino’s action, sitting opposite him.
Sliding one of the beer cans over, Ohno’s eyes surveyed him. Nino felt that all-too-familiar twisting in his stomach and the way it knotted its way up his chest and settled warmly there.
“You’re saying Sakurai told you I’d be here?” Ohno prompted, as he absently grabbed the other can and twisted it open. Nino made no move to do the same on the beer can he was offered and nodded instead.
“I told him not to tell you,” he said, shrugging his shoulders noncommittally. “Please don’t be mad at him. It was my fault, really. I told him I planned to surprise you anyway, since I’m sure you weren’t planning on showing up to dinner tonight. I guess I made a good point and convinced him to tell me where I could find you. Truthfully, I didn’t expect it would be here.”
Ohno looked kind of pale as he took a quick swig of his beer, some of the liquid drabbling past his mouth to his chin. He lifted his hand to wipe it off, hastily, and something about the way Ohno’s hand looked when he did the action made Nino’s gut churn, but not in a bad way.
Also, there was heat in those eyes that made Nino conscious in a way he normally didn’t, and the answering spread of liquid heat pooling around his middle was making him queasy.
“You forgot to mention you’re on leave?” he followed, before he could talk himself out of it.
That clearly surprised Ohno, though he obviously tried not to show it.
“I - didn’t think it’s that important,” Ohno said, mouth quirking. “Besides, I planned on meeting you tomorrow, for lunch, right? I thought we…could catch up then.”
“What’s wrong with doing that tonight instead?” he asked, without taking his eyes off of Ohno. Ohno squirmed on his seat and darted his gaze; Ohno looked uncomfortable, sitting there that a part Nino felt strangely triumphant, watching Ohno looking so awkward sitting there, as if he was considering bolting to the door the very first chance he got.
He eyed Ohno surreptitiously, feeling strangely calm despite the warmth settling across the vicinity of his heart. This, too, was nothing out of the ordinary. For some reason, despite the awkwardness between them when they got together before, Junichi included, he knew deep inside that Ohno was someone he could trust, someone who made him feel safe.
That hadn’t changed, even after Junichi’s death, and it certainly wasn’t something he would question now. He knew that much to be sure he wasn’t about to make the biggest mistake of his life for braving the consequences to be here, and that was that.
“Ah, but that’s - I mean -“ Ohno said, more like stuttered, before he paused for another drink.
“Well, that could be easily arranged, you see. I mean, if you want me to, I can leave.” He said, casually, watching Ohno’s expression changed drastically from one of uncertainty to confusion and fear.
“No! I - that’s not what I meant, Nino. I mean - I mean you don’t have to leave. I - God, I’m so sorry. I’m being an ass, I know, I’m really sorry. I just -“
“Tired?” he cut in, offering Ohno a smile before he leaned over on the low table to give Ohno a look. “You know you’re working too hard, Oh-chan, right? You deserve to take a break from time to time, you know?”
Ohno shrugged. “I hope that’s the only reason,” he said, meaningfully, and Nino realized he was grinning despite himself.
“You’re not saying it’s because of a person, yeah? Are you dating someone now, Oh-chan?” he asked, knowing for certain that Ohno was not. Sakurai-san was thankfully helpful about so many things, especially when it involved Ohno. And Nino was glad.
Ohno shook his head and Nino watched, in awe, as Ohno’s mouth tilted upwards into a would-be grin, the expression making him look boyish and a hundred times more charming. Nino felt so inclined to reach over and touch that smile, wondering how it would feel blossoming under his fingertips, but he held himself.
“Not really,” Ohno murmured, before he was once again grabbing his beer and downing the contents of it in one go. “But if one day it happened, I promise you’ll be the first to know.”
He chuckled. “I’ll take your word for it, then.”
“You bet,” Ohno winked at him, then eyed his still untouched beer. “Aren’t you going to drink that?”
“Um, maybe later. I did say I haven’t had dinner yet, right? I was kinda hoping you have something in your fridge that we could eat?”
Ohno’s smile turned somewhat shy, sitting upright just as he slid the box of chocolates over. “I’ll check if I still have instant ramen left in the cupboard, though I urge you not to expect much. I rarely go home these days, you know, so shopping for groceries is kind of a rarity for me, really. But let me check. Otherwise, we could probably order in, if you want. It might take more than an hour to reach here though.” Ohno said, before he stood, walking slowly towards the direction of his kitchen. Nino watched him carefully as he did so, wondering how it was possible for Ohno to look this good when Nino had known him for so long it was kind of ridiculous.
Then like an afterthought, Ohno pivoted and pointed at the box of chocolate sitting on the table.
“For now, just eat those chocolates,” Ohno said, smiling teasingly. “Matsumoto-san gave all the guys in our unit one box each when he came back from Dubai. Said it’s a famous brand.”
Nino took the box and held it carefully. “Patchi?” he read aloud, looking back up at Ohno.
Ohno nodded. “Yep. He said those are better-than-sex chocolates,” he was grinning, and for some reason, Nino wondered why he felt compelled to follow through. If Ohno was joking, then, too bad; Nino didn’t come here to laugh.
He made a quick work on the box and pulled it open, reached down inside and took whatever his fingers caught and popped it into his mouth without even checking it out. He held Ohno’s gaze as he chewed, brows raised at Ohno’s wistful expression.
“Well?” Ohno prompted as Nino chewed, the bittersweet taste of the chocolate lingering in his tongue.
“No,” he said, as he swallowed.
Ohno chuckled, feigning disappointment. “No? Really?”
Nino nodded. “Yeah, totally. Better than sex? This? Seriously, not even close.” He pointed out.
“That’s too bad,” Ohno said, like he meant it; Nino wondered if he really did. “Matsumoto-san sounded sure, though.”
“Whoever that Matsumoto-san guy is, he’s obviously hasn’t tried having sex yet,” he said, with a straight face. Ohno cracked up, and the sound of his laughter only served to fuel Nino’s desire to hear more, see more. “What? I’m serious, Oh-chan. No one in his sane mind would compare chocolates to sex. That’s just stupid, really.”
“Right, I believe you, Nino.”
“What, you sounded disappointed,” he quipped, and thus stopping Ohno from quickly disappearing to his kitchen. He stood, taking one more piece of chocolate from the box before crossing the short distance between him and Ohno. “I’m not lying. These chocolates are not better than sex. Here, try it.” He said, and without waiting permission from Ohno (and from his brain), he reached forward to feed Ohno the piece of chocolate in his hand, popping it into Ohno’s mouth.
He watched, throat dry as Ohno chewed, their eyes glued together. “Well?”
Ohno’s eyes were so, so dark it made Nino’s knees wobble. “Yeah, you’re right,” Ohno muttered, “It’s not better than sex.”
Nino didn’t realize he was reaching over until he did, when his fingertip touched the corner of Ohno’s lip where a faint trace of chocolate was left and he wiped it off, before bringing it to his lips. All the while, Ohno watched, throat bobbing with restraint as Nino shoved his finger to his mouth and licked, watching Ohno watch him. Ohno’s eyes darkened visibly.
Then, he pulled his finger out and licked around his lips, staring at Ohno pointedly. “Prove it.”